Show wrom for thu thio paper AGAIN IN MICHIGAN PONTIAC mich 11 1898 this to IB one of the early fields of the spread of the gospel it Is ia where martin harris came to visit his bin sister bister mrs sophia harris kellogg and where martin bore his bla powerful testimony as a witness of the angel woo presented to the young man joseph smith the records of the mound build urs ore si a nation loat jost iu in their hir history etory to the people who hollowed toll owed columbus columbua to america this testimony Is ia not without its good results to the present day this Is the town LOWD where mother smith visited the mack family in the earlier days of the th the church joe joeab ei h ano hyrum smith also iu in 1834 visited pontiac Pou tiac and father smith the oral first patriarch in the church came and exercised the powers of his hia high call lug in the early days of his being ordained oida ined this was in the y year far 1834 I 1 was oneff the faired ones to receive a patriarchal blessing under bho bi hands i lubbe u the pontiac branch ut of the church only a short time before I 1 cm timia mated rated from this place in the same year with others who moved from oakland county to liberty clay county MO soon ater the saints faints were driven irom from independence jackson county mo lt it was also from here that fattier father sam uel aej bent known here as deacon bent of the cluren with him lyman curtis and his bis wife and others obeyed the gospel message lyman in yet living at poud pond rown utah county A goodly number emigrated from hereto here to zion in the days of ml MIS bourl after the closing of the werl worlds Is fair and visiting friends at sandusky ohio 1 have availed myself tot 0 the favorable faro rable opportunity of u the land of my youthful daya aud the grave ol of my latuer latner it was here that tie he purchased over acres of laud land with a view of set thuie ulc down lur for life arnat was in the year 1829 in 1833 elbers joseph wood and simeon carter introduced the gospel in pontiac I 1 left sandusky on the morning of thursday the ath dinst taking passage on a flue fine steamer the frank ckirby EKl EK rby irby over lake erie brie 85 miles to detroit i michigan from there it is 26 miles mil to pomlee crowing lake erie was w a delightful trip except at put in bay where we stopped to take on a few tons of flab there we encountered a heavy fog flug while loading up I 1 think it was waa providential that we were detained at the fish bob port pore for the tog log came on so severe that a captain of the steamer city of sandusky who has baa plied so BO often to and from put in bay baj in the dense fog ran upon a sand bar quite out of the channel he was running direct tor for gibraltar a small email island of about five acres upon which perry had bad a stronghold strong hold in 1812 and from which it took its name A tug boal failing to release the sandusky San our large teamer steamer was called for to pull it out jut ot of its perilous condition ane fog had then begun to rise nee our steamer tugged away for more than an hour having to put out the second hauser before she could release the other without this thia timely aid there is no telling when sue one would have left the bar after returning to the wharf and the loading of fresh flab fish which Is 18 quite a trade in these several ibl ib lauds autio we pro proceeded oded with greater safety on our journey to detroit by our delay of nearly three hours the dense log had passed sway away in be abe many islands there is great danger in 10 heavy bt avy logi as in the case just mentioned we had bad a p pleasant jones 1 J journey ou rn ey over the lake and up the river to do de truit after breakfast at the hodges house bouse I 1 1 enjoyed a walk looking over toe the old land marks where sixty one years ago I 1 rode once oice a week cat crying the mail irom from pontiac to plymouth wayne county forty 01 miles lies each way I 1 was wag at AL that time lime only twelve years yeara old and now DOW am 74 1 I could more readily see lae ine c not only in the age and lapse of time but also alo in the varl vari lull which had taken place in those few years our old was wae in waterford in lunt alone aloe there are over thirty lakey gene rally small ones onee elizabeth lake has arout acres lif in it ii stevenson nr ld lake now dow camou bamer scott scotts s lake is ia about three dourthe or of a mile long and half a mile in width silver lake la is also the same alse perhaps a little larger there are many swamps and maris parishes hes cran crac berrea and huckleberries huckle buckle berries used to abound in early days and a variety of nib fish such SO ae dickore english perch bull bullbear beaS aud and a species ot of catfish oat flah swamps were abundant but now so as the country is being settled bottled up and laud land becoming searce and dear those swamps are being cleared up 1 11 while on my enjoyable walk I 1 called to see a man who had bad subdued one or of those awa swampy nips where once un on its borders lu lit boyish life I 1 picked huckleberries huckle berries and cranberries and irom from the trees further in the swamp picked tama rac gum 0 what a change had taken alao I 1 mr fredrick Halina said yes that swamp would mire a horse bores when I 1 came here I 1 have spent draining with tiles finding RD an outlet one mile away I 1 dug one yera wood from the roote taken out but last year I 1 took and sold worth of truck from three quarters of an more acre mostly celery he took me through his hia celery houses where he be has hun hundreds dreas of dollars worth packed away to la a growing condition he takes it fresh for market at pleasure any time of winter he has gathered his crop that which he be has not gold packing it in his bis storehouses so as to keep it growing and fresh this once nearly use lope lees swamp now the most moat desirable land lana is ia of rich nob black boil the result of much labor the swamps not all but many of them are thus thue being subdued and as aa lar as aa comm n comforts are concerned here ia 18 a prosperous community the most so ao in my observation of this present trip I 1 held conversation with a mr george perry ferry aged about 70 and because of a peculiar expression on his bin face I 1 baked asked bim what matter with him why he be asked because I 1 have talked halt half an hour with you and you have not swore once I 1 believe I 1 never traveled where there was so much hard bard swearing as la in Michi michigan gaii while atthe hotel a young man was so profane that I 1 spoke to him he hesitated the then said it is a habit babit I 1 have acquired I 1 know it is not right but it is the custom of tho the country 7 the early history ot of the country was referred to when to my knowledge money wise loaces without interest or note and mortgage as aa a matter ot of friendship that time is past in michigan 12 sold said one of the pirty party show me a mao man who is no not after the dollar and who is strictly honest in aft things and you will find hair growing in the palm of bis big band A very sin singular guler expression 91 said 1 I yes yep sir air but it Is IB too true 23 two and a halt hair miles out from pontiac on the 8 tu turnpike I 1 came to a where 1 went to school and where the prophet joseph smith drenched pren prom ched to crowded houses bouses and the first mormon sermon was preached in those days of new settlements the schools were well mt attended ended As aa I 1 was preparing to take a photo of the spot where myself and many others received the oo pel and where toe the gifts of the the spirit were manifested the he school mistress requested to be betoken betaken taken in the picture with her scholars but bui when she ab gathered all of her school around her they numbered only eight I 1 marveled at first at so 0 o great a change for the country had become so eo thickly set tied sled bu but t as I 1 visited the tam families I 1 ilse I 1 sou soon n learned the cause of the griest great change one and sometimes as many as am two children and often no children at all composed the household family after taking a few pictures of our old home the lake where I 1 was baptized sleeping slee plug one night on the old farm where the prophet joseph partook of our hospitality and where my father died before the dospel came here and where once a family of seven of us dwelt in comfortable staccee with ghou hopland hope aej cheer I 1 retired to a secret spot poured out my soul in thanksgiving dropped a tear not of degre tor for the steps taker but joy for the knowledge received by the gospel feeling that my hopes in the west more than repaid me for the sacrifice I 1 had made I 1 was satisfied soon to bid adieu to the land from whence I 1 had gathered the people have not improved in morality since t bat time I 1 am content with my western home bome so much to so that the whole towns township bip here would be no inducement in exchange thinking people are looking for changes to come and truly abey are close at band we will quietly wait and see eee what cornea comes next EDWARD STEVENSON |