USA > Michigan > St Clair County > History of the St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources.. > Part 21
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The great comet of October, 1852, was the last and most remarkable planetary exhibition. On the nights of August 9, 10 and Il, showers of meteors were more or less abundant, accord- ing to the density of the cosmical cloud. The meteoric downfall is thus explained: The earth. traveling with a velocity of eighteen miles a second, plunges into a mass of cosmical atoms. whose velocity is increased by her attraction to thirty miles a second. The meteors impinge upon our atmosphere with this tremendous velocity. become vaporized by the concussion, and leave a train of luminous matter behind them when they fall. The ring of meteors was calen- lated to be nearly 11,000,000,000 miles in diameter, and 1,000,000 miles in breadth. In Nov- ember, 1SS2, the great comet was visible. The transit of Venus was observed December 6. 1882.
BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY.
The flora of St. Clair comprises almost all the orders known in the Northern States. Of the 130 orders represented in Michigan, fully 107 are common in the country bordering on the
168
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
Black River. The represented genera within this district are estimated at 370, comprising no less than 850 species. New and beautiful flowers are added annually to the pioneer garden beds of the valley; wild flowers appear and fade; many beautiful colors, well remembered by the old settlers, have disappeared within the last decade, and thus one of the most beautiful features of nature is undergoing marked changes.
The following paper, by Prof. W. J. Beal, of Lansing, deals in detail with the flora of Michigan :
" As might be expected from the uniform surface of the Lower Peninsula, the flora is much alike throughout. The sandy and stony drift of many river valleys in the Lower Peninsula sup- ports a heavy growth of oak, frequently interspersed with black walnut, hickory and white aslı, while the margins of the streams and neighboring swamps abound in soft maples, swamp and chestnut oak. black ash, elm, hackberry, sycamore and butternut. Willows, dogwoods, vibur- nums and buttonbush are common shrubs in swamps, and hazel, hawthorn, wild cherry and plum, Juneberry and witch-hazel are abundant on the drier ground.
" On the uplands and away from the streams. clay loam and a black soil supersede the sands and gravels of the valleys. The prevailing timber here is beech and maple and oak in about equal proportions. Beech and sugar maple generally grow together, forming magnificent for- ests of great extent. Tamarack is a valuable timber often found in the swamps of the sonthern part of the State. Farther north, arbor vitae, often called white cedar, takes its place.
"Immense groves of large, straight, sound sugar maples abound in Grand Traverse County and eastward, also deep forests of hemlock and yellow birch, mixed with a tall growth of striped maple, having underneath a tangled growth of ground hemlock, and under all a carpet of lyco- podium or club moss. In many places large tracts of upland, and swamps also, produce bushes bearing huckleberries in great abundance.
" In many portions of the State north of the central, large quantities of fine blackberries and raspberries are produced.
" The pine country proper lies between the two tracts described, and affords the leading lumber in the markets. There are two species, Pinus strobus (white or soft pine) and P. resinosa (red or Norway pine), which furnish all the pine lumber.
"In the remaining portion of this paper, I have gleaned freely from my report on the for- ests of Michigan at the centennial exposition, printed in the agricultural and pomological reports of our State in 1875.
" Hickory of three species of the best quality grows in the southern part of the State. Chest- nut is found in the southeastern part, and grows well when planted in many other portions. The canoe birch is abundant northward; also arbor vitae in the swamps. The latter is very val- uable for telegraph poles and fence posts.
"Red cedar in limited quantity is found abont lakes and along streams. With cultivation it grows quite rapidly. The most common trees of the State are beech and sugar maple. They are all over the Southern Peninsula on what is known as timbered land. Much of the wood of sugar maple northward is curly or bird's-eye." It is very useful for furniture and certain parts of railway coaches. Large quantities are exported. The white oak is another valnable tree, found in great abundance and perfection in most parts of the Southern Peninsula. It disap- pears as we reach the pine to the north.
" White ash is also widely distributed, of excellent quality, and stands without a rival for farm implements, for cabinet ware, oars, floors, and for finishing off churches and dwellings. It is remarkable for its elasticity, strength and beauty. It grows rapidly, and often becomes a large tree.
"Black walnut is becoming scarce in Michigan where it was once abundant. It is an indi- cation of good land. . Black cherry, the timber of which is red, is common, durable, and valua- ble. White pine has been referred to as affording all of our soft pine lumber.
"Rock or white elm, Ulmus racemosa, is abundant and a very valuable timber on account of its toughness.
" It is found in great perfection in the form of large, tall, straight trees in the central part of the Southern Peninsula. It is now very extensively used in making many portions of farm
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
implements, railway cars, etc. Black ash is valuable, growing on bottom land, and is used for rails, hoops, baskets. and lumber for cabinet ware.
" Lumibering has. in many portions of the State, been sloveuly and wastofully carried on. Much loss has been received from forest fires. Hereafter, greater economy will doubless attend the business of lumbering.
" High trees are found in some congenial spots which are a little lower than the surrounding surface. At Clam Lake, an old lumberman assured me that he could furnish spars of pine 175 feet long and not over two feet through at the butt. He had cut them 200 feet long."
The following table shows the locality of some of these trees:
COMMON NAME.
DIAMETER.
COUNTY.
White ash.
54 feet.
Allegan.
Black a
3 feet 11 inches
Wayne.
Yellow birch.
3 feet 6 inches.
Sanilac.
Black Cherry
7 feet 6 inches.
Oakland.
Buttonwood.
8 feet 6 inches. .
Lenawee.
Buttonwood
8 feet 10 inches
lonia.
Buttonwood.
11 fret. .
Kont.
Black walmit.
9 feet 6 inches
Hillsdale.
Black walnut.
11 feet. .
Allegan.
Balsam poplar
3 feet 74 inches
Oakland.
Butternut.
3 feet 9 inches
Saginaw.
Cottonwood
6 feet.
Kent.
Cottonwood.
10 feet.
American elm
S feet ..
Manistee.
Grapevine.
10 inches
Lenawee.
Hickory
3 fort.
Calhoun.
Honey loeust.
2 frel
Lenawee.
Ilemlock spruce
5 feet ..
Allegan.
Ironwood ..
19 inches
Allegan.
Sugar maple.
6 feet. .
Otsego.
Mulberry.
1 foot four inches
Wayne.
White oak.
5 feet ..
Allegan.
White oak.
7 fret.
Barry.
White oak.
8 feet 1 inches
Swamp oak
7 feet 8 inches.
Wayne.
White pine.
64 feet.
lonia.
Sassafras
I feet 4 inches
Allegan.
Tamarack
3 feet
Ingham.
White cedar.
I fret.
White cedar.
5 feet.
Grand Traverse.
Tulip tree
6 feet.
Ingham.
Tulip tree ..
6 feet.
Monroe.
Pear tree.
34 feet.
Monroe.
Weeping willow
4 feet 6 inches
Ixnawer.
For lack of accurate records, no doubt we have not given the measurements of the largest trees. In Oakland county, a tulip tree furnished 5,060 feet of lumber. On the Muskegon a white pine sealed nearly 9.000 feet.
Great Britain has about ton species of trees which are natives of her soil. Michigan, with much less territory, has about ninety species, nine times as great a variety. Michigan has six species of maple of tree size, a basswood, a whitewood, honey locust. Kentucky coffee tree. two cherries, a pepperidge, five ashes, a sassafras, three elms, a hackberry, a mulberry. a button- wood, black walnut. butternut. six hickories, about twelve oaks, a chestnut, a beech, five tree birches, one larch. one arbor vita, and a red cedar. The flora of Michigan contains 1,634 species (and probably more will be found) including 165 trees and shrubs. At least 10 of the trees and shrubs are worthy of cultivation for ornament.
In the tropics of South America, we should find 6,000 species on a territory where we should find 60 species in Michigan. In the tropics. a forest is seldom seen to compare with the grandeur of a forest of our white pines. The mixture of evergreens and deciduous- leaved
Grand Traverse.
Red cedar.
3 feet.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
trees, the shrubs, the autumn tints, the streams, the hills and valleys, our beautiful lakes, with the different seasons of the year and different phases of the weather, lend a perpetual charm and freshness to our Michigan woodlands.
There are 139 species of grasses indigenous to Michigan and 176 species of sedges. The latter are often mistaken for grasses by those who are not botanists. Many of these on plains and in marshes, afford excellent pasture and hay for use by the pioneer. The State is remarkable for the excellent quality of its meadows and pastures, which are seen in the older portions. These are made up of several wild and introduced species, the number of which can no doubt be largely increased with greater profit to the farmer.
While we have a good variety which are abundant enough for the scientist, and some kinds more abundant than is desired by farmers and fruit-growers. vet injurious insects are by no means so numerous as they are farther west and south. Entomologists assure us that we need have no fears of chintz bugs or the Rocky Mountain locust. The army worm is very seldom troublesome. and then only in limited localities.
FOSSILS.
The fossil remains found in connection with the rocks of this county, and particularly evi- dent in the limestone strata, comprise the Lithostrotion mammillare, the L. longiconicum, the Cyathophyllum fungitus, and the Syringopore, all belonging to the polypi class. The only evi- dence of the Echinodermata is furnished by the remains of common species. The Bryoza class is represented in this limestone by no less than seven species; the Brachiopoda by eighteen species: the Lamellibranchiata by six species: the Trilobites by two very distinct species, each showing the tails. The remains of fish and reptiles are found to be very common. Human remains are unknown at present to exist in the conformations examined in St. Clair.
ZOOLOGICAL.
The changes wrought by time have, as it were, lightened the task of dealing with the zool- ogy of this county. All the great animals of the wilderness known to the pioneers have ceased long years ago to make their home in St. Clair. The remains of the pre-historic animals are hidden beneath the conformnations of ages; the millions of reptiles which preceded and lived through the long summer, lie buried hundreds of fathoms down.
BIRDS.
All that is left to remind us of uncultivated nature, are the beautiful birds which visit the county periodically, or make it their home. Of these feathered citizens, there are about 250 species known to the people of this county - a large number have been seen only at long in- tervals; others have been seen once and disappeared, such as the summer red bird. The Con- necticut warbler is one of the most recent settlers, and evidently, one which shows a dispo- sition to make the county her home. Others have settled here since the county was organized, while others still date their advent away in the long past. In the following pages an effort is made to deal with the feathered tribe:
The robin, or Turdus migratorius, is a resident during spring and autumn, and even throughout such winters as that of 1881-82.
The wood-thrush, or Turdus mustelinus is a common summer bird. The hermit thrush has been found breeding here during the spring and fall, and is accompanied by the olive- backed thrush. Wilson's thrush visi's the county in the spring, and sometimes builds its nest here. The thrasher, or brown-thrush resides with us during the summer months. The cat birds come in large numbers during the summer, and build their nests here. All these birds hover round orchar.'s, barnyards, willow-thickets berry bushes, and brush heaps, both in the villages and in the country.
The blue-gray gnateatcher is a common summer resident. The ruby crowned kinglet is a spring and fall visitor, going south in winter. The golden-crowned kinglet is found everywhere during the spring and autumn months. All these birds seek a home here for a great portion of the year, and create the envy of the other families by the beautiful nests which they build in
171
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
the groves and forest patches of the county. The oggs of these birds are three eighths of an inch long, white in color, speckled, and dashed with umber and filac. The blue bird is found everywhere during spring, summer and autumn. It nosts in decaying trees, fence posts, and feeds upon worms, grasshoppers, spiders and berries. The white bellied minthatch is another common resident, though originally a Carolinian. The red-bellied hatch comes here from Can- ada to spend the spring, summer and fall, returning to that cold land in winter. These birds nest in the holes of trees, and feed upon spiders, ants, insects' oggs and seeds. The titmonso, or black-capped chickadee nests in the woods during fing weather, and comes into the village
to spend the winter. It thankfully receives all the crumbs which may fall in its path. The brown creeper is the only representative of the family Cerchiades in this county. It dwells here the year round, finding a storchonse in the forest to lay up animal and vegetable food in the shape of insects and seeds. The wren family, or Troglodytider, has six representatives in the county. The Carolina wren, though a straggler, is well known.
Bewick's wron, or Thryofhorus bereichit, appeared here for the first time very recently. His advanco from the South was gradual.
The house wren, or Troglodytes odon, is found in large numbers in the central townships of the county.
The winter wren is a well known visitor, sometimes spending the winter in the valley. He is known by the telling title Anorthmura troglodytes.
The long-billed marsh wron, or Telmetodyles palustris, builds a suspended nest among the marsh-reeds or in sand grass. There he remains during the summer and then migrates.
The short-billed wren prefers meadow land and builds a large nost in a seenre place. This family of miniature birds foods upon insects, grasshoppers, snails, moths and other delicacies.
The Family Sylricolida comprises no less than thirty three representatives in this county. The black and white ereeper nests beside a fallen tree: the blue yellow-winged warbler in the tree-tops of swamps and heavily timbered land. The blue-winged yellow warbler is a rare visitor. The blue, goklen- winged warbler remains bero during summer and breeds in low. damp woodland.
The Nashville warbler, orange crowned warbler, Tennessee warbler, yellow warbler, black throated green warbler. blue warbler. Blackburnian, yellow-rumped, black-poll, bay broasted. chestnut sided, black and yellow, Cape May, prairie, yellow-throated, Kirtland's yellow red- poll, pine creeper and perhaps two or three other species of the warbler family, are well known visitors.
The water thrush, short and long billed, and the redstart belong to the family, and are common here.
The Connecticut warbler, a stranger here until 1881, the Maryland yellow-throat, the mourning, the hooded fly-catcher, black-capped fly-catcher, Canada fly-catcher, all favorite warblers, are beginning to make the county their home.
This is the second family in importance among the birds of North America. Their food consists chiefly of insects, varied with fruit and berries. They peep into crevices, serutinize the abodes of the insect world and never suffer from want. This family is the scourge of the orchard and oftentimes destroys fruit tills of great vahte.
The horned lark, or Eremophila alpestris, is a winter dweller here and nests during the close of the cold season. There is another species of the horned lark, which leaves on the ap- proach of winter. Both build their nests on the ground, breed in April. and play around the farm yard or over gravelly soil.
The titlark belongs to the family Molacillide. They doek hither in tens of thousands chur- ing spring and often remain until fall.
The scarlet tanager, or Poranga rubra, is a common visitor. The summer red bird hitherto referred to as a recent explorer of the North, is very rarely seen here.
The Bohemian wax wing. or Ampelis garralus, is a recent and rare visitor. The cherry bird, or Carolina wax wing. breeds here in Angust and September. They feed upon apples, cherries and berries, but are not numerous enough to cause any great anxiety to the pomolo- gist.
172
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
The Family Hirundinida comprises the barn swallow, the white bellied swallow, the eave swallow, the sand swallow and the purple martin. These birds destroy myriads of winged in- sects, and make them their principal food. The swallow, though not so showy as her gaudy neighbors. confers more real benefit upon the people than any other member of the bird tribe.
The Family Vireonide comprises the red-eyed vireo. brotherly-love vireo, or Vireo phila- delphiens, warbling vireo, yellow-throated vireo, solitary vireo and white-eyed vireo. They feed chiefly on insects, dwell in the forests, and seldom as they come to town, are in a hurry to return to their rustic homes.
The great northern shrike, or Collurio borealis, sometimes remains here to breed, but is not such a permanent settler as the loggerhead shrike which makes its home here the year round. The white rumped shrike is seen here during the summer months. They are very quarrelsome among themselves, and savage toward other birds. They impale their victims on thorns and leave them there until driven by hunger to eat them.
The Family Corrida is becoming extinet, or at least, very uncommon here. During the present year the few which visited left suddenly, contrary to all precedent. These birds are omnivorous, and comprise among others the raven, crow and blue jay. Their evil ways are al- most compensated for by their good qualities, and some are inclined to believe that the benefits they confer are far in excess of the damage they do.
The Family Fringillide is the most extensive known in the States of the Union. It is graminivorous, except during the breeding season, when it feeds itself and young on insects. The rose-breasted grosbeak is the only member of the family which feeds upon the potato bug. The white-crowned sparrow's food is the grape-vine flea beetle; the fox-sparrow and the chewink search out hybernating insects and snails: the English sparrow. a recent immigrant, feeds on seeds: the purple finch and crossbills feed on oily seeds and the seeds of pine cones.
The names of the varied representatives of this tribe, are: The pine grosbeak, purple finch, white-winged crossbill, red crossbill, red-poll linnet, mealy red-poll, pine linnet, goldfinch, snow bunting. Lapland longspur, Savanna sparrow, bay-winged bunting. yellow-winged spar. row, Henslow's, Lincoln's. swamp, song, chipping, field, clay-colored. white-throated, white- crowned, fox, and English sparrows. The latter bird was introduced here in 1873-74. The blue-bird, martin. swallow, and other sparrows have to fly before the approach of their legions. The lark, finch, black-throated bunting. rose-breasted grosbeak, the indigo bird and the Towhee bunting, or chewink, are not so destructive as the English sparrow; they have their nses; but it is likely that when the people realize the importance of the destruction of the imported spar- row the whole family will fall with that branch.
The Family Icteridw. - The bobolink, cow-bird, red-winged black-bird, meadow lark, rusty grackle. crow black-bird, Baltimore and orchard orioles belong to this family. The cow-bird destroys the eggs and young of stranger birds. The oriole feeds on hairy caterpillars during the season of breeding; this bird is of service in the orchard, and for this service she accepts the first small fruits and other luxuries of the garden. The other members of the family may be termed gregarious; they feed on the seeds of weeds, oats, wheat, eorn, and on flies and insects.
The Tyrannida Family subsist almost altogether on flies. which they pursue and capture in the most open places. The pewee and king-bird pursue their victim in the light of day. and even should it escape for a time, it eventually falls before the lance of its pursurer. The family comprises the king-bird, wood pewee, phoebe bird, together with a half dozen fly-catchers, variously named.
The Caprimulgida Family comprises the whippoorwill, or Antrostomus vociferus, which is a common summer resident here, and the night-hawk, another well-known summer bird. They are given to " jay-hawking," and select the night for seeking their prey. Then thou- sands of grasshoppers, moths, beetles, winged insects and flies become their prey. The chimney swallow captures its prey upon the wing in a similar manner: but it belongs to the Cypselidee family.
The Aleedinida .- The only representative of this family in the county is said to be the belted king-fisher, which comes here in summer to spend the fishing season. If it does not at
173
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
once succeed in catching one of the finny tribe, it is capable of abstaining until success crowns its efforts.
The Trochilide. - This family is well represented here by the humming bird. This is an animated cluster of emeralds and rubies, which comes to delight the people in May, and con. tinnes with them until September.
The only member of the Grenlide residing here during the summer months is the black- billed enckoo, which comes to visit the woods and orchards of the State in the middle of June. and remains until harvest time.
The Piedde Family, as represented here, is composed of seven species of woodpecker. known as the downy, the hairy, the Aretie black-back, the yellow-bellied, red bellied, red-headed. and golden winged. The family subsist on timber insects, fruit, berries and green corn. The yellow-bellied woodpecker is very destructive to apple trees; he sucks the sap of trees in some parts of the Union, but owing to the length of winter in Northeastern Michigan, he has no time to do much mischief here.
The Strigide Family comprises the barn owl, great horned owl, long-eared owl. short-eared owl, snow owl, hawk owl sparrow owl and Acadian owl. A few of thesofare very common residents here; the last named is an immigrant which settled here in IS79. All form the noc inrnal branch of the raptorial species, and select for their prey rats, mice, fish, frogs, chickens. birds of all kinds, and sometimes young pigs. They have their uses.
The Falconida Family is comparatively extensive, and is fully represented here. li in. eludes the marsh hawk, white tailed kite, sharp-shinned hawk, goshawk, Cooper's hawk, pigeon hawk, sparrow hawk, red-tailed hawk. red-shonklered hawk, broad winged hawk, Swainson's hawk. rough-legged hawk, the fish-hawk, and the bald eagle. They are birds of prey that select day time for carrying on their operations. The fish-hawk will eat onty tish. The bald eagle's favorito food is carrion and tish. When his taste leans toward fish, he generally makes a de- scent upon the fish-hawk.
The turkey buzzard. or Cathartes aura, is common in the county during JJuly and August. They are entirely carnivorous, and come here after the period of incubation has been passed in the Southern States,
The Family Meleagride is represented here by the wild turkey. This bird was well known here in olden times, but has now almost ceased to be a resident.
The Family Tetraonide is peculiarly one of game birds. It includes the partridge or rnffed grouse, the quail and the prairie chicken. The quail is a common resident of the county. and appears to attain its greatest size here. These birds subsist on the various grains, seeds. berries, buds, grapes and chestnuts. They form a family of large and beautiful birds, but in capable of being thoroughly domesticated.
The Family Cobonbide includes the wild pigeon and Carolina dove. The latter rosides here during the greater portion of the year. The pigeon is thoroughly graminivorous in its tastes, and in this respect differs from the family Tetraonida.
The Family Phaluropodido comprises the northern phalarope and Wilson's phalarope. two migrants which build their nests here at long intervals.
The Family Charadride, or the plover tribe, is represented here by the killdeer, semi- palmated, piping, golden and black bellied plovers. They feed upon mollusks, water insects, grasshoppers, beetles, etc. This family is inferior in size to its European kindred.
The Family Ardeida includes the great bittern or Indian hen, the little bittern, the great blue, great white, green and night herons. These birds are summer residents, with the excep. tion of the night heron, which dwells here the year round.
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