The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-04-02

.,,,s From It-Now It's site, All That
,.,crt Is ~ Creek Bottom.
,r,,hi,o few miles CT the corporation
Tolodo lies the size ~ Il lost village,
l l~,,h ,ras copied not so lapg ago by sew
WIN h,,r,rid souls It's Cxistcncc Is al
cru" ast ,or,-oltcn, ard only II few of the old
no's .,t.IItpnts are able TO indicate even
'a' Ely 4 here the town once stood. ="
%e", o.ors of Lake Erie rirrlc over town
Wv" ord lulding lots which II was hcr'd
~ Ill e,n,c day lrirg great wealth 10 thr
rroiectOrs of the village.
pJ' Ccw miles north of Toledo, Ten Mile
a.o,r dirniiiCd ~ gcorral hers win the
.a,,eof Ottawa river, nia rs the bount ~
tho l,tc front between Ohio and N:c.-
VI on the Forth bank Of the stream
e ,.,t,ic N-crrce county, Mich, H. thu
-. If ,ybpt CucV was the town OF l!uNrV
&c NOT hamlet, such as is gradually
ia.,'cl yroird y few fishing 81 antics when
country /, Young, but town that vas
anootcd lv hundreds Of colorlsts. When
IL y-gs Lid out, il was tic only place
,hat was more than mere settlement he
8 nrccr Monroe. ish., and Historic old
Mor,nec O. Tol, do was only II name, for
,rhon the colonists landed in 1886 this
oi,y was lust IL year old, and its future
,,rcwtb was highly rrobleinatical. 1t was
s;tuotcd ~ miles from the island that
marks the western end OF the iaKe, Whin
Uovrc situated TO the north of Gard as
land was practically on the broad high
way of waters.
The colonists were brought to the site OF
the town by the steamer superior from
Buffalo II is probable that this steamer
was the first craft other than an Indian
canoe that had ever ventured into the
channel between Gard island ana IN"
mainland Many of the colonists of Havrc
were French. and they named the new
) town after the famous port I'm their mother
country. Denis NORM, whose descendants
still live on the water front near the old
town site, laid out the streets with his
nlow and helped to grade the locations OF
the princpal buildings. Old Peter Ire
wick. who is still living in Vienna, Mich,
also helped TO build the town. Houses rost
rapidlv. A first rate church was built
: and stores out of all proportion To the busi
ness of that day and n commodious taNeri
were erected. In short, within two years
from the time the first colonists landed 5O'
houses had Lcen built along the wate
front, and the little steamer that plied be
tween Detroit, Monroe and Maumcc foun'
profitable trading at Havre.
Then came the cataclysm. Old Lax
&, Erie began slowly to rise. The town We
only a few feet above the level of the creek
and the country was marshy. III was u
first thought that it was onlya remarkabi
stage of high water. But the water cam
over the slls of the doors nearest the lax
and slowly but surely rose higher ar
higher. House after house was invaded
and the pretty little creek mouth gradulll
y wdened until il was nearly miie across
" On the water came until the floors III III
highest portion of the town stood four let
deep in water. The People were, OF course
badly frightened With everything tht
could float they hurried to the highest sp'
on the mainland and waited for the enc
Finding after day or two that the water
had apparently ceased To rise, they rcturi
~ ed and took away all the property thi
could be moved ly the old fashioned q
noes, which were an Indispensable az
junct TO every French trappcr's outh
The boats were rowcd right into the house
and when it came To transporting the VA
rcls of coed LIQUOR " it'll which the taNei
tarroom was stocked there was many
poor Frenchman who had an opportnnl
!, of drinking better spirits than he had ev
tasted before In fact, the whole setti
mcnt had about as memorable a drunk
this part of the country had ever seen.
Then came what Is still remembered
the big winter. Ten Mile creek was 1roz'
to its bottom, and the snow was very Gee
The founders of Have, who had encamp'
1 bp
~gwhon the waters should reccdc and tn
should come into their own again, we
forced by the inclement weather to hu
for new homes. Monroe received many
them, and other towns and the adJacc
farms absorbed the rest of the Villagei
The waters never went back, and the II
lowing spring there was great saie OIL
towns buildings They went cheap, al
the settlers came from miles around 10
Tor them.
The houses were raised before inc J
had gone out of the creek and were halil
away by OK teams while the ground
still in good condition for shedding. vi
few 6f the houses were left near the
lage site, and the only one that can now
identified Is occupied by young IreVi
md stands over mile from where III
first built. The great tavern was tax
bodily to Vienna, Mich, where 1t STOOD
years. Even the pioneer steamer was "
ken up, and today some of the planks
built into the house of Levi NORM, wh'
uncle plowed the first street line OF Hav
All that is left of Havre Is few piles u
can still be seen rotting in Ten Mile cree
Whether the water of Lake Erie actua
Srose or whether the land about the To-
site sank is question. Certainly
other port on western Lake Erie mas
record of such an increase In It's w'',,
but it Is argued by those who believe u
the waters rose that the effect wouio
have been so noticeable ut any other %
as at Havre on account of the low lever
the town site. Whatever the cau.s,
waters are high above its streets, ana go, |,
fine pike and black bass has been ,of
on the site of the old town, although
CT the many fishers from Toledo VINO :,
Ten Mile creek are familiar with the 50
Of the town beneath its surface.-1o'
Correspondence.
Dickens as Critic.
- Charles Dickens bad great love