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THE 
 
 BRITISH NORTHWEST 
 
 Pen and Sun Sketches 
 
 IN THE 
 
 CANADIAN WHEAT LANDS, 
 
 The Illustrations from Photographs taken upon 
 
 the Spot. 
 
 ST. PAUL: 
 
 TIIK riO\EF.I{ I'RKSS IMJBLISniNa CO. 
 
 1882. 
 

 %^'.''-i ^ »j>« 
 
 * ft 
 

 V^- 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 T 
 
 i r 
 
 A PRAIRIE EMPIRE 
 
 Page. 
 I 
 
 Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Its Changed Relations — The Gate- 
 way to a Newly Opened World — A Political and Commercial 
 Awakening — Extent and Character of the Canadian Domin- 
 ions in the Northwest — 250.(K)(),()oo Acres of the Best Wheat 
 Lands in the World, Unoccupied and Idle — Testimony as to 
 Climate and Fertility of Soil — Mineral Resources — Rivers 
 and Lakes. 
 
 II 
 
 THE PRAIRIE PROVINCE 
 
 Manitoba and Its Capital — Their Romantic History and Magic 
 New Growth — Winnipeg's Population Multiplied Ten-Fold in 
 Ten Years — Impressions of the New City — Emigration, Pres- 
 ent and Future — The First Wash of the Human Wave — 
 The Growth of a Political State Out of a Trade Colony —The 
 Hudson Bav Companv — Its Past and Present. 
 
 lO 
 
 III 
 
 f^'-s 
 
 DOWN LAKE WINNIPEG 
 
 Six Hundred Miles in a Hudson Bay Steamer — The Lower 
 Red River and Its Swamps— Lake Winnipeg, Its Shores and 
 Waters— Running the Grand Rapid of the Saskatchewan — 
 The Paradise of Pot Fishermen — A Characteristic Hudson 
 Bay Trading Post. 
 
 iS 
 
11 
 
 CON lENTS. 
 
 IV. 
 
 in* LAKE WINNIPEG 
 
 I'AGE. 
 
 The Saskatchewan River and Valley and It. Resources - Ag. 
 ncultural Wonders of the Pe-icc R\vn,- r^ . »,■ 
 
 Wc-ilth nf n, . r- o , Conntrv— Mineral 
 
 ties or ^h n '-'T'-^^^^^'^'^^-'^^'^^-'-^'i- Manufacturing Capahii- 
 • ties of he Grand Rapid -Nelson River. Its Past and iCtu re 
 
 r. e '^aT '''''\''r' - ^"-P^ - The East Side ^f 
 Lake -Red R.ver and Its Cultivated Shores Above Selkirk. 
 
 ZS 
 
 V. 
 
 THE LAKE OF THE WOODS 
 
 A Region of Rocks, Woods and Waters _ 
 Acn 
 
 36 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE CANADL\N PACIFIC RAILWAY 
 
 .', i.ncnng in the Porination of the Mnn(-,-<.oi c j- 
 -Terms of the Contract with the Governme 7 O ' "'" 
 of the Company and Beginning of the Wo": "" ^'^"""^'^^-^ 
 
 47 
 
 M 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE PRAIRIE JOURNEY BEGUN 
 
 By Rail Westward to the End of the Track -Th. 
 
 :)^ 
 
 It 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 • • • 
 
 111 
 
 '.\C.E. 
 
 VI II. 
 
 THE UPPER ASSINMBOIXE VALLEY 
 
 I'AUK. 
 
 'riic Magic Town ol" IJraiulon — A City Born on tlio I'lairic in 
 a NiglU — Its Appearance at Eight Weeks Old — Tlie Ride up 
 the Valley to Fort Ellice — Soil, Mosquitoes, and Freighters' 
 Carts — Eliice and Its Beautiful Situation — Future Growth 
 of Timber on the I'r.iiries — Settlements North. of the River. 
 
 IX 
 
 64 
 
 36 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE QU 'APPELLE - 
 
 Through Storm and Desert, to a Sunny Prairie Paradise — 
 A Wet Day and Night — A Hundred Miles of Rich Farming 
 Land Waiting for tiie Plow — The Post at Qii 'Appelle — A 
 Beautiful Valley and Rosary of Sparkling Lakes — Sitting 
 Bull's Last Camp. 
 
 73 
 
 X 
 
 47 
 
 •V* 
 
 RETROGRADE MOVEMENTS - - - 
 
 The Return Journey to Winnipeg — A Startling and Deadly 
 Storm — Hearsay Evidence as to Parts of the Prairie Empire 
 not Personally Visited — The Future Cattle Ranges of Canada 
 — An Important Announcement — Branch Lines to be Sur- 
 veyed by the Syndicate, Opening the Saskatchewan Valley 
 and the Souris Coal Fields — Promise (jf the Latter. 
 
 79 
 
 _^.^^^^r 
 
The following clinpters are recast, witli onlv the most obviously neces- 
 sary changes, from a series of letters printed in the Pioneer Press 
 ne\vs|iaper of St. Paul. Minnesota, in tlie midsummer of iSSi. Their 
 only aim is to reflect some of the impressions crowded into a hurried 
 journey, and they make no claim to a greater degree of historical and 
 scientific accuracy, or to profounder reflection, than it is customary to 
 look for in the columns of a daily journal. The illustrations are from 
 photographs laken by Mr. F. Jav llaynes, of Fargo. Dakota, who accom- 
 panied the writer with a field camera upon the excursions described. It 
 is proper to remark that the whole trip wa.s made in five weeks. 
 
 St. Pai'l, August, iSSi. 
 
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 The liritisli Nortliwest. 
 
 I. 
 
 A IMIAIRIE EMPIRE. 
 
 I .' 
 
 WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, AND ITS CHANGED RELATIONS — THE CJATEWAY TO 
 A NEWLY OPENED WORLD — A POLITICAL AN1> COMMERCIAL AWAKE- 
 NING—EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF THE CANADIAN DOMINIONS IN 
 THE NORTHWEST — 250,(X)0.0<X) ACRES OF THE UEST WHEAT LANDS IN 
 THE WORLD UNOCCUPIED AND IDLE - TESTIMONY AS TO CLIMATE AND 
 FERTILITY OF SOIL — MINERAL RESOURCES — RIVERS AND LAKES. 
 
 The queer old capital of Lord .Selkirk's queer old Scotch eol- 
 oiiy has changed most miraculously in its relations to the universe 
 since the Canadian confederation planted a political state in the 
 heai't of the old nortinvestern wilderness, and the Canadian 
 Pacific opened a new commercial empire to settlement and 
 improvement. Ten years ago Winnipeg was the end of the 
 settled domain in the northwest, the ultima thule of civilization 
 — the jumping off place of emigration. To-day it is the gateway 
 of a new empire, vaster, richer and more varied than any ever 
 opened to the human race by a single step of political or commer- 
 cial progress since the landing of the first English colonists upon 
 the Atlantic coast. From a jumping otV place Winnipeg has l)t.'- 
 come a starting point. From the end of civilization, Winnipeg 
 has become the beginning of a new civilization ; the political gate- 
 way and the commercial entrepot of a new empire vaster than the 
 American republic in the first half century of its existence, and 
 riper for settlement than any unoccupied domain in the western 
 
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 jin: iiiiri isii nmij i iiwicsr. 
 
 world. From :i ciil-dc-sao of f lavcl. ;i Mind ;dlcy of pro.i;rcs.s, W'iii- 
 ni|H'jjr lias Middt'idy hccainc an open window tliroiijili which one 
 l()<.ks. ,111 opcMi door tliron^h wiiich one onteis a domain ol iin- 
 (hcamcd of lieantv and liTldity. covcrinj,' nearly a (juarter ol the 
 North American continent, and end)racin<,' witliin its vast expanse 
 prairies wide and rich enon.^h to \ ield the <fraiii sn[)ply of the 
 worhl ; maj^niidcent rivers, tlie lon^a-st on the continent after the 
 Mississippi and Missouri, laru^e and tleep enouji^li to lloat navies, 
 and stores of mineral wealtii whose nndeveloped capabilities the 
 l)oldest imaj^nnation almost hesitate to grasp. In this new rela- 
 tion, Winnipe;;- and Province of Manitoba, w ilh all their iiistoric 
 interest and wonders of fresh, new ,u;rowth, shrink under the eyes 
 of the beholder in comparison with the \ast regions stretching 
 out before him in the north and west. The tra\eler of ten years 
 ago saw VVin.'upeg and the li^;d Kiver settlements with a certain 
 curious interest, and turned his back upon them, blind to the 
 wide domain of t'uture em]iire l)eyond, hidden from him in the 
 darkness of semi-barbarism and baleful trade monopoly. The 
 traveler of to-da\ almost overlooks Winnijieg ami the Red River 
 settlements, albeit grown ten ibid in area and j)opulation, as well 
 as in political stature, in his astcjnished contemplation of the new 
 empire beyond, which the jiolitical and commercial ])rogress of 
 the same ten vears has redeemed iVom barbarism ami opened as 
 homes to the swarming millions from the older parts f)f the earth. 
 IvCt me follow this natural imj)ulse and posti^one tlie usual 
 tourists' observations upon Winnipeg and the surroundings imtil 
 1 try to give you some feel)le and fragmentary notion of the New 
 Northwest, to which it is the gatevvav. 
 
 The schoolboys' atlas gives the political boundaries of British 
 America, but these are by no means those of the New North- 
 west, in the sense of the settler and hus])andman. Nature has 
 drawn narrower bounds than surveyors and treaty makers, and 
 the habitable territory of Western British America, vast as it is, 
 is hardly half of the land marked upon the maps. Beginning 
 with the height of land north of the west end of Lake Superior, 
 and stretching away northwestward to the Arctic ocean are the 
 low ranges of the westward extension of the Laurentian hills, the 
 oldest rocl: exposure in America. West of these, in a wide 
 Silurian outcrop, lie also, in a northwestern chain, the great lakes 
 
 
 
 ^0 
 
iiiK iiuinsii Nou rii\vi;sr. 
 
 3 
 
 t; 
 
 of Biitisli America — hnkc of the Woods. WiiiMipi'jf. Athal):iska 
 ami ( jrcat Slave Lake. 'I'lie .sliores of these lakes and a sliip of 
 eomitiN to the westward of them, wideiiiiij;' rapidly to the iioilli, 
 are co\eied witli iid)ospitai)le rocks, desolate Atclic forests and 
 fathomless swamps. Tiiis rej^ioii is most familiar iioitli of Lake 
 Superior and on the sliores of I^ake Winnipeg;', hut it has heen 
 traced to Churchill livei'. and certainly preser\'es the same char- 
 acter to Athabaska and l)eyond. Ihit it torins the boundary east- 
 ward of a re<;ion of .sjMeadiiiL;- prairies ov rollinj;' plains, and 
 wooded river valleys, stretchint^ froni the Lake of the Woods 
 1.200 miles west to the toot of tlie Rockv Mountains, and from 
 the international bonndar}' as far north as Peace River valley, 
 48 ncjrth lalituile. Throughout this whole region the rocks 
 are Cretaceous, and most of the surface alluvial (le[)osil. 
 Tile southeastern part has sutlered extensive de.. . taticn by ice, 
 leaving isolated escarpments, like the Pembina. Duck. Riding 
 antl Turtle Mountains, and making place for nuirvelously fertile 
 and inexhaustible alluvial prairies of the Red and Assinniboinc 
 valle\s. West of these and between the international boundaiy 
 and the line of tlie C^u 'Appelle and South Saskatclunvan, the 
 plains are higher and dryer, and, like tliose of the Missouri 
 vallev, in the United States, have been called arid and uniidiab- 
 itable. ]>ut the enterprising farmeis along tlie line (jf the North- 
 ern Pacific Railroad are raising spknulid wheat in the country 
 pronounced by Gen. ILizen. Prof. Powell and Prof. Henry, unfit 
 to sustain animal or vegetalile life, and it will do to suspend 
 judgment upon the fitness of the arid plains north of the boundary 
 to sustain a population until the jjresent promising experiment is 
 concluded in the south. Certainly the northern section enjoys the 
 advaiitiige of a lower elevation and more ready accessibility to 
 the warm and moisture-bearing winds from the Pacific. 
 
 There is no room for doubt of the character of the belt of 
 country north of this. It is the fertile belt of the North Saskatch- 
 ewan, stretching from the Red Ri\er country to the foot of the 
 Rockv Mountains, embracing 250.000.000 acres of rich agricul- 
 tural lands, and capable of sustaining a population of millions of 
 people. North of the vSaskatchewan belt is the wooded coimtry, 
 extending back to the chain oi' northern lakes, unfit for cultiva- 
 tion, but capable of supplying timber for a continent. i\t its 
 
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 Till'; luiiTisii xoK ^lI\v^;s^ 
 
 ^^X'St extremity the tortile belt of the Saskatciiewan spreads out 
 both north and south, covering' on the one side the toot hills of th.e 
 Rocky Mountains, and extendinj^ on the othe.', after an interval 
 of rouuh countrv about the head waters of the Athabaska, into die 
 
 fertil 
 
 e valley 
 
 )f the Peace River. This Peace River country is 
 
 the wonder of the northwest. It has rarely been visited except 
 by missionaries and traxelers, but .Vrchbishop Tache, of St. Bon- 
 iface, has boine testimony to its fertility, and the narration of 
 Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle, who penetratetl the Rocky Mount- 
 ains, through the channel cut by the Peace, testifies to the fertility 
 of the lower as well as the perils of the upper river. The Peace 
 
 is a magnincen 
 
 t otl 
 
 d swift. 
 
 rable for 
 
 ream, '^•.•c;;iu, deep and swiit. navigaoie 
 its entire lengtli west of the mountains, that breaks through 
 tlie rocky chain about 56 north latitude, and flows northeast 
 to the Athabaska. The mild climate and fertile soil of its valley 
 are among the favorite traditions of the northwest. It is directly 
 exposed to the warm winds of the Paciiic that blow westward 
 through the passes of the mountains and elevate the mean annual 
 temperature of the whole region at the foot of tlie Rockies. The 
 climate is said to be as mild, and the seasons as early as in the 
 tlie Red River vallev. Vegetation is said to l)e well achanced 
 there by the middle of Mav. The best sample of wheat I was 
 shown in Winnipeg, was some Scotch Fife tVom Fort Vermillion, 
 on the Peace River, at nearly 60^ nortli latitude, 1.500 miles 
 northwest from Fort Garry. It was equal in appearance with 
 Minnesota hard, and weighed sixty-eight pounds to the bushel. 
 
 This country, whose outlines I have roughly sketched, is nearly 
 equal in extent to the United States west of the Alississippi River. 
 From the Lake of the Woods to the R.;cky Mountains is as far as 
 from tile Atlantic coast t(j the Mississippi, and from Emerson, on 
 the International boundary, to Fort \"ermillioii, is as far as from 
 Chicago to Florida. It is estim. Ued that the fertile belt alone, 
 excluding the plains in the southwest whose character is yet 
 doubtful, contains 250,000,000 acres of lands fit for the cultivation 
 of grain, or five times as much as the whole area (>f Minnesota, 
 one of the largest States in the Union. It is probable that this 
 falls far short of tlie entire territory that will be found fit to 
 sustain a population. Only the merest fraction of the country 
 is vet settled. The Red River settlements, extendins: a short 
 
TIIK niUTISH NOniHWKST. 
 
 5 
 
 distance above and belovv^ \Vinnipc<j^, and perhaps loo miles up 
 the As-sinniboine, comprise nearly the entire occupied part ot" the 
 Northwestern Provinces. There are small out-lvinij settlements 
 at Pembina and Turtle Mountain, west of the Red River, and 
 Mennonite establishments near Emerson and Rat Pf)rta<j;e. Emi- 
 ofrants now comins^ into the Northwest mainlv seek homes in the 
 settlements west of the river, and follow the line of the railroad 
 
 CITY HALL, WINNIPEG. 
 
 up the Assinniboine Valley. The more accessible lands east ot 
 the Red River, though of exhaustless fertility. ha\e been tbund 
 too wet for cultivation without (h'ainau^e. Tlieir main use at 
 ])resent is as hay meadows. 
 
 These small and experimental settlements have demonstrated 
 the capabilities of the country as the seat ol" an agricultural 
 

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 6 
 
 TIIK niUTISH NOKTIIWEST. 
 
 population and pointed out its advantages and disadvantages. 
 The Northwest Provinces are, above all, a cereal growing region. 
 In agreement with the known formula that wheat is produced 
 in the greatest abundance and perfection in the highest latitutles 
 that permit it to come to maturity, the Province of Manitoba 
 produces the best wheat known to the American markets, with 
 an average yield per acre of thirty or forty bushels. Oats and 
 barlev yield in proportion. Indian corn cannot be successfully 
 raised, though root crops and grass grow in perfection, and yield 
 enormouslv. Potatoes of the best quality are produced at an 
 average of 400 b'lshels to the acre. The ease with which hay 
 and root crops are grown seems to point out a possibility of 
 sufficiently diversifying the agricidture of the country by stock 
 raising. Cattle are raised in considerable quantity about Mani- 
 toba, and the wooded country along the Saskatchewan and the 
 high plains farther south are said to be adn. rably adapted to 
 grazing upon a large scale. 
 
 It is fully believed and confirmed by the reports of explorers that 
 the conditions of agricidtural production in Manitoba exist over 
 the greater part of the region above described, and those in many 
 localities are even more favorable. The climate in the Province 
 is that characteristic of a sheltered interior retjion in a hisfh lati- 
 tude. The winter is long, steady, with little snow and severe 
 frost, and the summer short, warm and bright. Germination is 
 rapid and liarvcst early. Wheat is sown towards the end of 
 April, and harvesting finished about the middle of September. 
 The mean yearly temperature at Winnipeg ranges about 32", 
 with a range from highest to lowest in five years from 43^ to 99°. 
 These climatic conditions are hardly changed for 1,500 miles to 
 the Northwest. West of the Retl River the isothermal lines take 
 a sharp turn to the northward, and the climate of Peace River 
 Valley, in latitude 56' to 58 , is scarcely severer than at Fort 
 (iarry. Probably a much lower mean temperatiue prevails in the 
 rocky and wooded region west of the lakes, antl on the high 
 plains north of the boundary ; but the Saskatchewan Valley, the 
 region at the foot of the mountains and the Peace River coimtry, 
 is said to be milder than the Red River Valley, and better adapted 
 to support animal and vegetable life. There are two reasons for 
 this apparentl} contradictory climatic condition ; the low general 
 
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THE BKITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 )?;«=:*;■■ 
 
 elevation of the country between the Rocky Mountains and the 
 Red River, and the exposure of its western portion to the warm 
 moist winds which find their way from the Pacific Ocean through 
 the low passes of the narrowed chain of the Rocky Mountains, 
 without being dried and chilled by passing over broad elevated 
 plateaus. A glance at the map, aided by a few figures, points 
 out how the plains of British America descend from the high 
 Missouri plateau on the one side and the Rocky Mountains on 
 the other, Edmonton, on the Upper Saskatchewan, at the very 
 base of the mountains, is only 3,000 feet above the sea, about 
 the height of the Missouri plateau i .000 miles further east. From 
 here the course of the river shows a sharp decline in elevation 
 towards the Arctic and Winnipeg basins. I'here is a larger and 
 more general decline from the Missouri itself to the north. The 
 Missouri has not a single tributary on its northern side, except 
 the Milk River, which flows nearly parallel with it. All the 
 rivers of the country flow down a rapid slope north and east. 
 The fertile belt of the Saskatchewan and Peace Rivers is the 
 great interior plain of the continent, and its decline in elevation 
 from the Missouri plateau is enough, according to the formula 
 which makes three or four hundred feet of elevation equal to a 
 degree of latitude in its eflect upon temperature, to account for 
 a stationary or rising mean temperatine from the International 
 boundary to the Peace River, 700 miles north. The elevation of 
 the temperature of the region east of the mountains, bv warm 
 winds from the Pacific, is one of the traditions of the countrv, 
 and it has been confirmed by scientific investigation. Prof. 
 Macoun, the Dominion botanist, found on the Peace River a 
 mean temperature, the same as that of Montreal, and a Ix-lt of 
 land 150 by 750 miles as well adapted to wheat raising as 
 Ontario. 
 
 The (juestion of fuel naturally connects itself with that of 
 climate, and, in the absence of timber on a great part of the 
 fertile belt, it becomes a serious one for the settler. There are 
 heavy woods north of the Saskatchewan, on the east slope of the 
 mountains, and at some points the banks of its streams are 
 wooded, but by far the greater part of the fertile belt is treeless. 
 In this view the great outcrops of coal on the Upper Saskatche- 
 wan, the Peace River, and even upon the Assinniboine become of 
 
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 TJIK BKITISH NOUTHWKST 
 
 great interest. This coal, like that in the Missouri Valley, in 
 Dakota, is unlimited in quantity, but of doubtful quality. It is 
 all of later date than the true coal measures, and is probably 
 unfitted for the more important manufacturing purposes. How- 
 ever, it has long been used for domestic purposes at the trading- 
 posts, and it is believed deposits can be found not greatly inferior 
 to the Vancouver's Island coal, whicli has a considerable com- 
 mercial value. At any rate, like the Dakota lignite, it is the fuel of 
 the country, and human ingenuity can be trusted to find some way 
 to utilize it. There is plenty of it to waste in experimenting. 
 
 Finally, something remains to be said of means and channels of 
 inter-communication between the ditlerent parts of this new em- 
 l^ire of the Northwest. Nature has been so lavish in the supply 
 of such channels that the delay of human enterijrise to supplement 
 them is almost excusable. Starting from Winnipeg as a centre, 
 the Red River, some 300 miles long antl navigable for more than 
 half its length, opens an easy road into the United States. The 
 Assinniboine, longer almost than its parent stream, and maintain- 
 ing its size for half its length, is navigable for 500 miles of its 
 windings west of Winnipeg to Fort Ellice, distant by a straight 
 line some 350 miles from the Red River. The Asinniboine and 
 its tributaries, the Qii'Appelle and wSouris, drain a valley twice as 
 long as its navigable course. There are now two or more lines 
 of steamers on both the Red and Assitmiboine Rivers, doing a 
 thriving trade with the outlying settlements. North of Winni- 
 peg, the lake for which it is named opens 300 miles of unbroken 
 steamer navigation towards Hudson Bav, which is onlv cut off 
 by the insurmountable falls and rapids of Nelson River. It is 
 one of the dreams of the future to build a railroad along this river 
 and open a short ocean route for the products of the Northwest, 
 via Hudson Bay, to Europe. West of Lake Winnipeg its mag- 
 nificent tributary, the Saskatchewan, stretches its royal length 
 1,500 miles to the Rocky Mountains, and, with its two branches, 
 opens a ]>ath to almost every part of the fertile belt. Excepting 
 the Grand Rapid close to its mouth, the Saskatchewan is navig- 
 able for 1,200 miles, to Fort Edmonton. The Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany has a line of steamers on both lake and river. Finally, the 
 Peace River, through its broad water-course of 2,000 miles to the 
 Arctic Ocean, though the Athabaska and McKenzie Rivers has 
 
 
 'f%y 
 
 3 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 :& 
 
THE BRITISH NOimiWKST. 
 
 9 
 
 no utility tor traffic, opens the only approach to a practicable water 
 route across the mountains westward. 
 
 The Canadian Pacific Railroad, in its eHbrts to supplement 
 natural lines of traflic, has built a road from Lake Superior to 
 Selkirk, on the Red River, except a gap of some 150 miles ; from 
 Selkirk south throufjh Winnipeg to meet the American system 
 of roads at the boundary ; and westward up the Assinniboine 
 Vallev as far as Portage La Prairie, sixty miles on the way across 
 the continent. 
 
 The political history of the Northwest country has been un- 
 eventful enough. Up to 1869 it was held as pri\ate property by 
 the Hutlson Bav Company for trading purposes; then was or- 
 Sfanized into Pi"ovinces of the Dominion. What there is to be 
 said on this point can be better embraced in the more eventful, 
 though narrower history of Manitoba. 
 
 '.fit 
 
 
 f 
 
 
'It! 
 
 illl 
 
 ■ > '8 
 
 
 
 \} 
 
 It 
 
 'i ' ' 
 
 ■M; 
 
 ■I ■ ■ 
 i \ 
 
 -I ! 
 
 I! "I 
 
 i 
 
 
 ' ... 
 
 II. 
 
 THE PRAIRIE PROVINCE. 
 
 MANITOBA AND ITS CAIMTAL — THKIR I«)M ANTIC IlISTOKY AND MAGIC NEW 
 GROWTH — WINNIPEG'S I'OPULATION MLLTITLlIiD TEN EOLD IN TEN 
 YEARS — IMPRESSIONS OF HIE NEW CITY — EMIGRATION, PRESENT AND 
 FUTURE — THE FIRST WASH OF THE HUMAN WAVE — THE GROWTH 
 OF A POLITICAL STATE OUT OF A TRADE COLONY — THE HUDSON BAY 
 COMPANY — ITS PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 Manitoba, tlie Prairie Province, and Winnipeg, its capital, with 
 several changes of proprietorship and vicissitudes of fortune, 
 have iiad two distinct epochs of history, one about fifty years 
 long, from the grant to Lord .Selkirk in iSii to the formation 
 of the Canadian confederation in 1870; and the second from that 
 event to the present. The hrst was a long period of torpor and 
 slow growth, crowded with wild adventure and romantic inci- 
 dent, but unmarked by signs of material progress and advancing 
 civilization. The second period has been one of wonderful 
 growth and swift material development. A single branch of 
 semi-barbarian commerce has been succeeded, with the rapidity 
 of a panoramic change, by all the varied industries of a civilized 
 people. A settled political system has succeeded a species of 
 feudal land proprietorship ; a city has succeeded a trading post; 
 the province has trebled in population, and its capital has grown 
 ten-fold ; railroads have brought emigration and commerce and 
 all the varied pursuits of agriculture ; trade and manufactures are 
 crystallizing about a growing center of national life. 
 
 Ten years ago Winnipeg awoke from a lethargy of half a century 
 to the vigorous palpitating life of a modern commercial city, 
 almost in a day. Political organization was the magic wand that 
 
I 
 
 THE mUTISII NOKrilWKSr. 
 
 11 
 
 
 f 
 
 first aroused the slumberinj^ couuminily. and it soon l)rou;4ht in 
 its train all the stimulatin<; influences ot" commerce. The first 
 railway arrived not long after the Confederation, a section of the 
 Canada Pacitic, extending east and west from Selkirk, a town 
 some twenty miles north of Winnipeg, but this remained for 
 some time with its ends in the air. Real railway communication 
 came in 187S, when the Pembina branch of the Canada Pacific was 
 built south from Selkirk through Winnipeg to Emerson, on the 
 international boundary, to connect with the St. Paul, Minne- 
 apolis & Manitoba and the whole American railway system. 
 This was an era in the commercial history of Manitolia ; and 
 another came last year, when the same Canadian and American 
 capitalists, whose foresight conceived, and whose skill and 
 energv executed the reorganization of the old .St. Paul & Pacific 
 Railway, l)ecame, through the bargain of tlie Dominion govern- 
 ment with the svndicate, the proiectors and constructors of the 
 Canailian Pacific. 'I'he last three vears have been full of eras for 
 Manitoba. The Northwest has been dasheil along a swift and 
 tumultuous current of development and prosperity, rivaling the 
 rapids of its own rivers. 
 
 Winnipeg, as I saw it upon my arrival there in July, 1S81, 
 bore upon its municipal countenance obvious marks of the won- 
 derful changes of the last ten years. Indeed the first signs of the 
 great awakening are seen immediately upon entering tlie Province. 
 Emerson, the first station across tlie boundary, from a mere cus- 
 toms point, has grown to a prosperous town of regular streets, 
 stores, churches and public buildings, whose importance is 
 apparent even from tiie railroad crossing on the other side of the 
 river. Between Emerson and Winnipeg there is little evidence 
 of growth and settlement. Along the railroad on the cast side of 
 the Retl River nearlv all the land has been assigned by the 
 Dominion government to the half-breeds of the Fort Garry post. 
 Tlicse are readv enough to sell, though, they show no disposition 
 to improve their property, but the land is too uniformly low and 
 wet to invite settlement. On the west side of the Red River the 
 land is higher and better, and several impoitaut towns are 
 springing up which will siiortly be connected with Winnipeg by 
 the Manitoba & Southwestern Railway. Winnipeg, like all the 
 Red River towns in Manitoba, is on the west side of the river 
 
it) 
 
 Till. Bin risii NoiM ii\vr<:sr 
 
 ;!; I 
 
 ^f 
 
 and lies oil a level hut dry bolloin helwecu the Assinnibohie, 
 which here joins the Red Kiver fium the west, and the main 
 stream. The I'emhina branch railway joins the main line iVoni 
 SelUirk. al>out two miles apparently helow the junction of the 
 
 river, where 
 
 it crosses tiie river 
 
 i)\' 
 
 a Ime iron 
 
 brid' 
 
 \v 
 
 liich 
 
 when com])leted. will have accommodation tor wa<;on and toot 
 as well as railway passen<iers. Hetween the river and the rail- 
 way depot is abundant room for the Canadian l*acilic freij^ht 
 houses and shops of the fntiu'c. 'I'he railroatl with the two rivers 
 forms an irre<^ular cjuadranj^le embracini^ the city (mi three sides. 
 From the station to Fort (jarr\. the old Hudson l?ay trading- post, 
 stretches Main Street, nearU' two mik's lonjif and lined for the 
 greater part of its course with business blocks, many of them 
 brick and of \ crv imposini^ ap|)earance. The city slopes olV irreg- 
 ularl\' to the ri\er and j)rairie on either siile in residence streets, 
 that look raw enough for the present, but |)romise svell tor the 
 future. 
 
 The whole cilv has a new unlhiishcd look, like the stage of a 
 theatre behind the curtain when a scene is being shitted The 
 old picturesque landmarks are in course of obliteration, and the 
 new citv that is growing up on their ruins has not taken definite 
 form, b'ort (Jarrw the most conspicuous teature in the old town, 
 has been cnxeloped l)v new buildings, and the old wall sur- 
 rou.'iiling it has been torn down to furnish material for the foun- 
 datifJiis of biick blocks. Fine steam mills have arisen on the 
 plateau below, and a substantial iron wagon bridge is spanning 
 the Assinniboine at the very gates of the fort. The prairie west 
 of the fort is taking shape as the popular residence 'section, and 
 many thie brick dwellings are rising upon the bank of the river 
 ami the adjoining plain. All the residence part of the citv pre- 
 sents an air of thrift and prosperity, and there is a notal)le absence 
 of squalid shanties. J'he public buildings and recent business 
 blocks are solidly Ijuilt of lirick. The only part of the city that 
 retains anything of its ancient aspect is the French Catholic 
 suburb of St. Boniface, across the Red River from the main 
 town. This is the episcopal residence of Bishop Tache. whose 
 authority extends over the whole Northwest, the seat of St. 
 Boniface college, and several associated religious and educational 
 institutions. 
 
 ^-1 
 
 
w 
 
 TUK iiKnisM \ou rinvicsT. 13 
 
 riu; present p()[)iil.iti()n of \Vinnipc;j^ is al)oiit lo.ooo. When 
 Manitoba was taUcii into the Dominion in 1S71, it was only 200 
 or 300. The <;"ro\vtli lias been steady since 1S71. varying a little 
 from about a thousand j^er year. \Vith the establishment of the 
 Provincial (Tovernment. Dominion land offices and railroad hcad- 
 (juarters be^ijan disbursements of larji^e sums of public money, 
 which have continued in increasinir amount. These have been a 
 
 
 
 MONTREAL BANK BUILDING, WINImPEG. 
 
 powerful artificial stimulus to the natural Ljrowth of the Province, 
 and have increased the population of the cit\ ten fold, while that 
 of Manitoba has increased tVom 17,000 in 1871 to 40,000 in 
 18S1. The trade of the Pr()\ince has certainly grown live to 
 ten fold in ten years, though in its chaotic, primitive conditions 
 there is a lack ot positi\ e siatistics. But the customs duties for 
 
 iil 
 
14 
 
 iiiic uitnisii Nou'iiiwKs r 
 
 1 
 
 
 i88i are cstiinatfd at hctwceii tfi3oo,ooo aiu 
 
 di- 
 
 ll'' 
 
 .^^(jo.cxx), against 
 some $67,000 ill 1874. riie exports arrive by two eliaimels, the 
 Pembina branch railway and Red River, on which liveor si\ bnes 
 of steamers ply in the ^nnimer months. The interior trade is in 
 the hands of the llndson Bay Company, which has lines of 
 steamers on Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan, ami trading 
 posts scatteied over the whole immense region stretching to the 
 Arctic Ocean and the Rocky Monntains. and two private lines of 
 steamers npon the Assinniboine. 
 
 Emigration, upon which the hilnre of the Northwest depends, 
 has been steadily increasing since 1871, though as yet it is inc( 
 siilerable in comparison with what coming years must bri 
 The emigration for the present season, about half thiished in 
 Julv. numbered then about 4,000, of whom the commissioner of 
 emigration believes about two-thinls are from Canada, and tiie 
 rest from Great Britain. So efforts to attract continental emi- 
 gration have not been successful, except in the case of the Russian 
 Mennonites. The Icelandic colony, established some years ago 
 upon Lake Manitoba, has proved an utter failure, and broken up. 
 I do not consider, from a hasty collection of fragmentary and 
 imperfect statistics from the different land offices, that more than 
 4,000,000 acres of land in the whole Northwest are sold or taken 
 up. This is scarcely one-fittieth of the whole amount available. 
 The opening of new land otfices, and the enlisting of new cor- 
 porate interests in the sale of land, will give a great stimulus to 
 emigration and settlement. 
 
 Up to the present year, the only method of obtaining lands in 
 the Northwest, except by purchase from settlers or half-breed 
 graiiters, has been through the I^ominion land office and the Hud- 
 son Ray Company; and the latter has not been eager to sell, 
 or enterprising in inviting settlement. Now the Canadian Pacific 
 railroad syndicate has become the proprietor of 25.000.000 acres 
 oi land along its lines, which are to be immediately put into 
 the market, and urged upon purchasers by the most modern 
 il^ethotls. The syndicate lands, it is said, are to be sold at the 
 maximum government price of $2.50 per acre, except in certain 
 desirable localities, where a larger price will lie demanded. The 
 Hudson j?ay Company, which received by the bargain with the 
 Dominion in 1S71, two sections in every township, holds its 
 
 ■I 
 
TIIK MIUTlSIt N'OUTHWKST. 
 
 15 
 
 lands at $,3.00 to $6.00 per aero ; and is doing some thrit'tv spec- 
 ulation in town lots. Governnien* land can be obtained muler 
 homestead and pre-emption laws, similar to those in the LInited 
 States, except that the conditions of residence, price and time tor 
 payment are more favorable. The price of pre-emption lands 
 is $1.00 per acre outside of railroad limits, and $2.^0 within. 
 Since the advent of the syndicate an active movement in land 
 speculation has be<,nni. Winnipeg is in the throes of a most 
 aggravated real estate boom. Town lots are rapidlv changing 
 hands at prices which seem unreal ami fictitious, but wliich 
 tempt the most conservative investor by their steadv advance 
 from day to day. While I was in the city business property sold 
 at auction for $825.00 per foot. The Hudson Ba\ Companv and 
 private speculators are getting fabulous prices for residence lots, 
 platted on what was lately unoccupied prairie. I am told a 
 similar fever of speculation prevails in the new towns along the 
 line of railroad west of there. 
 
 The Province of Manitoba has a curious and eventful historv, 
 with which its present and futiue are so closely inter-related as to 
 make a cursory review of it somewhat profitable. It is a pait of 
 the vast territory contested at the time of the first settlement ujdou 
 the Red River, by the rival trading companies consolidated sixty 
 years ago, whose annals embrace those of Manitoba u[) to its 
 organization as a Province in 1S71, The Hudson Bay Company, 
 which exercised the right of absolute domain over nearlv half 
 the North American continerit until ten years ago, was organized 
 in 1670, under a royal charter, granting it all the lands drained 
 by streams flowing into Hudson Bay, for the purpose of trad- 
 ing with the Indians. For a century and a half the company 
 confined its operations with regions nearest the sea coast ; and, in 
 the last half of the eigliteenth century, its proper territory, south 
 and west of Lake Winnipeg, was occupied by French traders 
 from Montreal. These organized, in I'jS^, the Northw^est Trad- 
 ing Company, which became the formidable rival of the Hudson 
 Bay Company, though it possessed no territorial or chartered 
 rights. In iSii Lord Selkirk, an enterprising but visionary 
 Scotch nobleman, who had visited the Red River as a director 
 in the Hudson Bay Company, conceived the notion of founding 
 an agricultural settlement there. He obtained a grant of land, 
 4 
 
 •t- 
 
 ^^ 
 
 m 
 
 9., 
 
 ^ 
 
 •if.. 
 
h; 
 
 rin. Murrisii noktiiwkst 
 
 emhraciiifT all the ti-nitoiv (Iniiucd l>v Lake Wimiipcfj. extriul- 
 iii^. of course, south to Lake Traverse in Minnesota; and the 
 new year brouf^dit out a small company ot" Highland Scotchmen. 
 They s.ttled at the present site of W'imiipejj, hut had a rou^h 
 time enoujfh of it for the ilrst ten years, heinj^f driven out two or 
 three times 1)\ the French Canadian settlers, drowned out by 
 Hoods, and havin«; their crops destroyed by jjrasshoppers. They 
 held their j^round, however, and. in 1S31 the worst of their 
 troubles was removid 1)\ the amal«;amation of the hostile Noith- 
 west Company with the Ihtdson May Com[)auy. The <^reat 
 tradin<f monopoly then exteniled its jurisdiction over the whole 
 Northwest, estahlishin<; posts from Lake Superior to the Arctic, 
 and tVom the Rlh] Ri\ er to tlie Pacific ocean ; and exercisinu;', 
 throuj^h its armv of clerks and functionaries, all the civil, mil- 
 itar\ and judicial ri<>hts of an inde[K'ndent ^'overnment. 'i'he 
 Reil River settlement became a mixed conuuynity of Scotch. 
 Flench and Indian lilood. cultivatinjf a narrow stri|j of land alonjf 
 the Red and Assiimii)oine R.ivers, ami existinj; bv sullerauce of 
 
 the commercial lords of the countrv 
 
 'I'h 
 
 ev raised al)undant 
 
 crops and lived prosperously ; but. foi- want of communication 
 with the outside world, could neither market their surplus nor 
 
 nicrease their numl)ers In- emiy;ration 
 
 Th 
 
 e ct)loiiv survived m 
 
 this dead-alive c<Mulition until tiie foundation of the Canadian 
 confederation. In 1S68 negotiations were begun for the extinc- 
 tion of the Ihulson Bay Company's title to the lands, which 
 were concluded a year or two later. The company received 
 $1,500,000 and one-twentieth of the public lands. The coinpain 
 still exercises its old rights in the remote frontier, but abdicates 
 them as fast as settlements are made and local 2'overnments 
 formed. The amiexation of Manitoba to the Dominion was not 
 accomplished without some friction, the French Canadians and 
 half-breeds, under Louis Riel, raising the standard of revolt, and 
 formed a provisional govermiient. The rebellion was a mere 
 burlesque, though it lasted a year, and rose t<j the tragic level in 
 • iie event — the shooting of an Englishman named Scott bv order 
 of the half-drunken provisional government. The revolt fell 
 to pieces upon the appearance of British troops, though it is 
 claimed that the Province obtained more favorable terms from 
 the Dominion by this show of force. In 1S71 Manitoba peace- 
 
 li 
 
nil'; nun isii noim ii\vi;sr. 
 
 17 
 
 ;il)ly bcCiiiiK' a I'lox iiicc of Caiiaila, ami hf^Mn the (.arccr of 
 prosperity skctclu'd aliovc 
 
 Manitoba, as orj^'aiii/.id in 1S71. contained only ahout i.},ocx) 
 s([iiaie miles, tlie I'rovince of Keewatin lyiii<if to the east, and 
 the <,Meat Noithwest 'renitorv to the west. Hv recent leunslation 
 it has been extended to the east, west and north, so tiiat it now 
 contains about 117,000 scpiare miles, or one-half more than 
 Minnesota. It is governed by a Provincial Parliament with a 
 responsible ministry, whose head is Hon. J<.lin Norciuay. a pro- 
 duct of the country. The moiiarchial principle is re[)resented 
 by Lieutenant (Joveinor Cauchon, a res|)ectable old French 
 Canadian party, wlio draws his salary with i^iace and dignity. 
 The Province is nearl\- all prairie and c;ulti\al)le laud. 
 
 .i 
 
 
 ■v^. -^ 
 
 
^> 
 
 
 ^- ^vV^ 
 
 111. 
 
 DOWN LAKE WINNIPEG. 
 
 SIX HUNDRED MILES IN A HUDSON' BAY STEAMER — THE LOWER RED 
 RIVKR AND ITS SWAMI'S — LAKH WINNIPEG. ITS SHORES AND 
 WATERS — RUNMNC; THE tJKAND RAI'IDS OF THE SASKATCHEWAN 
 — THE PARADISE OE POT KISHERMEN — A CHARACTERISTIC HUDSON 
 BAY COMPANY POST. 
 
 During the first week in July ^ traveled by water 320 miles 
 north froiii Vinnipeg to tlie head of Nelson River and the mouth 
 of the Saskatchewan. At the former place I was still 300 miles 
 from the point where the whole water system of the Winnipeg 
 basin discharofes itself throujjh the mouth of the Nelson into 
 Hudson Bay. At the latter point I was at the threshold of 1.200 
 miles of water navigation, through thousands of square miles of 
 the fertile wheat growing belt to the rich mineral deposits at the 
 foot of the Rockv Alountains. The magnificent distances and 
 wonderful undeveloped capacities of this country are not its only 
 surprises. Parallels of latitude seem to be wiped out, and 
 
 x\ 1 
 
 isotliermal lines to stand upon their lieads 
 
 th( 
 
 We sailed the whole 
 
 distance under Italian skies, through balmy summer breezes and 
 past shores clad in luxuriant verdure. All through we slept with 
 our outer state room doors open, passed evenings upon the upper 
 deck and sought shelter from the burnin<r sun during the dav. 
 Only one day was it oppressively hot during the trip. On that 
 day I afterwards learned the mercury stood at 95 degrees in the 
 shade at Winnipeg. vSurely wlien Lake Winnipeg is fairly 
 opened to convtMiient travel, it will become a popular tourists' 
 resort, rivaling Lake George and the St. Lawrence. The only 
 atmospheric disti rbance experienced was a veritable tropical 
 gust of thunder, rain, wind and hail, at the mouth of the Sas- 
 
THE BRITISH NOUTinVEST. 
 
 19 
 
 
 katchewan. It lasted about half an hour. At ahnost the hisrhest 
 hititude leached on the trip, sometliiuir more than 54 north, 
 I saw garden patches rechumed witli ditHculty tVoni the desohite 
 swamps, with veii^etables apparently as far advanced as in the 
 Red River V^alley, and heard wonderful relations of the quick 
 productive growth of the cereals and vegetables in the fertile 
 Saskatchewan and Peace River regions to the west, on the same 
 and higher parallels. 
 
 To make an end of generalizations, the only steam na\igation 
 at present on Lake Winnipeg is by the Hudson Bay Companv's 
 steam tug Colvile, Capt. Hacklanil, which makes trips about 
 weekly during the season, carrying supplies to, and retuining 
 with furs from other company's posts on Lake W^innipeg, the 
 Saskatchewan, Hudson Bay and the rivers that flow to the Arctic 
 Ocean. The Colvile is an exceedingly strongly built little craft 
 of some hundreil tons capacity. By the accident of co-incident 
 invitations from Mr. John II. McTavish. chief factor of the com- 
 pany at Fort Garry, quite a large party of tourists for these 
 unfrequented waters met upon the deck of the Colvile, upon the 
 last Wednesday in June. Senator Butler, of South Carolina, and 
 Gen. P. M. B. Yoimg, of Georgia, went after fish and relaxation. 
 Mr. F. Jay Haynes, of Fargo, who has carried his ubiquitous 
 camera from Deadwood to Fort Benton and from Lake vSuperior 
 to the Yellowstone went in the interest of his art. Mr. Roderick 
 Ross, the Hudson Bay othcial in charge of Norway House, on 
 the Nelson river, returned to his post. I sliall often quote Mr. 
 Ross in writing of the Northwest, perhaps sometimes without 
 inverted commas. He is a splendid s])ecimen of the Hudson 
 Bay official, born at Norway House and trained through all the 
 ofrades of the service until he succeeded his father, who was 
 factor at the post before him. He has li\ed at most of the posts 
 north of the Saskatchewan, and gave me more exact information 
 al)out the country than any other three men I met. 
 
 The steamer dropped down the river from Fort Garry at night 
 to Colvile landing, just below Selkirk, and we joined hei' there 
 in the morning by rail. The road runs a short distance from the 
 river through a section of country not very inviting in appear- 
 ance, though it has great natural richness. Its general ap- 
 pearance is like that above W' innipeg, except that it is higher and 
 
 •P. 
 
 ' .'■'. * 
 
 ". ■ . fc 
 
 t 
 
 '\ : 
 
 ■ J' 
 
 J J 
 
 ,;./ 
 
20 
 
 THK BRITISH NOK rilWKST. 
 
 If! 
 
 
 I* i 
 
 1^ 
 
 better drained. There are few siu^iis ot cultivation, and the 
 huid is covered with a h)\v scrubhv underbrush. The uncultivated 
 appearance is explained bv the peculiar method of land survey- 
 ing adopted by the early settlers. Each family vv^as given a 
 narrow front on the river, witii a long strip of land extending 
 back. What we saw were the back door ends of these shoestring- 
 farms. The ri\er fronts, which we saw in ascending the river on 
 
 RAILWAY PORTAGE AROUND GRAND RAPIDS 
 
 our return, presented the aspect of well tilled and prosperous 
 farms. From Selkirk a spur track leads to the steamboat land- 
 ing, making the most northerly steam railway track on the 
 American continent. The Colville completed her lading here 
 during the day. and at about 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon 
 started on her voyage down the river. At this place the river is 
 
riiK HKirisii NOK riiwicsr. 
 
 21 
 
 the 
 atcd 
 vey- 
 11 a 
 ling 
 rin<4- 
 r on 
 
 
 only slij^htly larger than at Winnipeg, say 350 teet hroad, and 
 flows in a crooked course between banks fifteen to twenty feet 
 higli and somewhat wooded, but showing, in a gradual decline 
 and frequent stretches of marshes on one or the otiier side, 
 evidences of preparation for the marshy level of tiie mouth. From 
 Selkirk as far as habitable land extends, the banks are occupied 
 bv an Indian reservation, and are slightlv cultivated. At this 
 season of the year the Indian agent makes his aiuiual visit, and 
 his wards were flocking in great numbers to receive tiieir annuitv. 
 On our return five days later they were assembled in form about 
 the chief's house, and their teepees, canoes, dogs, and children 
 added a picturesqueness to the scene. Tlie Indians on the lake 
 are Chippevvas, Swampys, Ojibways and Crees, and ihev are so 
 mixed by the Canadian policy of segregation that there is little 
 tribal individuality left in any settlement. The\ have made some 
 progress in civilization, and now constitute the chief reliance of 
 the Hudson Bay people for laboiers, replacing the Canadian 
 voyagers, the current of whose blood lias disappeared in aboriginal 
 mixture. 
 
 Thirty miles below Selkirk, and about twice as tar b\ river 
 below Winnipeg, the ri\er soaks gradually into the lake through 
 a number of mouths. For the last ten or twent\ miles, the banks 
 are swampy, and at last it is hard to tell where land ends and 
 water begins. The land is encroaching upon the water and new 
 land is made vear by year, as the whole Red Ri\er valle\ lias 
 gradually been made. The same influence has made a danger- 
 ous bar at the mouth of the river which the government has not 
 improved much by some clums\' devices of buoys and lightship. 
 Once fairlv in the lake the journey, though delightful in the cabin 
 and ileck life of tiie passenger, is without external interest tor 
 thirty-six hours, twelve hours to the narrowest part of the lake, 
 where the company has a post, and twenty-four more to the 
 mouth of the Saskatchewan. This gap may as well be filled 
 with so much of the inevitalile description as is essential to the 
 present purpose. 
 
 Lake Winnipeg is two hundred and forty miles long, and so 
 narrow tor the southern half of its length that the navigator is 
 never out of sight of land To the north, however, there is a 
 bulbous swell that puts him in the midst of an apparantly bound- 
 
 ■■,■•?'*, 
 
 r 
 
 '^^ 
 
 % 
 
 '■>; 
 
 :'v\'. 
 
 M 
 
 ■^. 
 
 ";■■,■' 
 
i 
 
 22 
 
 THE BRITISH XORTIIWEST. 
 
 ».■ 
 
 .-si 
 ^ ill 
 
 ' M 
 
 ■ !!■ 
 
 less expanse of waves, though even here tlie nuulily. shallow water 
 destroys the oceanic delusion. The lake is nowhere deep, meas- 
 
 ured bv the standard of the sf 
 
 it resembles Erie in a 
 
 ppe; 
 
 at American lakes, amon«f which 
 mce more than any other. It has 
 occasional rocks and sand-bars, which require careful pilotaj^e, 
 and is said to be capable of raising a nasty sea in a wind. The 
 banks are alike in vegetation, but totally different in rock expos- 
 ure. The geological boundary lies within the lake, and the east 
 shore is rounded granite masses, while the west is abrupt lime- 
 stone cliils. The shores are never very bold, and are often marshy, 
 though tiie land gradually rises to the north. The timber is tam- 
 arack in the main, with some spruce on the higher ground, and 
 the deciduous trees characteristic of the country, poplar, birch, 
 aspen, etc. I could not hear, definitely, of anv pine, though the 
 w^est shore is apparantly as well fitted for it as the Lake of the 
 Woods. The lake is full of wooded islands, with the same 
 timber as the main lantl. There is no agricultural land worth 
 speaking of on the lake. All that is not rock is marsh. The lake 
 has two visible industries in the future, when it shall have been 
 opened to the world — its apparently exhaustless fisheries of 
 whitefish and sturgeon, which support all the Indian population 
 of its banks without eflbrt. and its timber, wliich is not of the 
 best, but is adapted to certain inferior uses. There are two 
 steamboats building in Winnipeg now, to tow lumber on the 
 lakes. If the limestone quarries of the Red River are ever 
 exhausted, drafts can be made to any amount upon the clitl's of 
 the lake. There is also said to be a good sandstone exposed on 
 the southeast shore. 
 
 Early in the morning of the second day after leaving Winni- 
 peg, the steamer, after passing through a group of verdure-clad 
 isUuuls, rounded a rather bolder limestone cape than common, 
 and entered the mouth of a magnificent stream, half a mile wide, 
 flowing with a deep, swift current from the west, and soon came 
 in sight of the CJrand Rapids of the Saskatchewan. This stream 
 has none of th.e characteristics of the Saskatchewan as describeil 
 by travelers who have seen the upper course only, except its 
 swiftness. The banks, thoi;gh low, are rocky, and the bottoin 
 the same ; and the water, though not clear, has lost the muddy 
 look of the prairies. Even at the mouth the water has a restless, 
 
THE BRITISH NOUTHWKSr. 
 
 28 
 
 lively motion that carries the eye back to the first point of the 
 white line of the Grand Rapid, fonr miles above. Within this 
 fonr miles is an mieciualed harbor, with deep water close to 
 shore. The stcamei-landinj^ is about two miles up. and the 
 same distance from the foot of the rapid. Here the Hudson 
 Bay Company has a store, thouiifii the post proper is abo\e the 
 rapid. The river narrows ra[Mdly from its mouth, until, at the 
 swiftest point of the rapid, it is only an eighth of a mile wide. 
 
 A b o V e it 
 widens to, 
 perhaps, a 
 quarter of a 
 mile. 
 
 The steam- 
 er s[)ent the 
 whole (lav 
 here, un 
 1 o a d i n g 
 goods for 
 p o i n t s i n 
 the interior 
 from Cimi- 
 b e r 1 a n d 
 House, a 
 few miles 
 u[) the river 
 to J a s p e r 
 House, in 
 the R ock V 
 
 M 
 
 o untanis. 
 
 THE SASKATCHEWAN ABOVE GRAND RAPID. 
 
 and remot- 
 er posts on 
 
 ni 
 
 the great Arctic rivers. Since the establishment of stca 
 navigation, Grand Rapid has become an important distribut- 
 ing point; perhaps foreshadowing the great city that will 
 rise here when the scattered traders in the interior shall have 
 
 mo- 
 
 th( 
 
 given place to a dense population. The work of unload 
 steamer was done l)y Indians, who assembled here for tlie pur- 
 pose from up and down the lake ; and whose <)id\- maintenance 
 
24 
 
 THE BKllISH NOIlTinVKST, 
 
 J? 
 
 I si' 
 
 4' I 
 
 is their precarious caniin<^s in this way. and tlic prochict of their 
 fertile fisheries, even more productive liere than elsewhere on the 
 lake. W'hitelish are scooped out in nets by the barrel, and stur- 
 geon of from fifty to 150 pounds are taken at will by the Indian 
 fishermen. Our party devoted itself for some hours to the cap- 
 ture of the humbler pike, who were pulled out of the eddies at the 
 foot of the rapids until the most enthusiastic fishermen were cloyed 
 with sport, iuul permitted their captives to wrioylc otV the hook. 
 About noon ue were warned to piepare for tlie most exciting 
 incident of the whole voyage — the running of the Grand Rapid 
 
 m a 
 
 boat. To do this it was necessar\' to asceud, by a 
 
 port- 
 
 age 
 
 four miles long, to a point seven miles distant by river, 
 where there is another steamboat-landing, wlience the company's 
 steamers depart for the Upper Saskatchewan. All the company's 
 goods are transhipi^ed over this portage, though formerl\ . when 
 they were transported in open boats, it was customary to run the 
 raj^id coming down. About four years ago the transhipment 
 was much facilitated by the construction across the portage of a 
 substantial iron tramway ; certainly the most northern railway, 
 of any sort, on the continent, over which loaded cars are rapidly 
 drawn by horses. Our party was loaded upon one of these cars, 
 and the steamer's yawl upon another. A ride of half an hour, 
 with a single stop to photograph the railway, brought us to 
 Grand Rapitl post, in charge of Mr. William Clark, a clean 
 and attractive cottage and storehouse, surrounded by a lot of 
 dirty and repulsive squaws and children. Little time was lost 
 getting the boat into the water, and the party into the boat. 
 Tiiere were five passengers, three Indian oarsmen and an intelli- 
 gent half-breed pilot, Joe Atkinson, famous for skill as a sturgeon 
 fisher and river lore. He guided the craft with u long steering 
 oar in the stern ; and for the first mile the boat was rowed tran- 
 quilly across the stream from the mouth to the south shore, in a 
 swift but smooth current. Then, as the breakers came in sight, 
 an invisible hand seemed to seize her keel and hurry her onward. 
 From this point there was no more rowing, except just enough 
 to keep the boat-head to the breakers ; and the roar of the 
 waters, the heavy plunging of the boat, and the excited cries of 
 the Indians to each other, with the sight of rocks and breakers, 
 aroused every sense to the liveliest activity. 
 
THE BKITISH NORTHWEST 
 
 25 
 
 ■'I.', 
 
 Only a few moments after cnteriii*; the breakers there wi 
 
 IS a 
 
 at. 
 
 ;li 
 
 )f 
 
 sensation of genuine ahirm among the inexperienced passengers. 
 As I said, we entered the -upid on the south side. Just ahead 
 of us a limestone cliff jutted out into the stream, and just at its 
 base the water plunged downward ni a long swirl, at an angle 
 of thirty degrees, ending a great dash of foam where the water 
 struck the rock. We seemed to he plunging straigiit for tliis, 
 in spite of the efforts of the crew ; l)ut tlicre was not time for a 
 thought of danger before we shot past or through it, just outside 
 the rock and foam, and found ourselves in a quiet eddy behind 
 the rock, where an Indian jumped asliore to make fast tlie boat. 
 It seems the pilot had beer, told to land here, to permit the pho- 
 tographer to take views of the rapid, and a better place could 
 not have been chosen. Rocky hanks twenty feet high overlooketl 
 the rapid both above and below, and revealed its formation at 
 
 '1: 
 
 a glance. 
 
 Til 
 
 )f til 
 
 hitherto fl( 
 
 th 
 
 lougl 
 
 le course ot tlie river, liiinerlo llowmg 
 tertiary alluvium, is here interrupted by the wall of Siku-ian 
 limestone that bounds this geological region. Probablv it once 
 fell over this ledge in a great fall, but in the course of ages it has 
 cut its way through in a rapid three miles long, with a fall (jf 
 forty-three feet. A mile below the clilf. wliere we stopped, was 
 the most contracted point of the stream, where it rusiic.! between 
 precipitous rock banks twenty t'eet hi^h. Lower down the hanks 
 become clay and drift. For the whole three miles there is not a 
 foot of smooth water. It is all a surging flood, swelling in the 
 open channel into waves six feet apparently from trough to crest, 
 and near shore, or where currents meet, as below the single 
 island that interrupts the stream, breaking up into the most 
 tumultuous cross sea imaginable. The stream is generall\ deep, 
 and with few rocks, making the running more exciting tliaii 
 dancrerous. Our course from the edcU' was through nearlv three 
 miles of this boilinji current, 'jjenerallv on the south side, but 
 sometimes in the middle of the stieam. The boat plunged a 
 good deal in the heavy swell, rising on the crest of a wave with 
 her bows in the air, and pLinging with a crash into the next, 
 sending a shower of water o\ er the unlucky forward passengers. 
 I returned to the post in the afternoon, and ran the rapid a 
 second time in a birch-bark canoe, with two Indian paddlers. 
 The experience was pleasanter and more exciting than in the 
 
 '■'■: 1 
 
 % 
 
 'is, 
 
 I 
 
 % 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 H ' 
 
 'J- 
 

 I 1 
 ' Iff''' 
 
 26 
 
 THE IJItlTISII N(iK rilWKST. 
 
 boat. The fraj^ile crafr, in wliose bottom I sat, with only half 
 an inch of hark between me and the boiling Hood, rode buoy- 
 antly the waves thi()U<jh which the boat plunt^ed, and shipped 
 scarcely any water. The vestal lire oi' my pipe, in spite of a 
 good deal of care, was extinguished in the boat. In the canoe 
 the sacred spark burned steadily from beginning to end. The 
 
 i,r-, 
 
 7^n 
 
 
 -J 
 
 ._J 
 
 
 GRAND RAPID OF THE SASKATCHEWAN — Looking Down. 
 
 boat made the three miles of rough water in half an hom". the 
 canoe in half the time. I tried to get some basis for comparison 
 between these and the St. Lawrence rapids, but could find no 
 one who had seen both. These are certainly shorter tlian the 
 scries of rapids near Montreal ; and, though quite as swift and 
 
THE BIUTISII NOKTUWEST 
 
 27 
 
 declivitous, are less intercepted by n,cks, and, I think, to.m a 
 less formidable obstruction to navigation. Stion^r steamers, built 
 for the purpose, could both ascend and descend tliem with the 
 aid ot trackling ropes. 
 
 The rest of tlie afternoon was spent in takino- photoijiaphs and 
 visiting scenes and objects of interest about the landino-. A dog- 
 team was harnessed to a sledge for our benefit, and went througli 
 the evolutions as well as possible on the bare ground. ThJle 
 beasts, which are a large hound witli pointed ears and shaggy 
 fur, look like a cross between tlie familiar Esquimaux pet ami 
 the mastiff. They are exceedinglv intelligent, and are driven 
 tandem in fours. They will draw a man sixty miles in a day. 
 Ihe boat finished her unloading and left for the Nelson River 
 about S o'clock ; but I have something more to say about the 
 Saskatchewan before going on with her, for which there is not 
 room in this chapter. 
 
 ■'.■<♦ 
 
 
 fl». 
 
 
 
 -^v 
 
 l-^'^-i^ 
 
 .7 
 
 "V; . 
 
 f 
 
 }m 
 
i: ; 
 
 
 S^^J^-gS^^Ig 
 
 
 flit 
 
 IV. 
 
 UP LAKE WINNlPECi. 
 
 P- 
 
 THK SASKATCIIICWW KlVKIi AM) VAM.KY AND ITS RESOURCKS — AGRICUL- 
 TURAL WONOKRS OF TUL; I'liAClC RIVIiR COUNTRY — MINKRAL WEALTH 
 OF THE I 1'1'ER .SASKATCHEWAN — MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES OF 
 THi; CJRAND RAI'ID — NELSON RIVER, IT> PAST AND FUTURE — THE 
 SIIOHTEST OCEAN ROUTE TO EUROPE — THE EAST SIDIC Ol THE LAKE 
 — RED RIVER AND 1T> CULTIVATED SHORES AHOVi: SELKIRK. 
 
 I have written alxnit the physical features and natural aspect of 
 the mouth of the Saskatchewan, its atlracticMis to the tourist and 
 sportsman. This is tiie least important point of view. The 
 reflecting miiul will rather view this nii<ijlity water channel as the 
 gatewav to an undeveloped agricultural and mineral eni|)ire, 
 unsurpassed by any unoccupied region upon the continent. The 
 Saskatchewan River, when slightly improved and opened to nav- 
 igation, is to he the great ally of the Canadian Pacific Railway 
 in imlocking to the world resources of industrial wealth vet 
 undreamed of. From Grand Rapid two steamers of the Hudson 
 Bay Company now navigate the river 1.200 miles to Fort I'2dinon- 
 ton, passing for most of the way through land fit t"or the cultiva- 
 tion of the cereals and root crops, and for grazing on a large scale. 
 Capt. Pallisser estimated the extent of the valley of the Saskatch- 
 ewan at 65,000,000 square miles, of which one-third is arable. 
 Other explorers have thought this too small. The onlv cultiva- 
 tion yet attempted in this region is on small tracts about the 
 Hudson Pay posts. Mr. Ross, of Norway House, who has lived 
 all through the vallev, told me the finest wheat and barlev in the 
 world was raised and harvested year after year in the short, fervent 
 summers of these high latitudes. The season lasts from the end 
 
 
 
 h.. 
 
Tllli niUTISIl NOUTHWKST 
 
 •Jl« 
 
 I 
 
 of April to the middle of October, and summer frosts are seldom 
 severe enoiij^ii to injure cereals. A few jj;raiiis of oats, apparently 
 ori<ijinatin<i[ spontaneously in a field of barley, the original seed of 
 which was brought from Enj^land thirty years ajjo, saved and 
 multiplieil from year to year by Mr. Koss, finally produced a held 
 of magnificent grain of a new species and unprecedented produc- 
 tiveness. Potatoes a foot long are a common product. TIu* 
 fitness of the cor.ntry for grazing is demonstrated l)y the tact tliat 
 stock used in traveling subsists in the winter upon tlie naturally- 
 cured grass found under the snow, and sta'iled stock conns out fat 
 and strong on no other feed tiian the wild hav of the countrv. 
 Mr. Ross has also been stationed for years in the Peaie River 
 country, and conlirmed to me the vague reports of travelers of its 
 mildness and fertilitv. Here is a reuion hiiifj north of the Sas- 
 katchewan Valley, at least as great in extent and as mild in climate 
 and tertile in soil. Mr. Ross describes the season as about the 
 same. Tiiere arc two sections to the valley, a narrow belt of 
 alluvial land along the river and a high plateau above, both fitted 
 for cultivation, and the latter for grazing also. This coinitiy, 
 like the extreme upper Saskatchewan, is abundantly wooded. 
 
 Unlike the prairie section to the east, the upper Saskatchew^an 
 and Peace River country adds incalculable mineral wealtii to 
 agricultural capabilities. The gold mines on the headwaters of 
 the Saskatchewan and its tributaries are among the hoary tradi- 
 tions of the country. There arc many places on the lower river 
 where the color of gold may be obtained by washing its sand, and 
 many persons believe tliat the gold mines of British Columbia, 
 wdiich exported nearly a million of dollars annually twenty years 
 ago, will be outdone by future discoveries on the west slope of 
 this mountain. But tiie region has surer mineral wealth than 
 quartz claims. Lignite is not more abundant on the Little Missouri 
 than Cretaceous coal on the Saskatchewan about Edmonton and 
 the Peace River. This coal is of the same sort as that mined for 
 commercial purposes on Vancouver's Island, and has long been 
 used in the smithies of the Hudson Bay posts. It is said to possess 
 the bituminous quality lacking in the lignite, though this seems 
 a geological anomaly. But the Athabaska River, near the Peace, 
 has liquid bituman, natural coal tar, in great lakes like those of 
 Trinidad in Brazil, promising, perhaps, petroleum oil wells to 
 
 ■*■; 
 
 
 
 V.,' 
 
 y 
 
 
 i. 
 
 
 ^7 
 
 
 ';>; 
 'i^" 
 
 '■%■: 
 
 I.'. 
 
;jo 
 
 THE HKITISIC NOirrilWEST 
 
 .1. 
 
 iJ* 
 
 PI 
 
 the discoverers of the future. 'I'lic captain of the Colvile had seen 
 the IC(hnoiitoM coal, and pronounced it better for his hii^h pressure 
 en<fines than tiie Iowa article and eiiuai to tiiat he was usini,' on 
 the present trip, w liicli appeared to be IJrier Hill of <;ood (juality. 
 Fartlier, the i'eace River lias bo<4 iron ore or hieniatite of y;ood 
 (luality and in threat ([uantity. oidy waitinjf for the hand of the 
 smelter, and Mr. Ross had heard of copper and silver ores in the 
 mountains. 
 
 The Saskatchewan is the natural chaiuiel destined in the future 
 to conduct all its industrial wealth to tlie worhl's markets. It 
 siiall be to the countrv at the foot of the Rocky Mountains what 
 the Mississippi is to the Nortlnvest. Down its rapid current shall 
 lloat the steamboat and bar<i,e lines of the future, cc^nveyinin" its 
 wheat, perhaps, to the seaboard ; |)eihaps, to a new Canadian Min- 
 neapolis. buiU upon its magnificent water power ; and its coal and 
 ore to the treeless prairies of its lower banks, ;uid the foundries 
 and mills of futuie Canadian Pittsburffs and Lowells. There is a 
 nearer future and a more accessible commercial resource than this. 
 North of the Saskatchewan, and penetrated l)y its lacustrine net- 
 work of tributaries near Cumberland House, are tlie •'■ stronjj^ 
 woods," the lower vih^c of the j^reat forest of the Arctic zone with 
 its uncounted stores of hardwood and northern pine. Its channel 
 otters a ready i)ath over wliicli tiie lumbermen of the neai' future 
 shall bring from these timbei- tor the cities of the south and the 
 future saw mills of the Grand Rapid. At Prince Albert, on the 
 lower ri\ er, there are alreadv two saw mills, industriouslv cuttiniif 
 spruce and hardwood into luml)er for a thriving settlement. 
 
 Leaving the mouth of the Saskatchewan and its magnificent 
 possibilities, the Colvile steamed away in the northern twilight o^' 
 Friday evening towards the most northerlv post on the lake, at 
 the point where it is discharged through Nelson River into Hudson 
 Hay. Twenty miles from the lake on this ri\ er is Norwav House, 
 once tin- most important company's post in this region, and the 
 place where the annual council was held. That was when the 
 company's way of communication with the outside world was 
 Hudson Bay, and all its traffic with Europe went and came by 
 ocean vessels to York Fort, and thence over a hard passage by boat 
 and ]iortage to Norway House. Nelson river if, not and never 
 can be navigable. It breaks through the granite chain of the 
 
rinc mniisii ndhtmwkst. 
 
 :n 
 
 Laiircntidcs as the Saskatclawaii hrcaUs tlnoiij;!! the >li<4litt.r 
 harrier of the Silurian limestone, and its whole course is i)i()ken 
 by furious and impassable rapid. 
 
 Since the openiiijr of a watfi and rail outlet tiu(.ui,di Ueil River, 
 the j^lorv of Norway House lias (kparted and I'ort (iarrs has 
 succeeded it as the companv's capital. The steamer did not <;() 
 up to Norway House on account of the dillicidt cliainiei. but 
 
 POST AT BEREN'S RIVER. 
 
 dischar^j^ed freiglit at Warren's Landin;^. at the month of the river, 
 whence it was taken up in York boats, ^^rcat unwieldy craft 
 moved with Ion*;" sweeps and carrving about four tons of freis^ht 
 each. Mr. Ross let't us here to continue his homeward trip in a 
 canoe. There are two brandies of the Nelson, only one of whicli 
 we saw. It w;is apparently about a (piarter of a mile wide, but 
 as it passes at once into a lake the estimate with the eve was not 
 
:\'2 
 
 tup: niUTisii nuktiiwicst 
 
 4 
 
 Hi 
 
 i 
 
 SSI- 
 
 ^11 
 
 P 
 II 
 
 k 
 
 ,, 111: 
 Hi; 
 
 ft 
 
 IS' 
 
 It 
 111' 
 
 easy. The banks were low aiul wooded, with occasional rounded 
 masses of "-ranite. While the steamer was imloadinsj we rowed 
 three miles down the river, lindin"^ a stilV current for thiee amateur 
 oarsmen on our return, but fmdinjjc reward for our exertions in a 
 beautiful expanse of clear water, studiletl with screen islands and 
 prodigal oi' fish. It iigures on the map as Playgreen Lake. 
 
 It would be an oversi":ht to leave the Nelson River without 
 some reference to the brilliant future dreamed of for this region 
 by some bold speculators, as the future outlet of the entire North- 
 west to the ocean and the ports of Europe. Geographically 
 speaking, the mouth of Nelson River is not only the nearest 
 ocean port to the northwest territory, but it is nearer to Liver- 
 pool by sea than any port on the north Atlantic coast. The 
 route is by the Davis Strait and the south coast of Greenland, 
 and the oiily ditficulty is that it is closed by the ice for nine 
 months in the year. The bay is regularly visited in the summer, 
 however, by the sailing vessels of the Hudson Bay Compan}', 
 which leave nortli of Scotland ports in June and start back from 
 York Factory in .September. A steamer is engaged, the present 
 simimer, in making the trip from St. John's, N. I'^., to York 
 Factory and back, to test the feasibilitv of steam navigation of 
 the Bay. The other part of the plan is tiie building of a railroad 
 from Xorwa}' House to York Factory, following as nearly as 
 may be the course of the river. It can be built for $5,000,000 or 
 $6,000,000, oi- less than tne cost of the Canadian Pacific section 
 from vSelkirk to Thunder Bay. Charters for such a road were 
 obtained from the last Dominion Parliament, and explorations of 
 the route are to be made this year. If this dream of a Hudson 
 l?ay route to Europe is ever realized, it will become the outlet of 
 the great Saskatchewan belt, as the Canadian Pacific is that of 
 the great soutliein belt of fertile territory. Perhaps one great 
 milling centre of the future, located at the grand rapid of the 
 Saskatchewan, will grim! the wheat of its valley for export by 
 Hudson I)ay. while another on the rapid oi the Winnipeg 
 River will grind that of the soutliern belt, and two streams of 
 bread material instead of one will How from the tVozen North- 
 west to feed liie starving millions of temperate Europe. 
 
 Leaving tiie Nelson River, we at last turned southward, and a 
 run of about ten hours more brought us to the Companv's main 
 
 , «> 
 
 Lt 
 
THE BKITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 38 
 
 
 I 
 
 post oil the ciKst side of the hike, north of Mic mouth ot" the 
 Winnipeg — Beren's River. Here is ipiite an exteiisi\e store ami 
 a consideral)le Indian popidation for trathnj^ purposes, scatteied 
 thinly over a reservation reacliiii<4' tiiree or tour miles into the 
 interior. The chief interest ncien's River has for the visitor is 
 icsthetic. It is the most picturesque spot we saw on tiie lake. 
 The whole shore is dark rounded masses of irranite. co\ered with 
 a thin coverini^ of ve^etahle mould, supporting" a .^wmhre growth 
 
 VIEW ON BEREN'S RIVER — Lake Winnipeg. 
 
 of spruce and tamarack. Thi-ouj^h this steals the ri\er, llowiui;- 
 ahout 200 feet wide with a slow current, winding;- in and out 
 amon<3^ rock\- eminences, and finally reaching- the lake hy several 
 channels separated h\' islands, some verdure clad, some hare i ul 
 gray. Tiie water is stained hlack l\v the })eat of the swamps at 
 its source, and the whole aspect, though there is nothing low y,v 
 swampy ahout it, is somher. The passage to the light and 
 

 34 
 
 THE BiUri^lI NORTHWEST. 
 
 
 
 freshness of the open lake, through dozens of ishmds of all sizes, is 
 charming for tiie passengers, th(nigh somewhat anxious for the 
 captain, on account of the number of sunken rocks in the channel. 
 
 Two Indians paddled me tluee or four miles up the river while 
 the steamer was discharging, and I found the somber beauty of 
 the debouchure repeated and intensified. There is said to be a 
 fine rapid some twelve miles up. Tlie Indians tokl me there was 
 good pine timl^er up the stream, and undertook to point out iis 
 begiiniing, but what tliey indicated were only larger spruces. I 
 was told there is no good pine on the lake. Among the objects 
 of curi(nis interest at the Beren's River post are a novel fish pond 
 made bv enclosing a part of the lake with a heavy stockade, and 
 containing, when we were there, some sixty immense stiugeon, 
 for the fish supply of tlie place ; and an extraordinarily fine 
 kennel of dogs, said to be the largest and best trained on the 
 lake. Some of them are as large as the largest breed of New- 
 foundlands. 
 
 This was the last stopping place of the boat, and a run of 
 twenty-four hours through the lake and river brought us to our 
 starting point at Colvile Landing. I rom here to Winnipeg the 
 scene changed surprisingly. From barren shores and horseless 
 woods, we sailed by cultivated farms and neat, prosperous look- 
 ing homes. This is the oldest and best settl-d part of the Red 
 River \'alley, peopled with the descendents of the original Scotch 
 and French Canadian settlers. In many places the farms are 
 cultivated down to the edge of the clav banks, generally twelve to 
 twenty feet high, that confine the river. In other places the 
 banks are wooded, or give place to green meadows. The river 
 here has quite a rapid cinrent. and, with the varying and some- 
 times gently rolling banks, resembles some of the richly cultivated 
 valleys in the Ohio basin. Sometimes there is a limectone out- 
 crop beneath the upper clay of the banks. Below vSelkirk a lime- 
 stone ledge crosses the stream, making a considerable rapid and 
 giving opportunity, on the east side, for a quarry of excellent 
 building stone, which is already industriously worked. Large 
 quantities of tlie stone are shipped to Winnipeg and points on the 
 Canadian Pacific. 
 
 The old town of Selkirk, named after the historic earl, looks 
 forlornly from the bank to the river, about twenty miles below 
 
 • 
 
"■"i.'f 
 
 THE BRITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 35 
 
 Winnipeg. This was originally chosen for the raihoad crossing, 
 and saw the beginning of very prosperons times; but its pro's- 
 perity has departed to Winnipeg with the change of route, and 
 the price of a single town lot in the former place woukl buy the 
 whole site. The population is reduced to 200 or 300 people, too 
 old, feeble or unenterprising to get away. A little above Selkirk 
 is another fading historic landmark, Lower Fort Garry, an 
 irregular quadrangle of masonry, with loop-holes for musketry 
 surrounding a peaceful, finely kept lawn and neat office's quarters 
 and stores. The place was deserted, even by the usual loafing 
 Indians, the whole population of the neighborhood having assem- 
 bled on the reservation a few miles below, to receive their annuitv. 
 The assemblage on the bank presented a picturesque appearance 
 as v/e passed, with their clustering tepees, swarming women and 
 children, and the flotilla of canvass and trading boats on the river. 
 Fort Garry was once the most impnrtant post on the Red River. 
 But its scepter has passed to the Winnipeg Garry, as that of 
 Selkirk has passed to the city. From Selkirk to Winnipeg is 
 about six hours" steaming, and we finished the journey without 
 further stop after leaving the Fort, arriving at the Company's 
 wharf about 2 o'clock, wiiere we took leave of tiie hospitable 
 Colvile with hearty regret,— to he stunned at the first step with 
 the almost incredible news that President Garfield has been assas- 
 sinated three days before. 
 
 i'\j. 
 
 
"H'l 
 
 ,f ,11 
 
 ^-r^-j 
 
 V. 
 
 THE LAKE OF THE WOODS. 
 
 A REGION OF ROCKS. WOODS AND WATERS — OLD AND NEW ROUTES 
 ACROSS THE LAURENTIAN BELT — THE THUNDER BAY SECTION OF 
 THE CANADIAN PACIFIC — GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS — ENCilNEERING 
 DIFFICULTIES — A SPECTRAL JOI RNEY —FLOATING AMONG A THOU- 
 SAND ISLANDS— MINERAL, MANUFACTURING AND TIMBER RESOURCES 
 OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 The tumultuous belt ot countrv lying between the Red River 
 Valley and Lake Superior, though without attractions for the 
 farmer, is. in some other not unimportant respects, the most 
 interesting part of the Northwest. It is a wilderness of prim- 
 itive rocks, reticulating lakes and forest streams and bottomless 
 muskeg swamps ; difficult to penetrate, uninviting as a residence, 
 yet teeming with animal life and mineral and forest wealth, and 
 presenting a tliousand attractions to the adventurous tourist and 
 SDortsman. I have penetrated this singidar region about 150 
 miles, from the edge of the Red River Valley to the northwest 
 corner of the Lake of the Woods, by rail and water routes, and 
 have brought away impressions enough of its wild and varied 
 beauty to make a small volume instead of a long letter. Before 
 the projection of the Canadian Pacific Rjiilway there were three 
 canal and portage routes through this country : the old North- 
 west Company's route through the chain of lakes along the 
 American boundarv ; the route recommended to the Canadian 
 government, by Mr. Simon Dawson, and bearing his name, from 
 Thunder Bay by land to the Seine River, down that stream to 
 Rainy Lake, and thence to the Lake of the Woods; and tlie 
 route followed by Professor Hinds, in 1S58, from Thunder Bay 
 up the Kaministiquia River, thence by various streams and port- 
 
THE BRITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 37 
 
 ages across the height of hind to Ruiny Lake, and thence to the 
 Lake of the Woods. All these routes converged to Rat Portage, 
 the point where the Winiupeg River lea\es the Lake of the 
 Woods, and thence struck across the prairie bv land to Fort 
 Garry. The railway takes the same course, and R.at Portage is 
 now one of its stations. From that point, however, tiie line 
 strikes north of the Lake of the Woods, directlv across the height 
 of land to Tiiunder Bay. 
 
 Accordingly I took the train for Rat Portage, in the Territory 
 of Keewatin, the day after my return from the Lake Winnipeg 
 trip. For the first thirty or forty miles west of the Red River 
 the country is like most of that on the east side of the valley, 
 somewhat low and wet, with clumps of stunted shrubbery dot- 
 ting the meadow. East of that the scenery begins to change. 
 The prairie gives place to muskeg, and the shrubbery is suc- 
 ceeded by a growth of tamarack, poplar and other trees, constantly 
 increasing in size and number until the road runs through, a very 
 respectable forest. The water changes, too ; the muddv prairie 
 rivulets being succeeded by more rapid streams of clear water, 
 stained dark, however, by the bogs along their course. I recog- 
 nize in the familiar features of the Laurentian region, on the 
 east shore of Lake Winnipeg, and began to look for the primi- 
 tive rock characteristic of it. There is little sign of settlement 
 or habitation on the line of the road. The first considerable 
 station is at the crossing of Whitemouth River, a tributary of 
 the Winnipeg. This is a sort of depot for timber supply along 
 the road. Piles and ties are cut along the streaiai. and floated 
 down for use in the construction, both east and west. The next 
 point is Cross Lake, seventy-seven miles from Selkirk, where 
 the part of its line turned over to the syndicate ends. From here 
 to Rat Portage the government is finishing the line, tiic con- 
 tractor having surrendered the work, after exhausting all his 
 funds in dumping earth into the bottomless lakes across which 
 the intrepid goveinment engineer chose to carry the line. When 
 I was there the road was graded to Rat Portage, though two 
 bridges remained to be built across the two branches of the Win- 
 nipeg, to a point about two miles from the river; but a recent 
 land slip in one of the treacherous lake-fills compelled trains 
 to stop six miles away, where passengers are transferred by boat. 
 
.n 
 
 ■Hk', 
 
 I?; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ;ill' 
 
 
 «' 
 
 'I! 
 
 
 ;'»?> THE UKiriSII NOKTIIWHST. 
 
 At Cross Lake, thirtv-scvcii miles from the Portaj^e, the 
 strange, wikl rejiioii t)t" the Lauieiitian chain really be<2^ins. It is 
 tremendously picturesque, but almost inconceivably (liilieult rail- 
 road construction. Low mountains of primitive rock, clothed 
 with tall, slender, half-starved looking- tamaracks, growing' on a 
 thin soil, or in cracks of the rock, rise between endless chains of 
 small, deep lakes, nearK all connected with each other through 
 narrow valleys. There is no distinct, continuous \alley, and the 
 road breaks through the granite masses of the hills, and crosses 
 the lakes as best it c;ui. These mirror-like lakes, framed in 
 sombre \e«fetation. and glittering with the dark metallic sheen 
 of shaded swamp water, are full of wild beauty, and full of 
 savage terrors for the civil engineer. The\ were the onl\ puth 
 through the country in its ante-iailroad days ; and the\ seem 
 to dispute tiie passage of their civilized rival with a barbarian 
 jealousy. The granite luountains are a trilling barrier compared 
 with these lakes. Nitro-glycerine has cut a smooth path through 
 the former, and the trains glide luxuriously over a solid bed ; 
 but the lakes still forbid their passage. They have steep walls 
 of rock, ot'ten sloping down in an iuveited cone, whose apex is 
 I ^o to 200 feet below the water's level. When f)ne of these 
 frightful [)its is filled with the alluvial washings from the rocks 
 it becomes a nuiskeg, which is a greater leiror than a lake. 
 A muskeg is not a swamp ; supports no vegetation except a 
 ([uaking covering of moss, when it rises above the watei'. and 
 contains little prophecy of t'uture solid ground. The water, 
 unable to drain olV through the rockv bottom, remains mixed 
 with the washings from the hill-sides, in a black liciuid mass, 
 through which a pile mav be driven its whole length bv a, sin<rle 
 stroke, and which engulfs, literally, cubic miles of earth without 
 affording a solid surface. The nuiskegs are crossed In- the rail- 
 rt)ad b\ tilling from the bottom with fragments of rock, or bv 
 temporary trestles precariously built upon the sloping bottom, 
 or planted in the lifpiid mud. These trestles are afterwards 
 laboriously filled with earth, dumpetl from gravel trains run 
 upon them. Two steam shovels are now at work, day and night, 
 at this filling between Cross Lake and Rat Portage. This end- 
 less filling is what has exhausted the exchequer of the contractor 
 and delayed the completion of this section two years. It was to 
 
 If 
 
 
 h 
 
rilK lUMTISIl NOKIIl\Vi:ST. 
 
 39 
 
 have been finislicd July i. 1S79. Al Cross Lake, which is cut 
 ill two by the track, earth has been steathh' ihtown into tlic lake 
 mouth after mouth, at a cost of huuclreds of thousands of dollars, 
 until it has spread out and formed acres of solid <fround on cither 
 side of the bank. ^\t Lake Deception a solid roadwav had been 
 made, with infinite pains and cost. when, sliortly before my visit, 
 an immense land-slide down the slippery declivity of the lake 
 
 LAKE FILL— 'On the Thunder S. i Branch. 
 
 bottom let the track tall down in a hu^e concave, causiu:^' the 
 break that then iuli'rrupted Iraxel. It is impossible to count 
 the cost of this section of road. di\ ided. as it now is. between 
 the contralto- and ooxernmeiU. but it must be estimated at 
 millions. 
 
 (Jur train passed Cross Lake earl\ in the evening-; and from 
 there to the end the iouruey was lull of \aried interest. Through 
 7 
 
40 
 
 THE BHITISII NORTHWEST. 
 
 f\ 
 
 !•!.• 
 
 ■ m 
 
 
 
 
 ]M 
 
 deep rocky cuts aiul tunnels, past lake after lake, over lofty 
 eiiibaukinents and tottcrinji^ temporary trestles, all seen and felt 
 in the magic of twilij^ht and moonlight, the trip was doubly 
 worth all its small hardships. The fresh rock cuts revealed the 
 primitive lithology of the region to perfection. There is great 
 varictv in the rocks. True granite, or e\en syenite, is rare. 
 The prevailing rock is a dark dioritic trap, with irregular \ein- 
 ings and splashes of impure quartz. There is some quartzitc in 
 masses, and the flesh color of nearly pure feldspar is seen in many 
 cuts. On the lake-shore and islands I afterwards saw a sort of 
 talcose schist, with a line vertical clcarage in large plates when 
 disintegrated by water action : and was told of large veins of gold- 
 bearing quartz, of which more hereattei'. The beauty of some 
 of the moonlight elVccts on this tedious night's journey caiuiot be 
 surpassed in the White Mountains. I remember one long line 
 of pure cold white light, seen from a high trestle, stretching 
 from lake to lake, broken into shimmering ripples by the jarring 
 motion of the train communicated to the banks, extinguished to 
 dull blackness by the dark masses between, and kindled again 
 with a faint luminous green upon the tree-tops beyond. At one 
 point a truly diabolical element was imparted into the peaceful- 
 ness ol the scene l)y tlic apparition of a steam shovel, blazing 
 out a shower of sparks into the night, witli dusky figures hoarselv 
 shouting and working amidst its puffing and rattle, seen like famil- 
 iar demons by the light of smoky torches. We were landed about 
 midnight on the bank of an arm of the Winnipeg River, and 
 guided by lanter'^s down a declivity where York boats waited. 
 Loaded in these, a spectral moonlight voyage ot two miles in a 
 winding channel, past wooded banks, brought us to a short port- 
 age, over which we scrambled to the Lake of the Woods. New- 
 boats, tugs, yachts and canoes took us here, bv mysterious wavs 
 among the islets and iidets of tlie lake, to the town of Rat 
 Portage, where we found clean beds, and tired sleep about 
 2 o'clock in the morning. 
 
 Opening my eyes upon Rat Portage and its surroundings the 
 next morning, dim moonlit waters and shadow-haunted shores 
 were transformed into a shining lake and a squalid end-of-the 
 track town, in tlie shanty stage of its municipal exis'^-^nce. The 
 oidy presentable building tlierc is a hotel, built in hopeful antici- 
 
 
 ■» : 
 
rilK nUITlSII NOUTHWEST. 
 
 41 
 
 patioii of its fame as a watcriiij^-place. already l)c;j^iiiiiiiig" to 
 spread thiouj^h the western provinces. Indeed, qnite a large 
 party of overworked Winnipe^-gers, as well as several gentlemen 
 Irom the States, the former accomi^anied by ladies and children, 
 braved the present dangers of tiie Rat Portage ronte on this very 
 trip. When fast daily trains are nni withont interrnption to Rat 
 Portage it is certain to become the most popular summer resort 
 in Western Canada. Then the town will prol)ably spruce up a 
 little. At present the less said about it the better, except that the 
 tourist can find comfortable accommodations, and has the lake at 
 the very door of his hotel, with a fleet of yachts, canoes and small 
 steam tugs to aid him to ilv from this one little spot where man 
 has spoiletl nature's iiandiwork, to the tliousand sylvan recesses 
 where he can lind her in all her purity. Hefore the town lies the 
 northern extremity of the Lake of the Woods, just back of it an 
 arm of the Winnipeg River; almost in sight of the wliarves are 
 the two beautiful falls over which the two outlets of the lake begin 
 their downward course to Lake Winnipeg. Op[)osite them the 
 lake stretches away more than a hundred miles to the south and 
 west, thougli the view is shut in to tiie narrow limits of a broad 
 river 1)\' the verdant slopes of a thousand closely clustei'ing islands. 
 The Lake of the Woods is an irregularly circular body of water, 
 from fifty to one hundred miles in diameter, with its outline inter- 
 rupted by a large re-entrant promontory from the west. It is 
 about one thousand feet above the sea level, and the water is clear 
 and sweec. Its notable characteristic is the multitude of wooded 
 islands that dot its surface in every direction and make a voyage 
 upon it resemble a trip upon a sylvan ri\cr or in an inclosed bay. 
 There is only one i)art of the lake where there is a wide stretch 
 of open water, in the southwest corner. 
 
 I saw this beautiful sheet of water to admirable advantage in a 
 journey of some fifty miles, with a party of railroad engineers, 
 from Rat Porta>re to White Fish Bav. the great indentation north 
 of the promontory above referred to. This j)assage is a part of 
 tlie regular route over which laborers and supplies now pass to 
 Ihe eastern end of the contract section lying east of that now 
 nearly completed to Rat Portage. This section is sixty-seven 
 miles lonsf and crosses the rockv region north of the lake to meet 
 the line now pushing east from Thunder Bay. It is said to be 
 
 p. 
 
4i> 
 
 rill': liurnsii nou riiw i;s r 
 
 '1,, 
 ' li 
 
 • ■ i 
 
 " I 
 
 
 ft 
 
 ail c'\cei.'cliii<;ly louj^h piece of work, with an enormous amount 
 of rock ciiltin5.j and a jL^reater number ol' bottomless lakes than ha\e 
 ])een Ibund west of the \\'innij)e<j;. 'l"he contractors pre<lict that 
 the (litliculty and delay at Cross Lake will be repeated at a do/cn 
 places in this section. There are rock cutlinj^s j.ooo teit lonjjj 
 and fifty feet hi_<;h, antl lunnbeiless lakes where rods and piles 
 scarcely lind 
 
 bottom. 'Vhv 1^,^ ' ^. ' WJf<^W B i^t!m?!*| 
 blast in;4" is 
 vv e 11 f o r - 
 ward, antl it 
 is I h o u y h t 
 will be nearh 
 finished this 
 year. The 
 filling is be- 
 hind, ow iuij 
 to a chan;4e 
 in the con- 
 tract from 
 rock filling to 
 trestle work, 
 and the ilela\ 
 in the com- 
 pletion of the 
 section next 
 west, making- 
 it necessar\ 
 to carry all 
 supi^lies bv a 
 circuitous 
 canoe route. 
 
 The contractors complain bitterly of the action of the government in 
 changing the contract, intimating that their only object is to get 
 the road l)uilt as cheapl\- as possible, and just well enough to run 
 a train over it and get it accepted by the syndicate, throwing upon 
 the latter the trouble and expense of replacing the temporary work 
 when it breaks down, as it did at Cross Lake. On the other 
 hand, the govenmient engineers claim that $1,000,000 will be 
 
 •fr* 
 
 VIEW ON THE LAKE OF THE WOODS. 
 
 
 ,, ,,, .r. 
 't, >> 
 
I IIK Biurisll NOKIIIWI.SI. 
 
 4:5 
 
 ■ 
 
 saved hy the cii;mL;c in tlu' contract, and that the lillini;' can he 
 (lone at one-eiylith tlie cost tVoni ,nra\i'l |)its h\ trains nwv the 
 temporary work. The most (thvions hardships of tiic contractors 
 is the necessity of carryini; every poiuid of material and snpplies 
 over a circuitous route of 100 miles hv hoat and portaLi;e to reach 
 a point fifty miles distant on the line of road. In spite of these 
 
 dilliculties it 
 is t h o u '^ h t 
 the close of 
 the present 
 season will 
 see a i^ap (A' 
 oidv twenty- 
 live miles to 
 the line from 
 Tluinder Bay 
 to Sei k irk. 
 The eastern 
 division will 
 he linished 
 autl the con- 
 tractors ex- 
 pect to build 
 twenty- live 
 miles east ol' 
 Rat I'orta'^e 
 a n (1 li ft ee u 
 miles on tlu' 
 east enil ot 
 the same sec- 
 tion. 
 
 We left Rat Portaoe about noon of a beautiful July dav. snugly 
 packed into a York boat with sundry sacks of corn and flour and 
 attached to a small steam tu<; by a lonjj^ rope as our propelling 
 power. The journex lasted until evening anc was the perlection 
 of indolent progress, (iliding swil'tly through smooth water past 
 shores and islamls. under a brilliant sky, every hour unrolled new 
 pictiu-es of sylvan beauty. We were hardly ever more than a 
 gunshot from land, and the green islands closed so closely around 
 
 RAT PORTAGE FALLS— Winnipeg River. 
 
44 
 
 riii: iiitiiisii sou I iiwi.si" 
 
 % ! 
 
 •i7 
 
 III 
 
 »Ji 
 (.'4 
 
 it! 
 
 p 
 
 it] 
 
 us tli;it it was (lifliciilt to iinas^inc we were not .Ljlidin'^ thi()ii«;li a 
 majestic river instead of a lal<e with moie tiiau lifty miles nt" water 
 to the soiitli ot' us. ICarlv in the evening we turned into a httle 
 inlet and huided at the month of a clear stream, up which the 
 route la\ to the next portage. L'p this we were paddled in canoes 
 two or three miles to an engineer's camp in a woodland glen, 
 whose savage heaiitv seemed almost profaned by material uses. 
 The stream came tumbling down in a series of pictures(iue rapids 
 l)etweeii rockv banks, upon whose level plateau the camp was 
 fixed. Supper and a refreshing slumber upon nature's bed of earth 
 consumed the night, and in the morning my companions startetl 
 on their arduous journev of liftv miles more by canoes, and over 
 rocUy i)ortages to ICagle Lake on the line, while I retraced the 
 easy part of the passage in the tug. This is only one of a do/en 
 charming lake trips that may be arranged from the portage. The 
 longest and most delightl'ul is said to be that through the whole 
 length of tile lake and u[) the Rainy River to Fort Frances, where 
 there are a number of attractive falls and lapids. 
 
 I spent the greater part of the next day. my last at the Portage, 
 padtiling ai)out the lower end of the lake in a canoe. Some of the 
 islands are cpiite highly cultivated and yield abundantly of garden 
 vegetables. Others are interesting as the location of Indian 
 gra\es. The main objects ot interest, however, are the two falls 
 of the Winnipeg, which are somewhat dillicult of access and 
 attractive in their unspoiled natural lieauty. The descent in each 
 case is al)out twenl\' feet, but the nearer and ' rger fall takes half 
 of it in a single lea}), making a boiling caldron of pure white ibam 
 that contrasts eH'ectivelv with the dark granite rocks tiiat tower 
 beside it. The otiier fall is a rapid, extending over an eighth of 
 a nnle. with a fall of four (jr five feet at fnie point. I saw an 
 Indian here scooping up abundant white lish with a hand net. 
 Indeed, the whole lake teems with fish, from the sturgeon to the 
 pike, and is the paradise of tlie angler. From here to the lake, 
 the Winnipeg River is a succession of falls and rapids. No less 
 than thirty-tw(j portages are necessary in a canoe journey. 
 
 It must not be supposed that the I^ake of the Woods is attractive 
 only as a tourist and summer resort. It has great elements of 
 material wealth in its pine forests, even if the hopes of the san- 
 guine speculators who build upon its prospective gokl mines arc 
 
\ 
 
 'iiii. iimiisii \('i! I iiw i;sr. 4.") 
 
 blasted. I Iiad lu-anl a \sinn\ deal ahotit tiiise Rat Portairc sold 
 mines hetorc I went llicrc. and as usnal found tlir entluisiasm 
 concniiin^f tiicni in diivcl pioportinii t.. tin- distance. There is 
 certainly plenty of y;(ild-lieaiin<;- (luart/ there, hut the (|uesti<)n of 
 prolitahle mining; remains an open one. and it will take a heavy 
 investment of capital to settle it. The oid\ vein that has yet hcen 
 worked is that upon IJouldei Islaiul. which was verv rich in 
 
 SAW MILL AND BOOM — Lake of The Wools. 
 
 specimen nug<i^cts. A company was formetl. and a few thousand 
 dollars furnished by Mr. Mannino-, son of one of the raihvav 
 contractors. They houj^ht a five stamp mill, and w cut to crusliint;' 
 rock upon a small scale. The hrst clean-up was made *liortlv 
 before my visit, and the result was $26 in gold from ten tons of 
 quartz. So it seems the wh(;le vein is not made up of specimen 
 

 I'' 
 
 46 
 
 Tin; liKiiisii \()K I ii\vi;.s r 
 
 :m^ 
 
 miLi^jjjcts. The compaiu chiiiiu-d. however, that as much as $()oo 
 ill n'oKi \\ ;is slicking" in the new phites of tiie machine, and tiiat the 
 second cleaM-u|) would result better. It is said another ([uart/. \ein 
 has heen discoxi-red on tin- main land. twent\-one leet wide, nuich 
 more pronnsini^' than that on JHiulder Islands. CertainK the rich 
 nrneial deposits disco\ ered on tin- shores of Lake Superior jnstiiV 
 the hopi" that this side oi" the hi'i^'ht oi" land ma\' not jirovi- w liollv 
 barren. 
 
 The I^ake ot'the Woods has a surer sf)urce oi" wealth, howe\er, 
 in its e\haustless water power and sloiies of \ aluable pine lumber. 
 'I'he shores and islands are coxeri'd with \orwa\ pine of the best 
 i[ualit\ with some whiti- pine. l^nteiprisinL; lumbermen have 
 ac(|iiiie(l the best timber lands, and the seaicli is still ^"oiu<^- on. 
 'Inhere is one mill in operation at Kat Portage, and another is in 
 coui'se ol' construction b\ W. ). Macaulax . tin- pioneer hmdierman 
 ol" WiiniipeLC who had just launched a sidi'-\\ heel sti'amer u^o 
 k'l't lon;^, to be used in tow iiit; huuber. I'he water pow ei at the 
 Wimiipeij^ falls alone is inexhauslibU-. i5\ running' canals in 
 dillerent directions thronL;h the island filtN' mills could be supplied 
 with a neV' ' ■ '1nw. Tiiis promises to bo the future lumber 
 supply and milim::: .enter ilall the Northwest . the point at which 
 the 'j^viuw of" the prairie district wiU be conveited into llour for 
 shipnu'iit to Mdutieal and lOurope — in tact, aiothei" Canadian 
 lMinnea|)olis. 
 
 
 i ■ 
 
 i' 
 
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 ^ 
 
 , .'■..! 
 .1 ' 
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 ^ •'.■■' v., •'^■ 
 
 
 -^ "^-^ ' K 
 
 L 
 
 
 it 
 
 i1 
 
mti-s- 
 
 ■^.l ih?rS&^- 
 
 ^\^^ 
 
 
 VI. 
 
 I'lir: CANADIAN i'ac'H'k; l^\lL\VA^. 
 
 III 
 
 riiK rivoT AHoi [• wiinii rill mcu nok niw i;s r wiiiui.s i-kivaik 
 KN ii-.ki'Kisic HK1N-..1N(, i)uiii:k or r or im- in aos di. (.ox i-i<.\.mi:\t 
 
 MlSiM.\N.\(ii;MK.N r IIISIOKV dl' 1,1 lOIMS 1() Itt ll.l) A KVMI.KUA!) 
 
 AlUOSS t-ANADA, 1-.NI)|\(; IN 1 1 1 r, T ( )K M A llON Ol' rni. MoMKKAL 
 SYNDKA ri-. TI'.K.MSOI Till': C< >N IK Al P U 11 1 1 ( .( i VI : U \ M 1 \ I OKCAN- 
 
 I/ATION Ol' Till'. COMPANY AM) II K( . I N M N O dl. \V(i|<K. 
 
 
 'I'lu- C;iii;uli;iii racilic Knilwav. (tlic s\ ndicati' lias (.lian^ril 
 the lirst word in liiis corpoiati- title from the siil,staiiti\ e to the 
 adjective,) is the |)i\()t ahoiit which this coimtrv re\dl\c's, the 
 pe^- 14)011 which its ho|)es han-. Winiiiped- talks, dreaius, hows 
 down hefore. speculates on and Ii\es in tlie midst of the CaiuKUan 
 I'aciiic Railway. Notwitlistandiiit;- the |)rospeiil\ w liich had 
 l)e<i^un to <4i()W hcie ht'toic- the iail\va\ anived. and which 1 
 have tried to show iiad a pohtical origin, thi" axciadi- W iiinipi'ner 
 treats tlie railway as the loniitain hea(i ol" his iiiateiial happini'ss 
 and the arbiter ol" his nuinicipa! and piivale (U'stinies The 
 Canadian I'acilic Manaj^einenl is the molocli to which eveiv 
 inhabitant of the rrovince tnnis his ap|)ealini; of propiliatiiiL; 
 _i;^a/,e. and the svndicate is a \astl\ more ini[)ortant instilntion 
 than the Dominion Cabinet at Ottawa in the local estimalion. 
 Perhaps some of this cmioiis senlii'iviit is to be attribnti'd lo a 
 habit ol' woishippin^- a j^ieat corpoiatii)ii contracted bv the 
 |)ro\incials when the llndson l>a\ Conipanv was tlu' absohit*.- 
 monarch of their terriloiy ; but ceitainU a larne share ol it has 
 i;r()wn natnralU out ol the commanding;- position which llu" li ans- 
 continenlal railway enterprise has snddenh assumed in tlu' iiands 
 of the Montreal .^xndicate. I'^rom a li'eble and mismanaged 
 8 
 
4S 
 
 TIIK niUTISII NOU riiw ICSI'. 
 
 
 #■• 
 
 Hi: 
 
 'I 
 
 .)> < 
 
 .,1 
 
 Jl' 
 
 ■ i\ 
 
 ■ ; 1. 
 
 ;4"(neriiment iin(lcrtakiii<;', (liaggin<j slowly over wasted years and 
 lavishinj^ countless sums of puMic money without visible result, 
 the Canadian Pacific has l)ecame a gigantic pr''.aie enterpiise, 
 liherallv subsidized bv the (jo\ermnent. but vigorously conducted 
 1)\- 'ailway managers who have demonstrated their ability by 
 brilliant success in similar gigiaitic undertakings. As a govern- 
 ment work, the construction of a railway across the Canadian 
 l^art of the American continent wrecked two successive ministries 
 and nearlv bankrupted the Dominion lieasmy. As a private 
 enterprise, it promises speechly to bind together the scattered 
 Provinces of the Canadian Confetleration with ties of iron, to 
 open and develop an immense empire of the richest agricultural 
 lands in British AuKMica, and to enrich not oidy its directors but 
 ?iiiIHons of peo[)le who sliall settle along its line, cultivate the 
 broad acres it is bringing into the market and i'vcd the world 
 with grain to be tiansported to the seaboard over its completed 
 lines. It is impossible to wiite nuich about the Northwest with- 
 out iliscnssing the Canadian Pacilic, and it is reallv woith whik' 
 to sketcii the histor\' of an enterprise which has taken such a 
 commanding ])o>ition. 
 
 The Canadian Pacific Railway owes its origin to a political 
 necessitv. It was an ob\ ious conset|uence of the confederation 
 of the Canadian Provinces. It was pledged to the distant Pro- 
 vince of Hritish Columbia as a condition of her entrance to the 
 Dominion. It was, l>esides. a clear essential to the unity and 
 homogenitv of the outer Pro\inces. The ctjufederation was 
 sc;ircely completed before the I'\'deral Government set aliout the 
 preliminary snrve\s for the ^vork. 'j'hese were prolonged and 
 e\prnsi\e under the wasteful system characteristic of government 
 work. From $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 \vere spent and .|o.ooo 
 or 50.000 miles of surveys and ()bser\ations completed between 
 1871. when the Northwest was annexed to the confederation, and 
 187S. when the Government practically relinquished the work. 
 Tills time and nionev was not actually lost, though most of the 
 line located b) ..he Go'.'c'-nment will be abaiuloned 1)\- the s\ndi- 
 cate. These suiveys, added to pievious explorations like those 
 ol' Pi'of. Hinds. Prot'. Mac<nm and Capt. i'alliser. form the basis 
 
 of the subNCCjuent work by the present manageis. The line 
 iinally located by the (io\c'rnment. began at Lake Nipissing. tl 
 
 as 
 
 le 
 
 ■I I 
 
TIIK BKITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 4t» 
 
 termiiuiH of tlie i)rojccte(l CaiKithi Central fVoni Ottawa, and 
 stretched across the desert of rock and morass, noith and east 
 of Lake Superior, to Selkirk on the Red River. There was a 
 so-called Ijranch to 'IMuuider Bay on the lake, which was to he 
 really the main line, witli Thunder Bav for the eastern terminus, 
 for several years, or at least till the prairie section was huilt. 
 West of Selkirk the line struck northeasterly through the fertile 
 countr\' of the little Saskatchewan, a tributar\- of the Assinni- 
 
 RAILWAY TUNNEL AT RAT PORTAGE. 
 
 boine, and the Swan River, an inlet of Lake Manitoba, and kept 
 on, at the cost of some heavy constructions over morasses, to 
 Battleford, on the North Saskatchewan, and Edmonton, on the 
 up|)er course of the same stream, at the foot of the Rocky 
 Mountains. The purpose of this line was to follow the fer- 
 tile belt of the oUl explorers antl axoid the country south of 
 the South Saskatchewar., which thev had condemned as arid 
 
 .f 
 
 •I 
 
 r 
 

 u\ 
 
 50 
 
 THE BRITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 
 "1:1 
 
 plains. Several routes tliroiigh the rocky harrier of the moun- 
 tains were discussed, and there were strong advocates for a 
 sharp turn northward, to reach the Peace River country, with its 
 magnificent agricultural capabilities and mineral resources, and 
 to fnid an outlet to some of the more northerly British Columbia 
 harbors through the break in the mountain wall made by its 
 valley. The route finally chosen, however, was through Yellow 
 Head pass, 3,646 feet above sea level, somewhat ^outh of the 
 latitude of Edmonton, to l^ute or Burrard inlet, on the Pacific 
 coast. The work of construction was begun in 1875. and within 
 three vcars more than 100 miles of roiul was built on each end 
 of the tliificult Thunder Bay di\isit)n, nearly 100 miles was 
 built west of .Selkirk, and a beginning was matle in British 
 Columbia. 
 
 Tile first notable check to the prosecution of the work by the 
 Government was the great Canada Pacific parliamentary scanilal 
 of 1S72. which caused the fall of the Macdonald Cabinet and 
 elevated Mr. Mackenzie and the Liberals to power. This 
 belongs to the histoiN" of Canada, not to that of the Canadian 
 Pacific. It is enou<rli ti; note that the influence of the scandal 
 clung to and crippletl the Mackenzie Government in the pros- 
 ecution of the enterprise. Repeated efforts made to interest 
 private ca|)ital in the enterprise were defeated by this considera- 
 tion and the preNailing business depression. When the Liberals 
 finally fell from power in 1879. upon the tariff question, it was 
 considered that the extravagant expense of the railroad had 
 indirectly led to the event, bv impoverishing the treasury and 
 embarassing the finances. At anv rate, wiien .Sir John ALic- 
 donald returned to power he suspended work on the road, and 
 sought for private enterprise and capital to take it ofV his hands. 
 
 In the meantime events were preparing for just this emergency 
 in another quarter. A great railwav system had suddenly grown 
 up just across the line in the United States, controlled by Can- 
 adian capital, and in close alliance with the commercial interests 
 of the l^ritish Northwest. Li 1S77 and 1S7S Jinues J. Hill, then 
 an uncoiispicuous partner in a Hal River transportation com- 
 pany, now the most famous railroad monarch west of Chicago, 
 concei\ ed the bold plan of taking the St. Paul and Pacific out of 
 its morass of bankruptcy and erecting it into a new and inde- 
 
 IL 
 
THE BRITISH NOHTIIWEST. 
 
 51 
 
 
 pendent system. He interested George Stephen, president, and 
 R. B. Angns, director of the Bank of Montreal, in his plan, and 
 their capital and his skill corralled the bonds of the bankrnpt 
 road, and led throngh a thorny path of litigation to its reorgan- 
 ization, with Stephen as president and Hill as general manager. 
 It only took a year or two for Hill to till the Ked River Valley 
 with his ambitions lines, and call a branch of the Canadian 
 Pacific down from Selkirk to the international bonndary to 
 connect with him, bringing Winnipeg and the isolated section 
 ot the Canadian Pacific into commercial relations with the world 
 through the United States. 'J'hen, when Sir John IMacilonald 
 looked for capable and willing hands into which to iniload his 
 Canada Pacitic white elephant in iS8o, the managers of the 
 now wealthy, prosperous and successful St. Paul. Minneapolis 
 and Manitoba appeared as candidates. The ministerial and 
 parliamentary negotiations at Ottawa aie too recent to need 
 recounting here. Their 'urniliar lesult was the formation of a 
 syndicate to undertake the construction of the Canadian Pacific 
 road within ten years, and the prairie section within tliree ^ ears, 
 in which the Bank of Montreal capitalists were the largest 
 shareholders, ;uid Manager Hill an influential director. 
 
 This syndicate received a land grant of e\cr\' alternate section 
 for 24 miles on either side of its line, amounting to 25.000.000 
 acres, and a practical indorsement of their bonds to the amoiuit 
 of $25,000,000, besides an absolute gift of the completed sec- 
 tions of the road. That is to say, the govenunent turns over 
 to the syndicate the road now in operation, and umlertakes to 
 complete the ]:)art now under conti'act in liritish Columl)ia and 
 between Tlumder Bav and Selkirk. Of co-.r.se, the heaviest 
 labor this imposed upon government was the completion of the 
 gap in the Thunder Bay section, now reduced to al)out 100 miles. 
 The entire amount of completed road to be finallv turned over 
 by the government to the syndicate is 700 miles, valued at 
 $28,000,000. This makes the entire value of the government 
 aid, estimating the land at $2 per acre, $103,000,000. This 
 looks like a big subsidv, but in reality it is much less than those 
 olVered by the Dominion to parties who have previously failed 
 in attempts to build the road. The famous Sir Hugh Allan 
 charter, which broke down up(jn the exposure of corrupt 
 

 62 
 
 THK BRITISH NORTIIWKST. 
 
 practices, granted $50,000,000 in casli and lands to the value ot 
 $109,000,000. The Mackenzie plan of 1S74. which was not 
 accepted bv anv company capal)le of building the line, oH'ered 
 the same amount of land antl cash and bond subsidies amounting 
 to $5o,747,>oo. The latter act also subsidized branch lines, 
 which tlie syndicate must build at its own expense. The syndi- 
 cate receiyes certain incidental privileges from the government, 
 
 >\ »-r 
 
 '■' »:!! 
 
 __,,..^..,., .™;_, 
 "1*».,'..,..., #' 
 
 
 , . 111,.' '■' ' 
 
 -1":^^' ": '"•"■ ■ '" , m 
 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY BRIDGE — Over Winnipeg River. 
 
 such as exemption tVom taxation of its right of way, depot 
 buildings in unsettled country, and its lands until sold, and 
 exemption tVom duty of materials used in construction. On the 
 other hand, it must submit to government resfulation of its tarifls. 
 Qiiick to seize its magnificent op[)ortunity, the syndicate took 
 possession of its domain early in the year iSSi, and is now in 
 
 
THE nrilTISII XOUTIIWEST. 
 
 53 
 
 
 the full tide of energetic construction. The feeble and dilatory 
 methods cjf government work have liceu replaced hv the trained 
 energy ol practical railroad builders, and the expensive theorists 
 of the old regime have been superseded by the cream of the 
 younger generation of pushing and capable railroad men, trained 
 in the admirable school of the northwestern United States. 
 
 '['he syndicate staff are established at W'imiipeg in commo- 
 dious ofiices above the Montreal Hank building, except the chief 
 engineer, whose headquarters are in the l)uckl)oar(l, and are 
 bringing order out ot the chaos thev found. Thev are operating 
 the completed road with a hea\y tiaflic, and apparentlv with 
 profit, and are pushing the construction with sui])rising energy. 
 I3etween Thunder Bay and Winnipeg the government are com- 
 pleting the line under contract alieadv let according to the 
 agreement with the syndicate. 1 have written something about 
 this wild country and ditlicult construction in a former letter. 
 West of Winnipeg the syndicate have made some important 
 changes. The first is to abandon Selkirk and select Winnipeg 
 as a base of operations, whereby the former ]:)lace is losing its 
 population and falling into ruin, while the latter is grow iug to 
 metropolitan proportions. Then the syndicate has abandoned 
 the whole line of the government survey, and even loin up a 
 large section of the finished track. The new line leaves the 
 old one at Portage la Piairie. and strikes south uji to the Assin- 
 niboine Vallcw by Qu'Appelle. The line thus avoids the swampv 
 country south of Lake Manitoba. It ventures into the " arid 
 region" of the old siu'VCNors, l)ut so far the engineers have fountl 
 the land admirably adapted lor settlement. 
 
 It is providetl in the railroad act of Parliament that the line 
 shall cross the mountains at Yellow Head Pass, but the syndicate 
 engineers are looking for a better passage, and if they find one 
 probably it will not be tliiVicult to secure a modillcation (d' the act 
 in this respect. The line may then skirt the Rocky Mountains 
 northward to the Pine River I'ass, or seek some otlier more 
 practicable passage through the t'oimidable ijarrier than that 
 selected by the government engineers. In any case a branch line 
 will probably be built ultimaleh' north of the fertile Peace River 
 re*rion. The location of the line in I3ritish Coliunbia seems to 
 be settled by the act of iSSi, luuler which the government 
 
 >^^ 
 
,"',1 . '■ 
 
 54 
 
 Tllli HUniSIl NORTHWEST. 
 
 is to build nt'arlv 200 milfs fiom Foit Moody, on the coast 
 opposite Vancouver Island, up to the vallcv of the Frazcr River 
 to Kaniloops. Of this 12S niiks from Vale to Kamloops along 
 the valley is now under contract. Much heavy work has been 
 done and a few miles near Vale have been ironed. The most 
 difficult section, ninety miles across the Cascade Mountains, from 
 the coast of Vale, is to be put under contract this summer. 
 Wherever the syndicate line crosses the mountains it must take 
 such a course as to meet the government line at Kamloops. The 
 length of the olil government line was 2,2,00 miles, 400 in the 
 Thunder Bay. 1.200 in the valley and 600 in the British Columbia 
 section. Of course the new line cannot \et l)e measured, but it 
 is certaiidv much shorter. 
 
 .-r^' ,'V<jv '^_'^ ^^''\ VLjiXJI / •'■.-' ■ >■' ^o-" \ -^.^^ 
 
 I." 
 
 -A^bukJu 
 
Dast 
 iver 
 
 C'LMl 
 
 lost 
 otn 
 ler. 
 like 
 riie 
 the 
 hi a 
 t it 
 
 'N. 
 
 
 '^'K\^^^ 
 
 
 J^ 
 
 VII 
 
 THE PRAIRII': JOURNEY BE(Jl N. 
 
 BY RAIL WKSTWARD TO TMK F.XI) OK THK TRACK— TIIK HKGINNING OF 
 A IIVE HlNl>Ri:i) MILK TRIl' HY WAGON ACROSS THK SKTTLKD 
 SECTION OK THE ASSINNIHOINE VALLEY TO BRANDON — I'lONEER 
 KXl'KRIKNCES AND I'ROKITS — TIIK WESTWARD MARCH Ol IMMIGRA- 
 TION — I'RAIRIKS, MARSHES AND SAND HILLS. 
 
 I tried to sec with my o\\ n eyes some small fraction of the 
 prairie empire that rolls west ot ihc Red l^ivei- to the foot of the 
 Rocky Mountains. In pursuance of this laudahlc cndeaxor I 
 traveled some 350 miles west of Winnipeg-, and nearlv 300 miles 
 west of the present terminal point of the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way. The route lay from Portage !a Prairie, the end of the 
 track, up the .\ssinnihoine \'alley to Brandon, trom thence 
 further up the valley on the south side to Port Ellice ; from 
 that point up the (^u'Appelle N'allcy to (.iii'Ai)pelle I'ost. Fort 
 Ellice. the oldest and l)cst known point upon the i(jurne\'. is a 
 Hudson^^a\ Company's p(jst. a!)out a ccntur\- old. established 
 near the junction of the Assinnihoine and (^irAi)pelle Ri\ers. 
 It is scarcely one-fourth of the distance from the Red River to 
 the Rocky Mountains, ft was and still is an important distrib- 
 uting point in the system of the Hudson Bay Company's trade, 
 though the last located line of tiic Canadian Pacific Railway 
 passes it uj^on the other side. T sjiould sav something al)out 
 these \arious lines of railwax' to explain the peculiar manner in 
 which the country is settling up. The line located b\' the first 
 
 Canada Pacific Com|)any — that chartered bv the old Mackenzie 
 
 
 f 
 
 'f! 
 
66 
 
 TIIK HIUTISII NOKTIIWKST. 
 
 V' 
 
 Government — shot wildly olV to the north of Lake Maiiitoha 
 throiij^h the swamps aiui forests of the eastern edge of the Win- 
 r,i|,'\<>^ basin. The second line, located under the authoritN of 
 t'.ie Macdonald government, ran with more reason nearly due 
 west of Selkirk, through the rich Riding Mountain, Little Sas- 
 katchewan and Swan River regions, turning sharply northw.ud 
 towards the Saskatchewan near the longitude of Fort Ellice. 
 About loo miles of this line was built, and gave an impetus to 
 settlement in this direction that has strur.g a line of prosperous 
 towns along the north baidc of the Assiiuiiboine as far as the 
 QirAppclle, When the syndicate assumed control of this work 
 it abandoned this line in turn, and adopted another which hugs 
 closely the north bank of the river for some 150 irdes, then 
 crosses it at Grand Valley, and foUovvS the south bank and the 
 Q^u'Ai^pi'llc River in the direction of Qii'Appelle Mission I'or 
 some time, skirting and ihialK' plunging boldly into the .egion 
 which tlie old explorers set down as arid, treeless and barren. 
 This line follows quite closely tlic old cart trail, used for hu-i- 
 dreds of vears for freitrhting into the interior. I followed this 
 trail upon mv journev, and was scarceh ever out of si<rht 
 of the railway stakes for more than a few miles at a time. It is 
 well here to make the general statement, with all deference to 
 the old explorers, tiiat I have seen scarcely a foot of land that 
 either is not already fit for agricultural production. ( i' can be 
 made so by some simple a[)pliances of modern civilization. Some 
 land is wet. and needs draining; other lacks fuel, which the rail- 
 road will bring ; and still other is better adapted for grazing than 
 cultivation ; but it is all farming land in the broad sense. 
 
 r left Winnipeg upon a certain Tuesday morning, meeting at 
 the train by appointment my camera-bearing companion on the 
 Lake Winnipeg trip, and a person said to be familiar with the 
 route to Qii'Appelle, in whose care we placed ourselves for the 
 journev. The railroad part of the trip, some sixt\ miles to 
 Portage la Prairie, on the Assinniboine, was quickly completed. 
 The line runs, for the most part, through a rich prairie, dott'-d 
 plentifully with low shrubs, which will require draining to make 
 it fit for general agricidture. It already afiords excellent hay, 
 and at one point, Stony Mountain, the general level gradually 
 rises to the foot of a sharp blutl, fifty or sixty feet high, supplying 
 
Tin: nuiTisir Noimrvv ,st. 
 
 67 
 
 
 admirable coiulitions for ii gra/iii«( fann. 'Vhv Prov inciiil peni- 
 tentiary and insane asylnin is located here, and tliose conditions 
 are partly utilized hy the niaintainance ot' a tine herd of tamed 
 buflalo, which graze upon tlie hillside, and are attended l)y the 
 lunatics. xMost of the huul alonjj;' this line is held by speculators 
 who obtained it fioni the old coni[)any, and has not come mider 
 cultivation. There are two |)arallel lines of settlement, liowever, 
 to the north and south of it, almost within sij^bt of the cars. One 
 follows the Assinniboine River and the other tne oltl line of road, 
 until they uK'et on the Little Saskatchewan and continue up the 
 Assinniboine beyond Fort Ellice. South of both of these another 
 line of settlements stretches alouij the boundary line from the 
 Pembina to the Turtle Mountain in about the lonjijitude of the 
 Grand Valley. Hoth of these regions will pr(;bablv be served by 
 lines of railway at no distant day, the southern b\' the Manitoba 
 <Sc Southwestern, and the norchern by a northwestern branch of 
 the Canadian Pacilic. 
 
 The new line of railway strikes the Assinniboine ;ui'' the 
 settlements together at Portage la Prairie, the largest town in the 
 Northwest outside of Winnipeg, and the center of the most 
 prosperous agricidtural community in the I'rovince. About ten 
 miles from the river the marshv meadows begin to rise into a 
 beautiful, lever prairie, as rich in soil as anything in the Red 
 River Valley, and as highly cultivated as any land in Dakota. 
 This prairie, of about ten miles in extent each way, is mostly 
 cut up into small farms, which are carefully cultivated, and now 
 bear an exceeilingly promising crop of wheat. The town of 
 Portage la Prairie has about 1,500 inhabitants, nearly all the 
 additions of the last two \ears : is regularly laid out with wide 
 streets and buildings that are l)eginning to assume a solid, 
 permanent appearance. This is the present terminus of the 
 railway, though tlie track is laid twenty miles farther: and here 
 our partv tittetl out for an overlanil journey of some 300 miles 
 farther west. Our train, when completed, consisted of a spring 
 wagon drawn b\' two shaggy native ponies, and a buck-board 
 drawn b\- a thiid, lioth loaded with tent. Idankels, canned meats 
 and other supplies, and driven, one by our guide and the other 
 by his culinarv assistant, who added the virtues of a hostler to 
 his own. It took some time to get tiiis motley train in order, 
 
r 
 
 
 
 58 
 
 Tin: Hitn isii NoiMiiwiisr. 
 
 iiiid it \\ ;is WfdiK'silay aftcinooii before we turned otir faces to 
 the west. Mr. La 'roiiche Tiipper, i^nvenimenl inspector of 
 telejjfiapli for the N'ortiiwest. left l'orta.t;e at the same lime oil 
 Mil ovei hmd trip to llattleford. and tiie two parties often camped 
 and (h"ove to<,a'ther upon llu' journey. I am indel)tt(i to him tor 
 much int'ormatiou about tiie country; as also to .Mr. b)lm Hanjijs, 
 Dominion land <4ui(le. w lio accompanied us to lirandon. 
 
 r 
 
 <j 
 
 
 RAILROAD CUT ON THE THUNDER BAY SECTION. 
 
 The first ten miles of our journey was over the same beautiful 
 prairie, dotted with improved farms and covered with growing 
 crops, that we traversed l)y rail. This extends along the Assin- 
 nil)oine from Portage to Rat Creek, a narrow, winding, muddv 
 affluent, much like the Sheyenne in Dakota. On this creek we 
 were shown the house of a Mr. McKenzie, a thrifty Scotchman, 
 
TirE ninrisit nouiiiwest. 
 
 69 
 
 who was .1 pioneer scttlei- liftcni vcars :i','o. and is now the ricliest 
 farnier ill this lej^ion. He came iuTe from Ontario with some 
 capital, invested it prndcntly. and now. with his sons, owns about 
 40.000 acres of hmd in various farms. ( )n the west side ot" Rat 
 Creek the prairie chan<;es to meadow land, wliich continues witli 
 some interruptions to tiie sand hills, some thirty miles. All the 
 country from \\ innipe<>; to (^u'Appelle mav he classiiied into 
 these four sorts, prairie, meadow land, saiul hills and lii;4h plain. 
 I may as well describe each minutely once, as I meet it Hist, and 
 avoid endless repetition. TIk- prairie, in its wild state, is a level 
 plain without any timber of aiiv sort. l»ut covered with a luxuriant 
 •growth of »rrass. Howers and wild lej^umes that ijrow in the 
 richest soil. When broken with the plow it shows a rich, black 
 soil, from one to three feet deep, with a clay subsoil, ca|iable of 
 produciii<j^ <^rain and vegetables in the <^reatest profusion and 
 pert'ection. The average yield of wheat on the Porlai^e I'rairie 
 is thirtv bushels, and as all grown finds a readv home market, 
 the farmers are vvaxin<;- pr(/spcrous. Meadow land, such as we 
 found on each side of Portage I'raiiie. is less level tiian the 
 prairie, l)ein<^ broken with small lakes and slouL;hs about which 
 there is often a i;rt)wth of scriibbv timber. Tlu- soil is black and 
 wet, but re(juires draining to lit it for cultivation. It yeilds 
 excellent wild hay, however, and with the natural drainage that 
 comes from railroads and settlements, will doubtless iiecome fine 
 <irazin'>' and farmin>r land. 
 
 From Rat Creek the trail, which is here a well beaten road, 
 traversed bv all the freighters' trains to I^Uice. nattlefnrd and 
 Edmonton, stiikes nearly dne west to the bend northward of 
 the Assinniboine valley. \Ve stoppi.'d tor the night at the 
 house of Mr. Cook, an English imniigiant. whose e\|)erieiice is 
 suggestive f)f the capabilities of the countrv. lie came here 
 only two years ago, and took up half a section of land under the 
 homestead and pre-emption laws, w ith no other capital than his 
 hands. Now he has a farm worth about $4,000, with seventy 
 acres in wheat last year, a considerable herd of cattle and 
 comfortable buildings. His house, like all between Portage and 
 Grand Valley, is of poplar l(\gs. Leaving here early Thursday 
 morning, we traversed some twenty miles of meadow to the 
 beginning of the famous sand hills, which have puzzled geologists 
 
60 
 
 THK lUUriSlI NORTHWEST. 
 
 <• 
 
 M: 
 
 uiul (liscoiiratj^ecl settlers ever since the coimtry was Hist peiietratctl 
 by the white man. Here they lie alon^ b(ith sides of the river 
 for ten or fifteen miles. These sand hills are not so formidable 
 as the descriptions of tiavelers had led me to ex[)ect. I'he 
 name con\evs the notion of barren monnds of sliifting sand, 
 glistening in the si n and tosseil about by the winds. Instead of 
 that, we saw a succession of rounded eminences covered with 
 grass and clothei' with a growth of the largest and most varied 
 timber we had seen upon the river. The Assinniboine, wliich 
 flows a few miles south of the trail, is not so heavily wooded 
 here as higiier up. There were some respectable groves at 
 Portage, but in general the only torest growth was the scrubby 
 poplar of the meadows. Here, in the sand hills, was not only ii 
 grovvtii of poplar large enough for the primitive uses of the 
 settlers, but not a little dwarf oak and some scattered spruce. 
 The black sand, mixed with loam, of which the hills are com- 
 posed, is only exposed where the road l)reaks through the thin 
 tinf and on some partly deiuided simimits. The hills are rarely 
 more than fortv feet hifrb. Between them are sometimes tertile 
 hay meadows, near some of which ailventurous settlers have 
 located. T ic trail winds through these wooded hills in a cir- 
 cuitous fa.shio:i. occasionallv skirting a meadow and [)resenting 
 more agreeable variety of surface a;ul shade than any other part 
 of the prairie route. 
 
 Get^logists have speculated a gooil deal on these hills, but 
 the most rational theorv of their origin I have seen is that 
 which suppose:; their successive ridges, crossing the coimtry in a 
 north aiul south line, to i)e the successive western shores of the 
 great inland lake, whicli (Mice occupied this great prairie region 
 and gradually dried up in the course of ages, as the land rose and 
 its waters found an outlet to Hudson Bay. These hills are 
 belived to have been pileil up b\- the wind upon its shore, as sand 
 hills are even now hea|K'd upon tiie shores of Lake ( )ntario, and 
 the flat prai-'ies and meadows that lie between them may be the 
 ancient lake bottom, exposed in periodical rapid recessicjtis of its 
 waters. Though these sand hills support conside'al)le vegeta- 
 tion of a certain sort, the} will never be fit for agricultural 
 lands, though they ma\' be adapted for grazing purposes! The 
 meadows, and even the lull sides, grow a coarse grass, and 
 
 
 ]:■■ 
 
 
TiiK niurisii NouriiwKST 
 
 61 
 
 civilized enterprise may supply the lack of water bv wells. 'I'lie 
 water in all this prairie rej^ion. except in a small helt of alkali 
 country east ot' EUice, is good toi" stock and even where surface 
 water is scarce, it can be obtained with ease bv dij2il''iu shallow 
 wells. ik>toie leaving the sand hills, one fact should be noted 
 of interest to Americans. The Canadian government has utilized 
 a part of them south oi' the river, as a reservation lor the Sioux 
 
 ex TRAIN ON THE PRAIRIE TRAIL. 
 
 refufjees, who fled to Canada after the Minnesota nia>^sacre in 
 1863. A wandering band of tliese was encamped at Portage la 
 Prairie when we were there. In spite of their bl<)od\ record, it 
 must be confessed they were tall, striking looking fellows, a 
 remarkable contrast to tlie fat, greasy or wriiddeil Chii^])ewas 
 native to the country. 
 
 % 
 i; 
 
 ;i 
 
 ■: ' 
 
 ,•' 
 
 W. 
 
62 
 
 Tllli nUITISH XOUTHWEST. 
 
 )me fitty or sixty m 
 
 ilcs from Fortaue la Prairie, the trail 
 
 
 •Hi 
 
 
 siuldeiily leaves the saiul hills, and, moiiiiting a gentle declivity, 
 shows the traveler a highland plain, spreading out before him as 
 far as tlie eve can reach, covered with thick, waving grass, and 
 bespangled with Hovvers, where tliese natural beauties have not 
 given place to the rich brown of the broken soil, or the darker 
 green of the waving wheat. This is the Big Prairie, or Beauti- 
 ful Prairie of local tradition. It extends some thirty or forty 
 miles along the river, and is about ten miles wide at its narrow- 
 est part. It is as rich as the Portage Prairie, and nearly as 
 densely populated since the rush of immigration witiiin the past 
 two years. The part we crossed, though only two years settled, 
 was covered with farms with substantial buildings, good fences, 
 and the best wheat 1 had seen that year anywhere, well headed 
 out and almost ready to ripen. The farmers with whom I hur- 
 riedly talked told me the soil was of marvellous richness, and, so 
 far as their brief experience went, certain to produce twenty-five 
 to thirtv bushels to the acre of the best wheat. For this there is 
 an insatiate home demand at prices ranging from $i to $1.35 per 
 bushel. One of the most notable advantages of this country is 
 its liome market for agricultural produce. With the demands of 
 the Hudson Bay Company and the government for shipment to 
 trading posts and Indian reservations farther west, and the needs 
 of incoming settlers for seed and food, this region will import 
 breadstutfs for many years, and j^rcnlucers are sure to find a home 
 market at higher prices than could be realized for export. The 
 home market for oats is even better than that for wheat. We 
 could hardly get grain for our horses, and the railroad contractors 
 were importing oats tor the use of their beasts. Oats sold for 
 $1 per bushel, which with a yield of fifty to seventy bushels per 
 acre, makes a prairie farm a mine of wealth. 
 
 We camped on tliis prairie on Thursday night, and traversed 
 the rest of it next morning. The tract we crossed lies between 
 Pine Creek, a clear, deep and rapid, though narrow stream, on 
 east, and a low range of sand liills on the west. This stream, 
 like all we crossed to the west of Rat Creek, was clear and 
 sweet, unlike the muddy tributaries of the Kcd River. This 
 prairie is abundantly watered. Where there are no streams, 
 wells twenty feet deep supply the coldest anil finest water. It is 
 
 m 
 
THE HKITISII NOIl IllWIiSr. 
 
 63 
 
 
 comparatively well wooded, too. along the streams and the nar- 
 row ridges of sand hills that cross it. Altogether, the Beautiful 
 Prairie is the most inviting spot 1 had yet seen in the Northwest. 
 West of where we crossed it, the line of settlements from Win- 
 nipeg, interrupted for a few miles by the sand hills, stretches 
 away along the river to Ellice, through the thriving new towns 
 of Rapid City, Minnedosa, Birtle, etc. Crossing the range of 
 sand hills before spoken of, our road the rest <jf the way to the 
 river, some fifteen miles, led across a ditlerent sort of country, 
 a high and level or rolling plain, with a lighter, somewhat sandy 
 soil, covered with a growth of grass less luxuriant than tlie true 
 prairie, and with stony ridges here and there. We found end- 
 less miles of this, plain west of the river. It is what the old 
 explorers described an arid desert, but it has water enough to 
 support abundant animal and vegetable life ; the best of it is 
 good farming land, antl the worst fit for grazing. At any rate, 
 settlers were taking it up so eagerly that there was no government 
 land left on the line of the railroad this side of Grand \'alley. 
 The road is pushing forward very rapidly over the section of 
 countrv just described. At the time of our journev y'radiiu'- was 
 completed continuously through the sand hills, and onlv a few 
 gaps remained to be closed to the river. The track-lavers were 
 some thirty miles west of Portage, and expected to be in Grand 
 Valley by September. 
 
 It was about the middle of Friday afternoon, the second day 
 after leaving Portage, that we drove down the sloping sides of 
 the Assinniboine \'alley to the crossing of the river at Grand 
 Valley, that and the town of lirandon on the other side King 
 spread out before us like a jianorama. with the winding river 
 half out of its bank with the June rise. King between. 
 
 W. 
 
 10 
 
II ' 
 
 -■ Mi' 
 
 'srfef^ 
 
 Vlll. 
 
 THE UPPER ASSlNNIliOINE VALLEY 
 
 THK MAGIC TOWN OF BRANDON — A CITY HORN ON I UK PRAIRIK IN A 
 NIGHT — ITS AlM'EARANCi: AT KUillT WEEKS OLD — THE RIDE VV THE 
 VALLEY TO KORT ELLICE — SOIL. MOSC^JITOES AND FREIGHTERS' 
 CARTS— ELLICE AND ITS BEAUTIFUL SITUATION — FUTURE GROWTH 
 OF TIMBER ON THE I'RAIRIES — SETTLEMENTS NORTH OF THE RIVER. 
 
 
 
 I left our wagon train on the brow of the bUilVs overlooking 
 Grand Valley and the crossin<^ of the Assinniboinc. Here we 
 got the first elVective view of the Assinnibwine after leaving 
 Winnipeg. At Portage la Prairie the river creeps througli a 
 marshy bed a mile and a half from the town, and is separated 
 from it by a slough, proliably its former bed, now full of water. 
 At Grand Valley the river flows some 150 feet wide in a bed 
 sufficiently well defined, though the high waters in June obscure 
 it somewhat, with a rapid current, and deep enough for the 
 purposes of steamboat navigation. The banks slope gradually 
 back to the prairie land, perhaps 100 feet above the water, 
 leaving a flat or bottom on the east side, which may be a mile 
 wide when it is not half covered with water, as was the case 
 when we were there. On this flat stands the town of Grand 
 Valley, an ambitious place befoie it was eclipsed by its rival on 
 on the west bunk, Brandon ; and drowned out by the flood of 
 June. Li July, 18S1, it looked forlorn and discouraged. It had 
 some twenty slight frame houses and tents, half of them in the 
 water, and some washed by the flood far from their original 
 location. The postofllce and several stores stood in the middle 
 of the rivor, apparently, and could be reached only by l)oats, and 
 
 
THE HKITISII XOKTHWEST. 
 
 65 
 
 the western end of the terry was inaccessihle to foot passengers. 
 The raihoad proj^ose to bridge the river here with as Httle dehiy 
 as possible, but it will be a task of much cost and diHiculty. 
 
 We consumed all the afternoon in <rettin<r over the river and 
 camped for the night on a corner lot in Brandon. Brandon is 
 one of those miracles of mushroom growth that spring up as if 
 by magic in scarcely more than a single night at favorable points 
 upon a new railroad. It was only two months before I was 
 there that the railroad company announced the purpose of locat- 
 ing a station and town at Brandon and began to sell business lots 
 at auction. In a few days the railroad company was ij^i 20,000 
 richer and several lunu'red enterprising speculators had town 
 lots on their hands wh'Cli had cost them from $^0 to $400 apiece. 
 Of course no time was lost in utilizing such costly property aiul 
 in two weeks the first store was up. When we were there, the 
 town had some forty or litty houses, some of i'lem large and well 
 built, but most of them temporary frame stores or claim shanties. 
 There must have been tliree or tour hundred people living where 
 two months before was naked prairie. The town is ihiely loca- 
 ted for future growth, upon high ground, with the river flowing 
 close under the low blulV at the steamboat landing and with- 
 drawing a little distance lower down, leaving a dry flat where 
 the railway buildings are to be erectetl, Wlien the railway is 
 built beyond, Brandon will certainly become an important shi[)- 
 ping and distributing point. This is the best place I saw to note 
 the evidence of immi<rration crowding into the countrv, which 
 could be seen more or less all alon<r the line. Here the swarm 
 of strangers was thickest and the competion for the worms that 
 await the early bird in a new country sharpest. Most of the 
 settlers come from Ontario, thougii there are some from other 
 Eastern Provinces, the States and Great J3ritain. Some twenty 
 or thirty miles west of Brandon was at that time the limit within 
 which all the government lands were taken up, but this was 
 rapidly ndvancing westward. This was about the western limit 
 of settlement in the Pro\ ince south of the Assinniboine. Turtle 
 Mountain, nearlv due south of Brandon, is about the western limit 
 of the line of settlement in the fertile countiy just iKnth of the 
 boundarv. There is <rood countrv west of here, however, in the 
 latitude of Turtle Mountain, as far as the wSouris River, and along 
 
 lit* 
 
 il 
 
 ■n 
 
 

 *ji.!^' 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 THE BRITISH NORTHWEST. 
 
 its tril)utaiy, tlic ripestoiie. whicli is not far south of the railway 
 line. At Oak lake, on this river, there were already the hcgin- 
 nings of a settlement, and it was thoujjfht the summer of 1SS3 
 will see a great rush into the Pipestone country. 
 
 Riding out of Brandon about 10 o'clock Saturday morning, 
 we entered upon the most monotonous part of the journey — the 
 
 
 THE FIRST BUILDING IN BRANDON. 
 
 ir 
 
 great plain that lies south of the Assinniboine, and stretches otl 
 to join the great plain of tlie Souris. The trail, closely followed 
 by the railroad line, traverses this plain from ten to twenty miles 
 from the river. As soon as the timber upon its b;Hiks becomes 
 large enough to be conspicuous, which is a short distance above 
 
THE nnnisir xoUTitwKST. 
 
 07 
 
 Brandon, one can sec its dark line almost constantly upon the 
 rij^lit ; upon the left, the Brandon Hills, a conimandintjj elevation 
 two or three hundred feet high, are the most conspicuous objects 
 south of Brandon, at first Hanked to the west hy a low ran<jjc of 
 sand hills. Between these the plain, after rising rapidly from the 
 river, seems to stretch oil' interminably upon an apparent level. 
 The soil is something like that just east of the river, but having 
 rather less black sand mixed with the surface loam, and a 
 more decided clay subsoil nearer the surface. There are stony 
 ridges here and there, where long lines of granite boulders seem 
 to have been dropped by glaciers or tloating ice. as well as 
 single erratic boulders scattered o\ er the surface. There is water 
 in surface sloughs, and lakes and wood on the witlely sepaiated 
 streams and on the sand hills. Altogether the country very 
 closely resembles the Missouri plain between the ri\er and the 
 James Valley, except that the water is better, and it has more 
 wood. The success of the wheat farms lately established west 
 of Bismarck makes it clear. I think, that wheat can be success- 
 fully raised here. Anyway, the country is being rapidly taken 
 up. We saw breaking and claim shanties thirty miles west of 
 Brandon, and the settler must go nearly as far as that to find 
 government huid open to entry. 
 
 We camped Saturday night some thirty miles from Brandon 
 with a party of railroad engineers, who had just completed the 
 location of a trial line connecting with another section to the west. 
 This party of engineers was in charge of Mr. Charles Shaw, 
 who has traveled a great deal over the region south of the 
 Assinniboinc. and whom I am indebted for some useful informa- 
 ation and intelligent observations. After ten miles more of rather 
 wet prairie, we entered the same range of sand hills we had seen 
 to the left all day Saturday, which here curves about towards 
 the river. They resemble those east of the Assinniboinc. except 
 that they arc lower ami wetter, with somewhat smaller timber. 
 Like those they may some time be utilized for grazing purposes. 
 These were ten to fifteen miles across, and, as we came out of 
 them, we ascended a rather sharp slope to a liigh, slightly rolling 
 prairie whicii continued all the way to EUice. I'his is crossed by 
 two or three streams whose deep waters and worn banks testify 
 to the increasing elevation of the plain, and whose w aters are 
 
 ;1; 
 
 '% 
 
68 
 
 THE imiTisir \oiiTin\ est. 
 
 
 
 
 pure ami sweet. Besides these there arc sloughs of surface water 
 every few miles, varyinjjf from mere bog holes to small lakes. 
 Sometimes, in spite of the elevation, the sloughs expand into 
 grass-covered marshes, thousands of acres in extent. Lack of 
 timber is the great drawback to this region, but observations 
 made at Fort Ellice and other points demonstrated that the tree- 
 less condition of tiic plains is solely owing to the annual prairie 
 fires, and that when these are checked by settlement timber w ill 
 soon grow spontaneously. The soil was rather light upon leaving 
 
 th 
 
 e sand huls but mcreases m richness tovvartl 
 
 Ell 
 
 ice. 
 
 Tl 
 
 lere 
 
 is one point in particular just to the west of a considerable 
 
 xl Gopher Creek, wh 
 
 th 
 
 lb ui 's most mvitmg m 
 appearance. As far as the eye c re "t i-es so level that 
 
 a wagon may be driven in any dirt iuii ;!>> easily as upon a trail, 
 and so rich that in s(Mne parts the g; ■ ii ..'most hidden by the 
 luxuriant growth of flowers. No settler had > oenetratetl thus 
 far, but at no distant time this plain will support a prosperous, 
 if not dense, agricultural popidation. 
 
 We made one camp on this plain which will be a memory of 
 horror through all the future lives of every member of the 
 party. It was upon a bare eminence at the siile of a grass- 
 grown slougli from which wo got water for culinary purposes, 
 and from which arose, as the shades of evening fell, such a 
 devastating insect horde as has never been seen since the last 
 grasshopper raitl. \Ve had seen mosquitoes before on the trip, 
 but being well protected, had not sutlered from them, but this 
 swarm delied snuulges, penetrated netting and resisted attacks 
 with hand and brush. They buzzed around the tent like a swarm 
 of bees and rattled against it like a shower of rain. .About 
 3 o'clock they broke into it in such numbers as to (hi\e us out, 
 to find that the horses picketed on the plain had been stampeded 
 and all but one were beyond reach. The rest of the night was 
 devoted to finding the lost stock, all but our spare pony, who 
 was never seen again, and in the morning we turned our swollen 
 and UK^ttled faces to the west and left the enemy in possession 
 of the field. 
 
 On this prairie, and. indeed, all the way from Portage to 
 QirAppelle, we were given daily proof of the surprising amount 
 of trafiic already existing between Winnipeg and the interior by 
 
 
THE BurriSH noijtiiwest. 
 
 69 
 
 the loMjif lilies of Red River carts that we met and passed. These 
 trains, coii(Uicted for the most part l)y half-breeil freighters, carry 
 all supplies between the Iliidsoii Hay posts and interior settle- 
 ments and \Vinnipe<r. The conijjany formerly monopolized the 
 trade, but the settlements are beginnin<^ to consume <;reat quanti- 
 ties of j^oods. It is estimated that i .000 carts left Winnipe*;- in the 
 sprin}^ of iSSi besides those ol'tlie company, carrying supplies of 
 food, clothing, groceries, dry goods, and agricultural and other 
 tools, to the new settlements in tlie far interior. A great many 
 of the carts were loaded with reapers, plows, threshing machines 
 and famiing mills. Sometimes the trains are made up of settlers 
 instead of freighters. One long train of carts drawn bv oxen 
 and ponies mixed, was conducted by a half-breed, who was 
 moving with all his cumbrous household goods and a great herd 
 of stock to the JJow River country, to open a stock ranch. 
 Others were bound for tlie Saskatchewan. The trail 1)\ w Inch 
 we started from Portage is the trunk line to the inferior, fiom 
 which branches spread out from time to time to Fort Pell. 
 Etlmonton, Battleford and other j^laces in the interior. JJesi" s 
 the carts, the trail was filled from time to time with great herd; 
 of cattle driving to the interior, to be sold lor beef and breet'nig 
 pn "poses. The stock is mostly bought in Minnesota and On^ 
 The cattle trade of this region is already very important, and is 
 rapidly growing more so. The Hudson Hay Comjijany's trade 
 consumes a great deal of meat. To this is now added the needs 
 of the railway workmen and of the rapidly increasing settlers, 
 who seldom bring much stock with them. and. of course, cannot 
 start herds under two or three years. The men who first seize 
 the opportunity ollercd by the natural advantages of this region 
 to start large stock farms will find an eager market and almost 
 certain wealth. 
 
 Late in the afternoon of Monda}-. the third day after leaving 
 Hrandon, our train drew near Fort Ellicc. We foinid the trail 
 turning northward towards the river and were warned b)- the 
 precipitous banks of the creeks we crossed of the depth of the 
 valley we were approaching. None of the strangers to the 
 country were prepared for the striking spectacle that j^rcsented 
 itself to their eyes, accustomed to the dull monotony of prairie 
 scenery, as the road, after winding through a thick growth of 
 
 \ 
 
 i'\ 
 
 I i 
 
 ii! 
 
 t ■ 
 
 ii: 
 
 lit 
 
70 
 
 TlIK HKlTISIl NO rilWKST. 
 
 '!'• 
 
 timber. siuMenly cmc:<fC(l upon the brink of die valley. The 
 Abslmiiboine hero flows thunitrji a valley nearly two miles wide 
 and .ISO tc(^t below the level of the plain. A .short distance above 
 the post it is joined by the \ alley of the (^n'Appelle River, and 
 just below by the valley of Ik-aver Creek, alonjj which the roail 
 enters. The sides of all the valleys are [jrecipitons and covered 
 
 
 '0' 
 
 STEAMER NORTHWEST AT THE BRANDON LANDING. 
 
 with a thick forest, niui the view from the bi'ink is picturesf|uc 
 and strikiniT in 'he e\trenic. The post, a (|uadran<ijle of low 
 buildin<4s. stands on the ed;j;e of the vallev comniandin;^ a losely 
 view of the rich bottom lands below, with the company's farm, 
 the steamboat landiii:^-, stores and warehouses. This is the head 
 
line liunisii .Noit I iiu i;sr. 
 
 71 
 
 
 of stcainbont navi^jntioii on tlic Assiiiiiil)«>ine. 'I'lic- river is oviT 
 lil'ty feet wide here ami iiieanders h.aU iiiul fnitli fnnu one side 
 to the other in the level valley like a rilihou of sil\i-r. The post 
 is an imporlant one. haviii'^ jiirisdic tion o\c r sf\(.r;il suhoidinate 
 posts, and doinj; a consideiahle trade. The plain hel'ore ihe 
 bnildin<;s is full of carts, which are constantly anivin>4 and 
 departinjf, and there is a lart;e camp of half-breed freii^diters, as 
 well as the inevitable villaj^i' of la/y and l>c<4<«;in^ Indians. 'I'he 
 olVicer in charge of the post is Mr. Archibald McDonald. lie 
 «jave me one very instinctive piece of information : that tlu' tlii( k 
 timber which clothes the \allcy sides has nearly all i,Mow n up 
 within the last ten \cars — since the paitial settlement of the 
 country and the makiiijf of a net-work ot' beaten trails has 
 checked the annual prairies tires. This statement was confirmed 
 bv a reference to the text and illustrations of Prof. I lind's account 
 of the Assinniboine Valley, written tweiiU -three Ncar^a^if.). The 
 promise that settlement will clothe these naked piarics with 
 forests has a very important bearing; upon tlic future of this 
 region. 
 
 There is little settlement on tlu> south Inuik oi the Assinni- 
 boine near I'Lllice. t!u>u<4h one can see the i^rei-n bluffs on the 
 opposite side dotted w ith new houses as far as the v\'.- can reach. 
 This is the continuation of the line of setflemeiil north oi' the 
 river, before alluded to. The wa\e of emiiffration aloni:;- this line 
 reached the Little vSaskatciiew an. thirt\ miles below, four \ears 
 ago, and Rapid Cit\' was ioundcd. It stcadib' advanced, and 
 the vounger towns of Miimedosa and Hirlle have s[)runi;' up in 
 its course. The \ anj^uard kept on. and tin.' last settler's house is 
 now four miles above b^llice. 'i'his is not tiie limit of present 
 habitation northwestward, bv an\ means. I met at Fort b^llice 
 one of the proprietors of a saw mill and flourin^j mill at Prince 
 Albert, on the vSaskatchew an. ^loo miles from its mouth, who 
 toKl me tliev had a settlement there of one or two thousand peo- 
 ple. \\ith improN'ed farms, and the Ix'^innin^ of a j^ood lumt)er 
 trade. At Edmonton, at tlie foot of the Rockies, on the same 
 river, there aie already old settlements and improved fums. I 
 was told of one man who made $20,000 in four years raisinnr 
 wheat, selling all his product at home, to the post and settlers. 
 
 II 
 

 
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 rilKOUlJM sroUM AND l>|.;sKHl To \ SUNNV |-|< AlUll. I' 
 
 DAY 
 
 WAITINC. I OR TMK PI.OU 
 
 \u A 1)1 si: 
 
 AM) XI(;ilT - A III NOKKIJ MILKS Ol KK II lAKMINCi LAN 
 
 A W F.T 
 
 U 
 
 TIl-lI, VALI.KY AND KosAKV <M -l'\KKI.l\(; I.AKI 
 LAST CAMP. 
 
 TIIK POST AT <^i; APPKM.l; — A HIAIJ- 
 
 SIT I I.NCi m I.L S 
 
 T 
 
 ic last sta^c of my prairie joiirncv from Fort Fll 
 
 ICC 
 
 C^irAppillc was ail ideal trip 
 
 to 
 
 in man\ respects. It iie^xaii amid 
 
 (livarv diseomfort and hairemiess. clumjied to lirii,dit. cheerful 
 fertile suiioiiiuliii^rs, and vnckd at the most charming- spot I 
 have seen in Canada. C^iWppelli' is about the middle of tl 
 fishino- lakes on the (.^u'Appelle Kiver. liy whose \viiulin<,'s it 
 300 miles from the continence of that stream with the Assinni- 
 
 10 
 
 is 
 
 boine. 1>\- trail, as iieailv as d 
 
 istaiices can be determined in thij 
 
 recj^ion of shiftiii<,r routes and loose estimates, it 
 
 El 
 
 \V 
 
 is 130 miles fioin 
 
 lice. 
 
 40 from lirandoii. 330 from I'ortai^a'. and 390 fro 
 innipei^. 'J'he railroad will piol.al.ly reduce that distam 
 
 in 
 
 nearly one-fourth. We drove from Fllice to (^^u'Appelle in three 
 days, startin;^- early on a Wi'dnesday moruino-. )iist a week from 
 the (lay on which we left Forta<,re. The trail, still well beaten 
 by the long trains of heavv carts thai traverse it dailv. stril 
 
 \es 
 
 iiearh (\uc west from El 
 
 with .something- like accuracv t 
 
 ice. and follows the C^u'ApiH'lle Valley 
 
 or Ileal 
 
 Iv tl 
 
 le wliole 
 
 (list, 
 
 nice. 
 
 P'or the tirst tift\- miles, th 
 
 e country traxersed was f(;rbiddini;- and 
 
 unattractive. 'J'lu- so. was rich enough, but it was low. I>o<4<^v 
 and clothed with a rou_i;li growth of stunted semi-marsh shrul)s. 
 It is a g-ood deal like I'le land east of the Red River, only 
 rou"-her. It mav be ijartlv drained 
 
 so!!ic ume ami serve 
 
 as 1 
 
 lav 
 
74 
 
 •UK luiirisii \()K I ii\vi;sT. 
 
 
 Nil 
 
 meadow. Imt it w ill iu'MT be takiii for ao^ricultmal laiul by any 
 one w !io puslifs on tbronj;li it as wi- did and sees \\ iiat lio 
 bcximd. The difariiiL'ss ol' tlic lirst ilay's journey was inteiisilicd 
 by ihf lirst lain ol" the trip, a driz/.lintj; persistent storm tliat 
 tli'enehed the \\ liole part\ to tiie skin in spite of rubber eoats 
 and I'lankels. \Vv ate tUnnei' standin;^ in the lain \\ ith water lor- 
 loihK drippinj4 from our hat brims into tlie cotlee cups. Perhaps 
 a moie disconsohite pait\ of amateurs ne\er stretched a wet tent 
 and spiead damp lilauket> u|ion sodden ;r{)mid iifty miks iVom 
 a Inmian liabitation. and strat^Liled oil" throunh pouring' rain and 
 water-laden ij^rass after remote timbei'. than ours, when we went 
 into camp that nij^ht. A roarins;' lire soon dried and warmed 
 us outside, however, and a hot supper did the business for the 
 interioi-. and the nii^ht's rest was better than could have been 
 expected in spite ol' continued rain without. 
 
 In tlu' moiiiin;4' tlie weather imi)ro\"ed, l)Ut tlie countrx' did 
 not until ue iiad diixeii some ten or tweKe nules. Then the 
 sloughs began to (li>appeai' and the rough hununocks to be 
 succeeded b\ genth' rounded ennnences crowiud with smooth 
 tur'" We did not realize the change until. dii\ii\g up on a 
 higher hill, we saw spread before us. as tar as we could see. the 
 most beautiful prairie 1 ha\e \ el crosseil in the Xoithwesl. It 
 was as 'ertile over large tracts as the Portage prairie, more xaried 
 in sui I ue ai'-d better woock'd. We were ne\er out of siglit i>t' 
 timl'cr i>n the banks of the (^u'Appelle and the hills to tlu- south, 
 and trecpently passed little chimps of trees about the water. 
 Uhe sloughs .if die ccjuntry are here changed to charming little 
 lakes, oiten w ith lirm. grass\- liaiiks, sometimes surrounded with 
 trees. Ihese form the principal \valer su))])ly. though the tract 
 is crossed b\ two considerable creeks, 'I'he iirairie is routihlv 
 bounded on the south b\ sr\eral ranges ol' hills, tlie Weedv and 
 Wolf .Mountains, some twent\-li\e to thiitv miles from the river, 
 and extends as lar as (^u'Appelle at least, about seventy miles. 
 It probably leaches lift\- miles I'm ther west. JSouth of its southern 
 ranges of hills is the great plain of the Souris. whose adaptabilitv 
 for settlement is yet in dispute. Idiere will be time enough to 
 settle it whili" this great tract of undoubtedlv fertile land is filling 
 up. for no settler has yet entered it, and, so far as [ know, not 
 an acre of land is \et sokl. 
 
 x^ 
 
 ^'^' 
 
TIIIC HUM ISII \()1! 1•II^VI■.ST 
 
 75 
 
 For the llrst lew niilrs of this prjiiric. the coiiiitrv is soincwlKit 
 too rolliiiji; to strikf the l";mcv of (he lici\ lUwv \';illev t-irmer, 
 thoii<,'ii the soil is imil'ormK- rich, heiu^- a stioii^. hhicis loam, 
 with the usual clay subsoil. Theie are Inie lewl lui'adows on 
 this part, however, and the little lakes are most mmierous there. 
 
 "v 
 
 
 ( 
 
 i 
 1 I 
 
 
 \_ 
 
 /' /' 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 
 \ 
 
 
 POST BUILDING!? AT FORT ELLK.E. 
 
 makiii;4 it adiuirahlv adapt(;d lor stock faruiiiiL;-. I'^irther on the 
 soil becomes ^radualU more le\cl. until we touiul whole .sections 
 smooth and appari'iitlv as well kept as a lawn. Tlie vegetation 
 is thick, fine u^rass, diversiliiNl with llowfis. This wa.s the only 
 place on the trip w heie we saw the lanious bullalo grass, sure 
 si<>ii of a fertile soil. The plain was also coxered with old 
 
76 
 
 THE lUUTISH NOUTllWKST. 
 
 '.^1 
 
 m'l 
 
 butValo trails in every description. Animal nfe, rare enough 
 upon llie plains at tliis season, is more abuhdant on this plain 
 than elsewhere. We saw pheasants, plove ■, curlew, snipe, a 
 ilozen vaiieties of birds not known to the sportsman, hawks, 
 crows and a tew ducks. Crossin<^ a creek ei<^hteen miles from 
 Qii'Appelle. we passed a tract of country six or eij^lit miles 
 wide, which is tlie (jnlv land tor the whole seventy miles whose 
 agricultural character is doubtful. The land is level and the 
 soil exceeding rich. l)ut it is heavy, cold and tenacious, and has 
 been raised by the action of frost iiiti> small hummocks which 
 make it like a cordurov road to drive over. The ve<jetation here 
 is of a diderent character, the tine ^rass giving way to coarse 
 weedy. Leaving this, we found the old familiar prairie, with 
 gently rolling hills and clumps of trees, increasing in number as 
 we approached tiie river, until the road wound through the most 
 beautiful park region imaginable, with vistas of wooded hillside 
 and meadow and occasional glimpses of the wooded banks of the 
 river between them. The (^u'Appelle River, like the Assimii- 
 boine. Hows through a vallev one to two miles wide and about 
 250 feet below tiie prairie level. The banks are less wooded 
 than tiiose of EUice, permitting the contour of their symmetrically 
 rounded hills to be plainly seen. The clay of the prairie has 
 been cut by water action into a thousand varying shapes, without 
 a sharp angle in any of them, and all is clothed in green grass. 
 A dry coolie, running into the river at right angles at this point 
 makes a projecting promontory antl adds to the picturesque 
 ctVect. 
 
 Unlike Fort EUice, the buildings at Qii'Appelle are w ithin the 
 valley, and it is necessary to descend a most precipitous wagon 
 road to reach them. Half way down one turns a sharp corner, 
 and comes in view of a beautiful sheet of water', filling the whole 
 width of the vallev. with white roofs shining through the trees, on 
 either side of the small, clear and rapiti stream that flows out of it. 
 This is No. 3 of the fisiiing lakes, famous in the primitive annals 
 of the Northwest. There are lour of these lakes, eipansions of 
 the river, extending Ave oi' six miles along the valley. They are 
 forty to tifty feet deep, c-f clear water and gravel bottom, and still 
 full of excellent lish. When the (Qii'Appelle lakes become gen- 
 erally known and easier of access, their softer beauties will rival 
 
 ■ 
 
 ' 
 
 ': 
 
 
THE BUITlSir NORTHWEST. 
 
 i i 
 
 
 the ni,2:gc(l iittrnctions of the Lake of tlic Woods as a Canadian 
 watering place. The river, between Second and Third Lakes, 
 is nearly a mile long, and in iiigh water, some twenlv-live 
 feet wide, with sandy bottom and a swift cinrent. There was 
 formerly an Anglican mission on this stream, but it has been 
 superseded by a Hudson Bay post and a mounted police station. 
 The post is less important than tiiat at Fort EUice. and is in 
 charge of Mr. Archie McLean, who was absent when we were 
 there. Five low stucco buildings, including a comfortable res- 
 idence and a meagerly supplied store, all surrounded bv a stockade, 
 comprise the post. 'I'here arc fifty mounted police at the station, 
 under command of a commissioner. These mounted j>olice form 
 the whole military t'orce of the Dominion government. Thev 
 number 300 in all, and their chief station is at Woody AFountain. 
 Their nominal business is to keep the Indians in order, but their 
 real chief occupation is the supjiression of the illicit wliisky 
 trade, all exportation of tratlic in Heaven's last, best jrift being 
 strictly prohibited in the Northwest Territory. The police have 
 comfortable barracks across the stream from the foit, but live in 
 tents on the shore in summer. The Indian agent has also a 
 comfortable house on the same side. There are two or three 
 large reservations near here; and. as the annual payment was 
 near at the time we were there, the flat was coxered with 
 teepees of Crows and Sauteaux. generall}' degenerate, uninter- 
 esting specimens of the noble red man. Sitling Bull, who was 
 a resident of Qu'AppclK tor a year or so. left two weeks before 
 we were theic. He was camped on thi- piairie above the post, 
 with a beggarly following of old men and squaws, till he moved 
 south. 
 
 Sunday was our last day at Qjii'Appelle. wheic we camped by 
 the river for two days to rest the horses. We spent the morniiig 
 bathing on a smooth, hard, sand beach, the future Cape May of 
 the Northwest, view hinUing on the hills, where every one of a 
 tliousand rouiided points oilers a new visla of lake, wood, hill 
 and plain, and looking over the farm of llie mounted [)()liee. on 
 the river flat. This farm, like that at Fort ''.llice. (they are 
 more like gardens in size and appearance,) has been brought to 
 a high state of productiveness with very little cultivation. 'I"he 
 cereals, esculents and aT garden vegetables grow here in great 
 
78 
 
 Till'; Hurrisii NoiniiwKsr. 
 
 :i.ih 
 
 perfection and profusion. The climate is perceptibly warmer 
 and the seasons lon<^er than on the Red Ri\er. and the conditions 
 of production approach Ihose of the marvelous Saskatchewan. 
 About I o'clock our equipa<;e was packed and we paintully 
 climbed the precipitous valley wall to retrace our 300 mile 
 journey to the end of the railroad. 
 
 The most memorable incident of our sojomu at (^u'Appelle 
 \vas a visit to the deserted camj) of Sittinq; Bidl. just before oiu' 
 departure, upon the blulV above the post. The notable savage 
 has an eye for scenery certaiidy. His site was tastefully chosen 
 upon a bold point of the bhill'. commanding a noble outlook of 
 perhaps ten miles up and down tlie vallev, with the plain and 
 post buildings in the foreground, and the two lakes, backed by 
 wooded hills, stretching oil' in the distance. The ground was 
 trodden nearly bare in spots and covered with the remains of 
 burnt-out camp tires. Oidy the frame of one teepee remained 
 standing, though the ruins of a dozen more strewed the 
 ground. Here the forlorn old savage camped with the few 
 ancient followers who remain faithful to him. until he broke 
 caiup to return to the Uniteil States. The artist of the party 
 assuaged his keen disappointment at his failure to train his 
 camera upon the wily warrioi- by a characteristic stroke of 
 enterprise. He induced a greasy Crec who was shooting 
 gophers for his supper upon the plain to pose himself majes- 
 tically in the deserted teepee, antl by the time this is in print all 
 the train fiends runnintJ^ out of Far":o will be sellincj deluded 
 passengers the only portrait ever taken of the renowned Sioux 
 warrior. Sitting; Bull. 
 
 .Ii 
 
 '. 1 ;' 
 
X. 
 
 RHTRO(iRAl)I': MOVEM i:\TS. 
 
 IIIKRETUKN- JOURNIiY TO Wl NNKlMCCi —A STAUTMNti AM) DKADLY STUKM 
 — UKAHSAY r.VIDKNCE AS TO I'AKTS ol TIIK I'KAIKIK KMIMKK NOT 
 I'KKSONALLY VISITKO — Till-: KUTURK CATTLK RANCIIKS OK CANADA 
 AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCKMENT — HR ANCII LINES TO UE .sURVKYKH 
 BY THE SYNDICATE, 01>ENIN(; THE SASKATCHEWAN VALLEY AND THE 
 SOUKIS COAL I- lELDS — PROMISE OK THE LATTER. 
 
 A route traversed twice in opposite directions presents a 
 curiously dillcrent appearance to tiie traveler upon the retuin 
 trip, tlK)U<;h the objects seen are the same ; hut a second 
 dcscri])tion of it is a twice told tale. It is enou^'-h to sav ot' 
 our return trip from (^I'Appelle to Winnipeg- that it was made 
 with the utmost speed that could he pounded out of our tiled 
 steeds and with no noteworthy incident until we reached iiran- 
 don. This nia^ic city of eii^ht weeks aye hatl apparentlv almost 
 doubled in size (lurin<j^ the three weeks of our absence, and 
 l)uildin<>;s were madly rushing- u]i with more histe than ever. 
 We crossed the River from Grand \'alley and spent the ni<rht 
 there in a canvas boardiny- tent. Here we experienced one of 
 the few sensations (jf a j^enerally tame trip, in the shaj;e of an 
 electric hail and wind storm, which came whoopin^- down the 
 valley, tingino- the sky with a livid green, lashing the rivei 
 into breakers and threatening evervthinir al)o\ e 'jround with 
 destruction. The linest store in Grand X^dley was blown ii » 
 a shapeless heap of ruins, and the whole population of tiie 
 canvas boarding tent sj^ent an hour bracing against its flimsv 
 frame to prevent its destruction. The storm was circular, shit't- 
 
 12 
 
80 
 
 THE HKITISH NOHTIIWKSl 
 
 ing fVoiii west to cast in an horn's time and llowin':^ with a force 
 not casv to conceive. An enjji'ineer's camp near by was struck 
 h\ li":htiiin<j: : six men slnnned and two killed. 
 
 The morninir ilawned clear after the storm, and twentv-foiir 
 hours' drivin^,^ with a fresh team brought us to the end of the 
 railroad track, whei-e we hoped to catch on to a construction 
 
 m 
 
 : >i 
 
 t'^&f 
 
 SITTING BULL'S LAST CAMP. 
 
 ':!>■■ 
 
 <A. 
 
 train. Hire fortunate than our hopes, we found the ilirectors' 
 car of the Canadian Pacific, and, responding to a courteous 
 invitation, underwent the most rapid revolution in traveling 
 surroundings in the history of our journey. From the hard- 
 ships, discomfort and dirt of prairie travel ; from comfortless 
 buckhoards, tired ponies and hare tents, we were removed in a 
 
 l\ 
 
TiiK HKirisii \()U I iiwi'sr 
 
 SI 
 
 cc 
 ck 
 
 nil' 
 he 
 on 
 
 i-s' 
 us 
 
 d- 
 
 ss 
 
 tvviiikliii"^- to all the luxiii ions smiomKlings of a palace car and 
 VvhisUed over the reiiiiiiiiiu;^ twenty miles ot' our joiiruev at a 
 rate of speed rarely attained by other than railroad otlicials. 
 
 This trip from \\'imiipe<i^ to (^u'Appelle consumes t.-n davs' 
 time, whicli is a ^ood deal in a slioit human life, hut after all, 
 it shows the traveler onh' a minute traction of thi^ vast prairie 
 empire. The journev of 300 miles is on!\ one-fourth of the 
 whole ilistance from the Kid Ri\er to the Kockv Mountains, 
 and the narrow strip of eonntis tra\ersed is a mea>^re sample 
 from 'vhich to jud^e of the immense tract spreading; from the 
 American bouiular}' to the At!ial-aska River. I ha\e tried to 
 supplement my own observations throuj^h intjuiries of the con- 
 ventional intelligent nati\e ; but it is not eas\' to ij^et accurate 
 information about this countrv bevond the limits of oni 's per- 
 sonal observation. The people who have traversed it are maiidy 
 traders, most of whom are iLfuorant halt-bieeds. and all of whom 
 go through it with eyes closed to its a<;ricullural capabilities. I 
 have received absolutely contradictor}- reports ot" the country oidy 
 a hundred miles from the lin.e of mv journey, and tVom the home 
 of the persons makin;.;- the statement. What I write is the mean 
 of perhaps a do/en compared and anahzed reports. I have 
 describeil the C()untr\' on both sides of the Assiiuiib(nt 1; far 
 west as Fort Ellice. The strip of fine country al(jn<r tii south 
 bank from Ellice to (^u" V|ipelle reaches from tweiitv to lilf.y 
 miles soutli, to the hue oi' i,'le\ation named at ditlerent con- 
 spicuoU'^ points the M<jOse Mountain, the \\eed\ and Wolf Hills. 
 Bevond the>-e the <^reat plain of the Souris, whose northern etii^e 
 tliey form, stretches away scuithward to th.e American bountlary. 
 This plain is described as arid and treeless, but the experience 
 of American settlers with sn)iilar |)lains in Dakota tbrbid the 
 hast\' conclusion that it is uninhabitable. Westward the same 
 topographical condition prevails. The t'ertile strip south of the 
 C^u'Appelle reaches nearh to tiie South .Saskatchewan. Farther 
 west the hii^h plain to the south ^radualix invades it and narrows 
 its width. The head waters of the (,^u'.\ppelle are very near tiie 
 great Ijend or elbow of the South Saskatchewan. Cien. Rosser, 
 the Canadian Pacific chief enj^i-inecr, has visited this point, antl 
 found the country stnxly and barren. The bulk of the testimony 
 is that the whole of the great plain on either side of the Sas- 
 
82 
 
 THK nUITISIf NOUTHWEST. 
 
 
 .:"' 
 '»;'.-i 
 
 
 
 va '■ 
 
 ':;■;! 
 
 katcliewaii, west of the ell)o\v. is of the same iliibioiis character 
 as t!ie Soiiris phiin, but Mr. Tu[)per, Dominion Inspector of 
 Tclet^raphs. insists that most of it is well watered and feilile. 
 
 West of this wide ])lain. lyiiiij north antl soutli alonj^ the 
 Rocky Mountain chain, is the re<]jion of the How anil Hilly 
 Rivers, two tributaries of the Saskatchewan, a fertile, well- 
 wooded and watered district, said to lie admirably ailapted t(< the 
 raisiu'j: of cattle. A jjfood manv ranches are already establisiied 
 there, and its conditions of climate and tbrage supply will soon 
 be tested. 
 
 The most notable experiment in cattle raising in this region 
 is about to l)e made by Mr. Cochrane, a well-known Ontario 
 writer, who had just concluded arrangements with the Govern- 
 ment tor opening a '■■\nch on How River. He has leased 36.000 
 acres of [)ublic land for twenty-one years, at a rate absolutelv 
 nominal, and is to secure ownership of one-lifth of it at a j^rice 
 almost so. He has purchased in Ontario, America anil England 
 several of the thiest thoroughbred cattle and horses to be had 
 for money. He is arranging to import 10.000 Montana cows 
 and commence building on a large scale, lie had not visited 
 his future houie when I was in Canada, though his stock wjts on 
 the \\ ., ; but he \\ as confident from the result of his inquiries 
 of the ultimate success of his \euture. A good many less 
 extensive and somewhat unauthori/ed experiments in cattle 
 raising are said to be iioinj-' on in How River country. 
 
 North of tile (^I'Appelle the country has been more thoroughly 
 explored and the sources of hiformation are less doubtful. The 
 triangle between the Assimu' ■ 'ine and (^^u'Apixlle is traversed 
 by several old Ilud.son Ha\ tiails. and is piilt\ well known. It 
 is fertile, well watered and has a uood deal of timber alonu" the 
 streams and on the Touchwood Hills. vSettlers are fast working 
 towards this region, along the line of the Assiiuiil^oine. West 
 of the Touchvvcjod Hills the country does not seem to be so well 
 known, but it has several considerable streams and lakes. Long 
 Lake, northwest of C^u'Appelle. is sixty miles long. ami. like the 
 Fishing Lakes of Qii'Appelle, is the expansion of a small creek 
 filling its excavated valley. The westward boundary of this 
 
 re<rion is the .South Saskatchewan, which turns 
 
 nor 
 
 th f 
 
 rom 
 
 th( 
 
 
 r 
 
 elbow and runs parallel with and about fifty miles from the 
 
THE BIUTISH NOHTHWEST. 
 
 88 
 
 north hraiicli. Here we get out of the region of uncertainty 
 again into tlie famous valley of the North Saskatchewan, known 
 tiuough a century's navigation of its broad stream, and whose 
 fertility is a proverb. It seems to be the plan of the railway to 
 skirt this Saskatchewan Valley, keeping as far to the south as 
 possible. The trial line now surveying passes sixteen miles 
 south of C^u'Appelle, and will probalily touch the (^u'A[)pelle 
 River near Long Lake, tiien keep on south of the South Sas- 
 katchewan to a point above the mouth of its aflhient, the Red 
 Deer River. Here it will cross the Saskatchewan, and strike 
 directly through the fertile How River regions to the Rocky 
 Mountains. The immediate objective point here is Fort Gal- 
 garry on the Bow River, about latitude tifty-one. 
 
 The very day of my return to Wiimipeg an aimouncement was 
 made there of great significance to the future of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway. At a meeting of the principal directors, it 
 had been decided to order (lie survey of thiee \eiv important 
 branch lines. One of tiiese, to be called the Souris branch, will 
 leave the main line at Brantlon, cross the intervening countrv to 
 a l^aiut near the conlhience of Pipestone Creek with the Souris 
 Ri^jy, thence pass up the Souris Valley to the 104th meridian. 
 Anotlier to be called the Assiimiboine branch, will leave the 
 main stem east of Brandon, strike northerly ihrcnigh the line of 
 settlements on the north bank of the Assiimiboine. and tinallv 
 reach the Touchwood Hills, almost due north of Qii'Appelle. 
 This will satisfv the clamor of tiie towns ah^ng the line of the 
 old survey for railway communication. A third branch, to be 
 calletl the vSaskatchewan brancli. will lea\ e the main line some 
 sixty miles west of Qii'Appelle, near tlie junction of Long Lake 
 with the river, i>ass northwestwardly along the hike to the 
 South Saskatchewan, whicli it will cross near the liftv-second 
 parallel, thence tlnough the entire lengtii of the North Sas- 
 katchewan Valley through Battleford to Edmonton. I also 
 learned, what everybody within the reach of newspapers learned 
 three weeks before, that the Winnipeg city council had voted a 
 bonus to the Southwestern branch of the Canadian I'acific, and 
 that work had been at once begun upon a line running from 
 Winnipeg southwest to the Pembina Mountain, thence westward 
 to the Turtle Mountain, thus opening to the world the whole 
 
o4 
 
 THE BRITISH NORTHWRST. 
 
 belt of populous settlements along tlic American boundary. 
 Tliese branches will pretty tborou^iily gridiron the country 
 with railroads and occupy the field lor a generation to come, 
 
 
 hi 
 1 1 rtl 
 
 IH'E 
 
 •Hi 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 
 
 Wl 
 
 to the exclusion ot" any other railway enterprise. It is a 
 fact of some interest that the syndicate will have a land grant 
 along all the branches. It seems that, though the railroad act 
 does not make special provisions for a land grant to branches, 
 it provides, in case the main line grant does not supply the 
 requisite 25,000.000 acres, iiidemnitv lands may be taken along 
 branches. It is estimatetl tiiat it will take all the lines whose 
 survey has been ordered to make up the aggregate. 
 
 The Saskatchewan branch has the first absolute importance, 
 since it will penetrate the famous fertile belt of the great river 
 and open to settlement the choicest agricultural lands ol tlie 
 Northwest. The Souris branch has an immediate importance, 
 however, secontl to no other, since it will penetrate the famous 
 coal fields of the Souris. Tliese promise the best c >al in the 
 Northwest Territory. I talked witli two or three intelligent 
 persons who had personally visited the Souris coal region, just 
 north of the American boundary, and made a careful inspection 
 of the coal formations. The country along the bank oC^he 
 river is described as rocky and barren and unfit for agricultural 
 purposes. The geological formation is cretaceous sand Vock, 
 rising on the banks of the river into abrupt clifis worn by the 
 action of water, wind and weather into a thousand picturesque 
 and fantastic shapes. I picture to myself from the description 
 something like the Missouri bail lands, with sand rock instead 
 of clay bultes and without burnt coal or scoria. The coal strata 
 are exposed on the banks of the river, and lie in two tlistinct 
 groups. The upper group of strata, not far below the surface, 
 are two or three feet thick, are simple lignite in constitution, 
 and are clearly the same strata exposed in the Missouri bad 
 lands. This coal is still considered of doubtful value, though 
 industrious and enthusiastic experimenters in the United States 
 are confident that they can contrive some form of furnace in 
 which it may be burned successfully. The second series of coal 
 strata, lying many feet below the first, is of a greater geologic 
 age and more substantial character. It is still lignite, but 
 consoliilated by age and pressure, like the cretaceous coal of 
 
 I 
 
 -» 
 
 4^1 
 
Tin: HIUTISll NOinilWKST. 
 
 ICilinontoii and Rrilisli Coluinhia. Mv intuiinaiit, Mr. SI 
 
 85 
 
 uiw ot 
 
 tlic I':ii<jiucfr Corps, made personal examination of one of tliese 
 lower Sonris heds lyin<; near the level of the river. aiK cnt 
 thron^di twelve feet of it hefore reaching; tiie hottoni. '{'he coal 
 lay between iiidnrated clay strata resemhlin-,' not very remotely 
 the shales of the true coal measures. 'i"he i:(lmonton coal, 
 which this .so closely rescml)les. has been pronounced hv practical 
 experimenters well suited to all domestic and mannfacturin<,'- 
 purposes. It is not unreasonable to suppose that tiie S«)uris 
 mines will be promjjtly developed, when tiie railway shall have 
 opened a [^ath to them, and that the coal, beinj^- distributed over 
 the network of Canadian Pacific lines, will form a contribution 
 of incalculal 'e value to the treeless regions of the Northwestern 
 phiius. 
 
 
 
 \)