Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-04-04

prospector was the visitor while we
were there, not to mention a Jewish
wagon peddler, who spent only few
hours at the camp-long enough t
shave and get bite TO eat. He
was very intelligent Jew and q
man of character. The prospectoi
was rover and told us of some OF
his experiences. He had a claim
within few miles of Rockdale, where
he had built a cabin. He believed in
his ultimate enrichment from his eff
forts.
| We had some good singers in our
party and that might we made the old
ranch ring with songs, stories and ex-
periences. 1t was genuine old time
visit" though we were all strangers.
The main building had been used
years before as a saloon, we were told,
but no liquor had been sold there for
a long time and the owner would per-
nit Of no questionable conduct of any
nature. After he had sized us up for
what we were he accepted us at face
value and treated us right royalty.
This building had just one big room.
The herder, Jimmie Pirie, had his
bunk here and a small stove. We
and were treated to some fine steak
from their own market. We were in
vited TO make the bunk house our no.
| tel, but we preferred the hay loft and
our wooden camping blankets, which
made US very comfortable-and be-
sides 1t was lark. None of us had
ever before slept in hay NOV. 1t
could be great deal worse and if
this IS one of the worst experiences
of tramp life, they need no sympathy.
1t is all matter of habit and custom,
after all, and barring the lack of mod
ern toilet accommodations il wasn't
half bad. We slept here two nights,
not because we were obliged to, but
because we wanted to for the expe-
renee. That made it interesting and
bearable.
Pirie, the Scotchman was in his ele-
ments and wee nippy all around
made us mellow and full of fslow-
ship of the right sort. We carried a
little Scotch with us for an emergency
and this seemed to be one. The rich
Scotch brogue with story and song en-
tertained us until quite late hour,
when we crept into our haymow and
were soon fast asleep.
We spent all the next day-Fridav
at this place, and it was our second
full days rest since our start. We had
covered over 1000 miles of our Jour
ney and this was our first. rainy day.
The cnnnntain brool, ie f,li &c +,,a,,+,
--.. y -Whep,4 yap elysin sa-aI,',
and two of our company went out
with Pirie TO catch mess. They got
what they went after and speckled
trout never tasted better than they
did to US all the next day for break
fast, dinner and supper. They were
the real article.
Before noon there appeared at the |
ranch visitors from an adjoining place |
called the Diamond ranch, which con-
tains $4,000 acres of grazing land I
and is owned by George Gould, Lord /
Plunkett and a Pittsburg millionaire. /
In the party were the ranch superin-
tendent's wife-a young, buxom,
buoyant and self-reliant,> pretty west /
ern girl; two young cow punchers, /
whose homes were in the east, and
aunt Mary"-the oldest character
our party had ever seen. She was a
western plains woman, typical of the
earlier period. Way past middle age
she was vigorous and active. She had
once owned the ranch she was now
visiting. The party rode over to go
berrying with Mclntyre's daughter
Nellie.
Aunt Mary wore overalls, smoked
briar pipe, swOre roun W when occa-
sion seemed TO demand it and alto
gether reminded us of such a charac-
ter as we read of in Calamity Jane,
or the Mystery of Canyon Gulch." In
sp' tie of these questionable character
istics she was a woman of intelligence,
of considerable native refinement and
of much rugged common sense. The
ranchman's wife also wore overalls
and "slicker" and they all drove off
to the mountain for a day in the
berry patches. A "slicker" is a yell
low waterproof coat that covers one
up from neck to heels, such as is
sometimes worn by fishermen on the
water front. They stayed out practi-
cally all day, regardless of the fact
that it rained a large part of the
time, and when they returned late in
the afternoon, they were as full of
jollity as they were when they started
out. Wet, disagreeable weather did
not phase them in the least.
The mountains in this section are
/ full of valuable minerals and Mr.. Nc
/ Intyre himself has a mine he is work
ing, and from which he has dug much
ore. 1t is stacked up in bags wait
ing to be hauled away to some assay
er's office. Coal, copper, gold and sill
yer abound here and development of
mining will take place gradually from
now on as soon as adequate tIanspor-
tation facilities are provided. This
place is now thirty or forty miles from
a railroad They told us that only
four or five years ago a mining pros
pector's life was in danger here as the
ranchers did not want the mines de-
veloped. They wanted to keep the
vast stretches of land and mountains
for cattle and sheep grazing. The
large ranches are now being cut up
into smaller sections and mining will
surely be carried on. Men who at.
tempted TO mine before this were
some times shot down in cold BLOOD
and no one but those implicated were
, the wiser. A grave not far from this
, cabin gives evidence Of the truth OF