Heward's Journal - Paddle Day 19

Continuing with Heward's journal pages:

Paddle Day 19 - ON THEIR WAY TO THE RAPIDS OF THE GRAND

Monday Apl 26th 1790   Set off & arrived  abo't 10 oClock at a Wintering place (Lyons) a little above a River from North East (Maple River) that goes to Sagana    the Frenchman we were told by Squas was gone & indeed his Wintering place seemed very miserable & desolate    continued our Course to the west but there was a Brisk Wind ahead which annoyed us much 

My Note: They have made the turn from the twisting and turning Upper Grand into the ancient glacial drainage channel that they will follow to Lake Michigan. What I call the "exploration" part of their journey is done. I believe they were the first Europeans to go up the Huron much beyond Ypsilanti or to cross the Lake Erie-Lake Michigan drainage divide or to paddle on the Upper Grand. Now they were on the relatively well known waterway across the Peninsula involving Saginaw Bay, the Saginaw River, Shiawassee River and Bad River (South Branch) and an easy portage to the Big Bend of the Maple near Bannister.

 Continuing with Heward's words:    here the River wider but not more Current    at Mid Day about 1 oClock passed a village at the Forks where a trader had been but he was gone (one of Langlade's men?)   took the Nore West Fork but did not stop ("Forks" would be the confluence of the Thornapple with the Grand at Ada)   presently a Cannot with five Indians followed us    they said to beg Charity of a little Tobacco & to ask the News   we gave them a little & they went away contented (I wonder how the British trader Heward and the French-Canadian  paddlers and the various Indians communicated? Sign language? Pidgin English? What?) Near Sun Set we arrived at a strong rapid & village (Grand Rapids) where we found a Barrel from Sagana for McKenzie      he had made about 10 packs and some sugar    camped to get some Sturgeon & Sugar   the Course from Mid day nearly West South West.

My Note: They made remarkably good time this day considering that he complained about head winds. From upstream of Lyons to Grand Rapids passing present day Ionia, Saranac and Lowell and making the big loop to the North and back south. He did not mention passing the mouths of either the Flat or Rogue Rivers.