127 Class Book COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT ^ Or 1875. IIBT011Y / < E cannot with the antiquary wander liStl back to the time, that remote period when this whole region was swept over by an engulphing wave that tore from the bosom of mother earth this tray-shaped basin, and left these grand old hills, which long ages since be- came clad in Nature's primeval garb, but we have endeavored to gather from along the path- way of time some crude memorials in this lake's history, which are fast passing away- soon to be numbered with the oblivious past, and to rescue them from the "effacing finger of time" will be our present aim. When w r e go to the buried past for items, w r e find the records dim, and all tradition vague and uncertain, but when w r e lake a retrospective glance at the last decade in regard to tins lake, we are obliged to say that its progress is onward, and the end not even the most sanguine can divine. The wildest day- dreamer may wake on the morrow and find his schemes, air-castles and anticipations in a fair 10 HISTOKT. tain for speedy realization, and otters more vast, gigantic and unthought of treading rapidly on their heels. Every day brings new comers and every boat comes swarming with new pleas- ure-seekers from all parts of our common coun- try to mingle with those now here, to be a part and parcel of us. Whoever has passed along the shores or over the surface of this body of water, could not fail to be favorably and permanently impressed with its numerous indentations or coves; its beautiful wooded points or capes ; its bold shores ; its clean and gravelly beach ; its cool, transparent water ; its bracing, exhilarating atmosphere, and more than all, its apparent self-knowledge of its own ease, beauty and picturesqueness, lying in its own basin, scooped by the hand of God and sur- rounded by hill sides clothed in the primitive garb of nature, seemingly more fresh and more verdant by having this gem of waters to lave their base and reflect their towering and protect- ing forms. With all the ever inexaustible supply of fish which man in a state of nature must at times HISTOHY. 1 1 almost wholly rely on for food, which this lake has been able to give , and a thousand other in- ducements , it does seem that it should have a history that might well be called ancient, but when and where the human eye first caught a glimpse of it, it will be very hard to determine. Whether it had an existence long before the planting of the; forbidden tree in Eden, or a date "anterior to the fall of Lucifer," or was partially stocked with bull-heads and suckers when God said: "Let the waters bring forth abundantly, " we know not. » This continent ma}' have been an old one when Eden was first brought to light, as many men of science now agree, and if Adam's early educa- tion was not neglected, he might have made th.Q tour of America and taken in the Hemlock on his way. This may be visionary, but who knows to the contrary? When the waters "assuaged" in the days of those old mariners, Noah or Deuca- lion, or ages long since (as some say) this, on ac- count of its purity, might have been kept here for the very purpose for which it is now appro pri:V;j:l. 1 2 HISTORY. Laying aside all theory and speculation, and taking the best evidence we have,- and that is tradition,- of the early occupation of the hills around us, we are prone to believe that Munsee maids were the Nereides of the lake, long before the discovery of America by Columbus, or the formation of the Iroquois League in 1450. In all probability, and we have tradition as the base, the Munsees were wholly exterminated at the death of the captive maiden On-no-lee by the Mengwees, and they in turn by the Senecas, previous to the League aforesaid. Before the occupancy of this region by the, Senecas we are unable to ascertain its name, but it then became known in the Seneca tongue as the " O-neh-da Te-car-ne-o-di ", or in our lan- guage Hemlock lake — the latter word meaning lake. It was probably so named from the hem- lock forest,lying along its western shore. The story of the captive , Onnolee , is one of the numerous legends handed down to us from a very remote period, of the people who once liv- ed, hunted, fished, and died in this locality. Any nation, unschooled in the art of preserv- HISTORY. i ?> ing records by a written language., its history must, of necessity, be vague and legendary, and these legendary remains were very often rude carvings or pictures on the war-post, if they were reniiniscenses of glorious achievements on the battlefield. We have seen the trunks of trees and the wig- warns of the wild Indian, where in his hiero- glyphical way, many a story or point in history is imperfectly transmitted to later generations. The legend of the last survivor of the MunseS nation, and hence of its total extermination, has been beautifully rendered in rhyme by the la- mented scholar and poet, W. H. C. Ilosmer. The story is, that sometime during the fourteenth century, probably between 1350 and 1375 the Munsees, a small and friendly tribe of Indians, dwelt on Ball Hill, their village being situated somewhere on the west shore of Canadice Lake while the surrounding country was occupied by the Mengvvees, a restless, warlike tribe. The Munsees had so long lived in peace with other tribes that they little dreamed their small band was in danger. No ominous ghost, or ser- 14 III3T0KY. pentf s rattle had brought tliem warning that the fj.ll of their* nation was at hand, but at the sol- emn hour of midnight, when sleep and stillness brooded around their homes, the Mengwees, with one fell swoop, bathed their tomahawks in the innocent blood of their quiet, unwarned and de- fenceless neighbors. The onslaught was complete^ for nothing was left of people or wigwams, save Onnolee, by some called a maiden, by others the cherished wife of the bravest chief of the nation. She was taken, bound to the red belt of a famous leader, called Mickinac , and compelled to fol- low him, but at noon they rested for dinner be- neath the branches of a spreading oak. While he was partaking of his parched corn and smoke-dried venison, she cast into the dust that offered her, and with eagle eye and stealth - iness of hand saw and grasped from his belt, and with one mighty thrust buried his belt-knife deep into the side of her captor. Her aim was perfect and the act effective. She knew her life was forfeited, but having the fleetness and agility of a deer, she fled while arrows went whizzing by her in all di- msTOBY. 1 5 rections. She gained at last a crag that beetled over some lake, either the Canadice.or Hemlock ; Hosmer thinks the former, but as there were no overhanging cliffs on the shores of that lake, the presumption is, it must have been the Hem- lock. "Regardless of the whizzing siorm Of missiles raining round her form, Imploring eye she then upcast, And a low, mournful death hymn Bang; On hill and forest looked her last, One glance upon the water cast, And from that high rock sprang. 1 ' It is said, for more than three hundred years afterwards, that "oft in the stilly night" of sum- mer, as moonbeams stole glances to kiss the tiny wavelets of the lake, the sain* ed form of the once beautiful Onnolee could be seen to rise from its watery home, and either vanish in upper air or return again to the bosom of the deep. Of the Iroquois, of which the Senecas were a part, it is only necessary to say that they were able, at one time, to sound their war whoop from the "dark pine forests of Maine to the bar- lf> HISTORY, ren shor?s of the Superior, and the southern fastnesses of 'he Tallapoosa ." When and where they commenced the work of retaliation, ratine presented no harrier to a successful campaign ; they had a daring will and a hand to execute, A more splendid race of savages than the Sen- ecas perhaps never manned a war earoe or drew a how, and though sometimes driven back by a superior force, yet they were never beaten. It is said that when the marauding Sullivan came through the country of the Senecas thev retired, but bent the top of a hickory down and wi tlied it around the body to show that they were bent, but not broken. No savage nation ever had better warriors, better orators, or bet- ter statesmen. Though the habits of the native denizen of the forests were migratory , yet how strong and deep- fj.eated were his attachments for home. He lov- ed his hunting and fishing grounds, but, more than all, he loved the graves of his fathers, and desired that his bones might mingle with theirs, as strenuously as did the old Hebrew Patriarch, that his might be carried back to Canaan. HISTOliY. 1 7 The heart-broken son of the wilderness, in his last melancholy march towards the reclining sun, paused and took a farewell look at the hunt- ing grounds of his race and the graves of his an- cestors ; but these are no more his to look upon, nor will the guardian Manitou watch over the young warrior and his dusky maiden in their moonlight wooings on the beautiful Hemlock, and the plowshare of the pale-face has oblitera- ted all traces of the graves of his kindred. The first white men among the Senecas that we have any account of, were the Franciscan Father, LeCaron, in 1616, and Dailion in 1626, who was a Recollet missionary, and as the Hem- lock was one of the great fishing grounds of the Seneca nation, and as vast numbers encamped around the lakes in the fishing season , it is not improbable that they erected the cross ( the em- blem of salvation ) on its shores as early as the first date. We can, as we look back to the earliest advent of the white race into the Indian country, but mark the strong contrast between the Spanish, English and French. The first came for gold, 1 8 HISTORY. the second for territory, but the French, of both the Jesuit and Catholic orders, were men of faith and love. Whether they taught truth or falsehood ; whether on the whole it had been better or worse for the cause of Christianity had they never been here > is foreign to our purpose. It is enough for us to know that they were tru- ly devoted to the cause of bettering the condition of the savage. " They went even where the sword of the conqueror could not cleave his way They built churches in the wilderness which were time-worn ail ci-anbliig when the first emigrant penetrated the forests. They preached to savages who never saw the face of another white man though they lived to three score and ten. They prayed upon the banks of lonely lakes and rivers which were not mapped by ge- ographers for over a century after their deaths ." They took the wondering native by the hand, received him as a brother and won him over to listen patiently. They travelled unarmed and alone where an army could not march, and their affection and devotion to their mother church were never forgotten, and their latest prayer was HISTORY. 1 9 for the salvation of the simple native. Passing along over the establishment of t\\e first regular permanent missions in Western New York in 1656 at East Avon, Bloomfield, West Men don and Victor, down to the treaty of 1763, which forbade the introduction of more re- cruits of the Jesuit order, and we arrive at the time when the English came into possession of this locality. At this time a few Indian traders lived where Geneva now stands. Jemima Wilkinson and a few Friends on the west bank of Seneca lake, and two or three tra- ders on Genesee river, and Ave have all the pale- faces in what was then called the u Gei:esev Country". About 1765 the Rev. Samuel Kirklarid came- as the first Protestant missionary among the: Senecas. The earliest maps of the province of N. Y. viz : 1616, US & '31 are wholly silent in re- gard to Western New York, but in a map dated 1768 the earliest one extant, giving anything like a correct view of any part of this region defining the boundaries according to the treaty of Fort Stanwix, we find no lakes laid down 2d HISTORY. west of the Seneca. In 1771 Guy Johnson, who was then deputy agent of Indian affairs, drew and inscribed to Governor Tiyon u a map of the Countries of the Six Nations" and Canandaigua lake and the smallei lakes in this vicinity were not down, but they were known to exist, for he says "there are other lakes hereabouts but they cannot be laid down with certainty". In 1779 General Sullivan with his army pass- ed through Richmond and Livonia, touching the Hemlock near the residence of Printiee Chesbro thence north around the foot of the lake and on towards the head of the Conesus, after destroy- ing large quantities of beans and corn on the planting grounds of the Senecas at the foot of the lake. Sullivan's forces were composed partly of young stalwart men from the sterile soil of the mount- ains and hill-sides of New England. The contrast, the change from the rugged sce- nery of the far eastern home to the beautiful landscapes, fine rolling up lands, fertile vales, and lovely lakes of this western Canaan, must HISTORY. ?1 have been with £hem in dream-land, as well ap, in their wakeful hours, long after their return o their native land. Many of them, guided by that star of empire that ever wends its way westward- ly, as soon as, the Revolution was over and state titles were settled, passed this way, and took a portion of the much wished for heritage, from Phelps and Gorham, the original purchasers. This closely followed the townshipping of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase in 1788 and '89, but said purchase was not mapped till 1700, when the Hemlock^ for the first time, had a place on the maps of Western New York, but as the Canadice lay not on v. township line, it was left out -may be i': was not known to the surveyors. The first map giving the lakes in this vicinity their true position was drawn in 1804, but made Hemlock much smaller than the Canadice, but in a map dated in 1 809, the lakes were given then- relative size and true location. Livonia, which incloses the northern end of the lake, was settled in 1789 , Conesus in 1793, and Canadice in 1 793. The first near settler to the Hemlock was Philip Short, who took up 22 history. lands near the foot in 1795. Maloy the Hermit came from the lakes east of this, and built a cab- in on what is now called "Blake's" point, in about 1 800 , and after living there three or four years, went to Ohio . Hawley, Daniels, Little,. Mitchell and Blake have each had their names attached to this point . John Hanna was an ear- ly settler on the lands now owned by Russel R. Jacques, and sold to Darius Jacques in 1824. John Emmonds was also an early settler south of the St. James Hotel, on f he west end of the Joseph Wemett farm, and east side of the road. Perez H. Curtice, Abner Goodrich, Hiram Bo wen, Martin Bo wen, Tom Saxby, Elijah Goodrich and Roswell and Charles Bliss, all had early homes on the shores of this lake, and all of whom we will speak of hereafter. Sir William Pultney and William Bowers who owned quite a tract of land in the town of Conesus and bordering on this lake, laid out a portion of the lake into lots in 1819, and offer- ed them for sale to those wishing water privi- leges, but we know of none having been pur- chased. HISTORY. 23 Livonia which incloses the whole of the' foot of the lake, derives its name irom a Russian Province; Conesus from its lake, and that from a noted Indian chief of that name, and Cana- dice is from the Indian name of its lake,Ska - ne— a-diee. Long before the formation of the town of Springwater, the whole interval at the head of the lake, some three miles in length was called "Hemlock Valley", and said name was applied to the present village of Springwater, by the earliest settlers for many years afterwards. The hill that bounds the eastern shore is called both Ball andBald, the foimer, from being a pretty true segment of a circle some thirteen or more miles in diameter, and the latter from its bald appearance in a very early day, caused by the frequent fires of the Senecas. The former is by far, at present,the more appropriate name. Marrowback, the western hill, is said to get its name from the fact that two men, one from Turkey Hill in the western part of the town of Conesus, and the other from this hill once en- gaged in personal conflict : the one from this hill 24 HISTORY. getting the better of his adversary, a by-stander said to the vanquished, "he has too much mar- row in his back for you, sir . " How much truth there is in this, or how else it obtained its name we are unable to say . COMMERCE. T a very early day in the settlement of this section of country, when highways were little better than "corduroys," lumber tW cheap, was still an item of very great import- ance, and Hemlock lake seemed to be the inter- mediate link between the pine and hemlock lands of the south, and the harder varieties of timber at the north, and the great demand for softer building material in the older settled re- gions at the north, and the bread stuffs of the north finding a ready market in the southern woods, made this a great commercial highway. As early as 1809, Samuel Hines had erected a saw mill, and very soon afterwards D . Goff and Samuel Story had erected others, on the inlet west of the present village of Springwater , and John Alger and Phineas Gilbert, in 1811, built one on the stream that comes tumbling: down from the high lands at the present residence of Wa H. Norton, and a road was cut to the head of the lake, and was surveyed as a public high- 26 COMMERCE. way May 6th 1815. These men employed many bands in floating large quantities of lumber du- ring the warm season, and when the ice was suf- ficiently strong ofttimes it had the appearance of a band of pilgrims to the shrine of some high worthy, and often during the winter of 1838 and '39 as many as two hundred teams could be seen at one time, drawing the productions of the south- ern mills. Within the memory of some now liv- ing the mills already spoken of, together with those of Patchinville, Perkinsville, Spaffords and other ones above the "Hemlock Valley '■' furnish- ed lumber in almost unlimited quantities , while cedar from the swamps of Cohocton and hemlock bark Er >n tli3 same vicinity, and sash, doors blinds, etc. from the factory of Chamberlain, Grove :* and Tyler were not very small items in the trade. Flat boats or scows, as they were then called, were also placed upon the lake for the safer transportation of lumber and such articles they did not desire to i aft. Koswell and Charles Bliss w tfp perhaps the fathers of scow commerce on t'le lake . 'Hiram Loomis for a number of years COMMKRCK. 27 kept an extensive lumber yard at tie foot of tie lake with, lumber furnished by Reuben Gilbert alone, and owned a scow which run in connec- tion therewith ; and hundreds of acres were cleared of the pine in the region of the head of the lake by the Gilberts and sold to other large dealers in the shape of frames ready for erection or otherwise. One who is now living says : "The whole foot of the lake in my recollection was piled up with lumber for sale. Teams from all parts of the country were there every hour of the clay loading up with lumber." This same Loomis had a Brick -yard in the vicinity of his lumber, which not only furnished brick for re- gions north, east and west, but also to the inhab- itants living south of the head. About 1829 a Blacksmith shop, a Shoe shop etc. were doing a very lively business around the foot of the lake. At a much later date Ebe- nezer Lincoln and George Johnson, living and clearing at the head on the west shoro, did c >n- siderable business with a scow transporting wood, rails, fence posts etc. to the foot. The Higby mill was built at the foot on the 2$ COMMERCE. outlet as early as 1795, and Philip Short, who set- tled below the foot in 1796, run an extensive saw mill where immense quantities of logs were saw- el that were rafted or otherwise down the lake. Since these mills have ceased to operate, the present one at the foot has done at times, con- siderable business in logs taken from the hills in the immediate vicinity of the lake . The lake was also the highway over which the earliest settlers to the south west corner of Can- adice and western portion of Springwater, took their families and all their worldly effects. Seth Knowles the first settler in the western part of the present town of Springwater, came up on the ice from the town of Livonia, with all his earthly posessions, both animate and inanimate, on the last day of March 1807 ; and David Badg- ro, accompanied by his brother-in-law, Reuben Gilbert, and his own wife and a large family of children, together with all the worldly gear he possessed, came up the lake in canoes, or Indian "dugouts," in the spring of 1809, and settled on the present farm of Harlow Colgrove in Cana- dice. ACCIDENTS. DKOWKED. William Bo wen, ^jt IKE all bodies of water which the public frequent at all seasons of tlic year, and have from the time of the white man's recollec- tion down to the present, accidents, both fatal aid otherwise, must of necessity happen, for where can man be placed on this sublunary sphere, and not be the victim, sooner or later, of such misfortunes. The first fatal accident of which we are ac- quainted that happened since the Seneca nation held absolute sway around this lake, took place on the 29th day of March 1827. William Bovven, who was born in Oneida County in 1795, and living at the time, and fol- lowing the hard but honest trade of a Blacksmith, at the village of Hemlock Lake, together with his brother John, were drawing the seine on the western shore of the lake, some three fourths of %0 ACCIDENT*. a mile from the Jacques House, or somewhere near where now stands the Lake Shore House. They were using a b;)at to spread the seine. John was doing the rowing, and William was the meanwhile casting out the net, when unex- pectedly his foot became entangled in the rope, and suddenly, without a moment's warninghe was taken to the bottom of the lake, and not being able to extricate himself, perished. His son William, now living at the village of Hemlock Lake who was a small lad at the time is the only living witness of this first fatal dis- aster. ACCIDENTS. 31' Alvin Marsh. On the 15th day of June, 1 829, Alvin Marsh, then about 45 years of age, and living in the town of Livonia, some one and a half miles west of the foot of the lake, started on business that took him eastward past the foot, and was to return on the same dav , Not returning as expected, inquiries and searches were Biilde, Hat were of no avail . Some three or four clays afterwards a violent thunder storm passed over the lake, ard all those who have been witnesses to these commo- tions of nature, can fully attest that the)' are ter- rible in this vicinity. The water has been known to be considerably agitated at such times, and the old hills send back growling and deafening echoes and reverberations that seem to come frcta the very bowels of the earth . Soon alter, his body was found floating in the lake about one third of the way across eastwardly from the "Tit- tle" point . When he went away from home, it was known that he carried money with him, but when his body was found, neither money nor <>3 ACCIDENTS. wallet was with it; do bc-Des could be found that were broken , but a gash extending from the left eye back to the ear, was plainly discern- ible, and his clothes were badly rent, showing beyond the possibility of a doubt, that previous to death, there had been a desperate struggle, and lie evidently was the victim . A Coroner's Inquest was held, but nothing elicited that would in any way go to clear up the mystery, but the opinion was freely expressed, that he had been waylaid, robbed, and his body thro wd; into the lake . ACCIDENTS* 33 Tanner and Waters. The next one occurred April 14th 18oo . Willis Waters, aged 18, son of Jonathan Wa- ters who came from Sheffield in the State oi Massachusetts in 1814, and settled on the west part of the present farm of Andrew Brown on Ball Hill, and John Tanner, from Conesus, but who had hired or leased the Half Way House, and had moved thereto on Saturday and inten- ded to open it as a Tavern on Monday, started out in company, much against the advice of friends, to take a mess of fish . The wind was blew'ng strong, and white-taps showed themselves like maddened spirits on the surface of this, at times, unruly lake. It was considered a fool-har- dy move by every one, but it is thought that they intended to cross over to the west shore pretty well towards the head of the lake where the wa. ter was less rough, but their fatal hour had ar- rived. When nearly two thirds of the distance towards the place of their destination, it was thought by those on shore, they attempted to change j)laces, when their little bark capsized . In 4 ACCIDENTS. One of them, supposed to be Tanner, who was a very good swimmer, was seen to mount the inverted boat several times, and was heard to call loudly for help,but no one dared go to their assistance . Their hats or caps floated, and were afterwards picked up, and the boat was caught by some brush on the western shore, somewhere south of the cabin which Dr. Norton used to frequent in his last days . The bed of the lake was thor- oughly raked, times without number, cannons were fired, and every available means were used to recover the bodies, but all in vain - they were destined to rest in a watery grave . Months afterwards, a boot was found with bones of the foot and leg to the knee nearly cov- ered with sand, which was thought to be one that belonged to Tanner . Tanner was a married man and left a wife and one child . ACCIDENTS. GO John Martin Jr. It seems that Fatality was to attend those who fixed their abode at the Half Way House, for in the month of June, 1842, John Martin Jr., ( who-e father left the "sweet land of Erin," but one short year before, to follow the business of a drover, had bought one half the property of Porter Fowler,) together with John Wilkinson started on an errand to Lawrence Webster's in Conesus, to obtain some turnip seed. After they had crossed over near the cave banks on the western shore, Martin thought it a good time to make his first attempt at swim- ming, so, after Wilkinson had departed on his errand, he, on that pleasant Sabbath morning, anchored his boat, disrobed himself and put his clothes in the boat, but shortly afterwards a spy-glass from the eastern shore failed to seethe form of Martin anywhere . Search was made and his body was found nearly under the boat in a little over live feci of water, and Wetmore hooked a trout hook into his under jaw and trolled the body across :,:? ACCTOKNTSV the lake. We are also told that Martin was alone on that fatal day, and not with Wilkinson, and also that he was drowned south of Fisher's point, but we have given the generally accepted version of the case - ACCIDENTS. ; 7 Mary J. Williams. This was truly a sad case. For one in the bloom of life, with all the happiness seemingly that mortal can ask, a pleasant home, kind and loving associates, and a genial,, christian spirit, to voluntarily commit so rash an act as suicide, during a temporary aberration of mind, seems ever a sad tale to tell. Mary was born September, 19th 1839, and on the 12th day of June, 1859, when a. little less than twenty years of age, while attending scho< i at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, 1 ;i ■ latter date being on Sunday, she was at tie looming services at the Methodist church, in fcl e afternoon at the C.>llege Chapel and at tie Prayer Meeting in the evening until 9 o'clock. She was living with her uncle, the late Prof. Bragdon and occupied the same room that. h< ■ cousin Miss Bragdon did. They both retired to bsdj but at 1:2 o'clock Miss Bragdon aw >ke a**/] found Mary up and rcadingher Blb!-\ She re- qu ''s'vd her to comr to bed, rr»d shje r 'plied "I will ::i a niHu^v 1 Miss Bra don clrnWwl asleep *T3 .ACCIDENTS, and that Wffl the last that was seen of Mary while alive, A thorough search and investiga- tion was made, and a reward of fifty dollars was offered, but not until the next Saturday was her body found. The late Albert Chapman, who was fishing with some other comrades from Lima, found her floating in this lake southward of the pres- ent Steam Saw Mill and some one fourth of a mile distant therefrom. The body was immedi- ately taken to Lima, a Coroner's Inquest held, ail the Jury brought in a verdict of " suicide, while deranged. 17 Mr. Chapman received the re- ward, but lie benevolently used it in placing a fitting memorial at her grave. It was found after her departure that she had packed all her clothes carefully in her trunk, except her poorest suit which she wore to the lake . A kind and loving l^ter, received that week from one to Whom she was engaged to be married, contained nothing to cause her to commit s> hasty an act, and from the closest investiga- tion possible, nothing has ever been elicited ACCIDENTS. &% that should mar her happiness or character in the least . Numerous rumors were afloat at the time, but they were all void of truth, and the name of Mary Jane Williams remains to-day in the memory of her surviving schoolmates as that of a much esteemed, christian lady. 40 ACCIDENTS. Charles Shepard. Charles Shepard a lad of eleven years of age, Bon of A. G. Shepard living on Ball Hill in the town of Canadice, was sent by his father in the early morning of the 18th day of August 186?, to ask S. W. Wheaton, a neighbor, for a b^. in which his father and his uncle Isaac Stevenson wished to cross the lake. The boat lay at the "Lima" house, and after he had done Lis errand, he crossed the lots in the direction of the lake, and was afterwards seen to cross the lake and return, in the boat. He had often been at hh uncle's ( H. J. Wemett) at the Half Way Hou:: ; e and had there learned to use the oar. Search was made for him ; the boat was found containing his clothing, but not until the 20th was his body recovered. Previous to his going away, his mother had spoken to him about changing his clothes, and as he had been assist- ing some in threshing, she suggested that he should have a good wash before putting on his clean garments, and while in bathing from some cause or other, he met his death. His body was ACCIDENTS. 41 found in some twelve feet of water, in the neighborhood of where now stands the St James Hotel. 42 ACCIDENTS. Michael Murphy. Michael, during his boyhood, lived with the late Ruel Blake in the town of Livonia, and after marriage kept his house. A few days pre- vious to" his being drowned, he was at work in Blake's hop yard on the "Maloy or Tittle" point. On Sunday, June 5th 18 70, a party of Nunda boys were camping at " Vesper cliff," and Mi- chael and Patrick Ryan spent a portion of the day and night following there, and at Niver- gall's. Between two and three o'clock Monday morning, they started for the point, and boat leaking, they emptied it, and when well towards Echo Rock , a voice was heard at Mvergall's, calling "Fred." Mrs.Mvergall and daughter repaired to the spot and found Ryan on the in- verted boat, and Michael's hat floating. Ryan said that Murphy was at the bottom of the lake. After searching the balance of the night and near- ly all next day, his body was found some eighty rods north of Echo Rock. Murphy was twenty nine years of age at the time of his death. ACCIDENTS. 4.** Morey Willis. The last one that has died from drowning in this lake, was Morey Willis, aged 16. He was living with his father in Springwater, and was drowned June, 18th, 1880. It happened on the occasion of the annual opening of the Port- House, and on the opposite side of the la.ke, just south of the Dr. Norton cabin . Morey, with some other youngsters, had cross- ed the lake for the purpose of bathing, and vent- uring out too far, or too near the break-off to deep water, slid down the bank, and when he arose, he was too far away for his associates to rescue him . He was the youngest son of Caleb W. Willis. 44 ACCIDENTS. Polly Austin. Here we shall place as an intermediate link in our order, the case of Polly Austin. An aged widow, mother of the late Nathan Austin of Hemlock Lake village, was found dead some three fourths of a mile from the head of the lake, and a short distance away from the west shore, in the woods, in May, 1844. She was an inmate of the Almshouse, and was often allowed to away on a furlough, and was often gone for quite a number of weeks, staying where charity would permit her so to do. It is said by some, that she had been at Co- hocton, and on her return stopped at Ebenezer Lincoln's, and said she was on her way to Cone- sus, and by others, that she was on her way to Lincoln's. This was in the month of February, three months before her body was found by some boys while fishing. As' she had so often been away under similai circumstances, no search or inquiries were made in regard to her where- abouts. During the time her body had lain there in the forest, the wild animals had feasted ACCIDENTS. 45 therefrom, and it was in an advanced stage of putrefaction when found. From all appearances she had become weary, lost her way, and lad lain down for the niodit, at the foot of an as;ed hemlock. A pair of new shoes she had taken from her feet and placed them under her head. Her scanty supply of provisions were carefully tied up in a small shawl, and she had evidently arranged herself as comfortably as she could for a rest, but there is no doubt but she perished from the cold. A Coroner was notified, and with him came her son Nathan, who said he supposed tier to be his mother, but he was given away so early in infancy, that all he knew in regard to it was, that she had once told him she was his mother, but he discredited it until he learned other facts after her remains were found . In that lonely wild, a prayer was made by the Rev. A. B. Green, now of South Pultney, and her son took the body down the lake for burial. 46 ACCIDENTS. A vast number of accidents which were not fatal to human life, might be noticed under this head, but we will mention but a few and those only where a loss of some domestic animal, has been sustained. In 1779, Ephraim Tucker while living in Li- vonia, wis en the ice v\ith tv\o yoke of oxen. The ice giving way, all were precipitated into the dee]), and Ephiaim was no swimmer, but still be managed to unyoke his oxen, and cling- ing to the back of one, came out at last, minu- one ox only. Jasper Marvin from Lima, while drawing lumber from Springwater in 1838, lost a nice span of horses through the ice, near the foot of the lake. David Barn hart, mentioned in another place, once lost an ox here, and William H. Norton who had been to Hemlock Lake village mill with a heavy load of corn, went through the ice when opposite the Kosenkrans Cottage in 1860, and lost a valuable span of horses. These are all of this nature that we can recall at this time. STEAM BOATS. Watson. <&L TEAM was not used for the purpose of g||| propelling water craft on this lake till comparatively a late date. In the year 1860, George Watson of the city of Rochester, an old experienced canal boat builder conceived the idea that a boat built alter the canal boat pattern somewhat, but large e- nough to carry a boiler and engine, besides some room for passengers, would be a nice thing for both pleasure and profit. A house was erected near where A. H. Kinney's Cottage now stands, and a son, Stephen Wa f son moved therein to work on it under his father's superintendence. The boat when finished was seventy feet long and eighteen feet beam, and proved as unwieldy as a canal scow. The b >iler an 1 engine were taken from the old steam saw mill near by and put into the boat, and though it did considera- ble puffing in its way, yet it made very little 48 STEAMBOATS. progress. On the day of the launching, quite a large assemblage of people were present to wit- ness the scene. It made frequent trips to the head of the lake, and dancing parties were not- infrequent on its deck, but not proving a success, as anticipated, it closed its career as a steamer, at the end of the second summer, and the boiler and engine were replaced in the old mill, and it was used as a scow for some time afterwards . Most of the means used in its construction was furnished by Stephen's wife, and it eventually passed into her hands, in satisfaction for her claim, and also through the hands of Vidette Wright, Arminius Bugbee, Printice Chesbro and Alonzo B. Hosford, and at last was scut- tled, filled with rocks, and the last relics of it form a portion of the landing for the Lake Shore House, proving no more worthy of a good and successful record than " that fatal and perfidious Lark, Built in the eclipse, and rigged with curses dark." STEAMBOATS. 4l> Seth Green. While the "Seth " was being built, a lively interest was taking hold of quite a goodly num- ber of those who annually rusticate for a few days or weeks, and from the increasing numbers who were trending hitherward, many cnild safe- ly divine, that in the near future this lake must become a noted place for summer resort, and as the day foi its launching was quite a gala one, we know of no better way to chronicle said event than to copy somewhat from our own re- port, published the week following in the "On- tario County Times." "A few days previous to the 25th day of June in the year of grace one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, handbills proclaiming that the "New Steamer Seth Green" would be launched, and make a trip on that day on Hemlock Lake, having been scattered as thickly around as "au- tumnal leaves that strow the brooks of Vallom- brosia," we, your humble correspondent, threw "care to the dogs" and proceeded to the scene of action, where we arrived at half -past nine. 50 STEAMBOATS. The morning was one of the loveliest in June and the lake, a beautiful sheet of water, whose surface was as smooth and placid as ever was broken by a Seneca's oar, some seven miles long and from one to two wide, and while standing at the foot and looking up towards the head we could see on either side flocks and herds feeding in green fields, or the young luxuriant grain of old Livonia; while farther up, in Canadice,on the left, and Conesus on the right, the green old hills looming up in solemn grandeur along whose sides gigantic shadows chased each other as the light clouds flit before the sun, and clad in their primeval garb just as they were spoken into ex- istence by the voice of God. As we had plenty of time we spent some two hours or more lounging around on the west shore visiting the little cabins and summer houses dotting the banks for some distance up the lake, and also the "Jacques House," which has been a fashionable resort for not only tran- sient but permanent boarders through the sum- mer season for a number of years; and the "Lake Shore House," first opened to the pub- STEAMBOATS. 5 1 lie about eleven months ago, which will be, for the present at least, the headquarters of the new steamer in question. At both of these places plenty of boats, fishing tackle and stabling for teams can be had at any time and at reasonable rates. Those wishing a "temperance" house can be satisfied at Jacques, while those who wish to get a little " old Rye' 1 can pass a little farther up the lake and by accommodated at the Lake Shore IIou.se. When we arrived but few had gathered to partake of the festivities of the day, but by elev- en o'clock the balcony of the Shore House, the shore of the lake, and the rustic pass-way leading to where the young "Seth" was safely secured, ( for it had slid into the lake two days in ad- vance of us ) were pretty well packed with the young and old, of all nations and all shades from the sable Congo to unnatural whiteness of the invalid, for "the cradle and the grave had been robbed " of their inmates to witness a scene not common in this vicinity. Soon came the Cornet Band of Lima, which was received by the discharge of a terrible load 52 STEAMBOATS. from a "hell metal" brought from Way! and for the occasion by the Hon. James G. Bennett late member of Assembly from old Steuben, — a naval piece that did good service and spoke well all through the rebellion. At a little past eleven, the band, together with a favored few, started down the lake with the steamer to the Jacques House amid the booming of cannon and music by the band, and while they are gone it w r ill be a good time to tell "Seth's" history, &e. file steamer was built in 1873, by Kingston Brothers of Buffalo, for Clark Morehouse STEAMBOATS. Mollie Tefft. The vast amount of work done; the immense crowds of passengers constantly being carried by the Corabelle in 1879, created quite a desire to share in what was considered by every one, a Bonanza. The same Samuel Hingston was again brought into requisition ; and rather late in the season of 1880, was successfully launched the Mollie Tefft. The Mollie was built more in the style of the larger lake steamers, with the pilot house on top. It measures sixty five feet in extreme length, and f welve and five twelfths feet in the beam, and has an engine of nineteen, and a boiler of twenty two horse power. Mrs. Mollie Tefft of Kochester, who owns "Maple Hill" Cottage, is the owner. George Snyder ran it two seasons, and Frank Tefft, son of Mollie, the last. In the spring of 1882, the pilot house was re- moved, and thus it was arranged so that one less hand is required to handle it. The Mollie is a staunch boat, and has a capacity to stow away a goodly congregation. STEAMBOATS. 57 Nellie. The Nellie wa3 not first launched in these wa- ters. It was first built as a Ship life-boat, and has seen service in "Merry old England," before it cleft the waves of Canandaigua and lloneoye lakes and was introduced here in the season of 1881, by Captain William Wicks, by whom it has been successfully managed, for the two sea- sons. The hull is built wholly of iron, and as long as it is sound, it should be perfectly sea- worthy. It measures some twenty-four feet in length, and eight or nine feet beam, aid last summer, it made a daily morning trip around the lake, taking orders, and feeding the hungry cottagers and campers. As it was called Nellie at the time it made its appearance here , we have so called i f , but that name was hauled down during the past season , and "A . Bronson" placed in its stead . 58 STEAMBOATS. Camilla . The Camilla is somewhat smaller than the Nellie, and has also seen service before it came here. It belongs to McDonald and Reynolds of the city of Rochester, and was successfully managed last season by the youthful Captain, Bert. Reynolds. This was its first season here, and like all the before -mentioned boats, it ran as a regular passenger carrier. Wave . This little clipper is smaller than any other steamer on the lake, and quite different in many respects, from any of them. It belongs, and was run last season for the first, by Farnsworth of Lima, and is exclusively a family pleasure boat. It was built expressly for this lake, and will be remodelled somewhat for the coming season. INCIDENTS. WMfa R'EN the whites first became acquaint- ing ed with this section of country, an In- dian trail led along the eastern shore of Canadice lake; one over Ball Hill, and another along the eastern shore of this lake, uniting at the present residence of Harlow Colegrove, and then passed on southwardly to the Susquehanna River. Large bodies of Indians encamped during the warmer portions of the year on the Hats at the foot, where they raised large quantities of corn, beans and squashes. The present farm of C. H. Mack at the head of the lake was also a camping ground, and Indian pestles, <> arm twisted off, or that decaying parent oak in the cove below, leaning hopefully on its strong- er brother, might have suggested a very appro- priate name, but the one selected is very good. Faulkner's. In '81 the Faulkners of Dansville, who annu- ally seek the shores of some wild wood lake, or resort at the north, or the balmy air of Florida, pat thought and some means into as pleasant and home-like a resort as any on the lake - in fact we can but call its style "symmetrical and intrin- sically beautiful." On the north edge of this point the Barnharts had a cabin, in which they lived while getting lumber for the Rochester Water Company in 1875. Onehda Cottage. W. H. Pierce of Springwater, H. E. Board- man and Dr. Rsqua bath of Rochester, in the year 1874, erected the first place for resort on this lake south of the "Maloy or Tittle Point." 04 GUIDE. As the building was constructed wholly of hemlock, the name Onehda, was decidedly a very appropriate one. In a state of nature, before fishing campers were plenty on the shores ol this lake, one of the largest of grape vines overran the timber o;i the outer projection of this point, and from that circumstance it received, and has long been called u Grape-vine Point." Since Pierce be- came sole proprietor, he has taken off the timber and set the whole with fruit trees, and is begin- ning to enjoy the pleasure of having freshly -pick- ed fruit for his otherwise well-furnished table. Wigw am. J. M. Edwards of Dansville, in 1879, chose his wigwam on the next building place. On the south lies "Sassafras Bay," and from a huge cement tube on the shore of said bay, you can regale your olfactories, if you desire thusly to do, and enjoy his cooling, hemlock shade. We pass a fine building spot, and, northward "in sequestered cove The wild duck's oiled his breast, and dove." GUIDE. 03 Tansrlewood. CD This is the original Parsonage, and was built by G. K. Ward, J. J. Bailey, F. Fielder, M. A. Stearns, J. P. McCurdy, E. M. Parmelec, H. F. Dyer, J. M. Edwards, J. F. Williams, H. J. Faulkner, 8. Nl Hedges, H. W. Belong and G. Sweet, in 1877. In r 79,W 7 ard, Fielder and Stearns Wt out their partners; in 7 81, Ward sold to his partners, and Fielder, in 7 82, disposed of his in- terest to Stearns, who is so^ owner at present. A little in the back-ground, u Crazy" Walker commenced to build a home, away from the busy scenes of civilization, in 1862 ; the cellar remain- ed till lately disturbed, though somewhat dilap- idated. Idle Wood. George W. Fisher of Rochester, in 1875 com- menced here to build, and almost each year he has added somewhat, either to his buildings or to the improvement of his grounds. The propri- etor is decidedly a man of fine taste, and has 0(5 GUIDE. shown it in numerous instances on his premises. It seems somebody was happy here in the year 1872, for on twin basswoods in the fore- ground you will find in large letters, "Camp Hap- py, 1872, Geneseo, N. Y." As you pass southwardly on this point, you reach Glen Bridge, leading across a miniature run to the grove ; to the west are Glen Hill, Glen Avenue, and other appropriate appella- tions as you ascend the zigzag walk up the hill. McDonald's. Lawyer McDonald, from Eochester, owns the next cottage. It was numbered with the west side improvements of this lake, in the season of 1882, and just below, we pass the Cave Banks, where John Martin Jr. was drowned, in 1842. Rockaway Beach. Here on the old "Tim Bailey Point' 1 stands five summer rests. We will take them in order northwardly. Maple Hill, belonging to Mollie Tefft, of Rochester; Cedar Cottage, owned by (teorge Reynolds, of the same place; Pdle Ha- ven, the property of A. C. Colman, Washington? D. C. , all built in '79, and Glen Iris, belonging to Mrs. Robinson, of Rochester, and Sumac Lodge, owned by the Dyer brothers, of Dans- ville. These two were built in '78. When well populated, as these cottages are ofttimes, they form quite a lively, little hamlet. The Charter Oak in the foreground, reminds one but very lit- tle of the genuine, old oak at Hartford. McQuaid's. We next pass the boat house, from which starts the ang'ing road up this miniature mount- ain, to the country home of Bishop MeQuaid, and a little distance on, thiough the pleasing, cooling shade of pine and hemlock, northwardly, we find J. C. O' Brien's. He is a Rochesterian, and much esteemed as the legal counsellor for the Bishop. OK riTTDE. Maloy's Point. This is by far the largest cape or point on this lake: " Outstretching far into the mere, An emerald set in crystal clear. " A cabin, in which Hermit Maloy passed a few years, was built here in the year 1800, or one year later. Previous to the former date, he pass- ed awhile on what is now called Cook's Point, on Canandaigua lake; from thence he came to the Honeoye and settled beneath Maloy's Bluff, and from thence to this place, as before stated. Daniels, Tittle, Farr, Jenkins and Mitchell have each made his home here; but as Samuel Tittle resided here longer than any of the others, it often er receives his name than theirs. Ruel Blake was owner of the land for many years, and hence his name is often attached to it; but we see no good reason why it should ndt, by universal con- sent, have that old, veteran hunter Maloy's name restored to it. A few years ago Bradner J. Blake had a sum- mer cottage on the north end or prolongation of GUIDE. 99 this point ; but it was moved across tie lake, and we have already noticed it. Twin Cottage. The twins belong to Tom L. Karl, the cele- brated musician, and D. M. Dewey Jr. of Roch- ester. They were erected in '79, and they indi- cate unity and brotherly love. Pic Nic Point. We find here a pleasant trio, belonging, in order, to Mrs. Ex-Senator Emerson, Martin and Cline, and C. Myers, all of Rochester. The first was built in '79, the second in '77 and the last in 1880. Echo Rock Cottage. L. A. Pratt, of Rochester, has selected a noble site, and erected an imposing home on the elev*v- tion west of Echo Rock. This was built in '81. Echo Rock is an ancient boulder, a waif from 100 GV1DE. some old glacier, about which, many a fabulous story is told, famed in the legends of the Senecas. Many a war-whoop has here, no doubt, been sounded, and many an answer has been echoed back by a departed brother in the Spirit Land. Lonp* years after their departure, a few lone chieftains would annually resort to this sacred rel- ic, to renew sweet communication with the loved and lost ; and ever when we have visited it, even in the stillness of twilight, we have fancied that "lake and hill Are busy w T ith their echoes still." Hoppough's. H. P. Hoppough of Livonia, and Hoppough arid Short, own the next two cottages. The for- mer was placed here in 1879, the latter in 1880. Vesper Cliff. Richard Blake of Livonia, in about '74 built the next, and Prof. Barnes of Rochester, in '80, the following cottage. Barnes has since sold his or ide. 10 L to Close and Reynolds, and their cottage hears the name Ghestaut Grove. NivergalTs. Frtsd. Nivergall bought of Jacques in '68, quite a piece of land along the shore of the lake, and soon after put up the house in which he has since resided. Weaver, Barnes &c. C. S. Weaver of Rochester, in '79, and Editor Barnes of the Steuben Courier, in '77, built on different sides of the gully, and Prof. Cook of New York, in '79, a little lower down on the lake; Mrs. Dixon of N. J., the Hexagon in '73, and Mrs. Parmelee of Livonia, the Wren's ]S r est in '79. Lake Shore House. Here Case and Smith in 1873, erected the south portion, and the increasing throngs of 102 GUIDE. visitors demanding more room, the next season the north building was added, called when built, the Dancing Hall. There has been more busi- ness done here some seasons than at any other house on the lake. It is very well arranged and will accommodate a goodly number of boarders. Below. From here towards the foot, we pass the cot- tages of Ex-Mayor Farland, built in '72; Ken- dall, in '71 ; Chambers and Martin, in '71 ; Case and Huntingdon, in '76, and Atwell ( sold to Kendall in '81 ) built in '70. Then we come to Greenwood Avenue, and a short distance in the background, the cottages of Ashley of the Clin- ton House, Rochester, and James Peck of Lima, similar in construction, erected in '80; Lake View, belonging to Geo. Baker of Dansville, and the Johnson cottage, both erected in '81, and then the long, and widely known home-like farm-house and most noted rural retreat upon the shores of this lake, the or ide. 1 OB Jacques House. In years long gone by, John Hanna was an humble dweller where now stands the Jacques House. When he sold in 182-i to Darius Jacques father to the present ow r ntr, little did he dream that the few fisheimen that then occasional- ly called at his cabin, would ever make way for the numerous throngs of visitors that now pass the summer months at this pleasant, quiet home. Kussel R. in 1851, built, for his own conven- ience, a comfortable farm-house, not expecting at that day, any visitors, save now and then, a fisherman ; but in August, 186 I, a Mr. and Mrs. Merryman and two children of New York city, but w r ho came directly from the Dansville Water Cure, called to make it their home for a while. A short time afterwards, a Wheeler family, from the same place, took up a residence here until the next October. The year following, they came again, friends accompanied them, and from that time to the present, business has increased. In after years, this Mrs. Merryman became the wife of the noted Pere Hyacinthe. . 104 GUIDE. In 1872 or 3, he enlarged the buildings till the upright, 36 x 42, stands three stories in higlit and a two-storied wing 80 feet in length, with very pleasant rooms; long, rambling piazzas, and cool, shady, cheerful surroundings. Seventy -five to one hundred visitors can be comfortably cared for at a time. After the house was enlarged, Alfred Kendall, a brother-in-law to Russel, had charge of it seven years, then E. R. Thompson, a son-in-law of Kendall, took the premises in charge, and it remained so for two years, when it again passed back into the hands of Jacques and^ Kendall. Those wishing to make ' much of a s f ay at this lake, will find this as pleasant and as rural a home as any on its shores. At the Foot. In crossing the foot we pass where Daniel or Hiram Loomis, upwards of sixty years ago lived, and did an extensive business. His house was on the west bank of the outlet, and north of the road. You also pass Connor's, Kinney's, GUIDE. 105 the Mill House and the Brick, the last of which was erected in 7 75-6, and in which resides Thomas M. Blossom who has charge of the wa- ter supply to the city of Rochester. Up the Lake. In passing up the east shore, we have Jake Jackson, the Still well Cottage (sold to Adam Bauter of Lima, in '82); Printice Chesbro, built in '74 and we arrive at Uncle Tom's Cabin. Seven years less then a century ago, Roswell Bliss, a descendant of Thomas Bliss who landed among i he Plymouth Rockers in 1 035, from &ome cause or other, sought a home in the wilderness on the shores of this lake. He built a log house a short distance south of the present "Lima' house, now called Uncle Tom's Cabin, and there his two children, Charles and Endy, were born, and Roswell died there in the spring of 1836. On the 21st page, we said that Philip 106 GUIDE. Short was the first near settler to this lake ; but since that was printed we learn that Roswell preceded him five years, and we here make the correction. This place was called "Blissport", for a long time, in fact until the property chang- ed hands. Our dates, though obtained from what we should consider a reliable standpoint, are nevertheless very conflicting. Some would have Charles Bliss born in 1814 ; the Lima house built in 1834 or 5, and sold in 1857. Wm. K Bliss says, that his father was married in about 1820; Lima house was built in 1828, and sold in '47 or 8. The original purchasers of the building and pounds were, G. W. Atwell Sr. , Levi Yorks, Harvey J. Wood and Albert Chapman, and they were bought for a Sportman's Club House. Mr. Wood afterward bought more land, and set out grape vines, fruit and ornamental trees. Atwell was the first to dispose of his interest, and Thomas P. Bishop was the purchaser, then Ambrose Hyde b jught out Yorks. Josiah Leach put on the kitchen and thus obtained an interest; in time Bishop bought out his partners and now GUIDE. 107 remains the sole owner. Of the original owners, At well and Yorks are still living. The last before we close our tour was built in 1880 by John Ingoldsby. This has since been sold, and now is under the care and supervision of the St. James. ERRATA. In a portion of this edition, make the follow- ing corrections : Page 10 -train instead of "tain." Page 11 -ever after "has," 2nd line. Page 46-1799 instead of 1779. Page 60 -western for "eastern," 5th line from bottom. Page 61 - descended instead of "descending." Page 72 - John B. Thurston instead of "George", and erase the last sentence. Page 79- H. K. Cooper instead of "H. K." Page 103- after Darius Jacques read father to the present owner. CONCLUSION. We have but to say in conclusion, that we have aimed to arrive at facts in the preceding pages; in most of instances, memory alone has been our best guide, and that quite often proves itself to be a very poor source; many letters to those who are or should be able to give correct data, still remain unanswered, and we know of no better way than by publishing the best we have; truth will find the light, and all corrections can be properly made. Amateur printers have done the work ; but all typographical. and other errors found, are noticed on page 107, and the most important point, left unsaid is, how to get here. The N. Y.. Lake Erie and Western R. R. runs almost parallel with it on the west of Marrowback hill, and the two Sta- tions, Springwater at the head, and Livonia at the foot, will be the best places to stop off. The for- mer is some four, and the latter, five miles distant herefrom, and conveyances usually run regularly during the summer season, from either point to the lake, on the arrival of all passenger trains. HEMLOCK LAKE. CONTRIBUTED BY W. N. Beautiful, lovely Hemlock lake. Grant me tiie liberty I take- Once more I come, here to abide Awhile by thee, and at thy side Will wait the coming of the morn,- The rising sun the hills adorn- To pass the day in sober thought, And view the works by nature wrought. In shade and sunshine I will bask, And of thee a few questions ask; Who first upon thy shores did tread? Was he a White man or a Bed? Was he youthful, or was he old? Was he fearful, or was he bold? Did he come from an ice-bound coast Alone, or with a nunrrous host, With sword in hand, bearing a shield Fresh from a gory battle-field? Or, was he a lone one cast away, Wand'ring from morn till close of day To find some food to strengthen life Till his return to child and wife, 110 Hemlock Lake. From whom at early morn he strayed, To fill the promise he had made To her, the choice of early youth Who knew he spake the sacred truth; Tha f he for her would ever care, The heaviest of life's burdens bear. If such he was, who first did tread Along thy shores? Where rests his head Or hers, for whom he hunted o'er These hills and 'long thy beauteous shore? Rest they together side by side Here, close by thee, or where the tide Beats the shore of some briny sea? If this you know pray tell it me. Tell it me by some little wave, Where rest the maiden and the brave Lie^e-like lord, and an only child, Their only joy when in the wild Wild woods, or along thy shore, Where they '11 ne'er be seen or heard of more. Yes, by some little, silent wave Pray tell it me; I much do crave To know, who first thy shore did tread, And now where rest those silent dead. I'll sit alone on thy wavy shore, And ne'er again will ask thee more; Hemlock Lake. 1 1 I I'll sit and sing a merry song Till that little wave'll come along Bearing on it a " bubble bright". Transparent as the purest light That ever shone on land or sea, On heathen slave or on the free. If on the shore it doth alight In all its dazzling beauty bright, Whilst other waves do come and go, And zephyrs pass it to and fro, Yet still the little bubble stands Firm and bright on little sands, Sufficient this will be to me They rest "long side" and by the sea. - No more I'll question thee old lake; In silence, leave of thee I'll take; On shore I'll view thy placid face, On which there looked a former race ■ Who basked along thy beauteous shore, A lonsr, lon^ time, ere this, before A white man either old or young Had joyous been or e'er had sung Along thy lovely, sandy shore, "Or sank in thee to rise no more." I long to come and visit more With friends and neighbors on thy shore, 1 1 2 Hemlock Lake. And with me bring my hook and line Ere I shall leave the u shores of time." Should I ne'er come to thee again, In mein'ry thou wilt long remain. As long as life remains in me, I'll ever love to come and see Thy waves that roll before the breeze, That "bends the oak" and all the trees That line the beauteous, lovely shore, And echo back the midnight roar; And fog is seen for miles away, Adown thy shores; it seems to play Along the hills; it meets my eyes In clouds next seen, far in the skies. The sun hath climbed the eastern hill, The birds are singing lone and shrill; Their notes are heard in distant wcod Each hunting for his daily food. I'll close my musings on thy shore, And hope to see thee often, more. It will to me give great delight, Of thee, loved lake, again to write. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 107 676 9