Mary Cartledgehayes
Middle Bass Island, OhioIsle de FleursI was on the island recently and was reminded by the flowers in bloom that Middle Bass was originally known as Isle de Fleurs (the island of flowers), so designated by a group of French missionaries who happened upon the island and were amazed by the floral riches.This afternoon, I was reminded again. I'd gone to gutenburg.com to see if they'd digitalized and posted on the web any books about the islands. Gutenburg.com recommended I check the google book search option as well. Between the two sites, I came up with riches of my own. One of the best is Theresa Thorndale's book Sketches and Stories of the Lake Erie Islands, Souvenir Volume (Sandusky, Ohio: L. F. Mack and Brother, Publishers, 1898). Pages 188 through 191 contain the poem "Isle de Fleurs," from which I've taken this one stanza: All the green isle overspreading, Widely fragrance richly shedding Through the balmy air; Bloomed in wild, unkempt profusion, 'Mid the tangled wood's seclusion, Flow'rets brightly fair. |
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