The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-03-18
and Gentlemen /:

Ladies' and Gentlemen:
When your president spoke Ia IN,
about reading a paper ON my expert
ence of early DAYS in the practice I"
my profession at the Phoenix mine.
very reluctantly consented as ] did no
think ! had anything of special inter
est Ia communicate.
This narrative as you can readily
| see, must be one of personal expert
ence and the necessity of using thu
pronoun Il" may not he strictly ethi'
cal, but ! do not see any other way
Of giving You the conditions as theN
existed at that time and ] hope ms
method will not appear egotistical.
While serving AS house physician
and surgeon at the Long Island col
lege hospital in Brooklyn. New York
] received an offer To serve as assist
and physician IL the Phoenix mine
Lake superior. Michigan. The salary
offered was quite an inducement for
me To accept the offer, hut To me the
place was "A Veritable Terra lncog
nita." an unknown country, nor could
get any reliable information about
IL, except IL was a wild region where
copper was mined. and the inhabitants
I'm many ways unused To civilized
and enlightened ways. Prof. Armor,
one of the hospital staff, who former
ly resided in Detroit. had some ac-
quaintance with physician, "a DR..
lleaton, who had spent several years
at the Gin mine. some Of the older
members may remember him. He had
given Prof Armor some description of
the country and its people. and from
this ne had formed rather favorable
opinion Of the value Of such an app
pointment as ] had been offered and
advised my acceptance. However, he
very earnestly said: DO not stay
there longer than five years. and then
return to us for a time and then set
tie down where YOU wish permanent
ly." | took his advice as 10 accept
ing the position, but the latter part
did not, and instead of remaining
only five years, | am now about 10
complete A. years of what has been
To me very pleasant life among and
with the people of the copper country
do not think ! could have selected
any other part of our country in which
my life would have been any pleasant
or and my association with all classes
of people any more genuinely and mu-
tually agreeable than the copper
country.
In casting about as to the best
method of reaching my future field of
labor, was directed to go to Detroit
and there take a steamer for Ham
cock, Mich. and from there tiy stage
to Phoenix | presume was told to
To go Detroit. as at that time most of
the business Of the copper country
was done in Detroit. had "A fairly
pleasant trip by boat from Detroit
the journey To Hancock occupying five
days ! landed i'm Hancock in the
morning of June %. 1871, went to "a
hotel and from there by stage with
Jerry Cronin, who was, believe,
the pioneer stage man of keweenaw
peninsula. After an all day ride
through country covered almost all
the way by forest, the only change be-
ing a mining location of n shaft house
or two and several dwelling houses
clustered about. These houses. mostly
built of logs of course. the site of the
Calumet d Hecla where we stopped
for dinner was much larger and had
more prctentious buildings. We arrived
at Eagle River in the evening where |
met my future employer. DIR. John
Alexander who had been a resident Of
this part of the country for many
years. Some OF the older members or
the society may remember II not him.
but of him.
The next morning June "a, 1871. |
was taken 10 my future field of labor
the Phoenix mine. as IL was then
called. | can assure you the contrast
between the sight presented and what
had left one week before. was not
at all agreeable 10 my eyes. But !
had come with quite IA determination
to do my best and be content with
my lot among the people here. and |
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