Year: 1873

II. q L. H. IL. with little or nothing after leav-
ing Grand Rapids TO vary the monotonous
scenery OF the tangled wild woods. except on
occasional saw-miil with few rude iEelngs
clustered about it, or scattered along the banks
Of stream on OK near which they ere almost
invariably located, at e little before sunset we
we're made glad by the announcement That the
beautiful sheet Of water to the left was Board
uau lake the little stream flowing from ths
same was honored with tho same name, while
the very pretty white and brown dwellings, scat
tered along it's banks are part Of the little
towr OF Traverse City. Rounding the curve.
the village proper came in sight, bat we only
had eyes, for the time being for the beautiful
bay which streached away to the northward as
far as the eve could reach. Bounded on either
side by high wooded hills where emerald out
lines, broken here and there by improved lands
on which might distinctly DO seen the white
farmhouse. formed picture on the whole
worthy the touch OF "a more artistic hand than
that done by word painting.


Being refreshed bv nights rest We proceed
cd to ascertain the truth OF some OF the state
merits made to u on cur way tltber IN refer
ence to TIE moss-backs reputed 10 form great
or portion OF the Inhabitants, and siso detern-
inc upon the correctness OF the assertion that
( only euit-c'an decce are given on real estatc
in this country. AZ to the propriety OF the
latter We had 10 doubts aftera half hours
walk through the sand, which is everywhere
ankle deep, aud on windy days fills tho air as
thickly as the drifting snow of the winter time.
Traverse City is, however, very pretty village
Of some ten or twelve hundred inhabitants,
situated at the extreme lower end OF the bay,
and although apparently very q1let, the occa-
slonal visitor can but wonder at tho amount OF
business daily transacted here. rhe principal,
or. we might better say, the business firm OF
the town, for they own nearly the entire busi-
ness portion of it, are Messrs. Hannah Lay
d Co. In their mercantile house alone we
found over thirty men employed, and system
IN force which is not exceled, and rarely equaed.
in any OF the largest firms OF our western cities.
Nor is the tal-sighedness OF thls company any
where more noticeable than ip the superior St
taInments and gentlemanly address OF their
statesmen. The grain and numbering interests
are ALEC extensively represented by tho same
firm. While Te were serioualy annoyed by the
City being built upon the sand, we learned that
the land farther back was well adapted to agri-
cultural purposes, while the peninsula running
up between East ana West bay produces the
finest apples in the State.


Ii was our farther pleasure to enjoy o sail
around the bay, winch. is something over o
hundred miles. On East bay is situated tnt
Old NIlssion; here we found Old, cult7ated
farms, and such Strawberries So would be
I - FoI,,
particularize. At Elk Rapids we were not only
greeted by internnable piles Of pine lumber,
but sight OF the great iron works recently
erected there. tFaither on, at Brownstoeni
nothing OF interest is to be seen, aside frcn
the lumber, owing to the storm which we, like
many Others on the Fourth. were fa5ed to On
counter. We were obliged to pass one or TWO
other small towns and direct our course across
the upper end Of the bay to Northport where
all lake steamers stop. One noticeable feature
Of all these little towns is the existence Of one
or more pretty little churches nestled down
among the pine stumps, and ID some OF them,
as a near neghbor. stands az one OF The largest
buildings of the town Union School-house.


From the last named post we proceeded down
the west side of the bay, arriving before sum
set at the dock from which we started at early
morn, having visited all points OF interest
around the bay and encountered as many vaue-
ties OF weather as was possible in one day. from
the dense fog to the beating rain and wind with
rough seas, which played almost at will with
our little steamer, back to the perfect sunshine
and mirror Ike waters. But in this one day
we formed kindly attachment to this little
i
all visitors to like trip, and the courtesy OF
the Captain. One more object OF interest to
the people OF this town we must speak OF and
then without one word about the excellencies
of the fish served up here and the superior IA
cilities presented to lovers OF this sort OF pleas
ure in the numerous trout streams, and we will
cloee our lengthy letter. And this lastly shall
be mention of the beautiful steamer, Traverse
City, which is owned by this same company and
was built in Cleveland expressly for them at
the modest cost of ninety thousand dollars
1t is about the largest boat On Lake Michigan.
being two hundred and twenty-five feet in
length, and while intended for freight and lum-
Der 1t also contains very elegant cabin and
state-rooms for the accommodation OF passen-
gers, making her regular trip to Chicago and
|. return every week. We will only add to those
weary of home and desiring change from
summers heat no pleasanter locality need be
sought for in which to enjoy lake broezes than
in this little town. A large and pleasantly To-
Gated hotel will in few weeks be opened for
the benefit OF all travellers and pleasure seekers.
Respectfully, RAY RrsroN
I The st. CLAIR Republican makes strong
3 point against the new postal law, so far as 1t
; levies tribute on country newspapers. II Sass
D that the country press Is now obliged to pay as
| much as metropolitan journals, and newspapers
t carried only one mile-or, as in Paw raw not
carried at all in the mail bags, but only handed
, through the postoffice windows-must pay the
: same as metropolitan journals which are brought
= thousands of miles. No distinction is made
) between mail carriage to the next township,
= and carriage from Name to Oregon. This Is
grossly unequal and unjust, and seems almost


IL H. M