THE STATE REVIEW. 



An Ideal Game Preserve. 



Excepting only Yellowstone Park, Grand Is- 

 land, in Lake Superior, is the largest and most 

 complete game preserve in the United States. 

 Netting in the water of the great inland sea, 

 this picturesque native woodland, with its rock- 

 bound shores is a veritable gem of nature. 



Grand island resembles in shape _a transposed 

 outline of the state of Louisiana, but here the 

 similarity ends. The island contains but 13,000 

 acres, or about twenty square miles. It is ten 

 miles long and four miles wide. 



In geological formation is unlike any other, ex- 

 cept that found at the famous Pictured Rocks, 

 on the Lake Superior shore a few miles to the 

 east. 



It is this legend-laden spot whereon Longfellow 

 is said to have written his song of Hiawatha, 

 where Indians gathered annually for their coun- 

 cils, where the Jesuit travelers in 1670 left unmis- 

 takable evidences of their temporary habitation 

 and where in 17S7 the American Trading Com- 

 pany maintained its most northern outpost. 



Natural Woodland Garden. 



It is this natural garden woodland dotted with 

 the log caoins of trading days that nestles in its 

 lap an inland lake stocked with the gamiest bass 

 of the north wot. 



Five years ago Grand Island passed into pos- 

 session of the Cleveland Cliffs Mining Company. 

 Its unbroken forests of pine and hardwood have 

 been converted into a game preserve in which 

 nearly every species of game animal and bird 

 native to this latitude can now be found in its 

 native state. The physical nature of the island 

 is especially favorable for the project. 



Over half the coast line is bounded by per- 

 pendicular cliffs rising to an elevation of from 

 forty to 330 feet, above the level of Lake Su- 

 perior, forming a perpetual barrier against escape. 

 In some places along the coast line these minia- 

 ture mountain ranges are broken by deep ravines 

 and gulches, which, in most cases, are sequestered 

 valleys of singular loveliness. 



\\ here these valleys open an exit to the lake, 

 game fences have been built to prevent the ani- 

 mals from gaining access to the mainland by 

 swimming the channel in summer or crossing 

 the ice in the winter season. At a point two and 

 a half miles north of the southern extremity of 

 the island, a game fence twelve feet in height and . 

 extending east and west to the shore line, has been ; 

 built, enclosing an area of about 8,000 acres over ' 

 which the animals roam at will. 



Natural Home for Caribou. 



Between two lofty ridges that traverse the i=- 

 land from the north to the south is a dense cedar ! 

 swamp, three miles long and one mile wide at its 

 broadest point. This is the natural home of the i 

 caribou, which feed upon the dry, glutinous mix- 

 ture commonly called reindeer moss and found in 

 great quantities in this region. 



"1 he original herd of caribou was brought to 

 tin- island three years ago from Deer Lake. New- 

 foundland. There were five animals in the herd. 

 Like their near realtives, the moose, they are slow I 

 breeders, but grow to enormous size. There are 

 probably a score of specimens of the moose family 

 on Grand Island, one of which has attained its 

 full growth, now being about fifteen years old. 

 and weighing 1.000 pounds. The moose were im- 

 ported from Canada and northern Minnesota. 



Elk Abundant There. 



Other big game in the Grand Island preserve 

 is a herd of elk. Originally it numbered eleven 

 but since brought to the island three years ago it 

 has largely increased, the elk being a profitable 

 breeder. 



During certain seasons of the year men are em- 

 ployed by the company to carry on a war of ex- 

 termination against the fox, mink and other small 

 animals which prey upon the game birds. The 

 beaver, however, is allowed to propagate, and I 

 many specimens have been brought to the island 

 and given the freedom of its several streams. ; 

 The native, or ruff grouse, are plentiful in all 



parts of the preserve, and the spruce hen, a bird 

 i now almost extinct, is present in great numbers. 

 From Scandinavia two years ago, the company 

 imported 150 game birds, also members of the 

 errouse family, and from Manitoba it secured a 

 number of sharp-tailed grouse. The birds se- 

 cured from the Scandinavian peninsula are known 

 as the capercailzie and orrie. The former is pos- 

 sessed of habits much like those of the partridge 

 native to the Lake Superior region. There are 

 many other specimens of game birds on the is- 

 land, among them the English ring-neck pheas- 

 ant, a bird of highly colored plumage, and the 

 wild turkey. The latter were obtained in the 

 Indian Territory and are the most difficult of all 

 game birds to propagate. 



The Capercailize. 



The capercailzie, or "black game bird of Nor- 

 way," is one of the largest species of game birds 

 in the world, being very hardy and frequently at- 

 taining a weight exceeding fifteen pounds, but 

 when the birds are young they are easy prey of 

 hawks. The birds are what are known as "rang- 

 ers" for the reason that while in quest of food 

 they cover a wide expanse of teritory. During 

 periods of heavy snowfall they burrow into the 

 snow and remain until the storm subsides be- 

 fore venturing out again. Their food in winter 

 consists chiefly of birch buds and in summer they 

 catch mice and other small animals. They are 

 rated as members of the grouse family, and in 

 habits are much like the patridge. Muskegon 

 Chronicle. 



Hemp Growing in Michigan. 



That hemp, some day, and that in the not far 

 distant future will unquestionably be a common 

 crop throughout the upper peninsula, and will lead 

 to the establishment of industries that will manu- 

 facture the fiber, is the opinion of Leo M. Geis- 

 mar, superintendent of the state experiment sta- 

 tion at Chatham, Mich. 



Hemp liber is commercially used for the best 

 grade of ropes, the backing of carpet, and the 

 weaving of other articles where great strength 

 is required. At present the domestic crop is al- 

 most exclusively grown in Kentucky, where the 

 plants reach an average hight of about nine feet 

 and thrive best in the so-called blue grass region 

 of that state. 



In the upper peninsula of Michigan there are 

 more than 6,000,000 acres identical with the blue 

 grass lands, and experiments conducted at the 

 state farm the last two years show that the plant 

 will thrive in their latitude in remarkable man- 

 ner. 



Supt. Geismar says he knows of no cultivated 

 crop which is equal to hemp in hardiness. Last 

 year he tested the plant mostly for size, and was 

 rather surprised when the average hight figured 

 up thirteen feet. 



This year, in order to test its hardiness and its 

 ability to ripen the seed, he planted the hemp very 

 early and gave the plants ample room in order to ( 

 induce them to grow stout and short with num- 

 erous branches for seed production. These ex- 

 periments gave the desired results, yet the plants 

 this season are over twelve feet high. Early in 

 the spring, when the sprouts had attained a growth 

 of four inches, the thermometer one night regis- 

 tered eighteen degrees, and as not even the tip 

 of a single leaf showed the effects of the frost 

 Supt. Geismar thinks there can be no further 

 question about the hardiness of the plant. 



An acre of hemp, where the distance from fac- 

 tories_ is not too great, is generally considered 

 to yield an average of $50; hence, as a money! 

 crop, the station b^h'eves that the plant will con- 

 stitute a welcome addition for more diversified 

 farming throughout the upner peninsula. 



DESERTED MINING VILLAGE. 

 Hidden behind the precipitous rocky bluffs of 

 Point Mamainse. on the north shore of Lake Su- | 

 perior, lies the once thriving village of Mamainse, l 

 long a deserted town of former comfortable 

 homes and well-paved streets. It stands in the 

 midst of a thick wood and except for the occa- j 



sional hunter or prospector it is never visited. 

 It has some 50 dwelling houses, besides other 

 buildings, nearly all constructed of fine white 

 pine, and a shaft house, stamp mill and reduction 

 works. 



Near the site of this deserted town is an old 



and abandoned copper mine, the attempt to open 



which explains the existence of the village, the 



last remaining vestige of the folly of an English 



I corporation, backed by a mint of money. The 



j outcroppings of mineral were rich, and on the 



i strength of this showing, even before the shaft 



! was started that was to open the supposed cop- 



; per deposit, the corporation builded its town and 



stamp mill and reduction works. 



More than a million dollars was expended in 

 this way, and at one time there were more than 

 200 men on the pay roll. Money was spent lav- 

 ishly. Long and beautiful drives were laid out 

 in the virgin forest, and a steamer line was estab- 

 lished between the town and Sault Ste. Marie. 

 But copper was lacking, and the enterprise failed 

 to the dead loss of the stockholders. 



The corporation was called the Quebec-Lake 

 Superior Copper Mining Company. Operations 

 were conducted for several years, and in 1884 

 were suspended indefinitely, since which time the 

 town has been abandoned to underbrush and 

 weeds. The buildings remain standing, denuded 

 of doors and windows and open to the snows 

 and rains. 



It was not expected by the last group of people 

 which departed from the place that the village 

 would be deserted ; in fact, the majority of the 

 houses, a systematic spoliation was organized and 

 store well stocked with goods. For a time 

 watchmen were employed to protect the property 

 against thieves, but finally they. too. were re- 

 called, and all was abandoned to its fate. 



As soon as it was discovered that no one was 

 left to take care of the .mill, shops, store and 

 houses, a systematic spoliation was organized and 

 plunder from the town was taken away by the 

 boatload. 



The mining claim, together with the entire 

 tract of land, comprising 6,100 acres, was subse- 

 quently acquired by W. H. Plummer. of the Can- 

 adian Soo, in liquidation of a claim of sonic 

 thousands of dollars. 



The main street of the town is a mile in length. 

 A remarkable fact in connection with the houses 

 is that, although never painted,' they today look 

 almost like new buildings. The quality of the 

 lumber used is probably responsible for this. 

 The plaster, too, remains white and clean, un- 

 cracked by the frost or rain. There is not one 

 among them that is not quite as cleanly as the 

 ordinary tenant house in the cities. 



LUMBER IS SOARING. 



The price of pine lumber has been excessively 

 high the last three years and yet in face of _the 

 fact that many other woods have been intro- 

 duced as substitutes, white pine still remains a 

 decided favorite and instead of being forced down 

 by substitutes it is steadily advancing in price. 

 The average price of white pine lumber in first 

 hands that is in the hands of the manufacturer 

 is $1 and $2 a thousand feet higher this year 

 than it was last. And the next year it is going 

 to be higher still. A large manufacturer of white 

 pine who resides in Bay City but who is operating 

 in Canada, from which source much of the white 

 pine handled in the Bay City trade comes, in- 

 forms the Bay City Tribune that he is contract- 

 ing his output for netx year thus early and at an 

 advance of $2 and $3 a thausand feet over the 

 existing quotations for the same grade of stock. 

 Not only this, but all manufacturers in the Geor- 

 gian Bay district of Canada are being importuned 

 already to contract their output for next season 

 and many have sold a portion of their expected 

 output for next season's delivery at a sharp ad- 

 vance over present quotations. 



Pine lumber will doubtless be higher next year. 

 Manufacturers at white pine supply points are 

 asking higher prices and in some localities deal- 

 ers are 9rTering to contract for the entire stock 

 cut next' year by some mill firms at an advance 

 over present prices. 



