Mark Twain left Cleveland, Ohio July 17 on board the SS Northland. They sailed across Lake Erie to the Detroit River, across Lake St Clair and along the St. Clair River. July 18th they crossed Lake Huron and landed in Sault Ste. Marie. Here he gave his third lecture of the tour. On July 19th, they took the sreamboat F.S. Faxton to Mackinac Island for a lecture in the Grand Hotel. On July 20th, Twain and Major Pond traveled to Petoskey, Michigan by boat and train, the Northern Arrow. Petoskey is the site of the extermination of the last major breeding colony of passenger pigeons, in 1878.
July 17 Wednesday – A travel day on the World Tour. The Clemens party took the luxurious Great Lakes steamer, North Land (sometimes seen as Northland) through the Upper Michigan peninsula to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Sam called it “an ideal summer trip” [NB 35 TS 11].
J.B. Pond’s diary:
Wednesday, July 17th, S.S. Northland.
July 18 Thursday – The Clemens party arrived in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and checked into the Hotel Iroquois. Sam gave his talk at the Soo Opera House. J.B. Pond did not make a diary entry on this stop, nor did Sam mention it in any letters extant. Gaw writes,
July 19 Friday – The Clemens party traveled by steamer the short distance to Mackinaw (Mackinac), Michigan, where he gave a lecture to 400 in the Casino Room of the Grand Hotel. J.B. Pond’s diary describes:
Friday, July 19th, Grand Hotel, Mackinac.
July 20 Saturday – Sam and J.B. Pond left the ladies at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac and traveled on to Petoskey, Michigan, where Sam gave a lecture in the Grand Opera House. From Pond’s diary:
Saturday, July 20th, Mackinac to Petoskey.
July 21 Sunday – Sam’s notebook:
July 21 ’95. (Sunday.) The “Islander.” This is merely a ferry-boat — 7 ½ mile course, to Mackinac Island. Yet it is neat, nice, comfortable, convenient — neither of those words can be applied to any channel boat, those damned offal-scows [NB 35 TS 13].
From J.B. Pond’s diary:
July 22 Monday – In Duluth, Minn. Sam finished his July 20 to H.H. Rogers by adding a PS:
Had a satisfactory time at Petoskey. Crammed the house and turned away a crowd. We had $548 in the house, which was $300 more than it had ever had in it before. I believe I don’t care to have a talk go better than that one did.
Shall get to Duluth just in time to go on the platform. I shall dress before leaving the boat, then go straight to the train after the lecture [MTHHR 173].