An Ann Arbor Boy Writes Of The Beauties And Business Of Northern Michigan

T?ot any lover of nature in the beauty of ita wildness u run thruugh the nortbera part of our state about this time of the year is most truly a source of interest aud pleasure. The woods are jui-t assutning their mcetgorgeousuttire. Tho bnght colors of the mple, seurlet, yellow and red ; the brown leaves of the beech; the groen of the bemlock aiid itilldurker green of the pint', aiemingled in one grand picture of nature, the work of one sweep of the hand of that mighty Artist, God. The solemn quietneM 01 the scène beneath, often a wildness of feature indi-scribable, lends its inrluenee to the wholc, imikinga picture which is beyond tho skill of uiu to imítate. We look with awo upon the giaut pines and hemlock and wonder when they began to grow. What changes of nature have they witnessed! What bUsta of Jove have been hurled upon them and been scoir.fully hurled back again ! Whnt struggles of the wild natives have tbey looked contemptuously down upon! What weaknesses of thiit supremely gifttd being, man, have thuy looked silently down upon. Oh, could tbey but teil their history to ua. But soinething about wbat is, will be more intereating to your readers than mere reflections. Any one getting into Howard City at ïnidnight, and in tbe morning looking upon the face of the country for the iirst tiaie, will not, I think be very pleasnrably surprised. - Surpiised no doubt, but pleasure entera very little into the feeling. If your readers can imagine a wilder, more desolate looking country than th.it whicb gieated my eyes in the early houis of a moiT.ing feveial weeks ago, at this place, Ihen I will throw my pen down and attempt no inore. It inay possitly ba that not feeling very well, my ideas were influenced nccordingly. But the wildness of the placo uiay not be doubted. All around for some distance tbe lire bas left lts desolating traces and the gaunt blackened limbs of the trees left standing, 6eem to raise their withered limbs as if calling down vengeance uuon the heuds of tbeir destroyers. Howard (Jity is on tire southeru belt of the Lake Michigan pine lands. South of this place for miles, some pine ie scatti-red over the country, but it is of the "scrub" Hort &nd little used by lumbermen. Off to the east and south there is a great deal of pine. There are about 1500 people living here in the town, and their occupation is luniboring, farming or doing nothing. There are several whosa work is to heal the physical man ; about the same number whose duty or at least profession, it is to aid Justice, to uphold right and get hold of a large fee. There is a church here, and therefore, it is very probable there isa good man somewhere about. And Ia9t, and unfortunately for the general expression of this sentence, also least, an isolated school buililing with gomething which sounded lik h cow bell in the belfiy. Of course there ia a board wlio manage the affnirs ot this institution, but as we nll have great respect for scliool boards, will say nothing about this one hut let its deeds be its gloiy, or BOinething les. Rut we pc the inaoke of the approa'ihiiig loeomotive, we catch up our things get abuard and the next moment are whirled away througb the uranil oíd foresta of northern Michigan. Pa&sing throngh the pileil tip ruotmtains of purple, yellow and green, now dashing over souie quiutly running stremu, nnoji entering some clearing with its few log houses, each with its smal] field of corn, potatoes or grass for a yoke of oxen or a cow ; and ngain dashing into FOrue little villüge, bringing the natives to the doors in open raouthed curiosity to see who gets off.- A ride of about an hour and a half through these changes of landscape, and we are at Big Rapids, some sixty miles norfh of Grand Rivpidg. Big Rapids ie quite a üourishing ])lace of several thousand inhaliitunts, and finely situated for water power. The buildings are well put up aud some of them are fine structures. This place is the centre of the lumberiig interestsof north-western Michigan. And in the spring time when the cainps break up, the luinbermen may be seen in their gay clothing, blue shirts, red pantaloons made to fit tight, and red sash and long boots, etriding about the street uiaking quite a picturesque appearanoe. The town, or greater part of it, is on the western bank of the Muskegon, which is here very wide and rapid in its oourse. The town is on slightly elevated land and extends along the river tor nearly a mile, forming two ueigliborhoods, called Upper and Lower lMg Rapids. Leaving the depot at the lower place we walk nearly half a inile before we cross the river and enter the town In our walk wo pass throuh the great lutuber yards of T. D Stimson where all seenis in niotion. (ireat piles of lumber ttank us 011 both sides. We see logs taken frotn the boom, sawed into lumVjer, and Hgain tliis lumber made into farniture. Heveral weeks ago the river above Big Rápida wns jam ined f uil of logs and Ihere must be thousands and tens of tbousauds of feet yet in thu water to be stiwed The Muskegon rivor is the fiuest streum in t.bis part of the state and is one of the great outlets lor the pine logs in Western Michigan. It is fed by nuuierous streams in the upward part of ita course aud becomes a grand river at its inouth. Leaving Big JElapids we cross the river following up its course for soiue distanco until it gradually bends off to the oast. Soon wo beoome aware that we aro agaiu benoath tbe forest shudes. On we üy awakening theeehoes of tbo old forests, which, but for the locomotive miglit still be slumbering in their deep soliuide. Now we pass througb a village which two years ago was quito a colleetion of buildings; now there is ouly one little wooden store luft standing, in tbo business puit of town. It was dastroyed by lire last spriug. We are now pusbing thruugh luore open country, nnd now and thtn can seo entile tvud shfep giiizing iibnut the tjelds. - Here und theru we seo u garden, aud au orchard. Once again the whistle of the looonio tireawakes theocboosof the ing woods and we are at Reed City, the junction of tbe Pyre Marquette K. R. with tbo Graud Itapids utid Indiina. There eau bo no doubt thut tliis place will soon become oneof tbe must important townsof Northorn Michigan. Quite a lively business is done here. The country is open lor soiuo miles around and is laid out iu farms, whose products find a ready market at home. Sume of tbe tinest potatoes I have ever secn aio raised ia this country. The potatoes seem to be one of the chief products of tliis oountry, although wbeat is raised quite extensively. The business jiortb of Big Rápida is about equally divided bet ween Reed and Cadillac. The latter place is however tbu larger, prob.ibly owing to its being quite a resort for pleasure eeekers, aud the outlet of a great pine country. Reed City has a very good water power whieh turns the wheeli of severul milis. The Government Land Olh'ce for tliis part is estnblished here, and at no distant day, the couuty Beat muy be removed from its present locatiou, Hersej', and established here. Ai we go northward now the country gots wilder and more rugged in its appearancp, . the dense lines of wo'-d, on both eides, aio less broken by the hands of sturdy settlers, and we pass in succession throiigu woods of htmlock, beech and maple, and cedar swamps, stopping now and thun to " wood uu" at sorae of the rnauy wood piles along tbo road, agaiu in motion only to stop agftin at a Httle town or lumber station to let off a few rough looking men. A ride of less than twenty-five miles from Reed and we arive at the prettily situated town on Clam Ij'ike, Cadillac, the place is called, and is situated at the eastern end of a beautif'ul sheet of water some milos in extent. Several steainborits are running on the lake, and are used both for business and pleasure puiposes. The town is a lumber center. Some seven or eight years ajjo and there was but a building or two where now stand the ctwelling9 of two thousand people. It is the largoát place north of Big llapids, and will in time becomn a fine oue. Tustin, Midi., Oct. 1879. r. s. e.