42 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aue. 6, 1891, 



MINNETONKA, THE QUEEN OF LAKES. 



AH there I ye who lo^e the lakes and streams! Have 

 you heard of Minnetonka, queen of Minnesota's res- 

 plendent galaxy of lakes, and of Minnehaha, her gentle 

 handmaiden, immortalissed by Longfellow? 



The poet sang of them as Arcadian vestals, clad in rus- 

 tic beauty and simplicity, at such time as the red men 

 made high altars in their primeval groves, and the vener- 

 able Mudjekewis camped by the waterside and Hiawatha 

 toyed like an ousel wich the spray which leapt over the 

 tinkling falls— a halcyon period. It is all different now. 

 Everything is changed. Two hundred pretentious villas 

 encircle the indented shores. Great temples of mammon 

 lift their tall gables from the high points. Pavilions 

 flash with flaring canopies and fluttering pennants. 

 Music fills the resounding air by day and night. Electric 

 lights uam-p the franchise of the moon. Steamboats churn 

 the ambient waves and blow their blatant whistles into 

 the very hush of Spirit Island, frightening off the cranes 

 and pelicans which used to brood in the sequestered 

 places, and profaning all the sacred precincts oi: the ves- 

 tals. Lake Minnetonka is a veritable Carnival and Vanity 

 Fair from end to end during the fervid summer season. 

 And who shall gainsay it? Shall Mudjekewis interdict? 



Mudjekewis was the sportsman's friend. We recall 

 the patriarchal days when, like the ancient Jacob, he 

 would fain have blessed them, when they used to steal 

 down to the lakeside along the errant runways and by- 

 paths which the deer had made, and stake out tbeir 

 white-walled tents where breezy points project into the 

 limpid water, and troll for bass and mascalonge beside 

 the lily pads and rushes, and catch galore of fish. We 

 remember when, no further back than twenty years ago, 

 the points and thoroughfares would swarm with ducks 

 whicb traded between the ponds at dusk and twilight; 

 and all the adjacent fields, stdl virgin to the plowshare, 

 would swarm with geese; and it was an easy trick to 

 shine a deer on all the sloughs and bring hi^ antlers 

 home. The IndianJHiawatha had a welcome for knights 

 of the green cloth then, but the sportsmen sold then- 

 birthright to the sons of Croe-sus, and now the rustic 

 beauty and simplicity of Minixetonka has departed. 

 Mudjekewis no longer spreads his blanket beside its 

 margin. Like the sere brown leaf of November, withered 

 and curled up, he has been whisked away into the 

 shades, and all his dusky tiibe have followed. And the 

 deer have gone tool and there are compai-atively few fish 

 in the lake — a few croppies, perch, sunfish, pickerel and 

 straggling bass — in all that wide and deep expanse of re- 

 entering bays and far-reaching arms which boast an 

 absolute length of seventeen miles and an extended shore 

 line of 120 miles. 



So listen once again, ye who love the lakes and streams! 

 They say that Minnetonka is receding; that its springs 

 and fountains are drying up. Ha! Is this a judgment 

 on those who bartered away their fiefs? Is it retribution? 

 And they declare that the outflow of Minnehaha Creek 

 must be stopped in order that the majestic basin may fill 

 again; in a word, that the life of the one must be blotted 

 out that the other may abide a little longer. If this be 

 so, if it indeed be a necessity to accept this vicarious sac- 

 rifice, then the limpid stream will gleam no more along 

 the meadow, and the crystal falls, which erst tossed 

 their spangles to the spectrum of the upper air, will van- 

 ish like a sprite and be seen no more by man. Only a 

 rocky escarpment will remain to view — a. shapeless, 

 burned-out core, like a dead asteroid, in which there is 

 neither brilliancy nor reflection. Then the soul of Hia- 

 watha will wither and the inspiration of the poet's theme 

 take wing forever. 



Minnetonka will be a very dead sort of a sea with all its 

 life and sentiment eliminated, its channels tm-ned to 

 sightless shoals, its bold hearl lands bared by the recession 

 of the waters, and all its fleets of boats and yachts left 

 useless on its muddy margin like hybernating alligators 

 in a bayou. But, all ye nymphs and hamadryads who 

 were wont to attend the vestal priestess in the primal 

 groves, forefend that events so dire should pass! Cannot 

 some mystic method be devised to plug the bottom of -the 

 pond? to check evaporation? to introduce new feeders 

 which, like maternal paps, shall stimulate the sources of 

 8uj)ply while they expand and nourish the recipient? 

 Any device will be preferable to shutting off the water, 

 d la Catskill, from the Falls. Damming Minnehaha 

 Creek will damn the place and its vicinity, and this the 

 immense pecuniary interests involved in the State can- 

 not permit. Here are all the half dozen different rail- 

 roads and electx'ic motor lines which center at the Lake; 

 here is the fleet of public steamboats which can carry an 

 aggregation of 1,000 persons at a trip, and the home mos- 

 quito fleet of steam and naphtha launches; here is the 

 mammoth Hotel Lafayette, 1,000ft, long and five stories 

 high, with all its adjuncts of pavilions, booths, lunch 

 counters, refreshment stands and side shows. Here are 

 the four other grand hotels, accommodating several hun- 

 dreds each, and a host of lesser inns and boarding places, 

 with their fleets of rowboats to let; and here are the vil- 

 lages of Excelsior and Wayzata, already large towns, 

 supported by the summer patronage of the lake, with 

 various hamlets springing up. Here are the 200 or more 

 private cottages, worth half a million of dollars, and here 

 are the accessory industries of farming, market garden- 

 ing, boat building, stabling, livery, etc., all to be squelched 

 or scattered by the destruction or deterioration of Minne- 

 tonka Lake. Verily, these interests will not be left to 

 suffer by neglect or foolish shifts. Mudjekewis forbid! 



Many a blithesome day and month have I passed on 

 this resjilendent sheet of water when it was bank full, 

 and all the frondage of its dozen wooded islands was 

 laved perpetually in the drink. On moonlight nights my 

 boat has drifted wantonly into the mysterious shadow of 

 Spirit Island. When the mid-day sun was hot I have 

 tested the luxury of Breezy Point, Before there was 

 even a public steamboat on its bosom I have trolled along 

 the shores of Big Island, two miles in length, and picked 

 out many a goodly bass and pike; and I have defied the 

 magic circle of Enchanted Island, scanned the tall pines 

 where a pair of our national birds nested on Eagle Island, 

 visited the geese and cranes on their respective islands 

 where they bred habitually, and picnicked among the 

 groves on Shady Island. Into many a cove and bay I 

 have paddled my canoe and caught croppies by the score, 

 ^nd 80, indeed, wiled away the lapsirig hoars of sujnmer in 



a manner befitting my own peculiar sense of enjoyment. 

 On stated days there were boat races and club regattas 

 for sailing yachts, and hops and waltzes on the hotel cor- 

 ridors and in the parlors, to music by sole-stii-ring bands 

 or less pretentious piano and violin. 



Let me style my Minnetonka Queen of all the Lakes. 

 Winnipisiogee, in New Hampshire, is its only counter- 

 part, but there is less of fashionable methods there and 

 fewer cottages and fewer people. Perhaps its natural 

 charms are even greater at pi-esent than Minnetonka's, 

 and forsooth, it is their lack or waning that I deplore, for 

 I have been on Minnetonka when its limpid water was so 

 pure and palatable and free from flotsam that I could 

 have drank almost incessantly and been refreshed, I 

 have seen it when all its houses were hidden by the 

 cltisterine: foliage and its seclusion was its greatest charm 

 to me. There have been moments, ere the sun had risen, 

 when all the morning lights, which painters find it so 

 difiicult to trace, filled the firmament with their trans- 

 parency. Then not only the rocks and hills and trees 

 along the shore, the moss which grew on the ledges, the 

 gulls on the wing, and the rosy glow in the east, but 

 even the fleecy films of vapor, which in voluptuous sum- 

 mer float high in the upper air like lace embroidered on 

 the blue, were mirrored on the surface of the water, and 

 each individual wavelet upturned by the cleaving prow 

 formed reduplicating mirrors like the facets of a gem, 

 reflecting the consummate picture in each one. 



Such, I ween, was a vraisemblance of perfect peace. 

 But alas! this lake in other moods takes the storm to its 

 bosom like a wi'estler in the bouts, and all its placid sur- 

 face is lashed into a lather of foam in an instant. No 

 small boat can live then. In such a squall an entire boat's 

 complement of ladies and gentlemen who had left the 

 shore five minutes before in a steam launch to cross to 

 the opposite point, went to the bottom like a stone, 

 and not one survived. Eight of these belonged to the 

 same family. It was sad. It was unusual, for such ac- 

 cidents are no more frequent on Minnetonka than in other 

 realms where even the most gracious Queen will some- 

 times frown, Chas, Hallook. 



A LONELY PILGRIM IN THE ROCKIES-II. 



[CojicJitded from Page SS.] 



WHILE at MarysviUe I often heard of the Little Black- 

 foot Valley from old hunters. They all called it the 

 mountain hunter's heaven. The valley was 45 miles away 

 and game and fish were said to be fat and plenty; tlien I 

 made arrangements several times to go there with hunting 

 parties, but the parties always backed out for lack of sand 

 orother causes. One evening a canvas-covered wagon ap- 

 peared in town and I proceeded to scrape acquaintance with 

 its owner. To my surprise and satisfaction I found him 

 to be Daniel S. Herrin, of Little Blackfoot Valley, owner 

 of 7,716 Ranch, I asked him several questions about 

 game, and as he gave very satisfactory replies, I made ar- 

 rangements to go home with him for a two weeks' hunt. 

 The time soon came for his return. All my belongings 

 were deposited in the hay in the bottom of his wagon 

 and we proceeded to wend our way over the main range 

 for the Valley of the Little Blackfoot. We went by the 

 way of Jay Gould Camp, and the first day was a gradual 

 ascent all day long toward the top of the main range. 



What a ride! Surrounded on all sides by hills and 

 mountains. The pure, dry, indescribable mountain air, 

 sometimes laden with perfume from pine forests or 

 freighted with aroma from vast fields of hiickleberries, 

 and so clear that one can see objects distinctly miles 

 away. It gives a charm to life there and makes a man 

 love" to live. The 119lbs. that made what there was of 

 me when I came had grown to 1351 bs., and I felt Uke 

 new. The roads were comparatively smooth and the 

 team went slow up the grade, making a spring seat not 

 the worst thing in the world to ride on all day. Not car- 

 ing to ride in the night, we stopped at a ranch near Jay 

 Gould and stayed till morning, then drove on over the 

 range via Jay Gould and Stemple. Mr. H. said he took 

 the road to get me as near heaven as he could in Montana 

 and to show me the steepest mountain road in the State. 

 Climbing was slow work for the team, so I went on ahead 

 to the top of thn range and got out of hearing of the 

 wagon. What aview! Motmtains all around, some bald, 

 others timbered with the everlasting evergeeen of the 

 Rockies: some crowned with rocks, some blackened by 

 sweeping fires, man's worst enemy in Montana, Stretch- 

 ing out from the foot of the range was the beauti- 

 ful valley of our destination, looking not three miles 

 away, the willows with their golden foliage along the 

 crystal river contrasting with the dark green of the 

 pines, making it look like the veritable promised land. 



The road ahead toward Stemple looked like the final 

 jumping off place, and I sat down and waited for the 

 team, thinking it impossible to get down at all with a 

 ' team and wagon, Mr, H, finally came up with me, and 

 by chaining the wheels we managed to zigzag down the 

 steep mountain in safety and arrived at Stemple all 

 right. The road the balance of the way ran through 

 PooriMan Gulch, between timbered mountains, along a 

 beautiful trout brook, clear as crystal and alive with 

 trout. It was a pleasure to ride down that gradually- 

 descending road, often crossing that crystal brook, even 

 though the wheels did run over a rock or stump every 

 rod and make your backbone feel as though it had un- 

 hinged in several places and your stomach feel like a 

 vacuum capable of holding a bushel; however, man's 

 gastronomic wants are always supplied, or at least mine 

 were among the Rockies. We came to a miner's cabin 

 and had a cup of hot tea and a good lunch and went on 

 past exhausted placer mines and promising quartz pros- 

 pects until 9 P, M, found us at the ranch house of Mr, 

 Herrin. 



The house is built of logs like all other houses in the 

 valley, for there is no sawmill to cut the great trees on 

 the surrounding mountains. It was to be my home for 

 two weeks, and what made it seem to me more pleasant 

 was that Mr. and lilrs. H. were the most like my own 

 father and mother, gone long ago to their eternal home, 

 of any one I ever saw. The family consisted of a son and 

 grandson, two hired men that we Eastern people call 

 cowboys, and little Christie, an adopted daughter, born 

 in the valley. What a delicious f eelmg of rest came over 

 me as I went to bed that night. No prospect of being 

 called up to cure some sufferer's aching grinder. No 

 prospect of some notional old maid coming on the morrow 

 to have a new set of teeth made to plump out the wrinkles 

 and make her look sweet sixteen again. How many 

 trials man escapes in the solitude of the Rockies. 



The morning came bright and clear, as it most always 

 does in the fall of the year there, and we were up with 

 the lark. The valley was surrounded on all sides by 

 grand old mountains, some timbered with evergreens, 

 others covered with dry grass, looking in the distance as 

 though they had been sandpapered. The house was in 

 a meadow, through the meadow a beautiful trout brook 

 with banks grown over with willows and tall grass twisted 

 its way into the Little Blackfoot River two miles below. 



Who could long resist the temptation to get behind a 

 clump of willows and drop a fiy into that clear brook. 

 I had an 8oz, rod in my hand, and with three flips at- 

 tached to the leader began to whip the stream. What 

 sport! My flies would no sooner touch a pool than the 

 water would fairly boil, and I would have one of more 

 lively trout fighting for liberty, I would often get half 

 a dozen from 6 to 13in. long from a single pool. How 

 they jumped! It did not seein to make much difference 

 to them what color the fly's tail feathers were or whethet 

 it had any tail at all or not; they were not educated 

 highly in the fly-tyer's art as are their Eastern cousins. 



Every now and then my hair would fairly rise as a 

 flock of mallards or teal fluttered out from behind a clump 

 of willows and flew away toward the river. What a 

 paradise for a sportsman! What long anticipated joys 

 were realized in that short morning! I fished two and 

 one-half hours, returned to the water aU I caught that 

 were not badly hurt under 7in. long, strung my trout on 

 a crotched willow and found I had all I could lug home. 



Mr. H. was preparing to kill a fatted calf, but we 

 thought we had better eat the trout first. Part of the 

 trout were cooked for dinner. How good they tasted, 

 flanked by a dish of delicious currants, sugar and cream. 



As we had trout enough to last as long as they would 

 keep well, I shouldered the shotgun and with one of the 

 boys started down the brook toward the river for ducks. 

 On nearing the river we came to a lagoon hidden among 

 the wiUows and spruces, and a nice flock of mallards 

 arose from our very feet and a fine pair was quickly 

 bagged. We soon had ducks enough, and being so near 

 the river we went to take a look at it. What a stream! 

 Its waters were clear as the Water of Life. Here and 

 there along its banks were pools 10 to 12ft. deep, with 

 trout enough in them to suit the most hoggish poacher 

 living. Its waters coming from the snow-capped moun- 

 tains and springs along its course, were the most deli- 

 cious to drink of any beverage on earth: so clear that the 

 smallest pebble is visible at the bottom of the deepest 

 pool, and cold as ice. It runs through the valley, fed and 

 enlarged all along by little mountain streams. Flowing 

 here between banks of evergreen forests, there hemmed 

 in by willows on all sides, there are numerous puddles 

 and lagoons where ducks hold high carnival, muskrata 

 build their houses, and the wise and nearly exterminated 

 beaver finds a safe retreat from man. Here winding its 

 course through a beautiful meadow, to kiss the foot of 

 majestic old mountains below. What prospects for sport 

 for days to come! We stop to take a drink of its crystal 

 waters and notice tracks on the sandy bank where the 

 wild deer has come to drink before us. As it is near sun- 

 set, we shoulder our guns and ducks and turn our steps 

 toward home, tired and happy. 



That night our dreams are of clear water, big trout, 

 and deer with antlers, and early morning finds us rifle 

 in hand looking for the deer that made those tracks, but 

 we could not find him. So the time passed for several 

 days except that most of the fishing was done in the 

 river. The difficulty was the family was too small to 

 eat the fish and ducks fast enough, salt was scarce and 

 neighbors far away. Yet many days were spent travel- 

 ing down the river, casting over the beautiful pools, 

 often landing a double of lib. each, and one of 2lbs. was 

 not uncommon. One afternoon 1 shouldered the shotgun 

 and startpd for the river alone, and several things hap- 

 pened. Nearing the river I saw quite a herd of cattle, 

 but thought nothing of it until they began to circle 

 around me and bellow. One big brindle steer, the leader 

 of the herd, would put on a lordly air, march toward me 

 and bellow and strut around, as much as to say he was 

 the biggest steer on earth and intended my destruction, 

 until it began to be a question whether I should climb a 

 tree or stay all day or be whipped by a brindle steer. I 

 thought T could bluff the whole herd by bluffing him, so 

 I took off my hat and started for hira. He would turn 

 and run a little at first, but soon saw 1 was harmless, and 

 kept getting bolder, apparently intending to show the 

 herd that he was boss of all creation. I became dis- 

 gusted with his conceited procpediugs, gave a yell and 

 went for him, discharging my gun in the air as I went. 

 That was too much for him; he, together with the whole 

 herd, cut for cover and left me for good. A man on foot 

 is a great mystery to a ranch steer. It is far safer to 

 ride a horse than go on foot through a cow country. 



After the herd left me I proceeded along the bank of 

 the river. In passing a shallow rifile I noticed what I 

 thought was a muskrat swimming up the riffle, and 

 thought I would shoot him and see if he looked like his 

 Eastern relatives. Nearing the riffle I discovered it to be 

 the back of a monster salmon trout. Of course I wanted 

 him badly and became quite excited in deciding how to 



up, and four more.iushed out from under my feet, hustl- 

 ing for dear life. 'l was badly rattled, but shot again, 

 only to see the fish scurry for deep water and out of my 

 sight. 



I watched this place several times afterward, tried all 

 the tactics I knew of to take one honorably, but failed 

 every time. All the salmon trout I succeed in taking was 

 a little sample of about three-fourths of a pound that I 

 took wdth a grasshopper. 



After the fracas with the steer Mr. 11. advised me to 

 take no more chances on foot, and would saddle Old Shave 

 for me to ride; he was a crop eared homely old cow horse 

 that I could trust anywhere. He was a wise old fellow, 

 was afraid of nothing but bears. His only difficulty to me 

 was that every cow we passed he would start for, think- 

 ing that I was a green cowboy of- a new kind that he had 

 to teach how to herd cattle. 



Scattered among the mountains were prospectors and 

 miners living in tents and log cabins, cooking for them- 

 selves year after year all alone in their mountain homes. 

 Some were educated Eastern men years ago, and had left 

 their happy homes caught by the gold excitement of the 

 sixties and have been seeking a fortune ever since among 

 the motwtains. Frequently one of these men would ride 



