Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-10
The Blazed
Trail u . S : :s$Sss
Copyright 1902 by Stewart Edward White

!, he would have found operations going
| on for miles up and down stream. The
! colored squares would prove to be moth
| ing but so many excuses for being on
/, the ground. The bulk of the pine was
| stolen from unbought state or govern
| ment land.
| This in the old days was q common
| enough trick.
| Thorpe was perfectly conversant with
this state of affairs. He knew also
| that in all probability many of the col
| ored districts on his map represented
| firms engaged in steals of greater or
| less magnitude. He was further aware
| that most of the concerns stole the tim
| Der because it was cheaper to steal
than to buy but that they would buy
| readily enough If forced to do so in or
der to prevent Its acquisition by anotll-
| er. In his exploration, therefore, he de-
cided to employ the utmost circumspec-
ton. He would pose as hunter and
fisherman.
For week he journeyed through
magnificent timber, working always
more and more to the north, until final
~ he stood on the shores of Superior.
He resolved to follow the shore west
to the mouth of fairly large river
called the Ossawinamakee. 1t showed
In common with most streams OF its
size, land already taken, but Thorpe
/ mouth After several days hard walk
!; ing with this object in view he found
himself directly north Of bend in the
river, SO he turned through the woods
due south, with the intention of strik-
Ing In on the stream. This he succeed
ed in accomplishing some twenty miles
inland where also he discovered well
defined and recently used trail leading
up the river. Thorpe camped one night
at the bend and then set out to follow
the trail.
1t led him for upward Of ten miles
nearly due south, sometimes approach
ing, sometimes leaving, the river, but
keeping always in its direction. The
country In general was rolling. Low
parallel ridges of gentle declivity Gid
ed constantly across his way, their
valleys sloping to the river. Thorpe
had never seen q grander forest of
pine than that which clothed them.
At the ten mile point he came upon
a dam. 1t was a crude dam, built of
logs. whose face consisted Of strong
buttresses slanted up stream and whose
sheer was made of Embarked timbers
laid smoothly side by side at the re-
quired angle. AT present its gate was
open.
The purpose of the dam in this new
country did not puzzle him in the
least, but its presence bewildered him.
Such constructions are often thrown
across logging streams at proper In
tervals in order that the operator may
be independent of the spring freshets.
The device is common enough. but 1t
is expensive. People do not build
dams except in the certainty Of some
logging at that. II the stream happens
to be navigable the promoter must first
get AN improvement charter from
board of control appointed by the
state. SO Thorpe knew that he had
to deal not with hand to mouth lum
Der thief. but with a great company
preparing to log the country on big
scale.
He continued his journey. AT noon
he came to another and similar struc-
ture. Here he left his pack and pushed
ahead in light marching order. About
eight miles above the first dam and
eighteen from the bend of the river
he ran into "slashing" of the year
before. The decapitated stumps were
already beginning to turn brown with
weather; the tangle of tops aud limbs
was partially concealed by poplar
growths and wild raspberry vines.