The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-08-16

which is owned and operated by the
R. & o. Navigation Co, is located on
high bluff overlooking the river, and on
the return trip from Chicoutimi the
steamer landed at the dock to permit
our party to SO up and inspect the
hotel. We climbed 1S9 steps in getting
up besides long incline walk. 1t is a
fine hotel with four hundred rooms and
every possible comfort provided for it's
guests. A big cement swimming pool
has seen built and the salt water is
pumped up so the guests can take dip
in the briny water without going away
from the hotel.
Some miles below Murray Bay the
Pilgrims are seen. They consist of
remarkable group of rocks, which from
their height are visible at great dis
tance. A mirage seeming constantly to
dwell about them due to the refraction
of the suns rays, owing to the rocks be-
ing sparsely covered with vegetation.
Across the river on the south shore we
touch at another summer resort,
Riviere-du-Loup, and it is only five
miles of a drive from it to Cacouna, one
OF the leading resorts of the lower st.
Lawrence. The river here has broaden
ed to twenty .miles and looks like an
ocean. We reached Tadousac, at the
mouth of the Saguenay river that night
about 8 o'clock, and seemingly the
whole population of the town was at
the wharf to see the boat come in, and
there was a wild jargon of French being
talked, which we did not understand.
Tadousac was the first settlement made
by the French on the st. Lawrence
river and was their principal fur trad
ing post. AS the fur bearing animals
disappeared, so did the commercial
glory of Tadousac, and it is now but
little hamlet. Our steamer tied up here
for couple of hours waiting for the
tide to come in and with it the
Tadousac fishermen, as we wanted fresh
fish. Our wait was rewarded and we Sc
cured a fine supply of fresh salmon and
salmon trout which were served in the
dining room the following day, and were
as fine fish as we ever tasted, coming
from the cold salt water they are very
firm and solid. The run up the Sague-
nay river from Tadousac to Chicoutimi
being made at night we had to enjoy
the scenery on the return trip.
The steamer reached Chicoutimi, the
head of navigation on the Saguenay
river little before o'clock the next
morning, too early for the most of our
party to be up, but we were out with
the first and while the steamer was be-
ing loaded with fish and empty ale
cases, we strolled up to the town.
Chicoutimi is city of about 5000, the
principal industry being the pulp paper
mills. Years ago it was a great lumber
country but all the heavy timber within
reach of the water has been cut, and
the stumps and smaller timber is now
being used for making paper pulp. 1t
is typical French Canadian town, and
there were but sixteen Protestants, all
the balance being Catholics. There is
an immense school located here at which
over 800 young men are studying for
the priesthood. AS we walked up to-
ward one of the large churches we
uoticed man walking ahead of a priest
about fifteen feet, ringing small din
ner bell as he went along, and on in
quiring what it meant were told that
the priest was going to see a sick per-
son, and was always preceded by bell
man. Although it was the Goth day Of
June we we're so far north that an over
coat felt very comfortable, and the only
garden stuff we saw growing was young
onions and the sets were just starting
the green sprouts out. They only have
about two months of summer at
Chicoutimi, commencing with July and
ending with August SO that very little
green stuff is raised. The country
around is very rough, and the principal
industry is dairying. They have a
funny way of describing farm in this
section. Instead of saying how much
the farm will produce or how many
acres it contains, everything goes by
cows. 1t is two COW farm, five COW
farm or if very large one fifteen or
twenty COW farm, depending entirely on
how many COWS the grazing on the farm
keep. Much of the country is bare rock
and you can't tell anything about it by
acres as in places there is not enough
grass growing on forty acres to pasture
an Iowa calf for week.
Chicoutimi was one of the earliest
Jesuit missions and great fur-trading
center, becoming afterwards one of the
principal posts of the Hudson Bay Com
pany. 1t could boast of a church as
early as 1870, and in the present church
over the altar, is beautiful painting of
considerable value, which is said to be