Michigan historical collections. [Vol. 17]

342

ANNUAL MEETING, 1890.

name into Keweenaw bay, thence up that beautiful sheet of water to
the Catholic mission. Here we hauled our canoe out and hid her in
the bush. Shouldering our packs we took to the woods. It was now
about sundown but we followed an old trail through the pines and
we hoped that the full moon would help us to find our way. We
marched slowly and with some difficulty, keeping the trail in the
obscure light, but about midnight we reached a clearing with two log
houses reposing in the moonlight. A deep hush and stillness brooded
over the place. Except ourselves there was not a living soul near.
The place was utterly deserted. Finding the door of the principal
house locked we pried open a window and burglariously obtained
entrance. We found a large room swept and garnished, with a good
cook stove, table, chairs and a nice wide bed neatly made up and ready
for occupancy. We found candles, struck a light, built a fire in the
stove and proceeded to cook supper, ample material for which we found
in the store room. We enjoyed our supper thoroughly and went to
bed with no compunction as to our burglarious proceedings.
This we set down as an abandoned location. We found that considerable mining for copper had been done here. A trap knob, standing out in an otherwise level country was the foundation of the mine.
Of course it was a mistake. A little geological knowledge would
have prevented the undertaking at first. This knob was far removed
from the mineral range. But at that early day miners groped much in
the dark. Much money was expended uselessly from want of knowledge and experience.
This property had evidently been recently abandoned without the
removal of furniture, tools and supplies. It was left to rot or be
stolen as the case might be. Many another mining enterprise has
shared a similar fate since that day.
After carefully washing the dishes and closing the window, we
resumed our march. We traveled all ýay leisurely, through a pleasant
wooded country enjoying the perfect October day. The fallen leaves
formed a soft footing for our moccasins. But we paid the penalty of
our dilatoriousness; at night we brought up in the inevitable cedar
swamp, failing to reach our destination, the Douglass mine. We lay
down by our fire, but about midnight, the north wind began to sigh
in the trees and the snow to fall. In the morning we were covered
deeply with the "beautiful" but we shook it off and started on. We
reached the mine within ten minutes-all night so near and yet so far.
We tarried two days at the mine and at daylight of the third day
we began our return march. There was no time to loose; winter was