Year: 1874




From Grand Rapids north, as far
as the rail road runs, one sees but
few farms; except about the stations,
the forest is almost unbroken. No
wonder! Agriculture is not very in
viting. One accustomed to the prai-
ries of the West experiences a feeling
of pity, if not contempt,for those who
are trying to get livelihood from
the soil here. There is no estimating
the amount of toll and drudgery nee
essary to clear up farm. In the
meantime poverty. II nor want, must
be endured. When the timber is off
the srumps and stones remain; and
the soil is not Of the best. What
would an Iowa farmer think of try
ing to raise grain with an average of
four stumps to the square rod, and
stones enough to enable him to walk
across his ld,stepping each time on
one not less than his two tsis. Still
there are those who are willing to try
farming here. The country, since the
advent of railroads, is settling up
quite rapidly. Some are from the
Eastern States and have the foolish
notion that they can never get along
without more timber than there is
west of the Mississippi. A good
many are foreigners - particularly
from Norway and Sweedeu-and are
deceived in here before they see the
grand gardens to the westward. And
farmers here have this advantage,
when they do raise ANYTHING it com
mands fabulous price. Hay is from
twenty to fifty dollars per ton! 1t
has sold as high as sixty. Lumber
men must have it for their teams
Other things are not quite SO high
proportionately, but still high enough
to frighten one.


1t is amazing how tall and slender
these trees do grow. According to
the best of my knowledge and belief,
| have seen them fully a hundred feet
in hight and not over ten inches in di-
ameter at the ground. 1t would be
a grand place to get flag poles and
ship masts. A hundred of these might
fal! on the train at almost any given
time. A serious accident in which
several lost their lives, occurred in
that way on one of these roads, only
a short time ago. Axes and saws are
provided in every car for cleaning
away such Instructions.


That person is to be congratulated
however, who,in manner accidently,
as | did, or more intelligently, comes
here for health, recreation or pleasure.


In the hottest, dryest weather, the
atmosphere is pure and invigorating
and the nights cool. The first sweet,
refreshing, all nights sleep had had
for three months ! got the first night
after leaving Chicago. have slept
like log every night since. One has
his choice between stopping at
medical spring, Of which there are
number, nicely improved; fishing in
the bays and inland lakes for picker
al and bass, and in the brooks for
speckled trout, or travelling over in
teresting routes at cheap rates. |
have taken the latter, principally.


The Scenic attractions of this re-
gion are certainly of no mean order.
"How's that for a view. Where's
your Bay of Naples now?" exclaim-
ed the irrepressible Jas. Gunton,E Esq,
s'mine host" of the Gunton House,
Traverse City, to me one evening"
Indeed it was beautiful, not to say
sublime. In the back ground was the
overhanging clouds, made gloriously
respleudent in gold aud purple by the
setting sun. In the foreground was the
clear water of Grand Traverse Bay,
utterly motionless, and glittcring like
a sea of molten glass. Between these
were the rising hills, bordering the
bay on The west, clothed with their
dense foliage of darkest green. Over
all fell the soft, mellow light OF eve
ming, rendered more and more hazy
and indistinct by the approach of
night. | said, "that will do F" A more
charming sheet of water than Grand
Traverse Bay, taken at any time, !
have never seen. In shape, it is like
chemists retort; the neck being at
the north and forming the connection
between the bay and the lake. From
it's broad or southern end, near the
middle, there is narrow tongue-like
peninsula running up into the bay
more than half its entire length. This
virtually divides it into two bays,
which are known in the vicinity as
east bay and west bay. | saw but
one island in all of it, though that
was a beauty. 1t rose high out of
the water, with precipitous bluffs and
its original growth of forest trees
seemed intact. | could easily under
stand as | looked at it, how the fer
tile imagination of the ancient could
people such places with beings super
mundane. Around the shores of the
bay itself, there are some towns and
villages, the most prominent being
Traverse City and Elk Rapids. Else
i IL