The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-07-07

Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor,
Ontanagon and LaPointe. Bay
field and Ashland were not IN ex.
istence then.
We came through the Old Su-
perior Entry into Superior bay at
2 D. M, October %, 1856. The
head of the lakes were most beau
tiful then. Everything was in
practically a state Of nature. The
Indians were there with their wig
vans scattered up and down Min
nesota Point and the smoke curl
ing from their tops. Canoes were
skimming over the waters OF the
bay or lying ON the shore. Fish
and game were abundant. Tall
pines and hardwood trees were
growing on the hillsides. Turned
all colors by the frost Of fall, the
hardwood leaves presented a most
beautiful sight. Many times have
[ wished that [ had a picture of
how things looked then, or the
gift of language to describe the
beauty of everything as I saw it
when a boy nine years old.
My brother Napoleon was at
George R. Stuntz's dock at the
lower end of Minnesota Point and
when we passed the dock, he
jumped into an old Mackinaw
boat and rowed over to the old
Quebec pier at Superior. The
steamer had to 60 up the bay
nearly two miles before she could
turn to come to the dock, that be-
ing the channel, therefore my
brother beat us to the dock.
On the landing we met father,
Edwin F. Ely and Rev. James
Peet. You can well imagine how
glad we were to see father and
brother Napoleon. Mother and
my three younger brothers staid
that night at the homes Of Mr..
Ely and Mr.. Peet. They then
were living at what was called
Middle Town, at Superior.
Rowing up to these homes in
the old Mackinaw boat, all landed
except man named Mccoy, my
brothers Napoleon and Leonidas
and myself. We went on up to
old Oneota and I recall that my
legs were too short to reach the
bottom of the boat. We landed
at a point now between Forty
fourth and Forty-fifth avenues
west, at the foot of the old saw
mill log slide. | now own that
particular ground.
On landing there, Edwin G..
Hall was the first man [ saw. He
was dressed in a red shirt with a
white bosom, a red sash, broad
cloth pants and fine boots. He
was quite a frontier dandy. John
G. Rakowsky and Andrew Refer
were other men we met there.
The house in which the Merritt
family lived was built on Block 20
Oneota. There was a clearing of
about half all acre and all the rest
was covered with pine trees clear
down to the bay. There was only
one place on the hillside where
one could climb up and see over
the trees into Wisconsin up the
st. Louis river and over the four
points, Rice's, Connors' Mime.
sofa and Wisconsin, into Lake
Superior. One could not see out
at what now is called the Point
of Rocks.
Mr.. Ely had a fine trail
through the pine woods to a rocky
bluff that was called Mountain
Sight, where you could look right
down what now is Forty-sixth
avenue west. Hardly a tree had
been cut between Minnesota
Point and Fond du Lac.
As a boy, I knew every man,
woman and child on the Mime
sofa side OF the state line. On the
END Minnesota Point, besides the
lighthouse ad STUNTS dock and
warehouse, there were IL houses
and sheds. R. H. Barrett was in
charge of the lighthouse and a
man named Fargo lived in one of
the houses.
AS you went up the Point, there
was not a house until you got
nearly to where the ship canal
now is. There were Is buildings.
mostly small dwellings, and one
Old up-and-down sawmill, built
by George Nettleton.
On the main shore, at the foot
OF Minnesota Point, east and west
OF the Point, there were II houses
M II