IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 
 iM 
 
 12.0 
 
 wLm 
 
 
 |l.25 U III 1.6 
 
 
 < 
 
 4,'' 
 
 ► 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sdaices 
 
 Corporation 
 
 ^' 
 
 V 
 
 ^\ 
 
 -«^^ 
 
 »■' 
 
 A 
 
 \ 
 
 
 33 WIST MAIH STRUT 
 
 WIUTIR.N.Y. MSM 
 
 (714) 173-4803 
 
 
 o^ 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Inntituta for Historical Microraproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductiont historiquaa 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The c 
 to th< 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 0f 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covertt/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture endommagde 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaur6e et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 I I Coloured maps/ 
 
 Caries giographiques en couleur 
 
 □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/cu illustrations en couleur 
 
 D 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 ReliA avac d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intirieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties 
 lors dune restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais. lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas «t« film«as. 
 
 Additional comments;/ 
 Commentaires supplAmentaires; 
 
 L'institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a iti possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage 
 sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag^es 
 
 Pages restored and/oi 
 
 Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul^es 
 
 I I Pages damaged/ 
 
 I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 Thai 
 possi 
 of th( 
 filmir 
 
 Origii 
 begir 
 the If 
 sion, 
 other 
 first I 
 sion. 
 or illi 
 
 □ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages dicolordes, tachetdes ou piquies 
 
 I I Pages detached/ 
 
 Pages ditach^es 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of prir 
 
 Qualiti inigale de I'impression 
 
 r^ Showthrough/ 
 
 r~U Quality of print varies/ 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du materiel supplimentaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont M filmAes A riouveau de faqon A 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 The I 
 shall 
 TINU 
 whici 
 
 Mapi 
 diffei 
 entir( 
 begir 
 right 
 requi 
 meth 
 
 { 
 
 rhis item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ca document est film* au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous 
 
 10X 14X 18X 22X 
 
 
 
 
 26X 
 
 
 
 
 30X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 Thomas Fithar Rare Bode Library, 
 Univarsity of Toronto Library 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grice A la 
 ginirositA de: 
 
 Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, 
 University of Toronto Library 
 
 Les images suivantes ont At* reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettet* de I'exempialre filmA. et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimte sont filmAs en commenpant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 derniire page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par le second 
 plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont filmAs en commen^ant par la 
 premidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la derniAre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol -^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants appara?tra sur la 
 derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE". le 
 symbols V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les canes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre 
 filmAs A des taux de reduction diffArents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre 
 reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film* A partir 
 de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mAthode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 32X 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
\ 
 
 ) 
 
 u 
 
 ALBERTA 
 
 Oj^IsTj^IDA 
 
 Illl (ikl'M Ra\( him.. AcKK ll.Tl'UAL AND MlNKKAl, C(Jl X ! 
 
 M nil. Ha>k (M- iiik Rocky Mointains. 
 
 C: f-i^-^r. 
 
 Millions of Fertile Acres 
 
 \\\ All INC SI'/niKMKN'r 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 CTA.nsrTJ^K.Y, 1888. 
 
 nMI'II.KI* in (;. Il'r/(JKI{AL1), OF CAlAiAKY, AND IMHIJ.SIIKI) 1^ 11. 
 
 AI THoiaTY OF THK MINISTER OF AlJKlcl'LTrKK 
 
 OF TIIK DOMINION OK CANADA. 
 
 Ol r.\\\ A : 
 
 Till (JlllZIN l'KINTIN(; t^ I'UHl.lSIIINd ('l).MPANY, 4.S I'V 50 (JUKK.N Slkll C 
 
 1«SH. 
 

 ■!« 
 
 v 
 
 *V'. 
 
 w '■" 1. . 
 
 .1; 
 
 is.e -"' 
 
 
 roM 1 
 
ALBERTA, 
 
 OAItT^XDA 
 
 
 TiiK Grkat Ranchin'c;, Ackicultukal and Mineral Country 
 AT THE Hash oi- the Ro< kv Mountains. 
 
 Millions of Fertile Acres 
 
 AW A riiN( ; SET r i ,em en'I' 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS, 
 
 J"^nsrTJ^i?."Y", 1888. 
 
 lOMrii.Ei ]\\' G. FrrzGi;i!A[,i), (»f calgauv, and puplished by the 
 
 AUTIIOIMTY OF THE MINISTER OF AGUKUI^TURE 
 OF TIIK DOMINION OF CANADA 
 
 OITAWA 
 Thk Citizi n Frinti.vc; & Plhi.ishinc; Company, 48 & 50 Quzen Sirrrt. 
 
 1888. 
 
Introdu( 
 Alberta 
 A Run t 
 Commer 
 Mixevl ] 
 Sheep F 
 Horse B 
 Cattle B 
 Who sh^ 
 Schools 
 Labor a: 
 Form of 
 Adminii 
 Mineral 
 C'limite 
 Game . . 
 Rivers, 
 Lumber 
 Wild F 
 Wild Fl 
 Birds 111 
 Quadru] 
 Fish... 
 Distauc 
 Post Oil 
 Oustoui! 
 Est i mat 
 Market 
 Tabic si 
 
 Letters 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduction 
 Alberta 
 
 A Run through the Country. 
 
 Commerce 
 
 Mixevl Farming 
 
 Sheep Farming' 
 
 Horse Breeding in Alberta. . 
 (.'attle Raising in Alberta . . . 
 Who should go to Alberta . , 
 
 Schools 
 
 Labor and Wages 
 
 Form of Government 
 
 Administration of Justice. . . 
 
 Minerals 
 
 Cliinite 
 
 Game 
 
 Rivers, Creel<s and Lakes *. 
 
 Lumber and Woods 
 
 Wild Fruit 
 
 Wild Flowers 
 
 Birds native of Alberta 
 
 Quadrupeds native of Alberta 
 
 Fish y 
 
 Distances 
 
 Post OHices 
 
 %,'ustoin8 Revenue 
 
 Estimated number of Cattle, Horses and Sheep in Alberta 
 
 Market Reports 
 
 Table showing Record of Temperature for four years 
 
 •ASK 
 
 1 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 15 
 17 
 19 
 21 
 24 
 
 2fi 
 28 
 29 
 30 
 30 
 32 
 32 
 33 
 33 
 33 
 34 
 34 
 34 
 
 35 
 35 
 
 35 
 
 3« 
 
 37 
 
 37 
 
 38 
 
 Letters (Testimony of Settler.s)-- 
 
 Angus Fraaer, Calgary 47 
 
 Rev. John Macdougall, Morley villc 42 
 
 Sam Ray, Fine t^reek 43 
 
 Major James Walker 44 
 
 Nelson Bebo, Fish ( 'reek 46 
 
 II. Andrews, Higli River 46 
 
 nos. 
 
IV 
 
 Letters (Testimony of Settlers)— I'AOK 
 
 Rev. J. W. Tims, Blackfeet Indian Reserve 47 
 
 James Cassar, Bow River, Calgary 48 
 
 F. DeWinton, Hrocou Ranclie, near Calgrfry 49 
 
 .lames Stewart Mooro, Anlshill, near Calgary f>() 
 
 Rev. George Jacfiues, Concrete (."astle, sontli of Calgary 51 
 
 Robert Hamilton, Shrop Crock 5;{ 
 
 Mrs. E. M. Hudson, rinc Creek r.4 
 
 M K>i. Fruer, Calgary fn'i 
 
 Mrs. H. B. Cossar, Bow River, Calgary .')5 
 
 ( :. Kettles, Pincher Creek 56 
 
 ]). J. Grier, Macleod 56 
 
 John Rathwell, Macleoil 57 
 
 K. H. Maunsell, Macleod 67 
 
 Joseph McFarlane, Macleod 57 
 
 Mrs. MarcelluB McFarlane, Macleod 57 
 
 John R. Craig, Now Oxley 58 
 
 Wesley F. Orr, Calgary 58 
 
 Alberta and lier future, i)y I. I. E 61 
 
 J. Z. C. Mequelon, Immigration Agent rt2 
 
 S. W. Shaw, Mianapore, I-'ish Creek (i3 
 
 Joseph Man, < 'algary fi7 
 
 What the Doniinicn Land Surveyors say al)out Allieiui .... (;8 
 
 Extracts from C. P. R. Pamphlet 72 
 
 Extracts from writings and sayings of notabi" |terso'iages ^Yho have visited Alberta 74 
 
 Extract from a letter on Smelting Wciks . jr Alberta 7i> 
 
 Free Gruits to Settlers 80 
 
 A Gigantic Etiterpris*- j;; ] 
 
I'AOK 
 . 47 
 
 . 48 
 49 
 
 , f.O 
 51 
 5:5 
 
 r.4 
 
 iisra?E,ODTJCTionsr. 
 
 5« 
 56 
 67 
 
 67 
 57 
 
 57 
 58 
 58 
 <51 
 H-2 
 63 
 67 
 
 68 
 7-2 
 7t 
 7i> 
 80 
 81 
 
 " I dreamed a dream that grew to a hope, 
 'J'liat as the thistle down might bear 
 A living germ in its small balloon, 
 Some ot' my fancies « * • 
 !Might full perchance on fruitful soil, 
 
 And root and ripen in their time." 
 
 « * • « 
 
 In the fall of 1884 an agricultural society was organized at Calgary, and one of the first 
 etejm taken was to instruct the lionoriiry secretary (the compiler of this pamphlet) to compile 
 <i pamplik't setting forth the advantages of Alberta as a field for immigration. At that time 
 in!tny Jalse statements regarding the country and its climate were being circulated. The 
 pamphlet contained a number of letters from pioneer settlers bearing testimony to the adapta* 
 bility of the country for agricultural purposes. A small edition was published by the society 
 at Calgary, and some months later tlie Alinister of Agriculturn authorized the publication of 
 another edition of forty thousaud copies, which were circulated broadcast and have been fruit- 
 ful of much beuetit to Alberta. The edition then published has been exhausted long since, and 
 to supply the increasing enquiries for information respecting this province the present has been 
 compiled. 
 
 Tens of thousands are annuall}r emigrating from Great Britain, many going to far off 
 colonies ignorant of the fact that a better country is witl»in so short a distance : a land otfcriof; 
 inducements equal to, if not greater than, those of any other British Colony. 
 
 With the hope that this pamphlet will reach many who intend seeking new homes this 
 year, and that it will be instrumental in inducing them to inquire more fully into the im- 
 doubted advantages which Alberta offers, believing that if they do so, many, very many will 
 find their way to the country at the base of the Rocky Mountains and build up happy, prosperous 
 homes in a land olfering bright prospects to the industrious and persevering, the 
 €ffbrt of the compiler has been to lay before the intending emigrant plain facts gleaned 
 from practical and reliable sources. 
 
 Hoping that the information contained herein will be productive of much benefit to many^ 
 it is placed before the emigrating public. 
 
 COMPILER. 
 
 Calgar)-, October 23rd, 1888. 
 
ALBERTA, 
 
 " For I dijit into the futuio, far us liuinan eye could see, 
 Saw the vision of the worUi, and all the wonder that would be ; 
 Saw the heavens fill with commerce argosies of magic sails, 
 I'ilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales." 
 
 The Provisional District of Alberta, the great rancliing, dairy farming and mineral country 
 of the Canadian North-West, embraces nn area larger than that of England and Wales together. 
 I-ying on the eastern slojie of the I'ocky Mountains and bounded on the north by the 
 Provisional District of Alha]'»scn, hit. 55.7, on the south by the Jnternational boundary line, 
 on the east by the Trovisional Distiiet ot Assiniboia, and on the west by the summit of the 
 Kooky Mountains, until it interseuts the ]20th degree of longitude, then due north to lat. 55.7, 
 the eastern boundary of the rrovince of British Columbia, a lejigtli of some 300 ndles from east 
 to west and COO from north to south, it includes in its 107,700 square mils every variety of 
 forest and stream land, grazing and agricultural land, mineral and oil. In it are comprised 
 45 millions of acres of the most fertile soil ou the continent and some of America's best deposits 
 of coal and metals. 
 
 Although but yet in its infant years the fame of Alberta has extended to the remote parts 
 of the world, and travellers, tourists and health seekers troiii many lands have come to enjoy 
 the magnificence of its scenery, to inhale its licalth-giving mountain air and bathe in tiie 
 healing waters of its mineral springs ; and many, who come but for & brief stay are enticed by 
 the attractions of its many and varied charms, as well as the bright prospects of lunilth and 
 success to make homes for themselves beneath the shadow of the ever beautiful, majestic, awe- 
 inspiring Kockics. Bright, happy homes they should be in this land of sunshiuo and fertile 
 abundance. 
 
 But little was known or heard of the country at the base of the Rocky Mountains, now 
 designated Alberta, until, comparatively sijeaking, a few years since. Although long known to 
 the Hudson Bay Comjiany's employe*, it was not until the advent of the North-West Alounted 
 Police to the country in 1874 that the outer world knew much of its resources and climate. 
 Prior to that time the country was the home of some or the finest and most daring of the 
 Indian tribes of America. They'dtrivcd their sustenance from the buffalo, which roamed in 
 countless herds on the plains, and enjoyed a life of freedom and independence, lid'ore the 
 arrival of the LIcunted I'oliee the tradei's from the American territories had introduced whiskey, 
 which they bartered to the Indians lor robes and furs. This currency soon became a source of 
 trouble and many lives were sacriticed on its account. The jjoiice dispersed the whiskey tinders 
 and untenanted their stiongholds. Tales of the battles between the Indians and the whiskey 
 trader's aie still fresh in the memory of the old-timers. But a few 3'ears have worked a mighty 
 change. Whoop-up, Stand-off and Fort Kipp are no longer sci'ues of crime and bloodshed. In 
 1877 the treaty with the powerful Blackfoot Nation was arranged. In 1878 the bull'aio becaiue 
 80 scarce that the Indians were driven to the whites f<.r food, and since that time tiny havo 
 been fed an(i cared for by the Dominion Government ou the reserves allotted to the diU'erent 
 tribes, and are under tlie su[)ervision of Indian agents and farm instructors. In 1870 tlu- 
 bull'aio uriy be said to have disappeared from the district, having no longer been found in largo 
 herds. True, small bauds and stray animals were to be met with every now and again up to 
 1882, but the great hunting days had ended some years b'.^fore. In 1881 the Cochrane Cattle 
 lianche — the forerunner of the many ranches now in the district— was established, 20 miles 
 west of the present town of Calgary, on the banks of the How, a band of cattle luuchased 
 on the An. erican side were thriven over and the foundation of the great cattle industry of 
 Alberta was 1 lid. In this year also the ailvance survey parties of the Canadian Pacilic Kailway 
 Company readied here and explored the mountain passes for a suitable line for the tuture 
 national highway. In 1882 settlers liom British Columbia and Eastern Canada, via the 
 United States, begun to come in, and large herds of cattle and bauds of horses were lu ought 
 
 «>- 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 8 I 
 
 over. An onltT in ccuiicil gave the iiuuie of Albi-rta to this portion of the territories. 
 The Domiuiou Land Siuviy ]iiirties weie busy throughout the couutiy blocking olf the 
 Townships, Jiangcs and Aloiidian lines. The fall of this year saw the completion of trial lines 
 of the Canadian rncific L'aihvay Company throngh the Bow Kiver Valley to the gup of the 
 Mountain Pass at raduioie. The spring of 1883 saw a new era ushered in, the vanguard of the 
 construction forces made ])lain and vale re-echo to the hum of industry, and the uiighly work 
 went on. Up to this date Alberta had no direct communication with Manitoba or Eastern 
 Canada. The postal service was through the United States, whose postage stamps we useil. 
 American money (exc( ptiug the Canadian one dollar bills — the Indian treaty money), was in 
 circulation. "I'lairie suhooners" — three large waggons hitched together and drawn by string 
 teams of twenty and twenty-four oxen brought over from lieutou — the head of navigation of 
 the Missouri, all that was consumed and worn by those who inhabited the country at that 
 time ; but the day of the " Prairie schounir " has also passed. In the full of the yiar 1883 the 
 Canadian I'aeific L'aihvay cleft the heart of the district and rushing throngh the sunlit land 
 pierced the mountain hairier which barn d its way to the racitic. Thche are the successive 
 steps in the history of civilizut-on in Alberta. Since the advent of the railway what stariling 
 changes have taken jilace ; on every hand are the monuments of man's industry obseivable ; by 
 rapid strides has the land been converted froni a fertile waste to a fertile granuiy. TIh' country 
 at the base of tlie Rockies, formerly tiie haunt of tiie bullalo and t)>e home of the w.nulering 
 savage, has lately become tha seat of the wealth, the industry and the learning of the teiiilories 
 and represents in its future and in its prospects the fuluie and the piospects of the great 
 Canadian North- West. 
 
 A RUN THROUGH THE COUNTRY. 
 
 " To seize the secrets of the west 
 
 And wrench the boiled dooi-s of worlds unknown." 
 
 Alberta is divided into two j'ldicial districts, the Northern and Southern. 
 
 The Northern District extends from the northern boumlary of Alberta to Mosquito Creek, 
 about 50 miles south of the town of Calgary, and the Southern District includes the remaining 
 portion of Alberta fiom Mosquito Creek to the Irflernational boundary line. 
 
 A judge of the Supreme Court presides over each district. Over the Northern Mr. Justice 
 Rouleau (who resides at Calgary), and who also has jurisdiction over the provisional district of 
 Athabasca. Mr. Justice Macleod (formerly colonel of the North-AVest Mounted Police) is judge 
 of the Southern Distiict, and resides at Macleod. 
 
 Alberta was, however, previtusly divided into three districts : the Edmonton, Calgary and 
 Macleod, and as such they are still better known. 
 
 The Edmonton District covered all that part from the northern boundary of Alberta to a 
 
 E)int on the lied Deer Hiver, about 100 raiies north of the town of Cajgary. The Calgary 
 istrict extended from the southern boundary line of the Northern District on the uoith to 
 Mosquito Creek on the south ; and the Macleod was the same as the present Southern Jndidul 
 District. 
 
 Edmonton District. 
 
 In the northern portion of this district the population is sprirse, the settlements being 
 small and at a great distance from each other. At Lac-la-Biche, in the extreme north, is a 
 settlement of some few hundred half-breeds, whose chief occupations arc hunting and fishing. 
 Here also is a Komaii Catholic Mission, and the Hudson IJay Company's store. This part 
 of the country is one of the best fur producing portions of the North-West, and the lakes and 
 streams abound with fish. At the Roman Catholic Missioi farming has been carried on for w 
 number of years. Vegetables, including melons and cucuud)ers, and roots of all kinds have 
 been growu with success, as also wheat, barley, oats and tobacco. The native grasses grow very 
 luxuriantly, and the snriounding country is heavily timbered and is capable of supporting a 
 large population when its resources are developed. 
 
 West of Lac-la-Biche, some 100 miles from Edmonton, and connected to that place ly 
 s good waggon road, is Athabasca Lauding, on the Athabasca River, where the Hudson Bay 
 
ALHEIITA, CANADA. 
 
 Cniii]iniiv liavfi a ston' .uitl naw mill. Tliis is the coiiiifctiiig point with the immense country 
 iioiil,. A few l)aii.'t'.-« I'ly iicrtli-caHt to connect at Fort McMunay with the steamers running 
 lioni the latter I'laci- to the great lake districts of the far north. The Hudson Bay Coniiiany 
 intend ninning .stdimers iroin the Landing . urth-west to the Lesser Slave Lake during the 
 *ea.son of isHs. Tlit; settlement at the Landing consists of some 20 or 30 Hudson Bay 
 C'oiniiany's • ni]il('yees, and \\lio shall say hut tliat this little hand is the forerunner of a 
 nvenltliy coninjiinity, and these men the jiioneers of industries uow unthonght of, or that 
 vAiliiiliiisca Landing' in the near future will not be the terminus of a railway system which, iu 
 •oonjunclioii with the .-steamers of these northern waters, vill convey the products of the 
 iniiiiense ]ietr<ilenni de|risits, salt and gyji-sum beds, as well as the timber of the great pine 
 Tcirc-its of th<' north, to tlie -.'i mnieicial centres of this embryo state. 
 
 'Jumiiig niiw tci the ndith-w.'st jwrtion of Alberta we liiid an nlmcst unexplored region, 
 
 "little ofwiiuh is km wn except that there are iiunibeile.'is rivers and stretmis, sandy hills and rich 
 
 valleys, tilt' latter in many jilaces heavily timbered. Judging, however, from the rest of 
 
 AIIh ita, there is little doubt but that tins portion will Le found to hold many attractions 
 
 fur setilns. 
 
 I':l-^illg to tlie nortli-ensterii jiortion of Alberta we come to a part much belter known, a 
 •country of lakes and streams teeming with lish and swarming witii wild fowl, of forests of 
 ■sjilendid timber, of meadow lands waving with grasses as luxuriant and nutritious as can be 
 imiigined, and a soil cajiable of pioihicing crojis which will deliglit tlie heart of the futuie 
 wttjei-s, its natural advantages barred at pn'sent to other than the adventurous settler by 
 JTi'iistin v( its (lillicult\ of access. 
 
 (Ml the north-east banks of White Fish Lake is situated tbe Jletlmdist Mission Settlement, 
 n^hi(•ll tak<'s its name from the lake ; here the missionary and Christianized Indians have 
 deni«>nst rated tiie eminent ada]itabilily of the country for mixed farming, and the latter have 
 made Coi theiiiselves tiie reputation of being the most advaiictd aii<l industrious of all their 
 j'ace in the North-We; t, occupying comlortalde bonus, raising crojis of various kinds, and 
 owning li.use,«, cattle nnd hogs; living ahiK.st beyond llie limits of civilization, yet in their 
 industry, jirosperity and Christianity setting an example, and inesenting a efnitrast to manv 
 "who luive been born and reared aniiil the advantages and elevating inliuences of civili/eil 
 •centres. Taking the success which has attended agiicultuie, with a system of the most 
 •jiriniitivc kind, in t!ie various little settlements in norih-eastern Alberta, it is only reasonable 
 To asMinie tli;it when nioie widely known and with greater facilities in existence lor reaching this 
 «disUii( t, it will become a rich and thickly settled agricultural country. 
 
 Edmonton. 
 
 Sitiinted on the banks of the North Saskati:hewan, nt the head ofnavigation, nnd about the 
 wiitre ipf tiie di>tiict bearing its name, is the town of Kdmontoii, one of thi' ohbst settlements 
 in the Ndrth-Wcht. The location is delight fill, overlooking the rivei and valley and Idulfs covered 
 
 with iiutiv(! trees bonutifying the surroundings. Tlie comlii 1 M«eiierv of water, wood and 
 
 «liir, tiiakes it a worthy site for the future city which it bills fair fc bee'onie. At tlic }iresent 
 date the town (not incorporated) lias a jiopulation of about 6(Mi, sniipdrted chitfiy by tho 
 jigrivuhiiiv of the country in its iinwdiate viciiiityand the fur nnd Hudson Hay cl)in]iany"8 
 trade «if the iinrlh together with gohi mining, which has been carried on succcssi'u'Uy f.r yeius 
 oil (lie bars of the Saskatchewan during low water. It possesses line stores carrying large stocks 
 (il'g.HHls, Inusa grist-mill and saw mill ; boasts of one of the best and ohh'st newspapers in tlie 
 NdUliWest, which in its early days was one of the smallest papers circulated, being little 
 larger than a sheet of note jiiiper ; now, however, it is much enlargi'd ; it hns churches for the 
 various .lenoininatioiis ; a public nml i\ private school ; a tele^rmj,!, Ij,,,. wbi,!, extends ?!. miles 
 furllM-r (o the iiamlei of V'icioiia, a Hmlson Bay Coiiiiiaiiy jiost. The town is built stiaggiiigly 
 ahng tix'iivtr banks which are here very high, and ex'tends some two miles and a half in 
 h'ligih. 'J'here are some fine residences ncsiling among the woody dells, and visitors and 
 
 lesid 
 
 cuts ail' alike loiul in praise of the charms of climate and 
 
 sci'iierv. Coal is found in the 
 
 . , I • '*■ «••••■ i-iv . ■■< I Ti \ «rii,| in iwi||i<i 111 LIIU 
 
 very hvHit ol the town and is sold for $:\.r,0 per ton, aMordiuga lirst-dii'ss nnd cIp a), fuel ; brick 
 «'Uy is nIs.1 m abuudunce, and the town bousU souio brick builduiuH, the product of home 
 
 UJJU.Uj'jkCiJJJV. 
 

 <w 
 
 GUIDE TO SEITLERS. 
 
 A sniiill conii»aiiy of iMountod Polite aiv stationed at Edmonton, ami are located in th© 
 old Hudson liny (/uni|iiiny's Kort, wliiuli is onu of tli*' features of iuteii'st to the m'w comer, 
 bill its uses are gone Ky and it is sulfered to go to j'uin, its bastions, jjidlisades and brass guns 
 being no longer needed for protection. I'iigliteen years ago wirlmnt its fovtitieations Fort 
 Kdiuunton would have been considered an unsafe place, as tiie noble lied Man was given ta 
 scalping in those days. 
 
 Surrounded by sueli p,n agiiiultural country and with its many other natural advanttigefj^ 
 there can be but little doubt as to the future of Edmonton. 
 
 The |iroji'eted railway line to connect it with tl.e Canadian Pacific Railway ar. Calgary will 
 probably be constructed during the present year, thereby giving the farmers of Edmonton au, 
 opportunity of placing the products of their farms on larger markets at reasonable freight rates ; 
 at pres.-nt all freight reaches Edmonton either by the river steamers or by waggons and cart* 
 from Calgary, from which point the greater portion of freight is shipped for tiic north. 
 
 Steps are now being taken to open U]) some of the vast forests of the Saskatchewan anil 
 the resources in this direction are sini[)ly immen-e. Coal .said to resemlde anthracite has 
 recently been discovered in the immc(liale vicinity, and petroleum bearing sandsUmc is also 
 saitl to exist at no great distance. Gold mining on tiie Saskatchewan has for a number oi 
 years jiaid those engaged from lii-5 to $10 per day and each succeeding year the bars are equally 
 productive. 
 
 Eort Saskatchewan, a point 12 miles down the stream from Edmonton, is a North- West 
 Mounted I'olice post, where some So men are stationed. 
 
 The Agricultural Settlements. 
 
 For some miles up and down the river westward to the Tobacco plains and north to 
 St. Albert, in favorable sea-sons, the crops of grain and roots aie prolilic. Oats are said to have 
 been raised yieldiiig 120 buslnds to the acre, wheat (30 bushels and u.iwards, and barley au 
 (•{jually laige rcttun, while that of roots and vegetables is so large that the slated yields would 
 teem to be imiirobalile. 
 
 In the fill of ISSO the Edmonton Distiict Agricultural Society sent a colleetinn of grains 
 (wheat, barley and oats) roots and vegetables (potatoes, turnip>i, oiiioni, liects, cabbages, 
 caulilloA'crs, unions, etc.,) as also tobacco and hop plants to the Calgary Fall Exhildtion. The 
 collection was most cjuviucing as to the piodiictiveiiess of the district and would have wou 
 attention and praise in any agricultural sle.w in Canada ov elsewhere. 
 
 A country with such advantages should not remain long unsettled. 
 
 South of Edmonton. 
 
 The country for a number of miles is hilly and bushy, with heavy timber in tlie valley<» 
 and gulches. At ilcais' llill, some r>0 miles south, there is an Indian reserve, where tho 
 Indians show considerable advancement, having eomlorlable log houses in many instances, ami 
 cultivating more or Iss land. Tho country in this vicinity is widl timbered and the soil 
 productive. 
 
 East of the trail which leails from Calgary to i'^lmnnton (and which folluws the line of tlift 
 £)th central meridian for most of the' way) on the banks of the Dattle Itiver is the 
 
 Battle River Settlement. 
 
 The valley exti'uds along tin- river for some (>0 miles and in tlie richness of it« soil, 
 prolilic growth of its grasses, and indeeil in many other respects, may be deservedly elisseil 
 umoiig tiie garden spots uf Cuiiada. The jiopulntion of the Hettlement is made Up almost 
 entirely of lialf-Hreeds, who make n living by freighting, hunting and farming. A few yeari 
 biiue many of the familivs now here were residents in and around Calgary and other southern 
 jdaci 8 of settlement, but the incoming settlers bought the iniproveinenls and land claims of 
 the Half Iheeds and tliey moved north to the still distant but verdant valley of Hattle iliver, to 
 join their own people, wliero they can again trip the light fantastio toe to tlio dlseoidaiit notes 
 of a rasping violin ; a happy, careless race, light indeed arc their spirits when congregated fo« 
 
6 
 
 ALIU:ilTA, PANADA 
 
 til.- fi.'.|ii.-iitlv iv.nurinc,' Lull, wIi.m. tli.' littl.^ ci.l.ins are ]wkcd to excoss, men and women, 
 yoiiii" Mu\ "oM, stiimp th.- Ilcor to tlu" tuii.'s of «' U.nl UiviT Ji«" and "lu'el of 
 I'ant^' < M't th.-ir in.-niory fjliili's " l^ack to the j.ast tliougli the tlionglit brings woe," and stories 
 of tin- Imiipy liuntmg da'vs wli.'ii tlic IniHalo rnanu'd over the jilains in thousands and railways 
 nnil the otlicr (to tlu'ir niinds) disadvantages of civilization were unknown in this hunter's 
 l.aradise, whilt! awav the winter nights. Truly the wonderful and lapid advaneenient of 
 eiviii/ation has l»cn a source of much disai.iiointnient and little gain to those indolent, 
 cliangi'ful, roving chiidrfii of the plains. Yet let us not think ourselves superior ; even here we 
 can learn many h'ssoiis of haidinesH and perseverance, and the scrupulous neatness of their log 
 cabins, and the courtly hospitality which they extend to the stranger are striking contrasts to 
 the habits and actions of many who are wont to claim a higher social standing. Many of the 
 fiimilies are in very comfortable circumstances, owning horses and cattle and growing crops of 
 various kinds. 
 
 West of the trail, near the river crossing, is HoUbroke post ofTicc, and south of these the 
 Stoney Indian Reserve, l-ollowing the stream'to its source in the lakes we iind a thickly timbered 
 countiy extending far beyond the source of Battle Itiver through to the Brazeau range.^ The 
 wealth of Inmb' r, of minerals base and precious, of hay and agiicultural lands comprised iu this 
 little known district, time alone will unfold, j'urlher south on the trail are the settlementsof 
 Wolf Creek and Ulind Man's Kir r, where a numlier of Half- Breed tainilies have recently 
 rstablisiied tlieinsclves. The connfry is part forest, part prairie, the soil good and with 
 cultivation should ])rovo well adapted for farming. Some 13 miles south of Blind Man's 
 Ivivcr lirings us to the north bank of tiie Red Deer River, the southern limit of the Edmonton 
 District, a district wliose numerous resources insure for it a promising I'lituic and a largo aud 
 wealthy )iopul:ition. 
 
 Crossing the lied Deer River on the ferry we reach the northern portion of the 
 
 Calgary District. 
 
 At the cro'ising quite a villiige lias sprung up within the 'ast few years comprised of sererftl 
 stores, a post ollice and a Mounted I'olice post. Tlie jiroposed railway to the nortli, i^ is supposed, 
 will cross the Red Deer at this point. I'he surrounding country is most charming and has 
 attractions especially its own to entice the new comer, who will find in the (••ettlers of this 
 iieigliborhood people as intidligent, relined, iiidustrioim and ])rogressive as any in Canada. The 
 1!(\ . (ico. G.ietz, who is one of the oldest settlers in this district, is, and has been, an example 
 of industry and progress, ami is de.servedly placed at the head of the intelligent Alberta farmers; 
 liis success and enterprise have done much for ft'.;riculture in Alberta. Ench year his visit to 
 the exliit)ition is looked forward to by Calgarians ; he comes laden with tlie fruits of his farm, 
 such grains, roots and vegetables as W(,uld gladden the heart of any agnculturist ; ami the 
 otJicers of the agricultural society are always glad to see him and to huve him win the prizes 
 he 80 richly merits; and in his eloquent and learned discour.scs has he infused sjjirit and 
 oncouragemeiit to the less judgiessivo by telling of his struggles and their gratifying results. 
 All honor to such men ; may their names be written in golden letters in the annals of Alberta; 
 there is loom and need for many such men in this fair bind. 
 
 An endless supply of grivsses, timber, coal and jturo water are some of the advantages of 
 the lied Deer Distri(!t. It is emineiitlv suited for mixed farming, ami as a butter and cheese 
 producing district should win for itself an en able name. A more vivid description of the 
 country could scarcely lie given than the following from the pen of the Rev. Geo. Gaetz, iu a 
 letter U) the < '.d;4iiry District Agricultural {society :— 
 
 '• The country may be described in general terms as rolling ])rairie, dotted over with 
 blulTs of spruce and jioplar, intersi»ersed with lakes and meadows, and intersected with 
 numerous small creeks, giving the wliolo a particularly park like ap[)eaianee, which, in point of 
 natural scenery, is iM'yond tiie jiosHibility of exaggeration. I have seen the most be.iutifill 
 «])otH of live of the eastern iirovinces, and of several of the states across our southern bonier, 
 but 1 have never seen any section of country which in its natural state couhl compare with 
 this. Indeed it is almost im|H>ssible for a stranger looking otf home commanding bulte, to 
 realize tliat the delightful prospect all around him is "in condition primeval." It would not 
 MQiu dillicult to ^HMaiiado some Rip Van Winkle awakening suddenly among such surroundin^i 
 
 
 4i 
 
 V 
 
■t 
 
 that the buildings and fences had been mysteriously removed and that those beautiful bluffs 
 in the distant landscape were the orchards and ornamental trees among which stately residences 
 had once rested, and that those smooth symmetrical slopes were the fruitful fields of a departed 
 race of agricultural princes." 
 
 There is a large tract of land in this fair region open for settlement. A free farm in a 
 fertile land must assuredly, to the industrious and persevering, mean prosi)erity. Thousands 
 of fruitful acres lie wasting and are waitng the cultivator's hand. 
 
 Eastward the couulry becomes more level and open, while west of the trail are 
 rolling hills and more timber. Some miles south and west of the trail is Little Red Deer, • 
 tributary of the fi rmer river. Here a few settlers are found who have made their homes amid 
 the picturesque valleys, beside jmrling streams, with which the country abounds ; here also 
 much good laud is open for settlement. West of this point wc enter a tract of land extending 
 northward to the Clear Water and Eocky Mountain House District, which Mr. Angus 
 Fraser, one of Alberta's most honored citizens, describes in a letter in another part of this 
 pamphlet ; when asked wliat drawbacks the Kocky Mountain House District possessed, this 
 gentleman answered tliat the greatest drawback he knew of was the annoyance from flies in the 
 summer season. But tliat dilliculty could be easily overcome by erecting sheds for cattle, as 
 flies will not trouble them out of tlie sunlight. 
 
 The report of the prosjiecting party, which left Calgary in the fall of the past year, 
 corroborates the account of gold being found in this vicinity — as stated in Mr. Eraser's letter. 
 At I'rairie Creek they found numerous coloi-s, and at one point wliere they sunk fourteen feet 
 they found j)rosi)ect of good pay if they liad had the necessary a])pliances to keej) the water out, 
 lacking which they had to return to Calgary, reporting that tliey had every faith that "pay 
 <liggings" would be struck. The belief is entertained by many that good placer diggings will 
 be discovered there in the immediate future. Mineral springs are also among its attractions, 
 -and tliat it is a country wel) suited for mixed farming is without question. 
 
 South- of the Little Red Deer, following the main trail, the country is rolling and the 
 grasses shorter ; no doubt but that it will soon support its thousands of sheep for which it 
 seems best aiiniited. East of the trail the laud is open prairie, while to the west brush and 
 timber are found. 
 
 Eifty miles north of Calgary Mr. Scarlett has a stopping house and is owner of a nice 
 liord nf cattle; the prime condition ♦hey were in during the severe weather of last winter 
 tipeaks well for tlie fitness of the locality for cattle raising and dairy farming. Perhaps no part 
 of Allierta is worse situated in regan! to a timber supi)ly, there being no large streams 
 convenient, down which to float logs from the foot hills; but here, as everywhere throughout 
 Allierta, coal is fouml in abundance, and good spring water is plentiful. About here the 
 < liinook winds lose their force and consequently the snow lies longerand isdeoper to the north 
 during tlio average winter than farther south, but to the dairy farmer who A'ill provide 
 KUlliiuent fodder to feed his cattle during tlie few winter months this matters not, and the 
 iiortii country lias its decided adviuitages. Its tiinlier, mineral and pasture resources an 
 immense, it is well watered and well slieltered, with great, tracts of most fertile soil awaiting 
 (ii'ltlenient. A land otfering inducements to the liritish farmer aud capitalist equal to those w 
 any Colony in the Uritisli Empire. 
 
 Some miles north of How River, along McPiiorson's Coulee ami Rose Creek Valley, we find 
 many settlers' homes, flocks of cheeji deck tln! hills and "the lowing herd winds slov;!)' o'er the 
 lea." R'ich soil and many beautiful water sjirings are found here, and tiiat the settlement is 
 not larger is owing chiefly to the fbiiner dithcnity of crossing the rushing How in early spring 
 and late fall between the seasons of ferry bout and ice bridge. This is now all but a thing m 
 the past, the Dominion Government having constiiicted a bridge at a cost of $16,000, which 
 Mill he comiileted before this jiamphlet readies the press, and tlius do away with the hardships 
 of fording and ferrying and Htimnlate seUlement north of the river. And now we find ourselTea 
 ill Uie valley of the liuw River at the Canadian I'l cilic Railway lino aud a town of no unoertaiM 
 future, 
 
 Calgary, 
 
 Tlie Queen City of the fir, far west. This is indeed a charming valley, and as a 
 nuuoiu[iuruble. Tlie vale, or biisin, as it may mure properly he termed, is walled on 
 
 town site 
 either i 
 
8 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 sparkling 
 
 by precipitous banks and is surrounded, or apjiofirs to he, by two rushin<r, tumbling, spai 
 rivere of lowest mountain water, the "IJow" and the "Elbow," which liud their conJlueuce at 
 the east end of the present town of Calgarv. 
 
 Westward, Ho 1 Ye wearv, easteiu travellers, health-seekers and tourists, gaze west\7ard 
 and behold a panorama of beauty perfect from tlie Creator's IiimkIs. Verdant foothills carpeted 
 with grasses bedecked in season with myriad flowers, snow eiii>pe>l peaks towering to the blue 
 vault of heaven, their lleecy whiteness dazzling in the sun light. Wonder not that you are- 
 eutraiiced with the scene. 
 
 " Ve hills I love yo ! Oh ! ye niountnin tops ! 
 
 Lifting serenely your transcen lent brows 
 
 To cuteii tiie earliest glimpses of the dawn. 
 
 And hold the liite.>.t radiance of the West, 
 
 To gild you with its gloiy, while llie world 
 
 Hastens to slumber ii; the glooms below ; 
 
 It is a [lain to know ye, and to feel 
 
 'J'hat iiotliing can exiiress the deep delight 
 
 "With wiiieli your beauty and niiigiiilieence 
 
 rill too'eillowing tiie ec.-itatic mind." 
 Nature indeed has showered witli jirodigal liand her gifts on this lovely spot. 
 
 The liistory of the town is a sliort one, yet marked with stride-, of progress si Idom equalled, 
 eveu in this age of electric advancement. 
 
 In tiu! fall of 1874 a smnll company of the North-West Mounted Police were stationed 
 here ami locati-d on the elevated plateau near tlie conlhience of tlu- rivers, the site of tlio iircsent 
 comfortable barracks. There were no barracks in tiiose days, the hardy pioneers dug holes iu 
 the .side of tlie bank and Imrrowed iu tiiem tiie iirst winter ; "dug-outs" thev were called. 
 The lollowing ^jiring I'oloncd .Nbulrod (now Jmlge of tlie Supreme Court) named tiie post Fort 
 Calgary (Swift Current', naming it alter a lieautiful spot iu .Scotland wlieie he had sliortly 
 before been visiting. In tiie years tliat followed tiie advent of the ilounted Police, tiie place 
 asaumed tlio aiipearaiico of a western trading post. I. CL Baker & Co. and tlie lliidhf.u Bay 
 Company establisiied posts here and various litth? log siiaeks were erected. In '8'J tiie new 
 North- West Aluimteil Police lianacks v.eie comiiieiiced aiiu tiie arrival of Domiiii'-'U and 
 Canadian Paiulic Kailway surveyors added some bustle to tlie place. The spring of ISS3 saw a 
 uew order of tilings inaugurated. Knlerprisiiig Ijusiness men, settlers, piofi'ssiuiial men ami 
 hotel keepers juislieil on in advance of tlie railway to secure a locatitui or a claim. Tlie almighty 
 dollar had its devoted followers, ganiiiiers and ail the other enterprising spiiits who make up 
 the po[iulalion of a I'roiiticr town congiegated iieie, and a canvas town sprung up as if by magio 
 on tilt! east side of the Elbow. For a time tiio Saliliath was [iiaitically ignoreil and tlie 
 avocations of tradeis and s|iorliiig cliara<'ters were pursued week days and Sunday alike. 
 Horse racing was the cliief amusement. On the approacli of winter more iiermanent buildings 
 were erected and order iiid due ies;ecti'or the Sabliath weic enhireeil. (»n tin. 14th of January, 
 1884, the Canadian Pacilic liailway town site was placed on tlie market and lf5r,'JU0 worth 
 of projieity was sold in a few hours. An exodus Inuii tlic then town site took jilacis. Houses, 
 shuck'*, tents all weie moved a mile \\ est and tlie present town sprang into existence, buatlo 
 and activity was tlie order of liio day, and jtrogress has been the watchword since. To-day 
 Calgary has a po[iiilation of aliont :i,0()il inhaiiitaiits ami enjoys the pleasure and advantages of 
 an ohl settled town as well as a laige circle of agiecublc and retined society. Ibisiness men of 
 Bound judgment seeing the advantages of the place as a nieri'antile and distriiiutiiig centre 
 have settled iiero. Large and complete stocks in every line, wholesale and retail, are held. 
 Competition is keen in every branch and goods can be piireliased at reasonable prices. Stone 
 and brick blocks, large and handsome, have been erected, substantial cliurchcs, piililio school 
 liouse (brick) costing if^jOmi, a town hall, theatre, skating rink, three banking liduses and 
 uiany comfortable and costly lesideiices, all go to make up a live western town, which, it is 
 cstiimited, does an annual trade amounting to at least ONK a.nd a IIALK .Mit.i.ioS Doi.l.Alis, 
 The value of buildings erected in Calgary during I88t) was estimated at over iiit'J00,Oiio and ill 
 1837 the building operations amounted to ;J;lii(t,'ni(i, ,£'ii(i,(Hio sterling, inrhitling residences and 
 business blocks costing over ;iJlu,()UO each, which speaks well for tiie enterprise and eunrideuoe 
 in the future of the town evinced by the citizens. Among the hibor einiiloying induslnes ol 
 
 il 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 9 
 
 ft 
 
 T 
 
 the present date is a sash and door factory, two saw niillc, that of Major Jamos Walker and tlie 
 Eau Claire Lumber Company, each emiJoyinfj a large nuiiilier of men ; the latter coinpiny have 
 just completed a mill and boom costing over $100,000. They have now one and a half million 
 feet of logs ready for cutting, besides having three million feet ready to drive down the Bow iu 
 the epring. The mill has a cutting capacity of about thirty thousand feet per day and is the 
 most complete concern of its kind in the North- West. Charters are being sought for the 
 privilege of supplyiug the town with water and gas, and for booming of the Bow for water 
 power purposes ; a smelter, a tannery, woollen mills and several other like concerns are spoken of 
 and probably the close of the year will see many of them iu operation. All that is recpured is 
 capital, nature has supplied the resources. Real estate has moved briskly in Calgary for the 
 past year and town lots 50 by 130 feet range in value from $50 to $2,500 per feet. 
 
 Little more than a decade has passed since the butfalo grazed iu the valley which is now 
 the site of a prosperous active town, scarcely has the sod formed over this hollow when it is 
 again upturned to admit of the erection of pol(>s for the electric liglit and telephone wires. 
 The two daily and weekly papers which are i)ublished here contain all the latest ti'.'irniphic 
 news, daily trains run east aud west. Men do business through the telephone, an<l h ■ street* 
 are lighted nightly with electric light. ^V■ith these facts before us who can doubt tne future 
 of the town of Calgary. Situated in the centre of the richest agricultural and greatest stock 
 country iu the Dominion, its vioinity to tiie great mineral deposits of the llocky Mountains, 
 its natural advantages as a distributing centre for a vast and fertile country, added to its 
 attractions as a residental location, it promises by the beauty of its site alone to b(! eiiosen when 
 ever practicable as a home for the future papulation of the district. And a prosperous history 
 la assured for it that must ne(;essarily be uiiii vailed in the North- Wes*:. 
 
 The Calgary District Agricultural Society, south of and adjoining the town of Califary, 
 have their grouiuis containing one hundred acres, a free grant from the Doininion 
 C.overnment, and beautifully situate I on the north bank of the Klbow River. List year 
 the society erected a large and substantial agricuUund hall and fenced in the grouii'ls. Tlio 
 annual fall show has become an event of mucli pleasure, interest and iiiiportanee. The two- 
 ])ast years the exhibits were such tiiat tliey coiild compete witii tiie olde.-t settlements iu 
 Camilla. Vegetaliles and roots of every kinil, monsters of tiieir species, wheat, barley, oats iu 
 sheaf and sack, all bearing testimony of tlie country's prolitic growth. Butter that would wiu 
 lirst miality in the Cork or Liverpool markets tells of another future industry. Ho'ses, 
 cattle," sheep, hogs and poultry all of high merit were on exhibition, as W(dl a< 
 specimens of the ndnerals of the country and the iiandiwork of the (Mr[)enter, smith and 
 saddler. Nor arc the exhibits conliued to these classes. The ladies of AHierta take an active 
 interest in the event aud'the display of the fuie arts, paintini,'s in oil and water colors, crayon 
 drawings, etc., together with plain and fancy ueeillo work, evoke ex[>ressioU3 of surprise and 
 plcasnn' from visitors. 
 
 The soiiiety, since its organization iu 1884, has done mr.eh missionary work. Its lirst 
 action was to make a collection of root and vegetable, crops, minerals and wood, for wliii^h u 
 si)aco was obtained in the Canadian Taeitic Uailway cxhiliit ear, which wiie exhihiti'd 
 through Canada aud afterwards forwarded to England. A pamphlet was compi'ed by the 
 secretary (the compiler of this pamiihlel^, a large edition of which was puhhslied bv the 
 Dominion (iovernnient. Since that date the society has been active iu promoting the iutercst.* 
 
 of ugricultij»e in this district. 
 
 West of Calgary 
 
 The Canadian Pacific Railway winds through the Bow River Valley amid rich bottom 
 lands and grassy hills. Twenty miles west Cochrane is reached, where the British Amerieaa 
 Ranche ('om|iany have their extensive sheep ami horse ranches. Here too are the Vaughau 
 coal mines and the Cochrane timber yard. Six miles nnrth of the railway there is a rich 
 extensive (Mnuitry open for settlement. Sonm 'J.'j miles further west is Morleyville, the oh'est 
 gelllement in this portion ot Alberta, and the home of the Mei)tiugal family, whosi^ names aio 
 written in evi^ry chapter of North-West hi-'tory. Here we lind ourselves surrounded by the 
 foo' hills of the mountains, yet even in this vicinity grain crops have been grown, and root* 
 au-^ vegetables are usually a Mlccesa. The Morleyviile l>istrict as u liorse range has few if any 
 
10 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA, 
 
 t-quala. The Stoncy Indian reserve is here and an Indian orphanage, and it reflects much credit 
 on tlie missionary family above named for the advancement in civilization and industry of the 
 Inilians, they being all but self-supporting. There are a number of settlers scattered through 
 the fertile valleys in this locality ; owners of horses and cattle all in comfortable oircumstauces. 
 The scenery is charming and varied, mountain, dale, forest and stream. North, south and west 
 we find splendid forests of Douglas fir, cypress and white spruce. The liills re-echo with the 
 fioiind of the woodman's axe, and tlie forests are paying tribute to the onward march of 
 civilization. Millions of feet of lops are floated down the Kananaskis and other tributaries of 
 tlie How, to bo converted into lumber to supply the ever increasing demand of the prairie 
 <'ouiitry to the east. At the gap leading to the mountain pass, 62 miles west of Calgary, is 
 <'anmore, a railroad divisional point, the inhabitants mostly Canadian Pacific Itailway 
 employees. The site is a romantic one, nestling beneath the lofty mountains, on through a 
 winding valley rich in ever varying sceneiy, beside purling nils and mountain torrent, 
 glimpses of such sublime beauty are cauglit that would make the most prosaic relax and offer 
 liomage to nature's wondrous grandeur. Some 13 miles west of Canmore and immediately 
 north and adjoining the railroad, is the site of tlie anthracite coal mines and the mining village 
 of Anthracite, having a poinilation at the present date of about 500 inhabitants, all connected 
 with the mining industry. The mines were discovered in 1883, but it was not until quite 
 recently that extensive development took place. A wcaltliy American syndicate is now 
 interested and already over i?l 00,000 have been expended in developing the mine and 
 introilncing improved machinery. Alberta is now shipping hard coal to tl>e Pacific Coast 
 which is giving the highest satisfaction, and the proiwrtions to which the export will increase 
 cannot l)e estimated. A short time since Albertians were buying Pennsylvania coal, paying 
 $16.50 per ton ; to-day anthracite coal equally as good is sold for $8.00 per ton, and as other 
 liard coal seams are 0))ened the price no doubt will come down several dollars. Tlie village 
 hius grown almost entindy within tlie past six montiis, and is auother instance of the gigantic 
 strides of piogress which Albeita is making. 
 
 Eighty miles west of Calgary is Buiff, "The Canadian National Park," or as it is now 
 called, tlio lloeky Mountain Park. Truly Alberta has attractions and alhireinents for all, not 
 only for the stock raiser, the farmer and the jirospector and capitalist, but also for the tourist, 
 the pleasure and health seeker, the mineralogist and the scientist. A number of hot mineral 
 springs were discovered near the line of railway in 1883, and in 1885 the Dominion Govern- 
 ment set aside a large extent of country for park purposes and are daily making extensive 
 improvements, laying out ro;uls and paths to all points of interest, constructing bridges over 
 the How and Spray Kivers, building batli houses at the diiferent springs, and in a thousand 
 and one ways adtling to the natural attractions of the place. In the fall of 1886 a few low 
 shacks and several tents were the only habitations. To-day Banff has a village at the station 
 and two villages near the springs; boasts of one of tlie large-tt hotels in Canada with all the 
 modern improvements ; a sanitarium under nudieal direction, allordiug the health seeker 
 every care and comfort ; a net work of roads and bridle tracks eael leading to some charming 
 spot; briilges over mountain streams and jdaeid lngoons ; subbiranean passages leading to 
 fascinating caverns all speaking praiise to enter[irise and cultivated taste. It is not necessary to 
 describe the springs, men from all lauds have visited them during the past year and their 
 virtues are e !,olled in many languages. The invalid who has come seeking health has gone 
 away praising and testifying to the healthful and curative etfeets of the waters, and tho.se who 
 liavo como to gaze on bi-auly have fi-asted and are .satisfied. The daily flow of water from the 
 flprings is estimated to be over 1,0)0,000 gallons, the temperature of which ranges from 87 to 
 115 degrees Fah., thus alfording the bather the luxury of a warm bath at all seasons. The 
 waters are strongly charged with sulphur and other minerals. In its unrivalled position and 
 hvgenic surroundings it liasahvaly been honored with a high place among the health ro.sort8 
 of tlio world. Surrounditd as this locality is by scenery of uue(pialled grandeur, by the lovely 
 valleys of the Spray and Mow, tlie Cascade and the Spray Falls, the dilie.reut simcies of flora, 
 which aimear and disappear ivs higlier and still higher the botanist clambers up the mouutoia 
 •ide, bubbling springs and meand.'ring rills, virgin parks and forests, 
 •'And mountains, multitudinous antl huge, 
 ^" j''S><'''' o'ltline, piled nnd overpiled. 
 One o'er the other. Calmly the gray heads 
 
 T 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 11 
 
 
 Of these earth fathers pointed up to heaven ; 
 
 Titanic sentiment?, who all the uight 
 
 Look at their kindred sentiuents, the stano, 
 
 To hear the march and tramp of distant worlds, 
 
 And measure by millenniums, not by years, 
 
 The awful growth and jirogress of the time 1 " 
 Among the attractions of the Park is the Devil's Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, nestling in 
 the mouutaiu heights, its shores fiinged by forests of pine and its waters stocked with fish. 
 
 Westward 
 
 we find Silvcrion at the base of Castle Mountain, the scene of much speculation and mining 
 activity a short time since. Here in 1883 a rich silver deposit was discovered but for lack of 
 capital the mines are unworked. Here, too, is au enormous bed of copper, said to contain 60 
 per cent, pure metal. 
 
 "West and north of Silverton at the base of Storm Mountain is a 40 foot seam of hematite 
 of iron which is reported to contain 67 per cent, of iron ore. That these finds will be deve- 
 loped shortly is almost a certainty. Such prodigious piles of wealth offer field for enterprise 
 and capital which will soon be taken advantage of. To-Ciy British capital is begging for 
 investment at 1 per cent, while mineral deposits are undeveloped here, which will prove mines 
 of wealth to some lucky few, and give profitable employment to many hundreds. 
 
 Some 28 miles further the summit is reached, the British Columbia boundary, and here 
 sleeping in the hollows of these mountain heights are the Emerald Lakes, spots a>f wondrous 
 beauty. Laggau is sit'iated here. During the construction of the road it was a lively 
 mountain town, but the place is deserted now. Ketracing our steps to Calgary and proceeding 
 
 Eastward 
 
 "We find ourselves in the valley of the Bow for a distance of less than two miles, then 
 over the Bow once more and on to the plateau, the rolling prairie of our great North- West. 
 Here and there settlers homes dot the plains for some little i" .stance, then only the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway way-side stations for a time. To the north an uninhabited country promising, 
 by its recent finds of semi-i.uthracite coal and iron ore, to be the home of a mining and 
 manufacturing population. South of the line, along the banks of the Bow, we find sheep and 
 cattle ranches, including the Brecon Siieep Uaiiuhe and the Military Colonization Kauche, the 
 latter having Inrge herds of cattle and bands of horses. 
 
 Gleichen, 5u miles cast of iJalgary, is a Canadian Pacific Railway divisional point, the site 
 of a growing village and one of the Ciuiiidiiin Pacific Railway ex])erimental farms. A number 
 of residences and stores, an English chiireh, togetlier with the Canadian Pacific Railway 
 buildings make up tliis town. South of it is the Bhickfoot Indian reserve, which is 
 described by the Rev. Mr. Sims, in a letter in this pamphlet, as is also tlie country north of 
 Gkichen in another letter. On over a country, well adapted for sheep and horse rnising, for 116 
 miles further and then we find ourselves on the eastern extremity of Alberta ; having passed 
 through a country highly capable of supjiorting large flocks of shecj) and bands of cattle and 
 horses. It needs no great stretch of innigination to picture this country a few years hence, 
 with its huntlreds of comfortable homes, its churches, schools and other institutions of 
 civilization ; five years have done this for the country we are now about to pass through, viz : 
 
 The Country South of Calj^ary. 
 
 What a change a few years have brought here. The writer travelled from Calgary to 
 Maoleod in the early spring of 1883, and in the whole distance, 160 miles, there were not half 
 a dozen shacks to be found. Travelling then was not what it is to-day ; then you wer« 
 thaukful to get a sleeping space on an earth fioor, and a meal of bacon and beans ; then, too, you 
 had to rub down and feed your own horses, and felt thankful to secure the rudest kind of shelter 
 for them. To-day, passing through the same country, we find for the first 35 miles a country 
 tJbickly settled ; pleanunt homes, well fenced farms, schools, churches are the sights that me«t 
 
12 
 
 ALREKTA, CANADA. 
 
 us on cvt'iy liaiid. When we stop for our noon day meal or put up for the niglit at the clipery 
 bith' inn, what a contrast awaits us. Now our horses are taken from us, led to acouifoitable 
 htahle and well gloomed ; we find ourstdves usheretl into a comfortable sitting room and mine 
 host prolfurs us an easy chair ; tiie dinner bell rings and we are shown to a well furnished 
 tiiniiig room, tiie table weighed down with good things, our napkins are snowy wliite, and the 
 fair daughters of the house minister to our wants. \Ve pass our evening iu pieasant chat or 
 in reading the latest news of tlie great world and its busy struggling population, and tlieu 
 retire to a comfortable room up stairs and seek repose for our weary limbs on that inodern 
 luxury — a spring bed. And we wonder can this be real ; are all tliese comforts of eivilizatioa 
 in a land whiidi a few short years ago was uninhabited? For it seems but yesterday tliat we 
 Kl>read our butfalo rol)es beneath tlie waggon and camped there for want of better shelter. 
 
 Kiglit miles south of Calgary, in a picturesiiue valley ou the banks of Fish Creek, is the 
 Glenn farm, the nursery of agriculture in Alberta. Here for a number of years the industrious 
 jiioneer grew siilemlid crops of all kinds, imd many samples of his grains and vegetables found 
 their way to Eastern Can;ida and Great JJrilain. /// 1884 J/r Glenn had a crop of oat's which he 
 boaxtni colli I not be benten in the ivorl i, and those who saw the fidd, some 40 acres, were of like 
 ofiinion. :>■ vrral stools were counted with 12 stalks from a single sotd, each stalk bearing about 
 300 GOOD siZKD AND WKLL FOKMKU GiiAiNs. Tile following year, 18S5, his crops were i-ipially 
 good. Mr. Glenn died in the f-pring of 188'), and Alberta lost a brave old pioneer. Honest 
 John Glenn — all honor to his mcmoiy ; he was ever ready to speak words of cheer and counsel 
 to the new comer; never so busy but that he could iind time to give them a helping hand, 
 and to his good advice anil assistance mmy a settler owes much of his prospeiity. .Miy his 
 name long he written iu the annals of Alberta, and his memory kept green in the hearts of 
 the people. 
 
 Close to the (!lenn farm is a pretty Kiiglish Church, a school house and the ^Hdmiporo 
 Post Gllice. Seven miles further south we cross Pine Creek, a district as thicikly settled as 
 liny in ilanitoba or the North- West. Here we hiid a LInion Church, a school house, two 
 comfortable stopjiing jilaces, a post olliee and a blacksmith's shop. Here last season, which 
 was one of the most backward yet experienced, several s])lendid crops were grown, one farmer 
 growing olf 15^ acres 8UU buslnds of oats, weighing 40 lbs. per bushel, and another growing 
 SObushel of oats to the acre, weighing 44 lbs. to th'^ bushel, and other crops yielding good 
 returns ; while there were others who had but half a crop. Here as in many other places we 
 find the farmers (h-jiending too mu(;h on cropping, nor is it altogether their fault, the majurity 
 started with little or no capital, and have not nu'ans to purchase stock ; again, many are single 
 men and cannot engage iu dairy farming without em[)loying hired help, and few, very lew, 
 have practical experience in dairy t'lrming. Changes will soon come, farmers from E:iseru 
 Canada and be Old Country, coming:' to Allicrln, with familifs, seeing the advantages of livin,' 
 iu thickly settled districts, near (^liurclies and schools, will purchase those imiiroved farms from 
 the present owners and the young men imshing north will, with the capital acipiircl by tlie 
 sale of their first farms, purchase slock, take n[) new land and be the ]iioiieers of other settle- 
 luent.s, marry and make prosperous homes for themselves, and so both buyer and seller will be 
 gainers by the transaction, fur it will be a decided advantage to many newcomers to ]mrcliase 
 improved farms, tliat is, at fair value, eapecially those wlio are tarmini; (vr the hist time. 
 
 South of Pine Creek the country is hilly, the soil and vegetation su[).M'ior to any from 
 Calgary to the extreme south. Here from early spring to autumn nature delights the senses with 
 her cxiiuisitc and ever varjing Uoial charms. 
 
 " Ye Hovers innumerous, earth jewels fair 
 That lift your eyelids to the morning air," 
 
 filling the air with grateful fragrance. What beJs of wild roses, lupines and lillies are here to 
 be found I 
 
 Some miles west of the Macleod trail and ou the banks of Sheep Creek we find the homo 
 stittion of the Sheep Creek Kaiiche Company. It is beautifully located, the cxeeileiit vic'W oi 
 the mountains and the proximity of the monntain streams being both attractive features. The 
 country surrounding i.s a superb one for jmsture. The Company have about 2,!}00 luadoi 
 horned cattle and some I, Ooo head of horses, a number of which latter were impjrted from 
 Ireland during the piu>t year. 
 
 ! 
 
 t 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 13 
 
 I 
 
 East of the trail tlie country is thickly settled ; at the crossing of Sheep Creek there are 
 two sto|ii)ing jilaces and a post office. Another post office is Dunbow, located some 12 miles 
 east of tliis i)lace. There is also a lumber }'ard liere, the lumber being sawn in the Foot Hills 
 and th'Mice brought to the Crossing for sale. At the mouth of High Kiver, near its 
 confluence with Sheep Creek and on tiie east side a large tract of good land is open for 
 settlement. Near here the lust season Mr. Jones, jr., grew off a plot of laml about a quarter of 
 an acre, over 100 busliels of potatoes. He sold $90 worth and then had sufficient for his personal 
 use. 
 
 South of Sheep Creek the land is rich and }>roductivc, the country is watered by numerous 
 springs and also by Tongue Creek, which nins midway between the former creek and High 
 Kiver. Most of tlie available land on thi,'- .eek is also taken up, all within tlie past few years. 
 At Higli IMver, near the trail cros-sing, we find a stopping place, a general store and a jwst 
 olHui-. Near liere is the French and Smith farm, one of the oldest settlements in Southern 
 Alberta. Here for a number of years past splendid crops have been grown, but last year, owing 
 to the liot iliy weather of early summer and the backward cold weather later on, the crops 
 were most disappointing, b(<ng almost an entire failure. The country heve is deliglitful, 
 rolling prairie, the river banks fringed witli trees. There is a large and thriving settlement iu 
 this district, most of the settlers having bands of horses and cattle. 
 
 Some -5 miles west of the crossing of Migh River is the home ranch of the North-West 
 Cattle Company, one of the oli'es.t and most sui'cessful of the great cattle ranches of Alberta. 
 The ranch nestles in the foot liills of tlie h'ockies and the range is second to none in the 
 ProviiM' ■. There arc on tliis ranch S\0O0 head of horned cattle and 600 head of horses 
 indudiug wi'll bred stock of both classes. The shipments of fat steers from this ranch last 
 fall well' most satisfactory to the owners of the beef. Messrs. Brown Brothers of Montreal, 
 who ]nmhas('d and slaughtered a nujiibcr of the animals, stated that the beef was better than 
 eastern meat in eveij' way, more juicy and better marbled, and in fact the best meat ever 
 bronglit into tlie Montreal market. Tliey say the customers are so pleased with tlie quality, 
 as they are themstdves, that they are endeavoring to handle that meat and that only. This is 
 oertaiiily very liigh praise for range feil beef. 
 
 South of Iligli Kiver tlie main trail runs through a beautiful country. All west of the 
 trai; is eillier under h-ase or settled on ; east of the trail and in the vicinity of Mosquito Creek 
 tiiereare several thousand acres open foi settlement, as tiiere are also along the Little i'ow River 
 further east. 
 
 At Mosquito Creek, 16 miles south of High River, we reach the southern boundary of the 
 former judicial district ot Calgary and the present district of Northern All)erta. The Calgary 
 Dominion liauds District extends from some 20 miles farther south. Crossing Mosquito Creek 
 we pass into the 
 
 Madeod District, 
 
 the great ranching district of Canada. A few yards south of the creek, is the Mosquito post 
 office and tiie cow camp of the I'owder River Cattle Company, whose cattle, some 7,000 head, 
 r.inge in the vicinity ; they were driven over in 1886 from the Company's range in Wyoming, 
 U.S. The ranch is under the mamigement of Mr. Murpiiy, a gentleman who has unbounded 
 faith in the future of Alberta. The liglit losses on tlie Alberta ranges compared witli those 
 8outh of the line is very convincing testimony of the superiority of the cli'nate and pasture of 
 AlbiM'ta. Till' next point of importance south of Mosquito Creek is Willow Creek where we 
 find the headijuarters of tiie Oxley Ranche Company, the new Oxley post office and a stopping 
 place. Tliere is some land here outside the leases open for settlement. The qualificitions of 
 tiie country are descrilwd in Mr. Craig's letter and he certainly should bo well qualified to 
 speak on the subject of mixed farming. 
 
 West of the t: ail are the Porcupine Hills, a good cattle range, and also said to contain 
 large mineral deposits. 
 
 Macleod. 
 
 On the arrival of the North-"WestMomited Police iu 1874 into Southern Alberta they pitched 
 their tents on the banks of the Old Man's River and subsequently built a log fort, which was 
 nauied after the officer iu command, Col. Macleod. Until quite recently the fort was the 
 
14 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 headquaiters of the North- West Mounted Police Force in the Territories. Shortly after the 
 advent of the Mounted Police, Fort Macleod became an important point, the firm of J. G. 
 Baker & Co. establishing a trailing post wliich, iu the following years, became the supply 
 emporium for a large portion of this vast country. Bull trains were continually bringing over 
 supplies from Fort Benton and a frontier town sprang into existence. 
 
 In 1881, wiieu the cattle industry started, the majority of tlie cattle men, induced by the 
 excellent pasturage and freciuency of the " Chinook," or warm winter winds, in this portion of 
 Alberta, secured leuse holds in the vicinity of Fort Macleod and made the town their 
 headquarters. Owing to the fact that the town site was, during the high water every s])rinLr, 
 converted into an island, much to tlie inconvenience of the people of town and country, the 
 Government was petitioned to grant a new town site and the pre^xent one was placed on tlie 
 market and the following spring saw the old town and fort almost deserted. A new town 
 situated on a plateau about a mile distant from the old fort and commanding a superb view of 
 the Rockies succeeded the old one. Macleod boasts of the largest and uio^t perfect police 
 barracks in the Province, a number of large stores carrying complete stocks in every line, 
 churches, schools, hotels ami the many other institutions wliicli go to make up a westeiii town. 
 Handsome residences are being built and iu many other ways JIacleod shows signs of prosperity 
 and progress. A weekly new,s[/aper, the second oldest in the Province, is published here, 
 devoted largely to the interests of the stock industry, and, like all things in Macleod, is 
 typically western. The present jiopulation is about 800. "With its great stock interest and the 
 vast deposits of anthracite coal and iron ore in the mountains only a short distance west, 
 Macleod needs only railway connection with the American Territories in the soutli and tlie 
 Canadian Pacific Railway on the north to make it one of the most important points iu Western 
 America. Given railway faeilities, slangiiter houses, tanneries, foundries and numerous other 
 industries will soon follow, giving employment to the thousands whose future homes will be iu 
 this city. 
 
 South of Macleod is situated (he extensive Blood and Piegan Indian Reservations. Some 
 80 miles west of Macleod is the village of 
 
 Pincher Creek. 
 
 situated in a lovely valley, which may well be designated tlie «'A''ale of Chinooks." Tii 
 midwinter wheji tlie snow is ofti-n so deep that the cattle lind dillicullv in getting baie ]iLi<vs 
 whereon to pasture, the ranchers heart is gladde.ed to see pillars of dark clouds lowering o'l-r 
 the mountain peaks and liear tl;e miglity roar of heaven's artillery as down tiie mountain psscs 
 rush the warm W(st winds, and pre to! the snow is gone, licked up as it were, the tliennoiiicti r 
 leaps from 10 or :iO degrees below zero to 40 or 50 degress above in a few hours, and cattle 
 and horses bask in the warmth and feast their ravenous appetites on tlie grass. 
 
 The village has a pretty little English Church, also Methodist "and Roman Catholic 
 Chnrehes, post ofllee, sehoolhouse, a few stores, but is lacking a comfortable hotel ; no doulit a 
 mammoth hotel will soon be found a prohtable institution, for the varied natural beauties of IIh? 
 surrounding country are sure to attra<;t numerous tourists and pleasure seekers. Tiie majestic 
 Mountains with their peaks and passes, Inkes and torrents, forests and parks, whose graii.leur 
 and beauty would take pnges to describe, are in close ]n-oximity ; mineral springs and mineral 
 deposits are also known to exist here, and no doubt railway communieatioii will not be long 
 wanting, and develoimient of the hidden tieasures will soon follow. Tliose who wish to .'aze oi) 
 beauty can feast to their heart's content by visiting the Mountain Lake District of Smitbevn 
 Alberta. The country around Pincher Creek, like most of the rest of the western portion nf 
 the Macleod District, is taken up by stockmen, who are owners of herds numberiii'r from a. few 
 hundred to several thousands. Mr. C. Rettle's letter, publislied iu this pann.hletrsiieaks well 
 for the agricultural resources of the country. Some 30 miles south of the town of Maclei.d, 
 ou the bench lauds overlooking Belly River, is the town of 
 
 Lethbrldge. 
 
 Tliis magic city of tlie plains may be said to have grown within the past two and a half years. 
 In 1883 the North- West Coal aud Navigation Company commenced mining operations ou the 
 
 4 
 
 •iW 
 
 T 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 15 
 
 banks of Belly Eiver, shipping the output of the mines for the first two seasons by barge and 
 steamer to Medicine Hat, on tlie line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1885 a narrow 
 guage railway was built (109 miles) to connect with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Dunmore. 
 Since the completion of the railroad the town has grown with great strides. The present 
 population is estimated at 1,200 inhabitants. The Nortli-West Mounted Police have anew 
 and handsome barracks here. The town possesses several stores and hotels, a bank, a publio 
 school, an English Church and a Roman Catholic Cliuroh, built of stone quarried near th& 
 town, a weekly newspaper and Dominion Land Office. The works of the coal company 
 together with a saw mill employ over 200 men, and is the most extensive labor employing 
 industry west of Winnipeg. The daily output of coal is about 500 tons, which is largely 
 shipped to Winnipeg and other Mauitoban towns. The company has a contract with the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway for 100 tons per day. The coal is clear and bright, and is excellent 
 for steam, cooking and heating. The extent of the coal beds in this vicinity is simply 
 enormous. The North- West Coal and Navigation Company have ten thousand acres of coal 
 land. I'rof. Dawson, Dominion Geologist, ( stiinates the (juantity of coal underlying one square 
 viile in the vicinity of Lethbridge at 5,50O,0(t0 tons, from which it will be seen that in coal 
 deposits alone Alberta possesses a treasury of wealth. A number of homesteads have been taken 
 up'in this neighborhood within the past year. A lai^'c portion of the land is well suited for 
 agriculture. Aloiij^ Lees Creek and St. Mary's River thrifty settlements are being formed, 
 and no doubt when the time comes for throwing open some of the leased lands for settlement 
 much cf it will bo found highly adaptable I'or mix»d farming, and the country will become 
 thickly populated. There is a large tract of country south to the International boundary and 
 east to the Assiniboine line capable of supporting a large population. 
 
 In conclusion Alberta may be described as having three distict surfixce features, viz : 
 prairie lands on the ea t-, which are thickly timbered in the uorthenx part of the province ; 
 then comes the rolling lauds or foot hills, extending some 40 miles from the base of the 
 mountains, mostly heavily timbered, and lastly the mnjestic mountains, the great 
 backbone of this planet, walling its western boundary. Viewing it from north to south, frcjj 
 east to west, what can we say in truth but that it is a wondrous laud, and to the industriou» 
 it promises to be a veritable laud of Gosheu. 
 
 COMMERCE. 
 
 "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame." 
 
 When we begin to consider the great and varied resources of this Western country — its 
 immense forests of magnilicent timber, its inexhaustible coal fields, its mines of gold, 
 silver, lead and iron, its agricultural productiveness, its great adaptability to the raising of 
 horses, cattle and sheep — it does not need a strong imagination to group the gigantic nature of 
 the commerce which, before many years, will be centred here. 
 
 There seems to be every natural condition happily and purposely blended to make Alberta 
 one day the richest province of the Dominion. Where else in Canada will one find such a 
 lavish wealth of natural resources ? Where such a climate — healthful, energizing, joyous 
 beyond compare ? Providence, the bountiful hand of nature could scarcely have done more for 
 a country. Already, although the Province is as yet au infant giant, the process of develop- 
 ment has begun. The forests are already being drawn upon for the comfort and progress of 
 the initial thousands of jieople who have come here. Saw mills of big proportions Lave been 
 erected at all the principal towns, and the great desideratum of a plenteous supply of the finest 
 lumber in the world is an accomplished fact. These mills will be multiplied and their product 
 will be iucreased just as the demand is enlarged. 
 
 AH along the Eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, from McKenzio River almost in the 
 arctiv. r gions. Southward to the boundary line of the United States, a distance of a thousand 
 miles Of more, it is timber all the way illimitable, inexhaustible ; aud here is the source whence 
 the settlers of these wide and fertile prairies almost to the shores of Lake Superior, will draw 
 their supplies of lumber, building up a trade in that article, which will eventually give employ- 
 
IG 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 1 
 II 
 
 iiiTit: to its tens of thousniuls of lianly liusluiioii, s.iwyprs, iiiilliiiPii, tpanistors, carriers, and the 
 Iniinlirdsor ilili't-ii'iit liaiids, tlimiifrli wliich the original stick of timber jjosses before itisevent- 
 uiillv f:isliioii('(| into tbe bn'.sc cftlie toiler on the treeles" jilains. Naturally the lumber trade is 
 one of the very iir.it that begins to develojie in a new country, and there is already a vast deal 
 of money invested in it in Alberta, ami all ti»e time we liear of new ventures of freshenteqirise 
 ill this line, which the necessities of the present and the glowing prospects of the future Keem 
 to wairnnt and necessitate. 
 
 'J'nrning now from one great natural resource to anotlier, one is amazed at the tremendous 
 jiossibilitiei. of mining operations in Alberta. All this country has been prov<'n to be underlaid 
 with vast deposits of coal, both bituminous and anthracite. It crops to the surface at hundreds 
 of jdaces, and at almost any place a drilling of a few hundred feet at most, will jienetrate into 
 a bed of coal ; already tiiis natural product is faking a prominent jdace in the commerce of the 
 country, liundreils of thousands of dollars have been spent in its develo])ment, in the 
 introduction of machinery for putting the coal in marketable shape, and iubuildings and 
 spur railways. 
 
 The anthracite coal mines at Banfi" are now sending hundreds of thousands -of tons ot as 
 fine a hard coal as can be found on the continent to the far distant niirket of San Francisco, 
 where it is used for smelting ]inii)oses, and its excellence for* the uses to which it is put has 
 practically driven all other fureigii coals out of the market. The deposits of hanb coal at Banff 
 are inealeiilable in extent, and their wealth-producing capabilities, beyond .computation ; 
 liundreds of miners are eiiiployi'd, and the stalf is constantly being increased. 
 
 At Lethbridge, where the fiimous Oalt .soft coal is proiluced, are also to be found hundreds of 
 liardy miners who .send out their hundreds of tons of black diamonds each day into markets 
 all over the North- West. There are other mines worked on a smaller scale at Cochrane, 
 Edmonton, Masters and lied Deer and other places, besides the innumerable veins that have 
 been 0]H'ned by settlers all over the country, and who enjoy an inexhaustible supply of fuel at 
 their very doors for the mere trouble of picking it out and haiding it away. No one can 
 estimate the vast magnitude of the commerce that will yet centre in the coal indu.stry of Alberta. 
 Lying almost side by side; with tiie great coal deposits of this region are to be found minerals 
 of nearly ail kinds : gold, silver, leail, copper, iron, etc., in such abundance that there is 
 little doubt that Alberta some day will rival the most productive of the neighbouring States in 
 its mineral output. Immense mines of silver have been discovered in the mountains along the 
 line of the C. P. Kailway, and the initial steps have been taken in their development. A 
 emelter is projected to be located at Calgary, and it is probable within a year another great 
 industry will be begun, namely, the reduction of ores. 
 
 The neighbouring Territory of Montana, although a poor agricultural country, turns out 
 Bome $15,000,000 worth of minerals each year. There is no reason why Alberta should not be 
 equally productive. The general character of the country is continued, so far as the mining 
 regions of the mountains are concerned, and explorations show that the possibilities are even 
 greater as the mineral belt works northward. 
 
 For many years the presence of gold on the North Saskatchewan and tributary streams 
 has been a source of occupation and profit to the hardy placer miners. 
 
 The source of these placer deposits is of course in the mountains, whence the 'streams 
 emanate 
 
 In iron deposits Alberta hasan unlimited quantity of the richest in tlie woild. This iron 
 ore for the most \mt lies directly contiguous to coal de'posits, and is therefore in rcadine-ss for 
 immediate use. For instance, in the Crow's Nest Pass of the Ilocky Mountains not far north 
 of the United States boundary line, the iron depo.sits have been thoroughly inspected, and it 
 has been estimated that there is iron enough there to keep the continent supplied 
 for half n century, and the iron and coal are within a stone's throw of each other, 
 there being a seam of cool of no less that 25 feet in thickness ready to be shovelled into the 
 furnace for the reduction of the stubborn ores. And other such mines are located in the Bow 
 River Pass, on the line of the C. P. R. Here, then, are the mines from which the great 
 prairies of Canada will draw their supplies for the network of railways that will one day 
 traverse uiem, and for the thousand and one other u.ses to whi -h iron is put. 
 
 In this iron industry alone a vast commerce must yet centre, and every day brings its de» 
 Telopmcnt ueaixT. ° 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 17 
 
 Turning now from the riches of the mother earth to look for avenues of commerce in 
 Alberta, let us glance at the product of our live stock, as is shown in other parts of this book, 
 ^^e have as Hue sheep pastures in the foot hills of the mountains and the vast plains eastward 
 «s can be found in the world. The clip of wool has reached already about 165,000 ponnda 
 Annually, and this can aud will be increased a hundred fold without as much as beginning to 
 «zhau8t the great pasturages of Alberta. 
 
 Woollen mills will be a necessity of the near future, and one is now projected at Calgarj^ 
 Here will be found the home of a great woollen industry, producing enough clothing for th» 
 peojile of the great prairies, aud much will remain for exportation. 
 
 The industry of tauniug is also one which will flourish here. The enormous herds of 
 cattle at present ranging in Alberta afford thousands of hides to the tanner, and, as if natrutt 
 left nothing wanting, there is a practically inexhaustable supply of hemlock bark in the moun- 
 tains near by. Tanneries are now spoken of, and that they would succeed splendidly goes 
 ■without^saying. 
 
 Keeping all these resources in view, who can doubt the magnitude of Alberta's commeica 
 « few years hence. There is no other undeveloped section ot country in America which offers 
 80 rich and varied a field, aud those who are in at the start are those whose opportuuities will 
 be best to thrive with the country aud share in the great wealth that nature has spread out and 
 invited a world to come aud participate in. 
 
 MIXED FARMING. 
 
 The pioneers of new countries have many losses aud hardships to suffer, which aie 
 unknown to those who follow in their wake, and this is especially the case with the pioneers 
 of agriculture. Being far from markets they cannot always procure fresh seed, aud therein 
 lies much of the failure, which too often is attributed to climatic causes ; then again most of them 
 cannot afford to purchase improved implements, with which to properly till the ground, and 
 many also are farming for the first time and have no practical knowledge of the best season for and 
 the best mode ot sowing the different crops. Alberta has suffered as much in this way as most 
 new countries ; poor seed and ill prepared seed beds have been fruitful of much loss and 
 disappointment to the farmers even to the present time. The prairie land is ploughed and 
 gets a rough harrowing, on this the seed is sown, seed too, which, in many instances, is old and of 
 a late maturing variety, then the harrow is run over the ground covering some of the seed with 
 a heavy sod and some again left uncovered. Rollers are only used on a few farms, aud a heavy 
 laud crusher is unknown in the country. Chain or disc harrows, so uecessary for the 
 preparation of good seed land, are not yet introduced, and from this primitive mode of 
 agriculture even growing and heavy crops are expected ; the wonder is that so many prolific 
 crops are obtained as there are, which shows that the soil is highly productive. But while 
 it has been demonstrated beyond question that grain, root and vegetable crops of all kinds can 
 be grown to great advantage in Alberta, yet tillage or crop farming will for many years to come 
 be but a secondary consideration to the farmers here, for the simple reason that a more profitable 
 line of farming can be carried on, of a class too, which is being adopted in the richest farmine 
 districts of Eastern Canada and Great Britain, and found to be best paying, mixed farming, and 
 by that is meant growing sufficient crops for home consumption and relying on the sale of 
 butter, cheese, beef, pork, mutton and wool for income, and for this class of farming Alberta is 
 second to no country. We have here everything that an intending dairy-farmer could desire : 
 free land, a bountiful supply of the forest spring water, many springs ice cold in summer which 
 yet remain unfrozen during the coldest seasons, rich grasses, bright healthy climate, short 
 winters, plenty of fuel, and marketj which practically have no limit, for ',.hen the supply more 
 than equals the demand of the local markets, then we have the great centres of the east within 
 easy reach, in which the prime meats of Alberta will find ready sale at highly profitable prices ; 
 and for butter and cheese we have not only the markets of the east but also those of the west, 
 including Australia. The butter and cheese industry of Alberta promises to assume immense 
 proportions before many years, in that the natural advantages are so much greater than those 
 of the countries growing wealthy on the dairy industry. We learn that the State of Iowa has 
 added aeveral mtlliona qf dollars yearly to the revenue of the State by the difference in pries 
 slone of the article now manufactured by the creameries and the inferior article formerly made ; 
 
18 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 and there is no reason why the Alberta butter trade should not increase in like i>ro)>ortioii 
 until the exports become a source of revenue to this country. Truly Alberta is in ,siul need of 
 producers when its great inducements have not yet interested capital or awakei ed industry ta 
 produce sufficient of a product for which the country is especially adapted, to supply the local 
 markets. To-day the farmers of Alberta are not manufacturing ///i'een per cent, of the butter 
 needed/or home use. This, too, with an ever increasing demand for a good article at a high 
 price, viz. : 35 cents (Is. 5id.) per pound. There are two apparent reasons for tliis non- 
 producing condition. One the liick of capital by the industrious class, and the other the lack 
 of willing, intelligent labor. On every hand we find the fever of speculation rampant among the 
 farming class, men greedy to acquire hundreds of acres of land, large farms unstocked, the 
 owners " Micawber" like waiting for something to turn up whereby their farms may grow to 
 Bome fabulous value and thercliy enrich them suddenly and without labor, above all things 
 without labor, for they may wait but they cnnnot work, they have not been educated to it and 
 they do not intend to learn. It is well for the country and its future that we have another 
 cla.ss — the diligent settlers who are deserving of the name of farmers : they are winiiiii*; wealtli 
 for themselves and prestigf^ for the country of their adoption. l'"rom a number of desiTving 
 farmers the name of Mr. Sum K; y, a letter from whom appears in this pamphlet, may be 
 mentioned as an instance of wiiat persevering industry will accomplish. Tliis sturdy pioneer 
 tells UB that he commenced farming in the spring of 1884 with a capital of about !f5UU (.€100), 
 since then he hius acquired an extensive farm, built and furnished a comfortable home and all 
 the necessary outbuildings, has now 80 head of cattle, besides sev(>ral horses and a stock of 
 farm implements, in fact has grown wealthy in four years, and this too, with a large young 
 family to support. He informs us that last year, 1887, he milked 20 cows and sold 2,,^)00 pounds 
 of butter, for which an average price of 35 cents (Is. 5id.) per pound was obtained ; ho 
 estimates that the milk of at least two cows was used for family purposes, thus leaving the 
 butter sold tile produce of 18 cow.s which at the above price reaches the handsome fig\nvs of 
 $48.61 (.£9 Ms ) as being the amount realized from each cow for the season from butter alone, 
 to which should bo added the value of skim milk fed to pigs or calves. This gentleman 
 informed the writer that when he first started dairy farming he was feait'ul the ]>riee of butter 
 would not keep up. He is troubled in that way no longer, as lie finds the demand in the 
 home market is iiiereasiiig each >ear and that a good article will always comiiiand a good price. 
 Mr. Ray has not devoted his time to dairy farming alone ; each year, excejiting the last, he ha* 
 grown splendid cro])s, including ilax, and here it may be addi'd that although this crop (llax) 
 liaa been little grown here, yet wherever experimented with it has grown to perfection, i\ud 
 will prove one of the most profitable productions of the soil in Alberta, for here we have a 
 favorable climate and soil superior to any of those countries which are to-day the great flax 
 producing ones of the world viz., Kussia, Holland, l?<'lgium and Kgypt. Knglund pays out 
 annually to lUissia alone something like ten million dollars for undressed flax. Tli'ii for tliu 
 dairy farmer the seed is highly juolitalile for feeding young stock, and in the market here a 
 large auiount could be diH)K)sed of. The present price of lliix seed laiiges froin (i to 10 wnU ]ier 
 pound. Nor will the dairy farmer be confined to raising one class of aiiinial alone. He will, 
 with his skim milk and coai-se grains, peas and barley and roots, be in a position to raise liogi-, 
 which will be a source of great profit. At present 95 per cent, of the pork and all the liacoii 
 consumed here are imported. Then a sum 11 band of well bred sheep iind a few good niu. .. to 
 raise stock olf, can be kept with much gain to the farm. Another bramdi of mixed farming, 
 and one which is likely to get a start this year, is cheese making; several farmers in the 
 vicinity of Calgary are making arraiig-ments for the establishment of a cheese factory, and oneo 
 tliH ice is broken in this direction many similar institutions will be founded, for there is no 
 question as to the Incraliveiiess of this industry in our great country. Alberta possesses all tho 
 natural elements essential to the success of thocheese farmer. 
 
 Tiie pnu'lical man coming to Alberta with suifieieiit means to start, say $'^,ri00 to j!3,000 
 (jfffiOO to i,'(i()0), will find good land in iilniost any part of the country, v.'ith schools within 
 reasonable distance in the settled portions and new school districts con 'inually being organized. 
 Tile new coiner cannot expect free land in the immediate vicinity of towns, as these loeiitioii» 
 have already been secured by those now, in the country, but land eiiually as good and near 
 enough for nraeticul juirposes can be obtained — IGO acres free and 100 ucres pre-emption, whicU 
 can bo puicliiised at i^'J.UO to $2.50 per acre. 
 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 19 
 
 ill tlio 
 
 (I oiico 
 
 is no 
 
 all thu 
 
 I 
 
 Eead the letters published in this pamphlet by practical men, and if you are convinced 
 and intend seeking a new home come at once and secure the advantages otlered by a new 
 country. 
 
 SHEEP FARMING. 
 
 " In a far-distant land, the eve 
 Had cooled day's sultry glow, 
 And shadows down the mountain-side, 
 Came creeping soft and slow 
 O'er ])astures white with feeding flocks 
 And sheaf-set valley's brow." 
 
 At a period when speculation is rampant in this new land, — when men daily exert their 
 energy to devise schemes wheieby they may acquire wealth without working or waiting, — it is not 
 to be wondered at that the slow but sure roads to competence are unheeded Viy the many. 
 
 Syndicates to obtain Railroad Charters to biiilij Hues into the great mineral and oilfields 
 of the north. 
 
 Syndicates to erect smelting works at (nl ; to run water through its streets ; to bore 
 
 for natural gas ; to build tramways; to Ijuy iu«n sites; to develope the placer diggings on 
 Prairie Creek ; these and many such schemes are deemed by knowing ones "short cuts " to success 
 and are the all absorbing topics and attractions. And in the worry and excitement of our 
 liaste to grow suddenly rich we take little interest in an industry which promises to be the 
 keynote to All)erta's future jjrospeiity, viz. : "Sheep farming." 'A sheep farmer fort^ootli,* in 
 this age of activity when men grow rich iu a year. Yet the natural advantages which Alberta 
 possesses for slice]) farming will soon give her a place second to few, if any, of the wool growing 
 countries of the world. 
 
 And tiie success of this industry will be a magnet to the British capital now seeking a 
 like investment elsewhere, lacking knowledge of this country so convenient to the great 
 niark( ts of the world ; and so wonderfully suited by nature for wool and mutton growing. 
 
 The history of the Australian colonics allbrds a good criterion on which to base a few 
 remarks, and from which to draw a i)arallcl. 
 
 Some thirty odd years since tlie Australian colonies were nglow with the gold fever. Men 
 grew rich in a day and as suddenly became jxior ; " Hiillarat," " Bendigo,'' and "(iabii'd's 
 (iiiUy," sju-ung up as if by magic, and gold dust was circulated with a lavish baud. Tlio 
 }il<Mlding i)ioiieers who started sheep funning in those days were looked upon with fcelingH 
 akin to pity. But the order of things is now reversed ; the mines are worked out and citiis 
 once rife with pleasure and dissipation are now deseitc ' nnd ilnmst forgotten, and tiie iniiiniily 
 of the w."/i who "struck it rich " died poor ; too niiiny m the big hearted miners Imind an 
 niic'i. (lined grave by the old trail through the bu.di on their way to tlio I'almer and otiier ni'W 
 fields. 
 
 Tlie history of the sheep fanners forms a striking contrast. For years they toiled on 
 hteadily increasing in numbers until to-(I;iy tin" sheep fanners of the piist are tlic Icailing 
 liusincss men in those' far olf colonies. Statesmen and leading business men tell with |'iide 
 of their success as sheep farmers, and of the jdeasures and trials of life on the sheep stution. 
 Their sons are gradnates of the best schools of the world, and are the professional and 
 commercial men of the limes. 
 
 The Merinn and l,eieest<'r have grown from thousands into millions, and are spreail from 
 Queensland to Stewanl's Island. 
 
 Ihit it was not all sunshine witii the sheep farmer; for years he had to lead a s(ditary and 
 lonely life, was a stranger to the luxuries and enjoyments of civilization ; was far from market 
 for his wool ; tli(^ " boiling down" establishment his only outlet for surplus meat where tho 
 carcase was valne(l only lor its hiile and tallow ; he had to battle with disease fostered by a 
 Iropical sun, and years of drought, of which wo can form no conception, oft recurring, caused 
 terrible losses. 
 
 Tlie raliliit, the wild hoar and the dingo, were fonnidablo enemies ; the first ever iiicrea>«inj? 
 and rcipiiring untiring exertions to keep tliem in check. Patience and pluck were needed ; and 
 pntiunuu and pluck and intelligent managemeut won tlio day and brought a rich reward 
 
20 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 ■nnd i\w "poice of the sheep fanner is now lieard in the Parliament and Commercial Chambers 
 •nl' tlif A-ntijwdes. 
 
 Alliciita to-day oilers wliat the Australian colonies had to offer thirty years ago : millions 
 • Mffwies .-jifiich grass liiiids, well watered and adapted in every respect for growing first-class 
 iinutton and fine wool ; in a land blessed with a climate of suflicient heat and sunshine during 
 two-tikirds of the year to keep the yolk in active circulation, thereby insuring a fine fibred wool ; 
 -with uiild winters and early springs, where cold rains and dust storms so injurious to the 
 rilecces are almost unknown ; offers inducements, too, which Austialia never could otfer, a 
 ■rajlwaiy nuining through the centre of the grazing lands and markets tor mutton and wool 
 'Within -easy reacli. 
 
 > AR)erta is jiar excellence the sheep country of North America. 
 
 TliTc is now on the i)la!iau and undulating prairie lanls east and northeast of Calgary a 
 "Sountry capable of sujjjiorting ti-n million sheep, a country of sweet thick grasses such as sheep 
 ithrivf i''H'st on — this, too, outside the limits of the large cattle ranges. 
 
 To the men who will engage in tiiis industry in Alberta with a capital of from three to five 
 thowsajtd dollars, and devote themselves with dilligence to the care of tiieir flocks, and use the 
 iiit^'lligent judgment so much needed in sheep husbandry to secure the animal whose wool and 
 aiiuttoii will be of the highest market value, a fortune is assured, and that, too, at the end of a 
 >vorj' l'e%v years. 
 
 dn the fall of ]»'! I, Senator Cochrane (who was also the pioneer in thelnrge rattle ranching 
 atutastiy) jjurcliased a band of several thousand sheej) in Montana and placed them on the leasu 
 'West ■of Calgary, ami the folh wing spring a number of others invested in like manner, and ii\ 
 .1HS6 -several more bamls were lirougiit over. Since then the import duty of I'u per cent, has 
 titnjijK'.l further importations from the American side. 
 
 ■J'Ik' animals brought over were, as a rule, a nondescript lot, a mixture of Spanish, Merino 
 and 3)()wns, and will recpiire nnieh careful breeding to raise them to a high standard. Ikit 
 •cftivlul and intelligent breeding means wealth to the sheep farmer. 
 
 ■l.ust Viiar a numlxTof wcll-lired rams were imported, mostly of the Down family, which 
 8oe.m8 to be thought the best by many of our present slu'epinen. 
 
 There an; now some thirty thousand sheep in the district, not inclmiinglast year's increase. 
 
 The losses on the British American Haiiche last winter (in a flock of several thousand) did 
 
 mot amount to over 2 per cent. The clip of wool in 1887 amounted to over one hundred and 
 
 :-«A'ty«five thousand iPO\uids. The wool was shipped chiefly to Handlton and Il'ontreal, and, con- 
 
 •sidering prevailing low prices, tiie class of sheep and the poor system of hau lling, the prices 
 
 ireali/ed (15 and Iti cents per lb.) were all that could be expected. 
 
 Jn Alberta sheep farming is in a very ju'imitive stage, and imtil a more intelligent system 
 is intrngiuitwl the industry will not progress as ra))idly as it should. Instance tlie mode of 
 ]iandling wo»il in Australia with that in vogue here. In the former country years of careful 
 biXHHling have b<'<m ob.served ; each year the ilock is culled, and the culls " boiled down ; " then 
 xt the slicaitng of those great flocks, n>nnl)ering from twenty to eighty thousand, every care is 
 'taken to classify (he wool ; each fleece is taken from the shearer to the folding table, the skirts, 
 iH'llies and all H<iiled parts are removed. It is then clas.sed according to the tiiieness of its fibre 
 and length of staple, and is bah'd with fleeces of the Fame quality only. Fine, medium^ and 
 •coarm' are baled sejiarately and marked according to their class, while bellies, locks and skirts 
 go logf^tber ; Uius, on the arrival of the wool in market the buyer can tell from one fleece the 
 class of vool he is buying. Here no classifying taki's jtlace, long and short, coarse and fine, 
 tikialfl «nd locks arc all jiaeked olf together, and the grower aiU'ers lor the neglect. 
 
 3t is not alone necessary to grow wofil, but to grow the wool most valuable and jilace it on 
 iVeTunrket in the best jiossible condition, if success of a high order is to be attained. Wlien 
 tlw AJIxtIh wool gniwers do this, and no dmibt the majority will soon sec the wisdom of doing 
 «\ Alberlii wool will claim a high jilace in the nuirkets. 
 
 An to the breed of sheep most j-rolitalile, ojiiuious vary ; nil breeds yiy wH worn well 
 car<Mi lor. For large flocko. Merino au(". Merinocrosses ; Merino I.eicesters, ]ierhaps, .'le the most 
 valuable Imth fur Wool and mutton ; others think Shropshire or O.vford Downs are a better cross, 
 aMil still others the Cotswohl ; be that as it nuiy, give any good breed caro and they will j)ay, 
 
 Tlwjy is a sjilendid opening Ibr stud flocks in All)erta, and a fortune will reward the 
 individuals or companies who will engage in that line. As to the uiode of handling sheep hero 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 21 
 
 ■' 
 
 and the size of bands, it will be found that bands of from eig'nt to twelve hundred can be mosb 
 profitably handled. One man will herd that number, and cue hundred tons of praiiie hay or- 
 other fodder will take them through our worst scasous and one h:df that amount daring the- 
 average winter. The cost of building folds and sheds is light, as no skilled labor is refjuireJ. 
 
 There has been much written and said relative to the erection of woollen mills in Calgary^ 
 aud no doubt the necessary capital and skill will soon find the attractions snflicient and that oner 
 of these mills will be establislied at Calgary this \ear, ou the banks of one of the rivara whosa- 
 waters furnish snflicient power to drive ten thousand mills. Such establishments wiU gire- 
 impetus to wool growing in Alberta, as well as be the means of em])loyinginu'^h labor and enable- 
 us to export instead of importing woollen goods into a country which Niituie, in the bounty afl 
 her gifts, has destined to be one of the great wool producing countries of the world. 
 
 HORSE BREEDING IN ALBERTA. 
 
 (WRITTEN KOU THIS PMU'IILET V^ SJANQUINIUS.) 
 
 •* ' I'ning forth the horse !' The horse was brought. 
 In tiutii it was a noble steed 
 ^\'llO looked as though llie sped of tliought 
 ^Vere in his linil s ; but he was wild, 
 AVild as the wild tleer and uiiliaij^'lit 
 ^Vith 8})ur and britlle inidetilid — 
 'Twas but a day he had been caught ; 
 i\n,l snorting with creeled nianr, 
 And .struggling fiercely but in vain 
 In the full loam of wrath and dread 
 
 To me tlie desirt-liorn was led." 
 
 » « * « i» 
 
 The experience of tV.e last few years has sliown that while horned cattle ami sheep enn b«* 
 sueeesslnlly and cheaiily rai.sed in the district of ATifrta, yet horses can lie still nmre cheaply 
 ami succe.sslnlly bred on o:u' prairies. The ([lustii.n of horse breeding tlieii tlirusts itself upoit- 
 us more strongly and urge/itly than any other of the many indn.'^tries that m ly be entered npou- 
 iu tiie 'I'erritoriea. In order that tho,se wlio have never seen a prairie and know nolliing of it* 
 modes may more easily I'ollow my views \\\h>\\ this .subject, I shall "begin at the lieginning." 
 The first requirement is a good lun in good ranching country. W hat is a good run fur liorsesf 
 To my idea it is u tract of good grazing land, slightly rolling and with sulllcicnt timber to all'ord 
 some shelter, add to this some siiHicient <|naiitily of nuadow (jirairic) land, .so that a reasonable 
 quantity of hay can be cut and, above all things, jilenty of good water, xcilhinit swampy coulees, 
 and we have to my mind a lirst rate run lor horses. Our ranche obtaiiu'd, what next? 'i"o me 
 the lirst necessity is a good barn or barns, according to the size of the ranche, with plenty of 
 loose boxes for stallions and jiaddocks for them to run in, also an hos))ital for weakly op sick 
 horses, ami this se))arate from the general stablcH. Adjacent to tiie stables, a well arra:iged 
 strong corrall or corralls — gnat care being taken that there are no ])roJecting points or cornera 
 to injure wild yotmg horses — add to this a good, well plastered log farm ho\i.se ami our ranche 
 is ri'ady for occuiiation. 'i'his seems a very extensive stuit, but most of the woik can be done 
 
 by the rancher himself, and, at any rate, to insure success, every ai'jiliance that can be obtained 
 should be utilized for the comfort and safely of the stock jiroposed to be rai.sed, and, ns far as 
 jtossiblc, everything ])rovi(led out of cajiital that will have a tendency to assist in the snccesfiful 
 raising and handling of the horses. I'or instance, I am of oiiinion that every stock grower 
 ought year by year to cut and lay by a certain (luantity of hay to jirovide against a severe 
 season or it nuiy be an epidemic, when his lu.rscH will re(iuire oareful iiundling, This hay may 
 not bo necessary in the greater nuuibcr of seasons, but occa.sionally a severe winter comes, and 
 although horses, least of all, reiniire any cure in this cmmtry ; yet the loss of two or tiiree 
 valual)le animals at tinu'S would far ont-balaiice the cost of the nec»Ksary provision, and, at afiy 
 rate, no true lover of 'be horse ivoulil care to see them run ilown for want of the hay that our 
 country so liberally proiluces, and wiiich can bo jiut up at so reasonalde a cost. Therefore,'! 
 •ay in providing your cai)ital have an item for the winter's supply of hay ; and I sry thin ia 
 
22 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 tlie face of the fact that I have known of banils of horses worked in freighters' and surveyors' 
 cans all summer, turned out in the autumn foot sore, back scalded and thin, that have been 
 found in the spring fat and s^ound, ready for tlie summer's work — this is not au isolated case, 
 but rather the rule. Still, 1 stick to my text, and think it safe to provide a certain quantity 
 of provender. 
 
 Now, as to the man who will probably succeed as a rancher. First, he ought to know a 
 horse when he sees it. 1 know everyone is a good judge of a horse, but in some way most people 
 make mistakes, not that they don't know. Oh, no ; they are all good judges; but then the 
 ways of horse tlesh, and particularly of horse men, are peculiar, and so 1 say he should know a 
 horse when he sees him, and be aide to tell what his good and bad points are ; he mutt have 
 good judgment and a calm, quiet, confident nature. If he is going into horse raising he, as 
 master, must know everything and see to everything. In short he must make up his mind to 
 liard work for at least five years, by which time lie may hope to have the right sort of men 
 about him and to have so far drilled his pcoi)le that he can depend upon his liosses. His 
 knowledge will be put to a severe tesj when he proceeds to stock the rauche, audno matter how 
 good a judge he may be he will require to exercise the greatest care. 
 
 The first question will be what class of stock he wishes to raise ; my own personal feeling 
 being in favor of the general jmrpose horse. If our rancher has only small means then he 
 might very well turn to the native mares, from them he could select to-day i)leiity of fairly 
 good size, fourteen to fourteen and-a-half hands high, roomy useful animals able to carry a 
 fairly good sized colt, such mares of good solid colors ,_and here one of his diilieulties will arise, 
 it being necessary to trace the mares pedigree back in order to avoid the pinto coloring which 
 is 80 largely dilfuscd amongst the native stock). This difficulty got over then the question of 
 tires comes uj) and the raneiier will have to show his judgment in mating the mares. No man 
 ought to think of crossing the native mare with anything but tall upstanding thoroughbred 
 sires first or crossing horses, the thoroughbreds getting by far the preference, and in this too 
 tlie rancher must be careful to see that his i?^ thoroughbred comes of i//./ s'ocA;; many Mw 
 fellows throw back and their progeny are small. "What must be sought for is an improvement 
 in size on the natives, and this once got our ranclier will find himself with a class of horses, 
 «'veii the fir«t colts, of fair size, good looking, tough, sound, and when properly handled, 
 tractalile, with feet of the best description, and his mares, as a rule, sure to produce. It need 
 liardly be added that as soon as the young fillies (produce of the native mare and thoroughbred 
 vv coach horse) come in the randier will require to change his sires. As to the ]iro(iuet of 
 lliis cross I believe it will ]>.iy to handle the yearling colts; halter breaking and stabling will 
 tend to make them more tractable, and will also reduce the tendency of tlie jtrairie hoises to 
 thicken under the jaw. A certain length of time with the heads tied up and the colt 
 
 compelled to feed up instead of down, in other words to pick tiie food from a rack instead of 
 off tlie ground will help to prevent what I have called " the tendency to thicken under the 
 jaw' of all iirairie fed and bred horses. This cioss i.s I believe the cheapest, and will, 1 think, 
 ill time produce the best horses on the prairies. I do not at all approve of crossing the native 
 uiares with any of the heavy draught horses, so far all the horses of that kind I have seen are 
 nondescripts without either style, action or weight, with all tlie defects and none of the 
 advantages of either nire or dam. 
 
 With a comparatively small sum native mares can be selected (say fifty to seventy-five dollars 
 each) and good hires for (say five hundred dollars on the ranch) these last if they prove good 
 Block getters will always be saleable at a profit, and the colts from the very first will find 
 ready sale as roadsters, cow horses, and, if the cross turns out as well as I believe it will, 
 ultimately as saddle horses and drivers of the beat quality. So much for the chances with native 
 stock. 
 
 The ffrent dati(jrr in Mock raining is ncclimatization. When eastern horses are first jiut 
 uiwn the i)r"iire our jieople call tlieni j)ilgrinis, and a weary pilgrinuige to some of them it ia, 
 but in reality with a little care there is no danger of loss, and a jirojM'r looking after soon puts 
 the jiilgrim as mue.li at its ease on the prairie as the native horse. So much lias been written 
 on horse raising that I have not inuoli to say on this branch of the subject. Sufiico it that 
 from present oi)pearance I should think that the breeding of largo roadsters fit for carriage, 
 cavalry, artillery or generol nurposes will be the most profitahle in this country. What is 
 requiR'd is a horbc tit for any kind of work, from driving 60 miles a day, being ri<'deu a like 
 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 23 
 
 ■■ 
 
 distance, or ridden or driven a day's march in the service, or as police horses, or again as 
 general purpose horses on our farms. Such horses we can raise more cheaply than most 
 •countries with all the advantage in the way of strength and soundness that our northern climate 
 gives. Such horses are already being raised, and the rates to be nlitained for them is so 
 remunerative that there is every inducement for the investment of c:' 1 in the business. 
 
 Eastern Canada and British Columbia supply a large uumbei >. good sized fairly bred 
 mares, but it is in the selection of sires that the rancher will have to exercise the greatest care. 
 For these again I say thorouglibreds first — not the pick of the basket as racers, but big flat 
 boned, deep shouldered, broad hocked fellows of large stock, such as go begging r.t Tattersall' 
 or yearling sales in England, or are considered only roadsters in Kentucky, because they do noi. 
 fill the eye of the trainers. Such horses are what we want and they can be got at reasonable 
 figures, while they will transmit to their progeny a^l the courage of the best bred horses in the 
 world. After these come the coachers, great big clean limbed fellows ; and after them the shire 
 horses with good size and fairly active ; these to me seem the horses for our country, and with 
 proi)er exercise of care and attention Alberta ought to be the great horse producing country of 
 America. 
 
 Already we have about fifteen thousand horses of all classes in the territoiy, and we 
 know that a great impetus was given to the business by the importation of some two hundred 
 and fifty mares of all classes from Ireland by the "Sheep Creek Ranching Company," they at 
 the same time bringing in several tlioroughbred sires. In addition to these a great many 
 stallions have been imi)orted both from the old country and from Kentucky, as well as some 
 from Montana and Oregon. 
 
 Another large horse ranche is the British American with about thirteen hundred head, all 
 the sires being imported. 
 
 In addition to tliese are a great many ranchers scattered from the boundary line to the 
 Red Deer, all more or less interested in the horse raising industry of Alberta. 
 
 Wliere is the market to come from ? asks the would be rancher! Why it is practically 
 unlimited, we have first our own country to supply, and for really good horses the home market 
 is equal to the supply or ner.'ly so. Then we have the world before us, but to secure the 
 market we must see lirst that our horses are of the best quality, and then that they are properly 
 broki-n, and as a first step to this as I liave before said the colts must be handled young and 
 properly bitted, in short they must be ])roperly trained and thejjresent rough and ready system 
 done away with. It has cost the country too much already in the running of a large number 
 •of iiorscs which, if rationally handled, would have made good useful animals. What else can 
 be cxpt'cted but the ruin of a high spirited semi-wild animal treated as many of our so called 
 liorscnicn treat unbroken colts in this country. One thing is sure in order to secure an out 
 market for our surplus stock a better system of breaking must be introduced. 
 
 Another thing that should be carefully considered by the rancher is his brand. Until the 
 «tock in this country is more closely confined to the owners run, a brand is and will be a 
 necessity. As we all know some of the brands used are a positive blemish to a liorse, and in 
 the majority of ciases it is an eyesore ; to remedy this as far as possible should be the study of 
 the rancher, and the smaller the mark can be made the better. Under any circumstances the 
 ■eastern and English buyers will criticise it and declare it ruins the horse for their purposes ; 
 m it should be the ranchers study to have the smallest jiossiblc mark compatible with ease in 
 identifying the animal. 
 
 In writing as I have I of course am swayed by my own predilections ; no doubt many men 
 as good or better judges of horse flesh than I am will tliink differently as to the class of 
 animals that sliould be the standard on o\ir prairies. My opinions are based upon the work I 
 Be(! the horses raised in tliis country are most likely to be callvd upon to do. Our first positive 
 market in Alberta is to mount the jwlice, and here I think wo may pioperljr point with pride 
 to the (}uality of tho horse ridden bj" that force, all native liorses from fifteen to seventeen 
 hands, strong, active and sound ; at lea«t I think I am justified in saying that in no regiment 
 •of cavalry in the service will yMi find so large a proportion of ttrictly sound horses. On* 
 notable fact bcitig the extent to wliich the gieen horses, purchased yearly, funiish and thicken 
 tip, aye and rise upon the withers, as soon as tlie regular care- feeding and grooming usual in 
 cavalry stables are given them. 1 may cite two notable instances of improvement — honwt 
 ridden by Col. Hcrclimer — first, and 1 hod almost suid }K*erles8, liis well known grey charger 
 
,24 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 VhoHP accidental death every horseman in the territories regretted ; and now the chesnut that 
 has filled the giey's place ; both of these horses when first purchased were inclined to be needy 
 but both filled and furnished to a wonderful degree, so much so that I question, if even itt 
 Kotteii How a finer charger than tl>e grey could be seen, and either of them would excite 
 comment and notice all the world over, while, after all, they were only specimen Worses ; the- 
 same care will produce the same results as a rule in our bauds of horses. 
 
 After the police are supplied the market here becomes general, but it is a good one ; any 
 team of even moderately good style is worth from $250 to $450 a pair, and aS soon as we get our 
 stoclcs up to supply the local demand then we have before us the great Eastern and Europeaa 
 markets, which will absorb all the good horses we can raise. The fact being that the market i» 
 practically unlimited so long as we can supply horses up to the required standard. 
 
 It is a great thing to be able to assert that our stockmen are doing everything possible ix> 
 bring up the size and (juality of their bands, and the Canadians need have no fear but that our 
 people will within a very few yeara be the largest producers of first class general purpose horses. 
 
 I incline to the belief that the further north you can bring either grain, fruit or animal* 
 to perfection the better it will be, so in the matter of horses. I believe that, taken band for 
 band, more sound horses, with good, healthy constitutions, will be found in Alberta than in any 
 country I am aware of as a horse raising region, let the comparison be as it may. You can cut 
 out from a band of our horses any hundred you may choose and you will find ninety of them 
 sound, with such feet and bellows as would delight any true horseman. All that is icanting is 
 to bring them up in size. Great strides have been made in that direction, and with ordinary 
 care 1 hoi)c to see, within tlie next five years, that in all things our horses will take the lead. 
 
 To revert to what some of my friends term "my weakness," the (Cayeuse) or r.ivtive horse. 
 When we hear of men riding to Mclieod and back to Calgary (200 miles) in four days, on 
 l)onies scarcely fourteen hamis high, and know that tlley thrive and do well on prairie grass 
 alone, even although severely worked, coming out after the hardest summer's work in the 
 succeeding spring, after rustling all winter for a living, fat and sound, every one must agree that 
 I am writing of a notably tough and hardy race of animals. When we add to this that they are 
 tractable and good lookers, I think that I am justified in hoping that by judicious and careful 
 crossing a breed may be develojied second to none in all tlie useful and most desirable quahtiea 
 — of good tempers, good size aiid good looks, fit to go anywhere and do anything. 
 
 In conclusion, I would say 1 believe that in no country is there open a safer or better 
 investment than horse ranching in Alberta. Everything required to start and maintain such a 
 ranche can be got in without any difiiculty, and within four years tlie investment ought, with 
 ordinary care, to pay from twenty to sixty per cent. Men struggling to make a bare living out 
 of the large capital invested in farming at home would here find themselves independent upon 
 their own instead of rented properti/ ajter a very short proftulion, and with lialf the labor would 
 grow rich upon the investment of half the sum out of which in the old country, or even in old 
 Cauada, they eke out a living. Let no one imagine this follows as a matter of course. Constant 
 
 and eternal vigilance is the price of that great liberty^ 
 
 C4ire, wtii judicious 
 Succcssi t 
 
 management 
 
 Ca aky, Alberta, 
 
 January 9th, 1883. 
 
 CATTLE RAISING IN ALBERTA. 
 
 Of ip;; pi oils 
 
 Slow winding tlirougli a level plain 
 meads with cattle sprinkled o'or. 
 
 Today Alberta stands peerless among the cattle countries of the worM ; and the unknowa- 
 land of a few yeai-s ago is now looked to as one of tlio greatest future supply depots of the 
 British markets. 
 
 Aitliough cattlo had been introduced into Alberta a number of years back, it was not until 
 1881 that the foundation of t!u! present great indiistiy was laid. In that year the Cochrane 
 Kanoho Company brought over from Montana several tluuisaiul head which wero placed on tiieir 
 Imuw west of Calgary under the uiamigeniont of Major Walker, and the following spring th* 
 
 ■ 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 25 
 
 same company made extensive purchases, amounting to several thousand head. The North- 
 West Cattle Company, under the management of Mr. Fred. Stinson, brought over in 1882: 
 4,000 head. During the winter of 1882-3 the industry received a severe check. A large herd 
 purchased by the Cochrane Company in the spring did not reach the ranche until late in th& 
 fall. A severe snow storm occurred and the cattle, footsore from the long drive and being on a 
 strange range, drifted in various directions, and the season being a severe one, the lo8se» 
 were very heavy and alarmists were ready with theories in disparagement of the Jcouutry ; the 
 practical minded and plucky were not, however, *o be scared by a loss which could not b* 
 reasonably ascribed to any fault of the country oi- climate. 
 
 In 1883 the Oxley Ranche Company, the Waldron Ranche Company, the Sheep Creek TJanch» 
 Company, and other companies and wealthy individuals obtained leases of large tracts land 
 in Southern Alberta, and their managers proceeded to Montana and Idaho, puichased and bmught 
 over numerous bands of cattle and horses, and the fertile hills whose grasses had been lying 
 waste since tli^, ' 'appearance of the great Ikerd of Butlalos some six years previous, resounded 
 with the rich mu. ic of the lowing herds. A number of men, with bands ranging from fifty to- 
 several thousands, embarked in the business, and the losses that winter were so light and th» 
 increase so great tliat fresh confidence was inspired, and many new companies were formed. 
 
 In March of 1884 it was estimated that the number of cattle in Alberta amounted to 
 40,000 head. The demand from the commencement for beef cattle was greater than the 
 Bupply. 
 
 The Indian Department, North-West Mounted Police Force, and the thousands of mea 
 employed in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, together with ever increasing 
 numbers who come as visitors or settlers, swelled the consumption to such an extent as to tax 
 to the utmost the beef supply of Alberta ; and British Columbia and Montana were up to last 
 year frequently called upon to supply beyf steers for the Alberta market. 
 
 No«v a new era luu been reached , Alberta has bee/ steers to ship ; and some interesting 
 events in the history of the Alberta cattle industry have taken place ; events which, in their 
 results, have justly caused the Alberta cattlemen to feel "way up," to use a western phrase. 
 
 On the 10th of October last the North- West Cattle Company, of High River, shipped, 
 700 fat steers from their range in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to Montreal, which on 
 being sold, realized the handsome avcrajfc of §57 per head ; and this, too, for cattle fresh from the 
 range, and which nev/r received other shelter or feed than nature provides on the cattle ranges 
 of Alberta. Taking into consideration the distance which those semi-wild animals had to 
 travel, the worry and excitement which they sufi'ered by being loaded and unloadetl, and th' 
 loss of weight consequent thereon, the success of the venture was everything tliat could bo 
 desired ; allowing the cost of shipment and all nescessary expenses connected tiierewith to be- 
 $11.00 per head, which is a high estimate, and the cost of raising the animals, 3 year old steers,, 
 at $I'J.UU, we lind the above animals netted their owners $34.00 clear of every expense. Many 
 of the beasts were slaughtered in Montreal and the beef pronounced to be superior to any in tli» 
 market — commanding the highte.st prices. What then will be the profits when a new system 
 will be inaugurated? When Calgary and Maclicotl will have their mammoth slaughter houses* 
 where the beeves otf the ranges will be slauglilered and prepared for market, wlience they 
 will be transsliipped by refrigerator cafs and steamers to the great centres of consumption iu 
 Groat liritain. 
 
 Tlie other event above alluded to was the joint shipment of the Oxley and Winder ranches 
 from their ranges on Willow Creek of (iOO head of steers iu the same mouth ; the.se animals 
 did not equal iu size or uomjition those of the North-West C .tie Co., still their condition 
 demonstrated beyond question the wonderful nutritive powers of the prairie grasses during 
 sumniur and winter seasuus. The cattle were all olf the range and like tlie steers of the N. W. 
 Cattle Co. hatl never received any care or attention. Tiiese cattle on reaching Montreal were 
 divided into heads of 100 and niiwanls, and shipped re.sjpectively to Hristol, Liverpool and 
 Glasgow ; and from what can be learned the prices realized are highly satisfactory to tho 
 owners. 
 
 These trial shipnn als have been watched with much interest by the ranchers of Alberta, and. 
 it is little to lie woudeii'd at, that they are in high spirits over the results. 
 
 Tliat the preseut system of cattle raising is the most profitable one is more than doubtful. 
 !Elach year's experience points out that tlieru is more profit and economy in providing food and 
 
26 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 «helter for them during the woret winter weather ; in average winters, cattle will not rcquiie 
 any feed, but severe seasons, such as those of 1882-3 and that of lapt year, will occur, and to 
 insure against losses in such seasons feed and shelter are necessary. This year the majority of 
 «attle owners have weaned their calves, and together with weak cows are feeding them a little 
 hay, and the belief is gaining ground that the most profitable way of handling cattle is to be 
 prepared to feed calves and cows in low condition during severe storms and thus avoid the risk 
 of loss. The saying among stockmen is "that you cannot kill a steer with weather, as he will 
 rustle always and keep fat during the worst season." 
 
 It has been conceded by the experienced stockmen of many countries that Alberta stands 
 first as a cattle country in the abundance of its native grasses and plentiful supply of water and 
 natural shelter, and comparing the losses on the Alberta ranges last year with those of the great 
 cattle countries on the American side of the line, we have much to be thankful for; in Montana 
 the losses during the winter of 1886-7, taking the whole of the range cattle into account, are 
 «8timated at from 60 to 75 per cent., and in many instances out of herds of several thousands 
 but a few hundreds survived, and the industry may be said to have been paralyzed ; in Alberta, 
 while the weather was equally severe, the natural shelter of the ranges and the abundant supply 
 of good grasses helped the cattle through, and the highest estimates do not place the losses at 
 more than from 10 to 15 per cent. That even these losses should occur in a land where 
 millions of tons of hay annually go to waste shows that judicious economy is not exercised in 
 the cattle busiiuTSd. A':tention, industry and iutelligent labor are as necessary to success in this 
 as in any other business. 
 
 The time will probably soon come when the range cattle will pass through the hands of 
 the Alberta farmer before they reach the markets of the east ; in other words, the farmer with 
 the facilities he possesses here for having a cheap and abundant supply of fodder on hand will 
 purchase steers from the large ranges in the fall, feed them through tlie winter on prairie hay 
 and other foddei' at a cost of from three to five dollars per head, and in the spring place them on 
 the market in prime condition, making a handsome profit on his investment and labor. 
 
 In this and in many other ways (which it is not necessary for the purposes of this pamphlet 
 to discuss) will the cattle industry o*" Alberta, at present in its infancy, increase to the volume 
 and importance which nature in her bountiful sui)ply of all the necessary elements has so 
 liberally assisted it to attain. 
 
 There are now on the ranges of Alberta over 100,000 head of cattle, which at any season 
 are neither fed nor sheltered; cattle, too, which in point of breeding, size and general condition, 
 are equal, if not superior, to any range cattle in the world ; for the Alberta rancher, 
 injudicious as he may be in many points of management, is deserving of the greatest credit for 
 the high grade which the range cattle have reached. Shorthorns, Hereford and Angus Bulls 
 have been imported at great expense ; but the interest on the outlay has indeed been both 
 satisfactory and encouraging, and the young cattle of the Alberta ranges would compare 
 favorably with the barnyard cattle of Great Britain. With a local market which annually 
 consumes from eighteen to twenty thousand beeves and the demand ever increasing; with 
 the great market of the world within easy access, with our natural advantages enticing the 
 most experienced cattlemen from the American Territories and British Columbia to invest in 
 the business here, who can say what will be the future of this industry which has grown with 
 euch gigantic strides in seven years. 
 
 lo the capitalists and the farmer who intend engaging in the cattle business tlie writer 
 would say : examine well into the resources and attractions of any other country in which you 
 may bo inclined to make a home ; compare the advantages it offers witii these oll'ered by Alberta 
 and having done so, there i little doubt but that you will make a hapi)y and prosperous home 
 for yourself under the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and assist in stocking the fertile valleyg 
 of fair Alberta, 
 
 WHO SHOULD GO TO ALBERTA? 
 
 While Alberta offers inducements to industrious emigrants from all civilized nations, ths 
 class who are most likely to succeed here at this stage of the country's history, are men and 
 families with some means, practical farmers ; above all the dairy farmers of England, Ireland 
 •nd Scotland, — 1« this class Alberta otl'eitt iuducemcnts Which few, if any otaer ooantrie% 
 can offer. 
 
 s' 
 
 
 
" 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 27 
 
 
 •* ? 
 
 A country whose laws are good, where life and property are as safe as in any part of the 
 world ; where the educational advantages are exceptionally good, and a land of bright sunny 
 skies, and healthful climate ; a new laud where millions of acres of virgin soil await the industry 
 of the new comer ; free lands in the most progressive country of the age. 
 
 Markets good and growing better each year ; a land promissing wealth to the industrious 
 and practical. 
 
 The capitalist will iind in Alberta interesting and profitable fields for investments. It would 
 be fruitless to attempt to point out the many channels for investments ; here they are legion. 
 Each day some new mineral discovery is made known ; some new industry, promising large 
 returns crops up ; everywhere is the want of capital felt. The industries connected with cattle, 
 tfheep and horse raising, and dairy farming alone, are so great that imagination cannot 
 grasp them, and the capitalist in Alberta has a large choice of piusuits all promising rich 
 rewards. 
 
 'J'o the labourer, the industrious farm labourer who will work contentedly for a few years 
 tmtil he acquires capital to start farming for himself. Alberta holds out bright prospects ; if he 
 is sober and economical, success brighter than his most sanguine expectations awaits him. 
 
 To the servant girls cf the old country, and especially to girls accustomed to dairy work, 
 wo would say that Alberta needs your labor and industry, and oH'ers you good wages to start 
 with, and it rests largely with yourselves if you are long seeking employment for wages ; new 
 homes are springing up every day and progressive settlers are continually seeking good wives. 
 "."he prospect that you may in the near future fill the honored position of a good wife to a 
 worthy man, and be mistress of a comfortable, hajjpy home of your own, sliould bo an 
 inducement to tempt good sensible women to come to Alberta. 
 
 The invalid will find in Alberta a bracing climate to recuperate his health. The virtues of 
 its hoi springs (mineral) are becoming univeisally extolled. 
 
 The sportsman, tourist, artist, botanist and geologist will find the mountains, foresta. 
 lakes and prairies of Alberta ailbrding abundance of i)leasur«, interest and information ; a large 
 portion of North-Western Alberta is but little known, an almost unexplored country, and thus 
 otfers much to lovers of adventure and exploration. 
 
 For educated labour there are very few openings here. Clerks, salesmen and educated men 
 of no particular calling, and who have no means, should not come ; the su)iply already liere, far 
 exceeds tlie demand. The same may be said of men with a little capital seeking openings 
 in the mercantile line. The country is overstocked with merchants ; there are sufficient 
 men engaged in merchandise here to supply all wants in that line for yeai-s to come ; 
 professional men with limited means expecting to make a living out of the practice of their 
 profession are also likely to be disappointed. There are already more lawyers, doctors, engineers, 
 surveyors, &.C., here than there is profitable practice for. 'J'he country needs pnoDUCEiis and 
 capitalists; men of idle and extravagant habits, men with no capital and who are 
 unaccustomed to manual labor, will be likely to meH. with hardship and disajipointment. 
 
 Farmers with some capital, say from $1,000 (^200^ to $3,000 (^£600) will find this a good 
 country providing always they are industrious, economical and practical. With $3,000 a man 
 with a family to help him can make a splendid start in dairy or mixed farming with every 
 chance of growing wealthy in a very few years. 
 
 When to Come. 
 
 The settler coming to Alberta will be rather benefitted than otherwise by coming early 
 in the spring ; spring works, ploughing, &c., generally commences at the end of February, and 
 seldom later than the middle of March. True after tiiat date we have disagreeable cold sitells ; 
 but it will be a decided advantage to the new comer to arrive in good season ; as, if he intends 
 entering into dairy farming he will be in a position to enjoy the full beuefits of the season, and 
 there is no reason why he should not make money from the first by butter making. It will be 
 found that outside the supply of clothing for himself and family it is more profitable to 
 
 Eurchase his requirements when he arrives at his destination. Money in his pocket will secur; 
 im the necessaries suitable to the country whereas a useless, though possibly a costly 
 •mount of baggage, which so many bring, is often found a hindrance in many ways. When 
 you have thoroughly made up your mind to emigrate, purchase a ticket to Calgary if yon 
 
28 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 intend settling in the centre or northern part of Alberta, or to Lethbridge if you intend 
 settling in Southern Alberta. 
 
 Do not believe any discouraging reports of the country which interested parties are so 
 willing to circulate, more than a few have been deterred from coming here by false reports. 
 The letters published in this pamphlet are written by practical people of good standing, 
 resident here, and you cannot get a better idea of the country than by reading their letters 
 over carefully. When you have done so, you will very likely be convinced that this is a good 
 country and when you come, if you are of the right mateiial, you will find success crown your 
 labors. 
 
 SCHOOLS. 
 
 The schools of the North West Territories are controlled and managed by a board of 
 Education appointo'^. by the Lieutenant-Governor, and consisting of eight members, five of whom 
 are Protestants and three Catholics, and who hold office for two years. 
 
 A board of ex;iminti examine and license teachers to teach in the schools. 
 
 When there ure not less than four resident heads of families and ten children, between the 
 ages of 5 and 16 inclusive, residing within a given area, any three of such residents may 
 petition the Lieutenant-Governor to have such area erected into a school district ; such district 
 IS managed by three trustees elected by the ratepayers, whose term of office lasts 3 years, 2 years 
 and 1 year respectively. 
 
 The duties of the trustees are to select a school site, build a schoolhouse, acquire furnishing, . 
 engage qualified teachers and manage the school generally, including the selection of all the 
 books.maps and globes to be used from tlie list authorized by the board of education. 
 
 Every scliool organized as above receives from the Territories school fund annual grants 
 varying from $200 to ^350, acc(u ing to the grade and number of the teachers eniploj-ed, and 
 a further grant, based ujion the attendance and proficiency obtained by the cliildren. 
 
 Further moneys required for the maintenance of the school are obtained by taxing all the 
 real and personal property within the school district, subject, however, to certain exeniptione, 
 amongst which is peisonal proi)erty to ihe value of $300 and household ellects of every kind, 
 books and wearing apjiarel. 
 
 The trustees have power, with the sanction of the ratepayers, to borrow money on 
 debentures for the erection of the sehoolhouse. 
 
 (Section 11 and 2i>) In every township 1280 acres are set aside by the Governinent for 
 the benefit of school piirjiosos. 
 
 The school ordinance directs the teaching of reading, writing, orthography, arithmetic, 
 geography, grammar. History of England and Canada and Englisli literature, and gives 
 the trustees power to authorize the teaching of such other subjects as may be deemed 
 necessary. 
 
 Children, whose parents or gr irdians are ratepayers of any school district, are taught ia 
 the school free of charge. 
 
 Inspectors are appointed by the board, and to each is allotted a certain number of districts. 
 Their duties are to visit at least once in eacii term the seliools under their charge and examine 
 into every department and make a lull rejiort to the board. 
 
 Under this well d. vised and beneficent system a sound education is obtained at a 
 minimum cost, and so well is it appreciated that as soon as settlers are in a position to 
 do 80, they make use of it ; hence it is hard to find a location without a school within ea.sy 
 distance. 
 
 Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney, in his speech at Calgary on the 7tli January, 1888, states 
 " that we had now 106 Protestant public schools, 4 public schools, 17 li'imuin Catholic public 
 " schools and 6 Roman Catholic s(i)arate schools, or in all 134 schools." This year he 
 estimates that we would have at least 150 schools with 4,500 pupils. In 1882 12,204 was spent 
 for school purposes, whilst last year the amount was $42,507, and this year he had asked from 
 the Dominion Government (with every probability of getting it) for $63,229, to be expended 
 in education in the North- West in 18^8. 
 
 The settler coming to Alberta need not fear but that he will have every opportunity ot 
 (lying his children a sound education at a very bmall cost. 
 
 e: 
 
 of 
 
 Ol 
 
 t< 
 
 V 
 w 
 
 a 
 
 t 
 
 C' 
 
 d 
 
 g 
 
 c 
 i: 
 a 
 
 c 
 
 1 
 
intend 
 
 years 
 
 '' 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 29 
 
 LABOUR AND WAGES. 
 
 During the spring and summer of 1887 the demand for labour throughout Alberta was brisk, 
 owing to the rapid progress of the country. In Calgarry and vicinity the demand was far in 
 €xcess of the supply. Carpenters, masons and lumbermen were in special demand on account 
 of the numerous building operations under way. That the demand will increase each year is 
 only reasonable to suppose ; yet, until the country is more fully developed it would be unwise 
 to encourage the coming of skilled labour of any kind, excepting that of carpenters, masons, 
 plasterers, brickmakers and lumbermen. Men coming here should be capable and willing to do 
 work of any kind initil they find openings at their own calling. Men accustomed to city work 
 and special lines only, should not come until they first communicate with employers here as to 
 the demand for their special labour. Each year will make fresh openings, new railways will be 
 constructed, manufacturing industries will spring into existence, the pioneer of the present will 
 develope into the employer of the future. The great mineral and lumber resources will 
 gradr.iilly and surely be developed and open up fields for labour almost un thought of now. The 
 cheese and dairy farmer, the wool grower and the cattle and horse rancher will all contribute to 
 increase the labour market. The demand for female servants, domestics, nursery girls and girls 
 accustomed to dairy and farm work is and will continue to be, good at fair wages. 
 
 In all branches of labour the lack of capital for the development of the resources of the 
 country is the only check to a greater demand. 
 
 The following are about the average wages paid throughout Alberta during the past season, 
 1887:— 
 
 General labourers, per day, without board $2 00 to $2 50 
 
 Farm labourers, per day, with lioard 1 50 
 
 Farm labourers, per mouth, with board 25 00 35 00 
 
 Female farm servants, per inontli 15 00 20 00 
 
 Female domestics " 15 00 20 00 
 
 Nurscrv girls " 8 00 15 00 
 
 Hotel girls «' 20 00 25 00 
 
 Cooks, female " 25 00 40 00 
 
 Cooks, male " 50 00 60 00 
 
 Cooks on ranches " 40 00 50 00 
 
 Masons, per day 4 00 5 00 
 
 Bricklayers, per day 4 00 5 00 
 
 Plasterers " 3 50 4 00 
 
 <-:arpenter3 " 2 75 3 50 
 
 Smiths " 2 00 2 50 
 
 Wheelwrights " 2 00 2 50 
 
 Coal miners, per ton 80 1 00 
 
 Mill hands, per month 26 00 75 00 
 
 Sa Idlers, jwr day 
 
 Printeis, first class ukmi, per week 18 00 
 
 Bootmakers, per day 
 
 Painters " 2 00 3 00 
 
 Tailors " 2 50 
 
 Gardeners, per month 30 00 40 00 
 
 Teamsters, without board, per month 40 00 50 00 
 
 There is and has been a dearth of good, practical farm laborers throughout Alberta. Good 
 axemen and mill hands are always in fair demand. A number of gardeners could find employment 
 at fair wages, and the demand will continue to increase. The supply of good carpenters, 
 stonemasons, bricklayers and plasterers has never equalled the demand, the general complaint 
 amongst employers being that they cannot obtain sober, industrious men ; of course, there are 
 exceptions, but as a rule the above class of tradesmen have been a floating population, making 
 money quickly, and spending time and money extravagantly. To good tradesmen of the classes 
 named who are of sober, industrious habits. Alberta otters excellent chances of success. Men 
 of intemperate habits will find those habits very costly ones in the far west— they cannot 
 
30 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 Huccpf'd here ; njid further, Alberta has no use for them ; extravagance and lack of industry is 
 the liiine of the laboring classes here ; they want to wear their golden spurs before they win 
 them. 
 
 FORM OF_GOVERNMENT. 
 
 The government of the Territories is modelled on the Provincial form, hut th» Territorial 
 liOgislature has not yet been given all the functions of a provincial assembly. The North- West 
 Council, which meets once a year at llegina, has power to legislate for the entire Territories 
 upon nearly all the subjects upon which the legislature of any of the provins/es can legislate ; 
 but it cannot introduce bills lor appropriating the territorial revenues, and it cannot alter its owa 
 constitution. 
 
 The annual grant made by the Dominion Government to the Territories is based upon 
 estimates made by the Lieut. -Governor. The purposes for which the grant is made are thus a 
 matter of agreement between the Lieut. -Governor and the Government of the day at Ottawa. 
 So much is granted for school [jurposes, so much for the cost of carrying on the government and 
 legisl.ition in the North- West, and so much for the public works and miscellaneous matters. 
 The amount granted for these purposes last year was some $96,000. After the expenditure 
 for schools is deducted the balance is devoted by the Lieut. -Governor in accordance with his 
 previous estimate to the expenses stated above, and its public works. The amount devoted to 
 schools is very large in proportion to the whole sum, and is distributed between the schools of 
 all denominations according to a well devised plan designed by the J^v '-th-West Council. The 
 amounts contributed to other purposes depend upon such recommu ' tions as the Lieut.- 
 Governor makes and the Dominion grants. 
 
 In addition to the annual Dominion grant the Territories have a small revenue derived 
 from the issue of auctioneers, legal, medical und other licenses in the Territories. This amounts 
 to some $12,000 or $14,000 a year, and is divided equally amongst the elected members of the 
 North- West Council for expenditure in their respective constituencies on mending the roads, 
 making bridg(;s and so foitii. 
 
 The Nortli-West Council is partly an elected and partly an appointed body. It was 
 constituted by Act of Parliament in ISTf), and held its lirst session in 1877 at Livingstone, 
 Swan Kiver. 
 
 The firat Council consisted of tn^ Lieut. -Governor and three appointed members, viz : — 
 Stijicniiiary Magistrates Kichiudson and Uyan, and Col. Macleod, Commissioner of the North- 
 West Mounted Police. 
 
 In 1878 the Council met at Battlefor-l ; Paschal and Breland, an appointed member 
 being added to it. In 1879 another session wus hehi, consisting of the same members. 
 
 In 1880 the Dominion Pailiament, by amending the jirevious North- West Territories Act, 
 gave the Lieut. -Governor power to erect electors, districts in the North-Wcst, and in 
 accordance with this the Lieut. -Governor in November of the same year erected three 
 electoral divisions, the qualifications of each being according to its Acts, a thousand persons to a 
 thousand square miles. In February, 1881, the first elections were held, and Lawrence Clark, 
 Esq., Hudson Bay Company's Chief Factor, was electtid for Lome, and took his seat in the 
 Council that year._ Since then thirteen new electoral divisions have been erected, and the 
 Noith-West Council at present consists of 20 members, 14 being elected and 6 appointed. 
 
 It is not considered that the North- West Council, as at present constituted, will be continued 
 ■beyond the next sessian of tlie Dominion Parliament. 
 
 At the last session of the Council, held at Kf gina, the members sent a memorial to Ottawii 
 praying that the appointed members should be done away with, and such additional jiower given 
 the Council as would give it the sole direction of the annual Dominion grant. The result of 
 this would be that the Council would virtually be placed on the same footing as the legislative 
 •asemblies of Ontario and Manitoba. 
 
 ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. 
 
 Within the past year a great change has taken place in the administration of justice in the 
 Territories Before that time justice was administered throughout the country by four 
 atipeudiary magistrates, who had equal jurisdiction over all the Territories, but who divided 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 31 
 
 the country into districts for the purpose of couvenience. Each stipendiary appointed his clerk, 
 while one sheriff, appointed by the Dominion, and under whom were five deputies, had th& 
 whole North- West for his shrievalty. Courts were held three or four times a year both for civil 
 and criminal matters. Justices of the peace were the only other law officers. From th& 
 decisions of the stipendiary courts there were no appeals except to the Court of Queen's Bench,. 
 Manitoba, and only then in civil cases on torts where the amount exceeded $500, and in casea 
 of contract where the amount sued for was over $1000. In criminal matters there was au 
 appeal in certain cases. 
 
 The great strides made by the country, the increase of population, and especially the number 
 coming in from the eastern provinces, brought the people in some cases in conflict with the 
 almost autocratic powers of the stij)endiary magistrates. This was notably the case in Calgary 
 and caused so much troubl(> that the Goveniuient fait called upon to make a change in thfr 
 system. Acccordingly, in 1886 a new system was introduced by which the stipendiaries were 
 .3 abolished and a Supreme Court erected, similar in constitution and practise to the Superior 
 Courts of the provinces, and presided over like them by judges appointed for life. 
 
 Five judges were ap{)ointed, one for caeh of the five judicial districts, into which the 
 North- West Territories are now divided as well as a clerk and sheriff for each district, all 
 appointed by the Dominion. The new Act came into force on the 18th of February, 1886, and 
 in the same year the rules of procedure of the court were framed by the North- West Council. 
 
 There is now au appeal from the judgment or order of the cou»t presided over by a single 
 judge, without the special leave of the court or judge whose order or judgment is in question, 
 wherever a title to real estate or some interest therein, or the validity of a patent is ail'ected, or 
 where the matter is in controversy. Au api)eal in matters of contract must exceed $500, and in 
 matters of tort $200. The appeal is to the court en Banc, which meets at Kegina twice a year, 
 and is presided over by the five judges of the Supreme Court. A further appeal lies to the 
 Supreme Court at Ottawa. 
 
 The Territorial rules of procedure are founded on the English Judicature Acts, although 
 numerous sections are incorporated from the Ontario and Nova Scotia Judicature Acts. The 
 bar consists of lawyers who have taken out Territorial certificates as advocates. By the North- 
 West Ordinance, No. 10, of 1885, the following persons and no others shall be entitled to 
 recover or receive any fee or reward for suing out process, defending actions, conducting 
 proceedings and practising before the courts of civil jurisdiction in the Tei'ritories on behalf ot 
 any other person or persons or corporations : — 
 
 Any person who iias been duly called to the "bar of any of the courts in Her Majesty's 
 Dominions, or who has been admitted to practise as an attorney, advocate or solicitor in any ot 
 the said courts, and who is actually residing in the Territories at the time of the passing o( 
 this ordinance ; any person who hereafter becomes a resident of the Territories ; any person 
 who has been actually and continuously engaged in the practise of law in the said Territories for 
 the two years immediately prior to the passing of this ordinance, and who has studied law in a law 
 office within Her Majesty's Dominions for at least three years; any subject of Her Majesty of 
 the ago of twenty-one years, actually residing in the Territories at the time of the passing ot 
 this ordinance, who shall furnish to the judge of the district within which he is residing 
 satisfactory evidence of good character, and that lie has been practising law in the North- West 
 Territories prior to the passinj^ of this ordinance, aud who shall, within twelve months from 
 the passing thereof, present himself for and pass an examination to the satisfaction of such 
 judge, and a duly enrolled advocate of the Territories to be named by such judge, on the 
 general principles of the common law and e(iuity jurisprudence, the British North American 
 Act and amendments thereto, tlie Statutes of the Dominion and the Ordinances of the North- 
 West Territories, and sliall subscribe and tak(i belJro such judge the oath hereinafter prescribed ; 
 any subject of Her Majesty of the age of twenty-one years, actually residing in the 'lerritorieB, 
 who shall furnish to the judge of the district iu which he is residing satisfactory evidence of 
 good character, and that he lias pursued the study of law for at least three years, and has been 
 during such time articled to and actually engaged in, the study and practise of law in the ofllce 
 of a duly enrolled advocate in the North-West 'J'erritories ; and said articles and any assignment 
 thereof shall be filed with the clerk of the District Court within which such advocate resides, 
 within one month afler the execution thereof, together with an affidavit verifying such 
 execution, and shall pass an examination to the satisfaction of such judge and a duly enrolled 
 
32 
 
 ALBEIWA, CANADA. 
 
 advocate of the Territories, to be named by such judge, on the subjects specified in th« 
 Iirecediiig sub-section, and shall take and subscribe to the oath bereinafter prescribed. 
 
 All such persons shall be officers of the several courts of t>ie Territories, and shall be knowR 
 anc? designated is advocates of such courts, and shall be entitled and empowered to act in any 
 court of civil jurisdiction in the North- West Territories. 
 
 MINERALS. 
 
 That Alberta possesses untold wealth in her immense mineral deposits is no longer a matter 
 ot speculation. For years past gold in paying quantities has been found on the banks and bars 
 of the North Saskatchewan lliver. The discoveries made last lall in the vicinity of Prairie 
 Creek are full of importance, and the locality will no doubt ere long be the scene of muoh 
 mining activity. Gold colours are found in almost every stream and river in Albeita, and as the 
 <'ountry id thoroughly prosjMJcted there is every reason to suppose that rich finds will be 
 discovered. Large veins of galena have been located which are pronounced by experts to 
 contain a large percentage of silver. Cajiital alone is wanting to make them treasuries ot 
 wealth to the country. Copper ore in enormous quantities has also been iound said to contain 
 <50 per cent, of pure copper. Iron ore has been discovered in various parts of Alberta. A forty- 
 foot seaTU of licniatite iron said to contain 67 per cent, of iron exists at the base of Storm 
 Mountain quite close to the Canadian Pacific Ilailway line, and other large seams are kuowu 
 to exist in the JMacleod District in the vicinity of Crow's Nest Pass. 
 
 As to the quantity of the coal dejmsits of Alberta it is impossible to form any estimate. 
 The coal niincs already discovered are of sufTicieut extent to supply Canada with luel for all 
 time. At Lcthbridge one and a half million dollars have been already expended in developing 
 the coal mines of one company. At Antliracite over one hundred thousand dollars have been 
 «'xpended in opening up the hard coal deposits of that vicinity. Hard coal has recently been 
 discovered at Kdmonton, semi-anthracite at Posebud, anthracite near Canmore, and vast 
 deposits in Crow's Nest Pass in the southern district. 
 
 Soft coal is so plentiful that the certainty of a cheap fuel supply is assured to Albertans 
 for all time. There is hardly a townshij) in this vast country but haa a deposit of coal. 
 
 The great mineral industries are still in their infancy. Immense fortunes are hidden iu the 
 earth awaiting t'le hand of jnospector and cajiitalist, and rich will be the reward of those who 
 U\iui the first advantages of the privileges now open to all. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 Alberta possesses a climate as healthful and invigorating as any on the continent, and as a 
 lienlth i-.M)rt in fast winning high praise from hea'*hy settlers. The record of the diuly 
 temiwrali .. , extending over a jK-riod of four years, which has been faithfully reported by S. 
 W. iSlnuv, Ksq., of Pish Creek, and which appears in another portion of the pamphlet, is full 
 of interest to tiiose intending to settle hero. It shows that the spring season commences usually 
 early in Marcli, that the average winter is between forty and sixty days in length and that 
 Kuininer fiost« are not so frequent or destructive as many believe hem to be. 
 
 It Would be impossible to give one a correct idea of the climate : to tell of its advantages and 
 its disadvantages would be a long and hopless task. Bright, sunny days, and nights of limpid 
 brightiiids are prominent features to which all are willing to yield praise. The d;*iipr*eal)le 
 fcaluri'H are the sudden changes froni heat to cold and vtcf versa. In winter the thermometer 
 may be several degrees below zero in tiie forenoon, and in the afienioon a soutli wind (Chinook) 
 may spring up and in a few hours ti>e temperature will bo 40 or 50 degrees above zero, and for 
 days, often weeks, in the winter season, Albertans enjoy summer weather, consequent on these 
 Koutii-west warm winds. Usually cold weatlier sets in about the firct of January, and continues 
 with intervals of (Chinook weatlier, until liie beginning of Marcii, when the real cold weatlier 
 is past. After that time cold snaps, generally of but a few days' duration, often „,;eur. 
 
 Tlie rainy season extemlsfroni the middle of May to the end of June ; after thatdut«f thunder 
 showerH nrv the only rains usual. The fall weather iu Alberta is siniply delightful : bright, crisp 
 and brn«Mng. 
 
 That the climate is'good is vouched for by the robust heallhfulnesji of tlie people ; and that 
 our wintei-s are short and genei 'y mild is [uoven by tlie tens of thousiinds of cattle and horeea 
 which thrive uncured fur ou thb ]iruiriua and foot-hills during all seusans. 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 33 
 
 
 GAME. 
 
 The sportsman will find in Alberta large and interesting fields wherein to satisfy his 
 desires. 
 
 The numerons rivers and mountain lakes abound in fish. Antelope are still plentiful on 
 tlie prairies : and deer, big horn and mountain goat, are to be found in the mountain parks and 
 mountain heights in the more remote districts. Bear, moose and elk afford sport to th& 
 adventurous. A small herd of wood buffalo are said to roam in the extreme north-westeru 
 portion of the district, and no doubt the Government will take steps to have them protected. 
 The great buffalo herds which roamed the jilains in years past are no longer in existence. 
 
 Tlie prairie lakes swarm with wild ducks, geese and other water fowl, and prairie chickens 
 are plentiful along the foot hills. A list of the birds, quadrupeds and fish of Alberta will ba 
 found in another part of this pamphlet. 
 
 RIVERS OF ALBERTA. 
 
 'Smoky, Athabasca, Ia Biche, Heaver, Little Beaver, Owl, Towti-now-Sipi, McLeod» 
 Paddle, Pembina, Bru/.eau, North Saskatcliewan, Battle, Baptiste, Clearwater, Lob Stick, 
 Blind Man, Medicine, Ked Deer, Little Bed Deer, Kosebud, Bow, Elbow, Kanoniaskis, Ghost, 
 Spray, High Kivei', Little Bow, Old Alan's, Waterton, Belly, Milk, St. ^Mary's, Wiiita 
 Earth. 
 
 PRINCIPAL CREEKS. 
 
 Creek, Dead Fish, two Berry Creeks, One Tree, Crowfoot, Fisli, Pine, t-'nake. Sheep, Tongue» 
 Mosquito, Willow Front, Middle Pound, Crow Lodge, Pincher, Crooked, Lees, Prairie Bluff, 
 Led. 
 
 LARGE LAKES. 
 
 Lac T,a Biche, Beaver, Birch, Gull, Whitefihh, Goodfi^h, Floating Stone, ^Vhi(e Earth, 
 liong Cache, Saildlc, F/L'g, Smoky, Dirt, Lake of tiie Isle, Lac St. Anne, Bound, Wiiite Whale, 
 Big, St. Josejiii, Hay, Isl.inil, Bittern, Bear, Pigeon, Battle, Gull, Ked Deer, Buffalo, Swan» 
 t^uill, Sullivan, Divil's, Emerald, Dead Horse, Snaki , Waterton, Lees, Nerdigris. 
 
 LUMBER. 
 
 The forests of Alliertn, oxtemling along the base of the mountains from the Americari 
 boundary to tiie extreme north, offer every indueenient to the capitalist to vw^w^e iu the 
 lumber industry in the far west. The numerous rivers and streiims runninn' from the 
 mountains to the great jijains afford a dieap and reaily mode of transit to tiie centres of 
 po];ulation. A list of tlie wcoils of Alberta is given iu this pamphlet, but while hard woods are 
 nieluded they do not exist in any quantity, and cannot lie looked to as a soiiree of revenue. 
 The princi])al woods are tiie Spruce and Douglas *ir. Tlie liwt few years has sei-n much progress 
 made in the luniliering industry, ami no doulit during the coming years many millions will be 
 derived from this resource alone. The settlers in Allierta will find keen competitiou in the 
 lumber market, and reasouttble prices fur maiiufaetured lumber as the result. 
 
 WOODS. 
 
 Whito Spiuee, l{<>d Pino (Douglas Fit), Black Sjiruce, Bed Spruce, Birch, a species of 
 Hemlock Fir (JMigelm), Wliite liirch, Lanii (lasit oceoentalisi, White (."eilnr, Kalni of Gilea(4, 
 Poplar, Moose Wood (Viburnum) Aspun, Ash Leafed Maple, Ash, Elm, Tamarac, Cottonwood, 
 Cypress Pine. 
 
34 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 WILD FRUITS. 
 
 Currant, Goob.'lMTiies, Rispberrios, Savasseberrios, Hucldebemes, Cranberues, Cherries, 
 riuin, lilueberries, Sliawbenies, aud several other varieties ot wild berries. 
 
 WILD FLOWERS. 
 
 Nature lias showered on this land her choicest gifts. The countless charms which make 
 this eartli so fair and beautiful are here in rich profusion ; and as of old when God iirst created 
 the worM "behold it is very good." Not the least of its attractions are the wild flowers, 
 which adorn tlie jmiries from early spring to autumn, ever changing yet ever lo\ely. From 
 the pale lavender crocus, whieli in Nature's floral book is the opening leaf, pushing its way 
 through tlie brown earth and liin>ting into a lovely flower to gladden weary wintered hearts, 
 telling tl'cm spring is liere, to the golden rod which lingers after the other flowers are "faded 
 and gone." 
 
 Uur native flora hjive not yet been named or classified, and therefore only a few similar to 
 ■those in Eastern Canada or tiio Old Country can be mentioned ; but, indeed, Inul we the hames 
 they are of sneh infinite variety that a dcseripti^a of them would fill a book. What a treasury 
 ■of pleasurable knowledge is here for the botanist. Among our first flowers is that little home 
 1>lant, the blue violet; endeared tons all by the reminiscences it brings of other lands ; June 
 comes and witli it the rose, that flower of flowers. Everywhere ovi>r tlie proirie is to be seen 
 this little dwarf bush with its wealth of bright blossoms breatlting their delicious perfume into 
 the air ; these are mostly bright crimson single roses, but there are fcome both single and 
 dou'le of tlie most delicate blush tint. The charm of tiiis plant does not eensc with th(! 
 flower. In the autumn the foliage assumes a deep carmine and orange-biown coloring, this and its 
 bright scarlet berries make it a most attractive shrub. The« months of June and July abound 
 in i'owers innumerable of every hue ; the pale anemone, the bluebell, perfect in shape and 
 colou", the cyclamen, th<;,e.\quisitily lovely lupins blue, jiink and white, the first (piite common, 
 the rei.Mining two more Tare ; lianks purjile witli wild thyme, the air flagrant wilii its spicy 
 aroma. '''Ik,' itio.st brilliant of all our flowers is that elegant floral gem, the orange-ied lily, 
 vhicli grows iiere in myriads, acres upon acres all ablaze with its glory. 
 
 " lilies, upturned lilies? 
 Tall urns of iilinding beauty, 
 As vestals pure they liohl 
 In each a blii/e of scarlet 
 Half hldtted out with gold." 
 
 Growing among tlie lilies, ami making a moit pleasing contrast, is a tlower f.ir whicli I 
 have no name, but, for its beauty and the great number wliiih grow here, deserves notice. 
 It is about 18 inches high, the stem crowned with a cluster of small wax-like flowers of creamy 
 whiteness. P'rom the beginning to the end of the season are yellow flowers of every variety, 
 from the light maze to the blight orange ; indeed yelliw is the jirevailing color, from which may 
 1)0 mentionni one resembling both in form and color the beautiful laburnum, and another the 
 gorgeous ami extremely lieautiful sunflower. This flower, v. hieli grows a foot or rather more 
 nU)\e the ground, and is three or four inches in diameter, has ii circle of golden leaves 
 extending like rays from a centre of rich reddish brown ; its coloring is Miperb, even the most 
 a'sthetie tasti' Would be c'laiined with this wild lieauty of the prairie. 
 
 These are a very few flowers culled from tiie vast muliitudo which everywhere bedeck 
 our favored land. 
 
 •* Flowers so blue and gohh'ii, 
 Stars that in earth's firmament do shine," 
 
 BIRDS NATIVE OF ALBERTA. 
 
 Western Grebe, Morned tlrebe, l.oon, Western Gull, Aineiiean White IVdican, Red- 
 Breasted Mergaiicer, Mallaid, (Jadwdl Widgeon, Green-Winged Teal, Hliie-Winged Teul, 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 35 
 
 U'CK 
 
 ShcvGiicr, i'intail "Wood Duck, Rtd-Head Duck, Canvas-Back Duck, American Slaup Duck 
 American Golden-Eye Buffle Head, Old Squaw, Velvet Scoter, Turf Scoter, Ruddy Duck, 
 Lesser Snow Goose, Greater Snow (loose, Canada Goose, Brant, Baiiiach Goosv-, American 
 Bittern^ Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Whooping Crane, Sand Hill 
 Crane, American Coot, Red Phaiarope, American Aweet, Black-Necked Stilt, European Snipe, 
 Willow Snipe, Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Red-Backed 
 SanJpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Sanderling, Marbled Goduit, Greater 
 Yellow Leg, Yellow Leg, Solitary Sandpiper, Willet Barhamain Sandpiper, Longbilled Curlew, 
 Hudsonian Curlew, Black-Billed Plover, Golden Plover, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, 
 Wilson Plover, Mountain Partridge, Dusky Grouse, Canada Grouse, Rufilod Grouse, Willow 
 Ptarmigan, Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse, Sage Grouse, Mourning Dove, Marsh Hawk, Sharp 
 Skumed Hawk, Coopers Hawk, American Goshawk, European Buzzard, lled-tailed Hawk, 
 Western Red Tail, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Broad-Winged Hawk, Rough-Legged Hawk, 
 Ferguson's Rough-Leg Hawk, Golden Eagle, Gray Sea Eagle, Bald Eagle, Duck Kawk, Pigeon 
 Hawk, American Sparrow Hawk, American Osprey, American Barn Owl, American Long-eared 
 Owl, American Slvrt-eared Owl, Barred Owl, Great Gray Owl,* Rocky Mountain Screech Owl, 
 Great Horned Owl, Western Horned Owl, Snowy Owl, Hawk Owl, Pigmy Owl, Belted King- 
 fisher, Kiiiry Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Yellow-Billed Sap 
 Sucker, Piliatcd Wooclpeckej, Red-billed Woodpecker, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Night 
 Hawk, Western Night Hawk, Ruby-throated Humming Bird, Black-chinncd Humming Bird, 
 King Bird, Asli-throated Ply Catcher, Olive-sided Ely Catcher, Yellow- billed Fly Catcher, 
 Least Fly Catcher, Prairie Horned Lark, American Mngiiie, Canada Jay, American Raven, 
 American Crow, North-West Crow, Starling, Cowbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Red-winged 
 lUackbird, Meadow Lark, '•'^estern Meadow Lark, Baltimore Oriole, Rusty Blackbird, Purple 
 Crackle, Bronzed Crackle, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosljak, American Crossbill, White- 
 winged Crossbill, American Goldfinch, Snowllake (Snow Banting), Western Vesper Sparrow, 
 Tree Sparrow, Cliipping Sparrow, Clay Colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, 
 Swamp Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Martin, Clilf Swallow, Barn Swallow, Bank 
 Swallow, Bohemian Waswing, Cedar Waswing, Northern Loggerhead Shrike, Orange-crowned 
 Warbler, Olive Warbler, Black Poll Warbler, Pine Warbler, American Dipper, Catbird, Rock 
 Wren, ilouse Wren, Long-billed Marsl; AVren, Chickadee, Russet-backed Thrush, American 
 Robin, Bluebird, Western Bluebird, MountaI?< IJluebird. 
 
 Note. — 1 am indebted to Mr. J. W. Cockle, Taxidermist, of Calgary, for the above list of 
 birds native of Alberta. Mr. Cockle informs mo that llicy have all, as well as some other 
 epecies, the names of which he does not know, come under his personal observation. 
 
 QUADRUPEDS NATIVE OF ALBERTA. 
 
 Antilope, Elk, Moose, Cariboo, Black-tniled Deer, White-tailed Deer (Virginian Deer), 
 Mountain Goat, Mountain Sheep, Big Bear, Brown, Cinnamon, Black, Grizzly, Wood Butralo, 
 Badger, Beaver, Ermine, Red Fox, lut Fox, Black Fox, Fisher, Lynx, Martin, Musk Rnt, 
 Mink, Otter, Skunk, Black Timl)er Wolf, Grey Timber Wolf, Grey Prairie Wolf, Cayote, Jack 
 Rabbit, Swamp IJabbit, Red l'or('U|)ine, Black Porcupine, Puma or Mountain Lion, a siwciea 
 of Itacoon, Grey Goph.:i, Striped Gopher, Red Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, Chipmunk, Buelk* 
 tailed Rat and Rock Whistler. 
 
 FISH. 
 
 Salmon Trout, Mountain Trout, Bull Trout, Grayling, Goldeyc, White Fish, Red-finnod 
 Suckers, Pike, Pickerel, Sturgeon, Catfish, Tolubco. 
 
 DISTANCES. 
 
 D18TANCK FROM OALOAUY. MU.Kfi. 
 
 Montreal 2,202 
 
 Winnipeg 830 
 
 Morley 41 > 
 
86 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 Banff 
 
 Silvertoii 
 
 Summit of Rockies, . , 
 
 Columbia Hiver 
 
 Selkirk Hiuigi' 
 
 Kainloups 
 
 Vancouver 
 
 80 
 
 88 
 
 116 
 
 16G 
 
 2U; and 234 
 
 410 
 
 644 
 
 PLACES SOUTH. 
 
 Fish Cre.'k . . . 
 Pine Crcf'k, . . , 
 Sheep Creek.. . 
 High liivcr... . 
 Mos(|uito Creel 
 
 Macleod '. 
 
 Piuclier Creek. 
 
 8 
 15 
 25 
 35 
 51 
 1()'4 
 132 
 
 PLACES NORTH. 
 
 Red Deer 
 
 Kooky Mduntaiii House 
 
 Battle River 
 
 Edmonton 
 
 Saskatchewan 
 
 Lac La Biche 
 
 Athahabca Land::!<r. ... 
 
 100 
 130 
 150 
 202 
 21 » 
 378 
 3U2 
 
 POST OFFICES AND POST MASTERS IN ALBERTA. 
 
 POST MA.STEII. rOST OFFICE. PtSTlMCT, 
 
 Beaupre, V. J (Jleichen Calgiuy District 
 
 Begg, R. A Diiuhon " 
 
 Campston, Mrs. H. A Canniore " 
 
 Oiietz, Leonard 1{<>(1 Deer . . .'. " 
 
 Holmes, \V lligli River " 
 
 .lolmsoii, .las Coelinvne " 
 
 King, (i. (' Cnlgiiry '• 
 
 McDongHll, Miss R Millwurd " 
 
 McMiiliin, J. A okotoks 
 
 Morgan, A Anthracite 
 
 O'Donohue, R. 15. (' Naliiuuil i'.uk 
 
 Sluiw, S. W Miihiiipore 
 
 Stin.son.Mrs. M. (i I'ekisUo 
 
 Watson S I'ine Creek 
 
 ■yVoodwortli, K IJantr 
 
 Canipl.ell, D. .1 Miicleod Madcod District 
 
 Craig, .1 . 11 Ne w ( )rley '< 
 
 (Ireeiiwood, II. V Letiihridgc " 
 
 Sclidtiehi, .1. 11 I'ineher Creek <• 
 
 Trollenger, Jos Mos(|nito Creek «• 
 
 Whitney, A. .1 I'l. Kipp " 
 
 Aylwin,.!. V, Hdllhn.uke 
 
 McLiiehliiii I'akiin 
 
 Me Kenny, H. W St. All)ert 
 
 Osborne, A. W Kdnioiiton 
 
 Siuison Clover Bar 
 
 << 
 <( 
 
 tc 
 <( 
 <l 
 (< 
 
 Kdmonton Dibtriui 
 
 i( 
 u 
 II 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 37 
 
 CUSTOMS REVENUE. 
 
 Amount collected for the six months ending December 31st, 1887, output, $7,556.36. 
 Amouut collected for dutible for the six months ending 31st December, 1887, $27,899.00. 
 Amount of free goods for the six mouths ending December 31st, 1887, $9,217.00. 
 
 TABLE SHOWING APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF CATTLE, HORSES 
 AND SHEEP IN ALBERTA, JANUARY. i888. 
 
 I 
 
 
 NAME. ADDUESS. 
 
 Morley Settlers Millward . 
 
 Jlcunt Royal I'anche 
 
 Settlers on Coclirane Lease.. 
 
 Bell, Irving & Kerfort Coclirane 
 
 B. A. Kiiuche Co *• 
 
 F. brcdiu " 
 
 CauiiilwU & Harkness Calrriuy 
 
 Other Settlers on Klbow .... " 
 
 Brecon Ranche '* 
 
 ^Jen. Strange Oleiehru 
 
 Bobert Hamilton Sheep Creek . . . , 
 
 McH ugh Bros High River... 
 
 A. Goldfinch 
 
 8heep Creek Ranche Co. . . . Sheep Creek . . . 
 
 ^'orth-\Vest Cattle Co High River 
 
 J iggs Bros 
 
 J. Lunch 
 
 i^krine 
 
 B. M. Oodsall ( 'iilgary 
 
 J. Quii High River. . . . 
 
 Sullivan '• 
 
 High River Ranelie Co 
 
 i/onrtnay 
 
 Douglas k Ross 
 
 i;aiii]i8on Mosc^uito Creek. 
 
 I'owder Ranche Co " 
 
 Alexander " 
 
 C. C. Ranche 
 
 Cross Bros 
 
 Hull & Frounce Calgary 
 
 Oxley Ranche Co Macleod . 
 
 Winder l{anchi! Co " 
 
 J. 1a nson New Oxley . , . . 
 
 Bauce 
 
 Other Settlers in I'ori'Upine Hills 
 
 f ilengary Ranche Co 
 
 Ross & iileDerniid New Oxley 
 
 Trefail k I'areely Ranche Co 
 
 Collinghani k Leeds Ranche. New Oxley 
 
 J. K. Cray & Sons " 
 
 •C. Uynu Maeleod 
 
 <ieo. Knierson High River 
 
 Oregg " thoroughbred 
 
 Herefordrt 
 
 C. Knox High River 
 
 iirodorick Bros 
 
 CATTLE. 
 
 HOllSF.S 
 
 1,400 
 
 200 
 
 3'i0 
 
 20 
 
 700 
 
 100 
 
 200 
 
 50 
 
 • ■ • 
 
 1,300 
 
 100 
 
 20 
 
 • • • 
 
 600 
 
 200 
 
 100 
 
 • ■ • 
 
 9 
 
 1,600 
 
 500 
 
 200 
 
 30 
 
 400 
 
 50 
 
 100 
 
 20 
 
 2,300 
 
 1,000 
 
 9,000 
 
 600 
 
 600 
 
 150 
 
 400 
 
 150 
 
 600 
 
 20 
 
 200 
 
 10 
 
 700 
 
 30 
 
 400 
 
 20 
 
 400 
 
 350 
 
 100 
 
 5 
 
 600 
 
 50 
 
 1,600 
 
 25 
 
 7,000 
 
 200 
 
 600 
 
 25 
 
 800 
 
 20 
 
 600 
 
 125 
 
 800 
 
 300 
 
 9,000 
 
 100 
 
 2,000 
 
 300 
 
 200 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 16 
 
 noo 
 
 100 
 
 1,200 
 
 30 
 
 600 
 
 100 
 
 300 
 
 30 
 
 • • • • 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 30 
 
 160 
 
 6 
 
 1,000 
 
 80 
 
 70 
 
 6 
 
 • • • • 
 
 100 
 
 150 
 
 10 
 
88 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 J. McFarlane Macleod 
 
 Gallagher " 
 
 Dunbai & Sons " 
 
 Manual Bros " 
 
 Grier Bros " 
 
 Waldron Ranche " 
 
 Alberta Ranche " 
 
 Stewart & Chester Pin> -her Creek . 
 
 Godsall 
 
 Lee's " 
 
 Garnett Bros " 
 
 J. Jones " 
 
 Inderwist " 
 
 Geddes & Jenkins *• 
 
 A. M. Morden " 
 
 Brook & Alfrey " 
 
 Other Settlers " 
 
 Cochrane Cattle Co 
 
 Berry 
 
 St. Louis Cattle Co Lethbridge. . . , 
 
 J. G. Baker , Mnclcod 
 
 Ostcr Harmond & Nanton . . Lethbridge , . . , 
 Lee's Creek and Mary's 
 
 Settlement 
 
 Farmers in Calgary District. Calgary 
 
 Farmers in Red Deer and 
 
 Battle River, Edmonton 
 
 and North Edmonton .... 
 
 Increase 1887 
 
 Jattlb. 
 
 Horses. 
 
 800 
 
 6 
 
 250 
 
 6 
 
 • • '• • 
 
 100 
 
 400 
 
 30 
 
 160 
 
 20 
 
 11,000 
 
 250 
 
 1,100 
 
 60 
 
 2,000 
 
 150 
 
 800 
 
 30 
 
 600 
 
 30 
 
 400 
 
 250 
 
 • w » • 
 
 100 
 
 1,200 
 
 30 
 
 • • > • 
 
 200 
 
 200 
 
 20 
 
 900 
 
 50 
 
 2,000 
 
 300 
 
 9,500 
 
 200 
 
 100 
 
 5 
 
 5,000 
 
 20O 
 
 3,000 
 
 600 
 
 1,200 
 
 100 
 
 500 
 
 100 
 
 3,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 7,000 
 
 J^.OOO 
 
 13,000 
 
 1,500 
 
 , 110.870 17.469 
 
 APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF SHEEP IN ALBERTA, JAN., i88a 
 
 Laflerty k Martin Calgary 4,000 
 
 B. A. Ranche Co Coclmine 8,000 
 
 J. "White «« 3,000 
 
 Brecon lianche Co Bow River 2,000 
 
 ^ ' her small bands Calgary 7,000 
 
 '.Tavist & Winter's ,. <« 2,000 
 
 F. Pace Standoir 300 
 
 Edmonton & North 500 
 
 Beveridjo Bros 1,500 
 
 Morherson 1 ,400 
 
 lucreaso 1 d.OOO 
 
 MARKET REPORT. 
 
 3!t,70O 
 
 Caloauy, Alberta, January, 1888. 
 
 Butter, fresh, Alberta, 1st finality 35 eta. to 40 cts. per Ibv 
 
 " " " 2nd •• 30 cts. to H5 Its. " 
 
 Butter, packed 25 cts. to 30 cts. '• 
 
 Butter, kegs 22 eta. to 26 cts. •* 
 
 Cheese « 20 ctB. to 25 eta. «• 
 
 •*rt 
 
 ■►.'• 
 
•T iK^^vn - ^- J-^ Kt^f-- • - 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 39 
 
 •^■« 
 
 Eggs, Alberta, fresh 35 cts. to 50 cts. per doz. 
 
 " imported, packed 25 cts. to 30 cts. " 
 
 Cornmeal 4 cts. per lb. 
 
 Oatmeal 4 cts. " 
 
 Flour $2.30 to $2.80 per 100 Iba. 
 
 Beans 5 cts. to 7 cts. per lb. 
 
 Potatoes 60 eta. to 90 cts. per bush. 
 
 Turnips 50 cts to 70 cts. " 
 
 Onions 7 cts to 10 cts. per lb. 
 
 Celery 15 cts. per buncli. 
 
 Rhubarb 8 cts. to 1 cts. per lb. 
 
 Cabbages 6 cts per lb. 
 
 Cauliflower 10 cts. to 25 cts. each. 
 
 Lard 12J cts. to 20 cts. per lb. 
 
 Fish, Salmon and Tiout, fresh 20 cts. per lb. 
 
 Pork, Carcass 9 cts. to 11 cts. per lb. 
 
 •' Fresh Roasts 1 2i cts. to 1 5 cts. " 
 
 " Hams 17 cts. to 20 cts. '• 
 
 " Bacon 12J ^ts. to 15 cts. " 
 
 Mutton, Carcass 8 cts. to 10 cts. " 
 
 " Legs and Cliop 15 cts. to 18 cts. " 
 
 Beef, Side or Carcass 8 cts. to 1 1 cts. " 
 
 " Hind Quarters 10 cts. to 13 cts. " 
 
 " Fore " 8 cts. to 10 cts. " 
 
 " Roasts and Steak 12 cts. to 15 cts. " 
 
 " Boiling 8 cts. to 10 cts. " 
 
 " Hearts, Liver, Shanks and Tongues. ,* 50 cts. each. 
 
 Veal 15 cts. to 18 cts. per 11). 
 
 Sausages ] 8 cts. '• 
 
 Bread ^ 15 loaves for p . 
 
 Honey 20 cts. per lb. 
 
 Sugar Loaf, 12i cts.; Granulated 10 eta, 
 
 '•Va 25 cts. to 75 cts. per lb. 
 
 Coll'eo 35 cts. to 45 cts. •• 
 
 Syrup, Molasses |3 per 5 gal. keg. 
 
 Coal Oil 50 cts. to 75 cts. per gnl. 
 
 Apjiles, Dried 11 cts. to 12^ cts. per lb. 
 
 •• Evaporated 16 cts? to 20 cts. " 
 
 " 2^5.00 to $6.00 per bar'l. 
 
 Californian Fruit, canned 45 cts. to 50 cts. per can. 
 
 Pears, Grapes, Aiirioots, Peaches, Green Gages, 
 
 Melons 20 cts. to 25 cts. per lb. 
 
 Oats 45 cts. to 55 cts. per Imsh. 
 
 Barley ^ 45 cts. to 5U cts. per Im-sh, 
 
 Peas 4 cts. per lb. 
 
 Flax Seed 8 cts to 10 cts. ])er lb. 
 
 Hay $8.00 to fl'J.OO per ton. 
 
 Straw ^5.00 to $8.00 per ton. 
 
 Chickens $1 ,00 per pair. 
 
 Ducks $1.50 per ]mir. 
 
 CiCPso 22 ctfl. ]>pr lb. 
 
 Tuikeys 22 cts. per lb. 
 
 Pigs, 2 months old $2.00 to $5.00 each. 
 
 Mildi Cows $40.00 to If 60.00 ciieli. 
 
 Range *• $28.00 to $40.00 " 
 
 Calves $8.00 to $12.00 «• 
 
 Sheep From J3.00 upwards. 
 
40 
 
 ALP.EHTA, CANADA. 
 
 llur rs, Native Pouiiis $20.00 to $60.00. 
 
 " Saddle .SOO.OO and upwards. 
 
 •' General ruriioscs .«; 120.00 to $250.00. 
 
 " .Single Driving $120.00 to $250.00. 
 
 " Heavy Teams, Matched $250.00 to $400.00. 
 
 " Draught Teams, Matched $250.00 to $450.00. 
 
 Stock Saddles, Alberta Manufactured $40.00 to $75.00. 
 
 Team Harness -, S20.0:j to $5J3.00 per set. 
 
 Single Driving Harness 8^30 00 to $45.00 " 
 
 Double " " $30.00 to $50.00 " 
 
 «« AVagons $S0.00 to $110.00 each. 
 
 Top Buggies (Carriages) $1 10.00 to $165.00 «' 
 
 I'lows $20.00 to $26.00. 
 
 Harrows $18.00 to $22.00. 
 
 Disc Harrows $35.00 to $45.00, 
 
 Ikollers (made on the farm), liiglily nccesaary, few 
 
 in use * 
 
 Cambridge Crushers, none in the country 
 
 Dnll Seeders .$85.00. 
 
 Mowers $75.00 to S80.00. 
 
 Horse Kake .$30.00 to $35.00. 
 
 Spring Wagon $115.00 to $140."00. 
 
 Cooking Stoves $25.00 to .$60.00. 
 
 Bedsteads $2.00 upwards. 
 
 Tables $2.00 '• 
 
 Chairs 60 cts. " 
 
 I'Ounges $8.00 " 
 
 1^1'ii'l^'ts $3 50 to $9.00 jipr pair. 
 
 Bedroom Suites From $20.00 to $100.00. 
 
 I'liclvs $11.00 to $13.00 perM. 
 
 l.'ough Lumber ', $12.00 to $18.00 " 
 
 iJit'ssed «' $20.00 to $35.00 " 
 
 Soft Coal $(5.50 to $7.00 per ton. 
 
 Hard" $8.00 " 
 
 Firewood (Cordwood) !|b4.50 to $5.50 per cord. 
 
 :u»ils (14 to 13 ft.) 10 cts. ea h. 
 
 Posts (7 ft.. 7 cts. to .Octs. each. 
 
 Slabs for Shedding; $1 per jI. 
 
 House Logs fro.u 60 cts. to $1.50 each. 
 
 CONTRAST PRICES OF GOODS IN CALGARY, JANUARY ist, 1883. 
 
 Flour 15 cts. per lb. 
 
 Oats : lOcts. " 
 
 Barley ' 8 cts. '« 
 
 Tea $1.00 " 
 
 Sugar 50 cts. " 
 
 I^"^'<"i 30 cts. <« 
 
 Butter, packed 50 cts. " 
 
 Beof 25 cts! " 
 
 H»y $30p..rtnii. 
 
 Eg«8 $1 .50 per doz. 
 
 l^otiitoos 10 ctH. per lb. 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
- 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 41 
 
 •f 
 
 ^^ 
 
 J. G. FlTZGEUALP, 
 
 Calgary, Alberta. 
 
 Deati Sir, — In reply to your question relating to the country in the vicinity of the Rocky 
 Mountain House, in Northwestern Alberta, I may say that having lived at the ILdsons' Bay 
 Company's Fort here for 12 ye.ars, I nm able to speak with some experience. Coming to the 
 Nortli-West in the year 1861, and being at York Factory, Oxford House, Norway House, and 
 other northern points, I have seen considerable of the north. My experience at Mountain 
 House leads me to believe that as a country suitable for mixed farming exceeds in the luxuriance 
 of its grasses, its plentiful supnly of timber, and mountain streams abounding in f.sh, and the 
 productions of its soil, any portion of Alberta that I have seen, that it will in the future be a 
 thickly settled and wealthy district, I have no doubt. 
 
 During the last two years of my stay at the fort we grew barley, potatoes, cabbage, can'ots, 
 turnips and beets, the equal of which I liave never seen. 
 
 From the Red Deer to the Mountain House the country resembles Old Country parks, open 
 glades and clumps of trees. 
 
 During the winter of 1874-75 Angus McDonald and myself had two oxen, which the 
 company gave us for otir own use ; they wintered out without care ; we killed one of them 
 about New Year of 1875 and the other late in the spring, and they made prime beef. The 
 snow does not crust in that part of Alberta, We had warm winds, but not sufRcient to cause a 
 crust. Tlie grass grows very long ; and I have seen the pea vine growing as high as brush. 
 The country has no end of coal. It is to be found everywhere along the river and creek banks. 
 Q'he blacksmith at the fort used it for forge work. Game, such as moose deer and bears, were 
 plentiful tlien ; and it was one of the best fur countries in the North- West. At that time 
 tlieri> were splendid forests of timber all over the country, but I hear lately that fires have done 
 much damage to the timber. 
 
 In early days the Indians used to bring me nuggets of gold, which, from what I could learn 
 from them, they found along une of the creeks in tne vicinity. I had a number of those 
 nuggets but have given them all away. The last I gave to Dr. McEachreu to make a ring of. 
 1 believe gold will yet be found there in paying quantities. 
 
 Coming up the Saskatchewan the country is a vast forest of good timber. All that it 
 requires to make it a populated country is a railway running i»orth. Once its advantages 
 become known it will soon settle up. 
 
 I liave lived in Calgary since the summer of 1875, and have now 33 acres just outside the 
 corporation of the town of Calgary. I have 37 liead of cattle and comfortable buildings. 
 rcople tell me that my vegetable garden this past season was as good as they ever saw. My 
 potatoes were especially praised. . 
 
 I have now left the Hudson Bay Company after having served them for 24 years. 
 
 I am waiting to sell my property in town as well as my farm, and immediately I do so I will 
 take my cattle to the country I have told you about, as 1 consider it the best country I know, 
 and it will suit me better. 
 
 In early days we used to say what a pity it was to see such a grand country lying waste 
 while so many hundred heads of families at liome were struggling for a lifetime to make a bare 
 living ; and it is as good a country to-day as it was then. What a man wants is some capital to 
 start witli, say from 1^500 up. Witli industry and sobriety he will, in ninety-nine coses out of a 
 Imndif'it, ite well otf in the course of a few years. 
 
 My native home was in Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland. I have no object in writing this 
 letter but in the interest of truth and for information. 
 
 Yours, 
 
 Caluai.Y, Alberta, 
 
 December 31st, 1887. 
 
 Anqub Fkaseu. 
 
42 
 
 S ^ 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 NORTHERN ALBERTA THE NATURAL LOCATION FOR MIXEii 
 
 FARMING. 
 
 To J. G. FiTZOEisALP, Esq., 
 
 Calgary. 
 
 Having travelled over a great part of the country between the Bow and Athabasca Eivers, 
 now loniiiiig a part of the Province of Alberta, 1 have no hesitation in claiming for this region 
 tliat it is i.re-eniinently adapted for the purposes of stock raising and the growth of vegetablea 
 and cen-als of the hardier kinds ; I say of the hardier kiuds, for in this matter I would speak pf 
 what lias been done, not of what may be accomplished in the future ; for I fully believe iu 
 climatic changes brought about bj the settlement of the country and as the reward of the 
 industry and thrift of civilized man. 
 
 Over twenty years since 1 successfully raised crops of barley and all manner of roots at 
 points over one liundred miles distant from each other and situated in ditl'erent attidues. 
 
 The quality of these crops was good ; the quantity in yield was great ; especially was this 
 the case with bailey and potatoes. While testing the soil I was also practically experimenting 
 upon the grasses naturnl to the land. 
 
 I was travelling almost constantly with horses for from seven to eight mouths, and for the 
 balance of the year with dogs. During the time I worked my horses, travelling and freighting 
 with them for thousands of miles each season, I very seldon gave them any grain, their food 
 being almost altogether the natural grass everywhere abounding in this big laud ; then when I 
 took to the dogs 1 turned my horses out on the range to hunt their own living ; such was our 
 unbounded faith iu the native grass and also iu the acclimatized horse. 
 
 But as everyone can see were it ncit for the nutritious properties of this grass no amount of 
 acclimatizing would enable a horse to work all spring, summer and fall and then find their own 
 living during the colder winter months.* In the meanwhile myself, in common with all other 
 inhiibitants of this country at that time, were living on Buffalo, whose only food the year round 
 was the same grass, and whose instinctive judgment of these grasses was that iu autumn and 
 winter they v.'cnt north into this region lam writing about, leaving the plains proper. These 
 great herds of wild cattle went north into the park lauds of Northern Alberta and thus fully 
 demonstrated to all the fact of the stockraising qualities of this immcuse laud situated ou the 
 hanks of the Athabasca, North Saskatchewan, Battle and Red Deer Elvers, which perennial 
 streams with their numbei'less tributaries and rising in the Kocky Mountains, as most of 
 them do, and running parallel to each other, loudly speak as to the quality and quantity of the 
 water supply of this favored land. 
 
 Ou all Of these streams there is more or less timber, and everywhere over the country the 
 prairie and woodland is intermixed, so that iu the very start of settlement the question of 
 oieared laud, building timber, fencing, fuel, is at once answered. 
 
 The bo;'a-fide home seeker can all over this part of Alberta, similtancous with putting up 
 his tent, start his plough, and chop his logs for the new home, and set the other boys cutting 
 and liauling rails for the first pasture. All this has been done, and will be in the near future 
 in thousands of instances. 
 
 Then ulmost any homesteader can go to bed knowing that his farm is situated right over 
 a ccal mine. That underlying the suvlace of this country and cropping out all over it there 
 are immense coal fields, assuring him of an endless fuel supply, and this at home. Another 
 feature I had almost forgotten is the game. The thrifty wife or daughter of the new settler 
 can feel easy ou accour.t of the litlla cratos of poultry she brought with her. They may grow, 
 for all around are wild chickens and di;ck.> in endless variety, and these can be made to 
 give food and fun to the household while the others are growing. 
 
 To the hardy and skilful hunter here is also a fine field. Grizzly, Black, Brown, 
 Cinnamon Bear, Moose and Elk, Black and Whiteliiiled Deer ; all the;;e are found in the low 
 lauds and foot hills, whib in the nioumains are Bighorn and Goat; and while hunting these 
 latter there is always tlio possibility of tumbling into a mine which will startle the world 
 because of its richness ; for as yet this is a great ui known and unexplored country, and any 
 new comer for the next twenty years may be a diocoverer. 
 
 "We, who have for a score of yeai-a or more travelled this big unknown land, have found 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 43 
 
 some of its resources and know that these are very good ; but we have also found out that it is so 
 big that as yet we know very little about it. But we do know that before many years some of 
 the finest horses, cattle and sheep the world has ever seen will be exported from this very region. 
 We have before us in mind as we write. 
 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 John McDougall, 
 
 Missionary. 
 MoRLEY, Jan. 7th, 1888. 
 
 Pine Creek (Near Calgary), 11th January, 1888. 
 
 Sib, — I came to Alberta from the Western States in 1883, and located on Pine Creek, 
 about 13 miles south of Calgary. 
 
 The following spring I took up land and began mixed farming and stock raising, with a 
 very small capital. I have now 500 acres of land nearly fenced with wire, and liave a comfortable 
 home and outbiiildings. I crop about 30 acres of my farm. I have now 80 head of cattle. 
 
 With my^ experience I would say that this part of the country is well adapted for mixed 
 farming, cheese and butter-making. 
 
 I milk twenty (20) cows, and sold during the seasonof 1887 two thousand five hundred 
 (2,500) pounds of butter. The whole sold readily in Calgary for thirty-five (35) cents (Is., 
 6id.) per pound, having kept sufficient for family use, which was equal to the milk of two cows, 
 
 1 believe any energetic man would do well here ; but, of course, those who have some 
 practical experience succeed best. 
 
 As to the amount of capital necessary to start with, I think a great deal depends on the 
 man ; but five hundred ($500) dollars (j^lOO) ought t-^ give a person a fair start now, 
 considering the prices of every thing the settler has to buy are much lower now than they were a 
 few years since. 
 
 I had very little more than the above amoni^when I started, and I had to support a largo 
 family of young children. My oldest boy is 12 years old now, and I have 6 others. 1 may 
 add thuy have enjoyed splendid health since we came to Alberta. 
 
 During. the time I have been here I have grown good crops of wheat, oats, barley, peas, 
 flax, which latter I intend in future growing larger crops of, as we can get six cents per pound 
 for it in Calgary, besides its value on the farm as food lor calves. 
 
 I have also every year grown potatoes, cabbage, onions, turnips, beets, carrots, and nearly 
 every kind of vegetaljles and roots, and have (with the exception of last year) had good crops. 
 
 The natural grasses make the very best fodder and hay. I don't feed my stock more than 
 two months any winter, excepting mi^ch cows and calves. 
 
 1 have farmed here for four years and in that time I have suffered once from summer frosts, 
 and that was last season ; but whilst some of us settler?, in various parts of the country, had the 
 misfortune to lose our ci-^ps, our neighbors close beside us, grew crops that would delight any 
 farmer< 
 
 I have read a letter published in the Canadian Gazette, London, England, in its issue of 
 December 22nd, 1887, written by "A Settler's Wife, and this year an unsucces^ful one," dated 
 Calgary, Alberta, Nov. 25th, 1887. The whole letter is a senseless gabble. The writer 
 maligns the country and its people, and gives a most misleading idea of the climate. True, the 
 letter contradicts itself, and will be credited by few practical minded persons ; still, it is only 
 just to this country and its people to say that while it may express the feelings of the 
 individual writer it does not convey a truthful impiessiou of the seasons or climate of thia 
 country. 
 
 In the vicinity of the farm of the •' unsuccessful .sevtlor's wife" there are a number of real 
 settlers, industrious, hard-working familii's, and on their farms good crops were raised the past 
 season, 
 
 I will name a few who sowed and attended to their crops and had good returns in 1837» 
 namely : Mr. John Watt (one of the settleis rotorred to in the letter as having met a severe 
 loss, his hay ueing burned the previous year, and w)io is son-in-law of "Settler's Wife ") had a 
 crop of oats which yielded over sixty (60) busliols of piime grain to the acre. ^Ir. William 
 Wonacott, of Pine Creek, a few miles distant, liad a crop of oats yielding upwards of fifty (50) 
 bushels to the acre, and weighing 44 lbs. to the bushel. This gentlewoman had also a good crop 
 
4* 
 
 ALliERTA, CANADA. 
 
 of roots aiul vpgeta1)les. Mr. P. B. Clelland, between Fish and Tine Creeks, in the vicinity 
 ftiludcd to, liad good crops of wheat, oats, barley, roots and vegetables. Robertson Brothers, 
 Df Pine Creek, and Pobt. Jamieson, of Pine Creek, and a number of other settlers m the 
 «eiglil)ourliood wliom I could name, had good crops. 
 
 But wliat bett(^r proof could be given than tlie roots, vegetables, and grain shown at the 
 <'Mlgary Fall Fair in October last, when visitors from all parts woiidered at the splendid display 
 of farm produce and farm stock, which could be shown to advantage in any country. 
 Cauliflowers weighing from 9 to 12 lbs. each, monster Swede turnips, and potatoes, in fact 
 everything in the show spoke in highest praise of the fruitfulness of the soil. 
 
 We have summer frosts, and they do some damage now and again, but I have seen a 
 hundred fold more loss and failure from bad farming and idle helplessness than from any 
 climatic drawback. 
 
 We have iiere, as well as in other cpuntries, a set of "Chronic Kickers," who will neither 
 •work intelligently or live within their means, and who spend more time- running around 
 attending dances and visiting Calgary than they do at work on the farm, and they practically 
 do not know how to work anil are too indolent to learn. They have never worked at home, and 
 come to tliis country expecting to get on without working, and, as a matter of course, get 
 flisappointed, and then they grumble at the Government, the country, the people, the climate, 
 everytliing and eiterybody is at fault excepting only their "infallible selves." 
 
 We have to be thankful that we have only' a few of that sort here, yet the bile that 
 «manates from their torpid livers is so bitter that it would poison a whole community. Here 
 in Alberta we hav- as a rule an energetic, intelligent class of settlers, plucky, hardy pioneers, 
 a credit to any country new or old. 
 
 We have a good market for farm produce as will be seen from the price I get for my butter, 
 and other farm i)roduce brings oquallygood prices ; and I may say that ninety (90) per cent, of 
 tho butter consumed here is imported for want of producers, viz. : practical farmers, 
 
 TJiere are splendid openings here for practical men with some capital. Cheesc-makinj]f, 
 butter-making, hog raising, cattle, sheep and horse ranching, are industries which promise rich 
 returns to industrious men. ^len with families will do best, as they will not need to hire so 
 much labor. Everywhere throughout the .settled districts we have good schools for our children, 
 supported largely by Government grants, and this is a great blessing to the heads of families in 
 a new country. We have many inconveniences here which wealthy people in the old countries 
 are not bothered with. We have, too, a country which promises a poor man competence, and a 
 bright future if he is but industrious and hardworking. It is a country of freedom comjtared 
 with the old settled countries of the world. 
 
 We have bad weather here as well as elsewhere, but taken altogether, both the climate and 
 the soil are equal if not superior to that of any otlier portion of America that I have been iu, 
 and I have seen a considerable portion of this continent. 
 
 We have in Calgary (a town scarcely four years old) a splendid school house, good churches, 
 fine stone and brick blocks, stores carrying heavy stocks in their various lines, business men of 
 large experience and sound judgment, always willing to sell goods at reasonable prices for cash ; 
 but if a settler is known to be shiltless and idle, and wants to get goods on credit ("jawbone" 
 it is called here), for which it is apparent they can never pay, then they are justified iu keeping 
 their goods, but the trouble is that some of them get too much credit. 
 
 There were $300,000 spent in erecting buildings iu Calgary alone last year. We have 
 intelligent, refined, honorable, higli-principled men'and women, who would be a credit to any 
 country, and they are in the majority. We have also a worthless class, as all communities have, 
 but with them the sensible, industrious new-comers and settlers have no need to come in 
 contact. Of couise there are good and bad here as elsewhere. 
 
 We have a splendid country and room for thousands of practical farmers. Cheap land in 
 a fruitful country means wealth to the industrious. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 SAMUiiai Eat. 
 
 Sir, — I came to Manitoba and the North- West Territories in 1874. During the past 
 seven years 1 visited every settlemeut from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, 
 And from the boundary line to the Korth Saskatchewan. 
 
 
nnTDK TO SETTLERS. 
 
 45 
 
 Tlie Ifist six years I have made my home near Calgary, Alberta, and I believe no other 
 district in the Teiiitorics or Manitoba can oiler so many inducements to the capitalists or the 
 settler or the woihingman. 
 
 Ciilgaiy, lis a town, has ppning into existence within the last four years, and has now 
 a poimlutifin of 3,00(1, and is increasing in population and wealth rapidly. Real 
 estate in some ciises lins doubled in value every year, notwithstanding the fact that Calgary 
 never had a boom, but ciiinc into existence during the worst years of depression, after 
 the booms in Winnipeg and other towns and cities in Manitoba and the Tenitories. 
 
 1 believe the I'rovince of Alberta oilers splendid inducements to good practical farmers. 
 
 I have seen good cio}is prown in the vicinity every year Tor the last six years^ 
 and during the past three mrs, I have experimented largely in growing grain and 
 vegetables, in cMlertoget vniicties suited to our tuountain climate, and I am satisfied that the 
 earlier viiriclics of wheat, oats, barley and peas can be grown successfully, even in our most 
 backward seasons. I find that our cool nights during the summer season, which we 
 feel so ])leasant after a hot day, have a tendency to check vegetation, consequently we require 
 to sow the earliest varieties of grain and vegetables to malie sure of a crop ripening every 
 year. 
 
 I have giown almost all kinds of vegetables here ; potatoes, turnips, carrots, cauliflower* 
 and cabbage were eciuid to any I ever saw. 
 
 As ['resident of the Calgary District Agricultural Society for the past two years, I have 
 met farmers and stockmen from all parts of the Alberta District, and they, without a single 
 exception, expressed themselves satisfied with their prospect.", and I may say, that we have 
 settlers from almost every country in the world and every province of Canada. 
 
 In addition to our splendid agricultural piospects we have the finest grazing country ott 
 the continent. 
 
 I have travelled through all the grazing States and Territories of America, and know of no- 
 country or district where mixed fanning can be so prolitabJy carried on. Horses and cattle 
 will run on the prairie and keep in good condition all vlie yuir round, but the farmer 
 with a homestead under cultivation can keep a good herd of cattle, horses and sheep, and feed 
 them straw in the stormiest weather, which will lio all tbo feed required, for as 
 soon as the sform is over, the stock will return again to the jirairie grass. For work horses or 
 dairy cows, giod hay can be cut on the prairie during the sumip.er season. This prairie grass is 
 a niixluie of many varieties of grasses and vetch, and instead of getting eaten out by 
 long close pasturing, as is the case in most of grazing territory of America, it im^jroves, as 
 can be pioved by the lino growth of grass to be seen year after year in the vicinity 
 of Calgary, where it has been jiastured closely for the last twelve years. 
 
 'ihc District of Alberta is splendidly waterei\, by thousands of springs and 
 mountain creeks and rivers running eastward through beautiful valleys and rich prairie 
 lauds. 
 
 Calgary beijig the most imiiortant and largest town in Alberta, is the market town for 
 farm produce for a very large distiiet, and is the best market in the Territories. The supply 
 does not now equal the demand, and thousands upon thousands of dollars are sent out 
 of the district annually for flour, oats, vegetables, bacon, butter, cheese, eggs, poultry, etc., all 
 of which should be produced by our farmer, and the money kept in the district. As soon as 
 we are able to satisfy Calgary market, we will find markets in the mining and lumbering towns 
 springing u[) in the mountains, which will ensure good markets for produce from 
 the disirictfor all time, as we will always be the nearest farming district to the mountains, and 
 will have the protection of the freight rates from ^lanitoba and the eastern portion 
 of the Territories. 
 
 Good agricultural laboLrnrs are always scarce and command good wages, in fact good work- 
 men of all kinds can always fiiui woik at good wages, both summer and winter, as there is au 
 increasing lumber trade carried on in the mountains. 
 
 In conclusion, I would advise any jierson thinking of emigrating who is willing to work, 
 or who has sulficient capital to take up and stock a farm to come to Alberta. 
 Building material, fencing and fuel are cheaper than further cast, and prices for all 
 a farmer has to sell are higher. Good schools and churches aie being established through the 
 district, and the Goveniment are doing a great deal lor the district by bridging all the laigo 
 
 4} 
 
4G 
 
 ALHERTA, CANADA. 
 
 riverB on the main trails, and a railroad north and south through the centre of <' ;s district, is 
 
 one of the probabilities of the near future, which will open up good homes for thousands of 
 
 people, beyond those that are easily accessible now. 
 
 James Walkee. 
 
 Calgaiiy, Alberta, 
 
 Jauuaiy 6th, 1 
 
 J. G. FiTZOERALD, 
 
 Calgary, Alberta. . 
 
 Sir,— I came to this country in 1S82 from Arizona and settled on Fish Crce'- ; since then I 
 have farmed there. 1 was advised by old John Glen, one of the old settlers, to Uikc up land, as 
 the country was a good one, and since then I have learned that his advice was good 
 and his stilt ment true. 
 
 1 have 3'20 acres on the banks of Fish Creek, and I have a good log house, a comfortable 
 stable and 120 feet of shedding for cattle ; each year I have had good crops. 
 
 Last year, 1887, I had forty acres under crops, root and grain ; oats, barley, 
 wheat, potato"::, turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips, cauliflowers and cabbage, all yielded me 
 good returns. Otf of four acres I raised $1,U00 worth of roots. My ob*- crop averaged 
 45 bushels p^r acre, and my wheat 35 bushels p-tf acre, and barley a good crop. 
 
 I have travelled for sixteen years all over America, and 1 do not want to leave 
 Alberta, as I consider it the best country I was ever in. 
 
 1 have fifteen h('a<l of cattle and eight horses, which are in prime condition, all 
 winterin;,r out, except the horses 1 am working. Last winter I wintered 120 head of cattle 
 with grent success, feeding straw out doors. 1 have all the implements required on a farm, 
 and am comfortably fixed in evcry way; my capital to start with was $1,100. 
 I have sold, ami have on hands for sale, $1,200 worth of produce this season, besides keeping 
 all I rtquii' for my own use. 
 
 For mixed farming, 1 know of no country that can equal Alberta. 
 
 Yours, etc., 
 
 N. Bebo. 
 Fish Ciikkk, Alberta, 
 
 January 9th, 1883. 
 
 J. G. FirzGKUAi.D, Esq., 
 
 Calgary, Alberta. 
 
 Sin, — 1 eanie to Alberta in 188o — my former home was in Megantic County, Quebec. 
 Since I came here 1 have been eiigaged in mixed farming, my son and myself have taken up a 
 Government seiuion, 640 acres, between us on High Kiver. I conmieneed with 21^ head 
 of cattle, only tliree of tliem were mature cows, the rest were 2-year olds and yearlings; with 
 the increa.se of this stock, and tlu stock purehased with the surplus money 1 made over my 
 requirements, I have now 54 heail, and have killed (3) three beeves for family use. 1 com- 
 menccd with 3 horses and now have (8) eigli*; ; and one sow. 
 
 In the season of 1886 1 made $20 J from bv.r,ter sold ; the average price that year was about 
 82 cents jier lb.; and raised 10 calves. Lost year (1887) 1 sold about $:<00 worth of 
 butter, averaging •au. 35 centsi per ll;., and I raised seventeen calves ; I also raised my 
 own pork and sold S'lO wortli — this witl' )ho refuso and skim milk. 
 
 1 have built a lionse worth about !j<500, and :nn comibrtably fixed in every way. 1 have 
 about 30 acres under cultivation. Tlie first year 1 hnd n very fair crop, nil ripening \ ell ; lost 
 year the Keason was backward, I cut my crop green. 1 had a fair crop of potatoes 
 and euough barley ripe to feed my horse',, and eno'igh roots and vegetables for our own use. 
 
 Last year I purchased a saddle, fiO ; a double set of harness, $40 ; a hay-rake, $40 ; and 
 I was able to make a present of ij2'j to build a lool house. 
 
 I have no del)ts, ami my elia ices for making money from this on are much better, now 
 that I have a good lot of stock to da'iy with. 
 
 1 have never b.'en sorry for com iig to this country, and I can see that my children are 
 much better off, My ideas of tlie class of men wlio will do well here are men with a capital of 
 $1,500 or $2,500, ]iractical men who are uot afraid to work, and who know tlio 
 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS, 
 
 47 
 
 leave 
 
 
 value of money, for extravagance is a curse here. Too many come here expecting to 
 find wealth and every luxury awaiting them, and as a matter of course are disappointed, and 
 then tiiid fault wifh tlie country when the fault is in thenjselves. "We want men who have 
 been accustomed to farm work; practical dairy fanners will do well here without any 
 doubt. I believe that the men who v/ill make most money here are the mixed farmers ; men 
 who will keep just as many cattle as they can care for during the six or seven weeks 
 of severe winter weather that we may expect. Horses require no winter care, they 
 will ru.stle for themselves any winter. 
 
 I have a Ijrother here who commenced with a very small capital, and who has done even 
 better than I have. There is no end of free lands all over Alberta, and good openings 
 for capitalists and practical farmers. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Thomas H, Andrf.\v.s. 
 High River, Alberta, 
 
 January 14th, 1888. 
 
 Mil. FlTZGERALP, 
 
 Calgaky, Alberta. 
 
 Dkar Sir, — In reply to your request, I shall be only too glad to say whatever I can 
 concerning this district and the Indian population, in the hope that any who intend emigrating 
 from fireat Britain to this part of the North-West may form an opinion or this district and its 
 inhabitants. 
 
 I am a Missionary of the Church Missionary Society, and came here in the summer of 1883 
 to commence work among the 9 200 lUackiVet who are .settled on this excellent reserve. The 
 reserve set apart for the exclusive use of tliese Indians, by the Government, is about 36 miles 
 Jong ami 15 miles wide, its northern boundiiry being tiie line of the C. P. R'y. It is well 
 Bupplii'd with wood, coal, ami water. The Uow River runs through it from west to east, and 
 its lianks are well wooded. Coal is seen cropjnng out all along its banks on either side, and 
 tliere are no less than three places being worked at the present moment by the Indians for 
 their own use and that of the Government oflicials who are placed over them. 
 
 The Indians arc divided into two large camps, called respectively the North and the South 
 Blackfeet, and eacii ruled by a Head Ch'of, " Crowfoot," who is also chief of the whole Blackfoot 
 nation (including Blood and IVigan Indians in the district of Fort Madeod), is Head Chief of 
 tlic South Blackfeet, and '« Old Sun," a very old man, is liead of the North Bhnkfeet. These 
 camps are again sub-divided into bands under minor chiefs, and thes^ bauds dwell in villages 
 built on the north bank of the Bow, at sliort distances from e<ich other. 
 
 Till' Indians, as a body, arc a line lot of men, and for physique and intelligence compare 
 veil witli any otiier race along the line of the C.l'.U. They are still all heathen, and retain 
 many of their old customs. They ^laint their faces, red and yellow being the predomir.ant 
 colors. Meu and women alike wear huge earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Tlio women are 
 the " liewers of wood and drawers of water " for the tribe, and help their husbands in any 
 manual labor they niiiy have on liand. Tiieir dress consi.sts of a costume hanging from the 
 Khouldeis and fastened around the waist with a belt, short leggings, moccasins, with a few 
 beads rudely worked on them, and a blanket which also serves as a covering at uiglit. The 
 wen wear a short sliirt made of cotton sheeting or calico, leggings, breech-clout, and a blanket 
 or blanket coat. 'J'iiis dres.s, in both men and worn n, the once much warmer aud liandsomer 
 one of deerskin and builalo robe. 
 
 Dejirived of their original occupation as liunters, tliedeerand bulfalohavingall diHappear*^'!, 
 they have not only f(dt the loss of tiie warm skins with wiiich they used to protect tlienuselves 
 in winter, but also have been deprived of tiieir means of livelihood. Tho Governnent lias, 
 tlieiefore, fince their location on tiiis reserve, undertaken to feed them all with beef and Hour, 
 wliicii is issued to the heads of families twice or tlirico a week. Farm instnulors are also 
 
 Idaced aiiKiug tlieiii, and under their instnietions some of the IndiaiiH iiavo miide good progress 
 n aaricultnre. Many of them can plougli, harrow, and mow, but tho majority do not take 
 kindly to this new occupation. 
 
 Oats, barley, jiotatoes, beets, turnips, carrots, onions, ^e,, have all been raised successfully 
 Lcru each year except the last, when tlie oat crop did nut ripen so well a» in previous years. 
 
48 
 
 ALI'.KllTA, CANAV^- 
 
 ii. 
 
 The Indians dwell in tents during the summer months and move about a great deal. In 
 the winter they always return to their villages, w here their houses are made of logs, and when I 
 camc! among tiiein first they liad neither windows or stoves, their fire-places being made of mud 
 in tlie i;orner of the house, and the floor and roof being of the same material. They have now 
 nearly all windows and floors to their houses, many have stoves, and had they means would 
 make much greater strides towards v-ivilized life. As it is their poverty keeps them back, 
 caused to a great extent by their idleness in not tilling the laud reserved to them by the 
 Government. 
 
 There are tliree sehools in operation on the reserve, two amongst the North Black feet 
 connected with my mission, and one amongst the South Bla^^kfeet connected with the Uomau 
 Catholic Mission, all three being assisted by grants from the Government. 
 
 The children iiave not made rapid progress, but some of them have shown us that with the 
 ordinary training English children have, they are capable of developing into (juiek and 
 intelligent seliolars, several of the children in the school now bein^ abh to read iulel;igently 
 Gage's Canadian First IJeader in English. 
 
 The occupation of so much of the country just here by the lUackfeet has naturally kept 
 immigrants from nettling here, but since the establishment o^a divisional point of the C P. I\'y 
 at (Ueichen, a village has siiriing up there consisting chief^ of railway employees. It has a 
 post-ofiice, three general stores, a public school, library and reading room. An English church, 
 built a year ago at a cost of $1,250 (jf 250^, ministers to the s])iritual wants of the inhabitants, 
 and I'resliyterian and Homan Catholic services are also frequently held in the village. 
 
 The country north of Gleichen, and extending both east and west, is open to settlers. A 
 few have already taken up land and commenced mixed farming. They seem to be very well 
 pleased with their prospects. It is prairie land watered by snuill streams, but there is l;ick of 
 timber. Tiiose who have settled at a distance from streams have obcained good water by 
 digging wells. Coal for fuel is obtained on both the Kosebud and Crowfoot Creeks l)y tli» 
 settlers who mine their own. Wood for fencing purposes is obtained by railway frum the 
 mountains at reasonable rates. 
 
 The climate is excellent, though somewhat uncertain. The air is clear and dry. 'i'lie 
 Rocky Mountains are clearly seen most of the year, though a hundred miha di>i.int, and 
 Bometimes so plainly that ont; would almost expect to reach them in a few hours on horsi'biirk. 
 
 With all these advantages, however, I feel that many would-be immigrants would find this 
 a poor place for a home unless they eoiiie with suilieient capital to buy horses and ploiigii, 
 lumber for a small house, and a cow and pfiultry. The best and oidy way tor men to get on 
 Buccessfidly is to enter upon mixed farming, raising vegetables and oats Huliieient for the house 
 and stock, and keeping cows, pigs and poultry, all of which will pay well and cost little to 
 keep. Settlers arc adopting tiiis jilan on Crowfoot and Kosebud Creeks, and also in the moro 
 immediate vicinity of Cicirlicn, and from what they say they seem confident of success. Men 
 witli a little capita!, and a knowledge of farming and stock, who want to settle down on laud 
 of tlieir own, iind are not afraid of hard work, can, I fed sure, make good homes for themselves 
 and families in tliis district. 
 
 The Indians are always ready to work for settlers for ready money. They arc used by 
 those in tlie district, and are, I believe, found to be cheap laboiut^rs. Aliove all we would like 
 to see good Chi'istian farmers wliose lives w^uld be a pattern to the pocr Indians, who lu.vo 
 never had the advantages of a Christi"n training that has fallen to the lot of uU thoso who 
 lived in Great Hritain. 
 
 • I am, Sir, 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 J. W. TiM8. 
 GlKICIIEN, Rlaekfoot I'eserVe, 
 December '.Jtith, 1887. 
 J. G. Fl ZOKKAMI, K Q., 
 
 (Secretary Calgary District Agricultural Society. 
 
 Sin, — I have lived near Calgaiy for over four years, and consider the country is admirably 
 
 adapteil for mixed farming, the gnussea (native) being rich and nutritious, and inivo 
 
 great flesh ]irodueiiig ipiiiliticH. And for the most part of the winters sim-e 1 camo 
 
 uere, cattle and horses diil not re(iniie housing or jei I longer than six weeks any one year. 
 
 t 
 
 •'/- 
 
 > 
 
^s 
 
 19 
 
 ST 1^1 
 
 UTH i 
 
 V' 
 
 V 
 
 idW 
 
 << 
 (( 
 (( 
 (< 
 t( 
 << 
 (I 
 <( 
 (( 
 <( 
 <( 
 << 
 <( 
 (( 
 (( 
 << 
 If 
 (I 
 (< 
 <l 
 (( 
 
 ley 
 
 sy. 
 
 to, 
 
 to 
 
 on 
 
 jut 
 
 ers 
 
 I ill 
 
 of 
 
 her 
 'or 
 3ie, 
 ecu 
 
 inse 
 got 
 iver 
 ,}iat 
 8 to 
 (C a 
 
 30 
 ed ; 
 
 J> 
 
 ag.s 
 nest 
 
 OlXi 
 
 It 
 thcr 
 ) by 
 okH. 
 
 :fks. 
 
 and 
 I'ly, 
 ooks 
 
 and 
 iiatt) 
 its 
 :aiii.s 
 inuro 
 
 and 
 
 a id 
 tuvii 
 
 .din« 
 
 IfVtT 
 
 llltfll 
 
RECORD OF TI 
 
 OBSERVATIONS TAKEN DAILY AT U.O AND 18 FROM SELE-REGI 
 
 NoTKS.- -Miii.=:rMiiiiimim takoii at 6.0 a.m. during preceeding 24^ hoiii'S. Max^Maxinmni tak(m at G.O p.m. during j)recoeding 24 lioius. — = 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1886 
 
 1887 
 
 1 
 
 j MilNTII. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mjix. 
 
 Ainil 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mii>. 
 
 M: 
 
 .Iiiuuarv 1 
 
 —10 
 
 — 8 
 
 — l(J 
 —22 . 
 
 — If) 
 —18 
 —10 
 
 13 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 33 
 
 23 
 
 8 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 15 
 
 10 
 
 13 
 
 5 
 
 f) 
 
 11 
 
 IT) 
 
 13 
 
 —10 
 
 •) 
 
 3 
 
 — 5 
 
 — 8 
 -If) 
 
 10 
 13 
 
 —15 
 
 
 — 5 
 • —12 
 
 — 5 
 10 
 45 
 37 
 31 
 40 
 40 
 34 
 20 
 24 
 32 
 50 
 32 
 30 
 20 
 35 
 40 
 40 
 33 
 32 
 3(1 
 28 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 32 
 
 48 
 
 — 1() 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 17 
 
 11 
 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 —14 
 
 —20 
 
 —16 
 
 —23 
 
 —23 
 
 22 
 
 —14 
 
 —28 
 
 —1(5 
 
 1 
 
 — 7 
 
 7 
 . •) 
 
 — 21 
 
 1 
 
 (i 
 
 8 
 
 14 
 
 (1 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 18 
 20 
 32 
 1 30 
 33 
 34 
 
 31 
 »)') 
 
 22 
 16 
 
 — 6 
 -- 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 (1 
 
 1 
 
 — 3 
 
 18 
 12 
 31 
 23 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 • '•) 
 
 4(1 
 40 
 :i3 
 2!t 
 M 
 20 
 
 -13 
 
 — 1 
 27 
 
 — 14 
 —10 
 —21) 
 —32 
 
 — 12 
 
 — 5 
 
 — 1 
 17 
 20 
 
 5 
 
 — 8 
 -J-) 
 
 — 8 
 —18 
 —28 
 —36 
 —33 
 —35 
 —32 
 —21 
 
 — 1:; 
 —26 
 —21 
 
 — 8 
 
 20 
 
 l!t 
 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 '■■•) 
 
 41 
 
 2 
 
 — 4 
 -1!) 
 
 ~,i 
 
 34 
 41 
 32 
 
 37 
 
 — 1 
 
 I 
 5 
 — Ki 
 —1.^. 
 —21 
 -IS 
 
 — 1 
 
 — 11 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 37 
 
 4.'. 
 
 3:i 
 
 2 1 
 
 — 9 
 
 -■- 8 
 
 27 
 
 4 
 
 — 2 
 -- 8 
 
 — 7 
 - i) 
 
 !» 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 T.I 
 
 10 
 
 16 
 
 — 16 
 
 — 21 
 .__ 4 
 
 8 
 
 — 13 
 
 — 18 
 
 — 15 
 
 !) 
 
 — 1 
 5 
 5 
 
 — 16 
 
 5 
 
 39 
 
 39 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 2.> 
 
 29 
 
 35 
 
 24 
 
 36 
 
 36 
 
 38 
 
 — 7 
 7 
 
 23 
 
 32 
 
 ;i 
 
 — 5 
 1 
 
 20 
 20 
 20 
 29 
 24 
 23 
 
 — .11 
 
 27 
 30 
 27 
 32 
 32 
 ''■S 
 34 
 20 
 si) 
 30 
 27 
 25 
 24 
 23 
 16 
 19 
 22 
 8 
 15 
 18 
 21 
 25 
 26 
 .")>S 
 33 
 25 
 20 
 ')•) 
 
 2. 
 3 1 
 
 55 
 61 
 61 
 53 
 51 
 52 
 53 
 56 
 48 
 34 
 48 
 58 
 35 
 38 
 45 
 44 
 38 
 43 
 51 
 62 
 65 
 (>S 
 74 
 62 
 42 
 46 
 
 % 
 
 56 
 
 57 
 
 28 
 21 
 27 
 39 
 31 
 31 
 13 
 13 
 29 
 26 
 25 
 21 
 31 
 3.3 
 29 
 13 
 i2 
 
 11 
 18 
 
 29 
 16 
 
 2S 
 
 IS 
 
 26 
 21 
 
 20 
 28 
 
 :!.s 
 
 
 •< 2 
 
 U ') 
 
 
 " 3 
 
 " 3 
 
 «< 4 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 5 
 
 < < ', 
 
 
 " 6 
 
 «« r, 
 
 
 «' 7 
 
 " -7 
 
 
 8 
 
 " 8 
 
 
 " 1» 
 
 «« 9 
 
 1 
 
 " 10 
 
 " m 
 
 
 11.... •. 
 
 1 <« 11 
 
 
 12 
 
 .< ]>) 
 
 ( 
 
 " i;j 
 
 «« 13 
 
 ( 
 
 14 
 
 «« M 
 
 
 15 
 
 j «« If, 
 
 
 It) 
 
 " ] 6 
 
 
 17 ' 
 
 1 ' 
 
 i '•' 17 
 
 " 18. 
 
 . 
 
 '« 18 
 
 r 
 
 " 19 : 
 
 «< Ii) 
 
 i 
 
 " 20 
 
 <« 20 
 
 
 21 
 
 << 21 
 
 r 
 
 22 
 
 <( ')') 
 
 
 (1 r><n 
 
 «' 23 
 
 , 
 
 24 
 
 «' '> ) 
 
 
 " 2li.... 
 
 <« 25 
 
 «« 26 
 
 f 
 
 ^ '= 2(i 
 
 
 •• 27. ::.:.: 
 
 I< ')7 
 
 ( 
 
 •' 28 
 
 «« '>3 
 
 1 
 
 " 21t 
 
 _•)() 1 _ 1 1 
 
 •'( 29 
 
 " 30 
 
 / 
 
 " 30 
 
 " 31 
 
 -20 
 
 30 
 
 -11 1 
 —26 
 
 ( 
 
 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 l,s,s4 
 
 1885 
 
 ].S8(i 
 
 I.SS7 
 
 MdNTII. 
 
 1 -.SI 
 
 1> 
 
 S5 
 
 
 Mill. 
 17 
 
 — 10 
 
 — 18 
 12 
 
 — 7 
 — . ii 
 
 —11) 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 10 
 
 — 30 
 -30 
 
 — 7 
 
 — «l 
 
 — 18 
 30 
 
 — 24 
 
 — (1 
 
 Mll.N. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mill 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mil. 
 
 Max. 
 
 May 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mm. 
 
 Mfv 
 
 J'' livmirv 1 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 ](t 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 2 1 
 
 11 
 
 _ 1 
 
 — 8 
 16 
 
 va 
 
 21 
 3 
 
 — 10 
 il! 
 
 — 3 
 
 16 
 23 
 28 
 24 
 22 
 4 
 (; 
 
 — 11 
 —21 
 
 17 
 
 — 2 
 3 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 . . 6 
 
 Hi 
 
 45 
 47 
 16 
 50 
 42 
 14 
 12 
 (i 
 
 
 
 23 
 17 
 32 
 31 
 25 
 17 
 13 
 Ii 
 
 — 4 
 
 — ,M 
 
 — 1 
 
 27 
 27 
 
 2 
 
 I 
 47 
 4l» 
 5(1 
 
 -35 
 
 .36 
 
 40 
 
 —•17 
 
 — 30 
 -■34 
 
 28 
 
 — S 
 —23 
 
 — 29 
 —22 
 —16 
 
 1 
 -17 
 
 — 10 
 
 Id 
 
 -28 
 -23 
 —18 
 
 — (1 
 
 -15 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 
 rt 
 
 23 
 7 
 
 a 
 
 32 
 41 
 
 24 
 
 28 
 
 3 4 
 
 29 
 
 26 
 •>.) 
 
 33 
 31 
 30 
 30 
 31 
 26 
 28 
 "id 
 31 
 35 
 35 
 
 60 
 72 
 61 
 51 
 63 
 63 
 57 
 05 
 61 
 70 
 45 
 59 
 71 
 7(» 
 76 
 
 79 
 
 6S 
 
 24 
 
 32 
 
 31 
 
 44 
 
 42 
 
 38 
 
 20 
 
 17 
 
 3i 
 
 22 
 
 31 
 
 30 
 
 33 
 
 !«7 
 
 32 ! 
 
 25 
 
 34 
 
 t 
 
 <• 2* 
 
 H ') 
 
 t 
 
 <« 3 
 
 f 3 
 
 
 «• 4 
 
 <• 4 
 
 t 
 
 •• ft 
 
 " 5 
 
 «' 6 
 
 1 
 
 " II 
 
 2t) 1 5^ 1 
 
 
 •• 7 
 
 34 
 12 
 12 
 HI 
 27 
 20 
 
 16 j 
 - 4 1 
 6 ' 
 2ti 
 
 5(1 
 34 
 40 
 
 i; 
 
 47 
 3I» 
 
 2N 
 
 12 
 311 
 
 111 
 
 '• / , , 
 
 
 •• 8 
 
 << rt •. 
 
 r 
 
 • • 
 
 << 9 
 
 f 
 
 •• 10 
 
 " 10 
 
 ( 
 
 " 11 
 
 «' 11 
 
 , 
 
 << la 
 
 •« 12 
 
 t 
 
 M 18 
 
 «• 13 
 
 1 
 
 «« 14 
 
 «« 14 
 
 •« 15 
 
 ( 
 
 •< 16. ,. 
 
 
 •• i(j 
 
 •• (!.... 
 
 ( 
 
 <• 17 
 
 31 l!> 1 
 
 15 ' 21 1 
 
 " 17 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 ... 1 
 
 
 
 
OF TEMPERATURE FOR FIVE YE 
 
 18 FllOM SELF-KEGISTERING THERMOMETERS (FAHxlENHEIT) AT FISH CREEK (OTHERWISE MEDNAPORE), EIGHT I^ll 
 
 receeding 24 hours. 
 
 -=bel(iw zero, + =:al)Ove zero. 
 
 ISS-l 
 
 18 
 Mir. 
 
 85 
 
 1886 
 
 1887 
 
 1 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1886 
 
 IS 
 
 r, 
 
 11. 
 
 Mi.x. 
 
 Mux 
 
 5S 
 (!.' 
 it,' 
 (i:; 
 71 
 11 
 5ti 
 5.S 
 (il 
 50 
 52 
 (is 
 (i> 
 5ti 
 43 
 27 
 25 
 37 
 ■15 
 .).) 
 50 
 47 
 50 
 4(i 
 52 
 51 
 (ill 
 (I'.i 
 72 
 (i:! 
 
 Mill, i 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mill. 1 Max. 
 
 .July 1 
 
 " 3.'.'/.....,,. ..... 
 
 " 4 
 
 Mill. 
 
 48 
 ■111 
 
 42 1 
 3ii 1 
 :i(i 1 
 40 i 
 
 :iii 1 
 42 1 
 12 
 12 
 11 
 
 11 1 
 4(5 
 11 
 50 
 
 ?' 
 3!1 
 
 11 
 
 41 
 5/ 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mil:. Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 ■17 
 •27 
 
 55 
 (il 
 
 i;i 
 5:5 
 
 51 
 52 
 53 
 
 28 
 
 2 1 
 
 27 
 
 3!) 
 
 31 
 
 31 
 
 13 
 
 !3 ! 
 
 2'J 
 
 2() 1 
 
 25 
 
 21 
 
 .•!1 
 
 33 
 
 2!» 
 
 1.3 
 
 r> 
 
 '» 
 11 
 18 
 
 2!t 
 
 i<; 
 
 2.S 
 IS 
 2(1 
 21 
 2'.» 
 28 
 38 
 
 1 
 
 1^ I 
 
 15 
 
 l(i 
 
 25 
 
 31 
 
 21 
 
 18 
 
 21 
 
 26 
 
 2(5 
 
 20 
 
 311 
 
 30 
 
 32 
 
 24 
 
 2(5 
 
 22 
 
 IS 
 
 30 
 
 32 
 
 24 
 
 3H 
 
 25 
 
 18 
 
 28 
 
 27 
 
 20 
 
 2(1 
 
 23 
 
 1> 
 
 47 
 18 
 
 .'5 
 (50 
 (i4 
 5«i 
 (51 
 08 
 (58 
 70 
 08 
 50 
 42 
 55 
 57 
 52 
 50 
 (52 
 (iO 
 51 
 (i5 
 
 (i7 
 
 11 
 52 
 45 
 42 
 40 
 30 
 45 
 
 22 
 24 
 15 
 18 
 23 
 28 
 33 
 
 1 
 
 54 
 30 
 41 
 45 
 60 
 64 
 58 
 
 08 
 50 
 58 
 70 
 78 
 72 
 06 
 72 
 70 
 09 
 (i8 
 01 
 06 
 72 
 70 
 57 
 64 
 66 
 72 
 70 
 75 
 
 1 
 
 53 1 
 40 1 
 40 j 
 
 .^o 
 
 50 
 
 45 
 
 39 
 
 40 
 
 38 
 
 35 
 
 40 
 
 4 
 
 50 
 
 48 1 
 
 48 1 
 
 42 
 
 43 
 
 32 
 
 41 
 
 30 
 
 40 
 
 41 
 
 37 
 
 4S 
 
 43 
 
 40 
 
 43 
 
 45 
 
 50 
 
 40 
 
 53 
 
 78 
 80 
 74 
 80 
 78 
 80 
 50 
 54 
 05 
 70 
 78 
 80 
 87 
 83 
 60 
 40 
 60 
 70 
 (iO 
 
 71 
 73 
 (57 
 70 
 04 
 (i7 
 73 
 80 
 85 
 80 
 77 
 73 
 
 48 
 33 
 37 
 40 
 
 50 
 41 
 
 48 
 50 
 48 
 48 
 47 
 53 
 57 
 
 55 
 
 55 
 
 51 
 
 51 
 
 41 
 
 45 
 
 46 
 
 4 
 
 56 
 
 50 
 
 48 
 
 44 
 
 41 
 
 52 
 
 48 
 
 51 
 
 -10 
 
 64 
 73 
 
 7;! 
 70 
 70 
 83 
 00 
 92 
 88 
 82 
 89 
 95 
 85 
 85 
 8!) 
 87 
 79 
 78 
 SO 
 SO 
 81 
 8 5 
 78 
 7S 
 84 
 S2 
 / •> 
 78 
 75 
 74 
 
 40 
 ■12 
 
 ■l.S '■ 
 40 ' 
 
 ;v2 
 
 «« 5 
 
 ■10 : 
 
 -.'8 
 
 «« 6 
 
 53 1 
 
 :j4 
 
 «< 7 
 
 53 ! 
 
 20 :ni 
 
 23 • 51 1 
 
 « 8 
 
 44 
 
 -5 -18 
 
 ;5() : :il 
 
 21 
 • 3j 
 
 20 
 
 53 
 43 
 
 ;:8 
 
 " 9 
 
 " 10 
 
 46 1 
 46 1 
 
 27 , 18 
 
 " 11 
 
 38 i 
 
 2.'. i .".8 
 
 20 i 43 1 
 
 " 12 
 
 30 i 
 
 24 1 ••}.-. 
 
 29 
 32 
 33 
 25 
 27 
 23 
 17 
 22 
 20 
 22 
 24 
 21 
 33 
 30 
 28 
 30 
 30 
 32 
 
 53 
 55 
 50 
 50 
 41 
 47 
 50 
 41 
 43 
 47 
 50 
 
 .... 
 
 55 
 02 
 02 
 07 
 47 
 43 
 
 " 13...: 
 
 35 1 
 
 2;i 1 :J8 
 
 " 14 
 
 31 
 
 M! 
 
 15 
 44 
 38 
 43 
 51 
 02 
 (i5 
 (i8 
 74 
 1)2 
 
 <« 15 
 
 44 
 33 
 38 
 38 
 
 
 Ill 
 
 «' 10 
 
 
 ■>■> 
 
 " 17 
 
 
 8 
 
 15 
 18 
 21 
 25 
 21! 
 :)8 
 
 " 18 
 
 
 «• 19 
 
 42 
 
 «• 20 
 
 11 
 
 '« 21 
 
 50 j 
 
 (1 22 
 " 24 
 
 50 1 80 
 
 51 1 78 
 10 1 71 
 4:; 74 
 48 : 78 
 
 18 79 1 
 
 52 
 
 55 
 54 
 43 
 
 
 ;t:{ 1 12 
 25 1 Hi 
 
 «' 25 
 
 
 «« 2(5 
 
 44 i 
 
 20 
 
 M ad 
 
 2. 
 
 a 4 
 
 47 
 58 
 5(5 
 57 
 
 " 27 
 
 39 
 
 " 28 
 
 50 
 ■10 
 
 r.2 
 
 80 1 
 79 
 .-3 
 61 
 
 37 
 39 
 45 
 
 
 " 29 
 
 
 «' 30 
 
 
 " 31 
 
 44 
 
 1 -.M 
 
 1> 
 
 .^5 
 
 Mi 
 
 MilN. 
 
 1S87 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1884 
 
 18S5 
 
 IS 
 
 Mill. 
 
 S(i 
 
 Max. 
 
 18^, 
 
 .-J 
 
 II. 
 
 21 
 
 2.S 
 
 :il 
 
 211 
 
 2(! 
 .(.1 
 
 Mn.v. 
 
 Mm. 
 
 Mux. 
 
 7(i 
 71 
 75 
 72 
 73 
 13 
 45 
 50 
 55 
 (12 
 ' 11 
 7'i 
 73 
 (52 
 1 4(i 
 (!(! 
 7 t 
 
 Mill. 
 
 14 
 21 
 25 
 20 
 31 
 2S 
 .32 
 33 
 35 
 33 
 27 
 21 
 18 
 31 
 31 
 37 
 ;is 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mux. 
 
 AuhuhI * 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 44 
 43 
 45 
 11 
 1 1 
 50 
 42 
 
 ;<H 
 45 
 
 38 
 42 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 J 
 
 (iO 
 
 72 
 
 (il 
 
 5 1 
 
 li;; 
 
 (•3 
 
 •24 
 32 
 31 
 44 
 42 
 38 
 ISO 
 
 17 
 .11 
 22 
 31 
 30 
 33 
 37 
 32 
 25 
 ■!1 
 
 48 
 41 
 48 
 57 
 58 
 (>3 
 1 07 
 02 
 45 
 50 
 57 
 3.5 
 53 
 05 
 (13 
 7(1 
 
 StI 
 
 25 
 
 22 
 
 28 
 
 21) 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 21 
 
 30 
 
 27, 
 
 27 
 
 33 
 
 38 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 53 
 50 
 03 
 67 
 01 
 00 
 52 
 52 
 00 
 05 
 54 
 5« 
 ..7 
 50 
 57 
 (It) 
 
 40 
 10 
 45 
 48 
 19 
 49 
 54 
 48 
 50 
 48 
 44 
 4 'J 
 34 
 4'< 
 3(1 
 
 60 
 70 
 77 
 
 81 
 80 
 82 
 77 
 81 
 S3 
 80 
 
 1 7S 
 
 1 79 
 
 52 
 
 44 
 
 03 
 
 75 
 79 
 
 7 ■■ 
 78 
 75 
 "2 
 06 
 76 
 (.2 
 71 
 76 
 
 44 
 40 
 42 
 40 
 38 
 10 
 48 
 45 
 55 
 44 
 45 
 42 
 40 
 38 
 37 
 3« 
 30 
 
 Oil 
 7:5 
 71 
 78 
 84 
 85 
 72 
 80 
 78 
 79 
 82 
 77 
 78 
 75 
 09 
 73 
 77 
 
 47 
 
 «• 2 
 
 44 
 
 " 3 
 
 " 4 
 
 11 
 
 3 1 
 
 << r, 
 
 40 
 
 " 
 
 43 
 42 
 
 38 
 
 
 :t;( 1 57 
 :!l i!.> 
 
 .•tl) 1 IM 
 
 " 7 
 
 1 
 
 " 8 
 
 1 
 
 '« 9 
 
 30 1 i 
 
 :io 
 :ii 
 2tl 
 
 28 
 
 ;i(i 
 :u 
 
 ;ir. 
 
 70 
 
 45 
 5l» 
 71 
 7<l 
 
 7li 
 
 71* 
 
 i;-< 
 
 '• ]o 
 
 39 i 
 
 " 11 
 
 47 
 
 '• 12 
 
 50 74 
 47 33 
 
 44 
 
 <• 13 
 
 45 
 
 •' 11 
 
 4S 
 M 
 IS 
 
 87 
 
 81 
 
 83 
 
 45 
 
 «• 1.-. 
 
 43 
 
 " 10 
 
 3! ! 07 
 
 l<i 
 
 :t(i 
 
 SI 
 
 17 
 
 '\i'\ 
 
 •* *i 
 
 1 ' 
 
 7.1 
 
 1 ..' 
 
 ^ 
 
EARS, 
 
 KaiT MILES SOUTH OF CALGARY. 
 
 1.SS7 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1886 
 
 1887 
 
 Mill. 
 
 ! Mnx. 
 
 1 
 
 'Octol 
 
 ! " 
 
 (( 
 (< 
 (( 
 <( 
 i( 
 l> 
 (( 
 t( 
 (( 
 l< 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 l< 
 11 
 
 II 
 II 
 l< 
 II 
 11 
 l< 
 II 
 II 
 i< 
 li 
 II 
 ■ 1 
 
 jer 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 I^[ill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Miu. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Hi 
 
 1 
 
 71 
 
 31 
 30 
 20 
 3(i 
 25 
 1!) 
 16 
 29 
 27 
 
 34 
 43 
 55 
 63 
 45 
 43 
 1 55 
 57 
 67 
 
 42 
 
 37 
 26 
 24 
 22 
 28 
 24 
 40 
 31 
 34 
 18 
 20 
 33 
 30 
 25 
 17 
 14 
 28 
 18 
 
 27 
 32 
 24 
 31 
 22 
 33 
 21 
 26 
 25 
 20 
 18 
 
 60 
 55 
 73 
 50 
 58 
 56 
 69 
 65 
 54 
 50 
 50 
 57 
 66 
 63 
 48 
 47 
 53 
 52 
 54 
 65 
 65 
 62 
 60 
 43 
 40 
 46 
 47 
 54 
 50 
 51 
 47 
 
 40 
 36 
 
 69 
 69 
 
 33 
 27 
 30 
 34 
 22 
 26 
 24 
 22 
 80 
 20 
 27 
 25 
 20 
 41 
 28 
 31 
 20 
 34 
 32 
 21 
 21' 
 18 
 2 
 — 8 
 
 62 
 
 12 1 7.i 
 
 >) 
 
 58 
 
 IS 
 
 k; 
 ■t() 
 
 :<:\ 
 
 • '•> 
 
 4 1 
 4(1 
 46 
 ;is 
 ;!() 
 ;iri 
 ;'.] 
 
 4 4 
 33 
 38 
 38 
 42 
 44 
 50 
 52 
 
 5 5 
 .VI 
 43 
 4 4 
 
 » :i9 
 37 
 .iO 
 45 
 44 
 
 I s:5 
 81 
 81 
 85 
 8! 
 
 (is 
 57 
 68 
 75 
 69 
 64 
 73 
 1 4 
 77 
 79 
 82 
 81 
 83 
 64 
 73 
 60 
 58 
 45 
 65 
 74 
 76 
 77 
 
 •i 
 
 33 : 77 
 38 ■ 73 
 
 00 
 
 4 
 
 67 
 
 5 
 
 39 
 27 
 33 
 28 
 31 
 20 
 
 i:. 
 
 28 
 35 
 21 
 16 
 12 
 8 
 22 
 16 
 26 
 34 
 30 
 36 
 15 
 23 
 34 
 33 
 39 
 18 
 16 
 14 
 
 66 
 62 
 56 
 56 
 41 
 40 
 46 
 58 
 55 
 26 
 25 
 30 
 36 
 42 
 44 
 62 
 61 
 66 
 51 
 48 
 57 
 67 
 62 
 59 
 48 
 40 
 49 
 
 51) 
 
 (5 
 
 7 
 
 41 
 48 
 
 8 
 
 55 
 
 9 
 
 46 
 
 10 
 
 27 i 54 
 
 24 1 55 
 
 25 ! 61 
 
 49 
 
 11 
 
 68 
 
 12 
 
 48 
 
 13 
 
 28 
 30 
 26 
 30 
 
 70 
 62 
 65 
 67 
 
 65 
 
 14 
 
 67 
 
 15 
 
 52 
 
 16 
 
 50 
 
 17 
 
 30 1 71 
 37 1 i>*i 
 24 : 34 
 16 1 44 
 
 58 
 
 18 
 
 63 
 
 19 
 
 49 
 
 20 
 
 45 
 
 21 
 
 22 
 17 
 29 
 26 
 ".2 
 111 
 26 
 22 
 15 
 14 
 
 •> t 
 
 44 
 46 
 61 
 53 
 47 
 41 
 51 
 32 
 30 
 40 
 45 
 
 44 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 22 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 25 
 
 4 .,n 
 
 26 
 
 18 
 35 
 
 ;:8 
 
 31 
 28 
 30 
 
 47 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 211 
 
 41 
 67 
 75 
 
 :to 
 
 68 
 
 ;•. 1 
 
 61 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 MnMTll. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1 
 
 1886 j 
 
 1884 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Ma.x. 
 
 Novo 
 
 nilior 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 MlLX. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 1 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 1 
 
 47 
 
 74 
 77 
 59 
 
 65 
 
 18 1 
 
 iR 
 
 1 
 
 28 
 33 
 25 
 14 
 24 
 15 
 14 
 27 
 19 
 22 
 4 
 17 
 25 
 25 
 22 
 22 
 
 03 
 49 
 17 
 43 
 31 
 44 
 44 
 45 
 62 
 33 
 32 
 46 
 60 
 42 
 53 
 46 
 
 18 
 
 .la 
 
 31 
 
 24 
 
 • 23 
 
 21 
 
 28 
 27 
 18 
 18 
 20 
 28 
 1-9 
 10 
 11) 
 
 00 
 50 
 47 
 60 
 58 
 35 
 43 
 30 
 54 
 60 
 60 
 
 44 
 
 ( •) 
 
 ■ 1 .;.; 1 
 
 •)H 111 1 
 
 11 
 
 ' ;j 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 37 
 
 31 1 
 
 24 
 
 23 
 
 23 
 
 3:( 
 
 26 
 
 25 
 
 21 
 
 28 
 
 m; 
 
 41 
 50 
 65 
 59 
 61 
 53 
 • 61 
 51 
 59 
 5.) 
 
 f'7 
 48 
 
 48 
 30 
 
 20 
 26 
 
 6 
 24 
 29 
 31 
 
 7 
 11 
 13 
 23 
 16 
 
 6 
 11 
 14 
 
 58 
 36 
 38 
 62 
 61 
 33 
 30 
 31 
 48 
 54 
 32 
 32 
 29 
 41 
 11 
 
 :t 1 
 
 4 
 
 40 75 1 
 
 ' 5 
 
 13 
 
 76 
 45 
 55 
 71 
 71 
 69 
 75 
 73 
 74 
 76 
 78 
 
 ' 6 
 
 12 
 
 
 ;iH 
 
 ' 8 
 
 30 
 
 ' 9 
 
 39 
 
 ' 10 
 
 17 
 
 ' 11 
 
 14 
 
 • 12 
 
 47 
 
 r.; 
 
 15 
 
 < i;j 
 
 t,^ 
 
 • 14 
 
 22 ■^v 
 
 i;i 
 
 15 
 
 1 '•- 
 
 20 
 10 
 
 1 ., 
 
 35 
 34 
 
48 
 
 The Inc 
 the winter tl 
 came amun^ 
 ill tlie coruei 
 nearly all w 
 make much 
 caused to a 
 Goverument, 
 
 There t 
 connected w 
 Catholic Mil 
 
 The ohi 
 ordinary tr 
 intelligent i 
 Gage's Canai 
 
 The ooc 
 immigrants 
 at Gleichen, 
 
 Eost-office, t 
 uilt a year 
 and Presbyb 
 
 The oo« 
 few have air 
 pleased with 
 timber, ^h 
 digging well 
 settlers wh( 
 mountains a 
 
 The dii 
 Rocky Moui 
 sometimes » 
 
 With a 
 a poor plaoe 
 lumber for a 
 successfully 
 and stock, a 
 keep. Settl 
 immediate y 
 with a little 
 of their own 
 and families 
 
 The In. 
 those in the 
 to see good 
 never had tl 
 lived in Ore 
 
 ^ 
 
 GLEICIIElf, 
 
 J. G. Fl B< 
 Be 
 Sir,— I h 
 adapted foi 
 great ilesh 
 here, cattle 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 49 
 
 "While on the ranges, neither cattle or horses received any special attention other than they 
 would receive in summer, and stood the winter season in fair order. 
 
 I raised this year on my farm, 3 uiilea from Calfjary, oats wheat and barley, 
 besides a general assortment of vegetables, grown from Kennie & Co.'s seed, Toronto, 
 which all turned out a good sample and a good averjge return, some of my oats grow!" • to 
 the height of six feet and lipeniiig ; this was grown on the third ploughing, while thu.. on 
 the second ploughing grew to tlie height of three feet, and on spring breaking, about 
 two feet. 
 
 While the spring opens very early and gives the farmer plenty of seeding time, flowers 
 api)earing generally in the latter end of March, I have known farmers to Imve put crop in 
 the ground in February, while they would not start to grow until the latter end of 
 April. 
 
 While the climate is variable, taking it all the year round, there is more plcasa- weather 
 than the reverse. And while the cohl seasons are extreme, the occurrence of "cliliiook" or 
 warm winds break the monotony of the winter. It is also just to say that frosts occur here, 
 an in all new countries, but by tlie use of tillage the damage will be obviated, as it has been 
 proven to do in other districts. 
 
 Tlie greatest difficulty or drawback I find here is wood, which counts high on the expense 
 of a farm, but there is land to be had within a radius of 100 miles where wood can begot 
 convenient. Coal is the most used here, as it exists in large quantities all over 
 Alberta. Water I consider will not be difficult to find anywhere. Further, 1 would say that 
 to succeed, money to start is one of the main points and good judgment to lay it out, so as to 
 bring a sure profit. In fact the practical common sense men are the sure ones to make a 
 pleasant and successful home here. 
 
 The yield of my crops this year is as follows : Oat?, 45 bushels to the a.;re ; wheat, 30 
 bushels from one bag of seed ; and barley, 22 bushels from one bag (about 2 bush.) of seed ; 
 potatoes, 150 bushels per acre. 
 
 I remain, 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 James Cossar. 
 Cai.oauy P..0., Alberto, 
 
 December 9tb, 1887. 
 Former home Selkirk, Scotland. 
 
 Was there ever such a country opened for setthment, with the same advantages 
 as those of the District of Alberta ? Here we atv, bordered on the east by one of tin; finest 
 grain growing countries in the world. Namely, Manitoba, and en the west by one 
 of the noblest and grandest existing ranges of mountains, namelj-, the Rockies. It 
 is to these we owe our less severe and more changeable winters than in any other 
 jtart of Canada. At any time during the winter, the cold weather may be broken up by 
 winds coming through the mountains from the Pacific Coast, commonly called chinooks. 
 Then will follow a space of delicious warm weather, lasting from two to three weeks. 
 The former .snow will in two or three days lie all melted, and tin; ground as drj' and 
 bare as in summer time. A change may come for tlie worse any time, and very suddenly, 
 and ditto again for the good. One soon becomes accustomed to these changes, and looks 
 forward to them daily, as they break the monotony of the usual steady winter of Manitoba and 
 Canada in general. Taking the Macleod District in which most of the lands lie, the climate 
 is milder and more variable than in any other part of Alberta, owing chiefly 1 believe to its 
 lying in a large ba.siii or bay in the Rockies, into which two passes through the mountains 
 open, and through which these chinook winds find their way. In Calgary the winters are more 
 or less variable and very mild at times. It is in this district that must of the settlers are, and 
 in wluch there is plenty of room lor a)iy more intending ones. Calgiuy 11' the largest and 
 most prosperous town west of Winnipeg, and in the future may even compete with tliat town 
 in si/.eand population. 
 
 There is 1 think a certain success for those who will try mixed farming, so not de| ending 
 ontirt'ly on their cio|is as a means of making a good livinj' and saving money. We can never 
 compete with Manitoba as a ;j;rain proilucing country, the country being not so well adaptetl 
 
BO 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 and seasons shorter. But as u country for raising and maturing stock of all sorts, we cannot 
 lie li( ati'ii. Manitoba can never comiiare with us. The two countries will ue in^he future 
 -jirobiibly dependent on each other, Manitoba on us for horses, cattle,, sh"' ]•> and wool, and we on 
 tiiem for grain nnd all other farm produce. (I umst iidd that the North- West can produce 
 roots o' all sorts to perfection). 
 
 With regard to v i"ed farming, by which I niean the raising of horses, cattle, 
 sheep, iiigs, et( , and th ; growing of grain and roots. M'bis a man can with a small amount of 
 capital, .'Jways engage in, and be independent of his crops being a success, as, if they do not 
 iipen, Iiu c.'ii always stack it as green feed. The green feed he can feed throughout the winter 
 to liis.'iock, it being stronger tl;an hay, and can be grown just as cheaply. The ground being 
 80 very fertile, will produce a hi av\ crop al vays, from 2^ to 3^ tons jier acre. It is in mixed 
 farming that the succe;3 of iiresont and luture settlers lies. No winter need be feared, 
 however severe they may }>e at times, if those with stock will only lake the ordinary precaution 
 of other countrie.", namely, have iilcn';y of shelter in the sh ipe of sh"ds, and plenty of feed in 
 ithe shajic of hay and green feed. Cattle do not hardly cost anything to raise, also sheep and 
 liorsesi, and there i."^ a ready home maket for any one has for sale. Sheep farming will be, I 
 fancy, the ciiiel' industry of the country. It takes less cajiital to start a sheep farm than horses 
 or cattl", and has two returns throughout ti;e year, namely, wool and mutton. The clear dry 
 I bracing air of the coimtiy suits sheep, which suffer from little or no disease, ^heep matiue 
 I early, owing to the fine quality cf the grass. To winter them safely, good A\arm roomy 
 sheds, phnty of hay (10 ton to the 100 head) and careful looking after is all that is wanted. 
 Througiiout the greater pari of the winter, sheep oniy require one feed a day, the rest of the 
 day they are let out to gnav, and brought home into sheds ai; night. Horses cou winter 
 out, and can do "well without feeding them at nil. Around Calgaiy is a particularly good 
 Tange for hor.^es, and a ready market for them. !r. summer stocks of all kinds fatten up with 
 startling rapidity. 'J'here is a no more glor is climate in the world than that of Alberta 
 -during the summer season, namely, from May to lie end of September. 
 
 W.th regard to ranching, wiiich I mean by running herds of lioises and cattle at large ou 
 
 leased lands, this will always be a success and a means of making money, especially from now 
 
 Jon, as those who have been engaged in it for the patt 5 or 6 years have learned, by exjierience 
 
 Jiow to handle their stock in our wiiiter.s, wliich are now and again severe. Now raucheis do 
 
 not fear any winters, as they know how to contend with them. 
 
 Now is the time for intending settlers and ranchers to come out while the pick of the 
 ■country is left, and land is increasing in value every year. I can safely iu,.iure anyone who is 
 industriour. and has a sm.dl amount of capital a good living, and in two or three years to be in 
 the way of saving and making money, if they will only come out and bu?)-le to hard and 
 «teady work for a year or two. Come now while the, country is new and the pick of the land 
 left. 1888 has every chance of being a year to be remembered in ti.e annals of North- West 
 
 of certain prosperity, and au 
 
 Jiiscory, owing to tlie country being in the beginning 
 '•established trade between C^ nada and England mi live stock. 
 
 BuKCON EANCiir;, Calgarj', 
 Albehta 1Un(!!k, I'incher CYeek, 
 December 18 th. 
 
 F. deWiNTON. 
 
 J. G. FiTZfjKUAi.n, 
 
 Hon. Secretary Agricultural Society, Calgary. 
 
 Slit, — From my own e-jwrience and from what I have seen of my neighbours' doings, I 
 believe that farming will pay well in this district. 
 
 I have had a fair crop of oats for three successive years ; a good field of potatoes two 
 seasons. This summer potatoes were a failure with me— I liad ab( - - 
 
 Uarley and turnips grow well. 
 
 about a third of a crop. 
 
 It appears to me that tlie further from the mountains the less danger of summer frost ; but 
 the otlier haml, tiie nearer the mountains the deeper the soil and the more abundant the 
 supply of grass and fodder ; from which I infer that the district in the immediate vicinity of 
 Calgary will be found most suitable for raising grain and other crops, while the lauds lying west 
 
 I 
 
 4* 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 51 
 
 «f a line diawn north and south through Calgary are well adapted for the profitable rearing of 
 cattle, sheep and horses. 
 
 Of sheep I have not had myself any experience, hut horses do well outside all winter, even 
 in very severe weather, if they have some shelter from the wind. Cattle require some hay 
 ill winter as well aa shelter ; milch cows espcially. Tlie iin^r class and those brought in from 
 the east tliat have been accustomed to care are better housed. Steers and young stock do well 
 «utbide witli a little hay. 
 
 Small farmers, owning from one to two hundred acres, would do best, I believe, near town, 
 raising grain crops for sale and producing milk and butter. 
 
 Tlie milk is very rich here, showing that the natural grasses are well suited for dairy 
 farming. 
 
 Farmers on a more extensive scale with larger capital would probably find raising stock, 
 growing oat hay and other kinds of fodder for winter feed more suitable. Steers from the 
 large ranges wliere tlie cattle run out all year can generally be bought in autumn at a price that 
 admits of a good profit if fed during the winter and brought out fit for market in spring. 
 
 I remain, etc., etc., 
 ...^ Ja.s. Stkwaiit Mooue. 
 
 Ardshiel, Bow River, Calgary. i -' 
 
 January 3rd, 1888. 
 Former home Antrim, Ireland. 
 
 ALBERTA ADAPTED FOR MIXED HUSBANDRY. 
 
 To J. G. FlTZOERALD, E.SQ., 
 
 Calgary. 
 Sir, — Having been a resident of Calgary and vicinity for the past 3j years, and having 
 travelled considerably tliiough the country, 1 have been enabled to form some idea as to whether 
 this part of the district of Albeita is suitable for mixed farming or otherwise. 
 
 1st, as to Grain and Roots. 
 
 1 have seen as fine oats, barley, and peas raised in this immediate neighbourhood as 
 anyone could wish to see. Oats sowed on sod, plump and heavy, weighing over 40 lbs. tr the 
 bushel. Barley with straw four feet long, and both straw and grain as bright almost as gold. 
 I saw peas at Mr. John Oliiui's, grown by himself, the finest sample I ever saw anywhere. 
 Wheat has not been tried by many yer, but I have seen very fine samples, and when there is a 
 grist mill to grind it, and when it is found out what is the best variety for this section of 
 country, I doubt not but it will be frequently grown quite successfully. 
 
 Then as to Roots. 
 
 The coll"ntion8 of potatoes, beets, cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots, parsnijis, turnips, and 
 onions ei7/iV/, last fall in Ca/j^aty was ocular demonstration, and proof positive to everyone 
 who had the rapacity to be convinced that all the above varieties can be grown here to 
 perfection, although last summer was not at all favourable for agricultural purposes. 
 
 I, myself, had % very fine crop of Swede turnips, and my nearest neigUl our as fine a crop 
 of the same as anyo' e ever saw. 
 
 But someone asks, "Do not the summer frosts quite frequently destroy everything there ?" 
 I answer, most emphatically, " No, they do not ; while, it is true, they occasionally injure tlie 
 crops in this region. 1 am firmly convinced when the land becomes better cultivated and much 
 deeper plowed, the frosts will become of much less frequent occurrence." "How is that?" 
 " Well, just this way, when the ground is plowed only 3 or 4 inches deep, as it alv ays is at 
 first when broken up, the air and heat cannot iienetrate beyond that depth, but when it is 
 plowed S or 10 inches deep the heat through the day can j)cnctrate that depth, and the earth 
 will, ns a matter of course, iftain the heat much longer through the night, and thus ( ounteract 
 the injurious influences of the frost. And then, when the land has been cropped a few years, 
 and thus to a considerable extent becomes iuipoveiished, the grain will not grow so rank (aa 
 
52 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 when the land was richer), and mature in two or three weeks' shorter time than it formerly did." 
 Some may ask, " Do many fail in growing crops in that district ?" " I think not many, and 
 those wlio do are mostly themselves to blame for such failure." There are quite a number 
 settled in this section of the country who are merely pretending to farm, who had no experieuce 
 whatever previous to coming here. Tiioy put in the seed in anything but a husbandman-like 
 way. Take potatoes for example. Tiiey never put a plow, soufHer. or hoe near them until the 
 weeds (lamb's quarter especially) are 6 inches high and the poor potatoes 2 or 3 inches. 
 
 I have seen jwrsons hoeing potatoes when they had to go down on their knees to search 
 for the potatoes among the weeds. Now, I liave an idea, where weeds of any kind are allowed 
 to get '\nd keep possession of the ground, and thus absorb the moisture and plant food, th& 
 pottito, or any other crop needing the rain, may struggle in vain, it must succumb sooner or 
 later, for my experience lias always been the more weeds the less crop necessarily, and such is 
 very generally the cause ol failure liere. I speak from observivtion, and could give instances of 
 such. But give the land plenty of good culture and 4 times out of 5 the root crops will 
 astonish one. 
 
 Then as to Stock. 
 
 I am led to the conclusion that Alberta is admirably adapted for the raising of horses, 
 cattle, and sheep, tor the following reasons : — 
 
 1st. For scores of miles in every direction from Calgary there is' an abundance of^the 
 richest and most nutritious wild grasses. 
 
 The horses and cattle generally iced out through the winter as well as summer. There is 
 seldom sufficient snow to render the grass inacecssiblc to the stock, and tiiey do better with a 
 little snow on the ground, as they gather it with the grass and it serves to ([uench their thirsty 
 as the creeks and rivers are frozen over and the water b''youd their reach — thus a little snow 
 meets that difficulty. 
 
 Then this part of the North- West is plentifully supplied wiih the best and purest water^ 
 and must continue to be so as long as the Uocky Mountains continue to remain such a wondrous 
 reservoir, catching the winter snow and retaining it through the summer, when it generally 
 melts and thus supplies the rivers and creeks running from west to east every 8 or 10 miles. 
 apart for 4.50 miles, from the southern boundary to the noith, for the stock to supply their 
 want. It may be asked, "What provision can be made for the stock in case of a very hard winter 
 when they cannot feed out ? " '* Well, there are thousands of tons of hay cut in the sloughs 
 and on the uplands on the prairies every year, and if a person could not get the wild hay they 
 could sow oats and cut them green, and thus procure an abundance of feed." Open sheds 
 could be erected for the latter to run under for shelter when necessary, and be better than to 
 be tied up in a stable. Our own cattle have been getting their own living until a few days 
 Hgo, and they look well, and I expect they will forage for themselves again in a few days. 
 
 Tlien wliat a country this will be for the manufacture of butter and cheese ; what 
 faciliti(;s for l)oth liutter and cheese factories on those numerous, lovely streams, abounding all 
 over this section of tlie country. I expect befnre many years there will be sulficient of both to 
 supply almost the world's demands. 1 hear of two chcesi! factories to commence operations in 
 the spring. 
 
 Some may wish to know as to the cost and supply of building materials. Timber all round 
 Calgary is very scarce, and lumber (boards) is very dear. 15ut tnere is almost everywhere, all 
 over the country, the best natural building material in the shape of fine and coarse gravel, and 
 that, with a cert lin proportion of common lime (easily obtaincnl here), is capital material for 
 houses, barns, st.ibles, sheds, &c,, &c. I built a house a year ago last summer of the above 
 named material, 2 miles from Calgary, 18x22 feet, with a wing 12x16 feet, a story-and-a-half 
 higli, and it answers adiniral)iy, and there is very little skilled lal)our about it ; any ordinary 
 man, with a little assistance, could build his own house and other buildings, and a very small 
 amount of lime answers the purpose. 
 
 'J'hen tliere is the fuel (piestion, and a very important one in this country. Well, the 
 Great Good Spirit has made ample i)rovisions in this resjicct. There is an illimitable supply 
 of anthracite and bituminous coal ; o!" the latter, for hundii'ds of miles, taking Calgary as a 
 centre. Botli kinds are now being mined in vast ([uantitios in various places, and conveyed 
 by railroad to ditlcrent points, as it is the principal fuel used. Along the rivers there is more 
 
 *0» 
 
 4* 
 
4% 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 53 
 
 or less timber, mostly cottoiiwooil, which makes very good fuel when thoroughly dry, and then 
 in the sloughs or niarclies there is lui abimdiiuce of peat, whidi if cut and laid up to dry 
 through the summer could be utilized, and answer a very good purpose by any settlers who 
 were far from wood or a railroad station where coal could not be conveniently obtained ; and 
 there is more or less of it everywhere all through the country. 
 
 The climate of Alberta is healthy and bracing, as 1 l-"e found both from observation 
 and cxiwrience. When I came here my health was very much impaired, my nervous system 
 being completely enervated, so that 1 could neither eat or sleep to any extent. But in a 
 very short tiine my health began to ini)irove, and in a few months I felt like a new man. I 
 now feel vigorous and strong, and am confident my coming to this part has added 10 or 15 
 years to my life. 1 have known others who have been quite restored to hc.ilth by coming 
 here. It is an excellent i>lace for anyone troubled with lung atfections, the air being so dry. 
 One scarcely ever hears a cough in church or other public assemblies. 
 
 I am fully convinced, after having been nearly 37 years in the Dominion of Canada, that 
 this part of the Great Nortli-West oifers the most encouraging inducements to intending 
 settlers, and has the material in rich abundance out of which a good rich country can in a 
 comparatively short time be made. We want thousands of good practical farmers, and sober 
 industrious labourers, and a good number of real thorough servant girls, Irom the older 
 countries to come and settle among ys, and help us to make this a model ■'I'litry. 
 And we also want the odd sections so arranged somehow so they can be thrown op for 
 homesteading, and the whole country become more thickly filled up ; and with the blessing 
 of God Almighty resting among us, we shall soon have, not only a great amount of 
 independence, y)ut vast amount of wealth, and a happy, prosperous and contented people. 
 May it soon be realized. 
 
 Youis truly, 
 
 Gkouoe Jacquib. 
 €0NCUETK Casti.k. ('algiuv, Alberta, 
 January 13th, 18S8. 
 
 I came to Alberta in the summer of 1886. My former home was in Micola Valley, British 
 Columbia, where I had been engaged in farming and stock raisiii'^ for a number of years. I 
 had lived on the western slope of the Rockies since 1854, having been through the mining 
 camps of California, Alaska and British Columbia in my early days. Last year I sold my farm 
 in British Columbia and brought seme of my cattle to Alberta. My experience of this country 
 is limited, but from what I have seen of it 1 am well satisfied with the change I have made. 
 1 did not get my cattle here until Xmas of last year, and suffered some loss in consequence of 
 getting there so late in the season. During the months of January and February ot this year 
 tiie weather was very severe, and for that time cattle required shelter and care. Those who 
 gave attention to their stock suffered but slightly. During the summer of this year I purchased 
 an improved farm on the banks of Sheep Creek, some 23 miles south of Calgary. On this farnk 
 there was about 40 acres of oats, which 1 cut gr-.-'u for fodder, getting about about two tons 
 and a half to the acre of prime oat hay ; this I stacked for winter feed. 1 have on the farm 
 now over two hundred head of cattle. So far (December 27th, 1887) 1 have fed only calves, 
 and my stock are all in prime condition. I have sheds prepared for shelter in case of very 
 severe weather, but as yet have no need for them. 1 have also some thirty head of horses, 
 which are wintering out without feed or care. I can purchase hay in my neighbourhood for 
 $5.00 (^1) per ton, and straw for $1.50 (6 shillings) per load. I consider this country well 
 adapted for mixed farming, cattle, horse, sheep or hog raising, butter and cheese mal '.ng. 
 lloot and vegetable crops grow well here, and the cost ot putting fat animals on the market here 
 in spring should be light and very profitable. What the country requires to make it a lich, 
 prosperous one is capital and a population of practical farmers. The country abounds in rich 
 grasses ; has a plentiful supply of water. Coal exists in immense quantities in every purt of 
 the district which I have visited. Timber, while not so plentiful or heavy as that of British 
 Columbia, grows in large quantities along the foot hills, and can be driven down the different 
 rivers and creeks without much expense. Until the country settles up more 1 do not consider 
 that there will be much demand for labour ; and settlers coming here should have sufficient 
 capital to enable them to stock their farms and wait for a season for the profits. With a capital 
 
54 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 of, say $2,000(^400) to $5,000 (^1.000), the practical farmer has prospects as good here as 
 in any country 1 know of.. Wages for farm liands vary from $45.00 to $25.00 ])er month antl 
 board, according to the season. As a dairy country I consider Alberta has no equal on this 
 contin( nt, tiie gras'^es being so luxuriant and rich. The cost of keeping cattle — milch cows — 
 $a.00 (128.) iier year in the .no.st severe seasons. The cost of cutting and stacking hay off the 
 jirairio is about $2.50 (10s.) pr ton, and there are immense tracts of good liay lands open for 
 settlement. The price of range cattle at present is from $30.00 (M) to $35.00 (£7) per head ; 
 milch cows, i,40.00 (.^8) to $50.00 (£\0) ; two-year-olds from $20 00 to $25.00, and yearlings 
 from $15.00 to $20.00 ; calves, $10.00 to $12.00. Good saddle horses are worth $100 (jfi30) 
 each ; farm horses, per team, $300 (.£60). 
 
 R. Hamilton^ 
 Sheep Creek, Alberta, 
 
 December 27th, 1887. 
 
 Pine Cheek, near Calgary, 27th December. 
 
 Sir, — In compliance with your request, I have pleasure in giving you the following facts : 
 As you know I am a widow (my husband having died in England iu 1884), and I arrived iu 
 Calgary from the old country with my family of nii«e children attl ?nd of Aug., 1884. On 
 the lirst of September, 1884, 1 settled on my present location of 320 acres (160 acres homestead 
 and 160 acres iire-emption.) 
 
 The land is rolling soil, rich black loam (the garden soil of England), varying in depth from 
 six inches to two feet, witli clay subsoil ; Pine Creek running through the location ; large bush 
 a mile and a half away ; the grasses of great variety, long and luxuriant, and from early spring 
 till late autumn the hills and valleys are covered with flowers — some being very beautiful. 
 
 1 have gone in for mixed farming, but have paid j"ost attention to my cuttle, for in tbeia 
 I consider lies i:iy wealth. I have 55 head of stock now, 26 of which are calves, yearlings and 
 two-year-olds that I have raised myself. My only losses have been two calves and a J'oung 
 cow ; the latter drowned itself by breaking through the ice on Red Deer Lake last winter. 
 
 The routine in the life of the cattle in the summer is: — The cows are milked in the 
 morning, and some time after all the cattle leave the farmyard and wander up the valley to 
 fe^d ; they are brought back in the evening, the cows again milked, and all the cattle, as a 
 rule, stay around the farmyard until after they are milked the next morning. In the winter 
 they go away in the morning to feed and are brought home at night. On windy and very cold 
 days they are fed a little hay morning and night. Last winter, which, as you know, was very 
 trying for cattle in con-jequencc of the cold winds and its length, I fed about one ton of hay 
 ))or head, and they were all in splendid condition in the sjiring. The cows were, calving all 
 the winter, and 10 calves were born between the mouths of November ami February. 
 
 The only shelter the cattle had was an o])en shed 40 feet long, and the si<le of the horse 
 stable and hay corral. The cows were put in the horse stable for calving. One time this 
 summer we were milking 18 cows twice a day, and judging from the milk yield the grasses are 
 ns succulent as can be wished for ; and tliough tlie grass dries up in the winter it does not 
 ajJiK'ar to lose its food properties, for the cattle keep up their llesh nearly as well in the winter 
 OS in the summer. 
 
 You .see my cattle receive only the mo.st ordinary attention, but were they treated with 
 the same viuv. that cattle are iu tiie old country 1 do not think the results cfiuld Ix- much 
 better, and certainly for the size of my band the lo.ss has been very small for any country, no 
 matter what care could he bentowed. I'igs breed very successfully, and in the summer are not 
 hand-fed, but feed on the hills olf the pea viiui vatehes, weeds and roots that they find. They 
 do not, however, at i)resent pay to keep during the winter when they have to be fed, iu 
 oon8e(iuence of the jirices that can be obtained in Calgary for gnun and roots. 
 
 1 had 20 acres under eroji last summer, 10 acres of whieli were oats, four barley and the 
 rest roots an<l giirden stuii's. The oats lieing on fn^ ly broken land, 1 was unable to sow them 
 until tlie uiiddle of May. Tiiey, however, t.mroii,-,iily ripened and 1 had a good «rop. Tiit^ 
 barley was an excrel.. nt crop and rii)ened by tlie niiddh' of August. 1 planted field turnips 
 "nd mangel- wurtzi'ls, as I had done in forincr years, and Irul good crops, in my garden 1 hail 
 i)Otalues, spinach, rhubarb, onions, red lent pe.M, beiiiis, mustard and urcss and raili.-)hi'S, aud 
 
 4* 
 
 - Til I MwMiwia 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 55 
 
 had jplendid crops of nil ; the peas and cabbage especially, aud which, I should think, would 
 have been dillloult to excel. 
 
 The only hired help I had during the year was a man for a month in the haying season 
 and for breaking the ten acres of sod in the spring. Tlio rest of the work was done by my 
 ianiily ; the field work by my .son aged 17. The climate is splendid, and each member of my 
 family has enjoyed ])erfecl health during the 2^ years we have been here. The summer dnxs 
 are never too hot to work out all day and the uights are sufficiently cool to permit of refrcshurg 
 sieep. 
 
 I have been here three winters ; two have been very delightful, in those of 1884 and 1885 ; 
 the greater part of tlie time there was net sufficient snow for sleighing. Last winter there 
 were long spells of cold with prevailing winds, and was altogether very long and severe. Up 
 to the jtresent this winter the weather has been as perfect as one could desire. 
 
 The winters generally set in about the lirst of January and last, with intermittent spells 
 of warm weather, to the end of March, the cold days being invariably bright and clieering. I 
 am ])erl'ectly satisfied with the country ; and seeing that none of us had the slightest knowled;^e 
 of farm life when we came here (my husbn,nd having been a brewer in the old country and 
 always lived in towns), 1 cannot be too thankful for the highly successful result-', whiili, I do 
 not think, could be beaten anywhere. 
 
 It is hard work for the lust two or three years, but when one gets their buildings uji and 
 fencing done, to make a comfortable living and put by at the same time, one need nut 
 work nearly so hard as the English working farmer. I should certainly think there is no 
 better field fban this for the small English farmer with at least f 1000 eupilal. 
 
 He, witti his wife and family, being u.scd to the work, could, I fnmly believe, in course of 
 five or six years attain perfect independence. With us, who have to learn tverytbing, of 
 course, it t:ikes longer, but with energy and perseverance there is success for everyone. 
 
 I tiope I have not made my letter too long, but I have wanted to show how I have 
 succeeded witliout a husband at the heatl of my familj', aud I am sure that where he is left to 
 work, counsel and guide, the results will be far greater. 
 
 Yours obediently, 
 
 E. M. lllDSON. 
 
 J. G. FiTZGr.nAT.n, Esq., 
 
 Calgary, All crta. 
 
 Di;au 8h!, — In reply to your request, I am very glad to write you how I like Alberta as 
 a home. 1 came to this country in November of ISSTt, my home jireviously being in Soutliwark, 
 S.E., London, E. Almost immediately on my arrival here 1 found plenty of work at $1.5) 
 ('is.) per day, and nursing at JjlO.OO (.£"J) per week. The first winter 1 had an attack of 
 inflammation of tin; lui.gs, but was aide al the end of two weeks to go to work, and since then 
 have enjoyed good healtli, never better ; in fact, the cour.try agrees so well with mo that I do 
 not feel half so old as 1 did at home. All along I have had as much work as I could wish for, 
 often having to refuse places. As the result of my labours I have now two uw lot", with a 
 house built on them, and comfortably furnished, all paid for with the money eariM'd since I 
 lanie to Calgary. 1 have two sons in England, and if they take my advice — they or any 
 wishing to nuike comfortable homes for themselves — will conui to the Noith-\Ve.'>t, for Ikth 
 there is work with good pay for all who are willing to do it, and if jieople do not prosper hero 
 the fault nnif-t be in theinsidves, 
 
 I would like to visit my friends in (Md England, but not lo live there ; my only regret i» 
 that I did not oouio out here years sooner. 
 
 Yours respeetfully, 
 
 Emii.v EnuKH. 
 
 4* 
 
 J. 0. FiTzni-.HAi.n, KsQ. 
 
 Silt, — I have been here three yenrs next .'uly, and have hatl 8 or n)ileh cows since w» 
 came, and Iiave found that the grass and climate lieie is very suitalile for them, and that they 
 tlirivo well for dairy purposes. Allhougii the climate is a little ehangeabli', I tind the ehildrea 
 
56 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 enjoy cxcplloHt licalth and have never been troubled with any sickness, and iiersonally and in 
 otlier ways 1 like the country very well. 
 
 I remain, 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Mks. H. IJ. COSSAU. 
 
 Calgauy, Alberta, 
 
 Dec.'inber 15th, 1387. 
 Former home I'ort Arthur, Ontario. 
 
 Sin,— I received yours of the 13th inst., and in reply would state that I have been a 
 resilient of this part of the country for eleven years past, during which time I have done more 
 or less farming and gardening everif year and have never once/ailed to raise a crop, while some 
 of the crops raised have been simply wonderful. 
 
 1 claim that this district is eniinenily adapted for mixed farming, we having all the 
 requisites (of conrsff, in an undeveloped state). 1 further claim that we never will have a 
 <;ouiitry until we liave a large population engaged in the above business. 
 
 Following specialties to extremes never will make a country, and the sooner we open our 
 eyes to the fact tlie better. 
 
 Of course, to make farming a sure thing, there are parts that will require irrigation some 
 years, but that is ([uite practicablt, and when water is used success is certain. 
 
 I have, myself, raised as iine grain of all kinds, and vegetibles, as can be raised, also all 
 kinds of small fruits. 1 am at present experimenting in laige fruits of a hardy kind, such as 
 plums end apples, and feel certain tiiat they can be grown with success, all tliat is required 
 being shelter. 
 
 I am growing shelter belts from tree seeds, and cannot complain, as I have trees /our /ee< 
 hiyh, the seed of wliicli were planted eighteen months ago. 
 
 The rate ot wages ranges from S"-i5.00 to $(50.00 for labour according to skill of labourer, 
 wliile Madesiiicn get from three to five dollare per diem, but a limited number of skilled 
 labourers will ouflice to do all tlie available work at present. 
 
 What is wanted in the country is about the same as is in request in most new countries, 
 viz., men of average intelligciKie, a little cajiital, and who are not afraid or ashamed to work to 
 make a living and a home; for tliem.selves. 
 
 We liave all the elements in abundance that are necessary to a self-sujiporting, rich and 
 imlcpendent country, except intelliyent i\\\A irtl/mt/ \ahom; of which we have ?io;/c(comparrtively). 
 
 The land is rich, water jmre and j)lentifnl, fuel in abundance everywhere, timber easily 
 within reach, and the climate such that (if taken advantage of and no time wasted) there is 
 jilenty of time to grow nuiture and save crops of all kinds of iiardy grains and vegetable-*. 
 
 As for raising siock it is .«u|M'rtluous for me to state anything, except to say that, owing to 
 the woii'lerful adaptability of the country to that business, people have run to the otlier 
 rxtreine nnd imagine that stock of all kinds require neither care uor attention, which is a 
 mistake. 
 
 Yours, iic, 
 
 V. KivrriiKs. 
 
 I'lNcUKU Ciii'.r.K, Alberta, 
 
 D.M'cmlicr 'Jl.st, 18S7. 
 Former home Ottawa, Ontario. 
 
 Dkau Siu, — In reiily to your letter of December 13th, a.sking nic fur my opinion of this 
 district and what it is .suited for. First I might say that I have lived here for ten ycrs, eight 
 itwhich I have been farming — for the jiast five vears mixed farming, wliieli I find pays the 
 I'cht, and is what I think tlic district is admirably .suited for. The lincst kind of grasses grow 
 111 prolusion, and watiT, the purest, is plentiful, and that is what stock require. Then during 
 the mild winters we have it is not necessary to feed stock for more than two months in the 
 year, and that is the time to get action on what we grow on the farm, and if we have not jileiity 
 if roots and grain it is our own fanlt, (or we hav(' the soil and climate to grow them. Nearly 
 ull k'lids of vegetables do well, as ul.so does wheat, outs, barley, and pailiculaily ilax. 
 
 T 
 
nuIltE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 67 
 
 1 
 
 t 
 
 ly 
 
 Dairying pays well, and there conKl not be a better place for the dairy farmer, tlie grasses 
 being ricli and the water pure, 15iitter is always a high ] rice here. Cheese-making woiild pay 
 ■well here. None has yet been made. In (act, for genuine mixed farming this is the place. 
 
 Yours, 
 McLeod, Alberta, D. J. GiUEii. 
 
 December 20th, 1887. 
 Mr. Grier formerly resided in the Province of Ontario. 
 
 Dkar Siu, — In answer to your request for information on farming in this district (Allierta), 
 I have found it a grand siicoess. My farm is situated four miles sonlli of Maeleod, upon bench 
 land. I raise wheat, oats, barley, pea.«, and all kimls of vegetables. Wheat averages 31 
 bushels per acre, oats 40 bushels ))er acre and weight 42h lbs. per bush<;l, barley 45 bushels jter 
 acre, peas HO bushels per acre, anil all kinds of vegetables in abundance. 
 
 Average .vages per year, $'J.^).00 to |30.00 per month ; summer wages, Sn.'i.OO to $40.00 
 ])er month. Hay is plentiful. There is a good market— $12.00 to $lf).<iy ]ier ton. 
 
 John Hatiiwell. 
 FuKT McLkod, 
 
 December 26th, 1887. 
 
 Dkau Sir, — I have much pleasure in complying with the request contained in your letter 
 ■of tlu! lath inst. 
 
 I consider this country admirably adapted for mixed farming ; more so, I think, than any 
 other portion of the North- West tliat I have been in. 
 
 Owing to thecomjiaratively mild Ainters we enjoy, stock of all kinds can remain out most 
 winteis without provision being made for feeding them otlier tlian nature provides ; but stock 
 glowing is most successtul when carried on in a smaller scale than is usual in this country aud 
 jussisted by agricultural farming. 
 
 The (iapabilities of the country for growing all kinds of cereals and roots have long been 
 successfully tested. The yielil and quality will compare well witli any country. 
 
 Wages range from $30.00 to $40.00 per month, according to work required. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 Mrl^KOi), Alberta, E. H. Mainski.L. 
 
 December 18th, 1887. 
 Former Immc I^imeriek, Ireland. 
 
 Macikop, Alberta, January 15th, 1888. 
 
 Sin, — In answer to your letter to me, asking me for my views concerning the adaptability 
 <pf the cdunliy for mixed farming, I beg to tell you that the country is well adapted for mixed 
 farming, ns 1 have Ijeen very successful niystdf for tiu; last 14 years that 1 liave been in 
 Alberta 
 
 Any industrious ])er8on can do well here ; the climate is very favourable for all kinds of 
 stock, cattle, horses, sheep, hogs and all kinds of fowl. You can grow almost ev.-ry kind of 
 vegetal)les liere tliat can be grown in Kastern Canada, and grow wiieat, oats, barley. Farm 
 wuges are from $'.M to $10 per month ; house serv.\nt8 from Jlu to $Jt> per month. 
 
 llojiing my views will be of some benefit to encourage immigration. 
 
 1 remain yours, 
 
 JoSKl'll M('Fa1II,AND. 
 
 MAci.i'.on, .Tantiary Ifitli, 1888. 
 Slit, — In answer to your letter to me, asking me for my views in regard to tliis country, ( 
 nnswer I tliink it a very g ><><1 coimtry for anyone who wishes to make a go(,d liome. 
 
 I myself was raised in New York, ; still I should prefer to live in Allierta to anywiiere 
 <'\in\ I am never lonesome, as 1 hav** plenty to do looking after my ]iotdtry and house duties. 
 I have spent ten winters tiere ami don't think it any colder than boiiic of the Noi'therii 
 KtutPs ; well a<lapted for butter making and for raising all kinds of fowl. 
 
 1 am, Sii, 
 
 yours re«|)cctf..lly, 
 
 Macri.U) Mc'Faui.and. 
 
 

 1 
 
 1 
 
 ., 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 81 
 
 
 iVlONIll. 
 
 is.'^a 
 
 l.v^.-, 
 
 I88<i 
 
 18>«7 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 i ■ 
 
 L-^,S5 
 
 K 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Miix. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 16 
 23 
 
 28 
 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 — 11 
 —21 
 —17 
 
 — 2 
 3 
 
 11 
 5 
 
 
 — 6 
 —1(5 
 
 — 11 
 
 — 9 
 4 
 7 
 4 
 »j 
 
 11 
 19 
 
 22 
 22 
 
 14 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 jMiii 
 
 Max. 
 
 Maj 
 «< ' 
 
 (1 
 
 (( 
 
 i( 
 (( 
 (1 
 tt 
 
 <( 
 (( 
 i( 
 <( 
 n 
 ti 
 it 
 (( 
 (( 
 (( 
 (< 
 tt 
 tt 
 It 
 (( 
 l< 
 tt 
 tt 
 <t 
 (1 
 tt 
 tt 
 
 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Ma 
 
 l"J)niary 1 
 
 17 
 
 — 1(J 
 
 --18 
 12 
 
 — 9 
 —19 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 19 
 
 — au 
 
 — 30 
 
 — 7 
 
 — 6 
 
 — 18 
 30 
 
 —24 
 
 — 6 
 —30 
 —32 
 
 — 20 
 
 9 
 
 — 5 
 22 
 33 
 25 
 30 
 22 
 37 
 31 
 
 23 
 
 ■i 
 1(5 
 20 
 22 
 2 1 
 11 
 
 — 1 
 
 — 8 
 15 
 
 •.0 
 
 .. M 
 
 21 
 
 3 
 
 -10 
 
 16 
 
 — 3 
 —10 
 
 — 5 
 10 
 34 
 39 
 47 
 47 
 45 
 40 
 42 
 49 
 49 
 
 45 
 47 
 46 
 50 
 42 
 14 
 12 
 (5 
 2 
 23 
 17 
 32 
 31 
 25 
 17 
 13 
 6 
 7 
 (5 
 37 
 39 
 28 
 37 
 41 
 50 
 44 
 43 
 43 
 
 — 4 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 7 
 27 
 27 
 29 
 34 
 12 
 12 
 19 
 27 
 20 
 16 
 
 — 4 
 6 
 
 26 
 31 
 24 
 24 
 3" 
 28 
 16 
 34 
 12 
 8 
 14 
 
 — 6 
 
 — 4 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 
 t 
 47 
 4!) 
 5(1 
 54 
 5n 
 34 
 40 
 .i6 
 47 
 39 
 28 
 12 
 39 
 I'.i 
 49 
 48 
 58 
 47 
 55 
 9 49 
 55 
 23 
 46 
 16 
 7 
 13 
 
 86 
 
 — 35 
 — :ifi 
 
 40 
 —37 
 
 — ;iO 
 
 —34 
 
 — 28 
 
 — S 
 —23 
 
 —22 
 
 —16 
 1 
 
 — 17 
 
 — 10 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 — 4 
 9 
 6 
 » 
 
 -18 
 
 — 11 
 —22 
 —15 
 
 1 
 13 
 11 
 
 —28 
 —23 
 —13 
 —14 
 
 — (i 
 —15 
 
 10 
 
 (i 
 
 —11 
 
 — 1 
 6 
 
 23 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 32 
 
 41 
 
 21 
 
 21 
 
 20 
 
 18 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 29 
 
 42 
 
 46 
 
 45 
 
 24 
 28 
 34 
 29 
 26 
 22 
 .^3 
 31 
 30 
 30 
 31 
 26 
 -8 
 
 :;o 
 
 31 
 
 o.) 
 
 35 
 30 
 34 
 2() 
 24 
 .!1 
 3.) 
 :;ii 
 35 
 36 
 40 
 36 
 29 
 31 
 25 
 
 60 
 72 
 61 
 54 
 63 
 03 
 57 
 6.-, 
 61 
 7o 
 45 
 59 
 71 
 76 
 76 
 79 
 61 
 79 
 65 
 01 
 71 
 77 
 85 
 S3 
 8."- 
 86 
 72 
 64 
 71 
 80 
 81 
 
 24 
 
 31 
 
 44 
 42 
 
 
 ' " 2 • 
 
 ') 
 
 
 " :j 
 
 ;>, 
 
 
 " 4 
 
 4 
 
 I 
 
 " i) 
 
 
 
 () 
 
 C- 
 
 38 I J 
 
 •' 7 
 
 / , , , , 
 
 1 
 20 ' 1 
 
 " 8 , 
 
 8 •. 
 
 17 ;" 
 
 9 
 
 !) 
 
 3i 
 22 
 
 :;i 
 
 30 
 
 ;!3 
 37 
 
 r 
 
 > " lu 
 
 Id 
 
 t 
 
 ' " 11 
 
 11 
 
 
 " 12 
 
 12 
 
 
 " 115 
 
 1 :'. .... 
 
 
 " 11 
 
 11 
 
 ( 
 
 lij 
 
 1 ."i 
 
 32 1 
 
 '♦ 1(5 
 
 t) 
 
 25 ( 
 
 17 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 34 
 36 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 « 19 
 
 19 
 
 33 7 
 
 
 
 " ^u 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 ;m 
 
 I) .. 
 • >•> 
 
 :>o 
 35 
 33 
 43 
 36 
 40 
 44 
 14 
 
 ( 
 
 " '21 
 
 21 
 
 r 
 
 " 22 
 
 •)•> 
 
 ( 
 
 '< 23 
 
 23 
 
 21 
 
 
 " 24 
 
 ( 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 7 
 
 " 2(5 
 
 26 
 
 
 " 27 
 
 27 
 
 7 
 
 " 28 
 
 28 
 
 
 «« 29 
 
 29 
 
 / 
 
 r 
 
 30 
 
 7 
 
 
 31 
 
 ) 
 
 
 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1887 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 MONTH, 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 # 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mas. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 25 
 15 
 14 
 44 
 40 
 10 
 14 
 21 
 48 
 50 
 49 
 24 
 50 
 49 
 49 
 38 
 
 a 9 
 
 .hllli 
 <i 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 i( 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 II 
 
 <i 
 
 << 
 
 <i 
 
 II 
 
 i< 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 II 
 
 1. 
 
 11 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 • 1 
 
 ! 1 
 
 ■J _ 
 
 3 
 
 Mill. 
 
 ^_ 
 
 3.) 
 
 Mux. 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Ma 
 
 March »! 
 
 24 
 23 
 
 10 
 
 
 — 18 
 —14 
 
 — 18 
 
 13 
 
 8 
 i> 
 
 —13 
 
 8 
 5 
 28 
 18 
 3U 
 24 
 30 
 29 
 21 
 29 
 28 
 2(1 
 81 
 28 
 2H 
 24 
 27 
 29 
 24 
 
 51 
 
 28 
 
 23 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 12 
 35 
 30 
 10 
 10 
 20 
 35 
 35 
 40 
 4(1 
 48 
 43 
 45 
 49 
 52 
 53 
 54 
 58 
 55 
 54 
 35 
 
 1 n 
 
 47 
 52 
 51 
 55 
 
 32 
 21 
 
 9 
 14 
 
 8 
 
 15 
 22 
 30 
 .2 
 21 
 
 24 
 31 
 21 
 28 
 29 
 20 
 19 
 2« 
 22 
 25 
 5 
 25 
 II 
 28 
 31 
 25 
 24 
 29 
 28 
 
 49 
 42 
 36 
 40 
 43 
 52 
 57 
 62 
 32 
 53 
 52 
 58 
 
 i;o 
 
 55 
 (10 
 38 
 *«l 
 62 
 58 
 60 
 31 
 •1/ 
 36 
 49 
 65 
 45 
 47 
 57 
 59 
 49 
 
 — 10 
 
 — 3 
 3 
 2 
 
 — 1 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 18 
 23 
 19 
 20 
 26 
 
 4 
 1 1 
 
 
 14 
 
 3 
 11 
 I.H 
 24 
 29 
 29 
 19 
 13 
 
 7 
 
 — 6 
 22 
 36 
 30 
 24 
 
 26 
 34 
 35 
 27 
 32 
 41 
 4<i 
 47 
 50 
 44 
 49 
 49 
 44 
 37 
 34 
 27 
 30 
 34 
 M 
 U 
 50 
 57 
 59 
 38 
 4« 
 27 
 31 
 
 4N 
 61 
 03 
 
 58 
 
 10 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 19 
 
 — 4 
 
 .': 
 
 -16 
 
 _. 7 
 
 8 
 
 25 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 18 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 ,S7 
 
 40 
 35 
 40 
 38 
 47 
 12 
 :U 
 3 1 
 35 
 • 40 
 39 
 42 
 43 
 43 
 33 
 40 
 14 
 41 
 42 
 45 
 37 
 
 11 
 42 
 44 
 49 
 45 
 43 
 45 
 
 ( 
 
 ( 
 
 «« 2 
 
 1 1 i 85 
 
 " y 
 
 50 
 46 
 
 84 
 64 
 
 '« 4 
 
 4 
 
 , " 5 
 
 5 
 
 II ' 60 
 
 ' " '?......::....:::. 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 >i ■> 
 • >.» 
 
 15 
 
 72 
 6!i 
 73 
 75 
 
 •' 7 
 
 7 
 
 " 8 
 
 8 
 
 " 9 
 
 9 
 
 " 1(1 
 
 Id 
 
 1 i 1 62 
 :i8 1 so 
 39 6(1 
 17 78 
 13 75 
 12 "3 
 
 " 11 
 
 11 
 
 " 12 
 
 12 
 
 " 11$ 
 
 1.1 
 
 '• 14 
 
 II 
 
 15 
 
 15 
 
 1(1 
 
 16 
 
 34 
 33 
 
 48 
 44 
 48 
 37 
 II 
 6(1 
 52 
 4 4 
 3(1 
 
 79 
 82 
 ^4 
 
 83 
 
 84 
 77 
 
 72 
 
 58 
 65 
 72 
 
 •• 17 
 
 17 
 
 " 18 
 
 30 ( 43 1 
 
 is 
 
 19 
 
 14 
 19 
 20 
 26 
 25 
 
 37 
 45 
 
 50 
 60 
 45 
 
 19 
 
 " 2(' 
 
 20 
 
 '• 21 
 
 21 
 
 •' 22 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 , •< 2!< 
 
 \ " 24 
 
 18 ' 21 1 
 
 24 
 
 \ •' 20 
 
 16 
 1 
 18 
 23 
 29 
 * 17 
 25 
 
 80 
 39 
 36 
 54 
 41 
 50 
 41 
 
 25 
 
 1 '• 26 
 
 26 
 
 \ «• 27 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 36 1 68 
 
 1 " 28 
 
 40 
 3(1 
 44 
 
 73 
 72 
 68 
 
 1 '• 29 
 
 29 
 
 48 1 
 
 " 30 
 
 30 
 
 fil 
 
 
 •• »] 
 
 23 , (17 
 
 
 t II. 1 
 
 
 
L-Sl 
 
 l^oi 
 
 AlilX. 
 
 Will. ' Max. 
 
 ii 
 iS 
 54 
 iit 
 
 :;(> 
 
 12 
 
 n 
 
 30 
 M 
 51 
 ^0 
 
 ::8 
 ;o 
 
 51 
 
 j.'i 
 ;5u 
 ;5() 
 :54 
 J<) 
 lil 
 
 ;5(i 
 ;55 
 
 ;5(i 
 
 •10 
 
 •29 
 31 
 •2o 
 
 ()0 
 7-J. 
 Gl 
 51 
 (i:; 
 
 07 
 G.J 
 ()i 
 70 
 46 
 5 'J 
 71 
 7t) 
 7i) 
 71) 
 OS 
 71) 
 (ij 
 
 0] 
 
 71 
 
 7 7 
 
 s;3 
 
 Si 
 S(i 
 7 '2 
 G4 
 71 
 80 
 81 
 
 1884 
 
 111. 
 
 It 
 
 4»i 
 
 4'2 
 
 t;. 
 
 II 
 
 lis 
 
 Ml) 
 
 17 
 lis 
 4-2 
 JJI 
 iW 
 4H 
 44 
 48 
 
 :t7 
 
 i I 
 
 (>0 
 
 r)'2 
 
 4 4 
 !Ut 
 !KI 
 
 4(1 
 :5(l 
 4 4 
 
 Mux. 
 
 .S/ 
 80 
 84 
 ti4 
 ()0 
 7 '2 
 «ii 
 
 7 A 
 70 
 0-2 
 M) 
 
 *io 
 78 
 70 
 7:i 
 
 ru 
 
 82 
 >4 
 Hit 
 84 
 77 
 
 8 1 
 
 7 '2 
 08 
 »tf» 
 7 '2 
 "(8 
 7:» 
 7 '2 
 
 (18 
 
 •24 
 
 :5i 
 
 44 
 
 42 
 .'SS 
 '20 
 17 
 
 3 I 
 22 
 :51 
 150 
 33 
 37 
 32 
 20 
 34 
 3(5 
 33 
 30 
 :5I 
 
 »> ■> 
 • >•) 
 
 33 
 30 
 30 
 33 
 43 
 3() 
 40 
 44 
 
 4 4 
 
 7(i 
 71 
 
 75 
 
 i ■> 
 43 
 40 
 
 00 
 .") 
 
 (;2 
 ' 1) 
 
 7'i 
 73 
 (32 
 4<i 
 
 (Id 
 
 74 
 71 
 72 
 
 07 
 
 ;)3 
 
 i;o 
 
 08 
 • iO 
 71 
 72 
 78 
 74 
 70 
 75 
 (53 
 
 188(1 
 
 1885 
 
 Mill. 
 
 M;ix. 
 
 40 
 30 
 40 
 3B 
 47 
 12 
 34 
 34 
 30 
 40 
 31) 
 4^ 
 43 
 43 
 33 
 40 
 il 
 41 
 42 
 40 
 37 
 il 
 42 
 44 
 41) 
 45 
 
 n 
 
 45 
 48 
 51 
 
 (12 
 (10 
 (11) 
 78 
 04 
 111) 
 iio 
 • 14 
 111) 
 73 
 74 
 8-.' 
 73 
 
 (ill 
 
 72 
 ,>! 
 80 
 
 ,s-J 
 
 7.> 
 W.\ 
 7:1 
 •0 
 7)1 
 
 80 
 
 n* 
 
 8'' 
 
 77 
 
 «4 
 81t 
 110 
 
 Mill. Max 
 
 14 
 
 21 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 31 
 
 28 
 
 32 
 
 33 
 
 30 
 
 33 
 
 27 
 
 21 
 
 i8 
 
 31 
 
 34 
 
 37 
 
 38 
 
 40 
 
 33 
 
 00 
 
 :!2 
 
 34 
 
 40 
 
 41 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 10 
 31 
 3!) 
 3!) 
 40 
 
 48 
 
 44 
 
 48 
 
 07 
 
 08 
 
 (13 
 
 07 
 
 (12 
 
 40 
 
 50 
 
 07 
 
 30 
 
 53' 
 
 00 
 
 03 
 
 70 
 
 80 
 
 03 
 
 84 
 
 08 
 
 I 3 
 
 78 
 
 80 
 
 85 
 
 80 
 
 78 
 
 87 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 75 
 
 i'.y 
 
 1887 
 
 1880 
 
 Mill. 
 
 12 
 21» 
 33 
 44 
 42 
 45 
 38 
 38 
 
 :ii) 
 
 18 
 4 4 
 35 
 37 
 30 
 40 
 40 
 42 
 
 10 
 
 II 
 40 
 3!) 
 1 I 
 40 
 03 
 40 
 53 
 10 
 48 
 44 
 48 
 
 Mux. 
 
 03 
 
 70 
 
 81 
 78 
 82 
 75 
 78 
 81 
 71» 
 02 
 07 
 08 
 02 
 72 
 0!) 
 70 
 82 
 74 
 70 
 81 
 83 
 81 
 8.0 
 
 ,S(I 
 
 73 
 
 77 
 81 
 80 
 77 
 77 
 
 Mill. Max 
 
 25 
 "22 
 28 
 2!) 
 20 
 20 
 30 
 20 
 21 
 30 
 27 
 27 
 33 
 33 
 20 
 20 
 30 
 38 
 33 
 30 
 28 
 34 
 41 
 40 
 
 3y 
 
 45 
 42 
 
 41 
 38 
 40 
 50 
 
 59 
 03 
 57 
 01 
 00 
 02 
 02 
 00 
 00 
 04 
 54 
 57 
 50 
 57 
 01) 
 81 
 80 
 40 
 40 
 OO 
 71 
 7)1 
 
 78 
 68 
 71 
 75 
 77 
 77 
 80 
 65 
 
 1887 
 
 Mill. 
 
 37 
 :53 
 30 
 38 
 31 
 34 
 33 
 32 
 30 
 12 
 34 
 38 
 48 
 41 
 48 
 54 
 48 
 3il 
 111 
 30 
 50 
 47 
 00 
 3!) 
 44 
 42 
 38 
 34 
 IS 
 38 
 
 Max. 
 
 47 
 48 
 5'J 
 54 
 3!) 
 51 
 65 
 70 
 76 
 (52 
 0!) 
 53 
 65 
 74 
 70 
 6l> 
 08 
 72 
 63 
 73 
 80 
 85 
 73 
 50 
 55 
 46 
 63 
 08 
 70 
 72 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 August 
 
 1. 
 
 2 
 
 3, 
 
 4. 
 
 r. 
 
 
 <( 
 (( 
 
 I . . 
 
 8.. 
 
 !)., 
 10.. 
 11., 
 12 
 13. . 
 14.. 
 10. 
 10., 
 17., 
 18. 
 10.. 
 20. 
 21. 
 22 . 
 23, 
 24. 
 20 . 
 20. 
 27. 
 28. 
 21). 
 30. 
 31. 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 So[it(!mber 1 . . 
 " 2 . . 
 
 3!. 
 
 4,. 
 
 , . 
 0. , 
 
 1 . , 
 
 8 . 
 0., 
 10. 
 
 11. 
 
 12, 
 
 13. 
 
 14., 
 
 15., 
 
 10,, 
 
 17., 
 
 18., 
 
 lit.. 
 
 20 . , 
 
 21. 
 
 22., 
 
 23., 
 
 24. 
 
 25 . 
 
 26 . 
 27., 
 28. 
 21) . 
 30., 
 
 <i 
 
 II 
 i< 
 <i 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 • I 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 II 
 << 
 II 
 
 1884 
 
 Mill. Max 
 
 49 
 
 40 
 
 45 
 
 48 
 
 49 
 
 49 
 
 04 
 
 48 
 
 50 
 
 48 
 
 44 
 
 42 
 
 34 
 
 4'' 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 
 30 
 
 40 
 
 32 
 
 40 
 
 30 
 
 44 
 
 44 
 
 60 
 70 
 
 77 
 
 81 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
 77 
 
 81 
 
 83 
 
 80' 
 
 78 
 
 71) 
 
 02 
 
 44 
 
 113 
 
 07 
 
 70 
 
 07 
 
 "10 
 
 71 
 
 70 
 
 (10 
 
 80 
 
 1880 
 
 1884 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Mnx. 
 
 38 
 38 
 14 
 40 
 35 
 31 
 27 
 27 
 32 
 30 
 38 
 80 
 3') 
 30 
 :!1 
 31 
 311 
 21) 
 2( 
 .'ill 
 ,'!ii 
 3,» 
 3; 
 3 1 
 30 
 20 
 3'1 
 20 
 17 
 
 70 
 05 
 54 
 50 
 41 
 53 
 58 
 54 
 57 
 08 
 47 
 60 
 54 
 47 
 57 
 00 
 63 
 57 
 63 
 65 
 67 
 67 
 67 
 64 
 53 
 63 
 58 
 51 
 51 
 54 
 
 40 
 
 75 
 
 39 
 
 76 
 
 45 
 
 77 
 
 46 
 
 70 
 
 41 
 
 71 
 
 41 
 
 70 
 
 40 
 
 81 
 
 51 
 
 66 
 
 Mill. Max 
 
 44 
 
 43 
 40 
 44 
 14 
 50 
 42 
 ;:8 
 45 
 38 
 42 
 00 
 47 
 48 
 01 
 48 
 48 
 44 
 44 
 30 
 37 
 13 
 40 
 4') 
 41 
 39 
 47 
 40 
 4/ 
 
 7 
 
 30 
 
 10 
 79 
 
 7- 
 
 78 
 
 70 
 
 ''2 
 
 05 
 
 70 
 
 02 
 
 71 
 
 70 
 
 74 
 
 83 
 
 87 
 
 81 
 
 83 
 
 75 
 
 8:1 
 
 (0 
 
 74 
 
 72 
 
 70 
 
 01) 
 
 00 
 
 01 
 
 06 
 
 02 
 
 03 
 
 03 
 
 05 
 
 04 
 
 1885 
 
 Mill. 
 
 30 
 
 45 
 
 42 
 
 35 
 
 30 
 
 27 
 
 27 
 
 37 
 
 43 
 
 39 
 
 31 
 
 33 
 
 33 
 
 27 
 
 14 
 
 28 
 
 30 
 
 33 
 
 38 
 
 30 
 
 3 1 
 
 40 
 
 39 
 
 42 
 
 26 
 
 36 
 
 41 
 
 36 
 
 34 
 
 ■13 
 
 1880 
 
 Mill. Max. 
 
 M;i\. 
 
 08 
 
 04 
 
 48 
 
 04 
 
 06 
 
 09 
 
 68 
 
 73 
 
 (10 
 
 03 
 
 01 
 
 65 
 
 til 
 
 05 
 
 07 
 
 62 
 
 09 
 
 7)1 
 
 08 
 
 71 
 
 64 
 
 8(1 
 
 82 
 
 03 
 
 60 
 
 71 
 
 73 
 
 46 
 
 02 
 
 73 
 
 44 
 40 
 42 
 40 
 38 
 10 
 48 
 40 
 05 
 44 
 40 
 42 
 40 
 38 
 37 
 30 
 30 
 30 
 35 
 48 
 40 
 40 
 33 
 ■111 
 31 
 34 
 40 
 38 
 45 
 29 
 30 
 
 69 
 73 
 74 
 
 78 
 84 
 SO 
 72 
 80 
 78 
 79 
 82 
 77 
 78 
 75 
 69 
 73 
 77 
 84 
 80 
 44 
 ,■-0 
 70 
 70 
 73 
 78 
 73 
 80 
 82 
 63 
 72 
 79 
 
 Mill. 
 
 1886 
 
 Mill. 
 
 44 
 
 42 
 
 38 
 
 33 
 
 3 1 
 
 31 
 
 39 
 
 43 
 
 37 
 
 37 
 
 42 
 
 39 
 
 48 
 
 38 
 
 34 
 
 29 
 
 34 
 
 30 
 
 37 
 
 40 
 
 40 
 
 32 
 
 31 
 
 40 
 
 34 
 
 29 
 
 29 
 
 40 
 
 31 
 
 Max. 
 
 78 
 
 77 
 
 08 
 
 40 
 
 40 
 
 08 
 
 70 
 
 70 
 
 07 
 
 07 
 
 07 
 
 09 
 
 78 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 38 
 
 52 
 
 59 
 
 64 
 
 74 
 
 72 
 
 70 
 
 51 
 
 06 
 
 58 
 
 52 
 
 47 
 44 
 41 
 34 
 41) 
 43 
 42 
 3S 
 30 
 39 
 47 
 44 
 40 
 40 
 13 
 40 
 48 
 44 
 49 
 01 
 4 7 
 10 
 14 
 
 :;o 
 
 10 
 32 
 40 
 38 
 31 
 40 
 43 
 
 1.^-: 
 
 Mil 
 
 <17 
 til 
 72 
 
 40 
 30 
 47 
 49 
 44 
 44 
 38 
 4)1 
 30 
 42 
 32 
 30 
 29 
 20 
 33 
 40 
 21 
 20 
 32 
 23 
 30 
 21 
 37 
 31 
 37 
 32 
 37 
 39 
 1; 
 17 
 
^^^M 
 
 
 ■' 
 
 ; 1 
 
 ^'' 
 
 IS 
 
 i t 
 
 ] i 
 
 iri 
 
 t> • 
 
 or 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 ! 
 
 
 1 
 
 87 
 
 MOMTII. 
 
 1884 1 
 
 1885 
 
 1 
 
 1886 
 
 1884 
 
 ^v 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. : 
 
 NovcMiibui 
 tf 
 
 <( 
 
 << 
 
 11 
 
 (( 
 
 << 
 
 (C 
 
 ct 
 n 
 << 
 (( 
 il 
 t< 
 (( 
 1( 
 (< 
 (< 
 (( 
 a 
 it 
 (< 
 (i 
 (< 
 <( 
 <t 
 (1 
 <t 
 n 
 (( 
 
 * 
 
 • 1 
 
 Mill. 
 
 Max. 
 
 Min. Max. 
 
 1 
 
 Min. 
 
 Min. 
 
 Min. 
 
 Max. 
 
 47 
 44 
 n 
 
 u 1 
 
 77 
 
 18 1 
 
 48 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 23 ; 
 
 33 
 25 
 14 
 24 
 15 
 14 
 27 
 19 
 22 
 4 
 17 
 25 
 25 
 22 
 22 
 20 
 24 
 23 
 22 
 34 
 15 
 11 
 10 
 24 
 14 
 21 
 17 
 11 
 21 
 
 63 
 
 49 
 17 
 43 
 31 
 44 
 44 
 45 
 52 
 33 
 32 
 45 
 50 
 42 
 53 
 46 
 51 
 54 
 51 
 54 
 14 
 42 
 34 
 38 
 40 
 40 
 45 
 15 
 38 
 
 18 ., 
 28 ! 
 20 
 25 
 
 5 
 24 
 29 
 31 
 
 7 
 11 
 13 
 23 
 16 
 
 5 
 11 
 14 
 15 
 
 17 i 
 Jl 
 
 5 
 
 — 6 
 —29 
 
 — 16 
 
 3 
 
 u 
 
 9 
 24 
 35 
 34 
 20 
 
 48 
 49 
 58 
 36 
 38 
 62 
 61 
 33 
 30 
 31 
 48 
 54 
 32 
 32 
 29 
 41 
 41 
 42 
 42 
 7 
 
 —11 
 + 31 
 35 
 26 
 47 
 52 
 51 
 3/ 
 28 
 
 31 
 
 24 
 • 23 
 
 21 
 
 28 
 
 27 
 
 18 
 
 18 
 
 20 
 
 28 
 
 1-9 
 
 16 1 
 
 19 
 
 22 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 10 1 
 
 •• 
 
 60 
 
 2 
 
 •'"1 - 1 
 21 42 1 
 
 50 
 
 ^^1 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 20 
 30 
 37 
 31 
 24 
 23 
 23 
 33 
 26 
 25 
 21 
 28 
 16 
 11 
 21 
 20 
 13 
 8 
 
 — 9 
 9 
 18 
 33 
 22 
 33 
 25 
 25 
 
 41 
 50 
 65 
 59 
 61 
 53 
 51 
 51 
 59 
 55 
 57 
 48 
 48 
 30 
 40 
 45 
 36 
 23 
 11 
 8 
 16 
 44 
 45 
 48 
 48 
 47 
 46 
 
 47 
 
 ^^1 
 
 :ll 65 ! 
 
 4 
 
 60 
 
 ^H 
 
 T) 
 
 58 
 
 ^H 
 
 43 
 12 
 
 3S 
 :'>u 
 39 
 47 
 14 
 15 
 ■If) 
 l;i 
 !•; 
 18 
 
 76 
 45 
 55 
 71 
 71 
 69 
 75 
 73 
 71 
 76 
 78 
 7<t 
 
 6 
 
 35 
 
 1 ^H 
 
 7 
 
 43 
 
 1 ^1 
 
 8 
 
 30 
 
 ^^^^^B' 
 
 y 
 
 54 
 
 ^H| 
 
 10 
 
 60 
 
 ^^m 
 
 11 
 
 60 
 
 
 12 
 
 47 
 
 i:; 
 
 57 
 
 14 
 
 45 
 
 15 
 
 35 
 
 H 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 34 
 45 
 
 i ^H 
 
 14 77 
 r.i 77 
 51 62 
 
 IH 
 
 35 43 
 
 ^^^^m 1 
 
 19 
 
 17 ! 50 
 
 , Hi 
 
 20 
 
 31 1 43 
 
 1 ■] 
 
 1 
 
 ir 
 I'i 
 11 
 
 :;6 
 15 
 
 •;2 
 
 62 
 62 
 62 
 <U> 
 62 
 64 
 
 21 
 
 22 
 
 17 ; 
 
 1 
 
 — 1 
 8 
 
 — 5 
 —24 
 —16 
 
 — 9 
 1 
 
 — 8 
 
 20 
 21 
 
 ^^1 
 
 23 
 
 29 
 
 ^H 
 
 24 
 
 29 
 
 ^H' 
 
 25 
 
 
 
 ^Hi 
 
 2 i 
 
 — 2 
 
 ^^H 
 
 15 73 1 
 
 27 
 
 8 
 
 ' ^H 
 
 38 
 31 
 ■10 
 13 
 
 67 
 63 
 60 
 59 
 
 28 
 
 14 
 
 ^H 
 
 29 
 
 11 
 
 ^H* 
 
 30 
 
 16 
 
 -1 
 
 
 
 
 
 "^ '- ^^^B 
 
 1887 
 
 MONTH. 
 
 1884 
 
 1885 
 
 1886 
 
 1884 
 
 
 Mill. 
 
 16 
 
 Mnx. 
 
 DiH'i'inlicr 
 << 
 
 i> 
 
 (( 
 
 i< 
 
 << 
 
 (f 
 
 <( 
 
 ii 
 
 (1 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 <i 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 •1 
 
 •1 
 
 •1 
 
 II 
 
 <i 
 
 1 
 
 Min. 
 
 5Tax. 
 
 Min. 
 
 M ix. 
 
 Min. 
 
 Max. 
 
 17 
 10 
 11 
 41 
 46 
 28 
 43 
 41 
 32 
 32 
 37 
 47 
 54 
 41 
 52 
 41 
 37 
 28 
 35 
 17 
 12 
 5 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 4 
 
 1 _ i. 
 
 Min. 
 
 Max. 
 
 63 
 
 27 
 24 
 23 
 20 
 17 
 22 
 
 !t 
 "J9 
 27 
 
 8 
 10 
 12 
 10 
 
 — 5 
 —23 
 —23 
 —22 
 —22 
 
 — 16 
 --26 
 —27 
 
 58 
 47 
 47 
 37 
 41 
 34 
 37 
 44 
 35 
 43 
 17 
 20 
 14 
 
 — 4 
 
 — 7 
 
 — 4 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 5 
 
 — 9 
 —12 
 
 — IH 
 
 29 
 20 
 22 
 
 3 
 12 
 14 
 23 
 22 
 
 2 
 — 9 
 —12 
 
 5 
 
 
 22 
 10 
 14 
 
 9 
 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 24 
 ').) 
 
 18 
 
 11 
 
 8 
 
 27 
 18 
 14 
 18 
 14 
 11 
 — 5 
 
 43 
 31 
 53 
 19 
 27 
 23 
 34 
 28 
 22 
 17 
 12 
 32 
 45 
 30 
 41 
 34 
 40 
 38 
 50 
 46 
 41 
 41 
 1 32 
 29 
 50 
 
 1 '*' 
 
 1 43 
 31 
 
 ■'I 
 
 11 
 1 
 — 7 
 7 
 32 
 16 
 18 
 17 
 23 
 14 
 14 
 22 
 29 
 20 
 21 
 18 
 17 
 10 
 16 
 10 
 
 — 5 
 
 — 5 
 —17 
 _ 8 
 —21 
 • 30 
 
 4 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 9 
 -16 
 —11 
 —11 
 
 — 4 
 10 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 11 
 10 
 26 
 
 7 
 18 
 22 
 21 
 17 
 15 
 
 — 9 
 
 — 6 
 14 
 33 
 15 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 —10 
 
 —20 
 
 -H 
 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 ^H 
 
 ;;i; 1 64 
 
 17 59 
 49 1 67 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 1 ^H 
 
 
 
 
 ^H 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 4 1 
 41 
 
 38 
 46 
 36 
 
 73 
 
 67 
 71 
 1)3 
 70 
 
 5 
 
 — 4 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 42 
 
 8 
 
 41 
 
 1 ^H 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 
 12 63 
 
 32 38 
 30 53 
 29 55 
 2ti 57 
 
 33 1 67 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 10 
 40 
 
 ^^^^^ 
 
 13 
 
 31 
 
 ^^^M 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 45 
 
 ^^M 
 
 40 
 21 
 25 
 32 
 23 
 36 
 21 
 37 
 31 
 
 57 
 53 
 52 
 53 
 50 
 48 
 58 
 00 
 62 
 
 16 
 
 44 
 
 ^H 
 
 17 
 
 47 
 
 i ^^ft 
 
 18 
 
 32 
 
 ^B 
 
 19 
 
 7 
 
 ^H| 
 
 20 
 
 27 
 
 ^H 
 
 21 
 
 45 
 
 ^H 
 
 22 
 
 —30 ! —12 
 
 47 
 
 H 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 —28 
 —28 
 —24 
 
 — 13 
 
 — 10 
 —21 
 --28 
 —23 
 —10 
 
 — 12 
 
 — 10 
 
 — 1 
 
 — 3 
 
 — 5 
 
 — 8 
 
 : — 5 
 
 — 5 
 
 
 43 
 
 27 
 
 6 
 
 — 5 
 -10 
 
 — 8 
 
 ■ 
 
 37 ' tJ4 
 32 ««5 
 37 77 
 39 ! 80 
 17 rt5 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 ^H 
 
 27 
 
 —18 1 
 
 -^ 2 fi 
 
 ^^B 
 
 28 
 
 ^^B 
 
 29 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 15 
 
 — 14 
 
 • ; 
 
 t 
 
 ^^H 
 
 17 
 
 4 
 
 da 
 
 30 
 
 A-1 10 
 
 ^^1 
 
 31 
 
 .'>;i 1 la 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 1 
 
5S 
 
 ALBfiKT^ 
 
 A.NADA. 
 
 New Oxley, ar rta, N.W.T., December 26tli, 1887. 
 
 Sir, — I have your favour requesting, on behalf of the Depaitm,>iit of Agriculture, at 
 Ottawa, my opinion of the suitability of this district for mixed farming, the rate of wages 
 paid, and any other information which would be valuable as a guide to intending settlers. 
 
 In reply I beg to submit the following : My experience in this part of Alberta District, 
 viz., Fort Macleod and Willow Creek, commenced five years ago. I have resided 30 miles 
 north of Fort Macleod over four years. I have tested during tliat time the adaptability of tliis 
 part of the country to producing the usual crops of grain and roots, such as are grown in the 
 Province of Ontario. From experience and observation the result has been highly satisfactory. 
 
 Wheat, barhy, oats, potatoes, turnips and garden vegetables yield as good a return in this 
 part of the district as in the County of Peel, Ontario, where I resided over 20 years, fanning 
 and raising thoroughbred stock. 
 
 I prefer this country to Ontario for mixed farming. 
 
 Farm wages have varied between $25 to $i5 per month and board for haying and harvest 
 and threshing. 
 
 I would advise the intending settler to devote his attention principally to live stock, and 
 not to believe statements which have been widely circulated regarding this country being a 
 j)lace where cattle thrive and do well all the year rounLl without any provision against winter 
 storms, that there is very trifling loss, etc. ; such reports are untrue ; the losses have been very 
 heavy and will continue to be very great until food and shelter is provided for winter. 
 
 I believe (this country will become one of the wealthiest portions of the Dominion when 
 the Government opens it up for settlement aud its merits properly made known ; when the 
 herds aud flocks will be distributed among small owners who will provide food aud siielter 
 to stand the severe winter storms. Yours truly, 
 
 John R. Craio. 
 
 Note. — I am indebted to Sheriff Campbell, of Macleod, and E. G. Kirby, Es(i , of 
 Lethbiidge, for this and the preceding letters from the Macleod District. — Compiler. 
 
 J. O. Fitzgerald, Esq., 
 
 Secretary of the Agricultural Society, 
 
 Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 
 
 Sir, — I cheerfully comply with yoiu* request to give you my views, in as concise a form as 
 possible, of the District of Alberta as a field for settlers and the investment of capital. 
 
 I trust it will not be looked upon as egotism, but rather as a guarantee to those who read 
 my statements, that I know sonietiiing of tlie subject when I state that through the last forty 
 years I have had considerable experience and cliance for observation both in old Canada and 
 many States of the American Union, and that during about five years I held the responsible 
 lK)sition of Inspector of Farms and lieal Estate Securities for one of the moat successful British 
 Loan Companies doing business in Canada. 
 
 Extent of Feri.we Land. 
 
 That part of the District of Alberta, already proven to be well suited for general fiirming by 
 the methods Ibllowed in the old Provinces of the Dominion of Canada, as well as in the United 
 States, extends from the American Line on the south for 400 miles north, and from the foot of 
 the Kocky Mountains for 200 miles eivstward. 
 
 The southern half of this area in well adapted for raising horses, cattle and sheep, and 
 fattening them without other food than the rich buuch orbulfalo grass which grows everywhere 
 epontaneously, and which cures itself on the stem, retaining its nutritious properties all the 
 year round without cutting or covering excepting what it may be covered by the light falls of 
 snow during the winter mouths, which covering rather improves it than otherwise, and is very 
 Beldoin deep < iiough to prevent the animals eating it o(f the ground. 
 
 During the hust five years many thousand cattle and sheep, and a few thousand horses, have 
 been raised in the soulhein half of Alberta on the rich grass without nuy feeding or nhclter 
 other than the shelter found along the hill sides or in clumps of trees. The cattle and sheep 
 when taken olf the pasture are fat and fit for any bulcher.'a shop in tha world, aud the horses 
 are rolling lat. . 
 
I 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 59 
 
 While the south is so well adapted for cattle ranching, it is also an excellent country for 
 mixed funning. But the northern country is not so well adapted for raising live stock 
 altogether out of doors, there being more snow and cold ; it is, how - equally good, if not 
 tetter, than the south in most repects for general farming. The cati. bu iss is no longer all 
 experiment, for besides furnishing the local markets, the Mounted '^ohce, i j Indians who are 
 fed by the Governme ,t:, the railway demand, the mines, itc , coue" rahl ■ imbera have been 
 shipped to Montreal by the Canadian Pacific Railway from Calga! v aii fiom ilontreal to Great 
 Britain, giving entire satisfaction in the English and Scotch ma. iu.. 
 
 Indeed, the whole district will make a fine farming com tiy, .ceyjt a strip twenty to 
 thirty miles wide, known aa the Foot Hills along the eastern 1 ^se ol the mountains, which is 
 better for sheep raising than any other purpose. 
 
 Cattle raising on the ranches, although not the most profita .j se that the soil can be put 
 to, has demonstrated quicker than any other thing could have done the richness of the soil and 
 moderate character of the climate ; but, as a business, it must gradually give way to mixed 
 farming on a smaller scale. For example, a rancher having a lease of 100,000 acres from the 
 Government could keep on his ranch 15,000 to 20,000 head of young and old animals, turning 
 out for market 3,000 fat animals every year, and employing, at the most, ten men. If tlie 
 100,000 acres were divided into farms of 160 acres (which is fully as much land n-s each farmer 
 in the garden Province of Ontario occupies on an average), and each of these fa of 160 acres 
 was owned and worked by a family of 5 persons, the land would, with prope. cing, sustul;) 
 
 the same number of animals it now does, besides supporting the immensely inc. .ed poiailatiou 
 and producing grain, root crops, and butter and cheese to sell, thus enriching the country far 
 beyond what can ever be done by ranching exclusively. 
 
 Wheat Raising. 
 
 Tlicre is still a doubt in the minds of some practical men about raising wheat for export. 
 I have seen somj very fine plots of wheat here, and some farmers hrwa expcriuiculed witU 
 success for seveu or eight years ; but there being no mills, and foreign price so low, it was Utile 
 use to raise wheat when so many other products would pay far better. 
 
 Other Grains. 
 
 Barley, oats, and peas grow and mature well all over the territory. In fact, I have scarcely 
 ever seen as line, bright, plump saui[)les of these grains as are grown in Alberta. 
 
 Root Crops. 
 
 ■ The quantity and quality of potatoes, turnips, carrot.s, beets, with any kind of fair working 
 is simply marvellous. 
 
 Timothy. 
 
 ■ Some good timothy has been raipe.l by Avay of trial, and the native grass is capable of 
 largely increased production under cullivution. 1 have doubts about clover ever being a success. 
 
 ■ • Fruit. 
 
 Small fruits, such ns strawberries, goosoberries, currants, grow wild, and will do well if 
 cultivated. Hardy varieties of a])ples and jJunis, it is tlioiiglit, will do well, but the country i» 
 yet too young to know much about tiieni by actual te -t. On account of the cool bummer nights 
 peaches and grapes would not likely mature. 
 
 Butter and Cheese. 
 
 If thon 
 for produi 
 pure wat' 
 
 J I i'l place in North Americva which Providence has designed more tlian another 
 ' ,'Br and cheese it is tiie Distri"t of Albi^rta. The extraordinary rich grass, 
 u' ' tmosphere, and temperate cliiuuie combine to make it a land of milk, butter. 
 
 ' M 
 
€0 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 ■and cheese of the very first rank. Those who keep milch cows must provide food and shelter 
 for them for two or three months in each winter. At present wild hay can be got at low prices 
 ■on Government and Canadian Pacific Railway Company's lands. This supply will disappear as 
 the country fills up with settlers. Dairying will pay better than any other biisinesn in the 
 farming line for many reasons already shewn, but esjH'cially on account of the fact that more 
 money's worth can be shipped in butter and cheese to England for the cost in freight than of 
 Any other commodity. 
 
 Fuel. 
 
 Considerable timber grows along the river banks and on the hills, while in some places 
 there are great stret •l.e.t of prairie with no wood at all. Coal is the fuel of the future. 
 Nowhere probably in the world is coal more generally distributed thau in Alberta, as yet it 
 lias been worked in a few places only. 
 
 Building Material and Fencing. 
 
 On the upper parts of the many streams from the mountains, and in the mountn s of 
 Alberta and British Columbia, joining Albeita, there is a great variety and ({uantity of limber, 
 among which are cedar and tir of gigantic size and magnificent quality, which can be floated 
 ^own the streams or distributed by the Canadian Pacific Hallway, which passes through the 
 timber region. Freestone and limestone aie found in very many places. 
 
 Minerals. 
 
 CopjK}r, lead, silver and iron abound in the mountains near the railway. 
 are found, but not much worked yet. 
 
 Gold and mica 
 
 Who should come here, and when. 
 
 ilon with some practical knowledge of farming and cattle-raising, and having some money 
 to make n start with, and good sense enough to be very careful how tht-y spend their money 
 when tht V get here ; young married men or men with grown up sons and daughters ; thtae aro 
 the people most wanted and most likely to succeed. Mechanics and miners get good wages, but 
 there is danger in too many of these coining until more capital is brought into the country to 
 •develope its resources. Gentlemen without capital, clerks and those only accustomed to light 
 -work are an over supply now. The best time f;.r emigrants, except those who have money that 
 they can live on for some time, to arrive in any part of the North-West Territories is in the spring, 
 not earlier than the middle of March. From that time, in ordinary seasons, they can live • 
 tents, having the whole summer before them for work on the land, building their honseSf 
 8tab]es, &c. 
 
 Capital. 
 
 Capital is very much wanted to develope the coal and metal, build smelting works and 
 start the manufacture of certain goods for which there is large sale, and for which the raw 
 material can be got here— woollen factorii's, tanneries, moulding .shoits, furniture making on a 
 small scale, will all pay now and scon develope into very large pro])ortions. There is no bettiy place 
 t.h'iu Calgary i" tl»' world for a btef canning establishnK^it. Many young men have come here 
 from England with money, but possessing no practical ideas how to use it. 
 
 Comparison. 
 
 Comparing climate, soil and seasons of Alberta with the Province of Quebec and the 
 North- Kastorn States, this district is immeasurably ahead. Compared with the Province of 
 Ontario it is equal, though diHercnt in many particulars and superior in many iTsiwcts. 
 Compared with Manitoba, l)akota, Montana, &c., this territory is so far superior that they should 
 not be spoken about in the same day. There is some cold weather in Alberta, and let no one 
 «omo here thinking there is not, but the terrible windstorms, snowstorms, cyclones, blizzards 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 61 
 
 '«)•» 
 
 and waterspouts of the former places are totally unknown in Alberta. Compared with Manitoba, 
 Alberta has many things in common, pure air, healthy climate, &c. Against the wheat of 
 Manitoba, Alberta has cattle, sheep and horses and their products, which never can be equalled 
 in Manitoba. The water of Albeita is absolutely ])ure and plenty of it. The temperature 
 averages at least twenty degrees higher during the cold season. The winter is two months 
 shorter, while both hard and solt coal abound, and timber, lumber, shingles and fencing^ 
 material is much more easily got in Alberta than in Manitola. 
 
 "When Winnipeg has grown out of the mud in ten short years to be an important and 
 solid city sending out its millions of wheat ; when Minneapolis, which I knew thirty years ago 
 as a lumbering hamlet baying its bread and pork in St. Louis, has become a citv of 180,0u0, 
 and one of the greatest milling centres in the world, why not Alberta and its capital town of • 
 Calgary do likewise, only more rapidly ? 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Vy'estey F. Oku. 
 
 Juuiary 2nd, 188S. 
 
 ALBERTA AND HEI FUTURE. 
 
 Written for the Pamphlet by J. I. E, 
 
 Comparatively few people, not excepting the residiMits of the country, have as yet been 
 able to form an estimate of the practically inexhaustible wealth wailing duvulopment in the 
 Province of Alberta, N.W.T., Canada. 
 
 At Ihe present time (January, 1888) perl-.nps the cattle industry claims first rank in 
 Tolume and imj jrtance ; some 100 to 120,000 head of well bred cattle are now within the 
 borders of this "land of promise." Sheep and hors''s with every kind of live stock, poultry, 
 etc., are also coming to the front as an important addition to the wealth of Alberta. Two 
 chartered banks, with the private bank of Messrs. Lallerty & Smith, do the chief banking 
 business of this rapidly rising country. 
 
 During the winter of 1886.7 the weather was severe with unusually deep snows for 
 Alberta (from three to six inches being the nsr.al depth), and caused losses amongst the cattle 
 of settlers and the Pilgrim cattle brough in late in the fall of 1886. Young cattle and cows 
 on the ranges also sulfered to a greater extent than usual, but acclimated cattle of more 
 mature ami stronger constitutions wintered with scarcely any additional loss on ordinary years. 
 
 Notwithstanding the losses thus made by the severity of the winter above noted, it cannot 
 be said tliat the experience gained was all loss to tlie intelligent cattleman, lor by it cattle 
 raisers in Alberta learned the necessity of wenning calves in the late fall and also preparing 
 hay for winter feeding young and weak stock if needed; whilst on the other hand it fully 
 demonstrates the fact that the moht severe winters in Alberta were not inimical to the health 
 and well doing of acclimated herds. 
 
 Tlere are still large areas of desirable lands in Alberta to be utilized for cattle raising or 
 for dairy farming, and leaving out of the (lue.stion the success or otherwise of mixed farming, 
 there can be no (iouht cattle raising and dairy farming are the most prolitiilile and easy of 
 management, and these money making industries may be truly said to be indigenous to the 
 country. 
 
 Could the industiious and struggling agriculturist of Europe but once realize the fact that 
 mines of untold wealth are here laid open to him and simply asking him to come, and, with 
 the magic touch of industry, usher into existence an easy indi'pcndciice for himself, and thus 
 adding to the future greatness of tliis trnly bcuntiful country, how few would be left to battle 
 with j)overty and anxiety in the older couulrics of tlie world. 
 
 In tlie few lines above written some linits liave bcon given as to the industries in 
 connection with cattle, iiorses and other live stock, poultrj', etc., as being at present the staple 
 products of onr great North-West in gentu'al and AUierla in particular. lUit what shall be said 
 ,if the fact tliat within the confines of this proliiic. Province of Alberta lies immense seams of 
 tlie tinest coal, of which the following analysis will give some idea of value, etc., and wJiieh 
 liave already been found in the immediate neighbourliood of iron oie of good quality and iu 
 «ilu!o.st unlimited (piautity. 
 
62 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 Analysis of Coaji from Rosebud River. 
 
 Specific gravity 1-48 Volatile combustible matter. 
 
 Heating power 11.93 Fixed carbon 
 
 Moisture or water 6.93 Ash 
 
 29.22 
 
 55.. 14 
 
 8.31 
 
 The coal workings of Alberta so far have been confined to the Lethbridge or Gait mines, some 
 80 miles south of Calgary, and notwithstanding the disadvantages of the output of these mines, 
 being carried 109 milt s by narrow gauge railway to be transhipped on the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway at Dunmore, this line has been worked with great suctesp, and a large amount of 
 money, $504\000, is said will be immediately expended widening their track, improving 
 jailway, rolling stock, etc. 
 
 Coal is also exten.sively mined at " Anthracit*," a town near Banff, in the mountains. 
 This coal is an anthracite coal, and has already been very favourably received on the Paciflo 
 Coast, the first shipment to San Francisco having been readily bought up ; and so extensive are 
 these western orders for this coal that very little coal from these mines will be shipped east. A 
 few other mines, worked by individual enterprise, are also sending their output to Calgary and 
 other places at a price of $7.50 per ton. 
 
 About 45 miles north-east of Calgary, in the Red Deer Valley, lies a very beautiful section 
 of country, extending from the Red Deer River in the east to the Foot Hills of the Rocky 
 Mountains in the west. This country is made up of rolling prairie with large stretches of fine 
 table lands through which are cut deep coulees ; many of these coulees are 500 feet deep. In 
 the bottom of these there is usually a running stream or river of ice cold clear water 
 even in the height of summer. The Rosebud River, Knee Hill Creek and others are rivers 
 running through beautiful valleys and coulees that make them very interesting to the tourist 
 and especially so to the mineralogist ; for on the sides of these rivers are found seams of six feet 
 in thickness and upwards of coal — an analysis of which is given in this notice. Professor 
 McCharlet, of Winnipeg, gives the opinion that this coal will be found even much superior to 
 the analysis when mined a few feet in from the outer surface of the seams, and as the lay is 
 almost perfectly horizontal, drift mining will be practised in these future mines much cheaper 
 than by shaft sinking or rock blasting. Even the inhabitants of Calgary and surrounding 
 places are mostly at the present time in happy ignorance of the gieat wealth of the practically 
 inexhaustible treasures awaiting development at their very doors. 
 
 These magnificent valleys or coulees with their seams of coal, hematite, etc., also show 
 strong signs of the existence in this country of natural gas, etc., etc., and without 
 looking for the more precious metals, which are said to have been found here in large paying 
 quantities, there is ample riches in the luxuriant grasses of its well sheltered coulees and its 
 table lands, its immense seams of superior coal, with its rich deposits of iron, etc., etc., to make 
 the volley of the Red Deer a veritable Eldorado of profitable industry and the beautiful 
 Province of Alberta one of the most favoured spots on the earth. 
 
 The value of these great coaldepcsits to the settler, and say nothing of its commercial value 
 at home and in the western states of the Union, to the south of Canada, cannot be over 
 estimated now ; for as so^n as Canadian coal can reach the busy scenes of mining and other 
 great industries in the -western cities of America ; when Alberta coal can freely go south as it 
 has already gone west, " who can count the millions of wealth in Alberta's great future ?" 
 
 IMMIGRANT AGENT'S LETTER. 
 
 To J. G. FiTZr.ERALD, E.SQ., 
 
 Calgaiy. December 31st, 1888. 
 
 My Deah Sir, — It is with pleasure I answer the questions you have addressed to me in 
 my prblic character as Immigration Agent for the Dominion ol Canada, in the District of 
 Alberta, in the North-West Territories. 
 
 In answer to your first question, 1 will say that I was born in the Province of Quebec, and 
 constantly resided there till the Canadian Government appointed me Immigration Agent for the 
 North-Wtst, and I have occujiied such position for five years. 
 
 ^ 
 
 4- 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 63 
 
 ^ 
 
 «^ 
 
 To the next question, the second one, "what are my impressions concerning this country 
 compared with these of my native province," I will answer that, knowing as 1 do the District 
 of Albf rta, 1 prefer it a great deal to the Province of Quebec, and I would enumerate a great 
 many advantages of a nature to attract emigrants if only known to them — 
 
 1. The weather and the fertility of our soil are equal if not superior to any to be found 
 anywhere throughout Canada. 
 
 2. The land is already ready, without any more trouble, to receive the plough of the farmer, 
 which we ought to consider as a great boon when we remember the trouble and hardsliip the 
 poor immigrant has to go through when he happens to settle in the wooded parts of Canada. 
 There the immigrant will find ready at hand, not only as much land a he wishes, butabundance 
 of hay ard pasture as he requires to receive stock on a laige or small scale according to his 
 means, and the climate cannot be beaten for stock-raising. 'I'he cold in winter, though some- 
 times sharp, has nothing to incommode men or animals ; in case of hard winters, as happen 
 scmetimes, they must provide for sheep and cattle, but horses winter cut at all times. The 
 suow is seldom deep and lasts r.ot more than three months. The soil is so rich that in good 
 years the wheat gives us from 30 to 40 bushels per acre, and oats 60 bushels. Although com 
 may fail sometimes, as in any couutr)', experience shows that crops come to maturity when put 
 down early in the spring, and when the giound has been prepared by fall ploughing ; sol advise 
 (arly seeding, and further say that any man coming to this part of the North- West will be' 
 better off alter one or two years th«in he will be after being settled ten years in the Eastern 
 Provinces. 
 
 3. In answer to the question coiicenWng liired men and servant girls, I have to say that 
 there is always a great request for servant girls, whether at the faim houses or in the hotels and 
 private hcuses in town. At the present moment I have a great many applications from the 
 country, as well as from the towns, and am not able to supply the demands addressed to me. 
 
 Men are almost sure to always find work, whether as lumbermen or assistant farmers ; the 
 coal mines and the ranches employ plenty of hands. The wages of servant girls average between 
 $12 to $20 per month, thotse of the men fiom $26 to $40, according to the season of the year or 
 the capacity of the men. Mechanics, as carpenters and other trades, are paid from $2.50 to $3 
 per day. 
 
 As for e climate, I affirm it is the most pleasant and salubrious of all North America, 
 bracing and vs iiolesome for the health. A country with abundance of pure water and fuel, lu 
 firewocd and co;il. 
 
 Another ad mtage which is not to be overlooked is that the immigrant in coming here will 
 find everywhere schools for the children and churches for worship of all denominations. Catholics 
 as well as Protestants, and will find the ministers spreading the Gospel of Christ to all who are 
 ready to listen according to their tastes or religious dispositions. 
 
 If 1 am to judge from the numerous letters I have received from thi; Eastern Provlncof and 
 Europe, 1 should say there will be a large immigration next spring, especially men with ni(.uey 
 to start new ranches. 
 
 I sincerely congratulate you for the design you take in tryijig to make knowi t - the 
 capitalists of the world this part of Canada, that nquires only capital to developc tlie ioiaeral 
 resources it Qpntains. 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 
 Your obedient and respectful servant, 
 
 J. Z. C. MlQUELON. 
 
 To J. G. FiTzr.r.UALi), Esq., 
 Calgary. 
 
 Deau Sill, — In June, 1883, I arrived on the banks of the Bow River, near Calgary, 
 '.ccompanied by my wife and eight children, four boys and four girls, with the intention of 
 •arming near Calgary, if, after making due cnnuiries, suitable land could be fcnnd. 
 
 After obtaining all the information that could be obtained from the old settlers, and seeing 
 the favourable appearance of the crops as they then presented themselves, I located myself on 
 tlie banks of Fish Creek, 8 miles south of Calgary, and have never since regretted the venture 
 of coming, as 1 think it would be difficult to find a country that will beat the Province of 
 Alberta, with its sj)leudid soil and most enjoyable climate. 
 
64 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 T 
 
 Calfrarj', as we first saw if, wns in PTiibryo, coiisisliiig of only tlio barracks of tlie Nortli- 
 West Mounted Polioc, the stores (if tlie Hudson Day Co., and of J. G. Kakcr & Co., and of a. 
 few log lints and tents scattcnd here and there ; now it is a rapidly rising town of unite 3,000 
 inln-bitants, with stores; and shops of every description, fully capable of meeting all demands 
 uj>on tlieni by the far:ner.«, luinlier n;ill owners, and proprietors of the numerous industries now 
 established, and continually l.'cing established, in the mountains. These stores are, as a rule, 
 owned by men of great energy, as an inspection of them would ouuvince th' most sceiilical, and 
 in any one of them It wonld be didicult to ask for any article in their line of business that 
 would not be at once produced, and at a very reasonable price. 
 
 It is (piite possible, an;' ev( n desirable, that an emigrant coining here .should biing aslittle 
 as possible with him, except iuoney ; otherwise he, not knowing wliat is most useful here, may 
 bring with him a quite useless lot of impediuK'nts, causing a corresponding diminution of hi* 
 available capital, whereas, when ou the spot, he can find out what he really re(iuires and 
 purchase them in Calgary. 
 
 The soil of this Province is fir.st-class, with but few exceptions. It is composed of from 12 
 to 18 inches of black loam, and in some places sanoy, and other places clayey sub-soil with a 
 (quantity of lime, and is most admirably adapted for growing wheat. 
 
 1 have grown a few acres of wheat every year. IJed Fyfe has been the kind selected, and 
 every year, except this 1 ist, liave raised about 25 bushels to the acre of No. 1 hard wheat. Of 
 wheat, liowever, up to the jircsent, a very small ipuintity has been grown in this country 
 becan.se there is no "grist-mill" in this vicinity, but onoe such a mill is estaldished it wcmld 
 not lack wheat to grind. Oats are the nniin crop. These yi(dd from 50 to GO bushels to the 
 acre, weighing from 3'J to 40 lbs. and upwards to the buslud. liarley averages 40 bushels to 
 the acre, which i.s, as a rule, fed to pigs, as until beerand li(iuor8are allowed to be* manufictured 
 iu th(! Territories there is little demand for it for any other purj)o.«e. 
 
 The crops of vegetables are nmst luxuriant. The average yield of potatoes, on tlio roughly 
 cultivati'd soil, is '25U nusiiels to the acre, but on ground manured and prepan^d I think 1 can 
 safidy say it is nearer 400 bushels of large jiotatoes, averaging over 1 lb. each (many from two 
 jiotuids and njiwards). Turnijis, beets, carrots, and cabbages! I am almost afraid to say the 
 (jnantity for fear of its being considered an exaggeration ; liut this I may say, that it would be 
 almost iinjiossible tor the gn/inid to contain more, and all splendid as regards size. Onions of 
 good size 1 have failed to raise, but, as my neighbors all round me have nnmagedto succeed with 
 tiicin, I sM|tpose it must be my fault, not that of the soil. 
 
 The gra.s.ses here are tir.st-class for cattle ; during an average winter the cattle find their 
 own living. With no stabling or Icod other than what they procured for themselvis, our 
 horses anil cattle jiassed through the winters of 1883-84-8r), and came out fat in the spring. 
 'i'he winters of IHM.O-HG we had stables and hay for horses, but the cattle had to shift for 
 themselves, and still with good results. 
 
 It was only lust winter, l.S,S(i.,s7, that on account of the deptli of snow we were compelled 
 to feed tiie (Mitlle during the months of .lannary ami February. I mention these facts to show 
 wlnit can be done, for we have not lost fiom ccdd or privation a single animal sinec? we have 
 iM'cn here, not disputing for one ninnient that the slock wonld tlirive muoli better if properly 
 housed and fed. 
 
 The winters here are short. Fifty, forty ami sixty days respectively havi^ lieeu tlie length 
 of the past four winteis, and these not consccuiive days, and to this I attribute greatly the 
 aldlity of the aninnd to withstand the cold. For instance, wt^ may have a I'oitnight to three 
 weeks of very cold vtcather, tlieiniomeler from lo to lio !'( low zcid dining the nights, and fiom 
 10 liejow (o 10 above Z'to during l\\r. days, whii h suv mostly b.ight, snnsliiny oim's, Imt lliis 
 cold weather will be lollovcd liy a similar period of warm, sjiiingdikc weather, freezing hard al 
 nights, pKdiably lo to 'Jfi bduw z<'ro, but ranging in the d>iy thne from !>.'• ' ."lO above zero. 
 < "altle thus have a chance of recovering any ill elleels of the previous cold we,w ..■ r and getting 
 ready to encounter the iu'aI spell of cold. Of these spells liuie are two or three, ami the wiulir 
 is over. 
 
 The ground freezes \ip, as ii rule, the m'ddle of November (one year we were jdoughing up 
 to the l:>ili |)in'mlier), and ploughing van be conMueneed !di(Hit the first tir secoi d week of 
 March. It is quite execpliomd lor it to ^'- niter March illst. This enables us to get our cpps 
 ill in good lime to gain tin' beu. r.is of tlie rainy seanon, wWuh is May and .luue. Al'lei llieM- 
 
 4 
 
 r 
 
01 1 h- 
 of a. 
 
 5,000 
 
 undn 
 no'.v 
 
 rulo, 
 and 
 that 
 
 little 
 may 
 
 )f hi» 
 aud 
 
 GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 65 
 
 rains, except an occasional thunder shower, little moi-e may be looked I'or before snow falls in 
 November. 
 
 Hnrvest commences from the middle of August and ends from the middle to end of 
 Septemlier, and except for damage to the grain by wind and shelling out, it might remain on 
 the tield all tiie winter, so little fear is there of rain. One winter, being otlua'wisc occujiied, 
 we did not stack it till the end of November, and found it comparatively undamaged. 
 
 When ([noting the temperature experience, 1 speak w'^'Ji 'n certain amount of authority, for 
 ever since I liavi^ been here 1 have recorded tlie temperatun-', both mininmm and maximum, 
 daily. This record will be found in another page complete for four years. The rea'^on for my 
 keeping this record Wii3 this : When I fir.t came the few ])eoi)le here were divided into two 
 sections, some dozen or so tilling the ground and jiiodueing exctdlent crops, composing the one ; 
 and a similar number of cattft-owners, holding leases of large tracts of lands, declaring that the 
 .soil was indiiferent and wouhl produce notliing, comprising the other. The lease-holders 
 further maintained that, even if the land would grow a crop, summer frosts would kill it. The 
 farmers, on the other hand, said summer frosts larely bothered them, and produced iheir crops 
 as evidence. 
 
 Careful examination of the record of the temperature here will show that the farmer was 
 light, and that the aim of the lease-holder was to run down tlie country and keep setthnuent 
 out so that they miglit not be interfered with, but olitain indefinitely their leases from the 
 Government at the ridiculously low rental of one-half penny (one cent) jier acre. 
 
 There is no doubt that frost in summer can be found as one advances towards the mountains, 
 and of this fj,!t they nnule tiie most ; but summer frost is not prevalent unless one goes almost 
 into the Foot Hills. 
 
 The land two hundred miles to the norti., two hundred miles to the east, ami southward 
 to tlie boundary is nearly all tirst-class agricultunil land waiting to be utilized by tlic; fitrmer, 
 niid capabl(! of sus:,ining a population eipial to the whole of tlie I iiited Kingdom. 
 
 The demand for grain and roots of all ile.icriplions is practically unlimited, and it will t'ke 
 many years for the supply to '.le eipial to the deinand. 1 doubt if it ever will lie, looking to the 
 vast mineral resources of all descriptions now lying undeveloped in the Rocky Mountain^, only 
 waiting for tiio capitalist to come and utilize them. 
 
 Calgary lias made rajiid strides notwithstanding tlie check it and the whole of the Nortli- 
 AVest Territory received by the rebellion of 1885, owing to the fear intending emigrants had of 
 the Indians. 
 
 To us, on the spot, this fear could not lie accounteil for, as witliin 8 miles of Calgniy are 
 located the Sareiu Indians, numlieiing 40(1, and within •>() miles the Hlackfeet Jndians, 
 numliering 4,000, and W(! should not lie irighteiied at tliem if they all rose in rebellion 
 together, (hit of the whole 4,400 men they could not nuinlie;- more than 'J.^d lighting men, and 
 about '20 well armed white men would, unless they were hidden in the bush, lont the whole 
 lot. Why, in the whole of the North- \Vest they ('ould not number l,r»On braves even il they 
 wer(! united ; but, distiibnted as tluy are in bands of twenty or thirty, huiidieds of miles apart 
 in many cases, I much doubt if Indians or halMueeds together could mass above 'Jod in any 
 one spot. (The Indian knows mi which side his bread is buttered.) 
 
 .\t present the nnijoiity are clothed and fed by the (Joveiiiiiient, their only work being 
 nimising themselves shooting gaini' or visiting each other. 
 
 There is far less danger fiom the Indian than the '.thite man, and deeds of violence arc far 
 less fte({nent here than xv Kngland. 
 
 To show how peneeliil und secure eveiyoiie felt during the rebellion in lSS,''i, it may be 
 mei'tionrd that, exiept in small and isolated ilistticts, the actual seat ol the leliellion, one 
 might widlc into almost every house in the Territory in the dead of the night and fin I not a 
 door lo( ked or a gun even loaded, 
 
 'I'lie fear of Indians need keep no settler away, iieitlier need the fear of bears, lynxes, 
 wolves, itc , fic. We only wish we had a few mole of h,i"h animals. I have never seen any, 
 but if 11 MportMiinn has a lew niontliH to s)iarc he may, by penetiating into ain. )st inaccessible 
 regions, come neio>s stiiie, imt n<it otheiwise. The larmer is left in peace, his only enemicH 
 being mice (rats unknown, as yet) and moie^', both of which the eat nickcH sad havoi', with. 
 Tlie inoM|iiito('H are ItdiiblehoinR at first, but ploughing diminishes their niiiiiber very malenally. 
 
 Till' climate in dry and blueing ; bup nearly ulwiiys khining ; the »ky beating the it iliuix 
 
GO 
 
 ALHEllTA, CANADA. 
 
 sky ill its (]cp]) hlue tints, i have hi'oii cau^lit in a heavy tluiinlor shower in June, at noon, 
 anil clothes and bocts saturated, and Ijef'ore 1 have readied home at 3 that at'teruoon eveiythiug 
 has lieen dry as a bone. 
 
 The nights even in niidsunimer arc always cold, about 38 and 40 degrees, which is most 
 refresiiing after tiie hot summer days, but prevent us growing successfully such crops as Indian 
 corn or hops, or any other crops re(iiiiiing warm nights. Cucumbers, n.'elons, and tomatoes 
 ripen occasionally as in England, and I think that most tilings that are successfully raised iu 
 Kngland can be raised iiere. Fruit, such as currants, gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, grow 
 wild in abundance. Ajiples, j)ears, plums, are being tried, and so far with success. The chief 
 danger with fruit trees in Kngland lies in the trees bh)ssoniing too soon in a very early spring 
 and being cut olfliy the fro.st in April or later. Now, this danger is entirely averted here, 
 lj.:can.se, no Jiialter how warm February, March, or April may ue, the trees do not come into 
 leaf before May. The reason of this is that the ground is, iu winter, frozen to a depth of 
 about 3 feet, and until this is all thawed out, wliich is not lieforc May, th ,■ tree shows no signs 
 of life ; thus tlie tree cannot blossom until all danger of frost is over. 
 
 Tile water sujiply is of tlif liest. Mountain streams abound in nil directions ; and, if not 
 located on a stream, a well of from ] ') to '2U feet (h'cp will generally strike water of the purest 
 description. Most of the streams also are well stockeil with fish. 
 
 Of game, the farmer sees little, except it be wild geese, ducks, prairie chickens and rabbits ; 
 of the.se there are plenty. 
 
 The land regulations of the (iovernment are very liberal, far more so than those of the 
 United ISt'ites. Kven if the regulations were fulfilled to the letter they are easy ; but if the 
 Ctovernment .see that a nuiu is a bi>Ha Jiik .settler, doing liis utmost, they relax the conditions 
 to a great extent. 1 have known a man to be allowed to absent himself from his homestead for 
 a year if good cause b(^ shown, and if he has been unable to pay at the jiroper time for his light 
 to pre-empt a second ItiO acres, to be allowed an extension of time for so doing. 
 
 It is only the land-grabber, who endeavours to hold for speculative jmrposcs, making land 
 Bcarce wheie there is plenty, that the (iovernmeut ever interferes with. 
 
 Taxes an- very light at present in this distrii't. We have none exce])t a amall school tax of 
 Is. in the .£ on value, and this eirtililcs us to have our children educated free of any additiimal 
 cost except books. 
 
 The Canadian j)oslnl facilities are very good ; newspapers ai • delivered almost free; seeds 
 con be s<'nt by jiost up to 4 lbs. in weight at ^d. for every quarter of a po\md. 
 
 The (iovernment have established at Ottawa a Central F.xperimental Farm, where any 
 farmer in the Dominion may have liis seeds tested free; and, further, tiie (luvernment will carry 
 his samples of seed to the farm and back free ol all i barges. 
 
 A farmer can make a stait in ii small way if he lias about £2(10 ; of course the more the 
 better. I have known many a nnin start with nothing, working out for wages, doing from time 
 to time odd jobs on his farm, work his way into a comfortable firm in about three years; but 
 this rc(juires great industry nnd jierseverance. 
 
 A capitalist can tiiid far mote oppoitunities for investment than in Fneland ; he i au 
 obtain from 8 jier cent, to 10 per cent, in first class freehold security. (»ii onlinaiy mercantile 
 ventiires, such as in Kngland would give from fi per cent, to 8 per cent., he can obtain from 10 
 l)er cent, to IT) ])er ci'iit., and with no more risk. 
 
 A workingman willing to put his hand to anything can always obtain good wages, varying 
 from .£[> to i 7 per inonlii, with imaid, in summer ; from .£'3 to £('>, Willi board, per month during 
 the two or three winti r months. 
 
 The artisan, who, in tiie old country, is out of work can obtain none in any otiier branch, 
 whereas here if industriously inclinetl to turn his hand to anything, can always (>btaiii work. 
 A working wom«n jirobably as mmdi, with the piobubility that before she lia.s iieen here manv 
 months she will be a working wife, as there are very manv poor, lone men living on their farms 
 all aloni>, only wniting for a woman to present ln'isidf. 
 
 O 'ly the idler ik ! stay away; lie ih looked down upon, and Ih not wanted, It is only the 
 Uiaii who work?", whetlier with his bands «'• his brain, who is resjieeted liiTe. 
 
 The innii who comeH out iicic with the det»imination nf working is liound to Hucceod; but 
 Die most wanted is the furrmi who, with niicIi a >p!endid soil and climate, an<i the high pricen 
 < (MiiniMiidcd for his produee, (aimot sail to realize very haudeome iirolils, uud in the course of a 
 few >oarB is ill an iutb'pemh iit position. 
 
 T 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
GUIDE TO SEITLERS. 
 
 G7 
 
 noon, 
 thing 
 
 most 
 uliau 
 latoes 
 sed iu 
 grow- 
 chief 
 sjiving 
 liere, 
 into 
 lib of 
 sivcns 
 
 r 
 
 I was a merchant for twenty yervrs in the old country, in a fairly successful way of business. 
 I came out liern because I thought I should like the life free from the tnimniels of modern society 
 f.nd the worries and anxiety conneiited with the life of an ordinary English merchant, and I 
 liave not been disiqipointcd. 
 
 There are no unnecessary appearances to be kept up, and it is not necessary to s[H!nd large 
 sums in outside show for no other reason than to maintain a supposed respectability. ujiti.* 
 
 Here a man after investing liis capital need not tax his brains unduly. He buys cattle or 
 equips his farm, using ordinary intelligence and working hard manually. When he conies home 
 of an evening his work is done for the day ; he lias alnicst as perfect health as is possible to 
 man ; lie has an api»etite for his food ; he has no worry or anxiety on his mind, and when he 
 goes to bed he does so with the full assurance of a good night's n;pose, and not kc^ t awake half 
 the night by thinking over the possibilities of the morrow, as I know to be the case with the 
 majority of business men in the old country. 
 
 1 remain, 
 
 Yours faithfuUv, 
 
 y. W. VllAw. 
 MiAN.vi'Oiii', near Calgaiy, Alberto, 
 January 20th, 1888. 
 
 Be 
 
 cJs 
 
 To J. G. FlT/(iEI!AI.I>, Esq. 
 
 Cai.gaiiy, Alberta, January •l:h>\, ISvS. 
 
 Sii!, — I lake the lilierty of addressing you a few lines in reference to my I'xpei'ience of 
 Alberta. 
 
 My (irst trip tlirongh this country was in tlie spring of 1883; the next the following 
 autumn. J have driviMi across the {Duiitry from this point to Kdinonton on the north, and 
 south about to tlie Fnti'riiational boundary line, a distance of three hundred and fifty miles 
 north uiiu south, and there is scareejy an acre of jioor land in all that extent of einintry ; and 
 as far as 1 can h'urn, VdU eonhl travel as many miles north of Edmonton and linil good land all 
 thrnugli. 
 
 The eountiy lias a very attractive n|)pcarance ; it is rolling, witJi very l»rettj' lilulfs of 
 timber scattered tiirongh ; in fact, in some places you would imagine they liMl Ijfiffj} iihniUrl 
 ond laid out in iiatiiial parks liy .some eaiefiil hand. 
 
 To aiUl to tlie l]e;uiiy and lienelit of tht ci)uiitiy, eveiy (i\c or fen mih'H ymi will ji m to 
 cro.s8 a jirelty little .-pring enck or a good si/e.l rivii'; although 1 must confess tho jlisi time I 
 travelled across the country I did not tliink some of llic river.i .so beautiful when 1 liad to foril 
 tiii'ni Willi a hor.se and Imekboard ; but now quite ii iiiimher of fhein have Itee/i liridg'd over, 
 80 liiat travelling is a pleasure. We have the Hocky Mountains to the west ; a nngnifieent 
 background fi>r s/eiiery. 
 
 1 was Imni in tlie Cdunty of I'eel, Ohta'in, near Toronto ; have tniveljecl ovit a great part 
 of that ciiuntiy ; also have travelled .iver Miinitolia and settled parts of t'le Nurtii-WeHt 
 Territory, and lind no part tiiat suited me as well as Allierta. I tliink it is the girdi'ii of 
 Canada. WiUmve a great many natural advantages liere that no other part of the l)iiMinioii 
 poysesM's. We have imliiiiited annaint of both li.ird and soft coal ; minerals <if aliinist all 
 kinds; the pure>t wateis that e in be had in any t^nuntry. 
 
 We have a No, 1 mixed farming country. I have seen rejieatedly year after year grain of 
 all kinds gmwn successfully ; ami, I believe, the linest cabbage and roof.< I ever siw in any 
 eounlr\ . Why, Just fancy last season 1 raised m my own garden, only a small jilat <•( gmuud, 
 about the sixtieiith part of an acre, all the vegetables reipiired fur uiir own use, iueluding 
 ii'.'lislieN, green peas, let tuc.e, tiiiioiis, beans ami potatoes. Some of the latter Wt.'ighed hrlif'vn 
 urn iin I thn'r /miiiils vdi'h. 
 
 I have «een in tlii-* part of Alberta Imge bands of cattle ami horses that have never bpeti 
 Htabled ; but 1 beli"ve the man who will put Up temproraiy sheds ami a limiteii amount of hay 
 for ]iroleelion for a month or two thioiigh the winter .season will lie well cojupeiisated lor his 
 U'onhle. 
 
 Tlieie is (im> thing yon will find heio ; alinod every oinj you meof in tliis eotmtiy is well 
 I '.islied with their lot. 1 consider tneie are tli • very best opening< here for imrinfaetuiing 
 
68 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 iiuhisMios, piueltiiig works, a tannery, woolen mills, etc.; also the dairy business and a grist 
 mill will be something we shall require in the near future. 
 
 I have no hesitatinn in recoiniuemling any of my friends wlio may chance to read this 
 letter to come to Alljcrta. Any jicrsou that will nnike up his mind to go to work, with a 
 limited amount of means, Ciiii do widl here. 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 JOSKPII Ma.v. 
 
 WHAT THE DOMINION LAND SURVEYORS SAY ABOUT ALBERTA. 
 
 Extracts from the Annual Report of the Department of the Interior for the Year 1886. 
 
 Sjieaking of -Mbertn, Mr. Penrce ?ays : — At the present time there are witliin the graining 
 jiortions of our North- West about 104,000 cattle, 11,000 horses and 2r.,000 sheep. This 
 estimate will be found very close, having been obtained by a jiersonid visit to a majority of the 
 ranclies, and emjuiry from the Itest sources as to the remainder. Of the iibovi', ;?4,000 cattle, 
 SJ)0(\ horses and 7,000 sheep came in this year, being an addition by importation over and 
 above till' iiutural increase, 
 
 Aliout 'Jfi.OOO cattle, 2,000 horses and 0,000 sheep came in from the United States ; the 
 remainder were imported fnun Ontario and Hritish Columbia. The number, so far as catth; are 
 concerned, were about ('([Ually diviiled, but the great uiajci'ity of the horses came from Ihitish 
 Columbia. 
 
 Eleven thousand five hundred head ofhorses and cattle are owned by 71 ])ersons, who are 
 iion-leasehohlers, and aliout one half of whom have not a homestead entry, an avornge of 
 abont 102 head eacdi. The.'-e cattle are, in the nnijority of cases, grazing on li'aseti land. It 
 will be noticed tliat there has been a very large increase in all lines during the past year. The 
 out]iut of wool will soon lie tuch as to warrant the erection of factories for its nnunifacture, 
 and the country is to be congratulated on the [irobability, in the near future, of ixporting 
 blankets and other aiticles of wool in addtion to that provided for home consmnption. 
 
 Cavalry Horses. 
 
 During the past season certain British cavalry ofTicers visited Canada, and among other 
 plor'.--. 'ook a run through our ranche country. They expressed themselves as very much 
 plt-asi"' v, til ''uS possihilitu's in regard to the jiroihKition of a healthy and muscular horsi', suit- 
 able for ca\ any purp''sis. All that is re<iuired is the stock to bn ed from— nature lias been 
 extremely u iMiiifnl m providing all the other renuisites. It is not without the limits of ]tro- 
 l)ab'.]it' thet w"h'n a few years a large output of horses of this class may take jilaie from tiie 
 North- '.V" I. 1\L\ u'ed the cx)tort of ■ or.ses be confine'l to this class only — the race liorse, 
 tiotter, jn»'r!ag»». r'>;id«ter, , ^ eiu'i'al .iinjuseand heavy draught can eipialiy well and as cheaidy 
 ba bn '. ' (ire in the (Pleciioii of dams and siivs nnist be observeu, and the jircsent aboininame 
 pnioli."' of V'-iiuaiag, which so grosi.ly dishgures, should cease. 'I'he sooner our hors-men drop 
 their Cayii Jul' <» and procure good ones, the sooner will they be on the higliway to foitnnc. 
 In the ]ift>-i wi.rii i,'." -..un^ry was settling up these animals served a g)od j'urpow. hut tlieir 
 
 iluy, if ni't H"".i l< ud, very aoon will be. 
 
 > • •'♦ * • « • • « 
 
 Within the J. mt year the (iovernment has veiy wisely Lak<'n the steps mcessary tn the 
 jrratiou of public reserves along the route of the Canndiun raeilie Itaihvay, \n jnotect tlie 
 niagni'ieent scenery met with on tli-it route through the Uocky, Selkirk and Cold rangeB of tho 
 inonntains. 
 
 Th*" writgr has crossed this continent on the Southern IViCic, the Central and Union 
 I'arilic, tlu' Northern, the l)enverand lUo liirande, into the heart of Colorado, but tho ("ana- 
 iliau I'lu'itic lar surpasses them all, and it would he an act of national disgrace if evcrv {>o.<)Hible 
 iitep vit-ri' not taken to prevent in the slightcMt ilegreo the nnirring of the wniiderrnl ueuuties 
 which nature has uonferreil on the Canadian luule. 
 
 Wll 
 
 coi 
 
 a 
 
 mi 
 
 ill 
 
 sill 
 
 a 
 
 I'l 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 GD 
 
 a gnst 
 
 ad this 
 with i\ 
 
 s. 
 
 This 
 
 (it the 
 
 catth', 
 
 ivcr ami 
 
 At tlie Banir Park there is, in addition to the scenery, the wonderful hot springs, so 
 productive of ph-asure and health giving pro|)erties. They have, however, during the past ye.ar 
 been brought so prominently before tiie public by correspondents of the press, and tourists' 
 letters, that it is unnecessary here to more than allude to them. 
 
 Tl'pre are many other points in the liocky Mountains which, in the near future, it would 
 be well to reserve ; amongst which may be mentioned the vicinity aiound those hikes which 
 rise near the 49th parallel and emjjty by the Waterton river into the Belly river ; also portions 
 of the Crow's Nest I'ass and approaches theieto. 
 
 Kei'Out of Wii.mam Fkarck, 
 
 yuperinteuvleiit of ^liuep. 
 WlNXiiM-.n, Octolier 31st, 1886. 
 
 Extract from Report of C. A. Biggar, D.L.S. 
 
 Caloaiiy, January 'Jnd, 1388. 
 
 Sill, — Your instiuetioiis directing me to survey and Icate the Edmonton trail from Red 
 Deer river to Calgary, and thence to Macleod, and the trail from Macleod to Blackloot Crossing, 
 were received on tiie 31st May. «***««* 
 
 From Calgary to Fish Creek the settlers have fenced the greater part of the old trail antl left an 
 allowanc(^ iis a pub]i<; iiighway. «««*»*« 
 
 That part of tiie cnnntiy tiirough which oiir ojn-rations were carried on has been so often 
 and well described liy dillerent surveyors that furtlier comment is unnecessary. 1 might, 
 however, add that the devcdopment of this part of our Great North-West has Ijcen even beyond 
 the expectations ol' tiie most sanguine. 
 
 Fi Calgary to Sheep Creek well improved farms are seen in every direction, au'l tlie 
 crop^ reiiii/i'd by the settlers are very encouraging. 
 
 South of Slieep Creek the country is uime suitable for grazing, . large, lands cf c:it11'-, 
 roam nt large. Judging from their aiipearanec, 1 should say that tli cess of tiiis industry is 
 iilready assured. 
 
 Extract from Report of Otto J. Klotz, D S. 
 
 January 7th, 1887. 
 ♦ « « » ♦ ♦ * • «*» * 
 
 Passing through Calgary, it may not lie out of place to i few words legardini,' it. 
 
 Four years jiri'viously I iiad visited the sile-tlieii a mere tradii..: |"'^t. It ismost picUUcsiiUcly 
 •itua'.ed in the valley of tlu; I'ow liver, at the eoniluenee of the Klbuw liver with t!.e I'urmer. 
 There are some line brick and .sandstone buildings e'ected in the town, the stone bring iiuarried 
 on tiie river bank. 
 
 There are imnierDUM store.i, two saw-mills, lianks, schools and ciiurches, and frmi Ciilgary 
 a great deal of freigliting is dmie for Kdninnton and other n 'rlherii )»iiiits. Tla; valley is 
 fertile agrieiiltural land, and tiie a(iJoining bench lamls are covered with nutritious grasses, 
 well adapted for roots niid vigetai'les and stock raising. This latter circumstance makes 
 Calgary the iiriiicijile shipping port f«ir cuttle. 
 
 A Briiish < nhiiiiliia mn'iier speaking to me about tln' iiiei , h of tiiis vicinity fur cattle, 
 with special ndercme ti> tiie winter, sani ; "i tell you it you find a place w here it is not 
 common to Imve sb'ighii. I tiiink that a pretty gootl sign for catth-." lie lias now trausf' rrei 
 a part of his herd of ettttje trom Hritisli Columbia to tlie eakt slope of the mouiilaiiiiii, wher 
 moreover, wati-r ix inoif alnindant and l»t(er. 
 
 Altogetlier Ciilgary m a vi^ry tlmving town, an<l it is (pieslionable whether .my olliei ])litoi 
 in the T'Triloty Um a brigliter future iwlcire it. 
 
 We asi'cnd tlie pietuiesnuf valley of the Bow, wiiich giadually narrows, until we art 
 surrounded hy mountuidM. 
 
 In them we tiii'l ''mnnore jireltily sifnaled in a level expanse of aliout thri'e-(iuurter8 ol 
 a mile. Tie most ii.t' nsiing feature hei< are tlie three eonglnnierate (Mlumiis (one '.» a 
 symnietriial lone) slaiiding together on the side of a Jul), aliout til'ly feet aliove the plain, and 
 IheMi'elvi ■• ibdul thirl) !i el Ulgh. The niiws is a coarse gravel with lio\ildirs, and uUlmUgU 
 
70 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 cemt'iiteil is somewhat friable. A curspry examination shewed no sliells therein. The hill is 
 coveix'd. with grass and appci.rs to be gravelly also. That these peaks have been left after the 
 action of llowing water seems most probable 
 
 Ik'tore reauhing the siunmit Bantf is jiassed, near which are the hot springs, which are 
 already becoming noti'd for their ci\rative powers. There is the wild rugged scenery surround- 
 ing them, the beautiful How meandering through the mountains, ancl whose; waters afford 
 recreaticii for boating and cancring, the cave and babin, and a multitude of favourable cir- 
 cumstiiiices to attract both invalid and tourist. « * « » * 
 
 Extract from Report of J. 3. Dennis, D.T.S. 
 
 Ottawa, 20th December, 1886. 
 
 «»»*♦»**•*• 
 
 The cattle ranching industry is making wonderfully mpid strides in our territories, as 
 instanced by the fact that districts whieli a short time . o were consiilered unsuited lor 
 ranching purposes are nov/ st(j ked by herds of cattle doing well. » * * 
 
 Tile geiifrally accepted tluory has been .hat the grazing area was rest.'icted to the south- 
 western jiortioii of tiie territories, but the present indfcations are that a very much larger area 
 is well adajjted for grazing. 1 am of opinion that all ti;e countiy in the vicinity of, and south 
 of the Canadian Pacitic llailway line, to the International boundary, west of Moose Jaw, is 
 more or less adapted for cattle ranching. 
 
 1 saw many thousand iiead of . ttle during the season, and in no instance did I notice any 
 that did not look well aral in good eomlitio.i. 
 
 The raising of sheep is now dug extensively ccnducted in many district;- of tlie territories, 
 noticeably in tlie vicinity of Calgary, there now being about 25, JOO liead of fheep north of the 
 liow liver in that vicinity. 
 
 There is, of ;ourse, a more immediate return from sheej) than cattle, the increase being 
 greater, the yearly crop of wool being a\-ailable for market, and a return from tlie increase is 
 looked for at the end of the lirst year; whereas in cattle raising iliere is no return for tiiree 
 years afrer the beginning ; but sheep are more liable to destruction by wolves than the cattle. 
 
 Tlie development of Ihe coal mining industry in the territories has been mentioned by many 
 vlio liavi' lately visite(i the country, ajid the (piestion of a bountilul and eiieap su])i)ly of fuel 
 iiiMV now be !• '>ked nj on as assured. In this particular our territories have a great advantage 
 ONir the country immediately south of the International boundary, where the supply of coal is 
 limited and of poor ipiality. 
 
 Extract from Report of J. J. Mc Arthur, D.L.S. 
 
 .lanuary 3rd, 1887. 
 
 The view on cnteiing the mountains is very hue, but becomes more extended and grand ns 
 
 one ascends the slnjies towards the summits. The first ascent was up tlie mountain on the north 
 
 side of the valley and directly behind Canmore station. Tiu^ How river Hows at the base of 
 
 this mountain in a valley from one to two miles wide, and on the other side ajjpeur tie Randle 
 
 MouiitniiiH, which are snow-capped and very peri)endicuiar. To tlic south there are three 
 
 •Jioiougiily deline,( ]H>uks ealleil the "Tliree .Sisteis," and up the valley about a dozen of miles 
 
 ir so stands the C.iscade Mountain. On litis )noiint:dn I located one o( my stations ; and from 
 
 lere is to be had one of the finest and most extensive views of tlie Kocky Mountains, embracing 
 
 he How riv'T luid the Cascade, Spray and Simpson passes. 
 
 Looking towards the e,ast glimpses of the ]nairie may be seen and in tin* foregrnuml lies 
 
 Devil's Head Lake, This lake is Kurroumled by mouiilaius from ;i,(i(H) f^et 'o 4,U(.HJ feet high, 
 
 Mid is fed by numerons small streams whieh How down the inoniitain side.'!. TI e water is cool 
 
 .Did so clear thai the swarms of lisli with which it abounds may be nrvn iniiny feet below the 
 
 lurfuoe. The l»ke is included in the National Turk Uescrvation, nnd will, no doubt, form ono 
 
 it ait' .letiuuH. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 71 
 
 IS 
 
 •V' 
 
 I 
 
 Extract from Report of Edgar Bray, D.L.S. 
 
 January, 12tli, 1887. 
 
 Sub-division survey in Lethbridge District. 
 
 ««»»*««*»*♦ 
 
 Tlie land liere is eitlier rolling upland or river bottom, with good soil in both eases. 
 Popliir and cottonwood timber in limited quantities grow in the valley of the Belly river, but 
 not elsewhere within the liuiits of this survey. 
 
 ("oal in workable seams and excellent (quality was noticed in many places along Belly 
 river. 
 
 Having here so much good farming land, with good prices for grain, it would be expected 
 that grain growing would be followed as a business ; .such, howev-er, is not the case, as I ilid not 
 notice any systematic attempt at cultivating the soil. 
 
 The chief pnrpose to which this land i^ applied at ■ .it is ranching ; and I am informed 
 and believe tliat tliis business promises to ])ecome very j i' iilable. 1 can sav that the land in 
 this survey is well adapted for raising cattle, esjiecially along tl'C rivers and also in Township 
 4, K.iiige 23, a3 here water is always abmidant and sli'dter in winter easily found among the 
 hills. As a matter of fact about 3,000 head of horned cattle are now pastured along the Belly 
 and Little Bow rivers within the limits of this survey, and a herd of about 700 cows was seen 
 near the westerly boiuidary of Townshiji 4, Kange 23. 
 
 I ^\'as surprised to h'arn that the.se cattle did not receive extra care or feed in winter 
 except in cases of sickness or disaliility, but during the whole year live on the grass of the 
 prairie. Horses and sheep will no dou1)t do equally as well in this locality. 
 
 The weather was fairly good until about the middle of November, at which time the 
 ground became frozen. On the 20th of that month six inches of snow was on tlie ground and 
 the thermometer showed 20 degrees lielow zero. A few days thereafter tlie weather became 
 mill!, the snow disa}i])eared, ami we liad line days with frosty niglits for four weeks, though 
 the groound remained fio/en. On the 20th of December a couple of inches of snow fell and 
 the wr'atlu-r became cold again anil continued very cold while 1 was in the country, which was 
 until the end of the year. 
 
 Extract from Report of William Ogilvie, D.L.S. 
 
 January 27th, 1887. 
 
 The Canada Pacifii; K'ailway west of Calgary allbrds facilities to the tourist lieholding along 
 nearly fiOO miles of its line sights that a Canadnm may well feel proud to boast of as equalling 
 the grandest and most inspiring siienery in the woVM. Coming from the east the tourist will 
 find Calgary ]»rettily situated at the entraniM^ to the Boekies ; and here he may gather some 
 idi'id iinitressions of tlu; majestic scenery beyomid in tluv gradual change from h^vel prairie 
 beliin<l to the hills and valleys, and in tlie clear cool running streams fed l)y the mountain 
 snows rip])ling over gravelly beds and wending their way tlirough fruitful valleys in which 
 Nature has strewn with lavish hand subsistence for thousands of cattle. At Morleyville this 
 merges into a chain of bold rugged jieaks, which rear their snow-cfipped tops above the clouds, 
 and through the l{ocky Moinitains into scenery which incomes grander ami wilder with huge 
 towering ruck.s, gloomy canyons ami lalls of crystal water tumbling down the mountain sides. 
 
 Extract from Report of Joseph Doupe. D.L.S. 
 
 December 30th. 1S80. 
 
 In till' settlements about Edmcuton, St. Albert and Fort Saskatnln-wan, although the past 
 Beasoii was enusiderably drier than usual, the vield .if all kinds of I'li-ps was much better than 
 for ninny years past, both in res]ie(t of quality and quantity; that of potatoes, tiunips and 
 other roots being I'normoiis. In ]K>tat(U'S there were many specimens of over three pounds in 
 Weight, a few of four and one of ,vcr live po\inds ; all, too, in single nolid sniootli jiotatoes, not 
 an aygregulion of two or nmre accidentally grown to^e'-lnT. In one instance where the ground 
 
72 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 ; 
 
 was said to ; avc been carefully measured, wheat yielded forty-one bushels to the acre, barley 
 68 and outs 114. .Some other yields of wheat were reported showing greater increase, but as uo 
 actual weights were taken, 1 took no note of theui. At Stouey Plain, about 17 miles west of 
 Edmonton, I bought a few bags or potatoes from a farmer, and I never saw better in my life 
 either in appearance or (quality. They were so large that 1 asked him to give me the smallest 
 ones, and my cook cut some of those in pieces when putting them on the lire to boil. 
 
 The settlements are extending in all directions. Settlers' houses are dotting the road all 
 the way to Calgary, about two hundred miles ; the greatest distance now without a house being 
 only twenty miles. 
 
 In addition to the settlements rapidly extending along the l\ed Deer and Battle Rivers, a 
 number have this past season settled on the Blind Alan's Uiver (or Blind lliver, as some of 
 the (leople call it, from the Indian name I'as-kah-pe-we-si-pi), in Township 39, Kange 27, west 
 of the 4th Meridian. In Edmonton a large number of frame buildings and one of brick have 
 been put up, and the town has th(! appearance of considerable prosperity. At St. Albert several 
 very large and splendid frame building.s have l)een erected at the Mission and a number of 
 smaller ones in the village. 
 
 I collected no details of any business or industry. A great many are represented, and 
 there is room and need Ibr a great many more. 
 
 A new telegraph line has been completed to Victoria, on the Saskatchewan, between TtO 
 and (JO miles below Em Saskatchewan, and an oihce oj)ened there. It is intended next year 
 to continue the telegra^i line on the north side of the river down to Eort Fitt. 
 
 THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY'S EXPERIMENTAL 
 
 FARM. 
 
 A special train of a novel character, composed of fourteen cars and locomotive, left the 
 Winnipeg yard on Eriday, I'ith (_»ctol(er, 188:5, bound for the west. It contained teams, n:eu 
 and ouiiit necessaiy for tiie c.stal)lishiiig of experimental farms along the line of the Canadian 
 I'acihc Railway west of Moosi- Jaw. Readers will recollect the late eilbrts of many ]irominent 
 men and newsjiajjcrs to belittle tiie territory along tlie line between Moose Jaw and Calgarj', 
 even going so far as to assert that this large tract was made up of desert and alkali lands, 
 entirely unlit for cultivation. .^ - the following quotation, selected from a numlier somewhat 
 similar in natun;, will sliow : 
 
 " The company have been [irmitted to diveit their main line so far to the south tliiit for 
 hundreas of miles it inns thruugli land which is unlit lor settlement. When they asked lur 
 such an alteration of tlie contract in tiieir favair, they should have been warned that they still 
 wouhl be compelled to take the chief part of the land subsidy along the line of railway. They 
 knew what tiie lands tiiey wished to traverse were like, 'fiieir general character had been 
 known ftii a (piarler of a century. They constitute the norihern jiortion of a great Ameiicaii 
 desert, which is jjiojected like the appcx of a cone into the Canadian territory." 
 
 To prove how utterly at variance with the facts such assertions as these were, the C. 
 P. R. Company conceived the idea of establishing farms at various points, to test the agricul- 
 tural capabilities of this district. The directors did not umh-rtake tliis work with the view of 
 satisfying themselves as to tlie fertility of these lands and the correctnes.s of locating the line 
 
 where it lias been constructed, but tln'ir desire 
 thousands ol tourists, capitalists ai .i settlei 
 between \Vinnii>eg ami the Rocky M.v»untains 
 were well foumied, for while adverse opinion-^ 
 diilicull to get fanners to try an experimi.'Ut i 
 As the stason was tiir advanei-!, it was 
 
 ^\as, by absolute proot, to show to the many 
 
 'ho would travel over the section of the line 
 
 it their assertions as to the value of this land 
 
 • h(dd ami any doubts remained it would bo 
 
 li there was t '■■ sligl'.test chance of t.ulnie. 
 
 ry to adopt a plan lor covering the greatei.t 
 
 exteut of terriloiy in the shorte-,! ime. Thai adopted was as follows: — The location for the 
 larui decided on, the thirty leain> were unloaded in the morning and put to work under the 
 direction of one of the I'ompany's lield inspectors, and continued to break tliroiigliout the day. 
 The Company's land commissioner nl r seeing the day's work fairly started, took the Inconintive 
 and his car and went in advance • le found n Mitahli' plac(^ for the nevt day's operations, 
 retui'ning to the tirst point iii th. ng to loai. ip and move the entire outtit during the 
 
 iiiglil to the next localiim chosen 
 
GUIDE 'in SETTLERS. 
 
 78 
 
 One of these experiuiental fanns was located at Gleiclieii, 785 niiies west of ^Vinllipeg ' 
 t,961 feet above the sea level; situate on the south-west (juarter of section Ki, township 22, 
 range 23, west of the 4th principal nieriiliau. The farm lies north of the station. Its soil is a 
 rich dark loam, eight to 14 inches deeji, with a clay and s-andy clay subsoil, rating No. 1. 
 The farm contains forty-two acres, it is situated at the end of the ."-ixth division of the rail- 
 wfvy, vest of "vNinnipeg, where there is a ronndhou»f and woikshojis, together with offices and 
 buildings usual to a divisional terminus. 'J'he land is a fair ppeeiuicn tf the district which 
 stretches many miles in every direction. To the south of the railway track is the reserve of 
 the Blackloot tribe of Indians, on the banks of the Bow river, which has its rise in the summit 
 of the Kocky Mountains, where its valley all'ords a ]>a.ss renowned for its beauty and grandeur. 
 Ou the reserve are two Indian villages comprising about 2,000 inhabitants, who, as the large 
 game is rspidly disappearing with the jinseiice of civilization, are betaking themselves to 
 agricultural pursuits, under the direction of farm instiuctors appointed by the Government. 'Z; 
 
 The grasses of this locality are admirably adapted to stock raising and dairy farming, the 
 farms being situated in the eastern jtortion of the far famed grazing ilistricts which stretch 
 westsvard to the Kockies, whose suow-capped peaks are distinctly visible througii the c'ear 
 atmosphere some ir)0 miles distant. 
 
 About iifteen miles to the east lies the celebrated coal scam that crops out en the banks of 
 the Bow river, near the Blackfoot crdssing, and trends noitlierly along the Crowfoot Creek. 
 This seam was tracrd last winter for several miles by means of borings carried ou by the 
 Canadini Ficitic Kaihvay Company. The seam where ever tested showed a good quality of coal 
 ten feet in chickness. It was found at depths varying fioin t)5 to llf) feet below the surface. 
 A shaft is now beitig sunk i>y the Company, with a view to its early development. 
 
 i884. 
 
 liand was broken at Gleichen on tiie 22ud of October, and sown on tlie 31st of JIaivli and 
 22nd April. Wheat and oats were cut on the 25th of August, and the balance of wheat ou thij 
 i'th of Septemlier. This iinished the harvesting on the expt'rimental farms. 
 
 Wheat yielded 28.^ biisliels per acre, weight per bushel, <il.^ lbs. 
 
 Oats ' " ;'0i " •« «• 43| " 
 
 Teas " la" " 
 
 No barley sown. 
 
 18S5. 
 
 Seeding began on the 28th of Mareli and Iinished on tiie I2th of April. Wheat, and oats 
 were harvested from the 28th to the 2()th of August, and barley was cut several days earlier. 
 
 Wheat yielded 38f, bushels per acre. 
 
 Oats, white " 47 <« «i 
 
 Oats, black '« 53^ •' " 
 
 Barley and peas gave a good return. All varieties of roots an d vegotaldes gave an excellent 
 return, and a ipiuntity of llax, sown as a test '.bout llie 1st of iMa.y, gave an extra line croj), the 
 yield of seed iieing very l'.r,t\ j'. 
 
 NurK. — Wheat from Gleiehen farm, gro\,'i in 1885, and which returned 33.'-, bu.shels per 
 acre, wiis sown on i^'w DonaM Smith's laini at Silver Heights in 188'i, and an eighty acre Held 
 yielded over 20 bushels \>iv acre, notwithstanding the laet that, exci'pt one or two light sjirink- 
 lings, there was 110 rainlail btdwet.'U seed time ami harvest. The sample is a bright full No 1 
 haid, weighing t!!^ lbs. to the bushel, and olitained 3rd jirize at the I'rnvincial Exhibition. 
 
 Views Expressed by the Honourable Alexander Mackenzie, late Premier of the 
 
 Dominion of Canada. 
 
 " I arranged til visit seven out of tlie ten experimental farms eommonced by tiie railway 
 " company to asiieitain, lirst, tiu^ ell'eel of the alkali deposits, which inevailed to smne extent 
 " in some disliicts, npou cereals and roots, and, Neeoiidly, to ascertain what the result was in a 
 
74 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 " general way of these farrus, considering soil and climate. I observed throughout the whole 
 *' length of tlie road there was scarcely any poor soil to be seen. In quarters, notably between 
 " Medicine Hat and Moose Jaw, there was an appearance of dryness iu the general aspect of the 
 " jirairie, which was not apparent where the land had been jiloughed. There is a sort of crisp- 
 " ness in the grass in some jilaces that would seem to indicate a prevailing dryness. This, 
 " however, is not uniformly the case. What is known as bullalo grass, where it lias a dry 
 " a})pearance, still continues to preserve its nutritious qualities, and cures as well standiug as if 
 " cut. b'uch is the general statement made me by old settlers. 
 
 " I visited seven out of the ten experimental farms, namely : those at Gleichen, 784 miles 
 " from Winnipeg ; Tilley, 713 miles; Stair, 668 miles; Dunmore, 650 miles; Forres, 615 
 " ii.iles; Maple Creek, 596 miles; and Gull Lake, 546 miles from Winnipeg. The whole of 
 " these farms cover a district of about 850 miles from east to west. The farms should evidently 
 " be taken as a test of the capabiUties of the country for farming operations, and the suitability 
 " of the climate. I was careful i< observe the quality of the crops, as well as the respective 
 "kinds. The wheat was unifo'uily a good crop, not as heavy as some seen in the district 
 " around Calgary or in Manitoba, but would probably average from 17 to 20 bushels to the acre. 
 "One remailvalile feature of the whole country is the number of stocks of grain from one 
 " kernel. In one instance we counted no fewer than forty-six heads from one root. The oats 
 " and peas yielded a fair crop, wliile roots, such as potatoes and turnips, showed quite as good 
 •' a result as any of the farms in l)etter known districts of Manitoba. On several of the farms 
 " I ol served tou7atoes (in one case nearly I'ipe), melons, cucumbers and citrons. Tlie district 
 "by these exjjerimental farms covers the larger part of the district gen( rally believed to be 
 " more or less arid in its character, and subject to alkali deposits. Alkali, however, is found in 
 " the Province of Manitoba as well as in the north-west and western districts. In tlie vicinity 
 " of Brandon, for instance, 1 observed considerable portions of the fields shov.'ing traces of 
 " alkali dejios-its. The uniform testimony of those who have cultivated the lands where alkali 
 " prevails is to the etlect that it is worked out of the land after a few cropjiings. Some authorities, 
 " notably Professor Macoun, maintain that it does not at all injure the land." — Extracts fiojii 
 C.r.lL Co. Exp. Earm I'limphlcl. 
 
 This same gentleman, in his speech at a l)anquct in Calgary, expressed his great astonish- 
 ment at the vegetation he had seen iu that vicinity. He had that day visited the Glenn and 
 other Government farms, and on tliem saw fields of oats of such jjrodigious growth that, stand- 
 ing amongst the grain, it completely covered him, waving above his head. He stated had he 
 been led blindfolded to the crop, he would have said they were stalks of Indian corn — they were 
 oats. Such vcgetaiio7i he had not thought possible in a country shadowed by the liocky 
 ^Mountains; and also he said he believed tliat while he saw the country was eminently suited tor 
 grain growing, yet he thought, from the rich grasses which covered the prairies, it must be still 
 better adapted for dairy purposes. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE WRITINGS AND SAYINGS OF NOTED PER- 
 SONAGES WHO HAVE VISITED ALBERTA AND THE 
 
 NORTH-WEST. 
 
 Extracts from notes by William Fream, B.Sc, London, F.L.S., F.G.S. 
 
 TlIK YOUNG crriKS OF THK rU.VllUE. 
 
 The proximity of a railway is an important factor in the marketing of agricultural produce, 
 and it is not hurjirising to find that towns have sprung uj) all along tlie line of the Canadian 
 Pacilic V 'Iway, but it is surprising to reflect on the rapidity with wiiich sonic of these towns 
 have grown in si/e and importance, and how neat, business-like, and well laid out many of them 
 appear to be. As some are the centres of leading agricultural districts, it ajipears desirable to 
 give a brief account of a few of the leading ones, taking them in the order in which they are 
 reached by the traveller in his journey westward from Winnipeg. The municipal organizafiou 
 of some of these lowns is very complete, ami remarkably i^o when it is borne in mind that most 
 of them are not more than two or tlir-e years old ; they afford a strong testimony of the energy 
 and capacity for business which characteri'ie the dwellers in the Nortli-West. 
 
or IDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 75 
 
 And now, west cf Medicine Hat and as far as Calgary, a distance of 179 miles, the route 
 lies tiiiough the last stretch of genuine prairie land— prairie land, too, of the most typical 
 character, one sky-bound grassv jiJiin, unbroken either by tree or shrub. Blackfeet, Crees, and 
 parties of other tribes of Indians are here met with. Beyond Medicine Hat a broad table-land 
 extends between the Bow Riv(U" on the south and tlie Red Deer River on the north, and at 
 Langevin, 35 miles west of tlie banks of tiie Saskatchewan, a recent boring for coal resulted in 
 the tapping of a highly combustible gas which was ignited as it issued from the earth, and the 
 heat evolved was, in Se})lember last, being utilizeil for driving the steam machinery employed 
 in the Inring. Crowfoot Crossing, 100 miles from Medicine Hat, takes it name from a well- 
 known Indian chief; a few farms are establislied here, and there is also a large Indian reserve. 
 Nineteen miles further on is Gleichen, in the midst of a promising agricultural district, and 
 almost on the direct north and south line between the im[)ortaut centres of Fort Macleod and 
 Edmonton, the former lying amongst the foot-hills southward on the banks of the Old Man 
 River before it Hows into the Belly River, a tributary of the South Saskatchewan, and Edmonton 
 being far away to the nortii on tlie banks of the North Saskatchewan. Here, on a clear day, 
 the loftA', snow-dad peaks of the Rocky Mountains, more than a hundred miles distant, may be 
 seen glistening against the western sky. Beyond Gleichen is a tine expanse of unoccupied 
 grazing land which, till recently, was the home of butfalo and antelope. Passing Cheadle, 
 which is named in honour nf the intrepid tiaveller who mad*' ihe ''north-west passage by land," 
 the western boundary of the third jirairie steppe is attained near the banks of the beautiful 
 Bow River, ]ienetrating the outer valley of whicli the traveller ]nishes on to Calgary, the most 
 westerly of the genuine prairie towns met with along the track of the Canadian Pacitic Railway. 
 
 Calgary, 179 miles from Medicine Ilat, 889 miles west of Winnipeg, l,2(i8 miles from Port 
 Arthur, Lake Superior, and 2,280 miles west of Montreal, is more than 8,000 feet above the 
 lev(d of the se;'. A small town as yet, it nevertheless possesses capacities for great and rapid 
 development ; the centre of a broad and fei'tile agricultural district, the head (quarters of the 
 large cattle ranches to tlie south, the future commercial centre for the mining enieriirise, which 
 will, ere long, develop the country to the westward, and, above all, the natural Ijeauty of its 
 situation, these are some of the factors which will help to insure a great future for the town of 
 Calgary. Eastward is the prairie, and the town itself is on the prairie ; but to the north, to 
 the south, and to the west, the foot-hills of the h'ocky Mountains break the monotony of the 
 scene, and are themselves thrown into relief by the loftier summits in the background, and 
 these in turn present a wonderful contrast with the white peaks which tower above and behind 
 them in awful grandeur. 
 
 Through the plain of Calgary flow the clear waters of the Bow River, which a short distance 
 from the town is joined by its tributary, the Elbow. The excellence of the land in this district 
 is testiiied 1)Y the number of flourishing farms on Pine Creek, on Fish Creek, and on the banks 
 ol the Elbow River, and tiie iilentiful supply of good water, the abundance of fuel, and the 
 kindly climate must eoutinue to make this an attractive region to settlers. iV journey 
 northward by stage, occupying five days, is necessary to reach Eilmonton, the head-cjuarters of 
 the Saskatchewan trade of the Hudson's Bay Comiiany. 
 
 West of Calgary the jtrairie continually narrows as it follows the course of the Bow River 
 
 over which the railway is carried no less tiuin four times. 
 
 • • • #.• « « • * « • 
 
 CLIMATE OF TIIE I'UAIRII^. 
 
 Nothing in connection with the North- West is, perhaps, more misapprehended at home than 
 the nature of its climate. Ohl notions, and particularly erroneous ones, die hard, and the idea, 
 that u[t to fifteen or twenty years ago was still current in England, that North- West Canada 
 was a cold, desolate, inhospitable region, with its soil frost-bound nearly the year round, and 
 fitted only to be the homi! of fur-bearing animals, still lingers in the minds of many people. 
 Tliat in the North- West the thermometer as a rule gives higher readings in the summer and 
 lower in the winter than we are accustomed to in the old country is ju'rCectly true, but in 
 estimating the character of a climate it is wrong and misleading to bo guided by tlio 
 IheriiKJiiKiter alone. The atmosphere possesses other [iroperties besides temperature ; it can tell 
 a tale to other meteorological iiistiunuiits l)esides tiie thermometer. The hygrometer, an 
 instriinient for indicating the amount of moisture in the air, shouM be observed in conjunctiou 
 

 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARiiET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 ^"^ ^ 
 
 m m 
 
 1.1 j.-^"" 
 
 11.25 
 
 B' 
 
 6" 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sdeices 
 
 Corporalion 
 
 •a WIST MAIN STRUT 
 
 WIUTm,N.Y. 14SS0 
 
 (71*)l73-4»Oa 
 
 

7G 
 
 ALHEIITA, CANADA. 
 
 with tlie thermometer, or the same iiifornmtion may be gained by comparing the readings of a 
 wet bulb and a dry bulb thermometer. It is tliereby ascertained that the air of Manitoba and 
 the North- West is usually drier tlian that of the HriUsh Isles, and to comprehend tiie significauce 
 of this fact it is necessary to bear in mind the well-known j hysicnl law that water is a better 
 conductor of heat than dry air. Tiie presence in the atmosphere of moisture — and atmospheric 
 moisture is merely water vajtour, olten containing minute i>articles ot water —renders tiic air a 
 better conductor of heat the higher the percentage of moisture. Hence, in cold weatlier, moist 
 or damn air will conduct away heat from tlie animal body more rapidly than drier air, and thus 
 arises the pronounced feeling of discomfort which in the Uritifh Isles is often associated with 
 cold, damp weather, and irobably much more frequently experienced in Britain than in North- 
 West Canada. Dry air is a bad conductor of heat, so that, even with a very low temiM-rature, 
 such air really jtlays the part of an insulator in preventing the escape of warmth from the l)oly. 
 Let it, however, become saturated with moisture, and it would at once, by conducting tiie heat 
 away from the skin, produce a sensation of cold and discomfort. On pliysical grounds, tiien, it 
 is easy to understaml how the dwellers in the North- West can endure a winter tcmi)eraturo 
 which in our own dinnvte would be intolerable —tlic dryness of the atmos])liere is their 
 l)rotection. To explain why the atmospliere is so much drier tliere would involve loo great a 
 divergence into i)liysiograpiiical details. 
 
 rilF, rilAIRIK AS A IIOMK Koll .SKTTI.KKS. 
 
 What advantages or inducements does tiie North-West offer 'o settlers? Part of the 
 answer to this question must be sought in the foregoing pages, but I will enumenite here some 
 of what I consider to be the chief attractions. Grants of land within conveiiien*^ distance; of 
 the railway may l)e obtained either free from tlwf Coverninent, or at very clieap rates from the 
 Canadian i'acilie IJailway. Tliese nnvy be sclecUul from the richest prairie land at the choice 
 of the settler. No clearance of timl)er is reiiuired, there is no severe lalmr with the axe, nor 
 any patient waiting for years in order that tree stumps may rot to facilitate their reiioval. 
 The prairie sod can be laid under a plough for tlie lirst time and a crop harvested all within 
 the sjiace of the first twelve months. Tiie country is well watered, for, Irom what has already 
 been said, it is evident that riveiu and lakes and creeks abound, and wheie ruiiiiiiig water is 
 not conveniently near, good water can be got williiii modernte dittaii" of the surface. TIk* 
 prairie is healthy to dwell upon, the climate is more genial than i.^ generally supposed, iind 
 
 settlers who go out in robust health will find tli )Uiitiy is not only tolerable, but enjoyable to 
 
 live in. Weak or deliiMite people should not go there, for they might find the air too bracing. 
 Idlei-s and loafers should not go there, because the prairie is in need of thrifty workers. Me!i 
 who want to acfjiiire wealth without woikiiig for it siiould not go there, because they will bo 
 disappointed. 'J'iioiiias Carl vie oiiee wrote, "Two men 1 honour, and no third ; -first, the 
 toil-worn cral'tsman that with earth-inaile implement laiioriously coiKjuers the earth and makes 
 her man's." Men of tliis tyjie will find on tlie i)rairie a wide field for coiHiuest, and I believe 
 they may feel inon' certain of a reward, and of a speedy reward, than in n;iie cases out of teu 
 they could li.pe for in the old conniry. 
 
 Men »vlio go out there deieriiiiiied to work will, us the year* roll on, find themsolves In a 
 better position thiiii they can liopi; to secure in the did eotnitry, and when the time loiiies for 
 them to enjoy ii well-earned rest in their decliimig years they will find that they have got the 
 means to enable tii. 'ii to do so. Ami the ''hildreii *lio are Imrn an. I bred in the happy prairie 
 homes, who will see around them on every side the triii'siphs of '"'.an s industry, who are reared 
 in the bracing atmosphere of a iiorlhern hky, they connol fail to be healthy and vigorous. 
 
 " iron-jointed, suppl.'-sinewM, they shall dive, and they shall run," 
 
 aiKl, true "prairie flowers," they shall grow into men and women possessed of a physiqiio 
 which could never lave been ae(|uiivd under the Minnier, more soiilliern, and more enervating 
 climes whither so miiiy ellorts are made to attract Mrilish si'ltlers, — scions of the nation which 
 has (oiKjuercd and uoloiiiz'Ml a larger portion of the earth's surface than all other nations taken 
 together. 
 
 -. 
 
GUIDE TO SE'lTLEUS. 
 
 77 
 
 T 
 
 Tlie nutiitive value of the ])rairie herbage is sufficiently proved by the fact of its having 
 sustained tlie vast herds of butfalo which for ages have made the prairie their home, but which 
 are now disapjiearing before the advance of civilization. Nevertheless, the introduction of 
 cultivated grassess would in all probability be a step in the right direction, and the attempt 
 would most likely be justitied by the success which would follow it. Although much of the 
 land ap|M.'ars capable of growing wheat for an indefinite perio<l, yet those settlers whose means 
 'vould allow of it would, I think, do well to sow a portion of their land with good English grass 
 seeds alttT the third or fourth year. Such grasses as co<;ksfoot, foxtail, meadow fescue and 
 timotliy, together with white and purple clover and a little black medick suggest themselves as 
 desiiablc, but every effort should be made lo secure clean seed.' It is an interesting fact that 
 there are no true clovers native to the prairie, although many species of the milk-vetch. 
 Astragalus, are met with. 
 
 The more mixed farming extends on the prairies the more interesting will the settlers find 
 it, nml the less dependent will they be upon the prices they will from year to year secure for 
 their wheat. The establishment ol fluur mills in the North- West will lessen the cost of Hour and 
 oatnieid, while the facilities alforded by the railway must continue to enable them to compete 
 on favourable terms with the other wiieat-exporting countries of the world. Artificial feeding 
 stuffs, like artificial fertilizers, belong to a future period. 
 
 There is no scarcity of timber or fuel, for vast forests are at different spots touched by 
 the railway. • • « . • • . • • 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM A REPORT BY J. P. SHELDON, PROFESSOR OF 
 
 AGRICULTURE, AT THE WILTS AND HANTS AGRICULTURE 
 
 COLLEGE, DOWNTON, TALISBURG, ENGLAND, IN 1884. 
 
 Tiie grain -growing capacity of the f-oil is the leading criterion of its value, probablj', in 
 Manitoba and tiie North- West generally, and most likely will continue so for some time to 
 come, liecauso that region will become the chief granary of the American continiMit and remain 
 so ; but it is none the less true that its ability to produce excellent roots and green crops is a 
 factor which will be utilized extensively in years to come. A purely grain-raising region is an 
 agricultural amnialy which cannot last, and it is a fact of great potential value to this vast 
 teriitory that its soil will produce all the crops which contribute to the plenary welfare of both 
 men aiul anim ils. Cattle, horses, pigs and poultry are inseparable from the comfort of man in 
 all agricultural communitief), and the same may also bo predicated of sheep ; but all of these 
 demand arrangements and provisions more or less intricate, in the form of shelter and food, 
 provisions whidi can in a great measure be dispen.sed with while the land is devoted to grain- 
 raising only. The process of iwpulating tiie North- West with domesticated animals will be 
 contemporary with the provision of shelur, water, and suitable food ; and though the process 
 may be a slow one, it will be |H^rfected in time. In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains it 
 will be much more rapid, for there exists in that region a rich natural herbage, a good supply 
 of water for the most port, and abundance of " land shelter " among the hills and dales. 
 
 We passed along through the Trovince of Assiniboia, containing 9fi,UU0 s<|uare miles, and 
 Alberta, containing 100,000 sijuare miles, at least fifty jwr cent, of wiiich is said to be good land 
 available for agriculture. We saw several of the ex|)eriinental farms which have been established 
 by tlie C IMt. Co , and found various cereals, roots and garden vegetables growing successfully 
 on tilt! new |irairie soil. The soil varies from a dark-coloured clay to strong loams, and light 
 sands, and allbnis hco])0 for all kinds of agricultural fancy. Hut the handsoiin st country we 
 saw was froiii Culgarj up the slo|ies of the Rockies. \his is the great ranching country, and 
 we saw many cattle roaming about the pastures which adorn this undulating district — adistrict 
 which stretcheit along distance to the north and south of the railway. It must be admitted 
 that the advantages which this country affords for cattle-raising an; very extensive and 
 iini>ortant ; for, as the isothermal line ruus in a north-westerly direction along the prairies, the 
 climate at the Uockii s is habitable and even genial in a degree of latitude which is desolate cu 
 the Atlantic siile of Canada. At a point five thousand feet above the sea level, in the Rm'ky 
 MountaiiiH, we found tiie air no mild that no overcoats were wanted, even at five o'clock in the 
 uioniiiig, althongii we had come up the mountains in a snow-storm tlie ]irevious evening. 
 Above iliis imnl, which it the highest tiie railway attains in tiio Kicking liorM I'liss, the 
 
7<s 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 unnumbt-reil siiow-clad peaks of the mountains slioot up into the clear air ten or twelve thousaml 
 feet above us, forming a sjMJctalc, grand, sublime, magnificent, and well repaying a thousand 
 miles' journey over tlie prairies ! 'J'lie splendid pine trees with which tlie mountains are 
 adorned creep up the peaks until they are stop[)cd by the glaciers and the eternal snow, and 
 theie is abundant interest for the lovers of botany and geology. One magnificent day spent 
 among the crags and ravines of British Columbia, brought us to the beginning of the return 
 journey, many of us carrying away siwcimens of rocks, ferns and other flora, iucluding even the 
 wild gooseberry, whicli we found flourishing not far below the suow level. 
 
 The eastern slopes and foothills of the Rockies and the adjacent prairies are destined soon 
 to resound, as indeed they already do in part, to the lowiugs of herds and the bleatings of 
 flocks, and they will become one of the most important cattle-raising districts on the American 
 continent. But ranching lias various disadvantages iu its present condition, and cannot well 
 prosper save under the ]^)ei-sonal supervision of an owner or owners. Hired men are apt to rcjiihr 
 only such an amount of work and care as tlicy deem themselves amply piid for, and absentee 
 ownership is not calculated, as tilings are, to meet with much success. A fruitful source of 
 loss occurs iu calves when branding time comes round, many of them passing then into the owner- 
 ship whicli happens to be most viligant ; for, until they are branded, who can say to whom they 
 belong, where cattle roam iu common over millions of acres ? Cattle that are out of condition 
 when winter comes on are apt to perish in the cold, unless they are carefully fed and shelterei^, 
 and the Cochrane Uanching Company suffered severely one winter in this manner, with cattle 
 that were out of condition after being driven northward from Montana, too late in the autumn. 
 I am assured, however, that cattle in good condition to start with will slaud the winter 
 bravely, keeping on their flesh till long after Christmas. Grass, water, forage for hard w inters, 
 and shelter both natural and artificial, are indispensable to the continued success of a ranche. 
 The winters vary in severity, so that the amount of provision to be made for stock, in the way 
 of food and shelter, is always problematical ; but the safe thing is to provide enough for any 
 probable or possible contingency of weather, for an early winter and a late spring. It will 
 thus be seen now necessary it is that an owner should be in residence at a ranche. 
 
 I am assured on good authority that line crops of roots and oats can be grown with very 
 crude cultivation, and that, even where the land iu its natural state appears barren, maize 
 and cereals pro.sper amazingly. Tiie rancliers depend a great deal on the liay, which is self- 
 curing, tliat if, on grass curing as it stands, to be consumed in situ ; and it is a peculiarity of 
 the native grass tliat it should cure in this way, providing frosts do not cut it down before it 
 has had time to do so. Generally speaking, the cattle subsist very well through the winter on 
 this self-cured hay, for the winds as a rule blow it bare of tiie dry snow ; but when it happens 
 to be deeply hurried in snow, and remains so until the snow is frozen so as to resist the wind, 
 then the cattle are in danger of perishing for want of food ; and here it is that a supply of 
 forage is so necessary and benelicient. Dairy farming, in connection more or less direct with 
 ranching, will probably open out in Alberta, where, it is asserted, and, I think, not unfairly 
 
 so, that the country possesses all tlie natural conditions essential to that business. 
 
 • ♦» « • « * « • • « 
 
 My impression is that the North- Weft of Canada presents an opening for pushing young 
 men of gooti conduct, healtiiy, sober, thrifty ami industrious. An extensive knowledge ol 
 Britisii agricultural practices is not necessary to a farmer in the North- West, whore farming 
 is of the simplest imaginable chanieter v.hore plouglis are used at all. Capital is most useful 
 in Canadian agriculture, and finds a ixitter reward tlian in England, when it is in the hands of 
 men who know how to use it. iJut even men of ea|>ital, and of experience in British fanning, 
 will be well advised not to embark at once in furniiiig on their own account, but rither to 
 hire themselves out to farmers already established, atid thus to jiick up tuition and cash at the 
 same time., There is an old adage to the etfect that " a man must jmy for his learning." This, 
 however, ia not true in Canada, if inon will hire themselves out as 1 fiave advised, for there A 
 MAN IS I'Alli I'ou HIS M'.AUNiMi, and does not |>ay for it himself. lie should also look around 
 the country north ami south, and oast and west, before lie finally decides where to locate 
 iilniself. Wh( re land is so spl« n lidly abundant, it is hardly worth his while to take hold of 
 the first block he comes across. A new beginner in the North- West must make uji his mind to 
 " rough it" for a time, until he eau get his dom-stic surroimdings fixed up jtroperly, to which 
 end the eu'^rgies of a wife would bj well directed. 1 1- must also bu prep;ired to wjrk hard. 
 
GUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 79 
 
 be steady, and be content with sparse society. Loungers find no congenial lionie in that 
 CQUntry. ;, ^^^^ ^ 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A LETTER PUBLISHED BY THE CALGARY 
 •• TRIBUNE," JANUARY 30th, 1887. 
 
 The Letter Speaks for us, and is another Link of the Testimony Proving the Illimitable 
 
 Resources of Alberta. 
 
 Smelting Wouks — Their Nature and Cost — How They are OPERATEn— Description 
 OF One of the Largest Works — Calgary's Advantages for Such an Industry. 
 
 {Sjiecial CorreKpondence nf Th<i Tribune.) 
 
 Anaconda, Mont., Dec. 12th. 
 
 As no doubt exists in my mind but that Calgary will be enveloi'ed in smelter smoke and 
 that at no distant i^eriod, and as but lew are aware of the nature of a smelter, a description may 
 not prove out of place. 
 
 Here are located the largest smelting works in America, using up 1,500 tons of copper ore 
 
 daily. 
 
 • •***««*••• 
 
 THE anaconda SMELTER 
 
 burns 200 tons of coal, 150 cords of wood, and "chews" 1,500 tons of copjier ore every 24 
 hours. Between 500 and 600 men are employed, on day and night shifts. Wages paid per 
 month, — one hundred thousand dollars. But this amount pays the men employed at the 
 "new works," which are of double the capacity of the old ones referred to, — but are not 
 completed. 
 
 CALGARY is ADMIRABLY LOCATED 
 
 for smelting works, on account of the immense water jiowerp, coal field?, close proximity to vast 
 forests and mineral lands, and instead of luiving to haul the fuel and ore up hill, as is the case 
 here, the milroad would have the down hill pull. The bench land on the north bank of the 
 Bow Iviver was apparently planned by nature for smelting works. A suitable site is the main 
 point, and the location referred to cannot bo duplicated anywhere. An unfailing water jwwer 
 IS indispensible. The same water that is cmidoyed to drive the machinery is used to wash the 
 ore. An ore liouse must be well above the balance of the works, and the water flume must bo 
 about the same height. A flume live square supplies the works here, the water Iwing brought 
 three miles. One mile above Calgary, turn a very small portion of tlie Bow river into a flume 
 and you can get force enough to drive all the machinery in Canada. Some may say, why not 
 have smelting works 
 
 NEAR THB MINES I 
 
 I answer, simply because smelting works cannot be Vuilt anywliere. Suitable location, limitless 
 water power, good foundation for heavy buildings outlet.s for all waste water, room to dump 
 the refuse of ore, where coal and wood can bo hauled down hill and plenty of room for 
 out-buildinga, are just as essential to tlie erection of saielting works as the mines are. All 
 these qualifications Calgary is in possession of, tliough perhaps unknown to herself. Work of any 
 kind, where any quantity of men are employed, nnist be built near some commercial centre. 
 Capitalists always aim to do this, as otherwise, the increased cost of living means so muoh more 
 per day to each man. Tlant 500 men at Silver tUty or Lagan and figure out how much more 
 It will' require to feed them than it will iit Culgiiry, the l)ase of supplies. On this priuoiplo 
 Denver was made what she is. There are no mines near Denver to speak of, 
 
78 
 
 80 
 
 ALBERTA, CANADA. 
 
 uunumliei 
 feet nliov 
 miles' joi 
 adorned c 
 theic is a 
 among th' 
 journey, i 
 wild gouw 
 
 The I 
 to resounc 
 Hocks, au) 
 continent 
 prosper st 
 only buch 
 ownershii 
 loss occult 
 ship whio 
 belong, \? 
 when wiui 
 and the C 
 that were 
 I am assu 
 bravely, k 
 and slielti 
 The winU 
 of food ao 
 probable 
 thus be SI 
 
 I am 
 crude cull 
 and cereiil 
 curing, tk 
 the nativ( 
 has had d 
 this si'U'-o 
 to bo dee| 
 then thn 
 forage is I 
 ranching, 
 
 so, that tl 
 
 • 
 
 My i 
 
 men of gi 
 Britisii ag 
 is of tlie I 
 in (Juuadi 
 men who '. 
 will bo w 
 hire themi 
 same tiuio 
 however, i 
 MAN IS I'A 
 the oouiiti 
 liimHclf. 
 tlie lirst bi 
 " rough it 
 en>l tlie in 
 
 SAN KUANflSCO GAINED THE PBE-EMINENCE 
 
 which she now enjoys from her location, not from being close to any mines, but because she 
 was a business centre and the base of supplies. What made Winnipeg ? It was a distributing 
 point. What made Chicago and Montreal ? The same can be said of them. Calgary is the 
 supply depot for a large extent of country, is firmly established as a commercial centre, and as 
 such offers unrivalled attractions to the capitalist. Nature has been kind indeed to Calgary. 
 The " Calgary reduction and smelting works" should be no myth. A free gift of sufficient land 
 and exemption from taxes for a few years, is all the inducement a con pany should want to 
 erect a smelter in Caigaiy. Of course the plant required is very costly, but why should 
 Montana control the coi»ppr and silver markets of the world when there are just as good mines 
 (though undeveloped) north of the boundary line. 
 
 Montana. 
 
 CANADIAN NORTH-WEST. 
 
 Free^Grants to Settlers. 
 
 Settlers can obtain free grants of land in the Canadian North- West upon the following 
 conditions, viz.: — 
 
 1. By making entry and within six months thereafter erecting a habitable house and 
 commencing actual residcni^e upon the land, and coritinuing to reside u^wn it for at leott six 
 months in each year for three yeai"s, and doing reasonable cultivation during that period. 
 
 2. By making entry for the land, cultivating it for three years, so that at the end of that 
 period not less than forty acres be under cultivation ; residing for at h'ast six months in each 
 year during that time within a radius of two miles of the homestead, and erecting a house and 
 residing in it upon the homestead for three mouths next prececding the application for 
 patent. 
 
 3. By making entry and within six months from the date thereof, commencing the 
 cultivation of the homestead, breaking and preparing for crop within the first year not less than 
 five acres ; cropping f .e said live acres, and breaking and preparing for crop not less than ten 
 acres in additio-i, and erecting a habitable house before the expiration of the second year, and 
 thereafter residing thereon at least six months in each year aud cultivating the laud for three 
 years next prior to the date of the application for patent. 
 
 The only charge for a homestead of 160 acres is the entrance fee of ten dollars, in the ca.se 
 of forfeited pre-emptions, an additional fee of five dollars, and in case of cancelled homesteads, 
 au additional ins}H>ction fee often dollars. Settlers have the right to pre-empt the adjoining 
 
 3 uarter- section of 160 acres, if available, and within six mouths of completion of the homestead 
 uties, may purchase the pre-emption at the price of Government lands at the time of making 
 the entry. On failure to complete such purchase, the pre-emption may be opened for 
 settlement on conditions stated in the 36th section of the Dominion La ids Act. 
 
 All further information will be supplied on application by the Dominion Land Agents. 
 "32. Every person who is the sole head of a family, and every male who has attained the 
 age of eighteen years, who makes application in the form "A" in the schedule to this Act, 
 shall be entitled to obtain homestead entry for any quantity of land not exceeding one quarter- 
 section, which is of the class of landnjien, under the provisions of this Act, to homestead entry ; 
 and such prson shall at the same time as he obtains entry declare uuder which of the conditions 
 prescribed by clause thirty-eight of this Act he elects to hold the land atl'eoted by such entry." 
 
 2. Such person may also, in connection with such homestead entry, obtain at the same 
 time, but not at a later date, a pre-emntion entry for on adjoining unoccupied quarter- 
 aeotion, or part of a tiunrtor-section, of land of the said class : 
 
 3. The entry fur a homestead and for its attached pre-emption, if any, shall entitle the 
 repipient to take, occupy and cultivate the land entered for, and to hold possession of the i>ame 
 to tlie exclusion of any other person or persons whoinsnever, and to bring and maintain actions 
 for tiespiuis committed on thi said land ; the title to the laud shall remain in the Crown until 
 the issue of the patent therefor, and the land shall not be liable to bo taken in execution before 
 the issue of the patent : 
 
 \ 
 
OUIDE TO SETTLERS. 
 
 81 
 
 , but because she 
 
 was a distributing 
 
 Calgary is thu 
 
 cial centre, and as 
 
 udt'cd to Calgary. 
 
 ft of sufficient land 
 
 iiy should want to 
 
 but why should 
 ust as good mines 
 
 Montana. 
 
 i[)on the following 
 
 bitable house and 
 n it for at lea^t six 
 ; that period, 
 at the end of that 
 ix months in each 
 eutiiig a house and 
 the application for 
 
 , commencing the 
 It year not less than 
 
 I not less than ten 
 lie second year, and 
 [ the laud for three 
 
 doUarn, in the case 
 icelled homesteads, 
 !mpt the adjoining 
 )n of the homestead 
 he time of making 
 lay bo opened for 
 Vet. 
 
 II Land Agents. 
 
 10 has attained the 
 ledule to this Act, 
 ieding one quarter- 
 ) homestead entry ; 
 ihof the conditions 
 ?d by such entry." 
 btain at the same 
 iiocuupied quartcr- 
 
 {, shall entitle the 
 session of the i.amo 
 d niaintain actions 
 in the Crown until 
 n ex<,'uuliou before 
 
 4. Tne privilege of homestead and pre-emption entry shall only apply to surveyed 
 agricultural lands ; no j^erson shall be entitled to such entry for land valuable lor its timber, or 
 for hay land, or for land on which there is a stone or marble quarry, or coal or other mineml 
 having commercial value, or whereon there is any water-power which may serve to drive 
 machinery, or for land which, by reason of its ]K}sition, such as b^ing the shore of an important 
 harbour, bridge site or canal site, or being either an actual or pro8])eetive railway terminus or 
 station, it is in the public interest to withhold from such entry. 4« V., c. 17, s. 27. 
 
 3-1. Every jierson applying for homestead eh try shall ai)pear and make affidavit before the 
 local agent, or, in his absence, the (lenlbr clerk ;ierforming his duties, according to the form B, 
 C, or D m the schedule of this Act, as the circumstances of the case require ; and U]K)n filing 
 such affidavit with such local agent, or senior clerk, and on payment to liim of an office fee of 
 tt'U dollars, such persons shall receive a receipt from the local agent, or senior clerk, according 
 to the form " E " in the schedule of this Act ; and such receipt shall be a certificate of entry 
 and shall be authority to the person obtaining it to take possession of the land described iii it : 
 
 2. If a jierson who obtains homestead entry applies for and obtains at the same tima a 
 piv-emption entry, he shall pay to the local agent, or senior clerk, a further office fee of ten 
 dollars, aii'l sliall receive therefor from him a receipt in like form, and having like effect to 
 tliat prescribed for homestead entry : 
 
 3. The Minister of the Interior or the Dominion Lands Board, upon requisition, may 
 authorize any person named therein to make a homestead entry or homestead and pre-emption 
 entries, on behalf of any person signing sueli requisition and deniring to obtain such entry or 
 entries : 
 
 4. The person so authori/ed shall, in order to obtnin such entry or entries^ make a])plication 
 in the form •* F " in the schedule to this Act, on behalf of each of those whom he represents, 
 and shall make an affidavit before the local ogent, or, in His absence, the senior clerk 
 performing his duties, according to the form G, H or J, in the Kchedule to this Act, as the 
 circumstances of the case require ; and shall pay for each homestead entry, and for each 
 pre-emption entry, the office fee of ten dollars hereinbefore prescribed for such entiy. 4l» V., 
 c. 27, s. 4. 
 
 36. Every person who has obtained homestead entry shall be allowed a period of six 
 months from its date within which to perfect the entry, by taking, in hia own person, 
 possession of the land and beginning continuous residence thereon and cultivation thereof; 
 and if the entry is not perfected within that jieriod, it shall be void, and the land shall be 
 open to entry by another person, or to other disjjositioii under this Act by the Minister. 
 
 (2.) Provided, that every iierson who obtains entry on and after the first of Stiptember in 
 any year, and whose term fur iM'rfecting the same expires before the first day of June following, 
 shall be allowed an extension of time to the latter date within which to perfect his entry : 
 
 (3.) l*rovided further, that in the case ol" immigrants from elsewhere than the North 
 American continent, the Governor in Council may extend the time for the perfecting of entry 
 to twelve months fvom the date thereof. 46 V., o. 17, s, 31. 
 
 37. If a number of homestead settlers, embracing at least twenty families, with a view to 
 greater couveuieece in the establishment of schools and churches, and to the attainment of 
 social advantages of like character, ask to be allowed to settle togetlier in a hamlet or village, 
 
 A GIGANTIC ENTERPRISE. 
 
 Sir John Listrr Kaye is busily engaged in correspondence and other matters in connection 
 with his large enterprise, the Alberta and Assiniboia Land, Stock and Coal Co. He is trying to 
 buy from the Canadian Government and Canadian Pacific liailway land on the C. P. K. 
 at intervals of 40 miles for about 400 miles east of Calgary. They counnise l)lock8 of land of 
 '20,000 acres each, and include the ten exiM-rimental farms of the C. P.U. At these farms the 
 tests have shown a yield of 21 J bushels of wheat per acre, HI of oats, '2',i\ of barley and 12^ 
 peas. They are to bo at Rush Lake, Swift Current, Gull Lake, Crane Lake, Kincarth, Dunmore, 
 Stair, Bantry, Namaka and Langdon, At ea.;h of these plauos the soil, grasses and living water 
 )iave been oarefuUy examined, and in each case found most satisfaotolfr. 
 
 |he i*!''!* J8 to loi'iitc 70,000 heat} of cfitHe p]] f\ >v|)t} fftnge pov^)| pf Calvary \]} \]]^ Rp(] 
 
uni 
 
 fee 
 mi: 
 adt 
 the 
 ami 
 jou: 
 wU( 
 
 tor 
 llocl 
 coot 
 
 1« 
 
 0I1,_ 
 
 own 
 losfli 
 ship 
 belo: 
 
 and ' 
 that 
 I am 
 brav» 
 and ^ 
 The • 
 offo, 
 }>rob| 
 thus 
 
 « 
 
 crude 
 and e 
 curiiij 
 
 the u, 
 has 111 
 this • 
 to be 
 then 
 foragi 
 ranclii 
 so, tld 
 
 ! J 
 
 men d 
 Bi-itis) 
 is of t 
 in Cttij 
 men wi 
 will bd 
 hire th 
 same ti 
 liowcva 
 
 MAN 18 
 
 tile coU 
 liinisclf. 
 tlic tilHt 
 " rough 
 end tlio 
 
 Doer River district and to iiiiprnvc the stock. It is flie intention of the company to import ]niie 
 I'lil.lfd Angtis bulls and cows, mid witli lliiin itnjirovc tli<' stock of the aliovc herd. VVith this 
 view it is intendcfl to lirinj,' yi-ailint; heiteis and lieil'cr calves to the ten properties on tbeC.P.U.. 
 where will be stationed the pure I'tillid Anjfus Ik riis. Then in the same manner to buy maies 
 for l»reedin<j with Clydestlale ami tlmriiiiviibird stallions imported for t lie purpose. ^Vewillals^l 
 buy 21, 00(1 head of siieep and improve tlieni with pure liied < lieviot ami Leicester rams and ewes, 
 and the same number of pi;^s will be puniiasfd and improved with ^'orkshire boars and sows. 
 The jironiotri of this comjiany liojies .mhI believes that so larj^e an undeMakii:f.i;, embracin<f as it 
 does cattle, horses, slieeji and ho," breedin^^ to its^reMte^tailvantii;,'e us re'^ar<is jiureness of blood, 
 the raising of cereals, dcMilopirg of eonl, buildin<;of villa^'es and faiinsteads and geneial ojien- 
 ingupof thecoimtry, ami brin^'rig in ;^eitlers. will not only i)rove to be an excellent investment, 
 but will advance liie inti-ii'sts if tlie eonntiy. Tiie pioject is strongly b(dieved in and supporteil 
 by capitalists in Kntjland and Scotland. Tiie total amount of money re(|uircd tc ''lace the 
 enterprise on its juesent lines is .£l,oO(i,()00 or .?r),0(Mi,()(i(i. Sir.lolm Kiiyeliasalrcady arranged 
 for the greater portion of tiiis capital, and in a .short time the crimpany e.xpi cts to begin 
 o{)erations. — 'J'/it Kmijrant, .\iignst, l>sr. 
 
 Cot iiu.x.NK Ka.miii;, Ai.iiiMiiA, January 3(tth, 1888. 
 I on the laiigeatinesent. Have sold about S7,000 worth of sheen 
 
 J. (J. KlTZOEUAI.I), 
 
 Calgary, Alberta. 
 
 Tliere are about 7,00(1 slice, . ^ ,.,. ,.,,- _. „ ,. 
 
 from the band during the past year, and about §»),0()0 worth of wool. Our ewes are grade 
 Merinos", and we are breeding to iniixutcd Shropsiiire Hams and find cross very satisfactory for 
 both wool and mutton, and are of opinion that Scotch Cheviots would do better and breed a 
 hurdier Hheeji, which would i*e(piire little if any feed durinir winter. 
 
 Sheep aie here divided into liands of about 'J, .100 each for the winter, and 1,. 000 for the 
 •uuimer. Our winter sheds are sheltered from the north and west, and we feed oHr sheep hay 
 on the cold mornings in December and .January. 
 
 With careful management we ex]icct 100 per cent, increase every year. 
 
 Ijimbing starts ou the tiist of May. Shearing about the middle of ,Iune. Clip should 
 average about tj lbs. per head. Loss in large bands should not average over H \wv cent. )>er 
 annum if draft lives are hold olf every year. The mortality among lambs i.s wonderfully snuUI. 
 much lew than in Scotland. All prevalent di.senses among sheep in the ohl country are not 
 known here. Tarnsites ate id.so unknown, but we di]i the sheep every U'arasa jircvcntative. 
 
 You IS iridy, 
 
 I".. !;. (■(iriinAXi:. 
 
 
Ill port yww 
 With this 
 theC.r.H. 
 buy limit's 
 We will also 
 18 and t'\ve>^, 
 , iUid sows. 
 Iiraciiif,' as it 
 cssof V>lo(i<l, 
 [(■luialojH'ii- 
 iiivt'stimiit, 
 
 1(1 8TH>l>0»t«''l 
 
 tr ''lace U"' 
 luJy anaiififil 
 •ts" to bcf^iii 
 
 :h, 1888. 
 rtorth of shw i» 
 ,ves are grade 
 ntislaotory for 
 v and breed a 
 
 1,500 for the 
 uvir sheep hay 
 
 Clip Hhovild 
 3 per cent, per 
 iderfuUy small, 
 •.ountry are not 
 preventative. 
 
 ^lUllllANr.. 
 
1U 
 
 fe 
 m 
 od 
 th 
 an 
 
 wi 
 
 to 
 llo 
 col 
 
 Olll 
 
 ow 
 
 lost 
 
 shi 
 
 bel 
 
 wh. 
 
 and 
 
 tha 
 
 lai 
 
 bra 
 
 and 
 
 Th« 
 
 off 
 
 pro'i 
 
 thu 
 
 H5 
 
 l> 
 p. 
 vi 
 w 
 IV 
 b 
 a 
 
 111 t 
 
 crm 
 
 and 
 
 curl 
 
 the 
 
 has 
 
 this' 
 
 tob. 
 
 then 
 
 foraj 
 
 ranc: 
 
 so, t 
 
 men 
 Briti 
 is of 
 in Ca 
 men ' 
 Willi 
 hire 1 
 same 
 howe" 
 MAN : 
 the c« 
 hiinse 
 the 111 
 " rouj 
 end th 
 
 'k. 
 
ERE.Jk.T'TJnS/^. 
 
 In table of coiiti'iits for Aii>,'us Kiascr, (';ilj,'iiy, "page 47" iviid "iiagc 41," 
 l'nj,'(' 'I For "l-'t.rt, liipit" read "l-'mt Kipii." 
 
 ."! For "coniiectcii to" in lust line Init one ifiul "connci'tcil witli." 
 4 For 'Minuses'' lea'l "•J> live Iniises, cattle ami lio,<,'s." 
 f) For "Central iMernliiin" read "i'iini'i|i;tl Meridian." 
 () For "l.'eel Ciint" read "Ifeel of Cart." 
 <; For "Geo (^.(letz" read "l,eo. (iae'/." 
 11 Fi.r "Titanic. Sentinej.s" nad "Titanie Sentiments." 
 11 For "\\y\. Tims" rea.l "l!ev. Sims." 
 II For "lf)(t mile.s" read "<'ali;arv to Maeleod H'-J miles." 
 
 14 For "C. Kettles" read "('. K.-ttles." 
 
 15 For "j^roii}i" eomnieneing t'ourtli line read ",i;iaH|i." 
 '24 For "needy" in second line read "weedy." 
 LTt For "Waldron" nad "Walroml." 
 ;{3 in list of woiuis read "Ueii pine and DLuglas tir, landi, (lari.\ ociddentalis) Moose Wood 
 
 and viliurnnni or lii.uli hust eranlierrv. 
 :}.s For "W'aldron" read "Walrond." 
 4-J For "attitudes" in eij;|itli Hue read "altitudes." 
 ^\ In Far. ;{? add "the Minister may in iiis discretion vary or dispen.se with the forejioinf; 
 
 rc(Hiiremeiits as to residem-e, hut not as l,o the (Miltivatioii of eae.h separate ijuarter 
 
 Keel ion entered as a hnmeslead "