After spending two days at Detroit, I took the stage for the mouth of
St. Joseph river, on lake Michigan--fare $9,50. The old road leads down
the river, five or six miles, and then inclines to the right into the
interior. The first forty miles is a level, heavily timbered country;
a deep, clayey soil, and a most execrable road. Sometimes the coach
became fast stuck in the deep sloughs; and we had to get out the best
way we could, and help dig it out. At others, we found logs laid across
the road for some distance, and the coach jolted so violently over
them, that it was impossible to keep our seat. We started early in the
morning from Detroit, and at ten miles stopped at a decent hotel to
breakfast. It was a framed house, and of sufficient size for a common
country tavern.
In this day's travel, we found some good dwellings, and one brick
hotel. Late at night, "wearied and worn," we arrived at Ann Arbor, a
flourishing little village on Huron river, which empties into the head
of lake Erie, and is a large clear mill stream. The tavern house is
a large, three story building, finished and painted. A long block of
buildings for stores, a number of mills on the stream, and a few other
buildings, complete the village.
In the morning we crossed the river, on a very good bridge, and half a
mile further, entered the upper village of Ann Arbor, much larger than
the lower one; having two taverns, a number of stores, dwelling houses,
and a court house. It is the seat of justice for Washtenaw county. Ten
miles below this, on the Huron river, is situated Upsilanti, a pleasant
village. The turnpike road from Detroit to Chicago passes through it;
on which a stage runs, carrying the U.S. mail.
Soon after leaving this village, we came to the "oak openings." There
are three kinds of land in the western country--prairie land, entirely
destitute of timber, and covered with grass; oak openings, land
thinly covered with timber, like a northern apple orchard; and the
timber land, having a dense forest of trees. All these diversities
of appearance, we found from Detroit to the mouth of the St. Joseph;
although the bur and white oak openings seemed to predominate.
Michigan is a level country; there are no mountains in it. It is gently
undulating, for the most part; sometimes, too level and wet. It is
abundantly watered and timbered, and a great deal of excellent timber.
I wish I could say as much of the quality of the water. The rivers,
little lakes, (and there are many of them,) streams, springs, and
wells, contain clear, pellucid, transparent water. It is indeed, too
clear to be agreeable to the eye; but it is all impregnated with lime,
or iron, or copperas, or something disagreeable to the taste; and is
in many places, very unhealthy. I do believe there is not a drop of
pure, soft water, in all Michigan. I saw none and could hear of none;
and I made much inquiry, examined every river, lake, or spring, that I
passed, and the result was, I found no pure water that would wash with
soap, or was pleasant to the palate.
It contains much good land, many pleasant villages, fine situations,
and is settling fast; but I cannot say that it is, generally, healthy.
It is probable, earth does not afford more rich and beautiful prairies
than are found on the route from Monroe to Michigan city. And
there are fine cultivated farms, mills and villages, and scattered
settlements, all along the southern part of the territory. But I did
not find the ruddy face and vigorous step of the East. The meagre and
pale visage, and shaking frame, spoke a language not to be mistaken.
We passed Jackson, the seat of justice for Jackson county, near Grand
river, and Marshall, the seat of justice for Calhoun county, on the
bank of the Kalamazoo river, both flourishing villages. In this section
of the country, mill seats are plenty, and there is an abundant supply
of timber.
At the outlet of Gull lake, I saw a well built mill, on as fine a
privilege as any one could desire. At the lake, there was a dam, which
raised the water four or five feet, and made an abundant supply in the
driest season--and fifty rods below where the mill was erected, there
was a good fall of water.
Soon after leaving this mill, we came to Gull prairie. This was
the first prairie of much extent that I had seen; and its elegant
appearance afforded me not a little pleasure. On this prairie there is
a small village, and a beautiful prospect around it.
The roads had become so bad, that we left the stage coach, after two
day's ride, and took a wagon, without any spring seats; and I found it
so fatiguing to ride, that I often preferred walking. When we arrived
at this little village, it was late in the evening, but we had still
twelve miles to go that night.
It was past midnight when we crossed the Kalamazoo river, at the rope
ferry, and entered the town of Bronson. This is the seat of justice,
or as the term is here, county seat, for Kalamazoo county. The land
office, for the southern part of the territory, is also kept here. We
found a large tavern house and good accommodations, a pleasant village,
and pleasant people.
Our route now lay through an undulating, open country for twenty miles,
when we came to a house and mill on Pawpaw river where we "ate our
breakfast for our dinner." We now crossed the stream, and travelled a
new road, generally through timbered land, passed seven or eight small
lakes, for twenty-eight miles before we came to a house.
Here, we found two log houses adjoining each other. It had now become
night, and at this place we were to stay till the next day. I went in,
and asked the woman, if she could get us something to eat. She said,
if we would accept of such fare as she had, she would try. When we
went in to supper, I never was more agreeably surprised in my life. We
found a table neatly set; and upon it, venison steaks, good warm wheat
bread, good butter, wild honey in the white comb, and a good cup of
tea--better fare than we had found in Michigan, and as good as could be
obtained anywhere. Our accommodations at this log house in the woods,
show what people may do if they choose. And I wish some tavern keepers
of our large towns, might happen to call there, and learn a lesson
which they seem too much disinclined to learn at home. Our bill was so
moderate, we added a dollar to it, and hardly thought we had fully paid
our hostess then.
Twelve miles further, brought us to the river St. Joseph, about a mile
above where it empties into the lake. The river here is thirty rods
wide. We crossed it in a ferry boat, and after ascending a high bluff,
we came in full view of lake Michigan and the St. Joseph village.
This village is pleasantly situated on a high bluff, on the south
side of the river, and facing the lake; and contains sixty or seventy
houses, two taverns, some half dozen stores, two large warehouses, and
a light house. One tavern, the stores, and a few dwelling houses, are
built underneath the bluff, on the bank of the river. A steamboat plies
between this place and Niles, fifty miles up the river, as it runs,
but only twenty-five miles by land. Just above the village, is a steam
saw mill, which does a good deal of business. This place carries on
considerable trade with the interior; the staple of which is wheat.
St. Joseph is very unhealthy. At the tavern, I found three persons
sick, and one dangerously so. I called upon the doctor, and he was sick
abed; I called upon the baker, and he was sick abed--and I passed by
another house, where the whole family, consisting of a man, his wife,
and five children, were all sick abed, and so completely helpless,
that the neighbors had to take care of them! This is no fiction. The
man's name is Emerson; from the State of New-York. Last spring he came
on to this part of the country with his family and goods in a wagon.
And when he came to Pawpaw river, where we breakfasted, he found no
road direct to St. Joseph. He accordingly cut out the road that we
had travelled to this place, and was the first who came through with
a wagon, a distance of about fifty miles. Soon after his arrival, his
eldest son, a promising youth of fifteen, accidentally was drowned in
the river. The family, one by one, were taken sick; and now, all were
sick and helpless. The man possessed great vigor of mind and body;
had bought him a farm at some distance from the village on the road
he had made, and commenced some improvements, and made great efforts
to persevere and clear it up. But who can withstand the iron grasp of
disease, or the "bold demands of death!" He beheld his family wasting
away and to all appearance, hastening to the grave; and himself, as
sick and helpless as they. A sad catastrophe this, in his prospect of
wealth and bliss in the new world!
A schooner, called the Philip, plies regularly between this, and
Chicago across the lake; but I had to wait here three days before its
return. I spent the time in traversing the woods and the lake shore.
This lake is a clear, beautiful sheet of water, having a soft sandy
shore, and surrounded by high sandy hills. The river makes a good
harbor, but there is a sand bar at its mouth, on which there is not
more than five or six feet of water. The average width of the lake is
sixty miles.
The distance from Detroit to St. Joseph is two hundred miles, and we
had been five days and a half in travelling it. The road was as good
as could be expected in a country so new, and so thinly inhabited.
The land generally is good, and will support a dense population. The
southern part of the territory is thought to contain the best land, and
there are indeed some beautiful prairies. Prairie Round is among the
most beautiful. It contains a number of thousand acres of high, level,
and smooth land; and in the centre there are a hundred acres of higher
land, covered with a beautiful growth of trees.
The best part of Indiana is on the border of Michigan, and extending
south, on the Wabash river. The southern part of the State contains a
good deal of hilly, rocky and sandy land, unfit for cultivation.
A territorial road has been laid out from Detroit to St. Joseph; and
a survey of a railroad has been made, nearly on the line of the road,
between the two places; but some time will elapse, before either are
completed.
Wild game is plenty; deer, ducks, bears, wolves and squirrels are in
sufficient quantity to keep the hunter awake.
Upon the whole, if good water and good health could be found, Michigan
would be a very desirable country in which to reside.
As soon as the vessel was ready to depart, I took passage in her. We
sailed round the south end of the lake, and stopped at Michigan city,
a village of twenty or thirty houses, and twelve stores, situated on
the corner of Indiana, among the sand hills of the lake. A small stream
here empties into the lake but affords no harbor for vessels. Some
enterprising citizens have determined to make it a large town; but
nature does not seem much to have seconded their efforts. It is forty
miles from St. Joseph, and just the same distance from Chicago. The
stage road, from Michigan city to Chicago, is, most of the way, on the
sandy beach.