The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11

the old hotel He had roomed with me In
Utica. NJ Y. before coming to the Lake
Superior region and we again roomed TO-
gether at the Central mine and at Eagie
Harbor He did a great deal or writing
in our bedroom at night, and IL was there
as well as in the schoolroom, that he wrote
the ritual for the now famous order.
"Rathbone felt confident that the knights
of Pythias would become a great oroer' out
1 thought him visionary and doubted the
success OF the undertaking. i knew MN
to be brilliant, but never dreamed ne was
to become so illustrious."
In the early forties. when copper mining
first was started in Keweenaw and Ontona-
gon counties, Lake Superior, used In the
pioneer sense that distinguishes the south
shore from the waters OF the lake ITSELF
was a land unknown. There were few
small sailing vessels on the lake, and at
SauIt Ste Marie, which was as far as the
steamers could ascend, the hardy forerun-
ners Of civilization babe farewell TO civili-
cation. All the early settlements were made
on the western shore of the Keweenaw Pc
ninsula, from Copper h3rbor to Ontonagon,
and 1t was necessary for the navigators OF
those days to sail boldly from Marquette
upon poorly charted lake and to brave the
perils of the reef at Stannard rock and the
violent storms OF Gitchee Gummee. Ar
rived at their destination, the settlers
builded their own homes and prepared for
their work of extracting the virgin copper
from the rock-ribbed hills The life was
rough, uncouth and fraught with many
dangers. In winter. after the last boat had
sailed for Sault Ste. Marie. the pioneers
were cut off from civilization until the
next spring. and then they settled down to
a life of toll and monotony, occasionally
relieved by dances and other social gather
ings. The only means of communication
in winter was overland on snowshoes or by
dog trains to Marquette and Green Bay,
which in those days was a much more i'm
portant town relatively than it is to-day.
In 1859, when Rathbone landed at Eagle
Harbor. it was one of the principal towns.
Within a radius of ten miles were the
and Cliff mines, all great producers. The
metal was hauled to Eagle Harbor and sent
by vessel down the lakes. Business was
brisk and every one was busy accommodating
wealth. The town is situated on the west
shore Of a good .harbor, roomy and easy of
access, then the only haven of refuge on
sula for a vessel caught in blow. A more
picturesque place cannot be found on the
south shore Of Lake Superior. To-day
Eagle Harbor is comparatively deserted, its
old-t time glory has departed, never to re-
turn; most of the mines that contributed to
it's support have ''petered OUT and the
early inhabitants have died or left for more
promising fields of labor.
Here 1t was that Rathbone taught the
youngsters how to add, subtract and multi
ply; lived the rough life of the pioneer
school teacher, wrote the ritual of the
Knights of Pythias and finally left. never
to return. The only man living in Eagle
Harbor who knew Rathbone well and re-
members him is William p. Raley. who for
the last forty-three years has owned and
conducted a coal dock. He and Rathbone
often sat and played cards in the only
hotel, the Bawden House, which was burned
years ago. He says Rathbone was a jolly
young fellow, fond of a good time in the
best sense, attended all the parties. was an
excellent musician and fond of getting UP
amateur theatricals. ~s~
Rathbone's most intimate friends were
Shapley, Raley's brother-in-law; George
Griswold, man named Dewey, who pub
lished the Keweenaw Star at Eagle River,
a small town west of Eagle Harbor, and E.
j. Hubert who claims the credit for dis
covering the Calumet and Hecla mine.
RATHBONE'S PERSONALITY.
During his stay in Eagle Harbor Rath-
bone was well known i'm Houghton also
William Van Orden, a member of Van
| Orden Bros, insurance agents, is one OF the
| men who was intimately acquainted with
Rathbone. He knew the founder of Pyth-
| ianism when he taught school at Eagle
| Harbor, Eagle River and the Central mine
between the years 1859 and 1861. Speaking
| of Rathbone, Mr. Van Orden said:
| HE was a bright young man in those
| DAYS, and was the life of every party il
which he appeared. He was a clever nat
ural musician and somewhat of an actor
/ In fact, he was what would be called now
adays 'one Of the boys He was the NOV
| ing spirit in the dramatic club of the early
| DAYS in the copper country, and Away:
played the comedy roles. 1t was doubles:
from his appreciation of the dramatic pos
| sibilities of the story Of Damon and Pythia:
| that he conceived the ritual of the order
| During his residence in the copper country
| he never mentioned his plan to create a new
| brotherhood. The experience he had will
| the dramatic art must have inspired hin
| with a desire to go further. for he lef
Eagle River with George Griswold ant
/ Dewey and went into Canada, where, will
| his companions, he essayed a Theatrical
venture. That was the last l heard of hin
| until he founded the order in Washington
| in 1854"
| According to the sketch published in
| book on the history and literature of Pyth
| ian knighthood, Rathbone left the copper
/ country May q, 1851. because of the deatl
| of his father. and while on a visit to hi
only sister, Mrs. j. o. Pease. of German
i town, Pa, he accepted an appointment al
| chief clerk OF the United States hospital a
| that place. He entered the army, and wa
ordered to duty In the medical department
| in Washington in 1868. where he RENAME,
! until 1865. Then he accepted a civil clerk
| ship In the Office of the commissary genera
| of subsistence.
The ritual was read and the first step
| toward organization of the knights o
Pythias were taken the evening of Feb
10, 1864, when Rathbone and several of hi
acquaintance met in the room of Robert a
| Champion, $50 + street. near the corner o
| Ninth, the occasion being a rehearsal of
vocal society called the Arion Glee Club
There the ritual was read, after all presen
had been sworn on the Bible to secrecy, an,
steps taken TO form the society. its mem
bership at first being composed of the de