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THE

OAl^ADIAI^ GUIDE-BOOK

PART II

toeetern €anaha

INCLUDING

THE PENINSULAR AND NORTHERN REGIONS OF ONTARIO

THE CANADIAN SHORES OF THE GREAT LAKES

THE LAKE OF THE WOODS REGION

MANITOBA AND THE "GREAT NORTHWEST"

THE CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND NATIONAL PARK

BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND

BY f

ERNEST INGERSOLL

FORMERLY NATCRALI8T WITH THE HAVDEN SURVEY IN THE WEST

AUTHOR OF THE CREST OF THE CONTINENT, KNOCKING ROUND THE ROCKIES

FRIENDS WORTH KNOWING, THE ICE QUEEN, ETC.

WITH MAPS AND MANY ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON

WILLIAM HEINEMANN

1892

Printed in America.

03 ■

^<5.^?4-

CONTENTS.

FAOB

Introduction 1

QUEBEC AND ONTARIO.

Montreal and Toronto 5

Montreal to Fort William 7

The Ottawa Valley 9

Opportunities for the Sportsman 15

The Nlpiesing District jj-

Lake Nipiesing to Lake Superior 22

North Shore of Lake Superior 27

The Nepigon Region 3g

TOUR OF THE UPPER LAKES.

The Peninsula of Ontario 39

From Toronto to Owen Sound 50

The Tour of Lake Huron 52

St. Mary's River gg

Sault Ste. Marie gg

Across Lake Superior 7q

From the " Soo " to Thunder Bay 78

Thunder Cape and Silver Islet 79

Along the Eastern Shore gj

Port Arthur to Winnipeg g3

Around Thunder Bay gg

The Kaministiquia River gg

Westward from Fort William gQ

The Lake of the Woods gg

The End of the Forest 97

CONTENTS.

THE GREAT NORTHWEST.

PAGK
NOBTHWEBTERN PHYSICAL GeOORAPHT 06

Manitoba jOg

Winnipeg and Vicinity 100

Railway Routes 122

Steamlioats 12g

Stage Lines ll^g

Sport in Manitoba 120

Across the Plains 180

The Assiniboine Valley 180

Portage la Prairie and Brandon 185

Assiniboia 186

The Qu'Appelle Valley and northward 186

Along the South Saskatchewan 141

To Prince Albert 148

The Riel Rebellion 144

From the Prairies to the Cattle Plains 180

Albebta 168

Calgary and the Ranching District 155

The Alberta Coal Region 159

On the North Saskatchewan 168

Into the Far North 164

British Columbia 166

Across the Canadian Rocky Mountains 166

Bow River Valley 171

Banff Springs and Rocky Mountain Park 175

Opportunities for Sportsmen 180

Kicking-horse Pass 196

From the Summit to the Columbia 300

Scenery at the Summit 301

The Western Sub-ranges 808

The Columbia and the Kootenay 806

Golden to Donald 806

The Ascent or the Selkirks 806

The Selkirk Glaciers 813

Other Glaciers and Snow-fields 817

Sport and Natural History 810

The Western Slope of the Selkirks 881

The Albert Cafion 884

The Columbia Valley 886

Revelstoke and its Mines 887

The Kootenay Country 888

The Eraser Valley 881

The Thompson and Okinagan Valleys

The Central Valley of British Columbia

Through the Eraser Cafion

CONTENTS.

CANADA'S PACIFIC COAST AND ISLANDS.

NkW WBSTMmBTER AND THE FraseR DeLTA '^^J

City of Vancouver .... *^

Vancouver Island .....* *^

Across the Strait of Georgia **

Victoria .....' *"

Esquimau ....'.'.' *^

Excursions up the Coast ^''

To Nanainio and Comox ^^

To Alaska and return **

859

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

pacimo page

Parliament-IIouwe, Ottawa 8

The Sault Ste. Marie Ship-Canal (View of the Locks, looking toward

Lake Superior) 78

Red Suckek Point, Lake Supeiuor 88

Elevators at Fort William 86

Kat Porta(je, Lake of the Woods 94

Medicine Hat, N. W. T 152

Bow River Valley, from Upper Hot Hprinos 172

Hotel, from over Bow Falls, Banff 178

Hermit Range, from Si'mmit 198

The (ireat Glacier 214

Mount Sir Donald 218

Ross Peak Glacier 222

Rocky Mountain Sheep 282

Cariboo Road Bridge, above Spuzzum 240

Yale, British Columbia 244

Indians near New Westminster 248

Roadway in Stanley Park, Vancouver 252

The Gorge of the Homathco 254

Johnston Strait 258

MAPS.

Map of Nepigon River 83

Canadian National or Rocky Mountain Park 174

Map of Ontario /« Pocket.

Map of Northwestern Canada "

M ^p OF British Columbia "

INTKODIK^TIOK.

W(;Ntcrii t'aiiHdii, for the purposes of this book, may lu> tiikon
to nii'un tlic pnihiHutar n^/iou of Ontario, and all that part of the
Dominion northw(;st of tlic thickly si'ttlod portions of Ontario. It will
thus include the ('anadian shores of Lake Krie and Lake Kuron;
the head-waters of the (Htawa; the borders and islands of C>eorKian
Bay ; the northern shore of Lake Nuperior ; the watery wilderness
between there and Hudson's Kay, and the Lakc-of-thc- Woods
rej^ion ; Manitoba, and the vast treeless plains that stretch from the
KeJ Kiver to the Rocky Mountains and the shores of the Arctic
Ocean ; the whole Rocky Mountain region ; and the coast and populous
islantis of British Columbia — the gateway to Alaska.

This is yet, for the most part, a vast wilderness, with only here and
there a tradin<^-post ; but alon^ its southern mar<;in it is rai)idly yield-
ing its savagery under mankind's persuasions, and producinj^ wheat
instead of prairie grass, or cattle in place of bis<ms. Here and thero
the search for minerals, or the procuring of logs, has invaded the
golemn privacy of the mountains, or despoiled the forest and scared
away the wild animals. It is the fortune of the onlinary traveller to
see many such evidences of man's industry ami domination, because
they have either brought the railways and steandioats to them, or have
sprung up since these highways of (ravel were introduci-d.

Hut, after all, the area of civilization in Western Canada, when com-
pared with the total area of the Domini<m, amounts to but little — a
mere fringe of settlements, a skirmish-line of civilization, scattered
very thinly along the northern bonier of the Great Lakes, accumulated
and strong in Manitoba, then stretching more and more sparsely west-
wanl until it finds populous communities along the mountains and on
the Pacific coast. In this line are great gaps, where, were it not for
the daily passage of the railway trains, the country for scores of miles
together would be as teuantless of man as in the days when the earliest

INTRODUCTION.

miHsionaries and fur-traders pushed their adventurous steps up these
lonely rivers and across the wide uplands.

Nevertheless, the Canadian West is full of interest to the observant
traveller. It is not a literary, historical interest, such as belongs to the
lower St. Lawrence. No romance, save an occasional tradition of the
Indians, or a chance relic of some zealous jjriest or hardy adventurer,
is to illuminato the page with a pretty story or tale of military heroism ;
but here one may see (if he have eyes) the romance and heroism of an
evcry-day adventuring in setting up new homes, and working out char,
ncter as the new sod is steadily turned or the little clearing gradually
extended, which is no whit behind the ancient chivalry in its true ring.

To those who love Nature in all its aspects — to see the unquarried
hills, the primitive forests, lakes where the wild fowl flock, the fish
breed undisturbed, and the otter and deer come down to drink in the
co«d of the evening without thought of fear; prairies where the
breezes blow for leagues upon leagues across flowers never cut by a
plow ; mountains in such nimibers and height and glory as are visible
nowhere else upcm the continent — to these the tour of Western
Canada will be a constant enjoyment, and, if they choose, a source of
large educational piofit. It is for persons of such a mind, and for
artists and sportsmen, that the writer has included suggestions and
directions for side-trips and field-excursions outside the regular avenues
of traffic.

To the man of affairs the new farming and grazing districts of the
Northwestern prairies, the forests of the Great Lakes and the Pacific
slope, the i)recious metals of Lake Superior and British Columbia, the
fisheries and trading prospects of all that new region, will be intensely
interesting and instructive.

To the sportsman, whether with gun or rod, no part of the con-
tinent oflfers more attractions. Who does not know of the trout and
maskinonge, the deer, caribou, and moose, the panthers and l)ears, of
the woods that surround Huron and Superior ? Yet these are only the
beginnings of a long list. Grouse and snipe throng in Manitoba, and
wild fowl blacken (or whiten) the prairie lakes and " slews " ; all the
migratory hosts that wing their way to and from their arctic breeding-
grounds visiting twice a year at least these shallow and reedy waters.
Throughout the whole Northwest deer are still numerous ; antelope,
moose, and caribou may be found in the right places ; and in the North
the wild-wood buffalo still wanders in numerous hctds.

INTRODITOTTON.

In the Rocky JUountains and northward the sportsman may got
every variety of American bear, and more larely the puma. Their peaks
harbour the shy white fioat-antelope and the bipj-liorn, the pursuit of
which is such sport as the Alpine ibcx-stallters and the goral-hunters of
the Himalayas proudly desci ibc ; and their valleys shelter moose, cari-
bou, and deer. Every stream has trout ; the rivers that lead to the coast
give several varieties of salmon ; while the channels and fiords between
Vancouver Ixlund and the nujinland arc rich with opportunities for
sport and adventure.

Finally, there is no lack of means for comfortable travelling. The
Great Lakes are navigated l)y splendid steamers; and the coast
fleet of British Columbia is in no respect behind that of Puget Sound
and California. Canada's transcontinental line of railway is equal to
any upon the continent in excellence of e<|uipment and comfort — not
to say luxury — of cars and service. In Manitoba and A.-»siniboia con-
necting lines extend northward and westward; and at various points on
the plains and in Hritish Columbia steamboats and stages run regularly
to the more remote points. Particular means of approach to Montreal,
Toronto, Winnipeg, and other starting-points are specified under the
next heading.

At all places where travellers would be likely to stop arc excel-
lent modern hotels, furnished with all the requirements an educated
public of tourists deniand ; so that the old discomforts of Western
travel have disappeared (along the main routes) as completely as in the
Uiiited States.

The climate, in summer, is one of extremes, as is to be expected of
every high latitude in the interior of the continent. Midday i,~ likely
to be very warm — in July and August decidedly hot. The sun blazes
down with scorching power upon any one exposed to its rays, but the
air is cool and dry, so that in the shade it is possible to be comfortable,
and even cool, at an actual tempi'rature which in a moist region would
prostrate all one's energies. After simset the air rapidly chills, and
N. and W. of Lake Superior frosts are likely to occur at any time, as
the agriculturists know to their sorrow, though rare in July and Au-
gust anywhere near the iuternatioual boundary. The traveller should
therefore dress, if possible, so as to be cool at midday and warm
at night. Thin flannels all day, and an overcoat for evening, is per-
haps the J:)eat combination. Not much rain need be expected — al-
most none at all between Lake Superior and the Rocky Mountains.

4 INTRODIKTTON.

On the Pacific coast the climate is more showery, and in general much
like that of the south of England.

The bank-notes and coin of the United States are current without
discount (except the silver in some instances) all over this region, side
by side with Canadian money. It will be well, however, for any tour-
ist leaving Canada to enter the United States to exchange his Canadian
money for American notes and silver, which can usually be done with-
out discount at any of the border towns, where both kinds are in con-
stant use.

All the baggage of travellers is subjected to an examination on
passing the borders ; but the customs officials, as a rule, are courteous,
and the search is not severe if the traveller shows a disposition to
facilitate it. Sportsmen should take note of the special regulations
governing ammunition.

The i)lan of this book, its arrangement and classification of matter,
and the system of treatment, are like those of Apphions' Canadian
Gui'/e-Bool; Part 7, Eastern Canada. As much aid as possible is
afforded to the eye by printing the names of places and objects either
in italics^ or, where they are of sufficient importance, in larfi^e-fnced
type.

The name of the Canadian Pacific Railway is abbreviated to C. P. R.,
in accordance with current usage. For the same I'cason Hudson's Bay,
the usual Canadian form, appears instead of Hudson Hay, which is rec-
ommended by many American authorities. The name Hudson's Hay
Company occurs so frequently that it has been abl)reviated to H. H. Co.
In accordance with the usage in other of the Appleton guide-books the
names of the points of the compass are indicated by initials — thus, N.
for north, W. for west, etc.

AITLETONS'
CANADIAN GUIDE-BOOK.

WESTERN CANADA.

Thk tour of Western Canada may suitably hc^in at cither
Montreal or Toronto, and its first part may be accomplished either
alloj^ether overland by rail, or by steamer across the Ujipcr Lakes.

Montreal, the largest city of Canada, is situated upon the St.
Lawrence River, directly N. of New York. It is accessible from all
the Canadian seaports by rail, and by steamers on the St. Lawrence,
and is, in sumnier, a direct port for several lines of transatlantic
steamers. From Portland., Mc, it is to be reached by two rival rail-
roads ; from Boston, by the through trains of the Hoston, Concord &
Montreal (Canadian Pacific) Ry. ; and from southern New England, by
the Connecticut River (C, P. R.) and Vermont Central (G. T. R.) lines.
From N'cio York, through trains run from the Grand Central Depot,
morning and night, over the Xew York Central k Hudson River R. R.
to Troy, and thence over the Delaware & Iliulson R. R. along the
western shore of Lake Champlain, This is the most direct route. It
can be varied by going by the way of New Haven and Springfield ; or
by the Central Vermont R. R. through St. Albans — charming routes
both of them, but recjuiring changes of cars. Knglisli travellers leav-
ing the steamer from Liverpool at Huf/fnz pass overland to Montreal
thntugli Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, northern Maine, and the south-
ern part of Quebec.

All the trains of the (h'aml Trunk system, including those from New
York and New England by the Delaware & Hudson and Central Ver-
mont railroads, arrive in Montreal at the Bonnvmturc Station, at the
foot of Windsor St. All eastern trains of the Canadian Pan fie aynictn,
including those from Halifax, Portland, Boston, and from Springfield,

THE WESTERN TOUR.

Mass. (Conn. River R. R.), arrive at the Windnor Sfation, in Win(la<»r St.
Tliese stations arc near each other, and near Dominion S(i. and tlie Wind-
sor Hotel, but are remote from otlicr hotels, and from the Quebec Gate
Station (Dalhousie Sij.), whence the Canadian Pacific trains depart to
Winnipeg and the Northwest.

The travt.'ller can profitably spend at least one day in Montreal,
which is fully described in ApplctoriH' Canadian Ouidc-Book, Part /,
Eaxtcrn Canada^ by Prof. Charles C. D. Roberts, published (with annual
revision) by D, Appleton & Co.

Toronto is the capital and largest city of the province of Ontario
— " Upper Canada " of the school books of our childhood. It is situated
upon 'the shore of Lake Ontario, near its western extremity, and is the
centre of a widely ramifying system of rail and steamboat lines. It is
accessible from Montreal and Ottaiva by day and night trains of the
Canadian Pacijic and the Grand Trunk railways, the former being the
more direct, but comparatively uninteresting, the Grand Trunk follow-
ing the N. bank of the Pt. Lawrence, through a series of old towns. It
is also to be reached by the steamers on th'.' St. Lawrence River and
Lake Ontario. The distance betwe<^'n Montreal and Toronto is about
350 miles, and the fare ^10 by all routes; but meals and berths on the
St. Lawrence boats are charged for extra.

Toronto is reached from IJoston and New York by the railways
running to Niagara Falls. The fastest route is that of the New York
Central, the passenger changing cars at Suspension IJridge to the Grand
Trunk R. R. The West Shore R. R. has fewer trains, but it sends a
sleeping-car between New York and Toronto. The Erie (N. Y., Lake Erie
& Western) takes a little more time, but also gives the advantage of a
sleeping-car through from >Jew York to Toronto. A pleasant diversion
is to go to Buffalo, or to Niagara Falls, and there changing cars go down
through the Niagara (ronfc, with a fine view of the Falls, the Whirl-
pool, and the Gorge, to Lewiston, and then take a steamer (three times
a day) across Lake Ontario (40 miles) to Toronto. By leaving Boston
at 3 p. M., or New York at 9 p. M , Niagara Falls can be well seen, and
Toronto reached by this boat at 8 p. M. the next day. The fare from
Niagara Falls by land is $2 65; by water, $1.50. Another steamboat
pli(!S daily between Tr ind Port Dalhousie, a station on the Grand

Trunk R. R. near the . ...ch of the Niagara River.

Toronto is the tourist's starting-place for all points in western or
northern Ontario, and for the steamers to the N. shore of Lake

MONTREAL TO FORT WILLIAM. 7

Huron, Sault Ste. Mario, and Lake Superior. The Canadian Northwest
may also be reached by steamers from Owen Sound, or Sarnia to Lake
Superior (Fort William, Port Arthur) ; and by rail through Chicago or
Sault Ste. Marie to Winnipeg.

Round-trip tours, from such central points as Montreal, Toronto,
Winnipeg, and Vancouver, have been arranged by the transportation
companies, and tickets for these are offered at reduced rates, the
terms and conditions of which vary from time to time, but can be
ascertained by application to any of the principal passenger or ticket
agents in the United States, Great Britain, or Canada. Several tourists'
agencies also conduct occasional tours and personally conducted excur-
sions into or through northwestern Canada.

HONTBEAL TO FOKT WHIIAH BT BAIL.

The Transcontinental Train of the Canadian Pacific Ry. leaves
Montreal from the Quebec Gate or Dalhousie St. station every evening
(at present at 8.40 p. m.). 1* has the finest of sleeping-cars attached,
which run through to t' acific coast ; its other cars go only to
Winnipeg. Dining-car' ^t>mpany the train at the requisite hours.
The distance from Montreal to Fort William is 998 miles ; to Winnipeg,
1,423; to Vancouver, 2,90C.

The departure of the daily transcontinental train f i-om Montreal is an
event which has hardly yet lost the special interest which first invested
it. The long line of cars, all of shining mahogany, and the stately lo-
comotive panting for the signal to begin its stage of the momentous
journey ; the emigrants, which fill the forward colonist-coaches, a little
stunned by the strangeness and magnificence of everything ; the leave'-
takings, like those on the pier of some ocean-steamer, for many are
wending their way to face a new life in the new world of the far front"
ier, and it must be long before they return ; the varied travellers who
fill the "sleepers," almost always including some eminent character on
his tour around the world — to observe and to be observed ; all these
types and circumstances, varied and cosmopolitan, render the scene
picturesque far above that of an ordinary train-starting. But beyond
this is the sentiment — the feeling that the^e very cars arc to traverse
the breadth of a continent ; to roll through the " brambly wildernesses ''
of the great " back country ; " to look out upon the glorious inland sea
that seems so large and far away ; to visit those new, energetic cities
where fortunes are nuide in a day ; to speed steadily and unerringly

MONTREAL TO FORT WILLIAM.

across the wide plains ; to climb the wonderful heifjhts of the Rockies ;
to stop only when these expectant faces framed in their windows shall
look out upon the surf of the Pacific ! Its history, its almost magical
construction, the part it plays in national life, the link it forms between
the Old Canada and the New — all combine to invest this national high-
way and its transcontinental train with a romantic and sentimental
attraction.

The line skirts the water-front, through Jlochctaffa, the old French
part of Montreal, and sweeps around behind the city and its mountain-
park, whose lights are thus long in view. The course is then up the
valley of the Ottawa., though not at first in view of the river, through
old French villages named after saints, and largely devoted to milking
cows in the winter and " chy boarders " in the summer. Odumct is
a little refreshment station among rugged hills frequented by trout-
fishermen. Phosphate and mica mines occur in this neighbouihood,
but the principal industry is dairy-farming. Farther on, where the
river is ai)proached, saw-mills and lumbering industries begin; and
f/uU, at the mouth of the Gatineau, is a town of 10,000 people,
mainly supported by lumbering. Here the train crosses the Ot-
tawa River and enters the Province of Ontario and the capital of the
Dominion.

Ottawa. — The city, and this part of the route, have been described
so fully in Appletons' Canadian (juide-Rook, Part I, that only a few
words are called for here. It is picturescpiely situated at the junction
of the Ridoau River with the Ottawa. Navigation is interrupted here
by the falls of the Cliaudiere, whose remarkable cataracts are seen in
crossing the river. This gigantic water-power is utilized, and some of
the largest lumber manufactories in the Dominion are visible fi'oni
the bridge, as well as the timber-slides, by which the logs from the
upper river pass down without damage into the navigable water lie-
low. The city itself stands upon high ground overlooking the falls
and the lumber-yards. The principal jilaces of interest Avithin it are
the Capitol buildings, some of which, most jirominently the octagonal
and buttressed Library, can be plaiidy seen from the railway. These
are of magnificent proportions and ornate architecture, llideau Hall,
the residence of the (Jovernor-General, is 2 miles distant. Ottawa is be-
coming not only the residence of many public men, and attracting a
brilliant social circle, but factories of various kinds arc accumulating,
and the tourist will find it to his pleasure and advantage to spend at

}

'«

V-

THE OTTAWA VALLEY.

least one day there. The chief hotelH are the liunscH ($3 to |»4), Wind-
sor (|2), and Gmnd Union (#2). Population (consus of 1891), 41,154,

The Ottawa Valley.

Leaving Ottawa at midnight, the train passes Carfcton Junction,
where the line to Toronto iliveiges. This small town (hotel at the sta-
tion, $1.60 a (lay) is upon the Mississippi River, a ra|»id stream, foani-
ing and boiling over rocky ledges and big boulders, with many deep,
quiet pools and eddies, in the shadows of which lurk plenty of black
and rock bass. It is advisable, however, to go to the neighboring vil-
lage, Carfcton P/occ (two hotels, $1 a day), and then drive to Mississippi
Lake, 'i miles distant. Here large black bass are takeu, pike are occa-
sional, and rock bass in unlimited (luautities. Two miles above is a
second lake, highly praised by anglers.

From Carleton Place Junction the railway turns westward toward
the Ottawa. French Canada has now been left behind. The wandering
votjaijcur and trader used the river as a pathway ; fur-trading posts
of the n. B. Co. were established at several i)oints,* and rcnuiintd
as long as the Indian trade was valuable ; and here and there some
half-wild Ools-brule would make a little clearing and plant a few hills
of corn and potatoes on the u])per river. But these were nearly always
on the northern or Quebec side (the Ottawa is the boundary be-
tween Quebec and Ontario from Lake Temiscamingue nearly to its
mouth), and they have not been followed by any towns of conseciuence.
Along this southern shore, early in the present century, settled many
Scotch families, most prominent among them the Highland chieftain
MaeNab, who induced a larsc nuTuber of immigrants of his own clan to
come here, and whose home, KiniK'll Lodge, was beautifully situated
on the southern shore of the expansion of the river called Lac des
Chats, a few miles below Arnprior and near the mouth of the Mada-
waska. The principal resource of these villages is the logging and
timber-making industries in some of their many fornjs. The river at
the right season is one long sluice for logs from the ravished forests
far and near. Most of these float to Ottawa or still farther, but the
splendid water-power which the many rapids afford has caused scores
of saw-mills and factories for all sorts of sawed lumber and articles

* It is hoped that the reader will familiarize himself with the map
as he goes along.

THE OTTAWA VALLKV.

made from wood to spring up along the upper river. These linvocallfd
into existence other mills, as for flour and woolen yarn and cloth, and
have encouraged agriculture by creating a home demand for faun prod-
ucts, generally at better prices than could be obtained elsewlieif.

The most noteworthy towns are Almonte, where there are woollen
mills; Anipriory where the railway again touches the river at L.ie des
Chats, and where there are marble-quarries; Sand Point, a sumnier re-
sort; /iV/a/Vcj^j, a lively trading-place of 2,70<» i)eople at the northern
terminus of the Kingston & Pembroke Ky. ; and l\nihroke{Mnn'<nfn
Hold, %'l), on the historic Allumette Lake, which has a p()pulati(m of
6,000, and is the social and educational centre of the ui)per Ottawa

Valley.

Historical Sketch.

Near Pembroke the Ottawa divides and incloses in succession two
large islands, below each of which it expands into a " lake." The
upper island is now known as Isle des AUumettcs, with Allumette Lake
on this — its southern — side, and Lake Coulonge below it; while the
lower island is called Calumet, being at the head of the Calumet Rap-
ids. These names go back to the beginning of local history. In the
early summer of 1<>13 Champlain, with a few companions, made his
way in canoes up this utterly unknown stream.

"Day by day brou;.'ht a renewal of their toils. Iloiir by hour they
moved prosperously up the long winding of the solitary stream ; then,
in quick succession, rapid followed rapid, till the bed of the Ottawa
seemed a slope of foam. Xow, like a wall bristling at the top with
wooded islets, the falls of the (Jhats faced them with the sheer plunge of
their 10 cataracts. Now they glided beneath overhanging cliffs where,
seeing but unseen, the crouched wild cat eyed them from the thicket ;
now through the nuize of water-girded rocks, which the white cedar and
the spruce clasped with serpent-like roots, or among islands where old
hendocks, dead at the top, darkened the water with deep-green shadow
... In the weedy cove stooil the moose, neck-deep in water to escape
the flies, wading shoreward, with glistening sides, as the canoes drew
near, shaking his broad antlers and writhing his hideous nostrils, as
with clumsy trot he vanished in the woods."

So, iu his imaginative style, I'arkman (Pioneers of France, p. 344)
recounts the journey and pictures the noble river as it was then — as it
is now in many a lonely reach. Finally they made a long detour, car-
rying their canoes through tangled woods, around the cascades of the
Grand Calumet, and emerged upon Ijake Coulonge, now so called in
memory of an early trading-post upon its northern shore. This expanse

-,.

TIIK UIM'KK OTTAWA VALLKY.

■

wan made by tlic reunited river hotwei'ii tho two inltUKls tncntioiuul
above, uiipiientod by the (^^ulnIlge Kiver, wliieli eorncs in from the
plexus of forest hikes far northward near the sources of tlie Ottawa.
Cluimphiin found here tlie centre of the Indian popuhition — a strategic
point lield by tlio masters of the river.

*' Here was a rouj^h clearing. Tlie trees had been burned ; there was
a ru«le and desolate <rap in the sombre c>'wmi of the pine forest. Dead
trunks, blasted and black with Hre, stood i;rimly uprifxlit andd the charred
stumps and prostiate bodies of comrades half consumed. In the inter-
venin}^ spaces the soil had been feebly scratched with hoes of wood or
bone, and a croj) of maize was growing, now some 1 inches high. 'S^e
dwellings of these slovenly farmers, framed of poles covered with
sheets of bark, were scattered here or there singly or in groups, while
their tenants were running to the shore in amaz.ement. Warriors stood
with their hands over their mouths — the usual Indian attitude of aston-
ishment ; squaws stared betwixt curiosity and fear; naked papooses
screamed and ran. The chief, Xibachis, offered the calumet, tlu-n
harangued the crowd: 'These white men must have fallen from the
clouds. How else could they have reached us through the woods and
rapids which even we find it hard to pass? The French chief can do
anything. All that we have heard of him must be true?' And they
hastened to regale the hungry visitors with a re|)ast of fish."

These Indians were the ancestors of the present Ottawas, but
(■hamplain and all the earliest writers called them Algon<piins, a word
which has now come to designate the great family or language-stock
which these Indians represented. They treated the Frenchman hospi-
tably, and kept him in their villages for a considerable time. They
told him of the upper river, and of a powerful tribe akin to them
which occupied a lake to the westward, whence a river flowed down
into the great lake of the Ilurons. These neighbors were the Nipis-
sings, and their name is still attached to their beautiful lake. Cham-
plain begged his friends to take him thither in their canoes, but was
unable to persuade them to do so, as they stood in fear of the witch-
craft of the Nipissings, and presently he went back to Montreal, where
afterward the Ottawas often returned his visit to trade or to help the
French fight the Iroquois.

The Upper Ottawa Valley.

All this part of the river, and the many tributary streams and lakes
which feed it, aflford the finest of fishing — in the lower part for bass
and masklnonge, higher up for trout ; but to this subject, and to the
shooting, a comprehensive paragraph will be given a little fartl)er on.

TIIK UI'PEU OTTAWA VALLKY.

Ik'yond Pcnibroko the country becoineH more sterile and thinly
HCttled. Alxmt sunrine the divisional station of Chalk liiva' \h
reaehed, where loeoniotives are changed, and where those who wish
can get breakfast in the station. (At every divisional point, one of
whieh oreurs about every 100 miles, n refreshment-room will be found
in the station.) Othersmallstationsarepassed, sueh as Hass Lake; liis-
set, near whieh is the mouth of (Srand Hiver, c<»ming down from (irand
Lake northward ami atTordin<; another eanoe route to Lake (iaotanapi
and the sources of the Ottawa; Deiix Kivieres, famous for trout-fish-
hig, and cithers. The wild and ru;rf;ed Laureiitides are ranj^ed alon^
the other bank of the Ottawa, ami as Mattawa is approached thi! coun-
try becomes exceedingly rou<;h, and tlie land is strewn with ledges
and boulders, which continues for some distance farther ; the valleys
and borders of the many lakes are tillable and fertile, but farmers are
comparatively few,

iUnttnwn (meaninf? "The Forks") is a town of 1,200 people,
ami an excellent place at which to lit out for an extended hunting
or fishing excursion. The hotel accommodation is good, and prices
are low for board, or for guides and boats. It is a supply depot
for a vast tract of rugged and wild couutiy, whore extensive lum-
bering opcraticms are carried on ; and whenever you find lumber-
men, you can also depend upon finding a plentiful supply of their
famous " river boats," and the e(pially famcms canoes. Gold occurs ii;
the bold crags facing the town, but has not been extracted in paying
quantities.

"The geology of the upper Ottawa Valley is of a very ancient type.
The Laureiitides rise into dark hills beyond the river, and increase
northward until they form the 'height of land ' between the drainage
basin of the St. Lawrence and that of Hudson's Bay. The Laurentides
belong to the lower and middle divisions of Sir William Logan's
Laurentian system. These two formations, consisting chiefly of
gneisses, granites, crystalline liniestones, etc., are overlaid uneonforma-
bly by continuous and perfectly conformable series of sedimentary
strata of the Cambro-Silurian system, which have j)roved to be a rich
hunting-ground to the palieontologist. There are extensive and varied
deposits of nuirine clays and sands, gravels, boulders, etc., of Pleis-
tocene age. The Leda clay of Green's Creek, Gloucester, abounds in
nodules holding remains of the seal, fishes, insects, shells, and plants.
The total number of species representing the fossil fauna and flora
of this locality does not fall far short of 300. Brigham's Quar-
ries, Hull, are undoubtedly the best ('ambro-Silurian crinoid quarries
in America. Deposits of magnetite, apatite, and baryta occur within

•

THK riM'KK OTTAWA VAf.F.KY.

'*■

a ^<h()l't (Hstaiu'c of Ottawa. I^)tll tlic Itliick Hivcr and Tn-titon r()i->
niatidiiH yield oxirlloiit liiiiostoncs lor lime or liiiiltlin^' purposes, wliilo
the Cliazy of Ncpt'an affoi'liMl much of flic matcriiil (stmdstont'H) used
in the erection of the I'arliauient l»iiildin}?rt. A lii'd of liych'niilic lime-
stone, occurrini; at tlie top of the ('hazy, has been worked and em-
ployed in the manufacture of tlic ' Hull cement.' At I'ukeidiam oc-
curs a Pleistocene deposit, contaiinn^)^ a ndxturc of nutrine and fresh-
water shells, near the Pakcnham Mills, 2(Wt ft. above the sea-level. At
Arnprior a bluish-gray Laurentian marble is (puirried. Kxcellent Si-ctions
of Laurentian are exhibited in the railway cuttinp:s for many miles
VV. of Pembroke. The rocks shown are for the most part hij^hly <'har-
acteristie red, K'".^'< '^'»l dark-banded f^neisses, felsjtathic and horn-
blendic, and frecpiently pirnctiferous and micaceous. There are also
some lar<^ bands of <,'ray and white crystalline limestone; but none of
these are expose<l alon<; the line W. of Mattawa, althoiiirh the Lauicii-
tian continues as far as Wahnapita', where it is sueceedeil by the llu-
ronian. An excellent c()llection of these and other Canadian rocks, with
their attendant nunerals and fossils, may )>e exaniiiied in the Museinn
of the (Jeological Survey at Ottawa."*

The "river of the Ottawas" rises anuuig the marshy lakes and
dense forests that surround the dome of the Laurentides precist'ly N.
of the capital city, and distant less than loo miles as the wild goose
flies when rushing southward in XovoMdu'r. A circle of lakes, with
strange Indian and French names, surrounds this dome upon the
Quebec water-shed. From one group flows southeastward the gather-
ing currents of the St. .Maurice to find an outlet into the St. Fiawrenee
at Three Rivers, near the city of Quebec. Another group supplies the
Liovre and the Rouge, and a third the (Jutineau, all of which en»pty
into the Ottawa below the capital. Close to the source of the (Jati-
neau — .so near that in freshets tiieir overflow intermingles with it — arc
several small lakes whose waters drain westward, and gather into a
powerful hill-stream, which frets and fumes in the nooks of the rocky
ridges, expands into lakelets in the small valleys, and summons the
tribute of a hundred mountain brooks and forest tarns known only to
the Indian and wandering trapper. Rather a succession of long lakes
than a river, it struggles deviously onward along the base of the crest
of the Laurentides, and forms the water-i)athway of the native hunter,
who has given a name to each rapid and brook and lakelet of them
all. Thus it keeps on for 100 miles or more. Then an elbow of the
hills bends it sharply southward, and the rocks dam it up to fill some

* Macfarlanc'a Geological Railway Guide, p. 71. D. Applcton & Co.

THE UPPER OTTAWA VALLEY.

old glacial valley with a deep, unobstructed lake, 75 miles long and 6
or 8 miles wide, called Temlseamint,'ue, about which U a larce area of
level, arable land. Thus far, at least, its course was early explored —
probably much farther. Almost a century ago the II. B. Co. estab-
lished a fur-trading post upon the lake. Now there are settlements
upon the rich land lying all about it, and a regular steamboat service
from Mattawa, worked in conjunction with short railways, which carry
the freight and passengers around the unnavigable places in the river,
and convey the passenger to the head of the lake in two days.

The Ottawa escapes from Lake Temiseamingue — the old fur-traders
gave the name only to the river below the lake, calling the head-water
stream La Petite Riviere — and soon receives a powerful tril)utary (and
canal route) from the \. W., which some old trapper, thinking of
home, called Montreal River, and flows on, always swerving eastward
until it becomes due E. I'l its course, and completes the form of the
fifth vowel laid upcm its side — C-

Nothing could be more enjoyable than a canoe trip in exploration
of these upper waters. The best time is after August 1st, when the
l)lack flies have ceased to be troublesome. If one does not bring his
own canoes, birch-barks can be procu?'ed at Mattawa, together with
guides, camp-attendants, and the completion of the outfit. From the
head of Lake Temiseamingue, where he can begin his adventures by
fishing for big black bass, he can follow the Ottawa into the Province of
Quebec to Lac des Quinze and Lake Mujizowaja ; thence to Grand Vic-
toria Lake and Lac des Rapides, and finally to the very source of the
mighty i-iver, if he so pleases ; part or all of which would be a glorious
pilgrimage by canoe, and furnish themes for many a tale of moose and
bear and wolf, of struggles with hard-fighting trout and bass, of nights
in the forest primeval, of beds of sapin, and a thousand and one things
that go to make the life of a woodland wanderer delightful. " I'd like
to go there again myself ! " exclaims Sandys, as he concludes an account
of such an excursion.

The regi<m inclosed by the huge bend of the Ottawa is an almost
tenantless wilderness — a rough mass of rocky and forested woods and
swamps, heaved into hills, dotted with lakes, and threaded by streams.
The canoe is almost the only conveyance in sunmier — the snow-shoes in
winter; but by either, with guidance and woodcraft, one may go an}'-
where, more freely and move easily than by the waggim roads and traile
which elsewhere traverse the thinly settled districts.

THE ITin*ER OTTAWA VALLEY.

Opportunities; for the Sportsman.

That such a region shouhl be a harbour for game is a matter of
course. Black bears are i)lentiful — some years more, some less. In
1890 three were killed in the very edge of Pembroke. The wild-cat
and lynx are numerous enough to be a nuisance to the farmers in
oiting weather, and neither wolves nor wolverines are rare in the back-
woods. Moose and caribou cannot be shot in Ontario until 1895,
when they will probably be found numerous in the remoter districts.
Deer are scattered all over northern Ontario, and the chances of getting
one are especially good in the Mattawa Valley. The rutfed and other
forest-keeping grouse are plentiful everywhere. Charlevoix says that
the Ottawiis were the most skilful of all Canadian Indians in hunting,
and no wonder. So nmeh for the shooting: let us look at the fishing.

Here we have an accurate and admirable guide in Mr. Edwin W
Sandys, of Outing, whose knowledge of the sporting capabilities of
this region is ample and trustworthy. In a little hand-book pub-
lished lately in Montreal, Mr. Sandys speaks substantially as follows of
the fishing in the Ottawa and its tributaries :

The first promising stopping-place is Avnprlor, upon Lac des
Chats, the scenery of which has become famous. Upon the shores
are many attractive spots for a camp ; but the best of all is at the
beautiful Chats Rapids, where fine sport can be had with the bass, and
a week or so be right pleasantly spent in tent or shanty. lioats, guides,
ami bait can be secured at Arnprior, and board there will cost ^l per
day, with guide and boats about the same. The most reliable baits are
live miiniows and worms. Trolling with spoons is also a sure method,
and other artificial lures ought to do good service.

Pembroke should be the objective point for those who seek trout-
fishing, excelled by few if any waters in America, and it ha.4 good hotel
accommodaticm, from si fi day up, and no scarcity of boats or con-
veyances. The entire country thereabouts is intersected by a network of
streams of various sizes, all so plentifully stocked that taking .'iO to 4(»
good fish a day is no more thnn an average performance. INxpiette
Rapids, 15 miles below town, and Oiseau Creek, on the Quebec side, are
attractive waters. In the latter the fishing is particularly good, the
catch weighing from a (piarter of a poiiud each up to a jwund and a
half. In order to fish this creek properly the angler must go jjrepared
to wade, .and the water will be found clear of obstructions and the
bottom safe, with no treacherous spots to entrap the feet. The many
lakes of the vicinity also aiford excellent sport.

A particularly good lake, distant from Pembroke 20 miles, can be
reached by steamer, and also the mouth of Deep River, both of these

TIIK ITPrKR OTTAWA VALLEV

waters furnishing rare good sport. Another hike is situated ui)on a
small mountain, within easy driving distance, and from it splendid
trout ean be taken in almost unlimited numbers.

Between I'embroke and Mattawa are dozens of trout-streams, and
several also excellent for bass, as at Pelewawa and Chalk River. An
especially favourable trout-stream is BhHeWs, (io miles l)eyond Pembroke.
It is wide and open, with safe bottom all the way across ; and some of
the gamiest and handsomest trout ever hooked in this entire section
of country have been killed on this water. Half an hour's run from
IJissett's is Deux lihih'cs^ or Two Rivers Station, another great spot
for trout. But enough have been mentioned to give a good idea of
the resources. Pains have been taken not to overdraw the picture,
and the information has been collected on the spot, and by a prac-
tical fisherman who fishes the northern country icgularly. There is
no hardship in fishing there, and hotel rates, etc., are moderate. Min-
now-bait for })ass can readily be obtained, either by purchase or caught
l)y the angler himself. Anglers may go with the best rods, finest lines,
and favourite reels, and find every opportunity for using their treasures
to the best advantage.

At and about Matlnvm good enough fishing may be had to satisfy
those whose circumstances or inclinntion do not permit them to indulge
in the enjoyment of a canoeing and camping trip up the Mattawa
River, in respect to which the writer is permitted to avail himself
again of the interesting and judicious remarks of Mr. Sandys :

"Leaving the town and paddling up the river, the scenic effect is
like a long panorama of beautiful views, cimnging at every turn, and
each stretch of glancing water and towering rocky bank is apparently
fairer than the last, until, about 1 k mile from the starting-point, the
first i)ortag(; is reaclicd at McCool's .Mills. This portage is alxait 100
yards long, and then comes the beautiful sheet of water called Cham-
plain Ijake, some 5 miles long, and varying in width from a (piarter to
half a mile.

"The shores of this lake are very beautiful and well wooded, with
numerous moss-covered rocky terraces which afford excellent sites for
a party to pitch their canvas. The fishing is of the l)est, there being
plenty of Hue lunge and bass, and both take the troll readily ; while in any
of the countless coves and bays the stickler for the rod can find scope
for his ambition with bass weighing from 1 to 5 pounds.

" Passing on up the lake a roar of water is heard, and presently we
reach La ]{ose Rapids. The Ainable du Fond River, whieli is the out-
let of a small chain of waters, among which are ('rooke<l, Manitoulin,
Smith's, and Tea Lakes, pours its rapid current into the Mattawa at
the head of these rapids. This river is well worth exploring, as in the
lakes menticmed there is capital fishing. To pass La Rose Rapids
necessitates a portage of about a (juarter of a mile, then the course is
straight against a sharp current until some small rapids arc reached at

THE NIPISSINO DISTKKT.

tlic foot of Hivch Lake. These are but trifling ohstacles, and the next
point is what is called ' The Needle.' Jlere the detour is completed,
and tl'e Mattawa is reached again. A goodly sized brook conies tum-
bling down the steep slope from the mountains, and the angler will do
well to keej) this stream in mind, for it drains several small mouutuin
lakes heavily stocked with speckled trout of good si/e.

"Passing on up the river Nature assumes a grander aspect, the
banks reaching upward higher and higher, until in many places they
form walls of sheer rock from 100 to 200 ft. high. I'arasuse Kapids
and the Little I'arasuse demand another portage ; then straight jiad-
dling again to the Mill Hush ; another short portage, and thence good
paddling through Eel Lake for a coujjle of miles ; then another mile
of the river proper, the scenery being, if anything, more pleasing than
that already i)assed, and Talon Shoot is reached. A portage of nearly
• 300 yards is followed by about a mile of fast water, after which the
work at the |)addles can be slackened, for the vojiiufoir has reached
Lac du Talon., famed among the lumbermen for its nnghty 'lunge and
bass. This is (me of a regular network of small lakes which form the
head-waters of the Mattawa; and verily this network is one that will
entangle the angler's heart, for in one and all of its channels are
splendid fish. Countless unnamed smidl streiims and rivulets con-
' tribute their currents to feed these lakes, and s])eckled trout abound
/ -^ wherever the water is deep enough to cover them."

The Nipissins^ District.

Resuming our travels, the train, aftei- leaving Mattawa station,
turns away from the Ottawa River and follows westward up the south-
ern bank of the Mattawa to near its source in Trout Lake. This is a
rushing stream, like the Ottawa, but its banks afford more chance for
farnnng. Vdlhtnihr, a little village 25 miles beyoiul Mattawa, has a
historical interest connected with the building of the railroad. Here
was the terminus of the old " Canada racific," which the (Jovernment
succeeded in l)uilding so far westward; and here, in 1884, the present
company began its work of construction, which was pushed so vigour-
ously during that and the foUowing year in these astonished solitudes.
Twenty miles farther, and the train halts at North Uay, on Lake
Nipissing.

North Bay is a divisional point on the C. P. R., and is also the
terminus of the Northern and Northwestern Ry., running N. and S.
through the Muskoka Lake country, between Hamilton and Toronto
and this point, where its trains connect with the C. P. R.'s trans-
continental trains. Tickets may always be bought reading via To-
ronto and this connecting line. At this station sleeping-car berths

THE NIPI88ING DISTRICT.

und parlour-cur seats may be secured on both roads, and there is an
eating-house. A railway is projected to Lake Temiscaniingue. The
town has about 2,0(»0 population, a brisk newspaper (the Times), sev-
eral good hotels near the lake, of which Murray's J'actjic {'^2) is the
foremost, and is well supplied with livery-stables, general stores, a gun
and fishing-tackle shop, etc. Four churches and five schools are at
hand, and many city families make it their summer residence.

Lake Nipissing approaches in aira Lake Simcoe or Lake Cham-
plain, but its irregular shores reach out in long, wooded points, and its sur-
face is interrupted by islands, so that the real extent is much dwarfed
as one looks out from the town. It is fcdbynumy brooks and lakelets
on all sides, and especially by Sturgeon River, which rushes down from
the X., bringing the overflow of the large Lake Tamagaming and sev-
eral smaller ones. It is subject to sudden and severe gales, which ren-
der navigation dangerous unless careful watch of the weather is kept,
and a skilful hand controls the helm. Pointe au Croix, on the S.
shore, 10 miles from the outlet, is so called because of the drowning
of a party of eleven men in such a scpiall, in 1789, whose bodies were
buried on the little headland and the graves marked with crosses. Upon
Manitou Island, 8 miles below North Bay, a summer hotel has been
built. The outlet is by three passages into French River, which carries
its waters through double and triple channels, obstructed by falls and
rapids, some 40 miles down to the Geoi-gian Bay. " The scenery of
the Thousand islands of the St. Lawrence is tame and uninteresting as
compared with the endh'ss variety of island and bay, granite cliff and
deep, sombre defile, whicii mark the character of the beautiful, solitary
French River." Two steamers run upon the lake, one of which may be
chartered by picnic and fishing parties. Sailboats, skiffs, and canoes
are jilentiful, and experienced men may be hired as guides or boatmen
at |1 to $2 a day. Gold has been discovered and is about to be mined
near the outlet.

Northern Water Routes.

These connecting waters that we have been following — the Ottawa,
Mattawa, and French Rivers — came to form the earliest and most fre-
quently travelled of the canoe-routes between Montreal and the fur-
countries, because they were safe from the Irocpiois. Those who are
interested in this matter should read the Voyages of Mackenzie, where
minute details of the route and the practices of the voyagcurs are
given. Parkman's brief and vivid narrative of its discovery by the

THE NIPISSINO DISTRICT.

French* will be inteiostinf?. In 1615, to introduce a word of exjilana-
tion, two years after Cliaiiiplain'H first ascent of the lower Ottawa (sec
p. 10), a Recolk't friar. Father Le Caron, announced his determina-
tion of going back with the llurons, who had come to Montreal to
trade, and of spending the winter preaching the gosi)cl in their vil-
lages on the shores and islands of the great lake, which no European
eyes had yet seen. The dissuasion of his friends was ineffectual, and
he started with a paity of French voyarfvnrs and Indians on the 1st of
July, 1615.

" While the devoted missionary toiled painfully toward the scene of
his apostlcvship, the no less ardent soldier was following on his track.
Champlain, with two canoes, ten Indians, Etienne lirule, his interpreter,
and another Frenchman, pushed up the riotous stream till he reached
the Algon(iuin villages which had formed the term of his former
journeung. He passed the two lakes of the Alluniettcs, and now for
20 miles the Ottawa stretched before him, straight as the bee can fly,
deep, narrow, and black, between its mountain-shores. lie passed the
rapids of the Joachims and the Caribou — the Kocher Capitaine, where
the angry current whirls in its rocky prison — the Deux Rivieres, where
it bursts its mountain barrier — and reached at length the tributary
waters of the Mattawa. He turned to the left, ascended this little
stream 40 miles or more, and, crossing a portage-track well trodden,
stood on the margin of Lake Xipissing. The canoes were launched
again. All davthev glided bv leafv shores and verdant islands floatinir
on the depth of blue. And now appeared unwonted signs of human
life, clusters of bark lodges half-hidden in the vastness of the woods.
It was the village of an Algonipiin band called by courter.y a nation,
the Nipissinigs, a race so beset with spirits, so infested by demons
and abounding in magicians, that the Jesuits, in after-years, stigma-
tized them al! as ' sorcerers.' In this (piestionable company f ('ham-
plain spent two days, feastetl on fish from the lake, deer and bears
from the forest. Then, descending to the outlet of the water, his
canoes floated westward down the current of Fri'uch River.

" Days passed, and no sign of hunuui form had enlivened the rocky
desolation. Hunger was i)ressing them hard, for the ten gluttonous
Indians had devouied already their whole provision for the voyage, and

* Pioneers of France, p. 864,

f John Nicollet, the first explorer of the U|)per lakes, lived among
these people for 8 or *.) years, between 162U-'S0, and l>ecame a natu-
ralized member of the tribe. Mackenzie (Voyages, j). 80, foot-note)
rec(«"ds that, about the year 16n8. "a band of the Nepi.>ingues, who
were converted, emigrated to the Nepigon country. . . . Few of their
descendants are now [about 1800] remaining, and not a trace of the
religion comnmnicated to them is to be discovered." — (E. I.)

THE NIl'ISSINO DISTRICT.

they were forced to subsist on the bhieben-ies and wiUl raspbei-ries that
grow abinuhmtly in the meagre soil, when suddenly they encountered
a troop of 300 Indians . . . gathering blueberries for their winter
Btore. Their demeanour, too, was friendly, and from them the voyager
learned that the great lake of the Ilurons was close at hand.

" Now, far along the western sky, was traced the watery outline of
that inland ocean, and, first of white men save the liumble friar,
Chaniplain beheld the ' iMcr douce,' the Fresh - Water Sea of the
Ilurons."

Two hundred and fifty years have brought only small changes.
Steel rails and the palace-car have rephiced the portage and canoe of the
pioneer and fur-trader. Ste;>inrtliips plough the waters of Lake Huron,
and the houses of farmer and lumberman are seen here and there by the
side of Nipissing and its tortuous outlet. IJut the lake and its islands
are still haunted by spirits which neither priest nor engineer has been
able to exorcise ; and still the red-man hunts and fishes, builds his
lodge, fashions his canoe of bark, and threads as of old the limpid
pathways of a leafy wilderness. It is easy for the traveller to set behind
him, in a few moments, the culture of two and a half centuries. The
moment he is out of hearing of the railway whistle he can restore the
experience of Le Caron and Chaniplain.

If one chooses to go north, penetrate forests as wild, and find the
native almost as primitive as before Canada was heard of, it is merely
a matter of time and endurance. By going up IJlanehe I?iver, or from
Lac de Quinze, just al)ove the head of Temiscamingue, he can ascead a
st.'cani to its source on the Height of Land, make a short portage, and
launch in a brook which will speedily carry him to Lake Abitibhi
— a body of water as shapeless but twice the size of Winnepesaukee,
where there are a trading-house and mission. Out of this lake flows the
Abitibbi River, to find its outlet in the southernmost extremity of
Iludtion's Bay (James Bay), only two degrees — something over 150
miles — distnnt. Or he may ascend the Montreal River from the foot of
Luke Te/niscamingue to Fort Matatchewan, an old II. B. Co.'s post, near
its head, c- '' *' '.ii ■'rork across into the Metawagaming lakes and river,
which i' -• ii'io the Moose, and will float his canoe straight to Hudson's
Bay. ie '-hoi*' region on both sides of the narrow and sinuous water-
shea is ."^Kd with intprsecting streams and lakes, through which the
Indians know their wuy as the white man does about his home city.

In a brief account by William Ogilvie, D. L. S., of an exploratory
trip to Hudson's Bay, printed in the Annual Report of the Canadian

THE NIPI8SING DISTRICT.

Department of the Interior, for 1890, may he found complete and i)ar-
ticular directions as to trails and canoe routes throughout this northern
wilderness.

Nowhere in Eastern Canada can more varied and better sport be
obtained than upon and around Lake JVijti.sshii/. Deer and ruffed
grouse are plentiful, and at suitable points, as on the "long arm," good
duck-shooting can always be had in the fall, Tlie region between the
lake and Georgian Hay is famous for deer, and a few moose, caribou,
and bear are seen each winter. IJeeords exist of some remarkably
large bags that have fallen to the rifles of Toronto sportsmen on Stur
gcon River, N. of Lake Nl[)issing. As to the fishing, let me turn again
to Mr. Sandys's complete account :

"Below the village [of North Hay] a long pior runs out 150 yds. or
more, for the aecommodaticm of the steamers, and fiom this j)oint of
vantage big catches of pike, bass, and pickerel are made daily. The
method used is ' whipping ' with a rod and spoon or with a fish's eye
for bait ; but there are plenty of minnows to be taken with proper
tackle, and live bait. . . . The list of fish includes bass, pike, jjickerel,
and 'lunge, and heavy ones of each variety will probably be taken dur-
ing an afternoon's trailing. . . .

"Should the tourist desire new waters after testing Lake Nipissing,
a splendid opportunity is right at hand, for about 4 A miles inland, over
a lofty hill, is a grand piece of water known as Trout Lake, a portion
of the head-waters of the Mattawa lliver.

" One can have a canoe carried in a waggon from North Hay to
Trout Lake : or a guide and boat can be procm-ed on the spot, and,
starting from the head of the lake, the visitor is pulled away down for
a couple of miles ere it is time to cast out the trolls.

" Each fisherman should have a couple of lin^s, for this reason :
Some few yards from the rocky, evergreen-clad shore a sort of shelf of
rock runs out 10 or 12 feet below the surface. It can be distinctly
seen, and the object i^ to keep the boat as near as possible above its
outside limit. Looking down through the clear water, you can trace
the extreme edge of this ledge, and immediately outside of it is a black
abyss of unknown depth. The two lines are worked in this way : One
should be as long as possible, and have enough sinker above the tndl
to keep it at the depth of this shelf of rock, the other and shorter line
recpuring nothing but the ordinary spoon-hook. Following this method,
some heavy fish should be taken, and the short line keep the angler
thoroTighly well occupied playing bass and pickerel, with a very good
chance of hooking a big lunge now and again.

" I'assing on down the lake, the scenery is extremely beautiful, and
one realizes how thoroughly attractive is this wilderness pure and sim-
ple. Presently a round opening in the wall of evergreens is noticed,
and a closer inspection reveals Short Portage, a few yards long, which

LAKE NIPI88TNO TO LAKE RUPERTOR.

leads into Four-mile Hay. We take a peep throuj^li, and note how
pretty the surroundhigM arc; then go down the lake toward Big Camp
Island, 7 miles from the starting-point, passing several very pretty lit-
tle islands on the way.

"Turtle Creek is connected with this water, and the fishing there
is something to be remembered; while in its outlet, Lost Hiver, the
bass-fishing is unsurpassed. Many big catches made on the last
mentioned are on record, some of the bass running over R pounds, and
quite willing to be caught at the rate of Ifi an hour.

"Shooting in the immediate neighbourhood is always good."

Lake Nipissing to Lake Superior.

Proceeding on its way westward from North Bay, the C. P. R.
passes through a rocky and forested region, out of wliich has come and
continues to come an immense (juantity of varied and valuable timber.
A portitm of this, in the shape of logs, is floated down to Lake Nipis-
sing and (leorgiun Bay, but a large qiumtity is sawed into square timber
and hauled eastward by rail. Cord-wood is a |)rofitable item of export.
Much good land is to be found in all the valleys, and many Frencli and
Scotch settlers have begun farming, eking out their small results in
the beginning by labouring at logging and wood-cutting camps.

Sturgeon Falh is a station near the mouth of Sturgeon River, and a
good point of departure for fishing or shooting trips. Mendovmdc is
on a reservation of the Nipissing Indians, after whose chief Bcaurage
was named. WahHapitit> is near an excellent fisliing lake and river of
the same name", along which there is considerable farming and lumber-
ing, little of which is visible frotii the cars. It would be a good center
for sport. Iluronian rocks succeed the Laurentian as the surface for-
mation as soon as the Wahnapitse bridge has been crossed ; and it is
in the midst of the rough hills that characterize these hard quartzites
that the Sudbury mineral veins have been discovered.

Sudbury is a divisi<mal point and junction with the "Sault Ste.
Marie Branch," and has a hotel and station restaurant. Short branch
i-ailways give access to the various mines, which arc from 2 to 5 miles
distant from the station. These mines produce copper and nickel, and
pi'omise to become exceedingly valuable. At present, legal complica-
ti(ms and various circumstances have retarded their due development.

" The great Huronian belt of Lake Ilunm runs diagonally across the
country from S. W, to N. E., and embraces a considerable variety o*
rocks, including crystalline schists, quartzites, breccias, conglomerates,
argillites, greywackes, diorites, diabases, and syenites, traversed by

LAKE NIPISSING TO LAKE SUPERIOR.

(Uabixso dikes, newer than any otlier rocks of the district, which are
remarkable for their persistence in lenjrth. Ores of copper and nickel
are the most important of the ec<momic minerals which have yet been
discovered. Five mines are in operation at present, of which theStobie
and Copper Cliff are most renowneil ; others have been prospected at
greater distances.

"The general character of the mixed ore and its mode of occurrence
are nearly the same in all localities. It consists of pyrrhotite, in which
some of the iron is replaced by nickel mixed with more or less chal-
copyrite. These sidphides are mingled with fragments of all sizes of
quartz-diorite in so?ne cases, and of a kind of greywaeke in others, so
that the ore has often tlu; appearance of a conglomerate. The ore-
bearing masses are of all sizes, and they take the form of lenses or
pod-shaped bulges, conforming with the large scale lamination of the
strata. Around the richer ore- bodies the country rock is filled with
coarse and fine impregnations of the sulphides. These deposits may be
described as ' stockwerks,' in which the vein structure is very obscure.
The strata of the whole district gennrally stand at high angles, ap-
proaching the perpendicular, so that the underlie of the ore-masses i.s
usually very steep ; and it most frequently happens that the ore itself
occurs in some form of diorite, more particularly in diorite breccia, with
quartz syenite or gneiss on one side. Several smelting-furnaccs are in
more or less constant operation."

The Sault Ste* Marie Branch is a link in the through line from
the Northwestern United States to the seaboard by way of the "Soo"
and " South Shore " railway lines converging from Minneapolis, St. Paul,
and Duluth upon Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., where the St. Mary's River is
spanned by a bridge. It skirts the shore of St. Mary's and (iarden
Rivers, and the N. shore of Lake Huron, passing through Bruce
Mines, Thessalon, AJgoma MUb, Spttnuh River, and other small lum-
bering und fishing ports described elsewhere (see p. 01). This branch-
line is built in the most substantial way, and a very large freight traffic
passes over it. Its passenger trains are of the first class, the beautiful
sleeping-cars of the Canadian Pacific company running through from
IJoston to St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth . without change. It is
therefore a favourite route for travellers.

From Sudbury westward the ('. P. R. carries the traveller
through a region of Iluronian rock-knolls cut by many deep rivers
that come down from the Height of Land to Lake llurim or Superior;
on and on, crossing small strea?ns innumerable and passing lakes by
the score — noticeably Vermilion Lake, seen at Larehwood. At Onapinxf
there is a rude little II. H. Co.'s post, where Indian lodges and canoes
are generally to be seen — people who have floated down from the back

LAKE NIPI88INO TO LAKE BUPEKIOR.

country. Cnrticr is ti lonely divisionnl point, with a small liotol fortlie
railway cniployeH and a restaurant in the station. Slmufht Luke is
upon a very crooked lake, so far as one can see, oeeupyinf? a narrow
valley windiuf; ainonj? low hills. Trestles, not very high and generally
on a eurve, eonduet the line skilfully across the many great f^uUies.
The old "tote-road,'' made by the men who huilt the railway in 1H84,
can be traced in many places, bordered by a luxtiriant p;rowth of wild
oats and timothy dropped from the feod-waj^ons and nose-bajjs of the
horses ; and here and there are seen the ruined camps of the construc-
tion gangs. The head of Spanish Uiver is crossed upon a fine iron
bridge just west of J'oi/oniasim/ — a swift current of black water, with
quiet pools and reaches here and there looking very trouty, and flowing
between high hills of red gi'anite clothed with larch-trees and moss.
Froiu here onward until Lake Superior comes into sight the train la
running upon the irregular c;)ntinental water-shed between the Great
Lakes and Hudson's Hay ; and many a ravine is crossed whose drainage
northward goes to fill the South Hranch of Moose River, and thus finds
its way to the great northern gulf. Biseofiifiinff is a small station where
sportsmen could find board and lodging while they hunted or fished in
the neighbourhood. All along here, despite the roughness — for there is
more arable land in the valleys than one would think — appear the log-
cabins, or "shacks," as they ciill them, of hardy settlers, largely of
French descent. They are part farniers, part lumbermen, part trap-
pers, and " part Injun." Farther W. are crossed in quick succession
Woman River, draining (Jround Hog Lake, and Apishkanagania River
and Lake, which unite a few miles below to form the Missassaga River,
emptying into Lake Huron (see p. 63).

Chapleau is another divisional point, with station eating-house,
residences of railway-men, and a brisk little village. The writer re-
members this point particularly for a most magnificent disj)lay of the
aurora borealis which he once witnessed here in September, involving
the whole heavens in gently waving curtains, pulsating clouds and
streams of ethereal light — a common autumnal phenomenon in this far
northern region.

At W'mdo'mere are iron-mines, near Lake Mipissi ; and a few miles
beyond is Afminnbic, a station on Dog Lake, at the head of Michipico-
ten River and near Lake Missinabie, the source of Moose River, which
flows northward to James Bay.

This point was one of those well known and frequented long before

LAKK NIPI88INO TO LAKE PUPKRTOR.

the tiinu of raihvHy-hiiihiin;;. Ilore the llcif^ht of Land uppiMiiulu'H
within 25 miles of liuke Superior, and the railway runs for a short dii'-
tance almost upon its crest. Tp from Mlehipieoten IJay, throuj,'h a
chain of ponds and the long reach of Lake Munitouick, the voijoffcum,
foUowinff the ancient Lidian trail, could hrinj; their canoes over Stony
Portage into Do<r Lake, and then, after a short portage,* launch them
again upon the heail -waters of Moose iJiver, and float down that stream
to Hudson's Hay. As soon as the early fur-traders penetrated thus far
they discovered lliat this was the Indian highway between Lake Su-
perior and the arctic waters, and naturally t(M)k advantage of it. At
the mouth of the .Michii»ieoten Hiver (which gives its name to the hay
into which it flows, and to a hig island in the oiling) one of the largest
fortified posts in tl:c Northwest was estaldished at an early date.
Thither were taki-n from Montreal by bateaux, and later by sailing
vessels, the trading goods destined for distiibution to all the posts in
the valley of the Moose ; and there were gathered, in return, the con-
signnfents of peltries to be shipped to Lower Caiuida. No place on the
shore of Lake Superior was busier in those days, except the head-
quarters at Thunder Hay. At the foot of Lake Missinabie, some 20
miles N. of the railway, was another post; and a third, Now liruns-
wick House, still stands on New Hrunswick Lake a few miles down the
Moose. Sixteen days was the average time re(iuired to make the trip
from Lake Superior to Moose Factory, the large post and port at the
mouth of the Moose, on James Hay ; but the return trip, being mainly
up stream, must have taken longer. All these posts are a century old.

The date of the founding of Michipicoten House is not at hand.
It was more than !(»() years ago, for it appears upon Mackenzie's map
of 1789. When I'rof. Louis Agassiz and his party made the tour of
Lake Superior in open boats in 1848, they skirted along this shore and
stopped two or three days at the Michipicoten House, a description
and picture of which appear in the rare volume which recounts that
journey. (For further particulars see p. 30.) It still exists as a gen-
eral store, and something of a settlement has grown up about it, at-
tending to the fisheries and doing a little farming. The old fur-posts
along the Moose survive also, and their trade has varied less than has

* A portage is a place where the canoes or boats, as well as the
cargo, must be lifted from the water and carried around an obstruction
to navigation, or across from one water to another ; a dechargc is a
place where oniy the cargo need be unloaded .and carried overland,
while the empty canoes may be dragged or poled along the stream.

LAKK NIPTSfllNO TO LAKE BUPERIOR.

that at Micliipicotcn, whilo Moose Factory is probably nearly the sainc
an it was 100 yours a^o. Canoes are constantly passing back and forth
between the railway and New HninswieU House, and fre((uent oppctr-
tunities wouhl be afforded any sportsman who desired to accompany
them. To go down the Michipicoten is a very easy matter. A canoe
and guides can b(> obtained of the 11. It. Co.^s agent at Missinabic, with
which to cross Dog Lake (10 inilcH) to Stony Portage, and the farther
distance to the nioutli is about 40 miles, Mr. (f L. Wetmore, the local
division enirineer, says that the fishing in the Michipicoten is little in-
ferior to that in the Xepigon, the trout being large (up to fij pounds)
and gamy.

It would be e(pially feasible to make the run down to the mouth of
the Moose, as missionaries and trath-rs frecpiently do; but the journey
18 described as not only toilsome and extremely uncomfortable on ac-
count of the hosts of mosipiitoes and flies which infest the endless
forests Ihrough which the river passes, but monotonous in the highest
degree, and having little at the end of it to reward one's exerti«)n.

A few general statements in regard to the "great lone land" N,
of tlic! water-shed may not come amiss before leaving this digression.
Hudson's Hay is the lowest central portion of a vast basin of paheozoic
strata rimmed by the primitive granites, (piartzites, limestones, etc., of
the plateau, of which the Laurentian Mountains is the loftiest ri(lge.
This ancient plateau abounds in lakes that feed many great rivers flow-
ing north as well as south. Where these fall over the rim of the old
hard rocks occur the long portages that interfere with steady naviga-
ti(m. Helow this rim of priiidtive rocks, representing the shore of the
old Silurian sea, a plain of paht'ozoic rocks, almost level, slopes gently
down from all sides toward Hudson's IJay. The soil is clayey, there
arc tow surface rocks or lakes, but many great swamps and an almost
unbroken forest, which, however, yields little timber of value. A poor
sort of lignite coal is exposed in many places, bat no other useful min-
erals. That the soil is fertile has been shown by the gardens around
the ti"ading-i)osts ; but the early frosts prevent extensive or certain agri-
culture. The rejiion N. of th« Height of Lantl is as useless for cul-
tivation and settlement as it is uninteresting to the traveller. Even the
fisheries of the southern part of Hudson's Hay are poor.

Few features call for notice during the next 100 miles. The line
winds about among rough hills, through many rock-cuttings and over
deep ravines, in a way most creditable to the engineers who built it.
At Whifr Rivn\ a divisional point (station, lodging-house, restaurant,
etc.), arc large yards, where c .ttle shipped from the Northwest are dis-
embarked, rested, und fed. The railway follows White River onward
to Round fjakt\.(and there is excellent fishing in it, easily accessible all
the way), then crosses a level tract to the Hig Pic, which is spanned by
a high bridge. This brings the passenger to his^r.v/ view of Lake Su-
perior at Heron liai/, on its N. E. angle.

NORTH ftllORE OF I,AKE SUPKRIOU.

North Shore of Lake Superior.

The time si'hodiilo i.s 8o arriuipod ns to put the wcst-boniul train
within sij^ht of Luko Superior iit siinrisc in suiimior. rarcntlu'tically, it
may ho roinarUod here that the reason why tlie time consumed in ercssin^
the continent l)y tlie Canadian road is some twenty-four hours lonf^er
than is really necessary is found in the desirability of passing certain
great features of scenery by daylif^ht, and of reaching ci-rtaln preat sta-
tions, as \Vinnipe«j and the terminus, at suitable hours. The passenper
should be awakened at Heron May in order not to miss seeinii any of
this remarkable coast, which, {loinfr eastward, is passed in the afternoon.

At first (miy occasional glimpses of the a/ure sheet of water are
given. Peninsula iJay, the outlet of Little Tie Uiver, is the first large
opening, and the first harbour X. of Michipicoten. Indians are al-
ways campinjr here, and would assist fishermen. Jtwkjish, on Jaekfi.sh
Bay, is a great lake-fishing place, the sheltered waters behind the Slate
Islands, seen in the olfinjx, furnishing the white-fish, lake-trout, stur-
geon, etc., with a favourite feeding and spawning ground, i^c/nrihcr
is a divisional point of the more important kind, being the residence of
the local superintendent and staff, and is surrounded by a neat little
town and some small farming. RoKHport, formerly McKay's Harbour,
was a landing-place for railway material and the men em])loyed near
by in working E. and W. toward a connection with adjoining sec-
tions; and here happened one of those vexatious accidents that occa-
sionally occurred to delay progress and increase the cost — a land-slide,
that swept bodily into the lake a large section of track, carrying with
it a wharf and a great (piantity of supplies. Hetwccn this station and
the next, (Uravcl /\V>vr (formerly ii favourite hunting-ground and trading-
place), some of the heaviest work on the whole road was done, as
plainly appears in the vast displacement of rock which enabh'd the
track to be carried around the cliffs that here jut out into the lake.
One cut at Pay's Plat Point is IcO ft. deep in solid rock. Pay's
Plat, or Tonnerre (its old name), vvas the scene of some of the earliest
Indian trading on the lake. (J ravel River is especially eligible for
camping and fishing.

Such are so:iie of the dry facts of the wonderful stretch between
Heron Bay and Nepigon, but the traveller will pay little attonti<m to
them if he has any enjoyment of a magnificent landscape. The track

NORTH SHORE or LAKK SUPERIOR.

for the most part is laid upon a rock-gallory carved out of the face of
the cliffs, (liret'tly overlooking the breadth of the lake, while overhead
tower massive crags, richly coloured and fantastically adorned with trees,
vines, and creeping, blossoming vegetation and mosses.

" From dawn until 'A o'clock in the afternoon you roll along its upper
indentation, now on a shelf 100 ft. or more above the water, then cut-
ting through a hill of solid rock in a gorge or tunnel, anon creeping
along spidery trestles that si)an the ravines of rivers, and whirling
through a tract of tough and ragged forest; you box the compass in
your progress, i icking this way and that to get around great dikes of
trap and uplifts of red granite, or hug the sides of valleys, or wind
around the heads of chasms; but ever at the southward is the shoreless
stretch of green water, undinmied by smoke, unspecked by sail, except
that of an infretjuent lishing-sinack in the coves, and lapping against
precipitous capes and islamls. . . . The rocks rise sheer, hundreds of
feet above the water in many places, and make almost as bold and
pictures(|ue a stretch of coast as you will find in the maritime provinces.
At Jackfish Hay the road describes an enormous curve, leagues in
length, betw(>en the capes, and the valleys opening northward are seen
to b(! hemmed by great walls of basalt, splintered along their faces like
the IIiids(m Palisades and the East Rock at New Haven. . . . The
gorgeous coloring of the dome:' and ))romontories that line the shore is
due to metallic oxides, mostly iron, in the rock, and it would make a
beautiful building-stone. It is not a true granite, for mica appears in
it but sparingly, and the feldspar is scarlet, Hesh-colored, purple brown,
gray, greenish, white, and yellow, giving remarkable vivacity and brill-
iancy to the foreground of the landscape."*

The ancient rocks along this N. shore — relics of the primitive, life-
less skeleton of the continent outlined by the sweep of the Laurentides
eastward to Labrador and northwestward beyond Lake Manitoba — are
everywhere, in this section, interrupted by enormous trap-dikes of un-
certain geological age and origin, which often stand out high above the
surface, because they have resisted decay better than the gneisses,
shales, and sandstones they cut. To cpiote the elder Agassiz : " The de-
structive action of the water u[)on the coast is partially arrested in its
progiess upon meeting with them, and the dikes which run with the
strike are in conse(pience often found to shield the shore for consid-
erable distances; and it fre(pK'ntly happens that a narrow breach hav-
ing been effected in a dike, it will be found to be the entrance to a
spacious cove worn out on each side in the softer rock behind it. In
almost all those instances connnodious harbours result."

* C. M. Skinner, A Railway Vacation, p. 24.

NOIiTll SiroKE OF LAKE SUPERIOK.

Tliese vast hillocks and toweriiijf ridges of daik basaltic rocks form
a very striking characteristic of the scenery from Jackfish Hay west-
ward. Ogihit>i Butte, just west of Jacktish River, is a good example,
and a prominent landmark from the car-windows for a long distance in
both directions ; and similar beautiful table-lands last all the way to
Thunder Bay — Thunder Cape itself being the highest and most imj)res-
sive of all. All this distance cliff and shore are grandly picturesciuc in
form and brilliant in colour.

The building of this section of the line taxed most severely the
exchequer of the company, the skill of the engineers, and the en-
durance of the employes. The general manager was W. C. Van Home,
now president of the company. A very succinct account of the work is
at hand in a little book wiitten and published in London by the Mar-
quis of Lome, who, when Govcrnor-(ieneral of Canada, made a jour-
ney to the Pacific coast and return, largely along the incomplete line
of the growing railway. This is it :

"With the exception of about 60 miles, the principal material en-
countered was rock of the hardest descrijjtion known to engineers and
contractors, and the oldest known to geologists — syenite and trap.
Over two and a half million tons of solid rock excavation of this de-
scription — a mixture chiefly of feldspar, hornblende, and (piai-tz — had
to be removed, besides large quantities of loose rock and hard-pan.
The task may be judged of by the fact that for fifteen months 100
tons of dynamite per month were used. The explosive property of
dynamite is c(msidered to be equal to twelve or thirteen times that of
gunpowder; so that for every month, for fifteen months, if gunpowder
had been employed, enough would have been recpiired to freight one
of the company's large steel steamers running on Lake Superior. The
dynamite was manufactured on the work.*.

" The operation went on without intermission, winter and summer,
day and night, controlled by an army numbering for the greater part
of the time not less than 12,oo0 men. There were also employed
from 1,500 to 2,oOO teams of horses, supplemented in the winter by
about 1^00 trains of dogs. To house and accommodate this va'^t host,
nearly fi,000 buildings of various descriptions were erected on the
works. There would thus be there more than double the number of
buildings that the city of Stratford contains, counting five persons to
each building. Of course, the comparison ends here, for the shanties
and stables were in marked contrast to our three-story stone and brick
edifices. We can give no estimate of the (piantitics of food for men
and dogs and forage for horses which which were brought in ; but in the
fall of the year seven months' provision had to be made for this hungry
host, with appetites so whetted by the hard outdoor work and the
eager, nipping air, that each man consumed on an average five pounds

NORTH 8IIOKE OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

of solid food per diem. To hrinf^ in those supplies and the material for
the works, the company had seven steameis running and the contractors
five. For the same purpose fifteen docks and storehouses were built
by the comi;any along the shore of the lake, requiring Jl,ooO,(»(»o ft. of
lumber in construction. The shore was so rough that supply roads
could not be built except at enormous expense ; so the supplies and
material were landed at these docks, and thence distributed l)y fleets of
small boats along the line. And not only were there difhculties by land ;
there were dilHcultics by water as well. Miehipicoten was one of the
most valuable points of distril)Ution along the entire coast ; but it could
not be advantageously availed of owing to the fierceness of the storms.
Here two docks were built, each in turn to be washed away l)y the
violence of the sea, and here also two steameis were sindv. Conse-
(piently the supplies had to be landed 4 miles W. of Miehipicoten, and
distril)uted from that point instead. . . .

"The labour and expense of getting in the stuff from the coast at
Miehipicoten to the railway being constructed inland on the X. may be
estimated from the following: First, a road through the rocks had to be
built 7 miles in length ; then a lake (H miles long was struck, to traverse
which a steamltoat had to i)e constructed. A stretch of Itj miles of rough
mountainous country, requiring large rock blastings and cuttings, had
then to be encountered. That accomplished, a second lake 11 miles
long was reached, where another transport steamer was built. Two
and a half miles more of road intervened between this lake and
Dog Lake, where a tinrd steamer was built.

" Betwi'cn Nipigon and the IMc there are five tunnels, and not less
than ten riveis had to be diverted from their natural courses and car-
ried through rock tunnels excavated iinderiKiath the road-bed. One of
tiiese rivers measures in width l'*i) ft. There are along the coast 11
miles where in the living rock a shelf has been formed for the road-
bed of the railway, averaging *2(» ft. in width, in some places consid-
erably wider. The rivers crossed by the line >ire spanned by iron
bridges ; the abutments — indeed, the stone-woik throughout — being the
best kind of juasonry. There is some temporary trestle-woik, which
has mostly now been filled in. As a further evidence of the (piality of
the work, it may be remarked that no giade exceeds 52 ft. to the mile,
and the curvature is generally good, only two curves exceeding six de-
grees. There were few accidents to call the hospitals into re(piisition,
and such was the care exercised in the dynamite-factoiies that no casu-
alty whatever arose in the manufacture of the explosives."

The Fishing on the North Shore.

All the rivers that come down to the X. shore of Lake Superior are
tempting to an angler. The NcpUjmt, to be spoken of presently, i.s
fucile pntH'cpn ; but the streams E. of it, where the track closely bor-
ders the lake, are ecpial in everything except the size of the fish. The
B'uj Pic (pronounced Pwk) is well worih a trial. This is the largest

NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

stream that falls into this i)art of the lake, au'l it formed a boat route
between the northeastern eorner of Lake Superior and the I.onj^ Lake
grow I ) of waters 100 miles northward. The 11.15. Co. early planted a
post at Long Lake, whose outlet is the prinei|>al trilmtarv of Albany
Itiver ; and another, well proteeted by palisades at the mouth of the
Hig Pic, commanding this minor route to and from the far \. Just
W. is the Little Pic, reached from Middkton station ; and just E.
White liii'cr. All three contain good trout, but canoes can not be
used. There is a humble but clean sleej»ing-place iit Pcniti^ulo, and
good fishing may be had from the rocks all along this part of the shore.
As am])le accoumiodations arc available at Jtukfish and SehrcHnr,
however, the streams nearer those stations are esi>ecialiy recommended.
The best, perhaps, is Sttel River, which is now provided w ith a good
trail cut by direction of the railway otlicers. Trails have also been nuide
along Prairie, Hlack, Gravel, and Jack-pine Rivers, so that now anglers
can reach a great number of good [)ools heretofore inaccessilde. (Jen-
tlemen well acipiainted with these waters, in particular Messrs. (Jeorge
W. Wetmore, of Schreiber, and K. W. Sandys, of New York, have fur-
nished the writer with the following explicit and tnu>*t worthy information:

The Steel is reached from JaekjiKh, and offers about 5 miles of
good water below Mountain Lake, which has i-apital camping-sites.
To fish this river the sportsman should get off at Jark-Jislt sliitiou.
Starting about a «piarter of a mile K., a portage has l)een cut through
to Clearwater Lake, about 2^ miles, and the poitage between Clear-
water and Mo'.sntain Lake has been brushed out and i)ut in good order,
(jood trails have also been cut on both sides of the river to the foot of
the rapid water. A trail has also been cut from the iron railway
bridge to the head of the rariid water at the mouth of the rivei'. A
canoe can now be taken in by way of Clearwater Lake ami down the
river to Jacktish without dilliculty. The i)ortages, though long, are
easy. The fishing in this liver is good from the tiiiic the ice leaves
until the middle of June. Froni then until .\ugiist 1st good s|)ort is to
be had, though somewhat uncertain. After that, until the muldle of
September, the fishing can not be surjiassed anywhere, the fish rang-
ing in weight from 2 to G pounds. If the tisherman intends visiting the
head-waters of this river, he should ha»e guides with him. These
can be obtained or recommended by the division superintendent of tlie
railway at Schreiber. Capital sport can be had from the mouth of the
river to the heads of the lower rapids, and, if the sportsman contiiu-s
himself to this stretch of water, no guides will be re([uired.

Prairie River is 2 miles E. of Steel Lake Siding, 7 nnles \V. of
Middleton st-ition, and 9 miles E. from Jacktish station. The trail
commeuces about BOO ft. W. of where the railway crosses the river,

THE NEPIOON KE(}ION.

aui trends N. for about 4 milcrt, where it strikes the river at tlie head
of the fast watei*. From this point tlie wading is good and safe down-
stream through tlie rapids, tho fisliing being exeelient all along. The trail
is cut close to the river, and can be reached from any point. From
August 1st until September 15th is the best time, but good sport may
be hud any time after the middle of June.

Black Jiiver is another good one, though the fish do not range so
heavy. Half a mile W. of lilack lliver Siding, and starting from the
W. side of the railway bridge, is a trail leading N. along the bank for
6 miles to the head of the rapids. From this point the wading down-
stream is good and the sport certain, or a canoe can be used. A beauti-
ful cascade, well worth seeing, lies about a mile S. of the bi-idge. A
good trail, starting at a i)oint a mile W. of hlack River Siding, leads
directly from the railway to the falL

Gravel Liver is a capital water, either early in the spring or late
in the fall, though it is at times somewhat uncertain. From Gravel
River station a trail extends for a couple of miles to the IJig Fall,
thence down-stream along the rapid wat;v for 2^ miles, thence back to
the station, the trails forming a triangle. Trout in this river range from
1 to 4 pounds' weight. Good fishing is also to be had from the rocks
along shore, aiul this is a most desirable spot for camping-parties.

The Jack Pine is a first-class water. During early summer fish of
small size are plentiful, but after August big fellows weighing up to
5 pounds may be taken readily. A trail, starting a little E. of Mazo-
koma station, extends along the river 4 miles to the head of the rough
water, rendering the best reaches available, and large fish may be ex-
pected.

The Nepigon Region.

The Nepigon region embraces the country N. of Lake Superior sur-
rounding NepUjon Lake, and its outlet Nepiyon River, which fiows
southward into Ncphjon Bay, the northernmost point of Lake Supe-
rior. The train crosses this famous trout-river near its mouth, at Nepi-
gon station, near the old Hudson IJay post and settlopient of Red Rock.

" The Nepigon River ... is the largest river flowing into the lake
[Superior], and differs from all the others in having clear water. The
following appears to be about the order in size of the 12 largest
rivers entering Lake Superior, judging principally by the area wliich
each appears to drain: Nepigon, Kaminitiquia, Black Sturgeon, St.
Louis (in United States), Pie, Michipicoten, Goulais, IJutchawana,
Black, Ontonagon (in United States), Montreal, and Current. The
character of the Nepigon River and its size . . . entitle it to be con-
sidered as the continviation of the St. Lawrence beyond Like Superior.
The j^eneral upward course of the Nepigon is due N. (astronomically).
. . . Four lakes occur in its course [of about 40 miles], to which, in
the absence of other names, we gave those shown on the accompany-
ing map. The lowest of them, Lake Helen, is only 1 mile trom Red

THE NKPIGON KE(HON.

Rock, a H. IJ. Co.'s post at the head of Ncpigon Harbor. At the
outlet of this hike [where the railway now crosses] the liver is very
narrow, apparently only about l«iO yards wide, and sweeps around
with a strong current (estimated by Adnuial Hayfield at four and
one half knots an hour) for a distance of abnut half a luile between
banks of border-drift from 30 to 40 ft. hif^h. Lake Helen, which runs
due N., is about S ndles long and 1 mile wide. The upward course of
the river leaves the W. side of this lake nearly at right angles to the
shore. For <> miles from this point, in a northwesterly direction, it has
a width of al)<)i'*: 5 chains, with deep water and a moderately strong
current, flowing in a bed of alluvial sandy clay, with Laurentian gneiss
close to the K. side, sometimes approaching <piite to the brink of the
rivei-; while on the W. side the same rock comes to the water toward
the end of this sketch.

" Here the river makes a slight bend to the riglit, and is broken by a
slight chute at Camp Alexander.* At one (piai ter of a mile above this
point the L(mg Rajjids begin, and contimie for 2 miles ; but in ascend-
ing the river they are avoided by turning into a brook on the W. side,
and following it for altout tl:iee (juarters of a mile, and from it a poit-
age of H miles brings us up to the foot of Lake Jessie. This lake,
which is ;> miles long, and is studded with islands, is separated from
Lake Maria, immediately above it, and 2-J^ miles in length, by The
Narrows, 6 or H chains wide, in which there is a strong current, with
a fall of inches or more.

" A very high, west-facing cliff of columnar trap approaches the river
from the southwestward, at the he.ad of Lake Maria, and runs from
this point, in a tolerably straight course, all along the K. side of the
river to Lake Nepigon. Trap cliffs also occur on the W. side of the
river from Lake Maria to ('edar portage (Sj)lit Rock), the distance be-
ing 2 miles. This portage is 250 yards long. A mile and a (puirter
a))Ove it there is another portage, of .)0 yards, over an island in the
middle of the river. Three quarters of a mile above Island portage
the One-mile portage (2,000 paces) begins.

" At rather more than 1 mile from the head of this portage the river
breaks into a white, foaming chute, across a narrow ridge of trap,
which separates Lake Emma from the lower level. A narrow arm, in
continuation of the course of the river, just below White chute, and
parallel with the E. shore of I^akc Enuna, but on a lower level, ex-
tends beyond the chute to a distance of about a mile, where a portage
of 230 yards is made across the low trap ridge to the lake which has
just been mentioned. This lake is nearly 4 miles long. Retween it and
the point at which the river leaves Lake Xcpigon, a distance of .some
fi miles, four principal rapids occur, the lowest of which is seen where

* The writer is informed that the Canadian Pacific Company will
probably erect next ydUr a small hotel, or c/ulfcf, at this point, for the
benefit of fisherman, and that certain Port Arthur men are taking steps
toward placing a small steam-yacht to run between Nepigon station
and Camp Alexander.
8

THE NKPlfiON KEOION.

the river enters the northern extremity of liake Eniinn. The cnnoe
route turns aside from the waters of the Nepipon »t the N. W. an{:;Ie
of this lake, and for one (|uarter of a mile follows a brook tlowin;^
from Lake Hannah, whieli has a sli};htly hi<:her level than the last lake.
Four miles more, in a noithwesteily eourse, brinji^s us to the head of
Lake Hannah, from whieh Flat lioek portage, about 1 mile in length,
earries us to the shore of Lake Nepigon." *

Lake Nepigon, the "deep, clear lake," Aminij)igon of the Crec In-
dians, is elliptical in form, but its outline is extremely irregular. The
longest diameter is a little W. of N., and measures about 70 miles,
while its breadth is about 50. On the S. side aie many large bays,
though the largest bay of all, Ombakika, is on the northern side; this
bay is nearly 20 mil<!S long, with an entrance only a mile wide. These
many deep indentations render no less than 580 miles of coast ac-
cessible by water. The shores are generally bolder, and the water is
deeper ahmg the southern and western margins of the lake than op-
posite ; in one place a sounding-line 540 ft. long failed to reach the
bottom. Streams in great nunibers — several large enough for long
canoeing trips, and offering a most attractive field for exploration —
pour into this .spacious basin. The largest of theui is the Kayoshk, or
(lull River, which enters near the southwestern "corner," and at the
mouth of which is the Hudson's Bay post, Poplar Lodge. One can
easily paddle to Hudson's IJay or W. to Lake Winnipeg.

The Nepigon River is now the only outlet of the lake, falling 313
ft. in its swift cours(! to SujxM-ior; but there is evidence that formerly
water escaped through Jilack Sturgeon Lake and River, a few miles to
the westward.

Lake Nepigon differs from the other great lakes of Canada by be-
ing studded with islands, which add much to the beauty of its land-
scape. These vary in size from 8 miles in their principal diameter
down to the merest islets, and probably the whole number in the lake
exceeds a thousand. Excellent soil exists here and there, sometimes
extensively, all around the lake, though the largest tract of good land
appears to lie on the southwestern side. For 50 miles N. of the Non-
watan River the countiy is comparatively level and fertile to a great
distance westward. A similarly level and fertile region extends north-
westerly from Ombakika Bay, and at many other points colonization is

* Robert Bell, Report of Geological Survey of Canada for ISG'T-'GO
p. 836,

TIIK NEI'KJON KK(iIUN.

feasible. Faiiiiinfr liar», in fact, been eunied <»n tliere for a lon<,' time,
at several loealities, by the Intiian traders. Tlie lirst of tliesc were
independent Kreneii tiajjpers, a.'* early as 17(»7; lati'r the Northwest
Co. took jjossession, and built jiosts more than a century ago.

The climate is as well suited lo agiicultuie as that of the t,'reatcr
part of the Province of Quebec; tiinlter of a serviceable S(>rt is plenti-
ful ; brick-clays, lime, an(i l)uilding-stone abound ; salt springs are
known; and the day is probably near when these hills and watcr.s will
echo to the .'bounds of rural industry.

Finally, it nnist not be forgotten that all these rough rocks belong
to the same series as the e(»pper-bearing ledges surrounding liake Su-
perior; and that not only native copper, iron, and lead, but gold and
lesser ndnerals are recogui/.ed, and have already been mined.

It is the fishing, however, which makes this lake, and more espe-
cially the river, intere.<ting to the outside world. Much has been writ-
ten of its glories, and every year .sees a large nund)er of enthusiastic
parties from eastern Canada and the United States camping upon its
shores. None were better aecpuiinted with the river than the late W.
T. Whitcher, of Ottawa, Deputy Minister of Marine in the Canadian
Cabinet. His advice was that i)ersons intending to go there should
write early in the season to the II. B. C«».'3 agent at Nepigon, and
ask him to engage for them the re(|uisite men and canoes. This
renuiins good advice. He can furnish all deficiencies in an ordinary
outfit, tents, bedding, cooking utensils, etc., at reasonable prices*
There is now at Nepigon station a most excellent little hotel ( 7\ii^for''s,
|2), where anglers can put up most comfortably. Says Whitcher:

"Apart from railioad fares or hotel bills, the outlay incurred for
one or two months depends upon the ntunber and tastes of each party;
and four or five persons can figure out to ' find ' and feed themselves
almost as cheaply as one or two. Clothing, provisions, and camp out-
fits need not eo,;t for each peison over *l.'2r) per day. Tackle and
fishing gear can be had for $2^) that will last for several seasons.
(Juides and hired canoes cost from )ft2 to |^4 per day for two men and
one canoe. Theii- daily feed, say 40c. each.

" A single angler can manage with one canoe and two Indians ; and
a party of three or four would merely double that estimate, unless
every man weighs 25(» pounds and carries a cannery of eatables and
drinkables along with him. Every additional canoe means also a brace
of Indians, two mouths, and as many appetites as there are stoppages
in each day's journeying, or idle hours between daylight and darkness.

" One word more. Don't leave wives, daughters, sisters, and sweet-
hearts behind on the plea of expense. It is poor economy. I believe

TIIK NKI'KJON l{i;(JI<»\.

tliat, if sonic men would spnid Imlf of wliiif, flu'V do in Imyiiif; llieiii-
Kclvt's oJf Croru t!i«' (l»'li;.dilfid iiicimiluaiHc, tlicsc chiiriniti'; I'iriitiiiert
could iiowitdiivs |>artifi|iiilc in tlic iiispiiiliii;^ pleasures of our un^liii);
trips willioul the sll;ilitest, diiii;^er of family Itunkruptev. ilust think how
much Ixi^hter the waters a|)peiir, how niiieh lovelier the woods seem, and
what a ffviuv of ;i<'ntleness pervades the wildness and romanee of our
HurroiMidin^s when the 'girls' uro in eaiioe and camp with us! And
a mere trifle of extra cost sulfiees thus to 'jiaint tho lily' of our joy-
ous outdoor life."

Tho fish euujrht are white-fish and trout, the hitter remarkahle for
their si/e. Two and three pounders are not uncommon. A few live-
pounders will fall to the lot of most diligent anglers in tlie course
of a season ; and Hsh wei}ihin<^ eight pounds huvo been taken. The
best flies, according' to Sandys, arc as follows:

"The standard flies for Nopitjon and adjacent waters arc the 'pro-
fi'ssor,' Spleen,' ' frrizzly kiiij;,' 'Montreal,' 'Sotli (Jrcen,' 'fairy,'
*slioemaker,' 'c<tachman,' 'silver dru'tor,' ' fir ay drake,' 'jri'ccn drake,'
yellow, brown, black, and f,niz/,led 'hackles'; and 'gnats' for the
spe>.'iul benefit of the silvery white-fish. In addition to such (»f these
as you may pin faith to, and otheis of your own particular fancy, it
will be as well to take some artificial niiiniows and a lew ()f the j.'ood
rul)bor baits along; for they come in very handy when fish refuse a
fly, and are a|)t to tempt big fellows. Vour fly fisher may sneer at
this, but do you let Idm sneer, ami take the bails just the same, for
they will surely be used and do their part gallantly. A fig for what
the fish rises to! So long as you ])lay him fairly and well after he i.s
once hooked, Uie sport is just the same ; and, moreover, if the tiue
inwardness of the capture of some of the 'monsters' was known, it
might be that they fell to a grassliopi)er or even the degraded 'chunk
of pork,' while the fly-book was never ojiened."

The names ujum the accompanying map indicate favorite camping
and fishing places. Writers like the Jlon. Robert H. Roosevelt and
Charles llallock have sung the praises of Nepigon fishing, and an ex-
cellent article upon this svibject by A. U. Macdonongh Yale appeared in
Scribner's Magazine, vol. v (l^Hfl), page o\o.

Cnmpiiig Outfit and Regimen.

Bearing in mind that one mu-?t camp in fishing the Nepigon, the
following hints by Mr. Whitclier may prove very valuable, not only liere
but elsewhere, in Western campaigning:

" Practiced campaigners know all about the proper outfit for
such a jaunt as I have been describing. Others may be glad to

TIIK NKPIOON HKOIoX.

.^7

ln' rciiiiiidt'd of what are nri'cssitit'P ; what iniiy bo (.'oiisidcrtMl liixurii's;
wIh'It bi'st to p't tliciii ; liow to iirraii;,'!' for tnuis|iortiition, vtv. . . .

" Tlic ki» lor siu'h an expedition oii^iht to incliidt' tents and a rejjii-
lai' canteen for c'ool<ery, with eatini; and drinkin;: utensils, an iiisiih'
pail for water and an outside one for hoilin<,', hesidi's a wire firidiron
and baking' |)an, or a Dutch oven, axes, hati'hets, knives, tin eandlc-
sticks and candU's, an extra kettle, tea-pot, coffee-pot, a dish-washing
pan, coaise towels, and yellow soap.

" A foldin.u: camp bedstead or a canvas strctclier, and folding chairs
and tables, are desirable, uides.J you prefer to make your bed on hein-
lockbou^lis. The beddinj; should be ample and warm, and well stowed
in dutmaj^e sacks made of oiled duck and secured by hand-straps.
Your clothiti".' must be woolen and durable, and carried in a soft
leatheiii valise; oveialls and water- proofs should be included; stronj;ly
laced ankle-shoes and water-ti^dit boots, thickly soled and slij,'htly
lej?f!;ed above the knee, form the best foot-wear, A tarlatan veil for the
face, and ;.'auntlets to j)rotect the wrists iiu'ainst insects, are indisjiensa-
ble, A mixture of coal-oil and tar, or an unj;uent coiiipouiulcd <d' cam-
phor and v.iseliuc, is needed to sm«'ar the face, neck, am' ears, since it
not oidy protects those parts, l)ut acts as an antidote to the poisonous
secri'tion in all fly-bites which irritates the skin and fevers the blood.
In addition to toilet articles, tak«' pins, needle^, thread, buttons, tape,
wax, hooks and eyes, scissors, and —

'* Well, if you really need a little whisky for our stomach's sake
and your often infirmities, take a few flat flasks ot n|d rye. Treasure
it! Don't ' swiir tlu' Indinns and half-breeds, for the cowardly
reason that, because some {generous or bibulous fool has heretofore
done so, you fear to be reckoned mean, , , , If you arc known to have
a supply, and fail or refuse to circulate it, look out for sulks or spills.
Once be<.'in, and you nuist continu" with ever-incrcasin<r jxenerosity, or
soon find out your initial mistake, no matter how excusable you may
have thoup;ht of it. The extra exertions and aj^reeable moods due to
intoxicants dispensed to aborij!;ines cannot counterbalance the sullen
reaction that easily develops into |)assike or active incivility. Detter
Hunt your (piantity strictly to personal and necessary u.se, and your
temperance will be read ami respected by all men.

" IIavin<^ f^ot toj^ether all these necessaries, lay in your provisions
according; to time and number, allowin<r about double your own need
for fecdlno: attendants. The chief essentials to re-enforce the contents
of cases in your canteen are tea, ground or condensed cotfpc, flour, fat
pork, smoked and spiced l)acon, corned beef, ham, lard, salt butter,
corn-meal, oaten-meal, biscuits, ])ca-flour, corn-starch, rice, potat"es,
onions, pickles, salt, pepper (white and re<l), bakiii<r-powder or soda,
condensed milk, canned preserves a!id ve_«ri'tal)les, canned meats,
tongues, lemons, lime-juice, vinepar, maple sugar or <irup, aiuJ anj'-
thing else you may fancy. With these trifles you can get along pretty
well, eked out as they should be by tish, at least twice a day. Pipes
and tobacco you will not forget, of couise, if you are a smoker,"

NKI'KJON TO FOKT WILLIAM.

Nepigon to Fort William.

A beautiful sceno lies l)ef(jre the eye as the train leaves Xepigon
Htiition and erosses the river within view of Lake J/clcn (on the right),
and then sweeps westward around the head of the bay, which is the
northernmost extremity of Lake Superior. Hold and lofty hills, or crags>
rather, eonfront the eye on both sides, restiniij upon the indurated red
marls, whieh give the name " Red Rock " to the district ; and outward
the view takes in the broid bay, the rough outlines of St. Ignaeo and
other islands, and eatehes glimpses of the distant lake. There is a fine
strip of shore where the houses of fishermen and small farmers shine
against the green forest, and the white sails of tishing-ciaft dot the
azure plain of water. The riiilroad descends by steep, curvilinear
grades until, some 4 miles westward, it turns around the base of Red
lloek elitf, enters a stri'teh of level country, and passes easily between
> succ.'ssion of highly eolouied buttes across to the head of IJlaek Hay —
■ i large iidet penetrating northeastward from the lake, and sepaiated
from Nepigon Hay by a long and lofty peninsula terminating in rocky
islets which form a favourite white-li.hing ground. This bay owes its
name to the discoloured water of Hlack Sturgeon River whieh enters its
apex, and is presently crossed by the train. Ilei'e. too, the " Hlack " in
the name refers to the colour of the water rather than to the great fish
Cftmmonly taken there. It comes from Black Sturrfcoii Lake — a body
of water lying just west of l-ake Nepigon ( 1 ndle by portage), and
courses irregularly down through Hig and Little Nonwatan and Ksh([ua-
nonwatan l^akes, the last some 20 ndles above the bay. The upper
portion of the river and the lakes lies in a tolerably level region, but
hills close in near the mouth. A great many rapids disturb the very
crooked current, but all these can, with one or two exceptions, be run
by canoes. These facts are given because this is one of the lartrest
and most interesting of the north-shore rivers, and affords excellent
fishing, thou'rh the tio\it are small. The level lowland contimies, and
the train proceeds straight southwestward at high speed, keeping con-
stantly in view eastwaid a lofty, dark-colored ri'lge, which grows higher
and more pictur"S(iue. The stations Wo'f Jiivrr, Pearl Jx'ieer, Loo'
Lake, j\i\i\ Mackenzie are passed in quick succession; but they have
nothing to merit attention except that eacli of them gives access in
summei' to a good trout-stream (Current River has the highest repute),

THE PEN INSULA OF ONTARIO.

and in winter to fine trapping and sliooting grounds, especially for bear
and deer. Partridges are abundant here, too. Tlu'ee hours after leav-
ing Nepigon the lake again comes into view at the head of the great
inclosed harbour of Thumh'r Biuj^ the lofty ridge sweeps on down its
farther shore in tlie grand promontory of Thumkr Cope, and soon the
train completes the first stage of its transeoiitinental journey at the
busy little cities of Port Arthur and Fort William, 1,(KM) miles
from Montreal, l,7oi> miles from Halifax, and 2,000 from the Pacific
coast.

TOUR OF THE UPPER LAKES.

A most attractive pmt of West Canada is the region of the (Jreat
Lakes; and tiot oidy is there a large number of towns, sunnner re-
sorts, and fishing-places along their shores, but several of the idghways
to the Northwest lie across Lakes Huron and Superior. The present
chapter will di'al with the various routes and places of interest on the
Canadian side of the Upper Lakes.

The Peninsula of Ontario.

Western Ontario constitutes a triangular peninsula inclosed by
L<tk(' Krie on the S., the Detroit Jiirer, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Huron
on the W., and (reon/iau Bui/ on the X. It is the most poi)ulous and
prosperous part of Ontario, and in many respects (if we include To-
ronto) of the whole Dominion, having an alm()st unbroken expanse of
arable land, level and well watered for the most part, and numerous
outlets by water as well as by rail. The i)opulation is malidy English
and Protestant, and it is increasing despite the steady drain of emigra-
tion to the new Northwest. The largest city is London, occupying a
central position ; l)ut several others have 10,OttO or more inhabitants,
as Hamilton, St. Thomas, and (luelph, with others approaching them
in importance. It is a wide area of fertile farms, pleasant and i)ros-
perous towns, but there is not much to attract the pleasure-traveller or
sight- seer, so that for the purposes of the present book the region may
be dismissed with a short account as compared with some other dis-
tricts insiginficant beside it in practical importance, but having superior
claims upon the lover of the pictures(pie or upon him who seeks the
paths of adventure or sport.

THE PENINSULA OF ONTARIO.

Michigan Central 11. K* Route.

Western Ontario is traversed by railways in all directions and un-
der many dilferent eoinpanies. Southernmost is the line of the old Can-
ada Southern U. I». This is now under control of the Michigan Cen-
tral 11. J{., and is the route of the fast through trains between New
York and Chicago, by way of the New York Central to Suspension Uridgo
and the Michigan Central to Chicago; the best known of these trains
is the beautiful one called the North Shore Limited. This line makes
use of the cantilever bridge, aud then skirts the brink of the cataract
on the Canadian side, where, at the best point {Fal/.s^ V!eir\ a plat-
form has been erected giving travellers an excellent vinr of the IJorse-
shoe FnU. All trains stop here 5 minutes; and, by the way, this is the
only railroad whose passengers can get a view of Niagara Falls without
leaving the train. Proceeding westward, the train crosses WeUand
Ccmal, near Welland, and runs through a series of small agricultural
towns to St. Thoirnis, 116 miles W. of Niagara Falls, and a city of
over 10,(100 people, the market of a good farming country, and the
seat of considerable manufacturing. Its jirincipal hotel is the Grand
Crufnd (>iJ2). Diverging lines of the Grand Trunk and C. P. K. con-
nect St. Thomas with all the interior districts and with Port Stanley
(see p. 44). From St. Thomas westward to the Detroit River this line
pjvsses through a ilat, wooded, and uninteresting district, but the road
is straight and well laid, enabling its trains to go with great speed and
punctuality. At Kssex Center the road divides, the present main line
keeping '^n to ^F«k^.so>-, opposite Detroit, where tlie ears cross the De-
troit River upon a ferry-boat ; wliile the oiiginal line of the Canada
Southern turns southward to Aniliersthunj (population, 2,500; Lalc-
vicw Ilolef, f 2), and crosses the Detroit River at Grosse Isle by ferry,
whence it continues to Toledo, Ohio.

Lake Eric ami Detroit Jliver K. R.

This line is a route 30 miles in length, from Walkerville, a manu-
facturing village adjoining Windsor on the N. (and connected with De-
troit by its own ferry), to K'ni(jsvilh\, on Lake Erie. Walkerville is
interesting in having what are said to be the largest distilleries and
storage warehouses in the world. Here no less than 80,000 barrels,
containing more than 4,000,000 gallons, are always to be found ripen-

THE PENINSULA OF ONTARIO.

ing with nge under a continuously uniform teniporaturo. Tlu' Cuniidian
law forbids the sale of any spirit less than two years old ; and excise
officers keep it under their seal until that time, at least, has expired.
But in the case of the Walkerville whiskies the (Jovernnicnt, at the re-
quest of the manufacturers, retains possession much longer, and finally
stami)S a guarantee of the age of its contents over the cork of every
bottle. This fact will interest all readers, and a visit to this great
establishment will be well repaid. The southern terminus of the rail-
road is at J\l)tf/.svill(\ on Pi^/cmi Bai/, a shallow bight of liake Krie be-
tween Point Pelee on the E. and Arner's Point on the W. This shore
is warm and fertile, and is largely devoted to grape-growing and the
production of wine. Point Pe^ee is a gi'avelly i)romontory reaching out
into the lake, and separated from the nuiinland by a marshy tract which
forms one of the best duck-shooting grounds in Canada. (Opposite its
extremity is Pche hhtruf^ the most southerly point in Canada, and
occupied largely by the Peleo Club, an association of sportsmen.
Lcmniiiyton and h'iuf/srillc are villages on the shore, the latter lighted
by natural gas obtained in abundance from wells near by. KingsvilU;
is the station for a large and handsome summer hotel, l^ie Jlttfairos^
which is provided with all modern improvements and largely patronized,
not oTily by Detroit people and Canadians, but by many families from
the Southern States. It stands on high blutfs, and many islands are
in view. IJesides the two tine groves within the village there are sev-
eral itretty picnickmg-grounds along the shore ; and 2 miles W. is
Cedar Iteaeh, a broad strip of clean-washed sand lying between
Cedar Creek and the lake, with a wide belt of red cediii's extending its
whole length. Besides several daily trains between Walkerville and
Detroit, the steamboat Ldfcc-ilile plies frecpiently between Kingsville
and Pelec Island, .Sandusky (Ohio), and Detroit.

Lines of the («i-aiul Trunk Kaihvay*

The (Jrand Trunk Railway Comjiany was the first to lay tracks in
Western Ontario, and now reaches ahnost every town of importance.
The mr'.in line |)roceeds nearly straiglit W. from Toi-onto through
Georgetown (poi)tdati(m, l,6tH>); (iuclf>h (population, 11,000; RomJ
and WcUhi(fton Hotels, ^2); Herlin (population, S,o()o ; Anuritunt Ilotil,
$2 — a good place for fishing); and Waterloo (population, .'5,oflO ; (V>'/i-
mn-ciril Hotel, *(2), to Stratford (population, lo,OoO; ]Vhi<hor Hotel,

$2). This is the centre of a very tine agricultural reg

ion, ant

I tl

TIIK PENINSULA OF ONTARIO.

jimction-point for lines to Godorich and all the ports and towns of
the Saugeen IVninsula northward, and for lines southward to Wood-
stoek, Sinieoe, and Lake Erie, and eastward to IJrantford, Ilainilton,
and liuffalo. W. of Stratford the route is through the flat eountrv
along the southern end of Lake Huron to Sarnia.

Sarnia or Port Sarnia (poi)ulatioii, 7,000 ; IJcff chamber Hotel, |2)
has grown up at the entranee of Lake Huron into the St. Clair Kivor,
immediately opposite Port Huron, Mieh., and it is nuieh fre(itu'nted in
summer l»y Southerners. In old times Fort Kdward was a fortified
post there, eonfronting Fort (iratiot on the Miehigan side. Now it is a
flourishing nianufaeturing town, .shij)piiig port, and railroad ei-ntre.
Until lately trains were ei'ossed upon ferry-boats to Port Huron and
back, but there has just been completed an iron-lined tunnel through
which the principal trains, at least, pass unbroken from one side of the
river to the other.

''The actual tunnel itself under the river is r),OL>0 ft. long. It is
lined throughout with solid cast-iron plates, bolted together in seg-
ments — each segment being 5 ft. long, 18 inches wide, and 2 inches
thick, with tlangt's 5 inches deep ; the whole lining weighing together
28,000 tons. The interioi- diameter of the tunnel is 2tt ft., and ample
means have been provided lor thorough ventilation, and for lighting it
tl'.roughont, when re(iuired, by the electric light. The road is practi-
cally level under the river, with approaches at each end on gradients
of 1 in 50. The total length of the tunnel and approaches is 11,553
ft. At the ends of the approaches are Junctions with the (irand
Trunk Ry. on the (^anadian side and the Chicago and (Irand Tr^.nk Ry.
cm the American side of the river. The tunnel was constructed by
means of heavy wrought-iron shields, with sharp edges, 15 ft. '-^ inches
long, and 21 ft. (i inches in diami'ter. Kach shield was pushed forward
by 24 hydratdic lanis, the barrel of each lam being 8 inches in diam-
eter, with a stroke of a little more; than 18 inches. Each ram exer-
cised a force of 125 tons. From the date when the shields were first
lowered in position at the pf)rtals to the meeting of the shields in the
tunnel, the time occupied in constructing the tunnel was twelve moiiths.
The cost of the tumiel is in the neighborhood of |2,7oo,O0O."

Sarnia is a port of call for occasional steamboats, and the starting-
point for an important line to the Upper Lakes. A small steamer may
bo taken here daily (or at Windsor), which nuUtes the circuit of St.
Clair River and Lake, stoi)])ing at all landings. Another line of the
Grand Trunk proceeds westward from Suspension Rridge through Ham-
ilton {^i'C Canadian (luide-Rook, Part I, pp. 17-20), //(^-yvVn^/T/ (junc-
tion for (Jalt, (Juelph, lirantford, etc.), and Paris (junction for Strat-

THE PENINSULA OF ONTARIO.

ford iind northern points) to 11 W/.s/ocA* (population, 9,000; O' AW// and
Commercial I/oOfn, >;2), higermll (poi-ulation, 4,200; T)<(hi //(>«,sr, $2)
iMiidoH, and Sam/a. Tliis is the old " Great Western llailway," and it
and its many branches pas;? through the most populous part of the
province. One sees everywhere fields of corn and prain, with pastures
and mueh timber interspersed ; and everywhere the same lonely ham-
lets and neat, well-shaded towns, just as in New York or Ohio. The
largest and most notable eity is Loudon. It contains ;i'2,0()0 people,
and is the central point of the whole peninsula. Branches of the
Grand Trunk system radiate from it in all directions, and it is con-
nected with Detroit and Toronto by the Canadian Paeitie. The city is
named after the British metropolis, stands upon the Thames River, and
has its Hyde Park, St. Paul's Cluirch, and a nundjer of otiier nominal
resendjlanees. The river is a very pietty stream, and navigable for
some distance by small pleasure-steamers, which carry the citizens to
certain picnicking resorts, and to the copi(»us s|)rings whence the city's
water-sup|»ly is derived. The town lies level, and is intersected by
wide streets, several of which are planted with four lines of shade-
trees, making charming avenues in summer. There is much wealth,
and the public buildings, banks, and stores are of fine appearance.
Cream-coloured brick and light stone are the j)rincipal building mateiials,
and nearly every residence is surrounded by pretty gn»unds. Alto-
gether, London is a comely, cultivated, and highly prosperous town,
though it is not one that is making veiy rapid progress. As the home
of many old and well-to-do families, its social affairs are ujxm a high
plane. Besides the long-organized London Club there is a younger
Hunt Club, which supports kennels with a large i)ack of hounds )} miles
from town, where there is also a club-house. Drag-hunts are con-
ducted twice a week duiing the season, and the kennels form a rendez-
vous for driving and riding partii's. A rod-and-gun club also flourishes ;
and the jjcople pay great attt'iition to good dogs and horses. London
has many churches, some of which ate nol)le in architecture ; ami a
complete system of schools, supplemented by two rt'ligious colleges, a
btisiness college, etc. There is an opera-house, where most of the best
travelling companies are seen from time to time ; two daily newspapers,
and a public library. The city is lighted by electricity an<l gas, has
horse-cars (which, as in most Canadian towns, do not rwu on Sunday),
and is well siipplied with hotels of various ranks. The best of these,
and one of the best hotels in Canada, is the Teciunseh House ($2.50 to

THE PENINSULA OF ONTARIO.

, opposite the Grand Trunk station ; a block distant is the Griqg
HouHc (|s'2). Several daily trains run in sunnncr down to Port Stanley,
a bathinj; resort on liake Erie.

A southern route of the (iraud Trunk system roaches from Sus-
pension Hridfio and Buffalo, along the north shore of Lake Erie,
though rarely within sight of it, to Windsor and Detroit, Port Col-
borne, at the southern entrance to the Welland Canal, lately becoming
a summer resort of so'ne conse(|uenco, is patronized especially by families
from the Southern United States. The next station of note is Sinicoe
(population, 2,7<>(» ; Atnrneon and Ihttlershj/ hotels, -^Nl.nO), a flourishing
village <m (Jrand River. These are small harbours, but the latter is
frequented by many visitors and large excursion parties in summer,
picnic-grounds offering them entertainment. From I'ort Fioimn a long,
low pronumtory reaches far out into the lake, immediately opposite
Pres(pie Isle and the city of Erie, in Pennsylvania. It is a great place
for shooting and fishing, and is leased and serpiestrated for that pur-
pose by a i)rivato association of sportsmen. Next wi^st comes St.
Tho/nns, a railway centre already described. Immediately south of it
is I'ort iSf-mlc}/, the principal wateritig-jdace on the north shore of
Lake Erie {Fraaer Home, $2). It is a beautiful, tree-grown spot, upon
high bluffs. Many cottages owned by citizens of London and other
interior towns are occupied there in summer, and these are increasing;
but otherwise the place is chiefly the resort of excursions, sometimes
aggregating 10,000 people in a single day, who are brought thither by
rail from all parts of Western Ontario, and find all sorts of means for
rural amusement prepared for them. West of St. Thomas, (Hencoc
(poi)ulation, 2,000) and Chatham only arc worthy of mention, the latter
a flourishing manufacturing and trading town of 10,000 inhabitants
{Garner and Rankin hotels, ^2), near the mouth of the Thames River,
which here runs west into Lake St. Clair. The terminus of this line
(originally the ''Great Western of (^anada") is at Windsor, a city of
10,500 inhabitants { Craw/or J, Brldsh American, and Mannimj hotels,
f 2), immediately o|)posite Detroit. Windsor is also the terminus of the
Canada Southern and Canadian Pacific lines, and is connected with De-
troit by a passenger-ferry, and by railway-ferries which carry back and
forth the trains of through cars run upon all these lines between
Chicago and Montreal or New York, so that no debarkation or change
of first-class passengers is necessary. IJaggage is usually examined by
the custom-house otticials of both countries while in transit on this boat.

THE PKNINSrLA OF ONTAIMO.

Minor Poiiits^ on the (■rnnd Trunk.

A u'lancc at tlio map will show how hiiincii liiu's of the (irand
Trunk till sotithorn Ontario. The jzicat farming and lundtciing irgion
northward, and the ports on Lake Huron and (leorjrian IJay, are all,
with one exception (Owen Sound), reached hv the same company.
Northward fioni Hamilton and Toionto stietches the Xort/trrn ntid
Aorthwrsfcrn A'//., into the Muskoka Lake re<;ion (fully desciihcd lu
Canadian Guide-JJock, Part I, pp. Sn-;{,^>), with branches to Midland,
Penetanf;uisliene, Collingwood, and Mcafonl, at the soutliern extrendty
of Ceor^dan Hay. Co/Z/^^/^vW (populatioti, r),(i()(»; Cnifni/ I/oft f, ^2) is
an old and pleasant port, the startiiifi^-point of steamers on (Jeoi-gian
Bay (see p. 52), and fre(|uented by sunnncr residents. Afm/ord (popu-
lation, 2,0(M> ; Jirilifih llotd, ^1) is condn<r into prominence as a healthful
and lovely place of resort in summer. A branch line from (/ncf/Ji leads
northward into the Siiui;een Peninsidii, with terminals at /Jtir/iani (popu-
lation, 1,100), Wiiir/o)!^ a lumi)erinj:; and fishing port far up towaid Cape
Hurd ; SoKthiiDipton, and K'nininlinr. The last two are small poits
on the shore of Lake Huron. More southerly (see map) is doih'rich.,
important as a lake-port, and reached by a railway from Stratford; it
luis a permanent population of about 4,0oo, considerably increased in
summer by visitors. The Alhion Ihtd there (><2) is well known.
]Vri(/ht\s Farms is a summer place near by. This town lies innne-
diately opposite Saginaw, Mich , and in its vicinity are copious and
valuable brine-wells and salt-works. The steamers of the Sarnia Line
touch at Goderich, and Kincardine; and these towns are further con-
nected with London, Chatham, and Lake Erie by the Ilarvn and
lirnec Ry. * •

Points on the Canadian Pacific.

Within the past five years the C. P. 11. has built or ac(pdred
lines reaching into Western Ontari(» in competition with the older
companies. Two main routes now exist, one from Toronto to Wind-
sor (Detroit), and the other to Owen Sound on (Jeorgian Hay. On the
former line the train passes west of Toronto through a highly product-
ive region, with such flourishing towns as MVton (branch to (luelph).
Gait (population, 8,000; Lnp<ri<d Hotel, $2), \Vo<nh(oek (see p. IM),
where a line diverges southward through IngersoU to St. Thomas, and
thence to London^ arriving at a station of its own in the northern pait

THE PENINSULA OF ONTARIO.

of tlio city, where horse-cars and cubs are waitinj?. From London the
lino continues westward nearly straiplit to Windsor, passing through
Chatham and the flats beloved of sportsmen along the shore of Lake
St. Clair.

A Bit of Local History.

These narrow but important waters connecting Lakes Eric and
Huron have been the scene of many interesting incidents in American
history. Here is I'arkman's account* of its first recorded passage
of white men through the Strait of Detroit, though, a- he notes, Joliet
had, no doubt, travelled this way oii his return from tlie I'pper Lakes
the ])revious year ; the |)ricsts relerred to were Dollicr and Gallinee
Suli)itians wlio aecomi)anicd La Salle, and the date was 1070:

"On the last day of September the priests made an altar, sup-
ported by the paddles of the canoes laid on forked sticks. Dollier said
mass ; La Salle and his followers received the sacrament, as did also
those of his late colleagues ; and thus they |)arted, the Sulititians and
their jtarty descending the (Jrand River toward Lake Eric, while La
Salle, as they supposed, began his return to Montreal. What course
he actually took we shall soon intjuire; and meanwhile, for a few mo-
meip.s, we will follow the priests. When they reached Lake Erie, they
saw it tossing like an angry ocean. They had no mind to tempt the
dangiM'ous and unknown navigation, and encamped for the winter in
the forest near the peninsula called the Long Point. Here they gath-
ered a good store of chestnuts, hickoi-y-nuts, i)lums, and grapes ; and
built themselves a log-cabin, with a leeess at the end for an altar.
They passed the winter unmolested, shooting game in abundance, and
saying mass three times a week. Early in spring they planted a large
cross, attaclu'd to it the arms of France, and took formal possession
of the country in the name of Louis XIV. This done, rhey resumed
their voyage, and, after many troubles, landed one evening in a state
of exhaustion on or near Point I'elee, toward the western extremity of
Lake Eiie. A storm rose as they lay asU'ci), and swept off a great
part of their baggage, which, in their fatigue, they had left at the edge
of the water. Their altar service was lost with the rest, a misfortune
which they ascribed to the jealousy and malice of the devil. Debarred
from saying mass, they resolved to return to Montreal and leav(; the
Pottawattamies uuinstructed. They ])resently entered the strait by
which Lake Huron enters Lake Erie, and, landing near where Detroit
now stands, found a large stone, somewhat suggestive of the human
figure, whicli the Indians had bedaubed with paint, and which they
worshij)ped as a manitou."

Nine years passed before La Salle could follow his ccmipanion's

* La Salle, and the Discovery of the Great West, p. 18.

TIIK rKNINf^TTLA OF ONTARIO.

trail. Tlion the CJriffin was launclied, the first sailing vossol on Lake
Kric, and the gallant explorer and his party began the voyage he had
so long looked forward to. "For three days they held their eourse
over these unknown waters, and on tlie fourth turned northward into
tlie Strait of Detroit. Here, on the right liand and on the left, lay
verdant prairies, dotted with groves and bordered with lofty forests.
They saw walnut, ehcstnut, and wild plutn trees, and oaks festooned
with grape-vines ; herds of deer, and flocks of swans and wild turkeys.
' Those,' says Hennepin, ' who will one day have the hajipiness to pos#.
scss this fertile and pleasant strait will be very mueh obliged to those
who have shown them the way.' "

So they were, and would gladly at once have followed in the path
of these intrei»id sailors, who crossed the lake they named after La
Sainte Claire, and passed on to Mackinac with many adventures ; but
the Irocpiois stood in the way, and for many years the knowledge
gained could not be utilized, (iradually the Iro((uois were subduml,
and traders and missionaries dared to make visits, and finally to settle
among the Indians along the straits. Most of this settleinent, how
ever, was on the American side, and at the place where Detroit now
stands was the principal post. liy the time the war between England
and France came on, which in our books is ca'led the French and In-
dian War of 17;")r»-'64, many Canadians and half-breeds were living
along both sides of the Detroit and St. Clair Lake and River, among the
Wyandots and " Neutrals " which divided Western Ontario between
them, and among the more nomadic Pottawattamies on the Michigan
side ; and the place was thought of sufficient consecpieneo to be gar-
ris(med in 17<)3 by no less a man than Major Robert Rogers and a
large band of British-American troops. Hut though this act was ac-
ceptable to the French, the Indians would not have it, and there fol-
lowed the sanguinary years of Pontiac's War — the greatest struggle
which Englishmen had ever waged with the red Indians. Into its de-
tails there is no space to enter here. The strong fort of Detroit held
out to the very end, but with terrible loss and suffering ; but every
other fort on all the lakes suffered massacre and demolition. Pontiac
himself "was accustomed to spend the early part of the sunnucr upon
a small island at the opening of Lake St. Clair, hidden from view by
the high woods that covered the intervening Isle au Cochin," and here
he laid his plans and sent out his runners to collect and instruct his
forces. The Sarnia shore became the rendezvous of his own special

4«

TIIK J'KMNSrr-A <»F ONTARIO.

corps, the fierce Ottawiis. Here his spies broiijibt liiiti news, and it
was liis {Ti'iiius tliat tanfxht tlie WyaiuJDts to lie in anihiisli at Point
I'el6e and to murder or eaptiire nearly all the relief expeclltion under
Cuyler, whieli was slowly iippr(.)iu'hiu<; aloni; the north shore of liake
Krie. Hut this was only om* of a hundred bloody incidc nts of those
awful years. Then peaee eanif and was little disturbed on the Detroit
until after the Revolution, when the p(>st was oeeupied by American
troops; but in 1S12 the horrors of Indian warfare broke out a<;ain,
when the red men under lecinnseh ,j(»ined with the whites H;^htin<< each
<>tlur alon^ those shores, and their minjrled Idootl dyed the blue cuircnts
that lan swiftly into Lnke Krie. Kven then a Mvely eonimerce had
bef|;un ; but who could have for.'seen what the end of this same cent-
ury would bring forth y In Si-iibufi's MaL'azine for March, 1S'.(2, is
the latest, and an accurate, n'sinur, which astonished all readers who
had not kept conversant with the facts. Let me (juole a few lines of
it — the writer is cominj; down the lakes in his review :

"The mouth of th'3 St. Clair is a w'uhi marsh, penetrated by several
deep and tortiu)iis channels. To inijjrovc this entrance the [L. S ] (Jov-
ei-nment has consti'ueted a ship canal, S,2u(> ft. loiifr, ;i<M» ft. wide, and
It't ft. deei>, at a cost of .s('i,"»( >,(»(»(> ; and plans under way eontemplate
a depth of 'Ju ft. The hike is so shallow that its navijrable channel
nuist l)c followed cirefully ; its transit f)ccupies less than two hours,
durin.r which the steamer seems constantly surrountled by other ves-
sels, the tralHc bein<i' such that a vessel passes any <i;iven i)oint every
seven minutes. I'pon reachinu; Helle Isle, the steamer enters Detroit
River, which IK miles farthei' (»n enters Lake Erie after a descent of
11 ft. iNearly opposite is (irosse Pointe, where, faciufi^ the dreamy ex-
panse of the lake, are clustered the summer residences of Detroit's
wealthy men.

" The Detroit River is from 1 to 8 miles wide, and its rapid current
of dark-green water is unsur|)assed by any mountain sticam. The
channel varies from ;>0 to 50 ft. in depth, and only at the Lime-Kiln
(■rossing, near Andu'rstburg, is government work necessary in keeping
it navigable to 2<i ft. Several islands line the baidcs, some so large as
to pass for part of the mainland. The shores are laid out in sloping
mead(»ws, groves, and orchards; and wealthy men are rapidly occupy-
ing available spots with handsome villas.

" Detroit, tliough smaller than Cleveland, is more fortunate in being
the metro|)olis of the State, with all parts of which it is connected by
rail. Its location is not favom-able for the enormous iron industries of
its sister city, and the bulk of the lake carriers therefore pass its tine
harbour for the smaller quarters across the lake. Its inhabitants hiive
the consolation of knowing, however, that many of these vessels are
owned by fellow-citizens. Its system of lighting is by towers from 100

TlIK I'KNINSILA OK ONTARIO.

to 2<)(» ft. Iiij^li ; imd 150 of which |»ro(hice a lu'iiuti fill ctri'rt, when
seen from n stciiiiici's dci-k. Dt'troit's wiilcr-t'ront is '.» miles loii^ ; and
more tomia>:'.' passes it tlinn un.v other point on the f.'lol»e. The ton-
na«»e passinj; l)etioit River (hiiiii;? the •_*.'! I days of nuvi<^ation (in INS'J)
amonnted to ;{l»,'jo;;,00() tons; nearly l<»,<»tMi tons moic than the en-
tranees and elearanics of all the seapo.ts in the I'nited States, and
nearly :{,<t(M>,<iOH tons mctie thiin the e(»nihined foreign and coastwise
shippini; of Liverpool and London."

Sport ill WeMtcrii Oiittirio.

This western extremity of Ontaiio is celehrati'd for its shootin;;. es-
pecially wild-fowlin;; ; an<l the wi'iter is fortunately ahle to avail him-
self of an al)le rfxinnr of the subject hy the cxpi-rienced hand of Mr.
Ed. W. Fandys, as follows;

"The gamete) he depended upon comprises grouse, (piail, woodcock,
rahhits, and a great variety of water-fowl, abounding in the western
marshes. Quail abound in all the western comities, and only in the
western jjortion of Ontario are these gamiest of all game l)ir(ls found
in Canadian territoiT in sutlicieiit numbers to afford sport. They are
wonderfully prolific, and, though they are subjected to far too much
shooting, tine spoi't can be had with them over good dogs, and excel-
lent bags made, providing o»ie can hold straight and pull cpiick. From
10 to as high as 30 or more birds can l>e killed in a day's woik in
the covers of Kent and Essex Counties. Very fair sport can be had at
almost any poii'it more than IJO miles west of London, the sportsman
also finding a few juffed grouse, woodcock, and numbers of rabbits
while i)enetrating the covers in pursuit of a bevy of cpiail he has
tlushe<l, and in the wilder portions he may chance on a wild turkey.
Plenty of birds can be found within comfortable driving distance of
Chatham, say 3 or lo miles, and one can either put up at a country
hotel ahmg the main roads, or Hnd ((uarters at one or other of the
farm-houses scattered all over the hind. From Chatham the Erie and
Huron Ry. offers facilities for reacliing the town of Blenheim, close to
Rondeau and Lake Erie, or, in the other direction, Dresden and Wal-
laeeburg, on the line, both well-known resorts for sportsmen.

"Below Chatham are the Lake St. Clair marshes, so freepiently re-
ferred to by 'Frank Forrester' in his works on shooting. In the
spring wild geese Hock to them as of yore; an<l those who like to air
the breech-loader at this season can have very good sport with the shy
'honkers.' The geese make their headipiaiters for a time at liake
St. Clair, and fly into the plains and cornfields for some considerable
distance every morning to feed, and are .shot from 'blinds' constructed
upon the open plains in the line of flight, which seldom varies much.
The most reliable plan for the sportsnuin aficr geese would be to put
up at one or other of the farm-houses on the plains where the fowl
feed, as he must be out at daylight to insure success.
4

FiioM lOKONTO TO ONVKN S(U'M).

"These iiiinshes niul iimdtly plains arc fiiiDoiis snlpc-proiinds. . . .
Woodi'ork are ul>n t'liMiuciitly loninl in tlic wt-t eoiii-tidds «aily in tiie
fall, and later in the dr.v thickets <d' the u|ilunds, wheie th(><|iiail haunt,
and rahltits are plentil'nl evcrvu licre. IJuired i^rousc may ho found
in the heavy woods hordcrin^' the pliiiii^ at sevcial p(»iiits, and not in-
freijuetitly a line mixed hn<; ol' ^Ktuse, eoeli, >nipe, ((imil, rahhit, and
thick is made hy one ^nu in a couple of days. I'lover are nunu'iousin
spiiu^ and autumn. Ahout the mouth of the Thames and adjac 'lit
creeks and mar.she> and upon Lake St. ("lair arc any iiumhcr of duck,
tlu)Uj;li the !:(iod points foi' sho(ttin;4 them aii' (•(tmparativcly few. It
must not he for^r,,ttcn tluit the tiiu-sl portion of these western marshes,
wher*' men kill one humlred and odil lii;_r duck in a day, are strictly
preserved, hut still an outsider can ji;eucrally tiiid a Ijit of sport
woi'th 1:01111; lifter at the points named; and, if he has iiood do^s
and varies the proj^ramiiu' hy attending to the ducks at early morii-
in^% and the (piail later in the day, he shniild, as I have done,
and can do a^/aiii, have a riiiht j^odiI time, and haj; his share of what

IS gouiiT.

'' Kishinf^, hoth trolling' and whipping; with minnow or artificial halt,
in and altoiit iSaptiste and Jeanette's ('iceks (hoth near the mouth of
the Thames) and in and about the mouth of that stream, is ^i-nerally
very j;;ood, the catch iiicludiiit;' hlack rock and speckled hass, pike,
pickerel, and perch. The mouth u\' the Thtunes is reached from L'liat-
luim hy steamer plyiu"^ to Detroit, for a mere trifle for transpctrtation,
and you can camp upon the heach where the 'riiaiiies joines Lake St.
Clair, or find accomm<Mlation for a small party at the liixhthouse. At
Mitcheirs Hay, on Lake St. Clair, reached either from Wallaceburj; or
hy driviii^i from ('hatham, are hotels, and, as a yciieral thiii)^, f^ood
duck-shooting and l)lack-l)ass lishing."

From Toronto to Owen Sound.

The Canadian Pacific line from Toronto to Owen Sound runs nortli-
westward through the Caledon Mountains. Tlie first noteworthy station
is Oraiii/ivillr (\H)[n\hit\un, 8,<)0i»; Qnccti'.s and Amcriant hotels, |>l.r)0),
a farming centre, whence (actually from Orangeville .function, '.i^ miles
N.) a brancli extends westward into the fertile plains of IJruce County,
terminating at Tirnii'((lrr and ]\'t)i/fh<nii. Orangeville is also the ter-
minus of a braiieh (originally the ('redit N'alley U. K.) from Streetsville,
along tlie valley of Credit iiiver. At the forks of the Credit is a pict-
urosipie resort for picnic excursions, and the locality is famous for its
wild berries. Duflferin Lake, near l>y, is another favourite camping
and fishing place.

From this railway diverges the hrauch to h'/ora, a nice little town of
1,500 people, near the head of (Jrand Hiver, which here cuts its way

FKoM TOlv'oNTO TO OWKN SOIND.

tlin)ii;:li drcp ^'oim^cs in the liim'stoiic, tlu- wallr* of wliii-h in soiiii'
l»lac('s au> 'J'Mi (tr ;{<»(> ft. liij;li, a?* vertical as the sidi- of a oliurrl'., utid
atloriicd with fantastic towns, Icdircs, and caverns. It is onv of tlu'
most ni;.'p'd and hcnntifid places in Western Caiiaila, us may l)c nn-
dct'stood from tlie elalioratc illustrations (d' tlie nei^ldtourliood pid)-
li>licd in rictnres()ue Caniidi, and it is well wortli a visit.

Tills f:or;;«>, and many another like it, has been formed hy the water
cutting; down thi'oiijih the limestones wliieh form a iiil;;e of elevated
country nicne or less distinct all the way fi'om Niaj^ara Falls to Cape
llurd. It is known ns the "Niiiiraia K^carpmeiit," and it is over its
cd'je that the }ireat cataract poms into its chasm. The ajre is the
earlier part of the Siliiriiin, and the formation was (d' vast extent in the
,\ppalachian re<rion. It contains fossils and a ^reat variety of mineral
ciinstitiieiits. The limestones there ai'e maiidy referred to the (Inelph
formation, and the sandstones to the Medina ;:;roiip, whili" the I'tica
shales crop out on the shore of (icoi^ian Uay. As the escaipment is
traced noithward it heconics more lofty, risin;; into hi^ih, rochy hills,
which form tin- hackhone i>f the triaiiL'^nlar extension of land separat-
in^i Lake Huron from (leornian Hay, i'allc(l the Smdinn I'luhisuln.
The }j;eol<;i:ical character of all tliis part of Ontario bears a close re-
semhlance to that of New Yoik State, and the iiicater part of the sur-
face is heavily covered l)y deposits due to tiie (JIacial period.

Proceedinf^ from Oran;.^'ville, the train c'lind)S to a well-cultivated
plateau, rciichin'i, at lltnultilh, 1,.'50<» ft. above Lake Ontario. Near
FU'sliirtoii are Eujrenia Falls, of local fame, and many pieturcstiue trout-
brooks. Then succee(ls a rollintr, tindtercd, and well-watered rej^ion,
with tine fai'minii in the valleys. Lund>er, (oi'd-\voo(l, and tan-bark are
c.\ported larj^ely. Scotch and Irish people predominate throu<j;hout this
neighbourhood, which has lonj^ been settled. Suddenly a <;limpse of
ttroail naler meets the eye, ami the train i)e<;ins to descend by a scries
I, .c|> and curvin^^ i;rades to Owen Sound, the port on (leoruian Hay
' e Canadian Pacitie steamships (see \). ')'-\).

'I'm Soxtid (population, (),(Mt(» ; Qvnn's //(>/</, >!2) has <:;rown rapidly
since the buildinj: of the railway; and is the shippinjr point for a wide
area of farminj!; country. The town is at the mouth of the Sydenham
River, and in smnmcr is visited by lar<ie numberH of tourists. Within
2 or 3 ndles a many pretty waterfalls. Huildinj^-stone, pavinf]f-stone,
and brick-ch' ibound, and manufactures, especially of furnituie and
wooden-wai e increasing. Shooting and fishing in great variety aie
easily aeeessii .

TIIK TOUR OF LAKK IIUUON.

•' I-

The Tour of Lake Huron.

Huron is pcciiliaily Ciiiintlii's lake. Oiitai'io, Krie, and Superior
are e<nially shared by the United States, hut Huron is Canada's by
rijjlit of diseovery, early usa<,a', and i)rijK'i|>al pi'oprietorshij). Canada
l)ossesses not only an e((ual extent of •reneval eoast with Miehigan, but
enjoys, in addition, the vast landlocked expanse of (ieorgian Bay, its
length of 120 miles and breadth of 50 miles makinn' it scarcely le>s
than half as great as Huron itself. Its shores are everywhei'C indented
with bays, harbours, and river-mouths shielded by hills ; and the wateis
reach northwestward into additional ninigable sounds and passages
N. of the Maintoulin Islands, alfording an inside, well-protected route
called the }'oHh t'hdintvl all the way from Ontario jiorts to Lake Su-
perior. This northern shore is exceedingly i)ictures(|ue and interest-
ing, and to a descriptitm of it considerable s])ace will be devoted in the
next succeeding pages. There is also a series of harbours along the
eastern shore of (ieoigian Hay, such as I'ciir/niif/xin/icnc, Midland, and
Pdvi'li Soi/inl, about which clings mnch of the most thrilling history of
Upper Canada; this shore, however, a d its associations, have been
fully described in Part I of this Canadian (Juide-Hook (pp. I^O-:^.")).
No regular line of steamers is scheduled to reach them from Col-
lingwood or Owen Sound, but there is always 0|)portunity, in an
irregular way, to get a passage across the bay, and also to Mcdfiml,
Wiarfoii, and other of the small bay ports.

STKAMKHS OX OKOlUaAN HAY.

Two separate tours of Lake Huron present themselves, namely:

1. 7o Snult Sfc. Miirlr and Lake Suj crior ill net.

2. To SnuJt Stc, Mio'ic and Afackiiidc, d'omj the North C/i(inrid.

To SHUlt Ste. Marie, directly, from the Ixiwcr Ldke.s (Detroit),
Sarnia, or Owm f^mm/, — A liirge choice of routes upon Lake Huron
load to Sault Ste. Marie and beyond :

?. iSvi'cral Ihics of Anurii'dH'^ stcdniers, from Buffalo, Cleveland,
or Detroit, to be taken at Detroit, Windsor, Sarnia, or Port Huron al-
most anv day of the week.

* In Canada it is customary to refer to citizens of the United States
as " Americans," and to v.hat pertains to them as " American," par ex-
cellence.

., I,

THE TOUR OF LAKE HURON.

2. Not'thn'mt Trnrispo)'fa/ion Conip(tii>f\s Ktcatiters (Saniia TAnc),
United Ewjiire, and AfotKtrch for Sault Stc. Marie, Port Arthur, ami
Duliith, leaving Snriiia every Tuesday and each alternate Friday at 10
p. M., weatlier perndttiiifr, after arrival of late train^i from the E. Dur-
ing the season of 1S92 tlicy will make no stops between Sarnia and
Port Huron. These are large wooden steamers of the lake " pro-
pel lei'" type.

3. CiUiiulinu Pdcijiv S/cHiits/tl/) L'nir^ Owen Hound to Sault Ste.
Marie, Fort William, and Port Arthur. This is the fastest line, and
consists of the steamships Alftcrto, A/fntlniscrt, ami Mtniifo/xt^ running
three times a week during the season of navigation. They are steel
vessels, 270 to 800 ft. in length and of 1,S00 to 2,600 terns burden;
and are as complete in all details as the ocean "liners," being lighted
by electricity, ami furnished with every modern appliance for safety
and luxury. A special steamsliip express train between Toionto to
Owen Sound carries passengers to and from these steamers on sailing
days, obviating any loss of time in making connecticms. They sail
northward at s\mset and arrive southward in the eaily morning.
Tickets and berth.s can be secured in advance, and oaggage checked
through from any of tlu^ principal C P. K. odiccs in Canada.

4. Stcamo's on (jam/inn Baji. — See next section.

The courses of the abave-mentioned boats are as follows;

Steamers from the Lower Lalen, Detroit^ and Surxltt pass straight
up the middle of Lake Huron to the mouth of The Detour, or else go
through Missasaga Strait (see p. (>:!), and the trip is without incident
until they reach the St. Mary's River, at the outlet <»f I^ake Su|)erior.

77ie Canddiiin I'((cip'e sfeownltips leave Oiccn Soiimf about :?.80 p. m.,
on the arrival of the special steamship express leaving Toronto on
sailing days at 1 1.10 .\. m. (at present). The time consumed between
Owen Sound and Fort William is about 4o hours; between Owen
Sound and Sault Ste. Marie, 2(t hours. Light enough remains to allow
pleasant glimpses of t'.ie rugged shores of (hven Soinuf ami the Sitngeni
Cnpett, and very likely ti)e tourist will witness one of the si)Ii'ndid
summer sunsets for which the (ieorgian Hay is famous. The course is
then out past Cai)e Kurd and the neighbouring islands into Jjike Jfuron^
where night encompasses the seine. Early next morning the steamer
enters the western exit of St. Afiin/\s Hirer, between the northern
peninsula of Michigan and Drummond Island, which also belongs to
that State. This channel has been known since the earliest times as

THE TOUR OK LAKE HURON.

The Detour, in allusion to its roundabout course as coniparod with
the earlier and more direct inside canoe route tVoni Canada, E. of St.
Jose[)h's Island.

Oft' to the westward from the mouth of The Detour is the beauti-
ful archipclaijjo of islets, which the French called /<ev Chnuiux, and the
Eiifrlish have corrupted into "The Snows"; and beyimd them, an
hour's sail, are the island and sinnmer resort of Mackinac and the
straits that lead |)ast it into Lake Michigan. In these waters, there-
fore, concentrates the navigation of all the Upper Lakes — Superior,
Michiiian, and Huron — and the scene is one of a busy commerce aug-
mented by innumerable fishing and pleasure craft. Here concentrates
all the vast traffic of Lake Superior not only, but that from Lake
Michigan, bringing eastward grain, ore, lundjcr, ice, fish, and every
sort of product of the fields, the forests, and the waters ; and here it
meets the returning vessels loaded with coal lailroad, bridge and
architectuial iron and steel, and all sorts of heavy merchandise to be
transhipped to the far Western and Southern interior of the United
States. This is summed up by Lieutenant C. (,". Rogers, U. S. N., in
Scribner's Magazine Cor March, lSfl2, as follows:

" If a thread be stretched upon a glo))e fiom any point in the Eng-
lish Channel to ToIe<lo, on Lidce Erie, it will be fouml that the devia-
tion of the St. Lawrence ixom it does not exceed W n)iles, this straight
line connecting the greatest foodconsun:ing country in Europe with
tire gieatest food-i)roducing country in America. The dist'.ince from
(Miicago to Liverpool l)y this river is l,r)(»(> miles, one half of which is
covered by the great inland I'oute through the lakes to the Strait of
Helle Isle. This line of communication comprises foui' of the Creat
Lakes, with the connections between them and the St. Lawrence lliver,
about 7<> miles of which iire obstructed by obstacles in the elnunu'l.

"With respect to tlu' Atlantic, these waters aie closed l»y ice fiom
the 'inth of Xoveuiber to the 'iTtth of April ; the irregularity of the
tides and currents, the severity of the oliuiate, and the freipient fogs
are also diHit'ulties which call for visxilance and al)ilitv in navigating
the (lulf and hMver (»!" St. Ljiwrcnce. Upon the lakes the conditions
are milder, and the ice season slutrter by, perhaps, one month ; for,
while the tourist theic is often lemimliMl in sinninir of the e(|uator
and in winter of the |»oles, yet the thermometers show thiit the warmer
means are not Vs^iA'ssively high nor the colder ones unl)earably low.

"(Chicago is more than 1,*J(M) miles inland from Montreal, the near-
est seaport of the St. liawrence. . . . Its shipping is second only to
that of New York; from it the cereals of the Northwestern States are
traiiSported through Lakes Huron and Eiie to I'uft'alo, whence they
are forwarded to Xew York l)y rail or by the Erie Canal ; grain in-

Kj/^

THE TOUR OF LAKE HURON.

teiuk'd for Montreal may be canit'd over the lakes and down the St.
Lawrence without once brcakin^f bulk; and it is contemplated even to
run steamers direct to Enj^land.

"Some idea of its hike traffic may be formed from the statement
that the ajrirrefiate entrances and clearances in 1890 for the Great
Lakes numbered 88,2S(), of which 21,(V)4, measuiinii 10,288,688 tons,
were at that port. The correspondinjr ai;<rreirate for New York is
ir),28;i, and for the entire sea))oard of the United States ;^7,7r)r». The
t(mnatre has nearly doubled itself in the last ten years, an<l it is |>ossi-
ble to conceive of a like increase by l'.t(M), for .5-1,411 miles of railway
terminate here, and in a year move •i;),0oo,(»0o tons of freijrht. Ik'sides,
in the central Northern and the Xortli western States the total freight
moved is 19t'»,t>0(t,(Mi() tons, a fair proportion of which jioes to Europe."

The Dt'tour and St. Mary's Rivers brin<i down the overflow of Lake
Superior tlirouprh narrow and winding channels, wlioso shores slope
back into hills eveiywhere hidden in a forest chiefly made up of pine
and hendock. Ishiiids and reefs abound, and here and there on shore
rises a great tor of r(»ck, suggesting the possibility of like prot\d»er-
ances underneath the water. The cliannel is thoroughly buoyed (tut
and well lighted, yet no vessel undertakes its passage in darkness, but
anchors at nightfall and waits for daylight. Some forlorn lumbering
settlements occur along the banks ; and towar<isnoon the Juipids at the
head of the river, where it is narrowest, sire reached, and preparation
is made to land at the city of Stiu/f Sfi: Metric or to pass througli the
great canal. The following particulars of this intricate but highly in-
teresting passage are at hand :

The Sanlt Sto. Marie River connects Lake Superior and Ilinon,
is ti2 miles in length, and its ?iiouth is a mile wide. The channels are
narrow, sliallow, and crooked, l)ouldcrs and shoals hidden just out of
sight lii' all ai)oiit, ami sailors keep a sliar|» lookout, hninniioinrx
hhind lies on the E , the main shore of Miciiigan on the W. side of
the entrance. Pipe Ishind is 1 miles ; .SV. Josip/i'.s Isftiiitf, Canada,
with its old foit, 8 ndles ; Lime Isljind, !•> miles; iind Hound Island,
11 miles from the entrance. P<>tii(/<iii,ii>islii(/ />'/'//, dotted with numer-
ous small islands lying to the eastward, comnnmicates with the N.
channel. Mud Lnke, ti miles fjirthei' on, is 1 miles in widtti. Siii/nr's
h)H'(U))pnir?if Ixhuiil is 20 miles from liake Huron, and is a Camous
camping-phice. Excellent fish.ing and shooting may l)e had, and sup-
plies, bouts, and small steam craft ciin lie readily ol»taine(i. ('(tntinu-
ing, the steamer seeuis to be headiniz' straight for the shore, until a
narrow outlet eoiues suddeidy into view, ami we enter the S'lhiuli
Rapids, passing between Sailor's Encampment and St. .losephV Islands.
FroiM this on is to be seen the most varied and charming scenery. In-
dian villages, settlements, and farms serve to luake a most interesting

THE NORTH 8II0RE OF LAKE HURON.

panorama. Luke Ocorgr, fi miles farther on, is an expansion of the
river, 9 miles long and 4 wide. It has 13 ft. of water over the shoals,
and terminates at Church's Landing. S(|uirrol Island, Canada, lies op-
posite. Garden liiver^ 'A miles distant, is an Indian town in Canada.
Little Lake Ceoige (;omes next, then Point aiix Pines. Three miles
farther we pass ai-ound the head of Su(/arlN/ftri<I, and 8 miles beyond
reach Sault Ste. Marie, 55 miles fiom Lake Huron.

The North Shore of Lake Huron.

Until recently the North Shore of Lnkr Huron and the ManUonlin
hhimh were inaccessible to the public except in summer, and then
only by steamboats, two lines of which have long served the little
coast stations. Now the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the C. P. R.
gives the people ihere daiiy communication with the outside world at
all seasons. Nevertheless, steamers still run in summer, pursuing a
<levious way through tlie island-studded North Channel, and calling
at many quaint little ports as far as Sault Ste. Marie, find Mackinac
Island. They ofl'er some of the most inexpensive, refreshing, and de-
lightful of sununer vacation journeys, lasting nearly a week, and are
taken advantage of by thousands of leisurely persons. Every one soon
gets acquainted with every one else, so that by the second morning the
voyage assumes the character of a prolonged picnic. At every halt
the passengers run ashore and amuse themselves until recalled by the
whistle; and at the end they find their health improved and their
nunds loaded with novel information and with reminiscences of a
(piaint and charming experience. I doubt whether any other water-
trip in America is its equal in varied interest and enjoyment to one
who loves to be out of doors and to sec strange sights.

North Shore Steamer Schedules.

1. Great Northern Transit Compnnt^^s Line. — The commodious
steamers Padjic, Baltic, and Atlantic of this, the principal ' Me, run tri-
wecKly, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. They depart from Col-
lingwood in the afternoon and go thence to Owen Sound, which is left
in the evening after the arrival of the late train. This enables passen-
gers to delay leaving Toronto until 5.25 p. m., and they miss nothing of
consequence by losing the short voyage from Collingwood to Owen
Sound. These steamers do not go beyond (W. of) Sault Ste. Marie,
but their route is thiough the North Channel, calling in succession
at Killai-ney, Manitowaning, La Cloche, Little Current, Kagawong,
Gore Bay, Spanish River, Serpent River, Algoma Mills, Blind River,
Mcldrum Bay, Thessalon, Bruce Mines, Hilton, Richard's Landing, I'ort

THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE HURON.

Findlay, Garden River, Saiilt Sto. Marie, Ont., and Sault Ste. Marie,
Mich., the end of tlie route. Returning, the same ports are revisited in
a reverse order (the effect is ahnost equal to a new voyage): and, in
addition, in July and August the return is varied by a call at Mack-
inac Island, where the greater portion of a day is spent. The trip
occupies from 4^ to 5 days, and berths and meals are included in the
fare. Full arrangements can be made and baggage checked at any
Canadian ticket-ofHce of importance.

2. North Shore NavKjation Cotnpann^n Lwr. — Under the above
name another line, consisting of the sleamers CUtf of J^ondon ajid Cilji
of Midland., has been placed upon this route during the summer of
1S92. These boats leave CoUingwood at noon and Owen Sound at
lO.SO p. M. <m Mondays and Wednesdays, and the list of ports is the
same as that of the Great Northern Transit Co.

The harbour of CoUingwood is flat, but that of Oujen Sound is a
snug inlet among green hills. The scenery is invisilde, however, at
the late hour of sailing, and by midnight the traveller has been borne
well out upon tlie bosom of Georgian Bay. When he arises next
morning the hills of dtrnud Mnnltonlin Island are off at his left, and
the "North Shore" in the far distance ahead. He can imagine he
discovers the mouth of French River, whence Champhiin first looked
upon these waves, glancing in the sunlight then as now, and rejoiced
in the sight. Perchance some degenerate Ojibway may be at hand
to assist the illusi<m, waving his cap from his boat as he paddles
about attending to his nets, or trims to the breeze his fishing-boat,
with its warm, red sails.

Nicollet's Explorations.

Twenty years passed after Champlain's discovery of this "great
lake of the Ihirons" in 1615 before any one ventured to do more than
creep down its eastern coast to the villages of the Ilurons on Matche-
dash Bay. Then the great commander, who long since had ceased to
wander about himself, found time to think of what lay beyond the
verge of those shining western waters. Not that he had been idle or
incurious before, but his opportunities for information were small.
But as more and more Indians came to tradeat Montreal, bringing each
time strangers with them, Champlain pursued his inquries.

" Xotwithstanding Champlain had previously ascended the Ottawa,
and stood upon the shores of the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, and,
although he had received from western Indians numerous reports of
distant regions, his knowledge of the Great Lakes was in 1634 exceed-

THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE HURON.

ingly liniitt'd. He had heard ol Niagara, but was of the opinion that
it was only a rapid, such as the St. Louis, in the river St. Lawrenoc.
He was wholly uninformed concerning Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and
Lake Michigan; while of Lake Huron he knew little, and of Lake Su-
perior still less. He was assured that there was a connection between
the last-named lake and the St. Lawrence; but his supposition was that
a river flowed fiom Lake Huron directly into Lake Ontario. . . ,

" He had early been tolil that near the borders of one of these
' fresh-water seas ' were copper-mines. Chaniplain had also early in-
formation that there dwelt in those far-off countries a nation which
lived upon the borders of a distant sea [the Mis.sissippi], These peo-
ple were called for that reason 'men of the sea' by the Algompiins.
Their homes were less than 400 leagues away. It was likewise re-
ported that another i>eople, without hair or beards, whose customs and
manners somewhat resembled the Tartars, came from the west to trade
with this ' sea tribe.'

"These more remote traders, as was claimed, made their journeys
ujwn a great water in large canoes. The missi<maries among the
Hurons, as well as Chamj)lain and the best-informed of the French
settlers upon the St. Lawrence, thought this 'great water' must l)e a
western sea leading to Asia. Some of the Indians who traded with the
French were in tlie habit of going occasionally to barter with those
'people of tlvp sea,' dist.ant from their homes 5 or 6 weeks' journey. A
lively imagination on the part of the French easily converted those
hairless traders conung from the west into ('hinese or Japanese ; al-
though, in fact, they were n<me other than the progenitors of the
savages now known as the Sioux, while the 'sea tribe' was a nation
called subseiiuently Winnebagoes. Upon these reports the mission-
aries had already built i'ond e.\j)ectations of one day reaching China by
the ocean which washed alike the .'chores of Asia and America. And, as
already noticed, Champlain, too, was not less sanguine in his hopjs of
aceomplislnng a similar journey." *

It was decided by the Government at Quebec (the One Hundred
Associates) that some one must go and verify the report of these mar-
vels, and smoke with those far-known tribes of the interior that " pipe
of peace" which would surely ])e the beginning of war. Who so tit for
this niission as that intelligent JoJut Nicollet^ who had been living for
years with the Ottawas and Xipissings, learning their language and
knowledge, their woodcraft and hardihood •• In 1684 or 'Jit"), therefore,
ne undertook for Champlain, and without boasting, those explorations
which made him the Columbus of the Northwest. With a party of
Ottawa and Huron friends he made his waya'umg these very waters you
are about to travel, skirting the coast by day, camping on some cape or

* Butterfield, Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicollet, p. 35.

KILLARNEY AND GRAND MANITOULIX.

island at nipht, and so gradually reaching the falls at the outlet of
Lake Superior. Thence he threaded the defiles of Mackinac Straits,
past the island of the Great Sacred Turtle, and finally reached Green
Bay and the head-waters (►f its utmost affluent. He, first of all
Europeans, t^aw the Upjjcr Lakes, and set foot upon the territories of
*' the great Northwest" ; and it is precisely in the wiike of his birch-
bark canoe — " that frail vehicle of an amphibious navigation," as Sir
George Simpson styled it — that your powerful steamer is now making

its way,

Killarney and Grantl Manitouliii.

The first port is Killarney, or Shobauahning, a small village at the
head of a little harbor nestled under the lofty Ln Cloche Mounfains,
whose bold heights have been long in view. It is the first of a score
of places that tempt an artist. The rocks of the shore are red Lauren-
_Jiaj^ granite , here broken into angular blocks by interseelingTleiivage-
cracks, there heaped in rounded masses', grooved, planed, and polished
by the attrition of winter's ice and summer's waves, crowned with clus-
ters of evergreen trees and oveihung with a draping of vines and
mosses. Beyond the straggling hamlet, whose people depend for sup-
port largely upon the sale of fish, dwells a large community of Indians
and half-breeds collected upon the Whitefish reserve. These make
mats, canoes, and various trinkets of birch-bark, sweet grass, and
rushes; and Killarney is one of the best places for buying such
souvenirs.

Backing away from Killarney's little wharf, and passing " Mag-
nifique Farm," set upon the rocks by the water's edge like a toy-home,
the steamer points her prow into an archipelago of islands that seem to
float upon a brown mirror. A white lighthouse, diminutive, yet (piite
large enough for tlie island it rests upon, is all the evidence visible of
man's presence in this silent, untenanted, beautiful region.

By marks known only to the steersman the steamer is guided
through the narrow straits, and at last is headed across the open water
that separates the mainland from the (irand Manitoulin. It is only ('•
miles in a straight line from port to port, but the ship must run '25. La
Cloche Island and the La Cloche hills liolund it become indistinct, but
other heights grow plainer ahead, and presently, along th(> bluff at
the head of a deei) bay {ffei/iiood Soinnl), appear the lighthouse, tall
elmreh-spire, and clustered cottages of lUanitowanin^ {('onmurcifd
Hotel, $1), the capital of the island. As the steamer rounds-to at the

THE MANITOULIN ISLANDS.

wharf the portly i)OHtinaater coino« aboard to receive tho rrmil from
her Majesty's postal clerk. J'utting it in a wheelbarrow, he heads a
|)roces8lon of pass(>ngers up the hill into the little villa</e; and while he
sorts the letters and n)akes up tin; dopartinji packet, and the steamer is
busy unloaduif^ and loading her freight, they besiege tlie counters of
the storekeepers at^d buy gaudily patterned rush-niattings (peculiar to
this region), baskets of sweet grass which will perfume a room for a
year, boxes of kniekknaeks of bark, perhaps filled with bad maple-
sugar, and possibly some moccasins or bead-work trinkets. All these
are the work of the half-civilized Indian?, who have a reserve not far
from Manitowaning, a church of their own construction — said to be a
curiosity of architecture and adornment well worth examination, espe-
cially on a feast-day — and primary schools ; the whole conducted by a
Roman Catholic priest and his teachers.

The Mauitimliiis form a chain of hard, rocky summits, continuous
geographically and geologically with the Saugeen Peninsula, and shut-
ting off the North ('hanncl from Lake Huron. Properly, they con-
sist of four — FilzinlHatn, in the "gap" or entrance of (Georgian liay,
(fratid M(uiif<m/in, (.'o.^k/mru (or Little Manitotdin), and Drummnnd
islands. Grand Manitoulin is an important and productive island, 80
miles long, by an average breadth of 2() miles. Its rock is similar to
that about Owen Sound, and makes an ecpially good lime or building-
stone. The surface of tlie island, whose hills reach a height of 350 ft.,
is still largely covered with a mixed forest, once as valuable as that of
the opposite mainland, but now robbed of its best timber; and a con-
siderable farming population is scattered from one end to the other, the
chief crop being hay, which is fed to cattle, beef and dairy products
forming the largest export of the island next to lumber. lierries and
maple-sugar arc sent away in great quantities also. This island was a
favorite residence of the primitive Indians, and especially of bands re-
lated to those of the Ottawa Valley, and called Ottawas by the early
writers. They regarded this and the neighbouring islands with fearsome
veneration, calling it the peculiar abode of spirits of earth, water, and
air, or Manitou-land, whence the present name. For this reason, or for
some other, th(> island seems not to have been the permanent abode of
an Indian pojiulation. It lay on the water-highway between the East
and West, some exj)editions skirting its northern, others its southern
shore. Probably its situation was too exposed, since many of the
passing parties were war expeditions from distant tribes who cared
nothing for the lawt^ of neutrality, and would plunder whomsoever they
could find defenceless, like our own gallant ancestors the Vikings.

Our earliest information is the statement of Nicollet, who says
that the "nation of Beavers" (called by the French Amikoui, as Char-
levoix spells it, and afterward known as Missasagas — see p. 63), who
dwelt on the opposite mainland, had previously come from the cluster

V<)YAG[N(J TllltOlUnr TIIIO NORTH (ilIANNKL.

of islets at the iiortliorn end of Lake Michif^un still called The Heavera,
and settled for some time on (irand Manitoulin. In IGJM, however,
when Nicollet passed, the island secnis to have been empty, and there
is no mention of it for many years later. After the terrible onslaughts
of the Iroquois had scattered it and its allies, the Ottawas, the frag-
ments fled westward and gradually gathered at Sault Ste. Marie and
Miehillinuickinac. In 1W7<>, however, for some reason the Sioux — the
Iroquois of the West, as the Jesuits aptly called them — descended
upon the new straits settlements, and so terrified the Ilurons and Otta-
was that they again took to flight. The Ilurons stopped at Mackinac
Island ; but the panic-stricken Ottawas kept on to the (Jrand Manitoulin,
and there hoped to live in peace, since the French power was now able
to hold in check the bold raiders of the Five Nations who yet kept
closed the passage from Lake Erie to Lake Iluion, but no longer dared
to ravage the region of Georgian Bay. To these Ottawas in 1671-'7;i
went Father Louis Andre, and estai)lished the mission of St, Simon.
Doubtless it was against his advice, but the same year the Ottawas,
having rested themselves for a season, embarked a large war ex|)edi-
tion in canoes, who proceeded with much glorificatiim to (Ireen Hay,
Wis., to revenge themselves upon the Winnebagoes. They reached their
goal, and met the enemy, but were most ingloriously defeated. Two or
three years later a large body left the island to settle at Mackinac
under the care of Father Novel, then the cure of the Indians of that
region; and it was no doubt their descendants to whoso intervention
Henry and others owed their lives in the massacre there in 1^1. From
this island, too, came a large contingent of warriors to the aid of Pon-
tiac in 17^-^. This warlike reputation has now given place to one well
deserved for peace, and industry, as fishermen, lumbermen, and null-
hands. No doubt it is better ; but the present orderly red-skins in their
slovenly "store-clothes" are not half so interesting as were their wild
ancestors.

Manitoulin is growing in favour as a summer resort, especially upon
the northern side, where there are nuuierous inlets and pi-otected
waters suitable for boating. Its woods afford good shooting in the
fall, and, besides the capital reef-fishing along its shores, its many
streams are well supplied with trout.

Voyaging through the North Channel.

Passing the red-roofed buildings of the old Hudson's IJay post " La
Cloche," the next stop is at the little landing Shcf/waindah, at the head
of a bay whose shores are dotted with farm-houses. This is a great
place for berries ; and the eye can look up the narrow valley at the
head of the bay to a great blue hill near the centre of the island which
lends much beauty to the landscape. On goes the boat through a
charming archipelago and along a cultivated shore to Little Current, a
lively town with two hotels, two churches, and several stores. It lies

V()YA(JIXO TIIKOUGII TJIK NORTH CHANNKL.

at the head of iv narrow iiikt (Iloiiora Hay), whero the wind sometimes
eauses stiff and troublesome currents. (Jreat steam saw-mills and liuge
hnuher-yards tell of the chief iiuhistry here ; but there are many good
farms in the back-country. Many Indians are seen here ; and in the
e(lp;e of the vilhipe one will come upon clusters of their rude little huts
of bark, or s'.uipeless movable shelters of cloth spread over bent poles,
showing how iittio they are changed from the ancient habit of wander-
ing about. KojfuivoiKj is touched at, and then at evening the steamer
reaches Ciore HJiy, one of the most important shipping points upon
Grand Manitoulin, and coming into pronduence as a place of summer
residence for Ontario families. The central olfice for the disposal of
fre(^ lands (homesteads) on the island is iicre. The steamer next
crosses over to the mainland, and makes its first landing at Spanish
hiver, an important lund)ering port at the mouth of that rivijr, and 50
miles by rail from SuJbury.

The Sjjanish l{ivo> comes down from lakes far in the interior, and
is re-enforced by the Vermilion, a fine deep river crossed by the nuiin
line of the ('. P. It. at fj-irrhwooil station, wheie it emerges from
Vernalion Lake, so called from the scarlet hue of the wall of ma|)le
foliage that environs it in autumn. Along both these streams are
forests of valuable red and white pines, whose logs are floated down in
thousands, and also much good land which has been surveyed and is
supporting a steadily increasing ])()pulatjou of hardy farmers and cattle-
men. Spanish Iviver is navigable for boats drawing no more than 5 ft.
of water for some JiO miles inland, beycmd which it is to be ascended
only by canoes and portaging. It abounds in trout, and is exceedingly
wild and pretty. At the great falls near the head of navigation a
ridge of smoothly polished bare rock rises in rouniled knolls, so steep
in places as to be inaccessible, and a beautiful cascade is thrown over
a precipice JiO ft. high, and then turning abruptly to the eastward
rushes violently for "M) chains in that direction, falling in vertical sheets
over three successive steps into a wide pool.

The Bny of Spanish River, through which the steamer proceeds
upon its way westward, is landlocked by the irregular shore and by
long, low islands lying parallel with the shore, sometimes so near one
another that susjiension bridges nnght easily span the deep channels
that separate them. After travelling through this and the other laby-
rinths the tourist can believe the statement attributed to Bayfield, an
English naval officer who long ago made the first hydrographie survey
and charts of the Upper Lakes, that he had counted in Lake Huron
36,000 islands and islets, upon 20,000 of which he had landed.

VOYAdlXO TIIK'OIMMI TIIK NORTH CII ANNKL.

i\',\

Passing AfooKc /'oiht, tho stoamer tonohos noxt at S«rjici>t h'ivtr,
wlit'ie bi}X saw-inillrt cut up the lojis that couumIowh from Vli-toria Lake
and tlic townships nortlnvard. Here is anotlior Indian reserve. At the
western end of the bay is Alponiu Mills, one of the oldest and most
prondnent of the hmd)erin{^ ports of the N. shore, the approach to
which is most interesting.

This «hole region noith of Lake Huron has long been known in a
genernl way as Ahfonia, said to mean "the hind of the Algulii."— "i^*>-^-
Algonipuiis. It' IS a part in its character of tiie rough, forested, river-
cut remainder of the upper country ; but contains many river valleys
where good soil exists and agiicultuie is considered possilde, and
where free lands can be luid by the process of " home-<teading." Ex-
tensive timber limits and mineral "locati(»ns" arc held throughout its
extent, and a considerable rariiung population, largely from tlu' low«'r
St. Lawrence region, lias been attracted thither since the com|)Ietion of
the Sault Ste. Marie branch of the C. 1'. R., which skirts the shore
from hi)anish River westward.

Jilliid liivev and Mixmsinjit Itirrr are similar lumber ports ; but the
latter, though 'iclually on the Missasaga, is of less consc([ueiice than
Rllnd River, wlu re a (iourishing village, with stores, schools, etc., sup-
plies the whole Missasaga Valley with mi'ichandise.

This large river takes its source from lakes northward close by
Chajdeau station on the main line of the C. P. R. and gathers the
waters of a wide distiict, especially a powerful tributary from the
remote (Jreen Lake, where the II. I>. Co. long maintained a fu4'-post
among the Missasaga Indians. The outlet of the river is just oppo-
site the deep s*^^rait separating (Jrand Manitoulin from Cockburn
Islaml, called Missasaga Strait, and regularly used by the Sarnia liiur
and other navigators as an entrance to the North Channel from
Lake Huron. Its valley abounds in fine and varied timber, and in
the lower part embraces feitile and toleral)ly level land now being
settled upon by farmers. Minerals occur, l»ut have been little devel-
oped as yet, although gold and silver are included. The mime (else-
where spelled Massassauga, and in various other ways, and commonly
applied in the I'nited States to the praiiie rattlesnake {('(iKflisnun tcr-
(jtrniud)^ preserves the designation of a large Algoiupiin tribe which
occupied this valley and were afliliated with the (Htawas, and were
among Pontiac's allies in the great Indian Confederacy War of 170:5.
Their remnants still wander through this region, and have a reserva-
tion about the lower part of this river. That they formerly migrated
widely is shown by the nmny geograj)liical features to which the name
is attached on both sides of Lake Huron.

If any particular busines.s calls, the steamer will now run over to
Cockbnrn, the com[;aratively small and thinly occupied island next W.

VOYACiINO TirUnliJII THK NolMH (MIANNKL.

of (Jmiid Maiiitoiiliii, from which it is HcpanitiMl by Missiisiij^'ii Strait.
W. of it is a c'lianiiel (jailed tho Falm iMonr, sopanitin^- it, fnnii
Urummond Isfmid, and serving as the iiitoinational bouiKhu'v, Dniin-
iijoiid Ishind iM'in;^ in tlie I'liitt'd States — a fact duo to its strategic
position as commanding tho ontranoc (by tho inu' I)otoijr)to St. Mary's
Rivor. If there is no call to Coekbiirn Island, tlie boat will steam
past it across a wide space of open watoi to The^tsHlfill, at tho
montli of a short rivor which comes in behind the lony brealiwater of
TkcsKoltni. I 'o'nit.

This pleasant bay and cap<' form an old landmark, often mentioned
in the early annals of tho fur-traders, whose birches ami bateaux passed
and repassed alon'.; this shore and were encamped upon headlands like-
this, where they weie least exposed to a surprise from the liirkiiif^ foe.
It was furthermore noteworthy because tho Thessalon and Missasa«ra
l{ivors formed canoe routes hence to tho country of the Indians north-
ward, with whom trade relations were established at an early day.
All along the bay-shore, and out upon the far-reachin^i " point." still
dwell French an(l half-breed families descended from the old rourrui'H
du bois^ gardening a little, and in winter woiking at the logging or in
the huge saw-mills whose smoke and noise disturb the (pdet of tho
scene; but all summer they devote themselves to the more congenial
employment of fishing, (rrcat (pumtitios of fresh white-tish, sturgeon,
etc , are sent away from here by every dctwn-steamcr. lidand a couple of
miles, where the I'ailway passes, is the new town, of several hundred in-
habitants, surrounded by woodland farms. It has a good hotel {Jack-
«o?*'.v), u physician and apothecary, churches, schools, and general
stores. The streams of this neighbourhood abound in trout, the shoot-
ing is good, and this little town would be an excellent headquarters
for sportsmen, since supplies, boats, and guides can readily be secured.

Bruce Mines, 12 miles W., is a place whose glories have de-
parted. Seen from the water it makes a pretty picture, its cottages
clustered among the rocks iind trees of the shore, and the (iothic roof
of a tiny church lifted above the foliage. Higher appear the great
heaps of rock and copper-ore d\ig years ago, and the large buildings
of the mining company whose employes lived in a row of houses now
tumbling into hovels near by.

These copper veins were discovered in 1846, and were developed
by the Montreal Mining Co. until IS'jo, when they were taken in
hand by the West Canada Mining Co., of London, England, which
was already mining upon a neighbouring property. From this time on
this company worked the whole group of mines, and for 30 years they
yieldetl handsome profits. They employed, directly or indirectly, a
large number of people, and were the cause of the springing up of a

VoVAniNG TIIROUrni THK NOUTH ciiannkl.

eonsidcruhli! sottloriirnt. Many of tin* incMt pro^^pcroiis fiiniici'H in
this district now art' old IJrurc miners. Abont IHV't, liowovcr, the
competition of Luke Superior liiffji-jirade ores and otlier causes liad
80 depressed tlie price of copper, tliat mining in tliis remote r»'f:;ion,
wliere all the supplies had to i)e l)rouj:ht and stored during the lon<^
winter, l)ecam(> too exjtensive for proht, and operations were closed.

Copper-hearinj; veins occur throM;.diout the lluronian rocks which
constitute all this northern shore W. of Killarnoy. Tin- ore is chielly
pyrites, and the veins traverse a mass of inters! ratified diorite. Much
of the rock is a (piartzitc, gray, greenish, or reddish, which often as-
sumes the character of a conglomerate of small pebbles. "These
pebbles aie almost entiicly either of opacpie wliite vitreous (piartz or
of various-coloured jaspers; >ome few are of I.ydian stone, and some of
horn-stone and (yther varieties. The pi'bbles are <d"ten disposed in
layers at the top or bottom, oi' in the midst of finer grained beds, but
they are sometimes arranged in thicker bands, which swell into mount-
ain masses; and blood-red jaspers, <tften disseminated in these to a
preponderating degree on a nearly pure white ground, giving a brilliant,
nniipie, and beautiful rock, appear to characterize some r mges of con-
siderable importance." Great masses of this curiously variegated
pudding-stone (of a sp( cimen of which Agassiz made the felicitous re-
mark, " It is an epitome of all the geology of the region ") lie about the
old dum]»s, where passengers can easily obtain good pieces while the
steamer is waiting. This w<»uld be an excdient place to gather the
minerals and study generally the rocks of the llinonian formation,
which extends some 10 miles farther W., and is then replac<'d, along
Garden River and on Sugar Island, by a peculiar red and sj)otte(l
sandstone of Potsdam or Ohazy age.

Bruce Mines is the outlet of a growing farmins district, and carries
on considerable lumbering and fishing. It ntnnl)ers many capable, in-
telligent families, and at its wharf you nuiy very likely see mo(»red the
little yacht hWnir/disf — the fioating church and palace condtined — in
which the good Anglican Bishop of Algoma travels about his archi-
pelagic diocese, visiting his scattered churches and cond'orting the still
more widely scattered parishioners.

The channel has now been contracted by the advance of the north-

^;rn side of iS7. Joscpfi\H hlaud (Drumniond Island not having been

t(niched at), whose farm-covered hills lie o|)posite Bruce Mines. On

the beach is the little landing Hilton, with a big store and a wharf

piled high with cord-wood for export. St,-Tt<»i<.'pirai itilauU u uuw tite

, r-^^p"rty of thii T4^ rrilrTi >'tnt i in , b ut did not become .so until just before

the civil war. It was for a long time the seat of a British-Canadian

military post and Indian agency, and many interesting incidents might

be related ; but the scene of them is mainly u[)on the western side.

-9

ST. MARYS K'lVKR.

St. Mary's River,

Tuiniiig north ward from Hilton, tliocntiunce to St. Mary's River,

the odtk't of Lake Siijierior, is seen just ahead, and for sonit liours a
rery beautiful aiul interestin<!; >' Mt of the journey is passed in winding
al»out among islands and through narrow channels of (juiet water, with
occasional gliini)ses of lovely shores far beyond.

The next island beyond St. .Iose|»irs is iSu(/(n\ and hetwc<'n the
two passes, at present, almost the whole stream of commerce between
liakes Huron and Superior, although it is a roundabout way. The
11. S. (loverinuent, however, is clearing a straighter and shorter chan-
nel W. of Sugar Ishind, so that after two or thret' years the Canadian
steameis will have to themselves these intricate defiles of \Vi/so>i\'i
Vhin^htl that lead on into (larden River. Sometimes the passage is so
narrow, or the clifl's arc '^o closely at hand, that one may almost leap
ashore,* but the water is very deep, and tiny lighthouses and many
buoys and marks upon the shore are ])rovide(l to guide the jtilot. The
steamer Cifii of (jiirb(<\ of the Sarnia Line, was lost here, however,
several years ago, ami sank in 150 ft. of water. If there happens to
be an old settler or a talkative sailor aboard, you will hear many tales
of these channels and islands — some i)leasant, others gruesome. In
oiic i>lace a smooth face of rock is painted with the names of two In-
dian niail-cariiors who perished there in winter long ago ; and fancy
finds in a strange white incrustation \\\)on this rock the images of the
two men with packs on tlu^ir backs. An expansion a'oove Wilson's
('hannel is called Hear Ldkr (Lake (Icoige on some maps), and has
nnich settlement u|)on its border, centering at Jji chdnrH f.nft/ing^
wh're the steamer calls. Then follow more narrows and another
beautiful archi|>el:)go, witli here and there a glim|)se of a birch-bark
camp of some Indian family berry-jiicking or fishing — there is capital
fly-fishing all al)out here; and so toward* sunset you sail out into the
oalm and o|)en reaches of (•ardeii River, a name applied to this chan*
nel between Sugar Island (which belongs to MichigaJi) and the Canada
shore, wh.ie there is an Indian rescivation; to a fine trout-streatn
which comes down fiom the hills ; and to tlic long, scattered settlenu'nt

* This is not so close, however, as the apftroach (on the return trip)
to Spanish IJiver from the W,, when ihe steamer is steered bi-t a ecu
two masses of rock thiough a gap only 100 ft. wid(>, liut ;i7r» ft. deep

ST. M,M;Y S K'IVKK and MACKINAC.

of little wliiti' lioM>os aii'l trim fields tlint oet-upies the level Canatliaii
bank for so;iie miles. These eoiiteiited fanners are iiiainly Fri'iieh-
iiieii with moie or less Indian Idood in their veins, and are the de-
scendants of the old v(>i/n(f(nrs and fiir-tiadei-s who found on this
sheltered alluvial flat the Itest [)hiee for tiieii gardens. (lold-miuinf;
has been carried on nea;' liy. The landing delays the l)oat but a few
moments, and an hour or two afterwards the lights of the two Saiilts
Ste. Marie gleam in the distance ahead. The Canadian town is first
visited, and then the boat crosses over to tlu' "Anu'riean Soo " re-
tiiriung to tlie Canadian side to spend the night.

The Return Trip (in midsummer) is vaiied by a prelindnary
side-trip t(» Macli)i<(r^ which foiiiis oiu' of the most pleasing iiiei<lents
of the whole voyage. Leaving the Saidt, the steamer passes down the
St. Mary's Kiver and Detour Chaiuu'l (see p. T);"*) and westward past
"the Snows" to M .ckiiiac. Here some hours are spent, during which
the passenger can take a carriage (usually iiired in |)ai'ties of four, at
^'1 for the excursion) and \tv driven to all the many places of interest.
Thi'^ drive gives a very satisfactory idea of the island, and in tine
weather is exceedingly enjoyable. As I once wrote in Outing (January,
1891):

"Mackinac is one of the most charming places in all this eliarm-
ing region, and there is al)undance of excellent >unnncr hotel acconuno-
dation for all comers. The diives about tin- historic old island ; the
many tpiaint and curious objei'ts of Nature \\ hich ai'e pre-eul ; thi' ex-
(piisite huidscapes to Ite f(U'med out <d' the rocky and ceihir-grown fore-
ground of half-riuiu'd clitfs, the miihlle distance of blue, sail-tieekcd
waters and the background of distant shore; the vnrioii- tonus <»f
acjuatic auuisements and exercise.-; the interesting Itgend- and relicrt
of tlu' turbulent past whicli remain to lie studii'd, and the glorious
(dimate and sunshiiu — all f( lui a ciinibinaliuu rcndi'ring Min Kiiuu* en-
tertaining and protitaidc in an extraoi'dinaiy dcLiree to the weary city
man. The angler, however need expect little sali-lactinu on the island
itself. It is, nevertheless, an eas\ matter to go tu tlie miillier;) iriaiii-
land by ferry to St. Ignace, get a *\;i-/> li-liiiig. and return in tlu- even-
ing, and this is what visitors at Mackimie do From St. Ignace a rail-
way (Puhith. South Shore ami Atlantici runs straight north io Lake
Superioi, cro.-sinii at Tiiiut Lake, ^ome fo miles iuluiid, the Minne-
apolis St. I'aul and Sault Ste. Marie |{y , popularly styletl the 'Soo
l.iui .* The tr:iins of thi' latter att'oid a means of readily reachinjj
many exeellmt pond- and str< ams.''

t j

i' i
I,

(18

AT 8AITLT STK. ISFARTK.

At Sault Ste. Marie.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mic'lii^faii, is well sui)[)]ied witli liotols adapt-
otl to tilt' n'(niii('iiK'iit.s of siiinnicr tourists. The larjji'st is the Hotel
Jroquo'iH (ijiJi to ;j;4), but the Mirliiijun KxclmiKjc (s2.5<) to i^'i\ is near-
ly as eapaeious and extremely lionie-lilc»' ; both are near the locks.
The ('hij>iKii'(iii (the ohU'st hostelry) and Uotrl Snpirior are less pre-

tentiou.-

Oinnibuses froiii eai'h hotel meet trains and boats; and

there are piddie eabs. The U)iii»t h'aii/raj/ Ih/iof is al)oin a nnic
north ol' the center of the city, at the end of the Jnh r)intii>iii(l liriihic
/')rrli:s from the steamltoat dock below the ship-canal coiuiect the
city with the Canadian town.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario,

hotel, the Lif'

lias a lai'uc hotel. tli(» iiit''niiinoii(il,
much patronized by summer visitt)rs. It contains over lim) rooms, is
heated by steam and li<;hted by electricity, etc. ; its rates vaiy with
the room from .^'i to >!;ir)(i a day. F^iveiy teams, boats, etc., may be
hired there, and ail arraiiLijt meiits made for lishiuir, drivimr, etc. This
town is ji;r;)win<; steadily and improvin,<r withal, but it has little to re-
ward the exertion of si<;ht-seeinir, except the new canal and the old
11. 15. Co.'s liuildinjis hercaftei' refi'rred to.

The principal attractions of this charming district are >ipon the
]\Iichij:aii side, which lias had the l>enefit of historical iirec.-denec and
•rreater natural advantauc^. Its Mtuatioii is admiralile. The site is
liiu:li, level, aiul commanding, admitting of excellent drainage, and so
shaped as to allow streets to be l:ii<l out in regul-ir order, and to pro-
vide building-lots overlookinii a lueezy and beautiful prospect. The
business |)oitinn <d' the city is onvenient t< the wharves, l>ul tlie old
front street (I'orliujc Si.) aiong which, within the menioi'v nl the older
eUizens, ra;i the rude portaging tramway that preceded the canals, is
now surpassed l)y those higher up the shtpe of the ancient ri\er terrace
up<u» which t'lie main part of the little t-ity ^f.^Ilds. The town is
llghie 1 by electricit.', and has electric street-« .irs. ft is sup|)lied with
water puin|>ed from Lake Superi<M', aiul is well drained and |»oliced.
It has an enterprising daily and several weekly newspapers, several
banks, and all the public and commercial appurtenances oi an orderly,
thrifty town, eliuiclies of several denomiuatiotis, a strong, handsomely
housed school system, friendly societies, etc-. The Sault 1-^te. Marie
Club is the leading social (U-ganization. In summer the hotels an<l
boarding houses harbor a large and merry contini;ent of leisurely resi-
dents, who are tlaily re-enfoteed by yachting and exetirsion parties, and
by the pa.snengors of the constantly passing steamers, who can usually

AT HAUL!' STK. MAlilK.

spend an hour or more ashoio. As the county-seat and lefjal and edu-
cational centre of a lartre district, a military station, and a PVderal post

re(iuiiini^ tlie presence <tf judires, court-(»nicers, enjrineers, etc., tl
society of the city altoiinds in educated and cultivated men and women
Ix'vond the average of cities of its Kize on either side of the lakes, atul
well-introduced strangers find themselves speedily surrounded by a
deli;j;htful circle of fi'ieJuls.

As a summer n-sort this locality is singularly atti-active. IJi'fore
the city sweeps the stream, .just escaped from Lake Superior, rush-
ing, emerald-green and foam-white, down the splendid rapids for which
we have kept the old French name Sanlt (a leap), and maintaining a
sulxliied roar which swells and diminishes with the wavering breeze
like Jv>lian music. On some exposed knobs of rock sticking out of
water in I hi' midst of the torrent ( iiough soil has gathered to support
vegetation, uid trees have sprung up in dense thickets, which lean far
out beyond their clinging roots and bristle detiance to any landing
upon the tiny islet they charmingly conceal. Northwestward the river
widi'iis into the blue and glistening plain of the great northern sea,
always alive with shipping a|)proacliing and departing frcnn this gate-
way of inland commerce; and eastward the St. Mary's gradually curves
out of view among pretty islands. The i-limate is cool, dry, and invigor-
ating, with much sunshine and a qrality highly favourable to weak-
ness of ih"' tliioat and lung-; opportunities lor t)oating and fishing
are varieti and constant ; excursions in many directi(»ns may bi' taken
eh' iiply and without troulile; the bustle of commercial and passenger
traffic aliout th<' Ijuks is always anmsing; and, finally, the Indians con-
tribute gr' atl\ to the entertainment and sport of visitors. They are
()jif»ways— the trilje tltat ti.'ures in liongfellow's Hiawatha — though
the scenery of that <tirring f/oeni is more to tlie westward, along the
southern shore of Lake Superioi' l)et ween t!ie I'ietured Ivocks 'ind the
(irind Sal»le. Still, as formerly, they come to the lapids to fish; attd
it is a i)leasuii' to watch them jxti^ed in tlieir canoe< on the tiu'bulent
cuirent, skilfully dip|»ing up white-fish, and to reflect tlMtt you may
have those satue fish for your next Uical — at one hap, a^ it were, from
the Sault t<) the sauce.

The standard sjiort of tiie locali'y, indeed, is to niu th( niiilih in
one of these Indian cancn's — a sort of summer toboganinng peculiarly
exhilnrating. You are told that tlie ftip is not as perilous as it looks;
tliilt the T' d pilots have -pent their entire lives on and about tl:e

it)
'm

HISTORY OF SAUr/r STK. MAKIK.

n '

rapids, know almost evory rock in tliom, and liave beconie so skilful
in the use of tlieii' paddles that not one accident is recorded. You
consent, and have a thrilliii<r, fearful enjoyment. You pay your three
dollars cheerfully, and say you would not have nussed it for a hundred
dollars — noi would repeat it for a thousand !

Historical.

Of few Western towns in the United States could an author relate
so entertaining: a story as of Sault Ste. Marie, if the limitations of
space permitted a full narration. The reader will recall (p. 57) the ad-
venturous journeyin<r< of John Nicollet in 1034. " Entering, finally,
St. Alary's Sti-ait," wiites his l)io^rapher, Buttcrfield, "his canoes were
urged fuiwai'd for a nuiid)er of miles, until . . . Nicollet saw beyond
him the fails; around lii:ii chisters of wigwams." These were the
reoj)le of the Falls, at their principal village at the foot of the rapids
on the Michig-in side of the strait.

No part of Nicollet's story was listened to with more interest than
his account of the ajijiarcntly boundless sea above this turbulent outlet ;
and it appears evident that French traders were (piick to follow his foot-
steps, seeking fresh customers among tlie People of the Falls. Who
these were or what they did is lost to fa?iie ; but the thread of history
is again picked up with the account of the jo'.irney thither in UUl of
the two Je.'uit priests, (Mr.irles liaymbault and Isaac .logues. They
returned to the St liawrence the same season, when Raymbault died
and Jogues went to othc" fields of labour and martyrdom ; but for a
l»)ng time no other missionaries could be spared to take possession of
this promising but too remote field, and no permanent station was es-
tablished until 1('»0S, when Fiithers Claude I)al)lon and James Mar((uette
founded a mission tl-.ere. These priests (foi' the glory of the Virgin)
renamed the rai)ids SauU (h Sainfc Jfnrie in the old Norman speech,
which was their mother-tong'ie ; and we, in the double sin of elision
and mispronunciation (for the glory of ourselves), call it "The Soo"!

Their mission-house probably stood near the site now becomingly
occupied l)y the handsome Catliolie elrirch so eoasiiicuous as one ap-
proaches the town. Here La Salle visited the good fatlu-rs in lti7<>;
but some '20 years later the mis.-i(»n was transferred to Mai-kinac,
which had become of far greater im|)ort!(nce as a trading centre. The
traders, liowever, by no means abandoned the falls, where great num-
bers of Indians assembled to catch jind diy the ^vhitc-tish which then,

IIISTOKV OF SATLT STK. MAKIK.

as now, were the best the whole ehain of liike.-» affords. It was not
until the middle of the next ecntuiy that anything further worthy of
spceial note occurred, when, in IT-'i", the Canadian governor, Joiniuierc,
gave to his nephew, Captain d(! Honne, and to his friend Louis Le-
gardeur (Chevalier de Rejientigny), an iuiiiiense tract of land alojig
the western bank of the river on condition that they should fortify it —
a condition which they fulHlled by building a palisade loo ft. square;
birt their effort to raise corn and cattle proved a failure.

"The location of this fort," to quote a vt'siour of the history
and condition of tlie American city, priiitiMJ in ISSB, "was near the X.
E. corner of what is now Fort lirady, and directly in the reai- of what
is now the present Catholic sclni0l. It was substantially constructed,
with a palisa<le 15 ft. high. It was hardly completed before the
French and Indiin War came on, and l{e[)ciitigny and 3?onne b: th left
the post in charge of one of tlieir eiuployes, .lean Haptiste Cadotle
(Cadeau), who was destined to play an imi)ortant part in the subse-
(pieiit history of the Lake Superior region. V\nm the surrender of
Mackinac to tl^' Hiitish in 1 Tti'J, a detachment under liieutenant Jea-
nette proceeded to take jxtssession of the post at Sank. lie found Ca-
dotte in possession, and, meeting with no opposition, he took up his
(piarters in the abaniloned ganison. His stay was short, howev -r, as
in Decend)er of that year fire destroyed the whole station, and Cadottc
was left in undisputed possession. lie })rocee(led to i)ut himself on
good terms with his Indian neighbours, and he received a grant from
them of a large tract of land, compo^ing the piesent site of the city.
During the Pontiac conspiracy ('adotte was friendly to the Hritish, and
l)rcvented the Indians ai Sault Stc. Marie from joining in the massacre
at Mackinac. His wife, who was a v.oman of unusual force of char-
acter, prevented t!ie recapture of Alexander Henry, the oidy Engiish-
nian who survived the massacre at old Mackinac and escaped to tell
the tale of disaster, Mrs. Cadottc brought Henry to the Sault, and
through giatitude for his rescue he ofl'ered a business jjartnership to
Cadottc in the fur and Indian trading Imsiness, This was carried on
for several vears with mutual profit and advantage. . .

''The chief industiy of this jjcriod was fur-tradiiig. The Northwest
Fur Co. was a consolid;ition of several sniallei' comjtanies, among
them that of Henry and Cadottc. This was established in 17^4. It
continued with varying fortunes until iJ^'il, when it wa> pushed to the
vvall by its moi'e powerf'.il rival, the Hudson's Hay Fur C(»mpany, and a
consolidation was olfected. Thi'se companies made Sault Stc. Marie
one of their chief stations, and the H. V>. Co, eree'eil extensive build-
ings and warehouses on the I'anadian side f-f the rapids. The build-
ings iire standing to-day.*

* Two or three years ago an additional object of interest was di,;-
coveied in the shape of an ancient canal and long locks of logs by

'■^1

,). !

7'2 lllSToJiV OK SAlI/r SIK. MAi;iK.

'•In ItsO'i tlic IJrifish post wns ic-cstiihlislicd at Saiilt Stc. Marie on
the (-anadian side; and diirinj; tlu.' War of I SI'.', a hand was oi'^Mni/.cd
at Sault Stc, Marie, iinder tlie leadcrslnp ol' .loliu .lolmston, to j^o to
tlie assislaiice of the IJiitisli at MacUinae, who were hard pi'cssed by
the Anieiieans. Tlie latter had liieir reveniic, iiowever, in .Iidy, ISl 1,
wiien Major llohues eaptuieo and destroyed the whole |daee. The
visit of (iovernor Lewis Cass to Sault Ste. Maiie (in is-jo) was a nota-
ble one. lie trained iin]»orlant cessions from tlie Indians, and . . . on
his I'ccoinniendalion (Jcnciai lliiLdi IJrady was sent, in Is-J:^, to foinid
the irarrison which has <;()ii(' hy the name cd' its fonndci', i-'ort Brady,
(iovernor Ca'^s, on his trip, was ai-companicd hy a yoinii.;' man who
thereafter lilled a most important part in the history of Sault Ste. Maiie."

The reference in the last lines is to Ihiini A'. Sc/iu'i/crnf'/, who, foi-

ift(

Indi

)ld

nnmy years alterward, was Indian ajitiit nere, nis old aLicney-nonsc
l)cinj!; still in existence and occupied. It was here that he Itecame in-
terested in the natural history (d' tlu' ahori^ines, and penned a lar^e
part of his voluminous writin,<rs in that direction, in which he was as-
sisted hy his wife, the half-breed daughter of the talented Irishman,
John .lohiiston, who had manied an Ojibway '' princes.-." The small-
est (and best) of Schoolcraft's books, Aliiic Tales, may be almost
wholly attributed to Mrs. Schoolcraft.

I'p to ISIO the town had been principally a ceiitci- (d' Indian trade.
Tln-n the discovery (d' the coppci-Lidi's upon the south slmre of Lake
Sui)erior — piehistorically known and rudely W(»rke(l l>y the Indians —
drew an eaiiei' bainl , explorers and specuhitors,

" Fro\n isn to .S."),") the iidhix into the Tjiper I'cninsula (of Michi-
tran) rivalled the jireat lush to California on t!ie discovery of uold.
This state of atVairs add"d materially to tin- im])orlaiice and ])ros])erity
of Sault Ste. .Marie. There wa- no shiji canal at that time, and all the
outside supplies for the u|>per lake had to l)i' unloaded at the foot of
till' rapids ami transferred over a portaire road to the head of the
rapids and reshijiped at ere, it expense. Kven the vessels which were
sailing on Lake Superior had been liauU'd out and drajrircd around the
rapids in the same way. The transfer and -upjily business became the
ureat industry, and it secim d ii> if Sault Ste. Marie was destined to be
the central and chief cit\ (d this rcL^iou."

which the fur company used to lift and Hoat past tlie rapids their
fi^reat bateaux, saviiiL'' the i xpeiise of porta}rin<i the jroods. This had
been entirely foi'L'^ottfn, and was so tilled in that much <earchini; was
rc'piired. based u[>on obscure references in early annals, iiefoie it was
found. The per.-isent refusal to allow the use of these locks to any
other trader, at any price, was one of the most potent causes of ill-fcl
in^ betwi'cn the 11. 15. and the Noithwest ( oinpanies.— (E. I.)

, /

J" "2

>i 5

,1 ?fl

•i1t

J I

;,.

11 :

HAIILT STK. MAHIK CANALS.

The Ship Canals.

With the revival of jirospcrity after the lon^'-reinenihered tinaneial
depression in 1887 came an important impulse for the raw Miehisjnn
town. The eonimerce of Lake Superior was fast out^iowinf^ the slow
and iiiade(piate method of transfer by portaj^e, and a ship-eanal around
the falls was demanded. Nevertheless, it was not until iS^'i that Con-
gress was prevailed u|)()n to <!:rant TrtO^ooo aercs of land to the State
of Miehiji;an in aid of the enterprise. In I ST):; -'.');■», therefore, was
built the first (or State) canal, now replaced by the new sint;!e-lock
canal. It had two consecutive locks 3r)(t ft, lonj? and 7o ft. wide,
with a dei)th of \'.i ft. of water, and cost *1()(\000. The result was a
great impetus in Lake Superior connnerce, but sta<j;nation and decad-
ence at the Saidt, which was no hmger important to mariners and
tradesmen. In 1870, however, a transient revival came with the com-
mencement of a new and larmier lock, inside or south of the earlier
canal. "This was condiictcd under the su|)erintendence of the Fed-
eral (lovernment, and it was finished in 1881. This lock is olTt ft.
long, 80 ft. wide in the chaudjer, and fiO ft. in the gates. It will
admit vessels drawing -10 ft. of water, accomnioilating the largest boats
in the lake-trade. The same year that it was opened the State of
.Michigan transferred the old locks to the I'nited States, and they both
passed uuder one management."

A third time, however, came a demand for more canal room and
less delay. This has been again responded to by the United States
liovernment, which is now replacing the old State canal by a single
lock, said to be the largest in the world. This gigantic lock, which
will be opened in 1893, is 800 ft. long, 100 ft. wide, and 21 ft. deep on
the sills. The connecting canal is a mile long, and the total cost will
approach $5,000,000. It has been built under the superintendence of
Colonel 0. M. Poe, U. S. Engineer Corjjs. That it w as needed is seen
from the fact that at present the locking through of fifty vessels a
day is ccmsidered the limit of possibility. This is both ways, and
tedious delays often occur, although the locks are brilliantly illumi-
nated, and oaPi bo used at night as well as by day. When both canals
are in operation, four times as many vessels can be passed through
each 24 hours, and vessels of 6,000 to 8,000 tons, or double the capa-
city of the largest now able to bj admitted. This means a vast addi-
tion to the present commercial capabilities of the upper lakes- as well

COMMKUCK AT 8AULT HIK. MAIMK.

as a large saving of tijiic and expense. When th<; Ilay Lake ('liannel,
whic'li the U. S. Government is dredging just below the eity, is eoin-
pleted, and lighted by ekvtricity, further time will be saved, since
vessels will then be permitted to aseend and descend the Detour Chan-
nel at night.

In addition to this preparation for the rapidly growing eoumicrce
of the lakes, the Canwlian (loverninent is building a ship-canal upon
its side of the rapids, which will be finislied in a year or two. Its
lock is GOO ft. l<mg, H5 ft. wide, and 19 ft. deep. The Canadian ves-
sels (of which only a dozen in rcgidar lines come here)* pass as freely
and promptly through the Aniericau canal as do their neighbours, and
it IS not probable that much commerce will be diverted at once to the
ea.stern side of the river, but the Canadians assert that their canal is
necessary not only to the future expansion of Iralhi.-, but to their
safety in case of hostility between the two countries.

One eighth of the entire cnmmercc of the United States passes
th.oiigii the present canal at the Snult. In 18S0 its traftic measured
1,7:54,800 tons, valued at about |29 000,0(K»; in 1890 it had i'lcreased
to 10,557 vessels, of 8,t54,i;J5 ton-!, ciurving 9,041, 2i;i tons of cargo,
valued at iij; 102,214,9 19, The freight for'last year exceeded by 2,257,-
87(> tons the entire tonnage of all nations which passed through the
Suez Canal in 1889,

Railway Coiiiiectioiis. /

i
Sault Ste. Marie is now connected with the railway system of the

Northwestern States by the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Ry.,

which runs along tlie S, shore of Lake Superior to Duluth, Mitm. ; and

by the " Soo Line" (Minut'apolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Ky.),

which runs westward to the Twin Cities, having branch connectiims

for St. Ignace, Mar(|iiettc, and other ports on Lake Michigan. It is

connected with the Canadian railways by the branch of the Canadian

PaciHc fnun Sudbury (see ]). 2;]), which crosses the St. Mary's above

the falls upim the magnilicent Iitfrriititiojial S/ccl Bfid(je 2 miles long,

which cost $2,<)00,(>()0. The trains of all these railways meet in a

Union Depot near the Michigan end of the bridge; and solid through

* The totiil number of Canadian vessels on the lakes in 1891 was
647; tonnage, 182,971; valuation, $3,989,180. For further compari-
son, it may bo stated that the total of coast and inland shipping regi.s-
tered in (Jauada is 7,158 vessels, of 1,040,481 register tons, valued at
$31,218,480.

Hl'OUT AT HAULT flTK. MAHIK.

triiina arc run l>y this route between Minneapolis, St. I'aul, Montreal,
and Boston.

Sport at Saiilt Stc. IHarie.

In response to those ipiestions wliieii would be asked by sports-
men, and espeelally by un<rlers, in rejjiird to this ref,'ion, I cannot an-
swer better than by an extract from an article written by nie for
Oiitin-,' in I8yi :

"Sault Rte. Marie is the centre of a wide circle of trout waters of
every variety, from reefs in the open lake to streams so hidden under
roots and brush that you can only hear, not see, their j^urirliiifx cur-
rents. . . , The r.ipi<l>! (ishinj; is properly done from a lioat. with In-
dians to paddle. Two of them anil their boat — a stnuifi, adndrabh! craft,
clincher-built, but canoc-shaped — will pole you up the boiliui; torrent,
Hashinj.,' snowy and friccn under the siinlipht, and upon reachin;^ a
place which they thiid< desiiable will skilfully hold y(»u poised upon
the surface as the fish hanj^s poised near the bottom of that same
crystal current.

" Your hook is baited with a live and lively little fish, somethiufr like
a Indl-pout, which the Indians call cockadoosh, and tliis bait may be
taken or it may not, for the trout of the rapids are fre<(uently fastidi-
ous feeders and not always hungry. Jbit if one does sci/.t' tlie hook,
you will inuiiediately understand that it is a bifj; one. Your line will
fly out in a way that will astonish you, and your rod will bend to its
utmost tension ; for it is strained not only by the desperate strugj^les
of a char that will wei^di from -i to 5 potuids, but oiu' which has a
teri'ibly swift and jHiwerful ciiircnt to help him pull afj;ainst your bam-
boo and silk. . . . Two Indians (and a boat), trained to the work of
fishinj:; in the rapids, will charj^e *^8 for an afternoon, or $'> for all
day. When a fly is used in the St. Mary's, one of the Ranj^clcy Lake
style is most effective.

"Another local means of enjoyment is to <to to the N. shore of
Lake Superior, by which is here meant the Canadian side of the outlet
of the lake, from 20 to HO nules distant from Sault Ste. Marie.
White-fish a<riiicies exist over there, and in sununer an opportunity is
presented evory li or 4 days to <io across in one of the little steamboats
engaged in this business. A pleasanter way, however, is to make up a
party, take tents and provisions, hire a sail-boat and a couple of In-
dians with small boats and l>irch-bark canoes, and go over prepared to
spend a week or more. Into the lake at that part fall a number of
rapid creeks, every one of which abounds in speckled trout. They are
wading-streams, and may be followed up for miles, and there are
ponds and spring-holes hidden among the rocks that will yield a basket-
ful apiece.

" At the mouths of these streams, and along the Canadian shore of
the lake generally, uumy half-su))merged points of rock and outlying
reefs form a barrier between the outer lake and the strand. Among

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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Photographic

Sdences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716) 872-4503

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ACKOSfi LAKK 8UPKKIOK.

those rot'ka lurk trout of larpje size nnd tl«o hijihest (piality, whioh can
only be taken with a well-east fly. A sportsman would deny himself
a f^reat rrivilefre who should negleet to take this trip to the N. shore and
try these reel's as well as the rivers there. The St. Mary's and Detour
Ilivers below (E. of) the eity are extremely attractive to the summer
vaeatif»nist. They are dotted with wooded islands, which make the
scenery beautiful, keep the waters (juiet, offer eharndng camping-
places, and afford excellent jrrouse shooting. IJig and little trout lurk
everywhere, and at the Neebishes, a dozen miles below the town, the
waters are famous for bass, both the big-mouthed and small-vinouthed,
which take a fly eagerly. It is strange tliat moie yachts and can<»e clubs
do not come cruising to these island-protected waters, whose defiles
may be threaded through a great triangle which stretches from the
Straits of Mackinac on the S. to the Sault, and thence E. to the farther
side of Cfcorgian Bay. In sunnncr small steamboats traverse them,
and the trip is most interesting.

"The S. shore of Lake Superior within 100 miles of the Sault is
also a favourite fishing resort of not only local anglers, but of many
Southern sportsmen wlio have been well advised; and liere scores of
streams and lakes are accessible along the line of the Duluth, South
Shore and Atlantic Ry."

Across Lake Superior.

A steamer <»f either the Canadhin Pacific or the Sarnia line leaves
Sa»dt Ste. Marie ahuost diuly aJ)out noon, and reaches Port Arthur or
Fort William the next no(m in time to connect with the C, P. R.
transcontinental train westward to Winnipeg and the I'aeific coast, or
eastward to Nepigon and the fishing i-ivers.

No regular line now calls at the small ports along the eastern shore,
but occasional opportunities are afforded of going to IJatchawaning,
Michipicoten, and other small ports in fishing-steamers.

Lake Superitu* is the largest body of fresh water on the globe.
According to the chief geographer of the U. S. Geological Survey,
Lake Superior has an area of ;il,'2(M) scpiare miles (that of Lake
Michigan, the next largest, being 22.4r)0); its length is H2 miles; its
nuixiraum breadth, 1(>7 miles; ami its greatest depth thus far found, is
1,008 ft., off Keewemiw Point, on the S. side. As its height above the
level of the sea is 002 ft., its bott;)m must reach 40f) ft. below sea level.

These figures show that it is nearly half as large as New England,
and its shore line is 1,500 miles in length.

" Lake Superior," says I'rof. Louis Agassiz, in the rare bo<»k re-
ferred to more particularly hereafter (see p. 81), "is to be figured to

GEOGRAPHY OF LAKE SUI'EKIOK,

the mind as a vast basin with a hii;h rooky rim scooped out of the
plateau extendinj; from tlie AUeii^hanies to tlio Mississippi Valley a
little to the S. of the hoip:ht of land. . . . Tiie mountainous rim 18
almost unbroken ; its height varies from the avcraj^e of I'bout 300 or
400 ft. t<> 1,200 or 1 3oo; the slopes are jrradual towards the X. and
abrupt on the opposite side, so that on the N. shore the eliffs rise
steeply from the watei-, while on the S. it is said the ascent is more
gentle, the abrupt faces being inland. . . .

"The continuity of this rim occasions a great similarity among the
little rivers on the N. and E. sliores, and no doubt elsewhere. They
all come in with rapids and little falls near the lake, and more consid-
erable ones farther back. These streams are said often to have in
their sliort course a descent of 500 or Ouo ft. . . .

"In geographical position the lake would naturally seem to be
within the zone of civilization. Hut on the N. shore we find we have
already got into the northern regi«)ns. The trees and shrubs are the
same as foimd on Hudson's Hay — spruces, birches, and poplars; the
Vaccinia and the Iiabrador tea. Still more characteristic aie the deep
beds of moss and lichen, and the alternation of the dense gntwth along
the water, with the dry, barren liclienous plains of the interior. Here
we are already in the fur countries, the land of voifiujeufn and trap-
pers ; not from any accident, but from the character of the soil and
climate. Unless the mines sliould attract and support a populatiim,
one sees not how this region should ever be inhabited.

"The stern and northern character is shown in nothing more
clearly than in the scarcity of animals. 'I'he woods are silent, and as
if deserted ; (me may walk for hours without hearing an animal
sound, an<l, when he does, it is of a wild and lonely character; the cry
of the loon or the ('anadian jay, the startling rattle of the arctic
woodpecker, or the sweet, solemn note of the white-throated sparrow.
Occasionally you come upon a silent, solitary pigeon sitting upon a
dead bough ; or a little troop of gold-crests and chickadees, with their
cousins of Hudson's Hay, comes drifting thiough the tree-to|)S. It is
like being trans|)orted to the early ages of the i-aitli, when the mosses
and pines had just begun to cover the primeval roc':, and the animals
as yet ventured timidly tbrth into the new world."

Tills great basin is tilled with icy water of remarkable purity — such
clearness that (me may trace the outline of the whole hull of a floating
vessel, and discern objects on the bottom at a depth of 'JO ft. It is
this purity, refracting the sunbeams, that gives it that rich green tone
which is remarked by every traveller. " Everywhere," exclaiu)s one
of the latest writers, " the edge of the water is of this beautiful
emerald hue, showing its colour against the pink ; and, against the
brown and red rocks, against the dark-green forests. At a distance it
insensibly deepens and changes into blue, but by stu;h degrees that
the indigo of the greatest depth is approached through slight changes

FROM THK "soo" TO TIIUNDKK BAY.

beyond the first sky-coiour to the tunjuoise, and from that to the deeper
hues. With every ehange in tlie atmosphere the views change. A
strong Hun will lavu crcat fields of tlie water with a flood of salmon-
coloured light; and a Inilliant moon, which at times silvers a wide
swath upon the surface, will yet, under other conditions, tinge the
water a blush of pink."

This vast body of water never freezes over, though its bays and
river-mouths bee«»n e congealed during the long and severe winter. The
ice, however, is not more a barrier to navigation, which is practically re-
stricted to a season of about live months, than are the fogs of the early
part of sunnner and the sudden and blinding snow-storms which are liable
to envel«»p the shores and hide the water in an even denser obscurity at
any time during the autumn months. It is these dense, unheralded,
ami terrific snow-siiualls which are most dreaded by mariners. Great
winds, too, are lialilc to sweep down from the cold north, or to be sucked
up from the south, with amazing suddenness and force ; so that the
navigation of this wide and tre.icherous inland sea, with its whirling
gales, its short and easily aroused waves, its capricious fogs and snow-
storms, and its bold, rocky shores, where harbours are few, is as diffi-
cult as that of the ocean — more difficult, in fact — and Lake Superior
sailors look down upon the seamanship of salt-water navigators as a
skill that has not been put to the highest tests.

From the <« Soo '' to Thunder Bay.

A few moments suffice to take the steamer out of the canal and
into the outlet of Lake Superior called W'hilejish Bni/, which is all of
the lake visible from Sault St. Marie. Its waters are icy cold, and the
breeze suggests an overcoat before we can enjoy in comfort its fresh
and blood-stirring <piality. The shores are yet close at hand, low and
wooded, with a snow-white beach-line marking the fringe of blue wa-
ter. The smoke of Hay Mills can be seen off at the left, and the light-
house on Point aux Pins, where Agassiz's party spent the first night al
/reHvo, and were nearly blown off the sand-spit by the wind. Yet,
as we inhale this breeze from the wild, untenanted, romantic north,
we understand Cabot when he writes of enjoyment despite the dis-
comfort: "I felt as I stood before the camp-fire an unusual and un-
accountable exhilaration, an outburst, perhaps, of that Indian nature
that delights in exf»osure, in novel modes of life, and in going where
nobody else goes.'* The brown-tanned sails of scores of fishing-boats

ISLE ROYALE AND THUNDER (^AI'E.

plcasinply divtrsify the landscape and testify to a great industry.
Ahead rise the sand-dunes of Whilejish Point, projecting far out from
the Michigan shore, and met from the Canadian side by Gros Cap, a
bald granite promontory disappearing before sundown, whence the
course is laid undeviatingly northwest across the middle of the lake,
a run of about 225 miles.

Kisc early next morning, for if the air is clear the earliest sunshine
will bring into view the rugged mass of /s/e lioi/ale on the left, and
straight ahead Thunder Cape, a turtjuoise silhouette on the horizon.

Isle Royale is a possession of the State of Michigan, and is
formed of enornious trap dikes lying parallel to and apparently coeval
with the copper-bearing peninsula of Kecwenaw on the S. side of
the lake. It is fully as savage outside and in as it looks, and is
guarded by islets and half-submerged reefs most perilous to navigators.
The Indians called it Minotut, ami took thither Father Dablon (about
107'>)> ^^'^'" reported to his order that he had discovered upon it an
abut dance of copper; but neither their prospecting nor the more sci-
entific examination since has disclosed minerals worth the cost of ex-
cavation. It is a htjge mass of trap-covered ledges, broken by ravines,
and clogged with swamps and tangled woods. A friend of the writer
who traveri^ed it on a lK)tanical excursion came near losing his life
through hardship and starvation, for it is inhabited only by a few
half-breeds and fishermen along the beach. Many vessels have gone
to wreck upon its cruel reefs and headlands, especially the great steamer
Alffoma, during an awful gale and snow-stonn in November, 1887.

Thunder Cape and Silver Islet*

Now ahead, as we roimd the reef-guarded eastern point of Isle
Royale, towers the grand and romantic headland Thunder Cape,
whence, at Hiawatha's bidding, came—

"... Waywas*sinu) the li^httiin^,
Aiui the thimder, Annt'iiurkt't' ;
And they came with night and darkiii'ss,
Sweeping down the liig-Sra-VVater
From the distant Thundt-r Mountains."

Its huge broadside confronts us like a gigantic bidwark, bathed in
the purple of distance and planted against the shining sea. As we
approach nearer the grandeur is enhanced. The rich colour it bears
reveals its volcanic nature, and its height (1,360 ft.) looms magnified in
the clear air. Says Agassiz :

•' Thunder Cape is composed of metamorphosed [Animike] sand-
stone, the horizontal stratification plainly visible from a distance on

TIIUNDKK CAPE AND 8ILVEI£ IHLET.

the face of the vertical wall of basalt-like columns risinj; out of the
forest that clinj^s about its base and sides. ... As we ])assed the front
of the capo we found the ridj^e narrow and precipitous on both sides,
forniinjT a wall across the mouth of Thundei' IJay. Another fraj^ment
of this wall we had in the southern ridge of Pie Island on our left. It
is continued by the hiph narrow islands beycmd and repeated in the
parallel ridges of Isle Royale."

Just off the foot of the cape is that wonderful troasure-house, Sil-
ver I^let, a tiny rock with no more than room to lodge the machinery
by which miners descended into its hollowed-out interior.

Concerning silver-mining and the argentiferous rocks of this region
in general, sonjcthing will be said further on. Here at Silver Islet
prospectors discovered in 18f)K the oulcroj) of a vein that yielded pure
metallic silver in threads, tufts, and sprays like handfuls of moss.
During that stcuniy summer !5^7,<*<H^ worth of ore was picked out of the
siirface; and during the next year, by using the ice as a scaffolding,
blasting underneath the water and dredging up the fragments, ^20,0(»0
more was saved. Nev«'rtheloss, the Montreal owners scdd out to De-
troit capitalists, and the new company sent men and horses and began
to enlarge the rock by building breakwaters and filling in until tliey
made standing-room to work. The shaft begun was gradually deep-
ened, and the ore grew richer as the depth increased. Nothing to erpml
it has ever been known elsewhere, and the stock of the company rose
to 250 times its par value. Hut the deposits were irregular and lim-
ited. Much exploratory work was unproductive. The "first bonanza,"
t«omprised within about 20u ft. of a narrow vein, yielded $2,()(H>,000,
but came to an end in IST-I. It consi.^ted of arborescent native silver,
ming'ed with an ore carrying 78 per cent of silver, and s(»me arsenic,
cobalt, and nickel. The next tour years were spent in exploration, and
the company nearly became bankrupt. Then the "second bonanza"
was struck, and a winze sank for 00 ft. literally through native silver,
the metal standing out boldly from the four walls. This de|)osit
yielded 8<»n,(K)U ounces of silver, and lifted the owners out of their
troubles After that, varying fortunes followed one another, much of
the yield going back into the enormous ex|)ense of nniintaining their
fight with the waves and ice that tore away the cribbing, the gales
that threatened to sweep away buildings and machinery from the tiny
rock, and the leakages, with whicli the most powerful pumps obtain-
able could hardly cope. The nunc had descended to a depth of 1,350
ft. when the winter of 1881 closed in, and a total yield of |3, 250,000
had been gathered into the coffers of the owners. The little force had
settled themselves for the long winter siege, when a great storm made
an onslaught which carried away a large portion of their supply of
coal. No more could be got fronj the south, and, though a small sup-
ply from Port Arthur enabled them to resist a little longer, the time
soon came when the great pumps were compelled to stop working, and
the trickling streams soon filled shaft and level and winze to the level

ALONii THK KA8TI<:i{N SIIOKK.

of the outer sea. A eliaiubcr or two of its treasury luul been riHed,
but once more the great lake had ehised tin- doors, and they have never
been reopened.

As the steamer rounds the Ciipe and enters Thunder Ilay, a

j^rand scene devehips. Overhead towers the maj^nlHeent promontory ;
pyramidal, lofty, and stern, defiant of the wav(!s hurled a.£;ainst its
feet, and careless of the lij^htnings that almost incessantly assault its
stately crest. Out at the left, behind Isle K<»yale and across the
mouth of the bay like a breakwater, is the conical mass of Pie iNland
(its shape tells the reason for its name); and all eyes turn backward
and are ti.\ed upon this and the noble cape as they are slowly left be-
hind and we steam toward I'nrf Arlhnr, cozdy placed on the northern
shore of the bay, or Fort Witflimi, hidden 5 miles W. in the mouth
of the Kaministi(|uia River, at one or the other of which the steamer
lands, according to the line, stage of water, etc.

Along the Eastern Shore.

The l(»ng stretch of rugged coast around from Sault Ste. Marie to
port Arthur renuiins substantiallv as savage as in the davs when onlv
the Indian's or fur-trader's canoe, skirting the headlands and timorously
crossing the bays, alone broke the solitude. Here and there ndnes
have been attempted and trading-posts established, but few of them
remain. Little relating to it has been published — mainly brief and
business-like records of geological explorers, or the fragmentary jour-
nals of the old Indian traders.

Simpson's Journey is a good example of such literature; and that
recent collccti(m edited by L. R Masson (Qtiebec, 1890), Les H()ur-
geois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest, has brief accounts worth read-
ing. The expedition of Prof. Louis Agassiz to Lake Superior in 1848
skirted this northeastern coast in c.uioes, and the whole story of the
trip is entertaining reading. The writer of the narrative part,* J.
Elliott Cabot, has nmch to say of the abrupt, clifT-bordered character
of the lake-shore, which continually reminded liim of the New England
sea-coast. It is no wonrlcr, for the same ancient crystalline rocks that
resist the Atlantic a thousand miles E. are here to withstand the crowd-
ing ice of this inland sea. Scattered all along the shore are isolated out-
flows of basalt, like those on the N. shore; and between them come

* Lake Superior : Its Physical Character, etc. By Louis Agassiz.
With a Narrative of tlic Tottr by J. Elliott Cabot. Illustrated. Bos-
ton, 1850.
6

■

AL<>N(» Till-: KASIKKN SHOIfi:.

duwn nuincrous iiiid hoautiriil rivers*, some of liivfrt' si/.c, wliii'li aboiiiul
ill trout. Anioiij^ tlies*' old rocks arc many veins bearinL' valiiaMe
minerals, espeeially eo|»|)er. At Miinmiiisv I'oiiif, Coppcniiiiic I'ohity
and I'lthitc anr Mints desultory mining for eojtper has been carried on
for 50 years, but the cost of ol)tainin<; and reducinji tlie ore has been so
great tliat a proKt could not bi> made aptinst the coni|ietition of the
more rich and aeeessiItU' Michifran mines. A very stiikin*^ jxtint, in
respect to seen»'ry, is the nobU' headliind, 75 nules N. of Saidt Ste.
Marie, l(»n<^ airo called ('np<' (itin/anfnu. ''The aspect of the coast
here," wiites Cabot, "is exceedinj.'lv picturestjue, steep broken points
and rocky islands and islets. . . . We passed inside of ()ne cliff that
showed a vertical face (»1 at least 'ioo it. in lieifiht, dyed with an in-
finite variety of colours l»y the weather and by tiie licliens, whose biill-
iancy was increased l»y the nioit»t weather.'' .lust N. the coast bends
sharply W., forniinir Miehipicotm /iuj/. The lluilson's Bay post was
half a mile up the liver {see p. "J."*). M i eh i pic it en Islond, which lies off
the mouth of the liver, has played a hnjic part too in the ndtiini; his-
tory of the lake, but yiclde*! little until IStUJ, when an En<rlish com-
pany took hold, and has ]»rosecuted work with more or less dilifjcnce
ever since. Ml</iijilc<)frn IIoksc is still maintained as a freneral stoie
aful fur depot, aiid extensive tisherics are carri»'d on in the bay.
Lately very promising indications of iron-ores, both hematite und mag-
netic, have been discovered near here.

/ The Agassiz party halted at TIk /V<-, and found the post there
quite a castle f()r the frontier ; then coasted alontr the noble cliffs be-
neath which the railway now runs, and finally crept round to the isl-
lands that shield Nei>igon I>ay. They passed tlu; " I'ltilx /iV/vV.s," a rock
ornamented with representations of various animals, canoes full of
men, etc., together with various fabulous monsters, such as snakes
with wings, and the like, cut out of the lichens; the work of the In-
dians, or perhaps of stray mineis or searchers for copper, who, as ap-
peared by dates and initials, had adopted from them this method of
uttraetinu the attention of the passer-l)y. <S7. lg)i<(Cc Isltn.d was in
wight, and they entered the vast ai'chi[)elago of islands occupying the
wliole X. W. ecuner of the lake as far as Pigeon River, which aston-
ished them by their numbers. Having passed this island they weie in
sight of Thunder Cape, which, from its outline, is sometimes called
tilt! Sleeping (Jiant. Something of the same idea was given to them,
for Cabot notes: " At a distance to the nortliwar(l were two twin hills
called LcK Mainiinhttis by the voi/nifcurs, and by the Indians much more
aptly 'The Knees.' One could easily fancy the rest of the gigantic
body lying at ease on the |)lateau, with the head to the X. and the
knees drawn up in (piiet contemplation of the sky; [)erhaps Nanabon-
jon or the first man."

livd Slicker Pointy Lake Superior,

AKOUNIJ TIIUNDKK HAY.

Port Arthur to Winnipeg.

Around Thunder Ray.

Port Arthur. — I'dpiiliitioii ;^,r»(M». Motels, The S'oHhmi, ii liiig«»,
tii'Mt-clnsM hoiisi' froiitii)^ upon the )m\ (fit n iIh)'). and several lesser
hotels. Many restaurants and an eHtin<;-lioiise at the station. HoatH
and eanoes ean he hired lor pleasure or sport, but eare should be taken
in navi^atin;; the bay, as stpuills are freijuent and .-uddeii. Uoads
(none too <;oo(l) lead to various mines and tishing resorts in the
neighbourho«»d, and livery-stables are reasonable in prieen. A line of
steamers makes tii-weekly trips ln'tween I'ort .\rthur and Duluth.

Fort Willium. — Population, 2,SO(). The most imi»orfant railway
and shipping' point between Montreal and VVitndpe<;. One first-elas8
liotel. The only objeets of interest are the huge elevators, eoal-
wharves, and terndnal sho|)s and warehouses of the ('. 1'. K. The
only relie of the old fort visible is a stone building used as an enuine-
house. IJoatinj^ is exeellent on the river, and a large flat below the
town is used as a erioket and base-ball ground.

As the headcpiarters of railway eonstruetion both E. and W.,
Port Arthur — a name shortened from Prinee Arthur's Lan«ling, refer-
ring to the debarkation hereof that i)rinee's Highland regiment in 1870
— liad extraordinary importance in IHSH-'Ho. This fell back to a more
legitimate level as the railway connections beyond were nuide, but its
proxinnty to the lake terminus of the Canadian Pacific, and the opening
of mines in its neighbourhood enabled it to hold its own as a growing
town ; Fort William is beconuug a powerful competitor, however. Its
streets rise in gradual succession upon the slope of the hills, and over-
look a uiagnificent prospect. Many persons resort thither in summer;
there is a flourishing club, and nnich amusement goes on, especially in
the way of regattas and outdoor sports, (iood sliooting is always to
be had near by in the fall and winter, including bears, deer, fur-bear-
ing animals of many kinds, moose and caribou (when permitted by
law — this is still a part of Ontario), and various game and shore birds ;
and it is easy to go by rail to any of the niany excellent fishing waters
of the Xepigon and Steel River districts.

Silver-mining on the North Shore.

The principal source of wealth at Port Arthur, apart from com-
merce, which is gradually concentrating at Fort William, is gold and
silver mining. Of this, and the conditions under which it is prose-

Sir,VKK-MIMN(} AT ToKT AiniHlt.

rutctl, u i-<)in|i)(>t«' luriiiint is ut liaiul in Mr. K. I). Iti<;iills\s Kcports uii
Miiu'rt ill tlu' voliiiiH' of tilt' (ico|oj,'inil Survi-y of Ciiimdu for IKNH:

The miiict'iii-lx-uiiii^ area cxtrtids from (icor^ian ISay to l,akt'
Wiiini|u>};, and iiid«>linit«>ly northward, and lar^f portions arc vet iin-
cxplorcMl si-icntitically. " It is a land of rocky liills and inountaiiis,
of niiincroiis laUcs and rivers where tiie lar^e extent of roek exposed
^ives a chanee to (iiid vahiahh* ndiieral de|M>sits, and where the
water-sl retches, wliilt- hcinj; seldom navi>r.dde foi' lar^«'r craft, y«'t
furnish canoe r(»iites wherelty the interior of the country may be
reached.^' (ieolo^ically it may lie said to consist of I.anreiitian
frneissic and granitic rocks, within winch are found many areas o'i
plutonic and vidcanic rocks, and of metamorphic slates, of lluroniau
age, while overlyin<r these, cliicHy anaind Thunder liay and Lake
Nepi^on, occur the sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Animike,
Nepi^ron, and Keewanian i^roups, wh(>se appioximately horizontal
stratiticali(»n i'ontrasts siiarply with tlie steeply inclined or almost ver-
tical older rocks, upon and ajrain-'t «hich they rest. These Animike
(<'aml)riaii or pre-Camhriaii) sandstones and shales are seen in the
base of all the hills alon;; the N. shore, cap|)ed by basaltic over-
Hows, and are the rocks Tisible ai'ound Fort William, in Thunder Cape,
and McKay's Mountain (the ;;reat butte south of Fort William), and
in the valley of the Kaiuinisiti(|uia to s<»me distance above Kakkabeka
Falls (see p. H.^). Within these various rocks are found veins and
deposits of ores of iron, of copjier, liotli in the sul|)huretted and native
slate; of silver in the argentiferous iralena and some of the copper-
ores, and also native and sulphide; of fiold, both free and in baser
form contained in pyritous and arsenical «Mes. IJesides, there have been
found deposits of lead and zinc blende, veins carryinj; nudybdenitc
and minerals of nickel, associated with copper; (piartz-amethysts and
agates; and various building-stones. The earliest explorers reported
copper, and tests for silver were made here as early as 1^-15, but little
was done until IStit'., when many new veins were discovered, and some
earnest mininj; done all around Thunder Hay, and westward to IMgeon
River. The results were encouraging, but the remoteness and geo-
graphical conditions were against rapid development and civilization
from the start, and to a great extent are yet so. Only capital can
find, or when found can make productive, the rich mineral veins of
this wild, rough, wintry part of the world. A vast deal more money
was Kunk than ever came back. Nevertheless, a revival of silver-
mining eame about in 18K2, and since that time many mines have
been steadily worked, particularly at llabbit Mountain and in the
vicinity of Whitetish Lake.

Rabbit Mountain Ib an elevation about 20 miles W. of Fort
William, and not far fnun Murillo, on the C. P. H. Remarkably rich
ore was discovered there (or rather pointed out by an old Indian) in
1882, and the development has been energetic. The veins are all in
soft black argillltes of the upper division, beneath trap, and are

KARLY FXPLORATTONS.

bwikon, iutcrliin'd, mid uiicertiiin. Tin* oro consists of luitlvp silver
and ar^cntitc, iKroiii|niiU(>d by vmioiis oth«>r iiiiiicnils. Around the
uii);inal linhhit Mnniitnin mino is a larj^'c irroiip of otluT pro|MTti»'s,
of which the /ieni'rr, /'oiwufrliir, and Sifvri' Cnrk arc most important.
Tlic host ore is shipped to American smelters, hut some small stamp-
mills on the ^'I'oiind crush and concentrate the lower grades, (hi the
whole these mines have been profitable, but litipitions and other hin-
drances have |)revcnted and still prevent the results which mijrht ren-
Honahly be expected of them. A d<»zen miles west, at the "astern en<l
of Whitefish Lake, another jiroup of workin<;s arountl the Silver
Mountain mine has attracted reci nt attention. The ore here is much
the same as that just described, and the owners are a powerfid Eng-
lish eonjpanv, which is operating successfully. Many other "loca-
tions" and small nunes surnnind it; and jrood "prospects" have been
o])encd all around Whltrtish l.<tkt\ wlu-re, however, only snutll results
arc as yet forthcominir. Knoujih has l>een done, nevertheless, to show
that ores are abun<lant, and tluit much and continuous profit may be
expected of them in the future. There has lonir been on foot a plan
to build a railway (I'ort Arthur and Southwestern) throu;_'h this silver
district t(» Rainy Lake and on throuirh the forests and iron re;;ion
of the Minnesota shore of Lake Superior to Diduth, and a few miles
of track (to Kakabekka Falls) are already in operation.

Early Exploration and Adventures.

Fort William is the most ancient port and centre of white popu-
lation on the northern shore of Lake Superior. .More than 2oO years
ago, in 1078, came that bold adventurer, Daniel Greysolon, Le Sieur
du Lhut — whose name has been taken in the altered form Dulnfh by
the " zenith of the unsalted sea," at the western extremity of the lake
— and established here a fortified post for tradintr with the Indians,
Hither came Chippewas from E. and S. of the lake, ('rccs from far X.
and W., and Sioux from the W., even from as far as the sources of
the Mississippi and Red River of the North, paddlint: down the St.
Louis River and along the lake-shore; and the boldest Fienchman had
good reason to tremble when it happened that two tribes came to}>-ether.

The situation was most advantageous for tradinu'. Here fell into
Thunder Bay the Kaministiquia River, the lonjrest tributary that flows
into Lake Superior, and only surpassed in volume by the discharge of
Lake Nepigon. Its course and the various connecting waters form
pathways for canoes from the whole great inti'rior Northwest, as we
Bhall see more in detail later; and as the middle point on the lake it
invited efjually the trading travel which crept along the island-sheltered
coast from both directions. But its history and even its name in these

AnVKNTUHKS OF T1IK EAULY TRATIKRP.

early tiiiios m-c lost; and we can hardly find anytliing to write about it
for a century after l)u Lliut's time. Then stirriu*; chronicles begin, of
which we get a hint in the rhwiie of the fur-trade written by Dunn in
his small but meaty History of the Oregon Territory.

"For a long series of years the French-Canadian traders found
active competitors in the Hritisli ; and on the con(|uest of that coun-
try in 1702 they became nearly extinct, the II. 15. Co. and other
liritish traders moiiopoli/ing almost the whole fur commerce of North
Aiiiirica. In a few yi-ars the Canadian trade Ix'gan to revive, but
under Ib'itish merchants. . . . Various expediticms were fitted out by
separate individuals, and sou)etime8 by separate rival partners, who
purs\u'd their own interests without fear or scruple, and seemed to have
only two objects in view — their own advantage and the injury of their
com|)etitors. The coiiseipiences were licentiousness, feuds, and excesses
of every kind in those regions far distant from the reach of all legal
restraint. The Indians, too, by intoxication and the vici«)us example and
incentives of the routrnrs </<s boin and other agents, became <piarrel-
some, knavish, and reckless. At last the natives, who were engaged
by different contending parties to attack each other, threatened to
make common cause and extirpate the traders. These accumidated evils,
the result of excessive competition, brought the trade to the lowest ebl),
and to save it from nun several eminent merchants formed a junction
to carry it on in partnership in 178;}. This plun seomcd to work well,
and similar associations were subsecpiently formed with success. At
last there was an amalgamation of all in one graiul associatiim ; and
thus was formed, in I7S."», tlu' famous Northwest Company."

Alexander Mackenzie gives a detailed account of the route followed
between this jmint and Lake Winnipeg. The canoes, which went and
came in companies, ascended Pigeon Kiver to its head in the Height of
Land, which was crossed by a jiortage 079 paces long, when the canoes
were re-embaiked uj)on the sources of the Nelson River. This was
descended through many little lakes and over nuuiy portages to Lake
Saginaga, thence to Rose Lake, and thence by irregular channels to
Liic Hois Hlanc, now called Hasswood. The connecting currents are
then foUowed northwestward to Lac la Croix, whence an old French
road (i. e., a canoe-route) followed through lakes and rivers over to
the Kaministi(juia. A few miles farther comes in the river from Ver-
milion Lake (southward), now almost reached by a railroad from Du-
luth. Namaken Lake, just beyond, was famous for its sturgeon, and
led into Rainv Lake, where now the whistle of a steamboat wakes the
crags that were wont of old to echo the boatnuvn's song or the warrior's
whooping. The French had planted "an extensive post" at the exit of
RairiV River from this lake, but it had completely disappeared in Mac-
kenzie's time. A few miles below this the Northwest, Co. maintained
the post called Fort Chaudiere, where lived the chief and council-men
of all the Chippewas. To this point would go the clerks and emis-
saries from Montreal in charge of the stores of goods to be sent for

ADVKNTURES (>F TlIK EARLY TRADERS.

barter into the northern wiUlerness, and to meet the eolloetions of furs,
repack tlieni, and conduct them back to (ii-and Portage and al'tcrward
to Montreal, where they arrived late in the autumn.

Such was the situation 1<»0 years af;;o, and that seems hifjli antiipiity
to a Western man; hut almost a century and a half before that thefc
devious water-tiails had been threaded by white men, and their account
of them is preserved. As early as about 1 ♦>(')() two French fur-traders
and dare-devils, Lch Sifurs Orossdlltrs and I\>nIisson, skirted Lake Su-
perior in their canoes, and entered by the (Irand Portajre this very
river now called ri;j:eon, but on many early maps named the Gro.sse-
liers. They worked their way clear throujrh to Lake Winnipeg, the
first white men to see it, and, doubtless umler Indian fruidance, de-
scended Nelson Iliver to Hudson's IJay — the first Kuropeans to do so.
Ajrain, in 17:^1, the Verandryes, discoverers of the Red River and of
the Rocky Mountains, jjasscd through here, and fouiuled the earliest at
least of the old French forts of which .Mackenzie speaks.

The free Canadian tradei-s alluded to erected, about the middle of
the eighteenth centuiy, a new port of entry on the X. shore, about 35
miles W. of Fort Wiltiani, an<l apparently in igiu»ranee of that post and
the Kaministi(piia River. This was at the terminus of the (irand Port-
arn\ a path nearly 9 miles htng, which led over fiom the lake to the
Piffcou liiver, which was navigalde for canoes. A small, well-i)rotected
bay here offered an excellent harl)our, and was a convenient jdace
for the frontier head(|uarters, which grew into a large establishment
before the beginning of the present century. A palisaded " fort'' was
built at the foot of a hill near the shore, enclosing houses for storage
and the residence of the white men, while the red and half-breed
employes camped about.

This post was the property of some independent Canadian traders,
but was ac(piired in 17H1 by the newly founded Northwest Fur Co.
The joint commissioners appointed alter the peace of 1783 to settle
the boundary between Canada and the United States discovered, how-
ever, that this port was within the hitter's territory. The Canadians
had therefore to move, and foimd themselves in an awkward situation,
having no opening for their trade witli the northern interior. An ex-
pedition was sent in 17HI to survey a can(je-track by way of Lake Nep-
igon, but it could find no practicable route, and apparently the Lnited
States allowed the Canadians to stay at the Grand Portage until t\w.y
could find a good place. At last Roderic Mackenzie, who was stationed

THE KAMINIflTTQUIA VALLEY.

at the Portage, heard from the Indians of an old French route by the
Kaministiquia, and at once wont with them to examine it. He found
the ruins of the old French post, which had been completely destroyed
by fire so long before that its very existence was unknown even to
these frontiersmen so near it, and saw at once that it was the place
the company wanted. It was not until 1801, however, that a new
post was built, then first named Fort Willinm, and the Northwest
Co. made it their hoiuhjuarters, transferring thither from MichilH-
macinac the " head offices " of the frontier. Fort William then ac-
quired a large permanent population of factors, clerks, and various
employes and attachh, with their families, so that sometimes as
many as 3,000 persons were assembled there. It was strongly de-
fended, and every summer was the scene of active work by day and
grand wassail at night, wiien the general meeting of the company was
held, and the " brigades " were starting to the far N. or returning with
furs.

But before many years had passed the rivalry between the two
great companies (for all ojtposition to the Hudson's Hay had been com-
bined into the Northwest Co.) became so destructive to the business of
both that the Government of England interfered and finally brought
about an adjustment of matters in dispute. Tliis was immediately fol-
lowed by a merging of the now into the older company (in 1821), and
once more the great flag with its magic letters II. B. C. floated over
every post in the fur countries..

The Kamiiiistiquia Valley.

With the abandonment of Grand Portage and the Pigeon River
came the adoption of the northern canoe route to the interior
by the Kaministiquia River. All the regular travel ascended from
Fort William to Dog Lake, about 2r) miles, to which there was a well-
beaten trail, and coasting to near its head ascended Dog River to its
source at the Height of Land which here dips down in a low Laurentian
ridge from the N., separating the waters of English River from those
of Nepigon and Supe ' There a portage enabled the voyageurs to
launch their canoes • ..le Savanne and float down to Lac des Mille
Lacs — a labyrinth of connecting waters which justifies its name ; in-
deed, the whole region might be called the land " of a thousand lakes,"
or of 10,000, for that matter. Thence the run was straight through
lake after lake to the Seine, and so into Rainy Lake.

KAKKABEKA FALLS.

Thence to tl>e Lake of the Woods it was easy paddling down
Rainy River; and from the foot of the Lnl<e of the Woods, at Portage
dn Rat (Rat Portage), the route was simply a descent of the Winnipeg
River. There were many variations of this route, and a great north-
erly branch route by Lac la Seul and English River to the Winnipeg;
or northward to Red Lake and Albany Lake and the eastern shore of
Lake Winnipeg; or northeasterly (from Lac la Seul) to St. Joseph
Lake and down the Albany River to James Bay, or eastwardly to
Lake Nepigon. Hut the route by Rainy Lake was the most practicable
for heavy boats, and wiis the real hljihway between liakc Superio. and
the Red River country, and as well known to its many travellers as
Yonge Street was beginning to be about that time between Lake On-
tario and the Muskoka region. It was, indeed, the only safe overland
road from Canada to the Red River settlements imtil the United States
troops and colonists had subjected the Sioux on the upper Mississippi,
and thus made it possible for ;vellers to go safely northward from St.
Paul ; and even as late as a British army was transported over it

under the leadership of no less a man than Lord Wolseley — but more
of this anon. The waters still run, Indians and trappers have not for-
gotten the way, nor allowed the old portages to be completely choked
by the growing scrub. You may take your cedar canoe, or their birch
ones, and follow all the tracks of the old traders, and find that over the
larger part of the distance the wilderness is as they left it ; and If you
go at the right season (late summer) and are not afraid of roughing it,
you may enjoy the trip amazingly, and gather great store of trophies
in fur, fin, and feather.

A special point of interest in this neighbourhood is Kakkabeka
Falls, some 25 miles up the Kaministiquia from Fort William. It
may be reached by a train on the new Port Arthur and Southwestern
Ry., which is penetrating the mining districts ; by driving or by going to
Murillo, on the C. P. R., and then driving 4 miles ; or by going by boat.
The last is the pleasantest way, and furnishes a delightful op]>ortunity
for a camping-trip. Thus went Prof. Agassiz in 1848, and his descrip-
tion is the earliest circumstantial one in English that I have met with :

" From where we stood we could look up a long reach of the river,
down which the stream comes foaming over a shallow bed, thrown up
in jets of spray like the rapids at Niagara. At the brink the stream is
compressed, and tumbles over in two horseshoe-shaped falls, divided in
the middle by a perpendicular, chimney-like mass of rock some feet

WESTWARD FROM FORT WILLIAM.

square, the upper part of whieh has been partly turneil round on its
base. The entire liei«i;ht of the fall is about 130 ft., but somewhat
filled up by fragments from above. Its breadth is about 150 yards.

"The distin<.Miis!ilng feature of these falls is their voriefi/. In the
first place, eieh of the two side-falls has worn out ffu- itself a deep
semicircular ehasin [in the Animike shales] which, with the foot of the
cliff projectiii}: from below, j^ives the appearance of two horseshoes
joininj; in the middle, as if two separate streams had happened to
come t«)j;;ether here. This peculiar formation throws the masses of
water to<;ether in the middle, whence they are thrown out ajiain by
the resultinj; force as if shot out of a cannon. . . . Then the sharp pro-
jeetin}:; shelvfs which project, especially on the ri<i;ht side, throuj^h
the falling sheet, cause a succession of little falls in the face of the
greater one."

Altogether, this forest-hidden, andjer coloured cataract, second only
to Niagara, E. of the Rockies, is well worth a visit. The name in Chip-
pewa signifies simply the ffrcat fall, the one which comes "straight
down" ; and it is very fortimate that it has been retained.

Westward from Fort William.

Twenty-four-Hour Time. — The system of twenty-four-hour
time is used upon the C. P. K. between Fort Williiim and the PaciHc
coast, l^y this system time is reckoned continuously from midinght
to midnight, instead of in the two divisions before (a. m.) and after
(p. M.) noon. On the j)resent time-table, for example, the time of
departure from Fort William is 15.10 o'clock — i. e., 8.10 p. m. Hy
this system no confusion as to whether morning or evening is meant
in respect to a given hour can possibly occur. At Fort William "cen-
tral " standard t'.me begins, and continues to Brandon, Manitoba ;
watches should therefore be set back one hour going W., or advanced
an hour going E., at this point.

Deferring for a time the story of how and when the railway from
Thunder liay to Winnipeg was laid through tCecwadn, this land of
rocks and lakes and swampy woods between them, let the reader sup-
pose himself to be "aboard" the west-bound train once more.

Leaving Fort William, the train passes a few miles of half-
cleared farms and then plunges into the forest, which is not to be
escaped until, almost 400 miles ahead, the great western prairies burst
upon the view. 3 funlh, the first station (12 miles), is the point of
departure for Kakkahtka Falls, 4 miles distant, and for the Ji€if)bU
Mountain silver-mining district (see p. 84). The river is soon crossed
and followed up as far as Kaministiquia^ when the line turns westward
up the Mattawin Bivct; a noisy stream rushing down from Sheban-

WKSTWARD FROM FORT WILLIAM.

(lowiiD Lnko, n few miles westward, upon the top of a ridge more than
800 ft. above the level of I<ake Superior. Trout may be caught licre,
but not W. of Finuiarli station.

The geology in this neighbourhood is very striking. A great variety
of minerals are intercalated with the green Iluronian slates which
make a junction a mile or so N. of the line with the massive red Lau-
rentian syenites tiuit constitute the "Height of Laud" in this part
of the country. It is a rich field for the mineralogist but a hard one
for the miner and road-tuaker, who have to call dynamite to their aid
every step of the way,

" It is tremendously i»ictures(iue, but almost inconceival)ly difficult
railroad con^truction," writes a correspondent of the Pioneer Press
after visiting the coiistructicm camps. " Low mountains of prindtive
rock clothed with tall, slender, half-starved looking tamaracks, grow-
ing on a thin soil, or in cracks of the rock, rise between endless cJiains
of small, deep lakes, nearly all connected with each other through nar-
row valleys. There is no distinct, continuous valley, and the road
breaks through the granite masses of the hills and crosses the lakes as
best it can. These minor-like lakes, framed in sombre vegetation and
glittering with the dark metallic sheen of shaded swamp water, arc
full of wild l)eauty and full of savage terrors for the civil engineer.
They were the only path through the country in its ante-railroad days;
and they seem to dispute the passage of their civilized rival with a
barbarian jealousy. The granite mountains are a trifling barrier com-
pared with these lakes. Nitro-glycerinc 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, often
sloping <lown in an inverted cone, whose apex is 150 to 200 ft. below
the water's level. When one of these frightful pits is filled with the
alluvial washings from the rocks it becomes a muskeg^ which is a
greater terror than a lake. A muskeg is not a swamp, supports no
vegetation except a (juaking covering of moss when it rises above tlie
water, and contains little prophecy of future solid ground. The water,
unable to drain off through the rocky bottom, remains mixed with the
washings from the hill-sides in a black licpiid ma^s, through which a
pile may be driven its whole length by a single stroke and which en-
gulfs literally cubic miles of earth witliout attbrding a solid surface. The
muskegs are crossed by the railroad by filling from the bottom with
fragments of rock or l)y tcftnporary trestles precariously built upon the
sloping bottom, or planted in the liquid mud. These trestles are after-
ward laboriously filled with earth dumped from gravel trains run upon
them."

A monotonous succession of mistrable trees, naked rocks, swampa,
and cheerless lakes makes up the desolate scenery. A brief quotation
from Skinner's letters to the Brooklyn Eagle will give the picture :

WESTWARD FROM FORT WILLIAM.

" Stations occur at intervals that average 1 2 milc», but most of them
are water-tanks and footprints — little else. Those that niade a show of
settlement contain a dozen huts and cabins, and at two or three of
them a chapel betokens the presence of priests and missionaries.
There were several of the latter on the train in pltif^ hats and cleric
robes who carried rattan canes, smoked fair cijjars, and wore beards,
because the severity of the climate is regarded as excuse for not ap-
pearing with 'laved faces. Thoy are less sleepy and greasy than their
brethren in tiie Province of (Quebec, and have a manlier look. As I
marked their spare forms and eager faces and thought of the palaces
farther E. where luckier priests arc housed, a memory of Vibert's
sarcastic picture of The Missionary Story came to nnnd. They are
healthy folks out here ajiparently, for we saw no graveyards, a few
separate mounds on a distant hill-top, each mound with rough palings
about it, being the nearest approach to a cemetery. Some of tlie
coarse, strong blood of northern Europe has been transfused into this
region — Swe<lish, Norwegian, and Icelandic — Upsala, Carlstadt, Fin-
mark, Kalmar, and Ingolf being names of places that indicate its pres-
ence, and the weather does not faze it, for it thrives in our windy con-
tinental ranges and enlivening northern chill. At Savannr there arc 8
houses, 4 tents, 1 water-tank, 10 Indians, and 87 dogs. The Indians
and dogs are in the H. It. Co.'s service, finding work through the
winter in pulling sledges to and from the posts that lie in the ever-
frozen jungles of the X. The dogs are 'huskies' mostly, and the wolf
has not been tamed out of their natures. When yelping and leaping
aroimd a paiccl of bones they ren)ind you of beasts of prey."

Savanne, which is reached at evening, has a refreshment counter
in the station, and a store or two, chiefly for Indian customers, as has
been the case for many yeai-s, for here the railway crosses the old
northern canoe-route. Interesting objects near by are two or three of
the old barges in which Wolseley transported his soldiers in 1870.

The next place of comparative importance is Ignace, a divisional
point, w^here midnight luncheon can be got in the station. Here is the
head of the Wnhigoon River and chain of lakes, which is followed by
the road for some 75 miles onward. In regard to these waters Mr. E.
W. Sandys gives the following information interesting to sportsmen in
his little book heretofore referred to :

"Wabigoon (Indian for lily) Lake is a pretty sheet of water some
8 miles long by 3 broad, with rough, rocky shores and a few small
islands. Lake trout, pike, and pickerel abound in it, and may be
caught at will with trolls. One can leave the train at Wabigoon sta-
tion, obtain canoe, guide, and supplies from the II. B. Co.'s post there,
and descend the outlet of Wabigoon Lake to Rainy Lake, and from
there paddle either to Lake of the Woods via Rainy River, or follow

THK LAKE OF THE WOODS.

the iiiternationiil bouiuliiry eastward by way of Pigeon Kivor to Lake
Superior, reached at (irand I'ortaj^e.

" Travellin}^ westward fr'ira Wabigoon, Eagle River and Vermilion
Lake are reaclied after a short run, and from here again the Rnii^y
River and Lake of the Woods may be readied by eanoe, the route be-
ing by Eagle Lake, Vermilion Lake, and Huckleberry Lake an<l con-
necting streams. Very large lake-trout can be taken in all of them,
and maskinongu are numerous in the rivers linking them together."

The Lake of the Woods.

Except the two beautiful falls seen at Eatfle Hivtr, one above and
the other below the railway, nothing of special attracticm occurs until
the large and busy town of Rat Portage inten-upts the wilderness at
the northern extremity and outlet of the Lake of the Woods, .'{(M> miles
W. of Port Arthur.

The Lake of the Woods was to me, at least, a place of loman-

tle interest almost beycmd any other; and when, in 1885, Fortune first

led me to its shores, I gazed upon its shining plain and green islets

with feelings akin to those of a pilgrim who first catches sight of the

ndnarets of Mecca. Here had seemed to my boyish imagination to

centre all the romance of the wild Northwest, and I was a little shocked,

in spite of myself, not to find the swarthy voyatjcnrs and reckless cou-

reur.s, picturesque in blue capote and beaded buckskin, thronging at the

station or floating jauntily beside the bridge in their birch canoes with

red paddles.

" Lo ! how all things fade and perish I
From the memory of the old men
Fade away the great traditions,
The achievements of the warriorw,
Th«' adventures of the hnnters,
All the wisdom of the Medas,
All the craft of the Wahcnos,
All the marvellous dreams and visions
Of the Jossakeeds, the Prophets !"

The Lake of the Woods is identified with the earliest attempts at
Western exploration. It was discovered by white men in 1660, and
in 1731 the Verandryes built a fort and mission upon its southwestern
corner and made it the base of their further operations. For a cent-
ury and a half after that all the commerce of the woods floated upon
its bosom, and came to this lower end for entrance and exit. The an-
cient portage wits opposite the town, on the western side of the outlet,

TIIK LAKK OK TIIK \VooHS.

whcro II ln»ll(tw ill till' rocks Ii-d down by a Htcrp path lo tlic ?tnioot1i
wat«'r of tlu' Winnipi'-,' UiviT. A saw-mill now (HTUpics tht- liollow,
and the ohl path is hi<l(k>n mulcr the railway.

In those (lays this hioad lake, whose shores, pnijeelinj^ into long
points of rocky forest that look like islands, and whose islands seem a
shore until you pass beyond them antl find e(pially deee|)tive spaces of
land-hidden water and water-en iin<;ed land for miles and scores of
miles to the southward — in those days this l»road lake eehoetl nil sum-
mer lonj^ to the wild clioius of the lahourini.' fiu'-hriirades, to the tardy
ciaek of the old lon<;-lniii'elhd Hint-lock"', and now and ai:ain to the
whoop of the Sioux pouncing upon an Ojiltway cam|>, or the yell of the
avenger as he hurried to overtake the raiders. Now, one se<'s sails
stealiiiL'^ aloii*: the channels or Itcndinj; to the breeze in the open, hears
the whistle of steam-tu<;s that tow rafts and bar>:es, frifjhteninj; away
th' loons by a tiendish mockery of their cry, and wonders whether the
smoke of the saw-idlls drifts aeross the sky as it used to do from camf:«
lires that are no more. The romance of the Lake of the Woods has
;i;one ; and yet in another sense it is come again, f(U' here gather in the
long midsummer holiday, when the night is narrowed to scarcely more
than four hours, and you may wiul out of doors until after nine o'clock,
nniny a lad and lass, as gay in their ap[iarel, as nimble with their pad-
dles, as happy in their outing, as were the careless woodsmen and their
dusky partners who have faded away from Lac du Hois. Little did
they foresee — little did they wish to foresee — that here at the outlet,
where the lake leaps down the rocks into the flume of the Winnipeg,
here at La Portage du Rat, meaning thereby the musquash or musk-
rat, would arise within their children's time a town with a hard Eng-
lish name, and a sentiment of industry and pragmatics which would
make light of them and mock at their virtues. Yet Jiat Portuffc is all
that. It is a town with schools and churches and a theatre-hall, and
with stores whose gooils are carried away hundreds of miles into camp
and wigwam of Lidian and half-breed frtmi the swamps of the Flam-
beau to Lac la Scul. Many ledges of gold-bearing rocks are known in
the vicinity, and will realize their promise some day, no doubt. The
cut, in 1890, of the mills operating on the lake amounted to about
60,01)0,000 ft. board measure, of which half was sawed from Minnesota
logs. The old lake and the new tosvn arc fast becoming a summer
resort, which some day will be to Manitoba what the Thousand Islands
of the St. Lawrence are to Ontario. At present Rat Portage has three

■^
3

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Til 10 I.AKK (»K TIIK \V«mH>H.

1)5

Hinall hut woriliy hotols, tin- //if/iartf, Qiinii\'<, nm\ HumhiII^ hut a larf^o
Hiiiiiin('r-liuu.''o irt proposed. A straint'i' now Inivrs Kiit I'ortam' cvi'iy
Tuosday and Siitnrday, in HninnitT, fur Fort Francis and tlic Kainy liaki-
dlstrit't; and a sfai/c runs from Hat Porta^*' to Hainy IJivcr, llarwiik,
Knio, lti<; Forlfs, Ishcrwood, and F(U't Francis (Itio miles), on the 1st
and ITith of oacli montli, rcturniii<; on the .'ttli and 2(ith. The two
wpci'ial attractions of the district, ix-sidcs the eool, Iteautiful weiither
and the privilcjre of outdoor life, are hnol'mii and fiM/iinjf, tlius outlined
hy Sandys :

C'nnoc-roiitrN mid Sport. — " liiike of the Woods sprawls like a
hufie silver spider amid roiiiantic suiiouudiuirs of the most pleasiii;; de-
scription, and the sportsnuui can select from a Imndred or so lonf; or
short canoe-trips the one that hcst s\iits his convenience. . . . You can
paddle to Winnlpeir, triu'lnL' the course of the Wiunipeir IJiver to
liake Winnipet;, and thence S. to the mouth of the Hed Kivt'r, and so to
the ' Prairie City' ; or, if you want more scope and pridt r the far N.,
you can traverse the leii<,'th ol Lake Wiimipc},' to Mossy I'oint, atul
from there follow tlu; Nels<m Hivcr to Hudson's IJay and Poit Nt-lson
and York Factory; or you can leave Fiake Wiiinipej: hy the hoat-route
proper to York Faetcuy, and follow the paths ol the fur-traders. From
York Factory you can coast alonj^ Hudsttn's Hay to F«n't <'hurchill, and
from there return to Lake \Vinni|>eji I'i/t the Churchill River amJ an-
other chain of lakes.

"Outside of thes- few thousand mih's of eanoein<; are nuiny shorter
trips in the viciinty of Lake ol the Woods, which no douht will nu>et
all re(pnrements. They will lead the s|)ortsmau into a wildern«'ss of
surpassinj; heauty. where he will find plenty of moose, cavil)ou, and
hlack hear, o fair nmuher of deer and jrrouse, aiul fish for the pullinu;
out. ... A jtoint worth notin<; hy those foiul of duek-shootiiifr is the
English River, a tributary of the Winnipeg River, and distant about
GO miles N. of Rat Portage.

If you will walk along the railway track from Rat Poi-tage as far
as the bridge, and turning to the right will follow down a woodland
path jterhaps 500 yards, you will fiiul yourself beside the Falls ol
the Winnipeg. This alone is worth stopi)inLr one's Journey to see.
Opposite the grassy brink upon which you stand rises a sheer wall of
rock completely overgrown with gray and green, rust-red, and orange
lichens in great patches, among which are bosses of soft moss, ferns,
flowers, and soft-leaved rushes, s(jme of which, in Indian sunrner, look
like flaming torches held against the gray stone. Tins cliff is broken
at the edge, and heavy masses of it seem just ready lo drop, as many
huge fragments have done in times jiast, blocking up the channel.
Down under this ever-verdant wall sweeps the flood — brown, opaque,

TIIK LAKE OF THK W(K)D8.

and very deep. This doptli in its gnindetir. With irresistible weight
and force it curves into two or three vitreous, olive-brown undulations
over ledj^es of unseen rocks, and drops into the snowy and unspeak-
able turmoil bt'low. And this turmoil and frif^htful tossing and con-
tention of surges are tenfold n)ore liercc than in another fall, because
one half of the cataract is extended far forward upon a side shelf of
rocks, which throws the greater volume of it with a twisting motion
sidewise into the cauldron at the foot of the more vertical half of the
fall beside it. So the waters arc urged with strong violence in differ-
ent directions, a sliding cohmm ploughs a great trough in the water
below, and its masses burst again and iigain into iridescent smoke.
This cataract is neither very high nor very wide, but it is one of the
most beautiful on the ccntinent.

Keewiitiii is the name of a village opposite Kat Portage (steam-
ferry), on the ridge between the arm of the lake cal!e(> Denption liuif
(formerly abounding in muskrats) and a lagoon of the Win»'ipcg lilvcr
on the right. It is clustered about several great lumbering and flour-
ing nulls of very large capacity, a big elevator, etc. These are all run
by water-power brought through a rock-'iunie. There is room for more
mills and unlinnted water-power, artd year l)y year will sec additions
to the wheels turning here, and to the bulk and number of the store-
houses for grain and flour. A good road (o n»iles) connects it with Kat
I'ortage, and in summer a ferry is maintained.

The word Keewatln, or Ki'eii<(u/di)i, has become familiar to the world
in Longfellow's poem. The latter is the harsher form used by the
Chippewas S. and E. of Lake Superior, while the pronunciation of the
Crees is softer here, as in all other words of their common language.
It was the name applied in a general way to this whole region between
Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg, which Mackenzie pronounced a
perfect home for savages such as these red men were. Unquestion-
ably it was dearly beloved by both Chippowas and Crees, who could
easily move ahnost wherever they pleased in their canoes and alwjiys
find an abundance of varied game. An old Hudson's Hay factor, Mr.
Mather, of Kcewatin, told me that the name more especially applied
to this northern encl of the Lake of the Woods, and that it literally
meant " North Wind coming back." The ajiplication was clear enough
to his mind, for he explained that it usually happened that when a
gale from the N. had been blowing a day or two just here there
would lollow a sudden whirl-round, succeeded by an even colder gale
from the S. This, said the Indians, who personified all the powers
of the air as sincerely as ever did the ancient (ireeks, was the North
Wind returning to his polar lair. Longfellow's rendering of the word

THE FORESTS OF KEEWATIN.

escapes this intricate idea, hut it carries tlie sentiment of the exiled
Cliippewas — as, for cxaniple, in the lines:

"Thus di'partod Hiawatha,
Hiawatha thr bdovcd,
In tlie filory of the simsi't,
In tile purple luistK (»f fvcniii};,
To the re<:ioiis of tlie lioine-wind.
Of the northwest wind Keewaydiii,
To liie islaiidn of the blessed,
To tlie kiiijrdoni of Poneinah.
To the land of the hereafter ! "

Tlie nanu" has now become the designation of a judicial district or
*' tcrritoi'v,'' Kreirntht, l}'"? hi^'twcen Ontario and Manit»!lta, and ox-
teriding N'. to Hudson's Hay. It is looked after hv the Lieutenant-
(loveinor of Manitoba, who resides in Winnipeg and administers attairs
through justices of the peace and a handful of policemen.

riiarniing glimpses of the Whinijm/ and its turmoil of currents at

the falls are caught from the cai-windows on the right as the train

passes over the high embankment at Keewatin ; and the last view of

the Lake of the Woods as the train glides into the short tunnel W.

is something to remember ; but after that there is little to interest

one but —

"... tlie shadow of the forest,

An(i tlie r;isliin^' of u'reat rivers
Throiifrh Ihi ir palisades of pine-trees."

Id
le

en
a
on-

n a
ere
ale
ers
rth
ord

The Kiid of the Forest.

It is a wild and almost tenantless region of moss-grown rocks, tan-
gled forests of small growth (chiefly eveigrcen), sparkling ponds, lakes,
and dashing streams. It has its own interest of savagery and varied
colouring, and the unexpected occurrence of some lovely bit of land-
scape where you had not thought to sec it, oi- a touih of civiliziition
still more startling. (Jradually, however, betterment is perceivable.
Wh'itvoioitlh is quite a village, with saw-mills, etc. The timber here is
better, and an enormous (piantivy ol" ties and bridge-beams was de-
rived and continues to be drawn liy the raili-oad company for its plains
sections from this jioint, to which it is floate(l from the southward.
The Winnipeg Hiver is only a few miles N'., sweeping down abnost to
the railroad in a great bend, and then turning away northward to the
southern end of Lake Winnipeg, where at its m^oiith stands the old
and important trading-post and mission station, Kort .Mexander. Here
the country flattens out, and from Hrnnk to Selkirk little farms and

f!^-

THE GREAT NOKTIIWEST.

pastures are seen, largely the property of Scandinavian immigrants,
who have settled in these westerly woodlands, where the soil is good
and not so scarce as the passenger thinks. At Benuaejour the rough
granite knolls sink out of sight and trees grow sparse, and finally
disappear in clumps of bushes. The great forest which you have
traversed almost uninterruptc^d from Montreal — ay, if you please, from
Halifax — has come to an end. The locomotive seems to know it and
to share your pleasure at the escape. (Jathering speed, it rushes
straight ahead out upon the broad, level, grassy, sunlit, sky-arched
prairies of Manitoba.

An hour later the Red Rmr is crossed, and you alight in the great
central station at Wiimlprg.

THE GREAT NORTHWEST.

General Remarks.

The great region at the eastern edge of which the transcontinental
traveller has now arrived, and the southern margiu of which he is
about to cross, mei-its a few lines of general introduction. The fur
countries, Prince Rupert's Land, the Hudson's Bay Territories, or The
Northwcs'f Terrifortf, as it has been variously known for more than
two centuries, embraces all thai region N. of the foity-ninth parallel
and W. of Lake Superior and Hudson's Hay as far as the Rocky Mount-
ains, Alaska, and the Arctic Ocean. It is an area half as big as the
whole United States — larger than all Europe outside of Russia — and
wide areas of it still remain unexplored and unmapped. The last
20 years, however, have seen a vast amount of information gained, and
so rapid have been the strides of civilization that now one huiy go,
for example, in less than three weeks from Winnipeg to the mouth of
the Mackenzie River, all the way by railway or steamboat, except a
stage-ride of ttO miles and a few short portages. Farmers and miners
are pressing steadily northward and occupying the whole region, which
must soon be taken into account among the populous and productive
parts of the world.

THE (iUKAT NORTH WKST.

Northwestern Physical (leo^^raphy.

The Geological Purvey has issued a D(srrij>fivc Skcfch of the North-
west, from which the following extracts are tiuoted from the pen of
Dr. (J. M. Dawson :

"The northern part of the North American continent is geologi-
cally, and to a great extent also physically, divisible into two great
porticms. In tlie first, extending from the Atlantic coasts to the
southeastern edge of the Lauientian axis — which is marked hy a chain
of great lakes stretching from the Lake of the Woods to the Arctic
Ocean — the Archiean plateau is the dondnant feature, the succeeding
formations arranging themselves al)out its edges or overlapping it to a
greater or less extent in the form of bays or inlets; but, with the
single exception of limited tracts of Triassic rocks, no mesozoic or
tertiary strata are represen ed in it. In the second, stretching west-
ward to the shores of the Pacitic, the Arcluean rocks play a very sub-
ordinate part, and meso/.oic and tertiary rocks are abundantly repre-
sented and alone characteiize tht' whole area of the great plains. . . .

''The whole interior region <d' the continent slopes gradually east-
ward from the elevated ])lains lying near the base of the Rocky Motint-
ains to the foot of the Lauroutian highlands, and, though the inclination is
more abrupt in approaching the mountains, it is not so much so as to at-
tract special attention. Iietween the fifty-fourth and forty-ninth degrees
of latitude, however, along the lines which are in a general way parallel
and hold a X. W. and S. E. course across the |)lains, very remarka])le
step-like rises occur. These escarpments form the eastern boundaries
of the two higher prairie plateaus, and the most eastern of theut over-
looks the lowest prairie-level, «u' that of the Red River Valley. The
three prairie steppes thus outlined differ much in age and character,
and have been imi)ressed on the soft formations of the plains by the
action of subaerial denudation of former great lakes and proi)ably
also of the sea. . . . The actual increase of elevation accounted for in
the two escarpments, however, is slight compared with that due to the
uniform eastward slope of the plains. Tlu' direction of greatest in-
clination is toward the N. E., and a line drawn fiom the intersection of
the forty-ninth parallel and the mountains to a point on the Hrst
prairie-level N. of Lake Winnipeg will be found to cross the escarp-
ments nearly at light angles, and to have an average slope of i^t'HH ft.
to the ndle. From the sanu" iidtial point, in a due E. line to the lowest
part of the valley (»f the Red River- -a di>tant'e of TTiO ndles — the
plains have an average slope of ■l"4S ft. per mile. . . . N. W. of the
North Saskatchewan no extensive treeless plains occur in the central
region of the continent, and the forest country of the E. forms a wide
unbroken coimection with that of the northern portion of Hritish Co-
lumbia "

i
\i

100

THE GREAT NORTHWEST.

KiveiN and Lakes.

Two great river ni/stons sutHce to carry oif all the drainage, with
the exception of a few streams like the Coppermine and Great Fish
or Hack rivers, which run through tlie stony " ban-en grounds" into
the Arctic Ocean W. of Hudson's Bay. These two systems are:

Fir,s(. That of the Afackcuzic. This begins in the sources of the
Athabasca, which, with the broad Peace River, discharges northward
into CJreat Slave Lake. The outlet of this is the Mackenzie, a river as
large as the Missouri, which flows northwestward to the Arctic Sea,
near the boundary of Alaska.

Second. The system of the Red and Saskatchewan rivers which
unite beyond Lake Winnipeg to form the Nelson, and empty into Hud-
son's Hay. Of this latter system the London Times (188r») gives the
following (piotable summary:

"The Rf<J lili'ct' of fhc Xorfh is an affluent of Lake Wiiniipeg, and
brings down to it a great amount of red, clay-discoloured water in times
of freshet, which, by tiugeing tlu^ lake, gave it, in the figurative Indian
langiuige, the name of 'Winnipeg,' or the ' f/ake of the Dirty W^ater.'
Tins Hed River rises in .Minnesota, and has a tortU(»us course for nearly
8(»(» miles, flowing first S., then W., and finally N. to the lake. Its
source is 1,()S() ft. above the sea, and the valley in Manitoba tiirough
which it meanders has an average elevation of about 7 <> ft. It is the
boundary between Mimiesota and Dakota in the States, and divides
Manitoba into two uneciual parts. Klowinu' thiough a pi-airie, its delta
at the lake is in a region of fens, marshes, and muskegs, an<l it has no
less than six mouths. Its affluents drain an immense number of small
lakes, the chief among tlunn being the Asyinlhohic Rh'cr, named after
an Indian tribe, and coming over 4oo miles from tlie westward. This
section of country and that to the N. and X. W. is as reinarkal)le a
l>asin of lakes as tliat diained by the St. Lawrence.

"The great Lair W'nuiipcq has tributaries from lakes and rivers
that spiead over and drain a l)asin of some 1 .■)»),( too stpiare nules.
Tliis lake is of irregular shape, iJ()0 miles long and from (> to (W) miles
wide, covering 8,500 sciuare miles ami having 9oO miles of coast-line.
Its sui'face is at t»'i8 ft. elevation above the sea, and it contains many
islands. For so large a lake its shallowness is remarkable, the dej!lh
nowhere exceeding 7o ft. Hesides the Red River, the Herens River
enters this lake from the K., the W^inuipi'g River fr(»m the S. K., the
Saskatchewan River from the N. W., and the Dauphin i{iver brings in
from the W. the waters of Lakes Winnipegosis and Manitoba. On
the n^n-thern s>ide it has no affluents, but there discharges through the
Nelson River to Hudson's Hay. This river is Ji50 miles long, and passes
a scries of lakes and rapids, the latter rendering navigation almost im-

HIE G«EAT NOKTinVK8T.

lOi

possible, tliouf^li it discharges an immense amount of water into that
f^reat inland sea. Of the atHuents of Wiiinipc;:; Lake, the Winnipeg
Kiver is KiH miles long, and flows \. VV. from the Lake of the Woods,
discharging the waters of many lakes, and having rapids in its course
which descend no less than 349 ft. The Saskatchewan Hiver comes
from the Hockies, wliere it has two sources flowing from different di-
rections and joining to form the stream, which is hUO miles long, and
drains a b.isin covering 21(l,00(» sipiare miles. Its name is a corrup-
tion of the Cree Indian words meaning ' swift current.' The Winni-
pegosis Lake is literally the 'liittle Winnipeg,' although it is itself
(piite large, beint; 12<> miles long, 25 miU's broad, and covering 2,()(M>
scpiare miles. It discharges through tlii' Water-hen Kiver into Lake
Manitoba, above which its surface is cU'vated 20 ft. This hitter lake
is about t)0 miles H. W. of Lake Winnipeg, is 120 miles long and 20 to
22 mill's broad, and cctvers l,',>oo s(piare miles. It discharges into
Lake Winnipeg, whose sui-face is about lo ft. lower. The name of
Alniiitohit was given to it by the Indians, who attribute a supernatural
origin to a i>ecidiar agitation of a ))ortion of its surface, and hence
named it the 'Supernatural Strait.'"

Climate and Agriculture. — The Canadian plains stretch from
Red Kiver to the Hockies and northward to the forested region above
the North Saskatchewan and Peace Kivers — a triangular area of <fpen
country as spacious as Ontario and tiuebec together. The present
writer had the honour of delivering a lecture u|)on this subject in
Montreal, in the Somerville course of 18SS, in wliieh he said:

"Over all this area a fair uniformity of climate prevails, with a
rigorous but eomjjaiativeiy short winter, early spritig, an intense and
fairly rainy summer, and a prolonged, dry autumn. The air is dry,
healthy, and invigorating, the wainith and rainfall favourable to agri-
cultsne, the winter weather and light snowfall well adapted to success
in laising live-stock. Indian coi-n and apples can b«' grown to tlu'
ttftieth parallel of latitude in Manitoba and still higher farther W\ ;
while wlieat, barley, and all the hardy vegetables attain full ripeness
on the banks of the I'e;iee Hiver, in latitude 50 — the parallel whi.-h
touches the southern extremity of (ireeiiland. Of 212species of plants
seen along Peace Hiver, near Dunvegan, liiJS grow in the vicinity of
Toronto, and the rest are such as belong to the Saskatchewan jtlains.

" In othei- words, the temperatine in summer of the North Sas-
katchewan and Peace Hiver valleys is substantially the same as that
of Montreal and (^lebec. Similarly, the isothermal lines that pass
through the thickly settled districts mar the southern boundary of the
plains are those of northern Ohio and Illiiu)is. In fact, it is a truth,
jjroved by long observation, 'that the summer climate, in relation
to agriculture, is warmer all over the western plains than it is in cen-
tral Ontario. Spring opens earlier, too. Ploughing is very often be-
g'ln, all the l«mg way from Red Hiver to the Hockies, by the last week

102

TlIK GHKAT NOKTTIWKST.

in March; and in Manitoba, which in the cohlest corner, sprinjj; is never
postponed beyond April ."ith. . . . Karly in April, then, the sun dissipates
the lij^ht snow, or the air evaporates it, leavinfr the ground dry, and
ploughin*; and seeding go on simultaneously. In a few days the seed
germinates, owing to the hot sunshine. The roots receive an abun-
dance of nioistin'c from the thawing soil, and penetrate to an astonish-
ing depth into the loosened loam. i{y the time the rains and heat of
June have come, abundance of roots have formed, and the cro|) rushes
to (|uick maturity. The enormtnis ciops are owing just as nuich to the
opening power of the frost as to the fertility of the soil ; this is a
peculiarly favourable effect of the swift cliange from sharp cold to in-
tense heat which characterizes the climate of that region. The sum-
mer weather is oficn extremely hot — fivipiently reaching 100 ; but
this is a scorching not a sweltering heat. It is the direct burning of
the sun's ray.s — not a heat resident in the air: hence yoii mark an in-
stantaneous and grateful relief when you step into the shade, or catch
the breeze. . . . This intensity of the heat makes up for the compara-
tive shortness of the season of ctdtivation, urging grain to a far
greater celerity of gi'owth than i)roceeds in more southerly hititudes :
nor should it be forgotten that the high latitude f/ivcn prater Icnyth
of (hniH — far more sunsliiiie and growing time in each 24 liours —
than can be had fai'tlu-r S. On the Saskatchewan in nndsummer
the nights are only 1 or ."> hours l.)ng. It thus happens that vegetation
has about as many working hours, so to speak — hours when sunlight
is promoting giowtli — between seed-time and harvest, as in the longer
season but shorter days of Iowa.

" During May. June, and July, rain, generally in the form of thun-
der-showers, is of almost daily occurrence; so that there is no lack of
moisture for the sustenance (tf the growing crops, just when they need
it most. This diiuinishcs toward the W., however, and when the
plateau beyond the (.V)teau de Missotiri, with an elevation of S,000, is
reached, sumnn'r showers are less frecpient and certain. . . . After
the middle of July rains are few, and during harvest cease altogether.
. . . Harvest begins by the first of August and is uninterrupted. Hay
has already l)een stacked in the open aii-, rpiite unprotected, for the'
farmer is sure that no deluging rains will fall upon nor melting snows
sink into it lo wash out its juices or mildew it underneath. The grain
is stacked uncovered in the lields and thrashed in the open air, without
fear of harm through dampness. You will see everywhere small
stables ; , -I'^vx, ;-o;ne small granaries (apart from the huge elevators
at a'l.r.' , evciy .sllway station), and cellars for keeping vegetables,
bu< hard' ; ^y^" a barn for storing hay, straw, or grain. The climate
I'en J .:.''.> ii unnecessary."

PoHtical ]>ivisioiis»

Canada, northwest of Lake Superior, has been divided into political
districts, so far as needed. The i)rincipal of these is the fidl-fledged
Province of Manitoba, covering an area of about r2;{,000 s([uare

MANITOHA.

103

miles. W. and X. of Manitoha are several lar<;c divisions called Pro-
vmoiinl Distrlcfn, and ans\vorin<; to the "Territories" of the United
States. They are as follows: Assiniboia, along the international
boundary, W. of southern Manitoba, as far as the 111th meridian, and
containing 95,000 s((uare miles; Saskntchewan, N. of Assiniboia
(and the 51st i)arallel), with 111,000 s(juare miles; Alberta, lying
wedge-shai)ed between the western boundary of these two and the
Rocky Mountains, with loo,0oo sijuare miles; Athabasca, comprising
122,000 square miles X. of Alberta; and Keewatiu, an ill-defined
area between Manitoba and Hudson's Bay. Kaeh of these sends a
delegation to represent it at IJegiua ^see p. 141), where they asseMd)le
annually to consvdt with the Lieutenant-doveinor and Council of the
Northwest Territories, and re(;oimnend legislation in respect to local
affairs. The great luipopulated and half-exploi'cd region N. of Atha-
basca is unorganized, and is looked after in a general way by the
Council at Regina. All these districts, outside of Manitoba, constitute
legally the Northwest TcrritoriiK ; and the Lleutenant-dovurnor and
staff at Regina are appointed by the (iovernor-(Jeneral at Ottawa in the
same manner as are the Lieutenant-Governors of the provinces.

Manitoba.

The Province of Manitoba is about ']00 miles s<|uare, and
extends from the Lake of the Woods W. to meridian 1 1 1 liO, and
from the United States boundary northward to the foot of Lake Win-
nijicg. The arable portion exceeds half of the whole, and is of the
highest fertility and beauty, consisting of prairies clothed in long and
luxuriant grasses, often dotted with groves or a continuous open growth
of oaks, po|)lars, and other trees, diversified by lines and groups of
low hills, and watered by innumerable lakes and streams.

Manitoba has now a fiojmlntlon of about 22r),r)(»0, the greater part
of which has been derived from Ontario, ])articularly the counties of
Huron and Hruce. Toronto is largely represented among her business
men, but many come from Minnesota. The two great river valleys,
Rvd and Assiniboine, join in her midst, and empty into the three lakes
in the northern part — Wlnni/x'ff, Mauitoha^ and Winniptyosis — which
together constitute the largest body of fresh water on the continent
after the Great Lakes. The largest city is Whinipeg (fully described
further on), whence railways radiate to all the settled districts. Steani-
boiits run upon all the rivers and lakes above mentioned ; and telegraph
lines and postal routes reach even the most remote settlements.

I -:
- i

104

KKS!)UKCK8 OF MAMToUA.

Mimitoha, first and forciiiost, is ii (/nihi-(/)'nwhi(/ rcfjion of wondtM'-
fiil capacity, and, of course, the principal ci'op is wheat. Jhit this is
not the vvlinle (»f liei' resources. Knornious (piantities of n'liifr-fi'sh arc
canjjlit tliroajxli the ice out of [iaice Winnipeji every winteiand sliipped
by tlie frozen car-load to St. I'aui and elsewiiei'e. Alonjr lier eastern
border inincra/.s exist in consideialde (|uantity, and tiie yo/rV-s of that
part supply a vast amount of lumber, lailway-ties, and fuel. In the
northern and western parts of the province cdlth-ijroii'iiiij is an impor-
tant feature of farmin;;, while in the i^.Jfiu is raised extensively. The
climate has been characteri/ed sufHciently alreiidy, and the pro-
ductiveness of the land is astonishin;:;. The Manitoba " No. 1 hard"
red Fyfe wheat is e><ti'euied the best in the world, and iniiforndy brinj^s
the hifrhest price in the world's niaiket at Liverpool, a fact due not
only to its (piality, but to the care and honesty of its ^rradin^'. Every
little railway station has its eleviitor, mainly the piopeity of one of two or
three Wiimipeg milli'if!; companies ; but at larjie j)laces, like lirandon
and Minnedosa, co-operative jiranaries and elcviitors are owned by the
farmers themselves. The diHicidties, larjiely due to inexperience, which

av of call V wheat culture in Manitoba have been over-

stood ui the Wi

come to a great decree, and the seed has now become acclimated, .so
that the culture of wheat is assuminjr a certainty tliere, in spite of tlie
danger of early frosts, whi<'h w ill make it more proKtable in the future
than it has been in the past, and agiicultural piospeiity will steadily
advance. Moreover, mixed farminti;, combined with beef-iaising, is
increasing, since the farniMs have learned that a great variity of prod-
ucts may profitably Ite raised. One may see in the gardt'us there
every soi-t of vegetables and small fruits, beiTies, etc., growing to a
jjcrfection rare even in the Middle States of the Tnion. Tin; principal
population has ])een derived from eastern Canada and England. The
English and Irish iunnigrants have chieily ijoui' to the western parts,
where Hourisliing towns like i'ortage la I'lairie, Brandon, Miniu'dosa.
liinscarth, and others have arisi-n, with snuiller ones — Virden. KIkhorn,
Shoal Lake, i{api(i City, Xeepawa, Carberry, etc.; or to the S., making
such thriving villa<ies as Manitou, Deloraine, <ileid)oro, Souris, and

oti

lers.

The moralitv, intelliirenee, aii<l social character of tiiese ec

)m-

munities are vi'ry high. In the southern part the nationalities aie more
mixed. N'orthwar<l, Scandinavians and Icelanders have settled, and

a I

e prospering, while French Canadians and Me'.is are numerous al<

Ucd River and the wooded eastern border. Tlu' ])t'ople of Manitoba
are ))rogressive and li))eral in senlimeiit. They pi'ovide boinitifully for
churches and schools, seek to have the liest of evcrvlhmy;, and are
encr
to even

tic in trade and every sort of improvement. This will be plain
the most casual traveller.

Books of Reference. — Herewith follows a list of the more easily
accessible or valuable bofdis upon the Nt)rthwest as far as the Rocky
Mountains (see also p. 171) :

Mackenzir, Ai.EXAXnEii. Voyttgeii . . . to the Fiozm (iiid Parific Oceann
In the Years 1781) and 170S, New Yoi-k, lSfl;J. An account of the explorutioiis

BOOKS lT|»o\ MANITOBA.

105

ill tin- far Noifliwi'.'-t of Uii- iimii iifltT wlioiii Miickfii/ii' Hivir ii* nuiiicd, aiul who
was tlic (list loii'.icli the I'acillc overland.

SiMi'soN, Sir (;Koii(iK. ./omiKi/ /t'oini'f flu Woihl In ts',1 timf IS',J. Lon-
don, 1H\7. Siiii|)son WHS Ilic mki^I distinj:iiislicil (Jovrnmr of the II. IS. Co.

(TIU' NAUItATlVKr* of 'I'/lllllKIs S///i/).^(/li . S)r .lullll Fldllkiih. HidlKr. Cll/lfiljn

]iO(k\ and other earlier explorers of the lludsonV May enast.-i and territoricH
shonld also he read hy every on*' inlereslei in tl:e fiir-eonntrit'i^.>

McLkan. Til i iiliijire Yunn' S( i ih-< in Ilic llii(lnoir>i lUiy '/'(iiiloii/. Lou-
don, IHlil. Arc'tieand Ihili.'^ii ('oliinihia coa Is.

Hind. \<irr(ifh< i>t' tin ('(tninlidii K.iiiIdiiii'i Kiihililiitn of IS:'7-'i'>s. Lon-
don, im). Most valiia'lile.

I'ktitot. InirKtnsfj'lUitish Amohui. Sinithsonijin AniiUal i;e|iorl. IKC").

TAciifi (('AMKito.Nt. ' sktitii iif Ihi- Xordiirc:,' qf' Aiiinicd. Monlrial, IHIO.
A traih'lalion of tiie arehiii'-ho|)"s'vaUiah!e /,» Xoti/ Ontsf.

1Iai!(;i:avk. /'<iI /fiitr. Montreal, IHTI. lii^toiieal r^•lnini^(•enees.

Hamilton. '/'In /'mliic /'lorinc: . 'roroiito. ls7(i.

McDonai.o. /'kici li'ii'ir. Ottawa, 1S7','. 'I'lie Journal of A. McDonald, who
ucc'onijmnied Sir(;eortre Sinii)son in IK-jS.

(iitANT. OcKiii l(t OcKdi. London. 1ST:!. Fnlly illu-^lri'Ied and en'erlainin^
narrative of Chief-KnL'ineer Sandford l-'lennnuV ex|ilni,iiion of a railwav route
acrosH the i)lains and I{oeky Mounlains. hy ilie i;e\-. I'riiuiiial (ieorire (iiant.

IJfTi.KK. Tin (iiKlt Liiiii l.iiiid. Kxceileiit story of the fui-eoun!ry.

Soi'TiiKsK. Sit.tk<it<'lh iritii mill 1,'uikii Miiiiiil^ihiK. Lon(h>n, IMT.';. lluntiiijr
trij) from Winnipei,' to tlie Kocky Mountain:; in l^'iK.

HoHiNsoN. Till dridt Fur Luinl. London. ISSO.

llivsiiK. Till Unl lUni K,ii)iil'il>i»i, .\n accomit
Fort (Jarry in ISTO, hy an othei'r of the stall".

Mai'oi'n. Maii'iliihn mnl tin ilrmt Xinllnrisf. (iuelpli, ISH:.'. 'i'his larjre
work, l)y Dr. .John Macoun. of tlie (ieolotiieal Survey, was the (ir-l cjnt'ful woik
upon the country, and n'niains a standard source of accuiale and |)roplieiic in-
formation. Il contains maps and illustrations.

r>i:v('K. Mdiiiluhit. Lond'iii. ISH'J. 'I'lie most scliolarly account extant of
the history and condition of liie iJi'ovince to Ihal <late.

K|/I;min(;. F.nijluiiil ainl I'liiiiuln. Montreal. IWl. (Jeiieral .iccoind of
transconlinental tour, with reinini.'^cenci's, l>y Sandfoid Kleniintr.

lliM.. Funn Uonii- lo Hoiiu . London, INS."). Karly wamlerinj:;' and sjiort
on tin- plains and foot-liills.

Dai'nt. Ill till' J.iunl of III! Moosi, tin llt(n\ itinl tin- lidiri r. Lnn(h)n, 18H.'>.
An instriielive tale of adventures in ihe .\tlial)a:caii reirion.

Ti'TTi.K. thir \oitli l.iiinl. Toronlo. iNC). Nairative of tjie Hudson's
Hay Kxpediiion of lS8t. anda compiialion in rcL'ard to the whoh'suharctic rei^ion.

"ivoss. Rill ii'ir I S, ttl.niiiil.'-. London. IWIl.

"A i; riii:sTi;i; Fki.i.ow." I'ln- Win/ii/ni/ (hn/itri/. IJoston, IKHIi. Many
illiistralioiis and a rnuuini: account of the lied iiiver and Lake \Vimii|)e;

\ ireneral compilation,
of W'ol: elevV march to

l5olI,TON.

'i iii'iii'i^r. nris of ll'i lliil In In ll'ion . 'I'oronto, ISSIi. ren-onal

expei'iences hy Ihe leader of •■ noulton's Horse,

('i'.MKi;iii..\M). Tin- (JiKi ii'f: Hi(/liii luj. i,ondon. 18S7. Of little value.

Donkin. Tioojii I- (lint lliil^k'iii. London. IS'.'O. Lite with ihe Northwest
Moulded I'olicc durin<r the iJicl rehellion of \HK\

Masson. Lis Hoi/iyn./s ili In (\

<))ii'iii

it II Soril-O

(^uel)

hSS'.t.

A most valuahle hisloiy of the Noithwest Fni' Company and repiint of mmiy of
the journals kejil !)y aireiiis, tiadc:.- . ami explorers in the Noi ihwest for a century
past, in hoth Fiench and llnyrli-^h.

Koim;i!. liij I'ldrh ami Trail tlironr/li ('iiinnl'i. London, IS'.d. Circiim-
ftaulial illustralcd account of the transconlinental toni-.

(iK01.0<il( Al. AND NATCIiAn lllSTOKV Si UVKV OK CANADA. Allliliol /,'ijtortn

Hinct' IH'i'i. 1'Ik scare f)uhlislied in hoth FnMlish and i-'rench, and can lie houjrht
of the Survey in Ottawa at cost pi ice, or scparaie papers may lie hoiiudit if not
out of printi. They contain the expioraiions of such veterans as .Macoun. (i. M.
Dawson, Hell, McConnell, Tyrrell, OLdlvie. and others, are Illustrated, and homi-
tifiilly fmnislied with maps and a lar;.re (luantity of eiitertaiidng and original
desciiption as well as teclinical details.

(JovKUNMENTAi. I'riw.K ATioNs of the Dominion and .Manitolia, such an re-
ports and maps of tlu; DeiiartmeiilH of tlio Interior and of Indian AlTairs, and

IOC

WINNTl'KO ANT) ITS VICINITY.

nlllcial ))tun|))i)ftH iHsiicd timiimlly l)y varioiiH ItmvaiiH of Iinmi^'iiilloii for tlu' iii-
foMiititioii of iiili-iidiiiK Ht tt)cr><.

Kaii.uoai) I'l'm.MATioNs, csiMcially those of the ('. I'. |{., wliicli, tlioiit;li in-
cliiu-d lo look at tlu* l>ri^'lil >*'uU' of tliiii<.'K, contain a laiirc ainoiiiit of tniht-
wortliy aii<l iiHcfiil informal ion, and can lie obtained at all large Htationn. Tlit'(<e
aiwayn contain ^ood ina|iH.

Wiiinippf? and its Vicinity*

Railway Station^ Ilotolm, Streel-cars, etc. — Tlic ('. /'. A'.
Union S/afloii is at Main St. and I'oint I)(»ii<^lass Ave, iiImmU a iiiile
from the I'ost-Oflico. Here stop all tiaiiis in and out of Winnipcj^ ex-
cept on the Northern Pacific H. H. The Snrthvnt I'dnjir station is at
tlio corner of Main and Water Sts., near the vei'V heart of the city.
Klectrie-eai's connect the stations, and cabs will he found waiting in
abundance. The char<.'e for cahs any short distance, as from one sta-
tion to the other, is: (hic-Ziortic cab, one or two passeiif^ers, "JT) cents;
three or four passen<,^'rs, 50 cents. Two-hornc cab, f)(» cents ; every
additional passcnjifer, 25 cents. An extia rate is char<;ed for lontrer
than 10 minutes. The leading!; Iiotel is The Manitoba, a hif(, new
first-class strtictuie over the Noithern Pacific jiassenfier station ; *:i to
i^\ a day. Another fine hotel is the Claroahm, advertised as fire-proof.
Less |)retentioux but ^ood are the old (Jii(th\s, the hdatid, and [htntflass,
bcside.^J seveial cheap ones near the C. 1'. 11. station. 'J'hc McKciizie is
rather a family apartment-house than a hotel, b\it it has a public din-
in}^-room. ]le»<taiirants arc numeious, the Crihrion, 478 Main St.,
and those at the laihvay stations, bcin<; worthy of mention. Sfrcif-rars
run alonj; Main St. between the ('. J*. W. station and the Assiniboine
bridtje; between 0. P. R station and Kildonan; and on Portatie Ave.,
between ^lain St. and Mroadway ; and an electric liiu! S. of tlu^ As-
siniboine runs the loiiirth of lliver Ave. and half-hotii'ly to the Paik.
Livery-stables are numerous, and their charges are i-egiilated by law.

The Winnipeg of to-day is an interesting, enterprising, and grace-
ful city. It contains all the accessories and amenities of a high civili-
zation, and its people are prosi»erous, cultivated, and aml)itious.

Situated in the midst of a flat plain, sparsely built, away from Main
St., and chiefly of cream-coloured brick, white stone, or wood, having
few trees large enough to be effective, and with wide streets stretch-
ing straight away along vistas of telegraph-poles into an infinite yellow
horizon, Winnipeg impresses the visitor with a curious sense of light-
ness and space which belongs to no other city I can recall ; but in the
nuiss it has little to recommend it architecturally despite a few excep-
tional churches. A single drive will therefore satisfy, probably, the casual
traveller, who only wishes a surface glimpse of the " sights." This much
he can usually accomplish during the time the transcontinental train
halts at the station, if ho is willing to forego his dinner. Taking an

\MNNII'K(} AM) ri"rt VICINITY.

1(»7

open c'nrrin<n» or slclfrli, let liiin drivo stniiiilit up Main St., pnst the
tV7// llidl^ whii'h is inoro pn'ti'Ulious tlian stati'ly, ami in front of
which stands the cohniinar iinnntiiioif criTtcd to tht' Mii'inory of the
voUmtt'rrs who fell in suhdiiini,' the second Half-lnvcd ri'lu-liion in 1H85
(soo p. Ml). Tiii"* street is honUM'tvl with siihstantial and some really
fine business houses, anionj^ which the u^'ly red-and-white Pnnt-OJfh'c
and the j^reat Mauitohii Hohl are conspicuous on the left, a little way
S. of the ('ity Hall. Fai-ther on, at the ri;.dit, appear the bazsiar
and ofhccs of the 11. H. Co., the ('iisfimi-Hnusr^ an<l the site of (dd
Fort (rtirrif (see ]». llo). The street ends in a hridi^e across the
AssitHftoinr River. Crossing this, drive along Kiver Ave. on the S,
side, where many heautifid homes have been built annd oak woods, to
the (hhornc-Stnrt hridiji^ a mile above, and recross. This brings you
to the clustered buildings of the I'rovinci'il Cnjil/of. The lirst seen are
the nulitary (piarters (Fort (hbornc) Turning ii»to JJroadway, J'tirlla-
mint //oiisr, with the LlvKtrii(int.(iovirnor\ rcsitlnicc beyond it, are
passed on the right. On the lel't, X. of Iboadway, are Hist All
Snhitfi' C/iiirch, Ihen the Provincial Courts, and (in the rear) the local
jail, or //«o/, as they sj)ell it here. Drive past them through Kennedy
St. to St. Mary's, and down St. Mary's past St. M<frif\s C/turch (corner
of Ilargrave St.), tlu'H through Donald i)ast Triultii f'/iurch (corner
(Jraham St.), and down Portage Ave. to Main St. This done, you have
seen the best of the outside of Winnipeg.

Hut Winnipeg ought not to be dismissed <piite so summarily.
Ti)urists are recommended to spare at least (»ne day to this tctwn, and
especially to visit the subu'ban places — St. lioiiifdce and Silrcr
J lei (//its.

Along ^filiH St. (rhe old Red Rivi-r road), whoso great width dwarfs
unduly the many fine buildings, are ranged the public ofhces, hotels,
railway stations, ami stores, among which an- many that would be im-
portant in any of the Eastern cities. Most compreliensive, |»ro)iably. is
the H. IJ. Co.'s great establishment, which now, as when it occupied
the log-houses of the old fort, is the headcpuirters of that company's
trade. A large rear room in this modern bazaai' is still devoted to the
reception and repacking of furs and peltrii's, and another to the put-
ting up in convenient packages for transport in canoes and on men's
shoulders of goods destined for the Indian trade, which still goes on
N. of Lake Winnipeg much as of yore ; and in the elegant offices
near by you may still find grizzled old veterans cf the servii-e, just
down from the Yukon or Fort York, "talking muscpiash " a little ab-
stractedly amid the unwonted magnificence. Rut many other stores and

!■!

lus

BT. liONIi-'ACK AM) SILVKU IIKKJlllS.

ontfittinj; ('StahHsIimonts of all kinds exist in Winnipeg:, just lis piod uri
St. I'aiil or Toronto can show,

K. of Miiin St. lln'rc is notlun<; t(» interest the visitor exeept tliu
great tlour-niills. Westwai'd stretelies a Itrond area of streets, dusty
or muddy as the weather serves, laid with niath.'iiiatieal n-gnlarity and
giving fidl play to the steady prairii' wind. Small shade-trees art*
planted all along l»olh sides 'if every resident street and kept thiiving
hy iiiigation ditches that contiinially moisten their roots. The best
residences are near the .\ssinilioiiie and ahoiit the (lovernnient huild-
ings, which will repay a visit, and many of these are costly and elegant
without and within. WinnipcL' i"* a citv of Ikuucs Faither N. W. arc
many small factories, etc., and hehind the City Hall is a mark«'t space
where pictun'S(pie Krciu-h ami halfhreed farmers Wring hay or garden
stuH' upon their carts and loaf about waiting for custctmers.

Wiuiii|teg now has ;<(t,ooo popidation, and an assessed valuation of
)|i!l(>,U()0,iM»n. The city has ac(iuired this strength, and hxtks forward
to a l)road and solid increase, because it is the mitural centre of a
gi-eat agricultural province not only, bnt the distributing point and re-
ceptacle for all the vast area of jilains which make up the interior of
the northwestern half of Ciinada, which, as oiu- of the best-informed
writers on the subject assures us, will contain ,")(),( )(l(>,(t(H» souls before
the la[>se <tf another century.

St. lioiiif'uoe and Silver Ifci^htK.

St. IloiiiCuoo is that part of Wninipeg K. of lied River. Its citi-
zens are mainly French, including the names of the earliest settlers,
and it is till' Iioman Ciitholic headtpuirters of western Canada. Here
are the cathedial, the aichbishop's palace, St. Miuiifaee College and its
academy for boys, and the hospital and convent -school of the (Jrey
Nuns. Within the little cemetery are the graves of tin- fathers of the
settUunent and of Louis iiiel, wiiom the half-breeds look upon as a
martyred hero, and the whiles as a ])estilent, self-seeking mischief*
nuiker; a small monument to his name stands in front of the episcopal
residence.

It is interesting to any one, but peculiarly impiessive to a devout
ehurehnum, to visit this fountain-head of Roman Catholicism in the
wilderness, and to reflect upon the devotion and the labours and ad-
ventures of the long train of missionaries who have come and gone
from its doors, carrying the gospel into the cations of the remotest
Rockies and to the shores of the frozen sea. In 1018 came Fathers
Dumoulin and I'rovencher, who built a little church on this spot.
Other priests were added year by year, among them Father Thibeault,
who added fame as a scientiKe explorer to large missionary work in
the interior; and in 1884 "the Northwest" was separated as a distinct
diocese, with Father Provencher as bishop. The same year came several

ST. noNII ACK AM) SIF.VKU IIKKilllf*.

109

Sistor;< of Cliiiiitv fnmi Moiitrca! of tliat faiiKius onlrr cullftl (Jitv Nmis,
foiitKiiMl l»y Mailaiiu' dc Voiii'vilU- (wlio, rmici'isly t-noii}.'!!, was not only
a noar rt'lativo of tlic Vcrandrycs, who first oxploird tlioso jn-airics,
but of Airlibishop Tactu''), and laid tin- founiiatiun of a hospital
and school. Tliis year, too, inotc y(Mln^; piicsts ariivcd from Canada,
ainttnjr tiiotn a novii-c of tin- iati-ly foundi-d Order of the <)l)lats, Alex-
andre Taclii', who was ordainecl herein JMl"), and at (in«'e sent away
iiinon^: the Indians, liiit was recalled to Iteconie vicar ireneral and siio-
eessor to Hi.'-hop l'rovi'?icher, who died in \s:}'A. !{i>liop Tai-he chanj^ed
the name of tin* diocese to St. I^oniface, and l»e<j,an a vi'.'orcns piose-
fiition of inissionai-y work, taking an active part in it hiinself. His
home and cathedral at that time were tliose which had lieen erected by
Hishop I'rovencher, This cathedral was a source of ^'reat pride to his
simple parishioners, who thoii;;ht no melody cmdd lie swe«'ter than that
of the chime (d" bells in its double to'vcis, which rose a hundred t'eet
above the prairie— a sentiment that forms the motive of one of VVhit-
tier's sweetest ballads — but the whole structuie was buinc(i one bitter
ni}.dit in 1H('>(>, and the bells were nu'lted. iJishop Tache was far away
in the interior at the tinu', but on his retuin he went to Canada and
Europe and there raised funds wherewith to Ituild the present ciithi'-
<lral and the <i;rcat stone residence attached, in tlu' parhus of which ai'e
many inteieslinir souvcidis of the Indian missions. A few years later
Dr. Tache was made ai'chbishop (d' an aichdiocese, which takes in all
Canada from Red Kivcr and Hudson's Hay to the Pacific Occati, with
four sidt-proviiu'cs ; and he still dwells at St. Honiface, btdovcd ami le-
spected by all the citizens of the Noithwcst.

Silver IIei;;htM is the farm and former countiy home of Sir Don-
ald A.Smith, perfected when he was Chief Commissioner of the II.
H. Co., and lived at Wininpcir after IKTu. It stands near the left
bank of the .Vssiniboine >ome Ti ndlcs frcuu the centre of tl:>- city, upon
a fjentle knoll of the prairie which used to shine, as with a silver rim-
when the sun was relh'cted from the poli-hed culms of the i»uffaIo,
grass, and hence thenan c. The hiirhway bis( els it, ami permission will
usually be irranled to walk alxmt the tirounds. It is an old loj; house,
which Sir Domild eidarjied into a mansi(Ui u;reat for those davsand lordly
in appointments; and he proceeded to arrange al)iiut hini the farm of a
wealthy country gentleman with the twofold and)ition — liist to enjoy the
delight of tillage and the eating of the fruit thereof, and second tocxhiliit
to a doidttful generation what Manitoba''s soil and i-linuite weic capal)le
of bringing to ]>ass under good numagemenf. No illustration was ever
more eflfective. Here you may see every sort of vegetable growing in
perfection; hanly fruits of all kinds — apples, cherries, currants, goose-
berries, grapes (on the sunny side of walls), and half a dozen others;
and great parterres of beautiful flowers. Silver Heiglits boasts, too, a

HISTORY OF TKK KKD KIVEK VALLKY.

herd of llolsteins and other fine cattle, and a delightful hour can be
spent there.

HISTORY OF VVINNII'ECi AND TIIK RKD RIVER VALLEY.

Early Explorers.

In 1728 there was stationed at Lake Xepigon a French adventurer
and trader, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sicur <h la Verandrye. lie
was the son df the (Jovcrnor of Three Rivers, and was bred as a sol-
dier in the wars with New England and in Flanders. Becoming greatly
interested in the exploration and concpicst of the West, he not only
worked and pleaded for it, but finally sent an advance-expedition
under his sons and nephews. They ascended Pigeon River, and built
posts on Rainy Lake and the Lake of the Woods. Here Verandrye,
the elder, joined them in \1'-VA, l)ringhig re-enforcements. He now had
four sons and many attendants with him. During the next two years
they were busy exi)l()ring Winnipeg River and Lake, and their large
tributaries. They founded Fort Afduirpas^ now Fort Alexander, at the
mouth of Winnipeg Kiver, /'orf Rom/e at the mouth of Red River,
Fort (fe fa Heine on or neai' the site of the city of Winnipeg, Fort du
(Jrandc liapkle at the ra])ids of the Saskatchewan, and Fhrtu du Pun
and La Come farther up on the same river. French names were given
to all these geographical features ; but there followed a savage intcrreg-
nuuj, and then the English came and named them all over again, so
that few smvive to recall the life of this bold seigneur, which was
more romantic than the wildest sensational novel of our day, and was
ended at last in debt and misfortune.

Fii'cd by that zeal for exploration, that greed of adventure, which
seems to have filled the hearts of all those early wanderers in the.
West — and who can wonder at it V surely not /, who have had a taste
of its joys — they listened eagerly to the tales c^f the Indians, and set
their faces for a still giander journey westward.

Discovery of the Rocky Mountains.

The valleys of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers were then occupied
by a powerful branch of the Dakota natiori, whom the French called
the Nadawissioux, or, more briefly, Sioux. Tliey held the plains, and
the Ojibways kept the woods. Stealing furtively from their coverts,
they saw the Sioux gathering dried dung (chips) of the buffalo and

•^-^s^

HISTORY OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY.

Ill

with it making tlicir camp-fires. They thought this fuel stones, and
called the dreaded plainsmen " Asscnaybawhns " (" those who boil
the i)Ot with stones "). This has been welded into Aminiboinc.

The Assiniboines, who were recent con(iueror8 of the country,
knew all about the Mmour'i, that great water-course which had been
the myth and mystery of the West. They told the traders of this river
and its tributaries, of the population on its banks, and of the moimt-
ains al)out its source. They offered to guide them thither, and the
Frenchmen were eager to follow.

The ehlcst son of Verandrye led the expedition, accompanied by
his brother, the Chevalier. They started from Fort La IJeint — here at
Winni[)eg — and ascending the Souris, the large southern branch of the
Assiniboine, were led across to the Mandan villages. Thence they
travelled up the Missouri, with side trips here and there, until at last
they came witlun sight of lofty mountains which the Indians called
"shining," because of the snow upon them — uncpiestionably the first
civilized eyes to beiiold and admire the splendour of the Big Horn and
KocUy Mountains. Tliey traced the river almost to its sources, and on
New-Year's day, 17415, just 150 years ago, ascended a height near "the
gates of the mountains" in Montana. It was probably one of the
IJelt jieaks ; but perhaps they climbed the main range, and looked
abroad upon tlie Pacific slope of the continent, as, "I'M) years before,
had Halboa, " silent, upon a peak in Darien."

They returned and reported, but a new government had arisen in
Caiu\da, and the Verandryes were out of favour. Other commanders
were to reap the benefit of their pioneering. Two expeditions were
sent. The <me by way of the Missouri failed uttcily. The other, as-
cending the Saskatchewan, lost its leader, but pushed on ami founded
a post near Athabasca rass(V), which they named /'(»7./o«(/?/7V'><' in his
honour. Then came the h)ng clash of arms between the Canadian and
the FiUglish-American colonies, and Western exploration and trade were
for the time extinguished.

By 1783, however, a few traders had repossessed themselves of
the country. There were two posts on the banks of the lower Red
and Assiniboine rivers, and upon Lake Winnipeg; and wandering fur-
gatherers penetrated still farther. Under their protection the Ojib-
ways had reoccupied the lower Red River Valley, where there were
beaver, but the horse-riiling, butfalo-hunting Assiniboines still held all
the open region W . ami S. Thus matters continued until the begin-
ning of the present century, when Greek met (ireck in the rivalry of
the Northwest and II. B. Co.s, and a thrilling history was made.

If;

■

wmmmK

112

iriSTOIiV OF THE RKl) KIVKU V^^LLKY.

Lord Selkirk's Colony.

; At the openiiiii' of the present century the II. B. Co. was still con-
fining its o{)erations to the shores of Hudson's Bay, where it main-
tained half a dozen well -fortified posts armed with small cannon
Its policy had been to induce and compel the Indians to come to
these posts from all over the interior, l)rint:iiiii their stock of furs and
exchanging them for fiiearius, amnumition, and European goods. This
was more economical than to cany the merchandise to the distant In-
dians, and the company regarded the latter course as unnecessary,
since it claiuied a mcmopoly of all the region and sujjiiosed it had
no rivals to fear. This claim, however, was denied legally, and ignored
in practice, by the enterprising French and Scotch citizens of Canada,
who penetrated all tlie southern borders ami western interior of the
fur country ind<'pendently, and later formed a |)owerful coalition, as has
been stated, under the title of the Northwest Fur Company. This
company boldly pushed northward froui its head(|uarters at Fort Will
iam into the heart of " Prince Rupert's land," and built its stations
right at the doois of the old Hudson's Bay posts. The monopolists
were horrified, ami often resisted indiviflually, but dared not, as a cor-
poration, bring their eharter rights to the test of the courts. In this
exigency, when their methods were upset, their Indians largely en-
tieed away by the liberality of the new-comers, and their very existence
menaced, a bold sclu-me was advanced by one of the directors, Thomas
Douglas, the fifth Earl of Selkiik. His pioposition was to take the
field against the Canadiaji rivals and checkmate tiiem by establishing
rmanent c '

pel

•y

>1'

raise grain, horses, and cattle for the fiu-traders, and form a nucleus of
settlement and possession tliat finally would give the old company a
vast advantage over the new-eonuMs, who were obliged to imixirt all
their supplies from Lower Canada.

This ])lan was approved by the company, a grant of land in the
lower iied River Valley was made, and a body of Scotch colonists
maiidy Highlanders who had been evicted from lands in Siitherlaiul-
shire, reached thei'e in 1S12, after a tedious and risky journey ''"" York
Factory and Lake Winnipeg. Trouble liegan at once. Selkiik's agents
endeavoured to oust the Northwest men and met resistance, and (piar-
roUing and bloodshed went on for four years, finally cuWninating in the

HISTORY OF THE KKl) KIVER VALLKY.

113

a
all

ul-

.ik

iits

ar-

the

"iiiurdor" of Governor Somple and several other II. B. olficers on the
lower Keil Kiver; whereupon a forec ot men was mustered and Fort
William was eaptured from the Northwest Company and held for a
short time. Meanwhile a seeond installment of Seotch eolonists iir-
rivcd, anmsintr new opposition to tlu'ir pretensions as ri<;htful eolo-
nists ; and in ISIT Selkirk himself eame, with some forei;^n soldiers he
had hire(l in Montreal, and bou<;ht outriiiht of the Indians all the lands
near tho lower river, as tlic onlv menus of establishing:; an undisputed
foothold for the hnrassed iiiimiiirants. He oriranized a settlement, and
named it KiUlonnu, after a village near Helmsdale, Sutherlandshire,
Seotland. Selkiik died in ISiil, and in 18:{6 the H. B. Co. bought the
land baek from his heirs for t'S4,(»0(). His Swiss and flernians re-
mained, and many retired servants of the eompany bought and settled
there, foruiing the aristoeraey of the j)lsice — a <pieer aristoeraey, to our
minds, for many of the women were Indian s(|uaws, and the children
were " breeds."

So deplorable had the condition of affairs in the West now bcecmie,
that publie-spiritcd men in Canadii Mud England undertook to bring
al)out a settlement of the ((uarrcls. As several of the proprietors
owm'd stock in both companies, the coa'ition hiboured for by the Kight
Hon. Edward Elliee was brought about, and in IiS21 the Northwest was
merged into the H, B. Co. This brought |)eace to the Selkirk settle-
ment, and prosperity began there ; but any increase was only l)y the
maturing of children and the retireuient to this valley of men worn
out or become rich enough in the H. B Co.'s service, so that the growth
was not rapid. Nevertheless, it was persistent, and civilization more
and more asserted itself. In ISlSthe Itoman priests settled at *SV.
yy(>H//W(V', and began their Indian missions; in 1S20 the first school and
church were opened, and in 1H25 the Rev. William Cochran came to
begin a nnnistry of 4(> years and to foiiud the Aii«//intii ('linn'h in tiie
N(n'thwest, to which a bishop was appointed in 1849.

Soon after the purchase of Selkirk's interests the 11. B. Co. moved

their headquarters from Fort Williaui to Fort <Jarry— a new post on

the site of Verandrye's Fort de la Beine, and of a later post mimed

(jibraltar.

Life at Foit <<ai'ry.

This large fcntified post stood on the northern blulf-bank of the
.\ssiniboine, extending from the present Main-St. bridge up the stream,
and covered a space of 5 acres. It has now almost, if not entirely
8

:i!

114

HISTORY OF THK KKI) HIVKK VALLEY.

disiii>peai'('(l ; but the writer well roniembers st'einfj its great stone
gateway or barbiean and portions of the stockade standing in 1H85,
looking with amazement at what was taking jdace around it. It is de-
seribed by Iluyshe, who visited it in 187<», as follows:

" Fort Garry ... is a coUeetion of brick and wooden buildings
surrounded by a wall about 10 It. liiph. The original fort was built in
1840, and was then nearly stjuare, loo yards long by )sr» wide, with a
stone wall and circular stone bastions at tiie angles. About the year
1850 a second portion was added to it of the same size as the original;
but the stone wall was not carried all round, the new portion being en-
closed by a high wooden palisading on a stone foundation. This and
the original stone wall are loopholcd for musketry, and a wooden ban-
(piette runs around it to enable the defenders to fire fiom the loopholes.
The bastions are also pierced lor guns. . . . The fort is crowded with
buildings."

This now became the residence of the (lovernor of Rupert's Land,
as the present ''Chief (Commissioner" or active head of the H. B. Co.
was then styled ; and from here were sent the supplies and hither
came the receipts from a large i)art of the fur couiitry. Here, too, was
kept a great retail store, where and where only could be bought the
things needed l)y the settlers. The company was the ruler of the land
(le jure and de Judo, and set up courts of trial and record. The code
of laws was administered by a sort of political head called (r'ovcnior
of Amnihoia (almost always the company's executive), under whom
were a sheriff, recorder, coroner, an<l t>ther functionaries.

A force of ;i50 regular soldiers was sent out from England, by way
of Hudson's Bay, in lS4ri; but these remained only two years, and
were succeeded by a Canadian military force, for which after a time a
home-guard of j)ensioners was ])rovi(led. " Besides this body," says
IJargrave, writing in 18li8, "there has been instituted of late years a
special constabulary of three highly j)aid men, whose duty it is to
nuiintain order in a certain spot of the settlement where a village or
embryo town has been erected, some inhabitants of which have at-
tached to it the name of Whuiij/n/y

The revenues of this remote and nameless little colony were de-
rived from customs levied upon importations at four per cent on net
invoice prices of goods, and four collectors sufficed to cover the en-
trances to the settlements, which by this time extended for about 50
miles up and down the valley. Many things were admitted free, as
stationery, bar-iron, steel, scientific and agricultural implenjcuts, stoves,

HISTORY OF TIIIO KKl) KIVKIi VALLKY.

115

everytliiiif^ for t'diicational, njissiionary, and gardeners' use, etc. The
receipts had mounted up to altout ^9,()00 a year in 18t>«, two-fifths of
which were paid by tlie II. JJ. (.'o. ; and tlie expenditure was mainly
upon roads and bridges, which sadl> needed it. Postal facilities »ip to
1853 were limited to the semi-annual packets sent out by the II. B.
Co. — one in sununer by way of the annual ship froni Hudson's Hay,
and the other in winter, overland, by dog-sledge to Canada ; but in
1857 the Cnited States estal)lished a post-olfice at Pembina, whither a
mail was sent once a month covered by American posiage-stanjps.

Dissatisfaction with the rvr/intc of the II. IJ. Co. had grown steadily
in the lied Ivlver settlements, which contained in 1S57 some 10,000
people, including many new-comers who owed no allegiance in fact or
tradition to the monopoly. The excessive jirices charged for all com-
modities and the insecurity of land tenure were the principal griev-
ances. A numerously signed petition for assistance was sent to Canada,
and was one of the influences which speedily led to the aeciuirement by
Canada of this whole region.

The gigantic combination had received from (Ireat Pritain in 1821
exclusive privileges, covering the fur countries to the Pacific and Arctic
Oceans, lor twenty years, and in ISJiH a renewal for another twenty
years. As this time was expiring, new conditions suddenly arose. The
rush of gold-diggers to the Fraser IMver mines caused the erection upon
the Pacific dope of a crown colony called Pritish Columbia, which
shut out so much, iit least, from the grasj) of the corporation. Mean-
while great dissatisfaction had grown in Canada and in the Ked River
settlements, the result of which was tiiat the extra privilrj^r^s of the

company

were not renewed bv Parliament, and at last everv Indian

trader had an e<iual right with the II. P. Co.

While these things were maturing, the Ked River people were get-
ting into closer and closer relations witli the i.utside world, and the II.
P. Co. was compelled to follow along in the rear or be left behind alto-
gether. Twice a y«'ar, spring and fail, the Red River mercliants trav-
ersed in their ridicuh)us loud-creaking two-wheeled ox-carts the HOO
miles between Foit (iarry and St. Paul, taking many furs and some
money to buy merchandise, and their tiade was highly valued in the
Minnesota city. Tiiis primitive freighting continued even after a steam-
bi>at had been put upon the river, which hai)j)ened first in 1860 ; and
great was the lejoicing of the white people and astonishment of the
red ones when on June lOth, amid firing of caiuion and general jubila-
tion, the awkward little Ans Northnip puffed her way up the Assini-
boine and was tied to the bank at Fort (Jarry. Put the rejoicing was

~i ii

lie

IIISTOKY OF TlIK I4KD KIVEK VALLEY.

short-liv( (1, for the If. H. Co., which owned the bent, declined to carry
anybody's freight but its own. As rciiular staije - lines connecteu
(ieorij,etown at the head of navigation witli St. Paul, the Hed Uiver set-
tlentunts were now linked to the world by public conveyance and a fort-
nif^htly mail. Xevcrtiielcss, hard times were coniinj:, and improvement
of tiansportation bccauie a ndnor matter.

Meanwhile another token .' ' Ivilization had appeared in the shape
of a newspaper, The Xo.'westfi, which soon developed a faculty of
niakin}; thinji,s very liv(>ly, especially for the "monopoly." Lord
Southesk happened to be there when the lirst number ajipeared on
New-Yeai's day, IKtiO, and writes in his curious book that two men
carried on the whole all'air, doinj; all the woik, mechanical as well as
editorial. "There is a uood deal t> till a newspaper in this settle-
ment," he says, "for besides f 'liei t 'iu^s there are niiiny ecclesiastical
and juilicial matters to rei-ord in i , '. ; ■)Os.>-\'Ssed of two bishops i»nd
a nmnei'ous e!ert;;y, a <^'ov.'rnor, aut. vain'U;; (viurts in continmil employ."
Had the noble and eccen'vic lord remained iw^d'*', he would have fouud
that The Nor'wester ;^iv(! b^u-k ul' 'f ^'>t witli " i!' vest.

Floods, a bad s«'ason for crops, the . ve(|;Tei\. '.lilnre and increasinj:;
remoteness of the butl'alo, compelled the ' lurvi ■ ] 'ople to besicf^e
the fort lor daily bread, and <j,reat <puintities of sei'd-wlieat were dis-
tributed by the company and others, one American gentleman con-
triuuting ij; 1 0,( »( K > to relieve the distress. Xext, the Sioux ontbi'cak in
Minnesoi;* cut otf communic.ition with St. i'aul and gave great anxiety.
Then came (inaiieis over land titles and tiading, several losses of in-
coming cargoes by the H. 1>. Co., and finally the intelligence of the re-
organization <d" tiiat company on a plan which seemed to the stupefied
factors and servants a cruel and useless destruction of them and the
fur-trade together in the interest of stock speculators. Discontent was
sedulously fanned by agitators, and the II. H. Co. grew more and more
weary of the struggle and was ripe for the change at hand. At this
time the civilized jjopulation of the Northwest, broadly speaking, ap-
proached 15,000."

The First Red River Rebellion.

The Red River people had by no means kept silent as to what they
esteemed their rights and wrongs. They had not only demanded a
hearing in high places, but insisted tliat in their wealth of natural
resources, agricultural capabilities, and the feasihility of making tliein
an integral part of the new C(mfederation of Canada, the Northwest
Territories were worthy of consideration. My Septendjer, 1861), the
negotiations for the abrogation of the political privileges of the II. B.
Co. had advanced so near conclusion that Canada sent the Hon. William
McDongall to be (Jovernor of the region, as a Territory of the Dominion.
He nroceeded via St. Paul to Pembina, but there was halted bv a dele-

IIISTOKY OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY.

1J7

gation of French hiilf-brocds, who forbr«de him to cross the boundary.
He proclaimed the intended j^overnnjent intxdvance of the proper time,
and turned back homeward. The result of this indiscretion was the
outbreak of a bitter civil feud in respect to local affairs throujrhout the
succeedinj^ winter. The leader on the French side, whose grievances
were mainly in connection with liind titles and allotments, was a stron«^-
minded half-breed named Lotiis liicl^ who had been masterful enoutjh
to erect a local rule which lasted for a year, "and rose to the tragic
level in one event — the shooting of an Englishman named Scott by
order of the half-drunken provisional government." This was the Red
River RcheUion of 187<"i — a political rather than an actual uprising, and
one which, after all, may have done moie good than harm. Hiel's flag
bore mingled y/c'Mr-(/6'-^i.N and shamrocks as a symbolic device.

The Birth of 3Iaiiitoba.

Meanwhile, friends in the East were not idle. In May the Parlia-
ment at Ottawa passed an act erecting the Ked lliver country into the
Province of Manitoba, providing for a government with a local liCgisla-
turc and representati(m iti the Dominion Pai'liament, and ample lands
for the discontented half-l)iee(ls. To support this, ('olonel Sir Garnet
Wolscley (now a peer and a major-general) was sent W. with a detach-
ment of imperial troops (part of the OOth KiHes) and two regiments of
Canadian voluntcei's, and made his way oveiland from Fort William.
This was a work of heiculean diHiculty. A wagon-jjath, called the
Dawson Road, had been cut Ity the (lovernment fiom Port Arthur
directly W. to the mouth of the Mattawan, and up that stream to Lake
Shebandowan; but it re(piii'ed six weeks of unremitting labour to get
the troops and their boats that far. This accomplislied, they passed
through liac des Mille Lacs and down through Sturgeon to Ijac la Croix ;
then around through Loon Lake into Ilainy Lake, and so down to I,akc
Winnipeg and up lied River in the ancient canoe-course. These troops
arrived in August, and were welconmd by everybody except Kiel and his
olficial associates, who fled. Meanwhile (May 12, ISY'*) the IL H. Co. had
formally relin(piished its charter-control of the Northwest in consid-
eration of a payment by Canada of J< 1 5()0,00() cash, half of all surveyed
lands within the fertile belt, and .^>o,0()o acres surrounding the com-
pany's posts. It is estimated that the land grant amounts to 7,<>()0,00()
acres, worth $!20,0oo,0()(>, exclusive of all town sites.

Since that time the ancient corporation has been simply a rival

118

IIIHTORY OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY.

with otlior triKlcrs, with no spcciiil iidvantajio ovoi- its foiiipt'titors except
its footh(»l(J and splendid organization. Its posts ninnher 200 or more,
many of whieli are surrounded by a grou|) of subsidiary stations. Tiiese
are scattered from tlie icy dirt's of Labrador to the westernmost ishmds
of liritish Columbia, and dot the semi-arctic wildeiness of JJritish
America — the only evidences of civili/ation the map can sl^ow. Its
ships come and go as of old to the lonely posts on Hudson's Hay, and
for the factors N. of the Saskatchewan the routine of life has changed
little since the days of Fraser and Mackenzie. On the other hand,
many an old post has been overtaken by civilization, has knocked
down its i)alisadcs, and moved into some modern " palace of com-
merce," where it orders its goods l)y telegraph and receives them by
rail like other merchants. Yet the same old-fashioned methods of
business are retained throughout the whole concern. The company
has lost its monopoly, but it has, on the whole, done well. Its capital
is nominally .*!lo,0( >(»,(»()(>, but a third of this has been paid back to
the shareholders, while the stock is valued far above par. This .stock
is mainly held in London, where the company's art'airs are conti'olled
by a governor and board of directors. These, however, commit all
the actual management to a resident director or general manager
in Canada, styled "chief commissioner." The present executive is
the veneraVde Sir Donald A. Smith, who rose from a mere clerkship,
through the regular channels and customary vicissitudes of life in the
fur-tra<le, to the suprenie position. It is under his wise dirccticm that
the company, which embodies one of the most antique commercial
institutions of the world, has been able to adapt itself without serious
embarrassment or rupture to the new order of things that has come
about in the fur eounti'ies with such anuizing rapidity during the last
half-century. It owns lands more than e<pial to its nominal capital.

A new era of rapid growth and steady prosjjerity now began for the
new province, exi)anding ten years later into a boom. The Red River
settlement, a no-man's-land, was now Manitohn^ a part of the Dominion
and of the Hritish Empire. That there was somebody to care for it,
was (piickly evident. It had been the policy of the II. B. men to main-
tain the greatest secrecy as to the resources of the region, which they
knew thoroughly well ; nay, more, to persistently deny that it had any
value to civilized man. This was sagacious from their standpoint.
They wished to keep out all "improvements" and maintain the whole
vast region as a prodigious game preserve, yielding them furs, and furs

TlIK (WNADIAN I'ACI1< FO RAILWAY.

110

alone. Wlicn tlicy had no lonfi^or an interest in this polley, bnt in (inito
an opposite eourse, for now tliey liad lands to sell, tongues were loosed
and an enonnoiis mass of information was forthcondnj;.

Almost the first aet of the Canadian (Joveinment wa*?* to send out
exploring expcditi(»ns of geologists, engini'ers, and surveyors. Elabo-
rate reports were [)ul)lished, and all eyes were turned to the new North-
west, adveitised as a land of wonderful plenty. A steady ex(»(his of
etnigrants started thither from Ontario, (^uebee. and the maritime prov-
inces, and a fair [xtrtion of the stream of European immigraticui wart
turned thither from th<' I'nitt'd States. Treaties were eoneluded with
the Indians which secured all the prairie lands and eoneentrated the
red men on reservations, wliere they were provided with agents and
teachers, and watched as well as |)rotected from rascals hy that fine
little frontier army, the; Mounted Police.

The Story of the C'nimdinii Pacific Railway*

Meanwhile, the project of a transcontinental railway had been
coming to a head in Canada. The statesmen who engineered the Con-
federation felt that it would he necessary to tic the hmg string of
loosely aHiliated provinces together hy such a line of ready com-
munication, liritish Coluiid)ia entered tin; Dominion in 1S71, under the
express stipulation that such a laiiroad should be built. Xevertheless,
a large party in Canada opposed the plan as a ruinously costly and a
chimerical schi'me. It l)ccame the (piestion of the hour; ])arties ro.so
and fell upon it, and the actual progress made towai'd its realizati(m
was slow and disjointed.

Surveys were prosecuted and a route fixed upon. A company was
chartered and conti-acts were let for railways to be built in the West,
j)iecemeal, and I'or certain water connections. In Ontario the line had
reached Callender. A road-bed was t;raded from Winnipeg to IVmbina,
at the internationiil boundary, but no track was made. Kails were laid
between Fort William and English ifivei', ill miles, and from Selkirk
to Rat Portage, and a telegrajih line was pu.slicd to the Rocky Mount-
ains. This was ail up to iw7S, and about .<;14,(IO(),(>0(> had been spent,
but the most of it had been distributcil in the West, where money was
plenty and settlers were going in by thousands every year. Then Sir
John Macdonald was returned to power, and greater enei-gy in railway
construction ensued. The track was laid soutluvaid to Pembina, where
it met the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba line, and in 187H Winni-
peg was put into connnunication with the world by rail. The Red
River cart gave way to the palace car. The liidis were completed

120

TIIK ( ANAIHAX PACIFIC K'AILWAY.

hctwec'ii Winnipeg and Lake Superior; a road was built westward as i'lir
as l'ortaf:;o l.n Prairie, and a piece was construeted on the lower Fraser.

Hy this time, however, the (iovernment was fully convineed that it
was unable to cope with the task, and was ready to entertain a propo-
sition made by a company of eapitalists heade*! by Messrs. George
Stephen, Donald Smith, and other men eonneelod with the Hank of
Montreal. The former, now Lord Mount-Stephen, wa.s a great mer-
chant; and the latter, now Sir Donald, had l)een chief oftieer of the
II. H. Co. Tlieir |)ro[)osition was accepted and ratified in IKSl, and
then began in earnest what is now known as the ('(iiiadltni Pacific
liaUwnif. The new company had l,9'i<» miles to build (reckoned along
the new, more southerly, line which it adopted), and was to receive fi'om
the (lOVernment a nuiidwr of valuable privileges and imnninities,
2r>,00(),(»0() acres of agricultural land, and $2r),(MM),()()0 in money. The
two sections of the railway already imder construction were to be fin-
ished by the (lOvernment, and, together with the 05 ndles already in
«)peration from Winnipeg southward, were to be given to the company,
in addition to its subsidies in money and lands ; and the entire railway,
when completed, was to remain the properly of the company.

With these liberal subventions the company set about its task most
vigourously. While the engineers were sm-veying the more difTicult
and less known section from the Ottawa Hiver to and aroimd Lake
Superior, work was commenced at Winnipeg and pushed westward
across the praiiies ; ami these details come properly into this place,
because the work brought to Winnipeg such a number of men and
such an amount of money as raised it at one i)ound from a little frontier
town to an important city. Knormous masses of material were accumu-
lated, and workmen came and went in reginuMits. At first it was like
a huge camp, but the Canadians had fsiith ; eapitalists made pennanent
investments looking towards the development of resources, merchants
followed with enterprise, and innnigrants poured into the free home-
stead lands opened as the road progressed. Winnijieg boomed! (hit
of the chaos of tents and shanties rose substantial structures and an
orderly civilizati(m.

The ruling spirit of this evolution was an American gentleman,
William C. Van Home. lie had been trained as a i)ractical railway
man, through all grades of .service, and left the superintendency of the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul R. K. to become general manager of
the construction of the new road. A man of boldness, skill, and as-

THK CANADIAN PACIFIC h'AIIAVAY

121

toundiiij; (MUM</y, nnd possessing: in ii reiimikabK' (K'^^rci' the I'aculty for
choosiuf;, uiiderstandinj^', iind inspiriii": nit'ti, he l)rought every resource
seieiiee i-ould sunj^est and tiioney eould supply to bear upon the problem
of pushlnu; tlie road thioii^di to the I'aelHe In the shortest possible time
and best possilde method, and he aecoiiiplished in a splendid manner
the task tiiat had batfled all his predeeessors. When eonstruetion was
well advaneed, Mr. Van llornc was eieeted Viee-1'resident aiul (Jeneral
Manager, and moved his olhee to Montreal. lie is now the President
of the Canadian Pacitie Company.

IJy the elo<e of IH.SI ItWi miles of railway were eonstrueted west-
ward from Winnipe};, In 1SS2 the eompany eomp'eted a further dis-
tanee of 42;} miles, and in Dceendier, 18s:{, the railway was finished to
Lafif^aii, near the summit of the Uoeky Mountains, bi'in;j: altojiether a
total of ".>.')♦) miles eonstrueted in three years' time. Meanwhile the
line to Port Arthur was eompleted by the G(»vernment and handed
over to the eom[)any, who immediately i)Ut steamers on Lake Supe-
rior, makinir a tIirou<:h Canadian steam-route between Manitol)a and
Montreal, and all old-timers went "home" in four days over almost
the very traek it had eost three months to traverse in eominj; out.
The year 1884 was oeeiipicd with the ecmstruetion of the Lake Supe-
rior seetion and with woik on the Paeifio slo|»e, and there was a lull at
Winnii)e{i;; but business revived when, in November, 18S.'), the whole
transeontinental line was open to traftie, and the city found herself able
to do business witli the «T|o\vin<f t<»wns E. and W. on ecpial terms witli
her rivals — especially St. Paul — and thus sustain herself durinj,' the
years of reaction and commeicial adjustment sine to follow the earlier
period of phenomenal irrowth and artiHeial activity.

Such has been the history of this young city, now so well established,
and the railway whose western half we are to travel over.

" While you will find in Winnipeg the key to nuudi that you will
see beyond, you must look beyond for the key to much you will see in
Winnipeg. Situated just where the fcuests end and the vsist prairies
begin, with thousands of ndles of river navigation to tl'e X., S., and W.,
and with railways radiating in every direction like spokes in a wheel,
Winnipeg has become what it must always b;- — the commercial focus
of the (■anadian Northwest. Looking at these long lines of ware-
houses filled with goods, and these 20 miles or moie of railway tracks
all crowded with cars, you begin to realize the vastness of the I'ountry
we are about to enter. P'rom here the wants of the people in the W,
are supplied, and this way come the products of their fields, while from
the far N. are brought furs in great variety and nimibcr."

122

UAILNVAY RorTKH IN MAMToHA.

Railway Routes in Manitoba.

C'ltiiailiaii l*H('ifi<- Initios.

JWiiiii !iiin vnst, s«'e pp. 7-;{8 and 8:{-UH.

illuiii line wont, sec p. Ho.

Kmerson liniiirh, <*. I*. ll.--'l'r!niH tliioc times ii wrrk from
Winnipeg,' <lo\vii the ciistoni side of Red Itivci', fliioiif^li a sea of waviiif?
f,'rass and a series of Freiieli and luilf-hreed villa^^es to /'.'nn rsoit, a vi!-
Injie jnst across tlie horder from tiie town of St. Vincent, Minn. This
was till- ficst niilway line into Miinitoba. Sta^'cs fron) Rmcison to
Ridf^evillc, (Jreen Hid!;,e, Stmirllmrn; to St. Pie, (laiitier, Letdlier,
(jirtna, etc.

West Selkirk Rraiich, <'. P. II. — A road '2'A miles lon^, witli
trains tlircc tin)es a week, from Winnipefjj down tlic westeiii haidi of
Red River, tiiroiiiili KHihuKin — tlie oriirinal location of the early Selkirk
colonists — to Lower Fort fiarry, the " stone foit" so often mentioned
as the starting-point of the northern ciinoo brij;ades. The terminus is
Wrxt Sclhirk^ at the cdf^e of an Indian leservation, an<l opposite Sel-
kirk station on th(> main ('. P. R. line. Stages run to the Icclaitdic
settlements and Hshinji; villa;:;es aiound the head of Lake Winnipeg.
There is good "chicken" shooting aliout here in the fall.

"This is the oldest and best-settled part of the Red River Valley,
peojded with the descendants of the original Scotch and French-Cana-
dian settleis. In many places the farms are cultivated down to the
edge of the clay haidvs, generally 12 to 20 ft. high. . , . IJelow Selkirk
a limestone ledge crosses the stream, making a considerable i-apid, and
giving opportmnty on the Fi. side for a <puirry of excellent building-
stone. . . . The old town of Selkirk, named after the historic earl . . .
was origimilly chosen for the railroad crossing, and saw the beginning
of very prosperous times; l>ut its prosperity has departed to Winni-
peg, and . . . the population is I'oduced to 200 or liou people, too (dd,
feeble, or unenterprising to get away. A little above Selkiik is another
fading histoiic landmark, Lower Fort (larry, an irrt'gular <puvdrangle
of masonry with loop-holes for musketry, smiounding a |)eacefid, finely
kept lawn and neat otticers' (piarters and stores. . . . Fort (iarry was
onee the most im|)ortant post on the Red River, but its sceptre has
passed to the Winnipeg (Jarry, as that of Selkirk has to the city."

Stonewall Branch, C. P. R. — A line 20 miles in length, run-
ning northward from Winnipeg to Stnuji Mf., wluM-e the provincial peni-
entiavy is situated, and to Stoncmdl^ one of the older settlements of

RAILWAY ItorTKS IN MAMToHA.

12a

the country. Tiftiiis three tiiiics a week, and staj^cs fnnii Stoiu'wall to
Hahiioral, ArfrvK', Strathewen, Eiiiview, etc.

NouthweNtcni llrniich, C. I». II. — Thi.-* is a "^'raiifrt'i " loail,
'vith Ji mixed train three times a weeli from Winnipe;; ihroiijjli the
.ownHhip.s S. of tlie A.'JsinllMtine. Tiie |)rinei|)al stations (all sm.ill vil.
lajjes) are Tnhrrii(\ (r/itif>i>f(>, and .l//(/o/v/ (at the inoiitli of tlie Souris
Uiver), !<> mih's hevond whieh is tiie present terniiniis at Miihiuti, V-W
mik'H W. of \Viiinip<';r. Thif. hraneli will soon \w extended into th(>
Pipestone Valley. That re;;ion is all rollinj.' wheat latid, svcil watered,
and has a seatterecl population, lar^'ely (Jerinan and Dutch. Tiie pres-
ent writer once .spent .some days in waiiderinL' ahout it, and midc these
notes of his impressions, which tipply to all southern Manitol)n:

Kvcrywhere the open prairie circles to the htuizon, often distorled
by miraj^e in which sail the tall forms of lirushy knolls and spectie
elevators at the little railway stations. Small houses an ^rouj>s of
houscH are scattered about, and <jireat patch(>s of (hnU chocolate
eolor show where the sod has been tuined under, or other patches of
'reen disclose {.M'owinj; crops. Men are pluuj;hiii;j oi' harrowing, rid-
,.<; upon their implements, and diivinii (piatrains of horses harnesse<l
abreast — the four-in hands of the plains, Uroad s' i-^liiiu' and a co(d,
steady wind ; snuill, neat houses, each with its liiin tacks ,iud out-
buildini^s ; towns of small wooden cottaj-'cs and stores, with one, two,
three, somctiuu-s four elevators around the station, and a hu'j,e school-
house surmountin'T some •gentle swell of the jirouud — thes(! are the
features rep.eateil over and over. Move them around as one shulHes
dominoes, and it would be ha id to detect the chanp^e. Kvery few
miles occur low swales and some little ponds. I'pon the blue face of
each one float small waterfowl, and now and then a bunch of snipe
or sandpi|)ers will scurry alonji' tl." pebl)ly shore. Prairie chickens
are plentiful, and hardly a station is passed where we do not see jrood
bird do_i5S, fat and indolent now, at the he(ds of some man in the cios\d
that loiters near the train, hopim: for ^ome scrap of an incident to
break the numotony of his frontier life. When Septemlu'r has come,
and the plains are clian<rinj; to the brown of autumn, and the fjreat
square spaces now showin<^ the first a;reen of the youni^ wheat become
brazen quadran<;les of stubble, then these men will take down their
guns, and these dops will lose their fat by a (ie-adii)osimr process supe-
rior to any Dr. Hantinj; ever devised.

Pembina Branch, C. P. R. — The first part of this important
branch into Souihrm Afaiilfoha is the main line up the IJed lliver to
the United States, over which pass the (ireat Northern Hallway's trains
between Winnipeg: and St. Paul via Gretna and Pcmhhin, N. Dak. —
the latter name being the one originally aprdicd to the whole Red

124

RAILWAY KOUTES IN MANITOBA.

River Valley in the vocabulary of the Sioux. This line passes through
absolutely flat and thinly inhabited prairie. Just N. of Gretna, at
RosenfcldJundton, 56 niiles S. of \Vinnipea:, the branch proper starts
westward along the international boundary, and now reaches to Delo-
rainc, 150 miles W. Morden^ a fanning centre and refreslnnent station,
is 25 miles \\\ of the junction, on the edge of the Red River Valley
and near the colony of Russian Mcnnonitcs.

The mennonitcs came about 1S74, to the number of several
hundred families, were assigned lands here, and built a compact village
exactly as they would have done on the steppe. They went out to
their farms by day, and all returned to the safe crowd of the town at
night, where their houses were warmed by the great brick stoves built
into the middle of them, and a huge brass-clasped Bible was the most
necessary article of furniture. They set up their own church, school,
supply-store, etc., and were as shy of any communication or inter-
change of civilities with the farmers around them as if these good-
natured Ontario men — emigrants like themselves — were pillaging Cos-
sacks. It was years before this fortified seclusion an<i suspicious atti-
tude of mind was a little overcome; but fair treatment and neighbour-
liness, the learning oi the English language and institutions of a free
country, slowly had their effect, and now the Mcnnonites have broken
up their eoin|)act town and scatteied about in houses, each upon his
own farm like other people, are losing much of their sintiularity in cos-
tume and custom, and within a few years will be completely merged
into the social structure of Manitoba, and will form a large element of
its strength, for they are thrifty, industrious, and law-abiding.

A few miles VV. of Morden the level Red River prairies are left,
and the cars wind about through a mass of hills covered with dense
scrub and gashed by deep water-courses subject to sudden floods.
These mark the ancient western shoi'c of " Lake Agassiz," and are
known as the Pembina Mountains. They are too sandy and rough
to tempt the agriculturist, and consequently furnish a harbour for
Virginia and mule deer, and many other wild animals and birds, in-
cluding — if they are not yet killed off — a few elk and moose. To
hunt here, however, is so dilfieult that it is not likely to be much fre-
((uented by sportsmen who can accomplish their object more easily in
other directions.

To get through these hills, which extend far southward and rip^t
northward to Carl)erry and the Riding Mountains, was one of the m. x
diflictdt problems in engineering encountered by the railway company
between Lake Superior and the lioekies. The valley used by the road
is Marv Jane Coulee, perpetuating the naine of a frontier sweetheart of
one of the early pioneei'S. The country W. of this rugged region is

RAILWAY ROUTES IN MANITOBA.

125

much higher than the Red River Valley — is, in fact, the first of the
great steps or plateaus sticcecding one another, elevation after eleva-
tion, as explained on p. 100 — and it exhibits a rolling surface inter-
rupted only by the deep water-courses and occasional wooded ridges
which diversify all southwestern Manitoba.

Manitou is a thriving town of some 3,000 people, with an excellent
hotel, where the train stops each way for dinner, and its stores and
shops supply the wants of a wide range of country, including many
hamlets served by stage-lines. The old Indian trail from Devil's Lake,
N. Dakota, and the Sioux country to the Red River posts, crossed the
river just S. of here, at Pembina Crossing. Pilot Mound is a little
farming centre, taking its name from a high knoll which formed a
prominent landmark in old days ; and Cri/ntal City., Clearvmtcr, VarU
Wright^ Killarneii^ Boisscraln, and Whitvwafcr are other local centres
of farmer-traffic and grain-shipment, with churches, schools, supply-
stores, taverns, etc. At each station is a great elevator where the
grain is gathered and stored, and at sevei'al are arrangements for
shipping cattle. These are all in the valley of the Pembina River,
which at Killarmy forms a very pretty lake of 6 miles, with rough
and tree-grown banks much resorted to by picnic-parties and excur-
sions from the surrounding jjrairie country. Ikioraluc is the present
terminus of the track, a village of perhaps 2,00(> people, well supplied
with stores, shops, agricultural-implement agencies, an II. H. Co.'s store,
and two or three small hotels, good of their kind. The country here is
perfectly level and open, and rather wet, so no farming of conse(|uenee
is done near by ; but N. and W. is a rich and populous wheat region,
into which the Souiis Bra7ich (see p. 136) is penetrating southward
from Brandon. The extension of the present railway a few miles W.
of Doloraine will soon effect a junction with this branch in the fine
valley of the Souris River, or Mouse, as the English people call it, in
translation of the oid French name, which referred to the nuiltiplicity
of gophers on its upper course. The road will then push westward,
into southern Assiniboia, already well occujiied by English farmers
and cattle-raisers, and ultimately swing northward to Rogina.

This whole region is dotted with lakes, such as Whitewater, Peli-
can, etc., which have marshy batiks and are the resort of enormous
numbers of wild-fowl, big and little, affording the best of shooting for
swans, geese, ducks, curlew, sni|)e, and related waterfowl and wading
birds, while the uplands abound in grouse, prairie chickens (the sharp-
tailed grouse), plovers, etc. Whitewater Lake, reached from Roisse-

126

RAILWAY ROUTES IN MANITOBA.

vain or Deloniiiu;, is thron<j:e(l witli goese in season, and boats are kept
there for hire. Pcrliaps I'elican Lalio, wliich is 13 miles long and lies
enseonced among the Tiger hills, some 10 miles \. of IJoissevain, would
be as satisfactory a place for autumn shooting as could be found in
that region. Near it live many families of English and German set-
tlers, among whom a sportsman could get entertainment and enthus-
iastic assistance. Southward, just on the liorder of North Dakota, lie
the Turtle Mouiii<uus^ within easy distance of Deloraine, where varied
and excellent shooting can be had. They are rich in coal, which is
mined on the S. side, and are surrounded by iine farming lands, so that
there would be no diHiculty in getting board and lodging. The
"mountains" themselves are mere hills, but tluy are rough and
wooded, and afford a shelter for herds of deer and some brown bears.
Even moose still come to them occasionally ; and there is good fishing
for trout in their streams. White Mud Lake is a large piece of alka-
line water at their eastern end, fre(iuented by millions of wild fowl.

Souris Valley Line, C. P. R.— See p. 136.

(■reat Northern Railway.

The (Ircnt Xorthcrn Railwai/ is the oldest of the lines connecting
Manitoba with the United States. It connets with the C. P. K. tracks
at (iretna, on the border, and it occu])ies the C. P. I{. depot in Win-
nipcg. Through trains are run daily between Winnipeg and St. Paul,
with sleeping-cars. Close coiuiections, tlirough tickets, baggage, etc.,
are arranged from St. Paul eastward via Chicago, or by way of Savft
Sle. Afarle and iSridbiiri/ to Montreal and Boston, over the " Soo
Line." In sunmier this road offers excursiims and special tickets to
the Pi" ific coast via Winnipeg and the C. P. 11.

Manitoba and NorthA%'Cstern Railway.

Passenger trains leave C. P. K. statical, Winnipeg, on Tuesday.s,
Thursdays, and Saturdays for Miiincdom, Rapkl Cifi/, Bir/lr, and other
stations in the upper Assiniboine Valley, via Portage La Prairie. Trains
arrive on alternate days. For further particulars, see p. 133.

Hudson's Bay Railroad.

Trains are scheduled to leave the C. P. R. station, Winnipeg, three
times a week for iihoal Lake, 40 miles N., near the southern extremity
of Lake Manitoba, but may not begin running this season.

This line is the beginning of a railway, long ago proposed, which is
designed to run nortliward between liakes Manitoba and Winnipeg and
down the valley of Nelson River to Port Nelson, on Hudson's Pay, at its

KAIL WAY ROUTES IN MANIIOBA.

127

mouth — the old York factory, or seaport of the II. H. Co. — or by another
propofic'd route to Fort Churchill, another old II. \i. Co.'s seaport some
distance farther X. With this is combined a project to build a line from
Prince Albeit (ultimately to be extended westward over the Kockie? to
the Pacific at Fort Simpson), down the valley of the North Saskatcht-w'an,
to a junction with the main line at the Grand iiapids. The dibtunee
from Winnipeg to the junction-point is about .'{»>(> miles, from P *

rince

■'•"■"■ "■■■■-. f^f, vv^ v..^ j""^' 1'" ^.".^ ,....^.., ^.,.... .....

Albert about the same, and thence to F'ort Churchill or Port Nelson,
300 to ItMf more — in al', about l,'i(i(> miles. A larire part of it would be
through a region otfciini; no j;;reat expense or dilhculty of c (usti'uction,
and haviufi lar<j;e resources in known timl)er and probable nTmerals,
while a i-ieat deal of farming aiul friazing would be feasible. The
inineipa! arginuent in favour of the ])r()pused roads, which are yet
actively promoted by interested capitalists and speculators, is, however,
not the (ievelopment of the interioi- country so nmch as the short route
which Hudson's Hay affords between western Canada and Europe.
Ihis is due to the same circumstance which now makes the C. P. K.
the " short cut " through An. erica and the shortest distance round the
northern half of the world — namely, the smaller ciicumferenee of the
globe in these high latitudes. It is the principle of great circle sailing
applied to land routes. The Hudson's Bay ports are actually nearer
by sailing course to Liverpocd than is either New York or Montreal.
From Port Simpson to Churchill or Nelson is about 1,500 miles, while
it is twice that distance from San Francisco or Vaiu;oriVer to Montreal or
New York ; and '1,0 o miles would be saved between Japan and Fngland
via Hudson's Hay over the existing routes. This saving of distance is
an incontestable fact. Ojiijoscd to the practicable enjoyment of the
advantage are many dillicidties belonuiiig to the wildness of the coun-
try and the rigour of the climate, of which the foremost is thw fact that
Hudson's Bay and Stiait aie closed by solid ice during at least eiglit
months of tlie year, and during the remainder of the time are rarely
free from floes, bergs, ancl fogs, which render navigaticm dangerous
and tmeertain, Hotli sail and steam vessels have indeed avoided or
overcome thi'se obstacles each season in midsummer for the last 200
years : but there is a general feeling that the navigation of those far
northeni ice-bound water.- is too |)erilous and uncertain for the uses «)f
practical commerce. It is probabk-, however, that the present rail-
way will be extended soon, and that civilization will graduiilly take
possession of the shores of Lake Winnipegosis and Cedar Lake, the
lower valley of the North Saskatchewan, and the valle\s of the Nelson
and C'iurchill rivers. Large numbers of Icelanders, who are used to
that rough sort of a country and hard winter climate, are settling there,
doing well, and inaking excellent citizens. There are now 10,000 of
these upright, progressive, industrious people in Manitoba, ami all are
pros|)ering. They have newspapers, schools, and churches in their own
language, and are founding a Lutheran college in Winnipeg. As the
Nelson and Churchill are utterly unintvigalde, a railway will be needed
to pro.ide an outlet for the products of the forests, mines, fisheries,
and limited farming districts. Shoal Lake, the present terminus, is the

128

KAIL WAY ROUTES IN MANITOBA.

centre of a fairly populous district, extending to the S. shores of Lake
Manitoba, largely occupied by Scandinavians. More distant villages arc
reached by mail-stages.

Northern Pacific Lines.

The Northern /'nelp'c liailroad entered Manitoba and obtained termi-
nal facilities at Witmipeg in 1890, after a prolon-^ed stnig<xle with the
Canadian Pacific Company. Its station in WinnipC}; is at the corner of
Main and Water Sts., beneath the Manitoba Hotel.

Main liine. — Pinters Manitoba at Ptnihwn^ and follows closely the
western l)ank of Red River, throuf^h .)forrix, S(c. Aijathe, St. Xorberf, and
other French villages, to the mouth of the Assiniboine, w liich is crossed
by a lofty bridge at the foot of Christie St. A daily cxjiress train
leaves Winnipeg at noon for St. Pduf, having sleeping and dining cais,
etc. A similar train arrives from St. Paul daily at 4.:{t> v. m.

Portage la Prairie Branch. — A mixed train haves the North-
ern Pacific station daily for Fr.rtatje la Prairiey TtT) miles W., upon the
arrival of the St. Paul express. Its course lies along the southern
bank of the Assiniboine, through such praiiie hamlets as I/(<i<f!ttf/lif,
White riains, Eustace, and OakviUe. The i-iver is ci'ossed 5 miles be-
low Portaye la Prairie (see p. Uil), which is reached in three hours.

Morris and Brandon Branch. — This branch strikes W. from
Morris, 40 miles S. of \Vlnni|)eg, and has a i)asscnger train three times
a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). It traverses the fertile
valley of the Royne, with Mt/rt/e, Iios(l»ank, Allai»i>nl, Greenmii/, and
other prettily named farm-villages on its course, reaches the Assini-
boine at Waivanesa, and terminates at Brandon. This is the heart of
Manitoba's best lands, but need not be described further than has been
already done.

Steamboats.

Steamboats run upon the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, upon Lakes
Winnipeg and Manitoba, and far up the Saskatchewan River ; but they
are irregidar in their service, and those who desire to travel upon them
must make enipiiries in Winnipeg as to time and arrangements. The
tour of Lake Winnipeg would form a most interesting side trip, profit-
able to health-seeker, sportsman, or artist ; but there is little to interest
the ordinary toui-ist, and no public accommodations except at the few
trading posts of the H. B. Co., the principal of which are Fort Alexan-
der, Beren'a River, and Norway Ilouse.

SPORT IN MANITOBA.

129

Staple Lines.

Every one of the villages in the Red liivcr Valley is connected with
Winnipeg by stage lines, directly or indirectly. Most of these run only
twice or thrice a week ; and for their times of departure the local ad-
vertisements should he consulted, or inquiry made at the J'ox/ office, as
all carry the mails. Stages also leave the teiniinals of the railway
branches, as If. Srlilrk, JSto/iciralf, Shoal Lake, Ddoraine, etc. ; and
run from nearly all the larger stations on the main lines. The more im-
portant of these are mentioned in conneetioti with these points of de-
parture. In geiKMal, mail stages, from tlio nearest ra'lway station,
reach every settlement in .Manitoba ami th(^ Northwest, and precise
information can be obtained from jiostmasters at central points.

Sport in Manitoba.

The buffalo, whifh used to luxuriate in these fine prairies, long since
disappeared. Moose can still l)e shot in the wooded region W. of Lake
Winnipeg and on Winnipeg Hiver. Ulaek bears are numerous, and a
few caribou in the same region, which is most easily reached from
Whiteinouth or Ilennie, on the C. I'. \\. Says Sandys:

"From Winnipeg, those looking for wing shooting may reach the
haunts of i)rairie chickens and grouse (pin-tails) by driving a few miles
out ujion the prairie, and in the brush in the valleys of the Red and
Assinil)oiue rivers great numbers of ruffed grouse and hare will be
found ; but grouse-shooting is somewhat diflicidt owing to the thickness
of the cover. Such a trip means starting early in the morning, and
returning to Winnii)eg in the evening. . . . Reaburn station, on the
Canadian I'aeiHe, liT) miles W. from Winnipeg, is a place well worth a
trial. There are plenty of duck (»n the lake close by, and in oidinary
seasons heavy bags ai'e the rule. ... A few 'chickens' frecjuent the
higher parts of the prairie near this lake, and plover are always avail-
able to help till a bag. A couple of settlers' houses are close by, and a
number of useful skill's are kept for hire."

An excellent place for general shooting is around Shonl Lake, 40
miles northwest of Winnipeg. A camp outfit would better be taken.
A few moose and elk may be found, and deer are not uncommon. Dur-
ing migrations the lake is thronged with all sorts of wild fowl, and
prairie chickens are common in its neighltourhood. The other great
region for waterfowl and game birds — southwestern .Manitoba — has been
described on p. l2o. The close seasons for game in Manitoba are
as follows :

130

THE ASSINIBOINE VALLEY.

All kinds of deer, including eabri or antelope, elk or wapiti, moose,
reindeer or caribou, or the fawns of such animals — Jan. 1 to Oct. 1.
All varieties of grouse, including prairie chickens, pheasants, and par-
tridge — Dec. 1 to Sept. 15. The aforesiiid birds shall not be exposed or
offered for sale or sold. Woodcock, plover (except golden plover),
snipe, and sandpipers — Jan. 1 to Aug. 1 ([)rovidcd that as to upland
plover said period shall be between Ist of January and the 15tli of
July). Wild duck, sea duck, widgeon, and teal — May 1 to Sept. 1.
Otter, fisher or pekan, beaver, muskrat, and sable — May 15 to Oct. 1.
Marten — April 15 to Nov. 1. No description of game may at any sea-
son be shot, hunted, or taken on a Sunday, and ti-anping of any species
of wild fowl, grouse, etc., is prohibited, as also the use of swivel giuis,
batteries, night lights, poisoned bait, etc. None of the animals or birds
above mentioned can be exported from Manitoba at any time. A
license fee of ^25 is re([uired by all persons not domiciled in Manitob -.
to hunt and shoot in the province, to be had of the Dtspartment of
Agriculture, Winnipeg. A guest of a resident may obtain a permit free
of charge for a period of three days. Offences a;:ainst the act shall be
punished upon summary conviction on information or complaint before
a justice of the peace or police magistrate.

ACROSS THE PLAINS.

The Assiiiiboine Valley.

Let the reader suppose himself again embarked in the transconti-
nental train, bound W. The last seen of Winnipeg is the square half
mile of railway shops and side-tracks. Then the train rushes swiftly
across level green prairies — vast emerald meadows, vv^here the slightest
breeze marks its progress in waves of glancing light as the pliant
grasses yield to its undulating pressure. Few houses or farms break
the verdant expanse, for speculators hold this land near the city and
railway at too high a price for intending settlers. Cultivation begins,
however, at A'osscr, a station named after the Confederate cavalry
leader, and becomes prevalent as 3f endows and Rrahurn are passed.
The Assiniboine is now close by, southward, and Poplar Point is in the
midst of old French fields. Much of the land immediately adjacent to
the river, as far as Portage la Prairie, was occupied before the Govern-
ment survey of the province, and was allotted to the original settlers
when Canada took possession. The remainder is laid out in long, nar-
row river lots, instead of in the usual six-mile-square townships, and
French villages with ancient churches are scattered along the valley.

THE ASRINIBOINE VALLEY.

131

I'V

(1.

n-
rs

T-

Portage la Prairie, 50 miles W. of Winnipoj;, contains ahout
5,000 inhabitants, anil is the central market-town of one of the oldest
and richest districts in Manitoba. Jlolds — (Irand Pacitic, Bellevue, and
Leland ; |2 ; free 'buses. The town is scattered over high, level ground
sloping southward to the Assiniboine, a mile distant, and is a pleasant
place and busy one, especially in the handling of grain, which is gath-
ered from a large district 8., W., and N. This is attested by the great
elevators, warehouses, and mills at the station, which form the most in-
teresting "sight" in the village. The name goes back to the beginning
of exploration and trade in this country. Here the main Indian tiails
N. and S. crossed the Assiniboine, and here the early French trailers
disembarked their goods to be carted across to Lake Manitoba. A vivid
glimpse of early times is given in the journal of John McConnell, the
Northwest Company's agent on the Red River about 17i>7, republished,
vcrbatirn ct Uterafim, in Masson's book :

" All along the Assiniboll Hiver may be seen the vestiges of many
conunercial settlements, several of which claim to an ancient date. . . .
After coming to Adhemar's Fort we gut to /'or(<if/f la Prairie in a day,
that is, by canoe; by land tlu; distance does not exceed 1<» niiles.
Portaije la Prairi(\ so cailec' by the Indians time out of mind, is about
8 days' march by water from the mouth of the river. Across this
portage, which is about 12 miles over, the Fort Dauphin goods used to
be carried under the Fi'ench coutmandants to Lake Manitou-Han, and
from thence to river Davpkine. At this j)lace Mr. William McKay, on
behalf of the Northwest Company, passed the winter of 1794-1795, and
had Mr. Reaume, Dejadcm, for Laviolette, and Mr. Link water for the
lion. H. B. Co., to cope with, and against a superior quantity (»f mer-
chandise he still made good returns. Three leagues above Portage la
Prairie stood Le Fort des Trnitblen, or Poplar Fort [now ' Indian Foi'd 'j.
In the year 17H0 or 1781 the Indians made an attempt to pillage the
traders Messrs. Bruce and Bayer, and, in the scuffle that ensued, two
Frenchmen and seven Indians were killed on the si)ot. Owing to this
affair the traders were obliged, for fear of being cut off, to re-cjnbark
their canoes and return to winter at the Forks [Winnipeg]. The small-
pox, seizing the natives and sweej)inu' off three-fourths of theui, com-
pelled them to lay aside their intention of cutting off all the white men
in the interior country."

Civilized history at "the Portage" begins in 185.^), when Archbishop
Cochrane founded a little colony around an Anglican church, mainly
with the view of getting out from under the thumb of the 11. B. Co. at
Fort Garry. So many went with him, that in 18tU the II. B. Co. found
it advisable to follow and set up a branch-store there. A dozen years
later a stage was put on between here and Fort Garry; in 1876 a

wim

132

THE ASSINIBOINK VALLEY'.

Hteamboat servic'o was ostablisliod on the river; and soon the popula-
tion ninubered over !iO(», and two flour mills were set up. When the
fact became known tliat the C P. R. was to pass this way, settlers and
speculators rushed in and " boomed the Porta.;e " into a big town.

In the old Fort (Jarry days this was tiie point of rendezvous and de-
parture of the half-breeds on their annual buffalo-hunt in the fall,
which was to provide them not only with the giand jdeasure outing of
the year, but with food in the shape of jerked beef for the winter.
Hundreds of families, aeeom|)anied by white men and Indians, as-
sembled with their two-wheeled covered carts, in wliich not a particle
of iron was to be found, rawhide binding all the parts together, and
loading up camp-e((uipments and children, set off in long processions to
the chosen hunting-grounds \. and W., the men riding on horseback,
and the boys walking beside the horses or oxen that dragged the
h)udly creaking vehicles. Lord Southesk witnessed such an asseuiblage
in 18()0, and writes characteristicallv of them in his curious i)ook, Sas-

7 * 7

katchewati and the Rocky Mountains :

" I was weary of the half-breeds and their wasteful, destructive
ways. Everywhere their ravages met the eye. Trees ruthlessly cut
down or disfigured ; young pojjlars barked for their sap; noble spruces
shorn of their branches — a wretched topknot left to keep the tree
alive that it might bear .some jovial voiiacicnr's name, whose ' lob-stick ' it
had been created after a whisky-drinking over the rviin. Fervently as
I wished tlu^m away, it cheered one's spirits to see the hunters on their
march. There was infinite picturesipieness about them. Their long
moving columns sparkled with life and gaiety. Cart-tilts of every hue
fla.shed brightly in the sun; hosts of wild, wolfish dogs ran in and out
among the vehicles; troops of loose horses pranced and galloped along-
side. The smartly dressed men were riding their showy steeds; their
wives and daughters weie travelling in the carts, enthroned on high
heaps of baggage. Many of the women were clearly of unmingled
Indian blood. Tall aiul angidar, long masses of straight black hair
fell over their backs ; blue and white cotton gowns, shapeless, stay-
less, uncrinolined, displayed the flatness of their unprojecting figures.
Some wore a gaudy handkerchief on the head ; the married bound o e
also across tlie bosom. . . . The hunters were all in theii- sunnner
clothing, wearing the usual brass-buttoned l)lue capot, with moleskin
trowsers and calico shirts. Wide-awakes, or cloth caps with |)eaks,
were the favourite head-coverings. Gaily embroidered saddle-cloths and
belts were evidently i)referred to those of a less showy appearance ;
red, white, and blue beading, on a black cloth groimd, seemed to form
the most general arrangement."

The present prosperity of the town is largely due to the fact that
it is the western terminus of the Portage la Prairie branch of the
Northern Pacijic li. R. and the southern terminus of a much older
road, the Manitoba and Northvu'stern Jit/., which leads into

TIIK UI'l'KK ASSIMB'UNE VALLEY.

133

The Upper Assiiiiboiiie Valley.

The tributaries of the lower A'^siniboine from the N. are only in-
slgnifieant eroeks whleh come down from rolling and grassy uplands.
lU'yond these is the fertile valley of White Mud Jiirrr, flowing east-
ward from the gruvoUy hills called Riding Mountains into the head of
liakc Manitoba. Here have grown up flourishing farm villages, each
of which is the centre of an industrious and intelligent district, to which
it furnishes a market and an educational and social centre. These arc
connected with each other, and with the C. P. R., by the Mnnitoha ami
Norlhmstcrn lidilirai/. This cotnpany despatches a passenger train
from I'ortage la Prairie on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (re-
turning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), and a freight train on
the alternate days of the week. The first important station going west
ward is (ihuhlonc, near the Rig (Jrass Marshes. The low prairie is
well cultivated, and interspersed with many isolated groves of oak and
poplar, locally called " blurt's" — a pretty country. W. of (Jladstonc
however, a gravelly, brushy region occurs, devoted mainly to grazing
and hay-cutting. This is a part of the shore of the ancient " Lake
Agassiz," and along its eastern base ran the old trail to the X., still
easily traceable, and crossed by the railway near Midwaif. Twenty
miles W., beyond the gravel ridges, is Xrepawa, a large, conipact town
clustered about a conspicuous public building about a mile from the
railway, and very prettily situated in the midst of rich farms, and with
beautiful blue hills on the horizon. A brushy, rough country is then
passed over, being the divide between the White Mud and the Little
Saskatchewan ; and on the banks of the latter stream — the largest
northern tributary of the Assiniboine— stands ]>Iiiiiiedosa, a "city"
begun as a speculation when it was supposed the C. P. R. would pass
that way. It is now a flourishing town of some 1,P00 people, with
plenty of churches, schools, general stores, etc., ami three capacious
hotels. The whole valley of the Little Saskatchewan is excellent farm-
ing land, and has so much timber that it is one of the prettiest places
in the Northwest as well. There is good shooting in the neighbour-
hood, and the wooded hilly region in the Riding Mountains at its source
harbours deer, bears, and other wild animals in great numbers. Every-
thing needed for a camping and hunting trip into that region can be
obta'ned in Minnedosa,

134

THE UrPKH ASSINIHOINE VALLEY.

" litdin;/ Mounhiht. " is a scries of }^nivell v ridf^es covered with dense
forest and tanj^Ied vines, the hij^liest points of whicii are 1, (•()(> ft.
above [^ake Winnipej;. They are continuous southward to tlie Pem-
bina Mts. as a part of tht; western escarpment of tlte Ked liiver Val-
ley. Northward of tliem is Duck Mt., and northward of tliat, Ijcyond
Swan l{iver, the Porcupine I/i/ls, all of the same character. Ihiujth'm
lMh\ 21 miles lon<; by 12 broad, lies at their eastern base; and from
commandinf^ points the eye overlooks its whole basin not only, but far
out upon the irreiiulai- expanse of shores, islands, and water fornnn<;
Lake [Viimipcf/oosis, into wliieh Lake Dauphin empties throu{j:h the
broad channel of Mossy liiver. It is a beautiful re}?ion and a f^anie
resort, but a dilKcult place tt) hunt in. Its principal value, at present, is
as a timber distiict. (Jreat tires swept throufrh the hills in 18S8. yet
upwards of 1C,0(;(),(IO() ft. of buiiit (l)ut soun(l) limber and about 6<M>,-
000 railway ties were cut on the Ridinji and Duck Mts. tlurinjr KS89
and 1890 Lar<j;e cuttings are bejrinnin^ to be made in the vicinity of
Lake Dauphin. Lumbeiiiifi in Manitoba has seen its best days. The
ref-icm about Lake Winnipej; is still well wooded, but the amount of
merchantable timber is limited, and disadvantageously situated.

A railway down the Little Saskatchewan connects Minnedosa with
Rapid Citji and the Northwext Ventral h'l/. (see j). 13r»). From Minne-
dosa the main line of the M. and X. W. pursues a straij^ht course,
somewhat N. of W., across a succession of fertile valleys, with living
streams fed from some of the innumerable lakes hidden in the rough
country northward, where there are two or three Indian reservations.
Kavh valley has its little nucleus of agricultural civilization, the prin-
cipal of which in succession are Struthehiir, Birth, and Binscarth.
The two last are in the valley of the Assiniboine, which rises just be-
yond the X. W. corner of Manitoba in the Porcupine and Beaver hills,
and at first runs S. along the western border of the province until it
bends eastward near Virden, on the C. P. R. Tl:is u[)per valley was
first settled by Rnglish colonists in 18'79, and is now of course well ad-
vanced. Stean)boats have occasionally ascended from Winnipeg as far
as IJinscarth, but the railway has superseded their use. Opposite
Birtlc (which is 10 miles from the river) is Fort EIUcc—'aw old fur-
post, at the mouth of the Qu'Ajipelle River, around which has clustered
much of the earliest and most stirring history of these parts. A rail-
way from Hrand(m will soon connect it with civilization. A branch
railway extends northward from Binacorlh into the Shell River settle-
ments, of which EiisHcll is the principal one and the present terminus.
Westward from Rinscarth the main line [)asses on across the Assini-
boine into the thinly settled country around Leech Lake^ and at the base

roUTAClK LA rUAIIilK AND IIRANDON.

i;^5

of tlu' tirtivrr llilh, to a toniporary tenniiuii* at, Yorkt<tu. 27S> miles NV.
of Port:i«;o la Piuirie. This road will be pi slu'd on to I'riiu'r AUtcrt.
Kv«'rv sottlt'inciit away from tho liiif of the M. & N. VV. \\y. is reached
by mail stages from its larger stations.

Portfii^e la Prairie and llrandoii.

L'aving I'ortage la I'lairie westwaid bound at noon, the ('. 1*. R.
train passes /inrnshfr, and then plunges into a rej;ion of rough and
brushy sand-hills — the old hraehes of Lake Agassiz. These are eseapcd
in the course of 20 miles or so, by whieh time the road, l)y tortuous and
sometimes heavy grades, has reached the level of the srronil prtiirie
8tcp/M\ and the train is running through a vast space of level wheat-
fields long ago called Beautiful I'lains. The centre of this region is
the Hourishing town of Ciirhrrrif. Thirty miles westward the Annitii-
boiiic comes into view again, for the first time since leaving Winnipeg.
It is 100 yards in width, winds through a narrow valley between tall
bluffs, and is filled with the dense growth of cottonwood, willow,
maple, etc., which borders all these i)rairie streams. Enormous grain-
fields are spread out on the flats in the bends of the river, and sweep
up the sloping sides of the hills to the level of the plateau ; while the
neat, well-built farm-houses display the prosperity of their owners. A
few moments later the river is crossed, elevators and side-tracks of a
large station come into view, and the train halts for ten ndmites at

Brandon, the second largest city and the most importaiit grain-
market in Manitoba. Its po[)ulation is .'i,500. Its hotels are The Lung-
ham, on Twelfth St., |2-$3 ; Gmnd View, opposite C. P. R. station,
$2; Afrrch<nifi<\ i?l. These are all modern houses, with electric lights,
bath-rooms, etc. l?randon dates from the begiiming of the C. P. R,
(though there was an earlier ranch or two called (irand Valley), and is
admirably situated. It is the natural market-town for a large circle of
rich lands N. and W., and especially for the Souris Valley, southward.
It has five elevators, a great tlouring-mill, and many small factories.
Grain-buying agents from Winnipeg, Montieal, and (Jreat Britain make
it their head(iuarters. This substantial prosperity, and the excellent
class of people which constitutes its population, have made a well-built,
well-regulated town, with an enlightened society and large provision
for churches, schools, libraries, and the amenities of life generally.

Brandon is the terminus of the Manitoba branch of the Northern
Pacijic K. R. and of the Souru Branch of the C. P. R., which leaves

13(> TIIK (iir'AIMMOLF-K VAIJ.KY ANf) NolMil W A KM).

the iiiuiii lino 7 miles W.,g(K's S. f»(» inlli's to Hnrtncy ivn<l Melita, |M'm>«
tnitiii.L; a liiglily prodiii'tive and populous country, and is ahont to bo
oxtcnded into the aj^rieultuial and eoal-heaiinji; districts near Turtle
Mt. Trains run on the Nortliern I'a( ifie K. K. I>et\vein IJiandon and
Morris tri-weekly; on the C. I'. K. between Hrainlon atid Melita daily.
From here also the (treat NofthvvHt C^ufral A'//, extends over bleak up-
lands to l\iii>iil Cilii on the Litth' Sasliatehewuu, 20 miles X., where it
mectH the Mniiiiohd ntnl Noiihii'rstt ru Jii/. to Miniiedosa. Trains three
times a week. This line continues some 10 miles VV.of Rapid City, and
will probably be extended to Fort Kllice and uj) the (iu'Appelle \'allcy
within a year or two. (iood prairie shooting may be hail alonj; each of
these liiu's radiatiuj!; from Mraiidoii, especially southward, where the Mlue
Hills of Urandon beautit'ully break the uuit'oriuity of the hori/(iu.

Here time changes on the C. 1*. K. from "Central " to " Mountain"
standard.

The Qii'Appelle Valley and iVorthward.

From Urandon the tiaveller is carried straij^ht westward parallel
with and at no {^leat distance from the Assiuiboiue, but not often
within sight of it, for the line seeks the \w^\\ ground back from the
river-gorge. Ju'iiiutn/, where the Souris ))r.inch diverges southward,
and several other small stations, surrounded by farms in which a field
of wheat or oats a mile s(|uare is not unusual, are passi'd in succession.
()(ik Li(h\, 32 mill's from Hrandon, is on thj border of an oak-timbei'ed
lake sotithward, and, under the luime "Flat Creek," was for some time
the terminus of railway construction, A band of SiouK have a reser-
vation just N. of the river hcic, wheie it begins its great beiul from
N. to K, and we bid it farewell. Virdvn is an active town, in the
midst (d" undidating prairies covered with farms that make a most at-
tractive landscape. Thi' same might be said of Klkhnrn and F/niiiii(/,
between which the train leaves Manitoba and enter.s As^siiiiboia.

"This fact would fail to create any emotion," says Mr. Skinner, "if
it weie not for the entrance of a sti'apping fellow in Hritish cavalry
uniform with his pot-hat on his right ear and a pair of spurs clanking
from his heels, who reaches after all the satchels he can see in the cars
and shakes them. He does this to discover if they gurgle; and if one
gurgles, he will wake uj) its owner to demand why. If it is milk or
ice-water or medicine or soft-soap, the passenger can go to sleep acain
and keep it ; but if it is what Westerners call bug-juice or pizzerinctum,
he must give it up ; for the fellow in uniform is one of the Northwest
Mounted Police^ and he is enforcing the li(iuor-law. The Canadian

THE QU'aFM'KLLE VALLKY AND NouriiwAKn. VM

(lovcrnmcnt, knowiiii: wlmt Iii' linos are when they aw full of alcoliol,
lias eiuu'totl a i'i<z;i(l law a,<^ainst the iiitntdiictioii of liiptor into the
Nnrthwest Tcniloiics — iiaiiicly, Assiiiihoia, Alltci ta, Saskatclu'waii, and
Alhahasc'u. Li(iu<>r (.'aiiuot p) thioiiu;h tliciii cxrcpt in hoiid, .itid u
white tiian cannot have wine or htti' on his own talilc without a per-
mit I'roni the authorities, und tlicM only in liniittil )|u;intitii>s."

Moostttniit is another fine little town, the head<("arters of the land-
8ellin<; of the repion, and the speeial supplyinii; and shipping; [loint feu-
the I*i/Kst.})ic l'<il/ri/ and Moosr MnnntKui rej^ions southward — rnllin;:;,
well-watered, fairly well-wdoded and thiekly settled distiiets, with a
very stronj; and fertile soil.

On the IMiM'stone there were plaeed, half a dozen years a}io, a larj^e
nund)er of irKjhliintl noj'fci^, who had been assisted to t'niip;rate after
haviiii;- been turned out of their honu's in oi-dei' to extend a lordly deer
forest. 'Ihey were very poor and very helpless at first in these stian}j;e
conditions. Many spoke nothing hut (laelie, and those who pretended
to know " ta ln;^lis"' \ised a dialect scarcely more iiitelliuii)le. The
first two or three years most of them l)uilt houses of turfs, with heav-
ily thatched roofs — most pictures(iue sti'uetuns, precisely after the
model of the stone and turf hovels to whiih they iiad Iteiui used in the
Hebrides — l)Ut these have lonj^ since been replaced by lo<^ or frame
dwellinjis, and this intei'estingconnmmity is pi-osperini; well, ami the chil-
dren are growing up hearty youu;^ Canadians. .More recent colonies,
plac'il elsewhere on the plains, especially m-ai Sullrools^ aie j)assin<^
th 'o'ljrli ii similar stmujile, !)Ut i)iil fair to arrive at ecpial success.

J/o.Mr ''Wfoniittttti " is a proiip (jf ridi^es and hills of j^lacial diift, a
part (»f an elevated line which extends nortlnvest under the furtiier
names Weedy, Wolf, and S(iuirr;'l hills. They are wooded for the
most part, and embrace a great number of ponds and lakes, whence
small outlets (if any) How down to Moose .Mountain Creek, which makes
its way eastward into the Souiis. Much of this water is biackish. All
that part of the country has a liuht, sandy loam, over a clay subs(»il,
but »''is has ftroved stronjii; and fertile, and sufRciently well wateicd tuv
'' lowiii^ of the Itest of urain. 1 hive nowhere seen better farms
in that rej;ion.

sfiiifi' runs twice a week fioui Moosouun northward to Fort Kllice
a Birtle, on the M. and X. W. Ky., and weekly southward to the
Moose Mountain rej^ion, (JO to 7"> miles distant.

Smaller stations follow one another westward, such as WapcUa,
}[7nf('wo(»f^ ai ' f'trcira/, to liroadvini^ a divisional point * (refreshment-
I'oom in the •iuii) on the railway, and an important trading town.

* Here 'ailway time changes to the "Mountain" standard, and

watches of w i-bouud travellers should be set back one hour, or ad*
vaueed an ho ir in going east.

1 1

138 TlIK Ciu'APrKLLE VALLEY AND iNOKTHWAKI).

Here the railway skirts tiie southern Itonler of a group of Indian re-
serves (('rees), whicli reach northward to tlie (^a'Appelle. Red-sliins
are very likely to be seen at the station, together with a number of
red-eoats to supervise their behaviour. These reserves, the rough
Weedy and Wolf Hills, and tin; investments of speculators, have kept
settlers away fronj the immediate vicinity of the line, l)ut an excursion
into the townships a few miles back would show farmers enough, and
explain where the grain comes from that fills the elevators, and the
customers to buy the merchants' wares that are displayed in these
lively little towns, such as (h'rnfcU and Wolsclei^, all along this part of
the road. Northward, across the Qu Appelle, eight or ten miles dis-
tant, are the Phai.Kdnt Jli/h, full of prosperous people. A little be-
yond Sintahitn the passenger comes within sight of the famous Bell
Fani), where agriculture was attempted upon a gigantic scale; its
proper station, however, is Indian Head.

"This," says a well-infoniied writer, "is a veiitablc manufactory
of wheat, where the work is done with an almost military organization,
ploughing by brigade and reaping by divisions. Think of a farm
where the furrows are ordinaiily four miles long, and of a country
where such ;i thing is possible ! There are neat stone cotta<!es and
ample banis for miles around, and the collection of buihlings about
the head(piarters near the railway station makes a respectable village,
there being among them a church, a hotel, a flour-mill, and, of course,
a grain elevator, for in this country these elevators a]»pear wherever
there is wheat to be handled oi' stored." This faim lias now been
divided into several holdings, but the whole tract is still yielding
bountifully, and the system is a success. At harvest-time, scores of
Indians (chiefly Sioux of Sittiiig Hull's old tribe, which Hed here in
1876) ;M>me down from thdr reservat'on and work in the fields, camp-
ing with their families on the praiiies leur by.

The next station is QaWp/xlle, the point of departure for Fort
Qu'Appcjlle and the Touchwood Hills. It is a pretty town, seeming to
have somewhat more of things homelike and attractive than most of
the prairie villages — an impres^ictii due in great measure, no d<;''»t, to
tlio trees that cover the whole site.

The Qu> Appelle ValSey, '20 miles northward, is well worth a
visit, and a stage runs daily. The road lies across high, rolling, breezy
prairie, diversified by copses and large thickets, and devoted as yet
mainly to cattle. Distant outlooks are given, especially northward and
eastward, where the bluffs X. of the river are visible. Finally, the two
expansions of the river called tiie Fishhuj Lakes come partly into view,

'lUK qu'aim'elle valley and northward. 139

and tho road descends throngli a long, romaiitie ravine aiid enters the
village of Fori Qu' A/ipeUe on the flat between the upper and lower
lakes. There are, in fact, four lakes, one alK)ve and one below these
two, measuring to/rether over 24 miles. They are deep, and stocked
with whitefish {Con'fjojius nl.'ms) in such numbors that they have been
an unfailing reservoir of fo'xl to all the people within reach of them.
Several other lakes occur along the coursi- of the river, which rises in
the sand-hills along the face of the Missouri coteau, near the "elbow '
of the South ."Saskatchewan, and empties into the Assiniboiiie after a
course of nearly 250 miles. !-^ome 50 miles above this point it receives
the waters of Long or Last Mountain Lake, which is nearly 50 miles
in length but only one to two miles wide, and abounds in whitefish.
This lake-part of the valley has always been a favouiitc cajiij>ing-plaee
of the Indians, and after them of the half-breeds, who found it a con-
venient and comfortable centre for meeting one another and holding
the dances and jollificiitions of which they were so fond. To this day
one may .always find encamped there in summer numbers oi' these half-
wild people from the many reservations near at ha"d, and can study
both Crees and Metis substantially as they used to be. The odd name,
sometimes translated on maps into "Calling Hiver," is a figurative
expression, variously explained, for the echoes which at some points on
the upper lakes are loud and distinct. A glimi)se of the early history
of trading on the QaWp/trilr is given in McDonnell's journal, hereto-
fore (pioted :

"Six days' march f nun Montaipifa hi liossr |the Hrandon Hills?] the
River (/ni d/jpd/t «'nters tlic Assiniboil Kivcr, and on it, about two
short days' march in canoes farther up, is Fovf Fsprrdncr, which has
been settled these ten years past [founded, i.e., about 17S5], and was
ehiefiy Mr. Robert (iiant's residence while he superintended the Red
River affair, and has always been inhabited, suunm r and winter, ever
since. It is at this post and MouIikdk' '' l<( /iossr that most of the lied
River provisions have been procured. . . . Provisions are their chief
returns."

FoH Espernnce was long ago abandoned, and Forf Elfirr^ built near
the mouth of the river about 1S(M», und Fort Qn'' ApprJIv {UmwXvM by
McDonald, of (Jarth, here at the Fishing Lakes, in ISOH) took its plan'.
L'^ntil a year or two ago, when the stockade here was torn down, this
locality was especially interesting as showing, in an easily accessible
place, an example of the old-fa-hioned "palisadoed" fur-posts; but
now its beautiful situation and pretty village, where there are 1,000

140 THK Ciu'Al'l'ELLE VALLEY AND NOiri'HVVAUI).

I
i

people, large stores, and a cai)ital hotel, tofi^ether with the good fall
shooting and fishing, must suffice to recoininend it.

Four miles below the Fort an hidhin nils.sio)i and school were es-
tablished 'M) years ago by the Jesuits; and when the (Jovernnient
planted one of the Indian industrial schools in this valley, it was
given in ehargi; of these priests, especially Father llouginard. The
property consists of a larse and varied farm, witii substantial binldings
fronting upon the lower of the two middle lakes, and giving extensive
and chaiming views up the river. This school contains about 1<'0
ehildicn, maiidy Ijoys about ten years of age. They come from Sioux,
Assiniboiiu'S, Crees, aud ()jil)ways, aJid for the most part are sent very
reluctantly by tluir parents, who not only hate to spare them froju
home, but aie averse to their learning white ways. The little fellows
are smait and (piick at their tasks, which are ])artly with books and
partly in learning larming, housekeeping, and otlier industries, and are
alert to copy our maimers, too, pidling off their caps m(»st |)olitely
whenevi'r a visitor meets them in the walks; but the Sioux are said to
be far the best students.

The }f(>HiiU:d I'oHcc have a station on the Qu'Ap))elle lakes, for-
merly of large conse(|uenee, l)ut now chiefly maintained as a horse-
depot on account of the fine cliimite and jiasturage.

Xorlh of the (^u'Appelle lies the cotuitry of the ToKvhwood and
Beaver J iilh — a region of good soil, plentiful tind)er, and a fine summer
climate, extending as far as the IJig and Little (^uill [iakes (on the
boundary between Assiiiiboia and Saskatchewan), beyond which is the
head-waters of the Hit} Ihvr l\ivr)\ which Hows down to Lake Winnl-
pego(»sis, N. of the I'ot'cujtiitc J/ilfs. \. of that again is the long E.
and W. elevation called the P<(st/niit Hills^ on the other side of
which flows Carrot Jilvrr, the strongest tributary of the Lower Sas-
katchewan. All that region is full of Cree Indians, and is traversed by
boat-routes and land-trails, and the old Hudson's Hay posts at the head
of the Ked Deer, and on the ('arrot an J lower Saskatchewan, still re-
main. These points are m»rtheasterly. X(>rfhur.''hr/i^, iiW the way fi'om
the Touchwood Hills to the banks of the South Saskatchewan, which
joins the North (or main) Saskatchewan directly X. of Fort Uu'Ap-
pelle, stretches a vast space of rolling open land without so much as a
bush to break its grassy expanse. Through the centre runs a depres-
sion from the head of Long Lake to the Quill Lakes, and along this
depression are alkaline Hats and oceasiomil saline ponds, but otherwise
the " S„/f Plitii,;' iis it is called, is tillable land.

Over this plain passes th(> old waggon-road fr(»m the S through Fort
Qu'Appelle and the Touchwood Hills to Fort Carlton, I'lince Albert,

ALONG TIIK sol Til SASKATCIIKWAN.

141

and the other olJ French settlements near the junction of the two Sas-
katch»'\vans ; and a (ioverninciit tele;:;ra|)h-line was htnlt alonji; it 10
years or more ivjuo. In siiniiner it was a hot and dusty road, hut in
winter an aietic waste, witliouf a particle of shelter save the stajre-sta-
tions at long intervals, and the loiu'Iy telegraph house at IIinni)ohlt, in
the middle. The expedition of a dctaehnient <d" the Mounted Toliee,
who travelled it in niidwintei' to reinforce the threatened posts luirth-
ward just before the Kiel rehellion of 1KS5 (see j). lit), was like a jour-
ney of arctic explorers — worse, in fact, 'llie teiiiperalure was HO and
♦'tO° below /.ei'o, and the air was tilled with i.eedle-like ciystals of ice
Over this road passeil all the merchandise for the Prince Alliert region,
and the foiwarding of it was the business of the halfluceds, whos«' last
chance for occupation as freighters was taken away when the railway
was built down the South Saskatchewan in isiiO; iind the terrible
Salt Plain will now be more loiu Iv than ever.

Aloii^ the South Suskatchewaii.

Thirty miles beyond Qu'Ap|)elle station, on the ('. P. R., is Re-
;;iiia, the capital of tlu' N'orthwest Territories. Here icsides the Lieu-
tenant-(iovernor, and here assembles the Executive Council (see p. Itil)
which legislates up(»n local atfairs. The large p\iblic buildings are
visible a mile or more southward, in the farther edge of the town. A
mile beyond the station the (ioveinor's residence n)ay l)e seen on the
right, and a little farther on the same side are the Ik adijuarters of the
Northwest Mounted Police. The barracks, ollie-ers' (puirters, ollices,
storehouses, ami the imposing drill-hall, togctlici' makt' a handsome vil-
lage. This prairie capital, so hajipily named bv the Mar«pMS of liorne
after his august mother in law, \"nh>r'it( liiji'mo, when he was (Jov-
ernor-<Jeneral of Canada, now contains s(;ine !.*,r»oo inhai)itants, and
does a considerable business. It is well provided with churches and
schools of a high grade, has a cidtivated soiietv foimed about the
oHicial stall", and possesses tiie micleus of a '' i-arliamentary libraiy,"
open to tlu' public. There is a elidt, and huge attention is paid to
shooting, varied by an occasional eliase of coyotes with hounds in due
form. The laws of the Noitliwest Tenitories icgardiiig shooting :ind
fishing ai'e as follows :

(iiiinr. — Elk, moose, caribou, antelope, deer, nu)untain sheep or
goat must not l)e shot from Kelt. I to Sept. 1. Plovi'i-, snipe — M;iy o
to Sept. 1. (irouse, partri<lge, pheasant, prairie chicken — Kel>. 1 to
Sept. 1. Any kind (»f duck, widgeon, tei 1 — May IT) to Sept. 1. Any
kind of wild goose — May lo to Aug. IT). Mink, fishei', or jnartin —
April 15 to Nov. 1. Ottor or l)eaver--May !.'> to Oct. 1. Muskrats —
May 15 to Nov. 1, No person shall at any time disturb, injure, gather,

142

THE MOUNTED POLICE.

or takt! the ej^j^s of any species of wild fowl above mentioned. It is
uidawfiil to use swivel-gnus, batteries, sunken punts or niglit-ligbts,
drugged Ibod, opium, aleoliol, or narcotics, for taking or killing swans,
geese or ducks, or any wild fowl. Tlie export from the Northwestern
Territories of any game excejtt wild fowl is forbidden.

Fish. — White-fish may not be caught between Oct. 5 and Nov. 30.
Pickerel — April 15 and .May 15. Sturg<'on — May 1 and June ir>. Speck-
led trout, not between Oct. 1 and Jan. 1. Indians can fish during close
seasons for their own consumption only. Xet-iishing of any kind is
prohibited in public watei' except under leases or licenses. A general
weekly "close time " is [>r<tvidc(l in addition to special close seasons.
The use of explosive or poisonous substances is illegal. Catching or
killing the young of any tish is piohihited. Netting speckled trout is
illegal. Placing sawdust or other deleterious substances in the water
is piohibitcd. The laws relating to tish also apply to Manitoba.

Uegiua is the heauqiiartei s of

The Northwest Mounted Police.

This is Canada's frontier army — an unconunonly fine body of about
1,000 men, thoroughly drilled, and governed by the strictest military
discipline. "Their firm and consitlerate rule won the respect and
obedience of the Indians long before the advent of the railway, and ita
voming was attended by none of the lawlessness and violence which
have darkly marked the opening of new districts elsewhere in America."

They are distiibuted in small troops all the way from Hudson's
Pay to the National i'ark, but nuiinly W. of Manitoba; and their
duties are to '.let as a gtneral constabulary, with special reference to
the enforcement of the excise and custcmis laws and the control and
protection of the Indians. Their titles show this. The commander is
" ciunmissioner," his divisional slatfaie called "superintendents,'' their
captains are " iiiS})ectors," and the subalterns are sei'geants and cor-
porals, but the " privates " of this curiously designated civilian-army
arc "constables." At first the force was made up of frontiersmen,
and its busiiu-ss was to look alter Indians and horse-thieves. With
the awakv'uing in the West, preceding and coincident with the building
of the C. P. R., a large number of young Hnglishmer f good fannly
and military training, but out of money through bad iiabits or liard
luck, drifted in and usually profited by the discipline, while the force
gained "tone." The composition of the force in respect to prrsotmcf
was most extraordinary ten years ago, but now it is far more common-
place. Mays Corporal Donkin :

"There were three men at Hegina [in 188t-'4r)] who had held com-
missions in the Miitish service. There was also an ex-officer of militia,
and one of the volunteers. Theie was an ex-midshii)man, son of the
governor of one of our small colonial dei)endencies. A son of a
major-general, an ex-cadet of the Canadian Royal Military College at

TO PRINCE ALBERT.

143

Kin«];ston, a medical student from Dublin, two ex-troopers of tlie Seots
(ircys, a son of a captain in tlie line, an Oxford H. A., and several of
the ubitiuitous natives of Scotlnnd, comprised the mixtuie. In addition,
there were many Canadians belon<:in,<r to fandlies of influence, as well as
several from the backwoods, who had never seen the light till their
fathers had hewod a way through the bush to a concession-road. They
were none the worse fellows on that accaunt, though. There were none
of the (juestionable characters then who crept in after the rebellion,
whca recruiting j)arties went through the slums of Ontario towns.
Several of our men sported medals won in South Africa, Kgyj)t, and
Afghanistan. There was one, b\ other of a Yorksliiie l)aronet, for-
merly an olhcer of a cirtain regiment of foot, who as a contortionist
and li<»n-eomi(|ne was the l»est amateur I vwv saw. There was only
an ex-circus clown from Dublin who could beat him. These two would
give giatuitous performances nightlv."

"These men," iioti's Colonel T. A. Dodge, U. S. A., "ride a bred-up
l)ronco. Their saildle is what is known as the Montana tree, and . . .
their seat is akin to the English military seat. . . . The ("aiiadian
Mounted J'olice is one of the most efficient organizations which exist,
and it accomplishes its purpose because it is not interfered with. Its
work tells, and is appreciated, as the much harder and more dangerous
duties of our cavalry are not."

From ]{egina a new railway branches oft" northward down the val-

lev of the South Saskatchewan

To Prince Albert.

This road is known as the QiiWpf)(lli\ I.omj fjtke avd Sasktdchviron
liif. It goes down the W'aticana or "Pile of Hones " Creek, which is a
stieam in wet weather and a place for one in dry. One branch crosses
the Qu' ApjxUe at the Oranil Forks, where the outlet of Long Lake
comes in, and proceeds to the foot of that lake, upon which a steamer
runs for the accommodation of the people living upon its shores. The
main line crosses the river farther up, and strikes northwestwaid
through a thinly peopled, brushy country for loo miles, until it reaches
the old police post jSaA-afooii, where the South Saskatchewan is crossed,
and the remainder of the route is W. of tlu' river.

This is the southern of the two great branches of the Saskatche-
waii River. It is formed by a collection of rivei's, of which the Dow
(a name formerly olten applied to the whole water-course), the Delly,
and the lied Deer are the principal, which gather the waters of the
eastern Rockies for :{0() miles N. of the international boundaiy, and
combine near Malidnr Hut (see p. 152) into one great stream, \\ho!<e
farther tributaries are insignificant. The whole course of this great
river is through open plains. Its valley varies from a narrow gorge

TIIK SASKATCHEWAN VALLKV.

to a (looply cut viillcv from l(i(> to .S(H) ft. holow tlic pliitcaii, and the
stream pursues a tortuous eliannel fioiii side to .-ide, leaving peninsulas
and lai'gf islands eovercd with brush and timl)er, or sand-hais like those
inteirupting the upper Missouri, whieli, in fai-t, the South Saskatehe-
wan elostdy lesemhles. It is more thiin hall a mile wide at its mouth,
and pr-obahly eontrihutes (piite iis much, if not moie, water to the united
river below as does the noilhern folk, wliieh flows through a far
rougher and more wooded eoimtry.

The region ai)out the juuetioii of these two gi'eat streams has an
exeellent elimate, as warm and as I'orwanl in the spiing as that of the
Red Kiver Valley; and it was long ago settled by half-ld'ecds, who
formed several little t(»wns along botii rjvers. To these were added, pre-
vious to ISST), a large population of white emigiants, all the way from
the old Hudson's May post Fort a Ln (''h-ih , a dozen miles below the eoii-
tluenee, to lininvln and l)iich- Luke, on the S. bianeh, and to Fott Curl-
f'oi, a foinier jioliee station on the N. branch, some TT) ndles by road
above the eonfliienee. The central settlement of this group was (and
is) the large town I'riiice Vlbert, excellently situated on the S. bank
of the North Saskatchewan, !i few miles above the confluence. This
cliistei' of settli-ments was connected by roads, and was accessible by
steandioiits, whiih ascended the Saskatchewun and ran up to Hulth ford.
Fori Pitt, and other centres of population higher up the N. branch,
and also far up the South K'iver ; and they were at the conveigence of
all the main trails l)etween the wooded and lake dotti'd fiu'-bearing wil-
derness northward and the buffalo plains southward.

Such is the region into which this new branch of the railway has
l)oen extended. It is a promising farming and cattle country, and is
I'eeeiving a steady supply of immigiants, who can find there free lands
of the Itest ((uality. Imi)rovements are rapidly following one another
since ilie white settlers got the upper hand. Many of the old trails
have been straightened, new roads opened and graded, substantial
bridges built; log cabins have been replaced by t-ozy dwellings, waving
grain fields greet the eye everywhere, sleek cattle are on every farm,
the lands are nearly all enclosed by sul)st;inrial fences, and schools are
well distributed over the district, so that one feels more like being in
old-settled Ontario than in a district that has been, u]) to September,
18*.)o, almost 300 miles fiom a railway.

The Ricl llrbcnioii.

Into this remote quarter during ISSl and ISSTi gather(>d great num-
bers of t!is;iffected metis, or French half-breeds, seeking a last refuge
among their friends, the French settlers and Indians, against the ad-
vance of civilization ; and here l)roke out witli startling suddenness

TIIK IflKL KKIJELLION.

145

tliiit littlo Will" in (he Northwest whieh will iniike tlic year 1NS5 iiieni-
orahle in the history of Ciiniida.

It was the impulsive rnsli of a eornered animal brought to bay.
The |t(o|)U' of till' older provinecs of Canada hardly knew that the half-
breeds liad any iiiievanees until the eve (tf the rebellion. In the sum-
mer of IHNi the half-l>reeds sent a deputation to [ionis Kiel, the leader
of the Red Kiver rebellion of iSt'.t*, who was livin;^ in .Montana, to in-
vite him to lead them in a eonstitutional a<ritation for their lij^hls. On
July 8, lHS-1, Kiel arrived at l)uek Lid;e with his family, and imme-
diately bi'^an a syslematie imitation among the half-breeds and Indians.
Their discontent really arost' from the realization of the faet that they
nnist resiirn their half-savajie, wandt rinu, happy life, yet e(>ultl not hope
to be suppoited like Imlians. The half breeds of .Manito)>a, somewhat
differently situated, had been paid land and scrip in settlement of
claims real or assumed. These Noithwestein metis demanded similar
"payment" to tlu'mselves not only, but that a <;:'eat tpiantity of land
should be reserved for distribution anion}; their descendants, as they
came of age, for 120 yeais aln ad. .Many lesser demands were formu-
lated, numy of which were childish, and nil calculated to maintain the
metis in a perpetual la/y and shiftless dependence upon the (Jovern-
ment, and as a nuisance and menace to all their white neighbours. A
certain amount of har(lshii)s really existed, and the Northwestern peo-
ple recognized the faet, had formally called the attention of Parliament
to it, and had suggested concessions of land, etc., which were far fiom
niggardly, so that the n;etis were in a fair way to get reihess liad they
been able to be patient.

The Mounted Police well knew of the disaffection, and kept Kiel
and his friends at IJatoche under close ol)servation. It is extremely
interesting to read the account of these preliminary days, and of the lit-
tle war generally, from a mounted policeman's point of view, in Donkin's
Trooper and Redskin.

In early .March Kiel set up for the second time in the Northwest
(seep. 117) a '' provisional government," seized some public stores at
Duck liake, and, in a bloody skirndsh, drove otl'a detachment of police
which blundered against hiui. Eneouiaged l)y the success of the half-
breeds, the Indians now became actively aggnssive. l>attleford was
besieged by Poundmaker's ti'ibe, and several muiders and a massacre
of priests and setth-is at Frog Lake were perpetrated. Thus the " dogs
of war" were let loose throughout the whole Saskatchewan valley, and
it was several da\s before any certain news could be got to the outside
world from the beleaguered centres at Prince Albert, Battleford, and
other points, where the terrified settlers had congregated, abandoning
property but saving their lives with few exeei)tions.

The moment Eastern Canada heard the stoiy the country was
aflame. The militia were ordered out in all the provinces, thousands
of volunteers offered themselves, and troops were despatched as rapidly
as possible to the Ncn-thwest. Navigation was still closed, military
bodies could not be sent througli the United States via Chicago, and

6"J

14(5

TIIK KIEL KEBELLION.

notlnnj; reniainod but to inake their way as well as ])ossil»le alonj; the
»mfoiii()lele(l line of the C). 1'. |{. north of l.akc Siipcrior. All construc-
tion work ceased f(»r a Few days, and every available Mian and team was
devoted to forwardiiij^ the soldiers across the i^aps in the line— an op-
eration in which ail suffered excessively from the cold, but which was
accomplished with preat credit to the railway managers. Meanwhile
Major-General Middleton, coiiimandin<i' the Canadian ndlitia, had reached
Winni|)e<r, and with a l)attalion of Manitoban volunteers had formed a
camp near Fort tiii'Appellc. His first care and need was to remedy the
total lack of transport service, as it was evident that any fijrhtinu; to be
done would Ije far in the interior. A prelinunary advance' was made
as far as i'larke's ('rossin;^ (Saskatoon), on the South Saskatchewan,
where a halt (tf two weeks was lu'cessary to or;j;anize the constantly
arriving conliufrcnts, and the (|uarteriiiastti's and connnissary depart-
ments. Meanwhile a force under ('oh)nel Olter was pi'cparinji to march
northward Crom Swift Current, on the C. P. iJ., aiul another, under
Colonel Stran<z;e, from Calfiary.

Finally, .Middleton began his march down the South Saskatchewan
toward Jlatoche, in two columns, one on each side of the river. On
the morning of April 21, some iT) miles below Clarke's (.'rossing, the
advance guard of lioulton's Horse (an iri'cgular body of mounted
plainsmen who did excellent service) were pusliing through a series of
woctded bluffs towards a wide ravine intersecting the trail, when a body
of horsemen dashed over the edge, and, after tiring at the advancing
irregulars, retired to the coulee and kept up a heavy fusillade. The
extended line of Boulton's nu'ii dismounted, and, taking cover, returned
the rebel fire. Cieni-ral Middleton ordered up supports, and a few
rounds of shra|)nel-shell drove the metis from the edge of the fon/ee,
but the fight, which was known as the liattle of Fish €'reek, lasted all
day. The half-bnods, shielded by ingenious riHe-pits, seldom showed
themselves, and a few held the position until night enabled them to
steal away, as Mi(lillet(»n did not think the case worth the sacrifice of
life involved in a charge to drive them out.

The forces remained cam])ed at Fish Creek until May 7, waiting
for supi»lies and chiefly for ammunition; on this date camp was struck
and the troops proceeded as far as (Jabriel Dumont's Crossing, where
the two columns comldued and were reinforced by troops and a (lat-
ling gun l)rought down by the steamer Aorthtofr fi-om Swift Current.
The rebels had now concentrated and entreuelu'd a camp at IJatoche.
With the view of turning tlieir Haidv, Middleton made iv detour acntss
the prairie, striking Hatoche at right antrles to the river-trail, by which
the halt-breeds woidd naturally expect the forces to apjiroach. At the
same time the Aorf/woO, which had been barricaded and manned,
drop|)ed down the river.

"The trooi)S, in fighting trim," to quote .\npletons' Aimual Cydo-
psedia for 1885, "were advancing on Batoche on May 9, when the
Norfhcote was heard whistling in the direction of the village, and loud
volleys of musketry annoiniced that the half-breeds were making a
stand. After driving back a few straggling rebel marksmen, the forces

TlIK KIEL KEUKLLIoN.

147

ailvanocil to the high land on thu vdiio (»f the rivor ovi'iiookinjr the
settk'im-nt. Lurjrc i-anips wore seen on both .<i(h'S of the livor. The
f;uiis of 'A' iialtery oijcned tire, and while the e.innoiiiide was in
progrei^s the rebels suddenly showed themselves at eh)se (jiiarters, and
bejran a fiuht verv similar on their |)art tn that at Kish (,'reek. They
were established in deep iiHe-{)its, from whieh they kept up a heavy
fire on the troops, while they ran but little risk themselves. All the
troops were en<;a<^< d, and lemained extended and e\ehan}^in}^ sh.ots
with the enemy until late in the eveninj;, when the foiee witlidrew a
short distanee from the rebel lines and foinied a rou;4h rt'doul)t. The
rebels followed tiie retirinjr skiiinishers right up to the fortified en-
eampment and mad'' a short but iieree onslaui;ht. This was on Satur-
day, and until Tuesday the forei's remained in the same position, the
general eontenting himself with extending skirmishers aiouiul the eanip
eaeh mornin^i and keeping them there all day, exehanging shots with
the reltels, and with makint; oeeasior.al leeonnaissanees on the flanks
of the enemy's po.-ition. On Tuesday the usual line of skirmishers was
not extended until after dmm'r, when the (Jrenadiers and Midlanders
were led forward l»y Colonel Van Striiul)enzie, who had permission
from (ieneral Middletun to advunee his men as far as he eould, instead
of oeeupying the lines to whieh the skirmishers had been extended on
the previous day. The rifle-pits immetliately in front of the eneanip-
nient appeared to be deserted at the time, and the troops advaneed
mueh farther than usual bifore drawing the rebel fire. To utilize the
river as a eover for the left flank of the attaek, two eomp'inies of the
Midland battalion, who were on tiie left, had to wheel round an ob-
struetion in the shape of a high bank and rush down the steep bank
to the edge of the river, befoie the (Jrenadiers eould advanee to the
fiont without running the risk of being outflanked. The Midlanders
sueeessfidly aeeomplished this movement, eheering the while, and
maintaining a heavy fire as they advaneed. The Midlanders having
wheeled round the point and got into line with the (irenadiers, the
latter were also adviineed, and reaehed a point mueh in advanee of any
that had pit'viously been gaiiu-d by the troops. The Ninetieth Bat-
talion wasdejiloyed and prolonged the line to the right, while Houlton's
liorse extended the line still faithcr in that direetion, outflanking a
i'oiniidable line of lifle-pils eommanding the river-ti'ail. Tin- troops
advaneed by a series of lushes, driving the half-breeds from the pits
l)efore them. Some of the rebels made a determine(i stand, and sev-
eral wei'e elul)bed to death in thiir pits with the liutt-eiids of rifles. . . .
Meanwhile, the Xortlvoti ha<l run the gaunt lit of a heavy rebel fire
from both snks of the river, and, returning, arrived at IJatoehe a few-
minutes after the eessation of the firing. Two or three <;! her erew
were slightly woumled. and the steau'er sustained some (hnnage by
eoniiuti into eoUisiim with the ferrv eable, whieh had been lowered with
that objeet by the rel)els."

This was the prinei])al and deeisive engagement of the eamjaign,
and the vietors eamped within the entrenehments of the ruetis, who
had fled. All the white prisoners taken by the rebels during the in-

Til 10 UIKf. HKriKUJoN.

suncctioii Were foiiiid in tlie ft'Ilars of the Iioiisi's at IJatochc nnd ix*-
K^ascd, iiiid tliiTc days al'tci wards Kiel siirrciidoicd liiiiisclf, and was
st'iit to liCjiiiia a iJiisonci'. The littk' army then rcsiiiiicd its inarch to
l*rince Alhcrt, wliich was readied on May I'.'. It was garrisoned hy
a small hody of mounted police and the loyal settlers for tti) miles
around, l)ut had heen cut olf from the rest of the world and in daily
terror for two months. Anionj: the garrison was ("oiporal Donkin,
whose biioU has heen referred to.

The remainder of the war was almost entirely with the Indians, and
would have ))een voted a v<'ry simple and uneventful eampai;in by the
troopers who hounded the Apaelies into sid)mission in Arizona, or
fought the Sioux and Chcyennes under ('louk and Miles and (.'uster,
wintei' and sunnner, from the Little .Missouri to the iioeky Mountains;
hut it was gicat things to the Canadians, and individual eases of ered-
Itahle enduianee and valor were not rare, even if the eonnnands as
a whole were not greatly tried, and occasionally ndsheiiaved ihem-
.selves.

During the last of May the troops ascended the N'ortii Saskatchewan
in steamers to Butth'foitl, which had alivady heen relieved from In-
dian menaces l»y Colonel (iter's soldieis, who had been carried across
the coinitry fro:n Swift Cui-rent in wagons — KIC) miles in a days. On
arriving at Hattlefoid, Colonel Otter found that the Indians of I'ound-
maker's and Sweetgrass's reserves were ravaging the neighbouring
country, and cariyiiig their raids t(» within musket-shot of the barricade
in the centre of the village, wljch is situated on a high jiromontory at
the junction of the l>attle and North Saskatchewan rivers. On May 1
CoI<»nel Otter, in the hope of ))ringing I'oundmaker and his subordinate
chiefs into subjection, left lUittlefoitl for the great chief's reserve at
Cut-Knife hill, with a llyiiig column ; and early on the following day,
while the men were toiling up the steep slope on the W. side of Cut-
Knife Creek, they were smhlenly attacked by the Indians, who had per-
fect cover in a series of little ravines runnitig in the shape of a horse-
shoe around the i)osition occupied by the forces. The waggons were
hurriedly formed into a zurchu^ and troops extended in an irregular
S(iuarc. The Indians fought with great sjiiiit, but were repelled, partly
by the fire of a (Jatling and partly by counter-charges led by Major
Short, which cleared out the ravines and pract'cally con(iuered the fue.
However, Colonel Otter withdrew the whole detachment, followed by
the amazed and exultant Indian.s who harassed it i)ersistently, and
retreated to Hattleford with much loss. After this extraordinary
movement Colonel Otter remained in IJattleford, and the Indians
carried on their old depredations. When (Jeneral Middleton arrived,
I'oundniaker and the whole of his tribe came in, were more or less
disarmed, and the chief placed under arrest. The only direction from
which trouble wa^. now ajiprehended was in the neighbourhood of Fort
Pitt, where l^itr iiear's Crees were supposed to be. Major-(Jene:al
T. IJ. Strange had reached this point about this time with his column,
which, left Calgary late in April, and had marched northward iinder
great disadvantages to Fort Edmonton. Leaving a garrison there, this

THE RFKL RKRF.I.r.loN'.

140

" AlluMta Fit'ld Force " moved down fln> iivcm' in seows, cstaltHslicd a
post at Victoiia, and presently reaelied Tiirt I'itt. This liad lonjr •>eoii
an important Hudson's IJay post, and a strong detaelnnent of Mounted
I'oliee, latterly under eoiiini;iinl of Inspector Diekins, a relative of" the
j^reat novelist, \va< always kept there. This oilieei', however, allowed
himsidf to he l),iiul»oo/,l»'d l»y W'v^ I'.ear's men, and lan awiiy to Mattlo-
ford, immediati'ly niter whleli the tort was looted iind aluios? destroyed
hy the jiihilant red skins. When the Allterta Field I'oree nrrivod at
Fort J'itt they found tluit HiL; I'.eai' was takinir to the wooded eoutttry
to the N., and was eai'iyinir the white.s as piisoivrs alonj; with him.
(Jeneral Stranjje followed him with all expc'iliiinn, and on May 27
came up with the encampment. .\ little >kii inishin;: took (dace,
followed hy a ruiminii Huht all the next day, diu-in^i which four
men were wounded, and wliich icsulteil, as u^ual, in th' *' withdrawal "
of the soldiers and the esc:ipe of the Indians to a jiood position in the
hills, rpoii heaiinu of this, Middleton pushed forward reinforce-
ments, and so disfmsed the Mounted Tolice as to inteicept and fimiUy
disperse all the hostile Indians. This ended the matter, and (Jeneral
Middleton massed the wh(de of the forces at Ihittlefoid, where they
assend»le(l on June !!(», ami left l)y steiimei' for Selkiik, whence the
volunteer rcirinu'nts proceeded to their homes.

This campaijiii, the total losses of which were only .');> killed and 129
wounded, ciushed the rehellion of the metis and ipueted all the North-
west. The uloritication expended publicly and privately over the re-
turning; troops, an undue proporticm of whi.-h were generals, colonels,
and majors, was expensive, hut it was no less jrcmnne. The writer
happened to he in Winidpej; when the "hoys" irot hack, and the red-
ness with which the town was "painted" was

almost visible in con-

flaj^rationdike rellections upon the sky. The police stations and fjuard-
liouses of the city were at (MU'c overtaxed, and the heioes were left in
the jrutters, wlu're they liad fallen "com|ii!ny front." biavely seeking
reputation at the l)ottle's mouth. Major-< Jeneral Middletftn and th(^
lion. Adolpii Caron, Minister of .Militia, were kniirhtcd; promotions
of ottieers were <;eneial ; every soldier received a present of prairie
land or its e(puvaleut in money, and the whole Northwest obtained
a ma^fiiilicent advertisement, tlie results of which, in inMni{.'iation
and developuu'nt, cpiiikly indenmitii-d the public for tlu' expense of
the war.

(Jabriel Dumont, whose couraf^e had won for him the respect of tlu*
loyalists, escaped to the I'liited .^tates. Kid and the other prisoners
were c:)nvcyed to Kiuinn, whi're the half-ltieed leader aiid H of the In-
dians were haiif^cd, and 2'.) others were sentenced to varying term.-' of
imprisonment. Kiel has a small monument in the French cemetery at
St. IJoniface; the volunteers are coimnemorated by a lofty column in
front of the (Mty Hall in Winnipetr, and the misguided savages are re-
membered with sears and wailin'j; upon many a gale-swept jdain and
lonely lakeside from the (iu'Appelle to the Mackenzie.

ir)(» FKOM TIIK rUAIKIKK TO 1 1 IK rATILK I'LAINS.

rroiii tli(> PrairifM to the C'attit; l*laiiiN.

Ever xlncc Icaviii;; Itraiidon we liuvo hceii luimliifj across the "nec-
ond praiiic st('|)|)(! " — mi cxpiiiso of open plains wiili liylit, dry soils,
most cxc'cllciit for <;raiii, wliifh Is 'J'lO miles K. and W. and 5<»o N. and
S. Wheat lias also ln-en seen as we came al(»nu', and a ;:lanee over this
wide Hat traet of wlieat-lields around l{e;;ina maUes nnneeessary any
(lis(piisition npon its jirain-piMdiicin;; aldlities, L'ndonhl-dly, early
frosts are to he feared, and dron^ilit is a soure.- of anxiety, hut the aeeli-
niation of seed ami experienee in farndnt^ are tou;ether overeoininuf this
dillieidty so w(dl that, as a whole, siieress is sure and ample. So lari;)'
is the yield, and of such hi};h (pialify, that if oidy one crop in thie«'
were ohtainetl the farmers would do well ; hut the j^cneral results are
nnich better tlian that.

The aveiaiic elevation of this plateau is al»out l,t»0(» feet, hut there
i.s a gradual increase westward. Urandon, for exampli', is 1,15(1 ft.
above the sea, while ite^ina is 1,875.

Moosojnw i.s a thiivinir town of l,o(i(» people, and a (li\isional
point (ri'freshniont-room). It gets the trade and ships the pioduct of
a wide country X. and S.

"Still we tiinidlc forward with the sun. Whiti; light, blue sky,
olive-green eaitii, yellow flowers, and we in the midst of it — the
prairies.'' iiut the prairies are shortly conung to an end. A few ndlos
W. of .Moosejaw the e(uintry roughens, and the southwestern hori/on is
blue with hluHs and hiIl-to|is. That is the irregulai- front of the secimd
long escarpment, called in Nebraska and Dakota the (\tUini ih Missouri.
Weginiung at the great bend of the Missouri, where it forms the water-
shed between that liver and the drainage into the upper Mississippi,
Red, and Souris rivers, it is tracc^able straight northwest, i>ast the head-
waters of the Souris and M(Miseiaw, until it separates the head of the
Qu'Appellc from the South Snskatchewan, and reappears in the Eagle
liills beyond the latter river. By the time l^irkhi;! has been passed
this escarpment lias been surmounted liy the ('. P. R., and we have
gained the third plateau level of the i)lains, which will carry us to the
oot of the Rockies.

These are the buffalo plains — the northern end of the "great
Aniei'ican desert " of tlie old geographers, which so long ago disap-
peared from our maps. They are impressive in their lonely grandeur,
a«d a volume as large as the whole of this book would not begin to tell

FROM rilK I'KAIUIKS lO TIIK (A'rri.K IM.AINS. 151

till' rttniics of IiKliiin wiiifaif and tiaditidii, the talcs of cxploratinn and
advonturoiis tiadc, tliat <Tin^ to llicsc vallcvsand liill-hndiMiirk?* IJiit
a fotniti'v of so Miiu'li Miori' .>liikin;r and pivscnt intcri'sl lies ln-yond, that
we must liasti'ii ovcf this icirion, \«lios(' charni is a curious conipoiind
of intensely prai'lii-al i-alculaiion and highly poetic impression. Let me
((uott' the capital >uinmaiy of one wlio knows the route well :

" We have now iwarly reaihcd the end of the continuous settle-
m(>nt,aiul heyond to the mountain^ we >liall only find the pioneer farm-
ers in frroups lure and there, an<l, at inteivals (d' two hours oi' so, the
«lczen estahlishmeiits (d" an KuL'lish company, where wheat-,u'r()wini; and
cattle-raisinir are cairied on to;j:rther in a lai|re and systematic way —
each esiaiiii-ihmeiit emhracinji "Jo^noo or nioic acres. The country,
wliile rctaininir the chief characteri.-tics of llic prairie, heeomes more
broken, and numerous lakes and p(tn(l> occur in the (lc|in'ssions. We
shall sec no trees now for a liundrcd udh-s, and without them the short
buH'alo-f^rass <rives the country a desolate, barren look; but it is far
from barren, as the oeeasiomil faitus and station gardens testify, with
their wonderful u'rowth of cereals anil veirctalilcs. '{"here is a llutterof
oxcitemcnt amoui: the passcnu'crs, and a rush to the windows. Ante-
lope! We shall see them often enough now. .\t ('/i<i/>/iH wo come to
oiu' (»f the Ofd MV/T.s' IjihiK, which are extensive bodies of water bav-
in*^ no outli'f, and coir»e<pi(iUly alkaliiu'.

" We are now cntoiina a very paiiidisc for sportsmen. The lakes
become m«u'e ficipient. Some arc sail, some are alkaline, but m(»st of
them are clear and fresh. Wild ^i-csc, i-rancs, ducks — a dn/eu varie-
ties — snipe, plover, and curlew, all I'ommon cnoui;h thi'ou;;h(»ut the
praiiies, are loiind here in myriads. Water-fowl blacken the .-urface of
the lakes and ponds, lonir white lines of pelicans dis])ort themselves
ftlon^ the shores, and we hear the notes and cries of many siranjje biids
whose names I caimot tell you. I'raiiie chickens aic abundant on
the liiuh lii'ound, and antelopes are conmion in the hills. The countiy
is reticulated with bulValo trails and pitted with theii- wallows. A
ljuHiilo is a rare si^ht now, and he must l)i' looked for larther N., where
he is known as the 'wood buiValo.' JIoui' after houi' we roll alon;.%
with little chaufre in the aspect of the country, . . . and far away to
the southwest we sei' the ('i//>yrss Hills appeariu;.': as a deep-blue line,
and, fur want of anytliin<r else, we watch these uiadually risin;i as wc
(haw near to them. The railway skirts their base for many miles, fol-
lowinjr what seems to bo a broail vall"V, and crossin'.:; many clear little
streams makinir their way from the hills noithward to the Saskatclu wan.
At Miiph Crc(k\ a little town with extensive yards for the >hipment of
cattle, some of which are driven here fiom Montana, fcedinj^ and fat-
tenintr on the way, we see the red coats of the mounted police, who arc
lookin<r after a large encampment of Indians near by. The Indians
are represented on the station platform by braves of hiirh and low de-
force, S(pniws, and pappooses, mostly bent «m tra<linL' pipes ami trinkets
for tobacco and silver — a i)ioturesquc-looking lot, but dirty withal.

152 FROM TIFR PRAIIUKS TO TTTE O.VTTLE PLAIN'S.

ii :l

h 4

jllcdicino Hat is n town of l,nii(i uy more pc(>]>l(' on the Ix.'ttom-
lands of tlic South Sii^kiiti'lu'Wiin, nnd i- icai'licd Ity ctiossini: tlnit livcr
upon a fine iron hiiilifc. It is a divisional point, where theie ai'e repair-
slio|)s, etc. The train stops lialf an hoin-, ^ivini;- passenj^ers an opp<tr-
tmiity to stroll about and L;"et a fail' idea of a brisk frontier town, whose
trade is mainly with the eattlemen who piisture their hei'ds upon the
neitihhoiiiinjr uplands. The Mounted I'oliee have a station here. Steam-
boats will be seen, reniindinti" one that the river is navigable to Lake
\Vinnipe<r, f^*"* miles (U' more. Steainl)oats have irone above here in
times (jf hiuh ^^ater even to within sijiht of the mountains, l)ut no part
of the river has lieen u.-cd iinieh by boats since the eompU'tion of the
raili'oads to Lethbridu'e and I'liiu'e Albert. Iii this vieinity are vast
deposits of soft coal (lignite), exposed and mined in liie blutl's at sev-
eral i)laeos near I)y. It is not so trood and workable, howt-ver, as that
mined in the foot-hills loii miles S. \V. Those inin"S are icaehed by
the railway of the Alhi rtit Ua'iininj uml Citnl ('<»iiikiiiii, whieli leads off
westerly from the ('. P. K at hi(!im<)r<\ '\ miles E. of Medicine Hat,
and runs up IJelly lliver to Lrtlihriili/r, which will l)e descril)ed farther
on. Skinner ^ivi'S a happy imin-ession of " the Hat," whose name, by
tlie way, m)i)ody has been abl(> to account for :

" The town is as lively with Indians as peaceabh' Indians cat. make
a town, and they swarm about the station to sell the usual bulTalo
horns. You can't phiy cw l)ufVilo horns, b\it many passengers l)uy
them, and hann- them in all sorts of uneomfoi'table ]daces in the cai, so
that the ])oints u'et into _\n>ir ears or |»rick tlu' back of your neck. It
is vain to try to buy anythinu' cNc of the red men. Their weapons and
tools and ornanuuits they do not wiint to ell, and they jirobably regard
such matters as we rejjai'd our kitchen pots and pan.< — as thin<rs of no
possible interest to a stratiji;cr. .My recjuests for moccasins were fruit-
less, thoujrh one bulVer pantomimed that he would ti;ke off hi-; dirty old
leathiM's for a dollar. I litih eroded blui,.- surr(<uiid Medicine Hat, and
on the plain betwi'en them the Indians h.ave their camp of scatteicd
tepees, smoke-blackened at the top, and to and fro between theno
mansions yon see the warriors walkinii" pijicon-tocd. . . . Tlni.' is a
j:arden beside the track here, and soinei>ody, .vhether with waiiant or
no, invited the passengers t(» hel]' themselves to tlo«ers. as they did

llOl'

iiaue
r^lc.
buy
so
It
ami
iiavd
uo
niit-
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and
•red
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. I , V ' '■ -''h ii y i

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' . ' I

FROM TIIK rUATRTKS TO TTIF, PATI LF PLATXS. 15^*

with the incvitiihle promptness of p('«)i)le who were jreltin;^ soiiH'tliinj;
for iif)tliin<^. Tliere is a tine irri/zly hear in eaptivity near by, witli a
barbed wire tVnee to keep him from familiarity with straniicrs, and a
eontribntion-box that you may (hop a dime into if you wish liim to be
supported. I suppose lie gets the money, but I do not know."

It is a stilV elimb up the western bluffs to the level of tlie phiteau,
and one frets a very intercstint; outlook l)a:'kward as the loeomotive
l)uffs and strains up the hillside. Then ai^ain the wide, naked plains
are in view, and the line i- laid straitxht as an arrow's flit;ht X. \V. over
rollinL' uplands, whieh twenty years airo were thronirid with bison and
now feed seaieely tamer < attle. The stations are little more than mere
h )uses, where seetioii men and ti'leirraph operators live, carinu' for the
tiaek and tin- water-taidvs, and oeeasitMially loadiiuj: up and shipping
eastwaril a carlnad «d' biitl'iilo .-keletons, brou^iit in liy wanderiiiir " bone-
piekers '' and heaped up besi ie the little side-traeks. .\t /.iinf/rv!)t,
just beyond whii-h Albeiiii is eiiteri'd, eopious wells of combustible
l^as are utilized to run the >t(>am-pninps of the water-taid\. (las has
been striuk elsewhere in borinu; for water, and it is jtrobable that
servieeable wells will ))e obtained h. re and northward when the nt-ed
Mfthem 'alls for dilitjent seeking. The l>ow Kiver is I "J or lo miles
southward, and oeea^ional i/limpses are eans^ht of tla* dark line deiiot-
ini^ the tjiitber aloiijr its devious eourse. The line iiiadually draws
marei' to it, however, and at ('ron'fo'it, i()(i miles \V. of Medieine Hat,
if* bitiik is readied. This river rises far within the mountains, and we
>»iiail follow i' more oi' less closely to its very source.

4'ro'»vf»ot is on the border of the reserve of the lihickfut Indians,
a trilte ivhieli dominated for half a eenturv -pievious to tlie buildin;.'of
railroad- into this remote bordeiland — the wIidIo plains and foot-hills
from the South Saskatchewan to the lu ad-waters of the Missouri.

Th»'y ar*' of .Miiompdn stoi-k, lonu' aiio crowded westward; l»ut their
laijncuajre retains so few traces of its «trit:inal shape that it is only lately
tills fact ha* lieen determined, and from time inmiem<trial they have
been the enemies of the < 'fees ( .M^fonijuiiis ) \. and K. of them, as well as
of the Flatlieads aiul Kooteiiavs, who raided their cotin'ry fhrouji,h the
monntain-pa>ses, and of the ("i<iws nn<i (Jros \ fntres and other Ameri-
can tribes. They were expert uid bold riders, and perhap- no Imlians
in the far West have in-pired such re-p.ct and terror and luive so )'eso-
hitely held their own as have the HIaekfeet. Hianehes of the same
race are the lih'mh^ which le-^ide in the foot hills near ilie Monttma
heundarv, and the /'i/y(i"s, S. of tlie I nit/ii States liiu^. The ISIack-
IVet now number 4,U()0 to 5,000, and have long been settled peaeeably

;is

■■f\

■ si If

154 KItOM TinO IMtAIKIKS I',') TIIK CA'ITLK PLAINS.

h I;

upon this wide reserve under the care of af^ents and the Mounted I'ollce.
They own eutth' and horses in larjre herds, and tiiany of them hire out
as herckrs, ete. This prosperous state of tiiin;rs is due very largely —
mainly, in faet — to the far-siirlitcdness and sagacity of old ('r(»wfoot,
their head-eiiief, who has icccntly died, and who was one of the most
8trong-niinded, acute, and sagaciou-; Indians that ever live<l. Ills iiiHe-
cnce was pai-aniouut and his eounsel always for the good of his jieople,
who will hy and hy liecome an element of real strength in Alhertn.
They are already lining as much good farming as could l)e expected.

We move steadily on again. Tin altitude has now reached nearly
3,0110 ft., and is increasing with every ndle, and the aii' is niai'vellously
clear, dry, and l)raciug. Tlie eolour elVects are often e.\(piisitely beau-
tiful, and nowhere for the whole distanci' aeioss are these prairies
and plains as monotonous and unrelieved as are those of the I'nited
States. (Jlose hy the track will si)i'ead th(> green and gold of the well-
dried grassc' , v;nied l»v patches of hui'iit hrown left hy a tire, hy beds
of the deep crimson of the ript ned samphire, l)y an emerald circle
connneniorating a hidValowallow, or hy the pale purple of ii thicket of
Canadian wormwood, for th,"' true southern sage-hiiish does not grow
here, no- will you see its companion, tne true j)rairie dog. In the
midst of the picture, perha])s, will lie a lakelet as blue as the sky, rip-
pled with the triangular wake of fleeing wild fowl, and outlined in the
snow of s.dt or the ciimsoii and green of c arse sedges and ^I'ass ; and
beyctnil this the foregiouud melts indefiintely into the softly mottled
grays and (»iive browns of the farther knolls, behind which the faint
bluish forms of far-away ridges ai'c hardly separable from the sky.
Put in a touch of life — a gi<>U[» (d' startled antelope, heads erect and
tiny hoofs close tog<'ther, oi a family of IJIiickfeet Indians, gaudy in
red fhiiniel and beadwork — and yo,i have siieh ii picture as any artist
woidd delight to tiy his water-colours iti)on.

Never! heless, the plains journey is a 'ong on(> and grows tir<'Some,
and after leaving ('r-^wfool all eyes are eager to cjitch the /irsf t//iiH/i!t(
of ffir /lork// Mou)ita'niK — a range to which belongs an allurement po.s-
sessed by few other uuiuntains on the globe. If the weather is clear,
this hope is [irctty sure to he gratilied at iUvirlicn (a railway divisional
point), and in certaMi conditions of the atmosphere the tallest jieaks
have been seen even from T.angi'vin, more than loo miles distant. Away
to the southwest ward a broken scalloped line of white lies low against
the hori/ou. It is a mere thread — a line \A tom-hes ; lnit there is a
peculiarity of ton(>, a solid distinct iisj)ect, which (luite separates this

(;AL(JARY AM) THE liAXlUIINO DISTKKT.

155

gk'txin of snows upon tin- loftiest suiiiniits from tho scatteriuL: clouds
that may lian^^ ovei- tlioin. As we s|H'e(l on, the jraps are j;ra(lually
filled, and the white notehin}:s into the azure sky rise hiuher al)ove the
ridges of the plains. Little hy little the points eoinieet their bases
into a massive bulwark — resolve from a iiieic hlue-jrray silhouette into
lif;hts and shades of eo])alt, outliiiin;: heiidhiiids and niarkinji the shad-
owy recesses of the cations between. Then tlu' plain uiadually breaks
uj), the I?ow appears airain, Howiii^' amoiii: low knolls and lonjr, smooth
ridges, the river is crossed at '' the Klltow," and we are at the moutitaitis'
feet and at ('iih/nri/, the metropolis of tlu" Canadian ilo'kies, 2,"Jt'tl
miles from Montreal, StO W. of Winnipeg, ♦>I2 miles li. of Vancouver,
and about l."»(> N. of the rnitecl States bdundarv.

Cal$;arv and the Raiichiiier Distiict.

C'alarary. — I'opulation, l,.'*!!!). Terminus of <'<ilif((r;i inxf hWiitoii-
ton and ( tiliinrii (iml h'ni McLkhI railways. Hotels, 77/' Alhi ria, a
new, lii'st-class, sti-am-heated. electricily li;^lited ho\ise, s:! to ^\ ; the
/^<r/- (Kur<tpcan plan). ('i-nmJ ('tiitrnl^ and Iviiitif.

Calgary has an appearance of age and imi)ortance beyond its years
and its' census. This is due to the wealth that centres there as the
focus of large interests in ranching, miiung, Imnbeiing, railroading,
and trade, and to the substantial chaiaeter id' its buildings, which arc
largely of stone, 'i'lie businr.ss streets are coiii|iactly and hand-omely
built up, paved, iightc^d by electricity, and strimg with telegrapl" and
telephone wires like a I'ity of ten times its size in the Kast, I'.aid^s are
numerous and |towcrful, and the merchants cairy immense anil costly
stocks, and do a large wholesale and jobl)ing business. The residences
are well constructed, often handsome and luxurious ; and the many line
churches, the ample school-houses, and the well-patronized library
and book-stores, show the intelligence and social ijuadty of the p("opU\
who nund)er among them an unusual proportion <d' Knglislimen cd"
liberal education and large means. The " yoimger-son-witli-a-thou-
sand-pouiuls,'' who formerly made his Lcndon costumes, bumptious arro-
gance, and general damfoolishiK'ss a by-word ami a UK.ck'eiy, has disap-
peared from Calgary along with the roysteving cowboys who used to
extdt up an<l down her broad streets in the pride of theii' freedom and
horsemanship. Both were pictures(pie ami usiful as long as their
money lasted, but tl; > city ha> passed beyond that stage. Calgary, in-
deed, is fond of calling herself the Denver td' Canada, and emulates

I'.
If

It If

150

CALr.Ar.Y AM) TTIK TJAXCIIINT, DISTRICT.

the p;rnces as well us tlie cntcrpiise of Colorado's woiuleiful nijiital.
Slie is fovtunnto in licr site — a level, <j;rav('lly plateau in llie angle be-
tween the How aiul Klhow livers, (iiassy hills loll away on every
side, and beyond them, all alonir the W., are the mountains. These
are very different in their trrandeui from those aiipioaehed in Colorado
or Wvoniin;:. Here is no statclv line of rounded sununits set in ordcrlv
array nor an evenly serrated eliain of peaks, but the sky rests upon a
jajrf^cd wall, every elevation havinji' some angular and altrupt form
(juite unlike its neif:hi>(»ur, and (he whole st'emin^ a lonu' stretch of
ruins rather than a niounfain-ranj^e. liut they are very beautiful.

" It is impossible to inianine them built of earth, roek, anythinp tei'-
resM'ial, to fancy them cloven by horrible chasms or siui^TK.^' ^^''1' fi'ii<"t
woods. They are nuule out of the air and the sunshine which show
them. Nature has dipjjed her ]iencil in the faititest solution of ullra-
niarine and drawn it once across the western sky with a hand tender as
Love's. Then, when si<ilit beconu'S still l)etter adju><ted, you Hnd the
most delicate division takinjr place in this pa1c blot of I)eauty near its
upper i'ih^i'. It is rimmed with a mi-re thread of opaline and crystal-
line li^lit. For a moment it sways before you ancl is t-onfused ; but
yctur eafTerness <;ro\vs steadier, you see plainei-, and know that you. are
looking;' on the eVerlastinu; snow, the ice that never melts."

Hither, a f^reat many years afio, eauic wanderinjj; fur-traders. It is,
in<leed, maintained tliat this point was the site of Yerandrye's Foit
Joncpnere. which • .nst critics have thoui^ht stood on the North Sas-
katchewan. Til- .s the opinion of the Canadian authorities, Henjamin
Suite and I. H. Massou. The latter says :

''En 17">-, quehpies annee- seulement avant le coiupiete, un parent
de M. d<' la \'eian(live. M. i\t- Niowville, etablissait le fort Jon(|uiere au
pied (les moutniiiies, ii Tendroit meme oi^i, plus d'un siocie apres, le
eapitaine Hrisct'ois, de la police a clieval, fondait un postc ((ui porta,
])endaiit (pichnu's iii()i>, ie nom de ^ou fondalciir, et se nomme aujour-
d'hiii Cahary."'

Early in this century attempts were made at " the old I'.ow r(M't,"
some miles above Caliiary, to found a fur-p(»st amoiii; the fierce tribes
which made this valley their borderland for incessant fi<;htina; — Black-
feet, Kootenays, As-iniltoines, Sarcees, and Crees — all ready to strike at
one another on t!ie sl';i;litest pretext; but the tradeis could not lon<x
endure the strain. Twenty y(.'ars a<iO, or so, a more settkd condition
came about, and the II. i). Co. set up a little tradinp^-house on the bank
of the Elbow (I think the lot; buildinjrs <till stand), and the Mounted
Police built a barracks which iliey named Fm'f Vuhjarii. The police

CALCJAWY AM) THE |{AX( HINT} DrSIMMCT.

157

still occupy their barnicks, Imt tlicy hiivt' f^rowii into a line, largo sta-
tion in the edge of a city, while the H. U. (.'o. has graduated from a shack
intoi»s|)lendid warehouse, now thegeneial dejjot for all tlu' supplies of its
northern depiutinent. The Ulaekfeet and Crees are I'arely si-en iu)wa-
days aroinid Calgary, and the mountain Assinihoines will he ref'.'ired to
later. The Sarcifs have a rese;v;ition just S. of the town, and the few
that arc left of them lounge aljout the streets, or pick uj) odd dollais hy
menial jnhs which they could scarcely get were any better servants t(»
he had; yet these Indians arc a icninant uf a renowned tribe which
has had a cuiious and momentous history.

A branch of the great Chipewyan or Tinne race inhabiting the
banks of the I'eace Kivcr is the tribe '' Mcavers"; and that river bears
its present name from the stubborn ri-sistance this once numerous peo-
|de oti'ered tlu' allcon(|uering Crees — so tliat a peaci' was agreed to at
a council on the shores of this " the great river of the mountains."
This happened an incalculable length of time in flu- pa>t, hut several
gcneratio!is ago a deadly ([mirrel arose, anti the extinction of the tribe
was threatened in the pursuit of family vengi-ance. So a tiuce was
called, aiul one party, of some tio people, agre<'d to separat<' from their
home and seek their fortinie in the vast wilderness lying to the S.
They did so, and were hospitably received by the Hlackf.'ct, «ith whom
they atliliated, but ki-pt pure their own language :iiid traditions, al-
though they lost their nanu' in the new designation S(irr((\ given by
their hosts. Notorious amcmg the wihl hoise-iaideis of the prairies,
they outdid even the iJlackfeet in audacious plundering; and although
the parent stock on the Peace IJiver (esteemed by the Hudson's Hay
n)en the i)est hunters of the fui-eountry) were (piiet and harudess,
these exiles became the tei'ror of the southern plains. Such is Hutlers
testimony, ami all other evidence tallies with it.

The nuiin industry and source of wealth at Calgarv and through-
out the Territory is

Cattle and Sheep Kaiieliin^.

While the whole of the Canadian jilains is suital le ioi' pinducing
horses, beef-cattle, and sheep, the ranchmg industries 1m Imig pecul-
iarly to the western border of these ])lains, where these slope U|i to the
mountains here in All)('rta.

The elevation, about Ji,0(M> ft., and the iimiteil rainfall, conduce to
the growth of short, nutritious grasses, which cure as they statu!, and
furinsh an excellent feed througluuit the winter. These " bu'.ch-
grass " i)lains are provided with a plentiful supply of good water in
lakes, ponds, ami clear streanus. Shelter for stock against winter

n 1
1 M

ir)8

KANCIIINO I\ I'lIK I'OOI •HILLS.

stoniiH is afTnidiMl Ity tlio many cov/irs, (tr drv ravinci*, wliioh, with the
hidkeii cliiiiiu'tci' of the co'.mtiT fit'iicially, |tirv('iit liirs fiDiii siJiead-
\u'^ extensively. There is a eonijiarativc al)seiK'e of snow, due to tlie
(Miiiiooi<s, ()!• diy nioiintain \\inds, whieh ahsoil) it witli aniazinj;
rapidity. In the northern part of AUx'rla jriazin^i eannot lie snecoss-
fidly praelisetl upon a lai-^e seal*', owiui^ to the severity of the wiuter;
for 50 uiiles N. of <'al}::iry, iieveilheless, raiielus liave done faiily
well, espeeially with herx'S, S. of the railway, as far as the //?////-
ii'ttot/ li'ivcr ('_'.") miles), the prairies are reserved l»y liiw for sluvp-lierd-
intr, whieh iiiius the paslurati'e (or aiiylliinfj: else. Kittni Ili<^hwood
Kiver southward to the lioundary stretches the real eattle-ranehinfr dis-
triet of Alheita. The fiont raniic of the Uoeky .Mountains here rises
into lofty and well-di'lined suniuiits. In front of it the enunti'y is liilly
and more or less weoded along a belt fi'oni 15 to liu ndles wide,
throned) whieli a gi'eat lunuher of streauis flow out to the plains, and
eoaddne to swell either the IJelly oi' the How, whieh join to I'oriu the
jfi'oat Si)Utli Sa.skatehewan. IJesides these vigourous streams luany
small lakes oeeur. The mountains and foot-hills are \v(dl wooded, fur-
nishinti plenty (d" tuubcr foi' buildiujis, feiiees, and find, while the
aspen <.'ioves all'ord advantaj^eous shelter for stock in wintei'. Tlie
lit trer rivers eoneentriile K. of tlie foot-hills into deeply doprt'ssed
eliannels, betwi'cn whiih is an undulatin>j; and absolutely treeless jnaiiic
eovi'red everywheie by a short, tliiek jirowth of ,ii;rass, eoinprisinj; a
nuiubei' of sjjceies, l)ut loeaily known undi'r the iL:;eneral name butfalo-
fiji'ass. 'Ihe soil lias proved fertile wherever water eould be applied.
Aloni; the inteiiiational lioundary the eountry is more roiiirh and
elevated, risini: into the Ci/pr(ns JliUs, seen from the ('. P. II., soutli
of Maple ('reek and the Sii<,(f-(/)'<tsc J/il/.s some distanee W. of tlieiii.
The latter attain, in their ct'iitral buttes, to lu'arly (j,."i(M) ft. above the
sea ; and as they are hiuh enough to arrest the clouds and eause a
copious local lainfall, the lu'rbajre there is luxuriant and support.s
large hei'ds of caMle. Froiu their southern slopes Milkliirir flo>vs
down to the Missouri, and tlieie the Americans are faiiiiing and work-
ing gold-plaeeis. Another favouiite district for ranching is in the /eo/-
Iiills towards the headwaters of St. .\f(iri/\s and l'i</ii r Jidlji /iivrrs.
This is not far irom /•'o/7 JA;/>'(«/ and the Plnc/icr ( yrck settlements,
at the entraiu'c to ("row's Nest I'ass. The Porcupine Hills northward
of this also furnish tir.e pasturage.

The ranching indu^try in Alberta is hardly ukuc than In yeais old.
It was begun by '' bulloek-b nous " I'ntm .Nb»ntana, who (Irt)ve small
herds into the Sweet-grass Hills and the Mclicod legion. The favour-
able results of some experiments and the approach of the railway
caused Canadians to lease land from the (Jovenimcnt, then rented in
almost unliudted traits at one cent an acre, and to end):iik heavily in
the business. Py 1885 about 5(),0(>(i cattle, 5,0()0 hoises, and l()",(»(iO
sheep were reported in Alberta, 'i'he latest statistics (l,S!)(t) give the
present figures as— Cattle, ns,(>00; horses, l(),5(i(l; and sheep, 45,(100.
These are inistured upon leased lands covering a total area of nearly
2,800,000 acres.

THE ALUEK'TA CoAL KKOION.

159

The Chinook wiiitl, to wliicli rcfcrciu'c Iins ixcn tiindo, is cmr of
tilt' most stiiKiii;; pliciioiiioiia ol' woiitlicr in tlieso t'oot-liills iiinl for
.some (listiiiu'c M. <»!' tlu-iii out upon tlio plains. It is tlic wurni, diy
wind which in winlor I)h)wi« down liuni the mountains, (piiikly trnipt'i--
inj; tiu' si'vcrity of the occasional great cold, ami at all times alisorhing
the snow with such rapidity lliiit it wastes away almost vi>il)ly when
the lemjici ut'ife is faf too low to permit any n.chiiiir. The cxposiii'e of
the gra» resulting is om- of the mo>t 'Mi|ioitaiit advantaircs of the
roj^ion as a gva/inir district.

'Mils wiiiil was first noticed on the upper ('nlund)ia, and icecivcd
the naiMf "Chinook" hccau-e it seemed to hlow dii'eeily fiom thecoa^t
(d' Ofction inhaliited hy that tiilte. It was not oidy the common ex-
planation given i>y old writeis, hut is yet populiiily lielieved l)y the
plainsmen, that the Chinook l)i'in<rs its wainitli all the way fiom the
Pacific. That it pioduco mil I, char weather, is the fact, l»ut the theoi-y
i«i at fault. The true explanation is to he found in the latent heat set
free by the ccMupic-sion of rir of upon coiideii.-atio!i (d' its moisture.
The pressure in the up|»er regions of the atmos|diere lieiiiu; so much
less than in the lower, a hody of air rising from sea-level to the sum-
mit of a mountain range must e\) and, and this, implying moK'cular
work, results in an absorption of heat and e<inse(pient cooling. The
amount of this cooling is very consideralile in cro>sing mountains as
high as till' Ilockies, a> any one (.'an testify who has felt the c'ill of
tie wind upon their sunnuits. When t!ie air descends ai'ain on the
eastern side of the range, its condensation leads to an increase of
sensit)le heat. The Alps have such a wind, e;dled the /'*r//;/,- and on
the W. i-oast of (Jreenland the tempci'aturc ri>es in winter aImo>t to a
summt-r level, under the iniluence of gales which really come from the
liaU'-frozen Nca'th .\tlaiitic and have i>a-seil over the irlacial l)nt hd'ty
interior of the country. Tlie air on the coast of I5iiti-li ('olumi)ia is
well saturated. In crossing tlu' mountainous inteiior it nuist rise to
(»,U(i(» or 7,<">" ft. and part with most of its moisture. The conse(|nent
loss of heat, aec(U'ding to meteorologists, would amount t(> ls»^ \<\ I'ut
the gain on descent to the level jdains woidd amount to ' :{ K. Taking
the mean suimner temperature of (he coa>I at ali< ut I 'J ('.I.")! F.), and
allo\ving several degrees !'or loss hy radiation, it Iteeoiiics easy to undi-r-
stand how the prairies may he flooded with air nearly as warm as that
of the coast, though it has travelled to them over u re;;ion compara-
tively cold.

The Alberta C oa! Re;;ioif.

The most important of .\ll)ert.i's mitural n sources, next to the
ranching, is the coal which i-^ extensively ( iul)edded in her foot-liills.
The limits of this coal-fi'-hl are only guessj'd at yet, hut apparently it
imderlies the whole southern halt of the Territory, and there is every

Hio

■rilK ALHKIM'A CoAI. i:K(JI<».\.

roasou to Itcliuvi' tliat it rciK-licn iioi'tliWiirtl to the Ixntlfrs of Alaskn.
Tims fur, liowevcr, tlic opciiiiif^s arc all in the soiitliciii liaU" ol' Allii'i'ta,
I'itlicr aloii^ How Kivci' (to a small extent) or about the iicad-watt rs of
tlic Hclly Hivcr, whcic extensive mines are now lieinj; woikod in the
ininieijiate vicinity of

IjHtli bridge* — Tills is a villa^'c of several liiindred people, whii-li is
growin^f int(» a neat and pleasant town, <oon to Ix'eoine tlie inetrepolis
of a lar-.-'e and wealthy raneliin*r and fariiiin^ re|L'ion, as well as the rail-
way and coal-niininji centre. The town stands niainly u|ton the levt 1
l)rairic hordeiiiiif the deep lavine (»f the IJclly lliver, wiiit h is formed
by the jiiiK'tion, in a wide and Iteautiful valley a few mih s al)()ve the
town, of the SI. Murj/'s, upper Jir/fi/, Wuhrlnn, and OA/ Mmi vivei'S.

These are ])owerful streams, that come down out of mountain canons
and are leinforeed by creeks named by Imlians and trajipcrs many
years a;.'o The SI. MarifH comes from <S7. Murii's l.nki just S. of the
iiiti'rnational boundary, which is ri'^arded as one of the uuist attractive
pU'ces ot watei- in the Northwest ; it lies close under the moui, tains,
abounds in trout and other fi-li of marvellous size and pluck, and has
now a snuill hotel upon its shoics, and a steamer for the accommoda-
tion of tishcrnien and hunters who resort to it. Near its head is the
lai'f^e M(>riiio)i settlement about Lrt\ Criik. These Mormons arc
cultivatiufi the land with their usual iniiustry, and are piosperiiif;' and
constantly increasinji'; and as they have ffiven assuiances that thev
propose to obey all the laws, includin<i that a;iainst polyj;amy, Canada
welcomes them as a valuable addition to her |)roduetive population. A
lar<!;c tiaet between the St. .Mary's and Waterton li^'crs is set apart as
the reserve ol the lilond Iiidiinhs, a l)iam'h ( I' the lilaekfoot tribe, who
are surroundt'd by a cordon of posts of the .Mounted I'olice. The \V<i-
tit'tou Rivet' flows out of Wrilrtiott L(iki\ which lies u])on the interna-
tional boundaiy at the foot of the lotty and conspicuous S/ucjt Momif-
a'ni. W. of the lake is Soiil/i Kooli not/ J'((ss,h\ which the Klathcads
tised to come over on their buIVaht-huntinu aiul Ulackfeet liirhtinji ex-
peditions, and Ity which the Hlackfcet would return their amiable visits,
N, of this pass is C/tii/ Afttunliiiii, whose massive, cubical sununit is the
most notable feature ot the southern scinery. N. of lids stiikinjf
endnence, and s(piai'ely W. of Lethbrid>.;'c, is S'nrtJi Knoliiin;! Puss, so
called beca)ise it leads directly to the Kootenay \'alley (sei' p. TlX).
Immediately N. of it, beyond Turtle Mountain, opens C'row's IVckI
Pass, which also leads thi'ouj^h into the Kootenay \'alley, and is the
lowest and best pass in the southern mountains. It has louir been
maintaiiu'd that the Canadian I'acitic made a mistake in not scleetin<i^
that pass for ks transcontinental line, therel»y adopting!; a more south-
erly route than its present one across Hiitish Columbia Whetlier this
be so or not, it is at any rate probable that within a few years a rail-
road will be built through that pass by a route and to a terminus which

THi; Ai.ni'.iMA <(>.\i, i:i:(i[<».\,

ir.i

'11

IIS
II-

will 111- t'X|)liiiiU'(l ill siK'cci'diiin tliiipli'i's. Owl (»!' iliis |)ii>s, iiml I'loiii
Hi'vcriil other iiiniinliiiiitriiiis uoitliwnnl iiiid soutliwui'tl of it. conic the
many "forks'' nmi crccK> whidi (oiiiliiiic to form Olil Mmi Jiii'ir,
which is further swclh'd li\ Wll/mr ('rn/,\ liriiiiiiiit: ilic iiitcicstiii;.' iiiid
prodlU'livf Viillcys ol t'lic /'onitjiiin Hills — ill) clc\;itcil iiiiiss of \Voo(UmI
Imttes and ravines forming' the I'lxii hill.> of the l.ir'niitsliini ruiu/r N. of
the Old Man Iliver.

All tliis heiii'tiliil, Well-watered, ])ictm'es(Hie rejzion at the Itase of
the grandest mountains is aduptv'd either to ^ra/inu' or fanning'', and is
hecoiiiinij; well )io|Mdaled. r.esi(h- Leildiriillic, many little towns ari'
arising', as at old /'or/ MiI.idiI^ on < >ld Man IJivei'; at I'liii-lnt' Crcik, a
farinili;j: settlement iiliove the reserve of the /'I'l/itus; {it /.i<\s Cfrrk,
etc. 'i'liese farmers iind r.inehmen iind n ready loeiil marlscl at Leth-
ltrid;;e, and li\ tln' enmiilelitin of the new lailroiids iire I'ondn^ into close
relalions with eastern and southern markets.

Tlir coal-lM'ds at l.ctlibriduc ure the most easily and syslcniat-
icaliy worked of any in the foot-hill district. 'I'liese deposits, onterop-
pinj; eastwaid to Medieine Hat and the ("y|ire<s Hills, arc all (d' Crc-
taceoiis or Terti;iry auc, and consist of liiznites and trne coals, su|H'ri(H'
in their hest i'orm to those of the Soiiris district in Manitoha. The hist
.seams "ive a fuel containing: a vei'y small |)eri'entii;';e (d' water, form a
strong coke, yield :in nlnnidance of highly lumimms hsdrocarhons, and
precisely resemhle the ordinary liitimdnous cojils of the trne i-oul iiieas-
iircs (("arltoniferoiis). Ahoiit one-third of the product is sent eastward,
i'oi'theiisc <d' locomotives and <rener;il consumption in Canada as far as
Winnipc'fr and Lake Superior, ovei' tin railway from licthhrid^xe to Medi-
cine Hat ( Dimmori'), already referred lo(p. \')'l). A passciiL^er-lrain runs
daily upon this line ( i lo mile- lontj), coniiectini:' w iih the*'. I'. |{. trains.
The remainder of the product is shipped souliiwaiil hy the (Imtt Fulls
iiiid (.\iiiiiihi A'//., ;i line fidui Lcthhrid^i' to the (ireat Falls of the

Missouri, in

Mont

ma, when' i

t connects with the (ireat Northern Rv.

Tlic inarki't thus alVoi'ded hy the smelter<, factories, and cities of
Montana has caused a larire recent (U'Velojunent in the product of tho
mines, and has sliinulnted the whole region. This new road passes
thi'oui:h the pictures(pie couniry de-erilied in ihe preceditiii' parajj^raplis,

IIK

I cl(

Wat

eitiili iiiid

M. M

ir\ s

11 runs a daily passeii-

ger-tiain, and round-trip tick(>ts are is<ued liy uhich a ]»erson may tro
out over the ( '. I'. II. ami l)ack v" thi- route throULdi the I'nitcd
States ((iri'at Noithern Ity. to St. Paul), or vice versa. A hrancli of tlic
(', I*. 1{. .soiitlni'itvil froiii Cdh/nrii lo /'orl M< Ltod and Lillihrhlin\
11

vxx\

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25

If liM |||2^

''-' iU 1 2.2

it; lii i^
:- lio |||||2o

1.8

U IIIIII.6

«%

Hiotographic

Sciences

Corporation

73 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. MS80

(716) 873-4503

162

ON TltK NOKTII SASKATCHEWAN.

passing alung the base of tlie Porciipiiu' Hills, will he operated
this summer. These N. and H. roads ofVer not only a most interest-
ing and picturesque side-trip to the traveller, but {^ive the sportsnuin
access to a region of the highest possil)i]ities. Upon and among the
mountains, whose doors are opened by every water-course, are elk,
moose, deer, earibou, Roeky Mountain sheep and jioats, panthers, grizzly,
black, and brown bears, lynxes, wolves, ete., while water-fowl abound
upon many of the lakes, and several varieties of grouse may be found
in the forests. Trout crowd every stream, and various other fishes are
to be had in the lakes.

On the North SaMkatchcwnii.

The opening of the Cah/nrii ainf Kdnionton lii/. to Fort Edmonton,
200 miles N., has brought within the range of the adventurous travel-
ler the whole of the fur-eountries. He may now, without any special
preparation, go straight to and far within the Arctic t'ircle by several
routes.

This new railroad, first (tpeiied in 1801, runs N. some 7r) miles over
high prairie, whence a fine view of the lofty mountains around l)(!vils
Lake (see p. 187) is obtained. This is a ranching region of much
promise, l)ut of little populati<m. The road then enters the valley
of the Red Deo'y a strong river emptying into the South Saskatchewan
76 miles below Medicine Hat, which is crossed through a broken and
wooded valley. The line then eontinues along the oltl wagon-road
through a sparsely settled and much f»roUen region of alternate bare
uplands and wooded valleys, ci'osses /iaff/c liivvi' near the Jivor Hillx,
where there are a number of Indhm reserves and vast natural hay-
fields. Large tracts of agricultural and hay land extend N. of this
river, with inci-easing woodiuess, until the North Saskatchrwun is
reached and crossed at Fort Edmonton.

The North or illaiii SaNkatchcwaii comes front a glacial lake
far within the Kocky .Mountains, close under latitude 52 \ It finds an
exit through llowiic /'<^^,s•, of which the vast peaks Lyell on the N. and
Murchison on the S. arc the pillars. Other streains come to swell
it from Mts. Hooker, .Molar, etc. — the highest summits in the CW-
dillera.

The Saskatchewan was the highway which led exploration and
trade into the fur-country. As early as 17f)2 one of the Verandryes
ascended the river and established the trading-post Forf d Im Come,
where the S. branch comes in below Prince Albert. Whether he
went higher and built his "Fort .lon({uiere" in the foot-hills, or

ON TIIK NORTH SASKATCHEWAN.

163

wlicther ir was the S. I*riinc1i which thif bt)l«l trader ascended t<)
winter qnarters on the site of Calf^ar}', no one seems to know with cer-
tainty ; but, at any rate, Fort Jonciuiere did not hist long. Half a
century later (1798) the Northwest Tompany sent John McDonald of
Garth, to erect a post in competition with the II. H. and X. Y. Cos.,
which had e.Uablished themselves in fortitied (piarters on the present
site of Edmonton, lie built a third stockade, wliich he named Fort
AugiixtuH ; but when the present Fort Kihnontoti was built and so
named has escaped my researches so far. In 1802 McDonald of Garth,
"determined to build farther up towards the njountains, in order to try
and meet a new tribe of natives, the Coutcnais," and erected, at the
entrance to Ilowse I'ass, Jxoch/ Mt. IIohkc^ which is still occupied.
Whether the Kootenays came, I do not know. The IJlackfeet and
frees did ; and as this was on the l)orderland between the two, the post
became (me of the most perilous, as well as profitable, of all the frontier
stations.

Somewhat similar conditions existed around Fort Edmonton, near
which, however, there gradually concentrateii a permanent settlement
of whites and half-l>reeds. " Lawlessness has i)assed away," says
Macoun, writing in 1881, "and although the stockade is still around
the f(Mt, the guns still in the bastions, and the great gate and wicket
are closed at night, the fear of Indians, like the bullalo, has passed
away, and only the II. W. Co.'s oHicials recall the time, scarcely 10
years since, when the Hlackfeet and Sarcees made night hideous with
their fearful yells and threatenings." Macoun goes on to speak of the
various churches, the several stores well stocked with goods, the saw-
mills and grist-mills sullicient for the community, the coal and iron
which ai'e mined near town, the gold taken from the river-bars, the
fertile farms and large timber, and can find but one thing to com-
plain of — the poor steamboat service upim the river ! Nine miles W.
of Edmonton was St. Alhrrt A*. (J. AfiK,sio)i, the seat of a bishopric, hav-
ing a eathe(lnil, three-story buildings, and all the appointments of a
well-furnished ecclesiastical stati(»n. It was established by the cele-
brated Pore Laeomb in LS.-iS, and later was the seat of Hishop Gran-
din. Yet all of this, and a great deal nuire, was then separated from
Winnip«'g and civili/.ation by 900 miles of wilderness, traversed only
by a cart-ti-ail !

The term F]dinoiitoii now stands for the whole district, although
specifically applied to the thriving town which has groivn up on the
northern bank of the river, a little distance below the fort on the bluff.
This fort still stands, and is the only example of a stocka<led fur-post
which can now be reached by a railway. (Mimatc and soil as good as in
Manitoba combine to render agriculture a success in all this region.
Settlements are extending themselves ahmg the river down to and
around Battffford, and recent investigations northward, espectially about
Lie fa IMw (which is filled with wliitefish), show that fanning may

164

INTO THE FAR N(UtTTI.

be extended in favourable localities even to the shores of Lesser Slave
Lake and I'eaee River.

ill

Into the Far North.

A hinnlred miles N. of the sotirces of the Saskatchewan the mount-
ains are l)roken, between the mighty peaks llmhr and lirown, by a
deep defile which leads over to the great bend of the Columbia. This
is called Athnhnnca Pum because in it is the souice of the Athabasca
River, which gives its name to the whole region. The small stream
is swollen by a sec<md, pouring out of YeUomhcad J*i(sn, another gap
nearly a hundred miles N., whose western outflow forms the source
of the Fraser. From these passes, through both of which are old trails
to the I'iicific slope, the Athabasca flows \. E., pamllel witii the young
Saskatchewan, until it reaches a point N. of Fort Edmonton, when it
turns sharply northward and makes its way througii hundreds of miles
of forests to Lake Athabasca. Far away to the N. of Yellowhead Pass,
within the mountainous interior of IJritish Coluinl>ia, rises a third great
watercourse — Peace River — which makes its way 800 miles N. W. to
add its quota to the Mackenzie. Lake Athabasca discharges through
the Great Sfavc River (the reader must keep the map before him), and
that pours N. W. through the iHackenzie into the Ai-ctic Ocean near
Alaska. All of these are highways. It is now possible to travel in a
single season to the remotest interior of the " (Jreat Lone Land."
Trading-posts and mission stati<ms are scattered along all the rivers
and ui)on many lakes. Steamers run upon every large watercourse.

and trained canoeists, or pack-traitis of liorses, or dog-sledges, or Indian
carriers over mountain trails, will enable you to pursue your journey
where navigation fails.

From the railway termimis at Fort Edmonton it is only 96 miles by
a good road to Athabttucn Law/inff^ on Athabasca Hiver. Freight
teams are constantly passing back and f(M-th, and will carry passeitgers
and baggage. From the landing the II. \i. Oo.'s steamer Athabasca
makes frecpient trips in summer down to the (rratul linphh^ lf»8 miles
below. (The same steamer also runs up the river (58 miles to LHlIc
Slat'e lihrr, and up the latter stream several miles. From this point it
is 60 miles to Lesser Slave Lake, and about 60 miles al(»ng it to the Hud-
S(m's Bay post, whence it is 76 miles by cart-trail to J*e<fce liiver Land-
ing.) The Grand Rapids are 83 miles long, and are run by small
steamboats to Fort AfcAfurrai/, from which there is almost uninter-
ruptetl navigation to the Arctic Ocean. The II. H. Co.'s steamer (r'ra-
hame, a large, flat-bottomed, stern-wheeled boat like all the rest, runs

INTO THE FAR NoftTH.

165

lihnxra
miles
Utile
|()int it
Hml-
I Land-
small
liintor-
arn-
runs

in this part of the waters. From Fort MrAfnrraff down to and across
Lake Atlmbasca to Fort C/npeiVf/on, just below its outlet, is 194 miles.
This is still important, and forwards supplies to a wide range of niore
distant posts. Below it the steamer runs 102 miles down (Jreat Slave
River (which is now often spoken of as the Lower Peace) to the head
of Fort iSviith liaphla, where there is a post and Roman Catholic mis-
sion upon a gravelly ridge, and where freight is hauled in waggons 14
miles over a portage-road to the foot of the rapids. The I'eace is
navigable above Fort Smith for steamers of 3 to 4 ft. draught for 557
miles, but the service is scarce and uncertain. Relow Fort Smith the
powerful steamer WrUj'ni servos the posts along the Mackenzie. One
hundred and st-venty miles of navigation of the Lower Peace or tJreat
Slave River, which is more than a mile wide and flows through a
swampy, timbered country, brings you to C^reat Slave Lake, a body
of water as large as Lake Winni])eg, having 500 miU-s of navigable
channels. On the S. sliore, near the river entrance, is Fort licmlution^
a Hudson's Hay post and missicm of the Anglican and Roman Catholic
churches. The outlet across the lake gradually contracts into the
Carand or Mackenzie River, which flows l,5o(» miles to the Arctic
Sea, and, with the exception of some shallows near its head, is navi-
gable for vessels drawing 7 ft. down at least as far as the delta, liy
sailing to the northeastern end of (Jreat Slave Tiuke, a sh()rt portaige
would enable one to launch a canoe in Back River and float down
through the "barren grounds" to Victoria Sound. .\ot many posts
are now maintained on the Mackenzie. Just below the lake is Fort
Proritfciicr, but after that none for 158 miles to Fort Simjfson, situated
on an island Just below the entrance of the Liard River.

The liiard or Motiutdut Jiiver — for originally only one of the
upper forks was known by the former name — is the Mackenzie's largest
tributary. It rises in the northeastern corner of liritish Columbia, and
flows E. for about JJOO miles and then N. for 250. Its branches ap-
proach so near those of the Peace or Frazcr Rivers on the S., and its
source is so near tiiat of the Yukon on the \., that there is a regidar
canoe route along its head- waters between Rritish Columbia and the
Athal)asca coimtry to the Lewes, Pelly, and upper Yukon Valley.
The Liard is navigable for small steamers from its mouth up to Fort
Liard, nearly 200 miles, lielow Fort Simpson the Mackenzie is a mile
wide, and a range of mountains parallel with it on the E. breaks the
tiresome levelness of the shores. Fori Writjlfti is a post 134 miles
below Fort Sim{»son, and 180 miles l)elow that comes Fort \itrtiiati, at
the mouth of the outlet of (iriat limr Lake. The Rocky M<Mn\tains
are visible all along here, and at Fort Norman are only 20 miles away.
The river is now much more than a mile wide and is filled with islands,
and this continues down to Fort Good Hope, 17(^ miles, near which is a
sort of cafion known as The Rampnrtn. About 200 miles below this,
Peel Jiiver comes in from the \V. to join the Mackenzie in making the
delta which conducts this Mississippi of the north to the Arctic Sea.
A few nnles up Peel River stands Fort McPhcrson, in latitude 65° 30',
the most northerly civilized settlement on the continent. From Fort

166

ENTERING URITIBH COLITMBIA.

McPhcr.«on a route by canoes and portages extends over the Rocky
Mountains, which there exhibit very grand scenery, along the Trout,
IJell, and Porcupine Rivers (or across and down the Tat-on-duc) to the
valley of tlie Yuko7i. In this valley, inside of Canada, a large number
of miners are washing for gold, and small steamers run up<m the river
and lakes. From the Yukon the coast of Alaska can be reached by
well-known mountain trails, or the adventurer can make his way south-
ward by way of the Liard and Peace riveis as already noted.

A large part of this whole northern country is suitable for agri-
culture, stock-raising, and other industries. V^ast areas in the Peace
and Athabasca valleys are good farming laiuls. Dr. (i. M. Dawson
says the valley of the upper Yukon abounds in gold, and is as suitable
for habitation as many portions of the Old World which support large
populations. William Ogilvie, D. L. S., whose valuable reports of his
scientific journey through that region have been studied in pn-paring
the last few paragraphs, says that the whole valley of the Mackenzie
even to its delta is adapted to cultivation so far as the alluvial lands
extend, and comi)ares its climate and capabilities to Finland. Coal,
iron, petroleum, bitumen, gold, mica, and other valualile minerals arc
known, and those who understand the great Mackenzie basin best as-
sert that, in the time to come, it will sustain a population of millions of
prosperous people.

BRITISH COLUMBIA.
Across the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

The Foot-hills and Bow River («ap«

Tiiii; interest of the mountains beghis for the traveller on the rail-
way as soon as he leaves Calgary and enters the fool-hills. The rail-
way makes its way along tlu; southern side of the Boii<, with the hills
that border the Elbow in sight scuithward, and Kose IHU northward,
but far away. Presently the How is crossed, and its northern bank is fol-
lowed upon the lowest of the terraces of local morainal gravel which
border the river along its course through the foot-hills. No trees ap-
pear except a narrow fringe at the edge of the water, which races
swiftly past, clear and cold. Cochrane (altitude, 3,712 ft.) is the sta-
tion for the oldest of the ranches ; and 4 miles farther arc coal-mines,

TIIK BOW RIVKK (JAP.

167

which are about to be developod m(>re oxtt'iisivt'ly. T\\c fool-hills are
now fairly entered, and they be^in to be thinly wooded on this side of
the river, tlKtu^h bare of trees or bushes on the S. side baek to where
we can see the forests of the hi^'her sl(H)es. Tributaries come down
froH) the hills at short intervals, and up their valleys we pet glimpses
of further prassy knolls, and wooded hollows with prand white peaks
beyond. At the niocth of Cochrane Creek, -i ndles above the station,
the IJow is reeoven-d, and the railway luns upon the top of the first
terrace alon<; its southern bank until Kaniinaskis is reached. Radnor
is another station for stock-raisers, just S. of tl>e Wildcat Hills.

Just W. of these hills frhosf fih'rr comes in from the foot of Det'irs
//end, that remarkable pillar-like i)eak northwestward, which forms so
citnspicuous a landmark from far out on the plains, and which overlooks
Devils Lake. Dead Man's Creek is its name on all the earlier maps,
but this appellation is only another way of expressing one idea, namely,
that the river is haunted i)y the jjhost of an ancient chii-f, who often
revisits on horseback the scene of his death and rides up an<l down
the gloomy banks. This is the story the Assiniboines tell. When the
Hlackfeet, who are comparatively new-comers to this i t'jrion, found tlu^
river, they called it Opskoonakag, which simply refers to the rapids in
its lower gorge. The old cart-trail from Calgary to Morley made its
way down to the water by a deep incline well rememb«'red by old travel-
lers, and the scene of many, even fatal, casualties.

Crossing Chiniquy's (^eek, JWorleyville (altitude, 4,033 ft.) is
reached — the station for the Morley mission and agency among the
Assiniboines, or "Stonies ; " 2 miles northward.

These Indians are in reality a portion of the great Sioux or Dakota
tribe of the Assiniboines, who formerly occupied the valley of the
Souris and Assiniboine Rivers in Manitoba and the adjacent banks of
the Missouri, where a remnant is still located (see p. 1 !'_*). The present
name "Stonies" is therefore simply a translation of this. They came
here only some 50 years ago, being crowded westward by the Crees,
and have greatly dwindled. These Indians were long ago reached by
VVesleyan missionaries, and were taught the gospel and a certain amount
of civilization. Many of them have the rudinuMits of an English educa-
tion. They are indefatigable hunters of tlie mountain animals, and
have been of mucli assistance in ex[>loration, since tlnry knew all the
passes and had the endurance ami experience necessary in climbing
about these rugged heights. Their reservation occupies a large area
on both sides of the How, and glimpse:^ mav be caught of their well-
tilled farms about the agency at S/ot'lcii, which was founded by the
Rev. (leorge McDougall, of Edmonton, who passed a life of great use-
fulness as a missionary to the Indians of the upper Saskatchewan, and
perished in the winter of 1875, near Morley, while on a visit to the

if;8

TirK HOW RIVKK (JAP.

misHion. The buryinp-poiind of these Indiium, with its odd mixtiiro of
ChriHtian and papin einhloiiis and its harharic* ortnunoiits, is oiu> of th«>
curiosities of the rojiion. Thrcn- miles above tlie iif^cMicy, on that side
of the river, is the site of tlie Xortliwost ('onipany's old How Fort.

Most deli<{litful and inspirin<; glimpses of the nioiintains arc to be
obtained all alonfr, but after Morleyville has been passt-d the hills open,
and we can look far up a broad river-fioin^e into the very heart of the
great Alps — hu^e alcoves between whiie-top|H'd peaks, filled to the
brim with eeridean Viipors woven into a possauier veil of rose-tint and
gold by the summer sunshine, save where the violet shadows of the
cliffs fall massive and angular across the vale. The transcendent
beauty of these ever-present mists, which on sunny days dissolve the
mountains here, as they rarely do elsewhere, transfoi-nis the stern and
forested heights into a celestial, cloud-like, and uiuval ideality, which it
is hard to associate with substantial stone and chilliu}:; i«'e, such as pre-
sents itself so clearly noilhward ; these, we say, are masses of pure opal.

The KmiannshiH is a powerful stream tlowinji out of the lofty
glacier-fed Kannnnskis f^drs, about 25 miles (in a straifrlit line) south-
ward. These lakes lie upon the continental watcr-shed, and also form
the sources of the AV/' Iih>n\ which flows southward and then west-
Ward more than lOt) miles to the Kootenay, of which if is the most im-
portant feeder. The name was <;iven ))y ('apt. John Palliser, who was at
the head of an expediticm sent out by the Hritish (Jovertunent, in 1857,
for the exploration of passes throuirh the Kocky Mountains practicable
for a waggon-road or railway-line, lie was accompanied h\ Dr. (now Sir)
James Hector, a geologist of eminence, and present Director of the(ieo-
logical Survey of New Zealand ; M. Hourgeuu, a botanist ; Capt. Hlakis-
ton, of the Royal Artillery; and for short periods by various Hudson's
Bay officers and other assistants. Their work included an examination
of almost all the passes between the plains and the Columbia and Ko<»-
tenay valleys, and S. of latitude 52°, was very thoroughly dime. One of
Palliser's trips was to the lakes at the head of the Kananaskis, and he
grows enthusiastic over the beauties of the locality, which was a favour-
ite resort of the Kootenay Indians, who came thither by an obscure pass
to hunt elk on its islands. The old Indian trail to the lakes and the
pass crosses the Bow at a point near .Morley station, and follows Chini<|uy
Creek to its source before striking ovei- to the Kananaskis. A branch
trail leads over to the sources of the Elbow.

Half a nule above the mouth of the Kanaiutskis the How River
drops in a very beautiful cataract of 40 ft. called Kanaiiaskin Fall)^,
between great walls. The train doe-s not pass within sight of them,
but they are well worth a visit if opportunity serves. Kananaskis sta-
tion (altitude, 4,170 ft.), where the railway crosses again to the north-

htki!(;titrk of thk Canadian iwkjkikh.

•7,
le

ncli

ver
Is,

■cm,
sta-
i-th-

ern bank, is the si-enc of Itimltor-n.aking operations, and stands just at
the foot of the real limestone mountains, which here rise in preeipitous
and roeky aeelivities above the ro«nnled and wooded foot-hills. North
ward is the broad f^roup ealh'd Fairholme — a part of the easternmost
or front ran^e of tlw lioekies, ending in (imtto Monntnin, whieh seems
to block up the way ahead. An old trail lends up to one of its s|)urs
and affords a most thrillin<; prospect of the mountains, the glorious
};or<;»' of the Kananaskis, and a wide extent of open country eastward.
On the left, the lesser ^roup of siunmits named I'hjnni Mountain occu-
pies the trianjrie between the IJow and tlie Kanamiskis rivers. The
cHft'-faeed foot-hills of tlu'se two press towai'ds one another, leaving
a narrow fjorfje, throu<;h which the river has cut a canon-pathway,
with only sufficient room for the railway to run beside it. The geolo-
gist will perceive nuuiy marks of glacier-ploughing here. Two large
p<md8, collected behind daujs of detrital matter, and culled fj^ie den
Area, are skirted, and then the defile contracts into a mere portal,
where the roar of the hampeied torrent and the echoing noise of the
train resounds from wall to wall, and little is visible except the river
and the overhanging cliHs. This dramatic introduction to the nuanit-
ains is the Bow River <»ap, and, having passed it, we are fairly
within their precincts.

(■eiieral Faf't*'. rrlatiiig to the Canadian Rociiics.

The Hocky Mountains in Canada differ very considerably in history
and structui-e from those of Colorad*! ami Montana. Evidently these
are not granite ridges, such as rise with easy sloping into the ntassive
domes aliout Pike's or Fremont's Peaks in the I'nited States, nor cones
characterizing volcanic areas like the Sierra San Juan of Colorado, or
some of the elevations on the Pacific coast. They are trememlous up-
lifts of stratified Cambrian and Carlxmiferous rocks, which have been
broken out of the crust of the globe and heave(l aloft l»y some force
acting underneath, with extraordinary disturbance and flexure of the
strata, even to the extent of turning masses of beds thousan<ls of feet
thick and miles in extent com|»letely upside down. Such chaos looks
eataclysmal, and it is hanl to believe it to be of slow production, yet
nowhere can any primitive crystalline rocks be found, and there seems
to be no doubt that the whole system was lifted subsccpient to the
laying down of rocks of the Laramie age, at the end of Cretaceous
time.

170

HTKlUrrUKK OF TMK CANADIAN K<H'K1KH.

" Tlic tjijM' of tnoiintaiu slvHcture most prevnlent is tlmt of the pscnrp-
iiU'Dt, witli clirtH on one wide and lonj: slopoH on tlu" other. Tlu' cliiTs
on tliirt wide nlinost always face wcstwaid, while on the other side of
the central ran^?e (he dij) of the slopes is reversed, and (he steep side is
towards the Coluinhia. As (he esearpinents j'xhihit (he edtre of (In;
limestones of which nios( of the ridjjes are eoniposed, (heir t^lopes are
determined hy the slant of (he stutta, in which ease inclined surlaces
of rock, almost as hare as (he mure alirupt, outward-faclnt: clilVs, are
often presented." A jiood example ol (his is KiindleV Peak, and a more
extreme ease is Seen in the Opal and Sawhack mountains, where (he
limestones have be«'n (nriicd completely on edi^^e and have crundded
away in so many places as to leave a saw-likc outline al(in<f (heir crest.
" Where the mountain-tctps are formed ol nearly horizontal lu'ds of
the nnissive limestones, as not infrcjpiendy happens, (lie easy disinte-
gration of tlies*' rocks alon^' jointa^c-phines, at rigli( anj^les (o (he ht'd-
ding, produces summi(s wi(h very strikinjr forms, of which (he upper
parts are almos( sheer clilfs, ofl«'n of veiy f.'ri'al hei;.di(. The conspicu-
ous Mock-like summit of Chiel Mountain (visihie from Leddtridue) is a
good ins(anee of this type, . . . and Oastle Moimtain, on How River,
with its long rangt-s of vertical, ranipar(-like clittV. \ later stage in
decay of mountains of (his type |)r()duccs cliimneys or s|)ire-like peaks,
such as the index-like pinnacle at the southern end of Castle Mount-
am.

TYrn culiiihiatiiHj jto'ml ill Inii/ht of (lie Canadian Rockies is alaait
the r>2d parallel of la(i(ude, where Mounts Hrown, Murchison, and
Hooker tower above all rivals to repiUed alti(udes of ir»,(1(>(» and Hi,«MK)
ft. Between that norlherly region and (he Uni(ed Sta(es boundary,
however, tliere is an area of depression, in which the loftiest peaks do
not exceed r2,(»00 ft.. Mount Lefroy (ll,(>r)S ft.) being (he highest seen
from the railway. Many, however, exceed lo,()0o ft., and many more
will be added to (he first class in point of height when the Alpine areas
in the rear of the liow range and W. of the Elk Kiver have been ex-
plored. The line at which (indier ceases to grow is about 7,000 ft.,
and the line of perpetual snow may be said to lie about 1,<»()0 ft. above
that; but this limit nnist be drawn very micertainly, since slopes and
peaks far higher (han this are always free from snow in summer
(though it may fretjuently fall lightly there even in .July), while else-
where bodies of never-melting snow and masses of ice descend <pn(e to
and even below the edge of the forest. More snow will be found on
the Selkirks than in the Rockies, and more on the western slojjc of the
latter than on the eastern. This is due, of course, to the greater pre-
cipitation of moisture over the western flank of the mountains, whieli
has an earlier chance at the moisture-laden clouds coming from the

now 141 VKK VA.IJ.Ky.

171

Pacific. Description of the ran<;e9 W. of the Fm.sor Valley will lie ile-
fcrrud until they are reached in the coiirae of travel.

BookH of Reference upon British Colunibin :

Cox. Afircntunn on f/ip f'fttutnMa /{ii'ir. London, 1K.H1. IVrnonal exiM'rl-
enct'H of a fiir-trndrr. from ISll fo 1S17. fci'iniii}; witli Indian lalcH and advcnturcn.

T.KNNAiti). Tnii'i/s jii Itntixh f'lJiti/tfthi. London, 18.*C.

Kank. Wtiiitfirhif/Mof'iiii.irfisffn Xorffi Amerivii. London, IH.^)). Infcr-
CHtin^' and valualtlc. t's|)«rially as to Indian life.

M( DoNAi.i). liiil'iKh '.'nliiinhiii. London, iHiW.

Maynk. Four yKtrxin UHfMi Co/i/ntfthi. London, IWW. A <-ai)ital ucn-
cral account l>y an KntrliHii naval ottlrcr, with illiiHtrationx, of tin- early mull to
the Frawer Hiver t.'o!d di^'irin^s, and the L'eneral state of the country.

I'AM.isKit. /{f/MHfs.ffr., of Frp/orafioii of'ffif /{(x-ki/ Mouitfdh'i^. IWWJ. An
Kiiylinh >)lne-l)ooi<. l{nre.

Mil TON and ('MKAni.K. 7'fif North ii'fxt /'tinMffc hy Lanit. London, WV>.
PictureHpu! advi-nturen in the nortliern interior.

Si'KoAT. ScDiM mill StiiiliiH of SiiriKje Lift. London, 1S<W. The Ir'hI ac-
count lip to that time, and in ueiieral. of the nativ«>H of Vancouver Island.

I'ooi.K. Qiiei-ti Charlofti Mutils. London, 1H7:;J.

Swan. ImlidiiH of /frifMi ('ofimihia (llaidas). Smithsonian Collections,
vol. xxi. July, 1874. Also many painplilets on Indians, fisheries, etc.

St. .loiiN. Th<- Sfdof MoiiiitaiitK. London, 1H77.

SciDMOKc:. AluHka dn<l the Sitkan Arc/n/>tl<t(fo. Boston, 188.').

Symons. Kramhiafion, of the I'pjh-r Cmionblu Hirer. Washinjjton, 1883.
Exploration by an ennineer dttlcer, I . S. A., with many details and ma|)s.

Lkk. JiritMi Coluntfnu, 1SS7. London and New Vork, 1HH7.

(iKKKN, Key. W. S. Among the Selkirk (ilwUrs. London, 18(K).

Unitkd Statks IlYDitoiiHAi'iiic Ofpkk. Coont of HiitMi ColinnlAa. Wash
injiton, 18i»l. I'harts and sailing directions.

See also the IJxf of liookx on p. 101, and the histories of many yoya;;es to the
coaot ill early times, hucIi as those of Cook, Meaies, Vancouver,' etc.

()
n
e

Bow River Valley.

The CJap (altitude, 4,198 ft.) is the statkm at the western end of
the canon, and just within the mountains. Pigeon Afoitntnin (altitude,
7,815 ft.) lies eastward, and Grotto to the N. — the southern outpost of
the Fairholine range. Immediately beyond the Gap the railway turns
northward up the straight and spacious valley of the How. New and
more magnificent mountains arc all arotmd us, and we are now close
underneath the snows which have been guiding us for a hundred miles.
The massive heights that dominate the valley are loaded with it, though
it is full midsummer at our feet. Snow is hvaped upon their backs, is
sprinkled upon their brows, emphasizing the ledge-lines of stratifica-
tion and every furrow up(m their aged faces. In each gorge between
the summits hangs a long white stole over the sombre grey of the
mountain's robe, its fringe lost among the trees ; but when such gorges
are at the very top they often end at the brink of a cliff a couple of
thousand feet or so high, and then the snow which half fills them must

172

now Kivi-;u VAr.i.KY.

break off H(|uiin'ly, inlilinpr itn thicknoHs of imiy he two or ihrco hnii-
(IrtMl i'cct to the lici^'lit of till' clitV, or prrlmps ovcrliinij^'int: it in u
mighty cowl that soiii" <liiy will Inpsf, with an i choih;^ shock, into the
abyss. At the loot ol the valley, as we lo»»k back southeastwanl, can
be seen the distant eoiie of .\/nniif Mdhnniull (\H^;\in) ft.) Itexond the
Kaiianaskis, to which there is a trail ; miiicIi nearer, on (he ri^ht, is
W'hiif MoHulti'ni (\^\U)^) It.), nearly hiilinjr a second still loftier peak
in the rear. All these mountains were named by |{oiir<.'(>aii in iHTtN,
the last <»n account of (he wreaths of clouds continually writliin'4 altont
its apex, as thou<:h in a steady ;.:alc. Wind Mountain was ascended in
IHyo by W. S. Drewry, I). \,. S., who found its to|) uttainable only by a
circnitons route (liroii<rh White Man's I'ass, and after a " lonjr, hard, and
rather dan<;erous climb." This .Lri^;'antic mountain slopes down at the
rif^ht into a deprcssl<»n masked by a projectiii}.' spur diiltbcd the //w//'.v
llviitl, and northward (d' it, just at oui- rij:lit hand as we look back, rises
strai;iht from the valley's rim that superb trio of peaks called the
Three SI>iterN. They overhan<:; us in terrific precipices laden with
snow, an<l separateil by hu^«' alcoves in whli'li <:or<;('ous colouring lies
en<;idfe<l, transfijiurinj; most beautifully the altermile layers of rock
and snow. The tonj^ues of tree-};rowth ascending; the j.'ulehes, the broken
outline of the ledj^es, an<l the cascades that rattle down the nuuiy preat
raviiU'S, momentarily put »»n some new phase of tint or outline as the
li;j;ht varies or we alter our position. Soon wi- are in front of Mmnil
h'nmlfc, a continuous part (dfhis superb sej-ond rampart of the IJockies,
carried still farther northward by Casrni/r Moniiloiit. The contrast
between this rampart on the W. and the Fith'hi>hiir rninfr oppo-
site is very marked. There, instead of hifih craps and promontories
loaded with snow and "spiked with firs," the strata, tilted at a steep
angle, are broken edgewise along the top into a series of three-cornere<l
points like the teeth of a saw ; and the triangle characterizes all the
lines of this range (of which we see the rear), as the cube stamps the
other, whose face is exposed. This great grou|) is penetrated by deep
and ample valleys, ami in its centre is a considerable basin, shut in on
all sides, except towards the \., by high cliirs, ami rising at one point
into a lofty platean, which is the drainage centre of the district. Old
Indian trails traverse it in several directions.

Though the How Valley above the Gap is generally wooded, it
opens here and there into small prairies, upon one of the largest of
which, formerly known to the Assiniboines as the "Prairie where thej

1
1

<
1

■

' -^'^^^^^^^^^H^^^^l^^^l

,*fT,-.;

jfr

BOW RIVKR VALLEY.

173

shot the Little ]*ine," has been built the villajie of ('Hiiiiiorc (altitude
of station, 4,1^52 ft.), the most inipoitunt place in railway operation
between Medicine Uat and Donald. The fishing in the Bow River,
half a mile from the station, is most excellent, two kinds of trout being
taken in abundance. The shooting is generally good. Grouse and
prairie chickens are to be had in the valh'v, doer in the glens, and
sheep and goats up(m the mountains. Sportsmen will be able to find
good accommodations in the village. Immense (piantities of coal are ex-
posed on the western slope of the valley, and preparations for extensive
miidtig coking works are now being made, iiiiiiroving the town. Not
far away is a warm sulphiu' spring. A group of red conglomerate rocks
on the (»ld trail, half a mile behind the station, stHud out of the yellow
hiil-side like weather-wjrn monuments, and are regarded as great curi-
osities.

The scenery around ('anmore is exceedingly strikiiig and beautiful.
T!u( great feature of the landscape is the massive 'J'/orr Si.sfct\s group,
westward. The highest and nearest, as you look from the station, is
a sharp lesiniiig cone (9,704 ft.); the second is more upright and l)lunt;
the third a great irregular, S(iuarish mass. All are half concealed by
snow, which extends far down towards their conjoined base, for they are
only summits idong a huge ridge; but there are many precipices, sheer
rocks, anil jutting pediments wlicjc the snow caniutt hold on in sum-
mer, and these are purple-black in colour while the slopes bt-low are
often a rich brown, where the forest is thin or has been l)urned. re-
lieved by the rich green of fresher woods and bushy places. One of
these forest-patches, on the lowest foot ridge at the tarthest end of the
Three Sisters, is called the Jii(U\ Jlmd, and is poiiited out to all tour-
ists as a cuiiosity in resenddances. The woods there grow up the hill-
side in the form of a sturdy bovine lace — horns, «'ar>, dewlap, and all.
There is an expression of alertness, and you half believe that if you
should walk a little way down the track you might see the fore-(juarters
of the colossal animal just behind the edge of tlie nearest hill. Farther
E. the nuignificent sunnnit of Wind Mountain looms uj), with a very
sharp pinnacle on its southern side. I'igeon, (Jrotto, and thi- Fairholme
ridges make a jagged line along the E., sweeping far northward.

The deep notch opposite (,'anmore, just N. of the Three Sisteis, and
separating it from Mt. Rundle, is the entrance to \Vhit< M<in\ /'oss,
through which a trail zigzags its way across to the Kootenay. A rapid
ascent from the Bow of about 50(1 It. biings you to a cave, of no great
extent, for which the Indians h.;ve a superstitious regard, and tell some
weird stories at their camp-fires; and 500 ft. more takes you out into
the valley behind the Thiee Sisters, whence a little stream leaps north-
ward down to the Spray at the hea.l of the valley visible from liaujf
Hotel (see p. 177). The trail turns southward, however, and after a
time makes its way over to Trdut Lake (p. 179), beyond which it fol-

174

now RIVKR VALLEY.

lows a transverse cut throtif^li mountains of remarkahio height and
pieturesqjioness to the very wild canon in which the summit is reached,
at r>,8(H» ft. altove tlie sea. Thence Cross Kiver is followed westward
down to the Kootenay, beyond which the extraordinary break of Sin-
clair's Pass makes a passaj;e to the Columbia near the lower of its
head-lakes.

White Man's I'ass was so called by the Assiniboines because it was
taken by a party of immi^nints in 1841, under the jruidance of an In-
dian named Hras Croehe. Sir (leorj^e Simpson, who the same year
traversed Simjison's Pass (see p. 185), continued his journey throufrh
Sinclair Pass; and four years later tl»e eminent missionary De Smet
came over from the Kootenay Valley to Pow Kiver and thence to the
plains by this route; it is from the erection by him of a cross on the
water-shed that Crosa Iiivrr derives its name. To jxeoloj^isls this pass
is interestinj; and valuable, since its deej) cuttin<rs expose remarkable
8ecti(»ns of the niiiny ranjics it bisects; and the casual traveller may
note in its very entrance, here at C'anmore, the extraordinary synclinal
foldin<; of the Cretaceous rocks which have bei-n bodily overturned by
the enoruKtus pivssure from the southwestward to which they were once
s»ibjected. " The total thiekm'ss of Cretaceous rocks actually known
to bo represented in this basin," says Dr. Dawson, "is about 5,000 ft.,
but it is probable that the actual thickness will eventually Ix- found to
be considerably greater."

Directly ahead of Cannu)re, and seemingly within a short walk, yet
really a dozen ndles away, tlu' valley is baired by a huge wall of loek
whose " perpendicular, massive precipice-front, streaked with a thou-
sand colours which glow in tlie sunshine," is marked by a slender water-
fall trailing almost from biovv to base. This is C'lisoadc MoiiiitHiii, and
it seems to rise higher and higher as we api)roach, and to advance bodily
to meet us — a very striking and far from fanciful ellect. This mount-
ain was a lan<lmark for the Indians, who all calleil it by a name which,
following Dv. Hector, we translate " Cascade." It seems an isolated
peak, but is the grand corner-post of the continuation of tiiis majestic
range at our left, broken through by the Pow River between its base
and the Mt, Riiiidic peaks, which now overshadow us on the left as
we advance. The valley narrows in here, and the Povv is twice crossed
before the station (altitude, I,;i;i2 ft.) at Duthil is reached. Here the
Pow is abandoned for a time, and the line makes its way up the defile
of Casetulc Ritur to the collieries at AnlhrarUe, 2 miles beyond.

The presence of anthracite coal here was first disclosed in 1883,
These deposits have the same geological history (Cri'taccous) as
those elsewhere seen in this valley, but have been changed by the vicis-
situdes of pressure and flexure (wiiich doid>tIcss develope<l enormous

»*^r THEIRS . tfO^THi

^gg'fM ae i mu.m ^' MM i ^ pii j i j-HMH--

^mm^^mmmmmnemmms'^m

BANFF SPRINGS AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN PARK. 175

heat) from bituminotjs to antlirai-itic ami true antliracito coals. This is
an excfllent fuel, does not (iisinteirrate on ex|)osure to tlie aif, is sutK-
cieutly hard and firnj to bear transportation, eontains u vny small per-
centaf^e of water, little inorjranle niattei' (leavin«r a white, non-ajr«;luti-
native ash), and possesses hijrh evaporative power. The seam here
worked underlies the base of a eonspieuous spur from Mt. Peeehec
failed M(. Aulhrncit<\ and is exposed at the level of the valley, where
the openinj^s have been made; and the eonibined seven seams op«'n to
ins[)eetion at Anthracite have a total thiekness of no less than 1;{5 ft.
The eoal is of most exeellent (piiility, but broken by frecpient joint-
aj^e-planes and inelined to crumble — a characteristic of all the \U>\\
River coals — due to the I'liishinji it has uiiderj^otie. A vei-y complete
discussion of the ^eolo^ry of these coal-foiiiiations, and the chanj^es
they have underjroiie within the mountains, will be foimd in the Re-
port of the Canadian (Jeolofxieal Survey for lSS'2-'s;{-'S4, Sec. ('.
Serious liti^Mtions have prevented anticipated developments here, and
the mines at Canmore are !)ow receivin^j; most attention.

Iluiifl' S|>riiii;s and Rocky .Ifoiiutaiii l*ark.

At Anthracite a great widening;- or t'oiking of the valh'y occurs.
On the rij^ht the valley of Cnxciuh' lih<er opens northward past the face
of Cascade Mowttaiti, and on the left is the wide break through which
the Bow River, bending sharply from the S. W., sunders the Rundle-
Caseade line of sununits. In the tiiangular space thus formed lies the
station of Ilaiifl', tti(> social centre of Rocky .Moiiiitaiii Park.

This park is a nnfionnl resn-vafloit, 2t) miles long \. K. by S. W.,
by 10 miles wide, ainl traversed by I lie railway fiom Dutliil to Cascade.
The station at /ia/ij'i^ nearly in its ceiitic, ami Itd'tTs Lub is at its
northwestein corner; while the Camous hot sulphur sprunjx, which are
its most noteworthy possession, \W near its southeiti boundary. The
(lovernment maintains here a superint<'ndent and waidens for the en-
forcement of the police regulations and game laws which govern the
park, and has already carried out a good part of the intended systeni
of roads and bridle-paths. Xo ftart of the Rockies exhibits a greater
variety of sublime and pleasing scenery; and nowhere can good sport
be obtained to better advantage tliaii in the suri'oiinding i-ivers, glades,
and mountain ranges. The summer temperature is delightful, rarely
exceeding 80", and the winter climate is almost entirely exempt from
the rigours characteii/ing the neiglilxMiring plains. Ilottls of various
grades, including the very best, exist ; and every facility is atTor(UMl,
both by public arrangement and private ent< rprise, to invalids, rich or
poor, who wish to bathe in the meiljcinal wateis or otherwise avail
themselves of the springs. Kvery tourist will do well to spend sonu;
time at liantT, and n(» apology is neech-il for di'voting considerable
space in this Gtiide-Book'to its description.

170 BANFF RPRTNfJR AND UOTKY MOFNTAFN PAPK.

llaiifi'stalion (altitiMli', 4,500 ft.) stands in tlu> midst of iniprfssive
nioiiiitaiiis, on a fri'avt'lly Hat ontr ovriHowi-d bv the How. Tlic liujif
mass nortiiward is Coscailc Monnfain, its Imsc hidden l)y tlie w(>(»d<'<l
ridf^es closo by t-allcd S(iiia\v Moimtain. Kastwaid of it, beyond tlii'
(-'ascado River Valley, is A//. JinjIisiiKildic and th«' nameless iiei<;hts of
tlie nortiiern part of tlie Faiiliohne ran;re, Iteyond wliieli lies tiie deeply
sunk<'n Devils Lake. Still farther K. tlu' shaip eoiie ot lWchv*\ in the
same ranj;e, closes the view in that direction ; this is the «:reatest heijrht
visilde from the station, excei'dinji 10,0(M» ft. Next towards the rijiht,
and neaier, risi' the (tverhan^iin^r triple era<is of llmiillf Viak ; and
at Hh ri}xlit(we are now faciii;; southward) the wooded crest of SuJjthur
Afoun/oiu, where the hot sprinj;s are, a|>peiirs over and beyond the iso-
lated bluH" in the fctrej^round, which is Tnuitd Monnlniii. Heyond the
end of Sulphur the wooded headland of lioxiryran MoHitUiiu protrudes;
and then far away s<»uthwestward, across the IJow, we see a splendid
raiif^e of " snowy summits old in story " alonji the continental water-shed.
The notch towards the left of the line shows where Simps(»n's Pass jjoes
throu<;h, and the hujre, table-like elevation in the centre is M(. M<i.ssii'r.
Westwai'd the VtriuUio)! lAtkr ranjiC, a crowd of contijiuous rid<res and
sharp summits lyiuf; between Cascade Mountain and the southern end ol
the Saw-back ran<;e, blocks the view, and l>rin<rs us back to our start-
in<f-point at Mt. Cascade, which is the pivot upon which is focussed all
the {^eoj^raphy and scenery of the rcgi(tn. This, |>lease note, is the
circle visilile from the train as it stands at ISantl' station.

Cascade Mountain is an uplift of Carboniferous and Devonian
lime-stimi', etc., OiNOO ft. above the sea. It presetits an almost ver-
tical face nortlu'astward and towards the How, above which it rises
exactly a mile in veitical distance, but slopes Itackwaril in i<)u;;h ac-
clivities towards the f;or<;e of Forty-mile ('reek, which narrowly sepa-
rates it from the steeps of the Vermilion Lake, Any attempt to clind)
it must be from the western and northern sides, where its top is readily
accessible. The Indians often hunted over it, but the first ascent by a
white man was mane by Dr. Hector in 1840, who met there plenty of
bi};-horn and of that curious Alpine marmot the xllJJnir {Arcfomifs
f.vulnonnn), valued as food by the Indians, who say it is as <j;ood as fat
l)eaver.

Peechee's Peak, 0,585 ft., is apparently the hijihest point in the
Falrholme jjroup. It is a hu<re conical pile of crags an<l mifrhty ter-
races, ex|)osinf; many <;reat cliffs and cliif-walled canons, and looks as
if it had liad extra-hard usage. Three bhmt summits can be counted,
above which towers among the clouds an acute peak, pearly-white
with snow, and shaped at the apex like a helmet. Subordinate crags

IJANFK HI'KINCiH AND HOCKV Moi'XTAIN PAKK. 177

tcr-

ilC-

ipa-

lily

' a
of

J/)//,s-
fat

Itlie
Itei-

bo.l,
liUe
lags

of strnnfU'ly omtortcd strata lean against its soutliorn flank, and a
lofty wall, Hliowinjj u wido fr(tnt of almost unhlcrnisluMl snow, enrvoH
nortliwani t<»\var(ls tht' suinnilts that overshadow Dovils liake. Few
mountains surpass it citlitT in <:raiidriir or bi-auty, and its name (that
of Sir (it'orj^e Simpson's jriiidf, sec p. isy) noalls the earliest explora-
tion of this rej:i()ii. Ne\ tTlheltss, it is not leally the highest, hut only
the southern end of a riil;:*', whieli eiilminates in an unnamed peak of
J»,7Hr) ft. northward and ends with Mt. In^dismaldie, i»,r.sn ft, high.
To the eastward of this divide, the lid'tiest pinnaele of the Fairholiue
ranjre, is Mt. A;ilnni\ l(t,:;:;r» ft. This was elimhed in !88».>, and again
in lS9t>, by .1. .1. McAitlnir, D. L S., from the pass l>etween Devils
Lake and (Jhost Hiv«'r — a feat for the ambitious to emulate!

At liantt* station is a eolleelion of small sho|)s and boarding-
houses, but the village ]m)\)vv {Xu/i<>,iti/ /'urA- I'nsf-(fffici) i» 1| niilCvS
southward, on the hither l»ank of the How at the wooded base of Tunnel
Mountain. The village is li-gularly laid out, and now has a permanent
population of some ;{,<mi(). The buildings are substantial, and in .some
instanees fine. They include a ehureh, seho(»l-house, town-hall, several
inns and livery-staldes, and many excelU'iit slutps, and neat eottages.

The highway continues ahnig .Main Street, crosses the river on
iin iron bridge, and on the otln'r side diverges into several fine " boule-
vards " to the Cave, Pool, Falls, and other places of interest, and to
the great Cauad'hiti /'iielji'r IIdIiI (>!H.r)(»), which is the lending hostelry
in the park. Another stopping place is Hrett's Sanitarium, a home
for invalids on the hill-side, opposite the iron })ridg(>. Within the vil-
lage are several boarding-houses, among which Counor'K Hotel (^'i) can
be reconnnended.

The road to the Canadian Pacific Motel passes through a whispering
forest of small pine-trees that occupies the whole valley of the Bow
and Spray rivers, and clothes the regular slojjcs of Sidphur Mountain
to its very summit. These woods are prettily open, clear of under-
brush for the most part, and through them go nundx-iless paths and
roadway.*, some carefully made, others nu're wandering trails enticing
to exploration. A drive of ten miiiutes brings the hotel in view — a
stately pile shadowed by the three preci|jice-|)eaks of Mt. Hundle, whose
smooth acclivities look doubly steep and high from this foreshortening
pohit of view. The site is a terrace overlooking the confluence of the
Spray and the Mow, at the point just below the falls, where the latter
suddenly bends northward to avoid Mt. Hundle; and it is the finest
point in any of the valleys for seeing in a single cyelorama the most
and the best of the National P-ark. The building faces Sulphur Mount-
Vi

jry

^^m^m

17H IJANFK SI'KINCJS AM) U<M'KY MOUNTAIN I'AUK.

ain, JUi«i from its Innj; front piazzii one may 1^117,0 far wostwftrd up the
How, Hii(i soiillivMUil towjinis the somrt-s of the Simiy. Its rear win.
<lo\vs ami cml biilronics coinmaml a lori<; stri'tcli ol tli<> How Hiv<-r, tlie
Cascade lroii<rli in wliicli tlu' railway lits, <'asi-aii( MoiintaJM, and llie
j^rcat peaks arouinl l)<'vils l.idv'-.

This hotel is one of the lin«'st structures of il> kind in Canada.
Kxternally it appears to he of ercam-cohtiiicd Winiiipt;^ hrick, hut
this is only a vciiccrin;:, trimnicd in the cornices and exposed fdaee.s
with oil-Hnished shin;.des of Hritish Coluniliia cedar. It is four stories
in hei)^ht, svith a steep roof hrokeii Ity dormer-w iiidows and lofty chim-
neys, and encloses an octaironal rcttunda covered with jrlass, upon
which ciieli upper flooi' opens in haleonies. The corridois of each tloor
als(* r»pcn u|ion hroa<l external haleoides, one of which admits to a
covered passa};e leadiiifr to the ))ath-liouse. The hotel i> finnished not
only with "all modern tonvcinenics," hut with palatial luxury. A
larpe nuinher <d' the r(»oms aie <)> sii'ifc. It is healed l»y steam and hy
many cheerful liieplaces, is liirhted throu;:hout hy electiicity, and is
well dcd'ended ajrainst lii'c. .\s there are elevators, the top story con-
tains the mctst desirahle looms id' all to those uh(» value the view from
the windows. In the hasenu-nt ai'c hillianl-rooms, etc.

The visit<M' at HaulT can most easily leain th<' local <;eof;raphy,
names of mountains, etc., hy troinu; to the uppeiiiiosi halcoines of this
hotel and studying the landscapes with the aid of the nia|).

Th« View IWuii the ^tOlltlloast balcony is S. K. up the Spiay
River, with Mt. Kundle upon the left !ind Sulphiu' Mountain on the
rijjht, their hascs meetiuir in the densely wooded ludlow down which
the Spray meamlers, unseen hut not unheard. At the distance of <>
miles the view is cut off hy the pyramidal head of the (ioat suh-raufre,
which lies straij^ht ahead; and hetween it and the farther slopes of
Mt. Kundle a rear view of the snowy jjcaks of the Three Sister.s
group is ohtained. This part of the mountains is very well known.
The lonj:; uplift of Mt. Uundle was named hy Dr. Hector after a
devoted Wesleyan ndssionary at Fort Kdniontoii, who lahoured for
many years (ahout l!Slo)amon<r the Cn'es and .\ssinihoines, l»y whom
he was hoiuturcd and lovcil. Its central p«'ak i> S,7'Ht ft. hijrh, and
rej)re.xents the steiile hroken edui- of the limestoiu's of which the ran^i?
consists (an anticlimil completely overturned n(Mtheastward). A trail
leads to its highest p(»int.

Suljduir Mountain takes its local name from the sulplnu- waters and
their deposits which nuuk its eastern slojjes, but it was named, by Dr.
Hector, Terrace Mountain, and is so designated on most early maps.

•*

1-*^, mJ'

.^^« -rf

"^'^'f^^-^jt?'^-

Jlotfl, from ovrr How Falls, liunff.

1
]

i
I

ff
b;

ai
vi

HANKF HIMtlNOrt AND K(K^KY MOlTNTAIN I'ARK. 170

It irt comparfttivoly low (3,000 ft. nhove tljo How), mowIuto rising iiljove
thu tiinlKr-Unc, )in<i it.s mnin Huiiiinit, tlircitlv in front of the hotel, can
«>UHily Ih> aHn-ndiMl Ity tiikin;; a tlirei't ooiirsc up from the Mot Spring's.
It \» (iirectly in linu witii (iout Mountain, whose siiniinits, which reach
8,000 ft., are irref»ii!arly coiiliinu'd soutliwaiil in the loft\ Kananaskis
8nl»-runf^e, the tliree forniiiif; a thin! principal tan«:e. A fourth prin-
cipal range is fornie»l parallel with and N. \V. of this liy the Hourgeau
nnd Spray Moinitains. The drainape of all these is carried to the llort'
on this side through the S|»ray, nnd on the other l»y the Kananaskis
River. These seem very insi^niticant outlets, and would bo so did imt
Nature conduct away the nieltingrf of the vast snow-hanks* very slowly
and evenly.

The Spray River collects the springs and rivulets in White Man's
Pass, hetwecn the Spray and Hlue Mountains on the continental water-
shed, and thence struggles noithwanl, recruited l»y many rills and ij-y
lakes, along the western base of the (Joat sul)-rangc, initil it comes to
the opening between the great pyramid seen frojn the balcony and
the southern end of Sulphur Mountain, where it |dtches down a fine
cataract, makes a sharp turn, and crosses this valley. From the de-
pression (itself r»,.SOO ft. in altitude) Itetween (Joat and the Three Sisters
conies a tributary; and at the farther end of the (loat sub-range* lies
a lonely lak«' named Trout, whieh is 1,200 ft. above the level of itow
River, and abounds in delicious tish. It occupies an ancient water-
course cut sijuarely athwart the range, and is surrrounded by exc«'ed-
ingly lofty and rugged peaks. The ascent to Rundle or any of those
heights up the Sj)ray presents no great dilTieulty on this side, but the
view from Hundle, at least, is hardly ccpuil to expectation, aa com-
pared with that from some other of tlie higher sumnnts.

From the northwest balconies of the hotel a mnch more
varied picture is to be studied than from the northeastern end of the
house. It falls into two sections, N. and S. of Cascade Mountain. Let
us attend first to that southward, or of Ihr hfl of Cn.svade Mountain.

Inunediately in the foreground, on the other side of the How, which
curves about its base, is Tunnel Mountain — its name recalling the
fact that engineers once pro|)()sed to bring the railway this side of it,
by means of a tunnel through its eastern cliflF. Its top is 1,200 ft.
above the valley, and forms a good objective point for a walk from the
village, which can follow the driveway to its highest point and then
strike up the summit anywhere. Nothing very startling is gained by

t€

180 BANFF BI'BING8 AND ROOKY MOUNTAIN PARK.

the climb in the way of new scenery, yet much that is delightful.
Behind it tower the massive cliffs surmounting Cascade Mountain,
their bases hidden at the left by the wooded ridge-knoll beyond Banff
village, called Stonie Sijuaw Mountain, from the traditional story that
some years ago a bravo old Assiniboine woman sustained her husband,
who lay sick for several months in their lodge at its base, by hunting
upon its top and sides, where there are open glades which still form
favourite spring feeding-i)laces for the big-horn or Uiountain sheep.
The railway passes between it and Tunnel Mountain, and '»vcr its
forests, W. of Cascade Mountain, ajjpear the ragged rims and pinnacles
characterizing the Saw-back range, whose serrated line is so well
marked along the upper Bow. At the left of them, and nearer, the
Vermilion Lake heights are massed on the farther bank of the river,
one of which is Hole-in-the-wall. Over the left shoulder of these are
seen, farther away, the huge spurs and ledges surrounding Pilot Mount-
ain, at the right wing of a long line of exceedingly snowy peaks on the
Continental Divide that fill the northwestern horizon, us far as Bour-
geau Mountain (seen just past the end of Sulphur Mountain) allows the
eye to follow it. This grand chain can be studied to much better ad-
vantage, however, from the ir'>i\ bridge, or from the V'ermilion Lakes;
and it is the best reward of the climb up Tunnel Mountain.

Turning the eye to the right of Cascade Moiintnin, one of the finest
landscapes in the whole park comes under the observation of one upon
this balcony, or at any of rear windows of the hotel. It is framed
between Tunnel and Cascade mountains on the left and Mt. Uundle on
the right, and takes in the huge crag-walls of Devils Lake (the water
cannot be seen), with a long bend of the Bow in the foreground like a
blue wedge driven into the heart of the picture. Down this opening
the river is seen rushing past that big object-lesson in geology, the
face of Tunnel Mountain cliff. Six miles farther on it vanishes, turn-
ing suddenly to the right around Bundle Peak by a great " bench " of
gravel studded with curious statues<iue exposures called here " the
hoodoos." Though the long brown slopes of the Fairholme Mountains
seem to rise directly from the top of this bank, and to soar away into
the beauty of Peechee's Peak, there is really a generous hollow between
it and their bases, where lie Aylmer Park, the railway, and the an-
thracite coal-mines. The foremost gable-shaped mountain shows the
position of these mines, and its front is a pei feet pyramid, just reaching
the timber-line and forming one of several parallel promontories sepa-

BANFF HOT 8PRINGS.

181

rated by deep alcoves. Many a high, cold craj; can be seen over their
heads, with the sharp peak of Mt. Aylnier highest ; and at the left
the massive wall beyond Devils Lake, facing Ciisoade Valley, provides
the picture with a background in blue and white.

Without leaving the hotel, therefore, the hurried visitor to the
National Park can get a good view of all its main features. lie
will be sure, however, to feel a strong desire to ascend some of the
heights, and to gain varied and closer views of many points of the
scenery that will especially interest him. lie will, of course, want to
visit the various springs, to cross the Spray, and to walk down the Bow
until he can look backward between Tunnel and Uundle mountains;
he will want to study the falls from every accessible point of view, and,
taking the little steamer or a canoe, ascend the Bow, push his way
into the Vermilion Lakes, and construct for himself varied pictures of
the mountains, with these lakes and lily-ponds reflecting their white
forms from its brilliant surface ; and, last of all — or jierhaps first — he
will want to go to Devils Lake.

Curiosities and Excursions.

BanflT Springs.

The first objeci.^ of curiosity naturally are the warm mineral
springs which have given to the locality its greatest notoriety. These
gush out of the eastern slope of Sulphur Mountain and are 7 in
number, scattered along a distance of 2 nnles, closely following a
line of geological "faulting." First in importance are the Hot Springs,
which lie above the river. A foot-path goes nearly straight up to
them from the hotel, but the carriage-road takes a more roundabout
course, making the distance 2 miles from the bridge, and affording
much the same view as seen from the hotel's northeastern balconies.

The Hot Spring itself pours out of a crevice a few rods above the
road, and its surplus trickles down, clouded with steam, over a yellow-
ish mass of calcareous rock deposited by the water. A small hotel
and bath-houses are maintained here for the accommodation of in-
valids. The water of this spring issues at a ten»perature varying from
about 110° to 120 Fahr., it being hotter in winter than in summer,
perhaps because then less diluted by sui-face water. The greater part
of the water is carried through iron pipes down to the bath-house of
the C. P. R. hotel, and into another pipe leading to the local bathing-

'^str-

182

BANFF HOT SPRINGS.

chambers. The surphis runs down to the Spray, and can be dipped
up for drinking from steaming pools in the rock. The taste is not
unpleasant when the water is drunk hot.

The constituents are those of the inii>ortant spas of Europe and of
several well-known American mineral waters, its closest analogue being
the celebrated Arkansas Hot Springs, This is jirhna facie evidence of
medicinal power, and the testimony of hundreds of unfortunate per-
sons who have been relieved, or entirely cured, since this and the neigh-
bouring springs became a health resort, establishes their efficacy.

An analysis of the water of this spring shows that it contains sul-
phates of lime, magnesia, and soda in al)undancc, and les.ser (piantities
of oxides and carlxtnates of the same minerals, together with carbon
dioxide. The total of solids carried in solution amounts to nearly l!i
per cent of the volume. The absence of sulphur, either free or com--
bined with hydrogen or chlorine, relieves the water of the disagreeable
odor and taste wliieh belong to many mineral sjirings. Metallic salts,
potash, and lithia are absent, and there is but the faintest trace of any
organic matter.

Half a mile up (he Bow from the iron bridge, along a capital road,
are the other springs, called The Cave and The Pool. These are
close together, (juite at the foot of the mountain, and are surrounded
by a large mass of spongy, calcareous petrifactions, indicating greater
activity, if not a longer existence, than the Hot Spring. Neither is so
high in temperature as the Hot, reaching only about 90° F. Samples
of this water in jars emit a powerful odor of sulphuretted hyilrogen,
but this is not disagi'<>eably perceptible at the springs themselves. The
compositi(m is very similar to that of the others, and it is supposed
that the source of all the springs is the same.

The Cave was one of the earliest discovered. It is a beehive-shaped
pit in the calcareous d«'posit built up like a crater around the sjjHng,
which (mce overflowed at the top, but later had an exit at the side.
The narrowing in at the top is due to the gradual diminution in size of
the outHow. When discovered (though the Stonies knew of them, they
made n() use of the water, modern tales to the contrary notwithstand-
ing), the level of the water was some 30 ft. below the crater, and the
only access to it was by a slippery ladder formed of a single tree-trunk,
let down through the top, oi' crater-mouth, into which a portly man
could scarcely squeeze himself. Such was the condition in 1885, when
the writer first visited the park. In 1887, however, a short tunnel was
cut from the outside straight into the crater, and a rustic house, most

THE "cave" and "p<)()l" SPRINGS.

183

appropriate and ornamental, was huilt at the entrance for the accom-
modation of visiitors and bathers, to whom bathing-suits are let, if
desired. This has been still further improved, and to provide for the
maintenance of these conveniences an entrance-fee of 25 cents is
cliarged, I'assina; throufih the liouse and tunnel, the visitor finds him-
self in a grotto some Oo ft. wide and MO ft. high, whose domed roof is
adorned with stalactites that glitter brilliantly when the electric lamps
are lighted. The floor is covered with water, deep-green in colour, the
steam from which fills the chamber, as in a Turkish bath. A plank
walk with benches extends around the wall, and wooden steps lead
down to the water, which is chin-deep in the middle, clean, clear, and
most grateful to both ft-ding and tnstc. IMenty of light and ventila-
tion are afforded by the open eliinuiey of the crater. The bottom is
paved with j>ure tpiartz sand, incessantly bubbling up with considerable
force, and a strong inlet and outflow changes the water incessantly.
Half a minute's run through an atmosphere ])rotected against the least
chill from the outside takes one back to his dressing-room, so that the
Cave forms an ideal place for a bath either for pleasure or health.
Special hours are s;jt apart for women.

The Pool, however, is preferred as a bathing-place by those who
object to the steam and do not fear any subsecpu'nt chill. This is 100
yards beyond the Cave, and, like it, has a charming rustic cottage at-
tached, where there are dressing and waiting rooms, a lunch-counter,
etc., under the care of attendauts. In the rear of this structure is a
sparkling basin open to the sky, circular in form arul several yards in
diameter, which is deej) enough to make swinuniug enjoyable, yet not
too dee]) for wading. Here, nlso, the water boils up through a quick-
sand of pure ([uartz witli force enough to keep a person from sinking.
The walls are masses of varicoloured petrifaction, aboumling in crev-
ices and small grottoes. This water, of eourse, is cooler than in the
Cave, yet will be fcMind too hot, where it gushes out, to l)e borne with-
out wincing.

The Falls of tho Bow are very pretty, nnd are best seen from
below on the pleasant road which runs down the river, ciosses the
mouth of the Spray, and continues a long distance. Here the whole
mass of the river comes pitching towanls you over a series of limestone
ledges set almost on edge, whose points everywhere hetchel the de-
scending current into a mass of foam. Thus the cataract shows no-
where a real fall or curtain of smooth water, but is rather a long slope

184

BOATING ON BOW RIVER.

of snowy spray. This is so steep, however, and made of so many
miniature cascades, throufi;h whicli the sunlight penetrates and is re
fleeted back again, that brilliant emerald greens and rainbow tints con-
tinually play over the surface or shine out of the luminous hollows be-
hind it.

Up the Bow.

Above the iron bridge IJow River is broad and placid, forming a
delightful place for boating, and a small steamer cairies passengers for
several miles. Row-boats and canoes <»(' every kind can be hired, and
the river may be ascended as far as one cares to paddle.

" An evening row on the How," says Hczckiah Butterworth, " is an
event to be remembered foi' a lifctiinc. The mountains change with
every turn of the bow-like river. There is strength, majesty, and glory
everywhere; the peaks rise straight to the sky, the glaciers till witli
crimson and gold light like crowns. The liver is deep and clear, now
violet like Lake Lucerne, now a sea-green, now a shadowy emerald
colour. It here and there j)resents a curve on the swift, still tide like
a broken mirror.

"The boat glides on over the deeps like a thing of air. Mountains
come and go like an army of giants in glittering armour. Cascades
thunder, and yet the air is oppressively still. If there be clouds in the
sky, they change into chariots of copper and gold. The grey wing of
the solitary eagle is seen ; here and there the dark form of a solitary
Indian appears."

No experience in the Park is more delightful than to make your
wav hy a canoe to the Vermilion LakeN. The course is up the Bow
about half a mile to where Forfi/-)nilr Vrnk comes in from the right.
Turning up this streani and passing underneath the railway bridge, you
presently come to a sign-board directing you to enter a narrow water-
way choked with wild rice and overhung by low bushes, which furnishes
a devious and romantic passage into the lakes. On the left, as you
look westward upon entering the lowest one, rise the green terraces of
Sulphur and Bourgeau mountains ; northwiud the wide slopes of S(/naw
Mounfain are overtopped by the crags of Cascade and by the broken
turrets between that mountain and the Saw-back range, the most promi-
nent of which is Iloh'-w-the-Wall ^fon)l^uUt; but the canoeist will give
chese only a glance, for the extraordinary grandeur of the scenery to
the westward will engross his whole attention. A long section of the
Contlncntfil Divide stands in line before him, stretching in superb array
from the valley of the Bow southward beycmd the head-waters of the
Simpson. They are the monarchs of the Rockies, robed in a royal

ON THE VKKMIUON LAKE8.

isn

|cn
iiii-
Ive
to
jhe
lay
Ihc
lal

ermine of snow, crowned with i-oioncts of ice, and fondled by troops of
cloud-maidens. Kisinj^ in domes, pyramids, cubes, and spires of every
shape, barred with lines of palest blue markinc their structural ledges,
"tinted and shaded by pencils of air,'' the shar|)ly cut summits in front
firm against the remoter and remoter peaks revealed through opa-
lescent gorges, this wonderful sierra ehaiuri the eye and profoundly
stirs the imagination. Our fani*y Hies to exj)!ore those blue canons and
sport with the roseate mists upon the peaks and plateaus. They are
so still, so immovable, so ethereal, ami yet so harmonious with the
Itrilliant sky, that when our canoe brcixks into rippling confusion their
reflection in the water, we half expect to see that sublime original iji
the west tottei' and fall with instant sym|)athy.

Few of the mountains liefore us have names. The scarcity of Indian
names throtighout all this region is remaikable, and testifies that it was
a fearful, disjuited giound where no tribe could long keep a habitation.
Even the range itself is undenominated ; it is not a range, in fact, but
a great assemblage i>f closely crowded summits filling tlu' whole space

between the liow and Vermilion Kiver:

lese are

u' verv

Kockie.'

themselves, in fact. At the extreme right the south side of Pi/ui
MouHttihi is seen. In the middle of the lin<,> the vast, flat-topped talde-
land, barred with blue ledges, is calleil Mt. Mitssin , to express its
most prominent characteristic. It is the head and front of a great
spur, and at its left is the deep valley which forms the entrance to
JShiif>KO)t\s P((ss. This pass wa> first traversed by Sir (Jeorgc Simpson,
in 1811, undei' the guidance of Indians, who kiu'W it as tiie Shuswap
Pass. Out of it flows in this direction /nn/ri/'s f'rnk, bringing the
drainage of this side of nearly all the mountains within view, and pour-
ing it into the l>ow a few miles above IJantl" The main source of this
stream lies in a narrow gorge (),a<t(» ft. in altitude, through which a
trail (k>scends steeply along the head-waters of the Simpson Iliver to
the Vennilion Iliver, w hieli leads to the Kootenay N'alley.

It is entirely feasible to go don'tt f/ic /ioi" J)y launching a small
boat or canoe below the falls and navigating th<' river to its numtli
near Medicine Hat, with only two or three portages (arour-l Kauanaskis
Kails, and some timl)er-jams) to interrupt the voyage; and as a fish-
ing, shooting, or painting trip this offers extraordinary attractions, but
arrangements for camping should be included.

The Park Roads.— Devils Lake.

Year by year fine driveways and trails have been maile, until now the
wh()le I'ark is well provided with them. In addition to the macadamized
road connecting the station and village with the various hotels and

186

TO DEVILS LAKE.

sprinpjs, a fine carriage-road passes over the shoulder of Tunnel Mount-
ain, winding about until it nearly reaches the summit. This same road
then passes down the N. side of the how through Aylincr Park to the
Tjfnocr Bridge^ which crosses the river at the base of Mt. Rundle, and
connects with the large Iwp-rondon that side of the river, this giving a
long circular drive aroun<l Tunnel Mountain and back across the mouth of
the Spray. (Carriages and saddle-horses may be hired at moderate rates.

Another important road is that to Devils Lake. This is the
foremost among the hmger excursions from Banff. The distance is
abotit 7 miles, over an excellent road. Tiie route crosses the rail-
way and then turns to the right across the level prairie called Aylmer
I'ark, at the base of Cascade Mountain, where the carriage-horses may
go for 2 or .'i miles or more at a brisk trot, and an e<juestrian will be sure
to break into a gallop. All the phases of majestic beauty belonging
to Cascade Mountain are reviewed from this roail, and one never gets
out of sight of it for more than brief intervals until the lake is reached.
The long and slender cataract which gives the mountain its name, and
which Simpson says his Indians called "The Spout," because they could
not discern its source, is particularly well seen, marking a wavering
line bordered with black upon the light-grey limestone cliff down
which it slides out of a notch in the crest.

By the time the waterfall comes well in sight, two or more very
remarkable needles at the western corners of the park appear in the
rear of Cascade Mountain. One of them has been named Mf. Edith,
after the daughter of the late Sir John Macdonalil, ami the other
Mt. Stniuirt, after the first superintendent of the Park. They be-
hmg to the Vermili(m Lake range, and consist of dohmiitic rocks, set
on edge and splintered by decay.

These peaks are about 5 miles from Banff, and may be reached
by canoe up to the N. side of the Vermilion Lakes, or by walking 2
miles westward of the railway station along the old tote-road. Then a
pack trail at right angles with the road is to be followed up to the
summit of the wooded ridge and down to the base of the peaks. In
the >'>ime neighbourhood is the lofty llole-in-the-Wall peak, so called
■ u ; 'auUit of a c.ive-like perforation 1,500 ft. up its face, which at-
iriciod \lu' attention of the earliest explorers. It can be reached by a
li.rd climb, but contains nothing of interest.

BiH'k ard glimpses are caught, as we proceed, of the far, blue-
banded summits of the main Divide, and nearer the dark forests that
clothe the ranges up the Bow. Then, Rimdle's gigantic precipices im-

TO 1>KVIL8 LAKK

187

' a

le-
lat
n-

poTul close upon the rif^ht hand ; and ahead, their l>asos masked by a
pine-clad ridge, rise the ponderous masses of upturned, distorted, frost-
carved strata, loaded with snow, which form tliis side of tlie Fairholme
group, and acutely culminate in the tu(iue-like peak of I'eechee, look-
ing as if some gigantic hand had scpieezed the plastic sununit between
thumb and forefinger, and then twisted the apex half-way round. The
road gradually reaches rougher ground, and, keeping to the left,
ascends a steep gravel slope to the top of a ridge. The valley of the
Concadi Jimr is then seen opening far northward, past a long line of
promontories, beyond Cascade Mountain, each of which duplicates with
soldierly UTiiformity the exact pose and the gleaming blue and white
cMpiipments of its tall tile-leader. Few ranges, indeed, in the wliole Rock-
ies are finer than this, and none so regular and unltroken The simile
of a military array — a rank of grenadier-peaks, standing with heads erect,
awaiting a command to advance, is not inapproi)riate. The Pnlimr
R(vt(je, opposite, is interesting; but to the southward, as the road ad-
vances over the curious hog-backs, a most glorious outlook is given
down the IJow, far across it, to Kundle, which at this distance falls
finely into rank with the Three Sisters, and away on past both these
groups to frosty and magnificent peaks towering into the sky between
the Spiny and Kananaskis rivers.

Here it is plain that the Cascade, Rundle, Three Sisters, and Wind
River sub-ranges are really parts of one structural range stretching
from farther northwest than the eye can penetrate to where, beyond
the Kananaskis, Mt. McDougall (altitude, H,r)(»0 ft.) and the other
lofty siunmits of the Fisher range can be seen at the head of the valley,
interrupting the continuity. Kastward is another gieat wall, known in
its different sections as the Palliser and Fairholme sub-ranges, disap-
pearing beyond Pigeon Mountain into the Fisher group already spoken
of. The long lateral valley between these two mountain-ranks is
formed by a f<»lding over towards tlie W. of the liniesttmcs composing
the now wo'u and broken eastern lank of nKumtains; and it is charac-
terized, as has been mentioned, by having a Hoor of Cretaceous rocks
which have been left in this infold, enase, or "trough," as geologists
term it, while they have completely disappeared elsewhere. Down
the valley from about !."» miles N. comes the Cascade River to the IJow,
and the Row itself adopts this trough for its course till it breaks through
the outer range at the (Jap. To be able to see so clearly the plan of
the mountains enhances greatly the pleasure given by their multitude
and variety, and the grandeur of form and colour they present.

Presently the stony ridges sink away ahead, and prodigious crags
stand forth close at hand, cloven by an opening to the very base of

■■

18S

AT DEVI 1,8 LAKE.

the ranfrc, lu'inmed in by tiers of cliffs —the mighty pedestal of that
cluster of snow-peakH that seenifJi so fine from the Hot Sp\inj<;s road ;
uiid in this cleft frleams the blue surface of Devils Lak . It is only a
glimpse, for the road (juickly descends among the trees and crosses
(-ascade River, a true mountain torrent, fed by snow, cradled in rock,
and running its whole coiu-se over the cleanest ground. It is all sun-
shine and gaiety, yet both the names by which the Indians knew it
(I'amasu'-wapta, in Blackfoot, and one twice as long in Cree) refer to a
story of murder by beheading. Near the bridge, the outlet of the
lake, DohIh r'/rrA:, enters Cascade lliver after a troubled course thiough
a niiniatin-e canon always shadowt-d by fine evergreens, and adorned
plentifidly with moss, ferns, and llowcring plants.

A {\'\\ moments more )»ring you to the shore, and to the little Luke-
view llotrl. Here you can rest, get something to eat, and then retin-n
the same day; or you can take a bed (provided there is one left for
y<»u) and stay overnight in comfort. IJehind it a rough, bushy slope
rises t() where the ditfs begin, a thousand feet or so above; but they
are neither so lofty nor so preci|)itous on this side as are the enormous
promontories oi>posite. The lake is here 2 miles wide, and extends
westward for about 5 miles (though it doesn't look so far), where it
curves to the right, and disappears behind an enormous headland
whose profile is singularly bold and unbroken. Heyond that p<»int the
lake extends or 8 miles farther in the shape of a very shallow S. Its
only outlet is the slender stream mentioned before, and there is no
pei'ce])tible current in the lake, which, however, is subject to variation
of level.

The water is almost wholly snow-meltings and is very cold. Its depth
is unknown, but certainly exceeds 800 ft. in the centre. The margin,
however, is shallow, owing to a terrace of gravel which extends out a
varying distance and then drops sharply into deep water. This ac-
counts for the singularly beautiful colours that tinge the surface, and
which appear best u])on a cloudy day, when there are no dazzling re-
flections. Then the body of the lake is richest ultra-marine or violet,
while all along its borders, and in and out of the sheltered caves, runs
a border of viirying shades of perfect blue and green, band within
band to the shore, like the concentric lines by which a coast is shown in
mai)-engraving. This iridescent eifect, combined with the grandeur and
solenniity of the crags and the prettiness of the green margins, makes
the sj)ot extremely interesting and one which should not be missed.

TKADITIONH OF DKVIF.B LAKK.

181)

Devils Luke occtipies a deep tiiinsviTst' vulley, whidi runs iutoss
tho outer rim<;os of nioimlulus from the Citscado trough eastward, and
separates tlie I'allif^er ranfje from the Fairlioliiie j^roiip ; the ^orjje is
about 20 mih'S in total U-njith, and V.. of the lake is IIHed up witli drift-
•jravel. The further pait of tiu' valley, which has Ion;; been known as
DivHk (tiip, is narrower, its elitfs an- higher than alonji the lake, and it
contains two ponds, the relies of a pie;rlaeial outh't <»f the How. At its
eastern end is the pvnt overhan^inL: peak, whielj forms a pillar-shaped
landmark promincMitly visible for an immense distanee out on the
plains, nov/ called the IhriCn llmi} : l»ut the Indians used to call it,
more appropriately, tlu' Devil's Neck, explainiuf^ that the head had rolled
ofl A stiff elimb of about ♦> miles will take «»ne to the base of its
summit-cliffs, where the late W. T. Whitcher onee spent a lonely nipht,
but it^ top has not yet been sealed. Kron) its base southward to the
Bow Kiver, near Morley, runs (Ihost R'n<vr. This sataiiie nomenclature
is derived from the Assiniboines, whose name for the lake is M'ne'sto
or "Cannibal's Lake," accoi'ding to Dr. Dawson's translati(»n ; but
"cannibals" here means malignant spirits, whence our term Devils
Lake, which should be written as a plural. Ds Cree nanu", Kinooki-
mow, simply means "long," and would iiiaki' a pretty title. The effort
of somebody to foist upon the i)laee the Hue term " .Minnewonka" is
fortunately a failure. It is bad Sioux, and, even if it were not, it is
bad taste. Were it needful to change, why not adopt the earliest
white man's nanu', Peechee y

This valley formed a pass often used in prehistoiic times, as well
as more lately by the .Vssinil)oines, who had one trail nj) (Jhost l{iver
and another from the Red Deer. These joined in the (Jap and then
passed along the N. shore of the lakes, where the trail runs at present.
The first white man to pass over it was Sir (Jeorge Simpson, who was
persuaded to do so by his guide Peechee, in his memorable journey of
1814, and he records some most entertaining facts and traditions in
respect to the lonely tarn. Peechee's name did not stick to the lake,
but was transfei-red by Dawsfm to the shar|) jieak southward. This
man accompanied Sir (Jeorge Simpson to Fort Colville, and afterwards
wont on to Fort Vancouver, on the lower Columbia, where, unaccustomed
as he was to any scene of such various occupations, he used to com-
plain bitterly that the unusual smells would kill him ! Poor Peechee,
however, lived to die in a very ditferent way. " Having lost a horse at
gandjling, .and refusing to give it up, he was shot through the head for
his pains by the winner."

Opportunities for Sportsmen.

Banff is a very good centre for the sportsman, although no shoot-
ing is permitted within the Park itself. By climbing the mountains,
or following the many trails that lead throtigh them, all the large
game of the hill country — cinnamon and black bears, panthers, elk,
caribou, deer, big-horn, and white goats — -may be obtained at the

1{)()

CI,IMIJIN(} TO TIIK Hl'MMIT.

proper si'uson by the rij^lit man. White jiuidcs arc to hv had ; and at
the Morley agency guidcH and f^ood hunters can be found anion;; the
Indians, wiio will serve a sportsman taithfuliy and at a moderate cost.
Hig-ganu; hunting, of course, implies eamping baek in the mountains.
Near lianlf excellent duek-s]iootin<; may be had in the fall upon the
Vermilion Lakes and up and down tin; How, and grouse are plentiful
in the foot-hills.

As for fishing — well, any ^uide-bonk can tell you where to fish ;
but this one i)roposert to tell you where you ean enteh something.
First, there is Devils [jake. Its deep, eold waters are the home of a
mighty trout — the munayeush (SalvrHniiH uiiiiiiiiint.s/i), or Mackinaw
trout, which is called (ogue in Maine. These run from Into 3m pounds
in weight. Take the steam-launch, or a boat, at a suitable hour, and
spin or troll with a natural tly, and you arc likely to catch more rather
than less than half a dozen.

In the rivers of the National Park and other parts of the Rockies,
anil especially in the How, occui' three othei' gamc-Hshes. The first in
numbers and importance is what is there called " rainbow " trout ; it
is not that Pacific coast species, Sulmo Irhfenx, however, but the Rocky
Mountain brook-trout, Salvelimui purjjurutus. It runs in the How
fnmi ^ to 1 jxnmd in weight. The next j)Iace belongs to the bull-
trout, of about ecpuil size, but far less numerous, whose name is JSnlve-
linus timhtm, and which is much like the Eastei-n trout; it is the Dolly
Vard(!n trout of C^alifornia. A third game-fish is the so-called "gray-
ling," vvliich, of course, is not a grayling at all, but the Rocky Mountain
white-fish, Conrfonnx n'i//ianiwni, well known all over the Pacific slope.
A special variety, named by Milncr C Coum., occurs in Chief Mountain
Lake, near the Montana boundary. All these fishes give good sport
with artificial or natural flies, and are especially fond of grasshoppers.

Climbing to the Summit.

As one moves westward from HiinfT by the railway aiul comes out
U|)on the border of the Vermilion Lakes the great battlements of the
Continental Divide aiise into view ahead, exceedingly snowy, alpine,
and grand. Mt. Massive projects straight forward, and S. of Simj)Son's
Pass (through which there is a fair pack-trail) are seen the very lofty
and bleak sunnnits clustered about Mt. Assiniboine. Then the railway
turns sharply to the right, and an enormous heap of ledges upon ledges
comes into view straight in advance. This is Pilot Mountain, and its top,

(^AWTI.K MOUNTAIN.

191

above the liorizoiitiil U'dfrot*, roscinhlcs a h('a|) of fiipintie oonlfiil pro-
JL'ftili's ; hut wo shnll fiiul hitcr that it has a hi^'hcr and very difft'n'iit as-
[U'l't on the other nitle. Presently if is lost to view hy tlie iitiniersion of the
train in a narrow pip l)etween its foot-hills and those of the iloli-in-the-
Wall Mountain, whence it eseapes into a valley where the How (>x|>andrt
into little ponds surrounded by dense wooils. Then a turn in tlw de-
vious line discloses CV/.s/A MonntttiH far in the distance, its mij;hty double
tier of precipices filled in Ix'hind by a jjreat rid^e which runs back to
a second precipitous summit ; and beyond it are the jaj^f^ed peaks of
the Snwhnch rmnjt\ u|) the valley of .lohnson's Creek. Now, when the
train comes out once more close to the river, if you look ahead and a
little to the left you see throuj^h a f^ap a white and very lofty crest — a
real cock's comb lifted hijjii above all other summits. This is Ml.
lA'J'roi/, which will remain the most prominent feature in the landscape
until the sinnmit is nearly reached. Once more the train plun<^es into
Hwampy woods (where the " I^abrador tea " of the mi/(i(/mr is plentiful),
and our attention is concentrated upon (/astle Mountain, whose {»reat
fa(;ade is ahme clearly visil)le; Imt a little later Temple and Lefroy
afjain appear upon the left, and suddenly all the richly purple and
nuirbled sjjires that constitute that <;loiious ranj^e frontiuf^ on the How
swing into cleai' and startling view. Then the train stops at ("astle
Mountain statioij — a town of log-houses, with more dwellings than
peo|)le, but once populous with eager miners, who called it iSllrer City.

Castle jHouiitaiii is one of the most striking and memorable of
all those seen from the railway, its rich brown and yellow tints, as well
as its sculi)ture, c(mtrasting strongly with adjacent ranges. It is an
isolated uplift of limestones lying nearly or (piite horizontal, to which
fact is due the peculiar wall-like character of its facade, which pres-
ently, as? we get along, changes in aspect from a gigantic tower to a
cliff-bordered oblong block, between 2 and 3 miles wide and about
13 miles long. Nor is this foremost tiu-ret, which measures 4,r»(»(> ft.
above the How, or J},<>0() ft. above the sea, its highest point — that
lying some miles back on the farther side. Each of the nai'row ends
of this mountain-ridge aie cleft by dei'p valleys, and the one neaiest the
railway statiim at this the eastern end gives an opjxtrtunity to eliiub to
the top. Dr. Hector (who christened the mountain) was the first to do
so, but records little of his experience. A good path leads up the
small creek which comes down out of the "split," and half a mile
above the station there is an extremely pretty waterfall of about 150
ft. This can be seen for a moment from the train, about 1 nnle W.
of the station, and is well worth a visit. Following this creek to its
source, and then scrambling up the head of the gorge, will bring you

192

TIIK UOW KANiJi;.

by II roiindii'toiit cniir^c to tlic top of the piiiniitlc ovcrlooliiiif; the rail-
way ; or you ('1111 iiinlxc your Wiiy iiorlliwiiril o\tr the ru;rj:r(l iilntcau to
the hasc of tlic main praU, wiiuli ri^i-s to D.siio it. From tliis piniuicic
the t'yc can look lar down tlic valley, ami upward to the icc-clotiicd
peaks of tlic tmiiii Divide. Kaslward and iiortliwiird the second rid^^c
of Castle Moinilain <'iits oil' tlic liimUciipc, l»ui it i~ easy to imikc one's
way around to the rid;:e-top on that ?ide, where you can look ri};ht
down into .lohnson's Creek. TIii> i' (leheinia — ii valley ol' dcsotii-
tion. Cliffs thousands cd' I'eet hijrh hem it in on each siiie, and the hot-
toin of the fioiL'c is strewed with fallen frai^mcnts. <lislocatcd by tlie
water jiml frost. Out of it the S.in Imek liscs strai<ilit and liare into a
terrific t'litani^lemciit (d' spires and knifc-cilu'cs of i(»ck, pieicinfr the
Hiiow, which is eramnied into all its hollows hut cainiot elin^' to the
pinnacles and slippeiy wall-l'iH t>. The w(uli| cannot show a more sav-
age and impracticaldc lamUcaitc than this one. Thi'oiijih the valley of
Jtdin.son's Creek, nevertheless, runs a pack trail leadiii;: through to the
Pipestone I'ass, 'Ja miles northward, whence the Ked Deer iiiver flows
out to swell the South Saskatehew;iii, and one or two Indian tia'i^ tra-
verse the Sawhack. Many indications of silver and otlii'r precious
minerals apjx'ar around the base <d' Ca>tle Mountain, but no effective
nunin}; has yet l)een done. Timber, telcj^rapli-poles, and railway-ties
are larj^ely prodm-cd, liowcvcr.

The mountains on i-ach side now become exceedingly grand and
prominent. Those on the lij^ht (noitheast) form the liaie, ruij<:ed, and
n)any-i)eaked SdirfxiH- »\n\ tSfufc ran^^cs — prodijrious rln I'liKx-di-frm' foi'
tlie defences of the inner stroiijihold olilic mountain <^o<ls.

On the left the lofty Iloiv Kaiii^o fionts the vallev in a series of
inafiuilicciit promontoiics, which, morniiiL!: and evciiinj:, arc bathed in
roseate and viidet lights woudeiful to behold, .vt first, enchanting
glimpses only are caught through the trees as you look ahead, but be-
fore Eldon is leachcd the whole long array is in plain view. One must
try to kee]) his eyes in all directions here, for the incessant turning of
the train, a^ it follows the siimous How, and the steady upward prog-
ress, bring new ol)jects and novel aspects int(» view with bewildering
rapidity. It will be helpful, therefore, to pass the 15ow lange in review,
peak by peak.

The first (southernmost) one is I'ihtf Monitfulji, who.xe central peak
(altitude, \),\'M) ft.) is now seen like a leaning pyramid high above the
square fronted ledges visible from Banff, and far more interesting. As
we get farther »m, tlii' outline becomes more distinct, and a second very
snowy sunuuit ajjpears. It bears a small glacier near its summit,
which is tlie first one met V>v the west-bound traveller, but it is too far
away to afford much satisfaction.

A^^^KNT OF (OPPKR MOUNTAIN.

li»3

)e-
[ust

iintr

■ak
Itlu'

|ery

Iriit,

far

Next, northwest of I'ilot, towc'iM the hiilky iiiul U'hs iiiti-restiuj? muss
of Cnpjxr }f(>u)tfti!n, the ascent of whieli is more easy than that of any
other of the ^'reut peaks ulonj; the line of tlie railway, while the pros-
puet from its summit is otie of the best. This peak, ad its name im-
plies, contains <Mipreoiis veins (sulphiirets), on wliieh s()me miniii}; has
been tlone. The outcrop is close to the sununit, and the miners have
tHinstructed a waji^'<m road, which leaves the How at m point not far he-
h)w (^astle Mountain station, and leads l>y a comfortaltle i;rade to within
HIM) ft. of the sumnut. It is therefore merely a mutter of steady walk-
in<{ or horscliack-ridini; as far as the timber line, where the aliandoned
fjuildiiif^s of the Alhertu Mine remain ; here the horses can he left, a
night's <-amp made, and all the next day ilevoted to the asc(M)t of the
peak. Above this point there is no load, and the <;rounil is r(/Ugh and
steep, but there is no danj;er nor any f^reat diflicidty (by keeping well
to the ri^dit) in attaining the summit, which is a plateau of consider*
able extent, deeply cctvered with an<;ular fra<,'ments, from which a nun-
eralogist can feather a varied and valuable colleetittn of copper ores.

The How Valley is under the eye for a l(tn<; distance, also tlie ruder
eafion of Johnson's Cri-ek and the renuiikable {;or<^e of Red FJarth
('reek, separating? Copper fiom Pilot Mountain, whose hij;her crest stops
the view eastward. ()ii the other side, the forested depression of Ver-
milion Pass, holding the shining, trout-filled circles of the Twin and
other lakes, is walled in by trenu'ndous crags and snow-slopes, lifting
ledges upon ledges and peaks above peaks up to that Tltaiwc eneain|)-
ment of everlasting snowy tents upon the water-shed of the C(»ntincnt.
Conspicuous in the foreground is a wide glacier overshadowed i)y the
crest of Mt. Lefroy,

''Seared with a tumdred wintry waier-courKcs, storm at the top."
Twenty miles away, southward, Assiniboine Peak, with its remarkable
fringe of glaciers, and that escarpment of the main range of the Rock-
ies, so beautiful when beheld over tin; Vermilion Lakes from Hantt", may
b(i traced for a long distance ; antl if it is afternoon you will recall that
word-picture of Longfellow's :

"And now aloiiy the hori/nnV t'dj^e

Mountains of cloud iipiose,
Mlack as with forests inidenicath ;
Above, the sharj) and jai.'tie<i tei'th

Were white as (hifted snows ;
Unseen behiiKi them sank tlie sun.

Hilt tluHJU'd each snowy peak
A little while with rosy liixht,
That faded slowly from the sif,'ht,
As blushes from the cheek."

Resuming our progress up the valley, we note next the opening of
Vermilion Pass, X. of Copper Mountain, and gaze with admiration at
18

194

VERMILION PASS AND MT. lEFROY.

the vast pinnaele-studded wall of blue and white hcyond it which forms
the front of Ml. TcnijAr, and conceals, until wc arc well to the W.
of it, at the little station called Efdou, the very lofty real peak, which
nearly or quite ecjuals Lefroy, but is niucli lighter in colour. This peak
is a double one — two sciuare towers of horizontal limestone separated
by a deep ^'ash ; and you catch a f;lini})se behind them of a line of peaks
running backward along the X. side of the pass which are extraordi-
narily lofty, acute, and ditf-fiontetl. " What a canim there must be
o\ nr there ! " is the first thought ; iind Tennyson's phrase, "A mount of
nitirble, a hundred spires," conies to the mind with new force.

VermUion Pons is one of the best known in the Iloeky M<juntains,
and Dr. Hector was guided through it by his Indians, who gave the
locality its name because its chalybeate s])rings furnished them the yel-
low ochre which, by burning, they convert into red paint, or " vermil-
ion." The trail leaves the How near Castle Vutuntain station and
reaches tlie sununit-lcvel in 6.\ miles. It then goes tiirough a broad
and well-timbered valley, exactly transverse to the mountain, at an
elevation of about -1,500 ft., until, miles farthei' on, it crosses the
height of land and comes to a little lake, tetl by glaciers, which forms
a source of one fork of the Vermilion Kiver. A short distance far-
ther it is joined by another milk-whit*; fork, pouring out of the Lefroy
glaciers, and then the united streams How southeasterly to Sinclair
Pass, and through it to the Kootenay River. The latter is really
smaller than this stream, but the circumstance that the Kootenay oc-
cupies the larger and more ctmtiniious valley induced Dr. Hector to
name these streams as they now ajtpear on the map. The valley of the
Kootenay is continued northwestwurd by that of the I'eaverfoot to the
angle of the Wapta or Kiekinghorse Itiver, and it was by this detour
that Dr. Hector was led to the discovery of the Kicking-horst^ and its
pass, as will hereafter be shown. This Vermilion Pass was among
those considered l)y the railway engineers, and it offers many advan-
tages, especially now that a branching pass is known to lead from it
directly to Ottertail Creek, behind Mts. Lefroy and .Stephen.

All eyes are now fixed u[»on Mt. Lcliroy, which dominates all that
noble range between Castle Mountain and the summit. Hetween Eldon
and Laggan we are only separated from its base by the "china-blue"
current of the Row. It is a prodigious mass of bare rock, grey and
gleaming like a \n\e of old silver, crowned by a central spire soaring
above all visible rivals. It stands apart, majestic in its isolation and
strength, grand beyond the power of liinguagc to portray. At its right
and left profound fissju-es divide it from its neigh))ours, ami we see un-
measured cliffs, their rocks all angular and snow-streaked —
"Rifted crags that hoUI the gathered ire of Winter."

MT. ia:FKOY AND MT. HECTOR.

195

At Eldon its outline 8ug{»osts that of a helmet, from which tliere often
stream backward white plumes of cloud and .snow-s|)ray ; but this is
presently transformed into a rude cone, which gradually changes into a
more irregular, S(iuarish form as we come to La(/(/a>i, where another
fine, tall peak, Jit. Hector^ is disclosde to the westward.

Mt. Lcfroy was named l)y Dr. Hector in honor of General Sir
Henry Lefroy, who fifty years ago spent a long time in the northern
part of British An)erica, making the first magnetic survey of that
region. This formed not only the basis of all subse([uent work of that
kind, but indirectly added much geographical information. Sir Henry
is still living, and prominent in scientific work in England. This mount-
ain was surmounted l>y Mr. McConnell. of the Geological Survey, in
1890, after very hard climbing up its southern slope. It is not only
the commanding peak of the liow range, but one of the greatest of the
continental Divide, the melted snows from its opposite sides going down
to opposite oceans.

Laggnu is now a " deserted village," but hardly " loveliest of the
plain." It was the headquarters of construction in this part of the
mountains for several months in 18.S4-'85, and had a transitory impor-
tance which makes its name remembered and led to considerable ex-
ploration in the neighbourhood. It stands in a wide, thickly wooded
part of the valley, between Mt. Lefroy and the rtigged Slate and Saw-
back ranges eastward —

" Uniiiuiu'd heights, hloiik-blown aiul brown,
And torn like l)attlcnients of MarH."'

The Bow Valley here bends to the northward, and the sources of
the river can almost be seen from the cars, in that direction, whei-e the
Slate Mountains on the right are succeeded by the lofty and prominent
peak of Mt. llieto)\ at the eastern base of which is the gorge and pass
of Pipestone Creek. This mountain — named after the geologist-ex-
plorer — is of unknown altitude. Mr. Drewry made several attempts to
scale it in iS'.tO, but could get no liigher than 10,400 ft., above which
was the steep slope of a glacier. At the left of Mt. Hector is (ioat
Mountain, ami tliis side of it, forming the western wall of the whole
valley, are the Waputtehk Mountains — a line of i)eaks 10,000 ft. in
height, continuing the Bow range and continental Divide northward.
Out of the gap between Hector and (Joat Mountains conie the head-
waters of the Bow, fed by the snow-fields whose otln-r slopes melt into
the N. I»raneh of the Wapta (see p. 'iO^O* ""J between Goat Mountain
and the Waputtehk nestles a trio of lakes, cold, din», and deep as the

190

KICKING-HORSK I'ASS.

waters of Acheron, the foot of an cnonnous <;lacicr, wliose crescent-
wliapcd upper part is distinctly visible from the train at Laggan, curv-
in<^ down to them between gigantic walls of yellow rock.

These mountain lakes have been made accessible by the railway
people, and form a worthy object of pilgrimage ; a waggon-road 'i miles
long leads from Laggan to the nearest and lowest, Lake /'riftcens Louise.
It is 1,(K)<> ft. above Laggan, and has upon its shore a email cful/d for
rest and refreshment, where horses and attendants may be hired for a
dollar or two for the ride (if you do not care to walk) to the oth«'r and
higher lakes. There are boats on the lake, and good fishing may be
had. Above Lake Louise is a seccmd, reached by a path not too steep
for ponies, called Mirror Lake, because of the amazing fidelity with
which its surface reproduces the icy crags that closely hem it in. Still
higher, 8,50(> ft. above Laggan, )>ut reached by the pony-trail, is Ljuke
AgncR (named after Lady Macdonald). A shelter is built here, and a
simple lunch can be had.

This excursion may be made from Uanff in one day, and at small
cost. The railway ticket, Banff to Laggan and return, costs |(L90;
stage to Lake Louise and return, .^2 ; a pack-horse to Lake Louise and
retm-n, Sl.r)<t; guides, %\\ a day, or /)(> cents an hour; boats on the
lake, 50 cents an hour. The rates at the Chdhi Louise are $2 a day,
or no cents a meal. Louise is the best of the lakes. It lies in a hollow
between two mountains, one of which rises above it in a perpendicular
wall of gorgeously tinted cliff fully 2,000 ft. above the water, which
has a wcmderful hue of green, from aqua marine to emei-ald. The op-
posite shore rises with a more gradual slope but to a greater height,
culminating in a row of jagged peaks which are never free from snow
and seldom from cloud and mist. The outlet is a good-sized stream,
flowing down to the F?ow through winding channels among spruce-
trees feathered to the ground and hoary with hanging moss; and the
western end, opposite the outlet, is closed by a glacier and snow-
crowned range of unbroken white, gleaming iigainst the sky. Even at
the water's edge the ice is I(t ft. thick, intersected by channels
through which the glacier-streams find exits. An illustrated account
of the scenery and clind)ing hereabout is contained in (Ireene's
Among the Selkirk (JIaciers.

KickiiiK-horHC PaN!<.

The Bow River, fed by all these stores of snow, flows swiftly along-
side the railway, which is laid closely upon its crooked banks, the
varying course giving magnificent views in every position of hundreds
of mountain-tops, some rising like pyramids, others rounded, and

KICKINd-nOK'SK I'ASS.

lor

others in scarred and scunied walls of solid rock. A short distance
beyond Lagf^an we cross the river, and bid farewell to the valley that
has stood us so well as a route into the heart of the mountains.

A small tributary coming from the southwest, called Noore's Creek,
flows into the Bow, and after sundry j»reliminary twistings the railway
avails itself of this streanj to ascend towards the pass over the great
Divide. " Enormous ])eaks guard the entrance, for the railway seeks
the lowest point to cross the range, and the locomotive labors heavily
in pulling the train up the gradient. Through a forest of burned timber
— the scorched trunks of trees lying ul)out in every direction, with
many denuded masts still standing straight — the railway enters the
Kicking-horse Pass. The surface is strewed with pebbles and boul-
ders. The snorts and puffs of the straining locomotive reverberate from
the mountains high above us. A little stream thai one might step
across is all that is left of the creek. As the summit is reached the
gradient comes to a level, and right at the toj) we find a lake in a
narrow and desolate valley. This is the highest point on the ('. P. R.,
5,300 ft. above sea-level. On the border of the lake is a post marking
the provincial boundary-liiic between Ibitish Columbia and Alberta,
and a side-track called Stephen StuCiou.

In making this ascent there is little to indicate the steepness of the
grade, nmch less suggest any cause for fear; but a powerful extra
locomotive is attache<l at the foot ot the pass to assist us over. The
railway attempts no acrobatic feats in climbing the gorge. Once, in-
deed, it leaps the cataracts pouring through a short canon ; but then
the extraordinary beauty of the emerald-and-white water tossed from
side to side of the deep and gloomy chasm, the circle of snowy heights
above, the broad overlook of forested foot-hills down the pass, so en-
chant the eye as to make the most nervous one forget his timidity.
What room is there for any feeling save awe and wondering admiration
at such pictures as the eye receives here, when we attain to higher and
higher standpoints, and rank beyond rank of purple and crimson j)eaks,
cloaked in snow and studded with ice, rise into our ken across a broad,
rolling interval of forest and <'»"Ag';'

Behold these two in which the range culminates— y/jc Cnfhedrat
and Alt. Stephen ! They stand upon the left or southern side of the
pass. The former first, and a moment later the latter — named in honor
of Sir (ieorge Stephen, Bart., first I'resident of the C. P. K., and in
turn supplying him with the title of his peerage when he was made

198

TIIK CATIIKDIJAL AND MT. STKIMIKN.

I
!

Lord M()unt-Stei)lien in 1891. The Ciithedral is poised upon a vast
hill-top, as it were, of fallen deftris, which has buried the base of the
crags under long brown 8l(»i)es ; but I'ar above these slopes — far above
the last misshapen spruce — buttressed by cliffs, beneath which the
clouds form for their long Might plainsward, stands the mighty sunnnit
whose partial ruin has left it gloriously picturescjue in wall, spire, [)in-
nacle, and crumbling battlement. No wonder the London Times com-
pares it to the Duomo of Milan.

The heiglit of Cathedral |)eak is l(»,2Hl ft., according t(» (.'. T. Klotz,
a Dominion surveyor who climbetl many of these peaks about iKHfi.
It can be asccndetl by going up a creek at its easiern base not less
than 5 miles, after which one can get up the rear side. The base of the
great, cliffs in front can more easily i)o reached, and the effort will
be well rewarded. The proper way is to go up the track VV. of
Hector about 100 yards beyond !lie bridge, turn to the left, cross
the creek and go along the tote-road half a mile, and strike through
the woods and up one of thf slides, in some places the cliffs them-
selves may l)e clind)ed up for several hundred feet to a point away
above the woods. The view, according to Prof. Macouii, is well wortli
this trouble.

The mountain opposite the Cathedral, N. of Hector, rises very
steeply from Kicking horse Lake to the Waputtehk Heights. It looks
unscalable; but by going u\) a conspicuous slide to where the eliff.s be-
gin, and then ascending these by a careful scrand)le, a slope of loose
stuff is reached, over which the top can be gained. The last few hun-
dred feet must be overcome by walking to the left and getting arouiul
somewhat in the rear. A goat-path can be traced from the margin of
the lake to the very top. Tiie view is described as exceedingly inter-
esting, and (juite diffeient from that from The Cathedral.

We swing slowly around the base of The Cathedral, finding some
new arch, toppling spire, or .shining pe<liinen> pf snow with every ad-
vancing step; and i)assing underneath the cliffs behiiul it open to view
an amphitheatre of snow almost filling a lialf-cirele of peaks in its
rear. One horn of this crescent is The Cathedral itself; the other
(in advance) is IWt. Stephen, mounted upon a Titanic pedestal who.sc
pier-like masonry rises 2,0oo or 3,000 ft. almost sheer above the
railway.

Mt. Stephen is as noble as the central spire of the Rockies ought to
be. It dominates the clustered heights above it, and can be seen from
far and near, but the best view is from the east. The stratification of its
rocks is nearly level, and on this side it resembles a prodigious pyramid
cloven in half, poised far aloft where the clouds pay homage at its base,

lit

^l»

its

to
111
ts

KICKLNd-IlOlfSK PASS.

199

and where the blue sky itself seems hardly to clear its apex. So pre-
cipitous is this peak that it shows a naked face of black rock clear to
the top, marked only by ines of strata-ledges indicating the courses
that built it up; and sweepinj^ b ckward from this terrific precipice-
brink lie wide fields of unblemished snow, the abode of eternal silence
an 1 solitude, in the midst of which a frlaeier descends from unknown
be<j;imiin|;s to tl.e brink of a cliff '2,tMto ft. in heijiht. Sliding steadily
forward great masses continually eiaek off and drop, leaving exposed
and within plain sight from tin- cars, in favourable weather, a solid
front of blue ice, whence the sunlight is thrown down in prismatic
reflections.

The altitude of Mt. Stephen is 1(»,523 ft. above the sea, or 5,323 ft.
above the railway. Thctugh not (piite the highest, it is the most con-
spicuous and imposing of the mountains in the main range, particularly
as seen from the west.

The first men to reach its summit were Mr. J. J. McArihur and an
assistant, who were engaged in 1KS7 on a topographieal survey of this
regi«m, and carried a diminutive camera and a few instruments. They
started at the eastern base of the peak and made their way up to and
across the glacier, and then along the great front ridge seen on that
side. It was an arduous luit not especially difficult task, although a
dangerous part came in the descent, when tiiey had to use the greatest
care to p:event displacing the loose rocks on the crest of the thin ridge
atid falling with them into the gulf that yawned beneath. The view is
very extensive, of course, but an efpially wide and interesting one can
be got from other points more safely and easily attained.

Down fronj the amphilheatre behind Mt. Stephen comes tumbling a
torrent, Hashing through the funereal spruces and ringing upon the pol-
ished rocks. It seems not only to be fed by the meltings of the snow,
but actually to be filled with it, so white is the water ; but when a stream
is falling vertically quite as fast as it moves forward one must expect
sparkling crystals rather than gliding fluid. Just below the line it re-
ceives the little stream trickling westward out of the lake in the pass;
and thus springs romantically into Iteing the ]\'>i/>i<i or Kifkincf-home
AV^vr, whose name, given to this pass through the Rockies, has already
become a familiar word to the English world.

Thus is reached tin; summit of the Rocky Mountains — the back-
bone of the continent.

200 DOWN TIIK WAI'TA (^ANOlS.

From the Summit to the Columbia.

Down the Wapta C'aiioii.

It is alon}^ the piitliway cut l»y the Wiijita Uivci- tluit tli«' tiaiii now
begins its tic'scent of the I'acifie slopo to tho great ('olmnbia Hiver.
The line is laid well up upon the shoiilder of Mt. Stephen, whose base
falls sti epl y down into the dark, rough eailon where the Wapta rushes
headlong in eontinual leaping. There is no pause anywhere — no small-
est spaee of (piiet water — no colour of blue, green, or grey, like an
ordinary stream. All is bul»bU s and spray. For a mountain torrent it
is large; but every atom of it is tilled with air, and the streamers of
anew hung upon the green and grey arras of the mountains are not
so white as this flashing falchion of foam cleaving its way through the
black rocks and sombre woods.

Three miles on, and 100 feet below the summit, Hector (a small sta-
tion on Kicking-horse Lake) allows a moment's halt in the face of the
most inspiring scenery.

The slorif of fhe discovcrif of thix pass is this : Di". .lames Hector was
conducting a geological side-trip in connection with Palliser's explora-
tion of 1857. He had struggled through Vermilion Pass, di'seended
that river to its mouth, and turned up tlie Kootenay Valley. Tracing
the Kootenay to its source, he crossed over the h)W height of land anti
found another river flowing in the opposite direction, which the In-
dians called " Beaver footy This he followed northwestward between
lofty mountain-ranges. " We had travelled a few miles," he records,
" when we came to a large flat, where the wide valley terminated,
dividing into two branch valleys, one from the N. W. and the other to
th€ S. W. [seen between Lanchoil and Palliser]. Here we met a
very large stream, ecpial in size to Bow River wliere we crossed it.
Xhis river descends the valley from the N. W., and, on entedng the
wide valley of Beaverfoot River, turns back on its course at a sharp
angle, receives that water as a tributary, and flows off to the S. W.
through the other valley. Just above the angle there is a fall about
40 ft., where the channel is coritracted by perpendicular rocks.

" A little way above this fall one of our pack-horses, to escape the
fallen tiujber, plunged into the stream, luckily where it had fonned an
eddy, but the banks were so steep that we had great difficulty in get-
ting him out. In attempting to recatch my own horse, which had
strayed off while we were engaged with the one in the water, he kicked
me in the chest ; but I had luckily got close to him before he struck
out, so that I did not get the full force of the blow. However, it
Ijnoeljed me down and rendered me senseless for some time. This was

s(;knkky at tiik simmit.

201

llMl

the
an
;et-
lad
icd
ick
it
vas

iinfortuiiatc, as we had seen no tracks of paiiio in the nciphbourhood
and were now without food ; but I was so hurt that wc could not pro-
coed fartiicr that day at k-ast. My men covered mo u|) under a tree,
and I sent them all otf to try and raise something to eat.

"After travelling a mile alonj; the left bank of the river from the
N. W., which because of the accident the men had named Kickinpf-
horse Kiver, we crossed to the opposite side. It was IM) to loo yards
wide, and almost too deep to ford.'*

The remainder of Dr. Hector's pioneer trip u|) this now river
was adventurous enoujrh. Travelling; ai'duously, and failing; to shoot
anythin<r, they came to where [at Field] the valley terminated in a
sudden slope, covered with h( avy pine forests. "Entering these," ho
writes, "we befjan to ascend rapidly, l)ut loiti'red a good deal to eat
hirge blueberries, that grew in abundance, and which wo were very
glad to pet, although not very substantial food, when we had lu'on
fasting altogether for the past day, and living on only very short
allowance for the previous five. We travelled eight hours l)efore
camping, the last two being over fine level ground through open forest.
We passed many small lakes, and at last reached a small streant fiow-
ing to the east, and were again on the Saskatchewan slope of the
mountains. The large stream we had l»een ascending takes its rise
from a glacier to the east of the valley through which we had pa.'-sed.
We encamped in a beautiful spot beside a lake with excellent pasture
for horses. I had killed a grouse, and we were glad to boil it up with
some ends of candles and odd pieces of gr«'ase, to make something
like a stipper for the Wva of us alter a very haid day's work."

Thus the river got the name " Kicking-horse." Since it has be-
come prominent in Western geography Dr. Hector has more than once
ex|)ressed his keen regret that so til vial a circinustance should have
fixed an awkwai'd term upon the map. The liame still holds for the
pass and its lake (though it is a pity it caimot be called Hector's Pass),
but the stream will hereafter be called the Wapta, the generic word
for "river" in the language of the .Mountain Assiniboinos, who .seem
to have had no special name for this particular stream.

Scenery at the Summit.

Eight miles beyond Hector, and 1 1 miles from the sumnut, we have
descended 1,240 ft., and come to Fhid, at the base of Mt. Stephen.
Here is the Mf. St<pheii Uotd (altitude 4,0r)0 ft.), a pictures<iue i«nd
elegantly furnished Alpine inn, which forms a meal-station for pa.s.s-
ing trains, and a commodious .stopping-place for touri.sts. It is owned
and managed by the company. In addition to this hotel, an engine-
shed and the houses of a few employes and miners constitute the
entire .settlement. Artists, mountain climbers, and sportsmen find
the locality most attractive, and a little colony of these, with transient
touristy will ahva,ys be found there in summer. The station, and

2()2

s(;knkuy at tiik summit.

the mountain opposite it, were named after CyruH W. Field, of New
York.

The hotel lies too closely under the crest of Mt. Stephen for a
really ^ood view of that peak. In all other direetions the scenery is
of tlie grandest. Kastward. up at the pass, lon«? mountain foot-slopes,
one behind the other, stri'tch out beyond the shoulder of Mt. Field,
which stands immediately ojjpositc ^It. Stephen and is the southern-
most of the Waputtehk rang*'. Kach of tiu'Se long, wooded ridges is
distinct from tlie next by some variance of colour. One may be dark
blue ; a second paler blue, or brown if the fire has gone through
its trees; jdnk when the evening rays arc retlecte(| ; grey and roan
when the light falls full on the bare rocks; while over the top towers
here and there a peak touched by lingering patches of snow. Mt. Field
itself is a great brown mass terminating towards the base in a cliff,
capped with woods that in mixed siiades of green reach far up towards
the sharj) and shapely summit, here and then; adorned by patches of
snow. The view down the river stretches across a wide area of grav-
elly flat land, where the river loiters in placid nooks and bendings un-
der the shadow of the V^in Home Mountains.

The rocks at the base of Mt. !Stei>heu are liberally veined with low-
grade ores ol' silver-galena, whicli have been mined for several years
with fair returns.

Resuming the journey down the pass. Nature's prodigality in beauty
surprises us at every step. Only a mile or two below the station
there is presented the finest possible view of the Viiu Home lidtiffr,
which lies straight ahead u])on the opposite side of the river, the snowy
and splintered crests on each side leading up to two great peaks some-
what in front of the ccr.tre, which are loaded with snow and overshadow
other fields of snow and ice. These are Mts. Dc Ville and King, the
former on the right. They are regular cones, and have a beauty of
svmmetrv unusual in the Rockv Mountains. The former takes the
name of the Surveyor-tJeneral of tlic Dominion in 1887, and the latter
that of Mr. F. King, one of the foremost topographers of this region ;
while the whole range is a monument to the present President of the
railway. The tallest peak of the range, however, is Mt. Russell, not
well seen from here.

Two or three bridges crossed by the train a short distance beyond
Field are admirable points of view, but the climax is from that over the
OlterlaU — a powerful stream coming in from the south. Here a new
range of " star-neighbouring summits," the (HtertaU Mountahu, appears
upon the left, with Mt. Goodm' (10,000 ft.) in the distance, and Mt.
Vauz (10,840 ft.) nearer, the latter studded with glaciers. Here the
whole Van Home range is in view ; and one also looks northward far

TIIK WKHT1<:KN SIIH-KAN0K8.

203

into that crowd of Waputtohk piniks, whence the North liranch of the
Wui)ta cornea down from the sanie vast snow-fields tliat feed the sonroea
of the How — a gublime picture havinjj as centre-piece the tallest Cana-
dian peak yet climbed, 10,900 ft. Here, too, we are sufficiently far
away to see Mt. Stephen to the best advantage. It rides lik«' a fji^antic
pyramid, smooth-faced and scored with wavy horizontal lines like pen-
cil-marks depicting its ledges and creviceg, over the wood»'d knolls of
Mt. Dennis, which conceals its base but cannot reach by thousands
of feet to the sublime altitude of its apex. There are times in the
evening when this whole vast pyrandd top glows ruby red with sunset
fires, and the refit'ction from its almost polished surface casts a ruddy
light over the whole landscane and beautifully tinges the placid reaches
of the river at its base. Behind it, southward up l!u' great gorge of
the (Htertail, the horizon is filled with a mass of exci-edingly lofty and
regular "Suunnit" peaks, the most distant of which are just in the
rear of Mts. Copper and Pilot, their farther slopes dropping into Ver-
milion Pass. Down the river. Aft. HunUr appears next below the
Van Ilorne range. But enimgh ! Look in whatever direction you
will, range stands behind range and peak overtops peak. You think,
when first it breaks upon your vision, that there can be nothing finer,
nothing more stately ; that rocks and ice and snow, forest and river,
cannot find grander expression. Then you emerge upon some bridge
spanning a dizzy chasm ; or creep cautiously d()wnward around some
wooded headland, and behold a n»ore noble combination — some loftier
altitude — a sublimer pha.se of Alpine scenery !

tier
m;

bnd
jthe

liew
lars

im.

(the
Ifar

The Western 8ub>raii|;cN.

The train now descends to the level of the Wapta, and passes
around the northern extremity of the Ottertail range, which is here
exceedingly precipitous and rugged. At OUertaH Station (altitude,
3,664 ft.), nestling under a huge crag of purple and red-brown rock,
the Wapta is crossed, after which the train runs along the base of the
Van Home Mountains, and then beneath the forested slopes of Mt.
Hunter, with the Ottertail Mountains overhanging on the left, until
LeanehoU (altitude, 3,657 ft.) is reached, 7 miles below. Inunediately
after leaving this station the railway makes a sharp turn to the north-
west around the extremity of Mt. Hunter, cutting otT a long elbow of
the river, and opening to view the valley of the Beaverfoot. Then
rises ahead a new and most impressive rank of cloud-breeding summits
— the Beaverfoot range. Its peaks are massively, grandly rugged, stand
6,000 ft. above us, and carry broad masses of snow and ponderous
glaciers ; while fleecy clouds drift above the i)lateaus, or settle in
grey layers half-way down, enhancing the height and glory of the sunlit
peaks above them.

204

TIIK WKKTKKN SUH-KAN(iKS.

It WHS iilonj^ tliirt valley of the Hnivorfoot that Hector fame to the
(lirtoovery of the Kiekin^-horse, ami near the junetioii of the wtreams
the latter falls ov(>i' a preeipiee ; hut this entaiaet, which is ditlieult to
}?et at, eaiiiiot be seen from tin- ears. The breadth ami depth of this
side valley will strike the attention of every one. It affords a most
excellent route for either a wiif^;i<»n-r(»ftd or a railway, straight t(» the
Kootr-nay countiy, followinj; that river from its glacial sources. Ite-
iween the two great ranks <.f mountains which b(»uml it, the (Mtertail
upon the east and the Heaverfoot iipon the west, there is little to
dioose in point of magnificence. Neither has been uiiich explored,
but the scenery and es|»ei'ially the glaciers of .Mts. Vaux and (ioodsir
are said Ut l>e very remaikable. Fishing and shooting are good along
the iieaverfoot and in the neighbourhood of the lakes where the Koo-
tfuuy takes its source, while opportunities for camping and exploia-
tiuns are among the best.

After leaving I'ulliser the train and the river together enter the
lower canon of the Wapta, passing suddi'idy from a broad prairie into
a steep-banked fissure which leads diagonally nortliwestward through
the Heaverfoot Mountains. " The canon narrows, and its sides grow
higher, while the river, again a roaring torrent, cuts deeper and deeper
into the fissure. The foaming waters sweep with raging speed past
great |)recipices and over rocks and boulders that have fallen directly
into the stream- bed. There is hardly room for the river and railway
to pet through l)etween the enormous masses of cliffs towering far
above and almost shutting out the sunlight. The rctute is cut out of
the rocks, and the canon makes such sharp bends that in several casen,
to get ill a curve that the trains can go around, the cliff's have to be
tunnelled and the river bridged." This is repeatedly done, the tor-
rent being crossed and recrossed within brief distances. The Indians
rarely, if ever, passed up this canon, knowing of an easier trail to
the northward. The old "tote-road " is scratched out of the hill-side
above, and looks like a most dangerous highway, yet along it all the
materials had to be taken before the railway could be built. The gorge
comes to an end at last, and the train, escajiing from its gates, rushes
at full speed along the base of a ridge until it can swing around to the
north. Then springs into view a magnificent sierra, lifted high against
the azure sky. It is the Selkirk range of mountains, lofty, rocky-ribbed,
and glacial ; and the broad valley in the foreground is that of the
great Columbia River, on the bank of which we soon stop at Golden^
44 miles W. of the Summit, and 2,960 ft. below it.

TlIK (Or-rNfHfA AND TIIK KOoTKNAV.

205

The Columbia and the Kootenay.

The great ('(ihini)>ia River ilows from a tnunW lake at the ciistern
base of the Rocky Monntanis ahoiit Ind miles S. of tliia point ((iohhn).
It tljcn Hows northward through a narrow, eafioii-like valley, to the
nortliern end of tlie Selkirk ranf^c, around wliieh it sweeps U) the west-
ward in a wide loop known a8 the (ireat Rend, aii*l Iteyond which it
assumes a course directly S. alon^ the western side oC the Selkirk
ran;;e, and between that and the (Sold ran;;e, and continues this coursic
until it reaches the edge of Oregon, in the I'ldted Stat«'s, when it turns
sharply westward and lireaks through the mountains to the sea. Those
interested in the geography of the river slutuld read the Repent of an
Examination of the Upper C'ohnubia, by Lieut. T. W. Symoiis, V. S.
Eng. Corps, p\iblished by the U S. War Department in lKh'2, with maps
and illustrations. Close by the source of the (•nlumbia another river,
fed by powerful streams in the Rockies, gathers its forces together and
rushes southwcstward through the wide valley S. of the southern ter-
niimis of the Selkirk range to empty info the CoUnnbia at the inter-
national boundary. This is the Kootonii, hirer. These two valleys,
separated at the source of the Cohunbin ;i low ^^ ater-shed of com-
paratively recent origin, tog«'ther constitute ii remarkably straij;ht and
definite north-and-south depression known to preserve its geneial di-
rection and character lor more than 600 miles, and its average eleva-
tion in liritish Columbia of not more than 2,500 ft. above the sea. It
is evident that the origin of this part of the valley, at least between the
Rockies and the Selkirks, was, in Laramie days, immediately subse(pient
to the elevation of the mountains. At first all the waters discharged
southward, coming down the trough of Canoe River, and flowing out
through the present Kootenay gorge. Though clogged and modified
by the ettect of the Ice period, the waters from the melting continental
glacier still flowed in that direction. Soon after the close of the Glacial
period, however, a sinking of the country northward, combined with the
dammitig eflfect of the detrital matter at what was then the mouth and
is now the head of the Kootenay, turned the waters backward towards
the N., and forced them over into their present course through and
W. of the Selkirks.

wmmi

200

THE COLUMBIA HEADWATERS.

Ascent of the Columbia*

The Columbia is iiavi{j;able between Golden and the head-lakes, and
three steamers now ply ipon its waters. This is a very interesting
trip, and oceupies four dv five days in going up to the head-lakes and
returning to Golden. Ranches and mining settlements are scattered
along the river and around the lakes, and from the latter good roads
lead over to the Kootenay Valley and the towns on Kootenay Lake.
This upper Columbia trip can be especially recommended to sportsmen
in the fall.

The western (Selkirk) side of this upper river has long yielded gold
in placers, and quartz ledges have been found. Findlay Creek, at the
head-lake, became prominent long ago. Other good localities are near
by, upon several other streams, lower down, profitable trials have
been made and results obtained. In the Spillumacheen district, some
75 miles above Golden, quartz ledges carrying both gold and silver are
being developed, and prospecting continues despite the extremely diffi-
cult natiu'c of the country. Golden itself owes its name to the fact
that the precious metal was found near its gite by the earliest engi-
neers, but no mines are now worked. It has become a town of several
hundred inhabitants, and possesses a large smelter and a good trade in
supplying the up-river camps and ranches. It is unsafe for steamers,
or even for small boats, to go much below the town, where the Colum-
bia soon enters a wild cation.

Golden to Donald.

The railway pursues its course beyond Golden upon one of the lower
terraces that border the rivT through a heavy forest broken by quiet
lagoons and willow-grown swamps, which make a charming foreground
for the superb Selkiik Mountains opposite. Their base is hidden be-
hind massive folds of foot-hills looking almost black beneath a mantle
of spruce, which sweeps far up the sides of even the central cones, in-
tercepted here and there by jutting crags, cut from top to bottom in
long lanes, mowed year alter year by the avalanches, and capped by a
chain of summits from whose turrets winter never retreats. And when
the afternoon sun is dropping slowly towards it, and the mists of the
great valley have risen into light clouds that fleecily vei' >' j cold peaks,
they swim in a radiant warmth and glory of colour that suggests
Asgard, the celestial city of Scandinavian story.

GOLDEN TO DONAI.P.

207

tie

in-

y a

the

ks,

>Std

Afohcrhf I/onsr, 1 miles beyond Golden, is the site of the oldest
cabin in tlie mountains, l)uilt by Mi-. Wnltei' Moberly, one of the pioneers
in railway surveys, who built a " shack " of logs here in which to spend
the winter of 1883. liy so doing he was enabled to learn facts in re-
gard to snow-fall, rise of water, etc., and to do an amount of explora-
tory work which otherwise would have been impracticable. Ten miles
more brings the train through the woods and past several saw-mills to
the central station of this region — Donald, 2,445 miles from Montreal,
and 2,540 ft. above the sea.

Donald stands on the bank of the Columbia, in a spacious and
level place, surrounded on all sides by high mountains which, especially
at the northward, are sculptured into boldly serrate outlines and gleam
with eternal snow. This was long the heachiuarters of construction for
the mountain division of the railway, and here were accumulated enor-
mous stores of material and a great force of men. It is now the termi-
nus of the West'm Division and the beginning of the /'(tcific Diviuon
of the line, and the pleasant-looking houses seen S. of the station are
the residences and offices of the railway employes. At this stati(m rail-
way time goes back one hour, to c(mform with the " Pacific" standard.

This is an excellent heachjuarters for sjwrtsmen, since it has a good
hotel, and the environing mountains abound in wild goats, big-horn
sheep, moose, and elk. One of the most interesting localities is reached
by a road and trail extending scveial miles down the river into the
gorge of Wait-a-bit Creek, a name given by the first explorers, on ac-
count of the jungle of thorny brush which compels any one trying to
go rapidly through it to " wait a bit."

A mile beyond Donald the Columbia is crossed upon a long steel
bridge, and the line then turns down the western bank of the river,
upon a shelf nicked into the steep and densely foivsted and rocky foot-
hills at a considerable height above the water. Our old iViends, the
Heaverfoot and Van Hornc peaks, are in glorious view northward and
eastward for several miles, tossed into every form of creamy pinnacle
and crest-like snow drifted by an eddying gale ; but after a few miles
the high o[>posite banks of the river shut them out, and we l)id a re-
luctant farewell to the Rockies and turn our attention to the Selkirks,
soon to be entered.

The Columbia is now tearing with im[)etuou3 force down a narrow
and sinuous canon, where the green waters, evidently of great depth,
boil and eddy over hidden rocks most perilous to even canoe navigu-

208

TIIK ASCKNT OF TIFK SKLKIKIvri.

tion. The railway follows all the winding!!, and we gaze with fearfid
adndration upon the turmoil, reminding us of the gorge ol the Niagara
below the Falls. There is little ehange in this rough, swift, and pow-
erful river, constantly recruited l»y mountain torrents, all the Wiiy
down to its great nortiiwestward betid around the Selkirks; and the
few adventurous men who have laboriously followed its current in
canoes, or struggled along its banks, tell tides of frightful Imrdship and
"luir-breadth escapes." Yet it was seriously proposed to carry tlie
railway around to Esigle I*;iss through tliis river gorge; and undoubt-
edly it wa» feasil)le to do so, so fur as the engiiU'i'ring was conceriicd,
since the Selkirk Mountains lose, at their nortiiern end, the ruggtd
aspect which th(;y present here — glacieis ai!<l snow-covered penks di>-
appearing, and giving place to a succession of well-wooded hills that
slope gently down to the river in the (Jreat IJend.

The Ascent of the Selkirks.

Fourteen miles below Donald the train emerges from the hills upon
a marshy Hat at the mouth of IJeaver River, where are saw-nulls and a
station. Like most Canadian momitain rivers, the Heaver has worn
down its outlet into the shape of a narrow tlunie, in this case so coti-
tracted at the exit that a single tree-trunk bridges the torrent from
crag to crag. Turning up through this opportune gateway, the railway
clind)S along the southern bank of the impetuous stream, and begins
the passage of a new rank of elevations.

The Selkirk raii^e caused the projectors of this transcontinental
railway the greatest anxiety. The pass through the Rockies had been
surveyed, and one was known to exist in the (Jold range, next W., but
neither exjdorers n<n' Indians knew more of the Selkirks than could
be seen from the outside. Engineer Walter Moberly made his camp at
their western base and sent one and then another ot his staff into the
range, but their reports were discouraging. Nevertheless, Moberly did
not despair. He saw a fracture in the range almost corresponding to
the opening of Eagle Pass in the Gold range. Crossing the Columbia,
though it was late in the season, and entering the mouth of this fract-
ure, he forced his way up the banks of a stream called Illecillewaet,
until it forked twenty or thirty miles from its mouth. The northern
fork led him into slaty gorges intersected by inruunerable veins of promis-
ing-looking ((uartz, but to nothing like a pass. His Indians then struck,
saying that the snow had begun to fall <m the mountains, and that they
would never get out again. Reluctantly Moberly turned back, and, as
the company could afford no more explorations, had to content himself
with putting on record that the easterly fork of the Illecillewaet should

TIIK ASC;KNT of THK SKLKIKK8.

200

U'lltiil
heon
hut
lOuUl
|np at
the
IV did
fig to
inbia,
frac't-
[vvaet,
thorn
jomis-
^luck,
they
iid, as
jinat'lf
Ihould

be examined before a route for a traiisoontiiiental railway was finally
determined on.

In February, 1S81, the railway company appointi'd an Ameriean
engineer, Major A. B. Hoger.<, Chief of the Mountain Division, with the
understanding that he must first apply himself to the (inding of a way
across the Selkirks. Starting from Kandoops, 15. (\, in April, Major
Rogers and his nephew, with ten Indians, entered on their first expK)ra-
tion. They suceeedi'd in reaching the core of the Selkirk range, but
exhausted their supi)lies before learning anything definite, and the re-
sult of five or six weeks' endurance of almost intolerafle misery was this
gleam ol hope. In May Major Rogers tried it again from this the east-
ern side, and came within an aee of losing his own and sacrificing his
companions' lives tlirough starvation and exposure. " Nothing daunted,"
this thrilling story goes on, " he starte<l again the same summer, in the
month of July, liom the same base, and succeeded. Proceeding up the
valley of the Heaver, a large stream that enters the Cohnnbia through
an open canon, and then following the course of one of its tributaries
appropriately called iJear Creek, he at length found the long-sought-for
pass. He saw the mountain from the summit of which, the year be-
fore, he and his nephew had noticed the depression extending to the K.
Not content while anything remained undone, he made ibr the Illeeille-
waet, and following it down to the N. fork ascended that, too, to ascer-
tain if its head-watirs would coimect with a tributary of the Heaver,
and so perhaps athird .sometiinig better; l)Ut iu>thing better, or rather
nothing at all, was found. The Selkirks have only one |»ass, but it is
better than the western slope of the main chain by the Kieking-horse.
And an American has had the honour of finding that one on behalf of
Canada. .Ml honour to him ! "

Passing within the pretty iintc ol the Heaver, where the water
tosses and boiis over knife-edges of upturne«l slate overhung by grace-
ful trees, the line presently crosses to the northern bank, where , notched
into the mountain-side, it rises at the late of IKl ft. to the mile, gradu-
ally leaving the river far below. The opposite side of the valley is a
wall of wooded hills, oecasiomdly rounding up af>ove timber-line and
showing l»eds of midsunmier snow, anil the great si/e of the trees
becomes noticeable, the dark, densely Ibliagcd cedar mingling with the
more cohnnnar and loosely branched Douglas fir.

At JSu-Mih' t'nck one sees ahead, far up the Heaver Valley, a long
line of the Selkirk sumudts en rc/irlim^ cuhninating in an exceedingly
lofty peak — that Sir DoDxld with which the passenger will soon be
come familiar. Again, from Monntahi ('rrrk bridge, a few miles be-
yond, the same view is obtained, nearer and larger, where eight peaks
may be counted in a grand array, the last of which is Sir Donald, like
a captain at the head of his troops. This great cone is almost covered
14

21U

THE ASCKNT OF TIIK RELKIKKH.

I I

i I

with snow on this side, even in niidsiuniiK'r, innunicrable lincj and
patches connecting into a lace-Uke network over its whole surface with
exceedingly beautiful efFect. A little farther on Cvdar Creek iti crossed
upon a bridge 125 It, in height; and not far W. of it is a very high
bridge spanning a foaming cascade, whence one of the most beautiful
prospects of tiie whole journey is to be had. So i?npresse(l were the
builders wifcli the charm of this magnificent picture of mountains that
they named the spot " The Surprise," As Bear Creek station is ap-
proached a brief but precious glimpse is caught of 7'/«' Hermit (mount-
ain) through a gap in the clitrs on (he right. This station is l,OoO ft.
al)0ve the Beaver, whose up[)er valley can be traced, ))etietrating the
mountains southward for a long distance.

At Bear Creek istation the line leaves the Beaver, almost imper-
ceptibly, and swerves westward up the gidf like gorge of Bear Creek
along grades of 110 ft. to the mile, and through crowded timber of
great size. Ileie the principal iliflieulty in construction was occasioned
by the torrents, many of tlu'in in splendid cascades, others rill like
cataracts, thin and white as spun glass, which pitch down the very
steep slopes along whicli the road creeps. To span these fierce tor-
rents with bridges or culverts which would not be torn away re(piired
great skill and a liberal expenditure. Several of the more notable
bridges have been mentioned, but the must renuirkabli! of all is that
over Stoni/ Creek — a noisy rill flowing in the bottom of a narrow, V-
shaped channel. This bridge is 295 ft. above the stream — one of the
Ibftiest railway structures in the woild.

Beyond Stony Creek bridge tlie gorge of Bear Creek is compressed
into a vast ravine between Mf. Macdonahf (originally Mt. Carroll) on
the left and 77te Jft raiif on the right, fcrmir.g a nairow jjortal to the
amphitheatre of Rogers's Pass at the sunnnit. The way is between enor
mous precipices, down the side ol ouc of which (on the right) a water-
fall drops from a height of several hundred feet, clouded witii spray.
Mt. Maedonald towers a mile and a quarter above the railway in almost
vertical height, its num])erh'ss pinnacles piercing the very zenith, and
fornnng an everlasting momunerit to Canada's great Premier. Its base
is but a stone's-throw distant, and it is so sheer, so bare and stupendous,
and yet so near, that one is overawed by a sense of immensity and
mighty grandeur. This is the climax of mountain scenery ! In pass-
ing before the face of this gigantic precipice the line clings to the
base of The Hermit, and as the station in Rogers's Pass is neared,

THROUGH ROOKRS S PASS.

211

iitt
V-
the

its clustering spires appear, iacing those of Macdonald, and nearly
as high.

Roger8*M Pass is a narrow valley some 3 miles long cut s(|uartly
athwart the central uplift of tlie rangi-, and so deoplv that its tloor i»
only 4,300 ft. above sea-level, while tiie en«onipassing peaks rise to almost
twice that altitude above it. The valleys of the Heaver and its tribu-
taries give access to it from the E., and the gorge of the Illceillewaet
furnishes a niear.s of egress westward; together they make a i)athway
for the railway through a range tneasuiing tifi miles in breadth along
the track, and comprising some of the most wonderful examples of
skilful engineering, and the sublimest Alpine scenery of the transcon-
tinental trip. The pass its»d» (now reserved as a National Park) is nn
amphitheatre of sta'.ely and ice-clad peaks. At its eastern end Mt. Mac-
d<mald and The Hermit are separated only by the prodigious fissure
through which the railway enters the pass. The former is on the
southern (or right hand, facing E.) and The Hermit on the northern
side. Next W. of Mt. Macdonald is the dome-liko sunnnit of Mt, Ava-
lanche, beyond which, at the western end of tht.- pass, is Eagle Mt. and
then Sir Donald. On the nortlu-rn side, Mt. Hermit is contimied west-
ward in a half circle of bristliiig |)eaks called the Ht-rmit range, to the
pyranndal smnmit of ('heops, whose snows give source to t!ie Hlecil-
lewaet, beyond which runs a line of summits along the right-hand side
of that stream. The bottom and lower slopes of the pass are densely
wooded, and free from water.

The finest peaks of this galaxy are The Ilerinit and jllt. Hac-
donald. The former derives its name from the fancied resemblance
of a part of its summit to a moidv clad in a long cloak and cowl, before
whom stands a large dog — one of the monks of St. Bernard, perhaps.
Its altitude is 9,003 ft., or 4.".»83 ft. above the line, and its crest is a
semicircle of splintered battlements — a long combing curved along the
bended back of the range, l)raced by staiichions of bronze-like schist,
and divided into upright triangles by lines of unmelted snow packed
safely in deep crevices. Enclosed in this long parapet, the blackness
of whose spires is very striking, lests a slope of ice from an imseen
head. Its back is grey and wrinkled. The relics of snow-banks and
the (fehris of the cliffs, which are washed away at the base until block
by block they topple forward, strew its surface and soil its colour. IJut
in its rounded front, a fore-foot hundreds of feet high, long lines of
vivid blue or green show where deep crevices open into the everlasting
purity beneath. The ascent to the foot of that glacier is much im-
peded by fallen timber and loose rocks, but the opportunity to study
the phenomena of retreating glaciers will repay the student's exerti«m.

Mt. Macdonald, op|)osile, was originally called CorruU, after the
assistant who was with R(»gers when the pass was discovered. The
Privy Council of Canada changed the name by olKeial decree to com-
pliment Sir John Macdonald, and at the same time rechristfued The
Hermit " Mt. Tupper," after Canada's Lord High Commissioner in
London, but the latter name has not come into popular use. Maodonald

212

TIIK HUMMIT OF THE 6KLKIKKH.

exhibits on this side one trenjcndous eliiT, roupli-faced, tower-crowned,
and iiiij)re,E;nal)le, but Klopiiig away toward the roar, where two or
three adventuroiia cliiiil>ers have made tlieir way to its very brow.
How high above where we stand wave tliose siiow-pliunes on ita icy
cat-(iuei' More than a inik'; but exact tigures do not concern us in
this first uc(|uaintancc. To say that it is '.>,'.>lo ft. above the sea means
little or nothing. The Titanic front swings iiloft in a noltle eurve that
at the top Hcems to sway and tremble in the midst of the ethereal blue
of heaven itself, and wvfnl rather than mmnure the height, the grand-
eur of form, the richness of eohxir and dignity of pose.

All the trouble which the managers of the railway have experienced
from avalanches — that is, " snow-slides " — has been in this pass, be-
tween IJear Creek and (jilacier; and these have been made harmless
by the construction at vast expense of sheds, or more properly tun-
nels, of a massive character. These are built of heavy scpuvred cedar
tind)er, dovetailed and bolted together, backed with roek and fitted
into the mountain-sides in such a manner as to bid detianee {') ihe
most terrifie avalanche that can possibly occur, because the roof o'" c
tunnel forms a continuous line with the slo[)e of the nKumtain and the
slides shoot over them into the trough of the valleys. Trains go
through these sheds only in winter; in sununcr they pass outsi<le of
most of them, so that little of the seonery is lost, and the annoyance of
the confinement is avoidi-d. The longest shed is just west of the summit,
where the line is j'xposed not only to slides from the bare slopes over-
head, but to those which come with resistless pri'ssure and thunderous
noise down from the opposite slopes of Cheops. liower down the
Illecillewaet the remains of such snow-slides can sometimes be seen
even in August, thick banks of sodden snow filling the bottttm of a
guleh, or i)erhaps arching over some stream for hundreds of yards.

Selkirk Smtnnit is a small station with side-tracks at the highest
point of the pass (4,3i)(> ft.), 2 miles W. of Rogers's Pass station, where
heavy freight trains can be divided, if necessary, in order the more
easily to ascend or deseend the gradients on each side. The i)eak im-
mediately southward is Mt. Avalanche. Prof. John Macoun reports it
easy of ascent. On the other side, he says, the sunnnit breaks off pre-
cipitately, and the eye looks across the gulf into the very heart of the
Selkirks. Sir Doiuild towers supreme in the foreground in front of
an almost boundless fieUl of ice and snow, from which a large glacier-
tongue sweeps arounil upon his hither sloi)e, feeding a lake upon a
plateau much resorted to by the wild white goats, which is the reser-
voir of the cataract that falls down the cliff in front of the Glacier
Hotel. The mountain across the pass at its westt'rn extremity on the
northern side is Cheops, named in allusion to its pyramidal apex.
On its face is a vast concavity where the snows gather in winter until

THE SELKIRK GLACIERS.

213

they overflow in avalanelics. Ry ascending tho ravine tliat conducts
the snow-slides you can readily get up to where heavy banks linger
through the whole summer in the hollow of tli«' phiteau, and can go on
even to the top ; but the latter feat is dillieult, and should not be
attempted without gtiides, ropes, etc. This plateau is the loveliest
of Alpine flower-gardens. All the mountains mentioned are on the
sinuous water-shed of the range.

The Selkirk Glaciers.

The summit left behind, the traveller sees the pass opening before
him into a great wo()de<l pit, the opposite wall swelling upward into the
two cones of Ross Peak. Around the right of its wooded base goes
the lUecillewaet down its deep, rough gorge, the rivulet beginnings of
which are trickling beside us here in the jaws of the i)ass ; ai\d far
below the railway seeks the bottona by the extraordinary curves of "the
Loop," doubling upon itself again and again. The train clings to the
southern wall of the pivss, and, swinging to the left, stops for dinner in
front of (alacicr Hotel station, almost at the very foot of the Great
Glacier of the Scikirks, where travellers arc earnestly reconnnended to
pause for at least one day.

The hotel stands on the western side of the ravine of (Jlacier Creek,
which is crossed by the train before reaching the station. The bi.ild-
ing appropriately resembles a Swiss elullet in architecture, is handsome-
ly finished inside and out, and is very comfortable and admirably kept.
AH passenger-trains stop here for meals, and there are, of course, tele-
gra|)h and express offices. The (Jreat Glacier is only l.J mile away,
reached by an excellent path and witii little climbing, and other paths
lead elsewhere to places of special interest.

The view from the station |)Iatform takes in the following features :
The summit or "saddle" of the (Jreat (Jlacier, a mile in width, crosses
the head of the glen and is just visible above the trees ; it is better
seen from farther down the track. The great peak beyond, overshad-
owing it at the left, is Sir Donald., commemorating Sir Donald Smith,
of Montreal, one of the chief promoters of the <'. P. U. It is \\ mile
in vertical height above us and nearly 11,(»00 ft. above sea-level. The
best view of it is from the lowest end of the platform or a little way
down the track. One of its subordinate peaks on this side, which has
long been known as Eagle Peak., on account of the effigy of an eagle
which imaginative eyes find upon its summit, peeps over the great
wooded crag-face in front of the hotel, called Eagle Gliff. Down its
verdant face hangs a scarf-like cataract, falling 1,000 ft. through the
trees and fed by the glacier between Sir Donald and Mt. Avalanche,
whose rounded head becomes visible farther up the valley at the left

(

214

TlfK SELKIRK OrAriKR?^.

of Ea^rlf IN'iik. It is this strcain wliich siipidics the lii»fci, railway-
tanks, and fountains at the station. Looking: back alonf; the railway
towards Ropcrs's Pass, the black crest of the //rnnlf rntijn' can l»c seen
far overtoi)i)ing the foivst iti hristlinfr trianjrles of black rock, pointed
and outlined by chevrons of snow cauj^ht in tlu-ir crevices. The deep
notch between '/'he //ermit {at the extre:ro ri<^ht ) and the next — the
va.st tent-sha|)ed mountain piolonjred at this end into the (|Madran<(ular
suniiuit of ('heoj)s — is here much more apparent than from the pass
itself. This stately heij^lit is called Aff. (Irixzhi, not for its j^riz/led
appearance, but because of a mcmorabh.' struirjile at its foot, in Au-
gust, 1885, between two telegraph workmen and a grizzly l)car, whei'c
the presence of mind and pluck of one of the lads saved his injured
cttmrade's life and his own. Westward the \ ist bulk of liosx l\iih\ at
whose base the railway can be discovered w iuding its way <iownwaril
around The Ijntp^ shuts otf all further view westward.

A Walk to the (ilncicr.

A walk to the (Jreat Glacier i.s the first thing to \)v done, and a very
pleasant duty it is. The path, like many a one in Switzerland, follows
the course of the rushing stream. A (juarter of a mile above the hotel
you cross a rustic bridge thrown over a tributary that comes down
from the Asulkan Glacier, of which a glimpse may be caught far up
the gap at the right. Hoth streams look like milk, except that they
are greenish instead of blue, and theii' combiufd curresits boil and I'oar
in a continuous cataract over boulders whose grinding, sliding, and de-
struction are always audible, and sometimes produce muffled detona-
tions somewhat startling to the unsophistieatetl. The channel is bor-
dered by masses of fallen an<l rounded rocks, plastered over with
greenish gray mosses and lichens, and overhung l)y the lean arms of
the ff)rest-trees stretched out begging more sunshine. After crossing
the West Hranch the i)ath leads along the main strean» over a huge pile
of marble-like rocks and battered logs which have been luirled down the
mountain in some earthcpiaking landslide long ago, until we come to a
sec(md rustic bridge. Here a covered seat has l)een inade where one
cjiii rest. Facing you is Sir Donald's stately monolith, attenuatt'd to
a blade-shaped apex, suggesting a ])loughshare upturned to fuirow the
blue prairie of the sky. The face of this sumndt is an almost sheer
precipice of purple rock on this side as well as on that seen from the
Beaver, forming a triangular i)yramid, a superb prism shooting its
slender a])ex far above all its royal mates and cleaving clouds that
have swept unhindered over their heads. The poise and self-sustain-
ing splendour of this snow-striped peak — a landmark for soaring eagles

t.
%<

1*5

! *
If

TIIK SK[J<IKK <n.A<"II<;i{S.

215

from tlie Saskiitcbcwnn to the Fraser, tli»' oulininiition and pride of tlie
Selkirkn — luc inore worthy tlu' pen of some master of words and ididater
of niountRins, like John Uiiskin, than the tpiill of a maker of ;rnide-booka.

Sir Donald was first elin)l)ed June 2ti, lMi>n, liy (wo inemliers of the
Swiss Alpine Club, Messrs. Kniil lliilier and Carl Sul/er. Tliey were
fully provided with iee-axes, ropes, and other etiuipineiils for sueeessful
mountaineering, took eamerasand Itaronu'ters, and wereneeompaiueii by
Marry Cooper, of Donald, a well known hunter. They s|)ent days in study-
ing the i)ertk, after eani|>iiig at the tind)er-line, and then aee«tmplished
the aseent in seven hours from the lime of leaving tlu'ir tent. "The
task proved exeeedinglv dillicidt, and to any exce|)t professional elimb-
ers very dangerous. There were large siiow-lields, and there was one
ol)slruetion of vertieal an(i nearly sniooih-fai-ed roek in (he way. But
at last, without any mishap, they stood upon the top of (he giant."
The view fr<Mu the eununit eiid)raee(l a field ;{<>(» miles Inoad, including
the whole basin of the Columbia, aitd ranges of mountains without
nnndjer, studded with glaeiers.

Two or three subsiiJiary sinnniits rising far above the titid)er eluster
about and support Sir Donald on this side, (lrn|tping with immmsely
h»ng slopes straight to the very ereek-bank. Fioni tlie farther edge of
the peak a huge tirrli\ or wall-like wing or buttress, eurves roimd to a
lesser peak (I'erley's ifoek), whose naked erags fenee in the glaeier <m
that fiidc and hang ovei- it. These massive projeetions half enelose a
great hollow, into which, all winter long, the great peak sheds its bur-
dens of snow to be ganieied and impartt-d by the gales. This snow
never wholly melts. Kven in late suninu'i' broad banks lie there under
the lee of the mighty walls, and bel(<w them lurks a small glaeier sur-
rounded by an utter desert of roeky <lil>r}s, through which thieaddike
cataracts from the dissolving snow wiiggle downward, joining and part-
ing like a tangled skein of thread.

Crossing the bridge we follow a path along (he farther bank of the
river through beautiful woods of spruce, hemlock, a»ul cedar, where the
moss lies many inches thick underfoot, and in the sunny phices near
the river a variety of pretty subalpine shrubs and flowering herbs re-
lieves the evergreen foliage. The sweet-fern, and many another fra-
grant, dewy leaf, crushed under our hurrying feet, exhales a delicious
sylvan odour; squirrels of odd colour, flirting jaunty, blaek-bordvrod
tails, scold at us an instant and then scamper away in a panic ; such
birds aB the chickadee, which in the East are seen only in winter, wel-
come us cheerily to this their cool summer home, and on all sides the
grand old peaks gaze down benignantly.

210

TFIK HKI.KIIfK (JI^ACIKKS.

Suddenly we romo out in front of the (Iroat (ilaoier — a gigantic un-
broken hill-Hide of rough ice, 2,500 ft. in height and humlredrt of feet
thick, ending far down here in the ft»reHt in a rounded fors'-foot from
whoso crunddlng margin gurgle many rivulets (»f milky water. From
this fore-foot the ice sweei)r< upward in a stecj) hollow slope, between 2
and 'i miles in length, to where it pour.s over the i)recipiee that sustuiriH
it. It is much broader — probably a mile and a half in nu'asurement —
up thf.'ro, for its shape is that of a saddle-flap; and the edges of the
fractured Ice, which refuses to beml smootlily over the l>rink, show as
jagged i'guinsf the sky as the fl\ing sciul on a line of surf. It com-
pletely fills the whole head of the gorge, as the Kalis fill that of Xi-
agara. Its crest (4,r)00 ft. above the hotel) isgasln-d and splintered into
innumerable crevasses and sirncs ; liut l>elow, where the slope is easier,
the surface of the glacier flows in billowy lines with soft gradations of
shadow and tint, heaped up somewhat at the sides and lutllow down
the middle, conforming to the tiough of the gulch. All the ribbings
and longitudinal furrows, where tiny rivulets sparkle, can easily be
discerned from this point, 500 yards away; and all the curving cross-
crevassc.s that show how by successive pariings, the front falling away
a little and the rear pressing on again, tliis ice river flows downward.
According to some observations by the Hev. W. t^. (Jreen, its average
progress is about 1 ft. a day — the centre moving three times as fast as
the margins.

The fore-foot is wonderfully wrinkled and fairly reticulated with
crevasses, while at several points along the base eaves appear, from
whose roofs on warm days ponderous flakes of ice arc continually drop-
ping with an echoing crash into the gravelly channels that carry their
melted crystals away. From Rogers's Pass or the old tote-road (one of
the best points of view) the glacier looks grayish-white in summer, be-
cause it is then so honeycond)ed by the sun as to lo.><c its reflecting
power; but when you are close by it the ice is richest turquoise in
colour, while the caves and all the craclcs and fractures in it arecobali
At a little distance, on the other hand, when the sun is shining full
upon it, the broken faces of the ice become a soft, pure grass-green,
darker in the transparent shadows, and the whole [glacier takes a
slightly greenish tinge, especially towards its upper edge. From
another point of view, or under a different sky, new colours and com-
binations of colour dcveloj) theinselves upon this great picture whose
easel is Sir Donald's height.

OTIIEU OLACTETtS AND PNOW-FIKT.DS.

217

On this, tho eastern nmr{:in of the glacier, wc <lo not sec nmeli in
the way of diHtinct moraines ; they have been levelled hy the constant
sliding of Hnow and loose nmterials, aided by running water. Once,
probably, that whole grey slope was covered with ice.

Along the western side, however, a huge moraine is heaped against
the flanking cliffs, and is steadily augmented by a stream of fragments
from a ravine reaching far towards the lilaelt crest which is a spur of
Mt. Fox. These fragments roll out upon the ice to a great extent,
and work their way down through it by falling into crevasses, or else
are unloaded at the side. It is not diflicult to climb this moraine, to
the foot of which a path has been made, but groat care should be ex-
ercised in doing so to avoid falling between the Icose and angular rocks,
or bringing a slide of them down upon you. Tho surface is vmderlaid
in many places with half -melted ice, which may break under your
weight with perilous results. From this moraine you can walk out
upon the ice, but after wetting, cutting, and bruising yourself by a bad
fall or two, you will not make a second attempt without creepers
or spikes in the soles of your boots, a stout, iron-pointed stick, ropes,
and other equipments for glacial exploration. The view it gives is a
grand one, but not enough better than that fnmi points below to alone
reward one for the arduous clintb. A terminal moraine is not well
marked. Bushes and weeds are abundant at the very foot of the ice,
and it is indubitable that this glacier, like all the rest in the Selkirks,
has not advanced beyond its present position for many years — is, on
the contrary, steadily retreating.

Other <ilacicrs and Siiow-ficlds.

The glacier before us, enormous though it be, is a mere overflow, or
outlet, of a rncr de (jlacr level with its toj) — a plateau of ict; of untested
thickness buried under constantly renewed blankets of snow, and over-
lying an area of the summit many, many miles in extent. It is en-
vironed by a rim of cliff-like peaks, of which Sir Donald is the tallest,
and wherever a break in the rim permits, sends down tongues of ice
into the radiating valleys. Our Glacier is one of these ; the ice at the
head of the West Hranch, of which so beautiful a view is ha<l from sev-
err (loints on the path, are others, and De Villc glacier is a fourth.
T' snow-sheet, to which Mr. (ireen gave the name (irmt Uhcillcwael
4» ^^y is 10 miles or more in length by perhaps 3 wide — say 300 scjuaie
nii 08 of arctic silence and. solitude. The length of it lies N. and S.,

■■mmi<iMeum.tMtM

21S

DAWSON AND ASIILKAN rH.AdlKKS,

and its eastern wall Is the ran{»e wliicli stretches fjoiii E. of Hofjen's
PaKS southward to Mt, DawHon and farther — the backbone of the Sel-
kirks. The g'eat f^pur from Sir Donald stretches along its eastern
l)order and rises 5 or ('» miles southward into the peak named Macoun,
in honour of the genial naturalist of the (Jeological Survey who has
done so much good work in these mountains. Bevond that, a ))reak in
the wall allows a vast tongue of ice to flow down into the valley of
Beaver Creek. This is called the De Ville tJlacier, after Canada's sur-
veyor-general. Xo man has mapped the range S. of them, where it
slopes imperceptibly towards tlic eastern side of the Divide. Djtposite
Mt, Macoun stands Mt. Fox (invisil»le fnun this valley), forming l)y its
spurs the western wall of the siiow-lield, and surrounded on all sides l)y
ice rivers. At its northern foot nn enormous tongue of ice, lying just
behind the great black knob seen from this valley on tho right of the
crest of this glacier, and pouring wt-stward, has been named (Jeikie
(Jlacier, after the Scotch geologist. It is terribly rough, and into it from
an amj)hitheatree*^ snow between Mts Fox and Doid<in falls the Dawson
(ilacier down a gorge almost as steep and narrow as a stairway. So
much is known of the vast snow-plain, whose breadth but one explorer
has spanned. Now and then a venturesome wild goat may cross a spur
to nil»l)le the sweeter grass in some sheltered nook beyond, a ptarmi-
gan may whirl in rapid flight along its skirt; or the golden eagle, rest-
ing uj)on its pinions while tiie globe revolves Ix'iitath him, may scan its
glistening wastes ; b\it otiieiwise the imagination lias free scope upon
those snow-fields to draw pictures fearless of contradiction, for no man
has surveyed theii' extent or probed their depth.

Below the (Jeikie (Jliicier, and separat<'d from the great snow-field
by its western wall, is tl;i' AKiilkaii (ilaeier at the head of the W.
branch of (Jlacier Creek. A pJith has been cut up this valley, and the
visitor may now walk to the foot of the glacier, which is plaijdy visilije
from the fii-st l)ri(lge. Tlience, if he be a fair climber, he may easily
continue on ovm- the I'idge to the (nikir Ulacicr and get ^,ight of tho
Dawson ice-steeps, with Mt. Doidiin at the right of \^. Dawson stiaight
ill front, and Mt. Fox on the left. A log-cabin containing a stove and
some simple furniture has been built there for the accommodation of
mountaineers who wish to spend the night on this summit to see the
Alpine sunrise or try for white goats. Looking straight '. one gets
the full majesty of Mt. Bonney, 10, (»'i'i ft. high, crowned with snow
and mantled with glaciers. This is an enormous peak hiddi'u behind

rtiold

tlie

isily
tlio

ami

n of

the

•rets

hind

Mount :sir Itmntld.

SPORT AND NATURAL IITSTORY.

210

Ross Peak, but often visible from the railway in Ro*;errt's Pass, oh tlie
Loop and below Ross Peak. It was climbed in 1888 by the Rev. Wv S.
Green and a party, who with skill and hardihood such as belong only
to practical Alpinists, attained the icy cap and mapped the glaciers and
inow-fields that embrace it upon all sides. The volume in which he
describes this and his many other accents is styled Among the Selkirk
Glaciers, and is not only delightful reading, but must be the basis for
all future exploration in ihis locality, of which plenty remains to be
done. His route to the summit of Mt. Honnoy and to the Lily (ilacier
on its western flank was up the ravine of Loop Ci-eek between Ross
Peak and Asulkou Mouutnin^ the latter the peak just Ix-hind the hotel.
The ascent of Mt. Asulkan — the Kootenay name of the white goat — is
a comparatively easy scramble, and Mr. Green says of it :

"Our course lay at Hrst up throutzh tangled forest, and l)esides the
ordinary ditficulties of clambering over fallen trees an additional one
presented itself in resisting the temptations offered by the blueberi-y-
i)ushe3, which were covered with fruit in fidl ])erfection. Then we
r-ose to grassy Alps where cow-bells ouiiht to have been ringing ; then
up I'ocks with banks of snow ; and finally on to a rock arete, where we
set up the plane-table at an elevation of ;i,70(» ft. above the i-ailway
and 7,8(»4 above the sea. We were midway between the two big
mountains of the district, Sir Donald and Mt. Bonney, . . . and the
view over the glacier was as fine as could be desired, and for every
reason I recommend this climb to all travellers who stay off the train
at (jlacier and desire some insight into the glories of the Selkirks."

Sport and Natural History.

The white y^onX deserves a few words, aa the peculiar game ani-
mal of the Selkirks, before leaving this hotel-station, which is so good
a headquarters for sporthmen. This animal, which is ri'ally nearer an
antelope than a goat in structure and classification, and is closely re-
lated to the goi'al and serow of the Himalayas, is confined to the sum-
mits of Bi'itish Columbia and Alaska, only rarely wandering southward
along the crests of a few lofty i-anges into the United States. It is
(miy within a very few years that it has bec(mie known either to natu-
ralists or hunters, and a dozen years ago all Europe contained only
two or three mutilated skins, while Amer-ican museums had very few
presentable specimens.

Mr. Baillie-Grohman, an author rnd hunter of wide experience, was
the first really to hunt the goats as a sport, and has written in The
London Field an enthui-iastic. account of his failures and successes.

220

SPORT AND NATURAL HISTORY.

The chase of this animal, he tells us, partakes of all the enthralling
experiences that make chamois-stalking the king of sports. Some of
the patriarchs of the species grow to great size and formidable weight,
and their curiously grotesque proportions, great hump, and high
withers give them more the appearance of a mountain buffalo with a
goat's head and with a silky pure white coat than anything one could
liken them to. The females arc smaller, but their horns are very much
the same in size as those of the ram. These are short, jet-black, and
smooth, and while they are much less crooked they are as sharply
pointed as those of the chamois, making them very formidable weapons.
Two ways of hunting are practised — by stalking and by following with
dogs. The former is the more sportsmanlike, but the latter sufficiently
arduours ..ork to please the most ardent climbers. In order to even
begin the chase the "normous precipices that skirt all the peaks must
be scaled, for the game should be approached from " above," goats
having a sirigular fancy for the very top of sharp ridges, where the
breathless sportsman can see them silhouetted against the sky as they
pick their steps with grave steadiness along the knife-back-like ridge,
either unconscious of the yet distant foe or calmly watching him.
These goats arc plentiful on all the mountains in the neighbourhood of
Rogers's Pass, and as easily hunted there as anywhere. They also occur
in the Rockies, the (iold Range, on the Coast ranges from Puget Sound
to Alaska, descending with the snow almost to sea-level in the Stickeen
and ('hilcoot Mountains of the latter region, and there aflfording easier
sport than farther south.

The big-horn or Rooky Mountain sheep does not occur in the heavily
forested Selkirks, but is spread elsewhere all over British Columbia
and along all the high mountain lines southward to the Rio Grande.
Its flesh is most excellent, and somewhat less exertion is reiiuired to
find and shoot it than the pursuit of the white goat involves.

Besides these two Alj)ine animals, whose chase furnishes the best
sport, there is a long list of other beasts well worth the sportsman's
attention in the mountains. The grizzly bear is represented quite nu-
merously enough by the cinnamon variety ; the silver-tip is more un-
common. They roam everywhere in winter, but in warm weather are
to be sought only on the cool uplands next the snow, the bear's sum-
mer-resort. In the autumn they descend to the higher valleys in search
of fruit, and may sometimes be encountered in family parties of
half-a-dozen feeding upon the raspberries, which in several varieties
and unlimited profusion cover the open spaces along the upper edge

ANIMAL LIFE OF THE 8ELKIRK8.

221

of the timbers. Still more plentiful arc both black and brown varie-
ties of the common black bear, but this species is less fond of the
" silent pinnacles of aged snow " than the i^rizzly, and often descends
into the forested valley after berries or the insects hidinj; in deciiyed
logs. This is nearly the northern limit of the cou(/ut\ fmma, or mount-
ain lion (Felis concolor), and I know of only one having been seen in
the Selkirks. This happened in 1881 on the shapely mountain across
the Illecillewaet from Ross Peak, which has been known as (.'ougar
Peak ever since. The inld-cat, or Westei'n f}>rm of the Canada lynx
{Lynx horealis cauadoisifi), is not uncommon. Wolvm are seldom if
ever seen within the mountains, confining their forays to the foot-lulls,
but the ivolverenc visits the Rockies and probably the other ranges.
All the small fur-hearers — beavers, otters, minks, ermines, skunks,
etc. — occur in greater or less numbers in suitable situations. Above
the timber the mountains are populous with the whistling sijflcur or
hoary marmot (Ardom/js pruinoaxis), the sewellel {Hajilodou rnfm),
and with the little chief hare, or cony {Laf/omi/s prinecpn). "The sif-
tleur," to (juote Hector's description, " is the size of a badger, with
coarse hair and no proper fur. It has large incisor teeth like those of
the beaver; it lives among the rocks and has a large nest, in which it
lays up stores of provisions for wintei-, during which season it never
comes abroad, but whether it hibernates or not the Indians do not
know. It returns to its hole late in September, at which time it is very
fat and quite as good eating as the beaver, having the same rat Havctr."
Mr. Green found these and the curious sewellels numerous on the peaks
that overlook the Great (ilaeier.

The two rodents foregoing are allied to the S((uirrels, but the
" cony " is a quaint relation of the hares, and his lively, (juesticming
bark, impudent demeanor, and extraordinary cleverness in dodging
your shot make him a very interesting little fellow to meet on the lofty
barren peaks where he dwells, feeding lustily half the year and gath-
ering into his underground granary a winter store of seeds, then sleep-
ing the other half, indifferent to the thick snows piled above his roof.
In winter the tnoose, wapiti, and caribou are all to be found in the
higher valleys of the mountains. The latter, which is the American
variety of the reindeer and occurs in all parts of Canada, is the most
frequently seen, and, like the wapiti, is likely to be met with in bands.
The moose is rare. All these animals may be discovered on the Al-
pine pastures above the timber line in spring and fall, wliitlier tht-y re-
treat to get an abundance of fresh herbage and to escape the Hies in
the woods. As for birds, two or three species of grouse, especially
Richardson's, and, on the heights, the ptarmigan, will reward the shot-
gun and serve the pot in camp.

The Western Slope of the Selkirks. '

The Illecillewaet River heads in the glaciers of Rogers's Pass,
and is soon swelled by Glatier Creek and other streams from Ross

I -1

\t^

222

TIIK W KSTKKN SI.OJ'K OK THK SKLKIKK8.

I'oiik and (.-hcoptf. The name is said (o be a corruption of cn-cil-whait-
ka, a compound word in tlic Kiilispehn language, which may be trans-
hitcd " .swift current." The same name in dilferent form.s belong.s to
a tributary t»f the Airow Lakes, and sevi-ral streauis in the Koote-
nay country. M(»beily learned it froui the Indians when lie was ex-
ploring for passes, but tliey woidd not encourage Or help him in its
examination, pretcrjding ignoiiince and declaring difficulties. The river
is justly nairied. It is a turbulent mountain torrent, at first milky
green with glacial mud, but rapidly clarifying, and is rarely more
tlian a few yin-rls in width. Its valley, too, is narrow for the most
part, and *.(ie mountains thiough which it is cut nowhere present
from the tars that separation into distinct ranges which is so charac-
teristic of toe Rockies.

The i/f'o/of/ leaf It isf or// ofi the Selkirks unites it structurally with tho.sc
iunnediately W. of it, which jirc divided as a group from the R<»cky
Mountains by the Columbia-Kootenay Valley. This group, according to
Dawson, is composed of a numlier of subsidiary ranges, the Selkirk,
Purcell, Cohnnbia, and Cariboo mountains. Crystalline schists, in-
cluding gneisses and traversed by intrusive granitic nuisses, enter
largely into the composition of these mountains, and there is ground
for the belief that this is geologically the oldest of tlie ranges of this
part of the ('ordillera, l)Ut owing to its dense and tangled forests it is
extremely diflieult to penetrate, and has been less explored than the
others. Its width may be stated as 80 miles, but K. of the Cariboo
district, at the head-waters of the Peace, it dies away completely.

The descent of the lllecillewaet gorge has already begun at Glacier,
and continues until the level of the river is reached at Boss Peak
Sidinrf, the next station. To get down this hill by a grjide suitable to
a railway, the engineers swung around on this side, bridging Glacier
Creek, tunnelling the spur of the mountain behind the hotel, and mak-
ing a long detour towards the head of the gorge between Asulkan and
Ross Peaks, so as to get a high footing upon the base of i\w latter,
and then launched into the complieatetl curves, bridges, and embank-
nn-nts which foiin The Tioop. The line here doubles back upon
itself to the right, for a mile or more, until it is within a biscuit's toss
of itself; then it sweeps around to the left, touches the mountain on
the other side of the lllecillewaet, curves again to the left, and after
that shoots down the valley parallel with its former course. The dis-
tance travelled is about 6 nnles, but less than 2 are really gained.
Here are six almost parallel lines of railway in full view, each at a lower

111-

Ross Peak (Hacicr

THE WKSTKKN SLOPK OF TIIK SKF-KIKKS.

223

stage, anil each made up largely of huge trestle-hrhlges, and when we
look down at them from the top of the strange eondtnictiim it looks '* as
if the railway weie heing twisted into the bottom of the great abyss."

In descending the Looj) all eyes are held by the 8ui>erb scene too
rapidly left l)ehind, where the luminous peaks group and regroup
themselves in resplendent tableaux. The afternoon sun is getting low,
perhaps, and the mists of the valley rise into light clouds that fleecily
veil the rugged outlines. In the golden glow which permeates the
atmosphere, these Alpine kings lay ai-ide the sceptre of power and ex-
tend the hand of grace. Their snows sparkle rosily. We watch gleams
of blue ice, like the Hashing of jewels in a crown, the nuissive forms
are enlarged and glorified with a marvellous tiansparency of colour,
and the rich dark olive of the forest falling away at their feet forms a
royal robe of velvet, whereon the warmer lines of close shrubbery,
sprouting upon the tracks of old snow-slides, serve as an ex«iuisite
trimming. The ))eauty of such mountains, beyond stich a foreground,
transfigured in the suffused color that saturates the vesper light, is
not to be measured in woids, or transferred to canvas, or even well
appreciated by the senses, until it has lain awhile in the receptive
memory and been absorbed by the heai't.

The Illecillewaet is now on this side, now on that, the line crossing
it by many bridges. It is always turljulent, and here pea-green with
glacial nuul, but its waters rapidly clarify. The gorge is sometin)es of
considerable width and filled with trees of immense size rising out of a
tangle of undergrowth.

The principal trees here, as all over British Columbia, are the
Douglas spruce or "(M-egon pine" (Pseitdo/tiuf/a), the white cedar
{Thuja\ a hendock (iNUffa iticrtensiana), and Engleman's spruce
(Ficen). The average height of the mature Douglas spruces seen fiom
the cars probably reaches 2(Mtft., while that of the cedars is little less.
In addition to these, the banks of the streams are l)ordered by certain
small hard-wood trees, and on the fiats grow the large gum-like lopu-
hus bafmmifcra, with an (K'casional birch and crowds of small willows.

The feature that first iMi[)ressed me among these trees was not
their tallness so much as their multitude, yet I was surrounded by
mast-like trunks reaching 'ino ft. straight into the air — as high as the
towers of the Brooklyn Bridge; but it was, in fact, the bulk of their
mighty boles, rather than the numlier, which made the forest seem so
crowded. The ground underneath such a close thick canopy of foliage
id forever shaded and damp, both with ceaseless dews and with the
tricklings of the surrounding uplands. Hence there grows an extrava-
gance of mosses, ferns, fungi, moulds, and all plants that love moisture

[ I

224

Till-: AIJJKUT (JANON.

and iii'o not afraid of cliillH. The soil in thu woods is luilocl<y witli
moss, Ixiryiii^r rocks and cartli, as well as mouldering logs and the
hases of the trees, under a thick, oo/y rug, while soft, ereepiiig vines
and trailing weeds elimh the mouldering trunks or wreathe their red,
white, or purple l>erries upon the rocks' grey brow. Hillocks of wet
moss hide the roughness of stony soil and rotting logs, and support
hrilliant iloweis and odd fruitage. The most conspicuous and novel
plant, however, is the Devil'sclub {lumox horrida), which is scattered
everywhere, and here and there grows in compact jungles head-high.
The leaves are laige and somewhat resemble those of the castor-oil
bean. They arc supported upon very stout stalks, a!id these and the
under surface of each leaf i)ear a multitude of long prickles, which are
not only cruelly sharp but ndnutely barbed, so that when they enter
they imbed themselves deeper and deeper in the flesh. Alt<»gether, this
is one of the most picturescpie forests to look at, but one of the very
woryt to go through, on the face of the earth.

The Albert Canon.

lllecillewiict is a new town |)lanted carelessly in the woods, de-
pendent upon the silver-mines at the brow of the hills N. of the station,
and ;{,()()U ft. above them. These mines are reached by a circuitous
bridal-tiail, and the ore, crushed at the mines, is brought down to the
cars upon the backs of horses and mules. This ore is a mixture of
sulphurcts and other cemlduations of t-ilvcr with jialena, and re.<end)les
that of the ('olumbian mines generally. The production is steady but
not very extensive.

The railway now seems to rise rapidly from the river, but in reality
the river is sinking away from the road, and is presently lost to view
in a crooked ravine, whence the '' noise of many waters" comes to our
oars. Seven nulcs pass by, and the train suddenly plunges between
the rocky walls of a short cutting almost like a tunn(;l, and at the other
end comes to a halt beside a chasm for which the word "awful" is
hardly an exaggeration. This is the Albert Canon, and its eftect is
heightened by the wholly unforeseen way in which it is encountered.
Between the rails ami the brink, which is but a step away, stout bal-
conies of stone have l>een built, where the train stops and allows pas-
sengers a moi'c satisfactory look into the chasm than is permitted
fron) the car-windows, since the line leaves the canon edge as quickly
as it approaches it.

This canon is one of a series of fissures, down which the Illecillewaet
rusiies in one long cataiact, falling several hundred feet in the course
of half a dozen miles. The hidden wall underneath the balcony drops

TIIK ALBERT CANON.

225

»P8

straight down liou ft. Not a «toiu''.«'-throw iiwiiv, the fiirtlior wull,
Hinootti and shining, seanuMl with visi ticul rlcava;.'*' ciaclis and fnnowtvi
by fhc weather, rises slieer, hold and solid, and, where its foot is
planted far l»elow, the eye catchi'S one switt tjliinpse of Nile-fireen,
white-trininied waier, and the ear a roar of uni-easinj: turbulence. .lust
at the ri<;ht the massive walls ainicst shut lo^'ether at a hend, hidmii;
all the tortuous eourse ol the torrent aliove; atid fhrou};li this pro-
found trench (he whole stream (really a lar^'e one) forces its passafie,
hoiling from an unfathunied bottom, and ])ule with clouds of air-bub-
bles. The crags are huiiif with vines, pretty .-hrubs ami ferns, or where
the face is not so smooth are clothed in a velvet of dampened moss;
and Just behind tlieni the spiry clitts of a mountain are ()iled to an un-
scalable heijrht, the water slides away down its great flume, and bey(>nd
it we look out

"Overtlif far awiiy nioimtahis ttiat no man linth nanietl,
And tliat no fdot liatli Hod . . .
Witlidrawn in >'Ui)\\ silence ('i)revcr.'"

Hcyond this canon the line descends steadily, and at Twin IJutte
station has again reached the river-le\el, where wide flats are timbered
with a <:rowth of enormous trees which keep saw-mills busy. Lojis oan
be floated down the main river and its N. fork for a Ion;; disiance, and
all the timbet is large and valuable. This station takes its name from
a twin pair of summits southward {Mfs. 7'i/fn/ iun\ .Vurkoizie, »cv p.
2'28), which are well seen from the old tote-roail on the other side of
the river, and were dubbed the Twin Buttos by the surveyors. Much
more conspicuous and really grand, recalling Mt. LefVoy by its isola-
tion and greatness, is the blue and snow-capped jjcak ihat looms up on
the right just beyond the station. This mountain was much admired
by Mr, Ross, chief of the railway eonstructi(/n, its outline retninding
him of the great stone upon which the washer-women of Inverness
always rest Iheir tubs when going to and from the town pump. This
stone is called (in (iaelic) ( Iwh-nd-eoinlhi, and that is the name of this
mountair). Crossing and recrossing the river, and following it in auda-
cious curves, the liiu- seeks a way out throu};Ii rocky canon-gates and
past brilliant watei fall*, until presently it enierges for a second time
into the spacious valley of the Columliia.

The river here flows through broad " bottoms " of swampy " Imsh "
due to the labours of beavers, whose dams cover the whole flatlands, and
restrain the water. It is the hiunt of birds and small animal life; here
and tlur'c groups of monumental spruces rist> handsomely above the
leafy jungle, and in the background a mass of forest clothed ridges
swells up at the foot of the Gold lianye^ overtopped by the coal-black,
15

■ 13

22('>

TlIK lOMMIilA VALKKV

flnow-packcil stiiiiinitH of tint third tnoiititiiiti ItiirruM-, sit sliarpiv u^iiiti.xt
tlir blue ot" the sky. Is thorc no mil to this lut'udth smd buiiutv of
mouiilninsy At last the locoinotivi- (urns towards the river, and we
draw up in the Imsy divisional station of licvrlHtoh',

The Coliiiiihiii Viillf^y*

The Coliimhia has n<)W coiue '250 ndles IVoni its soiiiee, has re-
ceived many aeecHsions, und hiis inoreiised to u width oC Hoo ft. Its
current rc/lls hy At the rate of H to 10 miles an hour, swirling' and
f^reen ; and when the Kooteiiay Indijins liiunch theii' Itiirk canoes tin.*
lij^ht craft whirl down the inirullled suifaee with most exciting speed.

The two principal trihutiuics of tlic u;>per rivei- iii'e (\utov tind l\i)'-
tw/e rivers, which enter dosi' to^ieilier at the Hiii Bend. The former
has heen refeired to as probaldy once the main river which Mowed
straifrlit soiithwiird. The lattei' heals in one ot two small lakes in the
very heart ot the Rocky Mountains, hctwtcn Mts. Brown and Hooker.
One has its (Uitlet to the K in Whirljiool Hivcr, a branch of the Atha-
basca; the other forms the souicc oi' the Torta^ie, flowi?iji out toward
the ('ohmd)ia through a prodigious clelt in the rang'. This cleft is the
ren iwned Af/inlnisfi /'r^v.s which, e\])lored in iSlo by David Thompson,
aotronomer of the Xorthwest Fur Company (who was the first white
man to descend the whole of the great river, and who calle I it " MctJil-
livray " alter a director of the company, naming the eontiguous mount-
ains after Lord Selkirk, of Red itiver fame), afterward became the
principal route of the fur traders IVom one siile of the mountains to the
other; but it is not to be recommtiidi'd for a plea^uie-trip. Fron)
Bo(tf hJiteani/tniciif, near the mouth (d' this Portage, the (Jolum))ia flows
nearly due S., and is shut in by towering mountains. Many small
streams fall into the rivei', usually by a cataract leap, and sometimes
in an exceedingly curious and beautiful ir.anner. Islands are frecpient,
some of them formed entiiely of driftwood laitl in tiers and solidly com-
pacted by the current. Thus this upper part of the river is not navi-
gable for steaml)oats (save in short stretches) from Golden down to be-
low DallcH ilex Mar/s, or Death Rapids, altout 40 miles aljove Revel-
stoke. The e rajiids are two miles long, and the graves and mortuary
memoranda carved upon the rocks along their shores testify how many
poor fellows have 1 »st their lives in attempting to ))ass them. Almost
within sight of Revelstoke is the canon of Little Dalles, generally pass-
able by steand)oats, where the scenery is very striking. At the foot
of these narrows, and only a mile above the Revelstoke bridge, the
river rushes violently Int » the lii;/ h'</i/if — a rnl-ii-mc on the western
bank, where the incoming currents above, and those seeking exit be-
neath, through the same narrow ?u'ck, produce a maelstrom only com-
parable to the Viagara Whirlpool. This is the only place where lum-
bermen can " corral " their logs, and it is well worth going to see.

km:vki,stokk ani> its mink!*.

227

RevelNtoke find Un IMiiieN.

KcvelNtokc ir< now a Hoiirisliinp ruilway licafltniiirtcrs and \n[n\-
neH.s point, ocuMipyin^' a level and laautirul site on the left hank of the
river, atid it is liUoly to Inerease In conseiiuonee and hcoonie more and
more a Hoeial and pleasant place of rertidence. Several snnill taverns
exist, and a fine n«'\v hotel is altoiit to l»e elected. It was a plaee of
much importanee in the days of railway constrnetion, and is now the
principal mtrcpnl for the Kootenay ntinin^ re^'ion sonthward, described
under the next headin<;, and for innch local mining. A great smelter
has recently heen erected and is doin;^ a ;io<Ml business. Its hiKtori/,
however, goes much furtlier back than the building of the laihvay.

When, many years ago, the Cariboo gold-fields, at the head of Fraser
Kiver, attrai'ted a I'lish of p(»pulation, adventurous prospectors jxishing
across the (lold Kange soon reported rich placers on the eastern slope
at the Hig Hend of the Coluniliia. The usual rush thither followed.
Log towns were built and mines opened; l)ut it was found impossible
to get provisioi'.s enough info that remote region to sustain life, and,
after untold sufferings and ninny and many a death, the last of the ad-
venturers abandoned the place, leaving their cabins to rot down over
the machinery, furniture, billiard-tables, and other signs of temporary oc-
cupancy, which remain hidden in the jungles there to this day. That was
30 years and more ago. As soon as tlie railway made the region newly
accessible, prosjjeeting for precious metals was resumed and the out-
come has been most gratifying. Many of the placers are about to be
reworked, and tunnels are being driven upon veins of <|iiart/ rich in
both silver and gohl. The locality best known at present is the placer
diggings on MrCu/lom/h Creek, 7<) miles northward, where hydraulic
machinery is in use ; but development is proceeding upon several other
creeks, on both sides of the upper river.

The ores of gold and silver in this locality closely resemble those of
Idaho, Montana, and I'tah. In truth, they ought to. A continuous
line of mineial-bearing upheavals may be traced from the Stickeen
region of Alaska through the Cariboo country, down the (jold Kange
into the Kootensiy district of Hritish Columbia, and through the Fort
Colville and Ca-iir d'Alene regions of Idaho (always trt'iiding easterly),
to Montana, the Wahsatch, and so on through Arizona to Mexico.

The utetien/ at Revelstoke is ((uite diirerent from that at Donald,
but no less interesting. The railway station, however, is unfavorably

228

THE KOOTENAY COTTNTRY.

placed, and, to make the mountains and river "loniposo" well, one
needs to go l)elo\v the villa,<j;e and <tnnd upon the high river-bluff over-
looking the broad sweep to the left i)ast the splendid front of Mt
Begbie. This great mountain — tlie conspicuotis peak southward — is
the loftiest of the (Jold Range, and its ebon and white apex is nearly
8,000 ft. above (he river. The auijdiitheatre of its glaciers, and the
blackness of its pinnaele-crags in contrast with the broad tracts of
perennial snow, will appeal to every one's sense of grandeur, while the
foreground of river and willow-cushioned islands, and the flowing out-
lines of the successive ranks of foot hills that surround its base, lend
an unwonted elegance and beauty to the picture of which it is the
noble centre-piece. Its name is that of the late Sir Matthew Begl»ie,
whose vigour in suppressing lawlessness during the early days of the
mining excitemvnt of 185H-'0t was of inestiiiiable value to society.
The graceful and dee[)ly notched mountain southeastward i,< here known
as " Mt. Cuiniiugham," after (s. 0. Cunningham, C. E., of Toronto, who
had charge of railway construction here. It is the same called "Twin
Butte " in the Illecillewaet canon ; but by an order of the Privy Council
the western of its two sumnnts ought properly to be styled J//. 7'ilfri/
and the eastern ^ft. Mackenzie, in honour of two meml)eis of a former
government. They are each about (j,000 ft. above the riilway, and
both have been climbed.

The Kootenay Country.

The Kootenay Valley includes a lai'ge triangular open space of
country on the southern border of British Columbia, S. of the Selkirk
Range. It is bounded by the Rock'' Mountain. < upon the E., and the
Columbia River and Cold Range up(m the W. Through it in circiutous
fashion runs the Kootenay River, the largest affluent of the Columbia
N. of Clarke's Fork. The Kootenay takes its source in lakes of the
Bow and Beaverfoot ranges, not far from the canon of the Kicking-
horse (see p. 204), and flows southeastward thro\igh a valley continuous
with that of Beaverfoot. Bieaking through the latter rlose by the
mother-lakes of the Ccdumbia, it contiiuu s soiitli\v:>rd along the western
skirt of the Rocki< s recei'ing Elk l^iver and other strong ti ilmtarics from
the Crow's Nest, Kootenay, ai\il other passes, to a point some 5(» ndh's S.
of the United States boundary, when it turns sharply W. and N. and
re-enters British ('olumbia W. of a range of hills called on the maps
(but rarely elsewhere) the Purcell Mtumtains, which is really a prolonga-

THK KOOTENAY COUNTRY

220

•king-

111!\1)S

tion of the Selkirks. A few iiiiK'S X. of the houn'iary the now poworfnl
river expands to till a long, narrow valley, and becomes Ki>ot<)iai/ Lake.
Into the upper end of this lake eonies another river, draining Vpfwr
Kootenay Lake^ far witliin the Selkirks. This lake tinds its outlet about
the middle of its western side, and pours westward through a violent
canon into the Columbia.

The nomenclature of this whole region is derived from the Indians,
who have occupied it from time immcni»»rial. They arc of S«'lisli stock,
and allied to the Fliitheatls, ('(cur dWlenes, etc., southward, and with
the Shuswaps and Okinagans westward. These were especially known
as the ri)per Kootmay {Kootfuulm), and were a fine, stalwait race,
dwelling in the warm valleys, l)iit hunting thi-ougliout the mountains N.
and E. of them, and making annual expeditions to the plains to hunt
buffalo, where they constantly came into collision with the Rlackfeet
and were fairly able to cope with thini, for they were good horsemen,
touch with constant mountain-climbing and high-spirited, as l)ecame
men who had kept to themselves from time immemorial a splendid
region and owed allegiance to no higher chiefs than of their own choos-
ing. Living beside these rushing rivers, they were as fine boatmen as
the Iro({uois, and developeu a style of bark lanoe i)eculiar to itself.
Its ends were low and ]/oiiitcd, l)ut instead ol turning up \\\ the grace-
ful prow and stern characteristic of the eastern "birch-bark," they
turned down and reache<l fore aiul aft in long jx-ints underneath the
water-line, like the rams of a iiiodern iiont'lad. This gave the light ves-
sel a hold upon the water and alone madi' it manageable in the Her<'e cur-
rents of the (.'olumbia and Kootenay.

The Kootenay Valley has ))een known to Indian traders for a cent
ury, and about 3(> years ago was jK-nctrated by the prosfH'e'ors wh«t ,\\
that time overran all Hriti>h ('oluml)ia. They found coarse jioKI. »ad
gave n)any names to loialities now becon.iug freshly prominent, where
placer-washing and some quai tz-mining have been going on steadily
ever siiic.>. It is said that A'ild Horse Creek, which deboucbts into
the Kootenay Hiver near Fort Steele and Cranbrook, ha^^ prodiu-ed
within the lost «0 years ^10,(MI(>.«i(mi in gol(l-du<t. Terry Creek, oppo-
site to it in the Selkii k Range, li;i- given over a million dollars, wliile
Weaver Creek, Nigger Ci i ek, raimer's Bar, and Hull River, are all well
kno«n as large goM-producers in the past.

When railways N, and 8. began to come near enough to make the
region fairly accessible, and explnriition and seitlemeni pinved its fer-
tility and value in lesources other than gold, more thorough prosfjcct •
ing was done, and now a large population is setlling th'Mf , likely to
grow very rapidly during, the next two or nee years, und a great nura-

ill

230

THE KOOTKNAY COUNTRY

ber of mines of fjold iin<l silver (piartz, as well as old and new placers,
are beinp worked. The jjiiiieipal mining distrrct thus far is along the
western side of Kootenay Lake and in the southernmost spurs of the
Selkirks. The majority of the ores are of silver, for the most part
argentiferous galena, which in several places is decomposed to a great
depth, forming what is known iis " carbonate ores," which arc especial-
ly valual)le because so easily worked. Veins of copper ({uartz and
various other ores occur, some carrying free-milling gold, so that it does
not sceuj probable that any serious assertions made as to the mineral
productivity of the region have been exaggerated.

Roiifps of Travel in the Kootenay Country.

The present impetus has been given by the opening of steam com-
munication between Kootenay Lak*' and the Canadian I'ncific by nicans
of steamers on the lake, a railway along the unnavigablc part ul the
Kootenay River, and steamers on the Cfdumbia River between the
mouth of the Kootenay and Hevclstoke. Thi> attbrds an opportunity
for the traveller to take a side trip of surpassing enjovment.

A steamboat leaves Kevelstoke at daylight on Mondays and Fridays
for Jiohfion, at the mouth of the Kootenay, ami returns on Tuesdays
and Saturdays. This is a run of it')') iniles tlnouirli the wildest mount-
ain scenery, where there is not a hubitiition t<» tnar the innoieiu'e of
the shores. A few iniles below Kevelstoke the head nt' the Tpper Ar-
row Lake is reached. This is an enlargement t»( the river, soum' -i
miles wide and X', long, surrounded by an open, foi'e-ted country.
tSradually narrowing for some ndles, a second expansion takes the
name of Lower Arrow Lake. In these lakes, whi<-h are very deep, the
current is imperceptilde. It incrct^es as the river narrows, but there
is no serious oltstacle to steandioat navigation ftud nothing to alarm
the most timid traveller, but everything to Lnterest one who loves
Nature as the Maker left it.

The v<.yage terminate!- early the next n.orning at liofmni. near the
older place called S'<roat's Landing, after G. Vi. Sproat, one of the
earliest explorers and best advocates of this region. Here is the ter-
minus of the (Mli.niihid d' Kontinaji h't/ , which follows along the north-
ern bank of the Kootenay River past the rapids, 24 miles long, down
which the river, clear and green as chrysopiase, leaps in magnificent
cascades from its lake-reservoir aLove.

Nowhere on the continent can so great and splendid a cataract be seen

TIIK FHASER VALLP^Y.

281

as this of till' Kuolciiay. Xcar tlio tniddlc a stream comes brawling in
from the X., and this tlu' saliuon can reacli and cliinl) to Slocan Lake;
l)iit tliev are unable to make headway lartlier uj) the Kootenay. The
western end of this railway, Imilt in ls91, is at Xi'fson, a new mining-
centre and town on the S. side of the river at the head of the rapids.
The fishing for trout is good everywhere. From Nelson steamers run
up to AiiiKirarf/i, the port and princi])al town of the Silver King and
other mining districts in the canons of the Selkirk Hang,', on the east-
ern shore of the lake; and to //(tufri/x, a similar centre for the mines
on the western shore. From lleiKhyx stages cross the hills to Finhui
Creek and the other nuidng, ranching, and farming villages in the
upper or eastern valley of the Kootenay and abound the mother-lakes
of the Columhia, wluiicc the traveller may take a steamboat and de-
^cend to ('ohltn, as heretofore explained.

If he docs not ihoose to go out this way nor to return to l{evel-
stoke, he may go hack to Hobson and take a steamer down the Colum-
l)ia, leaving at daylight on Tuesdays and Saturdays, which will carry
him to Little Dalles, in hlaho, whence he i-an go by a branch of the
Northern I'acitii' 11. H. to Spokane Falls, Idaho.

These conned ion-^ ar^> made so regularly and surely that round-trip
tickets are now issued tiom '^lontreal. New Voik, or Chicago, entitling
the liearer to no out to i!evrls(<ikt', down throiigli this Kootenay region,
and lionu' tlimugli tiie I'lutt'd States, oi ><}ri nrsa. Still more diiect
routes are a|)proaching. The (ire.it Northeiii lly. is rapidly approach-
ing fr<Mu the E. and will pa-s near the bouudai'v, whence a liranch line
hII doubtless be pushed northward to Lake Kootenay. 7 lie C. P. IL
is proposing to build a line from Letlibridge through Crow's Xest Pass,
giving a direct (uitlet ca-twanl ; aiid it is feasible to build a ' ilroad
along the ea-t bank of the Cohmibia between Hobson and Revt'lstoke,
as will (lou',»ii<'ss be done in the near futuri". Everything proudses
that as n r( gion for farming, cattle-grazing, coal and iron production,

and lumberini

a- w

ell as for the mining of the ])i'efious metals, this

favoured valley will b<'i'ouie one (d' the most prosperous parts of iJiitish
Columbia and the neighbouring State

;e. n

The Fraser Valley.

Atroiss the iioU\ Kuii:;*',

The Hockies and Selkirks ;ire |eit behind as we move westward <m
the (■. V. K.. but the <^o!ld Kaii^e letuains to bo crossed, a task of
small ditficulty, since llag-le Pass furnishes a direct and continuoiia

232

THE FlfASKIi VAIJ.KV.

pathway straifrlit ahead. The views down the rivci- and of Mt. IJe<rl)i('
are vt'i-y tine as the train j.dides across the long inni luiilge that spans
the nohle Cohniibia ; but the Iiills soon eneU)se the train hetwoon licav-
ily woo(U'd slopes, over whieh t^'rand licadlands of dark I'oek rise here
and there, reminding one foreilily of the seenery of the I'inkham X(»teh
in tlie White Mountains or of some parts of the railway route l»etwei'n
Lynohliuig and Kno.wille in the Alleghanies.

The iriade is so easy that there is little slaeking of speed, and at
an elevation ()nlyr»'Jl ft. above the Columbia bridge the summit of
the pass is reaehi'd near ('lniiiriUiittii, <s miles W. of Revelstoke and
2,()(MJ ft. above the sea. Mere are four pretty lakes — '^iinnnit, I'lr/or,
TJircc Vdllci/, and (h-ijjin. These lakes are deep, take the whole width
of thegoigo, and force the railway info tlie moimlain-sides. They are
.surrounded by dense forests wliieh hll the whole valley not oeeupied
bv water and eover the mountains, exeei»t whert' some huge elephant's-
head of roek juts out to be duplieated in tlie ilassy lake. These
ponds are eoniieeted by sluggish streams, and drain in (tne direetion
back to the Cohuidda and in the other to the Th(»mp-on. This gen-
tle seenery has ;i great attraetit-n for eyes wearied of the cold and dis-
tant magnitude of the snow-pi-aks, for here the pictures ai-e oidy at
arnj's length, as it were, territie heights and depths are a])sent, and wc;
glide among vine-draped hills with a sense of having seen this before,
but never in anything a))pi'oae1iing so tine a form, (ilrandeui' is not
lost; nothing eould be more impressive than thesi stolid, heavily
wooded elitVs ijehind the daik and ])laeid lake when half hidden by
mist or enveloped in the shadows i)f twilight, liut graceful and famil-
iar sylvan prettiness relieves it and helps us to understand and a])-
preeiate it.

These lakes and the mountain streams are full of tish — trout and
salmon; ami there is (>\eel!ent shotting. e>pecially for caribou. So
nmeh of the jiass, howev( r, as includes the lakes is one of the national
parks or government reservations, and subject to special regulations.
From (Jrillin Lake a bi'awling stream rusln'S westward and leads the
railway out of the pass on that side. This is the Hdifli h'liu r, and
upon its b;ink, 20 miles W. of the summit and HdO ft. l)elow it, stands
the station C'rc/i/i/ftif/iir, in the mid-it of a forest of gigantic cedars.

It was here that tlie railway advancing eastward met that v.hieh
had been built from the west, and here in November, 1S8.">. Sir Donald
A. Smith, in the presence of a small party of railway leaders, drove the

I i

^?%>"

Die,
not
•ily

lii-
ap-

and

•nal

DIIS.

the
iiid
lids

lifli

laid

tlio

Bocki/ M(>ii)if(ii)t !>h>'('p.

THK THOMPSON AI,''.) OKINAUAN VAIJ.KYS.

283

last sj/iir fOMX'iiting the transcontiiiontiil railwiiy into a ••ontinuous
line — after wiiicli everybody went a-fisliingi

The sturdy name of this station is that of Sir Donald's ancestral
home in Scotland; and the followinfr story is told of the sijrniticance
attaehiiij^ to its itpplication to the scene of the tir.al work : The chief
men in the company were Sc<itch, and at one critical [)eriod, when Sir
Donald Smith was in London ne<rotiatiii<;' a loan, the others in ('anada
weie in jjreat trepidatioi,, and feiirinji the worst, asked for information
as to the prospects. The stalwart Scot tele<zraphcd hack the single
word " Crai^ellachie I " They knew what it meant and stood firm, the
result heinp the ultimate success whicli this spot witnessed. The final
spike-drivinjr, itself was not an ostentatious ceicmony, and magidlo-
(pient descriptions have not heen preserved ; hut the newspapers of
both continents had much to say over the passa^re (»f the first thioujrh
passenf^er train from Mcmtical to th(> I'acific coast, whiih occurred the
ne.xt June (ISSt)). The train left Montreal on the evci.in^f of the liSth,
amid the acclamations of a ^reat crowd, and public rejoicing's fjreeted
it alonji its whole course. These wei'c not allowed, however, to inter-
fere with steady pro^rress on schedule time, and it leached Vancouver
precisely at the moment due, settinjr a prece<ient which has become the
first article of faith with the Canadian I'acific service — fo he on time.

The Thompson and Okiiia^an Valleys.

From Craijidlachi'' to the base of the mountains dense timber of
jrreat size confines the outlook to a few yards on each side of the train,
which runs alorig the deeply stained and turbulent Ktiijlc Rin r. The
wealth in timber of these f;;i<rantic forests impresses one very strongly;
and the wonder increases when the enormous teiritory they cover be-
tween the northern and southern boundaries of British Columbia is
pointed out. Yet the trees here are neither so tall nor so e.xtensive in
distribution as those of the coast region. After a while the P'a<ile (or
To-woot) River becomes less violent, and finally it lies (juite placid, the
luxuriant vegetation reflected upon its lialfshadowed surface in ex-
(juisite r/iiin'-ostmro, while some camps of wandering, salmon-catching
Shuswap Indians put life into the picture. Then the wide expanse of
Shuxwdp Lnkr opens upon our right, an arm of it is crossed, am' the
train halts at Sieamous.

This is a small town, owing its existence mainly to the rnifway
hranrh which here connects the main line with the mining and agticidt-
ural districts southward along the Spallumsheen River aud around
Lake Okinagan. It has an excellent hotel, kept by Colonel Edward
Forester, who was closely associated with Chinese Gordon, in the Tai.

Tlll<: STIITSVVAl' F.AKKS.

ping Iti'Wcllion, iitid had wonderful adventures, wldeli he delifihts to
rehite. The railway waH built in 18!>1, and runs up the valley, whose
slopes are fertile, and contain tnany farms, and on southward to the
head of the lake. Steamboats can ascend the Spalhimsheen .'U» ndles,
but do not often do so now. Small f;::ol;l-nuiiinf^ camps aie scattered
amonir the tributary f^ulchcs. A«//v <>k'ni(i(iitn is a lonj:, luirrow piece
of water, wiiere tradin<^-posts and missions have been estaldished for
a century, and which has lieen occupied by fanners and ranchmen for
'M) years. Steamboats connect with the train at the head of the lak(!
{I'r'hsls' /j<in</itif/), and serve the settlements on both shores, which are
also connected by stajrc-roads with Kanloojjs and Nicola.

The frreater part of the Okinagan Valley consists of bunch-grass
hills, where large herds of cattle are pastured. The region has a mild
and admii'al)le climate, is well watered, and the soil is deep, clayey
loam, producing good crops of cereals and roots without irrigation.
The outlet of the lake is by the Okinagan Kiver, which flows southward
into Washington and empties into the ('oluml)ia near Lake (-helan.
This valley is exi-ellently adapted to settlement and to the building oi
a railway. To the tourist tlic region is mainly interesting, however,
l)ecause it offers the best deer-shooting in tliis part of the world.

Sliii»swHp litike — to return to the main line — is the sour-e, or
rather the reservoir, of the Thomj)son River, which the railway will
follow to its junction with the Fraser at Lytton, IHO miles below. It
hai the shape of a rude letter 11 standing north and south, and in reality
consists of two lakes having the slender form characteristic of all
such bodies of water in IJritish Columbia, connected near the mid-
dle by a shoit strait. The water generally is over 15<> ft. in deptli,
and the coast-line, leaving out small bays, exceeds 1*00 miles in length,
and the shores are as wild as ever they were, llcie at SlrumoiiN (In-
dian Shickdi/Hiirs^ a strait) we are on the shore of a southwestern
prolongation, and the water crossed at the Narrows is an extension
southward, which receives the Sj)allumsheen River, and is called the
Spul/inits/inn Arm. (The word is locally mispronounced Spill-a-nia-
sheen). N. and W. of Shuswap liake ranges of timber covered hills
separate this basin from the valley of the North Thompson, and in
their midst lies Adam's Lake, which almost ecpials this one in size and
constitutes an important part of the Thompson's supply. Steamboats
run occasionally between Sicamous and Kamloops. The old trail to
the Rig Bend of the Coin bia passed the northernmost or Sn/mour

Ar.(>NG THE SIlirsWAF* LAKKK.

235

Ann of the lake and traversed a pass ii) the inountniiis some 50 miles
northward.

From Sioamous a long run is made between the lake and a line of
brightly coloured eliffs draped bv vines and plentiful and pretty foliage.
Rounded, lofty hills make the farther shore, and there is mueh to
please the eye, while a constant change precludes weariiu'ss. Every-
where arc warmth and colour. Twenty miles beyond Sicamous we
double a southern extension of the lake called the Sitfiiion .1/v//, where
Salmon River Hows in between (Iranite Peak, H,*)24 ft. high, on the
north, and Mount Ida, 5,320 ft. in altitiule, southward. There is much
available land and a good climate for farming in this neighb(»urliood.
Between this and the Sonffiirrsfeni Ann of this straggling lake inter-
venes a mass of rugged hills which the railway climbs over. The sum-
mit is attained at AVrA /////, (altitude 1,708 ft.), after u stiff ascent
I through thick woods of valujibie timber, allowing no views; but at the
i^ top a wide and .surprising outlook is stiddenly presented, (juite un-
like anything else in the mountains, and recalling some parts of the
shore of Tiake Superior. The level of the water is again reached at
~Shuswi'p sfdtiim, upon the shore of Fj'ttle Shuswap liuke, a beautiful
pi^« of hill-girt water a few miles below the southernmost extremity
oftT^greater lake we \u\vo left behintl.

Little Shuswap^H^jake is the direct head of the Thompson, or, more
specifically, iSonth Thompsoti River, which emerges from it a few miles
W. of Shuswap station. These grand lake reservoirs having gathered
the drainage of all the western slope of the (Jold Range, arc able to
start this river as a stream several hundred yards in breadth and deep
enough for large steamboats. Its waters are clear and unvexed by
reefs, flowing with a warm and gentle current between gravelly banks
that rise into rounded hills, which lose their covering of forest as
soon as the damper mountains have been escaped. This river was
first brought to civilized notice by Mr. David Stuart, a partner in the
Northwest Fur Company, who in 1811 built a fort at the mouth of the
Okinagan River. In the autumn of that year Mr. Stuart traced the
Okinagan to its source and crossed over to this grand water-rouisc, to
which he gave the name of David Thompson, the intrepid astroiujmer,
who, a year before', hfid crossed the Rockies and descended the perilous
'Wumbia. Stuart wintered with the Indians here, whom he calls
Shewaps, "a powerful nation," and returned to Fort Okinagan in 1812.

Beyond Shuswap the valley broadens, " and the eye, accustomed to
rocks and roughness and the uninhabited desolation of the mountains,
is gladdened by the sight of grass, fenced fields, growing crops, hayr

' H

2Mf) TIIK CENTKAI. VAI-LKV OF ItKITISII <'()f.lTMHI A.

stiicks, and jiood farm-housort on the k'vol surface, while herds of cattle,
sheep, and horses roam over tlie valley. The woods thin out, the un-
dcrltrush disappears, and only siii^de tall and shapely pines, or perhaps
two or three together, are scattered over the ^Massy hills, whoso olive-
tinted velvety suioothness and rotundity arc lu-okcn here and there l>y
sharp exposures of rocks or a group of tiees. At the very brink of
the river, on each side, runs a continuous line of noble pines and other
trees, noiirishe*! by the never-failinjr si ream, while higher and more
densely wooded hills overtop in the distance the yellow-green knolls
near by. The opposite side of the I'iver is a reservation of the iShuswa|)
Indians, a tiibe of Selisli stock, allicfl t(» the Flathcads and Kootcnays,
and speiikinjr a dialect of the Kalispclm languiigc. We see several of
their semi-civilized villages and observe their wealth in their ponies
and cattle — black specks upon the far-away sunny slopes.

Dui'k ,s()itio)i i?« near one of the old ranches ( ating l)ack to the gold-
excitement days. These early settlers were from the J'acitic coast, and
the observant traveller will detect ditt'erences in their manner of life
from what he has seen in Eastern Canada. The whole .atmosphere and
appearance of things hereareditl'erent,and arouse a fresh interest. From
Duck's a good waggon-road runs southwesiward to Lake Okinagan, by
way of (irand Prairie and the upper Salmon Kiver Valley, That
region is a grassy country most inviting to cattle, while at (J rand
Prairie and other places in the valley large and profitable farms are
carried on. Eighteen miles below Duck's Kandoops is readied.

The Central Valley of British C'oluinhia.

Kaniloops is now a town of 2,000 inhabitants, a railway divisional
point, and principal place in the central part of the province. It has a
beautiful situation in an o[)en, dry country, and was the site of a fur-
trading fort dating back 75 years. The broad valley of the Soitfh
Thompson is here intersected by that of the Xorf/i Thotnpmn^ which
comes down from the Cariboo Mountains, tiOO miles northward. Its
course is, for the most part, through a series of canons, the terrors of
which are vividly portrayed in the book of Milton and Cheaule, who
descended the river in the course of their celebrated journey. This ac-
counts for its other name, " Clearwater," its rock-cradled currents
showing none of the soil that clouds the yellow South fork. The rivers
join in a plain opposite the town, the triangle between them belong-
ing to the Indian reservation, around the base of aS7, Faul\i MounU

TMK (JKNTKAF, VAF.LKY OF HKITIHII ('OMMIIIA. '2.*i7

ir-

l-1t

fiin. Fine {^rovoH hordiT hoth strpiuiiH, and ptirtially wooded lulls f(H'in
tin* l)iU'k|^rouiid of the picture. A tt'ap-dik(> liT) iiiilcs W. dauis tin*
river iind forms a lake, the head of wlucli is lo Ik' seen from the town,
upon vvhieh.a steamboat runs to several settlements as far down as
Suvona's Ferry; an oeeasiomil steamboat also runs up to tlie Spallum-
sheen. Ah the supplyinfr-point for a wide lanehiu;: distriet, especially
southward, Kamloops does a larpe mercantile Imsiness, in which the
li. 1^ (-0. still takes the lead. (Jreat nuud)eis of cattle and horses are
disposed of here also, and frrazin^' will always he the leadinj^ industry
of the neij^hhourhood.

The southern central interior of Hiitish Columbia has one of tiio
driest climates on the continent, althouj^h you can si<,dit snow-covered
mountains in all directions (except S.) from aluu)st any hill-top, and
will see portentous rain-clouds couisin^' overheiid and dischar<;ing their
contents on the distant hei<.dus. The rain-clouds from the Pacific are
arrested by the lofty Cascades, condensed by their cold suinmits, and
deprived of a larj^e part of their moisture, while tlu' remainder, buoyed
»ip in the rarefied, ('(piable, and steady ctirrents ol the upper air by the
volumes of heated air always ascendinjr from the diy plains, drift over
to the Kooky Mountains before they encounter any interference suffi-
cient to precipitate the residue of moist uie. Two circumstances result
— one, the absence of forests, which there is not rainfall enouirh to
support; and, second, the fireat size of the rivers, which How steadily
and stroiijrly from the abundant snows of the borderiiif; mountains
rif^ht aci'oss the intervening valley. As all these rivers were more
fully fed and stronger in past ages than now, and as the whole country
has been undergoing elevation, the rivers have been able to cut deep
channels, and ttoth the Fraser and the Thompson now flow some hun-
dreds of feet below the general level of the country.

The elevation of the district (the valleys are now about 1,200 ft.
above the sea) appears to have ceased from time to time, ami then to
have gone on again, for the lofty banks of the rivers — esj)ecially in
places where they have a elifT-like steepness — show a succession of
well-marked terraces, one above the otlier, which can be traced for
long distances as plainly as so many railway eml)ankments.

Below Kamloops the Thompson widens into a lake whose shores
are grand red cliffs, naked and stern. The railway is carried along the
southern bank, now piercing a tunnel, now hung upon a bridge over
some great fissure or laid precariously upon a rock-gallery. Savona's
Fern/, at the foot of the lake, is where the f4overnment's line from the
coast ended and the C. P. R. construction eastward began, and below this
the Thompson River flows out with swift current towards the sea, plung-
ing with mad pace over a succession of rapids. This canon broadens and

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238 TIIK CENTRAL VALLEY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

narrows aH the hills approach or recede, and on the flats or bars caused
by the deposits of silt from the mountain streams, much gold has been
foimd. The train runs upon a sinuous ledge cut out of the bare, irregu-
lar S. side, overlooking the caiion, where, in the purity of a trout-brook,
the river whirls down a winding torrent path as limpid and green as
an emerald ; and the terraced shores, a formation of clay and soft
rocks cut by water, present some of the most extraordinary scenery in
America.

Sometimes they show rounded, cream-white slopes ; next, cliflTs of
richest yellow, streaked and dashed with maroon, will jut out ; then
nuisses of rust-red earth, suddenly followed by an olive-green grass
slope or some white exposure. With this gay and fantastic colour, to
which the doubly brilliant emerald river opposes an artistic contrast,
and over which bends a sky of deejicst violet, there goes the additional
interest of great hcijiht and breadth of prospect, and a constantly
changing grott'sciuencss of form, caused by the water and wind wear-
in;2! (iown rocks of unequal hardness into odd monumental semblances
and otiier phases of mimicry, reminding one of architectural, human,
or animal figures. Nenr Ashcroft the rocks are overlaid with great de-
posits of stiff clay, in which the action of the atmosphere and of the
streams of water which follow the occasional deluges that now and
then fall with treniendous energy have worn deep giillies, and left a
strange ruin of Titanic toweis, spires, and broken walls, which blaze
with strong light on (me side and cast sharp and fantastic shadows on
the other.

Ashcroft is the headquarters of ranching here, and is the point
where all the merchandise and j^roducts of the upper Fraser Valley and
Cariboo districts of the northern interior are despatched and received
by means of ox-teams and pack-trains. A waggon-road was l(>ng ago cut
into these cliff's to form one of the routes to the Cariboo district, and
still accommodates consideraV)le travel ; while colonies of Chinamen arfe
busily engaged here and there in washing the river gravel for gold,
often with old-fashioned cradles and sluice-boxes. Some mining is also
carrietl on in the hills not far away.

Below Ashcroft the rocks of the river gorge soon become too bare
and steep to permit habitation, except just about Spencers Bridye,
where several roads come together, and a bridge was thrown across the
river in the old pre-railroad days, the stones of which are tales of ad-
venture that need no exaggeration.

DISCOVERY OF THE FKASER.

239

The Nicola District, southward, finds at Spence's Bridge its
main outlet. A stuge runs bat-k and forth once a week, heaving
Spence's Bridge on Monday. This is a fine region in the valley of the
Nicola River (whose moutli is crosstd nt Driiuock), whicli was long re-
garded as" the principal grazing and stock-raising section of the prov-
ince. It still maintains a high position in that direction, but is con-
stantly increasing the area of its mixed agricultural produce, which is
exceptionally large per acre. Fruit docs well there, as everywhere in
this region, and many fine orchards have grown to bearing. The Xicola
Valley also has gold placers and ledgts, as well as coal and iron. A
railway is projected to bring this favoured region nearer the connnercial
and social world, and .solid prosperity will follow. It is now a capital
place for trout and eanie-birds and for autumn deer-shooting.

Below Speuce's Bridge the Thompson River plunges into the moimt-
ains, and the railway follows it through the darkness and Intricacies of
Black Canon — a foretaste of the Fraser. The engineering lieie is an
example of wonderful skill, and the sense of fear yields to (hat of ail-
miration. Then the desolate cation opens, and ahead lise, rank upon
rank, peak beyimd peak, the glistening pinnacles of the Cnxcat/r Mount-
aiiiK. They grow in height and beauty as wc approach the mouth of
the river, which debouches amid wild hills where the green gardens
around the old gold-mining town of Lotion look like an oasis in a desert.
Before us rolls the Frmer f\'h'it\ as yellow as the Nile; and the pure
green flood of the Thompson spurns it aside, and refuses to mix with
its clayey pollution for miles and miles.

lliscovery of the Fraser.

The Fraser is the great river of British Cohuubia. It rises in Yel-
lowhead Pass, near the northern boundary, collects the waters of many
mountain streams, and, after a long northward detoui'. pours southward
through the interior of the province. It was first reached from Peace
River, in 1793, by Alexander Mackenzie, who thought himself upon the
head-waters of the Columbia. He investigate*! the neighl)ourhood, de-
scended its valley some distance, and finally struck westward to the
coast at a point not yet accurately known, but probably the head of
Bute Inlet — the first white man to cross North America I Fifteen years
later (1808) another hardy officer of the Northwest Fur Company,
Simon Fr(ner^ reached the river by the sanie low pass at the head of
the Peace, and determined to explore it by a carefully prepared expe-
dition, still believing it to be the Columbia. His "Journal," lately re-

240

THK FKA8KR GOLD-DIOGINOS.

published vrrhnfiin hy Miisson,* is one of the most roniantii* tales of
American exphiratioii. Witli ineredihle difHiiiltief' he descended in
canoes its unknown cafions, ahnost always resisted l»y hostile Indians,
and exposed to starvation as well as a more violent death in many
forms; and it is a nnirvel that even his hardy roi/ni/tiirs were able to
«'0|)e with the ddlicidties tliat beset them. lie forced hisi way down
even thiou^rh those ji;reat <:;orjres which the reader will presently behold,
and at last reache(l ti<le-water, and learned that this was not the Colum-
bia, but a new river, which the world has called after him ever since.
There the hostility of the Indians became so formidable that he was
compelled to turn l»ack without seeinj; ftliou<;;h he could smell) the salt
wate!', and fif^ht his way homewaid. Few explorers have better earned
their honours than Fraser and his men.

Other traders followed, and for more than half a century this interior
region was occupied and traversed l»y the agents of the Northwest and
11. \i. Cos. They exploicd all its nooks and corners, established many
protitaldi' posts, and leiivned better trails than the rivci' afforded. They
fattened live-stock upon its grasses, cullivated the fruitfid soil, and
prospected its lioM-plaeers ; but in respect to the gold they kept ex-
tremely (puef, knowirg that an expi)suie of the country's wealth would
biing an iiuoad of mineis anil destroy the trade in furs.

The Frasrr (•old-1)i;!:siii$;s.

But Ihe time came when this policy woidd no longer serve. In
1857 mining in Califoi'uia had settled d(t\vn into a systematic business,
and a large jxtpulation of njcn who were more oi Ics- badly off and
wholly ready for any adventure heard that some far -wamlering prospect-
or.'* had found gold in some mountains which they lalled ('m'ihno^ away
at the sources of the Fraser. Then was icpeateil that stampede to new
diggings which California had so often seen, and which later Montana
and Colorado knew. From a meie fort and entrepot of thi' II. IJ. Co.
Victoria sprang into a boondng seap<irt of 3<>,<iO(» people; while New
Wt'stminster, IIt»pe, and Yah", similar trading-posts, swarmed with
miners, would be miners, and speculators. There weie not steamers
enough, nor vessels of any kiiul, to cari-y the eager crowd to the main-
land ; and after a man had readu'd the niouth of the Fraser he was
only at the jiortal of the gold region, which (though placers were scat-

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THE KRAHKK GOl.I)-IHG(;iNGH.

241

tcred aloiif; tht> lower viilK'v) lay lor the most part 500 miles to the
uorthwiinl, lu'vond a dozeii ranks of trrrifii- mountains. How many
lives wore lost out of the impatii-nt orowds of half-provisionetl men
who hastened forward will never be known, hut tin- exeilinj; history
of gold-seeking eontains few more adventurous ehapters than this early
rush to the upper Fraser.

A dreadful trail, «ised now and then hy Indians, led up through the
weary and perilous length of rivei-eanous ; but the few uien who, a«
fur-tra«lers, knew anything about the eoiintry, sueeeeded with (iovern-
ment assistance in opening a shorter route by way of Harrison and
a ehain of lakes N. of it, leading from m-ar the mouth of the river
(see p. 242) N. E. to Lilloet, some ."id miles \. of Lytton. This ehain
of lakes oeeupies the depression between the ' ('ascades" out by
the Fraser Canon and the mountains nearer the coast. They drain
southward into one another through the liilloct and other turbulent
rivers, and out to the Fraser by the Harrison IJiver, whieh after mueh
labour was madt' passable by steamers. Mi-anwhile trails, later followed
by waggon-roads, were made from lake to lake; and so, by a system <»f
portages ajid voyages, the upper Fraser was reaehecl, wliciv steamboats
could navigate within a reasonable distanee of the various camps in
the mountains of Cariboo and Omeniea.

Instantly the new route was thronged with pilgrims thirsty and
hungry for gold. Long lines of mm with packs on their backs, such
as slaves are rarely laden with, tramped forward from lake to lake,
mingling with hired Indians whose shoulders bore still hciivier burdens.
As the road was opened mile l)y )nile, trains of paek-niuK's and huge
trail-waiigons can led st(ues and tools from the steaud>oat-lauding at the
head of Harrison Lake to the next »uic, and were replaced by <»thei's at
the next portage. At each landing a riotous town sjtrang ujt, where
sometimes tluaisands of peojde sojouined in the most comfortless,
costly, and wicked life imaginable — each and all ready at a day's notice
to quit and go elsewhere. From the last landing a wonderful stage-
route e.xtendc 1 northward over the mountain"*. It was a terror even to
old drivers. In one spot it ran along a ridge, winding S-like fr<mi hill
to hill, where there was only room I'oi a single tiack, and the land f<dl
aw.ay on each side so ste«'ply that an overturn meant a roll or slide for
a thousand feet. Hut what did it matter V Mdlious of gold were being
taken out of those far-away gulches by fru-tunate ones every month,
and the imfortunates never ceased to anticipate that their turn would
come next.

Hut for MO years and more this oid road has been abandoned, and
these lakes have not felt the s'jar of a steamer's keel. The placers de-
clined, the new road uj) the Fraser Cafion was built, and travel dimin-
ished. Then the towns — houses, hirinture, and all — were left to the
Indians; the roails bccaiiiu overgrown and water-gullied, the bridges
fell down, the lake-wharves rotted, the wayside bars, where whiskey

242

TIIKorUH TlIK KHASKR CANON.

had been ho1»1 at a dollai u ilriiik, wvrr kiiockcMl to pieces — jusficia
fiat! — by the spinous ami CoiTi'f'ul «;ro\vth of the devil's chib.

I have allowed myself to anticipate somewhat the propress of the
journey in order to make more clear many of the thin<rs to be seen a«
the traveller approaelu's the const. Meanwhile the reader must not infer
that, although the crowd of chance <rol(l-(iip;<;ci's melted away after
the principal placers had l)een skimmed, the country was ftlt«»frether
abandoned. Many jn-rsons remained, continuius miniii}.' at a reasonable
profit, searehiiifi for lodes, or fanuiiif; and tradin<i. The Cnriboo
Country, as the upper Kraser rej;;ioii is now known, has become a fixed
and substantial element in the province. Many small northern settle-
ments exist, siich as />*/AW, C/ittfoii, surrounded by a pood prazinp and
aprieultural country Itetwecn the Kraser and nona|)arte rivern, Soda
Creek, Ah'xtiwh'hi, Quvmd, and linrlrvville farther N., the last named
being the judicial and social centre of a larpe group of mining villages
in the valley of the Quesiiel Hivcr and Lake. This district now has a
population of some r),(in(», and is developing its various resources vig-
orously. During the past two or three years hydraidic machinery and
Home small stamp-mills have been imported, and the yield of gold i8
steadily increasing. The Cariboo is reached by ihiihi st(i(/rx frnin Ash-
eroft, and by steaud)oats that run on the Fra.^er above Lilloet. Kail-
ways have been surveyed into the region ahtng various routes, and it is
probable that oiu' will soon be budf from Kaniloops up the valley r)f the
North Thompson. When that is (ioue northern Ibitish Columbia will
repay a<lventurous toiiiists, and strongly attract sportsnien, who would
find it well worth while to go there at present ; and it will doubtless ex-
hibit in future a mineral product that will exceed that of its earlier
days in value if not in picturesqueness.

Through the Fraser C'niion.

Some enthusiastic writers have testified that the scenery of the
Grand Caiion of the Fraser, which is traveised by the railway
from Lytton to Yale, is the finest of the whole transcontinental route.
The present writer can hardly go as far as that, but will not (pnirrel
with his reader.

Leaving Li//lov, the line keeps high upon the eastern bank above
the broad, yellow, turbulent river, which is soon compressed into a
narrow trough, where the hampered watei- rushes and roars with fright-
ful velocity. Cliffs rise for hundreds of feet with out-jutting buttresses

TIIROUOII THE FKAHKR CANON.

248

tliat nliiio^t bar \\\v passnf^o. Utij^e rooks, Umg aj^o proei|)itntHl into
the water, liave hceii worn "Into forms like towers, eastles, and rows of
hridge-pierw," with the swift eurrent cildying around tliein. Seven iniU's
l)elow Lvtton advantage is taken of a partieularly narrow strait to
earry the railway aeross the river upon a huge eantik'ver bridge, the
farther end of whii'li rests in a tunnel.

This bridge has a historieal interest in that it is the first true can-
tilever ever built, antedating those at St. .lohn, N. 15., and at Niagara:
the troul)lous and costly ways and means by which Mr. Andrew Onder-
donk, the nianager of the construction «»f this part of the line, brtMight
the iron up here and got it into place, nuike a vivid and curious chapter
in the history of engineering.

The scenery here is savage, but the air is soft and the sky clearest
blue. As we proceed along tlie northern or riglit bank, past ('tMCit and
hWfrr^n, the cafiou rapidly becomes narrower, deeper, and more ter-
rific; the river a series of whirlpctols aiuong knil'e-cdgcd rocks. The
railway pierces pro.ie<'tiug headlands in short ttmiu'ls, springs across
sidc-ehasiiis, and is supi)ortcd along sharp acclivities l»y abutments of
luitural rock or carefid masotiry. Finally, the constantly heightening
wall on the opposite .-•icie culminates in the crag of JachiKH Mouufnin,
which rises '^,000 ft. in a well-nigh perpendicular mas.s — a second (.'ape
Eternity.

Nearly 1, <»(»(> ft. above the boiling torrent, and often overhanging
it, the waggon-road bidlt years ago to connect the gold-mines with the
coast creeiis abu\it its brow ; and the little party of Indians trotting
along this aii-y pathway look like pygmies or gnomes who have come
out of some stony crevice to see us pass. Vet four-horse stages were
driven here for many a year, and before the road was built men trav-
elled afoot over the trail which prec<'(led it, passing places like these
on swinging pole-bridges, something like the foot-ropes under a ship's
yard-arm. Thrilling stories of that trail and road in the fierce (.Id
mining days of '5S and 't'd are iccordc-d in books and told by the
" moss-backs" one meets up and down the coast. Hut since the build-
ing of the railway the waggon-road is little travcll«M|.

The Coast raii^eN, through which we are now passing, ought not
to 1)6 called the Cascade Mountains, according to the geologists:

"They are b<tth geologically antl orographically distinct from the
well-known Cascade Range of Washington and Oregon. These mount-
ains are largely composed of gneissie and granitic rocks and ery.stalline
schists. The average altitude of their higher peaks is between 6,U0U
and 7,000, while some exceed 9,000 ft. Glaciers are of frecjuent occur-
rence and large size in their northern part, and on the Alaskan coast

244

Tllltnrnil TIIK KlfASKU TANON.

aro known in scviial instHiici's to (K-sccnd to the son-li'Vfl. Tlicso
nioiintiiins are. us a lulo, di'iift'ly Torcstcd an<l cxtrcnu-ly ni<rfr«'(l, tin-
flora of their si'iiward slopes bcinfr fliat cliiiraeteristie of tlie West const
and «'o-ordinated with its excessive hmnidity, while on their northern
and east<>rn Hunks it resendiles that of the inland ranges."

As we roll steadily onward through lon<r shadows projected across
the i^ulf by the sun, the canon alternately expands and contracts hut
nev«'r loses its grandeur. The (jueer little fi<;ures of Chinese ^'old-
washers dot the |Travel-l»ar« hero and there (we can't help wondering
how they }r«tt down there!), and on almost ev«'ry conveinent rock near
the river's edge are perched Indiuns with large dip-nets, in<lustriously
scooping in an «'ddy after loitering salmon. Tln'ir rude hivouaes are
scatter*'(l aliout the rocks; and their fish-drying frames, festooned with
the red Hakes <d" salmon-Hesh, among which the cuiing smoke curls as
lazily us Siwash smoke might lu' expected to do, add the last touch of
artistic colour to the picture. A painter will he attracted constantly hy
the form and cctlour of the bronze-brown chaotic rocks, the tawny,
foam-laced river, the gaunt, desperately rooted trees, and the brilliant
azure of the sky ; and everywhere he will Hnd handy a foregroimd-
bit <)f "life" — gold-diggers, mule-trains, Chinese red-labelled cabins,
Siwash " rancherees," and l>arbarically adorned graves, or some trim
structure (tf civilization — to lighten the compositiiU! with a sympathetic
human to\ich.

North llciid is a divisional point and settlement of railway men,
perched in a nook of the hills where these stand back to yield a little
room ; and here has been built a pietty hotel like those in the mount-
ains. The trains halt for meals (7"» cents), and it would be an excel-
lent place at which to stop over were there anything (except sh(»oting
and Hshing) to make it worth while.

liOaving North Henil we move on down the canon, wondering how
Simon Fraser ever managed his canoe in those swilling currents. We
glide over a bridge spaiming SA-nszif Faffx, which eon>e sliding down
fern-stveweil rocks in cataracts of lambent emerald; and take note of
the ruins of Jiosfon lior, a town on the opposite blutT, once important
but now abandoned to the Indians. (Jnulually tne caiTon walls grow
high again, and encroach more and more upon the channel. The rail-
way passes from tunnel t() bridge ami bridge to tunnel in quick succes-
sion, always curving and costly. It is one long gallery of wonders.
Ponderous masses of rock, fallen from the cliffs and lon^ ago polished

■%

TIIROUOII TIIK FUAHKK CAI^ON.

245

liko black hIih.m, ol)struc't tho ourrrnt, which nmrs throii^rli narrow
flumes l)ctwcuii tl'cin and hurls showers of spiiiv lar up their sides.
This cBpeciiiily narrow and frij^litCul part, tlu* IMack Canoijof the iMirly
settlers, begins just beh>w Sftuzzmn, wiiere the (JoviMiinient wafigon-
lu'idfie — a graceful suspension structure, which could never have been
built at that time had not the old Indian Spu//.um and his band worked
f(M' the enfjineers — still tU'H the black clitTs top'ther by its white cables ;
and the tortuous narrowness of this jjoru'c may be iiifern-d from the
fact that in freshets the choked-up water will rise a hundred feet above
the ordinary level.

At the foot of this canon is YhIc, an old tradiufij-post and fr<)ntier
town, ens^conced in sombre mountains. The head of navi^iition on
tlu' lower Fraser, it was cmce th" leading town of the province, and still
has some l,5(tO inhabitants. A few miles faitl-.er «m is another sinnlar
villajie, Fort I/o/>t; which is at the limit of steaini)(»ating, and is charm-
ingly placed in front of a cluster of brilliant Cascade peaks. .\t times
the figure of a colossal anchor is marked in snow-banks upon (me of
these summits, whence the name of the village — for is not the anchor
the emblem of hope y In these mountains rich silver lodes await de-
velopment, and here terminate several waggon-roads and trails to Ni'
cola and the s()Uthw«'stern interior.

(Jradually ihe canons and cliffs are left behind, and we gather speed
on a level Irack through woods of prodigious gn»wth. The river be-
comes a broad and placid stream, " bucking up" here and there into
lagoons, and nuiking prairies utilized f(M' herds of cattle. Beautiful
mountains show themselves in every direction, and almost at the foot
of one of them — Mt. Cheam (altitude, 11,<mk> It.), in reality on the other
side of the river — the train sto|)S in the midst of cultivated fields
(among others those of the (Jovernment's experimental farm) at Ai/aush,
the station for Ilarrimu Hot Spr'iHjfs.

These springs are at the foot of Harrison Lake, Ti miles distant, and
reached by a tramway through the primeval forest, which can nowhere
be seen to better advantage. The hotel is not large, but comfortable
and moderate in price, and stands on the slu)re of a great blue lake,
engrailed by noble hills, and reflecting the sha|)ely peaks of mountains
white with perennial snow. The climate is perfect, the air is fragrant
with woodland odour.s, and out of the rocks pour fountains of medicinal
water, compounded and heated in some subterranean laboratory. The
scene up the lake, which is lost to view among lofty headlands, beyond
and above which appear the distant and snowy serrations of the Coast

240

APPROACHING TIIK (JOAHT.

Range, is exceedingly beautiful ; and a voyage in one of the sail-boats
or small steam-yaelits at the disposal of visitors is an experience not to
be forgotten. The springs and bath-houses arc just on the brink of the
lake, where the hot sulphur waters mingle with the cold ami pure lake
almost as they gush out, and these are resorted to by large numbers of
afflicted persons, especially those with loathsome diseases. The bless-
ing these springs are to such, they alone can appreciate ; l)Ut the fact
that it is mainly a sanitarium has hitherto kept this beautiful and re-
freshing wotering-place from bec<miing the pleasure resort it is worthy to
be. Harrison Lake ought to become the Moosehead of the Pacific coast.

Just beyond Agassiz the train crosses llnrrhon Kircr, the outlet of
Harrison Lake, and that chaiii of waters northward which formed a
steamboat and stage route to the gold-diggings years ago (sec p. 240).
The river has shoaled greatly, and few if any steamboats now pass
through it. A few miles beyo id, a little before reaching Xiromcn, Mt.
Baker comes into view on the left, an isolated snowy cone on the
shore of Pugct Sound ; and a dozen miles farther, at Mission station —
where the Roman Catholic Indian Mission of St. Mary has been in exist-
ence for many years — a branch road leads southward into the I'nited
States.

This branch crosses the Fraser River and runs to the international
boundary-line {Ifi(iitiii>f<f(ni Junrtioit)^ where rail connection is made
with the Bellingham Ray and British Cohnnbia R. R. for Niw What-
com and other ports on the shore of Puget Sound. From New What-
com the Canadian Pacific Navigation Coiu|)any's steamers ply daily,
Sundays included, to Anacortes, Port Townsend, Seattle, and Tacoma.
This road is being continued along the shore to Seattle.

The C. P. R. branch also connects at the boundary (Sumos Oitij)
with the iScdfflr, Lokc Shore und Emfmi /i. N. for Seattle by rail. Tick-
ets are sold in Montreal, ('hicago, and other Eastern cities to Seattle,
Portland, and San Francisco via this new route ; and round-trip tickets,
giving one half of the trip through Canada, either going or coming, and
the other half over any of several lines in the United States.

The road now passes through a level and ahnost marshy district in
the valley of Stave River, which is presently crossed. The Fraser soon
comes in view again — a j>lacid, powerful river; and signs of civilization
increase along its banks as Whomork and Honimond are passed. At
New West minster Jnnvtion the line to Nen' Westminster (see p. 248) di-
verges to follow the bank of the Fraser, while the main line swerves
to the right through the niighty forest from which, 5 miles farther, it
su(hlenly emerges at Port Mondji, upon Jiiirnird fnfef, an arm of the
Pacific Ocean, 3,000 miles from the Atlantic tide-water. A few miu-

CANADA 8 PACIFIC COAST AND ISLANDS.

247

utes later we liave arrived at the end of the transcontinental journey,
and are at Vancouver, the Pacific port and terminus of Canada's
transcontinental railway.

Canada's Pacific Coast and Islands.

Historical Note»i.

Thouf^h the Fraser has no sucli past as jjlorifics the St. Lawrence,
the history of the discovery of the coast of British Cohinihia {loes hack
almost as far as that of Queltec ; hut whereas kiii^jrlitly nmuince and
religious enthusiasm illuminate the Eastern page, little that is not
sordid and ruinous can he related of the <'arly days here. Juan de
Fuca, in 1592, wa.^ the first to sight the rugf^cd sleeps of Vancouver
Island, hut many a year elapsed hefore any one else came to prove that
his suppositions in regard to the ^trait named af*er him were all astray.
So remote and visionary did this j)art of the world seem, that it was
seized upon hy the ronumcers of Kurope as a suitable and safe locality
for the outlandish adventures of tlie heroes of their pens, whenever re-
straint fiom known facts of geography or i:atural history was incon-
venient. " Bacon," we are assured, " there placed his Atlantis; and
Broltdignag, agreeably to the very piecise description furnished by its
discoverer, the accomplished and veracious Captain Lemuel (iuUiver,
must have been situated near the strait of Fuca."

Three (puirtcrs of a century passed, indeed, before any European
Hag was again seen by the natives of this coast. Then Perez discov-
ered the Queen Charlotte Islands, perhaps landed on Vancouver,
sighted Mt. Olympus, which he called Sierra de Santa i{osalina (it is
a great pity that sweet name has l)een lost !), and sailed home with
a rich cargo of furs. After him, in 1775, Ileceta and Bodega went
northward in two ships, which finally Itecame separated in a storm,
Heceta returning to Monterey, aftci- entering the mouth of the Co-
Iund)ia — an honor which has been forgotten in the subse(|uent achieve-
ment of (Jray — while Bodega pushetl on as far as Alaska, already
known to the Russians. Three years later (Mai-ch, 177S) the famous
expedition of Captain Cook reached this coast. Cook, unaware of or
ignoring the work of the dai-iug Spaniards, made a very thorough survey
of much of this coast. Dui-iug the next twcnt\ years explorers and fur-
traders followed one another in inpid succession, finding the long-lost
strait, |)enetrating to Puget Sound, and placing upon the map most of
the names now familiar. Tl"' last and most minute of these explora-
tions was that of the English mivigator Vidironi'cr, who had been au
officer in Cook's globe-circling expedition. His is the name modestly

248 NEW WESTAIINSTKM AND THE FiiASEIi DELTA.

attached to tlie fireatcst of the islands and co; ied for the modern ter-
minal city on the main-land. yV/r/ Sound was named after one of his
lieutenants, and the j^reat peak Ra'miii' after another, for with charac-
teristic British disiiain, he ij^^nored all pi'evlous explorers and exploia-
tions, and treated well known waters and coasts and names as if he
were the first man who had ever seen or heard of them. The date of
his surveys here was 17i>'5.

The history of the re<rioi) since that time may he summed up in a
few sentences. After Mackenzie, Fraser, and Simpson had found ovei-
land routes to the coast, the Northwest Fur Company took possession
by their posts, and the 11. H. Co. received and perpetuated them after
the amal<;amation in IS'Jl. The principal depot was Fort Victoria, on
the site of the pi-esent capital, where supplies were leceivcd aiul furs
despatched from and to Kurope around Cape Hftrn. Vancouver Island
became a British colons in I<s|'.t; and in isns the maiidand, as far as
the Rocky Mountain watershed, was constituted another colony under
the name liril'ish ('olnmlt'm, which name was retained after the union
of the two in istWi. The colonies remained united until 1S71, under
the administration of Sir James l)ou<;las, previously chief factor of the
II. li. Co., by whose firm but just and kindly rule the colony was saved
from anarchy dining' the excitinu: invasion of the Fia>er fiold-dijigers.
The colonists felt more and more, however, that their isolation was an
insuperable Itarriei- to i)rotrress, and when they were invited to join the
new confedeiation of Canada, on the promise of a lailway which should
j)Iacethem in communication with their eastern compatiiots, they eajrer-
ly assented, and in 1871 British (^ohmil)ia became a province of the Do-
minion.

IVew West 111 instev and the Fraser l>elta.

As the oldest town upon the main-land. New Westminster is
entitled to first place in the account (»f Biitish Columlda's cities. It is
situated upon the nortlu'rn bank of the Fraser Biver, some ir» miles
from its mouth, which takes th.e form of a di'lta l)roken by level, tree-
less, and exceedin<;ly fertile islands. The city is accessible to deep-
water shipi»inji, ami is a terminus of the C. F. B., by a short branch
line from Xnn W'rs/iniiisftr Jmicfion, IS miles K. of Vancouver. Steam-
boats ply reijularly between this city and \'ictoria, but they are small,
slow craft, and it is Itetter to cross by the tine Vancouver boats. Its
population is now about G,.')(M), and it is steaiiily jirowin*!;. There are
several jzood hotels, of which T/if Qiirf)i\'< (fi'l) U foremost. Kxcellent
roads connect it with Vancouver (12 miles). The river is admirably
adaj)ted to boatin<r, and plenty of sport can be obtained in the neijih-
bourhood.

New Westminster is |)!easantly sit)njted upon a jrentle slope, whose
crest is i)icketed with the plumy spires of pnantic spruces and cedars

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NEW WESTMINSTER AND THE FRA8ETJ DELTA. 249

that have survived the ori<;inal forest. It was seleeted 40 years a<jo
by Colonel Moody, of the Hoyal En«;ineers, who intended to Imild here
a fortified camp. IJut the rush to the Fraser <;old-Helds in \Hi)H {jave
soldiers and citizens soniethin<r far l)etter to do, and, instead of a series
of forts, homes and jrardens cover the elift's, and, where swords were to
clank and jrleani, ph)U<;hs and rakes are l»oii<fht and sold, and the saw
and the salmon-knife are flourished. Instead of warlike men, the most
peaceful, not to say repf)seful, citizens in the world eame to rest and
ruminate here. Schools <;rew up, churches waxed and waned, lojrs
floated down and were ripped into lumlter, fish swam up and were
caufjcht and divided into " sides " and "l)ellies" for smoking and can-
nin<^. The town became the provincial capital, and, thoufjli that was
louf^ since removed to Victoria, several public institutions remain, such
as tlie penitentiary and insane asylum, the Royal Hospital, etc., and the
Dominion keeps here its ajrencies for the disposal of land, timlier, and
mineral privilefres. The town is a relijiious headquarters, and has the
leadlnj; academic schools of the province. Here, too, Is the Pacific
terminus of the ('anadian Pacific telejrraph system, which connects at
this point with the Mackay-Bennett lines and cables to Portland, Seat-
tle, San Francisco, etc.

The cominj^ of ,' railway gave the town its opportunity, and it
has thriven st' over since in spite of its powerful rival on Hur-

rard Iidet. Nevertheless, in the judicious words of the Rev. W. S.
Green, " New Westminster has the air al)out it of an old settled town,
and the people seem to belong to the country and are not like the ex-
otic slips stuck down in Vancouver." The two leading industries are
salmon-canning and lumbering.

The salmon taken in greatest (piantity in the Fraser is the blue-
back {Oncorhi/tirhiiK uci'kd), which ascends the river in enoi-uious num-
bers to s])awn. Though it will readily take a spoon-bait in the salt-
water, it will so rarely take either fly or bait in the rivers that it is
hardly worth while to try; and the tradition is, tint the n-port of this
circumstance gave some great Knglish lord, who had chartre of the
matter of settling the boundary, so poor an idea of the value of the
country that he readily conceded to the Tjiited .'States eveiytliing S. of
the -lOth parallel, when Canada might have set up a defensible claim to
all the territory N. of the Cohmibia. The catch is mninlv by means
of drift-nets, an<l Indians and Chinese do most of the labour both in
fishing and preparing the catch. There are now 1*2 salmon-canneries at
or near New VVcstndnster, which turn out over lit m»,<m)o rases a year.
They represent an investment of yf)! »( »,0( lO, pay out *lno,( (Ml annually
for labour and supplies, atid employ during the season r»,0(iO pcrs(His.
A visit to a cannery is one of the '' sights " of the town. '• We saw,"
says one concise account, "Indians bringing in sahuon in their canoes,
Chinamen splitting, cleaning, and packitig, and Europeans overseeing
the work. . . . The soldering of the tins in which the fish were packed

25()

CITY OF VANCOUVER.

was one of the most iiiterestinfi points in the whole process. The cans,
with the lids just squeezed on, were eaused to roll along an incline on
which a trough of solder was kept licjuid by a furnace heneath. Through
the melting solder thev rolled, tilted on one edge, and then went on
their way down the incline, which was just long enough to give them
time to cool."

Logging and lumbering operations are extensive and profitable, and
8hi|)ments are made to all parts of the world. Some of the largest
mills in the province are liere. Agriculture along the lower Fraser is
widening and improvini: year by year. The islands of the delta have
been diked, and yield the most wonderful crops, which come to nmrket
in boats, ami [)opulou8 settlements cover the region, which will soon
have a railway to Vancouver. The prairies above the town also are
coming to yield heavy crops, and pasture fat cattle.

City of Vancouver.

Hotels, etc. — Hotel Vmimnvcr (-$;{ to ?<t.r)0), Hotel Mrtropole
(fs'i.aO to ^3), and many small houses and restauiants. Carriai/es
await the arrival of traiiis and steamers, the railway station being at
the steamship wharf. Electric tmrn-cam (fare, 5 cents) run through
the principal streets.

h'ailwai/s and Steamers. — The ti'anscontinental train departs east-
ward at 14.20; arrives from the E. at I'J.oO. These tiains make close
connection to and from New Westminster, New Whatccmi, and Seattle.
Steamers ply daily to llctoria (excepting Monday, on which day Vic-
toria is reached via New Westminster) ; to Xanainto daily, Simdays in-
cluded, on arrival of Pacific Express. The Tuget Sound ports may be
reached by steamer rin New Wiiatcom or Victoria daily; and the
northern coast ports occasionally. Once in three weeks a steamship
leaves Vancouver for China and Japan. Vancouver is 2,<.tOt) miles
from Montreal, 75 from Victoria, and 4,283 miles from Yokohama.

Vancouver is a city whose rapid progress and substantial busi-
ness achievements and prospects will deeply interest the mind of the
practical man, but it has little to attract the pleasure-tourist. Lntil
18S5 the town had no existence. The site was covered with a gigantic
and almost impenetrable forest. Before it stretched away the blue
and crinkling surface of Burravd Jntct, a deep arm of the sea reaching
in from the JStntit of (Jeorgin ; and behind it was the shadowy jungle,
so dense and dark that even birds and beasts avoided its depths, and
the Indians made no trails between the trunks of trees, whose feathery
tops caught the ocean bree/.e 250 ft. overhead, and whose roots were
buried in a bam made of decaying logs and matted ferns numy feet in.
depth. Some miles above, a settlement had been made at Port Moody^
where had been landed the material for building a terminus of the new

IL'S

CITY OF VANCOUVER.

251

railway which the Government was slowly pushing up the Frascr Valley.
But when the road had been completed tlie company decided that Port
Moody was not the proper place for a terminus; it was 15 miles from
the mouth of the inlet, and behind narrows inconvenient, if not <lan-
gerous, for navigation. So a site for a t<»wn was surveyed at the very
entrance of the inlet, where English Bay rounds inward behind the
cape-point that divides the inlet from the outer strait, the railroad waa
carved through the forest, and straightway an army of men began
chopping, sawing, and burning, until a space had been eaten out large
enough to set some houses. (Jangs of labourers laid tracks and built
wharves, the latter extending but a few rods beyond the l)each in order
to reach water deep enough for tlie biggest vessels. Steamers and ships
anchored near by, or tied up at piers wliere ship and locomotive almost
touched, and like the structure of a dream arose a new city named
V^ancouver. It grew and grew until the next June. Then, one day,
came a fire, and the next night one single house and a warped railroad-
track were all that remained. " All right ! " cried the indomitable West.
" It saves us the trouble of tearing the old things down " ; and straight-
way they began to build new, setting their saw-mills at work before
they had roofs to cover the machinery, and urging the brick-yards on the
Fra.ser and the stone-ipiarries up the North Arm to their topmost speed.
Now look at Vancouver I A great wall of green still encompasses
the town, but it is miles back. In front is a line of wharves where
vessels from all round the woild load and discharge their cargoes.
Here are long lines of substantial brick and stone shops and stores,
and street after street up the hill-side of costly or humltle homes. A
magnificent hotel opens its doors, and the city is growing in beaut)
day by day, as well as in strength and influence. Already it is threaten-
ing the prestige of older Victoria.

The city is laid out on a magnificent scale, and is being built up in
commensurate style. The years 1888 and 1889 were especially pro-
gressive, the aggregate value of new buildings erected exceeding ,^2,500,.
000. The assessed value of property in January, 1890, was nearly sr^lO,-
0(^),000. Water is brought through submarine pipes from the slopes
of the Capilano Mountains across the inlet, and there is a system of
sewerage and a paid fire department. Electric street-railways are run-
ning, and the streets are lighted by electricity an<l gas. The city has a
well-organized police department, a hospital completed in 1888 at a cost
of $10,000, and one of the most l>eautif'ul parks in the world. Frater-
nal and benevolent organizations are immerous. There is a club of
social prominence, a public reading-room, a Young Men's Christian As-

■ii

252

CITY OF VANCOrVKK.

socliiHon, jiiul ii Woiiuih's Cliilstian Tenipcraiu'c rnion. In 1HH9 there
were 11 cliurelics — 2 Methodist, '.i Presliyterian, '\ Kpiscopal, a Congre-
pitioiial, a liaptist, and a Uoinaii Catholic. The white hiiildiii^'s of the
Indian Mission across tiie inlet will be noticed. There are two Hoiirish-
iii^ daily and weekly newspapers. These I'aets are mentioned because
they fro to show how Vancouver has accpiiied in her youth many of the
social attributes of a fai- older town.

The business institutions are of a stable character, many of them
beinp; branches »)f old Kastern establishments. There are 3 chartered
I).' ikin^-houses as well as 2 private banks, and the total capital repre-
sented l)y them is ?|!r)(»,(i(>(>,(MM». All sorts of manufactures are bejrin-
nin<?. A larp' smelter and chlorinatinfr works is in o|)eration, and a
Idast-furnace and rollin^-ndll are about to l>e erected. The cultivation
of sugar-l»cets has been lar^'ely entered into in the neifrlibomhood, and
a refinery is in o|)eration. The lumber industry is prosperous and steadily
increasiiifT, its output now approachinj: .*^;i,0< >(),(»(»(> a year in value; and
the tinheries, includin<r deep-sea fisheries, are bec(»ming profitable since
the openinjr of a niarket in the F^ast for salmon, cod, halibut, and other
Pacific fish shipped fresh in ice. Finally, several new railways are pro-
jecteil — one to the delta of the Fraser, and another up the coast and
across Seymo\ir Nariows to the coal district of Vancouver Island, beinj;
the most important.

The sj)()rfNin(i)t will find j^ood work for both rod and rifle in the
vicinity of Vancouver, especially on the northern shore and about the
head of Huriard Inlet ; but sjtecial directions cannot be j^iven here.

Stanley Park is the one thin<j; at Vancouver in which the tourist
will take most delij:;ht. This is a reservation of the orifrinal forest on
the point which separates the harbour from the Strait of (Jeor^ia. It is
940 acres in extent, and i'* encircled by a driveway 1<> miles lonj?, with
many ci'oss-paths. Ilei'e, besi<les the ex<|uisite sea views, one can ffet
a just realization of what a Ihitish Columbian foiest is like.

" I visited this ])leasure-jri'ound," writes Charles Skinner to the
Brooklyn Ea<;le (IH!t(i), "on the morniufj before I left town. The
charm of wanderinjr alone through its vast aisles, the grandeur of its
firs thi'.t closed the sky out with biawiiy arms of brown and niyriad
spikes of green, the sudtlen views of inlet and mountains that broke
the ends of the jiath^, kept me from thought of time. . . . One leaves
it with a letling akin to that he ex[)eriences in emerging from any of
the gi-eat cathedrals of EngliUid — a feeling that his higher faculties
have been touched, and that ethics as well as esthetics have been satis-
tied, that he has been secluded for a nonce from commonplace and
meanness and put in contact with a visible type of the highest ideals.
Lilt and spread of the firs, green lights playing through the foliage,
rich gloom of wooded vistas, flashes of sea, wliiil of clouds in tree-tops,
are at least as beautiful and majestic as soaring rise of arch and tower
and glow of pictured windows. The lack of wood-life here and the

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VANOOUVKK ISLAND.

253

Hilence give the forest an encluintinent of itH own. On tlie Hhore u few
8(|UatterH, SiwuHh fiHliernien, have rained their hut.'*, a few hawl<s wheel
and erowrt tiap overhead. . . . Even the trees seemed to l»e stilled, as if
hrooditif; on the things their Alethusaleh years had taught them, and
the soft but deadly enihraee of moss has already been east about their
branches, some vistus being lined with its dull and weeping masses.*'

Vancouver Island.
Across the Strait of Georiria.

A glanee at his map will show the reader that the eoast of Hrirish
(yoluinbia is indented by long inlets and guarded l>y hundreds of little
islands, besides that great breakwater whieh V'aneouver Island affords.

"All these inlet J," remarks (*aptain R. C. Mayne, " possess certain
general characteristics. They run up between steep mountains 3,(K)0
or 4,000 ft. in heigkt ; the water is deep and anchorages far from plen-
tiful ; while they terminate, almost without exception, in valleys — occa-
sionally large and wide, at other times mere gorges — through which one
or more rivers struggle into the sea. They may be said to resemble
large fissures in the coast more than anything else."

It is near the entrance of tlw? most important of these inlets that
Vancouver is situated, 14 miles N. of the "sand-heads " of the Fraser.
Immediately N. of Burrard Inlet is Howe Sound, which leads inland for
about 20 miles, and has at the head an extensive valley, through which
the Stjuawmisht and several lesser rivers come down. Next is .lervis
Inlet, another narrow arm running inland some 45 miles, at the head
of which stands a remarkably steep and isolated peak ; and beyond lies
Desolation Sound, whence two inlets, Toba and Bute, trend inland.
These are favourite fishing-places with the Indians. From the head of
Bute Inlet, where much gold has been foimd, a trail leads along the
great gorge of the Homathco River over to the Fraser ; and there were
earnest advocates for making this point the terminus of the Canadian
Pacific. The next inlet N. of Bute is Loughborough ; then follow
Knight Inlet and Fife Sound, the entrance to which is marked by a
magnificent mountain on its northern side ; and after that the whole
coast to the boundary of Alaska is indented with arms <)f the sea little
known, one of which. Dean's Canal, penetrates some 75 miles, and was
used by the H. B. Co. in old times as a route to the interior.

This muin-land coast is fringed with dense forests, sometimes grow-
ing on low ground, but generally covering mountain-ridges of all shapes,
that rise in terraces, spurs, and foot-hills towards the Cascade Range —
a line of irregular volcanic peaks extending from Oregon to Alaska,
and shooting far above the limit of plant growth into a zone of per-
petual cold.

254

VKTOKMA AND KStiUIMAF/r.

Kacli day, u|Min tlio m-rival of tin- trftiiscoiitincntal train, a Htcnmcr,
tln' ('(jiial nf any on tlif Hudson (i'xccpt in si/.i'l, d('|>aitH for ViHof'ui^
and another for AV/«(///»»» (sec p. *2r»H). Tl»<' tciriaj:*' to Victoria is a
dclijrlitful run of «i liours. TIk' view of Vancouver, its parl<, an<l its
busy water-front, leaves a pleasant reeolicction of tliat town. On tlie
opposite sido i>f Kurrard Inlet rise the Capilano Mountains, leaping;
against tlie cloudless sky in crests as (ania-tic as th(»se of a line of
breakers, Hclow the snow the jjirey-hlue of the distant heights changes
gradually to the dull-jrreen coloiii' ol the densely forested sl(»pcs,
against which the 2()<) or :i()0 houses of an Indian mission village
gleam out »s distinctly as chalk-marks on a blacklxiard. Then the
steamer glides out into the Slrait of ffronflii, and the mountainous
shore of Vancouver l^laiiil lies all alon;: the western horizon. By
sunset the steann'i- is winding among nund)erless green islands — the
Iltiro Arc/il/>rf<i(/n — where Canada and the Tnited States (piarrellcd
over the boundary-lino, and lelt it for arbitration to the Emperor
Wilhclm of (Jernuiny, grandfatlier of the present Kaiser; ami before
the dusk has fairly obliterated the glowing cone of Aft. Jinkrr in the
S. E., and the splendid piimacles of the (Jljimpic I'itii(/e on the S. si<le
of the Strait of .luan de Fuca, we have rounded the granite headlands
and come to the wharf of Victoria.

Victoria and I'iKqiiimait.

IloteiN, etc. — />r/Vnv/ //o'wr, lately rebuilt and eidarged (|i3.5(») ;
Dttlfas Hotvl^ on the water's edge, near IJeacon Hill (^.'^); Orinitol,
Orciditifdf, i\\n\ several others, ir>2. 50 or less. Cabs are numerous and
cheap, liorsc-cars run in the n)ain -itrcet and to Esijuimalt, Chibx. —
Union and TiV/orm, the latter of a commercial character. Railwatf. —
Virforin, /i'.sgnininl/ and Aat.nhtio A*//., to Xanaimo, etc. »S7f'»>/jrr.s afford
e(mneetions with Vaneoiiver daily, except M<mdays, when the passage is
made via New Westminster; and with Tuget Sound ports daily, except
Saturdays. Steamshi|)s depart about every 5 days for San Fran<'isco,
and about every 10 days in summer for Alaska. The Japan and China
steamships halt off the harbour to receive mail and passengers.

Victoria, the provincial capital, is one of the handsomest and
most engaging towns in all the wide circle of her Majesty's dominions.
Founded long ago as a trading seapoit ; dependimr upon mercantile,
seafaring, and agricultural pursuits for its growth ; settled by men of
education and wealth, who were glad to call it home and to surround
themselves with comforts and undertake the far-seeing plans suitable
to a permanent station, Victoria has advanced in a substantial, de-

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VICTORIA AND ESQUIMALT.

255

liberate way into a most charming and homelike, though by no moans
sleepy, city of 23,000 inhabitants'. Miss Scidmore touches the key-note :

" There are a peace and rest in the atuiosphere that charuis the
briefest visitor. Kvcry one takes life easily, and things move in a slow
and accustomed groove, as if sanctioned l)y the ciistoin of centuries on
the same spot. Business men hardly get down town before 10 o'clock
in the morning, and by 4 in the afternoon they are stiiding and
liding off to their homes, as if the fever and activity of American trade
and competition were fitr away and unhc ard of. . . . The drives about
the town, alonir the island shores, and through the woods, are beautiful,
and the heavy London-built carriages roll over hard and perfect Eng-
lish highways. Ferns growing 10 and 12 ft. high by the road-side
amazed us beyond expression, until a loyal and veracious citizen of
Oregon assured us that terns 18 ft. high could be found anywhere in
the woods back of Astoria; and that he hail often been lost in fern
prairies anions the Cascade Mountains, where the fronds arched far
above his head when he was mounted on a horse. Wild rose-bushes
are matted together by the acre in the clearings about the town, and in
June they weight the air with their perfume, as they did a century ago
when ^larchand, the old French voyager, compared the region t() the
rose-coloured slopes of Bulgaria. The honeysuckle attains the great-
est perfection in this climate, and covers and smothers the cotta<:es
and trellises with thickly set blossoms. Even the currant-bushes grow
to an unusual height, and in many gardens they ai'C trained on arbours
and hang their r<'d, rijie clusters high overhead."

Nevertheless, Victoria is a wide-awake, |)rogressive town, based
upon a solid condition and assured pi'ospeets. The assessed value of
real property in 18*.»1 was *1 7,700,000, and of personal property
)?7,r»16,:?7H, and the municipal revenue is something over |40(>,000 a
year. The city hall and jail are good buildings, and a new court-
house, costing >*rto,oOO, has lately been completed; while contracts
are let for a system of sewerage to cost !fe37r-,O0O. Three fourths of
the whole trade of British Columbia remain in her hands despite newer
rivals, the total exports for 1S91 amounting to ^r),t');^r),725, and the
imports to *1,8S7,48(), on which custom-house duties were paid to the
amount of J^l, 178,168.

Huilding was especially aetive in iMtl, when ne;<rly >«2,2r»tt,oOi»
were invested in new structures, of which the R. (;. cathedral (!!!75,ooo),
the Methodist church (*8.'>,ouu), Hithet's wharves (*100.n(iO), the new
Driard House (!J«12O,0oo), th*- Dallas Ihttel (*40,OiiO), and several busi-
ness blocks, costing from |!30,000 to ^105,000 each, were notahle ex-
amples Improvements of a similar character steadily continue.
Victoria has always been a stronghold of colonial manufacturing.
Elerc are the heaviest iron-works ou the Pacific coast M. of San Fran-

2oi\

VKmmiA AND KSCiUIMAI/r.

Cisco, and a lon^ list of minor factories. Ship-huildinf^ is carried on,
and tlie navvvard at Ks<|iiiiiialt is |)ractical!y a part of tlic city's assets
in this direction. Tlie city has a (till list of chiirihes, including a fine
Anglican eatlicdial, lioiii whose doors such a prospect of sea and land
is presented as f < \v othei- view-points in the woi'ld can enjoy. The
puldie schools, support e(l by the (ioverinnent and conti'oUed by a board
elected by popidar sutViaire, are ample and well housed ; and in addition
a ladies' college has lonir existed, under the auspices of the Anglican
('hutch ; and an acadeinic institution, as well as a primary school, are
niaintaim-d by the Rdinan ("atholic denomination. There are Protest-
ant and Ilotnan Catholic oiphaniiges. The city has a public library of
al)Out 1(),(M)0 volumes, and several of the fraternal and benevolent so-
cieties luive libraries of considerable size.

This city has always been " pre-eminently a place to delight tour-
ists." Its situation is picturesipie, and encourages boating and
atpiatic sports, while the immediate neighl)Ourhood (not well adapted
to agriculture, l»tit admirable for ami lar^'ely devoted to fruit-growing)
gives delight fid drivi's. Among the places paiticulaiiy attractive are
the Provincial Capitol, Ksipunuilt, Be icon Hill Park, Chinatown, and
the Indian Village.

The C'apitol consists of a group of thoroughly English buildings
S. of an arm of the harl)our, and surrounded by lieaiitiful grounds which
ensconce a shduc to (romuior I)(>ti(/f(t.s. These are well worth a visit ;
and a session of the /////// Com-t^ where the judges wear the old-fash-
ioned gowns and wigs, and sit in a state and courtesy unknown else,
where in America, is particularly interesting. The hiuwurn should not
be overlooked.

Heaeon Hill I'arU is a lovely, half-natural, half-cidtivated area
on the shore of the Strait of Fuca, ornamented rather than defended
by ancient batteries and rusty old cannon. The best residences of the
city skirt it, and tine roads run in all directions. Cop])ices of Ijeautiful
live-oaks, and many a strange tree and shrub, are mingled with ever-
gieens, diversifying the flowerstrewt d and rolling lawns thiit look
out upon the sea and across to the mountains of the American
main-land.

"If Claude Mclnotte," exclaims Miss Elizabeth H. Seidmore, whose
pleasant book. The Sitkan Archipelago, I have already (pu)ted —
•' had wanted to paint a fairer picture to his lady, he should have
told Pauline of this gloiious Northwest coast, fringed with islands,
seametl with fathomless chiinnels of clear, green sea-water, and bask-
ing in the soft, mellow radiance of this siunmer sunshine. The scenery
gains everything from beim; tianslated through the medium of a soft.

VICTORIA AND KSQUIMALT.

257

I whose

llilVL'

l»nsk-
L'enery
|i soft,

pearly atmosphere, where the light is as prey and evenly diffused us in
Old England itself. The distant niountain-ianpes are lost in the blue
vaporous shadows, and nearer at hand the masses and outlines show
in their pure contour without the obtrusion of all the garish details
that rob so many Western mountain scenes of their <rrander effects.
The calm of the broodinjr air, the shimmer of the opaline sea around
one, and the ranges of preen and russet hills, misty, purple mountains,
and snowy sumnuts on the faint horizon, pive a drcaui-like colouring to
all one's thoughts."

E$iqiiiinalt is a fine harbour, :5 ndlcs V.. of Victoria (reached by
electric street-cars), which is the best of several pood harbours on the
island, and has long been the rendezvous of the Enplish s(iuadron in
the North Pacific. It can be approached in fopgy weather by means
of soundings, marked on the admiralty charts for a considerable dis
tancc seawaid, and is landlocked l)y preen hills. Here is a small navy
yard, with repairinp shops, etc., and a very large and substantial prav-
inp-dock. Several war-ships are usually to be seen there, and may be
visited; and a pretty villape is scattered about the shores. Extensive
fortifications have been planned, but as yet hardly a beginning of cor-
struction ha.- been made.

Esquimau hai hour is a fair i xaniple of the picturesrjue scenery of
this favoured coast. The shore is a mass of solid granite, deeply in-
dented by coves, whose sides are steep faces of wave-rounded rocks
whitened by constant wear up to the limit of the surf^ and above this
lichens, mosses, and weather-stains cond)ine to tinge them in Avarm
colours. The little headlands arc rounded in massive but graceful
forms, and etche<l by deep, shadowy fissures, within which snuggle
little beaches where the ri|)ples break gently on white sand. In the
rpiiet water of these coves float the bulbs and long, sinuoiis streamers
of the giant fucus, which sometimes reaches a length of I,liO(» ft. on
the outer rocks, and furnishes the Indians with their deep-sea fishing-
lines. Each headland was once wooded to its extreme point, and on
many stand nolde and statues(iue trees — spruces, umbrella-topped, red-
barked madrons, and bunches of l)riglit shrubbery. Out beyond are
many islets, some of bare rocks that the waves of a storm will hide
with flashing spray ; others more massive, and masked imdcr patches
of yellow grass and aprons of sea-weeil. or supporting a few wind-
twisted trees. The prospect towards the W. is shut off by a cape, but
the view is open eastwardly, where nothing breaks the blue breadth of
the strait, whose horizon line is the tumbled crest of the (Hympic Kange
— mountains as lofty as the Rockies, and as rugged and deeply graven.
The gap of Angeles River lets us lonk far in to their central and most
snowy summits, swimming radiant and ethereal in a golden and tur-
quoise raist of refracted sunlight.
17

258

j:xcursions up the coast.

The Chinese and Indians arc intcrcstiiifr objects of notice to
Eastern tourists at Victoria. " Chinatown " consists of several scjuares
where some thousands of these people congregate. They have many
large stores where Oriental goods of every kind can be bought, a big joss-
hotise, a theatre, etc. The Indians used to be more efi evidence than
at present, l)ut are still a prominent fcatui-e here as elsewhere on the
coast. The land opposite the city is a reservation of the Sonrfhh tribe,
and remains of their huge community houses exist, but the inhabi-
tants are now a terribly degraded and uninteresting lot. Several stores
exist in the city where curiosities of Indian make may be bought, but
the traveller should, if possible, obtain the help of some experienced
citizen ))efore going shopping for such wares.

I 1

Excursions up the Coast.

To Nanainio and Comox.

Vancouver is the largest island on the W. coast of America, being
about 300 miles long, and with an average breadth of about 60 miles.
The coast-line is broken by numerous inlets of the sea, some of which
run up to the interior of the island for many miles, l)etween precipitous
cliffs, backed by high and rugged mountains, clothed mainly in tir,
hendock, and cedar. At some points are sheltered bays, which receive
small streams watering an o|)eu gladed country, having a growth of
wild flowers and grasses — the white clover, sweet-gras?, cowslip, wild
timothy, and a profusion of berries. The two ends of Vancouver Island
are, compai-atively s|)eaking, flat, but there are mountains in the interior
ranging from 0,000 to S,00(> ft. on the highest ridges. The Report of
the Geological Purvey for ISSO (with maps) should be consulted for
extensive particulars in regard to the interior and the glacier-capped
mountains. The centre of the island is rough and still unsettled, ex-
cept along a line of inlets and coiniecting valleys, which give almost a
water-passage across it from the head of Barclay Sound and Alherni
Canal on the W. to Great Central Lake and Comox Bay on the E. The
greater part of the arable laiids lie between the mountains and the
eastern coast. At the extreme N. there is also some aial)le land, and a
little on the VV. In the inland lakes and in the indentations of the
coast there is a plentiful supply of fish, and a fair variety of game may
be found along the shore.

Nanainio is a town of some 2,000 inhabitants, on the eastern

VOYAGES UP THE COAST.

259

coast, 70 miles N. of Victoria, and directly opposite the city of Van-
couver. It is the port of a district abounding in excellent bituminous
coal, which has been mined in great quantities for many years ; and is
reached from Victoria by railway and by steamers, and also daily
from Vancouver by steamer. It is a stopping-place of the boats to
Alaska.

The railwai/ runs N. along the western coast through a wild, pictur-
esque region, passing many small settlements of farmers, lun»bermen,
and fishermen. At Duncan's a stage is waiting to carry p&ssengers to
Cowichnn Lake, a mountain resort noted for its tly-tishing, where there
is a large hotel much frequented by Victoria people. The steamers
pursue nearly the same course as in going to Vancouver. ,

Nanaimo does not look like a coal-mining place. The houses are
much above the average of miners' residences in Britain or in Nova
Scotia, scattered about, often in pictures(jue situations, with gardens,
and not in long, mean, soot-covered rows. " The view from the town
of the Cascade Range,''on the other side of the straits, is almost equal
to the view of the long semicircular line of the Alps from Milan."
The mines on the mainland were exhausted years ago, after which deep
excavations were made on Newcastle Island, just oi)p()site the town.
But after a tremendous tire these also were abandoned, and all the
workings are now on the shores of Departure Bay, where a colliery vil-
lage named WeUinyton has been built up. A steam ferry connects
Nanaimo with Wellington. This coal is su])erior to any other on the
Pacific coast, and is mainly sent to California, a large Hcet of steam
colliers being maintained for its transportation. Trout-fishing and
shooting are good in the neighlxmrhood, and fair hotel accommodations
exist. A few miles farther N., now reached by steamer, but presently
to be connected by railway, is Contojc, where moose-shooting may be
had in winter.

Voyages up the Coast.

From Victoria, every ten days or so, one may take a steamer to
Alaska, which makes the round trip of that " wonderland" in aV»out
a fortnight ; and from Vanionnr a steamer of the Canadian Pacific
Navigation Comjjany goes at longer intervnls to Fort Sittipmii, step-
ping at various trading-posts, logging-camps, and salmon-canneries
along the mainland shore and on the islands. Either of these voyages
is full of the most curious interest, and carries the traveller into such
scenery as no other part of the world can afford.

260

VOYAGES UP THE COAST.

Having filled her bunkers with coal at Nanaimo, the steamer col-
lects her wandeiing passengers and steers northward. Just ahead lie
the big hills of Texada Maud, whose iron-mines yield ore of extraor-
dinary purity, which is largely shipped to the United States to be made
into steel. The steamer keeps to the left and makes its way through
Baync's Sound, the shores of which are low and forested, although in-
land can be seen some of the tallest peaks in Vancouver. When Cape
Lazrn has been passed on the left and the upper end of Texada on the
right, a fine view across the broadening water eastward is given of the
lofty mountains sent down from the Cascades as a spur dividing Jervis
Inlet from Toba. Some of these mountains rise as high as 6,000 ft.,
yet far over their heads tower the remote snow-caps of the true Cas-
cades. Out of this expansion the steamer points its prow along the
Vancouver shore into Seymour Narmwa, leading to Discovery Pass,
which separates Valdes and Vancouver islands. Valdes Island is so
large that it nearly blocks up the gulf at this point, and it was proposed
by some engineers to make a series of bridges and so bring the C. F. R.
across to Vancouver ; and here is to cross the projected railroad from
Vancouver City to Comox and Nanaimo.

This series of straits is about 140 miles long, and by the time its
full length is passed the traveller has been captured by the enchant-
ment of his surroundings. A thousand novel " effects " of water,
dancing in emerald currents, or spread in glassy sheets of black and
grey ; of rock-work, piled in lofty clitfs, or rounded into kelp-grown
boulders ; of woodland, from the unbroken forests of the mainland to
tiny tufts of bushes adorning some rough rock ; and of mountains
bristling against the sky in every imaginable variety of form, dis-
tance, colour, and arrangement of foreground — all these have de-
lighted his eyes and awakened his mind. Solitude and stillness reign
save when broken by the darting from some concealed nook of a
canoe manned by Indians, or save when the sportsman's rifle arouses
the echoes.

The maze of small islands on the right and Vancouver's bulwark on
the left are escaped together, after which the open Pacific shows itself
for an hour or two in the offing of Queen Charhtte's Sottnd, and the
steamer rises and falls gently upon the long, lazy rollers that have
swept all the way from China and Polynesia. In the far northwest the
horizon is broken by the dark mass of the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Thi>» group, N. W. ot Vancouver, consists of the second largest islands
of British Columbia, and, although mountainous, po^^sesses large areas
of good soil, a climate much like that of Ireland, and a most abundant
ve.'ietation. The steamer's course hugs the mainland shore, and turning
inic) Fitz Hugli Sound the ocean and its rollers are soon lost behind
Calvert, Hunter's, and Bardswell islands, where the ship's spars some-
tii/ies brush the overhanging trees. Here are the entrances to Burke
\."!j^ .iiel and to Dean's Canal, penetrating like an arm and hand with
distended fingers far amid the tremendous cliffs of the mainland mount-
ains. Then comes a twenty minute dash across the open bight of Mill-
bank Sound, beyond which stretch long inside passages behind Princess

VOYAGES UI' THE COAST.

261

Royal, Pitt, and Packer inlands, debouching at last into Dixon Sound
at the extremity of British Columbia's ragged coast-line.

The further course is through intricate channels behind the islands
that guard the southern Alaskan coast. Through Dixon Sound
pisses the boundary-line between British Columbia and Alaska — that
same 54° 40' N. latitude which in 1862 furnished the alliterative war
cry, " Ftfty-four-forty or fight ! " And here is the estuary of the Skeena
Hitter, along which the clever Chimsi/in Indians have their villages and
gold-washers their cabins. Farther N., behind Chirasiiin Island, where
the well-civilized mission village and church of Meiakatla will attract
attention, stands Fort Simpson, an ancient Hudson's Bay post at the
entrance to Portland Canal.

This inlet and its various arms are simply stupendous canons, half-
filled by the tides, whence mountain precipices rise thousands of feet
on each side, almost vertically from the dark, still water that barely
separates their bases, to crowns of perpetual ice and snow. No word is
more expressive than canat (in reality the Spanish for " channel "),
given by the earliest navigators to designate the placidity, narrowness,
and profundity of these prodigious gashes in the continental margin.

Stopping at fisheries here and there, the steamer pushes on to the
missionary station, Fort Wrangel, enters Taku Inlet, where passengers
may land and climb the great Taku (Jlacier, and finds civilization at
the raining centre, Juneau Citf/. The next stage of the Journey
traverses the whole length of Lynn Canal, stretching northward as a
great inlet, at the head of which the valleys of the Chilkat and Chil-
koot rivers afford passage-ways to the interior along the upper Yukon.

Pyramid Harbour, at the head of this canal, is the most northerly
point of the pilgrimage (N. latitude 59° 1 1'), where the sun does not set
till 10 p. M. in midsummer, and fine print can be read until sunrise,
some four hours later. For variety of scenery, Indian life, and the
study of natural history and of the practical resources by which the
native population exists and civilization is supported, no locality in
Alaska will be found more interesting to the traveller than this Chilkat
country, where also opportunities for sketching, fishing, and hunting
game, big and little, are unlimited.

The return journey is by a new route, taking in succession Glacier
Bay, Icy Strait, Chatham Strait, and Sitka.

Uelearapbic B^^rcM :

tiuHlorh'itf London,

at Bedford Street, w.c.
October /Si^».

A LIST OF

Mr WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S

Publications

AND

Forthcoming Works

The Books mentioned in this List can
be obtained to order by any Book-
seller if not in stock, or -ivill be sent
by the Publisher post free on receipt
o/price.

MR, WTIUAM IJEINRMANN'S LIST.

^tiDes of Butbord.

Alexander

Arbiillinot

Athcrtoii

Balestier

liarrett

Behrs .

liendall

BjOrnson

Bowen

Brown and

Buchanan

Butler

Caine .

Cambridge

Chester

Clarke

Colomb

Compayre

Couperus

Davidson

Dawson

De Quinccy

Dilkc .

Eeden

Ellwanger

Ely .

Farrar .

Fitch .

Forbes

Fothergill

Frauzos

Frederic

Garner

Garnett

Gilchrist

Gore .

Gosse .

Gray .

Gray (Max

Grimths

Hall .

Harland

Hardy

Heine .

Henderson

Howard

Hughes

Hungerford

Ibsen .

Irving .

Ingersoll

Griffi

•L-11)

3,9.

I'AOE

»3

«3
9
9

i6
", 15

i6
lo, 14

8, 12

9, 12

7
9
6

5
II

5
16

4. 7
6
6

5
6

9
II

6
6

9
16

7» 9

9
12

'O, 13

J.xger .

Jeaffreson

Kimball

Kipling and

Lanza .

Le Caron

Lee .

I. eland

Lie .

Lowe •

Lynch.

Maartens

Maeterlinck

Maude

Maupassant

Maurice

Mitford

Murray

Norris

Ouida .

Palacio-Val

Pearce

Pennell

Philips

Phelps

Pinero

Rawnsley

Richter

Riddell

Rives .

Roberts

Roberts (V

Robinson

Salaman

Scudamorc

Serao .

Sicnkiewicz

Tasma

Terry .

Thurston

Tolstoy

Tree .

Valera

Warden

Weitenieyi

West .

Whistler

Wliitinan

Williains

Zangwill

Zola .

n.d(

tier

PAGB
7. 15

9
»3

3
10
16
la

»3
10

IS
6

II
6

9
II
10

6
14
13
14

12
14

II
12

10, 13

IT, IS

12
13

5
6

3.3

7
6, 9

Jiff!. WII.UAM HElNiuMANN'S LIST.

VICTORIA:

QUEEN AND EMPRESS.

JOHN CORDY JKAFFRESON,

Author of "The Real Lord Myron,' etc.
In Two Volumes. 8vo. With Portraits. [/« October.

twenty-fTveTears in the

SECRET SERVICE.

THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A SPY.

nv
MAJOR LE CARON.

In One Volume. 8vo. With Portraits and Facsimiles.

[/« October,

REMINISCENCES OF
COUNT LEO NICHOLAEVITCH

TOLSTOI.

C. A. BEHRS,

TRANSLATKD FROM THR RUSSIAN BY

PROFESSOR C. E. TURNER

In One Volume, Crown 8vo.

[/// October.

THE REALM of the HABSBURGS

SIDNEY WHITMAN,

Author of " Imperial Germany."
In One Volume. Crown 8vo. ^/« November,

MR. WILLIAM HEINEM ANN'S LIST.

THE WORKS OF HEINRICH HEINE. Translated
by Charles Godfrkv Leland, M.A., F.R.L.S, (Hans Breitmann).
Crown 8vo, cloth, 5.V. per Volume.

I. FLORENTINE NIGHTS, SCIINABELEWOPSKI,
THE RABBI OF BACHARCAH, and SHAKE-
SPEARE'S MAIDENS AND WOMEN. [Ready.

Timts. — "We can recommend no better medium for making acquaintance
at first hand with 'the German Aristophanes' than the works of Heinrich
Heine, translated by Charles Godfrey Leland. Mr. Leland manages pretty
successfully to preserve the easy grace of the original."

II., III. PICTURES OF TRAVEL. 1823-1828. In Two
Volumes. [Ready.

Daily Chronicle.—'* Mr. Leiand's translation of ' The Pictures of Travel '
is one of the acknowledged literary feats of the age. As a traveller Heine is
delicious beyond description, and a volume which includes the magnificent
Lucca series, the North Sea, the memorable Hartz wanderings, must ne«ds
possess an everlasting charm."

IV. THE BOOK OF SONGS.

[In the Press.

v., VI. GERMANY. In Two Volumes. [Ready.

Daily Telegraph, — "Mr. Leland has done his translation in able and
scholarly fashion."

VIL, VIII. FRENCH AFFAIRS. In Two Volumes.

[In Ihe Press.
IX. THE SALON. [In preparation.

*»* Large Paper Edition^ limited to 100 Numbered Copies. Particidars on

application.

THE POSTHUMOUS WORKS OF THOMAS DE

QUINCEY. Edited with Introduction and Notes from the Author's
Original MS3., by Alexander H. Japp, LL.D, F.R.S.E., &c. Crown
8vo, cloth, 6s. each.

I. SUSPIRIA DE PROFUNDIS. With Other Essays.

7y«/«.— "Here we have De Quincey at his best. Will be welcome to
lovers of De Quincey and good literature."

II. CONVERSATION AND COLERIDGE. With other

Essays. [In preparation.

MR. VVIL LI AM JJEINEMANN 'S L IS 7\

?rbe (Breat lE&ucatore*

A Series of Volumes by Eminent Writers, presenting in their
entirety ''A Biographical History of Education:'

The Times.— "A Series of Monographs on 'The Great Educators ' should
prove of service to all who concern themselves with the history, thesry, and
practice of education."

TAe speaker.—** There is a promising sound about the title of Mr. Heine-
mann's new series, ' The Great Educators.' It should help to allay the hunger
and thirst for knowledge and culture of the vast multitude of young men and
maidens which our educational system turns out yearly, provided at least with
an appetite for instruction."

Each subject will form a complete volume, crown 8vo, 5*.
Noiv ready.

ARISTOTLE, and the Ancient Educational Ideals. By

Thomas Davidson, M.A,, LL.D.
The Times — "A very readable sketch of a very interesting subject."

LOYOLA, and the Educational System of the Jesuits. By
Rev. Thomas Hughes, S.J.
Saturday Reviezv.— " Full of valuable information If a school-
master would learn how the education of the young can be carried on so as to
confer real dignity on those engaged in it, we recommend him to read Mr.
Hughes' book."

ALCUIN, and the Rise of the Christian Schools. By

Professor Andrew F. West, Ph.D. [/„ October.

In preparation.
ABELARD, and the Origin and Early History of Uni-
versities. By Jules Gabriel Compayre, Professor in the Faculty of

Toulouse.

ROUSSEAU ; or, Education according to Nature.

HERBART; or, Modern German Education.

PESTALOZZI ; or, the Friend and Student of Children.

FROEBEL. By H. Courthope Bowen, M.A.

HORACE MANN, and Public Education in the United
States. By Nicholas Murray Butler, Ph.D.

BELL, LANCASTER, and ARNOLD; or, the English
Education of To-Day. By J. G. Fitch, LL.D., Her Majesty's In-
spector of Schools.

Othen to/ollow.

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S LIST.

THE GREAT WAR OF 189-. A Forecast. By Rear-

Admiral Colomb, Col. Maurice, R.A., Major Henderson, Staff

College, Captain Maude, Archibald Forbes, Charles Lowe,

D. Christie Murray, F. Scudamore, and Sir Charles Dilke. In

One Volume, 4to, Illustrated.

In this narrative, which is reprinted from the pages of Black and IVhite,

an attempt is made to forecast the course of events preliminary and incidental

to the Great War which, in the opinion of military and political experts, will

probably occur in the immediate future.

The writers, who are well-known authorities on international politics and
strategy, have striven to derive the conflict from its most likely source, to
conceive the most probable campaigns and acts of policy, and generally to give
to their work the verisimilitude and actuality of real warfare. The work has
been profuseljr illustrated from sketches by Mr. Frederic Villiers, the well-
known war artist. [Nearly ready.

THE GENTLE ART OF MAKING ENEMIES. As

pleasingly exemplified in many instances, wherein the serious ones of this
earth, carefully exasperated, have been prettily spurred on to indiscretions
and unseemliness, while overcome by an undue sense of right. By
J. M'Neil Whistler. A New Edition. Pott 4to, half cloth, 10s. 6d.

[just ready.
Punch. — "The book in itself, in its binding, print and arrangement, is a

w»rk of art A work of rare humour, a thmg of beauty and a joy for now

and ever."

THE JEW AT HOME. Impressions of a Summer and
Autumn Spent with Him in Austria and Russia. By Joseph Pennei.l.
With Illustrations by the Author. 410, cloth, 5^. \.Jt*sl ready.

THE NEW EXODUS. A Study of Israel in Russia. By
Harold Frederic. Demy 8vo, Illustrated. 16*. [Just ready,

PRINCE BISMARCK. An Historical Biography. By

Charles Lowe, M.A. With Portraits. Crown 8vo, 6s. [Just ready.

The Tivies. — " Is unquestionably the first important work which deals,

fully and with some approach to exhauiitiveness, with the career of Bismarck

from both the personal and the historical points of view."

ADDRESSES. By Henry Irving. Small crown 8vo.

With Portrait by J. M'N. Whistler. [/« the Press.

STRAY MEMORIES.

Portraits.

By Ellen

Terry. 4to. With

[In preparation.

LITTLE JOHANNES. By Frederick van Eeden. Trans-
lated from the Dutch by Clara Bell. With an Introduction by
Andrew Lang. Illustrated. [l/i preparation.

*♦* Also a Large Paper Edition.

LIFE OF HEINRICH HEINE. By Richard Garnett,

LL.D. With Portrait. Crown 8vo (uniform with the translation of Heine's
Works). [In preparation.

THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. By Professor R. L.
Garner. Crown 8vo, ^s. td. [Just ready.

Daily Chronicle. — " A real, a remarkable, contribution to our common
knowledge."

Daily Telegraph.—" An entertaining book."

THE OLD MAIDS' CLUB. By I. Zangwill, Author of

"The Bachelors' Club." Illustrated by F. H. Townsend. Crown Svo,

cloth, -ys. 6d,

National Revieiv. — " Mr. Zangwill has a very bright and a very original

humour, and every page of this closely printed book is full of point and go, and

full, too, of a healthy satire that is really humorously applied common-sense."

Athttutum.—*' Most strongly to be recommended to all classes of readers."

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S LIST.

WOMAN— THROUGH A MAN'S EYEGLASS. By

Malcolm C. Salaman. With Illustrations by Dudley Hardy. Crown
8vo, cloth, yi. 6d.
Daily Graphic. — "A most amusing book."

Daily Telegraph, — "Written with brightness and elegance, and with
touches of bot' caustic satire and kindly humour."

Daily Chronicle. — " It is the very thmg for a punt cushion or a garden
hammock."

GIRLS AND WOMEN. By E. Chester. Poit 8vo, cloth,

2s. 6d., or gilt extra, 3s. 6d.
Literary World.— "^ We gladly commend this delightful little work to the
thoughtful girls of our own country. We hope that many parents and daughters
will read and ponder over the little volume."

GOSSIP IN A LIBRARY. By Edmund Gosse, Author of

" Northern Studies," &c. Secoud Edition. Crown 8vo, buckram, gilt top,

7*. 6d.
Athena;utn. — "There is a touch of Leigh Hunt in this picture of the book-
lover among his books, and the volume is one that Leigh Hunt would have
delii;hted in."

*«i* Large Paper Edition, limited to 100 Numbered Copies, 25J. net.

THE LIFE OF HENRIK IBSEN. By Henrik J/eger.

Translated by Clara Bell. With the Verse done into English from the
Norwegian Original by Edmund Gosse. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6y.
Academy. — "We welcome it heartily. An unqualified boon to the many
English students of Ibsen."

DE QUINCEY MEMORIALS. Being Letters and other
Records here first Published, with Communications from Coleridge, The
Wordsworths, Hannah More, Professor Wilson and others. Edited,
with Introduction, Notes, and Narrative, by Alexander H. Japp, LL.D.
F.R.S.E. In two volumes, demy Bvo, cloth, with portraits, 30jf. net.
Daily Telegraph. — " Few works of greater literary interest have of late years
issued from the press than the two volumes of | De Quincey Memorials.' They
comprise most valuable materials for the historian of literary and social England
at the beginning of the century ; but they are not on that account less calculated
to amuse, enlighten, and absorb the general reader of biographical memoirs."

THE WORD OF THE LORD UPON THE WATERS.

Sermons read by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Germany, while
at Sea on his Voyages to the Land of the Midnight Sun. Composed by
Dr. Richter, Army Chaplain, and Translated from the German by John
R. McIlraith. 4to, cloth, 2j. dd.
Times. — "The Sermons are vigorous, simple, and vivid in themselves, and
well adapted to the circumstances in which they were delivered."

THE HOURS OF RAPHAEL, IN OUTLINE.

Together with the Ceiling of the Hall where they were originally painted.
By Mary E. Williams. Folio, cloth, £2 is. net.

THE PASSION PLAY AT OBERAMMERGAU, 1890.
By F. W. I'^akrak, D.i>., F.R.S.. Archdeacon and Canon of Westminster
&c. &c. 4to, cloth, 2s. 6d.
spectator. — "This little book will be read with delight by those who have,
and by those who have not, visited Oberanimergau."

THE GARDEN'S STORY; or, Pleasures and Trials of an
Amateur Gardener. By G. H. Ellwangek. With an Introduction by the
Rev. C. Wolley Dod. i2mo, cloth, with Illustrations, 5J.
Scotsmiui. — " It deals with a charming subject in a charming manner."

IDLE MUSINGS: Essays in Social Mosaic. By E. Conder
Gray, Author of "Wise Words and Loving Deeds," &c. &c. Crown Bvo,
cloth. 6s.
Saturday Kevitw.—" Li>;ht, biief, aad bright."

(■

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN S LIST.

THE COMING TERROR. And other Essays and Letters.
By Robert Buchanan. Second Edition. Dcniy 8vo, cloth, i2j. td.

Daily Chronicle. — "This amusing, wrong-headed, audacious, 'cranky'
book should be widely read, for there is not a dull line in it."

ARABIC AUTHORS: A Manual of Arabian History and
Literature. By F. F. Akbuthnot, M.R.A.S., Author of " Early Ideas,"
"Persian Portraits," &c. 8vo, cloth, loj.

Manchester Examiner. — " The whole work has been carefully indexed, and
will prove a handbook of the highest value to the student who wishes to gain a
better acquaintance with Arabian letters "

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN AMERICA. By

Richard T. Ely, Ph.D., Associate in Political Economy, Johns Hopkins
University. Crown 8vo, cloth, sj.

Saturday Review.—"^ Both interesting and valuable.

THE LITTLE MANX NATION. (Lectures delivered at
the Royal Institution, 1891.) By Hall Caine, Author of "The Bond-
man," "The Scapegoat," &c. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3*. 6rf.; paper, ■2s. dd.
World. — "Mr. Hall Caine takes us back to the days of old romance, and,

treating tradition and history in the_ pictorial style of which he is a master, he

gives us a monograph of Man especially acceptable."

NOTES FOR THE NILE. Together with a Metrical
Rendering of the Hymns of Ancient Egypt and of the Precepts of Ptah-
hotep (the oldest book in the world). By Hardwicke D. R awnsley, M. A.
i6mo, cloth, 5J.

The Times.—** All visitors to Egypt will find much instruction and enter-
tainment pleasantly conveyed."

Saturday Review. — " A pleasant and useful little companion for the culti-
vated traveller."

DENMARK: Its History, Topography, Language, Literature,
Fine Arts, Social Life, and !• inance. Edited by H. Weitemeyek. Demy
8vo, cloth, with Map, 12*. 6d.

%* Dedicated, by permission, to H.R.H. t/te Princess of Wales.

Morning Post.— "An excellent account oi everything relating to this Northern
country."

IMPERIAL GERMANY. A Critical Study of Fact and
. Character. By Sidney Whitman. New Edition, Revised and Enlarged.
Crown 8vo, cloth as. 6d. ; paper, 2s.

Prince Bismarck. — " I consider the different chapters of this book masterly."

THE CANADIAN GUIDE-BOOK. Part L The Tourist's
and Sportsman's Guide to Eastern Canada and NewfoundlantJ, including full
descriptions of Routes, Cities, Points of Interest, Summer Resorts, Fishing
Places, &c., in Eastern Ontario, The Muskoka District, The St. Lawrence
Region, The Lake St. John Country, The Maritime Provinces, Prince
Edward Island, and Newfoundland. With an Appendix giving Fish and
Game Laws, and Official Lists of Trout and Salmon Rivers .ind their
Lessees. By Charles G. D. Roberts, Professor of English Literature in
King's College, Windsor, N.S. With Maps and many Illustrations.
Crown 8vo, limp cloth, 6s,

Part IL WESTERN CANADA. Including the Peninsula

and Northern Regions of Ontario, the Canadian Shores of the Great
Lakes, the Lake of the Woods Region, Manitoba and "The Great
North-West," The Canadian Rocky Mountains and National Park,
British Columbia, and Vancouver Island. By Ernest Ingersoll. With
Maps and many lUusUatiuns. Crown 8vo, limp cloth, [/n preparation.

AIR. WILLIAM HE/NEMANN'S LIST.

Iftctiom

In Three Volumes.
THE HEAD OF THE FIRM. By Mrs. Riddeli., Author

of " C.nir^c Cleilh," " Maxwell Drewett," &c.

CHILDREN OF THE GHETTO.

Amhor of " The Old Maids' Club," &c.

THE TOWER OF TADDEO. A

Author (jf "Two Little Wooden Shoe-," &c.

KITTY'S FATHER. By Fp ^NK Barrett.

■'Lieutenant Barnabas, " &c.

THE COUNTESS RADNA. By W

" Matrimony," &c.

By I
Novel.

\Jiist ready,

Zanowill,

\^ J list ready.

By OuiDA,

\In October.

Author of
[/« NoT'ember.

E. NORRIS, Atithor of
[/« January.

ORIOLE'S DAUGHTER. A Novel. By Jessie Fothergill,

Author of " The First Violin," &c. [In February.

THE LAST SENTENCE. By Maxwell Gray, Author of
" The Silence of Dean Maitlaud," &c. [/» March.

In Two Volumes.
WOMAN AND THE MAN. A Love Story. By Robert

Buchanan, Author of "Come Live with Me and be My Love," "The
Moment After," "The Coming Terror," &c. [In preparation.

A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE FEATHER. By '« TasxMA, '
Author of "The Penance of Portia James," "Uncle Piper of Piper's
Hill," &c. iJust ready.

A LITTLE MINX. By Ada Cambridge, Author of "A

Marked Man," " Th« Three Miss Kings," &c.

In One Volume.

THE NAULAHKA. A Tale of West and East. ByRuDVARD
Kipling and Wolcott Balestiek. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. Second
Edition. [lust ready.

THE AVERAGE WOMAN. l}y Wolcott Balestier.
With an Introduction by Hknrv James. Small crown 8vo, 3.?. 6d.

[Just ready.

THE ATTACK ON THE MILL and Other Sketches

of War. By 1CmileZol.\. With an essay on the short stories of M
Zola by Edmund Gosse. Small crown 8vo, 3^, 6d. \Just ready.

DUST. By BjoRNSTjERNE BjoRNSON. Translated from the
Norwegian. Small crown 8vo.

THE SECRET OF NARCISSE. By Edmund Gosse.

Crown Svo. [/« October.

MADEMOISELLE MISS and Other Stories. By Henry

Harland, Author of " Mea Culpa," &o. Small crown 8vo. [In the Press.

THE DOMINANT SEVENTH. A Musical Story. By
Kate Elizabeth Clarke. Crown 8vo, cloth, ^s.
speaker. — "A very romantic story."

PASSION THE PLAYTHING. A Novel. By R. Murray
Gilchrist. Crown Svo, cloth, 65.
AthenauM.—" This well-written story must be read tu be appreciated."

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S LIST.

Ubc Crown Copi^rfabt Sevfes.

Mr. Heinemann has made arrangements with a number of the First and
Most Popular English, American, and Colonial Authors which will
enable him to issue a series of New and Original Works, to be known as
The Crown Coi'vmcht Series, complete in Ooe Volume, at a uniform
price of Fivi Si '. : \ ;s each. These Novels will not pass through an Ex-
pensive Two or Thiee Volume Edition, but they will be obtainable at the
Cii^cULATiNG Libraries, as well as at all Booksellers' and Bookstalls.

ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. By AmSlie Rives, Author

of " The Quick or the Dead."

ScotsMian. — "The H'.eivr" work is highly artistic It has beauty and

brightness, and a kinU o.' i.iaoiaation which carries the reader on till he has read
to the last page."

THE PENANCE OF POJITIA JAMES. By Tasma,

Authcr of "U;'":le Piper o.' F'l "'s Kill," &c.

Athenaui:'. — "A jower, '1 novt\

Daily Chronicle. — "Cajt^atug iiu ^ ?i antahsing, this story is far above
the average."

Vanity Fair.~~"X very interesting story, morally sound, and flavoured
throughout with ease of diction and lack of strain. "

INCONSEQUENT LIVES. A Village Chronicle, shewing

how certain folk set out for El Dorado ; what they attempted ; and what
they attained. By J. H. Pearce, Author of " Esther Pentreath," &c.

Saturday Review,—" \ vivid picture of the life of Cornish fisher-folk. It
is unquestionably interesting."

Literary World.—" Powerful and pathetic .... from first to last it is
profoundly interesting. It is long since we read a story revealing power of so
high an order, marked by such evident carefulness of workmanship, ;uch skill in
the powerful and yet temperate presentation of passion, and in the sternly
realistic yet delicate treatment of difficult situations."

A QUESTION OF TASTE. By Maarten Maartens,

Author of " An Old Maid's Love," &c.

National Obseri'er. — "There is more than cleverness; there is original
talent, and a good deal of humanity besides."

COME LIVE WITH ME AND BE MY LOVE. By

Robert Buchanan, Author of " The Moment After," " The Coming
Terror," &c.

Globe — '^^ Will be found eminently readable."

Daily Tele^aph. — " We will conclude this brief notice by expressing our
cordial admiration of the skill displayed in its construction, and the genial
humanity that has inspired its author in the sh:iping and vitalising of the indi-
viduals created by his fertile imagination."

THE O'CONNORS OF BALLINAHINCH. By Mrs.

HUNGERFORU, Author of " Molly Bawn," &c. [/« tJie Press.

A BATTLE AND A BOY.

Author of "Guenn," &c.

By Blanche Willis Howard,

[/« preparation.

VANITAS. By Vernon Lee, Author of " Hauntings," &c.

[In Preparation.

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S LIST.

•foeinemana's international Xibran?.

Edited by EDMUND GOSSE.

New Review. — " If yoii have any pernicious remnants of literary chauvinism
I hope it will not survive the series of foreign classics of which Mr. William
Heinemann, aided by Mr. Kdmiind Gosse, is publishing translations to the great
contentment of all lovers of literature."

Titties. — "A venture which deserves encouragement."
Each Voluvte has an Jtttrodiiction specially written by the Editor.
Price, in paper covers, 25. 6d. each, or cloth, 3*. 6d.
IN GOD'S WAY. From the Norwegian of BjOrnstjerne

BjoRNSON.

Athetiaum. — " Without doubt the most important and the most interesting

work published during the twelve months There are descriptions which

certainly belong to the best and cleverest things our literature has ever produced.
Amongst the many characters, the doctor's wife is unquestionably the first. It
would be difficult to find anything more tender, soft, and refined than this
charming personage."

PIERRE AND JEAN. From the French of Guy de Mau-
passant.

Pall Mall Gazette.— "So fine and faultless, so perfectly balanced, so
steadily progressive, so clear and simple and satisfying. It is admirable from
beginning to end."

Athenceunt. — " Ranks amongst the best gems of modern French fiction."

THE CHIEF JUSTICE. From the German of Karl Emil

Franzos, Author of " For the Right," &c.

New Review. — " Few novels of recent times have a more sustained and
vivid human interest."

Christian IVor/e/. — "A story of wonderful power .... as free from any-
thing objectionable as * 1 he Heart of Midlothian.' "

WORK WHILE YE HAVE THE LIGHT. From the
Russian of Count Lyok Tolstoy.

Liverpool Mercury. — "Marked by all the old power of the great Russian
novelist."

Manchester Guardian. — "Readable and well translated; full of high and
noble feeling."

FANTASY. From the Italian of Matilde Serao.

National Observer. — "The strongest work from the hand of a woman that
has been published for many a day."

Scottish Leader. — " The book is full of a glowing and living realism

There is nothing like ' Fantasy ' in modern literature It is a work of tifish

art, a mosaic of light and love, of right and wrong, of human weakness and
strength, and purity and wantonness, picjed together in deft and witching
precision."

FROTH. From the Spanish of Don Armando Palacio
Valdes.
Dail^ Telegraph. — " Vigorous and powerful in the highest degree. It
abounds in forcible delineation of character, and describes scenes with rare and
graphic strength."

FOOTSTEPS OF FATE. From the Dutch of Louis

COUPERUS.

Daily Chronicle.—*' A. powerfully realistic story which has been excellently
translated."

Gentlewoman. — "The consummate art of the writer prevents this tragedy
from sinking to melodrama. Not a single situation is forced or a circum:slance
exaggerated."

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S LIST.

•foeincmaun's 3nternational Xibrar^.

PEPITA JIMENEZ. From the Spanish of Juan Valera.

New Review (Mr. George Sainisbury) :— " There is no douht at all tliat
it is one of the best stories that have appeared in any country in Europe for the
last twenty years."

THE COMMODORE'S DAUGHTERS. From the Nor-
wegian of Jonas Lie.
Athenasum. — " Everjjthing that Jonas Lie writes is attractive avvl pleasant ;
the plot of deeply human interest, and the art noble."

THE HERITAGE OF THE KURTS. From the Nonvegiap

of BjORNSTJEKNE BjORNSON.

Pall Mall Gazette. — A most fascinating as well as a powerful book."
National Observer. — " It is a book to read and a book to think about, for,
incontestably, it is the work of a man of genius."

/« the Press.

LOU. From the German of Baron V. Roberts.

DONA LUZ. From the Spanish of Juan Valera.

WITHOUT DOGMA. From the Polish of H. Sienkiewicz.

popular 30» 6b. IRovels.

CAPT'N DAVY'S HONEYMOON, The Blind Mother,
and The Last Confession. By Hall Caine, Author of " The Bondman,"
" The Scapegoat," &c.

THE SCAPEGOAT. By Hall Caine, Author of "The

Bondman," &c.

Mr. Gladstone writes : — " I congratulnte you upon ' The Scapegoat ' as a
work of art, and especially upon the noble and skilfully drawn character of
Israel."

Tunes, — " In our judgment it excels in dramatic force all his previous efforts.
For grace and touching pathos Naomi is a character which any romancist in the
world might be proud to have created."

THE BONDMAN. A New Saga. By Hall Caine.

Twentieth Thousand.

Mr. Gladstone. — '"The Bondman' is a work of which I recognise the
freshness, vigour, and sustained interest no less than its integrity of aim."

Standard. — " Its argument is grand, and it is sustained with a power that is
almost marvellous."

DESPERATE REMEDIES. By Thomas Hardy, Author

of " Tess of the D'Urbervilles," &c.
Saturday Revieiu, — " A remarkable story worked out with abundant skill."

A MARKED MAN: Some Episodes in his Life. By Ada
Cambridge, Author of "Two Years' Time," "A Mere Chance," &c.
Mornins: Post. — "A depth of feeling, a knowledge of the human heart, and
an amount of tact that one rarely tinds. Should take a prominent place among
the novels of the season."

THE THREE MISS KINGS. By Ada Cambridge, Author

of "A Marked Man."
A thencEtim. — ' ' A charming study of character. The love stories are ex-
cellent, and the author is happy in tender situations."

NOT ALL IN VAIN. By Ada Cambridge, Author of "A

Marked Man," " Tlie Three Miss Kings," &c.
Guardian, — "A clever and absorbing story."
Queen. — " All that remains to be said is ' read the book.' "

MR. WILLIAM IIEINEMANN'S LIST.

popular 30. 6^. lRorcl5.

UNCLE PIPER OF PIPER'S HILL. By Tasma. New

Popular Edition.
Guaniiafi. — " Every page of it contains good wholesome food, which demands
and repays digestion. The tale itself is thoroughly charming, and all the
characters are deliglitfully drawn. We strongly recommend all lovers of whole-
some novels to make acquaintance with it themselves, and are much mistaken if
they do not heartily thank us for the introduction."

IN THE VALLEY. By Harold Frederic, Author of

" The Lawton Girl," " Seth's Brother's Wife," &c. With Illustrations.
Titties. — "The literary value of the book is high ; the author's studies of
bygone life presenting a life-like picture."

PRETTY MISS SMITH. By Florence Warden, Author

of "The House on the Marsh," "A Witch of the Hills," &c.

Punch. — " Since Miss Florence Warden's ' House on the Marsh/ I have
not read a more exciting tale."

NOR WIFE, NOR MAID. By Mrs. Hungerford, Author
of " Molly Bawn," &c.

Queen. — " It has all the characteristics of the writer's work, and greater
emotional depth than most of its predecessors."

Scotsman. — " Delightful reading, supremely interesting."

MAMMON. A Novel. By Mrs. Alexander, Author of "The
Wooing O't," &c.
Scotsman. — "The present work is not behind any of its predecessors.
' Mammon ' is a healthy stor^, and as it has been thoughtfully written it has the
merit of creating thought in its readers."

DAUGHTERS OF MEN. By Hannah Lynch, Author of

" The Prince of the Glades," &c.
Daily Telegraph. — " Singularly clever and fascinating."
Academy. — " One of the cleverest, if not also the pleasantest, stories that
have appeared for a long time."

A ROMANCE OF THE CAPE FRONTIER. By Bertram

MiTFORD, Author of " Through the Zulu Country," &c.
Observer. — " This is a rattling tale, genial, healthy, and spirited."

'TWEEN SNOW AND FIRE.

1877. By Bertram Mitford.

A Tale of the Kafir War of
By Elizaijktii

THE MASTER OF THE MAGICIANS

Stuart Phelfs and Herbert D. Ward.
Athenceum. — " A thrilling story."

LOS CERRITOS. A Romance of the Modern Time. Hy
Gertrude Franklin Atherton, Author of "Hermia Suydam," and
" What Dreams may Come."
Athenceum. — "Full of fresh fancies and suggestions. Told with strength

and delicacy. A decidedly charming romance."

A MODERN MARRIAGE. By the Marquise Clara Lanza

Queen. — "A powerful story, dramatically and consistently carried out."
Black and White.—" A decidedly clever book,"

MR. WILLIAM HEINEMANN'S LIST.

popular SbtUtnd JSooFts.

MADAME VALERIE.

in a Looking-Glass," &c.

By F. C. Philips, Author of '* As

THE MOMENT AFTER: A Tale of the Unseen. By
Robert Buchanan.

Atftenautn.—^* Should be read— in daylight."

Obsemer.—" S. c\fi\^x tour de force."

Guardian. — " Particularly impressive, graphic, and powerful."

CLUES ; or, Leaves from a Chief Constable's Note-Book.

By William Henderson, Chief Constable of Edinburgh.

Mr. Glaiistone.—^' I found the book full of interest."

A VERY STRANGE FAMILY. By F. W. Robinson,

Author of "Grandmother's Money," " Lazarus in London," &c.

Glasg07v Herald. — " An ingeniously devised plot, of which the interest is
kept up to the very last page. A judicious blending of humour and pathos
further helps to make the book delightful reading from start to finish."

Dramatic literature*

THE PLAYS OF ARTHUR W. PINERO.

With Introductory Notes by Malcolm C. Salamam. i6mo, Paper Covers,
ij. 6d. ; or Cloth, 2s. 6d. each.

THE TIMES: A Comedy in Four Acts. With a Preface by
the Author. (Vol. L)

Daily Telegraph.— *yT\iQ Times 'is the best example yet given of Mr.
Pinero's power as a satirist. So clever is his work that it beats down opposition.
So fascinating is his style that we cannot help listening to him."

Morning Post.— " 'iAr. Pinero's latest belongs to a high order of dramatic
literature, and the piece will be witnessed again with all the greater zest after the
perusal of such admirable dialogue."

THE PROFLIGATE : A Play in Four Acts. With Portrait
of the Author, after J. Mordecai. (Vol. IL)

Pall Mall Gazette.—" Will be welcomed by all who have the true interests
of the stage at heart."

THE CABINET MINISTER: A Farce in Four Acts.
(Vol. in.)

Obsemer.—*' It is as amusing to read as it was when played."

THE HOBBY HORSE: A Comedy in Three Acts.
(Vol. IV.)

St. James's Gazette. — "Mr. Pinero has seldom produced better or more
interestmg work than in ' The Hobby Horse.' "

LADY BOUNTIFUL. A Play in Four Acts. (Vol. V.)

THE MAGISTRATE. A Farce in Three Acts. (Vol. VI.)

To be followed by Dandy Dick, The Schoolmistress, The Weaker Sex, Lords and
Commons, The Squire, and Sw«et Lavender.

AfR. WITJJAM HETNEM ANN'S LIST.

Dramatic Xitetatute,

A NEW PLAY. By IIenrik Ibsen. Tran'-lated from the

Norwegian. Small 410. \^ln />reparation.

A NEW PLAY. By BjOrnstjerne BjttRNSON. Translated
from the Norwegian. \_ln preparation.

THE PRINCESSE MALEINE: A Drama in Five Acts
(Translated by Gerard Harry), and THE INTRUDER: A Drama in
One Act. By Maurice Maetkklinck. With an Introduction by Hall
Caine, and a Portrait of the Author. Small 4to, cloth, 5^.

Atfunaum.—" In the creation of the 'atmosphere ' of the play M. Maeter-
linck shows his skill. It is here that he communicates to us the nouT'eau frisson,
here that he does what no one else has done. In 'The Intruder' the art
consists of the subtle gradations of terror, the slow, creeping progress of the
nightmare of apprehension. Nothing quite like it has been done before— not
even by Poe— not even by Villiers."

THE FRUITS OF ENLIGHTENMENT: A Comedy in

Four Acts. By Count LvoF Tolstoy. Translated from the Russian by
E. J. Dillon. With Introduction by A. W. Pinero. Sm.-ill ^to, with
Portrait, 5*.

Pall Mall GazeiU.— " The whole effect of the play is distinctly Moli^resque;
it has something of the large humsnity of the master. Its satire is genial, almost
gay."

HEDDA GABLER : A Drama in Four Acts. By Hrnrik

Ibsen. Translated from the Norwegian by Edmund Gosse. Small 4to,
cloth, with Portrait, 5*. Vaudeville Edition, paper, 1^. Also a Limited
Large Paper Edition, aif. m t.

Times. — " The language in which this play is couched is a model of brevity,

decision, and pointedness Every line tells, and there is not an incident

that does not bear on the action immediate or remote. As a corrective to the
vapid and foolish writing with which the stage is deluged ' Hedda Ciabler ' is
perhaps entitled to the place of honour."

STRAY MEMORIES.

Illustrated.

By Ellen Terry.

In one volume.
[In preparation.

SOME INTERESTING FALLACIES OF THE

Modern Stage. An Address delivered to the Playgoers' Club at St.
James's Hall, on Sunday, 6th December, 1891. 15y Hkkuekt Hkf.hhohm
Tree. Crown 8vo, sewed, 6d.

THE LIFE OF HENRIK IBSEN. By IIenrik J/eger.

Translated by Clara Bei.i.. With the Verse done into English from the
Norwegian Original by Edmund Gosse. Crown 8vo, doth, 6s.

St. James's Gazette. — " Admirably translated. Deserves a cordial and
•mphatic welcome."

GuardiaM. — " Ibsen's dramas at present enjoy a considerable vogue, and
their admirers will rejoice to find full descriptions and criticisms in Mr. Jxger'$
book."

MK. IV J IJ JAM IIRINEMA^N'S LIST,

poetry.

IVY AND PASSION FLOWER: Poems. By r.KKAKD

Hk.ndm I., Aiitlior of " ^',^tcll^," iS:c. &c. lamo, dotli, 3.;, (ui,

Scotsiiinn. -"\i\\\ lie read with iilc.iMire."

J///A/1V1/ //V>;'A/.—" The poems arc ilclii.atc specimens (if art, graceful ami
polished. "

VERSES. By (JKRTR(M)ii IIaij-. 121110, clotli, 3,?. Tv/.

Manchmter Guardian,—*' Will he welcome to every lover of poetry wlm
takes it iiji. '

MAGONIA: A Poem. By Charles CiOdfrry Lei.and (Hans

BU'Kitmann). Frap, 8vo. \In the Fras.

IDYLLS OF WOMANHOOD. By C. Amy Dawson.

Fcap. 8vo, gilt top, 5*.

Ibetnemann'd Scientific 1r3an^booI^s*

MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY. By A. B. Griffiths,

Ph.D., F.R.S. (Edin.), F.C.S. Crown 8vo, clr^th, Illustrated.

(/« the Press,

MANUAL OF ASSAYING GOLD, SILVER, COPPER,

and Lead Ores. I5y Walter Lee Brown, B.Sc. Revised, Corrected,
and considerably Enlarged, with a chapter on the Assaying of Fuel, &c.
By A. B. Griffiths, Ph.D., F.R.S. (Edin.), F.C.S. Crown Bvo, cloth,
Illustrated, 7J. 6rf.

Colliery Guardian. — "A delightful and fascinating book."
Financial World. — " The most complete and practical manual on everything
which concerns assaying of all which have come before us."

GEODESY. By J. Howard Gore. Crown 8vo, cloth, Illus-
trated, 5f.

St. James's Gazeile.—" The book may be safely recommended to those who
desire to acquire an accurate knowledge of Geodesy."

Science Gossip. — " It is the best we could recommend to all geodetic students.
It is full and clear, thoroughly accurate, and up to date in all matters of earth-
measurements."

THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GASES. By

Arthur L. Kimball, of the Johns Hopkins University. Crown Bvo,
cloth. Illustrated, 5s.

Chemical News. — "The man of culture who wishes for a general and accurate
acquaintance with the physical properties of gases, will find in Mr. Kimball's
work just what he requires."

HEAT AS A FORM OF ENERGY. By Professor R. H.
Thurston, of Cornell University. Crown 8vo, cloth. Illustrated, $s.

Manchester Examiner. — "Bears out the character of its predecessors for
careful nnd correct statement and deduction under the light of the most recent
discoveries."

LONDON :
WILLIAM HEINEMANN,

21 BEDFORD STREET, W.C.

ing

for

The

[ntercolonial

aV OF CANADA.

THE FAVORITE AND
FASHIONABLE ROUTE

FOU —

CANADIAN AND UNITED STATES SUMMER TRAVEL

AND —

IRECT ROUTE

TO THE FAMOUS SEASIDE Ar D FISHING RESORTS OF THE
LOWER ST. LAWRENCE AN" BAIE PES CHALEURS. AND
OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVA SCOTIA. CAPE BRETON.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. AND THE MAGDALEN ISLANDS.

NEW AND ELEGANT BUFFET PARLOR AND SLEEPING CARS

RUN ON THROUGH EXPRESS TRAINS.

The ** Intercolonial^' is the only Railway between Quebec, P.Q.;
Halifax, N. S. ; St. John, N. B. ; and Sydney, Cape Breton.

ThroiKjh Ei'j/rcsi Train crir.^ are Imllianfh/ lifjlitnl hij EUctricUy,
and hi-attd by Sfeain from tht'lmwuolin .

Steamship Connections at Halifax for Newfoundland, St. Pierre,
Bermuda, and the West India Islands.

ROl'ND TRIP TOURIST AND SUMMER EXCURSION TICKETS iH.^m<l hetwrcii
IhI JiiiK' and 30th Sentomlu'r, anil yond for irtiirn isp to 81(^t OctoU'r. Saturday K.\-
cursiou Tickt'ts issued at Single First-Ciass Fare, ^ood goin.u by any passen^'r train of
Saturday, and for return by day or ni^dit pas>enf;er trains of Monday. Thirty-day return
tickets issued at one and a lialf single fare ; also 5(K) and 1,(KK) mile tickets can be procured ut
Agencies and principal Stations of this Railway.

Illustrated Quide-Books to the Intercolonial Railway,

WITH Maps, Hotel Lists, etc.. also Time Tables, showing Rail and Steamboat Connections, can

BE HAQ ON APPLICATION TO CiTY AGENTS, OR TO

A. BUSBY, Genend Passenger Agent, D. POTTJSGER. Chief Supfrintendenty

— MONCTON, N. B. —

NOVA SCOTIA, Western

THE

um OF

EVANGELINE. RailwaV

Comities

THE IJKST WAY FOH AMKHICAN TolI.'ISTS To HKAl H NDVA SCOTIA

IS r.Y rilK

STEAMERS OF THE YARMOUTH S. S. CO.,

LEAVING LEWIS'S WHAKF. BOSTON. AT NOON KVEHY MONDAY. TUESDAY,
TIUUSDAY, AND FRIDAY, CONNECTINC; AT YAIiMOlTlI WITH THE

Western Counties Railway

FOR

WEYMOUTH,

DIGBY,

ANNAPOLIS,

MIDDLETON,

BRIDQEWATER,

KENTVILLE,

WINDSOR,

HALIFAX,

TRURO,

PICTOU,

AND ALL POINTS IN CAPE BRETON.

Tickets on sale at Cook's Tourist Tieket Offices ; Fall Kiver Line, New York ;

HtoninKton Line, New York ; New York, New Haven & Hartford

K'y, New York ; and Pier No. 1, Lewis's AYharf, Boston.

CHEAP FARES. QUICK AND SAFE TRANSIT.

WM. FBASER, Qen'l Passenger Agent, J. BRI&NELL, Gen'l Superintendent,

YARMOFTH. NOVA SCOTIA. '

[

t'OTIA

r ESI) AY,
THE

)N.

w York ;
»r<l

SIT.

;eudent,

THE

Grand Trunk Railway,

THE FAVOinTE IIOl'TE

BETWEEN THE EAST AND WEST, NORTHWEST,

AND SOUTHWEST,

Via Niag^ara Falls, Portland, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, Port
Huron, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee.

THIS (iHEAT HKiHWAY OF THAVEL. ii-acliiii<r from tlic Atlantir Toast to the Great
Lakes, serving alike tiie eoiinnereial and ttiisiiiess interests of tlie United States and
British America, has jnstly acquired the title of "The (Jreat International Koute." The di-
versified character of the country throu<:h whieli it pa^^es. the many jioints of interest which
it reachf's. and the excellent faciiilies it offers to the travelinir public in its superior equip
ment. throiiirh-coaches and sleepiuijc and diniuL' car service, all combine to L'ive to this line
an enviabli' reputation, and make it a de-iirabje route for the travelinir public in <reneral and
to the summer toiuist. PiiHinaii aiul M'agn«'r Palace Sleeping, Parlor, and
Bnffet Cars aie attached to Exjiress Trains, with commodious day-ears, haviuj.; all im-
provements and appliances for the comfort and safety of passi-nirers.

The Great Niagara
Tourists' Falls
Route. I Route.

Thousand
Islands
Route.

I Montreal
Mountain and Quebec
Route. Line.

WHAT IS THE ST. CLAIR TUNNEL?

It is the greatest submarine tunnel in the world, extend iu<^ from Port Huron,
>fichi^fan. under the St. (lair Uivir to Sarnia. Ontario, and conmctini,' thetirand Trunk Hail-
way System of Canada with the (hica^ro and (irand Trunk Hallway. It has just been com-
pleted at a cost of $3,700,000. The tunnel proper is a eontimious irf>n tiibe, 1!> feet and
10 inches in diamett-r. and ti.O;;.") feet, or more than a mile. lon<.'. The leii^'th of the approaches,
in a<ldilion to the tunnel proper, is ■"j.iKVJ feet, uuikiui:, all told, a little over two miles.

TiiK (iijANi) Trink Haii.way, in connection with the Kichelieu and Ontario Naviiration
('oinpany"s Steamers, offers the pleasure of a tour lia Kiver St. Lawrence, with its Thousand
Islands and Kapids. that is unsurpassed.

In connection with the Chicajro and Grand Trunk, or the Detroit. Cirand Haven antl Mil-
waukee Railwavs, the superior facilities of these routes alTord those who intenci traveling
East or West all the advantajjes and conifort that can be desired.

Any information will be furnished upcni inquiry at the Company's Offices in New York,
Boston, Portland, Me.. Halifax, Montreal. O^'deiisburf:. Toronto. Buffalo. Detroit, Port Hu-
ron, Chicago, Milwaukee, or any of the Ticket Offices throughout thel'nited States or Canada.

N. J. POWER, GEO. T. BELL,

(ren'l I'dfuenfjer Agtnf. Aaa't (r'eti'l Pans, igtuf.

L. J. 8EA£QEANT, General Manager.

F. P. DWYER,

K((^() rti I'a^x. Agent.

HEAD OFFICE, MONTREAL, P. Q.

ONLY

Rail Route to the Delightful Summer Resorts
north of Quebec, througli the

Canadian Adirondacks.

Monarch Parlor and Sleeping Cars.
Magnificent Scenery.
Beautiful Climate.

TJ6TEL ROHERVAL, Lake St. Joliii, recently enlarged, has
first-class accommodation for three Imndred guests, and is
run in connection with the "Island House," a new hotel built on
an island of the Grand Discharge of LsjIvc St. John, in the center
of the " Ouananiche " fisliinix crrounds. Daily communication

V?< fe

by the new fast steamer across the lake. The fishing rights of
Lake St. John and tributaries, an area of 20,(!00 square miles,
are free t: guests of the hotels.

For information as to Hotels^ <'l^l>^y ^^ Hotel Managers ; for Folders
and Guide-Bool's, to Tirlet Agents of all principal cities.

ALEX. HARDY,

General F. and P. Af/cnf,

J. G. SCOTT,

Stcntary and Manager,

Quebec, Canada.

jsorts

KS,

ged, has

aiul is

juilt on

center

nieation

gilts of

miles,

r Folders

Manager,

RICHELIEU & ONTARIO NAVIGATION COMPANY.

ROYAL MAIL LINE,

From Toronto to Montreal, Qu^ec, and the far-famed Saguenay.

J' EAVINC; TORONTO DAILY, oxcopt Smiday, at 2 v. m.. callinp at KINCJSTON and iii-
^ tcriiudiatc ports en rontf. and passiii<r ttirontrli tlu' charniiii<r tjociu'ry of the Thousand
Islands and tlie world-renowned Uapids of the St. Lawrence.

In addition to tlie regular lleet of tirst-dasj- boats performing tlie above Pcrvice, the new
twin-screw palace steamer ('OI.I'MBIAN will take her place on the route about .July 4th.
leaving KIN(;STON for MONTRKAL every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morn-
ing at 5.15, as an auxiliary to the regular boat of those days.

This route is unquestionably the Tourist's Paradise, and offers advantages that can
not be surpassed, if e(iualed, in tlie world.

All the Kapids of the St. Lawrence arc run under the guidance of old and ex-
])C!'ienced jjilois.

Tickets de>criptive folders, etc., and all information, can be obtained at the principal
licket-othces throughout the I'nited States and Canada.

JOHN H. MORLEY, Gen'l Pass. Agent. JULIEN CHABOT. Gen'l Manager.

General Offices, 228 ST, PAUL STREET, MONTREAL, QUE.

APPLETONS'

CANADIAN GUEIE-BOOK.

Part I, Eastern Canada.

A Complete Iland-Book of Information conceniing Eastern Canada and
Newfoundland, ineliuling full l)escrij)tions of Routes. Points of In-
terest, Summer Resorts. Fisliing-I'laces, etc. With Mapx. iinnmonx
Illustrutioiix, and an Ajijn/itfLr (jiriny Fish atitl (imiie Lo/rs, <tnil
Leasees of Trout and Salmon Hirers. By Charles (J. D. Rohkuts.

l^ino. Flr.xihlc clotli. ^1.25.

APPLETONS'

CANADIAN GUIDE-BOOK.

Part II, Western Canada—

I.E., FROM OTTAWA AND MONTREAL TO TIIK PACIFIC (KKA.X.

A companion volnnu' to Fart I. With nunuruius Maps and Illustra-
tions. By Eknest INOERSOLL. 121110. Flo.xihlo clolli. !?1.25.

For mic by all f/ook-O'lli'))'. or sent hij mail on nrt-ipf of jtricc by tin i)nbHshtr.s,
D. APPLETOIf & CO., 1, 3, & 5 Bond Street, New York.

Niagara River Line.

THK 8H0HT AND IMCl IRESQfK KOITK HKTWEKN

NIAGARA FALLS and TORONTO, the "Queen City of Canada."

The Sti:k;. Stkamkhs

CHICORA and CIBOLA

Leave Lewiston, at foot of Niii-^'ani I'iipids, lour times daily (except Sunday), on
arrival of New York Central railway trains from the Falls, for Toronto,
givintr f)asrenjiers a beautiful sail of seven miles down the river and thirty-six
across Lake Ontario.

The only route giving views of the Rapids, Brock's Monument,
Queenston Heights, Old Niagara, and all the varied scenery of the
lower Niagara River. Tourists can breakfast at t!ie Falls, have six hours in
Toronto, and be hack again to the Falls for dinner.

Tickets at all offices of the Vanderbilt System of railways, and principal
ticket-otlices at Niagara Falls.

JOHN FOY, Manager,

Appletons'
Dictionary of New York and

its Vicinity.

An Alphabetically Arranged Index to all Places. Societies, In-
stitutions, Amusements, etc. ]^VitJi Maps. Revised
semi-annually (fourteenth year).

i6mo. Paper, 30 cents; flexible cloth, 5o cents.

New York Illustrated.

Containing One Hundred and Forty-three Illustrations of Street

Scenes, Buildings, River Views, and other Picturesque

Features of the Great Metropolis. IV/fJi Maps.

Large 8vo. Paper, 50 cents.

/•"or sale by nil booksellers, or will be sent by mail on receipt 0/ price by the publishers,

D. APPLETON & CO.. 1, 3, & 6 Bond Street, New York.

me.

)f Canada."

co-pt Sunday), on
, for Toronto,
2r and thiity-six

Monument,

scenery of the
ive s>ix Lours in

S and pi'ineipal

anager.

and

3cieties, In-
evised

loth, 60 cents.

IS of Street
resque

t)S.

per, 50 cents.

' publishers,
rork.

■^

gr r ONTARIO

Lon^tadt! 80

West

from

TV Oreenwlch

tm^

ONTARIO

from

79 Oreenwlch

ESTERN CANADA }

f» ' lonaiJUDi til' wur W" unm

in' misr uo" mou tif amtuwicn iu

ttr'

MAI' (JF

BRITISH COLUMBIA

AND VANCOUVliR ISLAND