Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-02-02


more, Philadelphia or St. Petersburg. 1t
was trading post of the French rs early
as 1879, and was permanently settled in
| 1101, by La Motto Cadillac, a man of abl-
| ity, who WAS held in high esteem by his
sovereign, Louis XIV, and his ministers
The first mention that we find of Cadit-
lac in America was in 1887, when he was
married at Quebec, he then being in the
thirteth year of his age. Two years after
he went to France and returned with a
grant OF 100, 600 acres OF land at Mt. Des
ert, Maine, and vicinity from the French
court.
He was subsequently employed in posi-
| tions in the naval and military service of
France, and In 1892 he was sent to France
by Frontenac, governte general of Can
ada, by request OF Count Ponchartrain,
minister of marine OF Louis XIV, to ad-
wise in regard to the military affairs OF
the province in its dealings with New
| England and New York. In 1894 he was
appointed commander at Michilimac-
kinac, where he remained five years.
Cadillac became convinced that
Detroit, rather than any OF the more
nothern stations, was best located for the
control OF the fur trade and the protec-
ton of the Indians friendly to the French.
With that in view he went to France in
100, and returned in 1701 with grant of
land Fifteen arpents square" Il 500 acres)
wherever on the Detroit river the new
fort should be established, and with
promises of military ana other assistance.
He arrived at Quebec, went to Montreal
and started from the latter place by the
Ottawa and Lake Huron route, with fifty
soldiers and fifty Canadian traders and
art isans, in the month Of June to found
the settlement in the woods. On July "a,
1901, they reached their destination, and
stockade fort was speedily constructed
and named Ponchartraip. Log houses
with matched roofs were built for homes
OF the settlers.
Cadillac was impressed with the beauty
Of Detroit and its desirability as home
rs well as for its commercial and strategic
Importance, and with eloquence he de-
scribed the passage through which 1t
flows, as 1.-THE living and crystal waters
OF the upper lakes, (which are so many
seas of sweet water" rolling on to mingle
with the distant ocean.
The borders OF the strait, he said, "are
vast prares, and the freshness OF the
beautiful waters keeps the banks always
green. Natural orchards laden with
fruit abound; the ambitious vine, which
never wept under the pruning knife,
builds a thick roof with large leaves and
heavy clusters weighing down the top OF
the tree which receives it, often
sitting it with its embrace"
The woods are fun OF game. The
forest trees are straight as arrows, and
OF prodig ious size. Above the courage
Gus eagle scars looking fxediy at the
sun. The swans in the river are SO Du
merous that one might take them for
lilies in the reeds in which they crowd
toget her, and the fish are none the less
delicious for their great abundance.
None but enemies of truth could be en-
emies to this establishment, neces-
sary to the increase OF the glory OF the
king to the spread OF religion, and to
The destruction OF the throne OF Satan.'
Cadillac remained ut Detroit md was
the chief figure in the settlement and in
the affairs OF the peninsula until 1710,
when private affairs took him from the
colony. Afterwards, from I'LL to I'LL, he
was governor Of Louisiana, and later was
employed in France. where he died in
1720, aged seventy-three years.
Madam Gregorie, granddaughter OF
Cadillac, was in Maine at the close o. he
Revolutionary war, and claimed the lands
granted to her ancestors at and near Mt.
Desert. The general court of Massachu
sets recognized her claim, naturalized her
and her husband, and gave her title to
the lands, except such as had been taken
up and had settlers upon them.
Detroit WAS French up to 1863, Eng
lish to 1896, American to 1872, English
again in 1872, and finally American from
1918 to the present time.
LAKE HURON.
The passage through Detroit river to
Lake St. Clair is interesting and pretty,
it's shores are dotted with pleasant APP
pearing villages and hamlets. 1t was
midnight when we entered Lake Huron,
and we retired for the night.
Lake Huron is the third in size OF the
American chain, it being $50 miles in
length, seventy miles broad, and 1000
feet in depth. It's surface is nineteen
feet above Erie, 352 above Ontario, and
SIS feet above the sea level. The waters
Of this lake are very clear, pure and
sweet. There are upwards Of 5000 islands
in the lake.
Champlain visited Lake Huron in 1915.
LaSalle in the "Griffon", the first vessel to
plough the waters Of the lakes above Nj
agara, passed over it in 1879.
We reached Mackinac island, the Mich
ilimackinac of the Biographies
OF my boyhood, 800 miles from
Detroit. at noon Sunday. Mackinac,
at the northwest extremity OF Lake
ia in oil nd in,