In August 2019, I took my canoe out to see the spot where Douglass Houghton’s body was found on the shore of Lake Superior. A short distance west of Eagle River.
The Trip
In 2009, I wrote a biography of Douglass Houghton. While researching Michigan’s Columbus, I read Houghton’s personal journals where he described traveling by canoe and exploring the shorelines of Michigan. Between 1830 and 1845, Houghton had explored all of Michigan, much of it from the shores of the Great Lakes. I decided as an homage to Houghton, I would retrace the route of several of his journeys. So, on July 1, I will launch from Duluth and embark on a trip to Detroit by way of Sault Ste. Marie. Along the 1,200 miles, I will be able to see what Houghton saw – from the same vantage point he had.
Michigan’s Columbus
