The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-08
AT POINT ST. 1aNAcE.
A North Michigan Resort on the
Straits of Mackinnc

| A North Michigan Resort on the
Straits of Mackinac.
St. Tgnace, Mich, Aug. ITO the weary
ears of the modern woman, whose nerves
have been laid bare by the Winters wor-
ries, there is an aliurement in the
! thought of North Michigan. 1t promises
something free and quiet-a deep undis-
tuEoed forest primeval, with delicious.
piney odors and the rare ccmpanionship
of rocks. clouds. and boundless waters.
| As We turned northward from Detroit,
and crept along the low-lying flats in the
river. and leaving Port Huron. plunged
into Lake Huron we began TO breathe
the freshness of the air of the north
| lakes. After touching AT Oscoda, Alpena,
and Cheboygan, on drawing near Mack
/ mac We began to feed that We were really
among the historic regions of the West.
The picturesque old white fort of Mack
mac Island lowered up against the blue
! sky high above the landing. The huge
hotels. pretty cottages and tents and the
hustle of a modern watering place seem
very incongruous in this place; that we
| think of as dedicated TO the knight-er-
rancy Of Marquette and La Sale. In the
| midst of this modern hustle there is a
weird suggestivecless in the dirge-like In
! dian names, the pathetic legends cl.nging
TO the rocks and caves. the odd buildings
! Of the John Jacob AStor Fur Company,
which brought the first Engiish-speaking
men 10 this region long before the first
white man settled in Chicago. and the lit.
tie, old, low-lying houses hugging the
shore with their faint odor of long ago.
One btrf to go 10 hri,,
back some of the stern scenes that have
been witnessed here.
Our destination was st. Ignace, a town
beautifully situated on the north side of
the straits. Here it was that Marquette
in 1911 made the second permanent set
tlement in Michigan, the first being at
the Sault. The town stretches along the
shore-line, forming huge letter S, for
about two miles. The travelling men cali
ii the +'shee-string town. The interest
OF the village centers in the old mission
church. where Marquette left his auto
graph in an old painting of St. Ignatius
Loyola. Ii reposes behind the altar in
the chapel. and the 1000 Catholics out
of the $500 inhabitants hold it in the
greatest veneration..
But the charm of the town is in its de-
licious pine woods and the beautiful ISL
ands. within sailing distance. dot,ing here
matter what the ternoera- ure is be
low il is always cool at Point Ignace.
for this is the central point between the
three great lakes. which seem necessarily
tossing bail at one another. No sooner
has the wind ceased blowing from Lake
Michigan than Lake Huron hurls back
the breeze. and Lake Superior sends forth
its blast from the north. You can find
here few simple hotels but no pretty
] cot "a In, I-.n
sionally deer 10 be seen skuIking about
/ the door-yards, and semi-occaslonaIly
! bear Everyone 1urrs fisher at St Ig-
/ mace II was longing o catch the first
/ muskacnge OF the season that hurried
! US off late one hazy afternoon 10 be ready
! for the early morning fishing among the
/ islands. But the wind went down as we
were beating UP one OF the channels.
clouds banked up 10 the northward and
as the sun dropped out of sight amid the
exquisite colors of a Mackinac sunset,
the oncening night cut short the beau
ilIul panorama. Flashes of lightning
varied by bolts of thunder struck
! terror to Us all as the high winds carried
! US out into the lake which seemed to
/ be OF Stygian blackneSs For five hours
We mounted huge waves and plunged
/ down deep aoysses. but the boat was
/ stanch and the captain and Joe were
true, and so when the calm. clear morn
1 ing found US, we were near olIr town
wharf at ST Ignace.
] One of the famous drives from 81 To-
mace Is TO Point aux Cheuys The read
! leads over the bluff from the yilIage 1,n-
P! I'll IL reaches Lake Michigan. and then
? creeps in and out of the fragrant pine
woods for fifteen miles. About half way
we pass Pointe De Barbe. where. in times
past. all voyagers TO Mackinac stopped
TO shave before arriving at the "Empo-
rum Of the West" Where the woods
break away from the shore little plain
white-washed log cabins or low-roofed
farm houses appear in groups, with fish
ing nets spread out to dry telling the
tale Of the struggle for existence. These
farmer-fishermen are half breeds and
children swarm about the gates as we
go by.
There are only about 400 Indians left
in these regions. scattered among the
| Cheneaux. La Crosse village. St. Ignace
and Pine and Indian rivers. 1t was only
sixty years ago when : 600 dusky forms
gathered at Mackinac Island to receive
the few dollars apiece doled out to them
by the Government until the treaty with
the Delawares and ChiDDewas. They
have been easy To civilize. but they have
a wonderful wav of disappearing after
receiving enlightenment.