July, 1930
P R E S T O-T I M E S
VACATION TRIP TO UPPER
AND LOWER MICHIGAN
Presto=Times Man Talks to Only Two Music Men on Auto Tour of
1,500 Miles
By Henry MacMullan
Tins is hardly a piano story, but it being the vaca-
tion period, its place in Presto-Times may be con-
sidered justifiable. It refers briefly to things ob-
served and to be seen by any tourist—especially any
boy scout—who will take a similar trip through north-
ern Michigan, northern Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ten-
nessee or California. There were four in this party—•
three adults learning the names of more than 100
varieties of birds from Austin, the boy scout who
will be 13 years old next month.
The tour started at Detroit. Going up northeast
through Mount Clemens we stopped some hours in
Port Huron to get our trailer, or "house on wheels,"'
attached behind and wires fixed for its red lights and
then continued to Port Sanilac, where we camped
for the night on a sandy promontory. That night
was cold, a bleak high gale blowing all night from
the north. When daylight broke we were off again.
A few miles west of Port Sanilac an auto just ahead
of us had killed an 1,100-pound cow. The machine,
a mass of useless wreckage, lay at the highwayside.
The driver of the machine had been removed for
treatment before we drove up.
Through Vassar, the town in which this writer was
married, into Bay City for luncheon. Then north and
northeast, skirting the shore of Lake Huron through
Standish, Tawas City (it as at Tawas Beach that
K. M. Love of the Story & Clark Piano Co., Chicago,
owns a long string of summer cottages), and on
through Oscoda, Mikado, Alpena, and Posen to Rogers
City, where we made camp for the second night.
On Our Way Through Onaway.
The third's day's travel took us west through Ona-
way, northwest to Cheboygan and Mackinaw City,
where the ferry took us across to the city of St.
Ignace, eight miles away in the northern Peninsula.
Motoring again we sped on northeast to the "Soo"
(Sault Ste. Marie), where we showed the boy the
locks. Fortunately for a big sight the J. Pierepont
Morgan, one of the largest ore boats on the great
lakes (the largest in fact) was coming in at the upper
vnd and we watched until she went through. Sim-
ilar sights can be seen in only two or three places in
the world—the Panama Canal being another. We
camped at the Soo that night and it rained all night
and also steadily for the next two days and nights.
But remember, we carried our house with us. It stuck
on behind like a dog's tail.
Through Cedar Thickets.
Fourth day. Now for a long, exceedingly pic-
turesque trip. West from the Soo south of Whitefish
Hay through Newberry, McMillan, Munising, Mar-
quette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Champion, Michi-
gamme; north through L'Anse, Baraga to Houghton
and Hancock, then northeast through Calumet, Kear-
sarge, Mohawk, Ahmeek and Copper Harbor to Fort
Wilkins State Park, where we camped two nights, as
this is probably the most attractive spot in either
peninsula. It is only 12 miles from the extreme tip
of the Keweenaw peninsula, which sticks out into
Lake Superior for nearly 100 miles. It is a country
of the sharpest contrasts—modern good roads and
primeval cedar thickets almost impenetrable for one
rod from these up-to-the-minute concrete highways.
A Marquette Admirer of Edison Goods.
J. J. Clish, who for many years was in the musical
instrument business in Marquette, Mich., was called
upon by the Presto-Times tourist at the beautiful
home of Mr. Clish, 866 Washington street, Marquette.
Mr. and Mrs. Clish are enthusiastic admirers of the
Edison phonographs, which Mr. Clish handled for a
long time at his store, and of the Edison radio.
Remarks of Mr. Clish.
"No other radio that I have known has been able
to pick up California in Marquette during the day-
time on a 500-watt station except the Edison. It is a
common occurrence for the Edison in this room to
pick up Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif., on KFSD,
using a 150-watt station. The Edison is the only
machine that in the daytime here in the northern
peninsula of Michigan will pick up Los Angeles on
a 500-watt; Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago on 100-
watt; Oakland, Calif., on 720-watt. And this I con-
sider a most remarkable beat of the other forms of
radio reception."
Caught Two Large Pike.
We caught two large pike in an inlet of Lake Supe-
rior—the largest measuring 33 inches. We had the
smaller one, measuring 27 inches, cooked and served
to our party.
No Dull Times in Copper
On the return trip we drove south to Lake Linden
where we ate the finest dinner ever tasted at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gerbe. Here we struck
another very rare privilege by getting passes for the
crowd, through Peter Probsfeldt. of Detroit, a broth-
er-in-law of Mrs. Gerbe, to go through the Ahmeek
mill of the Calumet-Hecla Co., said to be the largest
copper mill in the world, which is working full tilt in
Lake Linden. All the processes of reducing ore were
going on in this tremendous plant.
"It may be dull in Chicago, it may be dull in
Detroit," said our guide, Mr. Probsfeldt, who once
worked in this mill, "but there is no idleness here or
in this vicinitv."
15
Driving back to L'Anse where we received tele-
grams from home we continued to Crystal Falls, Flor-
ence, Iron Mountain, Mich.; Niagara, Wausaukee and
Marinette, Wis., and Menominee, Mich. At Menom-
inee we shipped across Lake Michigan to Frankfort,
Mich., and continued the motoring.
Tragedies Hit Others.
Came close to two other tragedies on the way—one
at the Soo, where a boy of 19 had just been drowned
through tipping over a boat by waving at some
triends; the other at Menominee, Mich., where a man
was killed on the 4th of July when his machine was
tipped over on loose gravel. Left Frankfort in the
night and a few miles down the road a black cat
crossed in front of us; a few rods farther on another
black cat crossed similarly. What was the omen?
Well, the soothsayers declare there is nothing to be
dreaded from two black cats (two are company, three
is a crowd), and as the third cat did not appear there
was nothing to fear superstitiously from his goetic
magic. Presto, we passed on in peace.
Homeward our route lay through Baldwin, White
Cloud, Manistee, Newago, Grand Rapids, Lansing and
Howell to Detroit.
Our Most Worrisome Adventure.
No trip is worth while without an adventure. Ours
was in turning into what seemed to be a main high-
way near Eagle River on Keweenaw peninsula, which
road farther in became a trail in a dense impenetrable
jungle. For 6 r /> miles we followed this trail which
grew worse and worse every rod, with no place to
turn out or turn around. Finally, in front of us
loomed an impassable mire and we stopped short, un-
hooked our trailer, backed it up by hand several rods
to a spot where some other deceived person had
hacked away a little brush, got the auto turned around
(our competent driver only knows how), and pulled
out the 6 l /2 miles to the spot where we made the false
turn. Not a sign or marker of any kind indicates
that the treacherous old military trail is anything
but a main highway, as it bears every appearance of
being at its beginning. This neglect is the more
startling in view of the splendid markings that make
driving in Michigan such a pleasure.
Superintendent Beatty of Fort Wilkins State Park
says that eight or nine collisions with moose occurred
on the main highway of Keweenaw peninsula last
year. There are many coyotes in the woods, a few
bear, and porcupines. The moose on Isle Royale out
in Lake Superior are skinny and thin this year; they
have eaten all green things as high as they can reach
and they are starved thin for want of food.
Our boy scout and his daddy saw a bald eagle while
fishing in Lake Lily and the lad noted along the
way woodpeckers of various brilliant colorings, some
gophers, a wood chuck who examined our machine
most inquisitively before scampering into the under-
brush; a tanager. several goldfinch, a heron, a loon,
a snipe and 77 other varieties of birds which he listed
in his note-book. Only one bumble-bee but several
trillions of mosquitoes greeted us; some of the "skeet-
ers" are New Jersey size—somewhat smaller than
devil's darning-needles. Of course, the friendly chip-
munk was seen, but "nary" a snake.
Fair June Trade at Detroit.
At Detroit the writer talked to A. H. Howes of
Grinnell Bros. He said June business in pianos had
been fair—about the usual June trade, and it looked
as though the fall trade would improve.
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