Adam Berger

The ship cruised on, stopping at the Montreal River for the night. The men set up camp between the river and Superior, the Apostle Islands visible in the distance. Before turning in for the night, J.M. Longyear asked his companions if they would like to go look at waterfalls in the morning. Most of the crew declined but Mox was willing to go. One man said he’d rather do laundry. 

Adam Berger

​The Abbie’s crew set out on an expedition to find waterfalls along the Black River. Mr. Clark decided to stay back and rest, and Howard Longyear went out fishing on his own. The other men went as a group. E.W. Sparrow took his Hawkeye camera, J.M. Longyear brought his Kodak and an ax, Dr. Tappey toted a gun. Mox carried J.M. Longyear’s big 5x8 camera. The men photographed six waterfalls, often taking daring shots. To get one picture, for instance, Mox gripped a tree with his legs and held J.M. Longyear by the ankles as he dangled over the edge of the waterfall with his Kodak. When they returned to camp they tended their many scrapes and bruises and went to bed early. 

​Adam Berger

The day broke clear and calm, and the Abbie continued its journey. At 11 AM the ship reached the Presque Isle River. Howard Longyear and Dr. Tappey wanted to try the fishing. J.M. Longyear and E.W. Sparrow took pictures. Mr. Clark brought along an ax to clear brush, and Mox carried J.M. Longyear’s large-format 5x8 camera. They found a 30-foot tall waterfall.
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Their trip soon resumed. At about 4 PM the Abbie pushed into the Black River. The crew encountered two companies of French-Canadian fishermen, who vocally admired the Abbie. One of these fishermen told the Marquette ship’s crew how he narrowly escaped the storm two days before. The Abbie men slept in their tent, bundling up against the unseasonably cold night, the winds smelling of fish. J.M. Longyear was embarrassed to find he had accidentally packed a child’s nightgown in his luggage. He borrowed a sweater. 

​​Though the morning was clear, barometer readings and strong winds warned of more bad weather to come. The crew chose to stay on land. Howard Longyear and Dr. Tappey amused themselves by exploring the old tracks of the abandoned Union Copper Mine. J.M. Longyear and E.W. Sparrow took the camera and fishing rods to an old bridge. They snapped some pictures and caught a laughably small trout. 

​written by Adam Berger

​A storm continued through the morning, so the Abbie’s crew passed time playing cards. Around 1 PM the rain stopped, and the ship soon set out on Superior, staying close to the bluffed shore to shelter from approaching rain clouds. Strong winds kicked up debris from land, and rain resumed, soon turning to a major hailstorm. The Abbie pulled back into the harbor it came from less than two hours ago, and the men resigned themselves to waiting out the terrible weather for the rest of the day. 

​written by Adam Berger
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Near dawn, Dr. Tappey and J.M. Longyear set out to do some fishing before breakfast. Dr. Tappey broke his line on the rocks and gave up for the day, returning to the other men. J.M. Longyear persisted alone, taking in the beauty of the coastline, and caught a good-sized trout. Fish in hand, he went back to camp and joined his crew for the morning meal. 

written by Adam Berger

After breakfast, the comrades continued their journey, rounding Fourteen Mile Point and catching their first view of the Porcupine Mountains in the distance. They took note of how many fishing camps there were on this section of the Superior coast, cruising past buoys marking nets. The morning was peaceful as they headed west.

After noon, winds increased, and a storm broke, drenching the Abbie. They pulled into the mouth of the Ontonagon River and docked at the small Ontonagon settlement, where they bought supplies as locals marveled at their ship. They resumed travel during a break in the storm, but rain soon began to fall again. In the early evening, the Abbie pulled into Union Bay. The men built a fire out of driftwood to dry themselves, and ate a hearty dinner of chicken soup, steak, and watermelon in the tent. 

​​written by Adam Berger

When the men who had slept on land returned to the ship at 6 AM, they were pleasantly surprised to find breakfast prepared. Mox explained that he had already been up for three hours, awoken by the waves and the strong smell of ham in the boat. As the crew finished eating, a Native American man came by their camp. He curiously inspected the camera and tripod set up on the shore, and had his picture taken.
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The Abbie then continued up to Huron River Point and to the mouth of the Little Huron River, where Dr. Tappey, Howard Longyear, and E.W. Sparrow caught a total of five trout. As they headed to Point Abbaye, they were intercepted by two Mackinaw boats with Native Americans aboard who informed them the fishing was good ahead. As they passed along, J.M. Longyear caught a small trout and claimed to have narrowly missed a giant. The crew turned the claim into a rowdy joke. The ship headed west across Keweenaw Bay, through the canal, and up the Portage River. 

J.M. Longyear’s photography and journals documented the Upper Peninsula. We are interested in using his work in new ways. This blog series is based on The Cruise of the “Abbie,” but uses simpler descriptions and Google Earth technology. Read these blog entries on Chrome and use Google Earth links to view the places they went on this classic fishing adventure. ​