heroic forms of excitement.' That certainly was what the early explorers got when they came to America. High and heroic forms of excitement abounded on every hand. For men like Champlain and LaSalle the wilderness of woods and waters was full of mystery and charm. America, for its first explorers, was seen through a golden haze of romance and adventure. Those who lost health or fortune in striving to unlock the secrets of the New World were many. Failure or misfortune however on the part of some, did not seem to dampen the ardor of successors, who pushed on and on, to some goal, they knew not where. They courted the friendship of the Indian as the means most likely to promote their success in their undertaking. It was not an alliance that was pleasurable to their sense of rational enjoyment of social intercourse-it was simply-business, and a means to an end; for when one has prepared the best possible brief in behalf of the North American Indian, he must admit that only by a suppression of the most common facts can the red man be turned into material for romance, or even into an idealized people for amalgamation with the Anglo-Saxon, or the less particular, perhaps, Canadienne Française. That is what excites our admiration for the intrepidity of the early missionaries; not alone that they braved the dangers and privations and perils which they encountered day and night in the forests in their efforts to save the souls of these savages, but that they were compelled to eat their meals! Indian cookery! unspeakably gross and disgusting; abide in their wigwams with their vile smoke and in filth, their hideous customs and unthinkable practices-they were, deed, a heroic and devoted band of Christian Fathers! THE UNIQUE BATTEAU The voyageur is never spoken of as simply a traveler-nor his craft which he used, as a boat; it is always the voyageur and his batteau. These are the distinctive names given and are his by right of possession. The batteaux were unlike any other craft in existence; they had to be; they were to traverse turbulent waters, rocky rapids; they were to shoot unexpected and foaming cataracts, plow their way through streams filled with fallen trees and rotting logs; carry cargoes of provisions, of furs and of humans, weighing sometimes tons. They must be light enough to be carried over portages, and strong enough to endure the most exacting strain of usage. They were usually, or preferably of cedar, with flaring sides and with bow and stern elevated and projecting far over the water-pointed both fore and aft, ranging in size from eighteen to thirty five feet in length, or larger, with a breadth of beam of four to six feet, the bow sometimes rudely decked over with bark for the protection of its often perishable cargo. This craft was propelled by the practiced boatmen, the voyageurs, with a paddle, light, strong and rigid; the number employed depending of course, upon the size of boat and weight of its burden. But whatever its size or burden these skilful “knights of the paddle" propelled the batteaux with incredible swiftness and perfect safety. Not the "Sho-wae-cae-mettes," in their four-oared shells, in their palmiest days would be considered any more than an even match for these boatmen of the great waters. THE BIRCH CANOE Another of the products of the wilderness and the tool of the voyageur was the birch canoe, a very wonder of construction, of beauty of outline and exquisite in form, of feathery lightness. The Indians were very expert in building these bark canoes, and in the selection of material for the purpose. The white birch or canoe birch was taken by preference, and cut into proper lengths for the various sized canoes. The bark was formed up over a sort of frame and the margins of bark sewed together with black spruce roots, which is obtained on high lands-but never near swamps. These fine, thread-like roots are tough and flexible and grow deep in the ground. The Indians say that bark for boat purposes is taken off the tree before the sap flows in the spring when it is tougher than if taken off in the summer; it is also much easier to remove from the tree trunk. The Indians and voyageurs have a very ingenious method of carrying the bark canoe, in this way: they take a cedar shingle or splint of the proper size, rounded at one end, that the corners may not be in the way, and tie it with strips of cedar bark, laced through holes made midway, near the edge of the boat on each side, to the middle crossbar, or thwart of the canoe. When the canoe is lifted upon his head bottom up, this shingle or splint, with its rounded end uppermost distributes the weight over his shoulders and head, while a band of cedar bark tied to the crossbar on each side of the shingle, passes around his breast, and another longer one, outside the last goes round his forehead; a hand on each side rail serves to steer the canoe and keep it from rocking. He thus carries his load distributed over his shoulders, head, breast, forehead and both hands, as if the upper part of his body were all one hand to grasp it. One of the paddles rests on the body thwart. One cannot possibly conceive of the convenience of this gear unless they have tried to carry a canoe on their head without it. THE "DUG OUT" AND PIROGUE The old "dug out" which used to be a familiar object on the River Raisin, to many now living, was simply a log of poplar, or white wood or sycamore of the required length, hewed flat on one side, then burned to a coal along the middle its entire length until the charred portion covered the space designed for the hollowed-out cavity, this was finished with an axe or adz. This work took up considerable time in its execution, but when complete, and the exterior of the boat fashioned into shape it was a most convenient and useful craft, much heavier, of course than the batteaux or the birch canoe, yet, nevertheless a very good substitute for either, and much better for the young voyageur in his fishing days, it being staunch and steady. It was modeled after the lines of the birch canoe. The voyageur was a vastly more common personage along the streams of our country than the coureur de bois. Another sort of boat was called a pirogue. This word is defined by Webster as of American Indian origin, meaning a small boat, and is found to be commonly used by the earlier writers in their accounts of life in the wilderness. It was some time alluded to by the Indians and half-breeds along the River Raisin, but has been obsolete for many years in this neighborhood. The term evidently was applied to any sort of boat propelled by oars or paddled, but one local authority speaks of it as a sort of flat bottomed scow, used in moving produce on the river or troops in crossing streams and lakes. These were plentiful and popular because they were easily built, could be conveniently used on shallow water, and were safe for any purpose except where speed was required. They were usually propelled by a long oar or paddle at the stern, in the manner that yawls are operated by "sculling. THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY The connection of Monroe county with the Hudson Bay Company was never so close, nor its relations with it of sufficient importance to warrant any extended account in these pages, except as its methods and operations offer some information in regard to the disposal of the immense stocks of furs and peltries taken by the pioneers, the hunters and trappers, both of the Indian tribes and the white men. The marketing of these furs was principally through the intermediary of the independent fur traders, either those located permanently or the roving coureurs de bois, who were either representatives of the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwestern Company or individually operating for smaller concerns; but, having neither the capital nor the organization for conducting a business on the scale of their great competitors, who practically dominated every part of the new and rich territory of the northwest. The Hudson Bay Company enjoys the distinction of being the oldest organization, the largest united company doing business under the same system, and unchanged in any particular, that exists in the world to-day. It was incorporated in 1670, and received its charter from Charles II. Prince Rupert, of England, was associated with the first body of "merchant adventurers trading into Hudson Bay," as the first nucleus of the company was designated in the charter, which gave them the right to trade upon all rivers and their tributaries flowing into Hudson's Bay. They established their first posts at the mouths of the principal rivers that fall into the bay on the east, south and west shores, such as East Main, Ruperts, Moose, Churchill, and a few smaller ones. The men selected for the positions of managers or superintendents of these posts were called "factors," and the posts themselves, "factories." They endeavored to draw the interior Indians down to the coast and those from every part of the territory to their principal posts, but after a few years they found that the long journey to the "factories" took up so much of the Indians' time, and left them after their return to their hunting grounds, so exhausted from their strenuous exertions in negotiating the turbulent and swift flowing waters that the company's management decided to stretch out and establish trading places in different parts of the north, so the company pushed ahead to the south and west and ran up their flag, a blood red ground with H. B. C. in white block letters in the center. In the early days, of course, the fur trade had always been the principal commerce of the country, and after the French regime several Scotch merchants of Montreal continued this profitable business with greater vigor than ever. This they did under the name of the "Northwest Company." Their agents and the courieur de bois were ever pushing out in every direction and a considerable trade was carried on with them by the trappers and hunters in this section. Some idea may be gained, of the fur trade done by the Hudson Bay Company from the statement made in 1829, by McKenzie, which gave the peltries purchased in that year, as follows: 106,000 beaver skins 2,100 bear skins 1,500 fox skins. 4,000 kitt fox skins 4,000 otter skins 16,000 musquash skins 32,000 martin skins 1,800 mink 500 buffalo skins 6,000 lynx skins 600 wolverine skins 1,650 fisher skins 100 racoon skins 3,800 wolf skins 700 elk skins 1,750 deer skins 1,200 deer skins (dressed) This list, no doubt, would vary from year to year. MONROE COUNTY AS A GAME REGION Monroe county was a famous game region from time immemorial, and it is due, perhaps, partially to this fact that the Indians were extremely fond of making long visits within its borders, and as nearly permanent homes as these nomadic peoples were ever known to make. As far back in the dim past as the date of Charlevoix's journal of his brief visit to the River Raisin country, it was the hunter's paradiseand his observations at the time (1721) are well worth recording and reading. This old explorer, adventurer and traveller, from whose intelligent and sagacious observations and forceful descriptions of the country through which he passed on his expeditions from Montreal to the northwest, are to-day respected and admired for their accuracy and interest. CHARLEVOIX'S DESCRIPTION The following extract is from "Charlevoix's Travels" contained in two large volumes written, of course, in French, and translated by a careful scholar: "The first of June, being the day of Pentecost, after having sailed up a beautiful river (the River Raisin) for the space of an hour, and runs between two fine stretches of meadow land, we passed over a carrying place of about sixty paces in width, in order to avoid turning round a point of land. This river is said to have its rise, at a great distance to the northwest. It is a somewhat sandy spot of ground on one of its banks, and naturally bears a great abundance of grape and other vines. The following day I saw nothing striking, but coasted along a charming country, hid at times by less attractive prospects, but which were so seldom seen as to be unimportant. Whenever I went ashore I was enchanted by the beauty and variety of the scene, which was terminated by the noblest forests in the world. Add to this, that the waterways and the wide marais swarm with waterfowl of every kind. It is to be supposed, that the woods afford game in equal profusion, for nothing could be of easier fancy than to believe that here was the home of all the animals and birds, that make life pleasant in these silent abodes." (No wonder that the name of La Plaisance was given to a part of this charming landscape.) "Were we to sail," continues Charlevoix, "as we here did, with a serene sky, in a delightful climate, and in waters as clear as those of the purest fountain, were we sure of finding as secure and agreeable places to pitch our tent to spend the night, where we might enjoy the pleasures of hunting, breathe the purest of air and enjoy the sensation of being in the finest of countries, we might wish to travel to the end of our days. How the giant oaks and elms reminded me of Mamre!" In those days, and even at a later time, buffalo, bear, deer and indeed all the animals common to this latitude were found here. A "hunter's paradise, indeed. HENNEPIN'S RECORD The explorer and missionary, Father Hennepin, was here in 1701, and was as enthusiastic in his admiration of the beauties of the River Raisin Valley as was his brother Jesuit, Charlevoix. Fortunately these early day visitors to our shores were careful to record their discoveries and impressions, for whenever we make research into the far past for information, we invariably find it in the written words of these Jesuits, or the black robed priests, who appeared to be inspired to give to the succeeding generations the result of their journeyings through the unexplored wildernesses of the northwest. Father Hennepin's account of the country about here runs as follows: "The borders are so many vast prairies and grand forests and charming streams, the freshness of whose waters keeps the banks always green. Long and broad rows of fruit trees are seen, which have never felt the careful hand of the vigilant gardener. Everywhere along these broad natural avenues under the trees are seen assembled by hundreds the timid deer and fawn; also the squirrel bounding in eagerness to gather the plums and nuts with which the ground is almost literally covered. Here the cautious turkey calls and collects her numerous brood and conducts them to gather the grapes and berries which abound most luxuriantly-and here, too, come the mates to gorge themselves on the abundance of good things. Pheasants, quail, partridge, woodcock and multitudes of pigeons beyond the power to count them, swarm in clouds in the woods and cover the country which is dotted with thickets and forests of majestic trees of very great height and size, forming a charming perspective, which sweetens the sad loneliness of the solitude. The fish are here nourished and bathed by living waters of crystal clearness and delicious purity, and this great abundance renders them none the less appetizing. Swans are so numerous, that at times, one would take them for lilies among the reeds in which they are crowded together. The gabbling geese, the duck, the widgeon are so abundant that to give an idea of their numbers I must use the expression of a savage, whom I asked, before arriving, if there is much game there: "So much," he replied, "that they draw up in lines to let the boats pass through. They are not not now so formal or so disposed to exercise plein de grace. : |