i k a d d 5 6G24P bg fifik e u s P O N A U P E L E E LA N . H i sto r i c al S ke tch of an d an A c c ou n t of th e M c c o rm ic k Fam il wh o y, we re th e First White O wn e rs o n h l t e I s an d . A M H ER STB U R G TH E E C H P R I N TI N O G C OMP A N ! , LI MI TE D . 1 899 . D E D I C A T E D CH ARLES W. McCORMICK, CLE! ELAND OH IO , , GRANDSON OF TH E FIRST OWNER POINT AU PELEE ISLAND. ERRATTA . 1 3 — “ h — “ h . b Page 2, C ap II . th line As implements s ould e as no &c . implements , — “ “ 3r d Page 3 . line from bottom Monetta should be Marietta , Ohio ‘ ’ ‘ & i lle c . Maj or sv Maysville , — “ " “ 9 22n d W t d &c . Page , line ould no seem should be oes not Page 10 13th line— After “ each other should be a “ period , 1 9 h — “ A ” “ Page 1 . t line bush should be ambush 25 h —“ k “ Page 1 7 , t line To loo him should be , to look upon him “ “ 1 1 — a Page 2 , 7th line Aquatic g rapes should be aquatic gr ss 23 2o h — “ “ ” Page , t line Three rebels should be these rebels . “ 25 , ! ! l st 1 854 1 864 Page , Chap , line should be “ “ 26 — n o Page , next to last line Have w should be had now “ ” 2 r 2m — 9 3 d d . Page , parag raph , line One before Thos . S Williams should not be there . “ - 33 . ! I 4th & Page , Chap ! , line Wild rice , grapes , c . , should be ” & . grass , c “ “ 34 9th — a Page , line Ballart Isl nd should be Ballast Island 35 th — “ “ Page , 7 line Dieting flies should be biting flies “ “ ” 38 4th 2n d 3r d — I n Page . paragraph , and line that and is are superfluous . “ “ 40 5th a — l Pag e , paragr ph Where Island occurs should be Is ands “ " 41 5th — e n Page , line Deep r worn should be deep wor — “ ” Seventh line in Preface B u t little printed as manuscript should be “ ” or manuscript . P R F E A C E . Th e follow i n g Ske tch e s h ave be e n pu t i n th e pre se n t form si m ply to pu t on r e cord th e facts r e lati n g to th e m t m atte r tr e ate d. for an y w h o ay fe e l an i n e re st i n th e m , an d for fu tu re r e fe re n ce . Th e m ate ri al for th e m h as be e n g ath e re d u n de r m an y diffi cu lti e s ; as th e re ar e n o publi c arch i ve s from wh i ch tai n re ords n th e be t an to ob c o su i c , d bu t little pri n te d as r i n ri vate h an ds o tai n a e th e w r m an u scr ipt m atte p b bl , o k m e r e r t t e ar i e r i i s n e ce ssari ly i pe rf ct i n g a d o h e l h story . Such facts ' as h ave be e n h an de d dow n by tradi ti on an d e w ri te r from som e of th e e ar i e r a t rs obtai n e d by th , l c o r r of a ce n tur a o ar e u se d. on th e sce n e . ove r a q u a te y g , ork i s n e e de d an d th a th e Be li e vi n g th at such a w , t lon g e r i t i s pu t off th e m or e di ffi cu lt i t wi ll be to g e t at Sk s t l w th e facts, th e se e tch e s are pre e n te d o a l h o fe e l an i n te re st i n th e past h i story an d pre se n t an d futu re w e lfare of P oi n t Au P e le e Islan d. With th e Com pli m e n ts of TH E WRITER . A H istor ical Ske tch of P oin t au P e le e Islan d an d i ts Ear ly In h abitants . CH AP TER I. Location an d For m ation . “ au . Point Pelee Island , now generally known simply as Pelee Island , t t t and also as he Township of Pelee , in he Coun y of Essex , Ontario , is one k of that group of Islands in the Western end of La e Erie , composed of Pelee - i h - Island , Kelleys Island , Put Bay Island , the Bass Islands and other smaller ones . Pelee is the most northern island and the largest one of the group . It lies just across the international boundary line between Canada i and the Un ted States and consequently belongs , nationally , to the Do m ni of 41 36 i on Canada . It is in latitude degrees minutes , and is the i most southern land in Canada , w th the exception of a small island just south of it , known as Middle Island . It is separated from the mai n shore of Ontario by a channel of the Lake from 1 0 to 1 5 miles wide ; and is - i n - about the same di stance from Kelleys Island , Put Bay and the Bass Islands that are on the United States side of the international boundary line, and is 5 m i about 2 les from the main land of the United States , and the northern border of the state of Ohio . When , and whether or not , these islands were ever connected together , n au e or whether Poi t Pelee Island was ever attach d to the main land , must ever remain a subject of conjecture . But it seems probable that when the main out - let of the waters of the north west was through the Mississippi Valley , as some scientists tell us that it once was , that these islands now in western Lake Erie were connected together and with the main land to the south : and possi bly Point au Pelee Island may have been connected l with the main shore to the north , or more probably , on y separated from the hi r main shore by a narrow stream or river . The pre sto ic conditions and inhabitants of the Island can only be surmised or read in its geological formation and the numerous ancient burial mounds found upon i t Evidences of the great glacial period , when the face of this part of the earth ’ s surface was covered with moving masses of ice hundreds of feet f n t h e th e l thick , are to be ou d in marks upon rock of the Is and . The m rock for ation is a soft limestone , and when the soil is removed from the th e n . surface of rock , grooves can be plai ly seen that were cut by the a ice as it pushed its w y over the surface . These grooves are ' so evident and distinct that they are said by ge ologists to be a remarkable h s evidence of t e glacial period . The solid lime tone strata crop ou t m ri upon the surface on so e of the few dg es of land and on the lake shore , but the rock is usually covered by a soil of rich loam and disintegrated limestone m from six inches to a foot or ore in depth . The lower land is formed of a rich calcareous clay from four to forty feet deep , covered with a la vegetable mould . All the nd is very fertile . CH APTER II . ’ r n n Ea ly I habita ts of Th e Islan d . Th ere are indisputable evidences that the Island was inh abited long before i t was known to the white m an . There are to be found upon the Island u ni m numero s burial mounds of prehistoric origin , contai ng hu an bones , and er se r vati on human skeletons , in good p , have been found where burial had been made . in the clefts of the rock . These numerous graves would indi cat e that the Island was once . thickly populated , or that these ancient inhabitants had made n m their home here for a lo g time . Upon some of these burial ounds large ' ‘ h u r an r wn trees ave been fo nd growing , that had evidently taken oot d g o u p d w years after the mounds were ma e , and some of these trees indicate a gro th t of hundreds of years .