"About eight or nine years ago the advance in settlement began to be noticed and since has gone steadily forward from about 50 families to 118, besides fishermen, ditchers and persons keeping bachelor's halls. The vineyards have increased from [more than] 50 acres in 1878 to over 225 acres, 40 acres of peaches have been planted and more contemplated soon. No schools, stores, post offices or shops were to be seen. Now there are three churches, three post offices, three telephone offices in connection with the cable to Leamington, three blacksmith shops, two stores, two resident ministers, one saw mill and planer, two pumping engines to take the water out of the large marsh ditches and throw it over into the lake, two chopping mills, fine wine cellars, one hotel, one club house, one boarding house, a custom house, a life-saving station and boat, two quarries in operation getting out limestone, [much of the stone being shipped] to Toronto to be sawed into flags for the city sidewalks, and six docks. Now there are about 30 covered buggies to be seen here. Large marshes covering over 5000 acres are dry and firm. Many acres in the last season have been planted in corn, potatoes, onions, buckwheat, timothy and other crops of excellent garden stuff. Three or four years ago the marsh was covered deep enough with water in spring to paddle boats over it; it produced nothing but wild ducks, with millions of mosquitoes of the largest breed and most blood thirsty in nature, which are all, or nearly all, banished like the snakes from Ireland by St. Patrick... A big lament is now heard over the loss of our aquatic band of yellow throat musicians, who cannot get up even a solo, much less a chorus... We also have a splendid steamer three times a week to the Canadian shore, and two daily steamers for our fish in the fishing season, besides vessels for our stone and boats to serve our [Pelee] club men with daily mail and other supplies from Sandusky, Put-in-Bay and other ports..."