Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-08-20
HISTORICAL.

Ihis now more than two hundred and
twenty eight years since the missionary
Marquette, in company with Joliet, a
trader from Quebec, and five other
Frenehmen, floated in canoes down the
! Wisconsin river. The courage and en-
thus asm of these French adventurers
was certainly remarkable. This great
discovery was brought about by their
desire to plant christian missions among
the natives. They pushed on notwith
standing the difficulties and disappoint
ments that embarrassed them. accom-
! plishing greater work in the end than
they ever dreamed of
The beautiful and historical Wiscon-
sin river, with its diversified scenery,
its grand banks, its many islands, fills
| the heart and mind with exhileration,
admiration and pleasure of all who have
wandered to within its power and nat
ural splendor. Natures work has been
greatly assisted by wealth and perse-
verance so extensively and unreserved-
ly bestowed that many attractive places
of resort have been built upon its shores
and about its vicinity. Many of our
principal families possess, in addition
to their city resid ences, rural villas for
sunmer retreats which have been built
in picturesque situations, sometimes in
the interior of the country and some
! times upon the shore.
| Woodlawn, situated on the high banks
of this popular river, about $50 miles
from Milwaukee, the metropolis of our
grand old state Wisconsin, and on the
line of the c., M. q st. p. r. R., making
it convenient trysting place. Three
beautiful islands stand gracefully upon
her powerful rushing waters, affording
extended, magnificent retreats and
views on either side. On the north,
looking from the upper island, the eye
follows the line of shore away to three
mountains, with their fir and pine
topped foliage, ever green. Beautiful
indeed are they to the eye of the sight
seeker. While on the south the view is
terminated at about the same distance
by large, beautiful landscape that
dwells in the mind of the beholder for
many hours. Toward the interior from
Woodlawn extends a broad, handsome
plain, bounded by wooded hills toward
the shore and by green fields in the dis
tance beyond. The beauty and salub
rity of climate makes it very attrac-
tive place as a summer resort for people
of any rank or station in life 1t proved
to all who have sought this quiet retreat
for their summer outing to verify en-
phatically all praise it may have re-
ceived. We were interested in this
natural, romantic, ideaIistic spot,
gained much knowledge of life, people
and nature within its boundary. Deep
natural formations, from sixteen to
twenty feet deep, kettle shaped, were
found short distance from shore, the
upper portion being bordered clear
around by thick hedge of various
kindslof ferns. The descent being so
gradual and sloping, the whole inter
ior so green and grassy, that to descend
one of them was a pleasure to be re-
peated. The natural ravines so sudden
ly discovered, with their shaded bowers,
the brook or spring babbling through.
The winged songsters, with their var
ious melodies, swaying and fitting from
overhanging branches, would cause us
to exclaim o, how beautiful, how sub
lime, would that the month of June
mi ght be thrice as long, with its grand
country attractions that keeps the heart
young and makes life one long happy
dream Trees of great variety are
found here, the dark green of the pine,
the red leaved and green maple, the
tall majestic oak, the graceful sweeping
elm, the fluttering, giddy birch, the
soft whispering branches of the poplar
all lend an air of varied loveliness that
cause the heart and brain to bound with
emotion and love for the resplendent
beauties of nature. MAY.