202 
THE SPORTSMAN’S AND TOURIST’S GUIDE. : 
spot in it.” Torch Lake, the next point 
of interest, is reached by steamer from 
Charlevoix. It is situated about one- 
half mile from Grand Traverse Bay, at 
the head of the beautiful sheet of water 
bearing the same name. Here we find 
the well-known Frank Lewis House, kept 
by the genial Frank Lewis. and gener- 
ously patronized. 
ferred free of cost from the landing on 
the bay. <A few steps from the hotel 
brings the tourist to the little pier from 
whence the fine 
Queen of the Lakes starts on her trip 
through the chain of inland lakes to Elk 
Rapids. She is of iron, very commo- 
dious, luxuriously equipped, and can 
carry a large number of passengers. She 
is owned by Dexter & Noble, a firm 
which has a blast furnace, mills and 
large stores at Elk Rapids. Steaming 
a few miles down the lake, and crossing 
to the eastern shore, she touches at a 
landing known as “ Russell’s,” where a 
stage is in readinese to convey visitors 
to the Intermediate Lake, where there 
is a rough but comfortable home known 
as the “Island Camp.” If the tourist 
desires, he can be dropped at the mouth 
of Clam Lake, flowing into the east side 
of Torch Lake. Passing up Clam Lake, 
he will presently come to a ‘‘ narrows” 
leading into Grass Lake, which is joined 
to Intermediate Lake by Grass River, a 
stream affording fine fishing. Continu- 
ing down Torch Lake to its lower end, 
the steamer enters Torch River, a erook- 
ed stream three miles long with charm- 
ing windings through the woods, and 
thence passes into Round Lake, a body 
of water about two miles in breadth by 
four in length. From Round Lake you 
pass into another connecting channel 
called the ‘‘ Narrows,” which leads to 
Passengers are trans- 
side - wheel steamer 
River about midway, and this too is a 
fine trout stream. Passing through Elk 
Lake, the steamer reaches Elk Rapids, 
its destination. This trip is one contin- 
ued, long-drawn-out pleasure, and we 
cannot do better than offer tbe words of 
a correspondent, who, in the Chicago 
Inter Ocean, contributes the following: 
“T can truly and gratefully write that I 
have never found a more desirable spot 
than this lake region which lies East of 
Grand Traverse Bay. Fishing is good. 
It is good everywhere ; from under the - 
shadow of the mills to the farthest end 
of Intermediate Lake no fisherman will 
find reasonable ground for Cissatisfac- 
tion, either in quantity or variety. Mus- 
kalonge, bass, pickerel and white-fish 
abound in the lakes, while the tributary 
streams furnish trout and grayling of 
goodly size. Boarding the steamer 
Queen of the Lakes, on Elk River, 
within a few hundred yards of the wa- 
ters of Traverse Bay, we went through 
the length of the short river, only three- 
quarters of a mile, and entered Elk Lake, 
which is surrounded by firm, hard shores, 
covered by timber, and gently sloping 
to the water’s edge. ‘There is little or 
no marsh, and the water is remarkably 
clear.” 
Elk Lake is aboutnine miles long and 
from one to three miles wide. Leaving 
Elk Lake, you enter Round Lake, some 
three miles long by one and a half miles 
wide. Except in size, its general char- 
acteristics are the same as those of Elk 
Lake. Its inlet is Torch River, which 
flows for three miles through a cedar and 
tamarack swamp — not an unpleasant 
change by way of variety. The wind- 
ings of this stream are so sharp that 
some labor is necessary to make it easily 
navigable. Torch Lake is the grandest 
Elk Lake. Rapid River enters Torch | member of the whole beautiful chain, 
