Makoh 21, 1889. j 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



17 3 



MAP OF LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE. 



that stream to its mouth. The first camp was made 

 about a mile below the village of Clarke, From there on 

 the explorers found themselves in what is very nearly 

 a complete wilderness. Huge sandhills, covered with 

 scrubby oaks and gigantic pines, rose up in serrated 

 ridges. The river meandered and meandered, often 

 nearly blocked by floating islands of matted vegetation. 

 At last they got through, and their little craft caught 

 sight of the blue waters of Lake Michigan, nearly at the 

 extreme foot of the lake. Fifteen miles up the beach, not 

 a house and not a soul in sight. Four, five, eight — no- 

 body knows how many miles back from the lake — and not 

 a soul or a habitation for one, except the old negro who 

 was found dead in his cabin, and the dugout of the horse- 

 thieves who, undiscovered for months and months, were 

 finally arrested in Indiana without requisition by South 

 Chicago parties, and justly, though non-technically , sent 

 to the penitentiary. Eagles were seen in the woods, and 

 can be seen to-day. One night a wildcat came down to 

 the beach. Wolves are still sometimes seen. The coun- 

 try is to-day as wild looking as any you will see in the 

 middle of the North Woods. Picturesque, rough, a little 

 gloomy and forbidding, a stranger set down in the middle 

 of it might think it the foothills of the southern Eockies. 

 It seemed only pleasing to our explorers, who hastened 

 to spread their sails, and so sped in their hunting boats 

 across the foot of the lake, north and northwest, until 

 they landed at Sheffield on the shore, and so again passed 

 by means of a narrow channel into the system of lakes 

 from which they started. 



This was two years ago. This was within thirty miles 

 of Chicago. No other city has anything of consequence 

 which Chicago has not also, and Chicago has some 

 things which no other city has. I submit that there is no 

 city in America which can show so strong a string of 

 sportsmen's organizations, and none which has so good 

 and immediate a foundation for their existence and their 

 growth. There is no more notable a sporting center in 

 the country, unless it be that on Chesapeake Bay, and it 

 is probable* that a familiarity with that section would lead 

 one to give it second place. 



Very well, our explorers had seen the new land, and 

 pronounced it good. The result was the organization of 

 the Grand Calumet Heights Club, the leasing of 1,500 

 acres of land lying between the lake and the Grand 

 Calumet River, the securing of a tidy flag station twenty- 

 eight miles down the B. & 0., and the expenditure of 

 considerable sums in buildings and improvements. The 

 club was put on a good footing. Memberships were 

 placed low, at $25, although none but proper persons 

 were ever allowed to enter the club. Annual dues were 

 placed at $5. Bonds were issued, which even now are 

 gradually being wiped out by the accretion of funds re- 

 sulting from the sale of memberships and the paying in 

 of dues. The membership was limited to 100, and, 

 although the club is only in its second year, its member- 

 ship is now seventy odd, being specifically as follows: 



President, Alex. T. Loyd; Vice-President, J. J. Gilles- 

 pie; Treasurer, W. N. Low; Secretary, E. C. J. Cleaver; 

 Directors, the above, with Win. L, Pierce, A. W. Harlan, 

 W. A. Wilde and E. T. Ellicott. Members: Edward 

 Adams, S. M. Booth, Geo. Barnard, Jas. F. Bird, W. H. 

 Barry, J . E. Baggott, T. H. Ball. Dr, Boerne Bettman, O, 

 W. Barrett, F. R. BisseU, E. C. J. Cleaver, C. S. Cleaver, 



F. W. Cleaver, W J. Clark. W. T. Clark, H. E. Chandler, 

 Eugene Capelle, John Critchell, G. H. Carlson, C. A. 

 Cleaver, R, H. Donnelly, F. H. Dahlgren, Dr. L. L. Davis, 

 E. T. Ellicott, C. E. Felton, J. J. Flanders, J. J. Gillespie, 

 John Gillespie, W. H. GilJ, Oscar Krouse, Chas. Kern, A. 

 T. Loyd, C. C. Landt, W. N. Low, Harry Leser, John 

 Leser, Geo. W. Lauterbach, L. J. Marks, K. Marks, Geo. 

 J. Maillet, W. F. McWhinney, Walter Metcaif, F. E. 

 Moore, Jas. L. McBirney, T. H. Miller, Jr., Geo. E. Mar- 

 shall, W. Penny, O. H. Porter, W. L. Pierce, James Pitta- 

 way, E. N. Hurlbut, R. W. Hyman, Jr., Dr. A. W. Har- 

 lan, H. E. Howard, C. N. Hale, C. R. Heneage, Wills 

 lsbell, H. W. Jenney, E. S. Jones, D. T. Jones, E. S. Rice, 

 E. C. Sherman, W. Spalding, John M. Smyth, N. C. Sim- 

 mons, Robt. Somerville, Frank Tavlor, Arnold Tripp, A. 

 T. Thatcher, John Wain. W. A. Wilde, C. E. Willard, C. 

 E. Worthington, T. J. West, W. W. Wilcox, A. C. Young, 

 S. E. Young. Honorary members: M. A. Hart, M. T. 

 Hart, F. H. Britton. 



In the foregoing list there is a large percentage of 

 young men, and many of these are still young in the 

 sportsman's craft. They are as a body, however, ener- 

 getic, enthusiastic, progressive and aggressive, and for 

 the time they have been at it have done more than any 

 one club of the city in the way of growth and develop- 

 ment. The social element is strongly developed in the 

 club. The club house, situated directly upon the shore of 

 Lake Michigan, is a 'most delightful retreat in the sum- 

 mer. The spot is always breezy, entirely free from mos- 

 quitoes, and possessed of that interest which always 

 attaches to a wild and unfrequented locality. Last sum- 

 mer parties of good numbers were an almost constant 

 occurrence. Not a week passed without seeing some one 

 down at the club house, and on one occasion ninety guests, 

 ladies and gentlemen, clamored for place at the dinner 

 call. Fishing, boating, bathing and exploring are all 

 possible at the Grand Calumet Heights Club, which has, 

 indeed, a far greater diversity of interest and amusement 

 than is possible at any club of the city. Trap-shooting 

 and target shooting with the rifle are possible under 

 peculiarly favorable conditions. The blackbird traps 

 throw the birds directly into the water of Lake Michigan, 

 and those which are not hit are recovered unbroken, for 

 the water is only a foot or so deep on the gradual beach, 

 and is found not to damage the birds thus dropped into 

 it. There is probably not any other trap ground in the 

 country where this unique feature obtains. The big lake 

 is useful as well as beautiful. Its presence renders the 

 use of the rifle a thing not to be constantly guarded and 

 dreaded, as must be the case at most clubs. No target 

 butts are necessary, and the bullets have the whole lower 

 end of the lake for an untenanted range. Long-range 

 naval ordnance w^ould be harmless there, for it is a por- 

 tion of the lake rarely visited by vessels, and the pleasure 

 craft of the club members show almost the only canvas 

 seen there. 



The lake fishing off the Calumet beach is good. Two 

 ladies have taken as many as 100 perch in a morning's 

 fishing, and although perch fishing does not afford very 

 exciting sport, it serves to pass away an idle day for gen- 

 tlemen as well as the ladies. The Grand Calumet, dis- 

 tant only half a mile inland, often shows a good day's 

 fishing for bass and pickerel. The woods near at hand 

 have a good many rabbits in the winter time, and the 



close law has developed a pretty fair supply of raffed 

 grouse. There is always sport of some sort to be had in 

 the daytime, and at night the great veranda or the big 

 reception room invites to a dance if the season is such 

 that the fairer sex is present; or if it is in the ducking 

 season, the tired hunters may cock their feet upon the 

 balcony rail, or blow blue clouds and tell portentous 

 yarns around the mammoth stove in the gun room. It is 

 the just boast of the Grand Calumet men that one may 

 visit their club every week in the year and amuse himself 

 differently each time. 



The policy of this club is not a close one, and there is 

 ho suspicion of the cloven foot in any of its management, 

 such as might suggest that the club was mostly an affair 

 to glorify or gratify a few. There is no rule barring out 

 such visitors as the members choose to bring down, and 

 "the more the merrier" seems to be the liberal and hos- 

 pitable precept. Gaming is not allowed in the club 

 house, there being one rigid ride, that money shall not be 

 staked at cards. 



Leaving aside all social and summer pleasures, how- 

 ever, let us consider what the club may claim under its 

 primary object, that of a ducking club. Let it be borne 

 in mind that this Calumet country has always been a 

 magnificent duck country, and even to-day is by no 

 means shorn of its glory, since the natural feed and the 

 natural resorting places for the ducks still exist in much 

 of their former excellence. Let it be remembered also 

 that this club lies almost directly at the foot of Lake 

 Michigan, with nothing between it and Macinac Island. 

 The lake flight — and it is a very considerable one — natu- 

 rally coasts along until it goes near to the heel of the lake. 

 It may be that the bluebills and redheads find some rest- 

 ing place off the big reef at Kensington, or some feed in 

 the lines of city sewage which run out into the lake yet 

 higher up; but, if this is so, it only tends to establish a 

 shore flight up and down the lake. Indeed, such a flight 

 does exist, and often yields good tribute to the gunners 

 of this club. Upon the other hand, if the ducks wish to 

 leave the lake they may naturally be expected to do so 

 over the narrowest possible strip of land dividing the 

 lake from the inland feed; and they may also be expected 

 to establish a flight back and forth between these 

 localities. This is precisely the case at Grand Calumet 

 Heights Club grounds. The birds work backward and 

 forward between the lake and the marshes of Little Calu- 

 met and Grand Calumet. Harried too persistently on the 

 great Tolleston marsh they fly over and drop into the big- 

 lake, or stop on the quiet river. Pounded at too severely 

 on much-beleagured Calumet Lake they essay a wearied 

 flight between the devil and the deep sea, and drop into 

 the little-hunted bends of the Grand Calumet, where, 

 alack the day for them! they find the little boat houses of 

 our club, and meet the puff of the expectant gun, as 

 deadly, if less frequent than before. 



The boat houses, and the little abode of old Blocki, the 

 odd character who, with his ten-year-old son Gus, takes 

 charge of them, lie on the bank of the river, about half a 

 mile from the club house, and a few hundred yards from 

 the little railway station building. A crooked trail 

 winds through the sandhills over to the boat house, 

 marked by an occasional blazed tree. This sandhill 

 country is very puzzling, the different little eminences 

 being so much alike and the character of the wooded 



