329 



The country back of the city gradually rises until it reaches at Bir- 

 mingham, 1 8 miles from the city, an elevation of 200 feet above Detroit 

 River, and Pontiac, 25 miles north of tlie city, is 386 feet above the 

 river, and the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad passes over an elevation 

 of 400 feet between Detroit and Ponliac. 



STEAMBOATS AND STEAMBOAT ROUTES. 



The Steamboat Walk in the Water, Captain Jedediah Roger?, was 

 the first Steamer that naviaated the lakes, and her arrival at Detroit for 

 the first time, was chronicled May 20th, 1819. 



The fallowing notice of a trip to Mackinaw, appeared at that date in 

 a New York City paper : 



"The swift Steamboat, Walk-in-the- Water, is intended to make ft 

 voyage early in the summer from Buffalo, on Lake Erie, to Michiliinak- 

 inack, on Lake Huron, for the conveyance of company. The trip has 

 80 near a resemblance to the ftmoiis Argoo'iutic expo htion ia th ) heroic 

 ages of Greece, that expectation is quite alive on the subject. Many of 

 our most distin^juisbed citizens are said to have already engaged their 

 passage for this splendid adventure." 



The Walk-iu-the-Water was advertised to make one trip weekly from 

 Black Rock to Detroit and back, touching at the principal towns on the 

 American shore. 



The Walk-in-the- Water was wrecked near Bufl'alo, in the fall of 



1821. Thos. Palmer, Esq., and lady, and Mrs. Felix Ilinchinan, of 

 this city, were on board at the time. No lives were lost. The Steam- 

 boat Superior was built during the following winter, under the superin- 

 tendence of Captain Rogers, and was launcLed in the inoi.tli of May, 



1822, and made tri-mouthly trips from Butlalo to Detroit during the 

 summer. 



This was the commencement of the era of steam in navigation — 

 and now, in 1855, there are times when there is not room at our two 

 miles of wharves for the number of steamers that throng them — many 

 .of which are magnificent, and as perfect specimens of .>^teain craft aa 

 can be found in the world, and the broad stream is frequenlly, f r miles 

 above and below the city, studded and whitened with tbo sails of whole 

 fleets of brigs, schooners and sloops. 



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