Our mails came every two weeks. Our mail carrier was William Davenport
of Mackinac Island, his route being from the Island to Traverse City,
calling at Old Mission and Elk Rapids. Davenport had four large hound
dogs. His sled was made of thin boards steamed and bent at one end, with
many little ribs or cleats across to give it strength. It glided along
on top of the snow and would hold heavy loads. It was called a train.
The winter was extremely cold, with deep snow and heavy ice. The mail
carrier always stopped with us over night each way, going south and
coming north, our people knowing his parents so well he always felt at
home with us. It was always a pleasure seeing the mail carrier coming
with his dogs and great pouches full of mail. The tinkling of the bells
around the dogs' necks always made us drop our work to see them coming
on a fast trot, for the dogs enjoyed being noticed and petted. Always a
crowd gathered around William to hear the news from the outside. He
always trimmed the harness up with gay colored ribbons before coming to
the village. How we children loved to watch those great dogs run and
play when taken out of the harness, rolling over each other in the deep
snow. Father made them a warm place to sleep in the woodshed. Davenport
always had various little packages for the whole village. He was
obliging and good natured. All of northern Michigan in those days had
very few white settlers. Only just now and then a white family. Indians
were everywhere. In the summer season their bark canoes could be seen
coming and going in all directions. The smoke from their wigwams was
seen rising along the lake shore where they fished and made gardens. In
winter they usually went further inland to hunt.