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OTTAWA, 1898. i ■nterad aotwtding to the Act A,i'S .I"' •.»■' mfe. i A:! Canada's G<^)lcl Fields. KLONDIKE-PEACE DISTRICTS :!i! . ists and surveyors connectel witli the otHcial staff in Canada hold thit the Peace river watershed will ultimately rival the Klondike in its output of gttM. The gold hearing area of the North- West extends along the eastern side ot the R'jcky Moiiiitaiiis, as well as the western, and therefore! includes, not only the Klondike-Yukon country, but also the plateaus lying on the eastern side, and extending from the footdiills of the Rockies hundreds of miles eastward. This south-eastern division of what may |)roperly be termed the Klondike-Peace river area has already been sufficiently tested to show its wonderful gold resources. The Peace river country embraces a vast prairie region, with extensive forests of timber, in many cases extending down to the banks, and easily available for either boat or raft building, or for the manufacture of sluices or minitjg timber. The climate is mild and salubrious ; the season is long, extending f'om A.pril to October j wheat and other grains I Sv.., 1,i* V. - 1 l- E- •' i'-. M' . , b , B" ^?f ' t L'-- -,-■'! 1 ' ■■ W'-^' ' p;.-; ootne to maturity ; excellent pasture is aflforciecl for liorecs and cattle, hay in maiiv places growing; to a height of three feet. The facilities for travel are vastly superior to those enjoyed m newly developed minini; countries; while supplies can he purchased at reasonahle rates from settlers in the Saskatchewan district, or from Hudson's liay CJompany's posts. The Peace itself is a lar^ro river, with a current of from two to four miles an hour; it is navi«^ahle for steamers and hoats for many months in the year and for a distance of some hundreds of miles. The soil of the district is a rich, deep, veijefahle deposit on a loam sul)-soil. Possessing such admirahle agricnliural and timher resources, the country cannot fail, with its wonderful gold areas, to rapidly develop as an agricultural as well as a mining centre. Gold Placers— Rich and A.bundant. The general diffusion of gold throughout the hed of the Peace river, and especially at the bars, renders investment less of a speculation than that made in gold mining areas where nuggets are found in pocket ., or where exceptionally rich strikes are occasionally made. Mining experts are rapidly coming to the opinion that the most profitable methods, in the long run, are systematic dredging by machinery and (juartz mining. Already Government dredging leases are eagerly sought, especially in view of the fact that high authorities among American engineers believe that vast fortunes will be made by the use of dredges, with steam power or otherwise, for lifting or examining sands and gravel from river beds con- taining rich auriferous deposits. While sufficient examination of the Peace river has been made to prove its mineral .wealth, it yet remains practically a virgin field for mining enterprise. A glance at the reports of the Geological Survey of Canada reveals the richness of this region, especitilly of the Peace river itself. Forty Colours Washed Out in a Frying Pan. Mr. R. G. McConnell.M.A., of the Canadiati Geological Staff, who was recently appointed Provincial Mineralogist for British Columbia, and who visited and made a special survey of the Peace river country, in his report, 1890-91, says : Gold was found on many of the bars along the Peace river, and in several placrs in sufficient quantities to deserve attention. Three miles along the mouth of Battle river a large bar, nearly a mile long, on the left bank was examined, from which we obtained 15 to 20 colours of fine gold 8 cattle, hay 8 for travel countries; ^' siieh fail, witJi well as a 'c Peace 'eeulation pocket., '^' experts ds, in the mining'. y in view "eve that power or >e()s con- ' of the remains '•eports s reiiiion, !>ff, who )ia, and in his -^r, and 8 miles he left e ^old hy washing a tew handsful of mixed yrave! and sand in an ordinary frying pan. We tried tiie l)ar at several points and always with the same results. A small stream desccMids fmm a pl.itoan on one side (»f the river and by diverting its waters across the river, which is here about 1,000 feet wide, the i>ar might he easily and inexpensively worked on a large scale. Twelve ii;iles further up the river another bar was examined, which yielded from iO to 40 colours when washed in the same way. Numerous other bars occur in this jiortion of the river, which woutd probably give as good results as those examined. Colours were also washed out of the bar on lioon River, an eastern tributary of the Teaoe. Fine Gold in Faying Quantities Dr. Alfred R. C. Sclwyn, late director of the Geological Survey of Canada, in his special report on this district, says : (lold has been discovered from time to time at various places, and in paying <|uantities aloni> the Peace river. It always occurred in very fine uniform sized j)articlcs, (ju' <■ similar in character to that found on the Saskatchewan, and it is, I believe, entirely derived from the drift deposits and tertiary gravels which have cut tlirougb ••nd been redistributed by tlie present river action. Daniel VVilManis, who has been for some 12 or 13 years on the river, and has lived more or less by gold washing, showed me the position in which the tine gold was generally found. This was it) or immediately beneath the upj)er layer ot silt left by the spring tlood. This fine gold found in the lower part of the river, has, perhaps, originally been derived from the rocks on the slopes of the mountains, and that these rocks contain lodes of veins holding both silver and gold is sufliciently proved by the occurrence of these metals, even in pieces of considerable si/e, about the head waters of the P''indlay and Omenica Rivers. There are, however, reasons to make it, I think, even more probable that the original source of this tine gold is the same great bed of crystalline rocks, wiiich has supj>lied the Saskatchewan drift, and which extends from Lake Superior to the Arctic Ocean near the mouth of the Mackenzie A Mother Lode A mother lode is reported to have been discovered in the Peace ... -^ river country, by Col. Woiithorliy. Ho reports to have found it about 60 miles east of the jiiiietion of tlie Parsnip * Fiiidhjy, forininj; the Peace- There are ei<;lit liii<,'o veins as ri'i,Mihir as ho()l feet right |s flowing combined ^o\v east 'eys, past •ell. He treain as lie two It river, the explorer found that its navigation for two hundred miles above its month, with the exception of a short canyon, in •""■*,>', the current seldom exceeding five miles an hour. Tts hraiu'hea intcrhtck with tributaries of the Skeena, Stikine and Man] rivers, and low passes throuirh tiie moun- tains from one basin to another are not uncommon. Tiie Findlay from its mouMi to its junction with tiie Onienica winds through a wide flat, skirting the base of the mountains. It has a width in places ot 300 yards or more, but is usually divided into several ciiannels by islands and gravel bars. The curient is easy, according to A[r. McConnell, averaging about three iriiles an hour at a medium .stage uf water. " Tiie bars along this stretch of river," says this ex|)lorer, " are all auriferous, and one of them, called Pete Toy's l)ar, after the discoverer, yielded a large amount of gold in the early days of mining. Tiie gold in this reach is probably derived from the Omenica." Omenica Gold Wealth. ill')! ) I' The Omenica contributes about one-flfth of the whole water of the PJnd'hty at its confluence. The former joins the latter about Hfteen miles above the Forks. Important gold discoveries have been made in this district, in the river bed and in various creeks. The gold in the C'menica region has been obtained principally from the gravels overlying the older rocks, in the beds of the present streams. One million dollars have been taken out in this locality, accord- ing to the report of the Minister of Mines for l>ritisli ('olumbia. Tlie auriferous gravels underlving the boulder clav in the rivers and creeks have a wide distribution, and Mr. McConnell says they promise favorable results if worked on a sufficiently large scale. Gold was found by this geologist ifi ascending the river, at the mouths of the Ingenica, (^nadacha and the Tochieca. and two other tributaries, Tliat further discoveries of auriferous creeks will be made admits of no doubt. The gold occurs in a coarse condition on tlie Omenica, but it is as fine as taken out of bars on the Findlay. Large veins of argentiferous galena have been reported, but they have not been worked up to the present. Arquerite, or silver amalgam, is also of common occurrence in the placer diggings and on the rivers. ■Indeed, the whole district is rich in gold and silver, and awaits develop- ment by energetic mining companies. T sf- Cf. 1 Rich Sand Bars- I'oacc ami Liiiiil rivcr.n art; known to contain j>;"'*'« wi'ites S. Maclcod of I'lincc AlltiM't : "New tliHcoveritss an; l>cin<; made alinont nvery • lay. I't'oplc will n<)t icMjiiirc to jro on to tlio Klon.liko as ^ol»l in j^ruat tjnantiticfl can be t'ouinl in almost every stream Itefore halt" the distancu Ih travelled." Almost identiral in phrase is the o|.inion exprcfsed hy (t. M. Skelton, of IJattleford, who writes: "The Klondike k not the only place where there is ^old, as lartje ipiantities have been washed from tiie sand liars on the Peace river country." In the (.'anadian Senate ('ommittee I»veisti<;ati()ns at Ottawa, Bishop (Mnt, epeakinj; of the I'eace river rej^ion, said, "There is {^old in the sand bars of the I'eace river in lar^'c (piantities. The iniiiTS make froni ♦IS to i?2(i a day." Views of United States Authorities. Not only do the scientific authorities of the Canadian (4e(»logical Survey express most favorable opinions respecting itjold dredi;i,(<^' and its prof«pect8 on the Pca'te river, but riiited States authorltic-, a»i^|,H ' I'll w i lilitioHf (>v(>rv M(l in jrruat It-' »etal are away the aj^es ex iter these lomerate, >ce sand. ^'■i"fe'i".i? aratively all this that the followed ith such lish lias I Canadian Experts. Anionj; the well known ("unadian ex|H'rtfi who have travoriod the Poaco river rejriut), N[r. Walter Molterly, O.fcl., hoMs hi^li rank. Thin (MniniMit cn^ineei spicks of many rie8 o?i tlut river. ConsideraMe isM has luu'ti washed on tin; l)ars near Kort St. .John. A very rich l»;ir was worked there a few years a;i;o hy Cast and K. V. Carey. Petueen 50 and 70 miles wesi, of this point in tin I'eace river watershed, jjood di<;^in^8 are now heinfj; worked. All the river hranehes Konthe;ist of the Yukon such as Pence rivi-r are anriferous, he says ; aiid he ventnres the predietion that nuieli i^nld will l»e fonnd just east of wheK? the present Hnds are heinjj; ni.ide. rndo'ilitedly. in his opinion, a larire p(»rtioM of the Klondike stream of miners will make strikes alonj^ the Peace i ' •■ r and in the numerous j^old-hearim; streams. The interi(»r of the I'ea •> and adjoininj; districts he points out asseaieoly iiavini; lieen prospcc'ed, and lie prophesies, to usi; his own worils, '• There will soiwi he > reate: dis- coveries in the Peace 'ivii district than those nl the Klondike diir<;':)i;s' How the Klondike was Discovered The Klondike was discrovered Ity miners fr<»m the Peace river country, who made their way on a prospeetinn trip trom Fort St. dolin to the head waters of the Nelson, an atHiient oF the Liard, down which ihev went onward to the Klondike and \'iikon livers. In the early eii^hties prospecting in the Yukon eoiintry was he^'un in earnest, and in the last half of that decade a fair amount of succi^ss was achieved, especially on the Stewart river. The ijold Found upon these rivers is tine ^old and recpiires the use of mercury for its .separation from the sand, and althouifh it was t'ound in I'ayini; onantities— as hij^h as $1(M» per day hein-;; made in some instances— tine i^old never satisfied the old miners and prospectors This caused a continuous seandi foi- coarse ; into the Pacific Ocean west of Mt. St. Klias, vield ii,old on their lower stretches, and the upper parts are irold-hearing, too. Farther inland gold has been found on the upper wateis of the Tanana, r.eai- the head waters of the Fortymile, and in 1873 and 1874 Harper and Ilarte found some gold on the south branch of White river, in the vicinity of the i)oundary line, all of which is a justification' for this assumjition. Thus we may conclude with reason that all that |)ortion of tlii' Xorth-West Territory westward from the easterly limit of the Yukon water sy«item to the 141st meridian, will prove more or less gold-bearing. The westerly boundary of this region — the 141st meridian, or Inter- national lioundary — is upwards of 300 miles in length ; the southern boundary — the TiOth parallel of latitude — is about 500 miles long, and the north-east boundary, an irregular lino from the <)Oth parallel to the Idlst meridian, in latitude fi;*)'^ apj)roxiinately, is upwards of 000 miles long. These three lines l>oumlan area of about 125,000 square miles, over which gold is scattered more or less profusely. At many (d' the points nuMitioiieil it v.ill pay well for working even under present conditions, and at many others it will pay well when we have such facilities as we expect to have during the next year for entering and de- veloping that region. Attenti(Mi may be directed to the fact that the whole of that \ ast district owes its now world-wide reputation to the richness oi 14i> claims in the Klondike division. 100 of these are on lionanza creek and aixmt 4n on Eldorado. To use a mining term, many of th(»se claiiris are ' W(»rld beaters,"" and if the indications now known are worth anything at all they are worth from sixty to seventy million of dollars in those two creeks. 4 Ooe Hundred Million Dollars in Sight Takmg this divieion as a whole, including the three creeks named, afttuent to Indian creek, a district some 35 miles in length and 25 or more miles in width, if the indications can be relied on, there are one on dike- Peace n tlie North- >^ more miles iitlieastwards meridian, for to tlie Pacific dies, and the t-'en found on e Fortymile, >" the south , all of wliich e with reason '■d from tlie 1, vvill prove hundred million dollars in sight of that area. No one can guarantee this amount, but the prospects so far developed point to that sum pretty con- clusively. This district is exceptionally rich. Nothing has ever been fonnd like it heretofore in that country, in fact, in very few countries has anytiiini? been found like it, and while we cannot confidently assert that other finds as valuable as it will be made, it is altogether improbable that gold is scattered over such a vast extent, and only rich at a point which is less than the 140th part of the total area. If we add to this part of the northern area of Hritish Columbia we increase it nearly two-fold, and the comparative area of the Klondike district is much lessened. Taking all together we iiave a vast field with fair prospects, says Mr. Ogilvie, as fair it may be claimed as any other equally extensive region in the world. All Gold Bearing. an, or Infer- tile southern ong, and tlie to the 14l8t miles long. , over which ork ing even 'ion we have '■ing and de- «t that the •ion to the lese are on -orm, many ow known »ty million 8 named, md 2.5 or 8 are one [n addition to the Peace, the Liard, up the valley or waters of which the Edmonton route goes, is also known to be gold-bearing. Gold was struck on the bars of the Liard west of where it passes the Rockies in 1872 by Tliibert and McOuUoch. They went on up tlie Liard and Dease rivers and struck the Cassiar diggings on Dease river and lake. From 73 to '87 these diggings yielded !^5,000,000. The miners and their supplies came in from the coast. During the height of the excitement men went on to the Liard and up the Frances, and found paying diggings, but the cost of getting in supplies by that route to the Upper Liard and Frances river was so great that the miners withdrew, leaving the richness of the region demonstrated and yet only very little pros- pected. The subsequent construction of the railway to Edmonton has furnished a new base of supply and materially altered the conditions. The Cassiar range of mountains lying northwest and southeast parallel to the course of the Liard on its southwesterly side, is no donl»t the source of the gold. This range crosses the Dease a short distance below and north of the richest diggings. Dr. Dawson reports that $10 nuggets were taken out of Sayyea creek, a small tributary of the Liard, on the northeast side of the range, by a party of miners who wintered there in 1875, but four of the miner'* died of scurvy and the creek was abandoned. Of the Liard, above the mouth of the Dease, Dr. Dawson says " The gravel bars and shores of this part of the Liard are almost half compose:/ of rolled quartz pebbles. ^' '* * The quantity of such vein material present in this district may be regarded as a favorable indication in respect to mineral development. Some small ■ ^^i^.'. 't^f'^M'lli., 'yi Ti' .' ■. 1/ ' '' •' V ■ It"- -'' '' ''■*■—-,, ft bars have paid to work along this part of the river, and gold is also found in some layers of the gravel (leposit which overlieg the older rocks along the canyon and above it, where wages at $4 a day can be made. The amount of cover which it soon becomes necessary to remove in following the paying layers has prevented extensive mining, but probably these gravels might be advantageously worked as a whole by sluicing or by the hydraulic method." Of Frances lake, Dr. Dawson says : " There is, too, a notable abundance of quartz along all the beaches of the lake, this material being derived from innumerable veins which traverse the schists in all directions, though most often found parallel to the bedding planes, and generally assuming forms more or less lenticular. The largest of these are often several feet in width, and tliose seen in the canyon of the Finlayson near its month, are of workable dimensions if only moderately rich in gold. Specimens of quartz veins, containing some iron and copper pyrites, from the east side of the east arm about midway up on it, were found to contain traces of gold on assay by Mr. Hoffman, the government analyst." " In general appearance tiie rocks of Frances lake very closely resemble those from which the rich placer gold deposits ot Dease lake are derived, and they are probably of about the same age. Several 'colors' to tlie pan were obtained from surface gravel at the mouth of Finlayson river, which struck me as specially promising in aspect, and there seems to be no reason why some of the streams flowing across the schistose rocks into the lake or in its vicinity s'lould not prove richly auriferous. This entire district well deserves careful prospecting." After having reached the above conclusions. Dr. Dawson was told by two miners whom he met that they had made $8 to $9 a day at the mouth of the Finlayson, which empties into Frances lake and forms the connecting route to the Pelly. Black river, which comes into the Liard from the south, west of the Rocky Mountains and below the month of the Dease, has, on the au- thority of Dr. Dawson, been mined to some extent, yielding from $6 to $20 a day per man. The Nelson, which joins the Liard east of the Rockies, was pros- pected near its head last season by J. Langlais, of St. Albert, and indicated fair pay. The Athabasca was mined extensively several years ago above and below where the Edmonton trail crosses, and the McLeod which empties Ja MMtfH n lis also found rocks along I made. The in following [obrthly these Ing or hy the the beaches veins which d parallel to !S8 lenticular, e seen in the linionsions if , containing ist arm about assay by Mr. ! very closely )ease lake are ral 'colors' to of Finlayson there seems he schistose f auriferous. 3on was told a day at the d forms the uth, west of , on the au- g from $6 5s, was pros- Albert, and ) above and ich empties into the Athabasca from the southwest about 12(i miles northwest of Edmonton, yields considerable gold every year. On the Peace itself all the way from its mouth to its source, gold in paying quantities can be procured on the river bars and elsewliere. The Saskatchewan, upon which Edmonton is situated, has been mined for many years and still yields from $25,000 to $50,000 per season in gold dust. Improved appliances are now being introduced and it is hoped this yield will be largely increased. Other Minerals Found In addition to gold, silver, copper, iron and asbestos are found in the gravels and drift of Peace river, the Klondike and contiguous and connecting streams. These minerals are all covered by a gold dredging lease as well as the precious metal. Oatcroppings of coal beds are seen along the river banks. Gold ranges in " fineness/' technically termed, from .723 to ,8*'5, that iS: from about $15 per ounce, Troy weight, after melting, to aboi.t $18 per ounce, Troy weight, after melting. Before melting, and ihus cleaned of the sand and quartz associated with it, the value per Troy ounce runs from $14.92 to $17.10 arid as high as $17.64. The value of pure gold is $20.67 per ounce, Troy weight. The o.'ber part of the metal as it is mined is principally silver and copper. Dredging Operations Easily Conducted- Gold dredging on the Peace river and, possibly, on others further north will become an important field of work in the near future. The current of the river is only from two to four miles per hour, so that dredges can profitably and easily work over the river bottom and on the auriferous bars. The great obstruction to successful dredging in many of the rivers on the western side of the Rockies is the presence of boul- ders in the river bed and the fact of the beds freezing solid, and that difficulty does not occur on the Peace. The Peace river, as is well known, rises in and drains a larger district cast of the Rocky Mountains, extending to a magnificent country consisting of prairie diversified by tiiuher stretches and a rolling country The vegetation resembles that of Ontario. The ground never freezes to n 12 much depth, and mining is comparatively easily conducted. Dredging operations can be easi'y carried on over the whole width of the river, which in many places exceeds half a mile. As it receives many streams throughout its course bars are of frequent occurrence, and the dredging of these produces the richest results. Cheap Labour and Supplies. The exceptionally high pay given to the Klondike miner will be unnecessary in the case of conducting gold dredging operations in the Peace river. The causes, among others, will be cheaper food, less hardship, longer working season, and minimum of danger. The extrava- gantly high prices paid for provisions in the Klondike are unknown in the Peace river watershed. i i ty-^i Long Season Available for Active Operations. There is open navigation for upwards of six months on the Peace river, and work can be carried on by mine s during even a longer period. Dr. Dawson, Director of the Geological survey, reports, *' We are now in the middle of September and the thermometer has only reported thirty- two degrees, and the cauliflowers and cabbages at Hudson's Hope are still green." Provisions are easily available and can be transported at mod- orate cost from the Saskatchewan district. Ae ordinary clothing can be worn, the vast expense necessary for outfitting to winter in the more northerly country is altogether avoided. "Views of Mr. Davin, MP. Mr. N. F. Davin, M.P., for Assiniboia, and a resident for many years of the North- West Territories, says : — No one who knows the country can doubt that the route to the Yukon which would commend itself to the statesmen is by way of the Peace river. Not merely would such a route open up, as it progressed west from Prince Albert or Edmonton, a country as richly fertile as the Red River Valley, but, on the way, diggings little less valuable than those of the Yukon. The telegraph brings us word of a party just returned to "Edmonton, after having discovered a new point where they made $20 a day. Long since, gold has been worked in paying quantities from the Dredging of the river, lany streams dredging of bars of the Peace river, near Fort St. John. A nnmber of years ago at the Forks of tiie Peace a very rich I)ar was «-orked snccessfnlly ; and to- $ day on the Omenica branch of the Finhiy, tlie north fork of the Peace, !? miners are busy at good diggings from which even the Klondike will not tempt them. ner will be ations in the r food, less 'iio extrava- unknown in ons. 1 Hie Peace nger period, are now In )rted thirty- s Hope are rted at tnod- hing can be n the more Opinion of Mr- Oliver, M . P. Mr. Frank Oliver, M. P. for Alberta, and who from long resi- dence in the North- West is fully cognizant of its resources, says : The Peace river is the mott important branch of the Mackenzie and rises in the gold range of British Columbia, .\tter breaking through the Rockies it traverses a title agricultural and grazing region, partly forested for several hundred miles, to its junction with the Athabasca river. There is good steamboat navigation for the whole distance, except a small chute about 200 miles al)ove Lake Athabasca. Wheat is grown to perfection at all points idong the Peace river where settlement exists, an(i as a grazing region it is Jinexcelled. The Peace river crossing, at which point trade tirst reaches the river, is a little over 250 miles from the railway at Edmonton, by an all land, or partly land and partly water route. Fine gold has been mined on the l)ais of the Peace river in paying (piantities for many years. West of the mountains are the Ome- nica diggings, which have produced over a million dollars in coarse gold. Two large companies are now preparing to work the gravels by extensive hydraulic works. The influx of people into the country during the past few months has been very great, and the prospects for the Peace river country are of the very brightest. many years 'lite to the way of the progressed rtile as tiie than those •eturned to lade $20 a from the Accessibility of the Peace River country The Canadian Pacific Railway extends to Edmonton, which can be reached within a few days from any part of the continent. It lies 190 miles north of C.dgary, which is S-tO miles west of Winnipeg, or 042 east of Vancouver. From p]dmonton prospectors' eupplies or machinery can be easily conveyed over the prairies for a distance of about 90 miles to water navigation on the Athabasca, whence there is continued water communication to the delta of the Mackenzie, or westerly to the Rocky Mountains. Waggon roads are constructed over the prairies at different points, that from Edmonton to Peace river crossing being a well travelled highway. • .. , '^^ r 1 1 'U \> The distance between these two points is 260 miles. The summer rate for freif,'ht is five cents per lb., and in winter is even less, as there is a good sleigh road and heavier loads can be taken. The Route to Dawson. The following is the approximate mileage from Edmonton to Dawson, hy the Peace river route. Edmonton to Peace River Crossing. (trail) 260 miles Crossing to Forks of Nelson (trail) 240 '' Down the Nelson to junction with Liard (river) 120 •' Up Liard to Dcase River (river and trail) 160 " Dease River to Pelly River (river and trail) 170 " Pelly River to Fort Selkirk (river) 220 •• Fort Selkirk to Dawson City (river) 172 '' Distance from Edmonton to Dawson City 1,342 miles By the shorter overland ronte, the objective point from Edmonton is the Liard river, ami there are several alternate routes all heading North-West and converging on the Liard, one being by the Athabasca to Fort Simpson and thence up the Liard. When once the waters of the Liard are reached, by either route, the remainder of the journey is via Lake Frances, the portage over the watershed to the Pelly river, and thence down the Pelly to Fort Selkirk and the Yukon to Dawson City. Tiiese routes, which skirt the great undeveloped Omenica and Cassiar mining districts, are largely utilized by parties intending to explore the headwaters of the Peace river, on the eastern, and the numerous gold- bearing streams on the western slope of the Rockies, whose great mineral wealth has already ])een demonstrated by pioneer miners. Pack horses are easily procurable at Calgary and Edmonton, at moderate prices, which, however, are increasing on account of the demand for them. They range from $20 to $40 each for animals weighing from 800 to l.OOO pounds. The North-West (Tovernment has undertaken to improve still further the means of getting into the Peace river country. The Government are widening the pack trails into roads and building bridges over streams. The water communicaticn will also be more generally used in view of the improved facdities and increased number of vessels available. The Hudson Bay Company have used the Mackenzie river The Bummer less, as there Edmonton to 260 miles 240 " 120 •' 160 '• 170 " 220 '• 172 «' 342 miles om Edmonton 8 all heading Athabasca to waters of the journey is via L'lly river, and Dawson City. 3a and Cassiar to explore the umerous gold- great mineral Pack horses )derate prices, >r them. They 800 to 1.000 improve still mntry. The ilding bridges ore generally ber of vessels ickenzie river v! for nearly 200 years and still have a line of steamers on it carrying thou- sands of tons of freight into the tiorthern country every year, A Chicago company is now building a lino of steamers at Athabasca landing to carry passengers and freight into the Peace river country. Throuifhout the whole of this section of Canada the Hudson's Bav Company', the pioneer trading corporation of the Creat North-West, has posts, at which miners and other supplies of all kinds can be purchased at reasonable rates, Maintenance of Law and Order. In every part of the Peace-Klondike district law is enforced and the lives and property of miners and settlers are adequately protected by the strong arm of the law. The Peace river country is under the direct government of the North-West Legislature, which is devoting money and energy to the de- velopment of its rich resources, mining and agricultural alike. In addition to the regular government officers, the Canadian Mounted Police has posts at principal points, and magistrates and other judiciary authori- ties strictly enforce the law without fear or favor. In these respects the miners and farmers throughout the Peace region enjoy equal pro- tection with the citizens of the Province of Ontario or any state in the Kepublic, The Klondike is included in the Yukon Territory. The chief official is known as the " Commissioner of the Yukon Ter- ritory." All the government officials, with the exception of the Judge of the Supreme Court, are under his control, and any one of them may be suspended by him for cause. The detachment of North-West Mounted Police stationed in the Yukon territory is under his orders, and he is given ample powers to enable him to meet any difficulty that may arise, without having to wait for authority from the Federal Government. Other officers include a Gold Commissioner, Judge, Registrar of Lands, Customs Officers and a large detachment of tlie North-West Mounted Police. A draft of permanent militia is to be sent into the country this year, and in conjunction with the police, will preserve law and order at all points throughout this region. Improved Railway Facilities. There are excellent prospects of the railway being continued north from Edmonton this year. At the session of the Dominion Parlia- 10 inent in 1896, the Town of Edmonton procured a charter for a railway under the name of the Edmonton District Railway, to run from Edmon- ton to the Athabasca at Fort Assinihoine. This Session the charter will bo extended authori/inj( the railway to bo built to the Peace river, at Peace river crossing, thence to the Liard, and onward to the navigable waters of the Pelly-Yukon. The charter has been acquired by a wealthy English syndicate, of which Col. Doniville, M.P., is managing director, and as the road will be run through a valuable auriferous territorv it cannot fail to assist in attracting thousands of people to this district. A railway and traffic bridge, to cost ^125,000, is at present under construction across the Saskatchewan river at Edmonton. For official information respecting mining regulations anti homesteads, application should be made direct to the Departmf of the Interior, Ottawa. l!^-' Is "*ter for a railway '■"" f'-om EJino.i- i»o charter will be '0 river, at Peace vigiihle waters of ^voaltl.y English •«-'etor, and as tJie if cann(,t fail to It present under t emulations arid le Departing