834 OCEAN TO OCEAN ON HORSEBACK, 



Private House, 



NiLEs, Michigan, 



August Twenty-fifth. 



Leaving Paw Paw after breakfast I went down to 

 Lawton by rail, where I changed cars, taking the 

 Michigan Central to Niles, this for the purpose of 

 making use of the extra time that now hung heavily 

 upon my hands. A good proportion of the six thou- 

 sand inliabitants came to Kellogg Hall in the evening 

 to manifest their interest in the Custer Monument and 

 the old Revolutionary heroes, Mr. J. T. Head giving 

 the introduction. 



Reaching Niles before noon I had ample time to 

 look about, and to hear from old residents something 

 of Berrien County and their home here on the St. 

 Joseph. 



For those who delight in searching out events from 

 the doubtful past, there is suggestion enough here to 

 keep them occu})ied for at least a week. Even this 

 small town possesses records that date back to 1669, 

 when Pere Allouez came along down the river on a 

 voyage of discovery and who may have encamped on 

 the very site of Niles, for all that the people who live 

 there now know. But putting this aside, it is certain 

 that in 1700 the Jesuits had a mission a short distance 

 Bouth of the present city, and that there were forts 

 built here and there in the vicinity as a protection 

 against the Indians. Later, when matters were settled 

 and the English and French had long since withdrawn, 

 the Reverend Isaac McCoy came out into the wilder- 



