The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-07-27
c. p. Franks Own Story.

Il am not, gifted in remembering
names and dates You are asking
me to write about things that hap
pened long time ago and it is hard
for me to recall the small details.
While we older ones enjoy recollec-
lions OF the long ago, we look rather
to those more gifted with use of the
pen. will do the best I can, in
response to your request for my story
OF the time I surveyed the townsite
OF Rainy Lake City, near the Little
American mine, on the southern
border of Rainy Lake. >.~ -
GAS I remember it, I made three
or -four trips to the Rainy Lake
region. The first time was for the
purpose of laying out the townsite of
Rainy Lake City. I was accompanied
by ]. B. Weimer and his son, about
16 years of age.
eve went by D. & I. R. train to
Tower where. we hired a teamster
and four horses. The animals hauled
low bob sled, loaded with about q
ton of supplies, tents and tools. The
size of the load was impressed on me
because of the fact that, many a
time on the trip, it was all the four
horses could do to pull the sled and
the four of us were. compelled to
walk.
The Trip Up From Tower.
eat Tower'we could get no real in
formation as to the route to take or,
along the way. We started on faith,
with nothing but sectional map of
northern Minnesota to guide us.
The teamster knew all about horses
but nothing about the route. I
might say that considerable por-
tion of the load was feed for the
teams.
"As I now remember, it took us
four days to 60 from Tower to the
Little American mine. Mr.. Weimer
and 1 laid out the route chiefly by
guess. We spent the first night at
the head of Lake Vermilion, where
we got, little information as to the
southern end of our route. Cruis-
ers kept coming into the camp dur
ing the evening and, from them, we.
got some general information as to
old logging roads, directions in
which streams ran and location of
various lakes.
"Of course the trip across Lake
Vermilion had been an easy one,
During the first night out, however,
there was real northern Minnesota
snow storm, which. covered any
roads and trails, as well as made
going much heavier.
Journey Began at Day-Break.
eve left the head of Lake Vermil-
ion at break of day on our second
morning out, eating dinner in the
silent lonesome woods, we knew not
where. There was foot of new
snow and the thermometer regis
tered 40 degrees below zero. In fact
it staid at that point, or below, all
the month. Our route that day was
over a rough road and progress was
very difficult and wearing. We
reached camp that night we'll worn
out.
II cannot recall the name Of the
camp, but there was cook with q
fiddle and the place was well known
to the woodsmen. ! think that
about 20 staid there that night. A
few had hunks but most Of them
slept on the hard floor in their blan-
kets.
Most of the men seemed to know
one another and it was amusing to
hear them ask questions in efforts to
find out where the other fellow was
going and what after. Some of them
we're looking over the same timber
tracts for different people.
"There was no fun in getting up
long before daylight and then start
ing out with nothing in sight bat
sundogs, snow and the deep, Clark
forest. We had gone along fairly
well up to that time because we got