Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-08-04
SUMMIT Of
MOUNT ROYAL
Letter Written June Is, 1910,
by M. H. Jackson now on
Tour of the Old World.

Right here l shall begin my prom
lsed story. Ten thousand five hum
dred mites in one hundred days is thu
contract, ard if all goes we'll we
shall see England, France, Germany,
Switzerland, Italy and Greece before
we come home again.
Our story will not be connected,
nor shall We attempt to overlap the
work of an up-to-date encyclopedia.
Our pictures win be snap shots"
as we run.
At present, l am seated beneath
a tree at the tip top of Mount Royal
Mont Read. Champlain was right
mere when it was manned, but he did
not take a troflev car to the foot of
the mountain before climbing nor did
he go down in an elevator car on the
other side as / shall do when [ get
my breath.
This north side of the mountain is
rough and hard to climb. My path
up, except for an occasional empty
picnic lunch box, or a discarded
cigarette stub is exactly as 1T was
when first discovered. Granite ledg-
es cannot beauplieated I'M art and the
good people of Montreal are not in
teriering with the native beauty of
this side of the mountain.
On the other side, beautiful drives
and parks are laid out and tourists
are invited to spend their money fer
souvenirs and re:res hments at varying
prices, but / am all alone, with the
birdseye city spread out, all around
the mountain, and the beautiful st.
Lawrence River spreading out widre
and wider on its Journey to the sea-
My trip 50 far has been a very
pleasant one. From Milwaukee acros
the lake to Grand Haven and on up
to Detroit was easy and pleasant, ant
the three hour trip on the Britannia to
Belle Isle was delightful Then on
up through Toronto to this fairyland
the scenery was never tiresome, and
shall remain here just twenty-four
hours fer rest and recreation. This
afternoon we shall "shoot the
Lachiner Rapids, and tomorrow our
course lies through the Green
Mountains of Vermont to Boston
where the good ship Winifredian is
waiting for US, to give US our long.
locked for ocean trip to a summer.
vacation in the old world.
This mountain, at the top of which
water level and the city of Montreal
marks the head of ocean navigation
up the rivre. 1t was here that French
fur traders and explorers met with
the Indians and established friendly
relations which lasted many centuries
It was from this very spot that
Champlain cut loose from civilization
and joined an Indian hunting party
for the purpose of exploration The
little lake bearing his name forming
part of tha- boundary line between
the states GA Y Vermont and New York
marks a spot visited by him in those
early days.
just a few moments ago | met
FIR. Champagne, a Jesuit, who is
resting from the STRAIN of hard work
that has to some extent impaired his
health. His welcome to me was
most cordial, and it served to drive
away little tinge of homesickness
that will creep on once in awhile.
FIR Champagne is a warm, kindly,
generous man, and through him it
was possible for me to learn much
that space forbids my giving you
now, of the early history of this
region.
Montreal is a French city with a
generous appreciation shown to those
who speak only English. A guide
post on which is inscribed, eau
Slmmmet De La Montague" also car
ries the inscription "To Mountain
Top"
ga La VilIe'' is helped along by
ITO the City,
There lis also very large English
population in Montreal with a
sprinkling of most of the nationalitie'
found in "the states" The Murphy
Bros. are doing business here as are
the Guttensteins while Sam Vale Kee
runs his laundry and the negro barber
in few instances is waiting on his
customers as they do farther south
After the boat trip on the river
we shall close the day with a belt
line trolley ride around the base of
the mountain, and bid good bye to
one of the most picturesque spots in
the world for l am sure we are all
looking forward to the lands beyond
the sea and we shall hardly believe
the trip has really begun until We
stand on the deck of the steamer
outward bound"