Historic Diaries: James Doty, 1820
June 20, 1820: Grand Marais and Grand Sables
Editor's Note:
"Marais" is French for marsh, swamp, or wetland.
The expedition traveled a relatively short distance this day due to rain and wind as the afternoon progressed, encamping at the eastern edge of the modern Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Location: about 20 miles west of Grand Marais, Mich.
View Doty's handwritten manuscript of this page
View page in the 1895 printed edition
The kind of timber which most predominates on this shore is pine, white and yellow. It is occasionally interspersed with birch. The shore is in no instance high or bold. If there is a marrais here it is not seen in passing along the shore of the lake. Boats and Canoes might find a safe and convenient harbor here and vessels also except from winds from the lake. Opposite the lower point, and directly towards it runs a point composed of gravel from 8 to 12 feet high. To the left of the large bay which is formed within the points, the entrance into which appear[s] sufficiently deep and wide, enters a large river as I was informed by an Indian well acquainted with this country, which runs from the east and is about 50 miles long.
Immediately after passing this bay the timber is chiefly birch & beech; and wherever for 9 miles any soil appears it is good and the timber continues, the [hardwoods] occasionally mixed with pine. Here also commences the Grand Sables or Sandy hills, gradually rising to the astonishing heighth of 250 feet. After they have risen to about 100 feet they become bleak and bare, and seem to be continually changed by the wind. A person passing along at their base looks to their summits with astonishment. He can scarcely believe it possible that such a quantity of sand could by any means have been collected and raised to such a height. I was informed there are several small lakes on their summit, and are nearly on their level…
Our course into the bottom of the bay between these points was S. 50 W. We however went only 3 miles and encamped on the beach in the Sand by the side of a rapid Stream of water 2 rods over. This stream rises in a lake. I coursed it for about 1 mile, in which distance the fall was at least 20 feet. Its bed is red sandstone. This stone commences at the termination of the hills.
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