The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-03-29
SUBMERGED HAVRE.
a PROMISING VILLAGE DESTROYED
Bv LAKE ERIE.
Yhs Town Made m Unusually Ambitious
START, and Bts Projectors Expected Great
Things From It-Now Its Site, All That
II Lon, IL q Greek bottom.


Thing. From It-Now It's Site, All That
Is Len, IL . Greek bottom.
line of Toledo lies the site OF lost village,
which was peopled not so long ago by sew
sral hundred souls. It's existence is al
most forgotten, and only few of the old
est inhabitants are able TO indicate even
vaguely where the town once stood. Tho
lAue waters Of Lake Erie ripple over town
lots and building lots which it was hoped
would some day bring great wealth to the
projectors of the village.
A few miles north of Toledo, Ten Mile
creek, dignifled by geographers with the
name of Ottawa river, marks the boundary
oq the lake front between Ohio and Michi-
gan. On the north bank of the stream,
just within Monroe county, Mich, Is the
ite Of what once was the town OF Havre
10 was not a hamlet, such as is gradually
formed around a few fishing shanties when
country Is young, but town that was
created by hundreds of. colonistss When
Hhvre was laid out IL was the only place
thst was more than "a mere settlement be-
tween Monroe, Mich, and historic old
Mnumee, o. Toledo was only name, for
when the colonists landed in 1885 this
city was just n year old, and Its future
growth was highly problematical. 1t was
situated 12 miles from the island that
marks the western end of the lake, while
HAyre, situated 90 the north OF Gard is
hand, was practically on the broad high
way of waters. .f'.'''. .ts..tt'tf '''
Tho colonists were brought to the site of
the town by the steamer Superior from
EsRalo. 1t is probable that this steamer
was She first craft other than an Indian
eanoe that had ever yentured into the
channel between Gard island and the
nainaand. Many Of the colonists of Havre
were French. and they named the new.
Town after the famous port in their mother
epuntry. Denis NORM, whose descendants
Hlu live on the water front near the old
toVD site, laid ont the streets with his
ytQw and helped to grade the locations of
the principal buildings. Old Peter Ire
wick, who Is still living in Vienna, Mich,
also helped to build the town. Houses rose
rapidly. A FIRST rate church was built,
and stores out of NIL proportion III the b,isi-
n1ss Of that day and commodious tavern
wero erected. In short, within two years
frdm the time the first coloniSts landed 500
houses had been built along the water
front, and the little steamer that piled be-
tween Detroit, Monroe and Mau,nee found
profitable trading at Havrc. ''''.''' '''
Then came the cataclysm Old Lake
Erie began slowly to rise. The town was
only few feet above the level of the creek,
and the country was marshy. 1t was Mt
first thought that it was onlya remarkable
stage Of high water. But the water came
over tbs sills of the doors nearest the lake
and slowly but surely rose higher and
higher. House after house was invaded,
al Il
widened until IL was nearly n mile across.
ON the water came until the floors In the
highest portion of the town stood four feet
deep in water. The people We're, of course,
hadly frightened. With everything that
could float they hurried to the highest spot
ON the mainlanp and waited for the end
Fipding after q day or two that the waters
h8d apparently ceased TO rise, they return
edyaDd took away all the property that
could be moved by the old fashioned ca
nosf, which were an indispensable ad-
junct To every French trappcr's outfit
The boats were rowed right into the houses,
and when ii came 70 transporting the bar
rels Of good liquor with which the tavern
taproom was stocked there was many u
poor Frenchman who had an opportunity
oEdrinkinR better spirits than nc had ever
taeted before. In fact, the whole settle
ment had about as memorable drunk as
this part of the country had ever seen.
Then came what L. still remembered as
the big winter. Ten Mile crock was frozen
totits bottom, and the snow was very deep
The founders of Have, who had encamped
along the water front against the day
when the waters should rccedc and they
should come into their own again, We're
forced by the inclement weather To hunt
them, and other towns and the adjacent
farms absorbed the rest of the villagers.
Tie waters never went back, and the fol-
lowing spring there was great sale of the
towns buildings. They went cheap, and
the settlers came from miles around to bid
for them.
Tho houses were raised before the ice
had gone out of the creek and were hauled
away by OK teams while the ground was
still in good condition for shedding. Only
n few of the houses were left near the vii
lagc site, and the only one that can now he
identified Il occupied by young Trevick
and stands over n mile from where il WAS
first built. The great tavern wis taken
bodily to Vienna, Mich, where il stood for
years. Even the pioneer steamer was bro
ken up, and today some of the planks arc
built into the house OF Levi Morin, whose
uncle plowed the first street line of Havre,
All that IL ldft OF Hayre j. few piles that
can still be seen rptting in Ten Mile creek.
Whether the water of lake Erie actually
rose OF whether the land about the town
site sank Is question. Certainly no
other port on western Lake Erie has any
record OF such an increase in its waters,
but IL Is argued 10y those who believe that
the waters rose that the effect would not
have been ~ noticeable nj any other point
as ut Hayre on account of the low level of
the town site. Whatever the cause, the
waters are high above its streets, and many
fine pike and black bass has been taken
on the site Of the old town, although few
of tho many fishers from Toledo who visit
Ten Mile creek are familiar with the story
Of the town boncath it's surface. Toledo
Correspondence. p tu.rf
Dickens ~ Critic.
Charles Dickens had great .ove for
music and particularly enjoyed songs and
ballads, anything pathetic i'm the strains
Of which uuickly moved him