The Great Lakes, or Inland seas of America; description of Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario: Rivers St. Mary, St. Clair, Detroit, Niagara, and St. Lawrence. Lake Winnipeg, etc. trips and commerce of the lakes, with a description of Citites and Towns etc, forming a guide for Travellers and Imigrants

Front matter

mm mm

mmmtm

""mm

Preface

In presenting to the Public the present volume, entitled " The Great Lakes, or ' Inland Seas' of America," embracing the Magnitude of the Lakes — Commerce of the Lakes — Trip through the Lakes — Route from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipeg — Tables of Distances, etc., together with a Description of Niagara Falls and the St. Lawrence River, the Compiler wishes to return his sincere thanks for the liberal patronage and the many kind favors received from those who have doubly assisted him, by contributing reliable and useful information in regard to the many interesting locaUties in which the Great Valley of the Lakes and of the St. Lawrence abounds, affording altogether many new and interesting facts of great importance to the Tourist, who may wish to visit the Inland Seas of America for health or pleasure ; the tour being one of the most healthy, picturesque, and wonderful — when viewed as a whole, from Lake Winnipeg to Lake Superior, and thence to the Gulf of St. Lawrence — on the face of the globe.

In the arrangement and compilation of this work every attempt has been made to render the information it contains concise and truthful. The Magnitude and also the Commerce of the Lakes are themes of great interest, they now being whitened by a large fleet of sail-vessels, in addition to the swift steamers and propellers which plough the waters of these Great Lakes, transporting annually large numbers of passengers, and an immense amount of agricultural and mineral products, to and from the different ports.

iv PREFACE.

Lake Superior, the Ultima Thule of many travellers, can now be easily reached by lines of steamers starting from Cleveland and Detroit, running through Lake Huron and the St. Mary's River ; or from Chicago and Milwaukee, passing through Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac. All these routes are fully described, ia connection with the Collmgwood Route, and Route to Green Bay ; affording altogether ample and cheap opportunities to visit every portion of the Upper Lakes and their adjacent shores.

The most noted places of Resort are Mackinac, Saut Ste. Marie, Munising, near the Pictured Rocks, Marquette, Houghton, Copper Harbor, Ontonagon, Bayfield, and Superior City. If to these should be added a Trip to the North Shore of Canada, visiting Michipicoten Island, Fort William, and other interesting localities — passing Isle Royale, attached to the State of Michigan — the intelligent Tourist would see new wonders of almost indescribable interest, while inhaling the pure atmosphere of this whole region of Lake Country. Among the Mineral Regions may be found objects of interest sufficient to induce the tourist to spend some weeks or months in exploration, hunting, and fishing ; and if, added to this, should be included a journey to the Upper Mississippi Valley, or Lake Winnipeg, an entire season could be profitably employed.

For a full description of the Lower St. Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Saguenay River, etc., the Traveller is referred to the "Picturesque Tourist," issued a few yc^rs since. J. D.

New York, July, 1863.

PART I. Page

^lasriiitnde of the I^akes or " Inland Seas."— Lake Superior, 13 Lake Michigan — Green Bay — Lake Huron — Georgian Bay — Lake St. Clair —

Lake Erie, 14

Lake Ontario — Tributaries of the Lakes, &c., 15

Lake and River Navigation, 16

Altitudes — Topography and Meteorology, H

Upper Lakes— The White Fish, 18

Fish of the Upper Lakes, 19

Physical Character of the Mississippi Basin— Physical (Character of the

St. Lawrence, 20

Dimensions of the Great Lakes — Progress of Development, 21

Lunar Tidal Wave in the Great Lakes, 22

Remarkable Phenomena — Rising and Falling of the Waters, 24

PART II. Commerce of the Lakes. — Early History, 25-2o

First Steamboat on Lake Erie, 29

Tonnage of the Lake Districts in the United States 30

Commerce of Buffalo, 1864 — Canadian Inland and Ocean Navigation 31

New York State Canals 32

Imports of Breadstuffs into Great Britain — Fisheries, &c 33

Lumber and Staves — Copper of Lake Superior 34

Business on Lake Superior — Shipments of Copper 35

Iron and Iron Ore — Shipments, &c 36

Iron and Iron Ore of Lake Superior 37-38

Peninsula Railroad of Michigan 39

Canal Commerce — Erie Canal 40-41

Trade and Commerce of Chicago 42-43

Product of Breadstuffs for Exportation — Shipments of Flour and Grain 44

Pork and Beef Packing — Beef Cattle 45

PART in.

Trip Through the L.aRes.— Buffalo, 46

Buffalo to Detroit — North Shore Route, 47

Port Colborne — Port Dover — Port Burwell — Port Stanley, &c., 48

Point Pelee — Detroit River — Amherstburg — Sandwich — Windsor — &c., 49

Route from Niagara Falls to Hamilton and Detroit. — St. Catharines —

Dundas, &c., 60

Paris — Woodstock — Ingersoll — London — Chatham, Ac, 61

VI CONTENTS.

Buffalo to Goderich, C. W. — Dunville — Brantford, &c., 52

Lioilerich — Table of Distances from Buflalo to Toledo, 53

Buffalo to Cleveland, Toledo, &c. — Dunkirk, Barcelona, &c., 54

Erie — Conneaut — Ashtabula — Fairport, Painesville, &c., 55

Cleveland — Perry Monument, . 56

Steamboat Route from Cleveland to Detroit, 57

Black Ri^er — Vermilion — Huron — Sandusky — Toledo, &c., 58

Railroads Diverging from Toledo — Perry sburgh, 59

Maumee City — Monroe — Trenton, &c. — Route Around Lake Erie, 60

Ohio and Erie Canals — Fort Wayne, 61

Table of Distances from Cleveland and Detroit to Superior, 62

Detroit — Railroads, &c., 63

Detroit River — He la Perche, * 64

Detroit to Milwaukee — Increase of Lake Cities, 65

Grand Rapids — Grand Haven, &c., 66

Trip from Detroit to Mackinac, Chicago, &c. — Trip Across Lake Michigan, . . 67

Ashley, Algonac — Newport — St. Clair, &c., 68

Southerland — Port Huron — Fort Gratiot — Sarnia, &c., 69

Route from Sarnia to Goderich, &c. — Kincardine — Saugeen, 70

Route from Port Huron to Saginaw City — East Saginaw, &c, 7-1

Lake Huron — Saginaw Bay — Tawas Bay, «fec., 72

Lower Peninsula of Michigan — Alpena — Duncan, &c., . . • 73

Old Mackinac — Grand Traverse City — Manistee — Grand Haven, &c., 74

Steamboat Route from Detroit to Green Bay, &c., 75

Green Bay — Fort Howard — Oconto, &c., 76

Nenomee City — Pensaukee — Peshtigo — Gena, &c., 77

Green Bay to Fond Du Lac. — DePere — Kaukauna — Appleton — Neenah —

Fond Du Lac — Meeting of the Waters, 79

Ports of Lake Michigan. — Michigan City, &c., 79

New Buffalo — St Joseph — Niles — South Haven — Holland, &c., 80

Chicago. — Railroad Routes, &c., 80-81

Distances from Chicago to Mackinac, &c., • 82

Naval Vessels on the Lakes. — Mississippi and Michigan Canal, 83

Route from Chicago to Mackinac and Saut Ste. Marie, 84

Waukegan — Kenosha — Racino — Milwaukee, 85

Granaries of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, 86

Sheyboygan — Manitouwoc — Kewaunee — Ahneepee, &c., 87

Manitou Islands— Fox Islands— Beaver Islands— Strait of Mackinac, &c., 88

Mackinac— The Town and Fortress, 89

Lover's Leap — Altitudes of Various Points, 90

Arched Rock — Sugar Loaf, &c., 91

Island of Mackinac, 91-92

Round Island — St. Martin's Bay — Doint de Town — St. Joseph's Island —

Lime Island, &c 93

Nebish Island — Sugar Island— Lake George — Church's Landing, Sec, 94

St Mary's River— Description of 95

Saut Ste. Marie — Fort Brady, 96

St, Mary'g SUiip Canal — Boscription •f , 97

CONTENTS. Vll

Distances trom Collingwood to Saut Ste. Marie — Opening and Closing of

Navigation, 98

CoUingwood — Fisheries, &c., 99

Georgian Bay — Collingwood to Saut Ste. Marie — Penetanguishene, &c., . . . . 100

Owen's Sound — Lonely Island — Smith's Bay — She-ba-wa-nah-ning, &c., 101

Man-i-tou-wah-ning — Little Curreut — Bruce Mines, &c., 102

Trip from Collingwood to Fort William, C. W., 103-105

Distances Around Lake Superior, 106

Grand Pleasure Excursion Around Lake Superior, 106

Keweenaw Point — Light Houses, &c., 107

White Fish Point— Point au Sable, 108

Pictured Rocks— The Chapel, &c., 109-113

Lake Superior Region — Grand Island — Munising, &c., 114.

Remarkablk Phenomena — Monumental Rock, 115-116

Rise and Fall of the Waters of Lake Superior, Ill

Marquette — Iron Mountain, 118

Trout Fishing — Bay de Noquet and Marquette Railroad, 119

Granite Island — Huron Isles — L'A^nce — Portage Entry — Houghton, 120

Portage Lake — Hancockr— Keweenaw Point, 121

Copper Harbor — Agate Harbor — Eagle Harbor — Eagle River— Ontonagon. . , 122

Lake Superior — Its Climate and Health-Restoring Influence 123

La Pointe — Madeline Island, 124

Bayfleld — Ashland — Twelve Apostles' Islands, 125

Healthy Influence of Lake Superior, 126

Superior City— Table of Distances — Fond du Lac, 127

St. Louis River — Portland — Clifton — Buchanan — Encampment — Beaver Bay —

Pigeon Bay and River, 128

Northern Shore of Lake Superior — Isle Royale, 129

Fisheries of Lake Superior — Trout Fishing, 130

Vessels Lost in the Lake Superior Trade, 131

The Lakes— Land of the Free, &c., 132

Trip Along the North Shore of Lake Superior, 133

Taquamenon Bay — Mamainse Point — Montreal Island — Michipicoten Harbor, 133

Michipicoten Island — Caribou Island — Otter Bay — Slate Island, 134

Copper Regions of Lake Superior — North Shore, 134

Fort William, C. W. — McKay's Mountain — Kaministiquai River, 135

Thunder Bay — Pie Island — Black Bay — Neepigon Bay — Island of St. Ignace, 136,

PART IV. Route from Lake Superior to I^ake IVinnipeff

Dog Lake — Savan or Prarie Portage, &c., , 13t

Savan River — Raiuy Lake and River — Lake of the Woods, .,,,.,...,,...,,. 138

V/innipeg River — Lake Wiunipeg, , ^ • i ^ • •. t • 139

Lakes in the Valley of the Saskatchewan — Red River Qf the North,, , , 140

Red River Settlement, 1^1

Distanoes from Fort Williftm to Fort A]e:xander, Fort Garry, 4po., 142 vill, CONTENTS.