The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-07-26
AN INTERESTING TRIP
The Editor and Family on Their De-
IightfuI Vacation With National
Editorial Association.

o-Ao
spent at Mackinac Island, we embarked
on the beautiful white flyer, chippewa"
one of the speediest boats on the lakes,
being part of the fleet OF the Arnold
Transit Co., for a trip to Saulte Ste
Marie, commonly called "The Soo.'
Soon after leaving Mackinac Island we
were on Lake Huron, and it was even
smoother than Michigan. To the north
we pass the string of beautiful Les
Cheneaux islands, which the natives
call "The Shows" which are the famed
fishing grounds of this section OF the
country, and anglers come for thousands
of miles to lure the finny tribes from
the deep water. Although we are out
of sight of land it is not a monotonous
trip, for we are passing an enormous
procession of freight and passenger
boats, with occasionally sail boat or a
wheeling little tug towing raft OF
logs or lumber. The majestic freighters
with their thousands of tons of iron and
copper ore, blowing through the track
less way, some alone and others towing
two or three barges as large as them
selves. The whaleback barges are the
most unique on account OF their peculiar
construction, the deck being almost
round and the barge sinks nearly out OF
sight in the water. There are innumer-
able islands dotting the sea, each with
distinctive beauty of shape and color
ing, while in the distance may be seen
lighthouses and buoys which mark some
sunken rock or hidden shoal which
would wreck the stoutest ships should
they strike upon them. The channels
and vessel courses in the Straits and
st. Marys river regions are the most
tortuous and difficult on the great lakes.
However their navigation has been
greatly simplified during recent years
through the many aids to the mariner,
such as buoys, range lights, fog signal
stations and lighthouses which have
been placed and are maintained by the
u. S. government. Along the siXty-two
miles from Lake Huron to Lake Superior
there are more than one hundred gas
buoys, range lights and course guides
to assist in the navigation OF this twist
ing and turning channel. Many mil
lions of dollars have been spent in wild
ening and deepening the channels and
in providing facilities for the rapid
handling of the immense commerce OF
the Great Lakes. The work is still
going on, and is being pushed with ever
increasing vigor, in order to keep pace
with the rapidly increasing necessities
of the lake marine. On this trip we
saw probably half a hundred big
dredges at work, and when we asked
the captain when they would complete
this part of the work he told us never,
for it is necessary to keep the dredges
at work all the time in order to keep
the channel deep enough for the large
vessels to pass through.
One of the greatest improvements
and second only to the improved lock
facilities at Saulte Ste Marie, is the
Hay Lake channel, opened in 1894. Hay
Lake was formerly impossible to vessels
on account of it's shoals and rapids. All
boats were compelled to run in the old
channel some miles to the eastward of
the present route. After nearly seven
years of work in dredging and blasting,
involving an expenditure of millions OF
dollars, channel 800 feet wide and q
feet deep was cut, most of it through
solid rock, connecting the upper and
lower reaches of ST. Mary's River, at
one place the channel having been cut
right through the center of quite a
large island. This new channel short
ems the steamer route eleven miles be-
tween the two lakes, and in the course
of the year this means great deal to
the lake commerce. At the time this
channel was completed it was thought
to be sufficient for all possible demands
but already the lake commerce has
grown to such enormous proportions
that this channel has been found INSULT
cient to handle the great volume Of
shipping. Work is now in progress fol
the construction Of new and even
larger channel, Lparal cling the present
channel TO provide increased facilities
1t is an interesting sight on the $500
trip to watch the immense dredges al
work removing the rocky barriers Of
this new channel to be, to make way fol
the commercial expansion of the most
progressive people on the globe.
The st. Mary's River and Sault Ste
Marie are in the heart of the Hiawatha
country, made famous by Longfellow's
immortal poem. Here it was that Hia
watha and Minnehaha, the giant
Kwasind and the stealthy Pau-Puk.
Kewis lived beside the Panwating-the
st. Mary's River-and the surrounding
waters were the theatre of action o
these heroes deeds. The history of the
Manitou fills the whole region, and the
visitor should be familiar with Long
lellOW pOcul IL uc WOulu appreciate
the charm of the Great Lakes region, il
it's power, it's vastness, and it's solitude
Leaving the Legendary associations an6
delving into the vast storehouse of his
torical facts, we find the tale continues
just as interesting. 1t was in 1641 a,
the rapids of Saut du CASTOR that the
martyr Jesuit priests Fathers Jogues
and Raymbault, first told the story o
the cross to concourse of two thous
and braves who had assembled in the
populous indian town at the rapids
Here they established the mission O
Ste. Marie du Sault and here grew u,
the settlement Sault Ste. Marie, the
Oldest in Michigan and one of the frs
in the northwest.
We arrived at the $500" about
o'clock in the afternoon in the midst O
downpour of rain, but as we were tt
leave on the return trip at o'clock tn,
next morning everybody started a
once to see the sights, and all got
good ducking before they returned t,
the hotels, for the water up in thi
country is about the wettest we eve