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Tous les autras exemplaires origlnaux sont fllmfo en commengant par la premidre page qui comporte une emprelnte d'Impression ou d'iiiustration et en termlnant par la dernldre page qui comp arte une telle emprelnte. Un dos symboles suivants appuraitra sur la dernldre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ►signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre fllm6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, 11 est film6 A partir de I'angle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenaiit le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 mm::,: REPORT ON THK COUNTKY BETWEEN THE UPPER ASSINEBOINE EIVER AND LAKES WINNIPEGOSIS AND MANITOBA, BY JOSEPH WILLIAM SPENCER, Bac. App. So. Office op the Geological Survey, Montreal, March VMh, 1875. RoBT. Bell, Esq., C.E., F.G.S. Sir, — I have now completed the maps of the regions which you detjiiled luo to explore as ycnr assistant while in the North-west Territoiy last season ; also the chemical analyses of some specimens collected in the course of these explorations; and I would now bog j'ou to submit th'^m, together with the following report, to the Directcu' of the SuiTey. Your obedient servant, JOSEPH WILLIAM SPENCER. Having received your instructions to proceed to Winnipeg, I started journey, about the middle of last May. going by way of Lakes Huron and Superior as far as Duluth. At Thunder Bay I had an oppoi-tunity of examining several of the mining locations. From Duluth I went by rail to Fargo, and thence by Red River steamer to Winnipeg, ifter having travelled along with you from Winnipeg to a point about fifty miles north of Fort Ellice, I proceeded, in compliance with "our orders, to make an exploration of Shell River and (ho adjacent parts of the Assine- lx)iiic River; being assisted by Mr. William Hagar and one or two workmen. I chose a site near the junction of the two rivers tor a camp, and proceeded to make the explorations on foot, which was the only practicable way. T^" 68 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. Assiiieboino valley. Shell River. Tho valley of the At^sineboino, adjacent to that of the Shell River, Ik about a mile wide, and Homo 200 feet dee]>. The alluvial flat at tlio bottom of the valley i,s t:'ree-quai'tors of a mile wide, and tho banks i-isc steeply on either wide. Through this level flat the river pursues a mean- dering course from side to side, occasionally lca])in<>; a small rajjid caused by the obstruction of Latirenfiiin boulders. Twenty miles farther up, tho valley is nearly three miles wide, but at this place in tho bottom, and following the valley longitudinally, there are four or five series of hills rising irregularly, one above the other, till the highest reaches nearly to the level of the plain above. Between these hills there are small deep valleys. The western bank is often strev.-n with gravel and boulders, while the flats below are nearly free from them, excepting in places along the bed of the river. The sides of the valley are often dec]»iy gorged, but the ravines do not extend to nay great distance back from tho valley. Many of them appear to have been cut out by the waters from springs. These springs usually hold a considerable quantity of iron in solution, and I obsen'od several places where yellow ochi'e was being deposited around them. In several localities on the banks of the Assineboinc, extensive landslides are to bo met with, sometimes showing stratified deposits of clay or sand. The general course of the Assineboinc valley at tho influx of the Shell Eiver is nearly south, but above it has a moic westerly direction. I explored the Shell River valley upward for thii'ty miles, and Mi-. Hagar continued the expl(jj-ation jor ten nules farther. Along the upper part of this distance the country on cither side has usually a rolling prairie character, while in the lower portion tho river flows in a valley nearly as wide and deep as that of the Assineboinc. The general course is nearly from the north. At the bends of the valley, the river usually winds its way to the outer side, and on the inner side of the curve there is left a terrace, or series of terraces, rising from the alluvial flat to the plain above. The country is generally wooded, except here and there where fires have sAvept over small areas. The Shell River is much more rapid than tho Assine- boine, and the sides of the valley are i luch more deeply gorged than those of the latter river. At the landslides alcmg the Shell River, I observed a fcAv stratified deposits, but they generally showed only a heterogeneous mixture of giavelly earth with boulders. The bottom of the river often abounds with fresh-water mollusca, and hence, perhaps, the origin of the name of the stream, returning to Fort Pelly, I re- ceived yom- instructions for tho rest of the season, in compliance with which I proceeded to explore Swan River. 1g|t REPORT BY MR. J. W. SPENCER. 59 Tho Assinoboino valloy in tho vicinity of Fort. Polly is not sharply F««Peiiy. doHiiod, UH it Ih t'urthor wonth, by a limited breadth and nfocp escarpincntH. North-east of Fort Polly tho hind gradually rifos foi- hIx oi- eight miles to tlio water-shod, between tho Assinoboino and tiio Swan E!vor, and then descends to tho latter. Fi'om tho Swan River Crossing (whore we started to descend the river) swan River, the distance to Swan Lake, by tho stream, is 130 miles, although by the trail it is only about half as great. In descending the river I noted no less than 446 rapids. These are generally caused by the descent of the water over Laurentian boulders, but sometimes over the conntry-rock. The whole tloscont of the river, from a point abreast of Thunder Hill, was estimated at fi-om 450 to 500 feet, and Thunder Hill rises 300 to 350 feet over this point. Tho average width of the river is about 100 feet, but sometimes it becomes very much widei', enclosing picturesque islands, while in other places ijt is quite narrow, but deep. The river for the last thirty-five miles before reaching Swan Lake is free from rapids and is navigable for boats drawing two feet of water. In the wpring of the yeai* the Hudson's Bay ^ 'ompany send down some of the returns of thoir inland trade in flat boats, but of course these caimot rotui'n. Swan River enters the lake of the same name through a swampy projection of land, extending several miles into the lake. Indeed, all the country for some distance west of this lake is low, but it is generally wooded. Thunder Hill is an isolated elevation situated about foui* miles north- Thunder Hiii. westward of Swan River, and about ten miles below tho Crossing. It rises from 2'>0 to 250 feet above the plain, which gi-adually slopes up from the river. The hill slopes gently to tho north-wostwai'd, while to the south-oatttwai'd there is an abrupt escarpment broken by successive landslides, which are now separated from each other by small valleys. Near the summit the landslides have exj^osed some calcareo-ai-onacoous shales, holding fossils of Cretaceous ago. At tho base of Thunder Hill I noticed several depressions, almost round, measuring from sixty to 200 feet in diameter, and having a depth of twenty feet ov more. Some of them contained water, while others were quite dry. Sander's River is a branch of Swan River, flowing from the south, and Sander's River, emptying itself into the latter about fifty miles from its mouth. The country through which it passes is similar to the Swan River valley. One day waw devoted to the exploitation of this branch, and eight or ten miles of its course were examined. Pieces«of lignite wore found in the Lignite, bed of the stream, and afterwards along tho Swan River, below its influx. After I arrived at Shoal River House, I was informed by a hall-breed w do OEOLOOIPAL SUUVBY OK CANADA. Swan Lake. Ico-formed beaches. Shoal River. Porcupine i Mountain. Timber. BeU RiTcr. timt tho lignite (ciillod coal) was found in bods fi-om u low indues to two foot in thicknoys on Sander's Eivov, a few nules above the point I bad reached. Swan Lake is about twenty lailes in leiii'-tb. Besidtw the Swan Jtiver, it receives two or three smaller streams. The shores are all low and swampy, except at a few points which ai-e made up of gneiss boulders and slabs of limestone. On one of these ])()ints in particular, an ico-forined beach occurs, on which boulders, weighing from half a ton to twenty tons, have been piled u]) with as much ajiparent ease as if they htul been small pebbles. The lake contains several islands, on which the country rocks are exposed. These consist of limestones, and are best seen on two of the largest islands situated in tho northern part of the lake, viz., Warren and Lafavorita Islands. The whole lake is very shallow, not averaging more than six leet in depth. The bottom consists of soft loose silt.. , Shoal Biver discharges Swan Lake into Lake Winnipegosis. The Hudson's Bay Company's post, Shoal Elver House, is situated at tho outlet of Swan Lake. Shoal River is only from two to four foot deep, and has a width of from 150 to 250 feet. The banks are low on both sides. The current i»< of considerable velocity, the fall being about thirty feet in its course of eight miles. It empties itself into the southern extremity of Daws(jn Bay, which forms tho north-western part of Lake Winnipegosis. Porcujiino Mountain forms a continuation of the chain of high ground which marks the eastern limit of tho second of the three great prairie steppes of the North-West Tei-ritory. It rises to the height of about 800 feet above Swan Lake. Between the base of the mountain and the lake is a belt of about twelve miles of low ground, consisting of open marshes, or " muskegs," tamarac swamps, S'^., while the remainder of the interval is densely wooded with aspen, balsam-poplai-, spruce and willow. On tho slope of tho mountain 1 saw balsam-poplai-s six feet in diameter, while in some cases the spruces reached a thickness of nearly four feet. This forest is more ancient looking, aiitl beai-s fewer evidences of tiro than any- other that came under my observation in the North-West Territory, Tho region is little frequented, oven by the Indians, being difficult of access. Although fire has not visited tho slopes of tho mountain or tho level ground below for a very great length of time, yet the whole of tho forest on the summit was swept away a few years since, and in its place a young growth of poplars has sprung up. The Bell Eiver rises in a lake on the summit of the mountain, anil REPORT BY MR. J. W. SPENCER. 61 Winnepegoiis runninj^ oastwanl, cuts its way down the eHonvpment, forming a scries ol" nipuls Hix or oi^ht mi!vw in length. After i-euching tlie pliiin below, it tiUHH iiorth-eiiHtvvard and eniptiew itwelf into DawHon Bay. The bed of the I'ivor in tilled witi< i/iiirontian boiddors, over whieh the water de- Hcendsatthe rate of about 150 feet per mile. From the foot of the slope my guide and I folIoAvcd this river to the summit. Along it there are great exjjOHures of shales. Fragments oi' lignite were pieUed up along Lignite, the river, but the beds from which they had been derived wei'e not found. Looking ba(!k from the point which we reached at the summit of view of the mountain, the escarjiment appears to descend rapidly. It •• richly *" clothed with foliage, and through it the Boll Iliver has cut its vrdley; the wooded plain stretches f roni its base, and further on is Swan Lake with its lovely inlands. In the far east, Pelican Lake is just visible. To the north-eastward a long sheet of water (Dawson Bay) is .seen, while further ott'the sight is lost in the main waters of Lake Winnipegori's. Lake Winnipegosis is about 100 miles long. Its north-western portion. Lake Dawson Bay (named in honour of Principal Dawson «if Mcdill University) is ne! .'ly cut off from the main body of the lake by a long peninsula. This bay has an extreme length of about forty miles, and a breadth varying from five to twenty miles. Both shores are deeply indented with smaller bays. On sonie of the projecting points, cliffs of a light- coloured limestone occur. There ai-e several islands, on which solid rock is also exposed, as well as many submerged reefs. The highest rocky promontory is Point Wilkins, on the west side of the hike. Most of the points have ice-formed beaches composed entirely of boulders and pebbles, Beaches, and behind them there are extensive swamps. The north end of the lake is especially low, and the barrier between Winnipegosis antl Cedar Lakes CoUar Lake. is little more than a swamp, from three to five miles acro.ss,. The greatest elevation of the lowest traverse between them was ascertained by Mr. Bonder of the Canadian Pacific Railway Survey, while I was in the neigh- bourhood, to be forty-four feet over the water at either end (the two lakes being on the same level.) The character of the main body of Lake Winnipegosis is the same as that of Dawson Bay, being studded with islands and reefs. On the east side, between Eim and (lun Points, there is a cliff of limestone of considerable extent. The beaches of almost Beach«». every point and island are made upof Laurentian boulders and fragments of Devonian limestone, overgrown with trees, behind which are swamps, often of considerable extent, and small lakes. I visited the salt works at the south end of Lake Winnipegosis in com- Sait-works. puny with Mr. J. H. Rowan, chief assistant engineer of the Canadian Pacific 62 OEOLOdlCAI, .-iL'RVKY OF CANADA. Iliiilwiiy, who was roliirnint;' to Wiiinip»'ij:, and with whom T arrantjtHl for our jiassiigc to Oak l^tiiil, lu'ar the soiitli end of TjaUt^ Manitoha. From Mosnj- iilvor. tlie salt-works (whitdi will liodcstrilfcd furtlicron) I wont iij) Mossy River (tho outlet of Dauphin Lako) fo»" Ji fow miles. Iloro ivIho arc limoHtone exposures. This river lias a doptli of from two to four toot for a dislanco of throe or lour miles from its m()Uth, where it is ahoiit 200 foot wide. An exploratory line of the Canadian Paeifie Railway crosses the river three or four miles fronj its mouth, and runs north ol the Duek Mountain, lol- lowiny; up the course of the Swan l?iver Valley. Lake Winnipet^osis is of consideralde de])tli, and has clear f^ood water. Owing to sudden and fre([uent wind-storms, its navit-ation by small boats is attended with some danger. Lake Winnipegosis is connected with Tinke Manitoba by Water- hen River and Lake, both of which are Hhallow and muddy, and Imve extensive swamps around them. The river has a total length of twenty- five miles, and descends eighteen feet. Lake Manitoba is I'M miles in extreme length. It is a shallow muddy lake with many reefs, which will endanger futui-e nnvigation, and there are but few good harbours. The portion of the lake south of the Nar- rows, although considerably wider than that to the north, is still shal- lower. From Ottlc Point on this lake to the town of Winnipeg the di.stunce is about sixty miles, and the trai' passes over open prairie, with only here and there a grove of trees. The most noticeable feature between these places is Shoal Lake, forty Winnipeg. miios from AVinnipeg. It lias no outlet, and its waters are consequently saline. The soil in the neighbourhood of the lakes is /nixed with much gravel, but ,hen within twenty miles of Winnipeg town it begins to as- sume a black loamy character. For the first thirty or forty miles south of Lake Manitoba the drift deposits do not appear to cover the country rock to a greater depth than fi'om ten to twenty feet. >Vuter-hcn River. Lalce Manitolm. Junction of fornmtions. General Description of the Geolooy of the Region Fxplored. Deposits of Neozoic Age. Over large tracts of the North-West Territory it is almost imjiossible. owing to the rai-ity of exposures and to the similarity in lithological character of the strata, to tell whoi-e the Post Pliocene deposits Ijegin to overlie those of Tertiary age on the one hand, or the deposits of the Tertiary to overlie those of the Cretaceous period on the other. Along l)arts of the Assineboine and Shell Elvers the valleys are worn out to a REPORT BY MR. J. W. SPENCER. 63 (loptli of 200 foot, aiiil from ono to four milos in width. If tlio rivoi-H RWer vaiioyt. nliiili MOW flow tliroiii:;ii tliom liiivo oxciivatod tlicso viilloyH, tho former must 111' of ^roiit aiiti(iiiity. Tlio valloyH aro yearly hocomiiif^ iari^or by tiio sprin/:? HotKls hoariii^ away groat qaantitioH of r vtorial. Evorywhore along tho rivoi" hanUs thoro uro ovidoncoH of formor land-slidos. Not- withstanding the groat dopth of tho valloy, ordy a few woctionH of tho do- posits composing the baidiM aro to ho noon. This is owing to tho fact that tho surface material brought down by tho land-slidos ahvayw covors up tlic sections, which might otherwise he exposed. Along tho Assinoboino valley, stn^tifiod clays, or weathered shales in situ, aro somotinios exposed. Those shalos mayjMwsibly belong to tlio Tertiary series, but J tlmnd similar rocks of CrotaeeouN ago at a highoi- level in Thunder Hill. Tho deposits of llio Shel' River valloy frequently consist of irroguhir bods of elay with lioiildors, while along tho alluvial flat of the Assineboine they oonsist of iot,nilai'ly stratified clays. The summits and sidoN of tho banks of both stivaiU'! are gi-nerally covered with boidders. in tho more recent deposits of the Slicll lliver valley, an Lidian is said ^^""rfo bones, to have found, a few years ago, some largo bonos, which wore, at tho time, sent to Fort Hllice, and afterwards to England. These remains were des- cribed to me by a man who had seen them, and also tho place whence thoy camo. They appear to have boon large enough to have belonged to Ekjihas primigenius, and, in fact, thej' wore called mammoth's bonos by tho white men of tho country. On Thunder Hill, and in many exposures along Swan River, there is hut a thin covering of drift over tho underlying Cretaceous rocks. Bo- RociiBinthe " •' ^ vicinity of tweon the foot of tho eastern slopes of the Duck and Porcupine moimtains Timnder Hiii. and tho lakes, the Devonian limestones aro covered by only a few feet of (li'it't. Tho following is a section, in descending order, of those deposits as thoy occur in tho Swan River opposite Thunder Hill : — FT. IN.S. Surface soil 3 Bed of Laurentian boulders aud pebbles 2 Stratified coarse saiid 6 Bed of Laurentian boulders and pebbles 2 Stratified coarse sand C I^vniinated clay 1 Honiogeneous clay with pebbles 3 12 Fifty miles farther down tho river the following betls, in descending oixler, wore observed for a consideiablo distance along the river : — ' ii FoMlli. Cretnceoiig rovka. 84 OBOLOniCAIi SURVEY OP CANADA. FRRT. Surface soil (5 t(i Stratitiod clay in layorB 4 to inches tliicit, variously colourud 4 to 8 NniiiU boulilorH and gravel 1 to I Those woro itiulci-Iuid hy (■ompact day, with Hinall boiildors aiul ^ravi'l, to an unknown (le[)th. In the l*oiTU])ino Monntain, the drift overlius sluik's, ])r()biilily ol' Crotacoous ajje, which are ex}K)HtMl on Boll Rivor ami eJHinvhcM'o aloni; the oHcarpinont. Deposits of Mesozoic Age. In tlio region, covered l»y the title of thin i-epoi't, rockH of tlic CretacoouH ])eriod were observed on Tliunder Hill, at a height of nearly 800 foot above Swan Lake; or, at about 1,(500 feet above the ocean, Near the summit of this hill, are indurated calcareo-arenacoous Hlialos, containing fragments of selenito. They contain fossils, of which the most abundant are Jnocernmus and fora?nhiif era. Mr. J. F. WhiteavoN, who has kiniU}' examined the specimens, finds the latter to be principally Glohiyerimv. Following the course of the Swan River, below Thunder Hill, there are numerous ex])osures of (Cretaceous rocks. They are mostly shales, with some limestones. The general dip is to the west, at an angle of only about two degroe.-i. The Ibllowing descending section is the tiivt of undoubted Cretaceous rocks that I observed on the rivor itself. It occurs a little below Thunder Hill : — FEET, .Soft crumbling shales of a drab color 8 Compact shales of the same color 3 Alternate reddish and bluish shales 3 Soft drab-colored shales 3 17 Some of these sluUes contain trr .es of fossils. These beds are strata- graphically between 300 and 350 feet lower than the fbssiliferous expo- sui-es on Thunder Hill. A short distance farther down tlie rivor I noted the following section of a bank, in de.scending oixlor : — FKBT. Concealed by a land-slide 4 j Laminated shales (drab) 5 Concealed by clay which contains slabs of fossiliferous limestones. 15 Laminated drab shales 5 Fossiliferous limestone forming the base, of which are exposed 4 69 IlKPOHT BY MB. ,1. W. HPENrEIl. 65 Noiir lliis s(>cli(»ri iiro spriii^js (lo[tusiliii<':yiillo\v ocIiihi. A lillU' Inrthcr down I nl»KiM'VO(l other sjirin^M at wliicli the procosH of petrilyiiijf wood, moMH and loiivos wum ^oiii^ on. Hero tluMv wcro uIho Idoi-ks ol' calciircoiis tufa, sonn'tinicH nioHHiirintr sovoral oiiliic yardu, wliich hud hoeii torinod at Tufa, till' |)lac(> where they are toiind. Niinjeroiis hir^o pieecs of'ealcitied wood lire enelosed in lliein. • Tlie thi<'lK CANADA. MountAii Mr. G. M Buniiii,t,^ Moiiiitni.'i; nn\ my ^'iiido inliu'inetl VMi that for sovonl wiiitc'i's it luul .smoked, uut not in siiminor. This was pmbsiMy tlio vaiKM- «>;i>i>e"«tO(l by tho hoat ot' (leocmposition ooiidciiKinfj; in tho cold atmosjiliO'T of the wintor, I'Ut whii'h bocamo invisible at tho summor tomporalui-e. Sootions of til 'imostonos of Swan River, and of the mavis of Thunder Hill, having been ])roj)ared for mierost'opic examinnticm, tlioy wore handed to .Mr. (ieor^o M. I'';i\vson, who i-ej)orts as followt^ : — •The N|K'i'imoii'^ from 8wan Kivtr and ThinuLr Hill are essentially Dawson's notes. _^i,„ii.^,. .,^1 ju-p almost entirely composed of separated prisms of sholl^i of Inoceranuis, with Foramiiv'fcra, and some scattered f.'a^inents of M\ Soiies and so;.los, the latter beinj:; consijicioiis fVom their bright brown color. The limestone, in microscopic cl-uracter, much resem' !es that from iioyne Iliver, Pembina Motmtain, but is somewhat harder. Spoc- mcns of the latte^ ere ti-nnsmittcd to me by Mr. A. L. Rustil, and have been referred to ihc Niobrara tiivision, or, (.Vet«ceous No. 3, of Meek and Hayden. Tho Foramhiifera apj ear to agree very c osely with those of tiic Bojnc Kiver beds, and of the limestone of the Hau Qui Court, Nebraska; the genera GJobifjerina. Tcxtularia and Discorbina, being re])resented in all three localities. All the forn.t! rej)resented b_y the specimens from Swan River and Tht'nder Hill iic^r a close resemblance to those of the more southern localities, and the Tcxtularia is referable to T.pytjma'd, one of the two species repi-esented there. The prisms of Inoceramns arc more abundani in j^roportion to tho Foraminifd,!. than at Eau Qui Court, or at lioyne River, and in the relative abuJidance of Glolnijcrina: to otlioi forms the specimens more nearly resemble those (A the Nebraska deposit; such differences might, however, obtain between two contiguous beds. Small fnigments of tish remains are coiiimon to the three local- ities. As most of the Foraminifera found in these deposits are still re])resentei REPORT BY MR. J. W. srENOER. 6Y rock, a careful oxaminj>(ion of some of tlio soft parts of which might lead to their discovery." Deposits of Devo.iinn Age. Tlio roc'is of thi •» age which eajno under my notice consist entirely of liinostonos. The highest heds exposed, such as those on Warren Island and Point Wilkins, are mmk' up of apparently concretionary nodules. Tiiose beds, on disintegrating under the action of the waves, leave at their hiiso hard clean giavel, or nodules of limestone. Almost all the rocks on tiio western side ot'Lake Winnipegosis are of light yellowish colors, while those observed on the eastern and southern sides are greyish. At Point Wilkins on Dawson Bay, a clitf rises to the height of sixty feet. The upper heds consist of the concretionary limestone just noticed, and the lowest are red indurated marls, while hetwccn them are forty feet of evt'uly-hedded whitish limestone. In many places on Swan Lake and Lake Winjiipegosis, the expo; e