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diff --git a/41925.txt b/41925.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1f4773a..0000000 --- a/41925.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3981 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pioneer Woodsman as He is Related to -Lumbering in the Northwest, by George Henry Warren - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Pioneer Woodsman as He is Related to Lumbering in the Northwest - -Author: George Henry Warren - -Release Date: January 26, 2013 [EBook #41925] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PIONEER WOODSMAN IN THE NORTHWEST *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Moti Ben-Ari and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: To Doctor & Mrs. M. G. Slutter with cordial greetings of -the author, Geo. H. Warren -Minneapolis, Aug. 19, 1919] - - - - -[Illustration: Geo. H. Warren] - - - - - THE - PIONEER WOODSMAN - AS HE IS RELATED TO - LUMBERING IN THE - NORTHWEST - - _By_ - - GEORGE HENRY WARREN - - MINNEAPOLIS - PRESS OF HAHN & HARMON COMPANY - 1914 - - - - - Copyright 1914 - By George Henry Warren - - - - - I DEDICATE - THIS BOOK TO THE MEMORY OF - WILLIAM S. PATRICK, - GUIDING FRIEND AND HELPFUL COUNSELOR - OF MY EARLIER MANHOOD YEARS. - - - - -Foreword. - - -The aim will be to take the reader along on the journey of the pioneer -woodsman, from comfortable hearthstone, from family, friends, books, -magazines, and daily papers, and to disappear with him from all -evidences of civilization and from all human companionship save, -ordinarily, that of one helper who not infrequently is an Indian, and to -live for weeks at a time in the unbroken forest, seldom sleeping more -than a single night in one place. - -The woodsman and his one companion must carry cooking utensils, axes, -raw provisions of flour, meat, beans, coffee, sugar, rice, pepper, and -salt; maps, plats, books for field notes; the simplest and lightest -possible equipment of surveying implements; and, lastly, tent and -blankets for shelter and covering at night to protect them from storm -and cold. - -Incidents of the daily life of these two voluntary reclusionists, as -they occurred to the author, and some of the results obtained, will be -told to the reader in the pages which are to follow. - - - - -Table of Contents. - - - Chapter Page - - I. Sowing the Germ That I Knew Not. 13 - II. Preparations for the Wilds of Wisconsin. 15 - III. Entering the Wilds of Wisconsin. 18 - IV. Surveying and Selecting Government Timber Lands. 22 - V. Gaining Experience--Getting Wet. 28 - VI. A Birthday Supper. 33 - VII. A New Contract--Obstacles. 40 - VIII. A Few Experiences in the New and More Prosperous Field. 47 - IX. Tracing Gentlemen Timber Thieves--Getting Wet--Fawn. 56 - X. Does It Pay to Rest on Sunday? 63 - XI. Indian Traits--Dog Team. 69 - XII. Wolves--Log Riding. 73 - XIII. Entering Minnesota, the New Field. 77 - XIV. An Evening Guest--Not Mother's Bread. 94 - XV. A Hurried Round Trip to Minneapolis--Many Incidents. 101 - XVI. The Entire Party Moves to Swan River. 117 - XVII. Methods of Acquiring Government Land--An Abandoned Squaw. 125 - XVIII. United States Land Sale at Duluth--Joe LaGarde. 129 - XIX. Six Hundred Miles in a Birch Canoe. 135 - XX. Effect of Discovery of Iron Ore on Timber Industry. 142 - XXI. Forest Fires. 159 - XXII. White Pine--What of Our Future Supply? 174 - XXIII. Retrospect--Meed of Praise. 178 - - - - -Illustrations. - - - George H. Warren. _Frontispiece_ - Facing Page - W. S. Patrick. 16 - The "V" shaped baker is a valuable part of the cook's outfit 22 - "The almost saucy, yet sociable red squirrel". 28 - "I found several families of Indians camping at the end of - the portage." 34 - "In the Vermilion country, dog trains could sometimes be - advantageously used." 40 - S. D. Patrick. 44 - "There were many waterfalls". 52 - "We succeeded in crossing Burnt Side Lake". 58 - "We started out with two birch canoes". 64 - "The party subsisted well, until it arrived at Ely". 70 - "My three companions and I ... had gone to survey and - estimate a tract of pine timber." 74 - The journey had to be made with the use of toboggans. 82 - "Our camp was established on the shores of Kekekabic Lake". 88 - "The memorable fire ... which swept Hinckley". 94 - "The fire ... destroyed millions of dollars worth of - standing pine timber". 102 - This illustration kindly loaned by - Department of Forestry, State of Minnesota. - "One of the horses balked frequently". 106 - "Our camp was made in a fine grove of pig-iron Norway". 112 - "These little animals were numerous". 118 - "We saw racks in Minnesota made by the Indians". 122 - "The roots of the lilies are much relished as a food - by the moose." 130 - "We have seen the moose standing out in the bays - of the lakes." 136 - "White Pine--What of Our Future Supply?" 142 - "He motors over the fairly good roads of the - northern frontier." 148 - "Friends whom he had known in the city who are ready - to welcome him." 154 - "He camps by the roadside on the shore of a lake". 160 - The midday luncheon is welcomed by the automobile tourists. 166 - "Here he brings his family and friends to fish". 172 - "Prepare their fish just caught for the meal, by the - open camp fire." 178 - "He continues his journey ... to the very source of the - Mississippi River". 182 - - - - - THE PIONEER WOODSMAN AS HE IS - RELATED TO LUMBERING IN - THE NORTHWEST. - _By_ GEORGE HENRY WARREN - - -CHAPTER I. - -Sowing the Germ That I Knew Not. - -"This superficial tale is but a preface of her worthy praise." - - -Early environment sometimes paints colors on the canvas of one's later -life. - -Fifty years ago in western New York, there were thousands of acres of -valuable timber. The country was well watered, and, on some of the -streams, mills and factories had sprung into existence. On one of these -were three sawmills of one upright saw each, and all did custom sawing. - -My father was a manufacturer, especially of carriages, wagons, and -sleighs. There were no factories then engaged in making spokes, felloes, -whiffletrees, bent carriage poles, thills or shafts, and bent runners -for cutters and sleighs. These all had to be made at the shop where the -cutter, wagon, or carriage was being built. Consequently the -manufacturer was obliged to provide himself with seasoned planks and -boards of the various kinds of wood that entered into the construction -of each vehicle. Trips were made to the woods to examine trees of birch, -maple, oak, ash, beech, hickory, rock elm, butternut, basswood, -whitewood, and sometimes hemlock and pine. The timber desired having -been selected, the trees were converted into logs which in turn were -taken to the custom mill and sawed into such dimensions required, as far -as was possible at that period to have done at these rather primitive -sawmills. Beyond this the resawing was done at the shop. - -Thus, almost unconsciously, at an early age, by reason of the assistance -rendered to my father in selecting and securing this manufactured lumber -from the tree in the forest to the sawed product of the mill, I became -familiar with the names and the textures of many kinds of woods, the -knowledge of which stood me in good turn in later years. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -Preparations for the Wilds of Wisconsin. - - -In the city of Detroit, early in June, 1871, was gathered a group of -four veteran woodsmen of the lumbermen's craft, and two raw recruits, -one, a student fresh from his father's law office in Bay City, and the -other, myself, whose frontier experiences were yet to be gained. - -A contract, by William S. Patrick of Bay City, the principal of this -group, had been made with Henry W. Sage, of Brooklyn, New York, to -select and to secure by purchase from the United States and from the -state of Wisconsin, valuable pine lands believed to be located in the -wilds of northern Wisconsin. Tents, blankets, axes, extra clothing, -cooking utensils, compasses, and other surveying implements were -ordered, and soon the party was ready for the start. - -At that time no passable roads penetrated the northern woods of -Wisconsin from the south. The country to be examined for available pine -lands at the commencement of our work was tributary to the head waters -of the Flambeau River. To reach this point in the forest it was thought -best to enter the woods from the south shore of Lake Superior. Also, the -United States land office controlling a part of this territory, was -located at Bayfield, Wisconsin, and at that office must be selected such -township plats as would be needed in the examining of lands in that -portion of the Bayfield Land District. - -The quickest line of transit at that date was by railroad to Chicago, -and thence to St. Paul over the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, -crossing the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to -McGregor, Iowa, and thence north to St. Paul. There was no other -railroad then completed from Chicago to St. Paul. The only railroad from -St. Paul to Lake Superior was the St. Paul and Duluth. From Duluth, -passage was taken by steamer to Bayfield. Township plats were here -obtained from the government land office. Provisions of pork, flour, -beans, coffee, rice, sugar, baking powder, dried apples, pepper and -salt, tobacco, etc., for one month's living in the woods for nine men, -were bought and put into cloth sacks. Our original number of six men was -here augmented by three half-breed Indians of the Bad River Indian -Reservation, who were hired as packers and guides over a trail to be -followed to the Flambeau Indian Reservation. A Lake Superior fisherman -was then engaged to take the party and its outfit in his sailing boat -from Bayfield to the mouth of Montreal River, which is the boundary -between Wisconsin and Michigan. The distance was about thirty-five -miles. - -[Illustration: W. S. Patrick] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -Entering the Wilds of Wisconsin. - - -The party disembarked at a sand beach, but the sailboat drew too much -water to permit a close landing. Here it was that the two tenderfeet got -their first experience with Lake Superior's cold water, since all were -obliged to climb or jump overboard into three feet of the almost icy -water, and to carry on heads and shoulders portions of the luggage to -the dry land. Here was to begin the first night of my camp life. Dry -wood was sought, and camp fires were kindled to be used, first, to dry -the wet clothing, and second, to cook the food for the first out-of-door -supper. - -To avoid mosquitoes, orders were given to prepare beds for the night on -the sand beach away from the friendly tall trees that stood near by. One -mattress served for the whole party and consisted of as level a strip of -the sandy shore as could be selected. Promise of fair weather rendered -unnecessary the raising of tents which were made to serve as so much -thickness to keep the body from contact with the sand. - -That night the stars shone brightly above the sleepers' faces, the -waters of Superior broke gently along the beach, and the tall pines lent -their first lullaby to willingly listening ears. - - "The waves have a story to tell me, - As I lie on the lonely beach; - Chanting aloft in the pine-tops, - The wind has a lesson to teach; - But the stars sing an anthem of glory - I cannot put into speech. - - They sing of the Mighty Master, - Of the loom His fingers span, - Where a star or a soul is a part of the whole, - And weft in the wondrous plan." - -The next morning broke bright and clear, and the sun sent a sheen upon -the dimpled waters of old Superior that gave us a touch of regret at the -parting of the ways; for the members, one by one, after a well relished -breakfast, shouldered their packs and fell into single file behind the -Indian guide who led the way to the trail through the woods, forty miles -long, to the Flambeau Reservation. - -Two days and the morning of the third brought the party, footsore in new -boots and eaten by mosquitoes, to the end of the trail. Now, lakes must -be crossed, and the Flambeau River navigated for many days. In the -Indian village were many wigwams, occupied by the usually large -families of two or three generations of bucks, squaws, children, from -the eldest down to the liquid-nosed papoose, and their numerous dogs -that never fail to announce the approach of "kitchimokoman," the white -man. - -Some of the old men were building birch canoes, and many birch crafts of -different ages and of previous service were to be seen in the camp. From -among them, enough were bought to carry all of the men of the party and -their outfits. The last canoe bought was a three-man canoe, which leaked -and must be "pitched" before it could be used. - -At this point let it be explained that every woodsman, trapper, pioneer, -settler, or camper who depends upon a birch canoe for navigation should, -and generally does, provide himself with a quantity of commercial resin -and a fireproof dish in which to melt it. The resin is then tempered by -adding just enough grease to prevent the mixture, when applied to the -dry surface of a leaky spot on the canoe, and cooled in the water of the -lake or river at the time of using, from cracking by reason of too great -hardness. The surface must be dry or the "pitch" will not adhere firmly -to the leaky seam or knot in the bark of the canoe. The drying is -quickly done by holding a live ember or firebrand close to the surface -of the wet bark. - -Mr. Patrick had bought the canoes from different owners and had paid for -them all except the leaky three-man canoe. It was the property of a fat -squaw of uncertain age. The price agreed upon for this canoe was twenty -dollars. Mr. Patrick and the squaw were standing on opposite sides of -the canoe as Mr. Patrick took from his pocket a twenty dollar bill to -hand her in payment. Just then he discovered that the pan of pitch -(resin), which had been previously placed over the live coals, was on -fire. He placed the twenty dollar bill on the canoe in front of the -squaw, and quickly ran to extinguish the fire in the burning pitch. When -he returned to the canoe, the bill had disappeared, and the wise old -squaw claimed to know nothing of its whereabouts. A second twenty dollar -bill was produced and handed to the squaw, when Mr. Patrick became the -owner of a forty dollar birch canoe. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -Surveying and Selecting Government Timber Lands. - - -Our party of land surveyors, or "land lookers" as they were often -called, being thus supplied with water transports, proceeded in their -canoes a short distance down the Flambeau River, where the work of -selecting government or state lands timbered with pine trees was to -begin. - -The questions have been so often asked, "How do you know where you are -when in the dense forest away from all roads and trails, and many miles -from any human habitation?", "How can you tell one tract of land from -another tract?", and "How can you tell what land belongs to the United -States and what to the State?", that it seems desirable to try to make -these points clear to the reader. - -[Illustration: The "V" shaped baker is a valuable part of the cook's -outfit. (Page 36.)] - -The Continental Congress, through its committee appointed expressly for -the work, inaugurated the present system of survey of the public lands -in 1784. For the purposes of this explanation it will be sufficient to -recite that the system consists of parallel lines six miles apart -running north and south, designated as "range lines"; also of other -parallel lines, six miles apart running east and west, designated as -"township lines". Any six miles square bounded by four of these lines -constitutes a "township". The territory within these two range lines and -two township lines is subdivided into "sections", each one mile square, -by running five parallel lines north and south across the township, each -one mile from its nearest parallel line, and, in like manner, by running -five other parallel lines east and west across the township from the -east range line to the west range line, each line one mile from its -nearest parallel line. In this manner, the township is subdivided into -thirty-six sections each one mile square. The four township corners are -marked by posts, squared at the upper end, and marked on the four sides -by the proper letters and figures cut into the four flat faces by -"marking irons", each flat surface facing the township for which it is -marked. - -In addition, one tree in each of the four township corners is blazed (a -smooth surface exposed by chopping through the bark into the wood) on -the side of the tree facing the stake, and the same letters and figures -as are on the nearest face of the stake are marked thereon. These -letters and figures give the number of the township, range and section -touching that corner. On another blaze below the first, and near the -ground, are marked the letters "B T", meaning "bearing tree". - -The surveyor writes in his field book the kind and diameter of tree, the -distance and direction of each bearing tree from the corner post, and -these notes of the surveyor are recorded in the United States land -office at Washington. - -Even if the stake and three of the bearing trees should be destroyed, so -that but one tree be left, with a copy of the notes, one could relocate -the township corner. - -The section corners within the township are marked in a similar manner. - -Midway between adjacent section corners is located a "quarter corner", -on the line between the two adjacent sections. This is marked by a post -blazed flat on opposite sides and marked "1/4 S". There are also two -"witness trees" or bearing trees marked "1/4 S". - -By running straight lines through a section, east and west and north and -south, connecting the quarter corners, the section of six hundred and -forty acres may be divided into four quarter sections of one hundred and -sixty acres each. These may in turn be divided into four similar shaped -quarters of forty acres each called "forties", which constitute the -smallest regular government subdivisions, except fractional acreages -caused by lakes and rivers which may cut out part of what might -otherwise have been a forty. In such cases the government surveyor -"meanders" or measures the winding courses, and the fractional forties -thus measured are marked with the number of acres each contains. Each is -called a "lot" and is given a number. These lots are noted and numbered -on the surveyor's map or plat which is later recorded. - -The subdivision of the mile square section is the work of the land -looker, as the government ceases its work when the exterior lines are -run. - -On the township plat which one buys at the local United States land -office, are designated by some character, the lands belonging to the -United States, and, by a different character, the lands owned by the -State. - -The country presented an unbroken forest of the various kinds of trees -and underbrush indigenous to this northern climate. The deer, bear, -lynx, porcupine, and wolf were the rightful and principal occupants. -Crossing occasionally, the trail of the first named, served only to -remind us of our complete isolation from the outside, busy world. - -The provisions yet remaining were sufficient to feed our party for less -than three weeks. In the meantime two of the Indians had gone down the -river in a canoe with Mr. Patrick to the mouth of the Flambeau, to await -the arrival of fresh supplies which he was to send up to that point from -Eau Claire by team. The experienced and skilled woodsmen had divided the -working force into small crews, which began subdividing the sections -within the townships where there were government or state lands, to -ascertain whether there were any forty acre tracts that contained enough -valuable pine to make the land profitable to purchase at the land -offices. Two thousand acres were thus selected during the first cruise, -but, on our agent reaching the land office where the lands had to be -entered, only twelve hundred acres were still vacant (unentered), other -land lookers having preceded our representative and arrived first at the -land office with eight hundred acres of the same descriptions as our -own. - -As there were many land lookers at this time in the woods, all anxious -to buy the good pine lands from the government and the state, conflicts -like the above were not unusual. - -Through a misunderstanding of orders, our working party, now nearly out -of everything to eat, assembled at The Forks, a point forty-five miles -above the mouth of the Flambeau, and waited for the Indians to bring up -fresh supplies. They did not come, and, after waiting three days, while -each man subsisted on rations of three small baking powder biscuits per -day, all hands pushed down to the mouth of the river where the Indians -were awaiting us with plenty of raw materials, some of which were soon -converted into cooked food of which all partook most heartily. - -Corrected plats, showing the unentered lands of each township which we -were directed to examine, were sent to us. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -Gaining Experience--Getting Wet. - - -Some field experience which I had acquired in surveying when a sophomore -in college, assisted me greatly in quickly learning how to subdivide the -sections, while my knowledge of timber gained at an early age, when -assisting my father in choosing trees in the forest suitable for his -uses as a manufacturer, aided me greatly in judging the quality and -quantity of the pine timber growing in the greater forests of the -Northwest. - -Freshly equipped with provisions, and with plats corrected up to date, -we returned to the deep woods. There we divided into parties of only -two--the land looker and his assistant. The latter's duty was chiefly to -help carry the supplies of uncooked foods, blankets, tent, etc., to -pitch tent at night, and, ordinarily, to do the most of the cooking, -though seldom all of it. On some days much good vacant (unentered) pine -was found, and on other days none at all. Several miles of woods were at -times laboriously passed through, without seeing any timber worth -entering (buying). Some portions would consist of hardwood ridges of -maple, oak, elm; some of poplar, birch, basswood; others of long -stretches of tamarack and spruce swamps, sections of which would be -almost without wooded growth, so marshy and wet that the moss-covered -bottom would scarcely support our weight, encumbered as we always were -by pack sacks upon our backs, which weighed when starting as much as -sixty pounds and sometimes more. Their weight diminished daily as we -cooked and ate from our store which they contained. - -[Illustration: "The almost saucy, yet sociable red squirrel". (Page -48.)] - -Windfalls--places where cyclones or hurricanes had passed--were -sometimes encountered. The cyclones left the trees twisted and broken, -their trunks and branches pointing in various directions; the hurricanes -generally left the trees tipped partly or entirely to the ground, their -roots turned up and their trunks pointing quite uniformly in the same -relative direction. The getting through, over, under, and _beyond_ these -places, which vary from a few rods to a possible mile across, especially -in winter when the mantle of snow hides the pitfalls and screens the -rotten trunks and limbs from view, tries the courage, patience, and -endurance of the woodsman. All of the time he must use his compass and -keep his true direction as well as measure the distance, otherwise he -would not know where he was located. Without this knowledge his work -could not proceed. - -Sometimes we would come to a natural meadow grown up with alders, around -the borders of which stood much young poplar. A stream of water flowed -through the meadow, and the beavers had discovered that it was eminently -fitted, if not designed, for their necessities. Accordingly, they had -selected an advantageous spot where nature had kindly thrown up a bank -of earth on each side and drawn the ends down comparatively near to the -stream. Small trees were near by, and these they had cut down, and then -cut into such lengths as were right, in their judgment, for constructing -a water-tight dam across the narrow channel between the two opposite -banks of earth. The flow of water being thus checked by the beaver dam, -the water set-back and overflowed the meadow to its remotest confines, -and even submerged some of the trunks of the trees to perhaps a depth of -two feet. Out further in the meadow and amongst the alders where had -flowed the natural stream, the water in the pond was much deeper. - -These ponds sometimes lay directly across the line of our survey and -inconvenienced us greatly. We disliked to make "offsets" in our lines -and thus go around the dam, for the traveling in such places was usually -very slow and tedious. The saving of time is always important to the -land hunter, since he must carry his provisions, and wishes to -accomplish all that is possible before the last day's rations are -reached. It was not strange, then, if we first tried the depth of the -water in the pond by wading and feeling our way. While we could keep our -pack sacks from becoming wet, we continued to wade toward the opposite -shore, meantime remembering or keeping in sight some object on the -opposite shore, in the direct course we must travel, which we had -located by means of our compass before entering the water. Sometimes a -retreat had to be made by reason of too great depth of water. During the -summer months we did not mind simply getting wet clothes by wading; but -once in the fall just before ice had formed, this chilly proposition of -wading across, was undertaken voluntarily, and was only one of many -uncomfortable things that entered into the woodsman's life. - -Subjected thus to much inconvenience and discomfort by those valuable -little animals, we could but admire their wisdom in choosing places for -their subaqueous homes. They feed upon the bark of the alder, the -poplar, the birch, and of some other trees. These grew where they -constructed their dam and along the margin of the pond of water thus -formed. They cut down these trees by gnawing entirely around their -trunks, then they cut off branches and sections of the trunks of the -trees, and drew them into their houses under the ice. Most trees cut by -the beaver are of small diameter. I once measured one beaver stump and -found it to be fourteen inches in diameter. I still have in my -possession a section of a white cedar stump measuring seventeen inches -in circumference that had been gnawed off by beavers. It is the only -cedar tree I have ever known to have been cut down by these wise little -creatures. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A Birthday Supper. - - -Flambeau Farm was located on the right bank of Chippewa River opposite -the mouth of Flambeau River. There old man Butler kept a ranch for the -especial accommodation of lumbermen and land hunters, who included -nearly everyone who came that way. It was at the end of the wagon road -leading from Chippewa Falls and from other civilized places. Canoes, -dugouts, batteaus--all started from Butler's ranch at Flambeau Farm for -operations up the Flambeau and its tributaries, or for either up or down -the Chippewa and its branches. - -One rainy afternoon in October our party of three started from Butler's -ranch in a dugout (a long, narrow canoe hewn out of a pine tree), to -pole down the Chippewa River to the mouth of Jump River, a distance of -about ten miles. Notwithstanding the rain, everything went smoothly for -the first hour, when, without warning, the bow of the canoe struck the -edge of a sand bar which caused the tottlish craft to tip. The man in -the stern jumped overboard to save it from capsizing, expecting to -strike his feet on the sand bar, but, in the meantime, the frail craft -had drifted away from the bar, and we were floating over deep water -which resulted in our comrade's disappearing under the surface. He soon -rose hatless, and with a few strokes swam to where he seized the stern -of the boat to which he was obliged to cling until we could paddle to -the shore, as any attempt on his part to have climbed in would have -resulted in capsizing the boat, and would have cost us all of our -supplies. - -We built a fire, and partly dried his wet garments, after which we -proceeded on our journey. Entering the mouth of Jump River, we flushed a -small flock of wild geese, one of which we shot and gathered into our -dugout. A little farther on, we were fortunate in bringing down a fine -mallard. By this time the snow had begun to fall very rapidly, so that -when we had reached a suitable place to camp for the night, the snow was -fully three inches deep. Here, near the bank of the river, we found an -unoccupied claim shanty built of logs, and containing a very serviceable -fireplace. We took possession of it for the night, in consequence of -which it was unnecessary to pitch our tents. We began the usual -preparations for our evening meal and for comfortable beds upon which to -lie. The latter were soon prepared by going outside into a thicket of -balsam fir trees, felling a few with our axes, and breaking off the -soft, springy boughs which were stacked in bunches, carried into camp, -and spread in the convenient bunks to constitute the mattresses over -which the blankets were later laid. - -[Illustration: "I found several families of Indians camping at the end -of the portage." (Page 106.)] - -While thus busy, an Indian hunter clad in a buckskin suit came down the -trail by the river bank, bringing with him a saddle of venison. Owing to -the Indian's natural fondness for pork, it was very easy to exchange a -small piece of the latter for some nice venison steaks. I remember that -because of the wet condition of the snow, the Indian's buckskin pants -had become saturated with water, causing them to elongate to such an -extent that he was literally walking on the bottom ends of them. His -wigwam was not far down the river, to which point he soon repaired. Then -the cook made a short calculation of the menu he would serve us for our -supper after the very disagreeable experiences of travel during the day. -He decided to broil the mallard and cook some venison steak. Besides -this, he boiled rice, some potatoes, some dried peaches, and baked a few -tins of baking powder biscuits. - -The land hunter's or surveyor's outfit of cooking utensils invariably -includes a nest of tin pails or kettles of different sizes fitted one -within the other, and sufficient in number to supply the needs of the -camp; also a tin baker, so constructed that when set up before an open -fire, it is a tilted "V" shaped trough of sufficient length to place -within it a good sized baking tin, placed horizontally and supported -midway between the two sides of the "V" shaped baker, so that the fire -is reflected on the bright tin equally above the baking pan and below -it. - -The snow had ceased falling, and, by building a rousing camp fire -outside of the claim shanty, we were soon able to dry our clothing. -Having partaken of a sumptuous meal, we "rolled in", contented and -happy, for a night's rest. To me, this 14th day of October was a red -letter day, and in memory ever since has been because it was the -birthday of my then fiancee, who, not many years subsequent, became and -ever since has remained my faithful and loving wife. - -The second and final trip of that season in open water was made several -weeks later when we again poled up the Chippewa River in a dugout, -taking with us our supplies for the cruise in the forest. - -The current in that part of the river was so swift, not infrequently -forming rapids, that we were obliged always to use long poles made from -small spruce trees from which the bark had been removed, and an iron -spike fastened at one end to aid in securing a hold when pushed down -among the rocks. The water was so nearly at the freezing point that -small flakes of ice were floating, and the atmosphere was so cold, that, -as the pole was lifted from the water, ice would form on it unless the -pole at each stroke was reversed, thus allowing the film of ice formed -on the pole to be thawed when immersed in the slightly warmer water -beneath. The day spent in this manner was attended with very great -discomfort, and when night came, each man found himself tired and -hungry, and glad that the day had come to an end. We camped that night -at a French-Canadian logging camp. Our party was too fatigued to pitch -its own tents and prepare its own meal, and gladly accepted the -foreman's hospitality at the rate of two dollars a day each, for some of -his fat pork, pea soup, and fairly good bread. - -On the morning following, we found the ice had so formed in the river -that further journeying in the dugout was impossible, so the latter was -pulled up on shore, covered with some brush, and abandoned, at least for -the winter, and, as it proved in this instance, for always, so far as -it concerned our party. We finished this cruise on foot, and returned -about two weeks later to Eau Claire. - -There were not many men living on government lands in that part of -Wisconsin. Those who had taken claims and were living on them depended -on their rifles for all of their fresh meat. Some of them made a -practice of placing "set guns" pointing across deer trails. One end of a -strong cord was first fastened to a tree, or to a stake driven into the -ground some distance from the deer trail. The cord was then carried -across the trail which was in the snow, for a distance of one hundred -feet or less. Here, the gun was set firmly, pointing directly in line -with the cord or string. The barrel of the gun was sighted at such an -elevation as to send the bullet, when fired, across the deer trail at a -height from the trail sufficient to penetrate the body of the deer. The -string was then carried around some stationary object and fastened to -the trigger of the gun, the hammer of which had been raised. The -pressure of the deer's body or legs against the string would be pretty -sure to discharge the gun, thus causing the innocent and unsuspecting -deer to shoot itself. - -While running a compass line one day, we discovered, just ahead of us, a -cord or string at right angles to our line of travel. I stopped -immediately, while my companion, Tom Carney, followed the cord to its -end which he found fastened to the trigger of a rifle. He carefully cut -the cord, raised the rifle to his shoulder, and fired it into the air. -He next broke the gun over the roots of a tree. Further examination -showed that the cord was stretched across a deer trail which we would -have reached in a minute more. - -With the return of winter the Sage-Patrick contract was about -completed. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A New Contract--Obstacles. - - "To him who in the love of Nature holds - Communion with her visible forms, she speaks - A various language; for his gayer hours - She has a voice of gladness, and a smile - And eloquence of beauty, and she glides - Into his darker musings, with a mild - And healing sympathy, that steals away - Their sharpness, ere he is aware." - - -My life, up to the time of my contract with Mr. Patrick to go with him -into the wilds of Wisconsin as an apprenticed land hunter and timber -examiner, had been spent on the farm, in my father's shop, at school and -college, and in teaching. The change of occupation and manner of living -will therefore be seen to have been radical. In six months of contact -with nature, I had been born into a new life, a life of initiative, of -daring, and of hardships, insuring health and inspiring hope of -financial success in a way honorable and helpful. I loved the forms of -nature all about me, untouched by the hand of man. I therefore sought -for and found an associate with capital sufficient to permit me to -continue in the same line of work. The late Robert B. Langdon then -became my partner, and this relationship was most pleasantly continued -to the end of Mr. Langdon's life. - -[Illustration: "In the Vermilion country, dog trains could sometimes be -advantageously used." (Page 130.)] - -Late in December, 1871, my first trip under the new contract for -securing pine timber, was undertaken. The ice in the rivers and lakes -had now become firm and safe for travel thereon. Considerable snow had -already fallen, and the roads were heavy in consequence. - -Our work, as planned, lay many miles up the Chippewa River. In order to -reach the desired locality with sufficient supplies to enable us to be -gone a month or six weeks, it was necessary to take them on a toboggan -made expressly for the uses of this proposed trip. Four men were needed -to push and pull the load. After a week of hard labor, our party arrived -at the point where the work of surveying the lands was to begin. A place -to camp was chosen in the thick woods not far from the river bank, where -water would be near by and convenient for the use of the camp. A small, -but strong warehouse of logs was first constructed, in which to store -the supplies not necessary for immediate use. - -Having thus secured the supplies for future use from the reach of any -wild beasts roaming in the forests, we put enough of them into our pack -sacks to last for a ten days' absence from our storehouse camp. We were -about to start, when Abbot, one of our axmen, in chopping a stick of -wood, had the misfortune to send the sharp blade of the ax into his -foot, deep to the bone. The gash was an ugly one and at once disabled -him for further usefulness on this trip. The man must be taken out of -the woods where his foot could receive proper care. How was this to be -accomplished? Two men alone could possibly have hauled him on the -toboggan. The distance to the nearest habitation where a team of horses -could be obtained was seventy-five miles. There was but one tent in the -outfit and not sufficient blankets to permit of dividing our party of -four men. It seemed, therefore, that there was nothing possible to do -but for the whole party to retrace its steps to the point where it had -been obliged to leave the team behind. The wound in Abbot's foot was -cleansed and some balsam having been gathered from the fir trees, the -same was laid on a clean piece of white cotton cloth, which, used as a -bandage, was placed over the wound and made secure. The wound having -been thus protected, Abbot was placed on the toboggan and hauled to the -ranch seventy-five miles down the river. - -Cruising in the woods is always expensive, even when everything moves on -smoothly and without accident. The men's wages are the highest paid for -common labor, while the wages of compassmen are much more. The wages of -the man of experience and knowledge sufficient to conduct a survey, as -well as to judge correctly of the quality and quantity of timber on each -subdivision of land selected for purchase, are from seven dollars to ten -dollars a day. He must determine the feasibility of bringing the pine -logs to water sufficient to float them when cut, and the best and -shortest routes for the logging roads to reach the banks of the rivers, -or possibly the lakes where the logs are unloaded; and, in these modern -days of building logging railroads, he must also locate the lines of the -railroads and determine their grades. At the time above alluded to, no -logging railroads were in existence, and that part of the expense did -not have to be borne. The trip proved to be a very expensive one, and -there had not been time before the accident to choose one forty-acre -tract of land for entry. - -After arriving at Eau Claire where the land office was located, and -being delayed some days by other business, we found on going to the -land office, that many entries had just been made of lands within the -townships in which we had planned to do our work, when the accident to -Abbot occurred. This fact necessitated the choosing of other townships -in which to go to search for vacant lands on our next trip. - -Having acquired from the land office the necessary plats, and having -secured a new stock of provisions, we started again to penetrate another -part of the pine woods. This trip occupied several weeks in which we -were more than ordinarily successful in finding desirable lands, and we -hastened to Eau Claire in order that we might secure these by purchase -at the land office. - -Rumors had been afloat for some time previous, that there were -irregularities in the conduct of the office at Eau Claire. These rumors -had grown until action was taken by the general land office at -Washington, resulting in the temporary closing of the Eau Claire land -office for the purpose, as reported, of examining the books of that -office. - -[Illustration: S. D. Patrick] - -Many crews of men came out of the woods in the days that followed, with -minutes or descriptions of lands which they desired to enter, each in -turn to find the land office closed against them. In this dilemma, -advice was taken as to what course to pursue. After having taken -counsel, I, as well as several others, sent my minutes, together with -the necessary cash, to the general land office at Washington, with -application to have the same entered for patents. Our minutes and our -money, however, were returned to us from Washington with the information -that the entry could not be thus made, and that public notice would be -given of the future day when the land office at Eau Claire would reopen -for the transaction of the government's business. All land hunters of -the Eau Claire district were therefore obliged to suspend operations -until the time of the reopening of the land office. This occurred on the -first of May following. - -I was there early and in line to enter the office when its doors should -be open at nine o'clock in the morning, and reached the desk -simultaneously with the first few to arrive. All were told that in due -time, possibly later in that day, they could call for their duplicate -receipts of such lands as they were able to secure. There was present -that morning, a man by the name of Gilmore, from Washington, who, so far -as my knowledge goes, had never before been seen at the Eau Claire land -office. My descriptions which I had applied for at the land office on -that morning had all been entered by the man from Washington, resulting -in the loss of all of my work from January until May. I was not alone in -this unlooked for experience, as I was informed by others that they had -shared the same fate. - -Thus baffled, and believing that there was no prospect of fair treatment -in that land office district, I determined to change my seat of -operations and to go into some other district. I did so, going next onto -the waters of the Wisconsin River, the United States land office for -which district, was then located at Stevens Point. Here I remained for -many months, operating with a good degree of success, and found the land -office most honorably and fairly conducted for all. - -The registrar of the land office was Horace Alban, and the receiver was -David Quaw. It was always a pleasure to do business with these two -gentlemen. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A Few Experiences in the New and More Prosperous Field. - - -The life of the land hunter is at nearly all times a strenuous one. He -daily experiences hardships such as working his way up rivers with many -swift waters, and crossing lakes in birch-bark canoes, in wind storms -and in rain; fording streams when he has no boat and when the banks are -too far apart to make a temporary bridge by felling trees across the -channel; building rafts to cross rivers and lakes; climbing through -windfalls; crossing miles of swamp where the bog bottom will scarcely -support his weight, and where, when night overtakes him he must -temporize a bed of poles on which to lay his weary body to protect it -from the wet beneath him; and traveling sometimes all day in an open and -burnt country with his bed and board upon his back, the sun's hot rays -pressing like a heavy weight upon his head, while myriads of black flies -swarm about him and attack every exposed inch of his skin, even -penetrating through the hair of his head. These are a few of his -experiences, and, if these had not their offsets at certain times, his -life would become indeed unbearable. His health, however, and his -appetite are generally as good as are enjoyed by any class of the human -family. Possessing these advantages gives him much buoyancy of spirit, -and, when a good piece of country in the timber is encountered, he is -quick to forget the trials and the hardships of the hour before, and to -enjoy the improved prospects. - -There is doubt whether or not anything finer enters into the joy of -living than being in the solitude of the great unbroken forest, -surrounded by magnificent, tall, straight, beautiful pine trees, on a -day when the sun is casting shadows through their waving tops, listening -to the whisperings, formed almost into words, of the needle-like fingers -of their leafy boughs, to the warbling of the songsters, and to the -chirping of the almost saucy, yet sociable red squirrel who is sure to -let one know that he has invaded his dominion. Such days, with such -scenes and emotions, do come in the life of the woodsman, the land -hunter, who is alone in the forest, except that if he be at all -sentimental, he approaches nearer to the Great Creator than at almost -any other time in his life's experiences. Those who have read the books -of John Borroughs, John Muir, or Ernest Thompson Seton, may appreciate -somewhat the joy that comes to the woodsman in his solitude, if he be a -lover of nature. - -Those only, who have been through the experience, can fully realize how -anxious the land looker is to secure the descriptions of valuable lands -that he has found when out on one of his cruises, for he knows full well -that it is probable that he is not the only man who is in the woods at -that time, for the same objects as his own. Sometimes, but rarely, two -such men may meet in the forest while at their work. When this occurs, -it is a courteous meeting, but attended with much concealed -embarrassment, for each knows that the other has found him out, and, if -either is in possession of a valuable lot of minutes which he hopes to -secure when he reaches the land office, he assumes that the other is -probably in possession of the same descriptions, or, at least, a part of -them. It then becomes a question which one shall outwit or outtravel the -other, from that moment, in a race to the land office where his minutes -must be entered, and to the victor belong the spoils, which means in -this instance, to the one who is first there to apply for the entry of -his land descriptions. - -While on one of these cruises on a tributary of the Wisconsin River, -with one man only for help and companion, I had left my man, Charlie, on -the section line with the two pack sacks, while I had gone into the -interior of the section, to survey some of its forties, and to make an -estimate of the feet of pine timber standing on each forty. It was in -midsummer and in a beautiful piece of forest. Thrifty pine trees were -growing amongst the hard woods of maple, birch, and rock elm. Having -completed my work in the interior of the section, and having returned, -as I believed, to a point within a hundred yards of where Charlie was, I -gave the woodsman's call, then listened for Charlie's answer, in order -that I might go directly to the point whence it should come. On reaching -Charlie, I picked up my pack and started following the section line. We -had traveled less than a quarter of a mile on the line, when I saw on -the ground, a pigeon stripped of its feathers. I picked up the bird and -found that its body was warm. Immediately I knew that other land lookers -were in the same field and had undoubtedly been resting on that section -line at the time I had called for Charlie, and they, hearing our voices, -had hastily picked up their packs and started on their way out. - -There was much pine timber in this township that yet belonged to the -government and to the state of Wisconsin. I, at this time, had -descriptions of more than four thousand acres of these lands which I was -anxious to buy. My interest and anxiety, therefore, became intense when -I knew that my presence had been discovered by the parties who had so -unintentionally left that bird on their trail. There were no railroads -in that part of the country at that time, and Stevens Point, the -location of the government land office, lay more than sixty-five miles -south of where we then were. Twenty-five miles of this distance was -mostly through the woods and must be traveled on foot. It was then late -in the afternoon and neither party could make progress after dark. The -route through the woods led through a swamp, and, upon reaching it, the -tracks of two men were plainly to be seen in the moss, and in places in -the wet ground. One man wore heavy boots, with the soles well driven -with hobnails, which left their imprints in the moist soil. Coming to a -trail that led off into a small settlement, we saw the tracks of one of -the two men following that trail. The tracks of the man with the -hobnails kept directly on in the course leading to the nearest highway -that would take him to Wausau, a thriving lumber town, forty miles -distant from Stevens Point. We reached this road at about three o'clock -in the afternoon of the next day. We called at the first house -approached, and asked the woman if she could give us some bread and -milk, and, being answered in the affirmative, we sat down for a rest, -and inquired of her if she had seen a woodsman pass. She replied that -she had, and that he had left there within an hour of the time of our -arrival. The tracks of the boots with the hobnails could be seen -occasionally along the road, and, knowing that the stage, the only -public conveyance from Wausau to Stevens Point, was not due to leave -Wausau for Stevens Point until four o'clock the next morning, we had no -further anxiety about overtaking the woodsman who had left there an hour -in advance, since we reasoned that he would probably take the stage at -its usual hour of leaving, the next day. - -[Illustration: "There were many waterfalls". (Page 136.)] - -From that time on, the journey was leisurely made, and we entered Wausau -at a late hour, when most of the laboring community had retired for the -night. Having gone to my accustomed hotel, and changed my clothes, I -next walked over to a livery stable and hired a team which I drove to -Stevens Point during the night, arriving there in time for breakfast. I -then went to the home of the land officer before eating my breakfast, -told him that I wished to make some entries that morning, and asked him -at what hour the land office would be open; and, seeing that my time -agreed with that of the land officer, told him that I would be there -promptly at nine o'clock, the legal hour for opening the office. I made -entry of the list of lands belonging to the United States government, -and was told to return at eleven o'clock to compare the duplicate -receipts with my application to enter the lands. While I was thus -engaged, the stage from Wausau arrived, and a man came into the land -office, wearing a pair of boots with hobnails that looked very much the -size of the tracks that I had been previously observing on my way out -from the woods to Wausau. He immediately asked for the township plat -which represented the lands which I had been so anxious to secure. He -began reading the descriptions of the lands he wished to enter, and, as -he read them, I heard with much interest, the same descriptions that -were in my own list, but there were some that were different. Whenever a -description was read that checked with one in my list, the land officer -replied that those lands were entered. This occurred so many times that -he soon inquired when the lands had been entered. He was told, "At nine -o'clock this morning." In his perplexity he had also read some of the -descriptions that belonged to the state of Wisconsin and which had to be -purchased at the land office at Madison, the capital of the state. - -"Well," he remarked, "this is hard luck, but I may secure my state land -descriptions." - -I always kept a balance of money with the state treasurer at Madison, -with which to pay for lands whenever I should send a list by mail or -otherwise, when I did not care to go personally with the descriptions. - -The man having left the land office, I repaired immediately to the -telegraph office and wired the descriptions of the lands I wished to -enter, to the chief clerk of the land office at Madison, authorizing him -to draw on my account with the state treasurer, to pay for the same. The -train left Stevens Point that afternoon for Madison, and both interested -parties were passengers. Arriving at the land office, I found the lands -telegraphed for, to have been duly secured. - -This instance is given to show by how slender a thread a matter of -great interest sometimes hangs. Had the pigeon not been left on the -section line, or had it not been discovered by the competing land -hunter, the man with the hobnails in his boots would have been the -victor, and his would have been the joy of having won that which he had -striven hard to attain. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -Tracing Gentlemen Timber Thieves--Getting Wet--Fawn. - - -I have said that the country tributary to the waters of the Wisconsin -River constituted a good field for the selection of valuable government -pine-timbered lands. It is equally true that it was a country where the -custom had grown among lumbermen to enter a few forties of government -land, sufficient at least to make a show of owning a tract of timber on -which to conduct a winter's operation of logging, and then to cut the -timber from adjacent or near by forty-acre tracts of land yet belonging -to the government. - -This method of trespassing upon the timber not owned by the operator, -but being the property of the United States, was carried on to a greater -extent there than in any other section of the state in which I was -familiar with the methods and practices of logging pine timber. Many -logging jobbers having formed this habit of helping themselves to -government timber, found it difficult, after the government lands had -been entered by private purchase of others than themselves, to -discontinue their practice of taking timber that was not their own. -Reforms of such habits do not come voluntarily nor easily, as a rule, -but generally under some sort of pressure. - -In the years following my purchase of considerable tracts of timber on -these waters, I found it necessary, annually, to make a trip into the -country where our timber lands were situated, to ascertain whether or -not there had been near-by logging camps during the preceding winter, -and if so, to carefully run out the lines around our own timber, to -determine whether or not trespass had been committed on any of them. In -many instances I found that this was the fact. One spring I found a very -considerable number of the best pine trees cut from the interior of -forty acres of excellent timber, so that the selling value of the whole -tract was injured far more than the full value of the amount of timber -that had been unlawfully cut and hauled away. The trespass had been -committed by a man prominent in the community and well-known among the -lumbermen of the Wisconsin River. The late Gust Wilson of Wisconsin, a -fine man, a lawyer of much experience in lumber cases in that state, -and whose counsel was considered of a high order, was retained to bring -suit to recover the value of the timber trespassed. Not only that, but, -annoyed at the boldness of the trespass, I wished also to have him -prosecuted criminally for theft. Mr. Wilson said in reply to the -request, "Now, don't try that. All of those fellows have had 'some of -them hams,' and you can't get a jury in all that country that will bring -you in a verdict of guilty, no matter how great and strong your evidence -may be." There was nothing left to do under Mr. Wilson's advice but to -cool off, keep smiling, and collect the best price for the stumpage -taken (not stolen), so as to be polite to the gentlemanly wrongdoer. - -One spring, accompanied by Mr. W. B. Buckingham, cashier of one of the -national banks at Stevens Point, who also owned interests in valuable -pine timber lands adjacent to, or near by those in which I owned -interests, I went into the countries of the Spirit and Willow Rivers. -The snow was melting and the waters nearly filled the banks of the -respective streams. Wishing to cross the Spirit River, we found a point -where an island occupied the near center of the stream, on which was a -little standing timber. A tree was felled, the top of which landed on -the island. Having crossed on the tree to the island, we felled another -tree which reached from the island to the farther shore. It was not -large in diameter, and, under the weight of Mr. Buckingham, who first -proceeded, it swayed until he lost his balance and fell into the water -and was obliged to swim to the opposite shore. I was more fortunate in -this instance, and stayed on the tree until I reached the shore. - -[Illustration: "We succeeded in crossing Burnt Side Lake". (Page -146.)] - -Swimming in ice water is never found comfortable, and we hurried to a -close at hand, deserted logging camp, where, fortunately, we found a -large heating stove set up and ready for use, and near by a fine pile of -dry wood for the stove, which had been left over from the recent -winter's operations of logging. In a few minutes, a rousing fire was -made, and, after removing his garments and wringing them as dry as -possible, we hung them on lines about the stove and quickly dried them -and made them ready for use. This was necessary, as no change of -clothing had been provided for this intended short excursion into the -woods. - -By the time our work was finished, the snow had mostly melted away. The -ice was all out of the rivers, and we found ourselves one morning on -the banks of the Tomahawk River, wondering how we were to cross it, if -possible, without the delay of constructing a raft sufficiently large to -carry us. The tote-road leading to Merrill, which we wished to follow, -was on the opposite side of the Tomahawk from where we approached it. We -finally discovered an old birch canoe hidden in the brush. It was leaky -and in very bad repair, so we set ourselves to work gathering pitch from -the ends of a pile of freshly cut pine logs lying on the bank of the -river, banked there to be pushed into the stream by the log drivers. -This we put into a dish with a little grease and boiled until it was of -the right consistency to stick to the bark of the canoe. Patches of -cloth were laid over the riven places in the bark, and pitched until the -boat was made waterproof--for temporary use at least. - -With our small belongings, we got into the canoe and started down the -Tomahawk, intending to stay in it as long as it would hold together and -take us on our journey, saving us that much walking. Unfortunately, -however, for us, we soon came to a long strip of rapids with which we -were not familiar. Selecting what we believed to be the best water, we -permitted the frail craft to float into the rapids, and our fast journey -down stream had begun almost before we realized the fact. All went well -until nearly to the lower end of the rapids, when the old canoe struck a -sharp rock slightly hidden under the water, and split in two. Partly by -swimming and partly by wading, we reached the coveted shore, wetter and -wiser than when an hour before we had taken an old canoe that was not -our own, in which to cross the stream, instead of spending considerably -more time to construct a raft on which we could safely and with dry -clothes, have reached the opposite shore. The usual woodsman's process -of drying clothes was again gone through with, since it was too cold, at -that season of the year, to travel all day in our wet garments. - -One early summer day while traveling through a part of this same -country, watered by the Willow River, my companion and I stopped in a -majestic forest of towering white pine trees, interspersed with the more -spreading hemlocks. It was nearing twelve o'clock, and we were both -hungry. While my companion was collecting wood for a fire, I went in -search of water with which to make a pail of hot coffee. Returning, I -climbed over a large hemlock tree that had fallen, probably, from old -age. There, nestled in the moss and leaves, lay a spotted fawn. It made -no effort to get up and run from me, so I carefully approached it and -gently caressed it. Then I lifted the handsome little creature, with its -great, trusting brown eyes, into my arms, and carried it near to our -camp fire. While my helper was preparing dinner, I fondled this -beautiful infant of the forest that yet knew no fear. I sweetened some -water to which I added just a sprinkle of meal, then fed it from a spoon -to this confiding baby animal. After this, when I moved, the trusting -little creature followed me. When it came time for us to resume our work -I carried my little newly found friend back to the spot where its mother -had probably left it and put it down in its mossy, leafy bed, and, -carefully climbing over the log, left it to be better cared for than it -was possible for me to do. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -Does It Pay to Rest on Sunday? - - "With what a feeling deep - Does Nature speak to us! Oh, how divine - The flame that glows on her eternal shrine! - What knowledge can we reap - From her great pages if we read aright! - Through her God shows His wisdom and His might." - - -It was in the summer of 1872, while I was at the United States land -office at Bayfield, Wisconsin, and was having some township plats -corrected previous to going into the woods in that district to hunt for -pine timber, that John Buffalo, chief of the Red Cliff band of Chippewa -Indians, a friend of the United States land officers, made his quiet -appearance at the land office. I had asked where I could find a -reliable, trustworthy, and capable man to accompany me on this cruise, -planned to cover a period of not less than two weeks. Captain Wing, -receiver of the land office, asked the Indian chief, "John, wouldn't you -like to earn a little money by going into the woods to help this man for -a couple of weeks or more?" To this the chief gave his consent with the -usual Indian "Ugh." - -During that day provisions were bought and placed in individual cloth -sacks. A strong rowboat was secured and the journey begun. Camp was made -the first night on one of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. The day -following, our destination was reached at the mouth of the Cranberry -River, where our boat was carefully cached. - -It rained for several days, in consequence of which the underbrush was -wet most of the time, and in passing through it we became wet to the -skin. Before leaving home I had bought for use on the trip what I -believed to be a fine pair of corduroy trousers. They looked well, and -the brush did not cling to them, a desirable condition when traveling -through thickets often encountered in the woods. It rained the first day -that we were out. At night we pitched our tent, prepared the evening -meal, and at an early hour retired. On retiring, it is usually the -custom for men camping, to remove their outer garments and put them out -of the way at one side of the tent. Both were very tired and soon fell -asleep. I was awakened by a very disagreeable odor within the tent and -walked out into the fresh air. Returning, I lay down and remained thus -until early daylight, experiencing only a disturbed sleep during the -night. My feeling was that I had chosen an undesirable bedfellow, and, -as later developments proved, it would have been reasonable if the -Indian chief had arrived at the same conclusion. - -[Illustration: "We started out with two birch canoes". (Page 148.)] - -During the next day it again rained. After the rain the sun came out -bright and warm, causing a rapid evaporation to take place on our wet -garments. It was under these circumstances that the discovery was made -that the very disagreeable odor experienced during the preceding night -was again present, and was emanating from the wet coloring matter that -had been used in the manufacture of the corduroy trousers. The best -possible defense--which I felt it was necessary to make--was to call -attention to the fact that the strong odor was coming forth from the -corduroy cloth. On reaching camp that evening, the new corduroys were -hung out on the limb of a tree where they were last seen by our small -camping party. - -It is not customary for land hunters to work less on Sunday than on -other days, for the principal reason that all of their provisions must -be carried with them on their backs, and, that by resting on Sunday, the -provisions would disappear as rapidly, or more so, than they would if -work continued on that day. However, toward the end of our trip which -had been a very successful one in point of finding desirable government -timber lands to enter, we decided that we would rest on the next day, -which was Sunday, just previous to our taking our boat to make our -return trip on Lake Superior waters to the land office at Bayfield. As a -precaution, lest other land lookers should discover our presence, our -camping ground was selected in the interior of the section. We had eaten -our dinner, and were enjoying a siesta when we heard voices. Listening, -we heard men discussing the most direct line to take to reach their -boat, hidden somewhere on the shore of the lake. Time sufficient was -given to allow them to get so far in our advance, that any movement on -our part would not be heard by them. Soon, thereafter, we packed our -tent and all of our belongings and started for our boat. We did not -reach it until nine o'clock the following morning. We were then -forty-five miles from Bayfield by water. - -Soon after we had rowed out into the lake, a northeasterly wind began to -blow and did not cease blowing during the entire day. The sandstone -bluffs around that portion of the south shore of Lake Superior in many -places are nearly vertical and rise to very considerable heights, -preventing any possible way of escape from the water's edge for miles in -extent. It was with the greatest effort that we, pulling with all our -might, could keep the boat out into the lake, so powerful was the wind, -and so increasingly great were the waves. Besides, it was not possible -to take a rest from our labors for, the moment we ceased rowing, our -boat began rapidly drifting toward the rocks on the south shore. Thus we -labored until near the middle of the afternoon, when we got under cover -of the first of the friendly Apostle Islands. After resting awhile, -before dark we were able to reach the Red Cliff Indian Agency, where we -spent the night at the chief's wigwam. - -The next morning early, we resumed our boat and rowed into Bayfield, -arriving in time to be present at the opening of the land office. With -much anxiety, I made application to enter the vacant lands that had been -selected on this trip, fearing that the men whom we had overheard -talking in the woods two days before, might have arrived in advance of -me and have secured at least a part of the same descriptions. With great -satisfaction, however, I found the lands to be still vacant, and all of -the minutes chosen while on this strenuous cruise, I bought. - -A little before noon of this same day, two well-known land hunters from -Chippewa Falls came in, in their boat, off the lake, and, on going to -the land office, applied to enter nearly all of the lands which I had -secured a few hours before. - -The moralist might point with justification to the fact that had we not -rested on Sunday, more than likely we should not have known of the -presence of any competitors in the field, and should not, therefore, -have worked so many long hours in our boat on that windy day, nor should -we likely have reached the land office in advance of the two men who -arrived there only a few hours later than ourselves. - - "By the shores of Gitche Gumee, - By the shining Big-Sea-Water, - Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, - Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis. - Dark behind it rose the forest, - Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees, - Rose the firs with cones upon them; - Bright before it beat the water, - Beat the clear and sunny water, - Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -Indian Traits--Dog Team. - - -Chief John Buffalo was a superior Indian, always pleasant, -companionable, and willing to do a full day's work. He seemed to prefer -the society of the white men, and therefore spent much of his time with -them. The Indian grows to manhood schooled in superstition. I recall -that during the first long trip from the mouth of Montreal River to the -Flambeau Reservation, and thence to the mouth of the Flambeau River, on -one evening the party camped near by a natural meadow where the grass -had ripened and was dry. Our three Indians went out with their knives, -to gather armfuls of the grass to spread in our tents to soften our beds -for the night. While thus engaged, Antoine, one of the Indians, -encountered a blow-snake. This reptile, when defending itself, emits an -odor which is sickening, but among white men is not considered very -dangerous. There was no question but that Antoine was made sick for that -evening by the snake, which had not touched him but had been very near -to him. Ed and Frank, the other two Indians of the party, told us that -evening that it was too bad, for Antoine surely would die within the -year as a result of his having gotten this odor from the blow-snake. Two -years subsequently, I landed at Bayfield from a Lake Superior steamer, -and one of the first persons I met on the dock was Antoine, who looked -as hale and hearty and well as he was before his experience with the -blow-snake. On congratulating him for his victory over the dire calamity -predicted, because of his encounter two years previous with the -blow-snake, he was considerably embarrassed, but made no explanation why -he was yet alive. - -During the first half of the seventies, there was no railroad to the -shores of Lake Superior in Bayfield County. In January, 1876, it was -necessary for me to reach Bayfield on important business. A very poor -road had been cut through the woods from Old Superior to Bayfield, -crossing the streams running north into Lake Superior. United States -mail was carried on toboggans drawn by dogs, and conducted by Indian -runners. - -[Illustration: "The party subsisted well, until it arrived at Ely". -(Page 150.)] - -The snow was deep, and no trail was broken on the morning that I arrived -at Superior hoping to secure some kind of conveyance to take me through -to Bayfield, but I found no one who would volunteer to make the journey. -In this dilemma I sought the owners of dog teams, and succeeded in -purchasing two rather small dogs that were young and full of life, as -well as well trained. These I hitched to a toboggan and started on my -journey of ninety-five miles to Bayfield. The morning was mostly gone -when the start was made, and that night was spent in a small cabin on -the Brule River. The cabin had been erected for the use of the Indian -mail carriers, and was unoccupied. It contained a stove, however, and -wood was handy outside. The next morning an early start was made, and -our train reached Bayfield, as I remember, about one o'clock in the -afternoon. - -The return journey was made by the same route. I had become acquainted -with the smart dog team, so that the return journey was rather enjoyable -than otherwise. I took advantage of the down grades to get a little rest -by throwing myself flat upon the toboggan, dismounting as soon as the up -grades were reached. I had become greatly attached to the dogs, -therefore I put them in the express car, on my return from Duluth, and -brought them with me to Minneapolis. The thought to do this was prompted -by thinking of the little daughter at home, then two and one-half years -old, and of her baby brother, yet in arms. A suitable sled was at once -ordered made, with a seat for little sister. To the sled, the dogs were -harnessed abreast, and the dogs and child were never happier than when -out on the streets for exercise. - -There were only two miles of street car track in Minneapolis at that -time, and that little track was remote from the family home. The city -was then small. Passing teams on the streets were infrequent, so that it -was perfectly safe for her to be out in her tiny conveyance, accompanied -always either by her father or by her admiring uncle. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -Wolves--Log Riding. - - -Many experiences of meeting or seeing the more dangerous of the wild -animals have been related by men whose occupation as woodsmen has made -it necessary at times to go for days, unaccompanied into the woods, and -miles distant from any human habitation. Personal experience leads me to -believe that man is safe, nearly always, except when such animals are -suffering from hunger. - -Early one spring, while the snow was yet deep in the woods, I was -scaling some trespass of timber that lay about three miles away from my -headquarters camp. In going to my work, mornings, I passed along a trail -near to which, in the deep snow, was the carcass of a horse which had -belonged to the owner of a near-by lumber camp. I noticed, one morning, -that it had been visited during the night by a pack of wolves that had -fed upon it and had gone away, using the trail for a short distance and -then leaving it, their tracks disappearing into the unbroken forest. The -following morning, having gotten an early start, on passing this same -place, I saw the wolves leaving their feeding place and disappearing by -the same route as the tracks indicated on the preceding morning. The -animals seemed to be as anxious to get out of my sight, as I was willing -to have them. Had it not been for their full stomachs, their actions, -likely, would have been different. - -Returning, on a subsequent day just before nightfall, tired from a long -day's work, and, probably, because of the late hour, thinking of my near -by neighbors, the wolves, I committed an act that came near costing me -my life. The ice had gone out of the streams, and the spring drive of -logs was at its height. To reach camp by the usual way, it was necessary -to follow up the stream one mile and cross on a dam that had been -constructed by the lumbermen to hold back water to use in driving logs -out of this stream, which at this point was about two hundred and fifty -feet wide. The gates were open, and the water was running high within -the banks of the stream. Seeing, in the eddy close to the bank of the -river, a large log that would scale at least one thousand feet board -measure, I was seized with the idea that I could, with the assistance of -a pole, step onto that log, push it out from shore, and guide it across -the stream to the opposite shore. It was a log that had been skidded to -the bank of the river and rolled in. On such logs, the bark on the under -side is always removed to reduce the amount of friction produced by one -end of the log dragging, while it is being hauled to the water's edge. -The "log driver" belongs to a class of men that has produced many -heroes, and some of their exploits are among the most thrilling recorded -among the exigencies of a hazardous occupation. I never was of that -class, and was almost entirely without experience in trying to ride logs -in open water. I had pushed the log out into the stream some distance -and all was lovely, as every minute it was approaching nearer to the -opposite shore. Suddenly it entered the current of the river which -quickly revolved the log under my feet, bringing the peeled side -uppermost, at which instance I was dropped into the stream. The first -thing I did on rising to the surface, was to swim for my hat, which had -been pulled off as I sank under the water. Having secured it, I -commenced swimming for the opposite shore. My clothing was heavy and -grew more so as it became soaked with water, so that by the time I had -attained the further shore--in the meantime watching constantly to see -that no floating log bumped me, thereby rendering me unconscious--I was -nearly exhausted. - -[Illustration: "My three companions and I ... had gone to survey and -estimate a tract of pine timber." (Page 150.)] - -During these years from 1871 to 1874, the woods of Wisconsin were -thoroughly traveled over by land hunters, and nearly all of the -desirable timber was entered at the respective land offices, so that -there remained no further field for exploit. A new field was therefore -looked for, and this I found in Minnesota. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -Entering Minnesota, the New Field. - - -In the summer of 1874, I went to the head waters of the Big Fork River -with a party of hardy frontiersmen, in search of a section of country -which was as yet unsurveyed by the United States government, and which -should contain a valuable body of pine timber. Having found such a tract -of land, we made arrangements through the surveyor-general's office, -then located in St. Paul, to have the land surveyed. The contract for -the survey was let by the United States government to Mr. Fendall G. -Winston of Minneapolis. - -The logging operations on the Mississippi River in Minnesota at this -period extended from a short distance above Princeton on the Rum River, -one of the tributaries of the Mississippi River, to a little above Grand -Rapids. To reach Grand Rapids from Minneapolis, the traveled route was -by way of the St. Paul and Duluth railroad to Northern Pacific Junction, -thence, over the Northern Pacific Railroad, west to Aitkin. From this -point the steamboat Pokegama plied the Mississippi to Grand Rapids, the -head of navigation at that time. For many years this steamboat was owned -and operated by Captain Houghton, almost wholly in the interest of the -lumber trade. Later, Captain Fred W. Bonnes became its owner. -Subsequently, the old Pokegama burned, when Captain Bonnes built a new -boat, using the machinery of the Pokegama, and naming it Aitkin City. At -a still later period he built the larger steamer, Andy Gibson. - -In those days, the lumber-jack was a very interesting type of man. Men -from Maine and New Brunswick were numerous. Scotchmen, Irish-Americans, -and French-Canadians constituted a considerable portion of all the labor -that went to the logging camps of Minnesota. As early as the month of -July, they began their exodus from Minneapolis to the woods for the -purpose of building new camps, cutting the wild grass that grew along -the natural meadows, and making it into hay for the winter's use for -oxen and horses. Some of these men worked at the sawmills in summer, but -there was not employment for all at this work, and many spent their time -in idleness and not infrequently in drunken carousal. On leaving the -city for the logging camps, they were pretty sure to start out, each -with one or two bottles of whiskey stored away in his tussock, which was -ordinarily a two bushel, seamless sack, with a piece of small rope tied -from one of its lower corners to the upper end of the sack. In this were -placed all of the lumber-jack's belongings, except what were carried in -his pockets, including one or two additional bottles of whiskey. Not all -of the lumber-jacks drank whiskey, but this was the habit of very many -of them. By the time the train had arrived at Northern Pacific Junction, -where a change of cars was made, and where the arrival of the Northern -Pacific train from Duluth, west bound, was awaited, many of our -lumber-jacks were well under the influence of John Barleycorn. Disputes -would frequently arise while waiting for the train. These would be -settled by fist fights between the disputants, their comrades standing -about to see that each man had fair play. - -On one of our trips to the pine forests north of Grand Rapids, we -arrived at Aitkin on a train loaded with this class of men, as well as -their bosses, and proprietors of the lumber camps. Aitkin at that time -was not much more than a railroad station for the transfer of the -lumbermen and merchandise to the steamboat. A few men had preempted -lands from the government and had made their homes where now is the city -of Aitkin. The late Warren Potter was one of them. He kept a large store -which was well stocked with lumbermen's supplies, and which was the -rendezvous for the lumbermen. His preemption claim was only a short -distance in the woods from his store. He had been East to buy goods and -had returned by train that day. He found that his preemption claim had -been "jumped" by one, Nat Tibbetts, whom he found occupying the Potter -cabin. An altercation took place between the two men, resulting in -Tibbetts blacking Potter's eye. The only representative of the law was a -justice of the peace, a man whose name was Williams. Before him, Potter -swore out a warrant for the arrest of Tibbetts, charging Tibbetts with -assault with intent to do bodily harm. Potter asked me to act as his -attorney to prosecute his case. This honor was politely declined, and I -assured him that he would find a better man for the occasion in the -person of S. S. Brown, the well-known log jobber, who was in town. - -Mr. Brown having consented to act in the interest of Mr. Potter, and Mr. -Tibbetts having secured some other layman to defend his case, all -parties repaired, as I remember, to an unoccupied building which was -temporarily used as a court of justice. As almost the entire community -that evening was a floating population of lumbermen of various sorts, -waiting for an opportunity to start up the river on the steamboat the -following day, it will readily be seen by the reader that this occasion -was one of unusual interest and bade fair to furnish an interesting -entertainment for a part of the long evening. - -Tibbetts demanded a jury trial. The jury was chosen, and the prosecution -opened the case by putting on the stand, a witness who had seen the -encounter, and who proved to be a good witness for Mr. Potter. The case -proceeded until the evidence was nearly all presented. At this juncture, -in the back end of the improvised court room, a tall lumber-jack who was -leaning against the wall, and who was considerably the worse for -whiskey, cried out, "Your honor! your honor! I object to these -proceedings." Everything was still for a moment, and all eyes turned -toward the half drunk lumber-jack. Justice Williams attempted to -proceed, when the lumber-jack repeated his calls and his demands to be -heard. Every one present knew that any attempt on the part of the -constable to quiet this man would have resulted in starting a general -fight, where there were so many who were under the influence of liquor. -Some one, therefore, said to the justice, "Your honor, you had better -hear the man's objections." Justice Williams then said, "You may state -your objections, sir." The lumber-jack replied, "I object, your honor, -because that jury has not been sworn." This was true. The jury was then -sworn, and the trial of the case was begun anew. The witnesses having -again given their evidence under oath, the case was soon argued by the -improvised lawyers. The justice gave a short charge to the jury, and, -without leaving their seats, and while the spectators waited, they -notified the justice that they had agreed upon a verdict of guilty. The -justice fined Mr. Tibbetts one dollar, and this frontier court of -justice adjourned. - -The question of the ownership of the claim was not before the court. My -recollection, however, concerning it, is that Mr. Potter ever after had -peaceful possession of the land. - -[Illustration: The journey had to be made with the use of toboggans. -(Page 150.)] - -The ride up the Mississippi to Grand Rapids on the steamer Pokegama, -which tied up each night, occupied two days and a half. The distance was -one hundred and ninety-five miles. The steamer was crowded, and men -slept everywhere on the deck, on their blankets or without them, as best -fitted their condition. Whiskey and cards were plentiful. The table was -well supplied with good things to eat. Grand Rapids at that time -consisted of a steamboat landing, a warehouse, and a ranch or stopping -place kept by Low Seavey, whose wife was a half-breed. These were on the -left bank of the river just below the falls or rapids. On the opposite -side of the river was a small store, a new enterprise, and owned by a -man whose name was Knox. - -I met Mr. Winston and his assistant surveyors at Grand Rapids about the -middle of August. There were no roads leading into the country that we -were to survey, and, as our work would extend nearly through the winter, -it was necessary to get our supplies in sufficient quantity to last for -our entire campaign, and take them near to our work. This was -accomplished by taking them in canoes and boats of various sorts. Our -first water route took us up the Mississippi River, into Lake -Winnibigoshish, and from that lake on its northeasterly shore, we went -into Cut-foot Sioux, or Keeskeesdaypon Lake. From this point we were -obliged to make a four mile portage into the Big Fork River, crossing -the Winnibigoshish Indian Reservation. From an Indian encampment on -this reservation, at the southwest shore of Bow String Lake, we hired -some Indians to help pack our supplies across the four mile portage. -Before half of our supplies had been carried across the portage, the -Indian chief sent word to us by one of his braves, that he wished to see -us in council and forbade our moving any more of our supplies until we -had counseled with him. Although the surveyors were the agents of the -United States government, for the sake of harmony, it was thought best -to ascertain at once what was uppermost in the chief's mind. - -That evening, a conference was held in the wigwam of the chief. First, -the chief filled full of tobacco, a large, very long stemmed pipe, and, -having lighted it with a live coal from the fire, took the first whiff -of smoke; then immediately passed it to the nearest one of our delegates -to his right, and thus the pipe went round, until it came back to the -chief, before anything had been said. The chief then began a long -recital, telling us that the great father would protect them in their -rights to the exclusive use of these lands. The chief said that he was -averse neither to the white man using the trail of his people nor to his -using the waters of the rivers or lakes within the boundaries of the -reservation, but, if he did so, he must pay tribute. In answer to his -speech, the chief surveyor of our party, Fendall G. Winston, replied -that he and his men had been sent to survey the lands that belonged to -the great father; and, that in order to reach those lands, it was -necessary that his people should cross the reservation which the great -father had granted to his tribe; nevertheless, that they felt friendly -to the Indians; that if they were treated kindly by himself and his -tribesmen, they should have an opportunity to give them considerable -work for many days, while they were getting their supplies across his -country to that of the great father, where they were going to work -during the fall and winter; and that they would also make him a present -of a sack of flour, some pork, some tea, and some tobacco. He was told, -too, that this was not necessary for the great father's men to do, but -that they were willing to do it, provided that this should end all -claims of every nature of the chief, against any and all of the great -father's white men, whom he had sent into that country to do his work. -This having been sealed with the chief's emphatic "Ugh," he again -lighted the pipe, took the first whiff of smoke, and passed it around. -Each, in token of friendship, did as the chief had already done. This -ended the conference, and we were not again questioned as to our rights -to pass over this long portage trail, which we continued to use until -our supplies were all in. - -As nearly as I can now recall, our force was made up of the following -men: Fendall G. Winston, in whose name the contract for the survey was -issued; Philip B. Winston, brother of Fendall G. Winston; Hdye, a young -engineer from the University of Minnesota; Brown, civil engineer from -Boston; Coe, from the Troy Polytechnic School of Engineering; Charlie, a -half-breed Indian; Franklin, the cook; Jim Flemming, Frank Hoyt, Charlie -Berg, Tom Jenkins, George Fenimore, Tom Laughlin, Joe Lyon, Will -Brackett, Miller, and myself. - -Flemming, poor fellow, was suffering with dysentery when he started on -the trip. On reaching Grand Rapids, he was no better, and it was thought -best not to take him along to the frontier, so he was allowed to go -home. Miller was not of a peace loving disposition, and, having shown -this characteristic early, was also allowed to leave the party. It was -best that all weaklings and quarrelsome ones should be left behind, -because it was easily foreseen that when winter closed in upon the band -of frontiersmen, it would be difficult to reach the outer world, and it -would be unpleasant to have any in the party that were not, in some -sense, companionable. - -Considerable time was consumed in getting all of our supplies to -headquarters camp, which consisted of a log cabin. The first misfortune -that befell any one of our party came to Frank Hoyt, who one day cut an -ugly gash in the calf of his leg with a glancing blow of the ax. The cut -required stitching, but there was no surgeon in the party. Will -Brackett, the youngest of the party, a brother of George A. Brackett, -and a student from the university, volunteered to sew up the wound. This -he did with an ordinary needle and a piece of white thread. The patient -submitted with fortitude creditable to an Indian. Some plastic salve was -put on a cloth and placed over the wound, which resulted in its healing -too rapidly. Proud flesh appeared, and then the wisdom of the party was -called into requisition, to learn what thing or things available could -be applied to destroy it. Goose quill scrapings were suggested, there -being a few quills in the possession of the party. Brackett, however, -suggested the use of some of the cook's baking powder, because, he -argued, there was sufficient alum in it to remove the proud flesh from -the wound. "Dr." Brackett was considered authority, and his prescription -proved effectual. Hoyt was left to guard the provision camp against -possible visits from the Indians, or from bears, which sometimes were -known to break in and to carry away provisions. - -It is never necessary for surveyors whose work is in the timber, nor for -timber hunters, to carry tent poles, because these are easily chosen -from among the small trees; yet nine of our party one time in October, -with the rain falling fast and cold, found themselves, at the end of the -four mile Cut-foot Sioux Portage, on a point of land where there were no -poles. All of the timber of every description had been cut down and used -by the Indians. The Indian chief and several of his family relations -lived on this point. They had built the house of poles and cedar bark, -in the shape of a rectangle. Its dimensions on the ground were about -twelve by twenty feet; its walls rose to a height of about five feet; -and it was covered by a hip roof. - -[Illustration: "Our camp was established on the shores of Kekekabic -Lake". (Page 151.)] - -Our party must either obtain shelter under this roof or must get into -the canoes and paddle nearly two miles to find a place where it could -pitch its tents. At this juncture the hospitality of the Indians was -demonstrated. The chief sent out word that we should come into his -dwelling and remain for the night. The proffer was gladly accepted. When -we had all assembled, we found within, the chief and his squaw, his -daughter and her husband, the hunter, his squaw and two daughters, -besides our party of nine, making a total of seventeen human beings -within this small enclosure. A small fire occupied a place on the ground -at the center of the structure, an ample opening in the roof having been -left for the escape of the smoke and live sparks. Indians can always -teach their white brothers a lesson of economy in the use of fuel. They -build only a small fire, around which, when inside their wigwams, they -all gather with their usually naked feet to the fire. It is a -physiological fact that when one's extremities are warm, one's bodily -sufferings from cold are at their minimum. Our party boiled some rice -and made a pail of coffee, without causing any especial inconvenience to -our hosts, and, after having satisfied hunger and thirst, the usual camp -fire smoke of pipes was indulged in, before planning for any sleep. Our -party had been assigned a portion of the space around the open fire, -and our blankets were brought in and spread upon the mats that lay upon -the earth floor. - -The additional presence of nine Indian dogs has not previously been -mentioned. Before morning, however, they were found to be live factors, -and should be counted as part of the dwellers within the walls of this -single room. They seemed to be nocturnal in habit, and to take an -especial delight in crossing and recrossing our feet, or in trying to -find especially cozy places between our feet and near to the fire, where -they might curl down for their own especial comfort. It was not for us, -however, to complain, inasmuch as the hospitality that had been extended -was sincere; and it was to be remembered by us that it was in no way any -advantage to the Indians to have taken us in for the night. Therefore, -we were truly thankful that our copper colored friends had once more -demonstrated their feelings of humanity toward their white brothers. -They had been subjected to more or less inconvenience by our presence, -but in no way did they make this fact manifest by their actions or by -their words. The rain continued at intervals during the entire night, -and it was with a feeling of real gratitude, as we lay upon the ground, -and listened to it, that we thought of the kindly treatment we were -receiving from these aborigines. In the morning we offered to pay them -money for our accommodations, but this they declined. They did, however, -accept some meat and some flour. - -While we were crossing the lake, one day, in canoes loaded with supplies -of various descriptions, an amusing, yet rather expensive, incident -happened in connection with one of the canoes. Its occupants were George -Fenimore, a Mainite Yankee, and Joe Lyon, a French-Canadian. Both were -good canoemen, but only Fenimore knew how to swim. They had become -grouchy over some subject while crossing the lake, and, as they neared -the opposite shore from which they had started, in some manner which I -have never understood, the canoe was overturned. Little of its contents -was permanently lost, except one box of new axes. The water was about -eight feet deep under them. Each man grasped an end of the overturned -canoe, and clung to it. Then an argument began between the two -disgruntled men, about getting to shore. Lyon wanted Fenimore to let go -of the canoe and swim ashore; but this, the latter refused to do. -Finally, after considerable loss of time, Joe Lyon, who was nearest to -shore, turned his body about, with his face toward the shore, and, -letting go of the canoe, went to the bottom of the lake and floundered -to gain the shore. He had only to go a short distance before the water -became sufficiently shallow for his head to appear, but he was winded, -and thoroughly mad. I have always believed that Fenimore purposely -overturned the canoe, but if so, he never admitted the fact. - -The pine timber lying east of Bow String Lake, and included in the -survey of 1874 and 1875, was all tributary to waters running north, into -the Big Fork River, which empties into the Rainy River. Levels were run -across from Bow String Lake into Cut-foot Sioux River, and considerable -fall was found. The distance, nearly all the way, was over a marsh. It -was shown that a dam could easily be thrown across from bank to bank of -the river at the outlet of Bow String Lake, and by thus slightly raising -the water in the lake, plus a little work of cleaning out portions of -the distance across the marsh, from Bow String Lake to Cut-foot Sioux, -the timber could be driven across and into the waters of the Mississippi -River. All of this engineering was before the advent of logging -railroads. However, before the timber was needed for the Minneapolis -market, many logging railroads had been built in various localities in -the northern woods, and their practical utility had been demonstrated. -When the time came for cutting this timber, a logging railroad was -constructed to reach it; and over its tracks, the timber was brought -out, thus obviating the necessity of impounding the waters of Bow String -Lake. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -An Evening Guest--Not Mother's Bread. - - -I have previously mentioned the presence of nine dogs at an Indian camp, -where members of our party spent a night. One of these animals is -deserving of special mention, for the reason that he was a stranger -among a strange people, and he was evidently so against his own choice. -He had at one time been a fine, large mastiff. His history was never -learned in full, but from an account of the animal, gained by -questioning the Indians who had him in captivity, it was learned that -the dog had belonged at some lumber camp. It often happens that the -midday meal for most of the men in a large logging crew must be taken -out on a sled, usually drawn by a single horse, for a distance of not -infrequently three or four miles from the cook's camp. This is the work -of the cookee; and, at the logging camp where the mastiff had belonged, -the animal had been used instead of a horse, to pull the load of the -midday meal out to the men at work. In what manner he had been left -behind when the camp broke in the spring, was not learned. - -[Illustration: "The memorable fire ... which swept Hinckley". (Page -160.)] - -He was about the size of two or three ordinary Indian dogs, and was -correspondingly less sprightly in his movements. He was very poor when -members of our party first saw him. Indian dogs never get enough to eat, -and this poor fellow with his large frame, had the appearance of not -receiving any more for his portion of food than an average Indian dog, -if as much. He looked as though he were hungry, and probably was, every -day. The particular action that impressed itself upon every member of -our party, was this animal's almost human desire for sympathy that he -sought from this party of white men, when he and they first met at the -Indian camp. He wagged his tail and passed from one member of our party -to another, with an expression of unusual joy. He rubbed against us and -almost begged to be caressed. Every man of our party pitied him and -would gladly have sent him out to the white man's country, had it been -at all practicable to have done so. - -Later in the fall, I was camped for a single night, some three hundred -yards distant from the Indian encampment, on the shore of a lake that I -must cross the following morning. While I was preparing my evening -meal, this mastiff made his appearance, wagging his tail, and wishing by -his actions to say, "I am glad to see you, and have come to call on -you." It is the custom of the land hunter, as well as other -frontiersmen, when paddling his canoe across a lake, to throw out a -trolling line; and not infrequently, in those northern lakes, a catch of -several fish may thus be made. On that day, such had been my experience, -and I had in my possession, several fine wall-eyed pike that I intended -to take through to the main camp, which I should reach on the following -day. I also had a small bag of corn meal, which I sometimes used as a -substitute for oatmeal, in cooking a porridge for my own use. While -preparing my supper, I took the largest kettle, filled it with water, -and placed it over the fire. I then cut into small pieces, a number of -the fish, and put them in the kettle to boil. Later I added some corn -meal and cooked all together. When it was sufficiently done, I removed -one-half of the pail's contents and spread it out on a large piece of -birch bark to cool. When it had cooled sufficiently, I invited my -welcome guest, the mastiff, to partake of the food. Every mouthful eaten -was accompanied by a friendly wag of the animal's tail. The portion -remaining in the pail I hung on a limb, high enough up in the tree to be -out of reach. The dog remained about the camp, and when I lay down in my -blankets for the night, he curled down at my feet and there remained -until morning. - -While I was preparing my own breakfast, I took the pail from the tree -and placed it over a small fire, that I might give my guest a warm -breakfast. I spread out on the same birch bark, all that remained in the -pail, and it was eaten to the last morsel by the grateful animal. - -Having placed all my belongings in my birch canoe, I pushed out into the -lake without the dog, who tried hard to follow, and, as the canoe went -farther from the shore, the homesick animal commenced to whine at his -loss of companionship. By every means possible to a dumb beast, this dog -had expressed his dislike for his enforced environment and his longing -to be back with the white man. I could not help but believe that the -feelings expressed by this dog were akin to those of many a captive man -or woman who had fallen into the hands of the aborigines. - -Our frail birch canoes had been abandoned as cold weather approached, -and we had settled down to the work of surveying. Sometimes, however, -we came to lakes that must be crossed. This was accomplished by cutting -some logs, and making rafts by tying them together with withes. -Sometimes these rafts were found insufficiently buoyant to float above -water all who got onto them, so that when they were pushed along there -were no visible signs of anything that the men were standing on. When on -a raft, Hyde was always afraid of falling off, and would invariably sit -down upon it. This subjected him to greater discomfort than other -members, but as it was of his own choosing, no one raised any objection. - -One day, several of the party had gone to the supply camp to bring back -some provisions which the cook had asked for. Returning, not by any -trail, but directly through the unbroken forest, we found ourselves in a -wet tamarack and spruce swamp; and, although we believed we were not far -from the camp where we had left the cook in the morning, we were not -certain of its exact location. Mr. F. G. Winston said he thought he -could reach it in a very short time, and suggested that we remain where -we were. He started in what he believed to be the direction of the camp, -saying that he would return in a little while. We waited until the -shades of night began to fall; and yet he did not come. Preparations -were then made to stay in the swamp all night. The ground was wet all -around us, nor could we see far enough to discern any dry land. We -commenced cutting down the smaller trees that were like poles, and with -these poles, constructed a platform of sufficient dimensions to afford -room for four men to lie down. Then another foundation of wet logs was -made, on which a fire was kindled, and by the fire, we baked our bread -and fried some bacon, which constituted our evening meal. A sack of -flour was opened, a small place within it hollowed out, a little water -poured in, and the flour mixed with the water until a dough was formed. -Each man was told to provide himself with a chip large enough on which -to lay the piece of dough, which was rolled out by hand, made flat, and -then, having been placed in a nearly upright position against the chip -in front of the fire, was baked on one side; then turned over and baked -on the other. In the meantime, each man was told to provide himself with -a forked stick, which he should cut with his jackknife, and on it to -place his piece of bacon and cook it in front of the fire; thus each man -became his own cook and prepared his own meal. There was no baking -powder or other ingredient to leaven the loaf--not even a pinch of salt -to flavor it. But the owner of each piece of dough was hungry, and, by -eating it immediately after it was baked and before it got cold, it was -much better than going without any supper. The following morning, the -party resumed its journey, and met Mr. Winston coming out to find it. He -had found the cook's camp, but at so late an hour that it was not -possible for him to return that night. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -A Hurried Round Trip to Minneapolis--Many Instances. - - -After leaving Grand Rapids about the middle of August, we saw very few -white men for many months following. In October, on our survey, local -attraction was so strong on part of our work, that it was necessary to -use a solar compass. This emergency had not been anticipated; it, -therefore, became necessary to go to Minneapolis to secure that special -instrument. Philip B. Winston, afterwards mayor of Minneapolis, and I -started in a birch canoe, and in it, made the whole distance from our -camp on Bow String Lake to Aitkin, Minnesota, on the Mississippi, the -nearest railroad station. We were in Minneapolis but two days, when we -returned, catching the steamer at Aitkin, and going up the Mississippi -to Grand Rapids, the head of navigation for steamboats. - -Captain John Martin of Minneapolis, the well-known lumberman and banker, -wished to return with us for his final fishing trip in open water, for -that season. He fished successfully for a number of days, and, at the -end of each day, personally prepared and cooked as fine a fish chowder -as anyone would ever wish to eat. On the day of his departure, I took -the Captain in my canoe, and landed him on the four-mile portage with an -Indian escort who was to take him to Grand Rapids, whence he would -return by steamer to Aitkin, a station on the line of the Northern -Pacific Railroad. - -I was left alone in my canoe and must return to camp, crossing the open -water of Bow String Lake. On my arrival at the main lake, the wind had -increased its velocity, and the whitecaps were breaking. I hired an -Indian, known as "the hunter," to help me paddle across the lake and up -a rapid on a river flowing into Bow String, up and over which it was not -possible for one man to push his canoe alone. - -The annual payment to the Indians by the United States government was to -occur a few days subsequently, at Leach Lake, and the Indians were busy -getting ready to leave, to attend the payment. The hunter's people were -to start that day, and he seemed to realize when half way across the -lake, that, owing to our slow progress, because of the heavy sea, he -would be late in returning to his people at camp. He said so, and wished -to turn back, but I told him that he must take me above the rapid, which -was my principal object in hiring him. After sitting stoically in the -bow of the canoe for a few moments, he suddenly turned about, and, -drawing his long knife, said in Chippewa, that he must go back. I drew -my revolver and told him to get down in the canoe and paddle, and that -if he did not, he would get shot. There was no further threat by the -Indian, and we made as rapid progress as possible over the rapid, -landing my canoe--his own having been trailed to the foot of the rapid. -Both stepped ashore. Then he said in Chippewa, "Me bad Chippewa; white -man all right"; and bidding me good-by, hurried off to his canoe at the -foot of the rapid. - -[Illustration: "The fire ... destroyed millions of dollars worth of -standing pine timber". (Page 160.)] - -Once more, during the fall of 1874, I had to reckon with this wily -Indian, the hunter, as will soon appear in this narrative. - -Perhaps the most convenient pack strap used by the woodsman when on an -all day's tramp, is one that is commonly known as the Indian pack strap. -It consists of a strap of leather about three inches wide and about -three feet long, from each end of which, a tapering piece of leather, -either sewed or buckled to it, extends finally to a narrow point no -wider than a whip-lash. Each of these added narrow strips is from five -to six feet in length, so that the whole strap is about fourteen feet -long when straightened out. A blanket or a tent is folded into shape, -about four feet by six feet. This is laid on the ground, and the strap -is folded double with a spread at the wide part, of about three feet, -which is the length of the wide strap. The narrow ends are then drawn -straight back over the blanket, across its narrow dimension, leaving the -wide strap, which in use becomes the head strap, at the outer edge of -the blanket. Then the blanket is folded from each end over the narrow -straps, the two ends of which project out and beyond the blanket at the -opposite side from the head strap. The articles to be placed within the -blanket, which generally consist of small sacks of beans, flour, pork, -sugar, coffee, and wearing apparel, and blankets, are then carefully -stacked upon the blanket, within the spread of the two narrow lines of -the pack strap. When this is done, the blanket is folded over, and the -two outer edges are brought as near to the center of the pile of things -to be carried within it, as is possible. Then the two tapering ends of -the pack strap are brought up and over, to meet the opposite ends of the -narrow straps, which, as has been explained, are either sewed to, or -buckled onto the wide head strap. Drawing these ends firmly together -puckers the outer edge of the blanket on either side, and draws the -blanket completely over the contents piled in the center, and makes, -ordinarily, nearly a round bundle. This load, or pack, the man then -throws over his shoulder, onto his back, and brings the wide strap -across his forehead, or across his breast, or across the top of his -head, when he is ready to begin his journey. Before he has traveled long -with this load, which weighs ordinarily from fifty to one hundred -pounds, according to the ability of the man to bear the burden, he will -be found shifting that wide strap to any one of the three positions -named, and will have used all of those positions many times before the -party as a whole, stops for a moment's rest. - -I had taken with me, on going north on this long campaign, an extra fine -red leather pack strap that I had had made to order at a Minneapolis -harness shop. I had kept it coiled up, and carefully stored in my -belongings, waiting for an emergency when the more common straps would -no longer be of service. A number of times the Indians had seen this -strap and had admired it, and, as it later proved, not always without -envy. - -One day the strap was missing, and I could find it, neither by -searching, nor by open inquiry of my fellow white men, nor of the -Indians, whom I occasionally met. On one occasion, while portaging my -canoe to another lake, I found several families of Indians camping at -the end of the portage. Among them was the hunter who has been -previously mentioned. While stopping a moment for a friendly talk with -the Indians, I saw protruding from under the coat of the hunter, nearly -two feet of one end of my missing pack strap. I knew it so well that I -was sure that it was no other pack strap. Nevertheless, I deliberated -slowly what action I should take to recover the strap, not wishing by -any possibility to make a mistake. Having surely concluded that the -strap was mine, and that the hunter had not come into possession of it -honestly--he having previously denied, when questioned, that he knew -anything of the whereabouts of the strap--I decided upon a course of -action. Going up quietly behind the hunter, and twisting the end of the -protruding strap twice around my wrist, and grasping it firmly in my -hand, I started with all my might to run with the strap. The effect was -to make a temporary top of my friend, the hunter, who whirled about -until the other end of the pack strap was released from his body. It was -too good a joke, even for the Indians to remain unmoved, and the -majority of them broke into merriment. The hunter at first was disposed -to take it seriously but soon looked sheepish and ashamed, and tried to -smile with the rest of his tribe, as well as with myself. - -[Illustration: "One of the horses balked frequently". (Page 167.)] - -Having wound the strap carefully around my own body, and having made -sure that the ends did not protrude, I bade my friends, including the -hunter, good day, got into my canoe and pushed out into the lake. This -proved to be the last time I ever saw the hunter, but it was not the -last time that I ever thought of the incident. - -In justice to the Indians as compared with white men, I am glad to be -able to say, that, after mingling with them more or less for many years, -and becoming sufficiently familiar with their language to be able to use -it on all necessary occasions, I believe that the Indians are as honest -and as honorable as the men with whom they mingle, who have not a copper -skin. - -Captain Martin was the last white man whom any one of our party saw for -four months. Winter closed in on us before the beginning of November. -The snow became very deep, so that it was absolutely necessary to -perform all of our work on snowshoes. The winter of 1874 and 1875 is -shown to have been the coldest winter in Minnesota, of which there is -any record, beginning with 1819 up to, and including, 1913. - -The party was mostly composed of men who had had years of experience on -the frontier, and who were inured to hardship. With a few, however, the -experience was entirely new, and, except that they were looked after by -the more hardy, they might have perished. As it was, however, not one -man became seriously ill at any time during this severe winter's -campaign. - -All of the principal men of the party wore light duck suits, made large -enough to admit of wearing heavy flannel underwear beneath them. Either -boot-packs or buckskin moccasins, inside of which were several pairs of -woolen socks, composed the footwear. Boot-packs or larigans, as they are -commonly called by the lumber-jack, are tanned in a manner that makes -them very susceptible to heat, and the leather will shrivel quickly if -near an open fire. It cost one of the party several pairs of boot-packs -before he could learn to keep sufficiently far away from the open fire, -on returning to camp from his work. It will be surmised by the reader -that he was one of the inexperienced of the party. - -Many incidents, amusing to others, happened during the winter to this -same man. He had started on the trip in the summer months, with a supply -of shoe blacking and paper collars. The crossing of one or two portages -with his loaded pack sack on his back was sufficient to convince him -that there was no need of carrying either shoe blacking or paper -collars, and they were thrown out to reduce weight. Each man carried a -hank or skein of thread, a paper of needles, and a supply of buttons. -Soon after winter set in, this man, who might ordinarily be termed a -tenderfoot, complained of lameness in one of his feet. As the weather -became more severe, he added from time to time, another pair of socks to -those he already had on, never removing any of previous service. This -necessitated, not infrequently, his choosing a larger sized boot-pack. -Before the campaign was over, although he was a man of low stature and -light weight, his feet presented the appearance of being the largest in -the party. Still he complained of lameness in the hollow of his foot, -and no relief came until March, when the work was completed. Arriving -once more back in civilization, he removed his much accumulated -footwear. There, under this accumulation of socks, and against the -hollow of his foot, was found his skein of thread, the absence of which, -from its usual place, had necessitated his borrowing, whenever he had -need of it, from some one of his companions. Before starting out on this -campaign, he had been one of the tidiest of men about his personal -appearance. - -One evening in midwinter, when sitting around the camp fire, by reason -of the pile of wood for the evening being largely composed of dry -balsam, we were kept more or less busy, extinguishing sparks that are -always thrown out from this kind of wood when burning. Sometimes one -would light on the side of the tent near by, and unless immediately -extinguished, would eat a large hole in the cloth. That evening, Fendall -G. Winston and I were sitting side by side, when we saw a live spark -more than a quarter of an inch in diameter light in the ear of our -friend who sat a little way from, and in front of us. It did not go out -immediately, neither did it disturb the tranquillity of the young man. -Mr. Winston and I exchanged glances and smilingly watched the ember -slowly die. The time to clean up had not yet arrived for at least one of -the party. - -The compassman's work that winter was rendered very laborious from the -fact that his occupation made it necessary for him, from morning until -night of every day, to break his own path through the untrodden snow, -for it was he who was locating the line of the survey. I was all of the -time running lines in the interior of the sections, following the work -of the surveyors, and choosing desirable pine timber that was found -within each section. I had no companion in this work, and thus was -separated most of each day from other members of the party, but returned -to the same camp at night. - -In the morning, each man was furnished by the cook, with a cloth sack in -which were placed one or two or more biscuits, containing within, slices -of fried bacon and sometimes slices of corned beef, also, perhaps, a -doughnut or two. This he tied to the belt of his jacket on his back and -carried until the lunch hour. Ordinarily a small fire was then kindled, -and the luncheon, which generally was frozen, thawed out and eaten. -Under such mode of living, every one returned at night bringing an -appetite of ample dimensions. - -One of the most acceptable of foods to such men at the supper hour was -bean soup, of a kind and quality such as a cook on the frontier, alone, -knows how to prepare. Plenty of good bread was always in abundance at -such time. Usually there was also either corned beef or boiled pork to -be had by those who wished it; generally also boiled rice or apple -dumplings, besides tea and coffee. - -In a well-regulated camp, where men are living entirely out of doors in -tents, a bean hole is pretty sure to be demanded. The bean hole is -prepared by first digging a hole in the ground, sufficiently large, not -only to make room for the pail, but also for several inches of live -coals with which it must be surrounded. After supper is over, the beans -are put into a large pail made of the best material, with ears always -riveted on, so that the action of heat will not separate any of its -parts. The beans are first parboiled with a pinch of soda in the water. -As soon as the skins of the beans become broken, the water is poured -off; then the beans are placed in the bean pail, a small quantity of hot -water is added together with a sufficiently large piece of pork; and, -when a tight cover has been put on the pail, it is placed in the bean -hole. The live coals are placed around it, until the hole is completely -filled and the pail entirely covered several inches deep. Then ashes or -earth are put on the top of it all, to exclude the air. Thus the pail -remains all night, and, in the morning when the cook calls the men to -breakfast, the beans, thoroughly cooked and steaming, are served hot and -furnish an acceptable foundation for the arduous day's work about to -begin. - -[Illustration: "Our camp was made in a fine grove of pig-iron Norway". -(Page 167.)] - -The work of the frontiersman is more or less hazardous in its nature, -and yet bad accidents are rare. Occasionally a man is struck by a -falling limb, or he may be cut by the glancing blow of an ax, though he -learns to be very careful when using tools, well knowing that there is -no surgeon or hospital near at hand. Sometimes in the early winter, men -unaccompanied, yet obliged to travel alone, drop through the treacherous -ice and are drowned. Few winters pass in a lumber country where -instances of this kind do not occur. One day, when alone, I came near -enough to such an experience. I was obliged to cross a lake, known to -have air holes probably caused by warm springs. The ice was covered by a -heavy layer of snow, consequently I wore snowshoes, and before starting -to cross, cut a long, stout pole. Taking this firmly in my hands, I made -my way out onto the ice. All went well until I was near the opposite -shore, when suddenly the bottom went out from under me and I fell into -the water, through an unseen air hole which the snow covered. The pole I -carried was sufficient in length to reach the firm ice on either side, -which alone enabled me, after much labor, impeded as I was by the -cumbersome snowshoes, to gain the surface. The next absolutely necessary -thing to do, was to make a fire as quickly as possible, before I should -become benumbed by my wet garments. - -The survey went steadily on, the snow and cold increased, and rarely was -it possible to make an advance of more than four miles in a day. Frank -Hoyt remained at the warehouse and watched the supplies which were -steadily diminishing. One day, Philip B. Winston, two men of the crew, -and I, set out to the supply camp to bring some provisions to the cook's -camp. The first day at nightfall, we reached an Indian wigwam that we -knew of, situated in a grove of hardwood timber, near the shore of a -lake, directly on our route to the supply camp. Our little party stayed -with the Indians and shared their hospitality. It was a large wigwam, -covered principally with cedar bark, and there was an additional smaller -wigwam so close to it, that a passage way was made from one wigwam to -the other. - -In the smaller wigwam lived a young Indian, his squaw, and the squaw's -mother; in the larger wigwam lived the chief, his wife, his daughter, -son-in-law, and the hunter, his wife, and two daughters, all of whom -were present except the hunter. There was an air of expectancy -noticeable as we sat on the mats around the fire in the wigwam, after -having made some coffee and eaten our supper outside. Presently the -chief informed us that an heir was looked for that evening in the -adjoining tent. Before nine o'clock it was announced that a young -warrior had made his appearance, and all were happy over his arrival. -The large pipe was brought forth, filled with tobacco, and, after the -chief had taken the first smoke, it was passed around to their guests, -and all the men smoked, as well as the married women. - -The next morning, we continued our journey across the lake and on to -Hoyt's camp, where, it is needless to say, he was glad to see some white -men. Their visits were rare at his camp. Filling our packs with things -the cook had ordered, we started on our return journey, arriving at the -Indian camp at nightfall. As we left the ice to go up to the wigwams, we -met the mother of the young warrior who had made his first appearance -the preceding night, going down to the lake with a pail in each hand to -bring some water to her wigwam. The healthy young child was brought into -the wigwam and shown to the members of our party, who complimented the -young mother and wished that he might grow to be a brave, worthy to be -chieftain of their tribe. - -That evening a feast had been prepared at the chief's wigwam, in honor -of the birth of the child, to which our party was invited. The menu -consisted principally of boiled rice, boiled muskrat, and boiled rabbit. -The three principal foods having been cooked in one kettle and at the -same time, it was served as one course, but the guests were invited to -repeat the course as often as they desired. This invitation was accepted -by some, while others seemed satisfied to take the course but once. I -have always found the hospitality of the Chippewa Indian unsurpassed, -and more than once, in my frontier experiences, I have found that -hospitality a godsend to me and to my party. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -The Entire Party Moves to Swan River. - - -It Was in the month of February, 1875, when the surveying party -completed its work east of Bow String Lake, and finished, one afternoon, -closing its last lines on the Third Guide Meridian. At the camp, that -afternoon, preparations were being made for a general move of -considerable distance. It is not always possible for the frontiersman to -reach his goal on the day that he has planned to do so. An instance in -point occurred next day, when our surveying party was moving out to -Grand Rapids. The snow was deep and the weather intensely cold when we -broke camp that morning, hoping before nightfall to reach one of Hill -Lawrence's logging camps. Some Indians had been hired to help pack out -our belongings. Our course lay directly through the unbroken forest, -without trail or blazed line, and the right direction was kept only by -the constant use of the compass. All were on snowshoes, and those of the -party who could be depended upon to correctly use the compass, took -turns in breaking road. Each compassman would break the way through the -snow for half an hour, then another would step in and break the way for -another half hour, and he in turn would be succeeded by a third -compassman. This change of leadership was continued all the way during -that day. - -About the middle of the afternoon, the Indians threw down their packs -and left our party altogether, having become tired of their jobs. This -necessitated dividing up the Indians' packs and each man sufficiently -able-bodied taking a part of these abandoned loads in addition to his -own pack; and thus we continued the journey. - -Night was fast approaching, and the distance was too great to reach the -Lawrence camp that night. Fortunately, there were some Indian wigwams -not far in advance. These we reached after nightfall, and, as our party -was very tired and carried no prepared food, we asked for shelter during -the night, with the Indians. They soon made places where our men could -spread their blankets around the small fire in the center of the -wigwams. Then we asked if we could be served with something to eat. We -received an affirmative "Ugh," and the squaws commenced preparing food, -which consisted solely of a boiled rabbit stew with a little wild rice. -It was once more demonstrated that hunger is a good cook. After having -partaken of the unselfishly proffered food, and, after most of our party -had smoked their pipes, all lay down about the fire, and fell asleep. -Even the presence of Indian dogs, occasionally walking over us in the -night, interfered but little with our slumbers. The next morning our -party started out without breakfast, and by ten o'clock reached the -Lawrence camp, where the cook set out, in a few minutes' time, a great -variety of food, and an abundance of it, of which each man partook to -his great satisfaction. - -[Illustration: "These little animals were numerous". (Page 169.)] - -From Lawrence camp we were able to secure the services of the tote team -that was going out for supplies, which took our equipment through to -Grand Rapids. From that point, we were able, also, to hire a team to -take our supplies to the Swan River. Crossing this we went north to -survey two townships, which would complete the winter's contract. - -It has been stated that this winter of 1874 and 1875 was the coldest of -which the Weather Bureau for Minnesota furnishes any history. Besides -the intense cold, there were heavy snows. Nevertheless, no serious -injury or physical suffering of long duration befell any member of our -band of hardy woodsmen. Not one of our number was yet thirty years old, -the youngest one being eighteen. Two only of the party were married, -Fendall G. Winston, and myself. On leaving Grand Rapids in August, we -separated ourselves from all other white men. The party was as -completely separated from the outside world as though it had been aboard -a whaling vessel in the Northern Seas. No letters nor communications of -any kind reached us after winter set in, until our arrival in Grand -Rapids in the month of February following. Letters were occasionally -written and kept in readiness to send out by any Indian who might be -going to the nearest logging camp, whence they might by chance be -carried out to some post office. Whether these letters reached their -destinations or not, could not be known by the writers as long as they -remained on their work, hidden in the forest. - -I had left my young wife and infant daughter, not yet a year old, in -Minneapolis. Either, or both might have died and been buried before any -word could have reached me. It was not possible at all times to keep -such thoughts out of my mind. Of course every day was a busy one, -completely filled with the duties of the hour, and the greatest solace -was found in believing that all was well even though we could not -communicate with each other. As I recall, no ill befell any one of the -party nor of the party's dear ones, during all these long weeks and -months of separation. Every man of the party seemed to become more -rugged and to possess greater endurance as the cold increased. It became -the common practice to let the camp fire burn down and die, as we rolled -into our blankets to sleep till the morning hour of arising. - -Not every night was spent in comfort, however, though ordinarily that -was the average experience. The less robust ones, of whom there were -very few, sometimes received special attention. - -It was during the arduous journey, getting away from the scene of our -first survey to that of the upper waters of Swan River, that one of our -men fell behind all of the others, on a hard day's tramp. P. B. Winston, -who had all the time been very considerate of him, observing that he was -not keeping up to the party, but was quite a long way back on the trail -which the men were breaking through the snow, said that he would wait -for him until he should catch up. Concealing himself behind a thicket -close to the trail, he quietly awaited our friend's arrival. He told the -following incident of the poor fellow's condition: - -Mr. Winston allowed him to pass him on the trail, unobserved, and heard -him saying, as he rubbed one of his legs, "Oh Lord, my God, what ever -made me leave my comfortable home and friends, and come out into this -wilderness!" At this instant Mr. Winston called out, "What is the matter -----?" "Oh, I'm freezing, and I don't know that I shall ever be of any -use if I ever get out," he replied. He did live to get out and to reach -his friends, none the worse for his doleful experience. He did not -again, however, go north into the forest, but tried another portion of -the western country, where he became very prosperous. - -Long living around the open camp fire in the winter months, standing -around in the smoke, and accumulating more or less of the odors from -foods of various kinds being cooked by the open fire, invariably result -in all of one's clothing and all of one's bedding becoming more or less -saturated with the smell of the camp. This condition one does not notice -while living in it from day to day, but he does not need to be out and -away from such environments for more than a few hours, before he becomes -personally conscious, to some degree, that such odors are not of a -quality that would constitute a marketable article for cash. On arriving -in Minneapolis at the close of the winter's campaign, without having -changed our garments--as we had none with us that had not shared with us -one and the same fate--Mr. P. B. Winston and I engaged a hack at the -railroad station, and drove to our respective homes. - -[Illustration: "We saw racks in Minnesota made by the Indians". (Page -172.)] - -It was Mr. Winston's domicile that was first reached, and it happened, -as the driver stopped in front of his house, that his fiancee, Miss -Kittie Stevens (the first white child born in Minneapolis), chanced to -be passing by. Of course their meeting was unexpected to either, but was -a pleasant and joyous one, though somewhat embarrassing to Mr. Winston. -The wind was blowing, and I noticed that he took the precaution to keep -his own person out of the windward. He had been a soldier in the -Confederate Army, and I smiled with much satisfaction as I observed his -splendid maneuver. - -On meeting me next day, Mr. Winston inquired whether his tactics had -been observed, and, being assured that they had, he said that that was -the embarrassing moment for him, for he did not know but that the young -lady might have considered that she had just grounds for breaking the -engagement. Both of us, however, knew better, for she was a young lady -possessed of a large degree of common sense and loveliness. The young -people later were married, Mr. Winston becoming mayor of Minneapolis, -remaining always, one of its best citizens. Often, afterwards, incidents -of that winter's experience, a few of which have been herein recorded, -were gone over together with great pleasure by the parties interested. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -Methods of Acquiring Government Land--An Abandoned Squaw. - - -For many years it was the practice of the United States government, -after its lands had been surveyed, to advertise them for sale at public -auction on a date fixed by the government. Time sufficient was always -given to allow parties interested to go themselves, or send men into the -woods, to examine the lands, and thus to be prepared on the day of sale, -to bid as high a price on any description as each was willing to pay. -After the time advertised for the lands to be thus offered, had expired, -and after the land sale had been held, all lands not bought in at that -sale became subject to private entry at the local land office. It was -this class of lands that I bought in Wisconsin. - -After the Civil War, by act of Congress, each Union soldier was given -the right to homestead one hundred and sixty acres of land, the -government price of which was one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. -It sometimes happened that the soldier found only forty acres, or -possibly eighty acres, or one hundred and twenty acres, lying -contiguous, that he cared to take as a homestead. Later, Congress passed -another law enabling the soldier, who had thus previously entered fewer -than one hundred and sixty acres, to take an additional homestead claim -of enough acres, which, when added to his previous homestead, would make -a total of one hundred and sixty acres. The soldier was not obliged to -live on this additional piece of land, but had the right to sell his -certificate or scrip from the government, to anyone who might choose to -buy it, and the purchaser, by power of attorney from the soldier, could -with this scrip, himself enter the land. This became a common practice, -covering a period of several years, and it was with the use of this kind -of scrip that very much of the land that was surveyed about the time I -have been describing, was entered. - -In the following winter--that of 1875 and 1876--I was in the woods of -Minnesota west of Cloquet, accompanied by an Indian named Antoine, and, -while breaking trail on snowshoes in the deep snow along an obscure road -that had been cut through to Grand Rapids, on the Mississippi, I came to -a small Indian tepee close by the side of the road. A little smoke was -curling from its peak, and a piece of an old blanket was hanging over -its entrance. Calling aloud, I heard a faint voice of a woman answering -from within. Entering the wigwam, we found there an impoverished, -half-clad, half-frozen, perishing squaw. She told us that her feet had -been frozen so that she could not walk, and that her family had left her -to die. She had food enough, and possibly fuel enough, to last her about -two more days. I was at a loss to know what was the wisest and most -humane thing to do. We were far in the woods, and away from every human -inhabitant. It was as easy to proceed to Grand Rapids as it was to -retrace our steps to Duluth. A decision was soon made, and that was, -that we would cut and split, and bring inside the wigwam a large pile of -good wood, with plenty of kindling, and would leave the poor woman -supplies from our pack sacks, of things most suitable and most -convenient for her to use, as whatever she did, must be done on her -hands and knees. - -Having provided her with a liberal supply of rice, pork, crackers, some -flour, sugar, tea, and a package of smoking tobacco--for all squaws -smoke--besides melting snow until we had filled an old pail with water, -we felt that she could keep herself alive and comfortable for several -days, at least. I then took out of my pack, a new pair of North Star -camping blankets, and cutting them in two, left one-half to provide -additional warmth for the unfortunate squaw. As is the custom of her -people when something much appreciated has been done for one of them, -she took my hand and kissed it. Leaving her plenty of matches, we bade -her good-by, and resumed our journey toward Grand Rapids. - -Once more on the trail, I asked Antoine how old he believed the squaw to -be. He said maybe forty; I should have judged her to have been seventy, -but no doubt I was mistaken, and the Indian's judgment was far better. -Arriving at Grand Rapids, I wrote the authorities at Duluth, and at Fond -du Lac Indian Reservation, telling them of the poor woman's situation -and where she was located. I afterwards learned that she had been sent -for, and brought out by team, and that she had been subsequently taken -to her band of Indians. - -I have been told by different Indians, that the sick and the aged are -sometimes abandoned when the band is very short of provisions, and when -to take the helpless with them, would prove a great burden. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -United States Land Sale at Duluth--Joe LaGarde. - - -During the summer of 1882, the United States government had advertised -that it would offer at public auction, many townships of land lying -along the border between Minnesota and Canada, in Cook, Lake, St. Louis, -and Itasca Counties. This country was difficult to reach. The distance -from Duluth to Lake Vermilion was upwards of ninety miles. There was not -even a road through the woods, over which a loaded team could be driven. -Men were obliged to take their supplies upon their backs and carry them -over a trail, all of this distance. From Lake Vermilion, it was possible -to work both eastward and westward, by using canoes and making numerous -portages from one lake to another, and so on for seventy-five miles in -either direction along the boundary. Supplies were soon exhausted, so -that it was necessary to keep packers on the trail, bringing in on their -backs, fresh supplies from Duluth to Vermilion, where now is located the -city of Tower. In the Vermilion country, dog trains could sometimes be -advantageously used. - -Estimators of timber were employed either for themselves or for others, -in surveying the lands, and in estimating the pine timber in these -various townships that were to be offered at public sale in the month of -December. This work continued almost to the day when the sale was to -begin. That sale was held at the local land office at Duluth, and there -were present men interested in the purchase of pine timber, from Maine, -Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and some men -representing Canadian capital. The competition was vigorous, and Uncle -Sam's lands were bid in at a round price. - -During the fall of 1882, while preparing for the approaching land sale -at Duluth, the only son of William S. Patrick, Simeon D. Patrick, a -veteran land examiner in my employ, and I, made a short trip west of -Duluth, exploring a section of country south of where now is the station -of Cornwall, on the Northern Pacific Railroad. Our packer and handy man -who carried part of our supplies, was an Indian of considerable note, by -the name of John LaGarde, familiarly known as Joe LaGarde. He was a fine -specimen of Chippewa Indian trapper, tall, straight, muscular, and a -good burden bearer, but rather averse to long days' work. He was handy -about camp, but, being an Indian, and accustomed to lying down at night -with his feet close to a few live embers, he did not share with the -white man the wish for large piles of wood to last through the cold -nights that prevailed during this trip. - -[Illustration: "The roots of the lilies are much relished as a food by -the moose." (Page 172.)] - -It happened that one evening we pitched our tent near a small stream, in -a grove composed principally of young birch, but interspersed with large -and shaggy ones. Everyone at all familiar with the birch knows there is -much of it, on which the outer bark peels naturally, and it is no -uncommon thing to be able to peel, with the use of the hands only, large -quantities of the bark. There was almost an inexhaustible supply of just -such bark near this camping ground. Joe was either tired or indisposed -to work that evening, and when bedtime arrived, the pile of wood looked -very scant for the long hours of the night. No one likes a little -innocent fun better than my friend Patrick. Looking at the small -woodpile, then at Joe, Patrick gave me a twinkle of his eye, started out -into the semidarkness, and commenced peeling bark off the birch trees. -He busied himself thus, until he had peeled off and brought in near our -tent, a huge pile of this beautiful birch bark. - -No matter how rainy the weather may be, or how deep the snow in winter, -if the frontiersman is fortunate enough to be camped in a grove of live -birch, he knows that this ever friendly and useful birch bark will -afford him a sure means of kindling a fire. It carries much oil and -burns readily when a match is applied to it. The fire was fixed for the -night, and Patrick and I lay down in our tent under our blankets to -sleep. Joe, as was his custom, curled up at the foot of the tent and -left his bare feet sticking out toward the fire. His requirement of -blanket was less than half of what would satisfy a white man. As long as -his feet were warm, the Indian did not suffer from cold. About midnight -the fire had burned very low, when Patrick emerged from the tent and -commenced dropping pieces of birch bark on the fast consuming fire logs. -I was well back in the tent, propped up a little on my elbows, enjoying -the glow of the fire, and watching it, as well as watching the Indian. -As the fire increased and the flames rose higher, the Indian's feet -began to twitch, and to draw up closer to his body. Soon the heat was so -tremendous that the tent was in danger, when, like a missile, thrown by -a strong spring, the Indian shot out of his blanket and into the woods, -muttering his imprecations in Chippewa. He did not swear, for praise be -to the Chippewa language, it contains no such words; but a madder Indian -and a happier white man are seldom seen. The sequel to this episode was -plenty of good fuel to burn during all of the following nights of this -cruise in the forest. - -We employed LaGarde on other and later trips, and his services were -always satisfactory. He has since gone to the happy hunting ground, and, -with his passing, a tinge of sadness steals over us, for his memory is -dear, and we have no right or wish to count him as other than our -brother. He was always true to the white man, and deserves his meed of -praise. - -An account of his death appeared in the Duluth Herald, February 28th, -1911, from which the following summary is gathered: - -His age is given in the death certificate, as one hundred years. He was -born on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, near Thief River Falls. His -mother was a full-blooded Chippewa, and his father a half-breed with a -French-Canadian name. In 1834, when about twenty-four years old, he came -with his mother, to the Head of the Lakes, and settled at the historic -John Jacob Astor Trading Post, at Fond du Lac. Three years later, while -trading at Madeleine Island, near Bayfield, he met Liola Chievier, a -half-breed, whom he afterwards married and brought to Fond du Lac. There -were seven children to this union, but only three are now living. The -youngest, aged fifty-five, lived at Fond du Lac with his father. The -other two were located on the White Earth Reservation. They were Moses -and Simon. The old man's wife died about thirty-eight years ago. LaGarde -lived in Fond du Lac about seventy-seven years. He possessed a -remarkable physique. His chest was well developed, his body straight as -an arrow, and he stood six feet two inches in height. Being a Chippewa, -LaGarde loved peace more than war, and he never took part in any Indian -outbreak. As far back as the memory of any white man of the suburb goes, -he had a reputation of being honest in all his transactions with the -white traders. His body was buried in the Indian burying grounds, at the -Fond du Lac Indian Reservation near Cloquet. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -Six Hundred Miles in a Birch Canoe. - - -The following summer, I hired a number of men to pack some supplies from -Duluth to the shores of Lake Vermilion. I had with me one white man to -assist me in a reestimate of the pine timber that I had bought at the -land sale in December. Canoes were purchased of the Indians, and I -employed some of them to go as packers and canoemen. - -The work first took the party eastward a distance of fifty miles. Not -only was the timber reexamined, but the character of the streams was -carefully noted, with reference to their feasibility for floating out -the timber, whenever the time should come for it to be cut and brought -to market. All of that country is very rugged and much broken. The -shores of the lakes are bold and rock-bound. Islands exist in nearly all -of the lakes, and at that time they were thoroughly wooded, many of them -containing fine bunches of pine timber. The country was picturesque and -the scenery most enchanting. Aquatic birds of various species were -frequently startled from the water as our canoes came in sight of them. -Fish were abundant and could be taken in almost any one of the lakes, by -throwing out a line. There were caribou and moose in the country, but no -deer at that time. - -Bands of Indians were living along these waters, most of them belonging -to the United States, but, as we turned and went westward, on the waters -of Lake La Croix we met many Canadian Indians. They all spoke the same -language, though sometimes with great difference in accent. There were -many waterfalls, and around these, in every instance, a portage had to -be made of all our supplies and of our canoes. One day's experience was -much like that of its predecessor or like that of the one to follow. On -the whole, the work was less arduous than that in a country which is -mostly land and not cut up by numerous lakes, as is the condition in all -of the northern woods in Minnesota. A camping ground would be selected -on a shore of a lake, and, from this one camp, it was often our -experience that several days' work could be economically accomplished -before it was necessary to again move. The timber that we wished to -examine often lay on either side of the lake on the shore of which the -camping ground had been selected. Thus the work continued until the -party reached Rainy Lake. This lake is fifty-five miles long, and at its -foot, at that time, on the Canadian side, was Fort Francis. Much of this -water route was then known as the Dawson Route. It had been used by the -Canadian government to reach the Canadian Northwest with its soldiers, -at the time of the Riel Rebellion. The shattered remains of a number of -French batteaus were seen on the rapids between different lakes, where -an attempt had been made to navigate the waters, which had disastrously -failed. - -[Illustration: "We have seen the moose standing out in the bays of the -lakes". (Page 172.)] - -Just below Fort Francis, which is at the beginning of the Rainy River -which flows into Lake of the Woods, we found a Canadian farmer. He had -been an engineer on board a Canadian steamer that plied from Rat Portage -to Fort Francis. When the rebellion was over, and there was no longer -use for steamboating, this man determined to take a homestead under the -Canadian land laws. This was at the latter end of July. While our party -was preparing dinner on the bank of the river at the edge of the -settler's meadow, he came down to see us. It was seldom that he saw any -of the white race, and, when one chanced to pass by, he was always glad, -he said, to see him and learn something of the outside world. He -invited us to go back into his meadow where, he assured us, we should -find an abundance of ripe, wild strawberries. This we found to be true, -and the berries were indeed a luxury to a lot of men who had been living -on nothing better than dried peaches or dried apples, stewed and made -into sauce. - -The work of examining lands was now completed for this trip, but the -easiest way out was to continue down Rainy River into Lake of the Woods, -and across Lake of the Woods to Rat Portage, where a train on the -Canadian Pacific could be boarded and the journey continued to Winnipeg, -and from thence by rail back to Minneapolis. At that time no logs had -been driven down the Rainy River to mar the beauty of its shore lines -which were the most beautiful of any river I have ever seen in Minnesota -or in Canada. In some places for half a mile at a stretch there would be -a continuous gravel shore. Its waters were deep and clear. - -Near the mouth of Rainy River, our party overtook Colonel Eaton and his -helper, a man from Wisconsin, whose name, I believe, was Davis. Colonel -Eaton was United States government inspector of lands, and was on a -tour of inspection to ascertain to what extent the land laws relating -to homestead entries were being complied with. Each was glad to meet the -other, and in company, we traveled from that time until we finally -arrived at Rat Portage. - -Lake of the Woods is a very large body of water, and not everywhere is -it safe to venture out upon it in small boats or canoes. Colonel Eaton -had a staunch rowboat. At Rainy Lake I had paid off and dismissed most -of my helpers, so that I had but one canoe remaining. This was occupied -by myself and the white man, my assistant, whom I had taken at the -beginning of the journey. For a considerable distance, the party was -able to keep behind the islands and away from the open lake, until it -arrived at a point that is known as a traverse, a wide opening between -islands, where the westerly winds, if blowing heavily, have a tremendous -sweep. Our party found the whitecaps rolling in across this traverse, on -the top of waves so high that neither of our crafts could possibly live, -if out in them. Here, on this island, we went ashore and made our camp -as comfortable as possible while waiting for the wind and waves to -subside. - -Both parties had been long from home, and were practically without food -to eat. We were obliged to stay on that island three nights and two days -before the water had calmed sufficiently for us to cross the traverse. -In the meantime, we had eaten the last of our supplies, and were -subsisting wholly upon what blueberries we were able to find growing on -the island. Some public work was about to begin up the Rainy River, and -we had been informed that a steamer from Rat Portage, loaded with -various articles of merchandise, was liable to come up the lake to enter -the river at almost any time; consequently we were continually on the -lookout for the steamer, it being the only source from which we could -hope to get anything to eat, before we should arrive at Rat Portage. -Finally the steamer was spied on the afternoon of the second day of our -unforeseen residence on the island. With towels tied to poles, our -party, hoping to be able to signal the passing steamer, went to the -shore of the island. It was well out on the lake from our shore, and our -hopes began to wane as we saw it steam by us, not having given us any -indication that it had seen our signal. Suddenly, however, our fears -were turned to hope and joy as we saw its bow turning in our direction. -It made a long sweep on account of the high sea, and came in behind our -island where the water was deep, and the nose of the steamer was brought -almost to our shore. We quickly told the captain our plight, and asked -only that we might purchase of him a little flour and a little meat, a -little tea and a little coffee, sufficient to take us to Rat Portage, -including a possible longer delay on the island because of the wind that -was yet blowing. This he gladly gave us, refusing to accept any -compensation; and with grateful hearts, we waved him adieu as the boat -resumed its course. The following morning, early, the lake was quite -calm; and, after a hasty breakfast, we pulled out from shore, crossed -the traverse, and once more got behind the friendly islands. From this -time on to Rat Portage, our journey was without special interest, the -party returning together by rail to Minneapolis. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -Effect of Discovery of Iron Ore on Timber Industry. - - -During the same year that the United States government offered its lands -in the northern counties of Minnesota at public auction, new interests -effecting the market for pine timber were created by the discovery of -iron ore of a marketable quality, near the south shore of Lake -Vermilion, where now is the city of Tower, Minnesota. - -Historically, the first mention of iron ore in northern Minnesota dates -back to the report of J. G. Norwood, made in 1850, in which he mentioned -the occurrence of iron ore at Gunflint Lake, but claimed no commercial -importance in his discovery. The Geological and Natural History Survey -of Minnesota, Volume 4, page 583, records the following: "H. H. Eames, -state geologist of Minnesota in 1865 and 1866, was the first to observe -and report iron ore on both the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges, and to -consider it of any value. In his report for 1866, he describes the ore -outcroppings near the southern shore of Lake Vermilion, and in his -report, published the following year, is an account of the ore at -Prairie River Falls, on the western end of the Mesabi, and several -analyses showing it to be of good quality." - -[Illustration: "White Pine--What of Our Future Supply?" (Page 174.)] - -As early as 1880, Professor A. H. Chester, in the interest of private -parties, made a personal examination of the Vermilion Iron Range, and -predicted that an iron ore district of immense value and importance -would be found to exist on that range. George C. Stone of Duluth, one of -the parties who had employed Chester to make the examination for iron -ore, was elected a member of the Minnesota legislature, and, through his -instrumentality, in 1881, a law was passed, "to encourage mining in this -state, by providing a uniform rate for the taxing of mining properties -and products." This law provided for a payment of a tax of fifty cents -for each ton of copper, and one cent for each ton of iron ore, mined and -shipped or disposed of; each ton to be estimated as containing two -thousand two hundred and forty pounds. The Duluth and Iron Range -Railroad was constructed from Two Harbors, on Lake Superior, to Tower, -Minnesota; and in August, 1884, the first shipment of iron ore was made -from the Minnesota Mine at Tower. - -Promising outcrops of iron ore bearing rocks were found east of Tower, -where now is the flourishing town of Ely. Work was begun on these -outcrops, resulting in the finding of the Chandler Mine, by Captain John -Pengilly, from which, in 1888, the first shipment of iron ore was made, -the railroad having been extended from Tower to Ely, for the purpose, -primarily, of shipping the iron ore to Two Harbors, and thence to the -eastern markets. Other mines were later found in this vicinity. The -building and equipping of this railroad created a demand for -manufactured lumber, for railroad ties, and for telegraph poles. -Sawmills were built at different points along the line of the railroad -and at its terminals, so that the years immediately following were busy -ones for those dealing in standing timber and its manufactured products. - -My associates and I had acquired interests in these localities, so that -much of my time for nearly a decade, was actively employed along the -line of the Vermilion Range. During these years from 1882 to 1888, the -most practical modes of travel, and almost the only ones, were either by -birch canoe and portaging from lake to lake in summer, or by dog train -during the winter. Sometimes these trips were pleasant ones, but quite -as often they were attended by incidents not always agreeable. - -On one of these occasions late in October, accompanied by one white man -known only as "Buffalo," I started to travel east from Tower, on Lake -Vermilion, along the route followed by the Indians, to the foot of Fall -Lake, a distance of forty-five miles. It was some time after noon when -we pulled out from shore in our two-man canoe, a small craft, affording -just room for two men to sit, and to carry their pack sacks and scant -supplies. Soon it began to rain, and the wind commenced blowing. We were -approaching an island, when Buffalo, who had had much experience on the -Great Lakes as a sailor, insisted that we could not reach our landing at -the easterly end of the lake, before dark, without the use of a sail. -Arriving at an island, we pulled our canoe ashore, and Buffalo quickly -improvised a sail, which was hoisted in the bow of the canoe and the -boat was again launched. In this manner we sailed and paddled at a much -accelerated speed, but all of the time we were in imminent danger of -being capsized, it being my first experience of riding in a birch canoe -carrying a sail. Fortune favored the undertaking, however, and we made a -safe landing in time to pitch our tent and make our camp for the night. - -During the night the cold increased, and when we arose in the morning, -we found that ice had formed on the water in the little bay of the lake. -We made a number of portages that day, the cold increasing so that in -all of the little bays, ice was forming. We succeeded in crossing Burnt -Side Lake and entering the river leading to Long Lake as it was getting -dark. We were then six miles from what we knew to be a comfortable ranch -near the lower end of Long Lake, which Buffalo strongly urged we should -try to reach that night, although to do so meant that we must pass -between some islands where, in places, we knew the rocks projected out -of the water, and therefore were perilous to our birch canoe. We decided -to make the effort, and soon after pushing out from shore, we were only -able to faintly discern the outlines of the islands that we must pass. -Fortunately, these were soon alongside of us, and we had passed the last -dangerous reef of rocks. Then, to our great satisfaction, we saw the -light from the lantern which had been hung out on a pile driven close by -the outer end of the dock at the foot of the lake, about four miles -distant, where the ranch, that we hoped to reach that night, was -located. The wind had died down so that the surface of the lake was -comparatively smooth, but we noticed that our mittens, which had become -thoroughly wet, were freezing on our hands. For one hour we paddled in -silence, when the light toward which we had been steering, became much -more visible, and soon we landed at the little dock, thankful that we -had made our journey safely. Our appetites were keen for the good, -broiled steak and hot potatoes that previous experience had taught us we -were pretty sure to receive, and in this we were not disappointed. - -The following summer, I passed over this same canoe route under quite -different circumstances. My work of examining lands and timber all lay -near to the shores of several lakes. My wife's father, J. H. Conkey, and -her brother, Frank L. Conkey, had often expressed a wish to see that -northern country. Accompanied by them and also by my son, Frank Merton, -who was then a boy in short pants, we journeyed by rail to Tower. Before -leaving Duluth for Tower, Mose Perrault was added to our number. - -Perrault was a fine specimen of man, six feet in height, -well-proportioned, of middle age, and thoroughly familiar with frontier -life. At Tower, we started out with two birch canoes, and after dinner, -on a pleasant afternoon in August, we pushed our canoes out into the -waters of Lake Vermilion, from the same point from which we had left in -the rain, the previous October. We reached the east end of Vermilion -early, portaged into Mud Lake, went up the river, and camped on the high -ground west of Burnt Side Lake, in a pine grove where we were surrounded -by blueberry bushes laden with their large, ripe fruit. - -[Illustration: "He motors over the fairly good roads of the northern -frontier." (Page 180.)] - -Our party was made up of two classes of people; one out to examine -timber, the other, to fish and have a good time. While crossing one of -the portages, my brother-in-law, Frank L. Conkey, who knew almost -nothing about canoeing or portaging, but was willing, and full of hard -days' work, picked up two pack sacks, one of which was strapped to his -shoulders, and the other was placed on top of his shoulders and the back -of his head. Thus burdened, he started across Mud Portage, the footing -of which, in places, was very insecure. At an unfortunate moment, he -caught his foot in a root and tumbled, the top pack sack shooting over -his head and breaking open at its fastenings, thus spilling its contents -on the ground. All that could be found of these, were gathered together -and replaced in the pack sack, and the journey was resumed. Mose -Perrault was the cook, and on arriving at the camping ground at night, -he began preparations for making bread and getting the evening meal. The -pack sack that had broken open, originally contained two tin cans, one -filled with baking powder, and the other, with fresh live worms buried -in earth, that had been gathered for bait for the fishing party. -Perrault wanted the baking powder with which to leaven the dough. The -fishermen wanted their worms with which to bait their hooks. The latter -were gratified, but nowhere could the baking powder be found, and we -were forced to the conclusion that it was one of the lost articles on -the portage. That night and the next day, we lived on bread made without -any leaven, which from a number of experiences, I feel competent to -state, is never a great success. The fishing, however, was good, and on -the portages enough partridges were shot within revolver range to afford -plenty of good meat for the party. These we cooked with bacon and -dressed with butter, of which we had a goodly supply. There were plenty -of crackers and Carolina rice, with blueberries close at hand for the -picking, so that the party subsisted well, until it arrived at Ely, -where the three fishermen bade Perrault and me farewell, returning to -their homes by railroad train, after a pleasant outing. - -In February, 1891, my three companions and I had a very different -experience, away east of Ely, where we had gone to survey and estimate a -tract of pine timber. The snow was deep, and the journey, which had to -be made with the use of toboggans, was a hard one. I had, as my -associate and chief timber estimator, S. D. Patrick. In addition were -the cook, and Buffalo, a man whose name has appeared on a previous page. -This man is worthy of more than passing notice. His true name I never -knew. He always said, "Call me 'Buffalo'." He claimed to have been born -at Buffalo, New York, and to have spent his childhood and early youth in -that city. He was an Irish-American and was possessed of the typical -Irish wit on all occasions. He was never angry to the extent of being -disagreeable, but he had no patience for any man in the party who -refused or neglected to do his full share of the work. He claimed that -when a boy, he had earned money at the steamboat landings at Buffalo, by -diving under the water for coins thrown to him by passengers on board -the ships at anchor in the harbor, as did also the late Daniel O'Day of -the Standard Oil Company. He too, was an Irish-American, born and raised -near Buffalo, and at his death left millions of dollars. He once told me -that when a youth he had earned many dimes and quarters by diving for -them alongside the passenger ships in Buffalo Harbor. - -Buffalo was always ready to act promptly and to do, or to undertake to -do, anything that was requested of him. On this occasion he had an -opportunity to demonstrate these good qualities. The trip was attended -with the greatest of hardships, of heavy work, and of exposure to -intense cold. Buffalo was a good axman, and not one night did he fail to -cut and pile near to the camp, enough wood to last until after breakfast -the next morning. - -Our camp was established on the shores of Kekekabic Lake, in Township 64 -N., Range 7 W., for several days and nights. There were many partridges -in this section of the forest. They would come out on the borders of the -woods next to the lake. It was possible to shoot one or more nearly -every day, so that the camp was supplied with fresh game. The cook and -Buffalo remained at the camp, while Mr. Patrick and I went out each day -to examine timber, returning at night. The daylight covered none too -many hours, so that we arose early and started on our journey after -breakfast, as soon as we could see to travel, in order that the day's -work might be accomplished, and the return to camp made before dark. It -was not possible to calculate the day's work so as to be sure that we -could reach camp before nightfall, but, owing to the intense cold that -prevailed at this time, it was only the part of wisdom to plan so as to -return to camp while we could yet see where to travel. Nearly every -day's work was, in part at least, over a new tract of land, to which a -new trail must be broken in the morning as we went out to the work. - -One day our work lay directly north of our camp, through the woods, out -onto a small lake, and again into the woods. We knew, before leaving -camp in the morning, that it would require our best efforts to -accomplish the work and to return before nightfall. For this reason, we -started at daybreak, and, after having done our best, it was night -before we commenced to retrace our steps. The cold had increased all -day, so that we were obliged to summon our courage at times, to keep our -feet and hands from freezing. We were only two miles from camp when our -return journey began; but two miles in an unbroken wilderness, in deep -snow, with the only path to follow being the tracks made by two men -passing once over it, is a long distance to travel when daylight has -disappeared, and when to leave those tracks at such a temperature, would -probably prove fatal. - -Within a few minutes from the time of our beginning to retrace our -steps, each step was taken by the sense of feeling. We were both clad in -moccasins, which made it possible, through the sense of feeling, to -distinguish between the unbroken snow and that which had been stepped -upon during the morning hours of that day. Being in darkness, we dared -not proceed whenever we were not certain that our feet were in the path -that we had made on going out to our work. A few times we lost the path. -Immediately we stopped, one man standing still, in order that we might -not lose our location, while the other felt around until the path was -regained. We knew that if we should lose it, the one thing remaining for -us would be to walk around a tree, if it were possible to do so, until -morning light should appear. We went slowly on, never giving up hope. - -It was getting late in the evening, so that Buffalo, at camp, became -alarmed for our safety. His wits were at work, and he commenced to build -a large fire. Then he found, near by, a dead pine stub. About this he -piled kindling until he got it on fire. It is not possible to write -words describing the satisfaction and joy with which we two lonely -travelers finally spied the illumination, penetrating the dark forest -for a short distance only, it is true, yet far enough. Soon we walked -into camp, to the joy of all of the party, and there we found an -excellent supper awaiting us. Buffalo's big wood pile was in waiting at -all the hours of that night, and some one was astir to keep the fire -going. It was the only night of my long experience of living in the -woods, when it was impossible, for more than a short period, to be -comfortable away from the fire, and even then, we each in turn revolved -our bodies about the open fire, first warming one side, and then the -other, and slept but little. - -After our work was completed, and we had gotten back in touch with the -civilized world, we were told by residents at Tower, that the -thermometer on that night, had indicated from 48 deg. to 52 deg. below zero. - -[Illustration: "Friends whom he had known in the city who are ready to -welcome him." (Page 180.)] - -The following summer, on one of my trips to this then picturesque -country in northeastern Minnesota, I tried the experiment of taking my -wife, who had long been an invalid, and my son, Frank Merton, then a boy -in his early teens, with me, in the hope that the trip would prove -beneficial to the wife and mother. The experiment was in no way -disappointing, although on one occasion when the rain had poured -incessantly, leaving the woods drenched, in crossing a rather blind and -unavoidable portage, Mrs. Warren's clothing became thoroughly wet. In -the absence of a wardrobe from which to choose a change of garments, the -expedient was resorted to of requesting her to remove one garment at a -time, which Vincent De Foe, a half-breed, and James O'Neill, an old and -trusty friend, held to the open fire, until it was dry. This she -replaced, when another wet garment went through the same process, until -all had been dried. No ill effects followed; on the contrary, Mrs. -Warren's health continued to improve. - -At the end of the trip I was so happy over the results that I sent the -following account of some of its incidents to Dr. Albert Shaw, then of -the Minneapolis Tribune, and at present, editor of the Review of -Reviews. This little account appeared in the Tribune of Saturday, -September 6, 1890: - - "IN THE WILDS OF MINNESOTA. - Mrs. G. H. Warren's Travels in the Northeastern Part of the State. - -Mrs. G. H. Warren and her son Frank returned to the city Monday from a -two weeks' tour of the Vermilion Iron Range, north of Lake Superior. -Their trip was both interesting and novel. From Ely, the eastern -terminus of the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad, they embarked in birch -canoes, traversing ten lakes, thirteen portages and three small rivers -as far as they were navigable for birch canoes. The whole distance thus -traveled included over one hundred miles. Pike, pickerel, bass, white -fish, or landlocked salmon abound in all these lakes of rugged shores. -Master Frank reports the capture of a twenty-seven inch pike and a -thirty-seven inch pickerel. In one of the bays of Basswood Lake--a -beautiful body of clear water thirty miles in length and extending -several miles into Canada--the Indians were seen gathering wild rice. -This is accomplished by the male Indian standing upright in the bow of -his canoe, and paddling it forward through the field of rice, the stalks -of which grow from three to four feet above the water; while his squaw -sits in the stern of the canoe, and with two round sticks about the -size, and half the length of a broom handle, dexterously bends the long -heads of the rice over the gunwale of the canoe with one stick, while at -the same instant, she strikes the well filled heads a sharp, quick blow -with the other, threshing out the kernels of rice, which fall into the -middle portion of the canoe. This middle portion is provided, for the -occasion, with a cloth apron, into which the rice kernels fall. The -apron will hold about two bushels, and is filled in the manner above -described in less than three hours' time. The rice is next picked over -to free it from chaff and straw, after which it is placed in brass -kettles and parched over a slow fire; then it is winnowed, and is ready -for future use. - -Mrs. Warren is the first white woman to penetrate so far on the frontier -of wild Northeastern Minnesota, and though never before subjected to -uncivilized life, or the primitive mode of travel, she endured the walks -over the portages, slept soundly on beds of balsam fir boughs, ate with -a relish the excellent fish and wild game cooked at the camp fire, and -returns to her home in the city with health much improved, and -enthusiastic over the many beauties of nature in this yet wild, but -attractive portion of Minnesota." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -Forest Fires. - - -The terrible forest fires that swept over much of Wisconsin and -Minnesota during the summer of 1894, resulting in such an appalling loss -of life at Hinckley and vicinity, will always be remembered by the -people living in the northern half of Minnesota. - -One who has never been in the forest at a time when the fires within it -extended over many miles of area, cannot appreciate the danger and the -anxiety of those who are thus placed. I vividly recall two days during -the summer of the Peshtigo fire, when I was in the burning woods of -Wisconsin. The sun was either entirely obscured, or it hung like a red -ball above the earth, now penetrating the clouds of smoke, now again -being hidden by them. The smoke came at times in great rolls at the -surface of the earth, then was caught up by the breeze and lifted to -higher altitudes, and at all times was bewildering to those whom it -surrounded. - -No one could tell from what point of the compass the distant fire was -most dangerous, nor in what direction it was making most rapid progress -toward the point where he was located. At times one became choked by the -thick smoke. For many hours, during one of these days, I moved with my -face close to the ground, that I might get air sufficient to breathe. -When finally I came to an open country where the currents of wind could -lift the smoke, I experienced a feeling of the greatest thankfulness -that I was delivered from the condition of the two last days, surrounded -with so much uncertainty as to my safety. - -The memorable fire of September 1st, 1894, which swept Hinckley and all -its surrounding country, resulted in the death of four hundred and -seventeen human beings, left destitute two thousand two hundred, and -extended over an area of four hundred square miles. The financial loss -was upwards of one million dollars. - -That loss does not include the great losses of timber situated in the -northeastern part of Minnesota, extending all along its boundary and -reaching into Canada. The fire in northeastern Minnesota destroyed -millions of dollars worth of standing pine timber, much of which was -entirely consumed, while portions of it were killed at the root. Such -timber as was thus killed, but not destroyed, had most of its value yet -remaining, provided that it were cut and put in the water, during the -first one or two seasons following. Later than that, most of its value -would have been destroyed by worms boring into the dead timber. On -account of these fires, it was necessary for all timber owners to make a -careful examination of all timber lands within the burnt district. For -this purpose, accompanied by S. D. Patrick, and E. A. White, timber -examiners to assist in the work, and my son, Frank Merton, then a senior -in the University of Minnesota, besides packers, I went, in 1897, into -the burnt districts in northeastern Minnesota. - -[Illustration: "He camps by the roadside on the shore of a lake." (Page -180.)] - -As a result of these forest fires, one of the worst pests that the -frontiersman meets is the black fly, which flourishes in a burnt -country. This little insect is apparently always hungry, is never tired, -and wages a relentless fight upon every inch of the white man's -epidermis that is exposed to its reach, even penetrating the hair and -beard of a man, and leaving the effects of its poisonous bite. So -terrible were these little pests, and so numerous were they on two days -of the excursion, that one eye of each of three of the white men in the -party was so badly swollen by the bites of the insects, that it was -closed. No remedy has ever been offered that effectually protects the -woodsman from injuries inflicted by this insect. - -While our party was on that expedition that summer, reestimating the -timber in the burnt district, Mr. Patrick came close to a large bull -moose standing in some thick woods. The animal had not yet discovered -Mr. Patrick's presence, consequently he was able to carefully examine -and study this great beast of our northern woods. Below the animal's -hips, on either side, at a point where he could in no wise protect -himself from the ravages of this insect pest, the poor beast's flesh was -raw and was bleeding. The Indians claim that their dogs frequently go -mad and have to be killed as a result of the bites inflicted by these -insects. - -In proof of the wide range of their activities I will briefly relate one -experience with them in Wisconsin. Joseph McEwen and I left Wausau one -morning, riding out behind a livery team twenty miles to the Big Eau -Plaine River, in search of desirable cranberry marsh lands. The country -we traveled over was flat. Fires had recently killed the timber, and -black flies formed one vast colony over this territory. - -Our driver had trouble controlling the horses, so fierce was the attack -of the black flies upon them. We arrived at the nearest point of our -work that could be reached by team about ten o'clock in the forenoon, -and dismissed our driver. We then proceeded on foot into this burnt, -marshy country, attacked continuously by swarms of flies. They -penetrated our ears, our noses, and our mouths if we opened them. They -worked themselves into our hair, up our sleeves, under our collar bands, -over the tops of our socks and down into them until they found the end -of our drawers where, next, was our naked skin. - -We camped at night in the marsh. The next morning the attack was renewed -as vigorously as it had been waged on the previous day. At eleven -o'clock we stopped for our dinner. McEwen wore a heavy beard all over -his face; my face was bare. He looked at me as we were eating our -dinner, then dryly remarked, "I don't know how I look, but you look like -the devil; the black flies have bitten you everywhere; your face is a -fright." We went out to the main road, and secured a conveyance by which -we reached Wausau about five o'clock that afternoon. - -I went immediately to my accustomed hotel, owned and managed by Charles -Winkley. He had known me well for years, and I had left him less than -forty-eight hours previous to my entering on that afternoon. Mr. -Winkley was behind his desk. I greeted him and asked him how business -was. He answered me quite independently that his house was full, and -that he had not a vacant room. I then asked him if there was any mail -for me, giving him my full name. He looked at me in astonishment, then -exclaimed, "My God! What is the matter of you?" I said, "Black flies." -Then he continued, "I mistook you for some man with the small-pox and -was planning to notify the authorities and have you cared for. Go right -to your room and stay there. Mrs. Winkley will care for you and have -your meals brought to you. I will go to the postoffice every day for -your mail." My face was one blotch of raw sores. My eyes were nearly -closed because of the poison from the black flies. - -The best remedy or preventive we have ever found against all insect -pests of the northern woods, is smoked bacon rubbed onto the bare skin -in generous quantities. Its presence is not essentially disagreeable. -Objection to its use is prejudice, since it is no less pleasant than is -the oil of cedar or pennyroyal which are often prescribed by druggists -for the same purpose, and which are not half as continuous in their -efficacy, because a little perspiration will neutralize all of the good -effects of the latter named remedies. Soap and water will remove the -bacon grease when protection from flying insects is no longer desired. - -There are other and more interesting living things in the northern woods -than black flies, to which statement I am willing to testify. I had been -running some lines one summer, for the purpose of locating a tote road -to some camps where work was to be prosecuted the following fall. It was -known among the homesteaders, as well as trappers, that a large bear -lived in that vicinity. On one occasion he had been caught in a -"dead-fall" that had been set for him, and he had gotten out of it, -leaving only some tufts of his hair. - -Alone, and while blazing a line for this proposed road, one sunny -afternoon, I came onto a table-rock, in a little opening in the woods, -where fifty feet in front of me lay a large pine tree that had blown -down. As some small brush crackled under my feet, a bear, which I have -ever since believed from descriptions that had previously been given me, -was the much wanted great bear, stood up in front of me, close by the -fallen tree. Presumably he had been awakened from an afternoon nap. The -only weapon that I possessed was what is known as a boy's ax, the size -and kind usually carried by land examiners. I had not sought this new -acquaintance, nor did I at that moment desire a closer one, but mentally -decided, and that quickly, that the wrong thing to do would be to make -any effort to get to a place of safety. I therefore decided to stand my -ground and to put up the best fight possible with my small ax, in case -the bear insisted on a closer acquaintance. Why I should have laughed on -such an occasion as this, I never have known, but the perfect -helplessness of my situation seemed so ridiculous, that I broke into a -loud laugh. I have often wondered why that bear at that moment seemed to -think that he had seen enough of the man whom he faced. Certain it was, -that he turned on his hind legs, leaped over the log, and disappeared, -leaving only the occasional sound of a twig breaking under his feet. So -well pleased was I with the less distinct notes of the breaking twigs, -that I waited and listened until I could no longer hear any of the -welcome, receding music. The excitement having subsided, an inspection -of the little ax revealed the fact that the head was nearly, but not -quite off its handle. This incident has always been sufficient to -convince me that I have no desire to approach nearer to this animal of -the northern woods. - -[Illustration: The midday luncheon is welcomed by the automobile -tourists. (Page 180.)] - -In the summer of 1899, some special work was required north of Grand -Rapids, Minnesota. Accompanied by my son, Frank Merton, and a cook named -Fred Easthagen, I left Grand Rapids on a buckboard drawn by two horses -and driven by Dan Gunn, the popular proprietor of the Pokegama Hotel. -Our route was over a new road where stumps and pitch holes were -plentiful. The team of horses was said to have been raised on the -western plains, and objected strenuously to being driven over this stump -road. One of the horses balked frequently, and, when not standing still, -insisted on running. The passengers, except Easthagen, became tired of -this uneven mode of travel, and preferred to walk, being able to cover -the ground equally as fast as the team. Easthagen, however, sat tight -through it all; he having come from the far West, refused to walk when -there was a team to pull him. - -Our camp was made in a fine grove of pig-iron Norway, near to which -dwelt Mr. and Mrs. Sandy Owens, settlers upon government land. From this -camp we were able to prosecute our work for a long period of time. The -late summer and autumn were very dry. Both wolves and deer abounded in -this vicinity, and not far away ranged many moose. Large lumbering camps -were about ten miles away. Oxen had been turned loose for the summer, to -pasture in the woods and cut-over lands. Passing, one day, a root house -built into the side of a hill, we pushed open the door, and in there -found the remains of an ox. The animal had probably entered the root -house to get away from the flies, and, the door having closed behind -him, he had no means of escape, so that the poor beast had perished of -hunger and thirst. The ground was dry, and all the brush, and twigs, and -leaves lying thereon, had become brittle and crackled under the feet of -every walking creature. This interfered much with the ability of the -wolves to surprise the deer, rabbits, or other animals on which they are -accustomed to feed, so that they were hungry. On this account they had -become emboldened, so much so, that they would, at nightfall or toward -evening, venture near enough to show themselves. - -My son was coming in alone, from work one evening, when a pack of wolves -followed him for some distance, occasionally snapping out their short -yelp, and had he been less near the camp, he might have been in great -danger. As it was, however, they kept back from him in the woods, but -not so far as to prevent his hearing them. - -An interesting article appeared in one of the numbers of "Country Life -in America," on the subject of breeding skunks for profit. From their -pelts is made and sold a fine quality of fur, known, to the purchaser, -at least, as stone martin. The nearest approach to a natural farm of -these animals that I have ever known was that existing at Sandy Owen's -cabin, and immediately adjacent to it. These little animals were -numerous in the Norway grove in which we were camped. - -My son and I slept in a small "A" tent which at night was closed. On one -occasion I was awakened by feeling something moving across my feet on -the blankets, covering us. I spoke quietly to my son, requesting him to -be careful not to move, for something was in the tent, and probably, -that something was a skunk. With the gentlest of motions, I moved just -sufficiently to let the animal know that I was aware of its presence in -the tent. Immediately the animal retreated off of my legs, while we -remained quiet for some time in the tent. Then a match was struck and -with it a candle lighted, when a small hole was discovered at the foot -of the tent where evidently the animal had nosed its way in, and through -which it had retreated. In the morning when my son and I arose, -unmistakable evidence was discovered, near where our heads had lain, -that his skunkship had visited us during the night. - -Mr. and Mrs. Owens left their cabin to visit another settler, several -miles distant, leaving the key with the cook, and telling him that he -could use it if he had occasion to do so. Coming in one evening from a -cruise, the cook went to the cabin to make and bake some bread in Mrs. -Owen's stove. A small hole had been cut in the door, to admit the Owens' -cat. On entering, Easthagen saw a skunk sitting in the middle of the -floor. The animal retreated under the bed, while the cook kindled a fire -in the stove and began mixing the dough for the bread. He baked the -bread and cooked the evening meal for three persons, considerately -tossing some bits of bread and meat near to where the skunk was -concealed. Our party ate supper outside the door a short distance from -the cabin. The animal remained in the cabin that night and until after -breakfast, a portion of which latter the cook fed to it, when taking the -broom, he, by easy and gentle stages, pushed the skunk toward the door, -removing the animal without accident. - -The state of Minnesota has some excellent laws to prevent the -destruction of game animals by the pothunter. Notwithstanding this fact, -a greater or less number of market hunters have been able to subsist by -killing unlawful game and selling the meat to the lumber camps at about -five cents per pound. Many men interested in the ownership of timber -lands, have been aware of this fact and have been desirous of preventing -the unlawful killing of moose and deer. Some lumbermen, also, have -refused to buy the meat from these market hunters. It has not been safe, -however, for such people to offer evidence against these hunters. There -have been two principal reasons that have deterred them from so doing. -One is, that the informant's personal safety would have become -endangered, and the other reason is, that his timber would have been in -danger of being set on fire. It rests, therefore, with the game wardens, -to ferret out and prosecute to the best of their ability, all offenders -against the game law. - -In the latter part of the season of 1905, my son and I, accompanied by -James O'Neill, a frontiersman and trusty employee, made a canoe trip -from Winton down the chain of lakes on the boundary line between -Minnesota and Canada, as far as Lake La Croix. We camped at night and -traveled by day, being always in Minnesota. We saw racks in Minnesota -made by the Indians, on which to smoke the meat of the moose they had -killed. We counted twenty-one moose hides hung up to dry. The moose had -doubtless been killed as they came to the lakes to get away from flies -and mosquitoes. All these animals were unlawfully killed. - -A more pleasant sight than the one just related was once accorded us -while working in this same country. We were quietly pushing our canoes -up a sluggish stream that had found its bed in a spruce swamp. There, in -many places, pond lilies were growing, their wide leaves resting on the -surface of the water. The roots of the lilies are much relished as a -food by the moose. We have seen the moose standing out in the bays of -the lakes, and in the almost currentless streams, where the water was up -to the animal's flanks, or where its body was half immersed, and poking -its head deep below the surface in search of the succulent roots of the -lilies. On this day, a mother moose and her twin calves had come to this -stream to feed. She was in the act of reaching down under the water for -a lily root, as we pushed our canoes quietly over the surface of the -water into her very presence. The first to observe us was one of the -young calves not more than two days old, that rose to its feet, close by -on the shore. The mother looked toward her calf before she saw us; then, -without undue haste, waded ashore. At this moment the second calf arose, -shook itself, then, with the other twin, joined its mother. The three -moved off into the spruce swamp as we sat quietly in our canoes, -enjoying to the fullest this most unusual opportunity of the experienced -woodsman, accustomed as he is to surprises. Our only regret on this -occasion was, that we had no camera with us. - -[Illustration: "Here he brings his family and friends to fish". (Page -180.)] - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -White Pine--What of Our Future Supply? - - -It is claimed that where Dartmouth College is, in the town of Hanover, -New Hampshire, on the bank of the Connecticut River, there once stood a -white pine tree two hundred and seventy feet in height. That is said to -have been the tallest white pine of which there is a record. - -Of the thirty-seven species of pine that grow in the United States, the -white pine is the best. Nature was lavish in distributing this beautiful -and useful tree on American soil, for it has been found growing in -twenty-four states of the Union. - -The following quotation is from Bulletin 99 of the Forest Service of the -United States: - -"White pine occurred originally in commercial quantities in Connecticut, -Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, -Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, -North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, -Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The cut has -probably exceeded that of any other species. Several timber trees have a -wider commercial range, and at the present time two yield more lumber -yearly--Douglas fir and longleaf pine--but white pine was the leader in -the market for two hundred and fifty years. Though to-day the original -forests of this species are mere fragments of what they once were, the -second growth in small regions is meeting heavy demand. In -Massachusetts, for example, the cut in 1908 was two hundred and -thirty-eight million feet, and practically all of it was second growth. -It is not improbable that a similar cut can be made every year in the -future from the natural growth of white pine in that state. It might be -shown by a simple calculation that if one-tenth of the original white -pine region were kept in well-protected second growth, like that in -Massachusetts, it would yield annual crops, successfully for all time, -as large as the white pine cut in the United States in 1908. To do this -would require the growth of only twenty-five cubic feet of wood per acre -each year, and good white pine growth will easily double that amount. -The supply of white pine lumber need never fail in this country, -provided a moderate area is kept producing as a result of proper care. - -"During the past thirty years the largest cut of white pine has come -from the Lake States, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota." - -It is shown in the government's reports that forty-eight per cent of the -total lumber output of the United States in 1908 was pine. If something -near this ratio is to be maintained, it must be by planting and growing -the trees. Under the present system of taxation, neither individuals nor -corporations will undertake the work. The investment, at the shortest, -is one of thirty years before returns may be looked for, while twice -that time is better business. Owners of pine forests are obliged now, -and have been in past years, to cut their timber lands clean because of -excessive taxation. To encourage the planting and cultivation of new -pine forests, it would be better to levy no tax upon the individual's or -corporation's young trees until the time that the timber has grown to a -size fit to be marketed, and then only on that portion which is cut into -lumber. Even with this encouragement it is an enterprise that belongs -largely to the state, and from it must emanate the aggressive movement -upon land belonging to the state. - -On the subject of "Reforestation with White Pine," Prof. E. G. Cheyney, -Director of the College of Forestry in the University of Minnesota, -states: "Like everything else, a tree does better on good soil, but the -pine tree has the faculty of growing well on soil too poor for any other -crop.... On the best quality of soil the white pine tree has produced -100 M feet per acre in Europe. On the third quality soil it makes from -40 to 60 M feet. Our forest soils are, on the whole, of better quality -than those devoted to forests in Europe. - -"The Forest Experiment Station at Cloquet, under the control of the -College of Forestry, is now studying this reforestation policy, and the -State Forest Service is looking after the forest fires and expects to -begin the reforestation of our State Forests this spring. - -"There are now two National Forests in Minnesota aggregating about -1,300,000 acres and only 50,000 acres of State Forest. These State -Forests should be increased to at least 3,000,000 acres." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -Retrospect--Meed of Praise. - - -It is hoped that the foregoing pages have thrown some light upon the -peculiar occupation of the pioneer woodsman as he is related to -lumbering in the Northwest. There has been no attempt to do more than to -give a plain recital of some of the events that have occurred in the -experiences of one man while pioneering in this special field of the -great timber and lumbering industry of the Northwest. Another, engaged -in the same pursuit, might easily relate his personal experiences of -equal or greater scope than have been herein portrayed, for not all has -been said that might be of the woodsman's secluded life. - -The occupation of this type of man is fast being eliminated, and soon -his place will be known no more. In fact, the time has already arrived -when there is no longer any primeval forest in the Northwest into which -he may enter and separate himself from others of his own race. Railroads -have been built in many directions into these vast forests, and the -fine, stately pine trees have been cut down and sent out over the lines -of these railroads. Men and their families have come from various states -and from foreign countries, and are still coming to make for themselves -homes on the lands now denuded of their once majestic forest trees -towering high, and overshadowing all the earth beneath with their green -branches and waving plumage. - -[Illustration: "Prepare their fish just caught for the meal, by the open -camp fire." (Page 180.)] - -The neigh of the horse, the low of the cow or the ox, and the laugh or -song of the child is now heard where twenty years ago in summer time, -stalked fearlessly the moose and the deer, where roamed the bear at -will, unmolested, safe from the crack of the white man's rifle. - -The schoolhouse springs into existence, where a year ago were stumps and -trees. The faithful teacher, fresh from one of the normal schools or -colleges of the state, comes into the settlement to train the minds and -to help mould the characters of the future farmers, mechanics, -statesmen, or financiers; of the doctors, lawyers, judges; or honored -wives and mothers. From this ever increasing supply of the newly-born -Northwest, are coming and will continue to come, some of the most valued -accretions of good citizens to the commonwealth of Minnesota. - -Farms are yielding their first crops to the sturdy husbandman. Pleasant, -comfortable homes meet the eye of the tourist from the city in summer as -he motors over the fairly good roads of the northern frontier. He enters -little towns carved out of the woods, and finds, now living happily, -friends whom he had known in the city, who are ready to welcome him. He -camps by the roadside on the shore of a lake, or on the bank of the -Mississippi whose waters flowed on unobstructed in the earlier days -herein recorded, but now are harnessed for the better service of man. -Here he brings his family and friends to fish and to lunch, or, better -still, to prepare their fish just caught for the meal, by the open camp -fire. He continues his journey through this unbroken wilderness of less -than a generation ago, over improving roads, to the very source of the -Mississippi River that is within five minutes' walk of Lake Itasca. Here -is a refreshing bit of natural pine forest, owned and preserved by the -state of Minnesota, where he and his friends may find shelter for the -night, and for a longer period if desired. - -In concluding this subject, I am actuated by a desire to manifest my -appreciation of the fine manhood possessed by many men whom I have -known, the best part of whose lives has been spent similarly to my own, -in the extensive forests that once beautified and adorned the great -Northwest. - -The occupation is one which demands many of the highest attributes of -man. He must be skillful enough as a surveyor to always know which -description of land he is on, and where he is on that description. He -must be a good judge of timber, able to discern the difference between a -sound tree and a defective one, as well as to estimate closely the -quantity and quality of lumber, reckoned in feet, board measure, each -tree will likely produce when sawed at the mill. He must examine the -contour of the country where the timber is, and make calculations how -the timber is to be gotten out, either by water or by rail, and estimate -how much money per thousand feet it will cost, to bring the logs to -market. The value of the standing pine or other timber in the woods is -dependent on all of these conditions, which must be reckoned in arriving -at an estimate of the desirability of each tract of timber as an -investment for himself, or for whomsoever he may represent. - -Possessing these qualifications, he must also be honest; he must be -industrious; he must be courageous. He must gain the other side of -rivers that have no bridges over them, and he must cross lakes on which -there are no boats. He must find shelter when he has no tent, and make -moccasins when his shoes are worn and no longer of service, and new ones -are not to be obtained; he must be indefatigable, for he will often be -tempted to leave some work half finished rather than overcome the -physical obstacles that lay between him and the completion of his task. - -On the character of this man and on his faithfulness, his honesty, his -conscientiousness, and on the correctness of his knowledge concerning -the quality, quantity, and situation as to marketing the timber he -examines, depends the value of the investments. Hundreds of thousands of -dollars are invested on the word of this man, after he has disappeared -into the wilderness and emerged with his report of what he has seen. The -requisitions of manhood for this work are of a very high degree, and, -when such a man is found, he is entitled to all of the esteem that is -ever accorded to an honest, faithful, conscientious cashier, banker, or -administrator of a large estate. - -[Illustration: "He continues his journey ... to the very source of the -Mississippi River". (Page 180.)] - -Is he required to furnish an illustrious example to prove the worthiness -of his chosen occupation, let him cite to the inquirer the early manhood -days of George Washington, who penetrated the forests from his home in -Virginia, traveling through a country where savages roamed, pushing his -course westward to the Ohio River in his search for valuable tracts of -land for investment, and surveying lands for others than himself. - -His occupation is an honorable one, and those who pursue it with an -honest purpose, are accorded a high place in the esteem of those whom -they serve, and with whom they associate. - - - The Pines. - - "We sleep in the sleep of ages, the bleak, barbarian pines; - The gray moss drapes us like sages, and closer we lock our lines, - And deeper we clutch through the gelid gloom where never - a sunbeam shines. - - Wind of the East, Wind of the West, wandering to and fro, - Chant your songs in our topmost boughs, that the sons of men may know - The peerless pine was the first to come, and the pine will be - last to go! - - We spring from the gloom of the canyon's womb; in the valley's lap - we lie; - From the white foam-fringe, where the breakers cringe, to the peaks - that tusk the sky, - We climb, and we peer in the crag-locked mere that gleams like - a golden eye. - - Gain to the verge of the hog-back ridge where the vision ranges free; - Pines and pines and the shadow of pines as far as the eye can see; - A steadfast legion of stalwart knights in dominant empery. - - Sun, moon and stars give answer; shall we not staunchly stand - Even as now, forever, wards of the wilder strand, - Sentinels of the stillness, lords of the last, lone land?" - - - - -Transcriber's Notes - - -Inconsistencies in the placement of quotes before or after periods have -not been changed. - -Pp. 36, 123: "fiance" changed to "fiancee". - -P. 93: "empounding" changed to "impounding" (the necessity of impounding -the waters). - -P. 169: "sufciently" changed to "sufficiently" (I moved just -sufficiently). - -P. 181: "similarily" changed to "similarly" (similarly to my own). - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pioneer Woodsman as He is Related -to Lumbering in the Northwest, by George Henry Warren - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PIONEER WOODSMAN IN THE NORTHWEST *** - -***** This file should be named 41925.txt or 41925.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/2/41925/ - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Moti Ben-Ari and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. 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