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6arly IVIadtltiac:
uj^ht Airy XalaiKl/^
L^ettds. Xndtaits. History,
fur Cradc. Cbc Old fdrt»
^ar of 1 81 2* Mtdslone*
early Bodat lift attd Other
Matters of Interest.
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THE LIBRARY
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Early Mackinac:
"THE FAIRY ISLAND."
A SKEZTOH.
BY
Meade C. Williams.
Name. -Tndlvn Legends. —Indian Character.— Frenoei
En(Jlisii and American Flags.— Old Fort.— Mili-
tary- History, and War ov 1812.— Fur Trade.
—Early Village Life.— Christian Mis-
sions and Ciii:rciies.— Natural At-
tractions.— Antiquities.
■
BtrsCHART UK US., PRINT.-
ST. LOUIS, MO.
I
I
COPYRIGHT, 1897,
BY MEADP: C. WILLIAMS
TO ALL THOSE
WHO HAVING ONCE KNOWN
THF: ISLAND OF THE STRAITS
STILL KEMEMBER ITS CHARM,
AND REMAIN LNDER THE POWER OF ITS SPELL,
THIS KOOK IS DEDICATED.
CONTENTS.
rREFACE.
PHce.
CHAPTEK I.
The IsluncVs iiiime — Its etyniolo^'y - Its saerednertS in thf Indian's
mind -Indian leK«'nfl'^—l^'>f^t'<' vein iu Indian nomenelatnre-Tlie
passing,' of the Indian 7
CHAl'TER II.
Early setlliuK under the Freueh tla^:— Pioneer military post on
northern mainland— La Hontan's \isit— Removal to Detroit and
return Post established on southern mainland— Ens-'lish sway-
Discontent of Ihe Indians— Ball game and massacre— Alexander
Henry— Wawatam— Skull Cave 15
CHAPTER III.
Removal to the island proposed—Transfer effected— Major Sinclair
—Captain Robertstm (Robinson)- Rum—Building the fort 25
CHAPTER IV.
American Independence achieved— England's delay in surrendering
Mackinac- A second treaty required to secure American oc-
cupation—Greenville treaty with the Indians— F\ir trade-
Washington Irving's description of Mackinac— Another picture. 33
CHAPTER V.
War of 1812 opens— ••British Landing"— Fort Mackinac captured by
the British— Of great importance to British interests— Oftlcial
reports— Building of Fort Holmes (Fort George) 42
CHAPTER VI.
American expedition to recover Mackinac— Effects entrance at
'•British Landing"- The battle— Major Holmes killed— Ameri-
can forces withdraw- Destroy British supplies in Georgian Bay-
Blockade elTected - Blocade raised— Mackinac again ceded lo
United States in ISI5— Old cannon— Early officers at the fort-
Fort given over to State of Michigan 00
CHAPTER VII.
Early citizens of the island- Ramsey Crooks as connected with the
f\ir trade— Robert Stuart, resident partner in the Astor Fur Co,
—Henry R Schoolcraft, government agent, scientist and ex-
plorer— His literary works and character, ...,,, , 01
PHce.
.. I)
's
e
,. 7
15
25
CONTENTS. 5
CHAPTER VIII.
Jesuit mi.s.sions-Marquette-Churc.h of St. Ann at Old Mackinac,
and on the island-Trinity Church-Mission School and Old
Mission Church-Story of Chuska-Old Church restored 73
CHAPT]<1R IX.
Excee(-ug beauty of the island-Woods-Ve^etation-U-ater
views-Curiosities in stoue-Arch liock-SugarLoaf-Robmsons
Folly and its legends
CHAPTER X.
The island's celebrity as a place of resort-Early duv visitors-
Books of deseription-Countess Ossoli (Margaret Fuller)- \ Xew
^ork d.,ctor^. visit in 1H:{5-Cap.ain Marryatt-Mrs. Jameson-
Miss Harriet Martineau
-O-
42
LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS.
Birds eye vie w of Mackinac Island y
La Honian's Sketch. KiKS
Fort Mackinac •
Mackinac Beach
Henry R. Schooh-raft.
Old Mission Church
Sugar Loaf
Arch R(jck
Tauglewood
One of the Drives
rontLspiece .
1(3
. 41
. m
. SI
. yi
.103
.106
00
PREFACE.
I have had thirteen summers at Mackinac. Fellow visi-
tors there have often sugges^.tod that I should furnish, in
written form, some studies of the island.
While it is believed this skcitch may have interest for the
general reader, it at the same time carries a local coloring
which m iy more particularly appeal to those who know the
place. As the charm of the locality is due, in no small
degree, to that halo of antiijuity which hangs ov(ir it, I have
felt warranted in restricting myself to <v//7// Mackinac, with
but slight allusion to anything short of sixtj' years aj*o.
This sketch embodies the result of considerable research
among books and documents. Some fifty different works
have b(H!n consulted. Generally, though not always, these
are indicated in the narrative. As the reader will preceive, I
am greatly indebted to the various writings of Henry K.
Schoolcraft. I would also express my special sense of
obligation to the valuable series of "Collections and Research-
es," a work carried on by the Michigan l*ioneer and Historical
Society. These Crilb ctions, at present, number twenty-six
volumes. The use they make of the important "Haldimand
Papers" of Canada, brings to hand much of the early military
history of the Straits and of the Island fort. Instead of a
foot-note reference in every case, I make here a general
acknowledgement.
During tlu^ i)rogress of my wo»k I hove hud great satis-
faction in a correspondence with Col.Wm. Montague Ferry, of
Park City, Utah, a son of the Rev. Wm. M. Ferry, of the
Island Mission work of long ago, and who well remembers
Mackinac as the home of his childhood days.
>S^^ Louin, Mo., {In<jle7ieuk,
June, 1SU7. Mackinac Island)
I
EARLY MACKINAC.
I
CHAPTER I.
Michilimackinac was the old-lime name, not
for our beautiful island alone, but for all the
countiy round about us, north to Lake Superior and
west to the head of Green Bay. It was the ishmd
only that was first thus called. The word ^rew
out of it, and, small bit of land though it is, it
threw its name over a vast territory
The name has been variously si)elled. In old
histories, reports, and other documents, T have
found Mishlimakina, Missilimakinac, Mishilmaki,
Michilimachina, Missilimakina, Michiliakimawk;
while in one standard history, when tliis re_o-ion is
spoken of, it invariably ap])ears as Michilimaki-
naw.* In its abbreviated foi-ni it has been writ-
ten Mackinack, Macina, Maquina, Mackinac, Mack-
inaw. In all the earlier periods following the set-
tlement of the island by the whites, in books of
travel and of history, the two ways of writing it
were used interchangeably, though the formMack-
himv was most commonly adoi)ted. Also in many
of the early maps and atlases it is so given. Steam-
boat companies running boats to the island, gener-
ally adv<>rtised them as of the "Macldna\v Liuis"
and likewise business firms here so wrote the word
*Henry Adams' 'History of the United States."
i
i
y i«:akly mackinac.
—at least as froquontly as the otlierform. So this
was quite f^^eiieral dui'ing all that time, except that
the official naim? of tlie military post held to the
tenniiiation "ac." But since the railroad compan-
ies built thcnr modern terminal town across the
straits and called it Mackinaw City, for the sake of
convenience in distinguishing, the name of the island
is now uniformly written Mackinac. In pronuncia-
tion, however, without attempting to settle the
question by the laws of orthoepy, it may be re-
marked that it is consid(M'ed very incori-ect; and to
the ears of residents, and old hdhituef^ and lovers of
the island, it is almost distressful to hear it pro-
nounced anything else than Mackina?;?. A com-
promise may perhaps be allowed by taking the
name as if it bore the termination "ah, " and giving
it a sound b(^t\ve('n the ilat and the very broad.
The (• must never be sounded.
The origin of the word is in some obscurity.
All agree that the first part of it, "Michi," means
great. It is preserved in the name of the State,
Michigan, and in thc^ name of th" Lake, Lake
Michigan — meaning great waters The French
took it up, s})elling it Missi; hence t .e name of the
river Mississippi — great I'iver, the father of waters.
Conc(n'ning the remainder of the name which fol-
lows the Michi, we ai'e not so sure. The common
view is tliat the foi'm of the island, high-backed in
the center, as it rises above the waters, and hand-
somely crowning the whole, suggesteo to the
Indian fancy the figure of a large turtle. Hence
that it became known as the land of the Great
Turtle.
I
ORICIN OF THE WORD.
9
^o this
3t that
to the
)mpan-
ss the
^ake of
; island
luncia-
tle the
be re-
and to
vers of
it pro-
^ coni-
ng the
giving
broad.
;curity.
means
State,
, Lake
D^rench
; of the
^vaters.
ch fol-
ommoii
;ked in
I hand-
to the
Hence
Great
Schookn-afi, wlio is tlie best autlioi-ity on all
questions pertaining to the Indian language, as well
as to the customs and characteristics of that race,
says that the oi-iginal name of the island was
Mishi-miii-auk-in-ong, and that it means the i)laco
of the great dancing spii'its— these spirits being of
the more inferior and diminutive order, instead of
belonging to the Indian collection of gods; a Kind
of pukwees, or fairies, or sprites, j-ather than
Man i tons.
Heriot, an English traveler in North America,
and who published his "Ti-avels through the
Canadas, " in 1807. touched at Mackinac and reports
as the origin of the nanie that the island had been
given, as tlieir S])ecial abode, loan order of spirits
called Imakinakos, and that "trom these aerial
possessors it had received the api)ellatk)not'Michi-
limackinac."
Perhaps tiies«» different views can in a manner
be combined. The turtle was held in great re\er-
ence by the Indians. In their mythology it was
regarded as a symbol of tlu^ earth and addressed as
motlier. * The fancied physical I'esemblance of the
island could easily worlv in with their m\thical
*Auar.Mv Laii- ill his ■Myths. Kit uiil iiml Relit,aous.-- (Vol 1 p IS-')
meutioiis oertai.i of the Imliuu tnl.,-s its holih'u- tho nuu-y that (lie
earth Krew out of the tortoise. One form tliat the h'^end tonic was
that Ataheustie. u vvouian of the upper world, hart been banished froin
the slvv. and fuliintr. dropjied on the bael< ..f a, turtle in tli(> midst of the
waters. The turtle eonsulted with the oth.-r a.iuatie animals and one
of them, peuerally .said to have be.-n tlie musl<-rat. IIsIh d up s.m^e soil
and fashionrd the .-arth. Uer.' the woman -ave birth lo i wins and thus
betrau the i)eoplin- of the ^lobe Thus in the crude fancy of the
Western Indians do w.- lind a reHeethm or fratrment ..f the ancient
myth which once i)revailed in the oriental mind that the world re.sted
on the back uf a turtle.
10
EARLY MACKINAC.
idea of the turtle, apart from its having any ety-
mological connection. And thus whatever way the
name is studied it becomes associated with some
Indian conception of spirit. All singular or strik-
ing foi'mations in the work of nature — objects that
were of an unusual kind or very large and impos-
ing, as lofty rocks, overhanging cliffs, mountains,
lakes and such like — these jjoor untutored cliildren
looked upon as the habitations of spirits. Our
island therefore, physically so different from the
other islands and the mainland about it, with its
glens and crags, and its many remarkable and
strange looking stone formations, would easily be
peopled for them with spectres and spirits. They
regarded it as their sacred island, and a favorite
haunt of their gods, and cherished for it feelings
akin to awe; and from the surrounding regions
would bring their dead for burial in its soil. The
island seems to have been ratlier their place of
j'esort and temporary sojourn than of permanent
abode.
Thei'e is something vei-y fascinating in the
fragments of early Indian fanciers and triiditions
and legends which are associated with our island.
It is interesting, too, to note liow the legends and
the mythology of the Indians and their dim
religious ideas so often took a poetic form. For
instance, in their pagan and untutored minds they
thought of the island as the favorite visiting place
of Michibou, the great one of the waters, their
Manitou of these lakes. That, coming over the
waters from the sunrise in the east, he would touch
the beach at the foot of Arch Rock; that the large
i
LEGLNDAKY.
11
-y ety-
'ay the
i some
■ strik-
ts that
impos-
n tains,
liildren
Our
om the
k'ith its
lie and
sily be
They
avorite
eeliiigs
regions
[. The
hice of
manent
in the
?.ditions
island,
ids and
'ir dim
n. For
Is they
g place
s, tlieir
ver tlie
Ld touch
le large
mass of stone which liad falh'n from the face of the
clilf in the long ago, causing thn arch above, was
"Manitou's Landing Place;'' that tlie arch was his
gateway through which, ascending tlie hill, he
would proceed in stately stop to "Sugar Loaf,"
wliich in fancy they made to be his wigwam, or
lodge — the cave on the west side, known to all to-
day, being his doorway. Then again, the Sugar
Loaf stone and others of that conical, pyramidal
shai)e — such as the one which stands in St. Ignace
and in d liferent parts of the noi'thern peninsula, and
yet others which formerly stood on the island —
that these strange, uncanny looking rock forma-
tions, by a modification of fancy, they w^ould
X:>ersonify with great giants or monsters who tower-
ed o^-er them as sentinels to note whether they
made due offerings and sacrifices to Manitou, their
success in the hunting and trapping being condi-
tioned on this kind of religious tidelitJ^'''■
The Indians, so spontaneously recognizing the
world of si3irits,were fruitful in ideas and sentiments
of reverence. We are told there wore no profane^
words in their vocabulary. Think of a people who
did not know liow to swear because they liad no
*Schoolcraft noted a curious fact aiuouK the Chlppe was— that they
fancied the woods and shores and i^h.nds were iiiliuliited l).vinuunier!il)le
spirits wlio during the summer season were wakeful aud quick to hear
everything that was spoken, but durinit? the winter existed only in a
torpid state, The Indian story lellei's aud le;.'end mongers were there-
fore very free in amusinjjr their listenei's with fanciful aud mysterious
tales durin^c 'he winter, as the spirits were then iu a slate of inactivity
and could not hear. Kut their story telliuf,' was susi)eiide(l the iiionu'nt
the pipiuj? of the frog announced that spriuK had opened. That he had
endeavored, h>it in vain, to yet any of them to relate this sort of
imatirinary lore at any other time than in the winter. They would always
evade his attempts by some easy or indifferent remark.
12
EARLY MACKINAC.
words for it ! It is said tluit tho lu^arest they ap-
])roached to cursing a man \vas to call liim "a bad
do.£i-." So too in tiie nomenclature of wild or un-
conlh looking objects of nature — while our white
pioneers and prosixicting miners and avani couriers
of civilization in the west liave so often attached to
such objects the name of the devil, as "Devil's
Lake," "Devil's Slide," "D(>virs Half-acre,"
"Devil's Scuttle-hole,"' and such like, the Indians
g'en(U"illy gave them someex])ressiveandha aioni-
ous poetic name. On the island we have the
"Devil's Kitchen,"' but we nuiy feel sure that was
not of the Indian's naming. The writer of this
sketch was told by an old resident who had passed
the whole of an extremely long life on the Island,*
that once, long ago, t' shoemaker took up his abode
ill that cavern and did his cobbling and his cooking
there. Possibl3^ that gave rise to the name.
In this habit of nomenclature which linked
their kleas with the phejiomena of physical nature,
we see a beautiful though often rude and childish
vein of poetry. Their name for the great cataract
of Niagara was "Thunder of the Waters,"' as that
for tlie gentle falls now within the limits of the
City of Minneapolis was Minnehaha, or "Laughing
Waters," The familiar white fish of these regions
was the "Deer of the waters." To the horizon
limit when they looked out on the lake to where
the thread-like line of blue water loses itself in the
clouds and sky, they gave a name which signified
the "Par off sight of water." Their name for
General Wayne, who did so much to overthi'ow
*Ignuce Pelotte, died Feb. 1897.
I
I
POETIC VEIN
1 ^
they ap-
1 "i\ bad
[d or un-
,\ir white
,t couriers
,t ached to
"Devil's
alf-acre,"
e Indians
ha xnoni-
have the
that was
?r of this
ad passed
e island,*
his abode
is cooking
me.
h linked
l^al nature,
cliildish
,t cataract
as that
its of the
iLaughing
ke regions
|e horizon
to wiiere
jelf in the
signified
Iname for
(verthrow
their power in the west, was "Strong Wind;"' Avhile
the American soldiers from tlieir ns(^ of \]\v sabre
and sword in battle, were knov^n as llie '"Long
Knives." Their concej^tion of a ft)rt witli its
mounted cannon was "Tlie liigh-fenced h()u^e of
thunder, "while the discharge was "The arrow lliat
Hies out of tlie big gun." A little son of Mr.
Schoolcraft, when he was Government agent at the
Sault, was admiringly called by the Chi[)p(nvas,
Penaci, or "The Bird;" and the English authoress,
Mrs. Jameson, when visiting there, after "shooting
tiie rapids" with the Indian guides, was re-nanied
' "The wcmian of iho. Bright P'oam. " As t heir whole
life and range of observation was const.mtly asso-
ciated witii tempests, forests, waters and skies, and
all the various ])henomena of pliysical nature, this
gave shape to their conceptions and their qu(>stion-
ings. It has always seemed very significant that
when John Eliot, the pioneer missionary to the
Indians in New' England, two hundred and fifty
years ago, began his instructions among them, lie
Avas met at once by their eager and long pent-up
questions of wonder: "What makes the smi ebb
and How?" "What makes the wind blow^V" "Whiit
makes the thunder?"
Parkman rei)resents the Jesuit missionaries
in Canada, two centuries since, as testifying that
the Indians had a more acute intellect than the
peasantry in France. At his best, however, the
red man was but the "Child of the forest," and in
the presence of the pale faces waF not destined to
endure. They are a doomed and a passing race.
Many reasons, or causes, might be assigned for
14
EARLY MACKINAC.
this. One roason is that which was ^iv^en by a
very thoujilitfiil ludiiin in a speech on a certain
occasion lonf? u^o, befoi-e a company of frovernment
n<4'ents here on our island beach. Said he, very
r( llectively: "The white man no sooner came than
he tiiou<;iit of ]ir(*parin<^ the way for his posterity;
ihe red man never thou<?ht of that." In this pro-
found observation is embodied one of the latest de-
ductifms in social pliilo.sophy.
Of course, in tlius speakinjj^ of the Indians,
reference is had to manifestations of their mental
character as seen in earlier days, and not to Indian
life of the i)resent. as seen in the western reserva-
tions.*
*CiitUn, who ranks ncvt to Schoolcnift in his study of the Indians, in
an extensive ^'lassitication of qualities, contrasts their original character
in their "primiiive and disabused state" with their secondary character
after "being beaten into a sort of civilization." From being handsome
he says they had become ugly; from free, enslaved; from affable, re-
served; from bold, timid: from warlike, peaceable; from proud, humble;
from independent, dependent; from healthy, sickly; from sober,
drunken; from increasing, decreasing; from landholders, beggars.
i
;i\^en by a
a certain
Dvernment
I he, very
came than
, posterity;
1 this pro-
e latest de-
le Indians,
leir mental
3t to Indian
rn reserva-
yi the Indians, In
dginal character
mdary character
being handsome
from affable, re-
1 provid, humble;
,y; from sober,
i, beggars.
CHAPTER II.
The annals of our island since its discovery
and occupation by the whites carry us back to an
early day. Exi)lorers from France and settlers
from Canada were here two hundred and lifty
years ago. Traces of Prem^h and Indian mixture
are everywhere seen. Indian wars and massacres
have reddened these shores. Stories of English
power victorious over French, in far back colonial
times, have a part in the history of this region.
In a later day the island had its stirring incidents
in our own war with Great Britain, in 1812. Here
was the headquarters of the Mackinaw Fur Company
and the Southwest Fur Company, and afterwards
of the powerful American Fur Company, of which
John Jacob Astor was the chief proprietor, and
which made our island for the time the largest seat
of commerce in the western country.* Christianity,
too, has had here its early enterprises, at the
hands first of the French Jesuit missionaries of the
17th Century, and afterwards of Protestantism.
In regard to early military annals, history
points to the fact that with the exception of the
brief abandonm^mt by the French forces from about
1701 to 1714, this region of the straits had been a
seat of continuous military occupation from the
*Detroit. Vincennes, St. Louis, Lake Winnipej?. Lake of the Woods,
and other fur distant points were but dependencies of Michilimackinac,
as the metropolis of the Indian trade,
15
16
EAliLY MACKINAC
last quju'lfM" of )li(^ 17tli(MMitiir-y down 1()l<*^or), wlion
to tin; surpriso Jind i'(vu:r«'t oL' till who k'licw tlio
isluiid's lilstoi'v, the United Slati'S ( Joverninont
tibolisliod Iho post. T1ii"(h» diffci'cnt lla.n's iiave
floated over a, tort in these St fails of AlacK'inaw
durin*^ this loriif ])eriod past. Thes(» havi; been in
the ord(!r of Frencli, Eii«j:lish Jiiid American. Tlio
Fi'encli wei'e the pionoei's. They estal)lished Fort
MicliirmiacK'inac, over when^ now tlio town of St.
Ignacc stands, four miles across on the northern
l)eninsu]a. This was about two hundred and
twenty -tive years a<2:o.
Baron La Htjntan, who liad come from France
to Canada at an early ii<i;i} and afterwai'ds V)ecame
Lord Lieutenant of a Fi*ench Colony in Newfound-
land, visited our Mackinac neif^liborhood in 1088.
In a publicjition of his travels in North America he
gives thi'ee letters fr' n tlio Michilimakinac settle-
ment of that day.* - s accompanying his picture
on the adjoining page he thus wi-ites: '"You can
scarce bcdieve what vast sholes of white iish are
catched about the middle of the channel, between
the continent and the isle of Missilir^akinac. The
Out(wuas\ and the Hurons could never subsist
here, without that fishery; for they are obliged to
travel about twenty leagues in the woods befoi-e
they can kill any harts or elks, and it would be an
infinite fatigue to cai'ry theii* carcasses so far over
land. This sort of white fish, in my opinion, is the
only one in all these lakes that can be (tailed good;
*The book was first published in French, 1705. Afterwards an ea-
larged edition appeared iu English form, 1735.
tOttawas.
)7), when
new tho
ri'iiinont
o;s havo
[{icU'imiw
bodi in
.in. Tho
hcd Fort
m of St.
northern
lr(Hl and
n France
s became
[ewfonnd-
L in 1688.
merica he
lac settle-
is picture
"You can
o iish are
, between
nac. The
r subsist
obliged to
)ds before
)uld be an
;o far over
lion, is the
lUed good;
erwards an en-
"3
C
3
O
1>
u
O
"J
;j
c
no
ifi
o
X
rjo
U
3 -^
■^ C
0. (9
X
'J
u
(/)
a Q.
'J c
<
5f
'/) 3
■- O
n
c
c
3
o
ro
!5
ij
in
71
c
ro
'ji
'i
•*
LA HOXTAN S LETTER.
17
and indeed it goes oeyoiid all other sorts of river
tisli. Above all, it lias one singular property-,
namely, that all sorts of sauces spoil it, so that it
is always eat either boiled or broiled, without any
manner of seasoning.
••In the channel I now speak of. tlie current.i
are so stj-ong that they sometimes suck in the nets,
tiiough they are two or three leagues off. In some
seasons it so falls out that the currents run three
days eastward, two days to the west, one to the
south, and four northward; sometimes more and
sonu'tinu's l(>ss. The cause of this divei-sity of
currents could never be fathomed, for in a calm
they will run, in the space of one day, to all tiie
points of tlie compass, i. c, sometimes in one way,
sometimes anotlier, without any limitation of time;
so tliat the decision of the matter must be left to
the disci[)le of Copernicus.
•Here the savage catch trouts as big as one's
thigh; with a sort of tishing-hook made in the
form of an awl, and made fast to a piece of brass
wire, which is joined to the line that reaches to the
bottom of the lake. This sort of tishery is carried
on uot only with hooks, but with nets, and that in
winter as well as in summer.
'•Thci Outaomif! and the Ifurnus ha\e very
pleasant tields, in which they sow Indian corn,
pease and beans, besides a sort of citruls and
melons. Sometimes thei^.e savages sell their corn
very dear, es])ecially when the beaver hunting
happens not to take well; upon which occasion
they make sutKcient reprisals upon us for the ex-
travagant prico of our commodities. "
18
EARLY MACKIxXAC.
For a shoi't interval the French Government,
mider tlie instii^^ation of the post Coninumder,
CadiHac, Avitlulrew the «i'arrison (as ah-eady men-
tioned) and abandoned tills region as a military
seat in favor of the new settlement at Detroit.
That was about the opening of last century. But
tills vacating was soon seen to be bad policy, and
in 1714 the fort was re-established. When, how-
ever, the restored fort b(>comes known apiin m
history it is found located on the Southern Penin-
sula, across the Straits, where now stands the
railroad town, Mackinaw Citv. Whether on the
return from Detroit the military at once located ihc
fort there, oi* first resumed the old site at St.
Iirnace, and I'emoved to the other Peninsula ut some
later period, is not definitely known. At any rate
it Avas tlie same military occu})ation, and the same
Fort Michilimackinac, irrespective of the time of
change in the site. It stood about half a mile from
the present Light House, and soutliwesterly from
the railroad station; and was so close to the water's
edge that when the wi)id was in the west the waves
would often break into the stoclcade. Its site is
plainly visible 'to-day, and visitors still find relics
in tho sand.
After the conquest of Canada by the English,
in the deciding l)attle of Quebec on the heights of
Abraham in 1759, all this country around came un-
der the English flag. The Indians, however, liked
better the French dominion and their pc^rsonal re-
lations with the French peoi)le than tliey did the
English sway and English associations, and they
did not take khidly to the transfer. One reason
PONTIAC S CONSPIRACY.
19
vornment,
luuiuiiuler,
a military
tt Detroit,
lury. But
policy, cind
lieu, liow-
1 ai^^aiu in
,ern Peuin-
staiicls the
;ber on the
s located the
site tit St.
^ulantsome
^t any rate
id the same
the time of
a mile from
sterly from
I) the water's
t the waves
Its site is
ill find relics
he English,
b heii-Thts of
ind came un-
wever, liked
|p(*rsonal re-
Ihey did the
lis, ami they
One reation
for this prefcu'ence is said to have been that the
B'rencli were accustomed to pay respect to all the
ludiaijs' religious or superstitious observances,
wliereas an Englishman or an American was apt,
eitlier to take no [)aius to conceal liis coutempt for
their suixu'stitions or U) speak out bluntly against
them. To this can be add<Ml the well known fact of
the greatcu' n^adiness of the French to intermarry
and domesticate with the Indian.*
This stroug feeling of discontent under the
change of empire, on the part of the Indians, was
fanned and skillfully directed by that gri^at leader
and (liplomate, Pontiac;f and "The Conspiracy of
Pontiac" is the well-known title of one of Park-
man's series of Noi'th American liistory. This
conspiracy was no less than a deep and compre-
hensive scheme, maturcKl by this most crafty
savage chief, for a general Indian rising, in which
all English forts, from the south to the upper
lakes, Avere to be; attacked simultaneously, and the
English rule forever destroyed. Th(.' Indians would
vauntingly say, "You have conquered the French,
but you have not conquc'red us." Out of twelve
forts, nine were takcm, but not louir held.
*''When the Freuoli iiirivt-d :U tin's pliiL't',' said a Chli^ewa Chief at
a council once held iit, the Siiull. 'th-'y c;nne and i<issedus. They called
us I'hildreii and \vc found (liem I'lithers, We lived like hrolhers in ^he
same lodf,'e.' Sckoolcraft , in (in (uldrc.^s hrfore the Miclii(jiin HiMorical
Society i)i ls;!0,
"In foi'iM^ of cliaracter, s\il)llety, elotineiice and darinir, l'ont!ao
was poriiaps the most brilliant man the Indians of N.nMh America have
produced."— ••.! Ilintonj <>/ Cdnadn," by Chas. (!. D. h'oberts. Schoolcraft
rated liim in the saini' way. I)i-al<e. in his •■Itulidii^ of thr Northwest.'*
says of liim: 'His fame in liis time was not couliuud to his ovvu coniiueati
but the (,'azetLes of Europe spread it also,"'
20
EARLY MACKINAC.
Wliilo til is sclioii](> Avas, of course, a failure in
its larger feat ui-os, the plot as,^ai list the old post of
Miclulimackiiiao across the water succeeded only
too well. The strategy and liorrors of that capture
read like a tale of lictioii. The story is olch but to
r(>peat it in tliis sketch will not be amiss. Jt may
be introduced under the title of
AN iriSTORlC BAr.L GAME.
In ITOo a band of Ihirty-tive English soldiers
and their ofticcrs formed its garrison. Encamped
in the woods not far off was a large number of In-
dians. One morning in the month of Juius with
groat show of friendliness, the Indians invited the
soldiers to witness their match game ot ball, just
outside tlie stock'ade. The Chippewas were to play
the Sacs,* TIkui, as now, ball playing had great
fascination. And as tliis was the birthday oC the
King of England, and the; men wer(3 in the celebra-
ting mood, some indulgence was shown, discipline
for a time rtdaxed, gates wcrii left ajar and the
soldiers and ofKceis carelessly saunter( d and look-
ed on, enjoying tlu^ sport. In tlu^ cour.<e of play,
and as a part of the pi-e-ccmcerted stratagem, the
ball was so struck that it fell within the stockade
line of the fort. As if pursuing it, the players
came rushing to the gate. The soldiers, intent in
watching the play, suspected nothing. The Indians
now had an open Avay within, and instantly turned
from ball-plavers into warrioi's, and a terrifvinc
"whoop" was given. The squaws, as sharing in
the plot, were standing near with tomahawks con-
cealed under tluMr blankets. These were seiz(>d.
*J3ugguiiwuy wufn iljeir Kiutl uf bull game,
ALEXANDEFl HENRY.
21
I fLiilure ill
3lcl post of
;eodecl only
liiit captur<.)
, old, bub to
ss. It may
iisli soldiers
Kiicampi'd
luboL' of lu-
[ Jmio, Avilli
; iiivilod the
of ball, just
i wen^ U) play
ig had i;reat
Ihday of the
L tlio colebva-
n. discipline!
|ajar and the
( d and look-
irse of play,
■atagoni, the
Ithe stockade
the players
rs, inu-nt in
The Indians
antly turned
a terrifying
,s sharing in
ahawks con-
Avere seized.
and then followed a most shocking massacre. Tlie
surprise of the fort and the success of tlie red men
were complete.
The details of this dreadful event are vivid-
ly and luirrowingiy given by the English trader,
Alexander Henry, sojourning at tlie time, with his
goods, within the stockade, and wlio was a partici-
pant in the dreadful scenes and experiences. Tlie
humble ILmry may Avell Ijo called the Father of
History, like another Herodotus, as far as tliis
e[)isode is ccmcei'ned. Excepting the very meagre
re]v^rt of th(^ humiliating capture made by Captain
Elherington, the officer in command, there seems
to be nothing but the narrative of this Enii-lish
trader. His description of the fort, the purpose it
had been serving, the movements of the Indians
pi'eceding the affair, as widl as the minute descj-ip-
ticmof the stratagem and its success, and the terri-
ble scenes enacted, is the chief source of informa-
tion; and one can take up no history of this jieriod
and this locality without seeing liow all writers are
indebt(Hl to his plain and simple narrative.
When the foi't was captin*(Hl by the savages,
he himself was hidden for the fii'st niglit out of
their miirderou>< reach, but was discovered the
n(>xt day. Then follow(Ml a series of experiences
and ]ia;i--breadth escapes and turns of f(M'tuno very
remaikable, while all tlie tiuK^ the most bai'barous
fate S(M^med imi)ending, the suspiMise in which made
his sensations, if possible, only the moi-e distress-
ful and torturing. It was not enough that liis
goods wei'o confiscated and his very clothes stri})-
ped off his body, but his savage captors thirsted
■nil. I
Of)
EARLY MACKINAC.
for his blood. They siiici of him and their other
prisoners, that they were bein<^ reserved to "make
English broth.'' After fonr dtiys of such horrors
there came a turn Avhich Henry says gave "a new-
color to my lot. " During his residence at the posi
b<»foro the massacre, a certain Cliii)pewa Indian
named Wawatam, who used to come frequently to
his house, had become very friendly and told him
that the Great Spirit pointed him out as one to
adopt as a brother, and to regard as one of his own
family. Suddenly, on the fourth day of his cap-
tivity, Wawatam appeaiM>don the scene. Before a
council of the chiefs lie asked the release of his
brother, the trader, at the same time laying down
presents to buy otf whatever claims any may liave
thought they had on the prisoner. Wawatam 's
request, or demand was granted, and taking Mr.
Henry by the hand he led him to his own lodge
wdiere he jeceived the utmost kindness.
A day or two afterwards, fearing an attack of
retaliation by the English, the whole body ol
Indians moved from the fort over to our island as
a place of greater safely. They landed, three hun-
dred and fifty fighting men. Wawatam wr.s among
them, with Henry in safe keeping. Scn-eral days
had passed, w^iien two large canoc^s from Montreal.
with English goods aboard, wei'e seized by th<'
Indians. The invoice of goods contained amonjj
other things, a large stock of licpior, and soon maci
drunkenness prevailed. The watchful and faithful
Wawatam told Henry he feared he could not pro
tect him when tlie Indians w<M'e in licpior, and
besides, as he frankly confessed, ''lie could not
\
ALEXANDER HENRY.
2S
L their other
ed to ' 'make
;uch horrors
rave "a new
e at the post
pewa Indian
"requenlly to
and told him
ut as one to
ine of his own
Y of his cap-
le. Before a
-elease of his
layini? down
ny may liave
Wawatam's
d taking Mr.
is own lodge
ss.
an attack of
lole body ot
ovir island as
lhI, three hun-
ni wT.s among
Silver al days
om Monti-eal.
,(viz(Hl. by th(^
ained ainonjj
land soon mati
I and faithful
)iild not pro-
licinor, and
he could not
himself resist the temptation of joining his com-
rades in the debauch." He therefore took liiiii up
the hill and back in the woods, and hid him in a
cave, wiiere he was to remain hidden "until the
liquor shon.J' be drank." After an uncomfortable
and nnrestful night, Henry discovered next morn-
ing, to his horror, that he had been lying on a iieap
of human bones and skulls. This charnel-hou.se
retreat is now the ^vell-known "Skull Cave" of the
Island, one of the regular stopping places of the
tourists' carriages.
But we cannot follow trader Henry's fortunes
farther. In a relation between gue.st andi)ri.soner,
and generally treated with i-espect, moving with
the band from one place to anotJKU', folhnving the
occupation of a hunter, and taking up wilh Indian
life and almost fascinated by it. he at lengtii tinds
him.self at the Sault, Avhere soon an opportunity
open(>d for his deliverance and his return home.
Subsequently he made another trip to the country
of the upper lakes and remained fov a longer time.
Of his good friend Wawatam, it is a sad tradition
that he afterwards became blind and was accidental-
lyburned in his lodge on the island at the Point.
formerly known as Ottawa Point, in the village,
then as Biddle's, and more recently as Anthony's
Point.
It may be that some have felt incredulous in
respect to Henry's thrilling tale. But there is
reason to think it entirely trustworthy. It is con-
tained in a book which he wrote, entitled "Travels
and Adv(mtures in Canada and the Indian Teri-i-
tories. between 1760 and 1700." It was first pub-
24
EARLY MACKINAC.
lished in 1808, and is dedicatod to Sir Joseph
Banks, ''Baronot of his Majesty's Privy Council
and President ot the Ro^^al Society/' Some copiers
contain the author's portrait. It has loni^ been
out of print, and copies of it to-day are very rare
and command a hi,ij;li price. Mr. Henry's residence
in his latter years was at Montreal, and he was
still living as late as IHll, an old man past eighty
years of age, hale and clu^erful looking. He bore
a good name and an nnquestioned reputation for
veracity among those wlio knew him. I have
already named him tlie Herodotus of this particular
period of history. By another person, an enthu-
siastic English visitor at Mackinac, over sixty
years ago, he was called also the Ulysses of these
parts; and of his bool<: it was said it bore tlie rela-
tion to the Michilimackinac shores and waters
which tlie Odyssey does to tlie shores of Sicily.*
*The ehronolo^iciil order ia which early travelers iind visitors, who
have left any annals of their journeys, cianie to tliis re^Lrioii, may l)e
stated as follows: Nieeollet, in lfi31; Manniette, KVri: LM,Salle and
Hennepin. Id?.*: T.aPIontau. 108.S; (Jharlevoix. ];21: Alexandcn- lleury. irn-.':
Capt. John Carver, 176(5.
%
sir Joseph
ivy C()iin(;il
301110 coi)u^s
^ loii^ boon
vojy riiro
''s rosidonco
and ho AViis
past oighty
^. He boro
imtation for
in. I hiivo
lis part iouhir
n, an onthu-
ovor sixty
,ses of Ihoso
jre Uie re bl-
and waters
of Sicily.-^
iiiid visitors, who
s rcj^'ioii. may l>t'
CM: L;i,Siille iuid
iind(n- llcury. 17()-';
CHAPTER m.
The victory of \]\o Indians over at the old fort
on the Sonlluu'ii niainhnid was nothing- beyond a
sliocK-inir and alrocions ni-^ssacro. It was ntt(^rly
l);u'r<Mi as regards any p(Mm!inont results, and the
stains of snpreniacy was not chanf^-f'!!. T1h» stoclc-
a;lo had not boon destroyed, and lb-it isli troops
soon came and I'osnraod poss(^ssion. SiiV)soqn(Mi11y,
liowover. th(; rinostion of transferrin"; th(» militaiy
s<nit of the Miohiliniaokinao reii'ion across tho
Straits to our island canK^ np. and was duly con-
sidei'od. Major Sinolair niad(^ a cai'ofnl prelimi-
nary examination. In a letter written in OctoV)er,
1779, lie savs: "I omploved threo davs from sun to
sun in oxamininii' the Ishmd of Maclcinac, onwiiich
I found i^Teat quantities of excellent oak, elm.
beoch and nuqije, with a vein of tli(^ lar.ii"<'st
and finest cedar ti"(H>s I cvc'r saw
Tl
le
soil is exceedin.<;-lv fine, with abundance of lim(^
ston(
•:■;• •;> rp|^^, situation is r(\s))('ctable, and con
veniont foi' a fort." He also mentions that he
found on the island "a run of water, sufticient for
a saw mill."'
Ho submitted drawings and cuts of the island,
and plans for fortiiicati(m. to (ion. Ibildimand, the
officer in Cfunmand of tho department, and whoso
h(\idf(uarters were at Quebec. Th<^ superiority of
the island, as a stronii: position aii'aiiist Indian
attacks, and Indian throats and insults, was pointed
25
—Igg
26
EARLY MACKINAC.
out; also its advanta^jfos in liavinj:: one of tho best
harbors in tbo upp<M' country, and as rospocls tlic
tisliinj? intorosts likewise. It is tboii^i'lit, too.
tiiat 1 lie transfer was somewbat connected, in the
Britisb mind, with the American war oL" liie Revo-
lution, which was then in pro<jrress. Sinchiir spoke
of the "lialnlity of bein<4' attacked by the Rebels,"
at the old fort, and that tlie phice mi.ii-ht "justly be
look(Kl upon as the object of a sc^parato exjx'di-
tiou. " As a precautionary nu^asure, he made every
ti-ader take oath of alle.e:iance to the kiuf?, and to
hold in "detestation and al)horrence the present
unnatural and horrid rebellion." At any rate, the
f^ariison did not feel safe in a mere stockade of
timbci's on the mainland. Gen. Haldimand ac-
cord! nirly o-avo orders for the removal. The fol-
lo\vin<:^ letter on the subject was wn-itten by him,
April 10, 1780, to Major DePeyster, formerly in
command of the old Mackinac fort, but w^ho hud
been transferred, the year before, to the command
at Deti-oit.*
"Sir — Havinglon^ thou^^ht it w^ould be expedi-
ent to remove the fort, etc., from its present
situation to the Island of Michilimaclcinac, and
bein.o: encouraged in this undertakin.i? by advauta-
jjos enum(U"ated by Lt. Gov. Sincliiir, that must
result from it, and the eai'nest desire of the traders.
■■'■Miijor DoPeystor was of Ameru^an birth, and hart served in tho
BriUsli army in various parts of this country, besides connnandin^f at
Maekinac, and afterwards at Detroit. He held a commission for 7."
years, and Uved to the a:-'e of Oi!. He spent his hitter years in Dumfries
Seothmd. the early home of his wife. Durinj,' his residenee there, he
and the poet Burns were ^reat friends. Burns addressed one of his
fugitive poems to DePeyster,
RIOMOVAL TO THE ISLAND.
27
of tlio host
rospoels tlic
loiiji'lit, too.
;cUh1, in tlio
of iho Revo-
iiichiir spoko
the Rebels,"
ht "justly hv
irate exixitli-
.e made even-
king, and to
tlie pr(^sent
any rate, the
s stockade of
iklimand ac-
■al. The fol-
tten by him,
formerly in
but who htul
;he command
aid be expedi-
its present
acldnac, and
by advanta-
r, that must
f the traders.
Iv.Kl served in the
•s eomnumdinjf at
coiuniissiou for 7r"
yeiirs in Dmu fries
esideuoe there, he
Idresse'J one of his
I have f]fiven directions that necessary preparations,
by collectinc^ materials, (»tc., b<> mud<^ with as much
exj)edilion as ])ossible, as the strength of that post
will admit of. I am sure it is uniHU'essaiy to
recommcMid to you to furnish him (>vei'y assistance
ho may re([uire. and tliat Dctj'oit can affoi-d, in foi'-
warding this work, farther than by giving you my
sanction for the same, which I do in the fullest
manner. "
A government house and a few other buildings
were at once erected on the site of the present
village; the old block houses were built, and His
Majesty's troops took possessicm on the llJtii of
July, 1780, Major Sinclair commanding, though
the entire removal was only gradually etfticted.
The Indians, as proprietors of the land, had
been first consulted about this occupancy, and
agreeuKmt and treaty tiu'ins were obtained. The
consideration was £5.000. Two deeds were
signed, with their mark, by four chiefs, in behalf
of themselv(^s and all the Chippewas. On(^ was to
be lodged with the Governor of Caiuida. and one to
remain at the island t)ost; while the chiefs engaged
to preserve in their villages a belt of wampum
seven feet long, to be a memorial of the ti'ans-
action. But it seems that aft(U' the woi'k was
under way and the ])ost established, the Indians
showed discontent, and threatened the ti'oops; and
so serious was the hostility manifested, that
Sinclair sent in great haste to Detroit for cannon.
The vessel was back in eight da3^s, bringing the
guns, and as soon as she touched on the harbor she
fired a salute, and that "speaking out" by the
'n
,a,
2
:■$■
u-f^^^p^S^^^^X. f. M
28
EARrA' MACKINAC.
cannon's month at onco sottlod Iho (luostiou, and
the poor Indians had no more to say.
The old site bein^" abandoiiod (sinco wlion it is
often referred to as "Old Maclcinaw." ) and tlie
^ari'ison remov(Hl, the families of the little settle-
ment, could not do otherwise than follow the fort.
Many of the houses were taken down and trans-
ported piecemeal across the sti'aits, and set np
a.ii'ain as new homes on the island. And hai'dly
wei-e the settlers thus re-established before they
address(Hl a iielition to the c^overninent, asking for
remmie ration to compensate for the loss and ex-
pense incurred, on the ^ronnd that their removal
was in the interest of the State and th»^ public wel-
fare. What response was made to this petition I
have found no record which tells.
The first commandant of the island, Major
Sinclair, was also known as Lieutenant Governor.
It appears that he had been appointed inspector
and superintendent of the Eng"lish forts, and boro
some g-eneral civic position as repi'esent alive of
the government, besid(\s his militai-y rank; also as
having chai-ge of Indian affaii-s. Hence he is fre-
quently spoken of in the records as Gov. Sinclair, as
well as Major. It seems to have been on this ac-
count, as an officer with a more embracing scope,
ratlun* than as of higher military rank, that h(^
superseded Major DePeyster, in command at old
Maclicinac. in 1779. After the trans! er he remain-
e<l two years in charge of tlie new post. Sinclair
appears, from the style of his letters and reports, n
more cultured and better educated nnxn than som(>
of his cotemporaries among the officers of thai
CAPTAIN KOHi:UTSON.
29
luoslion. aiul
CO vvlK^n it is
i',"' ) and tlic
little settle-
low the fort,
ni Jind tvaiis-
, and set up
And hardly
. before they
at. ask in. 2: for
loss and ex-
;h«^ir removal
lie public wel-
his petition 1
island, Major
nt Governor,
ted inspector
|rts, and boro
•esent alive of
rank; also as
ce he is fre-
v. Sinclair, as
on this ac-
'acing scope,
ank, that h(^
mand at old
r he remain-
)st. Sinclair
|ind reports, a
n than some
cers of thai
period. But liis sei'vicos as a post commandant
and gcniM'al maiuinci" of affairs, seem to jiav(» b»'on
unsai isfactorv. b<'cause of his la\ish cxiMMuliturcvs
and becausi' of "abuses and noglocts in diffci'ciit
slia[»c>. " as it \vas said. He Avas continually being
cautioned from licadcpiartors in regard to hi^■.
financial tfansactions. For lialf a centui'y and
m()i'(>. after h«» left the ]>ns1, t!u^ inlialjitants con-
1inu('(l i() talk al)()ul liis (wti'avagaiice; and one of
till! st()i'i(\s long current on tht^ island, was that he
had i)aid at the rati.* f)f one dollar ])er stump for
clearing a eedar swamp in tlie government tields
at the w<^st (Mid of tlie village. It subsequently
a"pp(\n's that, on his return to England, this reclv-
lessni^ss in (expenditure while on the ishmd led I0
his imprisonment for debt. He sp(e*iks himself, in
one of his letters, of being "liberated upon paying
the Michilimakinac bills protested."
Major, or Governoi*, Sinclair was succeeded by
Captain Daniel Rob<>rtson, who seems tohav(3 been
in command from 17b'2 to IT^^T. This Robc^rtson is
also called Robinson, and is tlie one whose name
will probal)ly be always associated with the island,
and a figure mark in the guide books and the
traditiomiry stories — for when will "Robinson's
Folly" cease to be visited and talked about?
The ofticial annals of that time shov/ a great
many of Captain Robinson's letters, written while
he was commandant of the post, He seems to have
been a rough-and-ready, energetic officer; not very
elegant in his style of composition or his 6rthogra-
phy. prosaic and practical, and perhaps not quite
fulfilling the sentimental and romantic ideal which
ss
30
EARLY MACKINAC.
somp of the leii-onds and storios, connoclhiir lii-.
namo \\\\]i tin- •"Kolly."' would su.n-ii<^st. In ono oi'
his reports oi' lliis rinn\ a vrry ivood ])lat is ii-i\(Mi,
^li()\vin,ii" llio contour of liio isiand I'.iui llu^ location
oi" tli(^ I'oi't. and tlic ]iai-l)or hcai'iuj:^ lln* name.
"1 laldiinaud's I'.ay."" nauuHl. pfivsiiinahly. in lionor
of llic ^Lnii•li^il coiuukuuUm' of tlic province."' In ;'.
lott(M' of Api'ii, IT^;'), tlu» C*ap'ain commends the
clinuite of rvhu'k'iiuic as --prid'tM-ahlo to any in
Ciinada. and very liealt liy :'* hut he says *-it is an
e\pensi\(' ])lact\" llt> tells in 17>1 of tin* whai'l'
b(>in,i;" ItfoK'iMi 'o piiH-es hy tin. ice. so that no K'ind
i4' cral'l could he loaded or nnloaxUnh but that he
sot men to work and liot it in r«'paii-. He acUls:
"It^ was a veiT troublesome Jol)." He wants to
k'lnnv. lie says, in one of his IcMlers, wluM her or not
he is to "iKiveany rnui:"aiul aii'ain lie says, ht^ is
at a loss to know how lie is to [ici at this ])()st
without that rKpior, and he is sorry lu^ is ••obliiz-od
to criime and borrow rum I'vom traders on account
of ( JovernnuMit. " Al anotliei" time he wi'ites. "I
have had no rum this season, and you Know it. is
th(^ Indian's (lod. " Ami yet aiiain \\o ])oui's forth
his complaint: "Kuni is v<M'y much want«Hl hor*^
for \arious ])ur]n)ses. ])articularly for Indians, and
i ha\e had only seven barr»>ls this IweK*^ Uionth."'
However, it is but dui^ to tli(» Captain to say
thai. unft)rtiinat«dy. he was not alotie in this
o})inion of the iudisp(Misal)leness of riuii in tlu' re-
lations of the wiiiles and the inilitarv with the
*'rii(> iKUiu' w as fvidiMillv t-'ivi'ii >i|r t'ti'f ilu- Uiiusd chiuiircd iisllat:
In Ihf cai'ly »la,vs, s\iiiNciun.'ut. il \v:'.> luimliarlv tlesi^'Mutod hy tlio island
pL'Dplu us "The Humu. '
1?
THK FOKT (;RATn\\LLY Bril.T.
31
t. In oiH^ oi'
ilal is ii-'iV(Mi,
\\\o location
[V lln» n:iiiK\
l)ly. in lionor
viiKT.'"' Jn a
i)iiinu'U(ls tlu^
o to any in
ays '-il is an
of tlio wliai'L"
tlnit no Isind
. bnl tlial he
ir. 1I(> adds:
Ho wan is 1(^
kvluM luM' OI" not
\o says, lii^ is
at this post
i^ is •"ohiiizod
s on account
li(^ writes, "l
»n Iviiow it is
^ poui's f'oiMli
^\•anttHl liore
Indians, and
t'l\ c niont li."
iptain to say
one in tliis
111 in tlie re-
rv with tlic-
Indians, 'Wc' find Major Sinclair, his predecessor,
lis commandant of tln^ foiM. Avi'itin.ir to general
Haldimaiid in 17S1. as follows: *"Tho Indians can-
not \)o dc)»riv«Hl of neai'ly their usual fpiantity of
rum. liow(n(»r Icstrnctivc^ it is. witliout creatin,2:
much discontent." TIum'c^ is ii sad vein ruiniing
tlironuli all this (\irly liistory. made by rum; first
as one of the ii'ovei-nment suppli«'s to the Indians,
and next as an ai'ticle of traffic. Th»* p«H)r rec'
ni<Mi facetiously calUn^ it "'The EuL-'lisli Milk;*' bi j
tlieii- moi'e st'i'ious name for it \vas llie truer on(.',
'"Fii'e water."*
Robertson. (Robinson^ was in conimand from
17'^- to 17S7. Tiiere ai'(> intimations of bis havinir
been di.sapiu'oved at (ieii, Haldimand's head-
quai'tei's. Cai)tain SccMt succee(hMl liim — "sent in
tlie I'oom of Robertson," as tlii^ I'ecoi'd reads. It is
repoi'ied of Scot t. tlia.t '"lie ii*a.ine<l infinite civtlit
at Mackinac but. poor f(dlow, his po( 'a't had paid
foiit." He was folio W(^d by Captain Doyle, who
Seems to havt^ remained in commaiul of tlie i»ost
nntil its deliv«M-y to the United States.
The f(n't was not built com]>let(^ at onc<'. but
g'raxhially took on its dimensions and its streiiirlh.
In 17^*.t, aftei' an inspection by the Kn?.'ineei-'s
BepaiM mem. t he I'ortiticatiims. as oi-i,<rinally desii^-n-
ed. were reported as beini:- only in ]>art executed,
and tliat the woru had b(>en discontinued foi* some
clKiniriMi iis Hilt:
|;i;cil I'v llu- islauU
*n. M. Hol'iiisoii in liis iiiMMfiiiii!,' hook. -Thi* Crin-al Kur I..n«l."
descriptivf of tlif ri'trioiis of tlit> Uiulson s Hay ( 'oiupaiiv. -vavs of thtr
Jmlian's liijuoi'. ■It. iiiiisi Itc siron^r <'iioii;-'h lo lti> iuHaiuiual. e for he
fclwavN icsis ii by iioiiriii;-' a Icsv tlrops in t lie tin- "
••'rill- fiTi'.'is of artltni Njiiiiis in Uu" lo^l^M^ arc t'ljuai lo the appear-
anor of a trrizzly boar anioufsl Ihvm. -Schoolcm ft.
■*•— r-"~7 Uflt
rvmiu'TiiimiifinfTr
ssss
32
EAKI.Y MACKINAC.
years, and lliat in tlu' iiiraii lime a sIioug- pickol-
\]]iX had l)i'<Mi creeled afouiid the iiiilini:>lied \v:n"l\:-.
And 'ciii-ain, as liO.o as ]7'Ji'. the phiiis wiM'e i-eporinl
ii8 not .yet finished; the ol'tieers" sloiie ([uarlers were
only about half e.>in])lei(>d; tlie \\alls Avei'i^ up th*
full h(Mii']d and th<' window tVanit's in. hut 1 he root
and Jloors wantin.ii". (Shafp erilieisni was niad<>.
too, hy ihe oftieer then inspect inu'. on tiie wliol<
desi.iz'ii ol' tlie t'oiM.) And yet, aizain, in ITHo, th-'
commandant. C'a[>lain Doyle, writes eone<'rniii,L;- 1 h-
"rninons stale of t Ik,' i'ort. " but says he purposed
"sondiiii.;' to the saw mill h»r phitd\s. and wouM
give the I)aiTael\S a llioronL:h repaii', having;' re-
coi\ed or(h'rs from His Kxeoilency. Maj. Oen.
Clarke, to thai ])iir[)e>,'>-" .'so ask-ini;- i'or ••an
enii'ineer and -ome artitic( ■ > i > render Ili«' misera-
ble fort re. -s in some de.ii'rec^ tenal)le "'
It is not a fort of to-day's eonsti'uction. It is
a militai'y strnetui'iM)!' a eenlury ag^o, a meiiKMito
of the past, and J'eplele in hi.sioi'ie remini.secniee.
As a fort iticat ion. it is ii curious mixture of Ameri-
can from ier post and old-world castle. Its thick
walls and sally-ports, and bastions and ditch.
alon.i;' with its old block-houses of lo;-;s. loo[»-holed
for niusK'etry; its slopin.n' path dow»' ''• the villajiO
str(M>t, buttrtv^sed aloni;' tlu^ hill ■ h' v, i!h In^avy
niasonrv. al)o\c which li'i'ow ii'ras,^ , ::.'' ciMlars nn
to the foot oL" the overlookinu^ old **)• 'ce-"s cpiar-
\oi's' — all this mak'<'S il astriicinii' and plclures;iuc
object, a sort of mounlaln I'orlress, and cerlaiiily
SQUiethin.ij^ uni(pH> in this country.
iIsImhI \v:n'k;^.
were rt'])Ol'ti'd
(|n;irU'rs wrw^.
; AVtM-O li[) tin
I. liiit llu' roof
>iii Nvas uiadc
oil tin' wliol*'
1, ill 17*.>:'., tli'«
concern iiigMlir
s lu' purposoil
vS. iiiul wouM
111'. liiiN'ini;' re-
ic'v. Maj. r.cn.
skin.ii: J'oi' ••an
liT tluj luisora-
riK'lion. 11 '>
(), ;i nionionld
[ r(Mnini.sc(MU'<\
lure of Aniori-
lie. Its Ih'K'k
|)ns and ditcli.
us, l()0[>-holo'l
■, I.' the villaii'O
r V ini lu^avy
■ ' (MMlai-s lit)
,:■ \-o '"s fpiar-
jUl pirtlllVStllK'
iiiul coi'Uiinly
<0 ,'
c
?^a"i ii im ' i,."^'"r»i»u i i » i i'
' I ' lu rii l ij^i ii^i
■ i ii ' i i.ii ^i •• . i ■ 'h i gi^iY, iT .i'fet>a^^SS
I CHAPTER IV.
Althoug-li the war of the Revolution had been
fougljt, unci American independence acknowledged;
and the Treaty of Paris in 1783 had secured all this
upper lake country on the same boundary lines as
Ave have them to-day, yet it was thirteen years
afterwards before the American Hag floated over
the island fort. It was the same also in respect to
four or live other posts which were situated on the
American side of the lakes. Washington, then
President, sent Baron Steuben to Gen. Haldimand,
commissioned to receive tliem; but Haldimand re-
plied he had no instructions from his government
to make the delivery, and that he could not even
discuss the subject. The Government, too, by
John Adams, our minister to England, had insisted
on the same, but witliout effect. England urged
in explanation of her course, tliat it was due to an
imperfect fulfil Iment on our side of some of the
treaty stipulations. It required another treaty
(this matter, however, being only one of many
points embraced in it) before the tardy transfer of
these stations on the conlines was eff<*cted. It was
then agreed that on June 1st, 3700, they should
be evacuated by the English. Owing to delays on
the part of Congress, our occupation of the posts
was d«>ferred beyond that date. As Washington
said in his address to Congress, December, 1796:
34
EARLY MACKINAC.
"Tlio jiLM'iod (iiu'iiig Iho lute session, at wliieli llio
appropriation was passed for carrying into elLct
tlie treaty of amity, commerce and navigation, In^.
tween the United States and His Britannic Majesty,
necessarily procrastinated the recei)tion of tin;
posts stipulated to be delivered, beyond the dale
assigned for that event." He adds: "As soon.
however, as the Governor General of Canada
could be addressed with propriety on the subject,
arrangements were cordially and prouiptly con-
cluded for tlieir evacuation, and the United Stal(">
took possession of them, comprehending Oswoiid,
Niagara, Detroit, Michilimackinac and Ft. Miami."''
In the case of Fort Mackinac, it was not until
October 2nd, of that year, that the actual transi'i'i
was made.
But, besid(^s negotiating with the Euglisli ii
the recovery of Mackinac, the American govriii
numt had to deal with another class of proprietor^
— the original possessors of the soil. Accordingly,
while the delivery of tlie island and post was stiL
ixmding, Chrn. Waynes ti-eaty with the Indians
(Treaty of Greenville) was made in August, 171'.'^
by which "a tract of land was ceded on the main
to the north of the island on w^hich the post o
Micliilimackinac stands, to measure six miles v
Lakes Huron and Micliigan, and to extend tln-(
miles back from the w^aters of the lake on t!
strait." t Boi.s Blanc, or White Wood Island, w:
also ceded as the voluntary gift of the Ghippe^\ ;i
The Indians were to receive ^1^8,000 annually, besidt
J?2().000 then distributed.
♦Amerloau Statu Piipers. 1Holmei^' Amcrlcuu Annuls, Vol 2. v ^
REPAIRS ORDERED.
35
vt which Iho
icr into etTccl
vi gat ion, hiv
LuucMiijesty.
ption of 11 10
'ond the clai»'
s: "As soon.
a of Ciuiiula
1 the subj'H't,
)roiiiplly con-
United Stuu^
idiuJ^' Os\V(>iic>.
(iFt. Miami." ■■•
was not uiiii
victual transfer
tlio English ii
icrican govoni
of proprietor^
Accordinii'ly,
post was stil
Lh the Indians
1 August, I'*-'''
d on the nraiu
ich the post o.
re six miles o;
to extend thrr
lie lake on t'
'ood Island, av;
the GhippcAwi^
.vnnLially,besi<K
lu Auaals, Vol. 2. V
Perhaps the iinlinislied state of the ])ost, as
reported in 1792, and 11 le complaint made of its
condition in 1793, and its sore need of repairs,
(referred to above), may be explained on the
ground that the English authorities, well knowing
it was within American lines, and apprehending
that it must soon pass out of their control, deemed
it unwise to incur any large expenditure on it.
In fact, we tind Captain Robertson saying in a
letter, as early as 1784, that in compliance with
ord(}rs he had receiv(xl, no more labor was given
to a post which by treaty had been ceded c<> the
Americans, than was necessary to '■command some
resi)ect for the safety of the garrison and traders,
surrounded as I am by a great number of Indians
not in the best humor. '' It is probablo, therefore,
that wluni at length it came into our liands it was in
need of considerable attention, for we tind Washing-
ton, in the same address to Congress just quoted
from, saying of these x^osts that "such repairs and
additions had been ordered as appeai'cd indis]-)en-
sable."* It is also probable that the American
foi'ce sent to occupy the post at tlu^ dispart ure of
the British soldiers was quite imposing, as we have
Timothy Pickering, Washington's Secretary of
War, in his report of February, 179(3, saying: "To
appear respectable in the eyes of our Ih-itish
neiglibors, the force with which we tak(» possession
of th(^se posts should not be mah^rially less than
that with Avliich they now occ'upy tlieni. This
measure," he adds, "is also important in relation
to the Indians, on wliom first impn.'ssions may
have very beneticial (Mfects. " * Accoi'dingly, the
"•AnieiiiMu Sill', e i'upers,
';:*y
86
KAKLY MACKINAC.
first detachment to occupy Mcickinac, as an Ameri-
can garrison, consisted of four officers, one com-
pany of Artillery and Engineers, and one company
of Infantry, Major Henry Burback being in com-
mand of the wliole force. The British retired to
the ishmd of St. Joseph, on the Canada side a little
Tobove Detour, and established a fort there.
Following the change of flag and sovereignty,
nothing very stiri-ing seems to have developed in
the island history during the years immediately
succeeding. It soon became, however, a great
commercial seat and emporium in the wilderness,
The chief commodity was furs. Prom an early
day this had been a business carried on by the
individual tradei'S who went among the Indians.
Later many of those engaged in it combined, and
about 1787 formed the famous "Northwest Com-
pany. "' which became a most powerful organization,
and which "held a lordly swa}^ over the wintiy
lakes and boundless forests of the Canadas, almost
equal to that of the East India Company over the
realms of the Orient." Its headquarters w^as Fori
William, on Lake Superior, and the fields of
operation lay principally in far northern latitudes.
The success of this company led to similar enter-
jiriscs in the territory lying south and west, with
our island as the head-center. There w^as a
"Mackinaw Company," and a "Southwestern
Company," which, uniting under John Jacob Astor,
became the "American Fur Company." This,
together wnth other lines of traffic which it stimu-
lated, made the island for many yeai-s a great com-
mercial seat. It is reported, for instance, for the
WASHINGTON IKVTNG'S SKKTCII.
37
;, as an Amori-
;ers, one coni-
1 one company
being in com-
lish retired to
ida side a littlf
; there.
d sovereignty,
3 developed in
•s immediately
7ever. a great
he -wilderness.
H'rom an early
ied on by the
ig the Indians,
combined, and
orthwest Com-
1 organization,
er the wintiy
[anadas, almost
pany over the
Irters was Foil
the fields of
tiern latitudes,
similar enter-
,nd west, with
There was u
Southwestern
m Jacob Astor,
pany." This,
hich it stimiv
a great com-
tance, for the
year 1804, that the goods entered at the Mackinac
Custom House yielded a revenue to the United
States of about ^5^00,000.
Wliile at this time our island ^vas United States
territory, and the fort with its ever floating Hag
was a vi.sible token of its Americanism; the village^
as a whole, with its Indian and French i)opulation
and its style of construction — much of its archi-
tecture being a kind of cross betvvetm the white
settler's hut and the Indian's birch bark lodge —
perhaps did not appear so characteristically
American. Let us look at its jiicture as drawn by
Wa.shington Irving in his "Astoria. " Itis Mackinac
as seen in 1810. He is de.scribing an expedition
under way for the far northwest and the head
waters of the Missouri, in tlie interest of Mr.
Aster's enterprises. The party had fitted out in
Montreal, under Wilson P. Hunt, of New Jersey;
and in one of the large canoes, tliirty or forty feet
long, universally used in those days in the schemes
of commerce, had slowly made their way up the
Ottawa river, and by the old route of the fur traders
along a succession of small lak'os and rivers, to our
island. Here the party remained about three
weeks, having stopped for the purpose of taking
on more goods and to engage more recruits.
Irving tlius describes the place:
"It was not until the 22nd of July that they
arrived at Mackinaw, situated on the island of the
same name, at the confluence of Lakes Huron and
Michigan. This famous old French trading post
continued to be a rallying point for a multifarious
and motley population. The inhabitants were
88
EAKI.Y MACKINAC.
amphibious in thoir luibils, most of them bein<? or
having boon voydgriirs or (•ano(vmon. It was thf
g:reat i)lac!e ot arriviil and tloparture of the soutli
wost fur tra(l(!. H(M-e tlie Mackinaw Company had
ostablisliod its prinoijial ]V)st, from \vh(^iice it com-
mmiicatod witli Iho intoiior aisd witli Montroal.
Honce its various ti'adors and trapp<>rs sot out for
their rospoctivo dosti nations about Lake Superioi-
and its tributary wjitors, or for the Mississippi,
the Arkansas, tiio Missouii. and the other ro.s^ions
of the wost. Hero, aft(>r tlie absence of a year oi-
more, thoy retui'nod with thoir i)eltries, and settled
their accounts; the fui's rendered in by them beini;'
transmitted, in canoes, fi'om iience to Montreal.
Mackinaw was, therefore, for a great j^art of tlie
year, very scantily peopled; but at certain seasons,
the tradiM's ari'ivod from all ]KMn1s, with their
crcnvs of voyage ar.^, and tlio place swarmed like a
hive.
"Mackinaw, at that time, was a mere villago.
stretching along a small bay, with a fine broad
b(^acli in front of its principal row of: houses, and
dominated by the old fort, which crowned an
impending height. The beach was a kind of pul)-
lic promenade, whore wore disphiyod all tlio
vagaries of a seaport on the arrival of a Hoot- from
a long cruise. Here roiidgevrs fi'olickod away
their w^ages, fiddling and dancing in the booths
and cabins, buying all kinds of knick-knacks,
dressing thomsidvos out finely, and parading up
and down, like arrant braggarts and coxcombs,
Sometimes thoy nu^t with rival coxcombs in tlio
young Indians from the opposite shore, who would
WASHINGTON IRVING S SKETCH.
39
iiem hoAwfJ!: or
, It was tli«'
of the south
Company luul
rlunice it com-
ith Montreal,
rs set out foi"
Liiike Superior
o, Mississippi.
other re.iJ^ious
e of a year of
ies, aud settkul
by them beiiiii'
e to Montreal,
sat part of tlic
;ertaiii seasons.
^1s, ^vith their
warmed like a
mere villajxe.
a fine broad
)C 1 louses, and
1 crownod an
I kind of pul)-
layed all tin'
)f a lleet from
'o licked a^vay
n the bootlis
knick-knacks,
parading np
id coxcomi)s.
combs in the
•t\ wlio would
appear on tlie l)each, paintf^d and decorated in
fantastic st y]<', and would saunter up aiul down, to
be gazed at and admired, perfectly satisfied that
they ecli2)sed their pale-faced competitor's.
"Now and tluMi a chance party of 'North,
westers' appc^ared at Maclcinaw from the r<'ndez-
vous at Fort William. These held themselves up
as the chivahy of the fur trade. They WMn-e men
of iron, proof against cold weather, hard fare, and
perils of all kinds. Some would wear the north-
west button, and a formidable dirk, and assume
something of a military air. They generally wore
feathcn'S in their hats, and affected the 'brave.'
*Jo suis VII homiiie dii tiord!" — 'I am a man of the
north. ' one of these swelling f(^llows would exclaim,
sticking his arms akimbo and laiffling by the South-
westers, whom he regarded wilh great contempt.
as men softcmed by mild climates and the luxurious
fare of brcnid and bacon, and whom he stigmatized
"WitVi the vain-glorious name of 'pork eaters.' * *
The little cabarets and sutlers' shops along the
bay resounded with the scraping of fiddles, with
snatches of old French songs, with Indian whooj)s
and v<41s."
But the reader must not tliink th(ue was no
Other side to the social life of the eai'ly IVFackinac
of that jwriod. Irving's i)icture is only that of the
wharves, and the floating population, such as th<'
manager of a water expedition, stopping over but
a little while, would be the m<'-t likely to see.
Although the Resident population vvas very small,
there were, at the same time, the families of
settled homes, and with the social interests and
40
EARLY MACKINAC.
sympathies and plotisuros common to -,moricaii
village lifo — subj(H:;t of coin-so to many iiiconvon
icucos and privations incident io tlieli* rcmotonos.s
ilia wild(»nicss world. I find a ])l('asi!i.i^ dcscrip
lion -written by a lady, who was taken to tlKMsland
when a child, in tho year 1S12, just l)of(n"o tlic
war oi)Gnedand who spent tho yoarsof lu^r girlhood
there*
The houses of the village at that time, she
says, were few. quaint and old. Every house liad
its garden enclosed with cedar pick(^ts. These wero
kept whitewashed, as also the dwellings and tlic
fort. There were but two sti'oets in the village.
One ran from point to point of the crescent harbor,
and as near the water's edge as the beach would
permit — tho iiebbles forming a border between the
water and the road. (It will be remembei-ed thiit
the water's edge in earlier years was considerably
more inland than now.) A foot 2">ath in the middlt^
was all that was needed, as th' wei-e no vehicles
of any di^scription, except d(,^ ^ains or sleds in
the winter. There wei-e no schools, no physician.
and no resident minister oC religion. Occasionally
a priest would come on visitation to the Catholic
flock. In winter the isolation was complete.
Navigation closed usually by the middle of Octobei'.
and about eight months were passed in seclusion
from the outer world. The mail came once a month
"when it did not miss." There were no amuse-
ments other than parties. The children, however,
♦Mrs. n. S. Tliiird, who published her Rerainisconoes iu u On'on Iliiv
Newspaper, 1882, and found iu the ' Wisconsin Historical Collections. '
Vol. 0.
~^
to -imorlcan
uy inconv<»n
r roiiioloncss
Lsiii.i^ dcsci'ip-
L to tlKM'sland
t bef<jro till'
f lior f^^ii'lliood
Kit timo, she
•y honso liad
Those woi'o
in^s and tlic
tlio villai2:(>.
scont harboi'.
beach would
• between tlip
^nibe]-ed that
considerably
in the middle^
3 no veliicles
5 or sleds in
lo physician.
Occasionally
the Catholic
IS complete,
e of Octobei-.
in seclusion
once a month
'6 no amnse-
en, however,
>s in a Orcon Dnv
;ical CoUectious. '
"'*^
^
=
i^.
^
cl
7
r-
ANOTHER 7:ARLY DESCRIPTION.
41
■wi
7.
s
E
mado liousos in tlie snow drifts, and (^oiisted do^m
liill. Spring always came late, and as it was tlif*
( u>toni to ol)soi*vf3 May diay ihoy ofton jtlanN'd the
May })ol(»on thnicrv Once slio n»o>]'ds, for Ihc'-'lh
< r May, "Ico in tlio Basin li-ood."" Siio relates t'.iat
ill the autumn of lSf!3, the ice formed verv erirly,
hut owiMiif to ]\'\ixh "winds and a sti"on<^ c ■ it
would 1)rcak n[) over and over, and betos>-tM. loand
fro, unlil il was piled to a great height in clear,
towering blue masses; and all tliat met the eve
acioss to the opposite island ^vere beautiful
nioimtains of ic(\ The soldiei-s and tishevmcn cut
a load tln-(niirh. This made a Avint(M''shiu:h wav for
the dog sl<»ds, tJM^. ]»assage \vinding between high
walls oL ic(\ Avith nothing 1o be s«'en but the sky
above. Again, in oilier seasons, the ice Avould be
perfectly smooth. The (wci ling times on the Island,
she says, were when Le Caneau (hi Nordvxwn^. As
tlio canoes neai-ed the town there 'wonld come
fionting on the air the fai'-fanied Camidian boat
-Song. The voi/fnitnrx landing, the Indians would
Soon follow and the lit tie island s<MMned to overllow
^nih lit; man life. These exciting times would last
-for six or eight weelcs. "Then would follow the
fini<M. uneventful, and to some, di-(;ary days, yet to
niosl, days that passed happily.''
%
CHAPTER V
Tho year l^ltl bi-ought our socond war with
tho mollier country. In it our little ishind playtnl
apart, and indeed it may bo said to have "opened
tlio ball." Tlie veiy first scene of tiie war was
enact(>d here. The two governnuMits had been
niKHM* sti'ained relations for some time befoi-e, and
on the ji'ili of June, of that year, the state of war
was (l"c!are(l ])y President Madison. It was a
nivsterv at tlie 1iin<>. and sonielliinc^ wiiicli excited
chunor and, in tlie frenzy of the liour, e\'en insinu-
ations of treac-liery airainst hi^di otticials at Wasii-
iu'^ton, tliiit tlie Enii"lisii commanders iu Canada,
knew tlie fact so much in advance of our own.
One ex[danation is tliat our wvy delibcrjiio 8eci*(^-
lary of War trusted to tlie oi-dinary postal niediuni
in connnnnicalin.ii: witli tln^ frontier troo[»s, wliile
the ai»'ents of the En.y'rish <^overnnient sent the
ncnvs l)y sjiecial messenufcn's. Genei-al Hull, com-
mander of the depai'tment of MichiLfan, said li(» diil
not i'e<civ(( information of the fact until fourteen
days after wai- was declared; whih^ General Jiroitk,
the British cominan(h*r o])posit<\ lunl oilicial
k'no\vled«.je of it four or five days sooner. And
lik'ewise Li(Hitenant llank.s, of our island post, was
in ]>lissfiil ii^-norance (d' the fact, until In? saw the
Hritish cannon planted in his rear, just foui' week->
alter war liad beeu determinc.'d upon.
42
TllK VUIVV srUPUISED
4;^
war with
lul play«'(l
^ "opened
) w;ir was
Lad l)t'<Mi
'fore, aiul
ito (jf var
ll was a
eh ox('ite«l
r«'u iiisiiiu-
at Wiisli-
lii CaiKida
' oiir own.
al iiK'diuni
Dps, A\llili'
\) sent, llic
IIlllI, COlll-
saivl ho. dill
il l'(»iirt<M'ii
M-Jil l»r(H-k,
ad otticial
)i)(M'. And
1 posi, wa>
lO KHW IIk'
four weeks
*
■'5
Tho P]n^-li.s]i officer, Captain Robei-is, com-
mandin.i^ at the Island of St. Joseph, on the neni--hy
Canada horde !•. had received orders iniinediatel^" to
undertake tlie capture of the strateiiic point of
Mack'ina(;. Ho *^at]i(M-ed a force, consislin.i^ of
Canadian militia (the En<]:lis]i Piif Co's voiinnnirA
and other eni[>k)yees), and a lai'.n'e nuiuhcr of In-
dians. b('sid«'s havin.iT the rei,ndar snldiei'S of
tlio ^'ari'ison. Tlie expedition was admirably
niana.ired. An ojx'n attack in front would have
been iinpossil)le of succ(»ss. So. secr(Mly sailini::
fi-oni St. Jos<>])li, they landed, nnperceivod, on tiic
iior1h\V(»st side of th(5 island, at )) o'clock in the
iiiorniiiLi', on the spot k'nown ever since as "Hritisli
Landing'. *' The troops had an unobstructed march
across the island and were soon in ])osition witli
tlicir cannon on the hin'iier irround coinm;'.ndin<:'
\\u\ fo!'t ill tlie I'ear, the Indian allies estjiblishing
themselves in tli<» woods on either jl.iidc.
The Anieri(;an commandant and his little hand-
ful of nifii tJH'n learned, at th(^ sam<j monnMil, the
two facts, that the Unitrd States and ( J reat Hritain
w< !•(» at war. and 1liat the surrt'iidej' of l^'ort
Maikiuac was d(Mnandt»d. Resistance was im];')s-
siblc, and thus ai'.ain the lla-r was raised over its
Avails that had lirst lloateii ihero. I^othier, an
Jiii-ent of ihe No]*thwest Fur Com])any. who ac
c(»mpanied the e\])edition and C()Minninded a ])a!l
of tiie force, thus laconically re])orted it to Sir
Ceo. I'l'evort: "The Indian traders arrived at St.
Jos»'])h witli a numberof their men, so th;it we wcii'
now eiial)l«»d to form a force of about t vo liun(lr<'d
and thirty Canadians and threo hundred and
\\
44
EARLY MACKINAC.
twenty Indians, exclusivo of the *];arrison. Willi
that force wo loft St. Joseph on tlie l()lh, at eleven
o'clock A. M., landed at Michilimackinac at thrci^
o'clock ih(Mu^xt morninfr, sranmonod the garrison
1o sui'i'cnder at nine o'cl(^(;k', and marched in at
eleven" — just Iwent y-four hours after set1in<? forth
on then* hostile ei*rand. He adds fnrther, that
there were bet we(Mi two and thrc^e hundred other
Indian warriors who had expected to join the ex-
pedition, but failed: that two days after the capitu-
lation, they cani(\ But he intimates that this baud
was in an undecided state of mind and pai'tly inclin-
ed to favor the AmiMMcans.
Captain Roberts, in his i-eport to General
Bro('k, dated the day of the capture (July ITtli).
says: 'We enibai-ked with two of the six poundeis
and every num I could muster, and at ten o'clock
we wei'o under weigh. Ari'ived at three o'clock
A. M. One of those unwieldy guns was brought
up with much dilticulty to the heights above the
fort and in readiness to open about ten o'clock', at
which time a summons was sent in and a capitula-
tion soon after agreed on. T took immediaM^
possession of tlu^ ff)i't and displayed the Ih'itisli
colors."
As pr(\senting an Amei-lcan account of tlio
surprise and capture, the otticial report of Lieui.
Hanks is herewith given. It was made to (Jen.
Hull, his comma)idin,<:: otlic-er. and was issued from
Detroit, whithei- the ot"iicers and men of the ca})-
tured garrison had been sent on parole:
LIEUT. HANKS' KEPORT.
45
ison. Willi
h, at elovcn
lac at thi'<'o
lie jrarrison
.relied in. at
iotlinp: forth
Lii'llier, thai
11(1 nnl oIluT
join the ox-
r tlin c'jipilii-
lat this bjind
)artly incliii-
to Gonoral
(July 17th).
six pounders
ton o'clock
iree o'clock
rvas broiiuiit
,s above the
L o'clock, at
a capitula-
iuiniodiaic
the TJritish
ouut of thf
I't of Li(Mil.
ado to Clou.
issued from
of the cap-
"Detuott, Auixust 12th, 1>^V2.
"Sii:: — I talvo th(^ earliest opportunity to ac-
quaint Yonr Excellency of the surriMidor of the
irai'rison of Michiliinack'inac, under my command,
to His Britannic Majesty's forces. und<n' the com-
uiaihl of Captain Charh^s Roberts, on the 17th
ultimo, the particulars of which are as follows:
On the ir)th, I was informed by th(5 Indian int^n-pro-
lefthat he had discovered from an Indian, that the
several nations of Indians then at St. Jos(»ph (a
British garrison, distant about forty miles) intend-
ed to mak(? an immediate attack on Michiliniack-
inac. * * *
'I immediately called a ra(»eting of the Ameri-
can i2:ont lemon at that time on the island, in which
it was thoui^ht proiun* to dispatch a contidential
[)ei'son to St. Joseph, to watch the motions of the
Indians.
"Captain Micha«d Doiisman, of the militia, was
lhou,n"ht the most suitable for this service. He
embarked about sunset, and mot the British forces
within ten or tifto(ni miles of the island, by whom
he was made prisoner and put on his parole of
honor. He was landed on the island at daybreak,
with positive directions to ii:iv(» m(> no intolliiji'enco
whatever. Ho was also instructed to take the in-
habitants of the villa.L^e, indisci'iminatoly. toaplaco
on the W(»st side of the island, when; tlKur persons
and proi)erty should b*^ i)rotoct(Ml by a, British
j^Miard, but should thc^y ixn to the fort, Wioy would
b(» subject to a g(meral massaci'o by the savaires,
whicli would bo inevitable if the L'^arrison tired a
40
EAKIA' MACKINAC.
gun. Til is information I ivcumvccI from Dr. Day. •
who was passin.jjf throuii-li tli(^ villa.irn wh(»n ovcrv
person Avas tlyinj? for rcfug-o to Uk^ on(Miiy. I
iniinoiliately, on Ix'ing inforuied of Ibo approiicli of
llioonomy. placed ninniiinilion, etc., in lh(i blmk
lionsos; orden'd every liMui charirod, and nindf
o\('!-y pi'(^p;ira1ion for cWtion. About nine o'clock
I could discover that tin* enemy were in possession
of the liei,ii:lits tha.t commiinded th(^ fort, Jifid one
piece of tlieirartilbny directed to the most defense^-
less pai't of till* j'-Jirrison. Th(» Indians at tliis tiiiio
■wen^ to be S(»en in ^'reat numb(»rs in the edsre of
the woods.
"Al lialf 'past eleveu o'clock tlie enemy sent in
a ila*i: of ti'uce demandinnf a surrender of the fort
and islaud to ills I>ritaniiic Maieslv's forces.!
This. Sir, was the tirst infoi'mation I had of Ili<'
declaration of war. I. liowevei', had anticipatcnl it.
and was as well prepared to me(4 such an event
as I possil)ly could luive been with tiie force midcr
my connnand, amountiiii^ to tifty-seveii etf(»c1i\e
ni(m, includin.ij: olticers. Thi'ee American g(ml leg-
men, who wej-e prisoners, W(»re pin'mitted to ac
company the lla,Lr. Prom them I ascertaintMl the
strenn'th of tin* enemy U) Ix; from nim3 Imndred tn
*'riu' Post, siir(-'i'iiii.
+ .\.s to tin* (lilTt'reui't! in xlw hour wliirli iippoiirs in Hk'so tlun
ofllciiil stiiiciiifiils. it, is i)ri)l»iil)le Ciifli writer hud in iniiul sifur
(hlTiTfnt sliD^'t' ul' th<^ t'vi-nt. Tiif qufsiion of tin- suin'iult-r of i:!'
isluiitl liiul its prcliiiiiaiiry siuu'i" ill ;in riirliiT hour in the iMoniiii;,' ill. i li''
old dlsiiilcry ill llio wi-sicin riid of Ihc vilhi^rc, hci ween so if df
Hrili>h ollii-crs imd I't-iUiin of liic cKi/ciis. while Uie forniiil deniiiiid ■■'
the post w.is nni luiidt! until juit r in tiio d.iy. .\nd. ii^'iiin. Cu|)i.i::
Roheris niii • liiiv e noted llu> Utnc of \viiti;i,' his (l,-ii;inil lit Uia U'^l
headquarlcra tvud Lieut. Hauks the time It rciiohcil ,' ..i xiiinds.
LIEUT. HANKS REPORT.
)m Dr. Dha', ■
wh(»n ovcfv
0. OlKMIiy. i
> tipproiw'li of
ill Ihc! bl(Hl{
1, and iiiihlc
iiiiK^ o'clocl:
ill possess lor,
ort, iitid ()ii(>
nost (It'fonsc
s at til is timo
the edge of
noniy sent in
r of tlie foil
ly's forces, i
[ had of llic
nticipated it,
K'h ail (nciii
force iiiultT
eii etf(H' live
icaii f2:<nitlo-
litlod to ;i('
M'taiiiod lilt'
liuiidriMl In
iti tlH'se tliicf
ill nii:i(l siiiiii'
^llll^'[l(ll■|• of I "
inoi'iiiu;^ ill. Ill''
•I'll so • 1(1 of I
I'liKil lU'iiiaiid <>'.
ii/;iiii, ('upl.ii!!
;iii(l ill hU v^\L
one thousand strong, consisting of rc^guiar troops,
Canadians and savages; that they had two pieci^s
of artillery, and "svere j^rovided with ladcU^'s and
topivs for the purpose of scaling the work's, if
necessary.* After I had obtained this information
I consulted my oliticers, and also the American
g(MitIemen pres(»nt, who were very intelligent men;
the i-esult of which was. that it was impossible for
llie garrison to hold out against such a superior
force. In this opinion I fully concurred, from the
conviction that it was the only measun* that could
|)n>v(nit a general massacre. The fort and garri-
son were accordingly surrendered.
* * * *
"In consequence of this unfortunate attair. I
beg leave. Sir, to demand that a Court of Inquiry
may be ordered to investigate all the facts con-
iHH'ted with it; and I do further rt^piest, that tlie
Court may be spiH'ially directed to express tluur
opinion on the merits of the case.
"Porter Hanks.
''T icutcnant of Artillcn/. "
•*His Excelhuicy Gen. Hull
"'Comnuniding the N. W. Army."
It is not necessary to discuss the question
whether the surrender at Fort Mackinac, without
a show of resistance, was justitiable. Tlie garrison
was but a handful of men. By no fault of his, the
*.\ (lis«M(Miaii',v in llio t'stiniiitr of troops tisiiiiult" liy oiMJosiiitr sidts.
es|H't'i;ii;,\ ill reports from tlu' hat I le ticid, is very ooiiiniou. A rei'eiii
Uistory of ('aii.ulii, liowt-vi-r, (piililislu'd in IM'tT). is im'xcusably out of
lilt; Wily, whfti it niak«'s (^aptiiin Uohcrts ultacl<iiig foroe less ihauiwu
luuidiH'd." us far us tY)(/(u/rHr.s uud rok'ulars were cont'i-rned. uud mukes
uu Uit'uiiou whiiiever of the large uumbcr uf iudiau allies.
48
EARLY MACKINAC.
Lieutonjint in comiiuiiul liad bo(Mi tiiU'iMi onliivly
unawares. The enemy werr in overwhelininii'
nnnilxM's and ()('eu[)^'iiii^ a position with tl^'ii'
cannon wliicii coniniandcil tlic Tori. Tlicii- Indiin
allies w«'rc waitiii«JC hi sava.iiHi eapM-iu^ss lor \\\v
attaclv. and had tiie tiiililiiiii" onco l)(>,iiMiii it. would
have been beyond t lie power of the ollicers to iv
sti-ain tlieni.*
Tlie eaptni'e of Mackinac, tlu> tirst stro1c(> of
the war, was of tlie iii^'liest importanee to liir
Britisii interests. Vahiablc stores of liKM-rliaiidis.'.
as well as eonsid(n*ablL' sli!})p"iig" which stood in the
iiarbor. were secured. It .nave tiieni the k'cy totln>
fui" trade of a vast rci^non, and the entire* connnaud
of the ni)per lakes. It exposed Dcti'oit and all
lower Michi.n'an. It ii'i'eatly tcrritied CJ(4ieral Hull.
who commanded the department of ]Mi{dii.L!,*an. It
arrested h's operations in Canada. He said: "The
whole northern hordes of Indians will be let down
npon us." His surrender, just on(> month later,
was in i)art due to tlie panic it caused — one histor-
ian of that day, saying: "Hull was conc^uered al
Mackinac."'
On the island, the Briti.sh proceeded at once to
strenj^Mhen their pt)sition. In order to guard a<j^ainst
any apj)roach in the real', like the succt^ssful one
they themselves had nuule.tlu^y built a vei-y stron;';
earth -work on the hiuh hill, a half mile, oi* little
more, back of the post, which they called Fort
Geor<i:e. in honor of the Kin<^ o! En«!:land. This
fortification still remains, now known to all visitors
*Johu AsUin. of the Mtitish storeUt t'piriw clfpiirtHu-nt , iiurt preseui
with the besit*t,'iuk' foroe, siiid.. that hiid lh«.> suldicrs «»f the fort lir«d u
gun. \ni llrnily believed uot a s<v.;l rf i!u'in would havt; bocn saved.
tll*|
hr
sill
CONSTRUCTING FORT HOLMES.
49
as Fort Holiues. In itscoiisl ruction tlic citizens of
1li(> vilhii^^c were impressed, every iibU; bodied nuin
Ix'liii:- r(»(iuii'ed to ij^ive tlirce (tiiys in the pick imd
,sli()\«'l work.
A coiiitiioii (>rroi- prevails thiit this cUicient
t'aitli-work was actually constructed the very niii'ht
I he Itrilisli arrived, and tluit it nuule i)art of
the forniidable investment of Fort Mackinac which
led lo ils speedy surrt^ndcu". A monuMit's I'cdlection
will sliow this could not have been the case. The
in\adin,ii" force only landed at three o'clock that
iii<)iiiin<i: and then, wilhall their 1i'a[)pin,i;'s, liad to
iiiaivh two miles to ^vt into position, and yet were
ready by ten o'cdock to open tire. It is probable
this hill was the "hiMiihts abov(^ the fort.'* to
which, as (^a[)tain Roberts says in his rei)ort, "one
of those miwieldy .n'uus was bi-ouuiit up with much
difticidtv;" and that far the Fort Hohnes' site
fin" : red in the demonsti'ation a<^'ainst Lieut. Hanks'
coiiiinand. The fortitication itself, however, bcung
tlu> scientitic work of militaiy en,i4"in(^ers, and in-
volvinir a protracted pei'iod of luu'd labor, was con-
structed afterwards at the British comnumdant's
lt>isure. Th(^ other on(^ of Captain KolxM'ts "two
six-pouiukM's, '' toi>'(dher with tlu^ <j:reat bulk of his
men. incdudiuic his Indians, we may suppoS(\ oc-
cupi(>d the rid«4"e of ii'round, part open and part
wooded, betwecMi tlu* hill and th(i post, just beyond
lh(» old ])arade i^round, whicli lies outside the
piesiMd fort fence.
Cai)tain l\,oi)erts was r(dieved,Se[)temljer 1H13,
and Ca[)tain Bulloidc a[>pointed in liis place. Col.
McD(jnall assumed charii'e in the sprin.i^ of 1814,
This utticer's name often a|)pears as McDouall.
I
CIIAPTEK Vr.
P>y Coiuniodoro T^orry's vlctorv on Luke Ktic
mul (J(Mi('ral llaiTisoirs vicloi'ious baltic of lli"
'I'liaiiH'S. 1 lic> aiit iiiiiii (tf l^^i;! IouihI the Al!n•t•■;(■;ltl^
ill ]);)ss(>ssi<)!i of I^ala' Huron, and iifariy ail of
Micliiiiun. The r»* capluro of Mackinac was (l<irr-
niiiicd on. In llic cai'iy s[)i-in,n' of 1^14, an cxpctli-
ti»n i'of this piirpOM' was planned, \vliicli. Iiowcn 'T.
(lid not u'cl nndci' sail until .Inly ^Ird. (Mnl)ai-lviii,Li'
fi'oni J)(Mf()il tliat day. It was a joint iiaxal antl
militaiT i'oi'co. TiitM'e were s<'\'cn war vessels un-
der C'oniniodorc Sinclair, and :i land i'oi'ce of T-'ni
men. undei* command of Col. C'i-oi:"han. Theobjec!.
besides the I'elalxini!: of Mac]<inac. was also lu
destroy the Kn.iiTish post at St. Jo.-epli, and to in
llict whatevei' danuii:(^ it could on the niil'taiy
stoi'(»s and shi])|)in,i:' of '.ne eiieniy on the iiei«^hber-
in*_r boi'der of Caiiudai. Tiiese war l)i'ii;"s and otli'i'
vessels of the squaih'on wej-e the hii'u'est e\'erseen,
u[) to that tim(\ on the waters of St. Clair and
Huron. The commanders, instead of sailinii* a!
once to Maclclntic. concluded to tirst dispiitcli tlu'ir
other eri"inds. Tliey found St. Josei)h ali-eady
abandoned by the British, but they captured soiu"
Enii'li>h scliooners and sup})lies. They then tni-nc'l
back for Mackinac Island, wliei'o they arrived on
the i\")th of July. But no success awaited them
there.
The Eniiiish fully ai)i)reciated the great value,
5ii
St
\\|
111
l)t|
(■(
.:5
KHINFOUCINC TUK I'UST.
51
M\kv Erio.
tic of li|M
Alll<'C;<;iti.s
iriy ail of
WHS (Icli'r.
Ill cxiu'di-
ll()\V('\ t'l'.
iiiharK-iiin-
iia\al and
• 'sscis IIU-
('<' of r.'ii
llO ol.'Jcci.
"> al.so lu
11(1 to in
iiiil'tar.y
H^if,'-}ib()i'-
nd ollirr
N'i'rseeii.
'lair and
liliii.i;- at
U'li their
uli'ciidy
0(1 sonj<>
ntni'iK^d
'ivcd on
3d I hem
t value,
stratc.irically and c*oiiim(>irlally, of Mackinac and
\\(Mv doti'i-iiiinod to bold it. Tiicy took stron<;
iiK'ii.sui'cs I'oi" its defense. Col. MeDonall, who had
Ih'imi st'iit thert! in May of that yviiv as the new
M coiiiiiiandant. was a very onej-«;elic and skillful
M)ldiri'. lie brou.uriit with hini fi'esh trooi)s from
Caiiiitla. aiinnunition and provisions, and other
thiims necMlful. J{«'si(l('s this fact, thi^ garrison
\\t'n> l)y no iiicaiis iniioi'ant of the expedition in
iluMf iioi thern waters, and of its object; and there
was lit) possibility of a surprise attack. Oiu* of tlie
oltici'i's belon.ii'in*,^ to the reinforcement which had
Ix'cn sent to tlic post thus wrote: "AftiH* our ar-
rival at the island all liands were employed
strenuthenitii;- the defenci^s of the fort. For up-
wards ol" two months lialf tb(^ i^'arrison watched at
niiilii aL':ainst attack.*' The Indians from the sur-
rounding,'' coniitry, and Canadians In^re and there,
wei-e called in for aid. Besides the additional fort
which they had built. Port Geoi'i!;-(\ (now Fort
llolnifs, and already referred to) batt(M-ies were
placed at various points outsi(h3 the walls which
coinnianded the a})proaches to the Ixnich. One
was on the hei<z:ht overloolvin<^' the <4"round in front
of the i)resent Grand Hotel, another on the hi<;'h
Knoll just W(»st of tlie fort, while others lined the
<ast bluff betwc^en the i)resent fort grounds and
iiobinson's Folly.
Our American ofticers at tii'st tliouiiht of erect-
iiiiia battery on Round Jsland and sludliiit]: tlie fort
t'l'oin tlu>re. A yawl was sent with a S(|ua(l of men
lo reconnoiti-e, and a spot fixed upon. This was
seen by the Englishconimander and he immediately
P
li
:.L»
EARf-V MACKINAC.
stMit o\«'»' :i lar^c (It'tacliiin'iil oi Indians, wlio
I(»i'c«mI lli(» litlh' ])arly In M«"-. One of iho iiicii.
Iiowt'vci". waited loo l<)»i<::, tciiiptt'd h.v iIm' hcrrics
wliioh p:r<'\v a1 his tVot, and missed llic hoal uiid
was capl iired. M'lic Indians i'ow«m1 in with their
])i-isoii('i'. chantinii' the death dii'«i:e and expeetiiiLT
to dispose of hini on the shoce in tiieir nsiKil
i)ai'bai'i<', inannei*; and in tlieii* wild frenzy ot" delii-fht.
some of llie scpiaws. Ix'l'oi'e tlie canoe had touclied
liie beach. i'usIhmI into the AV-it(M', waist deep, with
wliettod icnlves j-aised aloft, to heuin at once tiic
woi-l\ of savaii'e tort iii'ini:-. IViit tlie ottici-r of Ilic
for'l. di\inini!: their object, liad sent ;i s([uad )t
sohliers to pi'otect the iiapii^ss ]H'isoner.
'^riie extended level ii'roimd just west of tin'
viihi«4"e strtM'ts, was also considered as a. p()iiii
wh(M'e a hmdin.n* could be made*, and th<' talvinir "I
(he foiM be att(Mni)ted. nnder cover of the guns ef
the vessels. Hut Captain Sinclaii". who descrih d
the fort hill as a ''pei'fect (Gibraltar." found tlr '
his vessels would only be exposed to a rakinn* tire
from the heights above without his bcMn*^' able to
elevate tin* i^uns sutticiently for return shots.
After hoverhi.£>r about the island lor a w<^ek it
was concluded tliei-e was no othtn* way than to
imitate the ])lan of the successful enemy, two years
before*. So they .sailed around to "British Land-
ing" and disembarked. Auii'ust 4th. and marched ;is
far as the Dousmau farm (now Early's farm). But
the conditions were entirely different from those ef
two years ago, and the nioveuKMit was ill-starred.
and a melancholy failure. According, howev(M\ to
the reports made by tiie joint connnanders of tli^
FAILIUL: Ol'^ TUK ATTACK
5:5
IIS. wild
Im' IIK'll.
(' l)(M*fi('S
l)n:il uikI
itii llicir
x|)f<Miii::
ir llSllnl
'dcli.li'lit.
tOlU'lMMi
'<'|), "Willi
OIICC tile
Cf of tllf
S(HUl(.l )[
'st ot" the
> ill ])oi!l!
talviiiir of
n guns (if
doscril' '(l
)iin(l tlv'
iilvinij: tii't'
IL,^ al)l(3 to
lots.
a w<'olv it
' than to
two yonrs
isli Laiiil-
lurched ;i.s
I'm). But
n those of
ll-starred,
►\vev(^i-, to
n*s of the
t
■i
ox-pi'diiioii. it was not so iiuicli their ])hin to at-
iriiipt the; storniiiiij: of th(^ worlss. as to feel llie
cin'iiiy's str<'n.tr1h and toestahllsh a lod.mncnt from
wiiit'h by slow and tri-achial appi-oaches. and hy
sieitc tliey uii.u'lit ]n)\)o i'ov success. All such cx-
ppclations w«>re soor; dissipated. Facin.ij: the open
Held on the Dousniau farin were the thick' woods.
This was a iierf(^ct cover 1o the Indian sivirinisiici's,
wlio. conceal(Ml in their vantaire ])oints, hotly at-
laclced our soldiers; to say iiothiiiii; of an Eii«^lish
Icittcry of foiii' ])ioces, tirinijf shot and sliells.
TIit'r(> coidd be neither advance nor encami)iii,ir.
Tlie oidy wis(Mhin,y was to rotn^at to the vess(ds
This was done and tlu^ expedition h^ft the island,
haviiiiiC lost 1ifte(Mi k'illed and about lifty wounded.
Major Andrew Hunter HoIuk^s, next in command
to Colonel Croiihan, was onci of the slain in this
most unfortunate and fruitless action. lie fell
while* h»adin*i: hisi)attalion ii: a ihink movement on
the i-i<r]it. One stoiw is that the <iun wliic]i})i(M'ced
his breast witli two balls was finnl by a little Indian
boy. Another tradition is that the Major had
been warncMl that moi'nin.ij:. by a civilian aboard the
vess(d. not to wear his unifoi'm which would mak-e
him a target, but that lie decdined the frimidly ad-
vice saying, that if it was his day to tall he was
ready.*
Majoi' Holmes was a Vii'ii'inian, an intelligent
and ])i'oniising young ofticor who enjoyed the
Iriendshi)) of Tliomas Jefferson. H(» had already
distinguished liims(df in a battle* neai* Detroit, and
had performed well a spec'al service assigned him
'■OuxrlfH 3. Juiit'\si)n\n- Sketch of thr Second Wnr." Vol. 2.
IF
54
EART.V MACK" rr AC.
in this sanio cxpoditioa. when at the Sjuih St.
Mario. In the olYicial re{)<>rts of tlie Marlcjtiac
i)atl le lie was )'(>ren'(Ml to as tliat *'«rallant ojtii it.
Maji »!• Hohnes. uh()s«> char'actei" is so w^'ll k'nowti
to the war depai-t inent ;" atnl a«rai;n as "the vaJuaiilc
and ever-io-ht' lamented otticei*. " His iw»dy ikuI
been eaiM'ied otT the tic Id and .secrPtod by a t'aitlit'ul
neirrt* sei'vant. and tiie next ilay was respecU'u'ly
delivered to the Aniei'icans by Colonel McDoiiill
and taken to Deti'oit tor burial. A very tittiiiir
tribute to jiis memory was it. that when in tin'
followinir year the ishuid a^ain came i:nder our
fla<;. the name of the new fort on the suunini
lieiirhls. whicli had lu'en i)uilt by the Kn.irlish. wa>
cluinired troni Fort (ieorire to Fort Hohnes.
T"ie tort bri'iir rouuil im])i-< 'ij-nable l)y assault,
no furtliei- attempts at capture wer-c made, and tli.
<»X])edition returned down the lak«' to Detroit. Hk-
most ot the soldi»Ms b«'iiiir sent to join (Jeneral
Brown's foi-ces on t li(' Niairai'a.
Hut the ami) lien to I'ejj-ain tlu^ island was not
yet ail)andone<i It wasthoiiirht to sta»'\e out the
srarri.MMi and thus foice a surrender. IOn,i:'li>li
sn])pli!**s could now come on iv from Canada t hr;)ULj
the ( ieoi'Li'ia.n liay. Near the mouth of the Ni>
tax isiiira river at t he ^<>ut hcnst corner of I hat bav.
ne: a protectinir blocic hons«\ was the .s«'hooner
"N.iiK v'" loaded with six months' supplies of 7)r<»-
vision- intended tor the Maclcinac h)iM. A d«'
taciiUM'tit of the Am«'rican t loops landiniT tbi'r
blew up the hloclc iiouse and destroyed tli«
S('hooii&>r and her supplies. Tliei-c i-euiained now
notliiiu^ more to d(» than to so guard the watei-s
ih
S<::ar('ITV nv TMi(»VTST()Ns.
.)j
ihai tlu! (It'stiuition of 1 he islniid could noi i)o ro-
piiii-t'd. Two of ilic vessels, till' "Tiirn -ss"" and the
••Scoi-jiion.'" \v<'rt' Icfl lo iiiaiiil;iiii :i sti'ici l)l(M-ka«lo.
Till", was ]H'oviiii,'- very cITcrt i\('. and iM-ovi>ioiis ran
•,<« low ill Mackinac, lliat a loaJ' o!' l»i<'ad would soil
Inr a dollar on Hie sti-ccls. and llic nH:?n of the
LMi'i'ison wero killin*^ liorsts i'or meat.
The foliowinii' cxti'aci I'l-oin a Idler writton hy
one of the En.ijlisii ot'licei-s depicis ilio situation
uitliin tlio L»)\'i at this time: 'Aftei- ilio fuilui-(» of
tlie attack', the Aniericansestahlisiieda l»lo<kadc l>y
which tlii^v intei*cept(Ml our sii|)])rK's. Wc Imd hut
;i '-iMiall stoi-e of provi-^ions. The C(niiniandei- irrew
Vfcy anxious. The L:-arri>oii was ]>in on short al-
iowanccs. Some hoi-ses llial ha|>|ien«'d to he on
llii' inland were k'illcd and sailed down, and we oc-
casionally wei-e Nucccssful in pri icui'inL:" ti>h from
the lak'e. To (M'onomi/e our mean-. iIm- L'"rea1»'r
part of the Indians Wfie inducid to di'|iart to iheir
liomes. At, leuii'th we saw ourscKes on the vcrire
of starvation with no hoiit' of relief fi-oni anv
i|uarler. "
Unrin.G" all the suminei' we find Colonel Afc-
Doiiall in hi^^ let ters to t he drpart ment hcL'irinir and
elit reat illLl" for SU|i|tlie.s.
Tliert} were yet otiii'r emharrassnM'n's. Al-
thousfh thoiii.'-hout the whole pt'i'ind the In«iians of
'he MacL'inac re^'ion were allies of the l»riti».ji. the
illiance was not without it > diftieult ies. Many of
!hem showed an indecision when success was
'ioni>tful. as one of the iMiii'ish airents wi-ote. and
a predilection in faxor of llie Ann'ricans seemed
to intlnence tliem." Ahout the island 'Mlu'V l>c-
5C>
KAU1.V MAlKlNAC^
c;vMH> vc^ry (Inuioroiis, " aiiollior oHicof said. AikI
C«>1. M<'I)«Mial spolv.' of tlit'iii as "an im<'fi-l:ii!i
(luantiiy" — th;ii iIh'V "wci-r tit-l';!*' as lli(» wiiui aim
it wjis a. ilirtic i ■ lasic lo lo'oj) ihciii with lis." ||r
wi»rs (-'naf)an':i-~'»l. ii»<>, l)y tli«'ii' Hocking' to ilic
isJiiiid «iji(l r(?(|uirini:" to !)«' r<'<l.
liii: ••olicl'. a,nd tliat l>y lln'ii*o\vn saii'acily ami
dariiii:". ^ais at hand IniMlK' bol(»a,iiMM'i'«'d nari'i.^Mn
Wh«'!i ;in' "Nancy" and ihf t>|(>(*k lionsc; on llic
Noiiaw a wt'T" (lest i'ovcmI. tin' ot'Hccrs in chai'Lre
of that -• |)|)iy of >t<.rt's. fjicut. Wofslcy, wilh
s»"«'ni« lilors (if t ho Ivoyai Na\'y. h«.d nianaiiTd
to •■'•a id «'ff»M't a ))assa.i:'<' in tin open l)oal lo
th»* fort ;.« Mackinac ai.d had reported tiic loss nf
tli**^ sto?'os. l'\>i'ccd l>y 1 ho necessity of the silii-
atioii. aln.d and de,siie:-ate pi'ojcct was undertaki'n
— that. \\a>. liie capture of the two hJoclcadiiiL''
v«''r4H«^ls. lialti-aiiv were titl<'<i ont and e((uippcd a'
Mackinac, niainu'd unih-r Lieut . Worsiey witli hi->
seann'n ai <i Ny \"ohnitcei's fi'oni the <jrarris()n ami
Indians, niai^iim' in all ai>out s<'\-enly men. The>r
SPtl"«MMhon liie l)old eirainl 'I'he Scorj)i()n and
Tijjcrcss Were then t-iMiisiiiL:' in the neiirhlxirhood e'
Detom*. ( )n a dai-K' niijht. rowinu: ra[)i*lly and in
silence, the\ appr(»aclied tir^t the 'l^iiri'ess, which
lay at aindiiM' off St. .(oseph. and taUinLi" it eiitirelv
hy urpri.se. Iea|>ed ahoaid and afler a. hand 1e
hane >t rnirulc >oon had possession lis ci-ew were
sent :..4'Xt (hiy. as prisoners lo Mackinac. The
Tiirn*>^"^ si«j*nals wei-e in the hantis of lh«» captors,
an't M'' American pennant was kept llyiniT at tlic
m.;- iie;id. ( >n 1 he .second d;iv afler, I he Scor'pioii
was ■M^'fr^u beat in^r \»p towartis Iht companion ship
ll
r.
c
(
J0
IJlUTISn APPKI'X'IATIOX i)V MACKINAC.
I)/
■^i^i'l. And
"■ wiiiil and
1 us."' II,,
h.l;- to III,.
racity and
.li'arrisMn,
ise (.11 Ihr
1 ill cliarii't'
il«\\', will)
I inanai;f(|
'II lM)al !()
n' loss (d'
lix' siin-
iidci'laki'ii
oclx'adiii--
lil»jM'(| ;it
wilh liiv
isoii and
Tlh'sr
Moil an, I
'In K )(| ( i;
\' and in
, wliicli
<'til ii-«>l\
liaiid lo
<'\V \V«'|T
r. 'V\u'
•a|)lors,
C at 111,'
<"or|)i()ji
oil slii])
unauai'o of its chan.irc* of forliiiie. Ni.i:]i1 coming
on -lie aiicliorod soiiio two inilrs ofT. Ahoiit day-
linlil llio Ti«,n'oss s(»t all sail. sw(»))t down on licr,
()))i'IhmI tiro and l)oai'dt>d and ('ai)tui-cd her. Sad
tall', indeed, fo!' Iliese two war vessels, wliicli only
a year hefore had lionorahly lli^nrod in Coinniodoi'o
l*('i-!'v's vicloi'v on TjaKe Krie. I itrefer nol to
(luidl on 1 1n* inortifyinir l)it of history, excepi to
•>ay lliat candor and jiislice compel our liiniiest
admiration for lliis Enu'lish feat of d;irin<jr and
pi'owess.
This ended all attempts to dislodszi^ the Knsf-
lish from oni- island. It i'«Mnaine(l nndei- their tlair
iinlil terms of peace and seltleineiit were secured
hy the treaty of (iheiit. Febi'uai'y Isl.'. Mack'inac
Was e\ ei- a fa\'<»i'it<' ]>oiiit in the «\ves of the l>rilish,
and all alon*^ an ohji'ct of t heir stroiiii' desiie; and
they were loath to li'Inc it up. Col. McDonall.
the able and successful commandant, spoK'e with
stroiiu- feeling" of the "inifoid iinate cession <»f tin*
fort and the island of Michilimackinac to the
1 iiited States." It had heeii ;i matter of (»l1icial
• oiiiplaint and criticism in the pro\ii;ce of Upper
( anada, that after tln^ first war ii had heeii '•in
judiciously ceded" hy tin' lMi<.rli~h i!-o\eriimei!t.
■ lohn.Tay, our .Amerit-an i'epresentati\'e in the cou-
lereiice of the treaty and the houndary lines.
found that tli(» commissioners of the ('r()\vn wer(»
more intei'«»sted in an "ext^Mided commerce tiian in
the possession of a \ast tra<'t of wilderness." The
fill' trade at that time was the main thin.ir and
MacK'inac was t he «j:at«'way to all the \'\\v traflic of
thowesl and soiithwesl lields. And again, it ap"
Uf
EARLY MA('KINA(1.
|)(>ars ill n<'«,a)l "uitin^ tlic 1 i-caiy <'l" 1^1 '» tliat llio c )iii-
iiiissloiKM's of llic ci'owii. ♦•vt'ii wlicu ftM^lini; ohllLnii
1o f(>r(\ii'() a. lar.ij:(» ])art of llu-ii- dcniaiKls, still hthl
oul for IIk' islanti of Maclcinac (and Foi'1 NiaiiMnn
as loiiiz: as i)().ssibl(«.* Tliirly-two yoai's had now
passed siiico tlK» Anicrican I'iiiiil to Ili«» island hiii
l)('(Mi acl\M<)\vl('d<r('(l by tlicli'caty of ITsil. Ol'llicx
\('ii I's Old V three had Ihmmi vears of wai*. Ihit lu!
oiK'-liaif of tliat wiioh* ])eri()d tlie Hriti-h thiii' li;iii
h< (Ml nyini^ over Fort Mack'iiiiic. In the coiuplri,.
stMis(», tlier(*tor«\ \ho. destiny of th(^ northwest \\:is
not, assured nnlil the treaty of (Jlient.f Witli lli;ii
treaty tiie (niestion was finally- and conclusiv fly
settled.
'J'he |)osts of tlie iOn<jrlish whic.ii had ixMMica))! mi-
ed hy us, ai'd ours ]i(»re and thnr«\ wliich they luiil
tal'.'eii. wer(» to b(^ I'estoi'ed by (^acli «jfov<M'ninent to
t he ot her, [n conneclion witli lliis mut ual deli\ (■r\
is an interesting fact. niontion(Ml in a j)ri\;iit
letter whicli Coloiud McDonall wrote to l»is frinni
and fellow oftlcor of the Enirlish army, ('a[)t;riii
Hul<rer. lie says thai in the e(inipiiient of .1''mi'
Maelvinac, at the time he was male in^" tli(> transl.i
were cannon be;irin,i^ the inscriptions: '•'I'aKeii ;i'
Saralo«^''a;" '""I^dcen from F^ord Cornwalli^," an
other sucli, and lie sp<'al\s of his cha<i!'in in beiiiL'
()bli«^(»d to include, in his j-estoration of tln^ foil.
•runs which told of Kn<;'lisli defeat and humiliati«'ii
in the lievolntionary war; and thai as an Knulisii
man ho felt "a stron*; temptation to a breach •'
*HtMir.v Adiims' • llistttry nf Ihr Unitrd Staten" s»l. V. p. :M.
+IIlns<Uile's Old yorlhmnl.' !• 18.V
t
'A
J
tf
niST(^liI(' CAXNC^X.
r.9
hi
r
t 11h' c'liii.
still lu-ld
^ Nin«iMrai
liad now
-;lcin(l lind
Ol'lllCv,
tlii<i' li;i"i
(•()ni[)lti('
iwcst \v;i>
With lliiil
iclusi\ fly
ciica])! Ill'
thoy li;nl
•niiKMit 111
lI d('li\'('f\
I ])i'i\;ib'
lis i'l-irlid
, Caplalii
\ of F<>i"
t I'aiisl'.T
•Taken ,r
Mis," ai;i,
ill Im'Iiii;
11h» fo! :.
iiiiiiliati'>ii
Kiiii'lisli
hi'racli o'
:m.
ihai <,''()o(l I'liith wliicli ill all |)ul)li<' treaties il i.-^ iii-
t'aiiiy to violate.''
Surely it, adds to our aiiti(|iiarian and patriotic
iiiitrest in the old fort to know that ltiiiis. capt iired
fnMii Hui'.iroyiK* and from CoriiwaUis in the battles
(if the Ivevolution. once lield [)osition on these laiii-
]iails.
\V«' do not know how these honor;. hie trophies
of the Ivevolution ever found their way to our i"e-
mole jiioneer out-])ost. Wedok'iiow. iiowever. that
(tiir loss of tlje fort. t!ir<'e years before, explains
liow they <i"ot hack', temporarily, lo their I'oriner
I'aiLtlish owiHM'shi]). And now in their alteiaiat ions
of estate, after takin<jc ])art in kee])iiin-oiT American
iioopsfrom the island, and thus, as it wei-r, i(^-
(jt'emini:' themselves in Fin<j:lisli eves I'roiii tlie had
fortune ineurred in our war for indept'iidence. they
aLiain fell to our liands. And w<' can appreciate
Col. M<-[)onal!'s sense of reii'rel at haxiiii;' to i^ive
lliem u]>. It was the same sent imeiit which ('apt.
Mc.Nfee. in his narrat i\-e of that war in which h(»
liiinself had a ])ar1, tells us wa-> exiiihited hy .-omo
of the liritish ol'ticcu's when hy liuirs sui're:;i|ei'
se\('i'a,l brass cannon fell to their hands which our
fnrc.'s had capt .1 red in i li<' war of t he !i'c\-oliit ion —
they "saluted IIhmii with tears.""*
It is vain to surmise the lilstory of those in-
terestinir .ifuns subseipietit to l"^!'!. ll<>w loiiii'they
rnniaiiied at the island ]*ost, and whetliei- in tiiiit>
they wei-e sent to the smelter's furnace, or arestill
ill lionorabh) ])reservati()n somewlier*^ wltli other
w;ir relics, wc cannot say.. In this conned ion i!
•■ i/<«torj/ «i/ (he Late War in the Wifltni Cumiliy."
m
KAULV MACKINAC
iTKiy 1)0 well 1() rcinai'lv cr;)iic(M"irm.i:: llial old fiisliK.ii-
od cannon wliicli liasbcpii lyiiii^' in ])o.'.ilion on ih,.
villan'o Ixnich in fronl of \\\c. '-Jort prardcn."' a
famiruir ohjfcl I'or <i-(MM 'rations past. Tlio storv !>
that the .iiun liirnrod in Coin. I'orry's hat Ho oh
LaU'c Fjv'u\ tiion.ij:li wlirthcr oik* of liis own a'uiis ii
the action or a liritish liiin \viii( ii li > captui'id is
uncertain; that it was left h(M-c Ioiil;- as^o l)y oik' t,:
the iz'ovcnmicnt revenue vessels. That it was |>iii
in char.ir*' of the Maclcinac Cuslcnn House, and iini'
it ns«'d to sei've on 4tli of .luly and other natioiia!
occasio'is \vhi<'h called for celebration "al iln
cannon's mouth."
I'pou their withdi'awal from MacK'inac, liir
Enirlisli irari'ison estahlisluMl tiieinselves on Dnim
mond's Islanil in the northern end of Lake liiiiMii,
and maintained a stronjif ])ost tlier<\ It Avas al'i'-i-
wai'ds decided, liowever, hy the joint coiinnishiMii
ers in settlin.n' the ])oundary lines between 'Im'
United Slates and Canada, that that i)art of tin'
lak*' in which Druminond's Island lay belon<re(l ii.
the United States sid(^ of th* lin<'. Accoi'diii^'ly ii:
Isi's the iii'itisli ufari'ison i'«'inoved, and tho i.slaiul
was turned over to our <»"()vernim>nt.
Col. Anthony Uiitlor was tho AnuM'ican oflictM
to Avhom tin' fort was delix'ei'ed .luiy. 1"^!.'), l)Ul li'
]-eniain<'d oidy nntil the arran*jfenn'nts i'or e\a<ii
iition were coniph'ted, when he withdrew t^
Detroit, and Captain VVillou«.,diby Mor.njin l)ecaiiir
tiie tii'st commandant nndi i* tho restored AmeriiMi!
rejjfim(\ From tliat time on there* was a loiiii
succession of i'Oi!ular army soldiei-s and olticer^
inliabiting tho old cpiailers and baiTacks. Many
[1 flisllioil-
)ii on Ilif
iirdoii. ■" ;l
t' s1(»r\' i>
lull He (11
'M ^ii'llh-^ II.
ipturtMl is
)y oiu' oi
1 was pill
. and tli:i!
• iialii)ii;il
"al llir
:iiKi(', liic
on Dniiu-
:(' lliirnii,
V!IS liri"'!'-
iiinissi"ii
\V(M'1I tlio
irt: of Ihr
l()n<r»'(l i(.
I'diiifrlv ii:
.lie i.shiiid
■ail olliciT
."). hut li"
'or (»\acn
KJI'OW tn
,11 l)('<'aiiii'
Aiin'rifiii!
IS a loni:'
I otticci-
:8. Man\
SOME OF THK FORT S EAUT.Y OFFICEUS.
01
of ilic otticers wlio afterwards acquinMl hi^-U rank
;iii>l (lisliiR'tioii diir'm.i,^ our civil war. l.^lU-lsC).',
ciiIkm' in llu' Union Army or Southern, liad hccn in
srr\ i('«' JM'ri' as youn«j: Captains or Li(Mit<Miants.
Ai.ion^- tjicni w«'r(^ (Jen. SuniiK'r, Cleii. lhMnt/i<d-
i;i;ni. <l«'n. Kirhy Sniilli, (Jen. Silas Cast'v, and
ii.'ii. I'^rcd Steele, for whom a fort in the west has
hcen named. (Jencral I'emhcrtoii was once a
iiH'iiihef of th(» irarrison, and in a ])i*ivate letter
written l)y one of the citizens in 1^40. when the
l;ltl<' inland was ice-hound and there was a deartii
of news, it is incidentially inentioiKnl that "Ijieut.
ri'nihecton in the f(>rt is en.ira.ured in ,i:"ettin.n' up a
|)i'i\at»» tlieat i-e. in an en(h'avor to ward olT winter
and solitude," — th-- youn<^ olticer litt le dreamintr of
lliat more serious drama in wliich lie was to act,
I w'ntyllii'ee years later, as commander of A'icks-
hiirn". with (J rant's hesieiriiiir army aroiuid him.
During" the civil Avar, all troo])S h(>iniz" needed
at the front, the soldiers "weri* withdrawn fi'om our
fort. ^I'his was but temixmiry. however, and did
not mean its ahandonment.* Its flau' and a solitary
serieniit were left to show tliat it was still a milirai'v
])()st of the United States. This faithful soldier
remained at the fort for many years after the wai',
and was known to th(» visitors as t lie "Old Serjeant. "'
i"'<>r a period during t'ae war it was made tiie place
<>l cohtinement of som(M)f theUoiife(h'rat(» })risoners,
|>i inripally notable otlicers wiio luid been captured,
at wliich t ime Miclii«j:an volunt(»er tro(>ps liehl it.
At the close of th(! war tlie fort r(>smned its old
*Oc('iisi(in;ill.v ;it oiluT I iiucs, ii1m>. lli<> '-'iirriMiii would b" Ifriipor*
iuily boai cisuwhurc, bul Uii>> utv'cr mcuuL lUc giviag u[} of ihc post.
02
KARI.V MAPKIXAC.
liiiio sprvi(M» as a «j:ai'ris()ii ])()st. tronorally aln.ii*
lil'ty oi" sixty iiKMi of tlie rc.irulai' army, willi Hi. Mr
olticcrs. ('()iH|)()siii^ 1li(» force. Adi'lacliiiHMit Wdiild
sci'vc a few y«'ars, IIkmi be transfcrnMl and anollicr
would tal\t> ils pla(M'. to oiijoy in its tiii-n the I('(M||i
(•rat ivccruiiatr of the sumnuM*, and to cndiirr ihc
ri<i"oi's and tlio isolation of tlie Avinlers. So the oM
fort coMtiiiiKMl in iiscwitli its inoi'ninn* and cv ciiiiiL''
i:'un. its stii'i'in.u: hii.izic nottvs, its daily ".i^naid
mount. ■■ its paciiiiT s(Mit ry, its di'ill. its ••ins])('('il(»n
(lavs. ■■ until l"^!*.'). Tlicii tlio sliarp and d«'ci>ivr
voiceof autjjority callcMl "iialt** totlir lon«j: niurcli
of military liistory in \\\o sti-aits of Mackiii;i\v.
T\\v United States n'ove rumen t. hy foj'iual act ol
Couiri-ess abandoned tlu^ J'ort, and <::ave it o\' r.
t(\iit'tinM- with the National Park of eleven liundicil
acres, to the State of Michiiritn. The fort was dis-
uianllcd. lln' old cannon were removed from the
walls, and cveiy soldi*'!' withdi-awu. We do in»l
question tin* fact, liiat as a fort constructed in
l>rimitive times it was unsuited to the days ol
uiodoi'u warfai-(»; nor the fact that witii th(^ nmnrr-
ous other wi'll e<|uii»ped ])osts, th(* depai'tment i>
nKiintaininLT for ils ti'oops, tliis old-fashioned one
was not an ahsohite necessity. Noi* do w<^ (\\U'>
lion for a moment the pi'opriety of makini;- \\v
State of MiclTman tiie leiratee and successor to thi>
pi-opeiMy. if the general iroveiMiment wasdetei'uiin-
ed to dispossess itself of it. It could notiia\'e hcii
moi'e suitably i)estowed. if it had to pass into ollni
hands. The commissionei's. to wliosr chai'jj^e it i->
now c()mmitted. a[)pi'eciate and will (du'rish that
historic and patriotic interest vvhicii aituclies to the
ITS MILITARY IIIS"TORY CEASES.
68
..l(i fort, and will ktu'p tlic grounds intact and care-
liilly guard tlio buildings. Tiiey will aim lilvcwisn
!,) proscrvii tho trees an I tiio di'ives oC the piiik in
lluit natural beauty wliicli has so long given tlicMu
siuh charm. But while thus assui-ed, it is at the
>:iuu5 time a matter of deep regret thattlunuilional.
vornmont should have I'or.salven the island. For
iliinental reasons alone, oveu had thei'o been no
wtlicr, th(M)ld foi't should have l)een retained as a
rniied States i)()st. A military seat whii'h has two
ImndrcHl years or mor(» of histoiy behind it, is not
often to be found in the west(^rn \v(jrld. Indeed,
w
'■( )
^I'l
()i(
til
iih tli(3 possible exception of Fort Marion, the
I Si)aiiish fori itieat ion at St. Augustine, Fla., it
doubtful if there be anotiier on this whole conti-
■nt, which could boast of so long a i)ei'i().l of con-
tinuous occupation as old Fort Michilimackiiuic,
wliich Avas established first at St. Ignace in tin?
17tii century, then renioviMl to old Maclcinaw, and
since 17H0 has horn located on our island.
C'llAPTKK VIT.
K;i!'ly MaclviiKic had aiiioiii:' its cili/.tMis. sjyar.st.'
thou.uli its jM)|)ulat idii was, :i inimlx'i' ol' iiicii of
str()iii4" cliaracltT iiinl izrcat l)ii>iM('ss <Mi1<'rpri>('.
Anioiii;" lluMii, not to spoalc ol' all. wcm Micliad
Do'.iMiiaii. Joliii Dousiiiiiu. Jvlward ITiddU*. (J union
8. J I ii!»l)afd, Saimitd Abhot and Ainl)i"oso Davt'ii-
[K)rt. ,)(»liii Doiisinaii. Ai)l)otl and Da\(Mi|)ort wrw
tlio deputation ot" tlicro p'lil Icmcii rrfcri'od to !)y
Li(Mit. llauivs. ill lii.> rc'porl of tlic sui'i'ciidor of the
fort, as liavinu' accnnipanicd tlio tlaic <>t truco in tin;
iiciTotiations luMwccn ('a[>taiii Kobrrts and hiniscli'.
After t!i(» Enii'lisli came into ])ossession, t he citizen.-.
were r(>(juii-»'d. to ia!<(» tiio oath of all(\i,'iance to tlif
\i\uix. v)f lliose thi'u livin<i: on thc^ ishind, live aiv
repoi'tcd a.s I'l^fusintr to do tiiis — Mi'ssi'.s. Daxdi-
poet . Ji.)st wick. Stone, and tlie two Dousnian^.
With the exception of Michiicl Dousnian, wlio wa>
l)ernrnt('(L to remain neutral, tliey wei'O obliiifi'd to
l(>ave tiieii' lionit»s and theii* prop(»rty until th''
c'los(M)l' the war. Besides these, th(»re were after-
wai'ds thi'eo men in parliculai* who tl«j:ur«Hl in hii',L!'<'
spli(M'(»s, and wei'f in re[)utatiou iu otlu^r parts of
the land as well as in this remote wilderness ])!)iii!
IMiese wei-(» Ramsey Crooks, Robert Stuart ami
Henrv It. Schoolci-aft.
Mr. Crooks came to Anieri(;a from Scotland.
;is
a voiini!!' man.
His careei' was an active
aiiii
*13iiWlc aaa lluijUuiil \vci\, uul thcu rchUlcut.'s uf tUo blaud.
UAMSKY CIK^OKS.
)J
ll
i. s]):irso
IIUMl of
Mk'liarl
Gui'doii
Diivcii-
or! wi'i'o
>cl to liy
i* of the
CO ill iiie
liinist'lf,
»citizrii>
e to \\\r
tivo a IV
Da \ I'll-
ISIlKlll^,
vlio ua>
► liirod ic
mtil ill''
in lai'L!*'
parts of
,uii't ami
thiiid, .i^
ivo anti
luud. ^1
stirring ono. Ho was known in connoction with
llic fur trade, it is said, from tho Atlantic to the
Pacitic. His hnsinoss invoi\'od niiicli of [)oi-ilous
Niiinicying and staiM lini,^ udvrntufo in th«' north
and in th(ifar west. Ho was witii Hunt'soxpoditiou
arrnss tl»o Kocdcy Mountains iind to tlio Pacitic
>()a>l, as far back as isi 1, and a<j:ain tlio next year
In- i lado the sani«^ overland joui-ncy l)ack to the
Ka>t. Ho was an oducat(Ml, intolliL'-cnt man, woll
(WlM'i'ioncod in human natur(\ and hin-jdy rated for
his jud.n'mcnt. his ontori)i'iso and liis into<rrity.
He was ono of Mr. Astor's •i<irlit iiand men in the
I xtciisivo l)usin(»ss of tiie fur company. In tho
Am 'I'ican ox[)odition a<i:ainst tho island in h'^l-t, in
ill" att(Mn[»t to dishnl^i^o tlio Enii-lish, lio, toiifoUier
Willi Dav(Miport and J(jhn Dousman, had ac-
coiiipanii'd tlni scpiadron— the latter two as oxpatri-
ai(Ml citiz(Mis, well acfjuainted with tho waters, to
iiclp as jjfuidos; and Cro<jks to watch, as lar as lie
(ould. tlio interests of Mr. Astor.* Ho did not
Hiulvo Mackinac liis pormam it residonco dui'inu: the
whole time of his conn(»ction with the business,
l)Ut Mas moi'o or loss on the island. and eni^aii-ed in
lis ottico work. Now York, aft<M'wards, was his
lioiiH^: and on Astor's s(dlin<x out, ho Ijocamo chief
lii()[u*iotor and thc^ president of tho com])any. It is
said of him tliat ho concentrated, in liis r<Mni-
nl>cencos, the history of tho fur trade in Amei'ica
t"i' forty years. He died in New York in 1H59.
^S<.•hl»l)l^•^;lfL speiikiii!-' of Duvi'iiporl, (\vlu>, lu* says. \v;i.«. ;i, Vir^iuiiin),
roifis to his thus ' siiiliUK' iiboiit tlu; l.■^luIul uiul lu sivrlit of his own
tiMiii' ■' lie remarks, too. thill tor liis sulIiriuKs unci hissos. he "Ught
1) h;ivc b.'L";! icmuiK'ratrd liy tho (Jovorurncut
66
KAKLY MACKINAC.
KobiTt Stuart was also a iialiv«? of Scotlatui.
boi'ii ill 17^4. Ho came to America at the a^'-p of
Iwoiity-two y(»ars,an(l illustrat«»(l the saiuo spirit f.f
(M»tori)ris(3 and adv(Mitiir(». llo lirst lived in Mon.
tnnil, and sorvod with tlu» NortiiwcsKM-n Fui' ('..
Ill 1^10 lin coniMM'ted liiinsclf, to^otlicr wiili h
uncN'. ]);ivid Stuart, with Mr. Astoi-'s hiisin.-..
and AVMs «)ne of tiio party that sailed Ironi ^tw
York l»y tlio sliip "Tonquin"' to Ibund tlio fur liadr
city ol" Astoria, on tiio Pacitic Coast. In l^ii', ii
boin«r oxceiHliiiLrly important thi.t certain pa|M'i>
and dispatclios be taken fi-oui Astoria to N« w
York, and the ship in llio meantiinc b«Mn«^ (icstioy
od, and there bein^ no way of niakinijf the trip I*,
soa, Stuart was put at thc^ In^ad of a i)arty to uii>iiM
take the journey overland. Kamsey Ci'ooKs w.is
one of tlie band. This trip across the inoiiiitaiii->
an<l tlirouijrh tlie country of wild Indians, and c.i i
arid plains, involved s(»vero iiardships and j>ti ,
and illustrated the nerve, and vi.yor, and I'esoiirn >
of the young h»ader. Tlie party was nearly a \ » ;u
ou the way. In 1811) lit? came to Mackinac and 1m'
canni a resident partnc^r of the American I'm
Com]iany, and su[)erintendent of its entire busiiii»
in the west. He wa. remarkably om^rgctic in
business, a leader among men, and a conspi(ii<;ii>
and forceful character wh(M'ever he niiulii In'
placed. l!i the lack of hotel accc;nimodalions h^
homo was constantly giving hospitable welcome
and entertainment to visit ing stranger.s. H<' d w'li
on the island for fifteen years, and wIkmi 'Ik
company sold out in 1H34, removed to Deti'oit. II''
was afterward appointed by the Governmem a>
UODi:UT STIAUT. 07
luilijiii ( oimnissioiKM' foi* all tlio iribosot ili(» luti,"
w<'>l, and ,*ruai*(l<Ml tlioir iutiTcsts with |);ii(Mii;il
cai'c. Tli(^ Imliaiis iisrd to spcalc of him as tlicii
h»'st friend, llo also >t'i-\«'d as Slate lic:isurcr,
and tit the? (Wpii'iitioii of his term of olli.n; whs
lni>tt'(! and st?crctarv oi' I ho Illinois a!»d iMirhiu-aii
Canal Hoard. Active' in frJ*<'at coninuM-cial and
public intiM'osts, Ik* was also. siil)st'(|ii(Mit to liis
(MMvorsioii oil Iho island in 1>^1'*^, zealous and pr )ni-
iiciil ill church woi'k and always bore a ninh
Christian cliaraclfi-. lie died verv suddenly at
Cliica.iifo, in 1848. His body was taken by a vessel
()\er liic lalc(»s to Detroit for burial. In [)assing
.Nhiclcinac tlie boat laid awhile ;it the dock, and all
the |)eo[)lo of the villa,ii:<' ]»aid their resjjocts to the
(lead body of one who had Ixmmi in lornn^r ye;i rs a
resident of the island, so well known and so i^reatly
leenuH
In connection with tluCFur C()ni]>Mny work of
llie island, which thes(» two men did so much to
lironi()t<\ it may be well to ([uote from Mis. .lolm
k'inzie, the wife of a Chieaii'o pioneer, who with
her husband was her(Mn is;](). hi her interestinif
lioolc "Wau-Hun, the 'Eai'ly Day' in the Nortli-
wi'sl."' she thus wi'ites. speaK'inir of that period:
"These were the palmy days of Mackinac, it was
no unusual thinu: to see a hundr<Ml or mo''(* canocvs
f Indians at once approachiui,' th<^ island, ladiMi
ilh th(Mr ai'tich^s of traftic; and if to th(vs(» was
I )
w
add«'d the h([uadi'on of lai".ij^«? Mackinaw boats con-
stantly an-ivini; from the out])osts with the fin's,
p -hl-ies an<l bulfalo robes C(»llccte(| by the distant
Irad'M's, some ideamav b(» formal of the extensive
t
EAKLV MACKINAC.
<)|t»M'nt i"ii- ;u'(l lilt' iiii]M»rt;iii1 position of llx
ViMtWK .111 l''iii* ( 'oiiiyuniv. a.s well as of ihr \ ;im
(•icl<'(r ii!iiii;in iM'iiiii's j'itlxM" iimiH'diatcIv oi* n-
11)1 ticlv ciMtiH'cii'd with i1. "
h' • V 11. Srliooicrafl r!\('(l oil tin' islaii I
I'uiii
1.^;!l{ to I - 1 1. lir \v.i> ;i iKil i\ f of tin' Slatr ( f Xc ,
Yorlc. ' l<' was a St H'.lciit . an iiiNcsliirator* in'o \\\,'
fuels aiH' pli<Mioiiitiia of naiuff. a> rciiiai'Uaihf
liiiLTiiiM. a iri't'at tia\«'l('r ami t'\pl<)i-ci-. ami a
prolitic "n-ni«'i-. lie was irncn to anliafolcrMh-jil
roscarcliw-s; hv rxploiM'd iln» valley ol tlit<
Mi.'+HissHp^i; Iro iiiivsl iiralHU lli«' niiiM'fal i-c^mirci's
«)f iiiucli oi t li" Wot. part ic'.ilafly of Miss«H;i-i: anil
ln' ili>i-( ^\«'"f(l t lit' s< Mii('«» of liio Mis.-^i.>sippi i:i.('!'.
Uis ;^Ti'ait vvoi'ls. ami liy wliji-li ||(> is !-ii»st Iciinwii.
was t hat iii connect n >n \\ il li ' ln' I ndiaii rare, lia\ ii:ir
siMvit Ibirtr v<'ais«»f iiis Iif»- in cotitac, willi tln'i;;.
TM',sid<'s hi-* travels aiiioii«i iJie ti-ilM'-^ t linMiid.oi;!
■>• . ' <•' Iiis pufMiil-. li'ii
the west :; ad iioft liw ••>: .
liini, lie \va> ll.e ( lo\fniiii.<'iil ;i:.;eiit in Indian alTiiiis
lir t aiV S I Sio. Marie f< .|- cievfn \eais. and ilnii
.»-l\iiiuc fi>i' <'iirlii v« ars. lie mentions that
I! M
ill oiu' t lint* • • t'f fonr te<,nssLii(i IndiaiiS \\ei t
faaij)«*d aioii;/ ibt» .siio-pn-s of tlh^* i-iaiid loranmiiti
:in i t li.ii 1 he a.i...U!! les
t« «i*7U,(»!'0 in inniiey ;
bi I he iieL""! ■ ' >\\ of
wilij 1 he t I'l i -'>.
■ paid lliaK year am ua!«'U
[ ^^m>n\ia. Ho uhso >• I'Vcii
I'l--. f'tr the ( iovennneii;
in? at tlio Sauit. li"'
•H a II.
d ' I a -ij-i. L! -r father. M
;. Jf -li 'ri leiuuil of L'oitil
.id'VnejH^ coMii'rv
John .join
stjuidiii*]^. who d^- 'diiiLT in I Ih»
of T^alce Snp«Tioi . iiadf<»i!nd . , in the danu'liU't'
of ail Jndian (hiet. Thi
^»<
Miss .J oh r-'ell
IIKNIvV K. S( Hot i|,< liAI'T
t'.'.l
had boon s<'iil to Fiin'opr wliih' m y<Mini5 prirl to ho
, i .,'ii1«'(l iiiidt'i" ill*' cai'c of licr fallicr's j-olativcs.
;iini slu' Ix'ciuiio a refined and <Mdti\al«'d ('liii>!ian
ladv.
Mr. S(;!iO()l('i*iift in liis oij^ht yoars' rosiilcnco
on tlio isliind, li\('d in the lionsc known to all
V
V
HENRY R SCHOOLCRAFT, LL D.
ivad«>rs of Miss Woolson's "Aunt'" as tin* "Old
Auiiicy." lie wiitt'S on his aifival: "Wo I'oinul
oiiisch t's ;it oas(^ in llio rm-al and ].ict nrt'^qno
LTnunds and domicii*' of ihcUnitod States Aironoy,
<»\ ti liun*::. as it is, ])y iinpoiidinir <*lilTs and r.»tn-
muiidini^ono ol tiio ni<>.st ploa.sinK and i-aplivating
70
KAIiLV M.UKINAC.
f
It'll'
views of l;i]x<» sccnorw'"* Kv<M'v siibji'ct of ■.(icii-
t.ilic! iiiltM'(\st, all llic physical iilicnom'Mi.'i o! ih,.
isluiid, a.!nl iis fini'Kjiiit it-s aixl his|(ii'i<' [cahu'cs, and
Jill quest i()ii> |M'riaiiiiii:4' to the Indians and llu'i
met' ciiai-acicriNt ics. lln'ir lialiiisand custoui.s. i
hin.irua.^'o, llicii- traditions and !*'L:'t'nds, {||,.i)
rdi^'io'*. and csprcially ali that niiniit N-ad to fhcir
moral and social iii.|iro\t'nii'nt — these \ver<« niaticrs
.•)r liis ('(Jtistant sluvly. At \\\>' same time he Kcjit
ahi'cast of t h«? «jreinTa) litcfat are of the dav. ii'iid
illjJT I'Ik' bnok's of iioti' as llicy appcafcij and hi
uiakiiii:" eont r-ilmliuns to !ii<>iMt iiic hv lil
n 1 'M i !
S (tWll
Ullii 1;
ImioU's and review articles ai»d trcaiisc.*-
wew ]»ul>lis)HMi in the Mast and in i'ai.iidand. In !iis
remote island h<»!nr. ice honnd h)r half tjic \(;ir
and larjifely shnl onl fr(»ni the woi-ld, ]\o was yt
Welllsnown h\' hi,-. Wfitiiru's in 1 ho hiLihestcirt Irsnf
1
ea^rninLT
Visit
oj's of note. frr)ni Knropeasu
■•'i! as
WCI'i
fi'om Ihc Kastern Stales, com. cr lo thei.sland
fre<picntl\ ('aliin.Lrat his hoiiscwith let icrsof iniri
ihu'i
ion.
11
e \\ as \oi"d a eomplinieidary m
em I II'
ship in nnmei'ons scienl itic, historical and an! iijua-
rian >ociet ie;;. l)oili in thisconntry and in t!ie ei.i
world. II" hail cori'cspiindents amonj,' seln>i;iis
and sa\"anls o!' t he hi^'hest rank'. Ili> opiidon.s ;mhi
views on sniijects of which he had nnule a study
W(»r»* ^really |tri/<Ml. 'The eminent Sii- ll;nnplnv\
•e, CWpressed ill'
Davy, of Kn,i;'land. for in>!an(
liiLrhesI appieciat ioii oi' certain contrilmtioii
scieiititii" iatei'ol whah Mr. Schoolcraft had pi'i
s (I,
•[|| tin* iiiIihIm i»f miiiif iMiw llvllii.' nii ; In* Kliiul li>' liii^ Itcin c.iniiisiil
with lll-i lilMLhi'l . .I.Wtli-s Si'll'MiliTllft . Wlh) tll->.l lUiil ill till- \ill;i:.'<' llill
wiis muiilfUMl !•>. a .lii!m 'r miiri'. ih I^Kl.
in;Mn' u. sciiooLciiAFT. 71
jcn'-d iii his isljiiid honi*'; und Cluii'los Diirwiii, in
hi> \vo|-l\, "TIk' l)<'S(;«Mit of iM?lii. " quotes willi up-
|)io\-;il some opijiion ]\r liad rxpj'esst'cl, and calls
iiiin ••:i most: capabki judiic " l*r()i', Silliman, also
I'X IVesidt'iits .iolin Adams, Tlios. .It'tTcrson and
.liiiiM's Madison, ^v^olo liim k^tlcrs of mai-kod ap
proliation respect injjf a contiMbulion he had writicn
In)' tlic American CJeoloirical Society, naiicroft
>Miil'err(ul with liim hefoi-e ^vl•itill^'' tliose ])aits of
ill-"' "I listory of tiie United Stat<s. " wlncli jMM'lain
ii. ill" Intliaiis. and was in frecpient correspondence
uilh him; and Tjonj-''fello\v. in liis lliawidlia Indian
iii»|c«<. expresses his Sense <,\' oi)li«,'a,t ion to liim.
S' >ine o
I' SchoolcralTs h-ctin't^s wei-e translated into
I" iich.and a piize was awarded liim hv tli«' Nat 'onal
li.sl il nle o!' i<"'raiice. Amonu'" liis fre«|ii'Mit corres-
|. hdents. as lie was an active ('liri>tiaii and in
.s\inpathy with all church inieicsts. wei-e the
s.'cretarJHS ()!' dilTeretit missionary soci<'ties in lli«'
M.ist, se»'kin<4 Ills opinion and his coun>el in i-efcr-
cnce to t he location of stations and the meihods (»f
\\n
•1; anion*? the Indian ti-ihes.
r\\
ri
le amount of
liierary work lie accomplished was rehiarUahle.
("•|iecially iu view of his pulilic sei-\ic(>s, wlii< h
niton I'ecniiied extensive journeys in distant wildei--
iit'ss reirions, and much of camp life, lie uas of
iviiiurUahle physical via-o!- and industry, however,
and it is said of him. that he had been known to
\\ill.' from sun to sun almost (»very day for many
yeai's.
Mr. Schoolcraft i-'iiioved /rom the island t*.
N.w NorK- in IKII. and after an extensive travel
llu'ou,ii-h Europe, ae\uted hiujself principally t'>
>^
72
KAlil.^' MAC KIN AU
literary worlc. fl*' ])ul>lislH'(l i\h()u\ tliii'ty dilTiMvin
books. TlicBc ljn'<r<'ly ])t'i'l;rn!tMl lo his exploi-ni iitii>,
tUid to sciciilitic. siil)j»'cls. 'J'Iip ('liicf jji-oducls ol
iiis])«Mj ill i'('S[)('ct lo tin* Tiidiaus wci'O liis '"Ak-ic
Ivost'iu'clios, "* and lah'i'liis very (»xtt'nsivo "b'.iliiKi
lojU'ical Kcscarclics aiiioii*^' tlu^ K»'d Men." wliidi
Nvas ])i'»'i)ar(Ml imdcr the dirtMiioii and ])alr(>nai:<' (i|
Coii<'ro.ss. It i>; in six larirc* voIuiih's wiili over
'.urn c(
olDprd (Miii'i'aviims.
and was issiiod in llir hot
stylcM)!' llic jtrintt'f's art It is a thesaurus of in
formation, and furnishes tli«' most complete mikI
authenlic ti'eatmenltii(» sul).ieet lias ever i-eceived.
Fnr ne.'irjy twenty years Mr. Schooici-aft li\i'i|;it
Washiii.ii'tnn. and died th(3re in Dec.MMuher. I'^ill.
Tlie IJev. Dr. Sunderland, for over l(U*ty \e;tr-> a
I^reshyterian pastor in that city, lias said of liiiii:
"lie Avas a nohle Christ ian man, and his last y>';[v>
wcii'c spent ill the society of his friends and ainoii:
his hooks '••■ * a liKxIest, retli-iiijET, Uliosteiitiil i< ii:>
:m. but of de(>)), sincere pietyaiid i^really intercNi-
m
vd \n the welfare (»{' maidvind.
K
CTTAPTKU VI IT.
Willi the cx'plonM*, llio triul.T juhI llio soldier,
ill tli(^ early tliiys ol" 1h(» i^'rciicli occiipalion. Wu'vo
(■;mi«) iilso the ]iiis.si()tKiry. Mor(» t,li:iii two
centuries a.n'o ])i()!H'('r .l(!suil ])i-i«'sis planted tlie
(TOSS in thoso wilds ot' tlip upper lak"s; lirst; at
Saidt St(». Mari(\ as oarly as two Imiidred :iiid IjftN
years siiieo. and tli.'u in it'iTl in our Michiliinaclcinac
(■t\£ri<>n of St. T.L,'iia< •»','■ on the uoiMlii-ni luainlaiid.
iour miles ac-i'oss from liie island. The hnier worl;
is associated part iculai'l\' with Mar<|iiei !e. whi.
lounded it, and w ht) was one of t ln' most h» i'( (ic and
:|i'\nte(l of the early missionaries w ho cimie to i Iii>
I MMlinent, from Fr;nic<». Ht» was a ^,eli<»lai' and a
man of science, nee. irdiiijif to t he ;it 1aimii"nls<d" I !ia.
day. It is said he was ac«piainied wil h .si x dilTerenI
hin«4iiaLrcs. lie was held in re\ecent CSleem, l.nlh
hy the saA'ajifes of the woods and hy t he i i-idei-s and
('iVlcerS of the set ! leiiieiils. 'J'o li is CM 1 1 U I'e, llis Ce-
lini'ineid. and his spirituality were ailded the en
thusiasm and dnrin.i,' «d' the explnrcr. Me ", .'ut oid
to tiiul new (•(Hint ries as al><> to pre;icli in t iie pic mi
wild;
In H'lTIi. aeeoiiip;in
eil IK
1 1 ' 1 . he Si ' !
forlli from SI. jirmice with a small eoinpaiiy in Iwi
hark canoes, on ii lonu: vnyap' <»'' discovery. He
Iruek out into T^alvt^ Michiiran. thence into the
ri VIM'S of Wisconsin. and thence int<^ the Mississippi,
and tloat'Ml down that, yreat ri\<'- as fai' as to ;,
•rulUl IrO<lUOlS, UH ll WliS IllNl UlKlWIl.
n
m
I
KAIiLY MAClKLNAt'
Itoiiii soiiM' tliirly miles Ix'low Ili<» moiitli of ih.'
Arkansas riv<'i\ iilinoNt to II. o Louisiana liur,
'i'lifi't' 1 lir . soul hern Joui'!K\y was (Muled aiul lli.' iv
Iiirti 1ii|) Avas Im'i^'iiii — a set n id in, '4" llio Missis.>,iii|il.
(Milfi-in.L;* tlic Illinois and thus rcacliinn" LaK'c
Mirlii.i^an a^^'-ain. I'»iil for Mar([ueit(' llic ti*i|) \v.l^
never linislicd. He died ;it a. point, on the easlfin
slion» of tliat lake, about midway l>etW(MMi ils u]i)h r
and lowi'i* ends, and was l)urie(l tlier(» by liis e\i'r
lailhlul and devoted Indian (•om[)anions. '1',, ^
years al'liTwards liis body was (\\lnnned ;ii'd
rt'\ rreiii ly tak'en baric for internuMit at llie St.
Iii'nace Mission, wlii«di be had lon.iriJiiily de>iii'(i
aii'ain to I'eacli. but bad die<l without, the siL-ht,
The discovery of his «;i"ave in the ])i-esent lown d!
Si. I«j:naee, in tlx' your 1.S77, lias «4:iven new inlei'-^i
to tliat locality.
^^>llowin<,' tb(» tem])orary abandonment of tin
l''reii(h post of Micbillmackinac in I7t>l, iindthei-'
iiio\al of the seltleinenL to Detr;»it, as air
wiv
III'.
\<'
rt'fi'i'retl to, the St. Ijjfnace Mission \\as ,iri\t'n
and the church burned by the piiesls theuisel
in ft-ar 'est it siiould be sa<*i'ile«i'iously destroyed l'\
the s;i\a,L;'es. Sul>.se([Uenl ly. on tlie reeslahli >li
iiit-nt (»f t he fort on ih(.' soutlu'rii penin>ula oppo>l!.
t l',e ( 'at Iiolic mission was i'e\i\'ed and the Cliui ■!'
of St. Ann was oi'^-ani/eil — the chui"<h and
L'ld i re set thMiient of fiimili«\s,as well as t he «jrai'ris
beiuy within the palisaib* enclosure. VVh< n \u
17^0 llu' fori was r<Muoved to the island — :M»d ;!>
set I lers followln*r — the church was al.so remo\ii.
itslo^sand tind»ers beinjj^ takeu tlowu separai' '\
and then rejointed and seL up a^rain. ll stood ••
MADAM LA I'liAMIlOISK
75
tlio old Imryiii.i;- 1<»1 souili of llio pi-rscut Astor
lloiiso. Sul)s«'(|ii(Mi1ly it was rcinovcil to another
silc All iuUlilioii was iiiado OA'leiidiiiii: Its Nmi.l'IIi,
:iii(l llu'old cliurcli coiiliiiucd to stand until it ^';i\t'
\ \y 1o 11m! |>i"osont. Iar«^'<' cdiiict', hniit (»n tli*' same
^Mot, ill 1^74. As an ori^'ani/ation. lin\\('\',r. ili.>
. iiiir(di dales Tar Imck to llic cai-ly days (>\it id
Id Mii('l\iiia\v. 'J"*!!!^ ji: round on wliicli tlie i)uiidin",r
iiow stands \vas a biwiucst to the jtaiisii by a Madam
L:i l*'i'aud)ois(', wiio li\'< tl iifarhy, witii tliostij)ula
ti. lu tliJit at. death Ikm' 1)o.Iv slioidd he l»nrii'(| undei-
I III' t
dial', ill ca^e the cliureh slioidd l)e rcino\t'd
o
llie places iiurKjated. Tiiis beii.i^- (h)ne, the coiidi-
liniis of tlio ^viIl \vei'(> fultilled. M'liis Madam \\a>
.'I Iiuli;>.u blood, mid the widow of a. I''!t'ii<h I'ur
1 1 ader. She Is reported to lia\'e been a woman o I' re-
ii;ail\"al>le eneci:\- and elite ri)rise. ;ind on the(h>al h oj'
li T liusband ably imma^y'ed tlio business be had l"!"!.
She iieqiiiiuHl the rudiments of edueat ion after her
i.iarria<jf(\ b(>in,i!: taiiirht by Ium- liusl):nui, and in
later 3'ears ii.ad*' it a eustoin to i-eeeive youn.i;
jiiipilsal lierhmiseto |ea<'h tliem to read and write.
:ind also to inst ruc'li them in the ])i-inri]i!es (d' lier
.•Ti«^ioii. Iler <lau<^'hter bei'auie tlie wiTecd' Tjit ul.
■ lohn S. Pierce, abr-otherof President l'iei'e(\ who
Vvasaii olticer at tin- i^arrison in the early days,
i-ir. IsiU
111 tlie early limes, the island Ix'in.L!: so remote
. |»ioiie*'r |>t)iiit, aiul its ])o[uilation iiiea,iir(>, this
•ish (lid ?H»l always lia\e a resident, priest, and
lueli of the timo could only b(? visited by one
ureo-idar and often tlistant intervals. In IT'^L',
])etitioii siufiied by the iin>rehants and other in
T)
EARLY MACKINAC.
liabitJiiits of tho villajj:*', was aildrc^ssml to (UmkihI
liaUlimaud, ilit^ Eiij^lisli CiovtTiior (Jend'al of Hie
Province, asking that tho Govciiiinciit talcc sicps
to iiid ill socuriniiT a cure, or nrmistci" of rcliiiidti.
for tlic stated inaiiitfMiaiu'c of scrviccvs. Thcic ;t|i
pears iiotliin«i^ to show that this wasiri'Jintcd. 'I'Im'
fill" trad(^ broujifljt an citMiioiit of nopukilioii of a
vciy mixed chai-actei". Tli«'j'(! wen* tlie ediicuhtl
oHicrrs and clerks of Iht^ company, and iln'
ri>i/(i(j('irr}i and ti'a})i)(M's, who spent most of IIm ir
time in ihc woods and on the watei-. with ^Ia(•l^ill;k(■
as theii- place of i-estin**" and wau'ejiayment. ;iiiil
Ihe [dare of the I'ccU'less wastini^ of liieic hard,
cinit'd money. Oiu^ who Icnew well thc> early
chai-actei' of the ishimh said of it. that few ])l;ii(,s
on 1 he cont ineni liad l)e('n so celrbi-alcd a. I(»c.alitv
for wild enjoyment; that tlie earnin.LTs of a. y»'a!'
werc^ oflen speid. in tlu^ cai'onsals of a week" oi a
day; tinit \]\o h)rdiy HiijfhlaiKh'i'. the hnp<>lii(»iis
son of Krin. and tliH ])rond and indepcMidint
lOn^lishman. did not (h> mneli Ix'tler on the scoiv
of moral responsiliilit ies than the luniilile
V(nj(f<icitrs and conrirr dcf^ hoi-^: tlial t h(\v hrolce ti'cMnr
ally, iiiin' onl of tlie ten commandmenis withoiil a
winee. hul kept tiie otliei* \ery scrnpidonsly, ami
would llasli up tunl call thnir companions to a diifl
wlio <loul)ted th(Mn on tluit point!
]*i-olestant Missions in tlie west f^radually took
shape as the seltlenn'ut of tlui country advanced
fi'om tho sead)oai-(l. The Ivev. David Hacon, of tli»'
C'Onnecticmt Missioiuii-y Society, the father of th*'
kite Dr'. Tjeonard liacon, preached on the island fni-
a .short time as far back as 1x0:1; not, howcvci", e-
^
i <
lOtl.
KIMSCOPAL cmiall OKCAM/Kl^.
I:il)lishii)*? 51 mission or oriiiitiiziiiir ;i cliurcli. 'I'
ill l^l'O. the lit'V. .Icdidiali Morse. 1). I).. :i ('(>!i<ri-,..
iiatioiial iniiii.Nlrr, llir r.itli(«i- of llic invciitor nf the
h'le,iri':ii>li system, visiled tlie island, and ni;ide a
short stay. Tlie same Dr. Morse was the aiii hor ol
•Morse's Geoiii-apliy," one*' e.\teiisi\»'ly n>ed in
eiir st'iiools, and still well reiiiemi)ered. In earlier
ye;ii"s the fori was a eliaplainey ])ost. and the
•ler,u:ymaii in eharir<'. the Ivev. Mr. O'llrien. from
l^l"-' nnlil the (»|ienini.,'' of tho cixil war in I'^Cd,
conducted staled ser\ ices ol" t he l^|»isco|)al form of
v.orsliin, which accommodatetl the people of ihe
\illa.iro as well as tlie soldiers. Oiil of this Moric
L'rew t he 'J^'inilv Episcopal Church, oriranized in
1^7.">. under the minisl ration of the Jv'ew Wm. (!.
Sioiiex. who coininiied for some years tho resident
iler^yman. l^'ora time ihe parish held its Sunday
services in the fort chapel; then the old Court
lloustO)uildin,Lr was used, and in l"^"*!' the present
Trinity Cliurcli l)uildiii«j: was erected, under the
leidei'sliip of the lt«>v. .M. C. Sliinley. 'I'his re
mains still the only ()r,L:ani/,ed l*rote>taiil church
on the island. it has. <i'iMierally. a j-osid. lit cieriiy-
iii.'in in cliar;.;-e. 'Plie Ivt. Rev. Thomas J'\ l)a\ies.
h.I)., bishop (d" the dioce.se of Michi<i'an. heinii" a
slimmer coita^'cr on the island, ri'e(iuoiitiy oiliciatcs
tlurin^i' the visitors" season.
To H'o back' airain tctour earlier period. At the
lime of Dr. Morsi's \i.^it lo the island, he was
I mder commission !>>■ the P. S. •j:o\ erninei:t on a two
\ ears' tour of observation and inspection amoni;-
the va.i-ious Indian tribes with a, \ iew "to devist'
the most suitable plan to ad\anc«' their civilization
m
KAKI.V MAfK'IXAC.
and liiii)|>iii»'ss. " * I !«• ai'fivcd ill lln' islinid. .Im,.-
l()lli. ill llic ('\»Miiii«i', jiiid wi-ih«s of llu' vn'\v ihiii
:i'(M
■l.'d 1
lis (»y(' ill 1 lie iiionrmiT-
'tlu' fori look
iii'JCdowii fi'oiii the hiiili hlulT. ;iiid a \U'v\ of Indian
caiioos drawn up on t li«» hracii, alon«^ wliicii \\<i.'
pilclM'd lilt}' or oin» Inindi'od lod«,'-os — coiic-sliiiiMd
l)ariv lonis — tilled with liircc or four Iniinlivd
Indians, ukmi, women and ehildren. coine to reci i\
llieir annuities fi'oin llie I'uiled Stales ( J()\erniii«'ii
He remained a, lit t le o\er t wo we( ks
and to trad(*.
and ])i'<»aclied in tlie Court House to hiriLfv and :ii
tentive audiences. A week' day school and a
Sahhathx'linol were formed for tiie cliildn'n, and
Mri'aiiJifcments effected foi' liihie Society and Tiai '
Society wiu'k. On his r(>tui'n to tlio East, tlif
Tiiited l<\)reiii*n Missionary Society. Iearnin<if of liic
situation, toolc steps toplant a mission at Mackinac.
Tiie island was considered a strateiric. jioint for
snc]i operations, even as previously it had hoeii a
siraleuic situation from a mililai'v point of view.
It was a central irat hei'in.ir place for the Indians lor
liundre<ls of miles away as widl as from near :il
liand. M'Ih' mission was estahlislnMJ in 1>'1'.'!. 'i'hc
Uev. Win. l<\'rrv. a Presl)vtorian minist(M' fi'oiii tlic
East, was ajipointed supei intendent.
The Mission was dosi;L^ned ciru»fly as a school
for 1 he 1 rainin.LT of Indian youth. It opened wiili
twelv*' pupils.
Tl
m
^eco
nd
veai" It uuiiiImmv
seventN. 'I'wo y<'ars after the openinir <'f 'li''
enterprise I he lariic school Imildinir and hoardii l:
liouse, now tlie hot«d at tin.' oast end of the islaii'l,
♦Kruiii IrtiiT of iiistrucli(Mi> \\ littt-n him by .loliii C (.'ulhoiiii, H«ii<'
taiv ..f Wur. I'V-h. IH'JO.
G()OD AvoKK or Till-: sciioor..
70
111
Mild boiiriiiL: lln' oi'i^^'iiial iiaiiic "Missidu Hnusc
v\ as built. In 1 -iM) tlio Society which h;i<l Im'lh
iho work ami inaiiitaincd it hn* three \r;;rs, \\;is
iiici'Ljeil will) t he Aiiici'icaii I >oai'(l or('oMiini,s>i«»ii('r.s
|,ii* J'\)reii4ii ^Missions. I h'licefoi-i h. until it ch^ed.
l!ie MacK'inac Mission was the woiiv of tli;il I'oard
\'. itli liead([tiarters in lloslon. For sexcral y«'ar.s
!lii» iiltenchince at ihe >chi>«il averaged alioni one
hun<lr<Ml and liltv a yeai*. Majoi* Andei-son. <»!' Ihe
( lo'. enuiient ser\i<-e, wriliii.u: in l>i'^, says Ihal
V, lien this inis>ion biiildinir was elected it was
Uioimht lo lie hir^»» elloULi'h to accoilllllo(hlte all
w ho iniLiht de>ire its ))ri\ile<j-es, l)iit such wa.s the
ihirsl !'or Knowle(lL;e. that the house was then full;
;iiid that at least lifty Umrc Ii;id sou.iihl a(liui>Ni(»ii
ilial seas( n who could not In- i-ect-jxcd U>v l;icl\ of
room.
Besides the ludiiiients of Kii-li^'l' •'du'^at ion.
the hoys wei'e laii.L'ht tlie more useful .sort of iiandi-
'laft and ti-ules, and the uirls were taiiii-ht sewinj.,^
:iiid housework. They wei-e at all limes undt-r
• hristian inlluence, and were sysiemaiically in-
>lnicted in the truths of the (hopel. In the
I hou'i'apiiy <»f Mr>. .lei-einiah l*(Ut«'r. who heforc*
iier inajM'iaji'*' was Miss ('happelh'. and wlio siteiii
!\\oyt>ai"s (l.s;in '.)'2) on tlie ishind. is uiNeii an rx-
iract from her diary, in w h 'cli slie speaK's of vi>il-
ii!^' the Mission llous»' and heariuu: tlie youim"
Indian .n'irls, at their eveiiin^^ lesson, repeat
loo-rther llio -''>d l*salm and the :.."lh chapter of
Isaiah, and of hearinir a iiymn sun.i; "'hy sixteen
swe(»t Indian Noices which was particularly toii<-li
Thomas L. McKei.nev. of the huliai' Depart-
L
injr,
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80
EARLY iMACKINAC.
mcMit, c:ivos another iiit(M-estin<,^ ^liinpse oi ilio
school in his book, "Skolclios of a. Tour to tlic
Lakes," published in 1H27. He had been ^^eiit out,
tlio year before, from Washin<?ton a.3 joint com-
iiiissioner with General Cass in negotiating a Ircaiy
with the Indians of the North. Having touched ;il
Maclvinac he describes his calling, in company Avilli
Mr. Robert Stuart, at "the Missionary establisli-
ment in charge of Mr. P^erry." Tlie school family
were at supper, and he writes, "we joined tliem in
their prayers, which are olfered after this meal."
On another day he again visited the school, and iv-
ported of it: "Tlie buildings are admirably ada])t-
ed for the object for which they were built. Tliey
are composed of a center and two wings— the center
is occupied chiefly as the eating depai-tment and
the offices connected therewith. Tlie western Aviiiji:
accommodated the family. In the eastern wiii.u"
are the school rooms, and below, in the ground
story, are apartments for shoemakers and other
manufactures. In the girls' school were seventy-
three, from four to seventc^en years old. In
personal cleanliness and mnitness, in behavior, in
attainments in vai'ious branches, no children, white
or I'ed, excel them. TJie boys' school has about
eighty, from four to eighteen. One is from Fond
du Lac, upwards of seven hundi'ed miles. Another
from the Lakii of the Woods. How far they have
come to get liglit !'' Referring to the Superin-
tendent, Mr. Fei'ry, he speak's of him in terms of
unqiuilitied a})[)r()bation. ''Pew men possess liis
skill, his qualification, his industry and devotion
to the work. Such a pattern of practical industry
VffBW
'^
THE MISSION CHURCH.
81
is without price in such iin establishment. Indeed,
the entire mission family appeared to mo to have
undertaken this most interesting chai-ge fi-om the
purest motives." He makes menticm of Mrs.
Kobert Stuart as "an excellent, accomplished and
intelligent lady, whose soul is in this v.'ork of
inoi'cy. Tliis school is in her eyes, the green spot
of the island. With her influence and means she
has held up the hands that were ready, in the
!)(\ginning of this establishment, to hang down.
She looks upon Mr. Perry and his labors as being
worth more to the island than all the land of which
it is composed; whilst he, w^ith gratitude, mentions
her kindness, and that of her co-operating hus-
band. ''
Mrs. John Kinzie, already referred to as being
on the island in 1830, visited the Mission, and in
her book makes similiar testimony concerning it,
saying among other things: "Through the zeal
mid good management of Mr. and Mrs. Ferry, and
lite fostering encouragement of the congregation,
the school was in great repute."'
A church for the island soon grew out of the
.school. It was Presbyterian in name and form.
It was a branch of Mr. Ferry's worli, and he was
the pastor during the wliole time he remained on
the island. A church building, the historic "Old
Mission Church," still standing in its original
dimensions and appearance, was built in 1829-30.
Mackiu'ic in those days shared with Detroit in
distinction, the two towns being almost the only
i)laces of note in tlie State of Michigan. The Fur
Company's business, together with the general
82
EARLY MACKINAC.
tra.dini2^ ititorests which centered here, brouj^iit to
the island a consider;' ble po])ulation. Thus lai-ge
and interesting coni!:regations were furnished for
this church. Besides the teachers and tboii-
families, and the pupils of the mission school,
there were many families of the village, officers
and clerks of the company, traders, native Indian
converts and others, wlio were m<3mbers in r(\<4"ulai'
attendance. The military post, too, used to ho
represented — olticers and men coming down tho
street on Sunda}^ mornings in mai'tial step. The
soldiers w^ould stack their guns outside in front of
the cliurch; one of the men would be detailed to
stand guard over the arms, w^iile the others would
file into the pews set apart for their accommoda-
tion.
The whole number of members enrolled during
the history of the church was about eighty, exclu-
sive of the mission family. As a pioneer church on
the wilderness frontier, it was remarkable in
having on its membership roll, and among its otfico
bearers as Ruling Elders, two men of such slund-
ing and public name as Robert Stuart and Henry
R. Schoolcraft.
The jNIackinac experiment of mission work'.
unfortunately, was not continued long enough to
show the largest results. Changes took place on
the island which seriously affected tlie situation.
It ceased to be the great resort for the Indians it
had been at first. The Michigan lands were
coming in demand for settlement; and the Govei'n-
ment was deporting some of the tribes to reserva-
tions farther West. Mr. Astor retired from the
STORY OF CHUSKA.
83
Fur Company, and that business lost its former
magnitude. This involved the loss of many
families and a change in social conditions. In
18-34, Mr. Perry removed from the island.* as did
Mr. Stuart, the same year. Thus, for a variety of
n^asons the place ccjasing to be an advantageous
point for the work, it was deemed best to dis-
continue it; and about 1H;]6 the land (some twelve
acres) and the buildings thereon were sold, and in
1837 the Mission was formally given up. During
the brief history of the school, however, not less
than five hundred children of Indian blood and hab-
its acquired the rudiments of education, and were
taught the pursuits and toils of civilized life, and
many became Christians. Thi^ American Board at
that time considered that the Mackinac Mission
had been very successful, especially in its out-
reaching influence throughout the surrounding
regions.
One instance of remarkable conversion in the
•vork of the Mission, was that of an old Indian
necromancer or "medicine man." His name was
Wazhuska, or more poi)ularly,Chuska. For 40 years
he had been famous on tlie island in the practice of
that mysterious occultism which has often been
found among low and barbarous races. He was
supposed by his people to have sui)ei'natural
power, and indeed the instances which have been
reported of his strange facility, seem remai"kahl«'.
A sorcerer he might have been called, or, as such
iiave also been designated, a "practitioner of the
*Mr. Ferry settled at wh;it beeame Grand TIa\<ui, iu Mii*hi;:an.
himsolf founrtiu;? the city and also its Presbyteriim Church, and con-
tinued to reside there until his death in ISfiT.
I*.
84
EARLY MACKINAC.
black art.*' He embraced the Christian faith \\\\\\
cleaj i)erception of its essential truths, and Miih
^reat simplicity of spirit; and entirely renouncfd
all his "hidden works of darkness," to^-ethc^r w'wh
the vice of drunkenness to which he had been lam-
entably addicted, and after a year of testing' aiul
probation w^as admitted to inembership in t!n>
Mission Church. He died in 1837, and was l)uri(Hl
on Round Island. This story of Chuska and liis
conversion by the power of divine f^race, was con-
sidered of such interest that we find it related by
Schoolcraft in three of his books — his "Person;il
Memoirs,'' his "Oneota," (a collection of miscelhmy
which tells of Chuska under the heading "The
Magician of the Manitouline Islands,'") and in his
elaborate six volume w^ork published by act of
Congi-ess. In his account of the case as given in
the last named publication he furnishes r(^pres(>ii-
tations of the crude pictographic charms, iLii!l
totmns and symbols, which Chuska w^as accustoiutnl
to use in his pagan incantations, and which at tlu'
tim;i of his conversion he had surrendered to Mr.
Schoolcraft. The tale of Chuska is also told by
Mrs. Jameson in the naiTative of her visit to
Alackinac in 1835; and in Strickland's "Old Mack-
inaw."
The Mission given up, the school closed, the
teachers and their families gone, the trade and em-
porium character of the village falling away, the
church organization did not long survive. There
was no successor of Mr. Ferry in the pastorate.
Mr. Schoolcraft, as an office bearer in the church,
and always actively interested in its welfare, did all
THE OLD CIIUUCH.
85
tliat alaymim, so fully occupied as he, could do for
its maintenance, often conducting a Sabbath service
and reading a sermon to the people from some good
collection. But so largely losing its families by
removal, and unable under existing conditions to
secure a pastor, the clmrch organization became
extinct. The church building, however, the ''Old
Mission Church" as it is familiarly known to this
day, has survived for sixty years the lapse of the
organization. It is probably the oldest Protestant
Church structure in the whole Northwest. And
while other ancient church buildings have been en-
larged and changed in the course of years; an ex-
tension put on, or a front or a tower added, or other
material alterations made; this one, from end to end,
and in its entire structural form, remains the same
as at the time of its early dedication. It has stood
four square to all the winds that hav^e blown, as
' 'solid as the faith of those who built it, "* unchanged
from its original style audits bare and simple ap-
pearance, with its old weather-vane and its wond-
erfully bright tin-topped belfry — a mute memorial
of a most worthy history of tw^o generations ago.
Despite its disuse and its increasing dilapidation, it
has long been an object of tender interest, and has
been visited by hundreds every season. It is gratify-
ing, therefore, to know that a number of the summer
cottagers and other visitors, joined by some of the
island residents, have purchased the old church,
and repaired and restored it so as to present the
old-time appearance in which it had been known
*Miss Woolson's ■Anne"
86
EARLY MACKINAC.
for well ni^h seventy years.* The gray weather-
worn exterior is pur])osely left unpainted. The
same old "hiijfh-up" pulpit, the plain square pews
with doors on them, the diminutive panes of f?lass
m the windows, tlie quaint old-fashioned j2^allery at
the entrance end — all these features appear as at
the first. The projierty is held in trust for the
purchasers by a board of seven trustees, five of
wliom are to be visitors who own or rent cotta^os,
and two to bo residents of the villa^-e. There is
no ecclesiastical oi-^anization in connection with
the building, nor any denominational color or con-
trol. The motive in the movement has been, first,
to preserve the old sanctuary as a historic relic of
the island and memorial of early mission work; and.
second, to use it as a chapel for union religious
services during the few weeks when summer
tourists crowd the island.
*Repaii'ed and restored in 1S95.
^^
CHAPTER IX.
Our Island in its dimensions is three miles east
and west, and two miles north and south. It has a
crescent shaped harbor, which gives the same out-
line to the village nestling on the rounded beach.
There can be few places so small and circumscribed
that can furnish so many pleasing nnpressions. In
its antiquarian interest, in its unlikeness to tiio out-
side world, in its dim traditions, and in its entranc-
ing charms of natural scenery, there is found every
variety for the eye, the taste and tlie imagination.
While small enough to steam around it in an hour
on the excursion boats, it is j^et large enough to ad-
mit of long secluded walks through its quiet, gentle
woods. In the three score years or more that visi-
tors have been coming here, there have grown up
for it such tributes and terms of admiration as^
Gem of the Straits, Fairy Isle, Tourists' Paradise,
Princess of the Islands, and such like.
Rising almost perpendiculaily out of the water,
one hundred and fifty feet high, with its wliite
stone cliffs and bluffs, and twice that height back
on the ci'est of the hill, and covered with the
densest and greenest foliage, it is an object of
sight for many miles in every direction. Through-
out we find that development and variety of beauty
which nature makes when left to herself. The trees
are the maple, and pine, and birch, and old beeches
with strait and far-reaching branches and with
87
8B
EAUI.Y MACKINAC.
rugged trunks, on which can bo seen initials and
dates running back many ytnirs — tlie mementos of
visitors of long ago. Tlie hardy cedar abounds alx >.
and the evergiHMMi spi'uce, larch and laurel, and
lamarack. Throughout the woods running in
different directions, ai'o winding roads, arched and
shaded by the overhanging tree-tops, as if they
were continuous bowers, and bewitching fool-
paths and trails; the fragrance of the fir and the
balsam is every whei-e, and a buoyancy in ilit*
atmosphere which invites to walking — the avIioIb
tract being safe, always, for even children to
wander in. You come upon patches of the delicate
wild strawberry with its aromatic flavor, the wild
rose, the blue gentian, profuse beds of daisies,
said to be of tlie largest variety in America, tin'
curious ''Indian pipes," luxuriant ferns in daiK'
nooks, forever iudden from the sun, and thickest
coverings of moss on rocks and old tree trunks.
Then always, from every quarter and in every
direction, are to be seen tlie great waters of tiie
lakes, so many "seas of sweet water, " asthey woj'e
described by Cadillac, the early Fi'ench commander
in this region — Huron to the east and Michigan
on the west, with the Mackinac Straits between,
and all so deep, so pure, so beautifully colored;
and whether in the dead calm, when smooth as a
floor, or shimmering and glistening in the sunshine,
or in tlie silvery sheen of the moon at night, oi"
again tossing and billowing in the storm — always
exercising the power of a spell upon the behcjlder.
Ever in sight, too, ai-e the neighboring islands,
standing out in the midst as masses of living green;
CUIIIOSITIES IN STONE.
89
and the li,ij:lit- Ikhisos with their faithful, friendly
niirht work; and tlie young ei1i(\s on the two
mainlands in opposite dire(5tions; and always the
l)ictnresque old fort. Then, scattei-ed over tlie
islands are «^lens, and dells, and springs, and fan-
tastic rock formations, ( "rock-osities" tliey were
s )metiines facetionsly caUed in early days.) Many
of the.se formations are interesting in a geological
point of view as well as for their mai-ked appear-
ance and their legendary associations; and two of
them, Sugar Loaf and AvvA\ Rock, have heon niucii
studied by scientists, and ari? pictured in certain
college text books to illustrate the teachings of
natural science.
On tliC eastern part of the island you come on
certnhi openings which the earlier French t(n'm-
ed Grande Jardins. Schoolcraft says no resident
pretended to know their origin; that they had
evidently becni cleared for tilling purposes at a
very eiu'lv dav, and that in his time tliei-e v»ere
mounds of stones, in a little valley near Arch Rock,
which resembled the Scotch cairns, and which he
suppcjses W'Cre the stones gathered out in the
preparation of these little fields. These openings
continued, at times, to be utilized for planting
purposes to a period within the memory of per.sons
now living on the island. For a long time past,
however, they have been left alone, and nature has
beautifully adorned them with a very luxuriant and
graceful growth of evergreen trees and parteri'es
of juniper in self -arranged grouping and order,
making each such place appear as if laid out and
90
KARLY MACKINAC,
cultivated on the most artistici pkiiis of landscape
gardening.
For summer comfort — that is, for the escape of
heat and the enjoyment of sifted, clean, delicious
air — there can be no i)lace excelling. As an old-
time frecpienter once said of it: '"It nmst be air
that came from Eden an 1 escaped the cnrse. "
The hnmense bodies of Avater in the n<>ckla('e of
lakes thrown about the ishiud become tlie regula-
tor of its temperature. Tlu^ only C()m[)laint that
visitors ever niiike of the climate, is that it is not
quite warm enough, and tliat blanlcets can not b(^
"put away for the summer," but are in niglitly
requisition, and that the "family hearthstone"
claims July and August as part of its Avorkini::
season. Malaria and hay fever ai'e unknown. Dr.
Daniel Drake, of Cinciniuiti, an eminent medical
authority in his day, tlius wrote from the island:
"To one of jtided sensibilities, all around him is re-
freshing. A feeling of security comes over hlni,
and when, from the rocky battlements of Foi't
Mackinac, he looks down upon the surrounding
wastes, they seem a mount of defense against the
host of annoyances from which In^ h;id sought
refuse — the liistoric assochitions, riot less than the
scenery of the island, being well titled to maintaiu
the salutary mental excitement.""
Tlie island has its legends, and folk-lore, and
traditionar}' tales of romance and tragedy. There
is not so much of this, however, as many suppose.
* "Treiitlse oa the Principiil Disouses of North America." p. 318.
''HytfL'iii, too, shaulcl phiee her temple here; for It has oue of the
purest, driest, cleaue.st aud most healthful atmospheres. "—Sc/jooJcra/^
SUGAR LOAF.
91
It is smiiU in area and its scope for scenes, and
tales, and associations is limited. Reference lias
iilready been made to Arch Rock as the gateway of
entrance, in the Indian mind, for their Manitou of
the lakes, when he visited the island, and to Sugar
SUC.AR LOAF-
Loaf as his fancied wigwam, and to other rock
formations which towered above the ground and
were personltied into watching giants. The Devil's
Kitchen, on the soutliwest beach, has also been
mentioned, but as divested of all mystery and as-
•A
92
EARLY MACKINAC.
! 'i
sociation with the dim and early past. Chimnoy
Rock and Fairy Arch are but appropriate names
for interesting natural objects. The lofty, jutting
cliff known as Pontiac's Look-out, is undoubte<l]y
an admirable look-out spot, and is often so used
now, as it probably often was in the days of Indian
strifes when canoes of w^ar jiarties went to and fro
over the waters of the Straits. But Ave can not
vouch for its ever having been Pontiac's watcli-
tower; for although the influence of that chieftain
was felt in these remote parts, his home was near
Detroit, and while we read of his travelling to the
East and the South, and as having had part in the
battle of Brad dock's defeat near Pittsburgh, we
find nothing to show that he had ever been so fai*
north as our island, or at least had ever sojourned
there. Lover's Leap, rising abruptly 145 feel
above the lake, is too good a pinnacle, and too
suitable for such sadly romantic purpose, as far ns
precipitous height and frightful rocks beneath are
concerned, not to have suggested the tale of tlie
too faithful, heart-sore Indian maiden. The stoiv
of Skull Cave has already been told; and allhoii'ili
a pi»>ce of lilstory, as far as the name of Henry tlu>
trader ii'^uresin it, shoukl be justly regarded with
as much interest as if it belonged to myth and
fable. But at the same time, with all tlie moditi
cations which a sober realism may demand, there
is b(^9:otlen in the mind of every one who breathes
the soft and dreamy air, and surrenders himself to
the witchery of the little island, an impression of
the Wierd, and the mystical, and the poetic, however
little defined and embodied it may be. This ini-
pr(
ed
tutl
a SI
I
I
i
ARCH ROCK.
93
pression is increased in the sense of charm impart-
ed by the dim and shadowy past of a noi)le but ini-
tutored race of nature's children in connection witli
a spot of such rare attractiveness, and which, dis-
ARCH ROCK.
similar in formation and character from all the
other land about, seems as though it were separate
from the ordinary seats of life.
Arch Rock has long been celebrated. It ap-
94
EARLY MACKINAC.
pears as if hanging in the air, a) id as a caprice of
nature. It is a part of the precipitous cliff-siclc,
and stands a hundred and forty feet above the
water's edge. It has been accounted for by the
more rapid decomposition of the lower than of the
upper parts of the calcareous stone bank — which
process, however, it used to be thought, was fast
extending to the whole. McKenney in his "Tour
of the Lakes," published in 1827, thus writes:
**This arch is crumbling, and a few years will
deprive the island of Michilimackinac of a curiosity
which it is worth visiting to see, even if this were
the only inducement." The latter remark is most
true but we are glad he was so mistaken in the
first part of his sentence. The arch has survived
the unfortunate prophecy for seventy years, and
bids fair still to hold on. It is true, however, tliat
soma portions may have fallen, and the surface of
the cross- way been redu<'ed, since the days when
boys played on it, and when, according to an early
tradition, a lady rode horse-back over the span.
Sugar Loaf is another curiosity in stone;
conical in shape, like the old-fashioned form in
which hard, w^hite sugar used to be prepared. In-
cluding the plateau out of which it rises, it is two
hundred and eighty- four feet high, erect a:id
rugged, in appearance somewhat between a pyra-
mid of Egypt and an obelisk. Like tlie Arch,
it is a "survival of the fittest" — the softt^r sub-
stance about it being worn away and carried off
in the process of geological changes, and leaving
it solitary among the trees.
Robinson's Folly is the lofty, broad and blunt
ROBINSON S FOLLY.
95
^V
precipitous cliff at the Etist end of the island, one
liundred and twenty -seven feet above the beach.
The origin of the name is uncertain, save that it is
associated in some way with the English Captain
Robinson (Robertson) who belonged to the fort
garrison for seven years, and, as already mentioned,
was its commandant from 1782 to 1787. There are
no less tiian five traditionary stories, or legends, in
explanation of the name. Tliese stories vary from
the prosaic and trifling, to the very romantic and
tragical. A C(mimon account is that he built a
little bower house on the very edge of the cliff
w^hich ho made a place of resort, and revelry may-
hap, in summer days; and that once, either by a
gale of wind or by the crumbling of the outer
lodge of stone, the house foil to the beach bolow.
One version of the legend lias Robinson himself in
the house at the time, and, like a devoted soa
captain "going down with his ship," dashed to
death in the fall. Another is that on one occasion
v.'hon a feast and carousal wore projected on the
< iff, and when the tilings of good cheer w^ore all in
r adiness, and the participants, led by their host,
delaying for a little their arrival, some lurking
Indians, watchful and very hungry, stole a march
on the company and devoured all that was in
sight.
T^e other tales are of a different hue. One is,
that once walking near this spot the Captain
t houglit he saw just before him, and gazing at him,
a beautiful maiden. In attempting gallantly to
approach her, slie kept receding, and walking
backwards as she moved she came dangerously
\.
96
EARLY MACKINAC.
near the edge. Rushing forward to hor rescuo.
the girl proved to be b\it a phantom and dissolved
into thin air, while the impetuous captain Avas
dashed to death on the rocks below. Yet anothec
is of this order: That Captain Robinson had been
one of the garrison force at tlie old fort across tin*
Straits at tiie time of the massacre in 1763, and liad
been saved by an Indian girl who w^as exceedingly
attached to him. After removing to the island,
and bringing a white bride there, the Indian girl
followed him and dwelt in a lodge lie had built for
her on the brow of the great cliff, nursing her
jealous^?^ and revenge. She begged one last inter-
view with him before leaving the place forever.
On the Captain's granting this, and standing beside
her on the edge, she suddenly seized his arm in her
frenzy and leaped off, dragging him with her to
death.
There is one more of this harrowingly tragical
kind, in the attempt to explain the naming, which
had much currency in earlier days, and is given in
tourists' notes of sixty years ago: That Robinson
had married an amiable and attractive Indian girl.
Wintemoyeh, the youngest daughter of Peezhicki,
a great war chief of the Chippewas, and had brought
her to his home at th^ fort. This aroused the
deadly hatred of Peezhicki, who had reserved the
girl for one of the warriors of his tribe. Robinson
celebrated the marriage by giving a banquet feast
i'l his bower on the cliff. The bride was present,
and a company of guests. The father learned of
the feast and concealed himself in the cedar bushes
to shoot the man who had taken his daughter.
poig
•immi
ROBINSON S FOLLY.
97
A faithful sergeant, (the story even gives his name,
MacWhorter,) was present and saw the Indian level
his gun. He sprang up to protect the Captain,
and himself received the shot and fell dead.
Robinson then grappled with the fierce chief, and
in the struggle the two men came dangerously
near the brow. The Indian, with his tomahawk
raised, took a step or two backward to get better
poise for his blow. This brouglit him to the very
edge. A piece of stone gave way and he fell, but
saved himself by catching at the projecting root of
a tree. The girl now seeing her husband safe and
only her father in danger, sprang forward to his
help. He was thus able to raise himself to where
she stood. Then seizing her around the waist, lie
dashed off from the clitf and both perished to-
gethei*.
The first two of these stories concerning the
famous cliff, might very naturally suggest the
name "Folly." But the others smack more of
profound tragedv, spiced with romance. Of course,
Robinson was not in the massacre affair of long
before, across the straits; he being at that time in
army service, under Gen. Bouquet, against the
Indians in Eastern Pennsylvania. That he met
his death on the island by falling over the cliff, or
even in a more normal manner, is a supposition
only, without any evidence. There is reason to
suppose he still "lived to fight another day" after
leaving the Island post. It may be added, too,
that at the period of his Mackinac command he had
already seen over thirty years of service in the
English army, and was no longer in the romance
98
EARLY MACKINAC.
and lively heyday of youth. There must, however,
have been something about a summer bower or
hut, and something about feasting, and something
about a dreadful fall, which illustrated the "folly'"
of establishing a pleasure resort on the very brow
of a dreadful precipice. Viewed together, theso
stories all become interesting as throwing sonnr
light on the origin of myths, and as showing how
traditions, exceedingly variant, may yet have some
of the same threads running through them all.
But I would not philosophize. I simply rehearse
these stories, the trivial and the grave, and leave
them to the imagination and the choice of the
reader.
1
>A
CHAPTER X.
Prom an early day tlie island's charm of
sylvan and water scenery and its delightful sum-
mer air, together with its historical associations
and its flavor of antiquity, gave it a wide-spread
fame. There are but few places anywhere in our
country that are older as tourist resorts. Seventy
and eighty years ago visitors were coming here,
despite the difficulty and tedium in tiiat time, of
reaching so remote a point. Persor.s of high
distinction in public life and in the walks of litera-
ture, and travelers from foreign countries, were
often among the visitors; and oui* island has figur-
ed in many descriptive books of travel. As some
of these authors wrote so appreciatingly of the
island, and as those particular books of long ago
are now out of print and not easily accessible, I
think the readers of this sketch will be i:)loased to
see a few extracts. These writers all speak of
having known the island by reputation in advance
of their coming, and of being drawn by its fame.
In 1843, the Countess Ossoli, better' known as
our American Margaret Fuller, of Boston, spent
nine days in Mackinac, as part of a protracted
journey she made in the northwest, and which slie
detailed in her book, "Summer on the Lakes."
She expressed in advance her pleasurable anticipa-
tion of "the most celebrated beauties of the island
of Mackinac;" and then adds her tribute to "the
99
100
EARLY MACKINAC.
excoediHg boiiiUy of the spot and its position."
She arrived at a time when nearly two thousand
Indians (and "more coming every day") were en-
camixjd on the beach to receive their annual pay-
m(\its from the government. As tlie vessel came
into the harbor "the Captain had some rockets let
off which greatly excited the Indians, and their
wild cries resounded along the shores." The
island was "a scene of ideal loveliness, and these
wild forms adorned it as looking so at home in it."
She represents it as a "pleasing sight, after the
raw, crude, staring assemblage of houses every-
wiiere sure to be met in this country, to see the
(jld French town, mellow in its coloring, and with
the harmonious effect of a slow growth wliich
assimilates naturally with objects around it. " Con-
cerning Arch Rock, slie says: "The arch is per-
fect, whether you look up through it from the
lake, or down through it to the transparent
waters." She both ascended and descended "the
steep and crumbling path, and rested at the sum-
mit beneath the trees, and at the foot upon the cool
mossy stones beside the lapsing wave." Sugar-
Loaf rock struck her as having ' 'the air of a helmet,
as seen from an eminence at the side. The rock
may be ascended by the bold and agile. Half way
up is a niche to which thosa, who are neither, can
climb a ladder. " The woods she describes as
"very full in foliage, and in August showed the
tender green and pliant leaf of June elsewhere."
She gives us a view from the bluffs on the harbor
side: "I never wished to see a more fascinating
jiicture. It was an hour of the deepest serenity;
IP
A SCENE ON THE BEACH.
101
bright bluo and gold with rich shadows. • Every
momnnt the sunlight fell more mellow. The
Indians were grouped and scattered among the
lodges; the women preparing food over the many
small fires; the children, half naked, wild as little
goblins, were playing both in and out of the water;
bark canoes upturned upon the beach, and others
coming, their square sails set and with almost
arrowy speed." And a familiar picture is this:
"Those evenings we were happy, looking over the
old-fashioned garden, over the beach, and the
pretty island opposite, beneath the growing
moon."
A two-volume book, (published anonymously
and giving no clue to its author, except that he
was a practicing physician of New York City),
titled "Life on the Lakes, or a Trip to the Pictur-
ed Rocks," describes a visit to Mackinac in 1835.*
"Though the first glance," he says, "at any looked
for object is most ahvays disappointing, it is not so
when you first see Mackinac." A moonlight view
of the island from the waters, he thus describes:
"The scene was enchanting; the tall white cliif,
the whiter fort, the winding, yet still precipitous
pathway, the village below buried in a deep,
gloomy shade, the little bay where two or three
small, half -rigged sloops lay asleep upon the
water." It reminded him of descriptions he had
read of Spanish scenery, "where the white walls of
some Moorish castle crown the brow of the lofty .
Sierra." In describing his stay on the island he
K
*The author is supposed to have been Dr. Chandler R. Gilman, of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.
p
102
EAUr.Y MAOK'TNAC.
makos interostlnir m(»n1ion of ;i Sunday sorviro he
iittendcd at tlm Old Mission Chui'ch. H<^ reports
Iho building as noat and commodious, thou.urli tho
oong-rofifation was small. TIi(M'(» was no Prolostanl.
cici'fryinan on ilie island, but Mr. Schoolcraft (tlie
ruling oldei* of tli(5 church) conducted tho service
and read from some book a very f^ood sevmcm.
Tho siniiing of the choir was excellent, and was
led by a ser^^'eaut of the fort. The whole appear-
ance of tlH3 congregation, he thought, was veiy
striking; officers and i)i"ivates of the gari'ison, with
the marks of rank of the one class, andtln^ plainer
nniforms of the other, were mingled together in
the body of the church; there were well-dressed
ladies and gentlemen of the village along with
those of simpler attire; and hei'o and thei-e were
Indians wearing blankets, and standing about the
doors weie others of that race in tlieir (ji'dinary
savaire dress.
He mentions in evident astonishment, and as
conveying a hint about the island climate, his
eating cherries and currants in Mi*. Schoolcraft's
garden in the mcmth of September. And as a
piece of harmhvss pleasantry, we may give yet
another of his observations of sixty-two yeai's ago:
"There are moi'e cows in Mackinac than in any
other place of its size in tlie known world, and
ever-^ cow has at least one bell."
English visitors in their tours of observation
through the United States were often drawn
thither — making the long journey to these upper
lakes, and stopping off to see the island of whose
fame they had heard. Captain Marryatt, first an
oi
kil
tol
iiil
i • 1
on
■
ths
th(
in\
find
and
call
M
MINk.
CAPTAIN MARRY ATT.
103
officer of celebrity in tilt » EnL,^lish navy, but more
known ill this country as a novelist largely given
to sea tales, was here in the summer of \K]7. In
liis "Diary of America" he writes of Maclvinac:
"It has the api)earance of a fairy island floating
on the water, which is so pure and transparent
TANGLEWOOD
that you may see down to almost any depth, and
the air above is as pure as the water that you feel
invigorated as you breathe it.* The tii'st reminis-
*Marryatt's uclmlratlon of the transparent waters sutfgests what i
find related of a certain lady of Ion;,' a^ro, that onoe sailing in the harbor
and yazinK with rapt fonduossinto the pellucid depths, she enthusiasti-
cally exclaimed; •Qh, I could Avish to ue drowned in these pure, beauti-
ful waters! "
f
104
EARLV MACKINAC.
cence brought to my mind after I had landed was
the description b}' Walter Scott of the island and
residence of Magnus Troil and his daughters
Minna and Brenda, in the novel, 'The Pirate.'"
The a]ipearance of the village streets, lai-gely given
to sails, cordage, nets, fisli barrels and the like,
still further suggested tlie resemblance to his
mind, and he says he might have imagined himself
'transferred to that Shetland Tsle, had it not been
for the lodges of the Indians on the beach, and the
Indians themselves, either running about or l^^ing
on the porches before the whisky stores. "
Th<M'e were also two lady visitors here from
England, in the days of early Mackinac: Mrs.
Jameson and Miss Harriet Martineau. Both have
high rank and distinction in English literature.
Each of them published her impressions of Mack-
inac after roturning home. In their admiration
and enthusiasm for the island they could not be
surpassed by the most devoted American visitor
who ever touched these shores.
Mrs. Jameson is well known as the Avriter of
such books as, "Sacred and Legendary Art,"
"Legends of the Madonn*'," '•Essa3^s of Art,
Literature and Social Morals." "Memoirs of the
Early Italian Painters," etc. Miss Martineau
was of more vigorous intellect, and her writings
deal more with subjects of political economy and
social i)hilosophy. She it was, too, who translated
and introduced into England the "VN'ritings of the
French philosophcn- Comte. As both these books
which touch on Mackinac, writ,ten over sixty years
MRS. JAMESON.
10a
■t,
lie
\>u
;s
Id
le
Is
i
ago, were descriptive of tra/els, and not of tlie
same general interest which attaches to their other
writings, they are now out of print and have be-
come rare.
Mrs. Jameson's visit was in the summer of
1835. She came up Lake Huron from Detroit by
steamboat, and arrived in tlie harbor at early
dawn. She thus describes hor first view of the
island as she had it from the deck of the vessel:
"We were lying in a tiny bay, crescent-shapod.
On the east the whole sky was flushc^l with a deep
amber glow flecked wltli softest shadows of rose
color, the same sx)lendor reflected in the lake; and
between the glory above and the glory Ijelow stood
the little missionary church, its light spire and
belfry defined against the sky." She sjieaks of the
"abrupt and picturesque heights robed in richest
foliage," and of the "little fortress, snow-white
and gleaming in the morning light;" of an encamp-
ment of Indian wigwams, ("picturesque dormi-
tories," she calls them) up and down the beach on
the edge of the lake which, "transfused and un-
ruffled, reflected every form as in a mirror, * * an
elysian stillness and balmy serenity enwrapping
the whole." And, again, we hear her speaking of
"the exceeding beauty of this little paradise of an
island, the attention which has been excited by its
enchanting scenery, and the salubrity of its sum-
mer climate. "
Mrs. Jameson made quite an extended stay at
Mackinac, the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Schoolcraft,
at their home in the Old Agency — "The house em-
bowered in foliage, tlie ground laid out in gardens,
I
; ]
■ >
106
EARLY MACKINAC.
the gate opening on the very edge of the lake."
She pictures Mrs. Schoolcraft with "features
decidedly Indian, accent sHghtly foreign, a soft,
plaintive voice, her language pure and remarkably
elegant, refined, womanly and unaffectedly pious."
ONE O'r THE DRIVES-
She saw the island throughout, taking tramps over
it and "delicious drives," and writes of it as "won-
derfully oeautiful — a perpetual succession of low,
rich groves, alleys, green dingles and bosky
dales." After her glowing description, she sums
up by saying, "It is a bijou of an island. A little
i'/.'ffi-sriTiiar**,
,
MISS MARTINEAU.
107
bit of fairy f^round, just snch a 1hin^ as some of
our amateur travelers "vvonld like to pocket and
run away Avith (if they could) and set down in the
midst of Iheir fish ponds; skull-cave, wl^jfwams,
Indians and all."
Miss Martineau spent two years in this coun-
try, traveling extensively through the States and
writing her impr(\ssions. She published t^^o
boo!\S as the outcome of this journeying, ''Society
in America." and afterwards, Ikm* ''Retrospect of
Western Travelinii*. " It was in Jul v. 18.'](), that
she visited Mackinac, and it is in the first named of
these two book's that she tells of it. She came by
way of Lake Michigan, from Chicago, traveling in
a slow-going sail-vessel, and ajij^roached the island
in the evening towards sun-setting time. As did
Mrs. Jameson, so Miss Martineau first jVictures it
as view^ed from the vessel: "We saw a white sjieck
before us; it was tlie barracks of Mackinaw,
stretching akmg the side of its green hills, and
ck\arly visible before the town came into view.
The island looked enchanting as we approa/'hcd,
as I think it always must, though we had the ad-
vantage of seeing it lii'st steeped in the most
golden sunshine Ihat ever hallowed lake or
shore. "
The day of her arrival w^as the 4th of July,
and, "The colors were up on all the little vessels
in the harbor. The national flag sti-eanied from
the garrison. The soldi<^rs thronged the walk's of
Ihe bai-racks; half-bref^l boys w^n'e paddling al)out
in their caiKxvs, in the transparent waters; tlie lialf-
French, half- Indian population of the i)lace were
108
EARLY MACKINAC.
all iibroad in their bust. An Indian lodge was on
the sliore, and a picturesque dark group stood be-
side it. Tlie cows were coming down the steep
green slope to the milking. Nothing could be
more bright and joyous."
Describing the appearance of the village, she
took note of some of the old French houses,
"dasky and roofed with bark. The better houses
stand on the first of the three terraces which are
distinctly marked. Behind them are swelling
gn^en knolls; before them gardens sloping down to
the narrow slip of white beach, so that the grass
seems to grow almost into the clear rippling
waves. There were two small piers with little
barks alongside, and piles of wood for the steam-
boats. Some way to the right stood the quad-
rangle of missionary buildings, and the white
missionary church. Still further to the right was
a shrubby precipice down to the lake; and beyond,
the blue waters."
She did not leave the vessel that evening, but
some of the party having met the commandant of
11) e fort, an engagement was made for an early
walk in the morning. So they were up and ashore
at five o'clock, and under the escort of the ofiicer
they took in the beauties of the hill and the woods.
And thus she tells us of it: "No words can give
an idea of the charms of this morning walk. We
wound about in a vast shrubbery, with ripe straw-
bei'ries under foot, wild flowers all around, and
scattered knolls and opening vistas tempting curi-
osity in every direction." Coming suddenly on
Arch Rock, which she calls the "Natural Bridge of
.
MISS MARTINEAU.
109
Mackinaw," she is "almost struck backwards" by
the grandeur — "tlie horizon line of the lake falling
behind the bridge, and tlie blue expanse of waters
filling the entire arch; shrubbery tufting tiie sides
and dangling from the bridge, the soft, rich hues
in which the whole was dressed seeming boiTowed
from the autumn sky."
f3ut especially charming and impressive, slie
tliought, was the prospect from Pc^rt Hohn«\s. As
she looked out on the glossy lake and tlie green
tufted islands, she compares it to wliat Noah
might have seen the first bright morning aftci- the
deluge. "Such a cluster of little paradises rising
out of such a congregation of waters. Blue waters
in i)vei'y direction, wholly unlilve any aspect of the
sea, cloud sliadows and specks of w^hite vessels.
Bowery islands rise out of it; bowery promontories
stretch down into it; w^hile at one's feet lies the
melting beauty which one almost fears will vanish
in its softness before one's eyes; the beauty of the
shadowy dells and sunny mounds, with browsing
cattle and springing fruit and flowers. Thus, would
I fain think, did the world emerge from the flood.''
After their early walk, Miss Martineau and her
party took breakfast with the courteous com man -
tlant at one of the old stone quarters of the fort,
and sat a while on the piazza overlooking the
village and the harbor. In response to her in-
quiries about the healthfulness and the climate,
the officer humorously replied that it was so
healthy people had to get olf the island to die; and
that as to the climate, they had nine months winter
and three months cool weather.
110
EARLY MACKINAC.
TliG sailing vessel on whicli the party were
passengers w;is bound iov Detroit, and the Captain
had already overstayed his time. So they had to
leave that same day. In ref(M'ence i< her departure
she wi'ites: "W(» were in great delight at having
seen Mackinaw, at having the possession of its
singular imagery for life. But this delight was
daslied with the sorrow of leaving it. I could not
have believed how deeply it is possible to regret a
place, after so brief an acquaintance with it."
And then she tells how she did, just what thous-
ands since have done, who after visiting the island
have regretfully sail(*d away from it: "We watch-
ed the island as we rapidly receded. Its flag first
vanished; then its green terraces and slopes,
its white barracks, and dark promontories faded,
till the whole disappeared behind a headland an 1
light-house of the Michigan shore. "
We close Miss Martineau's tribute with this
comprehensive note of admiration: "From place
to jolace in my previous traveling, I had been told
of the charms of the lakes, and esi)ecially of the
Island of Mackinaw. This islaud is chiefly known
as a i)rincipal station of the great Northwestern
Pur Company. Others know it as the seat of an
Indian Mission. Others, again, as a frontier gar-
rison. It is known to me as the wildest and tend-
erjest piece of beauty that I have yet seen on God's
earth."
_jg
THE END.
Ill
Captiiin Marryatt, Avho liad read this descrip-
tion before his visit to the island (already referred
to) said, wli(^n writing his own impressions, "Miss
Martlnean lias not been too lavish in her i)raises of
Mackinaw." These testimonies by pers(ms of wide
travel, and of cultivated taste and power of obser-
vation, and visitors as they were from another
land, come down to us very pleasantly from sixty
}'
rears ago.
T know iin isle, an emerald set in pearl,
Mounting the chain of topaz, amethyst,
That forms tlio circle of our summer seas —
Tlic fairest that our western sun hath kissed.
For all things lovely lend her loveliness;
The waves reach forth white fingers to caress.
The four winds, murmuringly meet to woo
And cloudless skies bend in blue tenderness.
The classic nymphs still haunt her grassy pools;
Her woods, in green, the Norseland elves have draped.
And fairies, from all lands, or far or near.
Her airy cliffs, and carving shores, have shaped.
Of old, strange suitors came in quest of hor.
Some in the pride of conquest, some for pelf;
Priests in their piety, red men for revenge —
All seek her now, alone, for her fair self.
David If, Riddle.