The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review

THE Saginaw River is formed by the confluence of the Cass, Shiawassee, and Tittabawassee rivers. It flows by a slightly serpentine course a little east of north, and empties into Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. Measured by its meanderings it is about twenty-three miles in length, and in a straight line about twenty and one-half miles. A government lighthouse stands at its confluence with the bay. A bar is found across the mouth, but the entrance to the river is not difficult for vessels of large size, which find sufficient water for safe navigation as far as East Saginaw; while small steamboats ascend to St. Charles, on the Shiawassee river, ten miles above the head of the Saginaw. The principal villages on the immediate banks of the river are East Saginaw, Saginaw City, and Bay City. The latter village is situated on the right bank, between four and five miles from its mouth. A small settlement on the opposite bank, one mile nearer the bay, has been named Bangor. Portsmouth adjoins Bay City, and the two villages actually form but one, stretching along the river for the distance of two miles and three-quarters. Zilwaukie is a small settlement on the west bank of the river, fifteen and three-fourths miles from the mouth. Two miles higher up, on the same side, is Carrolton, another nucleus of population; while East Saginaw, with a population of 4,000, lies on the east bank of the river, about eighteen and one-half miles from its mouth. Salina bears the same relation to this place as Portsmouth does to Bay City. Opposite Salina is Saginaw City, the oldest settlement, and the one second in importance on the river.

Above Saginaw City, the immediate vicinity of the river to its head is occupied by a marsh. The same is true of the interval between Zilwaukie and Portsmouth, as well as most of the region below Bay City.

Aside from the marshes just mentioned, the banks of the river are elevated two to ten feet above the water at ordinary stage and very little of it is subject to overflow. The soil is black, deep, loomy, and inexhaustibly fertile; being covered, in a state of nature, with a heavy growth of maple, beech, ironwood, elm, ash, and whitewood. The climatic conditions are favorable to the growth of all ordinary farming and garden crops. On the 18th of July, Indian corn in the vicinity of Bay City was fully twice the size of the same crop in Genesee, Oakland, Wayne, and Washtenaw counties. The country back from the river on both sides, possesses a similar character as far as Tuscola, in Tuscola County, and Midland City, in Midland County. Much of this land, strange to say, is still in the hands of the government-so deeply seated has been the early misconception of the agricultural capabilities of this region. German and other settlers, however, are rapidly coming in.

The principal economical interest of the Saginaw Valley, has been, from the beginning, its lumber. At the present time there are about forty-five mills upon the river, capable of manufacturing 125,000,000 feet of lumber per annum, and actually turning out an average production of 90,000,000 feet. Besides this, the shingle trade amounts to about $60,000 per annum, and the stave business to about $70,000 per annum. The salt manufacture of the Saginaw Valley, though but two years from its incipiency, is already rivaling the lumber interest, and promises in a few years to become the leading commercial interest of the lower peninsula; if it does not even supercede the manufacture of this article in other States. This announcement will arouse the reader's incredulity; but we leave it on record, and abide the test of events. Our object is to direct attention to the actual state of the case.

The existence of salt springs at numberless points in the lower peninsula of Michigan, has been known from its earliest settlement; and here, as in other States, the Indians, no less than the elk and the deer, supplied their wants from the natural salines. Numerous reservations of lands supposed to contain salt springs, had, at an early day, been made by the United States; and several unsuccessful attempts had been made by individuals to manufacture salt. Michigan was admitted into the Union in 1836, with the privilege of selecting 72 sections of salt spring lands. In 1837 she had organized a Geological Commission for the development of her mineral resources, with Dr. DOUGLASS HOUGHTON at its head. One of the first objects contemplated by the Legislature which organized the survey, as well as by the superintendent himself, was the determination of definite facts in reference to the value and distribution of the salt springs of the State. Accordingly, about two-thirds of the State Geologist's first annual report, dated January 28, 1838, was devoted to an exposition of the results of his observations upon the brine springs of the State, made during the previous year. He found the salines of the State distributed into five groups: First, those upon the Grand River, near Grand Rapids; second, those on Maple River, in Gratiot County; third, those on the Tittabawassee River, in Midland County; fourth, those of Macomb County; fifth, those on Saline River, in Washtenaw County. No saline indications of importance were known south of a line drawn from Monroe to Grand Rapids. Dr. HOUGHTON gave analyses of twenty samples of brine from as many different localities within the State. These localities were generally on marshes, circumstanced

similarly to the salines of New York, or on the immediate banks of streams, subject more or less to overflow. As the result of the observations of this year, Dr. HOUGHTON advanced the opinion, that the brine supplied at the surface, at any of the localities examined, would prove too weak and too limited in quantity to justify the expectation of remunerative manufacture. At the same time, he announced "a general resemblance between the geology of the valley of the Ohio and that of Michigan," and stated his belief that "the rock-formations of our saliferous district are somewhat lower in the series than those occurring in the principal salines on the Ohio;" and from this inferred-with what reason I do not perceive" that the salt-bearing rock would lie nearer the surface here" than in Ohio. The similarity of circumstances attending the occurrence of birne springs in Michigan and Ohio, led him to advance the opinion, that in this State, as well as Ohio, success might follow the boring of Artesian wells to the salt rock.

This report led, in March, 1838, to the passage of "An act for the improvement of the State salt springs," directing the State geologist to proceed to make explorations by boring at one or more suitable points; and appropriating $3,000 to defray expenses.

On the 1st of January, 1839, the State geologist reported that he had visited the various salines of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio, with the view of collecting information to guide his procedure, and had commenced the sinking of two shafts-one on the Tittabawassee near the mouth of Salt River, and the other on the Grand River about three miles west from Grand rapids. Before the close of the month, the Legislature made further special provision for the prosecution of these two enterprises. The work, however, was conducted under great difficulties. The surface materials were first penetrated on the Tittabawassee by a shaft eight feet square, to the depth of forty-five feet, when the fresh and brackish. water overpowered the pumps, and an attempt was made to sink a drill at a neighboring point. From May to November, 1841, the drill penetrated but 139 feet, when a rock was struck, (supposed by Dr. HOUGHTON to be quartzite,) which the drill entered but half an inch in eleven hours, though loaded with a weight of 270 pounds. At this obstacle the work was abandoned.

The well on the Grand river was begun in July, 1838, and finished in 1842, at the depth of 473 feet.

In these two costly and protracted experiments no brine was obtained materially better than that previously occurring at the surface.

In the meantime, in January 1840, Hon. LUCIUS LYON of Grand Rapids, began boring for salt at a point near Bridge Street bridge in that village, (now city,) and by July 1841, had penetrated to a depth of 661 feet. From this well was an enormous flow of brackish water, amounting to one hogshead per minute; and by means of an ingenious contrivance, brine was brought up unmixed with the flow of fresh water, which proved to be one-fifth saturated—or at least equal in strength to brine at that time used on the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. With salt selling at $3 per barrel, Mr. LYON was enabled to manufacture a limited amount without loss. The want of brine of adequate strength, however, led to an early suspension of the business.

After the failures of 1838-42, the "Salt Spring Lands" came into the market as little superior to ordinary agricultural lands. In 1849, (March

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The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Band 47