Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 9.djvu/191

 A Slimmer on the Great Lakes. 1 7 r

A week is a short time to devote to mores whose memories she has for-

seeing all that this queen city has that gotten.

is interesting, and that included every On the third day we steamed past day we spent there. Neither in a Mackinaw, and soon made the ship- sketch Hke the present shall we have canal which was constructed for the space to give more than we have done passage of large ships, a channel — a general idea of the city. One a dozen miles long and half a mile day about noon we steamed out of the wide. And now, hurrah ! We are on harbor, on a magnificent lake-steamer, the waters of Lake Superior, the bound for Duluth. We were to have " Gitche Gumee, the shining Big Sea- a run of over seven hundred, miles with Water," of Longfellow's musical verse, but a single stopping-place the whole The lake is a great sea. Its greatest distance. It would be three days length is three hundred and sixty miles, before we should step on land again, its greatest breadth one hundred and

" Farewell, a long farewell, to the forty miles ; the whole length of its

city of the Indian sachem," said Hugh, coast is fifteen hundred miles. It has

as the grand emporium and railway- an area of thirty-two thousand square

centre grew dim in the distance. "By miles, and a mean depth of one thou-

the way," continued he, "are you sand feet. These dimensions show it

aware that the correct etymology of the to be by far the largest body of fresh

name Chicago is not generally known?" water on the globe.

Vincent and I confessed that we did Nothing can be conceived more

not even know the supposed etymology charming than a cruise on this lake in

of the name. summer. The memories of the lake

" No matter about that," went on the are striking and romantic in the ex- Historian. " The name is undoubtedly treme. There is a background of Indian, corrupted from Chercaqua, the history and romance which renders name of a long line of chiefs, meaning Superior a classic water. It was a fav- strong, also applied to a wild onion, orite fishing-ground for several tribes Long before the white men knew the of Indians, and its aboriginal name region the site of Chicago was a favorite Ojibwakechegun, was derived from one rendezvous of several Indian tribes, of these, the Ojibways, who lived on the The first geographical notice of the southern shore when the lake first be- place occurs in a map dated Quebec, came known to white men. The waters Canada, 1683, as 'Fort Chicagon.' of the lake vary in color from a dazzling Marquette camped on the site during green to a sea-blue, and are stocked with the winter of 1674-5. A fort was built all kinds of excellent fish. Numerous there by the French and afterward islands are scattered about the lake, abandoned. So you see that Chicago some low and green, others rocky and has a history that is long anterior to the rising precipitately to great heights existence of the present city. Have directly up from the deep water. The a cigar, Montague?" coast of the lake is for the most part

Clouds of fragrant tobacco-smoke rocky. Nowhere upon the inland

soon obscured the view of the Queen waters of North America is the scenery

City of the Northwest, busy with Hfe so bold and grand as around Lake

above the graves of the Indian saga- Superior. Famous among travelers

�� �