{"1": {"fulltext": "1\\nWBm\\nmSSSk\\nhBHK\\nffift\u00c2\u00a3\\nm\\nHP\\nHi\\nMBHaBgR\\nHI\\nHffi\\nillalllil\\ningwi\\nJ lilll\\nHHH! 11I%\\n^HH\\nMBH8m HWWBHB\\nB^", "height": "3948", "width": "2596", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "y\\nCv\\nv\\nC\\nc\\nc\\n1.\\nX c\\nCCl* c\\nc c\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0tec\\nv\\nC\\nLIBRARY OF CONGRESS.\\n[SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT.]\\nJ UNITED STATES OF AMER\\nERICA\\nC c\\nc\\nc\\nr\\nC C v\\nc\\nc C\\nC\\nI\\nc C C\\n\u00c2\u00abr c\\nCC CX\\nv\\ncc C\\nC\\nc c\\nc\\nc c\\nc\\nc\\nc\\nc\\nC\\nc\\nc_\\nc\\ncc\\nex\\nc\\nCC\\nC\\nc\\nCC\\n\u00c2\u00abE\\nctr^\\na\\nx\\nc\\nV\\nSL\\nx\\ni^", "height": "3999", "width": "2587", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "c\u00c2\u00abc\\n1\\nc\\nc\\nc\\niX\\nc\\nc\\nc\\nc\\nC cC\\nC rc\\nC c\\nc C\\nc c\\nc c c\\nr i C\\n\u00c2\u00abCL C\\nc a\\nex\\nc\u00c2\u00a3C CC\\nC C C\\nc c c\\nc C C i\\nc\\nCc\\nc c\\nC\\ncc CO\\nLC cc\\nCC C\\nc\\nc ^c\\nc e ec Cf g\\nv C \u00c2\u00abL_* f\\ncc :\u00c2\u00abc.c\\nCC \u00c2\u00abCJC\\nc c c\\nc C Cc\\ncx c \u00c2\u00abc\\nc C\\nc c_X\\nC r CC\\nt\\ncc c\\ncc C\\ncc C CC\\nCC ^C\\nc r- t\\nc\\nc_\\nCr WtT\\ncat\\nc\\n\u00c2\u00abc\\nsc c\\ni\\nr \u00c2\u00ab*T *cC\\nc i \u00c2\u00abC c\\nK\\n.^r\\n^c?c\\nC \u00c2\u00abC C\\nCC \u00c2\u00abr C\\nC ^L\u00c2\u00ab\\nc c \u00c2\u00abcc\\nC C C\\nC C \u00c2\u00abtc\\nC \u00c2\u00abSL\\nc\\nc c\\nr CCC\u00c2\u00ab,CC/\\nCC cc\u00c2\u00abCC Cc\\ntjc Cc\\ncCuCCCC\\nc \u00c2\u00abC\u00c2\u00abCCt\\nc^\u00c2\u00abCcc\\nC i CC ^g.^\\nl c c\u00c2\u00abCC-.y;\\nCCCCC", "height": "3899", "width": "2574", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "THE RED RIVER COUNTRY,\\nHUDSON S BAY AND NORTH-WEST\\nTERRITORIES,\\nCONSIDERED\\nIN RELATION TO CANADA", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2269", "width": "5408", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0012.jp2"}, "13": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0013.jp2"}, "14": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3915", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0014.jp2"}, "15": {"fulltext": "THE\\nEED RIVER COUNTRY,\\nHUDSON S BAY NORTH-WEST\\nTERRITORIES,\\nCONSIDERED\\nIN KELATION TO CANADA,\\nWITH THE LAST REPORT OF S. J. DAWSON, ESQUIRE, C. E., ON THE LINE OF ROUTE\\nBETWEEN LAKE SUPERIOR AND THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT.\\nILLUSTRATED BY A MAP. f\\nV:\\nBY ALEX. J. RUSSELL, C. E.,\\nINSPECTOR OF CROWN TIMBER AGENCIES, CANADA EAST AND WEST.\\nOTTAWA:\\nPUBLISHED BY G. E. DESBARATS\\n1869.\\nK", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0015.jp2"}, "16": {"fulltext": "Entered, according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year One Thousand E ight Hundred\\nand Sixty-nine,\\nBY GEORGE E. DESBARATS,\\nin the Office of tlte Minister of Agriculture.\\nPRINTED BY THE\\nGLOBE PRINTING COMPANY,\\nTORONTO,", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0016.jp2"}, "17": {"fulltext": "PREFACE\\nThis Pamphlet is intended to present such a summary of the*\\ninformation, given by different writers, respecting the Eed Eiver.\\nHudson s Bay and North-West Territories, arranged under their\\nnatural geographical divisions, as may be sufficient to give a general\\nview of their character and comparative- value to Canada.\\nIt will be seen by the Table of Contents that I have endeavoured\\nto present a practical view of the reasons why we require these\\nTerritories, or part of them; also, of our means of maintaining\\ncommunication with them, and of the comparative superiority of\\nthe routes through our own Territory as highways for the future\\ncommerce of the interior, and for communication with the Pacific\\nProvinces.\\nA. J. EUSSELL.\\nOttawa, 1868.", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0017.jp2"}, "18": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3781", "width": "2397", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0018.jp2"}, "19": {"fulltext": "CONTENTS.\\nCHAPTER I.\\nINTRODUCTION.\\nSubjects to be considered, indicated. Total extent of Hudson s Bay and North-\\nWest Territories. They resemble Russia in Europe. Canada, with them\\nadded to it, will much exceed European Russia in extent, equal it in fertil-\\nity, and much exceed it in maritime advantages which have- been greatly\\nincreased by Confederation with the Eastern Provinces. Great increase of\\nshipping and seamen thereby. Importance of adjoining territories to Canada.\\nEvil of undervaluing even inferior territories. Territories to be con-\\nsidered, classified 1\\nCHAPTER II.\\nEAST MAIN, OR THE PENINSULA OF LABRADOR.\\nExtent. Parts appertaining to Canada, Newfoundland, and Hudson s Bay\\nCompany. Early discovery of it. Physical Character. Wooded and\\nbarren parts Resembles Lapland. Vegetables grow in south parts only.\\nMain Factory. Hamilton Inlet; farm there. Valuable fisheries on Atlantic\\ncoast. Less so on west coast, except for seals 6\\nCHAPTER III.\\nsouth Hudson s bay territory.\\nExtent. Physical character. Broad Silurian Plain around Hudson s Bay with\\nclay soil. Rocky Laurentian formation covers southern and western half\\nafter passing through Canada. Laurentide Range described. Declines in\\nheight northward. Favorable passage through it for Railway to Red\\nRiver. Climate at York Factory. Cultivation at Albany and Moose Forts,\\nbarley, potatoes and vegetables; also, at Posts of Henly, Martin s Falls,\\nOsnaburg, on Albany River and Lac Seule, with oats and wheat at\\nNew Brunswick House, on Moose River. Seasons at Martin s Falls.\\nCultivation at Norway House, Lake Winnipeg, and of wheat and Indian\\ncorn at Fort Alexander and Lake of the woods. Boundary of Silurian Basin", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0019.jp2"}, "20": {"fulltext": "Vlll.\\nof Hudson s Bay. Fertile belt and good climate for wheat on Rainy\\nRiver. Wheat and Indian corn at Islington. Climate of south part equal\\nto Lower Canada for cultivation. South half of this section equal to Finland\\nfor cultivation, and twice as large. Has timber of value and rich\\nfisheries. Water communication to Hudson s Bay. Ultimate value of this\\nterritory. Errors through prejudice in such matters\\nCHAPTER IV.\\nnorth Hudson s bay territory, or barren ground.\\nBoundaries and extent. Valueless. Extreme barrenness. Arctic vegetation.\\nReindeer and Musk Ox. Possible metallic wealth 21\\nCHAPTER V.\\nNORTH 3l KENZIE RIVER COUNTRY.\\nExtent. Physical character. Severe climate. Fertile soil. Coal and tim-\\nber. Crops and temperature at Fort Simpson. Barley, c. South half\\nequal to Vologda, in Russia, in extent and for cultivation. River McKen-\\nzie. Posfnble value of its navigation to Arctic whale fisheries. Sir Alex.\\nMc Kenzie s voyage in discovery of it. Great abundance of lignite coal.\\nProbable future value of this territory. Products and exports of Vologda\\nand Archangel 22\\nCHAPTER VI.\\nFELLY RIVER AND FOUNTAIN COUNTRY.\\nExtent and physical character resemble Sweden and Norway, but United\\nStates own the coast. Alpine character, Rocky Mountains and other\\nranges impregnable as a barrier. Great elevation of interior and extreme\\ncold of winter, but summer sufficient for growth of barley throughout.\\nTemperatures at Fort Youcan, Pelly s Banks, and Sitka compared, and\\nSitka with Montreal. Humid and temperate climate of coast. Better a\\nlittle inland and in south part. Explorations there.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Tracts of good\\nland. Indian cultivation. Immense coal bed. Abundance of salmon.\\nRich gold fi el ds, and valual le timber forests 26\\nCHAPTER VII.\\nCENTRAL rilAIRIE COUNTRY, OR RED RIVER, SASKATCHEWAN AND PEACE RIVER\\nTERRITORY.\\nPosition and extent. Suitableness for cultivation equal to Canada. Import-\\nance of it to Canada. Topographical character.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 -Is part of great central\\nplain of Silurian and more recent formations. Prevalence of limestone-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0020.jp2"}, "21": {"fulltext": "IX.\\nalong ea^t side and in Rocky Mountains. Sir Rodk. Murchison s opinion.\\nVast beds of lignite coal extending along the base of the mountains.\\nForm and natural divisions by river systems, and their areas. General\\nfeatures as to elevation. Gradual ascent of plain to Rocky Mountains.\\nCharacter and elevation of them. Glacier nucleus at sources of Saskatche-\\nwan, Athabasca and River Columbia. Height of the interior. Is an ele-\\nvated basin, bounded on three sides by higher grounds. Is a thousand feet\\nlower than U.S. territory adjoining. Prairie lands prevail over woods in\\nsouth parts, and woods over prairie in north 30\\nCHAPTER VIII.\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY CONTINUED LAKE AND RIVER WINNIPEG, LAKE OF\\nTHE WOODS, RED RIVER, AND COUNTRY BETWEEN THEM.\\nLake Winnipeg, position, dimensions and elevation. Divides Silurian and\\nLaurentian formations. Character of its navigation and navigable extent\\nof tributaries connected with it. River Winnipeg, extent. Equal to the\\nRhine in volume. Lake of the Woods, Rough country below it on River\\nWinnipeg. Fertile patches.-*\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Fort Alexander in large fertile tract at mouth.\\nFlat country between Lake of the Woods and Red River. Extensive shal-\\nlow marshes near the lake are undrained prairies. Descent to Red River.\\nCountry generally marshy. Wooded till near it. Red River. Length.\\nNavigation. Rich alluvial prairie far on each side. Timber along its\\nbanks 38\\nCHAPTER IX.\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY CONTINUED RIVER ASSINIBOINE INFERTILE\\nREGION ON ITS BRANCHES, THE SOURIS AND QU APPELLE.\\nRiver Assiniboine. Description of its course. Small volume of it and its\\ntributaries, Souris and Qu Appelle, and the cause. Great Infertile Region\\non Souris and Qu Appelle, generally destitute of wood. Has apparently ex-\\ntensive, partly wooded, and fertile tracts in it. Description of them 42.\\nCHAPTER X.\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY CONTINUED FERTILE REGION ON THE ASSINIBOINE.\\nRich alluvial prairie of Red River, extends 70 miles up the Assiniboine to\\nSand Hills. Fertile land above them on right hand, and infertile on left,\\nfor 150 miles up. Then rich and beautiful country on both sides of vast\\nextent and partially wooded, reaching north to wooded country near Main\\nSaskatchewan, and from Riding and Duck Mountains westward, to and over\\nthe Touchwood Hills, described in detail. It joins great fertile region on\\nMain and North Branch of Saskatchewan 46", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0021.jp2"}, "22": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XL\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY CONTINUED LAKES MANITOBAH AND WINEPEGOOS,\\nRED DEER AND SWAN RIVER, RIDING, DUCK, AND PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS.\\nLakes Manitobah and Winepegoos. Position and extent. Outlet little\\nSaskatchewan. Peninsula between them and Lake Winnipeg. Wooded,\\nMarshy, little known. Country around the lakes, chiefly wooded. Red\\nDeer River. Fertile wooded country. Swan River. Rich prairie land on\\nit described. Riding, Duck and Porcupine Mountains. Position. Extent.\\nElevation and soil. Extensive inland navigation through Lakes Manitobah\\nand Winepegoos 49\\nCHAPTER XII.\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY CONTINUED RIVER SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS\\nCOUNTRY.\\nRiver Saskatchewan. Course. Length. Area .drained. Volume, compared\\nwith European rivers. River, and country on it, described in detail\\nupwards. Mouth. Grand Rapids. Cedar Lake. Low marshy country.\\nPasquia, Pas Mission. Cumberland House. Excellent land to great extent.\\nFort a la Corne. Rich, mixed and wooded and prairie country southward to\\nthe Assiniboine of vast extent. Carrot River 53\\nCHAPTER XIII.\\nSOUTH BRANCH OF THE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nDimensions and current at Forks. Rich land and abundent woods continue.\\nChanges to light treeless prairie at 130 miles up from Forks. At 210 miles\\nthe Elbow in Great Infertile Region. Rich tract at Moose Woods, Thunder\\nBreeding Mountain. Eyebrow Mountains and Cypress Hills. Infertile for\\n500 miles, with some exceptions. Description by Captain Palliser. Red\\nDeer Fork, extent. Fertile country on upper half; coal on it. South\\nSaskatchewan, navigable up to this by steamers. Fertile and generally\\nwooded country towards Rocky Mountains, described. Rich winter pastur-\\nage on great extent of Saskatchewan, and little snow 57\\nCHAPTER XIV.\\nNORTH BRANCH OF THE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nSuperior fertility of country on North Branch of Saskatchewan and the Battle\\nRiver throughout. Rich prairie, interspersed with wood. Thick wood\\ncountry towards Rocky Mountains, and coal. Detailed description 61", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0022.jp2"}, "23": {"fulltext": "XI\\nCHAPTER XV.\\nNAVIGATION OF THE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nNavigable from head of Grand Rapids, near Lake Winnipeg, to Torbern s\\nFalls. Above theni to Cole s Falls for steamers. No interruption thence to\\nEdmonton, and probably thence to near Rocky Mountains. Compared with\\nthe Rhone and Rhine and Ohio 63\\nCHAPTER XVI.\\nPROPORTION OF FERTILE LANDS ON SOUTH HALF OF CENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY.\\nCapt. Palliser s estimate of proportion of fertile and arable and infertile\\nlands explored, and description. Is limited to country south of line of\\nstrong woods. Does not include north half of central prairie country.\\nFinds fertile land equal to three times the size of Upper Canada from\\nKingston to Sarnia. Great infertile region. Difference of opinion as to its\\nvalue. Compared with Perpetual Steppes of Russia 65\\nCHAPTER XVII.\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY NORTH HALF, BEAVER RIVER.\\nBeaver River, length of course. Part only in this territory Drains part of\\nthe same Silurian plain as the Saskatchewan Same formation and soil, but\\nwith little prairie. Cultivation. Rich fisheries 68\\nCHAPTER XVIII.\\nRIVER ATHABASCA AND COUNTRY.\\nRiver Athabasca. Source in mountains. Course, length. Majestic stream.\\nFluid Bitumen. Mr. Pond s garden. Limestone prevalent and bitumen.\\nLignite coal. Prairies interspersed continuously. Extracts of D. Thomp-\\nson s journal describing country and climate. River Athabasca and Pem-\\nbina. Rich soil. Rich coal bed on Pembina. Beautiful scene and prairie\\nground at Methy Portage 69\\nCHAPTER XIX.\\nPEACE RIVER.\\nPeace River source beyond the Rocky Mountains. Course, length. Is main\\nbranch of McKenzie. Delta and country up to falls generally wooded\\nand low. Extensive prairies each side.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Higher above the falls, good", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0023.jp2"}, "24": {"fulltext": "Xll\\nsoil. Character of river, deep.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 And high plain country. Beautiful\\nmeadows. Early spring. Animals and woods described by McKenzie in\\nL792. D. Thompson s meteorological observations, 1803. Favorable cli-\\nmate. Prairies and rich soil towards Rocky Mountains. Limestone\\nprevalent in river bed and mountains. Heavy woods. Description of\\n73\\nCHAPTER XX.\\nSLAVE RIVER, HAY RIVER, AND RIVER OF TEE MOUNTAINS.\\nSlave River is main McKenzie R. Touches N.E. corner of central Prairie\\ncountry. Rich black mould with heavy woods towards river. Rich pasture\\nplains behind. Countr} said to be suitable for farming, but cold. Hay\\nRiver on north boundary assumed for Central Prairie country. Its branches.\\nAgreeable mixture of prairie and woodlands frequented by vast bands of\\nBuffaloes. River of the Mountains. Traverses Rocky Mountains and\\nN.W. corner of this section. Limestone country. Cultivated crops at\\nFort Liard, lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0N., barley, oats, wheat and pototoes 77\\nCHAPTER XXI.\\nCLIMATE OF CENTRAL PRAIRIE COUNTRY\u00e2\u0080\u0094 FITNESS FOR CULTIVATION\u00e2\u0080\u0094 CROPS\\nRAISED.\\nGeneral observations. Increase of heat towards Pacific\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Great extremes in\\ninterior. Absence of extremes on Pacific. Temperature at various points\\ncompared. Comparative Table of monthly means of several places in\\ncentral Prairie country and Canada and Maritime provinces, for seven sum-\\nmer and five winter months. Climate of north and south Saskatchewan.\\nDepth of snow, various parts. Valuable summer heat and favorable surface\\nand soil for cultivation. Extraordinary wheat crops of Red River and Assini-\\nboine. Other crops there 78\\nCHAPTER XXII.\\nCOAL, PETROLEUM, AND BUILDING MATERIAL.\\nFuture supply of building timber considered. Wood abundant in north\\nparts. Less so in south. Forests on Lake and River Winnipeg, Riding\\nMountain range and on head waters of Saskatchewan. Wood sufficient at\\npresent in valleys of streams, c. Kinds and quality of it considered.\\nPeat. Lignite coal and bitumen. Various localities where they abound.\\nComparative table of calorific values of European lignites, peat, woods\\nand Newcastle coal 87", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0024.jp2"}, "25": {"fulltext": "Xlll\\nCHAPTER XXIII.\\nINDUCEMENTS OFFERED BY PRAIRIE LANDS TO SETTLERS.\\nSaving of the time and labor lost in clearing land of timber stumps and\\nStones. Cost of that estimated. Great scope for cultivation, and unlimited\\nhay and pasture at commencement to settlers. Open for extension of\\nsettlement everywhere without the heavy cost of grubbing roads through\\nwoods necessary in Canada 95\\nCHAPTER XXIV.\\nWHY WE REQUIRE THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES.\\nBecause our own vacant lands are inadequate in quantity and quality to\\nreceive continued immigration on a large scale. To give ns prairie lands\\nfor those who prefer them. To save our timber forests from unnecessary\\nrapid destruction. To extend our commerce and manufactures, and give\\nincreased employment for shipping. Interest of the Maritime Provinces in\\nthis 98\\nCHAPTER XXY.\\nOUR VACANT TERRITORIES AND SETTLING REGIONS IN CANADA, CONSIDERED.\\n1. The Ottawa Country and Ottawa and Huron Territory, considered in detail.\\n2. The North Shore of Lake Huron. 3. St. Maurice Territory. 4. Saguenay\\nTerritory. 5. Eastern Townships. 6. South Shore below Quebec. 7. Bona-\\nventure, Gaspe and Restigouche, including part in New Brunswick.\\nUnsuitable to attract and receive extensive immigration. Value for native\\nenterprise, from mineral and other resources 99\\nCHAPTER XXVI.\\nVALUE OF TIMBER FORESTS AND LUMBER TRADE TO THE PROVINCES, CON-\\nSIDERED.\\nEstimated annual outlay in lumber trade in Upper and Lower Canada. Great\\nexpenditure for farm produce and labor. Encourages settlement by great\\ndemand and high prices. Gives employment and trade in shipping ports,\\nand much freight for shipping. Forms chief remittance to Europe.\\nExceeds in value all other real products of Canada exported Ill\\nCHAPTER XXVII.\\nROUTES TO THE RED RIVER COUNTRY CONSIDERED AND COMPARED.\\nRoute by Sea and Hudson s Bay. Dog Lake and Hudson s Bay Company.\\nCanoe Route noV being opened and improved, described in detail 117", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0025.jp2"}, "26": {"fulltext": "XIV\\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\\nULTIMATE CANAL AND RAILROAD COMBINED ROUTES TO RAINY LAKE AND RED\\nRIVER, BY STURGEON LAKE AND BY RIVIERE LA SEINE.\\nDescription in detail.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Superior character of water communication. Cost of\\ncannalling lakes and rivers compared with that of railways 123\\nCHAPTER XXIX.\\nCOMPARISON OF SEVERAL KNOWN AND PROPOSED ROUTES TO RED RIVER, INCLUD-\\nING THE FOREGOING.\\nSynoptic Table of lengths and description. Estimated cost of movement of\\nfreight by each 1 33\\nCHAPTER XXX.\\nDIRECT INTERIOR RAILWAY ROUTE BY THE OTTAWA FROM MONTREAL TO RED RIVER.\\nUltimate utility of it to interior. Habitable country in connexion with\\nOttawa Canal 137\\nCHAPTER XXXI.\\nROUTE TO THE PACIFIC BY RED RIVER AND BRITISH COLUMBIA.\\nDescribed and compared with other routes 143\\nCHAPTER XXXII.\\nMUTUAL IMPORTANCE OF UNION OF CANADA AND BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND OPEN-\\nING OF INTERIOR ROUTE OF COMMUNICATION.\\nCommand of the traffic of the interior would be secured to the Pacific and\\nAtlantic Provinces. Distance from Liverpool to Chinese ports shorter than\\nby American Pacific Railway, and transport cheaper, being more by water.\\nImportance of Ottawa Canal in reducing distance* and cost of transport to\\nBritish and American States and Territories and the Pacific 147", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0026.jp2"}, "27": {"fulltext": "XV\\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\\nINTERESTS OF CANADA, THE HUDSON S BAY COMPANY AND THE INDIANS, COULD\\nBE COMBINED.\\nCharter of the Hudson s Bay Company does not validly cover the territory\\nwe desire, though their lease of Indian Territories does, while it lasts.\\nThat Territory is still the property of the Crown and the Indians. Com-\\npany s occupation creditable to them and beneficial generally. Final ad-\\nvantage of liberal arrangement with them and with the Indians, especially\\nfor the care and protection of the latter 150\\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\\nCOMPARATIVE VALUE OP THE SEVERAL SECTIONS OF TERRITORY TO CANADA\\nAND CONCLUSION 155\\nINDEX OE SUBJECTS\\nIN REPORT OX THE LINE OF ROUTE BETWEEN LAKE SUPERIOR AND THE\\nRED RIVER SETTLEMENT.\\nPAGE.\\nRed River Expedition (reference to) 161\\nLake Superior Section 165\\nLake Region 171\\nLake of the Woods Division 178\\nFort Garry Section 179\\nEstimate Cost of Works 182\\nProbable Traffic ........184\\nMeans of Transport 185\\nResources Timber, Minerals, c 189\\nOther methods of opening communication .190\\nSystem of work by contract or otherwise 192\\nIndian Element 194\\nAgricultural Resources 198\\nThe Work of Last Summer 200\\nMr. J. W. Bridgland s Report (reference to) 201", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0027.jp2"}, "28": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0028.jp2"}, "29": {"fulltext": "THE RED RIVER COUNTRY,\\nHUDSON S BAY NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES,\\nCONSIDERED IN RELATION TO CANADA.\\nCHAPTER I.\\nINTRODUCTION.\\nAbout two years ago an eminent Canadian statesman told us\\nthat Her Majesty had been graciously pleased to express her\\nwillingness to consent to the acquisition, by Canada, of all the\\ngreat northern and north-west territories of British North America.\\nSince then the British North America Act has been passed,\\nerecting the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick\\ninto the Dominion of Canada, and providing for the union of\\nthese territories with it, by Her Majesty, on an Address from the\\nParliament of Canada, expressing conditions she may approve of;\\nand both Houses of Parliament of the Dominion have addressed\\nHer Majesty praying her action accordingly.\\nAs paying any just claim of the Hudson s Bay Company for\\nany interest or right of property, that may be acquired from them,\\nwill be a condition in the transaction, it is desirable that we should\\nendeavour to form a correct estimate of the value of these terri-\\ntories to us.\\nIn doing so we have to consider their extent and character and\\nwhat use we can make of them to inquire if we need them or\\nany part of them, and for what purposes and of what importance\\nultimately they may be to us as respects the great objects aimed at\\nby the Confederation we have entered into.\\nWe have also to consider what is the best way of getting in to\\nthem if we can have such a way on our own ground and at all\\nseasons of the year, and if the ways of communication through\\nour own ground will be the best for the freight and travel of these\\nterritories.\\nThese heads cover a wide range of matter. Without professing\\nto enter fully into them, we may take a brief glance at the subjects\\nof them, and endeavor to put a few facts together as to what is\\nknown of this great northern part of the continent of America, of\\nwhich it seems destined that we are to have the control.\\n1", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0029.jp2"}, "30": {"fulltext": "If we include all the vast region heretofore held by the Hudson s\\nBay Company, alike under its charter and its lease of Indian terri-\\ntory, which has not been renewed since its expiration in 1859, the\\nextent is very great indeed. It embraces all the northern part of\\nthis continent, from the boundary of Labrador to that of Eussian\\nAmerica, lying north of Canada, the United States and British\\nColumbia. It is three thousand miles in length from East to West,\\nand fourteen hundred miles in breadth from North to South and\\nhas an area of about two millions two hundred and ten thousand\\nsuperficial miles.\\nIf its value could be measured by its magnitude it would be\\nenormous but such as it is, it is not much inferior in natural\\nvalue to Russia in Europe, which it more than equals in extent\\nand in many respects resembles in character.\\nRussia in Europe sustains a population of sixty-nine millions\\nof souls. If this territory of ours be only half as good, it may\\nsustain a population somewhat over the thirty millions Lord\\nSelkirk estimated it as capable of supporting.\\nIf this great territory be added to our Confederation, together\\nwith Vancouver s Island, British Columbia, Prince Edward s Island\\nand Newfoundland, with Labrador, the Dominion of Canada will\\nthen include an area of upwards of three millions of superficial\\nmiles. That is more than three-quarters of the area of the\\nEuropean continent, or one-half greater than Russia in Europe\\nin extent.\\nBesides much exceeding Russia in Europe in extent of territory,\\nCanada, when so augmented, will possess immensely greater\\nmaritime advantages. Instead of being almost excluded from\\nthe ocean, like that great country, she will have, on the Pacific,\\ntwelve hundred and fifty miles of the coast line of British Colum-\\nbia and Vancouver s Island, open to navigation at all seasons\\nbesides three thousand seven hundred and fifty miles of coast,\\nsouth of Latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0, on the Atlantic and Gulf of St. Lawrence,\\n(a great part of it open to navigation in winter,) exclusive of bays\\nand inlets, and the estuary of the St. Lawrence; possessing also\\nthat mighty river, and eighteen hundred miles of coast on its\\ngreat lakes; far surpassing any river in European Russia in\\nimportance as a commercial outlet. Without the St. Lawrence\\nthe Saskatchewan is equivalent to the Volga, and the ports of\\nYork and Moose Factory, and others in Hudson s and James Bay,\\nare naturally about equal to Archangel in value as means of\\naccess to the ocean, though as yet used only for the traffic of the\\nHudson s Bay Company.\\nTo avoid seeming to base our comparison, merely on territorial\\nextent we may carry it a little further", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0030.jp2"}, "31": {"fulltext": "3\\nOf the four hundred and two millions of decatines, (of about\\ntwo and one-seventh English acres each,) forming the total area of\\nEussia in Europe, M. Schnitzler, in his Essai Statistique de la\\nEussie, estimates that the whole of the cultivated lands and\\nthe meadows taken together, does not exceed sixty-seven and a\\nhalf millions, or about one-sixth part of the surface and by the\\nOfficial Returns made about the time he wrote, the average yield\\nwas four and a half fold to one of rye sown, and nearly four to\\none of wheat.\\nXo doubt an equal proportion, at least, of the total area of our\\nProvinces and Territories taken together is fit for cultivation, if\\nreturns like these be taken as the lowest standard; but if even one-\\ntwelfth part, instead of one-sixth of it, be capable of yielding the\\ngeneral average returns of Lower and Upper Canada, which by the\\nlast census are from two and a half to three and a half times as\\ngreat as these rates, the ultimate productive capacity of our Do-\\nminion and territories will probably be one-half greater than that\\nof Eussia in Europe, even if fifty per cent, were added to her\\nrates of produce mentioned. We have good grounds, therefore, for\\nassuming that the comparison as to extent of territory and its\\ncapacity to sustain population is rather in our favor.\\nAs to the value of our maritime advantages, we have no need\\nto rest on calculations of what may be, or estimates of future\\nprogress for the result. The Dominion has afloat to-day a com-\\nmercial navy, that, in tonnage and number of men far surpasses\\nthat of the Russian Empire, exceeding that of any other continental\\npower of the old world, excepting France, which it nearly equals.*\\nIn respect to this it is proper to remember that the Maritime\\nProvinces, in confederating with Canada, have augmented her\\nimportance and power in a degree immensely exceeding the\\nmere proportion of their population or extent of their territory.\\nThey have given her an ample sea-board, thickly studded with\\nexcellent harbours, coal fields nearly as extensive as those of\\nGreat Britain, and many thousands of hardy, skilful sea-faring\\nmen, who, to use the language of Governor Andrews in his\\nXote, since the above was writtex.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Merchant Navies of Europe from\\nThe Statesman s Year Book for 1868. Great Britain, 5,452,862 tons France,\\n1,008,084 tons; Italy, 660,662 tons; Russia, including Finland, 365,000 tons in\\n1866 Dominion of Canada, by Canadian Parliamentary return on 1st July, 1867,\\n776,343 tons.\\nAdd for Guysboro, c, not in return 36,000\\n812,343\\nNewfoundland in 1866, by Canadian Year Book 83,204\\nPrince Edward s Island in 1865 do 30,549\\n926,096 tons.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0031.jp2"}, "32": {"fulltext": "report to Congress on the British Provinces, from their superior\\nintelligence and bodily vigour, and their experience in the naviga-\\ntion of cold and stormy coasts, are the best of seamen, and well\\nqualified to maintain the honor of their flag on every sea.\\nThe Dominion, though but in the beginning of her power, owns\\nalready about 800,000 of tons of shipping bearing a proportion\\nof about twenty per cent, to her population, while that of Great\\nBritain, the greatest maritime power in the world, without her\\ncolonies, is only about eighteen per cent, per head.\\nWe see, therefore, that we have before us a greater and more\\nadvantageous field, as a basis of future national prosperity and\\npower, than that on which has risen that empire whose greatness\\nhas not a little intimidated Europe, and has been supposed to\\nthreaten her independence. In view of this fact, with superior\\ncivilization and institutions in our favor we may surely hope to\\ndevelop at least equally advantageous results from the territories\\nat our command and their resource. though less arrogant in our\\npretensions.\\nThis comparison is made for the purpose of showing that we\\nhave now no longer to look on outlying territories with that indif-\\nference with which they might have been regarded when our\\nautonomy was limited to that of a single province, to which they\\nmight stand in little or no closer relation than a foreign land, but\\nas integers, the utmost value of which will ultimately go to swell\\nthe balance in favor of our national strength and prosperity.\\nIn that view, while drawing the distinction broadly between\\nwhat is immediately of high value to us, for the extension of\\nsettlement, by our present standard of the value of lands for that\\npurpose, we must also take into account not only the inferior por-\\ntions capable of any degree of agricultural occupation, in future\\ntime, under the influence of increasing demand and improved\\nmeans of communication, but also regions which have no other\\nvalue than that which their fisheries, their metals and other mineral\\nresources may be found to present.\\nWe have already had a little experience of the error of under-\\nvaluing territory, under the idea that we had land enough without\\nit. Many were indifferent to the loss, some years ago, of what was\\ncalled the disputed territory, on the head waters of the Eiver\\nSt. John of New Brunswick but now we find that our railroad\\nto Halifax, in order to avoid going straight through that territory,\\nhas to be made a hundred miles longer than it otherwise would\\nhave been; adding about six millions of dollars to the cost of\\nmaking it, and about a dollar and a half for ever to the freight of\\nevery ton of goods passing over it. We are now making coloni-\\nzation roads to let settlers into the scraps left us of that territory,", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0032.jp2"}, "33": {"fulltext": "and the loss of it lias seriously weakened our frontier. Our ex-\\nperience in this instance should be a warning to us against under-\\nvaluing our opportunity of acquiring useful territory now.\\nIn briefly describing the great Northern Territory of British\\nAmerica, it may be divided into the following sections, partly on\\naccount of their distinct natural character or geographical position,\\nand partly for convenience in speaking of them.\\n1st. East Main or the Peninsula of Labrador.\\n2nd. South Hudson s Bay Territory,\u00e2\u0080\u0094 between that Bay and\\nLakes Winnipeg and Athabasca, from the northern\\nwater-shed of the St. Lawrence to lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0 K\\n3rd. North Hudson s Bay Territory or Barren Ground, extend-\\ning from the preceding to the Arctic Ocean.\\n4th. The McKenzie Biver country, from lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0 N., to the\\nArctic Ocean,\\noth. The Pelly Biver or Mountain Territory, embracing all\\nnorth of British Columbia from the crest of the\\nBocky Mountains to Bussian America.\\n6th. The Bed Biver, Saskatchewan and Beace Biver Country,\\nor Central Prairie Land, extending from the Lake\\nof the Woods and Lakes Winnipeg and Athabasca\\nto the Bocky Mountains, and from the United States\\nboundary, lat. 49\u00c2\u00b0 K up to lat, 60 Q K\\nThe last of these divisions only is of great and immediate im-\\nportance to us, for the extension of settlement and commerce, and\\nfor the command of communication to the Pacific Ocean; objects\\nalike eminently important for the expansion and consolidation of\\nnational power.\\nBefore proceeding to consider its value in relation to Canada,\\nand the means of communicating with it, the other sections men-\\ntioned may be briefly noticed. Though now only of value for their\\nfur trade, and of little or no interest beyond that, at present, except-\\ning to naturalists and other men of science, we are unable, to say\\nthat they may not, in future, become of some importance for their\\nmineral wealth or other natural resources, now unknown or un-\\navailable.*\\nNote. Since the above was written, British Columbia and Newfoundland\\nhave decided in favor of union with Canada. And it has been agreed between the\\nImperial Government and the Hudson s Bay Company, that Canada is to have all\\nthe territories held or owned by the latter for \u00c2\u00a3300,000, Stg., (which Great Britain\\nguarantees), the Company retaining their trading posts, with an allowance of land\\naround them, and one -twentieth of the land, as sales to settlers take place, for fifty\\nyears; which unites their powerful interest to ours in the tranquillity and speedy\\nsettlement of the country.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0033.jp2"}, "34": {"fulltext": "6\\nCHAPTER II.\\nEAST MAIN, OR THE PENINSULA OF LABRADOR.\\nThis great peninsula, lying between Hudson s Bay and the\\nAtlantic ocean, extends a thousand miles from east to west, be-\\ntween Cape St. Charles, at the entrance of the Straits of Belle-\\nIsle, and James Bay, and eight hundred miles from north to south,\\nfrom Cape Wolstenholme, its northern extremity, to the height of\\nland dividing the waters of Rupert s River from those of the Sague-\\nnay.\\nGeographically it might be described as bounded on the south-\\nwest between James Bay and the mouth of the St. Lawrence, by\\nRupert s River, up to its source, and thence eastward by a line to\\nthe Bay of Seven Islands which would give it an erea of about\\nfour hundred and eighty thousand superficial miles. But the\\nsouthern part of the peninsula of Labrador, facing the Gulf, as far\\neastward as Ance Blanc Sablon, and back to the sources of the\\nrivers falling into the Gulf, belongs to Canada. (Blanc Sablon is\\nninety miles within the eastern entrance of the straits of Belle-Isle.)\\nDeducting this part, the remainder of the Peninsula has an area of\\nabout four hundred and twenty thousand superficial miles, or a\\nlittle more than Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Lapland, taken\\ntogether.\\nThe eastern part of it, facing the straits of Belle-Isle, and the\\nAtlantic, as far northward as the entrance of Ungava Bay, called\\nLabrador in the strictest sense, is under the jurisdiction of New-\\nfoundland. The remainder, which is much the larger part, is held\\nby the Hudson s Bay Company, and is commonly known by the\\nname of East Main.\\nLabrador was first discovered in A.D. 986, by the Northman\\nBearne, the son Heriulf, who called it Helluland it Mikla or\\nGreat slate land, from the stratified rocks (secondary limestone)\\nseen on its coast. It was re-discovered by Sebastin Cabot, and\\nfive years afterwards, in A.D. 1501, it was visited by Corte Beal,\\nwho, with less accuracy, called it Terra Labrador Cultivable or\\nlaborers land, believing it to be so from the growth of trees he\\nsaw upon it.\\nIt is remarkable of this great peninsula, that though it lies next\\nto Europe, and is the first discovered part of the American conti-\\nnent, very little is known of its interior; and that but lately.\\nWhat is known of it, is such as to impress the mind powerfully\\nwith a sense of its vast and stern desolation. From the coldness\\nof its climate and its general sterility, it .seems utterly unfit for\\noccupation by civilized men; except where a scattered population", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0034.jp2"}, "35": {"fulltext": "might live by the fisheries of some parts of its coast; or where its\\nmineral resources may give profitable employment to industry.\\nAs might be expected in so great an extent, it presents consid-\\nerable variety of character. The interior of the eastern part of it,\\nwhere traversed, is found to be a high table land upwards of 2,000\\nfeet above the level of the sea with occasional mountains, rising\\nto 3,000 feet, and some nearly to 4,000 feet. The valleys and lower\\nslopes are covered with spruce, fir, and birch woods, of a moderate\\ngrowth, in favorable positions; the spruce trees in some places\\naveraging eighteen inches in diameter and fifty feet in height;\\nin rare instances they have been found two feet in diameter, even\\nas far north as the Moravian missionary station of Nain, on the\\nAtlantic.\\nMuch of the coast on the Atlantic and the Gulf is utterly barren\\nof timber for many miles inland, and often destitute of soil and\\nmuch of the interior is burned bare to the rock by running fires\\nmore or less recent.\\nAdvancing northward, the trees become more scattered, in\\ngroups, and stunted, till towards its northern extremity, and Hud-\\nson s Straits, it assumes the character of the Arctic Barren\\nGrounds and the Tundrens of Siberia, and is like them the\\nabode of the reindeer, that feed on the lichens and other Arctic\\nvegetation its rocky surface affords.\\nAs to surface, the western part of the peninsula seemingly con-\\ntrasts with the eastern part. It is represented by physical geo-\\ngraphers as being chiefly a plain country, for two hundred miles or\\nmore back from Hudson s Bay.\\nFrom what is known, its geological character seems consider-\\nably varied. The formation of the great Silurian basin of Hud-\\nson s Bay extends in a broad band far into the southern part of the\\nPeninsula, and has even been represented, though doubtless on im-\\nperfect data, as connecting with the limestone formation of the east\\ncoast.\\nThough lying in the same latitude as the British Islands, the\\nclimate of this immense peninsula, taken as a whole, is no better\\nthan that of Lapland; in the northern parts it is even colder. But\\nlike that country, in the most southerly parts, it is such as to admit\\nof the cultivation of vegetables, in favorable situations.\\nMr. Gladman had a good opportunity of observing, during his\\nthirty-one years service in the Hudson s Bay Company. He states\\nin his evidence given to a committee of the Canadian Legislature,\\nthat at East Main Old Factory he raised good potatoes, turnips and\\nother vegetables. East Main Factory is sixty miles north of\\nBupert s Paver. He says further, that a large herd of cattle was\\nkept there, at that time, as a resource in case of the company s ships", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0035.jp2"}, "36": {"fulltext": "wintering in the bay, an abundant supply of hay being made in\\nthe salt marshes on the shores of the bay: that vetches grow wild\\nn the point of the river, and abundance of strawberries and cur-\\nrants.\\nHe says that at Big Biver, a hundred and eighty miles north of\\nRupert s River, potatoes and other vegetables are grown. The cold\\nin winter is evidently intense. He states the lowest degree of\\ntemperature registered by him was 50\u00c2\u00b0 below zero at East Main.\\nHe says that at Rupert House the soil is much better and the sta-\\ntion more sheltered than East Main Factory, or Big Biver, and more\\nfavorable for garden cultivation. The Finish colonists who raised\\nbarley at Alten, (lat. 70\u00c2\u00b0) in Lapland, would no doubt be quite suc-\\ncessful in doing so on the warm rich soil of the Silurian basin at\\nRupert s Biver.\\nThe climate of Hamilton Biver, in the south-eastern angle of the\\npeninsula, is apparently similar. Notwithstanding the lofty, rugged\\nand extremely barren character of the shores of Hamilton inlet,\\ninto which the river falls, Mr. Davis, in an article read before the\\nLiterary and Historical Society of Quebec, speaks of the pleasing\\naspect of the valley of Hamilton Biver, of its being w r ell timbered\\nand having a loamy soil in parts, with some advantage in climate,\\nand mentions the Hudson s Bay Company s farm, where cows, pigs\\nand sheep were kept.\\nIn respect to the growing of garden vegetables, and having\\nforests, such as they are, the southern parts of the peninsula of\\nLabrador much resemble the more favorable part of Lapland.\\nThese facts are not altogether unimportant in connection with\\nthe probable ultimate extension of fishing settlements, or the for-\\nmation of mining establishments, should minerals of value be\\nfound in the confines of the Silurian and Laurentian formations.\\nThat part of the peninsula under the jurisdiction of Newfound-\\nland is evidently very valuable for its fisheries. As early as 1832,\\nthe value of its yearly exports are stated by Mr. McGregor to have\\namounted to upwards of three hundred thousand pounds sterling.\\nThe west coast of the peninsula, within Hudson s Bay, forming\\npart of the Hudson s Bay Company s territory, is much less\\nvaluable in- that respect. The entrance to the Bay is much ob-\\nstructed by ice late in spring, ancT early in the fall the Com-\\npany s ships, which make but a single voyage into the Bay each\\nsummer, being sometimes, though rarely, prevented from returning\\nto Europe, till the following season.\\nTo fishing for foreign markets this would be a very great disad-\\nvantage. The absence of salmon on that coast, and the streams\\nfalling into it, is another. A salmon, not of the ordinary kind,\\nprobably the Salmo Bossii of the Arctic, is occasionally,\\nthough rarely seen, in some of the rivers falling into Hudson s Bay.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0036.jp2"}, "37": {"fulltext": "Though Codfish are well known to be exceedingly abundant\\nat Davis Straits, (see Beport of Commissioners of British Fisheries\\nfor 1846,) they are not generally noticed in such a way as to indi-\\ncate that they are so in Hudson s Bay nor are they mentioned as\\nforming part of the food of the native or other residents.\\nSeals and porpoises, however, are abundant. Some are of opin-\\nion that the absence of salmon is due to the seals being so numer-\\nous. Umfraville, in 1790, says that whales, white and black, sea\\nhorses, bears and seals, are killed in great numbers by the Esqui-\\nmaux and Lieut, Chappel, in 1817, proposes the opening of a free\\nintercourse with Canada as likely to animate the exertions of the\\nEsquimaux in their seal and whale fishing.\\nThe natural facilities for opening a direct interior communi-\\ncation with Hudson s Bay will be briefly noticed in the following\\nsection.\\nAs, apart from whaling, Seal Fishing would- seem to be the\\nonly profitable industry that the west coast of the peninsula\\nadmits of, it becomes natural to inquire what the importance of\\nSeal Fishing is, as a branch of trade, where it can be carried on\\nsuccessfully, and what employment it would afford.\\nThe Seal Fishery of Newfoundland may serve to explain this.\\nMr. M. H. Perley, in his Beport on the sea and river fisheries\\nof New Brunswick, says that the outfit for the seal fisheries of\\nNewfoundland, for 1847, consisted of 321 vessels, making in all\\n29,800 tons, with 9,751 men. The average yield for ten years was\\nabout half a million of seal skins, and three millions of gallons of\\noil. It is roughly estimated that about a million of seals are killed\\nannually on the coast of Labrador proper, by the Esquimax and\\nother seal fishers.\\nWhat may be the comparative value of Hudson s Bay as a site\\nof seal and other fisheries remains to be known. Tt would seem\\ndesirable that it should be ascertained by one or more practical\\nmen of business, enc-a^ed in the trade of Labrador, commissioned\\nfor that purpose.\\nCHAPTER III.\\nSOUTH HUDSON S RAY TERRITORY.\\nWe may next turn to the adjacent section of country, held by\\nthe Hudson s Bay Company, lying between Hudson s Bay and\\nthe Lakes Winnipeg and Athabasca extending from the northern\\nwater-shed of the St. Lawrence and its tributaries the reputed", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0037.jp2"}, "38": {"fulltext": "10\\nboundary of Canada, to the parallel of lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0 K, including with\\nit the Abittibbi District, between the water-shed and Kupert s\\nRiver containing in all an area of about four hundred and thirty\\nthousand superficial miles.\\nFor the convenience of description it may be called the South\\nHudson s Bay Territory.\\nThough this territory has a very cold climate, exceedingly so\\nin winter, (the greater part of it is too cold to admit of agricultural\\noccupation of any kind,) it is nevertheless far more valuable than\\nEast Main, besides being especially so in relation to Canada.\\nIt is the coldness of the climate alone that prevents this territory\\nfrom being very valuable as an agricultural country. One-half\\nof it lies in the great northern Silurian basin, in which Hudson s\\nBay is situated. That formation besides underlying the greater\\npart of the district of Abbitibbi, (which is a little larger than New\\nBrunswick,) is represented by Sir John Eichardson as extending\\nfrom two hundred miles in the north part to four hundred miles in\\nthe south, due westward from Hudson s and James Bay. It is\\n.shown as extending also to the distance of two hundred miles\\nsouthward from the south end of James Bay, and comes to the\\nboundary of Canada at the sources of the northern tributaries of\\nLake Temiscaming of the Ottawa* where it is called the level\\nclay country by the Hudson s Bay Company s people. It is so\\ncalled in contradistinction to the rugged Laurentian Country\\nforming the height of land, where the waters of the Ottawa and\\nnorthern tributaries of the Great Lakes, and those of Hudson s\\nBay interlace, and which extends over the Ottawa Valley and\\nthe country north of the Lakes Huron and Superior, rendering so\\nmuch of them unfit for settlement.\\nThe boundary of this Silurian plain country is probably quite\\nirregular, and may in many parts not be accurately known. Mr.\\nBallantyne, who resided there, places it about Martin s Falls, on\\nthe Albany River, two hundred and fifty miles due west of James\\nBay and says the river flows through a limestone and clay country\\nto the Bay. Lieut. Blackiston, in ascending Hayes Eiver from\\nYork Factory, describes the country on it as alluvial, without any\\nrock being visible, for a hundred and twenty-four miles, to the first\\nportage, where he says the primitive formation commences, and\\nthat is two hundred miles due west from the coast of the Bay.\\nIt will be seen by the accompanying map, that this broad band\\nof Silurian formation, which sweeps round Hudson s Bay, in a north-\\nwesterly direction, attains a width of five hundred miles about\\n*Note. By an extensive survey, just completed by Provincial Surveyor L.\\nRussell, it has been ascertained that though the clay land of Hudson s Bay extends\\nsouth of Lake Abbitibbi to the northern waters of the Ottawa, the underlying rocks\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0are there Laurentian.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0038.jp2"}, "39": {"fulltext": "11\\nLat 63\u00c2\u00b0 N. tlaen turning north-eastward continues to the Artie\\nSea, which its western outline intersects about Long. 97\u00c2\u00b0 W.\\nIt will be seen also that it, again, is encircled by that broad\\nband of primary formation, known in Canada as the Laurentian\\nEange, which skirts the lower St. Lawrence, and forms the nor-\\nthern boundary of the great plain of Lower Canada. Gradually\\ndeclining in height, and increasing in breadth, to tw T o hundred\\nmiles, it crosses the Ottawa above the mouth of the Bonnechere,\\nand sweeps round the north shore of Lakes Huron and Superior.\\nCurving north-westward with a breadth of two hundred miles, this\\nLaurentian Belt continues along the rear of the Silurian country\\nof Hudson s Bay, with varying breadth, increasing to four hundred\\nmiles where it joins the Artie. Its western boundary, commen-\\ncing at Bainy Lake, passes north-westward, through the Lake of\\nthe Woods, and along the east shore of Lake Winnipeg then curv-\\ning more westerly, through Cedar Lake, on the Saskatchewan, to\\nMethy Portage, and thence on a more northerly course, through the\\nwest end of Lake Athabasca, and near the middle of Slave Lake,\\nit passes to the east end of Bear Lake, and thence north-eastward\\nto the Artie Sea, at the west end of Coronation Gulf.\\nThis broad range of primary formation divides the great Silu-\\nrian basin of Hudson s Bay from the still greater central basin, or\\nsloping plateau, of Silurian and more recent formations, lying\\nbetween it and the Bocky Mountains, and extending from the\\nArtie Sea to the Gulf of Mexico it also divides both of them\\nfrom Canada.\\nThough east and north of Quebec the summits of this range\\nrise from two to three thousand feet, fronting the Biver St. Law-\\nrence, and four and five thousand feet in the interior it declines\\nso in height as it goes westward, that where it traverses the Ottawa,\\nits summits rise only from five to thirteen hundred feet, and very\\nrarely the latter, over that river. After ascending through the\\nLaurentide Bange, by the vaBey of the Ottawa, the water-shed\\nbetween its waters and those of Hudson s Bay, has, in parts\\nscarcely any perceptible elevation, and is passed unnoticed.\\nThough presenting a lofty and very rugged barrier along the\\nnorth side of Lake Superior, especially where it goes westward\\ntowards the frontier of the United States, and the same north of\\nLake Huron it becomes lower further northward, rising but little\\nover the adjoining country.\\nWhere it divides the two great Silurian basins, and forms the\\nwest half of the territory we have now under consideration, Sir\\nJohn Bichardson says its altitude nowhere entitles it to the\\napellation of mountain chain. Its hypogenous rocks, which are\\nchiefly granite and gneiss, scarcely rise above the mean eastern", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0039.jp2"}, "40": {"fulltext": "12\\nslope, and in no case present continuous ridges or acute peaks.\\nThey exhibit generally rounded or dome-shaped summits, or form\\noblong eminences, separated by narrow inclined valleys, the larger\\nones occupied, without exception, by deep lakes and the propor-\\ntion of water is very great.\\nThis declination in height and peculiar character of the range,\\nare mentioned, not only as meriting notice as descriptive of a large\\npart of this section of territory, but especially because they are of\\nimportance to us, as admitting of a most direct line of Kailway\\nfrom Montreal to the lied River settlement, (and the Pacific,) about\\nfour hundred miles shorter than the route through Minnesota, now\\nused as favorable as to the character of the ground as much of\\nwhat is to be made of the Intercolonial Railway, in the country\\nbetween the St. Lawrence and New Brunswick, and passing\\nthrough much land as fit for settlement, and with as good a climate;\\nbut with less depth of snow in winter.\\nThe probability of this fact as to a direct route to Red River,\\nwas stated in evidence given before the last Canadian Parliamen-\\ntary Committee on the North-west Territory. It has since been\\nto an important extent confirmed by the results of surveys of the\\nMontreal River, a north-western tributary of the Ottawa, and of a\\nline, from it, a hundred and five miles westward, performed last\\nwinter by Provincial Surveyors A. G. Forrest and D. Sinclair.\\nThe valley of the river for a hundred miles was found to present\\na good site for a railroad, while it was learned that the line of a\\nhundred and five miles was, at its commencement, only about four-\\nteen miles south of the continuous level clay country, and about\\ntwenty miles from it at its termination the intervening distance,\\nat the commencement, to the clay country, being traversed by an\\narm of the river. These surveys have on that account a peculiar\\nvalue.\\nCLIMATE OF SOUTH HUDSON S BAY TERRITORY.\\nIn order to see what reason there is for speaking so favorably of\\nthe climate of this part of the south Hudson s Bay Territory, let us\\nconsider a little more closely what is known of it as a whole.\\nThe north-east part of it is extremely cold. The Barren Ground\\nof the north, where trees of every kind almost entirely cease to exist,\\nsweeps down into the north-eastern part of it, as much as a hun-\\ndred and fifty miles southward of the sixtieth parallel of latitude\\nclosely approaching Churchill River, towards its mouth. Even at\\nYork Factory, nothing but the hardiest vegetables can be raised.\\nIn summer there is a thickness of seven feet of perpetually frozen\\nground, at ten feet below the surface, and spruce trees, the pre-\\nvailing wood, are almost uselessly small.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0040.jp2"}, "41": {"fulltext": "13\\nBut the climate improves equally southward and westward; the\\nwestern side of it, even to its north-west angle, is wooded thickly,\\nand Hanks the great central region suitable for cultivation.\\nUmfraville, writing in 1790, says that the pine trees (spruce\\nprobably) on the coast of Hudson s Bay, near York Fort, are too\\nsmall and knotty to be used for good building; but on leaving the\\nmarshy country and going inland to the southward, trees are of a\\nmore stately growth and about Albany and Moose Forts they are\\nfound of all diameters and adds further that potatoes, turnips,\\nand almost all kitchen garden stuff, are raised with facility, and\\nno doubt corn could be raised, but the Company, he says, dis-\\ncourage anything like cultivation.\\nMr. Gladman, whose evidence has been already quoted, resided\\nfifteen years at Moose Factory he says its climate and soil are good,\\nthat he raised potatoes and other vegetables there in great abun-\\ndance, that barley ripened well, and that horned cattle, horses,\\nsheep and pigs were kept there. It is to be observed that Moose\\nFactory is upwards of two hundred and thirty miles north of the\\nboundary between this territory and Canada. He acids that the\\nsoil and climate of Albany, which is a hundred miles further\\nnorth, does not differ much from Moose, that it is well sheltered,\\nand that the extensive marshes on the coast furnish abundant\\nfodder for domestic cattle. He also says that the soil around the\\nposts of Henly, Martin s Falls, Osnaburg and Lac Seul, is of a\\nquality that enables the servants of the company to raise fair crops\\nof potatoes.\\nAt iSTew Brunswick House, which is a hundred miles further\\nsouth, he says the soil is very good, that excellent .potatoes are\\nraised there, eilso every description of vegetables. Oats ripened\\nwell, and made good oatmeal, ground with a hand mill wheat\\nwas tried afterwards, he was informed, with good success. He\\nsays further, that he doe not know anything to prevent a good\\nsettle.. r ent f i om being made there, but its being rather distant from\\nmarket.\\nSouth of Lake Abbitibbi, near the southern boundary of this\\nterritory, the mean summer temperature probably exceeds that of\\nHalifax, Nova Scotia, as it well may, seeing the mean temperature\\non Lake Temiscaming, about one degree further south, so nearly\\nresembles that of Montreal the mean of the summer of the\\nformer being G5\u00c2\u00b020, and of the year 39\u00c2\u00b049, and the corresponding\\nmean temperature of the latter 65\u00c2\u00b055 and 42\u00c2\u00b086, by the tables\\ngiven by Sir John Kichardson in his Arctic Kesearches. Lake\\nAbbitibbi lies nearly in the same latitude as the west coast of\\nHis published tables differ slightly in fractions from the above, owing to typo-\\n:al errors.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0041.jp2"}, "42": {"fulltext": "Lake St. John, on the Upper Saguenay, which has the climate of\\nThree Rivers, and yields excellent wheat.\\nSpeaking of Martin s Falls, a post on the Albany Eiver, upwards\\nof two hundred miles westward from James Bay, and two-\\nhundred miles north from Lake Superior, Mr. Barnston, who\\nresided there, says that it has the winter of Russia and the July\\nand August of Germany and France; that in the usual course\\nof seasons the buds of the trees begin to swell about the 12th\\nof May, and leaves expand about 28th May, (which is as early\\nas they did at Ottawa this last Spring.) He says that a night s\\nfrost will sometimes intervene as late as the 10th June,\\n(which is the case in central Canada, occasionally about the\\n15th of June,) that by the 1st October foilage is yellow and\\nfalling. Usually there is a little snow by 20th October, and it\\ncovers the ground by 1st November. In Johnson s Physical Atlas\\nthe line of wheat cultivation is represented as passing here. It is\\nquite possible that it may.\\nAt the north end of Lake Winnipeg, on the western side of this\\nsection, three hundred and fifty miles north of Rainy River, its\\nsouthern boundary, Captain Blackiston, of the Imperial Exploring\\nExpedition, states that barley, potatoes, onions, carrots, peas and\\npumpkins, flourish in the open air, and melons can be forced but\\nhe adds that at Holy Lake, a hundred and sixty miles north-east-\\nward, near the centre of this section, potatoes do not always attain\\nfull size.\\nTowards the south end of Lake Winnipeg, at Fort Alexander, on\\nthe mouth of the River Winnipeg, at a hundred and fifty miles\\nnorth of Rainy River, spring wheat grows well. Mr. Dawson, in\\nhis report of his Red River exploration, states that the Indians\\nhave always raised Indian corn with success on the islands of the\\nLake of the Woods.\\nThe south-western part of this territory is quite fit for cultiva-\\ntion, as regards climate but unfortunately, instead of being a fertile\\nSilurian plain, like the north-east side bordering on Hudson s\\nBay, it is chiefly of the Laurentian formation, and is generally\\nvery rocky more so, as far as known, than the Laurentian,\\nor greater part of the Ottawa country, but presenting, like it, excep-\\ntional tracts of good land.\\nBOUNDARY OF THE GREAT SILURIAN BASIN OF HUDSON S BAY.\\nExcepting on the canoe route from Lake Superior to Red River\\nvery little information is before the public respecting this section\\nof territory. Its character and value may be found to be in a con-\\nsiderable degree affected by the extent to which the Silurian", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0042.jp2"}, "43": {"fulltext": "15\\nbasin of Hudson s Bay may reach into it. Authorities differ\\nwidely as to the position of the boundary of that formation. Mr.\\nBallantyne would seemingly place it a little above Martin s\\nFalls, on the Albany Biver Sir John Bichardson carries it two\\nhundred miles further west, on that river, to the Head of Lake\\nJoseph, near longitude 91\u00c2\u00b0 W. but not beyond the south side\\nof that lake. In the geological chart of Johnson s Physical Atlas,\\nit is shown as curving downwards there, fully a hundred miles\\nsouth of Lake Joseph. We would naturally suppose there must\\nhave been some basis of fact for such a representation, perhaps\\nthe existence of a considerable outlier of Silurian formation, like\\nthe limestone at the head of Lake T^miscaming, which in that\\nchart is erroneously represented as an arm of the Silurian basin of\\nHudson s Bay. Perhaps the diluvial clay of that basin which\\noverlaps the Laurentian formation to and over the water-shed of\\nthe Ottawa, north of Lake Temiscaming, and appears to have led\\nto mistake as to the boundary of the Silurian basin there, may\\nhave obscured its position elsewhere.\\nAs outliers of Silurian limestone and tracts of level clay soil,\\nwithin the limits of possible agricultural occupation, in the great\\nregion between us and the Bed Biver country, may ultimately\\nprove of some importance, from their soil being more suitable for\\ncultivation than the rocky Laurentian ground prevailing nearer,\\nfurther and more accurate information as to the geological and\\ntopographical character of the country upon and immediately\\nbeyond the northern water-shed of Lakes Huron and Superior, is\\nmost desirable. The highly interesting information respecting\\nLake Xipigon, furnished last summer to the Crown Lands Depart-\\nment by the private enterprise of Mr. W. Armstrong, C. E., is an\\ninstance of what may be obtained even by cursory exploration.\\nFERTILE TRACT ON RAINY RIVER,\\nAs an exception to the generally rough, rocky, marshy and.\\npoor character of the country, between the water-shed of Lake\\nSuperior and Lake Winnipeg, forming the south-west angle of the\\nsection under consideration, the fertile tract along the north side\\nof Bainy Biver is of much importance, from its lying on the line\\nof communication with the Bed Biver country.\\nThis tract is described as extending from Fort Francis, on the\\noutlet of Bainy Lake, to the Lake of the Woods, sixty miles in\\ndirect distance, or eighty by the course of the river, with a breadth\\nback from it of from half a mile to twelve miles, and is estimated,\\nby Professor Hind, as containing over two hundred and twenty\\nthousand acres of rich alluvial land, highly suitable for cultivation.\\nOn the other hand it is stated that the front of it only is dry", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0043.jp2"}, "44": {"fulltext": "16\\n^enough for cultivation, and that the ground behind would need\\ndraining, to render it available. In either case, however, it would\\nadmit of continuous settlement for eighty miles along a central\\npart of the route to Red Kiver, which is important.\\nRainy River is here the boundary between the State of Min-\\nnesota and British territory. It is a noble stream, described by\\nour Canadian explorers as from two to three hundred yards in\\nwidth and six feet in depth, with a current of about two miles an\\nhour. The great Falls at Fort Francis, of about twenty-three feet,\\nand two small rapids, the Manitou at thirty-four miles lower, with\\na fall of three feet, and the Long Rapid below it, with a fall of\\ntwo and a half feet, are the only obstructions to navigation, from\\nthe east end of Rainy Lake to the west end of the Lake of the\\nWoods, a distance of about one hundred and seventy miles. This\\nnavigable reach forms an important part of the proposed line of\\ncommunication between Lake Superior and the Red River Settle-\\nment.\\nThe banks of Rainy River are from fifteen to fifty feet in height,\\nwooded with a large growth of elm, balm of Gilead, ash, oak and\\nbasswood. The soil is a rich dark, sandy loam, mixed with much\\nvegetable matter, and resting on clay. From the masses of\\nlimestone occasionally seen, there is reason to think that it\\nunderlies the bed of the river, and extends westward to Red\\nRiver.\\nMr. Pether, who was in charge of Fort Francis, described the\\nclimate as much the same as that of Montreal, only colder in\\nwinter. Wheat, root crops and kitchen vegetables, are successfully\\ncultivated at Fort Francis.\\nBehind the fertile plateau Mr. Pether states that there is a\\npeaty marsh of immense extent, with a depth in parts of thirty\\nfeet. It is bare of timber nothing but low bushes grow on it.\\nAs we already begin to use peat fuel with advantage in Canada,\\nwe can see in this bog an unlimited supply of fuel for the fertile\\ntract when cultivation has removed its woods.\\nOn the shores and islands of the Lake of the Woods, there are\\npatches of good land, where the Indians have gardens, and have\\nraised Indian corn without failure for many years. At the Mission\\nof Islington, about thirty-five miles down the River Winnipeg,\\nfrom the Lake of the Woods, and a hundred and twenty miles\\nfurther north than Fort Francis, Mr. Hind states in his report that\\nwheat is sown about the 20th of May, and reaped about the 26th\\nof August, that Indian corn ripens well, and potatoes had never,\\nduring five years cultivation, been injured by frost.\\nA hundred miles east of Islington, and as much north of Rainy\\nLake, there is reported to be a good grain-growing tract on the", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0044.jp2"}, "45": {"fulltext": "north shore of Lac Seul. The existence of the Bainy Biver tract\\nrenders it likely that there are others. As elsewhere in Laurentian\\ncountries, many tracts of good arable land, of limited extent, no\\ndoubt exist on the banks of the lakes and rivers, as remarked alike\\n.by Mr. Dawson and Mr. Hind, and in the valleys between the low\\ndome-shaped hills that prevail over this region but from being-\\nscattered and isolated they will long remain valueless, unless near\\nthe line of communication, or where they can be occupied in con-\\nnection with mining operations, lumbering or fisheries.\\nAmong these we might include the small tracts of drift occur-\\nring on the portages and on the islands in Lac de Mille Lacs, near\\nthe height of land, on the canoe route to Eainy Lake, noticed by\\nMr. Hind, who elsewhere says that there is no scarcity of arable\\nland between the low hill ranges of Lac de Mille Lacs and Baril\\nLake to support a mining population. But their being on the\\ncoldest part of the route and subject to frost in summer, owing\\napparently to their elevation, is not to be overlooked.\\nAs there is evident scope for the branches of industry mentioned,\\neven the isolated tracts will, after the opening of a line of com-\\nmunication, be profitably occupied, but slowly, in the face of the\\ngreater inducement westward while the good lands on the route\\nwill be more speedily taken up where the climate is favorable, as\\non Bainy Biver.\\nIt may seem difficult to reconcile what is stated with regard to\\nthe growth of wheat at the places mentioned, with the fact that it\\nseldom ripens well at Fort William but not so when we consider\\nthat, owing to its vast extent, the very low temperature of Lake\\nSuperior, (excepting near the shore,) scarcely 40\u00c2\u00b0 on the last day\\nof July, necessarily reduces the summer heat on its northern coast,\\nwhile the temperature of the heights of land which are compara-\\ntively near it is reduced by their elevation. Thus, decidedly greater\\nwarmth of climate, after crossing the height of land and approach-\\ning Bainy Lake, is noticed alike by Sir John Bichardson and other\\nexplorers.\\nAt Fort Francis on Bainy Biver, where this tract of rich alluvial\\nland commences, Sir John Bichardson and others say that wheat\\ni,s sown from the 1st to the 23rd of May, and reaped in the latter\\nend of August.\\nTo army officers, gentlemen from England, who have explored\\nthis region, the climate at Fort Francis might seem by no means\\nfavorable and men even from the western peninsula of Canada\\nmight look upon it as much inferior to that of their own country\\nbut those accustomed to the north-eastern settlements of Lower\\nCanada see it in a different light.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0045.jp2"}, "46": {"fulltext": "18\\nWhen I was a backwoodsman engaged in farming and assisting\\nto locate settlers, from thirty-seven to forty-five years ago, in the\\ncounty of Megantic, fifty miles south-westward of Quebec, we\\nsowed our wheat rather later than it is done at Fort Francis, and\\ninstead of reaping it in August, we were glad to get it all secured in\\nSeptember were lucky if early frosts did not damage it, and if we\\ngot our other crops secured in October.\\nSuperior cultivation may have mended matters somewhat now,\\nbut many of the north and east parts of Lower Canada are inferior\\nto Megantic in climate. I have seen rather green rye carted home\\nin the beginning of November, with a snow storm coming on, in\\nthe parish of Les Eboulements, from rich clay soil, generally well\\nworth cultivation, nevertheless. But as to the soil and climate,\\nat least, practical men would prefer the rich alluvial lands of\\nEainy Eiver and its August harvest, with its broad navigable\\nstream, and exceedingly rich fisheries, to either Megantic or Les\\nEboulements.\\nWe see, therefore, that the south side of this territory, for a\\nbreadth of upward of a hundred miles in some parts, (as at Fort\\nAlexander and New Brunswick House,) is as suitable in climate\\nfor raising wheat as parts of Lower Canada, where settlements have\\nlong existed, or are now being formed and no doubt much of the\\nremainder which we class as suitable, for the growth of barley\\nonly, may, on account of the soil, which its level Silurian character\\nindicates, be quite as profitably cultivated as the tracts on the\\nnorth-east parts of the Tache Eoacl in Bimouski, now being opened\\nfor settlement. The Intercolonial Bailroad has to pass through\\nsuch a region as the latter, in soil and climate, on leaving the\\nSt. Lawrence.\\nFrom the preceding facts, it will be seen, that if a line be drawn\\nnorth-westward, from Expert s Eiver to Oxford House, and con-\\ntinued a little beyond the head of Lake Winnipeg, it roughly\\ndivides this territory into halves, and, with slight curves, may be\\ntaken as representing the limit of .the cultivation of barley while\\na similar line from the north side of Lake Abittibbi, passing more\\nwesterly, a little north of New Brunswick House, and a hundred\\nand twenty miles north of Eainy Lake, striking Lake Winnipeg\\nnorth of Fort Alexander, may be taken as the northern line of the\\ncultivation of wheat.\\nThe southern half, or about 230,000 square miles of this terri-\\ntory, therefore presents an area nearly twice as large, and quite as\\nfavorable for cultivation, as Finland, which was formerly called the\\nGranary of Sweden. European works on Physical Geography,\\nscarcely include any of Finland within the limits of wheat cultiva-\\ntion but all of it within the line of barley. But Finland is all of", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0046.jp2"}, "47": {"fulltext": "19\\nprimitive rock formation, and is therefore inferior in soil to this\\nterritory, which has 50,000 square miles of Silurian formation\\nwithin the limits of cultivation yet Finland maintains upwards of\\na million and a half of people.\\nIt is worth mention further that this territory offers a great\\nextent of timber lands on the eastern tributaries of Lake Winnipeg,\\nespecially the upper part of the water system, which forms part\\nof the proposed communication with Red River. This fact is\\ngiven by S. J. Dawson, Esquire, in his Report of Exploration, who,\\nfrom great experience in the lumber trade, is an excellent judge.\\nThe pine, though much smaller than Ottawa timber, is with other\\nwoods, on these streams, the best that can be had for the adjoining\\nparts of the great prairie land westward to which the streams will\\ncarry it.\\nThe south-western part of this territory will therefore become\\nthe site of an important lumber trade, while its rivers and numer-\\nous lakes offer more abundant fisheries than those of the great\\nlakes of the St. Lawrence, where so many thousand barrels of\\nwhite-fish are taken annually for use and sale. The white-fish\\nis really much superior, as an article of food, to that much boasted\\nfish the salmon.\\nBefore leaving this territory we may observe, that the country\\nbetween Hudson s Bay and Canada is intersected by various\\nlarge rivers, falling into Hudson s Bay, that interlace the tributary\\nwaters of the Ottawa and the Lakes Huron and Superior, on the\\nsummit plateau, in long, deep lake-like channels. They present\\nnatural highways that with tow-paths and waggon portage roads,\\nand occasional slight clams in their further courses, would form\\nexcellent inland routes of transport to Hudson s Bay, should\\nfishing settlements be established there, or for communication in\\nthe future with the cultivable part of the Silurian basin.\\nTo carry provisions by sea from the Great Lakes, where they are\\nso cheap, to fisheries on Hudson s Bay, would take a voyage of four\\nthousand miles, which from the difficulty of its entrance and\\nnavigation, could be performed but once in a season. From Lake\\nSuperior the direct distance to Hudson s Bay is only three hundred\\nmiles, and from Lake Temiscaming, on the Ottawa, only two\\nhundred and forty-nine.\\nBy the rivers this distance would be of course increased con-\\nsiderably. There is a route heretofore used by the Hudson s Bay\\nboats through from Michipicoten, and there are good canoe routes\\nthrough from Lake Temiscaming.\\nThese routes would well merit the cost of a cursory exploration\\nof them by a competent practical man, accustomed to road and\\nriver works in new countries, with a view to ascertain their capa-", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0047.jp2"}, "48": {"fulltext": "city and the facilities they offer of improvement on an economical\\nscale.\\nIn exhibiting these facts I by no means pretend to say that this\\nsection of territory is of importance to Canada for immediate settle-\\nment. It may be long before any but a few enterprising adven-\\nturers, on routes of communication, will occupy it, from the simple\\nreason that the prairie land beyond it is so much preferable. But\\nit seems quite within the bounds of cautious moderation to say,\\nthat a country quite equal to Finland, and about double its extent,\\nwith forests of considerable importance, and rich fisheries, and\\nthat commands a line of communication of great importance to\\nus, may at least ultimately be of much value to Canada.\\nAs the opinions here given may differ widely from the views of\\ngentlemen in the service of the Hudson s Bay Company, it is\\nnecessary to explain that there is such a thing as prejudice of\\noccupation and upbringing, of which we have powerful instances.\\nWhen the question of the division of Canada into two provinces\\nwas discussed, in the end of last century, Mr. Lymburner, a most\\nexperienced and intelligent Member of Assembly, argued against\\nthe measure, on the ground that it was an indisputable fact that\\nthe country above the Falls of Niagara would never be inhabited\\nby civilized men.\\nWhen the first township of what is now the South Biding of\\nBenfrew was surveyed, the earliest lumberers laughed at the idea\\nthat settlement would extend there not from opposition to it, for\\nthey desired settlement to aid them, but from the stereotyped\\nidea then in force, that the country was too remote and rough to\\nbe inhabited.\\nEven in the year 1839, a gentleman of unquestionable honour\\nand experience, who had been engaged in the fur trade in the\\nUpper Saguenay country, informed an officer of long and high\\nstanding in the Crown Land Department, that the Saugenay\\ncountry was so utterly valueless for occupation that no man need\\never take a mill stone or a mill saw into it. Twelve years after-\\nwards, when sent by Government to project colonization roads there,\\nI traversed, in a short time, unoccupied good land enough to make\\nseven parishes, besides thriving settlements well advanced, where\\nexcellent wheat was raised; and many ships were even then\\nemployed in exporting its sawn lumber. Now there are twenty\\nthousand people living there on the local produce of the mill-stone\\nand the employment the saw mills afford them. I must apologize\\nfor stating these facts so fully but they are important as regards\\nthe question of settlement.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0048.jp2"}, "49": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER IV.\\nNORTH HUDSON S BAY TERRITORY, OR BARREN GROUND.\\nLittle need be said of this section of territory it is here noticed\\nseparately to distinguish its valueless character as a whole.\\nIt may be described as the country lying north and west of\\nHudson s Bay, from latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 to the Artie sea, back to Great\\nBear Lake and Slave Lake, assuming for its western boundary\\nthe dividing line between the primary formation and the Silurian\\nbasin of the Eiver McKenzie, from the middle of Slave Lake to\\nthe east end of Bear Lake and to Coronation Gulf; corresponding\\nroughly with the line of longitude 117\u00c2\u00b0 West,\\nIts extreme length from east to west is nine hundred and fifty\\nmiles, and its breadth from north to south six hundred. It includes\\nan area of about four hundred and twelve thousand five hundred\\nsquare miles.\\nOnly one-sixth part of this section of territory, forming its south-\\nwest angle, from Bear Lake to a little east of the east end of\\nSlave Lake, and nearly on that course to latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0, is wooded.\\nThe remainder, forming five sixths of its area, is the treeless\\nArtie desert of the Barren Ground.\\nIts surface is varied with rocky hills of moderate altitude some,\\nhowever, as at Cape Barrow, rising to an elevation of fifteen\\nhundred feet. It is watered by one large river, the Great Fish or\\nBack river, and many smaller streams, and lakes.\\nIts vegetation consists of a close covering of lichens where it is\\ndry, mixed with reindeer moss in moister spots. Other plants\\nflourish where the soil is suitable, with depressed willows, blue\\nberries, bear berries, c. In favorable sheltered meadows grass\\nand bents flourish, and many flowering plants. Notwithstanding\\nthe generally desolate character of the country, it, in parts, affords\\nsustenance for herds of hundreds of reindeer and of the musk-ox,\\nas described by Capt. Back, on the river to which his name has\\nbeen given.\\nThe Indian cannot live in it in winter on account of the want\\nof fuel. What little is used by the Esquimax, who inhabit the\\ncoast, is the oil and blubber their fisheries afford their fuel is got\\nin the deep.\\nEven the reindeer retire from it to the bordering woods in\\nwinter, to shelter them from the season s storms. They go in\\nnumerous bands by certain passes among the lakes and hills,\\nwhere the Esquimax and Northern Indians waylay and slaughter\\nthem for winter use, sometimes with the most wasteful reckless-\\nness.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0049.jp2"}, "50": {"fulltext": "22\\nIf the natives could be taught to tame the reindeer, which is\\nsaid to be easily done, and use them as domestic herds, as the\\nLaplanders do, they might live in greater comfort and security.\\nThe chief permanent inhabitant of this vast desolate region is\\nthe Musk Ox, the cotemporary of the mammoth and other extinct\\nanimals. He feeds in winter on the high spots where the vege-\\ntation, preserved with all its juice by the sudden severity of the\\nwinter s frost, is bared of snow by the winds.\\nHis extinct cotemporaries are gone, and the buffalo and the\\nmoose deer are rapidly following even the lion of Africa is hunted\\nin his home but the inhospitable desolation of this, the only abode\\nof the musk ox, will be his security.\\nIn connection with this section, its probable mineral wealth\\nmay be noticed. Speaking of the country north of Lake Winnipeg,\\nSir John Richardson says that Government, or the Hudson s Bay\\nCompany, should ascertain, without delay, the mineral treasures\\nit contains, and adds, I have little doubt of many of the acces-\\nsible districts abounding in metallic wealth of far greater value\\nthan all the returns of the Fur trade can ever yield. This obser-\\nvation would seem to apply not only to the western skirts of the\\nband of primary formation immediately north of Lake Winnipeg,\\nbut also to this section as far north as Copper Mine Eiver.\\nCHAPTER V.\\nTHE NORTH McKENZIE RIVER COUNTRY.\\nThat part of the great central Silurian plain, west of the fore-\\ngoing section, extending from latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 K to the Artie Sea,\\nand from the west edge of the primary belt to the Rocky Moun-\\ntains, may be designated as the North McKenzie River Country.\\nIt is about seven hundred and forty miles in length from north\\nto south, with a breadth of four hundred miles at latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0,\\nvarying to over six hundred miles, where it meets the Artie Sea\\nand contains an area of two hundred and seventy-four thousand\\nsquare miles.\\nThough lying in precisely the same latitude, its climate is not\\nso intensely severe as that of the foregoing section from which it\\ndiffers much in other respects, that render it of more value com-\\nparatively.\\nInstead of being a rocky, barren, treeless waste, chiefly of\\ninfertile primary formation, like the preceding, it is, as mentioned,\\na Silurian plain, more or less wooded throughout, almost to the", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0050.jp2"}, "51": {"fulltext": "shore of the Artie. In the southern half of it barley and garden\\nvegetables can be raised. It is traversed by the McKenzie, a first\\nclass navigable river, and it abounds in rich beds of lignite coal,\\nwith, in parts, liquid bitumen, which may ultimately prove of\\nsome value commercially.\\nThe effect of its rich alluvial soil, and some superiority in\\nclimate, due perhaps in part to the prevalence of limestone, is\\nsuch as to admit of the growth of trees, as far as the mouth of the\\nMcKenzie. Stunted generally in the most northerly parts, and of\\nthe hardiest kind white spruce but in sheltered positions, some-\\ntimes attaining a useful size. Even at the north-eastern extremity\\nof this section, at the mouth of the Copper Mine River, in a shel-\\ntered grove, one is noticed as being thirty-seven inches in girth,\\nand on Kendal River, near the same locality, in a line grove of\\nwhite spruce, one was found sixty-three inches in girth, twenty\\nfeet without taper, and fifty feet in height; but such trees are\\nexceedingly rare in the north end of this section.\\nBeing of Silurian and more recent formation, and generally a\\nplain, it would have been a good agricultural country had its\\nclimate admitted. Such as it is, though its southern boundary is\\nthe limit of profitable wheat cultivation, Col. Lefroy and Sir\\nJohn Eichardson say, that at Tort Simpson, a hundred and fifty\\nmiles further north, with a mean summer temperature of 59J Q\\nFah., barley grows well, and the latter says that at Fort Norman,\\nthree hundred and forty miles north of lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0, (the assumed\\nsouthern boundary of this section,) potatoes are raised, and in\\ngood seasons barley ripens well, and that lat. 65\u00c2\u00b0 may be con-\\nsidered as the northern limit of the growth of barley. He adds,\\nthat at Fort Good Hope, a hundred and eighty miles north of Fort\\nNorman, that is fifty north of the Arctic Circle, turnips attain the\\nweight of two or three pounds in favourable seasons, but barley\\nhas failed there when tried. Fort Simpson is evidently far within\\nthe limit of barley cultivation, for which, on the authority of\\nErnan, quoted by Sir John Eichardson, it is necessary only that\\nthe mean temperature of any one of the three summer months\\nshall not fall below 47\u00c2\u00b0 75 Fahr. At Fort Simpson, the mean of\\neach of five months is above that, being for Mav, 48\u00c2\u00b0 16 June,\\n63\u00c2\u00b064; July, 60\u00c2\u00b097; August, 53\u00c2\u00b084; September, 49\u00c2\u00b010. The\\nthree winter months, however, are there extremely cold, the\\nmean being 10\u00c2\u00b0 below zero that of the spring months, 26\u00c2\u00b0 66\\nabove zero, and of autumn, 27\u00c2\u00b034.\\nIf, therefore, we draw a line across this territory at lat. 65\u00c2\u00b0 K,\\nwe find that we have in the south part of it, an area of a hundred\\nand twenty thousand square miles, which, with the necessary\\nallowance for waste lands and positions unfavourable in elevation", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0051.jp2"}, "52": {"fulltext": "or aspect, nearly all admits of the growth of barley as well as\\nvegetables, and that must admit of the growth of rye in the part\\nof it adjoining the limit of profitable wheat cultivation.\\nThat is to say, we have there a country resembling in extent,\\nand in partial fitness for cultivation, the Russian Province of\\nVologda, which lies in a similar Silurian formation, and is\\nembraced in the same manner between the northern limits of\\nwheat and barley cultivation.\\nOf Vologda a great part is unoccupied, but for the chase or fur\\ntrade; yet such as it is, with much marshy and sandy land, it\\nsustains about eight hundred thousand inhabitants. But it is to\\nbe observed, that Vologda lies on the northern Dwina, which,\\nthough insignificant compared with the McKenzie, leads to a\\nseaport open during a short season, an advantage greatly in its\\nfavour, in giving value to its products.\\nThe Eiver McKenzie, though not giving that advantage, pre-\\nsents some others that may in some degree make up for the want\\nof it. It traverses this section of territory diagonally, presenting\\na course of a thousand miles of deep, uninterrupted, navigation,\\n(besides Slave Lake, three hundred miles in length, which con-\\nnects with the Arctic Sea.) Sir Alexander McKenzie states its\\ndepth to be from four to fifty fathoms, and its breadth from two\\nmiles to a half mile, running six miles an hour at the latter\\nbreadth, and twelve fathoms deep. This, with the usual large\\ndeductions necessary in such calculations, gives a passing volume\\nof upwards of a million of cubic yards of water per minute, double\\nNiagara or the Eiver Missouri, which it well might be, as it drains\\nboth sides of the Rocky Mountains. The Missouri drains but one.\\nThe McKenzie offers a great navigable communication for\\nlarge vessels, with coal on its banks, connecting the vast interior\\nregion south of it, suitable for cultivation, with the rich fisheries\\nof the Arctic sea.\\nThe whale fisheries it leads to, inside of Behring s Straits, are\\nthe richest known, and are fished extensively by American whale\\nfishers, who have to sail sixteen thousand miles to get there.\\nWhen our great central prairie country is occupied by millions of\\npeople, they will have but one-tenth of the distance to reach these\\nfisheries by the McKenzie, to obtain the products of the sea it\\nwill no doubt then be a highway of some importance.\\nSir Alexander McKenzie s journal of his exploration of this\\nriver is simple but very interesting. The heroic age of discovery\\nlasts long we are scarcely through it yet. It has its heroes, and.\\nhe was one of them.\\nHis voyages through this continent to -the Arctic and Pacific\\nOceans may be said to have first lifted the veil that till then\\nshrouded the vast intervening regions in obscurity.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0052.jp2"}, "53": {"fulltext": "On the 3rd of June, 1789, he left Fort Chipeweyan on the Lake\\nof the Hills, on his voyage to the Arctic, with all the difficulties\\nand hardships before him of first exploration in unknown, in-\\nhospitable regions, inhabited by savage tribes. Even his Indian\\nguides had no experience of the way before them, deserting him\\nthrough fear of the unknown, like that felt by the sailors of\\nColumbus.\\nHe had but limited supplies, for his small force depended chiefly\\non what they killed.\\nHis narrative is simple, but the incidents are grand. They\\npassed great plains of unknown extent, great tributaries like the\\nEiver of the Mountains, half a mile in width, lofty mountains\\nwith their summits clad in snow or veiled in clouds and mist.\\nThey looked upon the vast panorama that took day after day and\\nweek after week to unfold, for the first time since creation, to\\ncivilized man.\\nThen comes the region of eternal frost under the surface, and\\nstunted trees the increasing terror of his men, the alarming\\nstories of the Indians, that they would be old men and grey before\\nthey returned, if they ever did, from the regions where there was\\nno game to kill, inhabited by terrible and cruel nations.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 the Island\\nof the Evil Manitou, who swallowed every man that came his\\nway and beyond that the land of gigantic men who could kill\\nother men with their eyes.\\nThen the arrival at the Esquimaux country, and the astonish-\\nment of his men at the sun that did not set, and the tide. Still\\nsingularly vigorous vegetation for the high latitude, 63 Q to 68\u00c2\u00b0\\nX. and abundance of berries innumerable islands in the river\\napproaching its mouth, covered with trees of a small growth, and\\nin places spruce and fir of a larger size. The banks, where high,\\nwooded partly with birch and fir and the ground in places covered\\nwith short grass and flowers, though the frost was only four inches\\nout of the earth on the 12th of July.\\nMcKenzie was then two thousand miles beyond the Lake of the\\nWoods, in direct distance north-westward, and three thousand miles\\nin direct distance from Montreal or as far from that city as it is\\nfrom the mouth of the Eiver Orinoco in South America.\\nThis comparison is given to assist in realizing the extent of\\ncountry that we may now acquire, and of that extent three-\\nquarters of the distance is through territory which, by way of Eed\\nEiver, is fit for agricultural occupation.\\nMcKenzie returned to Fort Chipeweyan on the 12th September,\\nhaving performed his voyage of three thousand miles in a hundred\\ndays, showing that so long, at least, annually this great Arctic Eiver\\nis open for navigation. In returning, the air for some part of the", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0053.jp2"}, "54": {"fulltext": "way was laden with a heavy smell of sulphur, which is found to be\\ncaused by the burning of coal in the banks of the river, it was\\nthe lignite coal that is so abundant in this territory.\\nLignite varies much in quality. Its average heating power may\\nbe taken as equal to that of five-sevenths of an equal weight of\\ngood Newcastle coal, though it often exceeds that proportion. The\\nlignite coal of Nanaimo in Vancouver s Island is only ten per cent,\\nless valuable than the true coal of the Carboniferous epoch, accord-\\ning to Dr. Hector.\\nIts prevalence in immense quantities and in positions where it\\ncan be most easily made available, in a climate where fuel will be\\nso much needed, the comparative fertility of the soil of this section,\\nand its great navigable river and the fisheries connected with it,\\nwill no doubt ultimately lead to the partial occupation of the\\nsouthern half of it, where hardy grains and vegetables can be culti-\\nvated. Therefore, though owing to its remoteness and the exceed-\\ning coldness of its climate, it is utterly useless now, excepting for\\nits fur trade, we should not consider it altogether valueless with\\nreference to the future.\\nSpeaking of the possible future occupation of the south half of\\nthis section of territory, notwithstanding the severity of its climate,\\nit is worthy of remark, that in the province of Vologda, to which\\nwe have compared it, hemp and flax are cultivated with success.\\nEven in the province of Archangel, north of it, with a climate\\nmuch more unfavorable, considerable quantities of hemp and flax\\nare raised, and coarse linen cordage and mats are manufactured.\\nHemp and flax, with cordage and linseed from these provinces, are\\nthe principle articles of export at Archangel. It is reasonable to\\nthink that in the future they may be cultivated and manufactured\\nin this territory.\\nThis observation, however, applies with much more force and\\nmore immediately to the country south of Hudson s Bay, already\\nnoticed, as well as to the great Central Prairie Country, the chief\\nsubject of this pamphlet. As they are remote from markets, the\\ncost for transport of flax exported, especially if manufactured,\\nwill be insignificant compared with that of ordinary agricultural\\nexports an important advantage, even with improved means of\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2communication.\\nCHAPTEE VI.\\nTHE PELLY 11IVER AND MOUNTAIN COUNTRY.\\nContinuing to notice the less important or comparatively\\nvalueless sections of territory before directing attention to the great", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0054.jp2"}, "55": {"fulltext": "central prairie land, the last of these inferior territories may be\\ndesignated the Pelly River and Mountain Country.\\nIt is a little more than a thousand miles in length, northward\\nfrom Simpson s River, the northern boundary of British Columbia,\\nto the Arctic sea at Point Demarcation, where it terminates in an\\nacute angle and five hundred in breadth, from the eastern crest of\\nthe Eocky Mountains to Mount Saint Elias, on the coast of\\nthe Pacific Ocean. It contains an area of about two hundred and\\neighty-five thousand superficial miles.\\nThis section of territory merits separate description, inasmuch as\\nit differs as widely in its general character from those previously\\nnoticed as they do from each other. It differs especially from the\\nlast described, which is generally a plain country, while this, with\\nlittle exception, is a vast mountain region, equal in extent to the\\nKingdoms of Norway and Sweden taken together.\\nIn its mountainous character it chiefly resembles Norway. Had\\nit embraced the coast of the Pacific and the islands along it, the\\nresemblance would have beeen greater, for it then would have pos-\\nsessed a seaboard rendered temperate by the warm- winds of the\\nPacific but from Mount St. Elias down to the boundary of British\\nColumbia, a narrow stripe of American, formerly Prussian territory,\\nintervenes, along the Pacific coast, reaching back to the summit of\\nthe nearest mountain range, but nowhere exceeding thirty-five\\nmiles from the shore.\\nThough possessing a less genial climate than Norway and Swe-\\nden, the resemblance to them may be traced a little further. As\\nlittle more than one-sixteenth part of the surface of Sweden is\\nclassed as arable land in cultivation, including meadows, and only\\nabout one-hundredth part of Norway, this territory is probably not\\nmuch inferior to them in extent of land fit for such cultivation as\\nthe climate may admit of.\\nThe Eocky Mountains on the east side, the Blue Eange or Peak\\nMountains and the Cascade Mountains and Coast Range run nearly\\nparallel to each other, north- westwardly through this territory, with\\nmany intermediate ranges and groups.\\nThe Eocky Mountains, whose highest peak rises to sixteen\\nthousand feet, at the sources of the Athabasca, gradually decline in\\nheight northward, to four and five thousand feet above the sea. The\\nCoast Range, on the contrary, attains its greatest height at Mount\\nSt. Elias, which is stated to be 17,970 feet in altitude.\\nThese ranges cover much of this territory but there are valleys\\nbetween and among them, of considerable extent not much known\\nas yet, as might be expected of a country so remote as Alpine in\\ncharacter as Switzerland and Tyrol and eleven times as large as\\nboth together presenting incomparably greater obstacles to explo-", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0055.jp2"}, "56": {"fulltext": "28\\nration, in the coldness of its climate, and from its being uninhabited\\nexcept by savages.\\nIt otters a far more interesting field of study for the geologist\\nand the naturalist than the regions east of it already noticed.\\nIt is a country that presents the greatest possible obstacles of\\nclimate and surface to military operations a country utterly im-\\npregnable from its character and extent, should it ever become\\ninhabited, as it no doubt ultimately will, where it admits of being\\nso, as similar countries in the old world have. It is therefore a\\ngreat natural bulwark to the plain country east of it.\\nThe cold climate of much of the southern part of this section\\nof territory is due in a great degree to its elevation. Col. Lefroy\\nargues that the part of it in which the sources of the Peace River\\nlie, must be nearly six thousand feet above the sea. At Pelly s\\nBanks, lat. 61\u00c2\u00b030 the valley of Pelly River is fourteen hundred\\nfeet above the sea and there the mean temperature of the month\\nof January is nearly 22\u00c2\u00b0 below zero, or nine and a half degrees\\ncolder than at Fort Simpson, on the McKenzie, nearly in the same\\nlatitude (61\u00c2\u00b051 N three hundred miles eastward, but which is\\nonly four hundred feet above the sea. In April the difference is\\nonly five and a quarter degrees, and their summers are probably\\nequal a temperature which will admit of the cultivation of barley\\nand vegetables at Pelly s Banks.\\nPelly River is a branch of the great River You can, that dis-\\ncharges at the entrance of Behring s Straits, after a course of\\neighteen hundred miles, from the source of the Lewis Branch of\\nthe river Pelly, which flows for seven hundred miles through this\\nterritory.\\nThe temperature of Fort Youcan, Lat. 66\u00c2\u00b0 K, at the junction\\nof the Pelly and Youcan, in late Russian America, may be taken as\\nthat of the north end of this territory near it in the same latitude.\\nThe mean temperatures of its seasons are, spring 14\u00c2\u00b0 04, summer\\n5907I autumn 17\u00c2\u00b033 above, and winter 23\u00c2\u00b080 below zero\\nshowing its summer to be warmer than that of Fort Simpson,\\nwhich is only 59\u00c2\u00b048. From which it would certainly appear that\\nbarley and vegetables might be cultivated there and all along the\\nvalley of the Pelly River, within this territory, as well as at Fort\\nSimpson. The temperature of Youcan is more than sufficient for\\nthe growing of barley, by Email s rule before quoted, that the\\nmean of none of the three summer months shall fall below 47\u00c2\u00b0 75,\\nfor the mean temperature at Youcan for June is 53\u00c2\u00b049, July\\n65\u00c2\u00b0 75, and August 59\u00c2\u00b090, though the mean for the whole year is\\nonly 16\u00c2\u00b085.\\nPelly s Banks is in the middle of this territory, with the\\ndisadvantage of great elevation and Youcan is nearly at the Artie", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0056.jp2"}, "57": {"fulltext": "29\\nCircle, towards the south-west, near the coast of the Pacific, and\\nAt lower levels, the climate must necessarily be widely different.\\nTo judge of the climate of these more favorable parts we may\\ntake, for data, the temperature of the seasons at Sitka, on the Pa-\\ncific, about a degree further north than the south end of this terri-\\ntory, and about a hundred miles westward of it. Here we have a\\nstriking contrast to the preceding Sitka has a warm winter and a\\ncool summer the mean of the former being 34\u00c2\u00b0 70 and the latter\\nonly 56\u00c2\u00b024; that of spring 42\u00c2\u00b0 2 8, and autumn 48\u00c2\u00b049 with a mean\\nannual temperature of 45\u00c2\u00b044 much the same as that of Buffalo\\nor Toronto; or 2J\u00c2\u00b0 warmer than that of Montreal, and sixteen\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2degrees warmer than that city in winter but yet with a summer\\ninferior to that of Youcan or Fort Simpson for ripening grain.\\nWe have here, therefore, between these points an extreme con-\\ntrast of climates, extreme difference between the heat of summer\\nand the cold of winter on the one hand, and extreme want of\\ndifference between the temperature of the seasons on the other, to\\nsuch a degree as to prevent the ripening of the grain at Sitka, not-\\nwithstanding the high mean temperature of the year.\\nConsequently, somewhere between these points, a little removed\\nfrom the too equalizing influence of the Pacific, and its humidity, in\\nthe valleys on the south-west side of this territory, we should find,\\nwith a gradually diminishing annual temperature, and an increasing\\ndifference between summer and winter, and less humidity, localities\\nwith climates resembling those of Montreal and Quebec.\\nConsistently with the facts mentioned, physical geographers\\nhave drawn the line of New York mean winter temperature from\\ntwenty to one hundred and twenty miles within this territory,\\nrunning north-westwardly through it, for six hundred and fifty\\nmiles. But this line must only be taken as applicable to low lands\\nand valleys it will generally be exceedingly deflected and often\\nlargely interrupted by ridges and highlands.\\nWhen this peculiarity of temperature of the south-west side of\\nthis territory is taken into consideration, together with what is\\nknown of it from exploration, it would appear that there are some\\nfavorable parts of it, of considerable value from their position and\\nmineral resources, and their fitness for cultivation, owing to the\\nquality of the land.\\nBy Mr. Downie s report of exploration of Skeena or Simpson\\nriver, which forms the boundary between this territory and the\\nProvince of British Columbia, it appears that after passing the coast\\nrange the valleys present extensive tracts of good land well suited\\nfor settlement. He took two days to traverse one of them, which\\nhe says is as fine a farming country as one could wish to see. On\\na large tributary on the north side, within this territory, the land is", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0057.jp2"}, "58": {"fulltext": "30\\ndescribed as good and well adapted for farming and there the\\nIndians grow plenty of potatoes. He describes fine flats running\\nback to the mountains, which recede four or five miles from the\\nriver speaks of the Skeena country being in parts the best look-\\ning mineral country he had seen in British Columbia alludes to\\ngold which he finds there mentions that the river Skeena passes\\nthrough an extensive coal country, the seams cut through by the\\nriver varying from three to thirty -five feet in thickness superior to\\nany that he had seen in Vancouver s Island, (where the mines of\\nNanaimo are already of value commercially,) or in British Colum-\\nbia and in other reports he says, salmon and other fish are in\\ninconceivable abundance.\\nSuch advantages may not be common, and may be limited to a\\nsmall part of this territory but good lands with a moderate climate,\\non fine salmon rivers, with valuable timber forests and beds of coal,\\nsituated within a hundred miles of the continually open navigation\\nof the Pacific and its commerce, taken together with the gold-bear-\\ning character of the country, (for which the river Stikene to the\\nnorthward of the Simpson is already famous,) render the southern\\npart of this territory of considerable immediate, and still greater\\nfuture value.\\nCHAPTEE VII.\\nTHE RED RIVER, SASKATCHEWAN AND PEACE RIVER COUNTRY, OR\\nCENTRAL PRAIRIE LAND\u00e2\u0080\u0094 POSITION AND EXTENT.\\nThe remaining section of the great north-west territory that\\nwhich is of by far the greatest intrinsic value, and of the greatest\\nrelative importance to the Dominion of Canada may, in the ab-\\nsence of any general name, be designated as the Eed Eiver, Saskat-\\nchewan and Peace Eiver country, or Central Prairie Land using\\nthe latter term merely to signify that prairie land is more or less\\nprevalent throughout the greater part of it.\\nIt may be described as bounded on the south by the line of lati-\\ntude 49\u00c2\u00b0 K, the Northern boundary of the United States, on the\\nwest by the crests of the Eocky Mountains, which divide it from\\nthe Province of British Columbia, as far northward as Peace Eiver;\\non the north by the parallel of latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 1ST., and on the east by\\nLake Winnipeg with its tributary waters, the Eiver Winnipeg and\\nthe Lake of the Woods and from the north end of Lake Winni-\\npeg by a line drawn north-westward through the west end of Lake\\nAthabasca to the line of lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0 N.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0058.jp2"}, "59": {"fulltext": "31\\nIts length, from the outlet of the Lake of the Woods westward\\nto the sources of the Saskatchewan, is eight hundred and eighty\\nmiles. Its breadth northward from lat. 49\u00c2\u00b0 to 60\u00c2\u00b0 K, is seven\\nhundred and sixty miles. It contains an area of about four hundred\\nand eighty thousand square miles that is to say, an area equal to\\nthat of France and Germany with Belgium and Switzerland added\\ntogether, or about ten times that of the State of New York.\\nSUITABLENESS FOR SETTLEMENT, AND ITS IMPORTANCE.\\nIt is highly important to observe that nearly the whole of this\\nsection of territory, within the boundaries stated, excepting where\\ncold, arising from great elevation, renders it otherwise, is as suit-\\nable in climate for agricultural occupation as the parts of Canada\\nand the Maritime Provinces already settled or now being settled,\\ntaken together. That is to say that the best parts of this section\\nof territory are fully as rich in soil, and, where cultivated, yield\\nfully as heavy returns of wheat as the best parts of Upper Canada\\nand that with little exception the most northerly parts of it admit\\nof as good crops of wheat or other grain being raised as the least\\nfovourable parts of Lower Canada already settled or being now\\nopened for settlement. Besides which, a great portion of it pre-\\nsents the very great advantage of being ready for the plough,\\nwithout the trouble of clearing arid taking out stumps and stones.\\nThe acquisition of this territory, or the effective opening of it as\\na Crown colony with a view to federation with us, which is much\\nthe same, is therefore of the utmost importance to Canada, alike-\\nfor immediate use for the extension of native settlement and as\\na receptacle for many immigrants who go to a foreign country\\nto obtain such prairie land and also, and chiefly, as a necessary\\nbasis for that degree of strength of population essential for the\\nmaintenance of our national security in the future.\\nTOPOGRAPHICAL CHARACTER.\\nThis section of territory forms part of the great plain that lies\\nalong the eastern base of the Bocky Mountains, already spoken of\\nin describing the McKenzie Biver country.\\nThis great interior plain extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the\\nArtie Ocean, with but little interruption from lesser ranges and\\noccasional groups of hills of insignificant elevation compared with\\nthe great range that bounds it to the westward. The water-sheds\\nof its greatest river basins are but elevations of the same great\\nsloping plain. Even the great parallel Azoic belt, the continua-\\ntion of the Laurentides, that divides it from that other great Silu-", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0059.jp2"}, "60": {"fulltext": "rian plain which encircles Hudson s Bay, presents but little inter-\\nruption to the gradually descending slope of the continent from the\\nEocky Mountains eastward.\\nIt is described as presenting a general similarity of geological\\ncharacter, varying as the different formations, from the Silurian\\nupwards, exhibit themselves in greater or lesser breadth.\\nWithin the section of territory under our consideration, the\\nSilurian formation, that prevails along the eastern side of the\\nplain, dips westward under the Devonian, Cretaceous and Tertiar-\\nies, to rise again in the ridges of the Eocky Mountains.\\nThe absence of granite or other primitive rock, in the Eocky\\nMountains, from lat. 49\u00c2\u00b0 as far as 52\u00c2\u00b0 N is noted as remarkable\\nby Sir John Eichardson. By the exploration of Capt. Palliser and\\nDr. Hector, they are shown to consist of Silurian and carboniferous\\nrocks. Far beyond the scope of their examination, these moun-\\ntains appear to be the same in geological character. Where\\ntraversed by the Peace Eiver about lat. 56\u00c2\u00b0 K, Sir Alexander\\nMcKenzie describes the bed of that river to be of limestone, and\\nthe mountains as solid masses of the same.\\nThis formation of the Eocky Mountains is important. The\\nprevalence of limestone has no doubt contributed fertility to the\\nalluvial lands and low prairies of the plain country below and\\nthe presence of the carboniferous rocks is a favorable feature.\\nSir Eoderick Murchison, in passing a well-merited encomium on\\nthe valuable exploratory operations of Dr. Hector, observes\\nthat he shows the structure of the chain, with its axis of slaty\\nsubscrystalline rocks overlaid by limestone of Devonian and car-\\nboniferous age, and flanked on the eastern side by carboniferous\\nsandstone, representing probably our own coal fields, the whole\\nfollowed by those Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits which con-\\nstitute the subsoil of the vast and rich prairies watered by the north\\nand south Saskatchewan and their affluents.\\nThis encomium was justly due to the Doctor, but hardly so to\\nthe South Branch of the Saskatchewan; the dry prairies that\\nprevail on much of it resemble the steppes of Eusssia in Europe,\\nof which, as Mr. Hauxhausen says, some consider the larger\\nportion as unfertilizible deserts, while others think they require\\nnothing but hands and judicious culture to convert them into rich\\nand fertile places, but adds that he thinks the truth lies between\\nthese extremes.\\nHowever gratifying the prospect may be of discovering true\\ncoal in the carboniferous formation of the Eocky Mountains, it has\\nnot yet been realized, either from the explorations yet made being\\nvery limited and imperfect, or from there being no true coal\\nmeasures there for it is to be borne in mind that the presence of", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0060.jp2"}, "61": {"fulltext": "33\\nthe carboniferous formation merely indicates that it is there, and\\nthere only, that true coal will be found if it exists at all, or in\\nuseful quantities. Thus we have the carboniferous formation on\\nthe south coast of the district of Gaspe its presence led to exten-\\nsive speculation and the formation of a mining company; but\\nthouo-h it, the carboniferous formation, exists to a total thickness of\\nthree hundred feet, no coal to warrant mining was ever discovered.\\nAlong the eastern base of the Eocky Mountains there extends a\\nbroad belt of geological formation, throughout the entire length,\\nnorthward of this section of territory, (nearly a thousand miles,)\\nand beyond it to the Arctic Ocean, as already mentioned, containing\\nan inexhaustible amount of lignite coal it has been seen in many\\nplaces in beds from two to eight feet thick, and in some parts over\\na breadth of nearly two hundred miles.\\nAs this immense region of lignite coal lies on the upper courses\\nof great navigable rivers, which flow through vast fertile prairie\\ncountries on their lower courses, containing much of the richest\\nwheat-growing ground in this continent, the value of it as a\\nperpetual supply of fuel for them is incalculable; it evidently\\nmuch more than compensates for the infertile character of a large\\npart of the dry prairie lands adjoining the boundary of the United\\nStates.\\nFORM AND NATURAL SUBDIVISIONS.\\nOn the map of the section of territory now before us, this\\nCentral Prairie Land, bounded as mentioned, is an irregular\\ndiamond-shaped figure inclining westward. It is eight hundred\\nand eighty miles broad at its base, on lat. 49\u00c2\u00b0 N., diminishing north-\\nward to three hundred miles in width on lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0 N. The length of\\nits eastern boundary is a thousand and fifty miles, and its western\\none, by the curve of the Eocky Mountains, is nine hundred and\\nfifty miles.\\nIts south-east angle, in the Lake of the Woods, is two hundred\\nand fifty miles west with a little northing, from Fort William, on\\nLake Superior. Its north-east angle is six hundred miles due west\\nfrom Hudson s Bay, and its north-west angle is at the same distance\\ndue east from the Pacific. Its east and west outlines are, at their\\nmiddle parts, about four hundred miles in direct distance from\\nHudson s Bay and the Pacific, respectively. It therefore occupies\\na central position in the continent.\\nThe south part of it, two hundred and eighty thousand square\\nmiles in area, or considerably more than the half of it, lies upon\\nthe waters of the Eiver Saskatchewan, and the Eed Eiver and\\nAssiniboine, and other tributaries of Lake Winnipeg. Next north-\\n3", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0061.jp2"}, "62": {"fulltext": "ward, the head waters of the Churchill or Beaver Eiver, occupy a\\ntriangular area of fifty thousand miles on the east side. Of the\\nremaining part, north-westward, a hundred and twenty thousand\\nmiles lie on the Athabasca, and on the Peace Eiver north of it; and\\nabout thirty thousand square miles of the north-west corner lie on\\nthe waters of the Eiver of the Mountains, and Hay Eiver the last\\nfour rivers are branches of the Eiver McKenzie.\\nGENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.\\nBefore going into details as to the character of these subdivi-\\nsions, it may be well to make a few observations of a general nature,\\non tins section of territory.\\nIts elevation, though considerable, is not so great as might be\\nsupposed from its central position in the continent.\\nIts lowest levels are the two great lakes, Winnipeg and Atha-\\nbasca, nearly at its south-east and north-east ends, which receive\\nthe waters of five-sixths of its area, and the Eiver of the Mountains\\nat Fort Liard, which is estimated to be only four or five hundred\\nfeet in height. Lake Winnipeg, which receives the waters of the\\nEiver Winnipeg and others on the east side, besides the Eed Eiver\\nand Assiniboine, and the Eiver Saskatchewan, on the west, is six\\nhundred and twenty feet above the level of the sea. Lake Atha-\\nbasca, which receives the Eiver Athabasca from the south, and\\nothers rivers from the east, and connects at its discharge with Peace\\nEiver, from the west, is six hundred feet above the sea.\\nHaving these for the lowest levels, the general fall of the sur-\\nface towards them will be better understood by tracing the elevation\\nof the circuit of this section of territory. The Lake of the Woods\\nis three hundred and sixty-one feet above Lake Winnipeg, or nine\\nhundred and eighty-nine feet above the sea. It is in a country of\\nlake-like marshes of great extent, on the same level as itself, or\\nnearly so. The elevation of Pembina near long. 97\u00c2\u00b0 W., where the\\nEed Eiver intersects the boundary of U. S., lat. 49\u00c2\u00b0 K, is estimated\\nat nine hundred feet. Half way between Pembina and the Eocky\\nMountains, the boundary line rises on the Grand Coteau du Mis-\\nsouri, the high arid plateau dividing the valley of the latter from\\nthat of the Saskatchewan, upwards of fifteen hundred feet in height,\\nand gradually ascending till, at the entrance of the Kootanee pass,\\nthe plain terminates with an elevation of four thousand feet, and\\nthe further ascent to the summit of the pass is two thousand feet.\\nThis elevation of the plain at the foot of the mountains continues\\nnorthward the summits of the passes varying between five and\\nsix thousand feet, and the peaks of the mountains rising from seven\\nor eight thousand to fifteen, and the highest to sixteen thousand\\nfeet above the sea. Speaking of this elevated country at the foot", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0062.jp2"}, "63": {"fulltext": "35\\nof the Eocky Mountains, between Saskatchewan and Peace Eiver,\\nCol. Lefroy observes that it is a district remarkable for its gradual\\nand regular ascent, preserving much of the character of a plain\\ncountry.\\nNear the boundary of the United States and south of lat. 51\u00c2\u00b0\\nN, the base of the Eocky Mountains is not more than forty miles\\nin width. They attain their greatest height about lat. 52\u00c2\u00b0 N, and\\nalso their greatest width, which is about a hundred miles.\\nOnly between lat. 51\u00c2\u00b0 and 52 Q N, and a little above the latter\\nparallel, are glaciers to be found. There close together, by Dr.\\nHector s valuable map, about lat. 51\u00c2\u00b0 40 K, long. 117\u00c2\u00b0 W., in\\na grand nucleus of lofty summit glaciers, where the range\\nis a hundred miles in breadth, the North and South Branches of\\nthe Saskatchewan have their sources, but a few miles apart;\\ndiverging to meet again, on their way to the Atlantic, after follow-\\ning their separate courses of eight hundred miles. Close between\\nthem rises one of the sources of the Columbia, flowing to the\\nPacific and in glaciers near them, about lat. 52\u00c2\u00b0 17 N, is the\\nsource of the Athabasca the remotest source of the Eiver Mc-\\nKenzie, which takes its course of two thousand miles to the Arctic\\nsea.\\nElsewhere, Captain Blackiston and others describe the Eocky\\nMountains as being well- wooded, excepting their summits the\\ntimber on the eastern side inferior to that of the western and\\nadd, that perpetual snow is only seen on some of the higher\\npeaks. This peculiarity, we may observe, is the natural result\\nof the high level of the plain the line of perpetual snow depend-\\ning more on the height above the mean elevation of the earth s\\nsurface, in the region adjoining, than its height over the level of\\nthe sea.\\nEeturning to the elevation of the circuit of outline, on attaining\\nlatitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 N., the elevation of the mountains and the plain\\ndiminishes rapidly. Fort Liard, on the Eiver of the Mountains,\\nnear that parallel, though only fifty miles east from the mountains,\\nis only four or five hundred feet above the sea.\\nThis depression of level in northing is favorable to cultivation.\\nHad the elevation risen with the latitude, or even continued una-\\nbated, the climate would have been less suitable for the growth of\\ngrain. Fort Liard is the lowest point in this section of territory\\nand the altitude can be but little greater where the parallel of lati-\\ntude 60\u00c2\u00b0 N crosses Hay Eiver, and meets the assumed east outline\\nof this section.\\nThe country traversed by this east outline, rises but little above\\nthe height of Lake Winnipeg, excepting the northerly part between\\nBeaver Eiver and Lake Athabasca, There this assumed boundary", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0063.jp2"}, "64": {"fulltext": "passes over a great bend of the Laurentian formation. Even a\\nhundred miles westward, where that formation joins the Silurian,\\nMethy Lake is fourteen hundred and ninety feet* above the sea.\\nThis tract of Laurentian country will be valueless unless it be\\nfor such minerals as it may be found to offer, near the junction of\\nthese formations.\\nTurning to the interior, we find at Fort Dunvegan, on Peace\\nRiver, a hundred and fifty miles east from the Rocky Mountains,\\nthe plateau sloping from their base has declined to sixteen hundred\\nfeet, while the river is only nine hundred and ten feet above the\\nsea, or three hundred and ten above its mouth at Lake Athabasca,\\nfrom which it is three hundred miles distant in a direct line,\\nthough double that by the winding course of the river. The ele-\\nvation of Fort Edmonton, on the North Saskatchewan, two hun-\\ndred miles east from the mountains, is eighteen hundred feet that\\nof Carleton House, near the Forks, at three hundred miles in direct\\ndistance eastward, is eleven hundred feet and Cumberland House,\\ntwo hundred miles further east, and a hundred miles in direct dis-\\ntance from Lake Winnipeg, is nine hundred feet above the sea, or\\ntwo hundred and seventy above the mouth of the Saskatchewan at\\nthe Lake.\\nThese points being on the banks of rivers, are the lower levels,\\nand indicate the general inclination of the plain. It is only a com-\\nparative plain, however, varied in surface by scattering groups of\\nhills, rising to six hundred, and occasionally a thousand feet and\\nupwards over the plains below them or the equally lofty edges of\\nhigh plateaus, forming long ranges of highlands towards the lower\\nlevels.\\nOf the former, the Riding Mountains, west of Lake Manitobah,\\nhave an altitude of a thousand and thirty feet above that Lake, or\\nseventeen hundred feet over the sea. The north-east face of the\\nMissouri Plateau advances towards the South Branch of the Sas-\\nkatchewan and River Qu Appelle, with an elevation of six hundred\\nfeet above the plains showing a tertiary formation, with brown\\ncoal and silicified wood. Its north-west face-, under the name of\\nthe Cypress Hills, rises to the height of four thousand two hun-\\ndred feet above the sea. Its southern slope is watered by tribu-\\ntaries of the Missouri, that here extend into this territory. The\\nHand Hills, north of Red Deer River, long. Ill W., rise to the\\nheight of three thousand eight hundred feet above the sea present-\\ning the same formation, capped with tertiary shingle beds of the\\nhighest plains.\\n1,540 feet by Col. Lefroy.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0064.jp2"}, "65": {"fulltext": "37\\nIt is interesting to observe that while the Kooky Mountains\\npresent everywhere evidence of disruption and upheaval in their\\norigin, these hills and high ranges of the plain exhibit with equal\\nuniformity, in their abraded strata, that they were formed by\\ndenudation by water by the scoping out of the plains around\\nthem.\\nBy the elevations given it will be seen that the height of the\\nsloping plateau, forming the chief part of this section of territory,\\nis considerable but it is worthy of remark that it nevertheless\\nhas in some degree the character of a basin. We have noticed\\nthe great elevation of its western edge. That of its eastern Lau-\\nrentian boundary is in parts considerable. The Branch of that\\nrange which bounds it at its south-east angle, dividing it from the\\nbasin of Lake Superior, is from fifteen to eighteen hundred feet\\nin height over the sea, at the lowest parts. The Lake of the\\nWoods is five hundred feet lower than Lake Itasca, the source of\\nthe Mississippi, immediately south of it. Fort Garry, on Bed Biver,\\nis twelve hundred feet lower than Fort Clarke, on the Missouri,\\nwhich lies south-west of it, Carleton House on the Saskatchewan,\\nis about a thousand feet lower than Fort Union on the Missouri,\\nwhich lies south by east from it and we have already seen that\\nthe ridge of the Coteau de Missouri, dividing its waters from the\\nbasin of the Saskatchewan, rises to the height of four thousand\\ntwo hundred feet above the sea.\\nThe basin forming the chief part of this section of territory is\\ntherefore about a thousand feet lower, generally, than the northern\\nparts of Minnesota and Dakota adjoining it.\\nThe term Central Brairie Land as applied to it, is, as before\\nmentioned, merely intended to indicate that in it prairie land is to\\nbe found more or less prevalent with this distinction, that in the\\nsouthern half of it, the extent of prairie land very much exceeds\\nthat of wood land while in the northern part of it, say from about\\nlat. 54\u00c2\u00b0 to lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0 N., the country is generally wooded, though\\nprairies are interspersed through it, some of great extent. Brairies\\nextend as far north as the east branch of Hay Biver, on which\\nthey terminate near lat. 60\u00c2\u00b0, and as far east as Methy Bortage,\\nbetween the waters of the Churchill and Athabasca Bivers, near\\nthe eastern boundary assumed for this section. Brairie land,\\nbetween these points, occurs so continuously as to admit of herds\\nof horses being sent through, as mentioned by Sir John Bichardson,\\nand feeding by the way a condition evidently favorable to the\\nextension of settlement, as well as indicative of land suitable for\\nagricultural occupation.\\nIn so great an extent of country there is naturally much variety\\nin character and quality of soil. To assist in describing it, it", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0065.jp2"}, "66": {"fulltext": "may be suitable to do so by its rivers, commencing with the\\nsouthern part of it watered by the Saskatchewan and other tribu-\\ntaries of Lake Winnipeg.\\nCHAPTER VIII.\\nLAKE WINNIPEG AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.\\nLooking at the map, we have lake Winnipeg in the south-east\\npart of this section, forming there part of its boundary. Lake\\nWinnipeg is two hundred and eighty miles in length, and fifty-\\nseven in greatest breadth. Its southern extremity is three hundred\\nand fifty miles west-north-west from Fort William on Lake Superior.\\nIts elevation above the sea is about six hundred and twenty-eight\\nfeet. From the mouth of the Eiver Winnipeg, near its south end,\\nto its northern extremity, it is the boundary between the generally\\nrocky Laurentian Country and the Silurian lime-stone formation of\\nthe east side of the great central plain.\\nIt is very shallow at its southern extremity. Its shores are\\nlow and marshy at the entrance of Eed Eiver, and subject to inun-\\ndations! By the report of Captain Munn, at low water, the depth\\non the bar at the entrance of that river, in the shallowest part of\\nthe channel is only four feet. The narrows and islands in the\\nsouth half of the lake afford good protection in the navigation of\\nit from Big Island, as far as the mouth of the Little Saskatchewan\\nin the expansion below Big Island the soundings are from three\\nto five fathoms with good anchorage. From opposite the mouth of\\nthe Little Saskatchewan, he says, a vessel would have to depend\\non steam and an anchor, in the event of a storm, as far as the\\nmouth of the Great Saskatchewan, where there is an excellent\\nharbour and good anchorage.\\nThe navigation of Lake Winnipeg derives an additional impor-\\ntance from that of its tributaries, the Great and the Little Saskat-\\nchewan the former being navigable for steamers, with but three\\ninterruptions to Edmonton, on the North Branch, seven hundred\\nand seventy-two miles, and probably farther, to the base of the\\nEocky Mountains while the little Saskatchewan and its lakes\\npresent a navigation of upwards of three hundred miles from its\\nmouth, or five hundred from Fort Garry, without interruption.\\nTHE RIVER WINNIPEG.\\nThe Eiver Winnipeg enters Lake Winnipeg, in a bay on the east\\nside, at forty-one miles by the shore, from the mouth of Eed Eiver,\\nthe southern extremity of the lake it has a course of about five", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0066.jp2"}, "67": {"fulltext": "1\\nhundred miles, measuring from the head of the Savanne Eiver, at\\nthe height of land, on the canoe route from Fort William to Eed\\nEiver.\\nHaving large tributaries, and its sources being in a rainy\\nregion, it is a very large river it is considered by Mr. Dawson\\nand Mr. Hind, of the Canadian Exploring Expedition, as resem-\\nbling the Upper Ottawa in volume, say equal to the Ehine.\\nOn its lower course the Ottawa, by the report of the Canal\\nSurvey, was found to have a mean discharge of 85,000 cubic feet\\nper second, while the Ehine, as quoted, in the same report, from\\nD Aubuisson, has a mean discharge of 33,700 cubic feet per\\nsecond.\\nThe upper waters of the Winnipeg, Lac des Mille Lacs, the\\nEiver Seine, Eainy Lake and Eainy Eiver, with the Lake of the\\nWoods, into which they flow, form the chief part of the proposed\\nline of communication from Lake Superior to Eed Eiver.\\nThe Lake of the Woods, seventy miles in length, and the Eiver\\nWinnipeg below it, a hundred and sixty-three miles long, by its\\ncrooked, turbulent and obstructed course, to Lake Winnipeg, form\\ntogether part of the assumed easterly boundary of the great central\\nsection of territory under consideration.\\nThe strip of rich alluvial land, eighty miles in length, on\\nEainy Eiver, and its favorable climate, and the importance of\\nthe Pine forest on the upper waters of the Winnipeg, for the\\nsupply of the prairie lands adjoining, have already been men-\\ntioned.\\nFrom the Lake of the Woods to its mouth, the Eiver Winnipeg,\\nas described by our Canadian explorers, flows through the disk\\nof the Laurentian formation both banks are generally rocky and\\nsterile. Between Islington Mission (thirty-five miles below the\\nLake of the Woods, where it begins) and Silver Falls, good soil\\noccurs in the form of drift clay, in small patches of from fifty to\\nthree hundred acres. From Silver Falls, eighteen miles from\\nLake Winnipeg, well-wooded, fertile alluvial land prevails, on both\\nbanks, down to Lake Winnipeg forming on the south side the\\nlarge fertile tract in which Fort Alexander is situated.\\nThe Laurentian country, on the Eiver Winnipeg, rises in dome-\\nshaped hills, from a hundred to two hundred feet in height, that\\nsink, irregularly, to the southward, into the plain country, which\\nextends from the Lake of the Woods to Eed Eiver, a distance of\\nabout ninety miles.\\nCOUNTRY BETWEEN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS AND RED RIVER.\\nThis plain country is at first very level, and then falls gradually\\nto the Eed Eiver. It is, more or less, thinly wooded, where not", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0067.jp2"}, "68": {"fulltext": "40\\ncovered with water, for sixty miles westward from the Lake of\\nthe Woods. In this distance swamps and muskeags, vast lake-\\nlike marshes, prevail. Some of the latter are many miles in\\nextent; they cover the greater part of the country. They are\\nundrained prairies, covered with two or three feet of water,\\nthickly charged with vegetable matter, over a firm marly or clay\\nbottom.\\n(This shallowness with firmness of bottom is singularly uniform;\\nit was found so by Mr. Dawson s assistants in dragging their canoe\\nthrough the muskeag, between the Lake of the Woods and White\\nMouth Eiver and it is the same forty miles further south in the\\nmuskeag between the Lake of the Woods and the Eiver Eoseau.)\\nAs they are so shallow, and the fall from the Lake of the\\nWoods to Eed Eiver is three hundred and sixty feet, they could,\\nno doubt, to a great extent be drained, and would form vast fertile\\nfields or valuable meadows like the salt marshes on the Bay of\\nFundy, which have been reclaimed with great labor, in the con-\\nstruction of extensive dikes to exclude the tide. As the summer\\nis equal to that of the district of Montreal, the marshes of the\\nLake of the Woods may yet be found as well worth reclaiming\\nas the Westmoreland marshes referred to. Where there is much\\nsuperfluous vegetable matter or even three feet in depth of it, as\\nit is stated there is in the swamps it might be compressed for\\nfuel.\\nThe manufacture of Canadian peat is already yielding cheap\\nfuel in Montreal, where it can be delivered at $3.20 per ton. It\\nwould be satisfactory if the bogs and swamps near the Eed Eiver\\nsettlements were found to contain sufficient material to supply the\\nfuture demand for fuel there when the woods, which have hitherto\\nmet their requirements, fail. With a canal or a railroad passing\\nthrough this, tract, as part of the proposed route to Eed Eiver, such\\na supply would be made easily available, even from the great peaty\\nmorass behind the fertile strip on Eainy Eiver.\\nA range, of slightly elevated ridges, which traverses this marshy\\ncountry, commencing near the north-west end of the Lake of the\\nWoods, was found to afford a good site for a road through to Fort\\nGarry. From its being extremely even and free from obstacles,\\nit is a most favorable site for a railroad. Immediately north of it\\nthere seems to be a favorable site for a canal; to both of which\\nwe shall have occasion to refer.\\nRED RIVER.\\nAt its south end Lake Winnipeg receives the Eed Eiver\\nexceeding the Winnipeg in length of course, but far inferior to it", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0068.jp2"}, "69": {"fulltext": "ill magnitude; yet a fine river, resembling the Eichelieu in\\nvolume. By its windings it is nearly six hundred miles in length.\\nFor the last three hundred miles of its course its general direc-\\ntion is due north. It crosses the United States boundary about\\nninety miles west of the Lake of the Woods, a little over a\\nhundred miles from its mouth and for that distance flows through\\nthis territory in a nearly level prairie plain of the richest alluvial\\nsoil.\\nCaptain Palliser describes the soil as being that of an ancient\\nLake bottom, consisting of variously proportioned mixtures of\\nclay, loam and marl, with a remarkable deficiency of sand, over-\\nlaid with a great depth of vegetable mould, varying from two to\\nfive feet in thickness. Mr. Dawson and Mr. Hind speak of it as\\nbeing generally from ten to twenty inches of black mould on a\\nthick bed of alluvial clay.\\nThis description of prairie country is described as extending\\nback, on the east side of Eed Eiver, from four to about thirty miles\\nand on the west side about forty, to the ridge or hilly ground called\\nthe Pembina Mountains, the high disk of the unfertile dry prairie\\nlands south of the Assiniboine. Parts of it are marshy, as might\\nbe expected of an alluvial nearly level plain, in a state of nature\\nbut they are described as admitting of being drained with little\\ntrouble. The big swamp in rear of the Eed Eiver settlement is\\ntwenty-seven feet above the surface of the river and the nine\\nmile swamp on Eat Eiver, a small tributary on the east side\\nabove the settlement, is described as capable of being drained with\\ncomparatively trifling labour, and would form the richest of prairie\\nland. Marshes, great and small, and swampy spots requiring im-\\nprovement and capable of it, though of the richest soil encroach\\nlargely on the area immediately available for cultivation which\\nis naturally less in proportion than in some of the higher prairie\\ngrounds of rich sandy loam.\\nProm its lowness (to which it owes its extraordinary fertility,)\\nlike many other alluvial valleys parts of it are sometimes subject\\nto inundations, but very rarely. About forty miles from its mouth\\nthe Eed Eiver receives its chief tributary, the Assiniboine. At\\ntheir confluence is situated Upper Port Garry, the chief commer-\\ncial emporium and seat of government of the Eed Eiver settle-\\nment, (which extends from twenty miles above to thirty miles\\nbelow it on the Eed Eiver, and about seventy miles up the Assi-\\nniboine.)\\nEed Eiver is 480 feet wide and twelve feet deep at the middle\\nsettlement. It is navigable to the United States boundary and\\nfar to the south of it by boats of light draft but the navigation\\nof it is subject to interruption by drought in the dry season of the,\\nvear.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0069.jp2"}, "70": {"fulltext": "42\\nFrom the settlement up to the United States boundary, about\\nfifty-seven miles, its banks are fringed with wood, from a few yards\\nto half a mile in breadth, and the peninsulas it forms are well\\nwooded. The woods of elm, poplar, oak and ash towards its\\nmouth, have supplied the wants of the settlement for upwards of\\ntwenty years.\\nThe alluvial clay of the Eed Eiver and the Assiniboine is reported\\nto be well fitted for the manufacture of bricks and common pottery,\\nin patches which may be of importance for building in parts\\nwhere stone cannot be had near. The prevalence of limestone,\\nhowever, will leave little occasion for the use of brick.\\nCHAPTER IX.\\nTHE EIVER ASSINIBOINE.\\nBy its very winding course the river Assiniboine is over six\\nhundred miles in length. For two hundred and twenty miles,\\nin direct distance upwards from its mouth, its course is nearly\\nwest above that, its course, for upwards of two hundred miles in\\ndirect distance, is north-westerly, lying nearly parallel to Lake\\nWinnipeg, at a mean distance of two hundred and forty miles west\\nof it.\\nAt two hundred and twenty miles west from its mouth, where\\nit turns northward, it receives its tributary, the river Qu Appelle,\\nwhich continues directly westward two hundred and fifty miles\\nfurther, having its source near the elbow of the South Branch of\\nthe Saskatchewan, four hundred and seventy miles directly west-\\nward from the mouth of the Assiniboine.\\nThough it and its tributaries drain a larger area than Red\\nRiver, the Assiniboine, owing to the dryness of the country south-\\nwest of it, drained by its principal feeders, and the loss of water\\nin its lower course, is scarcely equal to the one-third of Red River\\nat their junction. By Professor Hind s measurements the volume\\nof the Assiniboine, at a hundred and forty miles from its mouth,\\nwhere it is two hundred and thirty feet wide and eight feet in mean\\ndepth, diminishes to half before its junction with the Red River.\\nThe difference is seemingly lost in the sandy tract, of about fifty\\nmiles in breadth, which it enters about a hundred and twenty\\nmiles west of Fort Garry, a little above the mouth of its tributary,\\nthe Souris or Mouse River.\\nThe Souris is apparently upwards of three hundred miles in\\nlength. Its source is a little north of the U. S. boundary, and", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0070.jp2"}, "71": {"fulltext": "three hundred and fifty miles west of Eed River. A great bend of\\nit at its middle course crosses that boundary.\\nBy Mr. Hind s measurement the volume of water discharged by\\nthe Souris, though much broader at its mouth, seems to be about\\nhalf of that of the Qu Appelle. The latter near its mouth is sixty-\\nsix feet wide, flowing a mile and a half an hour, with a mean depth\\nof six and a half feet.\\nThe small discharge of water by these rivers, compared with\\ntheir length of course and the extent of their tributaries, indicates\\nthe generally arid nature of the light prairie country drained by\\nthem the greater volume of the Qu Appelle being apparently due\\nto the generally better description of country on its north bank.\\nThe main Assiniboine, above the Qu Appelle, discharges twice as\\nmuch water as the latter river, the area drained by it, though\\nonly half as extensive as that of the Qu Appelle, being a very fer-\\ntile country.\\nTHE INFERTILE LANDS ON THE SOURIS AND QU APPELLE.\\nMuch the greater part of the country drained by the Eiver\\nQu Appelle, and very nearly all that drained by the Eiver Souris,\\nis classed as light prairie land on Professor Hind s shaded maps,\\ndistinguishing the quality of the land, published with his report in\\nParliamentary Papers on the Colonies of 1860. In the body of\\nhis report, however, he estimates nearly a million of acres as fertile\\narable land; that is, only one-fortieth part of its area.\\nThis region lies south of the great belt of fertile country de-\\nscribed by Capt. Palliser as suitable for cultivation.\\nMuch of its surface, especially south of an imaginary line from\\nthe great bend of the Souris across the middle course of the Qu\\nAppelle, is described as bare and treeless prairie, covered only with\\nshort grass, and very deficient of water and in parts the soil is\\nso light and sandy that it drifts with the wind, and in others the\\nground is strewed with fragments of shale and granite boulders.\\nA great obstacle to settlement in these treeless plains is the\\nwant of wood for fuel. Were they otherwise suitable, that might\\nprobably be, in parts, overcome. Dr. Hector s admirable geological\\nsection from Lake Winnipeg to Vancouver s Island shows brown\\ncoal in the Coteau du Prairie which extends from above the Elbow\\nof the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, along the sources of the\\nQu Appelle and the Souris, to the boundary line, with a height of\\nsix hundred feet above the plain. Above the Blue Hills up the\\nSouris, a little more than twenty miles from its mouth, Mr. Hind\\nfound beds of lignite boulders in its banks the water-borne debris\\nof beds of lignite coal.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0071.jp2"}, "72": {"fulltext": "As so much has been seen in the course of the limited explora-\\ntions yet made, more may probably be discovered on further exam-\\nination of the country.\\nThis region, described as generally infertile, lying on the waters\\nof the Souris and the Qu Appelle, and southward to the U. S.\\nboundary, is equal to England in area and continues westward, to\\na still greater extent.\\nBut it is proper to notice that there are apparently considerable\\nexceptions to this generally valueless character. Mr. Hind speaks\\nof the bend of the Souris, near the Blue Hills, being in the midst\\nof a very lovely undulating country. A little further on he speaks\\nof a vast prairie of a rich dark green, a beautiful level waste/\\nafterwards of an extensive deposit of bog iron ore capped with\\nshell marl. Speaking of the Souris, further up, he says that its\\nvalley, along which we travelled to-day, varies from a quarter to\\na mile broad. It flows through a rich open meadow 20 to 25 feet\\nbelow the general level of the prairie, which on either hand is un-\\ndulating, light, and covered with short stunted grass. He speaks\\nof the valley of the Pipestone creek as being narrow, but rich\\nand beautiful.\\nIn the same manner, beyond the region designated as the great\\nfertile belt, ascending the south bank of the Qu Appelle from its\\nmouth, he says we left Fort Ellice and travelled due west\\nthrough a pretty country, and the following day arrived at the cross\\nwoods. They consist of aspen with a splendid undergrowth. The\\npasturage is excellent and the road good, passing through a fair\\nrolling country, the soil consisting of a sandy loam with much\\nvegetable matter in the valleys. Aspen groves are numerous, and\\nmany little lakes. Again, The trail continued through good\\nland for nine miles, with aspen groves on the crown of each undu-\\nlation. Then came a prairie, three miles across. Ponds were\\nnumerous, abounding with ducks and ducklings. Speaking of the\\nIndian Head Hills, near the middle course of the Qu Appelle, he\\ncalls them a hilly country for some miles it contains many beau-\\ntiful lakes and is well wooded. Further on he .speaks of an\\nexceedingly beautiful view, embracing an extensive area of level\\nprairie to the north, bounded by the Aspen Woods on the borders\\nof the Qu Appelle Valley. A portion of the old forest still exists,\\nof a large growth and very thickly set. Continuing, he says,\\non the 17th we entered a very beautiful fertile prairie at the foot\\nof the Indian Head range and further, we reached the Qu Ap-\\npelle Lakes after passing through a magnificent prairie the whole\\nday. In fact, the country north of the Indian Head and Chalk\\nHill ranges is truly beautiful, and will one day become a very\\nimportant tract.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0072.jp2"}, "73": {"fulltext": "Speaking of the Qu Appelle Mission, lie says the situation is\\nbeautiful. Here the Qu Appelle Valley is one mile and a quarter\\nbroad and 250 feet deep. Both north and south a vast prairie\\nextends, fertile, inviting, but treeless on the south, and dotted\\nwith groves of aspen over a light and somewhat gravelly soil on\\nthe north. Most beautiful and attractive, however, are the lakes,\\nfour in number, and from the rich store of fish they contain, are\\nwell-named Fishing Lakes. A belt of timber fringes their sides\\nat the foot of the steep hills they wash, for they fill the entire\\nbreadth of the valley. Ancient elm trees, with long and drooping\\nbranches, bend over the water, the ash-leaved maple acquires\\ndimensions not seen since leaving Eed Eiver, and the Mi-sas-ka-\\nto-mi-na is no longer a bush, but a tree eighteen to twenty feet\\nhigh, and loaded with most luscious fruit.\\nAll this, and no doubt much more like it, is excluded from the\\nbelt generally spoken of as suitable for settlement; but though\\ncertainly inferior to the rich alluvial plains on the Eed Eiver,\\nsuch lands are evidently better suited for cultivation than much of\\nthe poor and scarcely arable lands we have been eadeavoring to\\nbring under settlement in the Ottawa and Huron territory. In-\\nfertile prairie lands, even of the worst description, are easily\\ntravelled over. They present no obstruction to communication,\\nsuch as our rugged woodlands do. The hunting bands drive\\ntheir carts all over them on natural roads, as good as our coloni-\\nzation roads, which, imperfect as they are, cost a hundred pounds\\na mile, and upwards.\\nEven the poor prairies, if they be little worth, at least cost\\nnothing for clearing and as their surface shows that they afford\\npasturage for numerous herds of buffaloes, it is evident they may\\ndo the same for domestic cattle and sheep.\\nWhen we read such descriptions, and turn to Mr. Hind s\\nlarge map of exploration that accompanies his report, as published\\nby the Canadian Government, and see large tracts, watered by fine\\nstreams, designated as rolling prairie, good clay soil level\\nplain, dark rich loam; open level prairie of light sandy loam,\\nwith clumps of willows rolling prairie of light clay loam,\\nmarshy in many places, (thirty miles of this in one tract ap-\\nparently) rich black soil rolling prairie of sandy clay\\nlevel open prairie, full of marshy ponds and in the first great\\nbend of the Souris, a tract of twenty miles, by ten apparently, with\\nseveral streams issuing from it of slightly undulating prairie of\\nrich sandy loam, with clumps of young poplar; and when we\\nconsider that these tracts, with the exception of marshy spots in\\nthem, are generally ready to receive the plough, without the trouble\\n-and cost we have in Canada in clearing and in taking out stumps", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0073.jp2"}, "74": {"fulltext": "46\\nand stones, we are led to believe, that if these expressions have\\nbeen used with accuracy, which there is no room to doubt, consi-\\nderable tracts of this region, not included in the fertile belt, com-\\nmonly spoken of, are really far from being quite unfit for settle-\\nment.\\nThese particulars are noticed here because, from the circum-\\nstances of the large region in which they occur, being naturally in\\ngeneralizing excluded from the fertile country/the value of much\\nof it might be underrated.\\nThey tend to show that the estimates referred to do not exag-\\ngerate the extent of fertile lands, and are not the less valuable on\\nthat account.\\nThese remarks will be applicable to the large proportion of the\\nprairie lands on the south branch of the Saskatchewan, adjoining\\nto the westward, which has also been classed as valueless and unfit\\nfor settlement.\\nWith the vast extent of far superior land which this territory\\noffers, even the exceptional good tracts, such as those described,\\nwhich are to be found in the infertile regions, may well be disre-\\ngarded for the present.\\nCHAPTER X.\\nFERTILE LAND ON THE ASSINIBOINE.\\nAscending the Assiniboine from its mouth for upwards of\\nseventy miles to the Sand Hills, the country through which it\\nflows is described as being of the same rich alluvial character as\\non the Eed Eiver with the advantage of never being subject to\\ninundation. Beyond that is the sandy tract, fifty miles in length\\nwestward south of the river it connects with the dry prairie lands\\nalready mentioned; on the north side it extends twenty miles back\\nfrom the river, to the great fertile region north of it. Then, for\\nabout a hundred miles further west, to where it turns northward at\\nthe mouth of the QuAppelle, and for nearly fifty miles north of\\nthat, the Assiniboine may be considered as the boundary between\\nthe great fertile prairie region and the equally great region of light\\nprairie land south and west of it.\\nBetween the Sand Hills and the QuAppelle the Assiniboine\\nreceives, on the north side, five considerable tributaries, from fifty\\nto a hundred and fifty miles in length. Their courses are in the\\nfertile region. The land on their head waters is described as good\\nsandy loam. The description of one of them, the Eapid River, in-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0074.jp2"}, "75": {"fulltext": "dicates their general character. Of it Mr. Dickinson of the Cana-\\ndian exploring party says The valley is about eighty feet below\\nthe general level of the country the bottom of it is from half a\\nmile to a mile in width, through which the river winds its way,\\nflowing rapidly and uniformly it is about fifty feet wide, and at\\nthis time (August) five feet deep. There is no appearance of the\\nvalley being flooded. There are large open flats occurring fre-\\nquently, on both sides of the river, where the richness of the grass\\nand the beauty of the various flowers prove the great fertility of\\nthe soil, places marked out by nature to be cultivated and inhabited\\nby man. There is abundance of good sized poplar and balsam,\\nspruce sufficiently large for building and farming purposes. I\\nfollowed the course of the valley down to its junction with the\\nvalley of the Assiniboine, (a hundred miles,) and for the greater\\npart of the way it is rich and fertile, as is also the land adjoining.\\nWithin a few miles of the Assiniboine the country changes con-\\nsiderably, the soil is much lighter, and the trees fewer and smaller.\\nA strip of sandy ground extends for eighty miles above the Eapid\\nEiver along the north bank of the Assiniboine.\\nEapid Eiver is navigable for a hundred miles for canoes a^id\\nbateaux.\\nSpeaking of the northerly part of the Assiniboine above the\\nQu Appelle, S. J. Dawson, Esquire, who was in charge of the\\nExploratory Expedition of 1858, after describing the river as\\ncrooked and rapid for eighteen miles below Fort Pelly, says it is\\nthen joined by the White Mud Eiver from the west, which\\ndrains a considerable portion of the great alluvial prairies which\\ntravellers pass on their way to Carleton House, and which have\\nexcited such general admiration on account of their great fertility.\\nHe describes the river as winding in a deep valley, from a mile to\\ntwo miles in width, for a hundred miles, from White Mud Eiver to\\nFort Ellice the banks increasing in height from a moderate eleva-\\ntion at the former to two hundred and fifty feet at the latter place.\\nHe says With regard to the quality of the soil on going inland\\na little we found it to be of an alluvial character, differing in no\\nrespect from the soil in the prairie lands at Eed Eiver. He speaks\\nof its tributary brooks as flowing in glens stretching far inland\\nwith winding banks, covered in some cases with green herbage and\\nin others with forests that ascend to the level of the plain above.\\nHe describes the course of the Assiniboine as being remarkably\\ncrooked, occasionally crossing its valley as much as three times in\\nthe direct distance of a mile, (very unfavorable for navigation\\nwere it otherwise suitable.) He says The margin of the stream\\nis in general wooded sometimes the woods extend across the\\nwhole valley in other cases the green banks slope down from the\\nprairie level to the water s edge.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0075.jp2"}, "76": {"fulltext": "Such is the character of the northerly part or upper half of the\\nAssiniboine and its valley. North-eastward of it the prairie\\nplateau extends to the base of the Eiding, Duck and Porcupine\\nMountains, a distance varying from sixty to thirty miles. It is\\ndescribed as a fertile country, often exceedingly beautiful, inter-\\nspersed with forests and clumps of wood, generally of young trees\\nand of a small growth marshy in spots and abounding in lakelets\\nor ponds, with wild fowl exceedingly abundant. Its soil is a rich\\nsandy loam limestone boulders and gravelly spots occurring but\\nrarely.\\nWestward of the Assiniboine, above the light prairie tract\\nalready mentioned, this same description of fertile country, inter-\\nspersed with woods, and abundantly watered by ponds and streams,\\nextends a hundred and thirty miles to and beyond the base of the\\ngreat and the little Touchwood Hills.\\nThese ranges of hills extend in a south-west direction, about\\ntwenty miles from each other. The greater is about eighty miles,\\nand the lesser about sixty miles in length. They lie between the\\nupper courses of the Assiniboine and the Qu Appelle. The trans-\\nverse breadth of country occupied by them, and their gently\\nascending bases, measuring north-westward, is about fifty miles.\\nSpeaking of them, Professor Hind says We reached the\\nsummit plateau, and then passed through a very beautiful undu-\\nlating country, diversified by many picturesque lakes and aspen\\ngroves, possessing land of the best quality, and covered with most\\nluxuriant herbage further he says The country between the\\ntwo ranges is dotted with lakes and groves of aspen. From a\\nsmall hill near the Fort, I counted forty-seven lakes and further,\\nSo rich and abundant is the vegetation here, that the horses\\nremain in the open glades all the winter, and always find plenty of\\nforage to keep them in good condition. Buffaloes congregate in the\\nbeautiful prairie south of the Fort every winter, sometimes in vast\\nnumbers. A little further he says Not only are lakes very\\nabundant and well supplied with water, but there are several living\\nstreams flowing from the range. Indeed, the whole countiy from\\nTouchwood Hills to Eiding Mountain, (upwards of two hundred\\nmiles,) including the country about the head waters of the Assi-\\nniboine, is dotted with innumerable lakes annually replenished by\\nsummer rains.\\nNorth of the Touchwood Hills, the fertile prairie plateau, with\\nan increasing proportion of woods in its northern and eastern parts,\\nextends from the Duck Mountains, westward to the South Branch\\nof the Saskatchewan, two hundred and twenty miles, and beyond\\nit, up the valley of the North Branch, four hundred miles further.\\nIn a northerly direction it extends to the main Saskatchewan below", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0076.jp2"}, "77": {"fulltext": "49\\nthe junction of the two branches, upwards of a hundred miles\\nnorth of Fort Pelly, on the Assiniboine, and to the wooded country\\non Eoot Eiver, which projects from the north-east into the prairie\\ncountry.\\nFertile ground continues through the wooded country for some\\ndistance north of Eoot Eiver, till it merges in the poor marshy\\ngrounds towards the main Saskatchewan.\\nCHAPTER XL\\nLAKES MANITOBAH AND WINNIPEGOOS.\\nA little east of the middle of the tract of two hundred and forty\\nmiles in width, between Lake Winnipeg and the Assiniboine, and\\nroughly parallel to them, extend Lake Winnipegoos in the north\\nand Lake Manitobah in the south the latter receives the waters\\nof the former by an elbow-shaped stream, and discharges its own\\ninto Lake Winnipeg, from a bay on its east side, by a river called\\nthe Little Saskatchewan, which is fifty miles in direct length to\\nits mouth.\\nThese lakes are each a hundred and twenty miles in length.\\nThe greatest breadth of Manitobah is twenty-four miles, and of\\nWinnipegoos twenty-seven. Taken together, they extend two\\nhundred and twenty miles from north to south.\\nThey enclose between them and Lake Winnipeg a peninsula\\nof two hundred and fifty miles in length by a hundred miles in\\ngreatest breadth, which is cut across at the middle by the Little\\nSaskatchewan.\\nThis peninsula, though as large as the Kingdom of Denmark,\\ncounts for little in the Nor -West. Its interior has not been\\nexamined by our explorers. It is reported to be a low flat country,\\nabounding in lakes and marshes. On its coast, on the north-east\\nshore of Lake Manitobah, Mr. Dawson states that from the marsh\\nwhich lies behind its high shingle beach, a rich alluvial soil rises\\ngradually to a moderate height, not subject to be flooded. The\\nsection it shows, where traversed by the Little Saskatchewan, is\\nless favorable, having much very low ground which is natural,\\nas the river would seek its way over the lowest part. As it is a\\nlimestone country and thickly wooded, the soil must necessarily\\nbe very fertile, where there is depth enough of it; which should\\nat least frequently be the case in a low level country.\\nWe may expect that it will be found so when explored; but it\\nis of little present importance.\\n4", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0077.jp2"}, "78": {"fulltext": "Bound the south end of Lake Manitobah, for a circuit of about\\nfifty miles, the soil is that of the richest description of prairie\\nland. The few settlers consider it even superior to that of Red\\nRiver. It is an undulating country of mingled woods and open\\nprairie.\\nThe White Mud River, a stream of about eighty miles in length\\nby its course, which has its sources in the southern skirts of the\\nRiding Mountains, and flows eastward to the south end of Lake\\nManitobah, is described as passing through an exceedingly beauti-\\nful and fertile country of prairies, thickly interspersed with woods,\\nthe soil of which is a rich sandy loam. This very rich prairie land\\nextends southward to the Sand Hills on the Assiniboine, and east-\\nward to Red River.\\nBetween the upper end of Lake Manitobah and the Riding\\nMountains, and around Lake Dauphin, there is much rich ground,\\nand much of it very marshy. Mr. Dawson and Mr. Hind agree in\\nthinking that these marshes could generally be drained, and would\\nform rich meadows. But Mr. Hind does not consider the country\\non the shores of these lakes, and between them and the Riding and\\nDuck Mountains, as generally suitable for settlement, excepting\\nthe south end of Lake Manitobah. Mr. Dawson s opinion is more\\nfavorable, owing probably to his greater experience of rugged\\ncountries like the Ottawa and eastern districts, where the standard\\nby which land is estimated is not so high as in the western parts\\nof Canada.\\nMr. Dawson states that the country bordering on the western\\nextremity of Lake Winnipegoos is, in general, of a fair elevation, and\\nthe land appears to be remarkably fertile between the Red Deer\\nRiver and Swan River, (a distance of seventy-five miles), a level\\ncountry extends to the base of the Porcupine Hills. It is well\\nwooded, and upon the whole, I consider this tract well adapted for\\nsettlement.\\nTHE DAUPHIN RIVER.\\nReporting on the River Dauphin, Mr. A. Wells says, that is\\na fine stream, forty yards broad, having five feet of water in the\\nshallowest parts. Its banks are of a strong gray clay, covered\\nwith black mould and timbered with oak, elm and poplar, and\\nadds, there are several places on the Dauphin River where the\\nIndians grow potatoes, indian corn and melons.\\nTHE RED DEER RIVER.\\nThe Red Deer River, which falls into the north-west end of\\nLake Winnipegoos, is said to flow through a country that is very", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0078.jp2"}, "79": {"fulltext": "51\\nfertile. The fact that maple is to be found there in considerable\\nquantities (as noticed by Sir Alexander McKenzie) is a favorable\\nindication alike as to soil and climate. It is a stream of about two\\nhundred miles in length by its course.\\nTHE SWAN RIVER.\\nThe Swan River, which enters a bay of the north end of Lake\\nWinnipegoos, after passing northward through Swan Lake, is about\\ntwo hundred miles in length by its course. Speaking of it Mr.\\nDawson says Ascending from Swan Lake for two miles or so,\\nthe banks are rather low, in the succeeding ten miles they gradually\\nattain a height of nearly a hundred feet, landslips occur in many\\nplaces, where the banks are high, exposing an alluvial soil of\\ngreat depth resting on drift clay, or shale of a slightly bituminous\\nappearance.\\nAbout thirty miles above Swan Lake, the prairie region fairly\\ncommences. There the river winds about in a fine valley, the banks\\nof which rise to the height of eighty or a hundred feet. Beyond\\nthese an apparently unbroken level extends, on one side, for a\\ndistance of fifteen or twenty miles to the Porcupine Hills, and for\\nan equal distance on the other, to the high table-land called the\\nDuck Mountain. From this south-westward to Thunder Mountain,\\nthe country is the finest I have ever seen in a state of nature.\\nThe prospect is bounded by the blue outline of the hills named,\\nwhile, in the plain, alternate wood and prairie present an appear-\\nance more pleasing than if either entirely prevailed. Leaving\\nSwan River to cross Fort Pell^ he says, the road then follows for\\nsome distance a tributary of Swan River, which runs in a beautiful\\nvalley with alternate slopes of woodland and prairie. Numbers of\\nhorses were quietly feeding on the rich pasture of the valley as we\\npassed, and what with the clumps of trees on the rising grounds\\nand the stream winding among green meadows, it seemed as if it\\nwanted but the presence of human habitations to give it the ap-\\npearance of a highly cultivated country.\\nThis description carries us round again into the rich prairie\\ncountry, already described, on the upper course of the Assiniboine,\\nwhich as before observed is bounded on the east by the Porcupine,\\nthe Duck and the Riding Mountains. It is in a broad valley\\nbetween the two latter that the Swan River finds its way eastward.\\nTHE PORCUPINE, DUCK AND BIDING MOUNTAINS.\\nThese mountains are thickly covered with wood of a large\\ngrowth they rise gently, in successive plateaus, from the prairie\\nplain, which is much higher than the low country on the shores of\\nthe lakes east of them.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0079.jp2"}, "80": {"fulltext": "Taken together, they extend in a curved line of two hundred\\nmiles in length, nearly parallel to the Assiniboine, about half way\\nbetween it and the Lakes Manitobah and Winnipegoos.\\nMr. Hind gives the Hiding Mountains an elevation of a thou-\\nsand feet above the land on the shore of Lake Manitobah and Mr.\\nDawson estimates the Porcupine Mountains as rising to about\\nfifteen hundred feet over the plain at their eastern base.\\nThe Biding and Duck Mountains are more properly described\\nas portions of the elevated disk of the high plain country on the\\nUpper Assiniboine, which rises gently from the prairie in succes-\\nsive plateaus, thickly wooded, to the summit, falling eastward in\\nabrupt descents to the much lower country along the west shores\\nof Lakes Manitobah and Winnipegoos; presenting towards them\\na mountainous and lofty aspect.\\nEising from the prairie they are covered with a thick growth of\\nwood, chiefly poplar. The table land of the summit of the Eiding\\nMountain is described by Professor Hind as fine land, heavy clay\\nsoil supporting a forest of very large white spruce, poplar, birch,\\naspen, c. the white spruce girthing from five feet six inches to\\nseven feet three inches. In Mr. Dawson s report, the table land\\nforming the summit of Duck Mountain is described, from infor-\\nmation obtained, to be of rich soil and heavily wooded. Porcupine\\nMountain, besides being higher, rises in a more definite form from\\nthe plains at its base.\\nNAVIGATION OF LAKES MANITOBAH AND WINNIPEGOOS AND\\nRIVER LITTLE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nAs the Little Saskatchewan, the outlet of Lake Manitobah, is a\\nfine navigable stream of seven hundred and fifty feet in breadth,\\nand the Waterhen Eiver or Sangisipi, which connects Lakes Mani-\\ntobah and Winnipegoos, has a broad channel not less than three\\nfeet deep at low water, they present together with these lakes an\\nunbroken line of water communication from Port Garry to Mossy\\nPortage, at the head of Lake Winnipegoos, a distance of about five\\nhundred miles.\\nMossy Portage, which is only about four miles and a quarter in\\nlength, through low ground, connects the head of Lake Winnipe-\\ngoos with Cedar Lake on the Eiver Saskatchewan, above its great\\nrapids. A short canal there would unite the navigation by these\\nlakes from Fort Garry with that of the Eiver Saskatchewan, (from\\nCedar Lake upwards) which for nearly a thousand miles presents no\\ngreater obstructions to navigation than are to be found in the Eiver\\nOhio. This would form a line of water communication of about\\nfifteen hundred miles in length from Port Garry to the foot of the\\nEocky Mountains. By ascending the Assiniboine seventy miles to", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0080.jp2"}, "81": {"fulltext": "53\\nPrairie Portage, and canalling by the Eat Eiver and White Mud\\nKiver, about twenty-five miles, to the south end of Lake Manitobah,\\nthe distance to the Saskatchewan would be shortened by a hundred\\nmiles. A cheaply constructed shallow canal, with a good length\\nand breadth of lock-pit, would be sufficient there for large business.\\nThe character of the Saskatchewan, as a navigable river, will be\\nfurther noticed.\\nCHAPTER XII.\\nTHE RIVER SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS COUNTRY.\\nThe term country is more properly applicable than valley to the\\nregion drained by the Saskatchewan and its tributaries. The\\ncountry through which the two great arms of the Saskatchewan\\nhave their courses, being a portion of the great interior plateau\\nthat slopes down eastward from the Eocky Mountains, it does not\\npresent the aspect of a valley. The term valley is more appropri-\\nately applicable to the deep hollows, in the generally plain country,\\nin which its rivers flow.\\nThe north and south branches of the Saskatchewan, as before\\nmentioned, have their sources in the Eocky Mountains but a few\\nmiles apart, about latitude 51\u00c2\u00b0 40 N. that is, about a hundred and\\neighty-five miles north of the United States boundary.\\nFrom their nearly common source the North Branch diverges\\nnorth-eastward, and the South Branch or Bow Eiver south-eastward,\\ntill at two hundred and fifty miles due eastward they attain a\\ndistance of three hundred miles from each other the South Branch\\nbeing there within forty-five miles of the frontier. Then gradually\\napproaching, they meet at five hundred and fifty miles eastward\\nfrom their source.\\nThe length of the North Branch, by the manuscript field notes\\nof the survey of it by the North- West Company s astronomer,\\nDavid Thompson, is seven hundred and seventy-two and a half\\nmiles, and that of the South or Main Branch, by the latest maps,\\nis about eight hundred and ten miles.\\nFrom their junction, the course of the Main Saskatchewan to\\nLake Winnipeg is, by Thompson s field notes, two hundred and\\neighty-two miles. This makes the whole length of the Saskatche-\\nwan, from the source of the South Branch, (which is the main\\nstream,) to Lake Winnipeg, a thousand and ninety-two miles.\\nFollowing the North Branch, as measured by Thompson, the total\\nlength to Lake Winnipeg is a thousand and fifty-four and a half\\nmiles.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0081.jp2"}, "82": {"fulltext": "This gives occasion to remark that the length of rivers, and dis-\\ntances generally, are much exaggerated in new countries and even\\nscientific men are led into error by hearing them so spoken of by\\nthe people of the country. In this manner Capt. Blackiston gives\\nthe distance from Lake Winnipeg to Edmonton, on the North\\nBranch, as a thousand miles but by Thompson s field-book the\\nmeasured distance is only seven hundred and seventy-two miles.\\nMuch of the extraordinary length and size attributed to rivers in\\nthe United States is due to this; and errors respecting them from\\nthis source have found their way into standard works, such as\\nJohnson s Physical Atlas.\\nPassing through the north end of Lake Winnipeg, at four hun-\\ndred and twenty-three miles further, the Saskatchewan falls into\\nHudson s Bay, making its entire length from its source to the sea,\\nfifteen hundred and fifteen miles. In this last distance its waters\\nare more than doubled in volume from the large tributaries that\\nfeed Lake Winnipeg and as it descends six hundred and twenty-\\neight feet, its course is exceedingly obstructed by rapids and falls.\\nThe total area drained by it is five hundred thousand miles, or\\none-seventh more than the Ganges unwaters.\\nBy the careful measurements of Mr. Fleming, of the Canadian\\nExploring Expedition, the volume of water passing in the North\\nBranch, in the month of August, was 25,264 cubic feet per second,\\nor one-fifth more than the mean volume of the Ehone, by D Aubuis-\\nson; and that of the South Branch was 34,285, or 585 feet more\\nthan the mean of the Rhine, by the same authority. Measured\\nbelow the forks, where it is 980 feet wide and 20 feet in average\\ndepth, that of the main Saskatchewan was 59,667 cubic feet per\\nsecond, or nearly three-quarters of the mean discharge of the\\nOttawa at Grenville\\nThe area drained by the South Saskatchewan is greater than\\nthat of the Rhine, and the water-shed of the Rocky Mountains\\ndrained by it is greater than that of the Alps drained by the Rhine,\\nand the excess of its volume would be much greater were it not for\\nthe extent of dry prairie land it passes through. The River Mis-\\nsouri, which flows through the same description of country, is simi-\\nlarly affected. Though draining an equal area to that of the St.\\nLawrence, and nearly as long in direct distance from its source to\\nits mouth, it throws into the Mississippi only about one-fourth of\\nthe water the St. Lawrence discharges into the Gulf and its general\\nwidth is only five hundred yards.\\nIn considering the character of the Saskatchewan and its country,\\nWhen it is considered that the Ottawa draws its waters from a cold, high and\\ndensely-wooded region with innumerable deep lakes, the cause of its great volume\\nwill be at once apparent.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0082.jp2"}, "83": {"fulltext": "as described by the Canadian Exploring Party and others, let us\\nascend it from Lake Winnipeg.\\nFrom its mouth there are over two miles of strong current up to\\nthe Grand Eapids, which are nearly three miles in length, with a\\ndescent of forty-three and a half feet. The river has there worn its\\nchannel, varying from six hundred and sixty to two hundred and\\ntwenty yards in width, clown through the lips of the horizontal beds\\nof limestone, which form the basis of the level and generally marshy\\nplateau behind.\\nAs to the country in the vicinity of the Grand Eapids, Professor\\nHind says it is very favorable for a road, and even for a settle-\\nment, as the banks of the river are high, with a considerable depth\\nof good soil, from the second rapid east of Cross Lake to near Lake\\nWinnipeg, about eight miles, and adds, there is also abundance of\\ntimber for fuel and building.\\nThe second rapid referred to is at four miles above the head of\\nthe Grand Eapid. It is fully a mile long, with a fall of seven and a\\nhalf feet. From tins up to Cedar Lake, which is twenty miles from\\nLake Winnipeg, there is a succession of rapids and swift currents,\\nwhich, with the rapids already mentioned, make a total descent of\\nupwards of sixty feet.\\nCedar Lake is thirty miles long, and twenty-five miles in great-\\nest width. From the foot of it the river is navigable for steamers,\\nwithout interruption, up a hundred and eighty miles to Tobern s\\nEapids.\\nXorth of Cedar Lake the country is described as low and flat\\nfor a long distance back; the main land and islands well wooded\\nwith balsam, spruce, birch, poplar, tamarack, cedar, and Banksean\\npine. Low beds of horizontal limestone appear in the islands, and\\na considerable portion of the land is reported to be swampy and\\nunavailable for agricultural purposes.\\nFrom Cedar Lake up to Marshy Lake, about forty miles, the\\ncountry on each side of the river is not more than eighteen inches\\nover the water, which is skirted by a belt of willows, alders and\\nlong grass in the rear an extensive marsh, with occasional islands\\nof small poplar and spruce. The floods cover these flats every\\nspring, depositing a very rich mud, which is raising and extending\\nthem. Much land has been so formed within the memory of the\\nnatives. No high ground is to be seen on either side, and the\\nIndians report that there is nothing but boggy swamps behind for\\nmany miles. Up to near the mouth of the Pasquia Eiver, which\\nis about eighty-five miles in direct distance from Lake Winnipeg,\\nthe banks continue only from two to three feet above the river, with\\na nearly similar low marshy country behind.\\nThe Pas Mission is situated at the mouth of the Pasquia, a con-\\nsiderable tributary. The river banks are there ten or twelve feet", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0083.jp2"}, "84": {"fulltext": "high, the soil a dark mould over drift clay. Here the exploring\\nparty found farm houses and fields of grain. The hanks, however,\\ncontinue low alluvial, with a rather low country behind.\\nAround Cumberland House (about 116 miles further), the\\ncountry is low and flat the soil in some places is a stiff clay, but\\nin general it consists of a gravelly loam a few feet in thickness,\\ncovering a bed of white limestone, supporting a light growth of pop-\\nlar and birch, with occasional groves of spruce much of it is sub-\\nmerged in spring floods many of the marshes could be drained and\\nimproved without much difficulty.\\nHere we have reached a very favorable country for agriculture.\\nSpeaking of the twenty-nine miles above this, Mr. Fleming says\\nThe general character of the country we have passed through to-\\nday is excellent, the soil being rich, and the timber of a fair quality.\\nOf the forty-seven miles succeeding, upwards, he says he passed\\nthrough an excellent tract of country all day, the soil on both sides\\nof the river consisting of a very rich alluvial deposit, ten feet in\\nthickness above the water, well wooded with large poplar, balsam,\\nspruce and birch some of the poplars measuring two and a half\\nfeet in diameter and, as far as I was enabled to ascertain, the\\nland continues good for a great distance on either side, but more\\nespecially on the south side of the river.\\nOf the fifty-three miles next above that he says that it is well\\nadapted for agricultural purposes and settlement, the soil being a\\nrich alluvial loain. of considerable depth, well watered and drained\\nby many fine creeks, and clothed with abundance of timber for fuel,\\nfencing and building.\\nThe country on the banks of the river continues the same for a\\nfew miles further, till, approaching Fort a la Corne, the immediate\\nbanks become gradually higher, and the bluffs that form the edge\\nof the high plateau behind on each side gradually approach nearer\\nto the river.\\nFrom Fort a la Corne, which is a hundred and fifty miles above\\nCumberland House, up to the forks of the north and south branches,\\na distance of sixteen miles, the river is described as sweeping, in\\nmagnificent curves, in a valley of about a mile in width, and from\\na hundred and fifty to two hundred feet lower than the general\\nlevel of the country on each side.\\nDescribing the country on the south side of the Saskatchewan,\\nhere, Professor hind says The trail from Fort a la Corne to the\\nold track leading from Fort Ellice to Carleton House ascends the\\nhills, forming the banks of the deep eroded valley of the Saskat-\\nchewan, in rear of the Fort. It passes through a thick forest of\\nsmall aspens, until near the summit, when a sandy soil begins,\\ncovered with Banksean pine and a few small oak. The sandy soil", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0084.jp2"}, "85": {"fulltext": "57\\noccupies a narrow strip on the banks of the river varying from half\\na mile to four miles broad. South of the sandy strip the soil\\nchanges to a rich black mould, distributed over a gently undulating\\ncountry. The pine gives way to aspen and willows, in groves, the\\naspen occupying the crest of the undulations, and the willows the\\nlowest portion of the intervening valleys. On the slopes the grass\\nis long and luxuriant, affording fine pasturage. The general aspect\\nof the country is highly favorable for agriculture, the soil deep and\\nuniformly rich, rivalling the low prairies of Eed Eiver and the\\nAssiniboine.\\nBeyond this he speaks of the wooded country that extends\\nsouthwards to the head of the Assiniboine, which is gradually being\\nconverted into open prairie, by the great fires that have done so\\nalready over great extents. He explains that by the term wooded\\ncountry is to be understood a region in which prairie or grassy\\nareas predominate over the aspen woods.\\nThis favorable country of mixed woodland and prairie, extends\\nsouthward from the forks of the Saskatchewan, eighty miles, to the\\ntreeless prairie region on the northerly waters of the Eiver Qu Ap-\\npelle. South-easterly it extends, including the wooded region on\\nEoot Eiver, through to the fertile country on the Assiniboine already\\ndescribed making together in that direction a breadth of three\\nhundred and twenty miles of fertile country, interspersed with\\nwoodlands, between the forks of the Saskatchewan and the Assini-\\nboine opposite the mouth of the Souris.\\nEOOT OR CARROT RIVER\\nEises in rich lands on the south flank of the Lumpy Hill of the\\nwoods, sixty miles south-west from the forks of the Saskatchewan,\\nand thirteen miles from the South Branch, and flows chiefly through\\nwhat is described as wooded country with many lakes, generally\\nfrom thirty to forty-five miles south of the Saskatchewan, into\\nwhich it falls after a course of about two hundred and forty miles.\\nProfessor Hind estimates that there are three millions of acres of\\nland of the first quality between it and the Saskatchewan.\\nCHAPTER XIII.\\nTHE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nImmediately above the Porks the South Branch of the Saskat-\\nchewan is only a hundred and eighty yards in width, but. the\\ncurrent is swift, 3 miles an hour, and the average depth seven and", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0085.jp2"}, "86": {"fulltext": "a half feet. Professor Hind states it as being less in volume, and\\nnot half the width that it is two hundred and twenty miles fur-\\nther up.\\nFor about a hundred and thirty miles up its course, or a hundred\\nmiles in direct distance, its valley preserves the same character as\\nthat of the main river between the Forks and Fort a la Corne, but\\nthe banks, which the prairie plateaus on each side present to the\\nnarrow valley of the river, are generally lower, varying from a\\nhundred, to forty feet in height, exposing sand-stone cliffs where cut\\nby the bends of the river. The country on each side is described\\nas having a rich soil, with abundant woods, in clumps and groves,\\nfor a great part of the way. It then becomes gradually less wooded\\nand more sandy in parts, especially on the west side, till, after pass-\\ning the distance last mentioned, it assumes the character of light\\ntreeless prairie land.\\nThe river in this distance varies from 180 to 440 yards in\\nbreadth, increasing in width in ascending, generally from 10 to 14\\nfeet in depth, the current three and three and a half miles an hour,\\nwith a swifter current and whirpools in a few places.\\nThe generally treeless prairie country, reached at a hundred and\\nthirty miles from the Forks, is the commencement of the great\\ninfertile region which has been already described as covering the\\ngreater part of the Eiver Qu Appelle and its tributaries, and which,\\nwith some considerable exception, is described by Dr. Hector and\\nCapt. Palliser, as extending westward over the South Saskatchewan\\nand its tributaries, nearly to the hilly country at the base of the\\nEocky Mountains.\\nContinuing about seventy miles further in the same south-south-\\nwest direction, or nearly a hundred miles by its course, the Elbow\\nof the South Branch is reached at two hundred and ten, or what is\\nusually called two hundred and fifty miles from the Forks. In the\\ncommencement of this distance is the Moose Woods, a rich\\nalluvial expansion of the low valley of the river, partly wooded,\\nwith rich glades between it is twenty-five miles in length, and six\\nor eight miles in breadth, and bounded on each side by sandy\\ncrested bluffs. From this to the Elbow the river aojain assumes its\\nnarrow valley, the banks of which gradually ascend to two hundred\\nfeet in height.\\nAbout thirty-five miles above the Elbow the South Branch\\napproaches the Eyebrow and Thunder-breeding Mountains, and\\nthere skirts the salient angle of the Coteau de Missouri, which\\nsprings like a vast bastion from the United States boundary its\\neast face, which rises six hundred feet above the elevated plain\\nat its foot, is two hundred miles in lengthj and its western face,\\ncalled the Cypree Hills,, extends a hundred and sixty miles with", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0086.jp2"}, "87": {"fulltext": "59\\nmuch greater elevation, being, according to Dr. Hector, four thou-\\nsand two hundred feet above the sea, and sixteen hundred above\\nthe plains, according to Capt. Palliser.\\nFor nearly five hundred miles above the Elbow of the South\\nSaskatchewan, its upward course passes through the great infertile\\nregion of light prairie land, the greater part of which is described\\nas consisting of arid wastes from which, however, there are\\napparently some large exceptions, for instance, the Cypree Hills,\\njust mentioned, are stated by Capt. Palliser to be covered in fine\\ntimber, abounding in excellent grass, and well watered, and fairly,\\nthough not abundantly stocked with game.\\nThe following further extracts from Capt. Palliser s report,\\ntogether with the above, give a very clear general view of the\\ncharacter of the country on the South Saskatchewan and its chief\\ntributary, the Bed Deer Eiver. He says, the Wachee or Hand\\nHills, in Lat. 51\u00c2\u00b0 32 N. Long. 111\u00c2\u00b0 20 are a plateau elevated\\nabout 450 feet above the level of the surrounding prairies. The\\ngrass and land were very good, but the timber not of any value,\\nbeing chiefly willow and poplar. With the exception of very few\\nsimilar spots, the whole prairie over which we passed, to our cross-\\ning place on the Eed Deer river, (about forty miles above the forks\\nof Eed Deer and Bow rivers,) is a sandy country, the grass very\\nscanty, and no wood\\nHe proceeds to say, we crossed Eed Deer river, and followed\\nalong its south bank, until we arrived opposite the site where the\\nold Fort called Chesterfield House once stood with the exception\\nof the bed of Eed Deer Eiver, the whole of that region is valueless,\\nthe grass being very scanty and timber very scarce. He does not\\nsay how wide the bed or valley of Eed Deer Eiver is.\\nHe says further, there is throughout the whole of this region\\na great scarcity of rain but in a few places here and there, where\\nthe land rises above the plain to the height of three or four hundred\\nfeet, good grass and some timber, as rough bark poplar and willow,\\nappear.\\nSpeaking of the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, he says\\nu having now examined all that river, we find the whole region from\\nthe Elbow, in longitude 107\u00c2\u00b0 37 W., up to the point where the meri-\\ndian 112 Q W. strikes the line of the woods, by no means a desir-\\nable district for settlement.\\nEed Deer Eiver enters the South Branch about a hundred and\\nthirty miles above the Elbow. It is nearly five hundred miles in\\nlength, and is two hundred and fifty yards wide fifty miles above\\nits mouth. The lower half of its course is in the infertile region.\\nAbove that, a hundred and thirty miles of its course lies in the\\nfertile region towards the North Branch of the Saskatchewan and", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0087.jp2"}, "88": {"fulltext": "GO\\nthe remainder in the wooded region at the base of the Rocky Moun-\\ntains, and its sources are in their valleys. Coal is noted by Dr.\\nHector about a hundred and seventy miles up from its mouth, and\\nagain a hundred miles further up.\\nCapt. Blackiston estimates the average descent of the South\\nBranch of the Saskatchewan, from Chesterfield House at the mouth\\nof Red Deer River, down to the Forks, at two feet a mile, but says\\nthat those who are acquainted with the river from boating upon\\nit consider it navigable for steamers. The distance is about 340\\nmiles.\\nFERTILE GROUNDS NEAR SOURCES ON SKIRT OF ROCKY MOUNTAINS.\\nBeyond the infertile region the upper course of the South Branch\\nto its source, about a hundred and sixty miles, is among the Rocky\\nMountains and their lower outliers, where the country is generally\\nwooded, and the valleys fertile, but very elevated.\\nCapt. Blackiston s journal of exploration of a line, of about\\nninety miles S. S. E. from Bow Fort, on the Bow River,, or South\\nBranch, gives a good description of the country on the skirts of the\\nlower mountain ranges.\\nHe speaks of woods of spruce, poplar, aspen, and large rough\\nbarked pine; of the track being blocked with fallen timber in\\nparts of line prairie bottoms, and others partially covered with\\nscrub and willow, and fine streams of passing for three days in\\nvalleys within the outlying parallel ridges, less wooded than\\npreviously passed, being for considerable part through fine prairie\\nslopes, the main range visible occasionally at a distance of thirty\\nmiles, through gaps in the nearer mountains, of undulating\\nprairie of the trail passing between numerous wooded ridges,\\nand says the soil of the valleys was usually a deep dark mould,\\nsupporting a luxuriant vegetation, of the smaller plants. This was\\nthe nature of most of these mountain valleys. Where the strata is\\nupheaved the ground is of course rocky such, however, is not\\noften the case in the valleys. Continues to say soon after we\\ngained the height of land between the Speechee and Belly Rivers,\\nand the wide prairie valley of the latter burst upon our view. He\\nthen descended a short distance and camped at an elevation of four\\nthousand feet above the sea.\\nThis elevation, which is the same as that of Bow Fort, is doubt-\\nless too great to admit of the cultivation of wheat. Coarse grains\\nand vegetables, however, might seemingly be cultivated. Dr. Hector\\nmentions that some of the Indians who have been converted to\\nChristianity cultivate little plots of ground at Bow Fort, and that\\ntheir principal crops are turnips and potatoes.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0088.jp2"}, "89": {"fulltext": "61\\nThis speaks little in favor of the climate of this locality, but on\\nthe other hand it is to be remarked that even this cold elevated re-\\ngion presents an advantage for cattle feeding that we do not enjoy\\nin Canada, which Dr. Hector especially notices, and describes as\\nextending to this locality.\\nHe says the most valuable feature of this belt of country, which\\nalso stretches from Touchwood Hills, Carleton, and Fort Pitt south\\nof Edmonton to the old Bow Fort at the Eocky Mountains (he\\nhad previously mentioned also the head waters of Eed Deer Eiver)\\nis the immense extent of what I shall term winter pasturage.\\nThis winter pasturage consists of tracts of country partially\\nwooded with poplar and willow clumps, and bearing a most lux-\\nuriant growth of vetches and nutritious grasses. The clumps of\\nwood afford shelter to animals, while the scrubby bush keeps the\\nsnow in such a loose state that they find no difficulty in feeding\\nthe large tracts of swampy country, when frozen, also afford admir-\\nable feeding grounds and it is only towards spring, in very severe\\nwinters, that horses and cattle cannot be left to feed in well chosen\\nlocalities throughout this region of country.\\nAny practical man will see that such advantages, for unlimited\\ncattle feeding, without the labor of clearing land and raising hay\\ncrops, combined with the extreme richness of soil in the valleys,\\nare weighty offsets against the coolness of the summer climate.\\nAs for the winter Dr. Hector says, with reference to the whole\\nregion from Bow Fort, along the skirt of the Eocky Mountains, as\\nfar north as the Eiver Athabasca, having travelled the Eocky\\nMountains at the most unfavorable period of an unusually severe\\nwinter, I am enabled to state that whatever may be the amount of\\nsnow on the heights of land and their western flank, the valleys\\nof the eastern ranges are actually less encumbered by snow than\\nmuch of the prairie country.\\nIt is to be observed that these remarks apply to the country on\\nthe east flank of the Eocky Mountains for at least three hundred\\nand fifty miles northward from the United States boundary, includ-\\ning the head waters of the North Branch of the Saskatchewan, and\\nthe Athabasca.\\nCHAPTER XIV.\\nTHE NORTH BRANCH OF THE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nThe country drained by the North Branch of the Saskatchewan,\\nand its extensive tributary the Battle Eiver, though incomparably\\nmore valuable than the country traversed by the South Branch,", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0089.jp2"}, "90": {"fulltext": "G2\\ndoes not require to be described so much at length, owing to its\\nmore uniform character.\\nThe North Branch, for the greater part of its course, and the\\nBattle River, lie in the great belt of country which the Canadian\\nand the Imperial exploring parties describe as generally fertile land\\nof the first quality.\\nThe North Branch, for five hundred and twenty miles up from\\nthe Forks, and the Battle River, for its whole course of four hun-\\ndred and fifty miles, (excepting a short elbow of it,) traverse a rich\\nprairie country more or less interspersed with woods.\\nThe remaining two hundred and eighty-two miles of the upper\\ncourse of the North Branch lie in the thick wood country, which,\\nto the commencement of the mountains, about two hundred miles,\\nis represented as abounding in marshes with patches of fine land in\\nparts. In this distance the banks of the river display beds of\\nlignite coal. Beyond it the remaining course of the river lies in\\nthe valleys of the mountains, to the glaciers at its source.\\nThe Battle Biver enters the North Branch about a hundred and\\nseventy miles above the main Forks. It drains a large part of the\\ncountry between the North and South Branches. It has its source\\nabout ten miles from the North Branch, thirty miles above Edmon-\\nton, but they are a hundred and thirty miles apart at the middle of\\nits course, and between them the pasturage is described as very\\nrich. Coal presents itself there, in the banks of the stream, two\\nhundred and fifty miles from its mouth.\\nThe rich prairie country which covers the course of the Battle\\nEiver and the northerly part of Bed Deer Biver, and includes the\\nNorth Branch from the forks, up to thirty miles above Edmonton,,\\nhas a breadth of about a hundred miles, at the forks, seventy miles\\nat the mouth of Battle Biver, a hundred and fifty miles at its\\nmiddle course, and about seventy at its source beyond which the\\nbelt of fertile prairie country becomes gradually narrower, and\\nturning to the southward, up the course of the Bed Deer Biver,\\nbecomes merged in the fertile region on the skirt of the mountains\\nbelow Bow Fort on the South Branch. It is bounded on the north\\nby the line of the Thick Woods, which sweeps northerly parallel\\nto the course of the North Branch at the distance of forty to twenty\\nmiles beyond it, then curving to the southward crosses it about\\nthirty miles above Edmonton, and continuing in that direction\\nstrikes the mountains near Bow Fort, making a circuit from the\\nforks of about seven hundred miles.\\nThis circuit of the Thick Woods is the present boundary of the\\nprogress of successive fires which are gradually encroaching on the\\nforest, or partly wooded country, and converting it into treeless\\nprairie, unless where clumps of young aspen and poplar, growing,\\nup, escape the ravages of succeeding fires..", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0090.jp2"}, "91": {"fulltext": "63\\nWithout entering into particulars here as to* climate, we may\\nobserve that Capt. Palliser, who with Dr. Hector explored a greater\\nextent of the valley of Saskatchewan than had been previously\\nvisited by any other scientific men, says that the climate of the\\nsouthern and western parts of it is decidedly milder than that of\\nEed Eiver.\\nCHAPTER XV.\\nNAVIGATION OF THE SASKATCHEWAN.\\nThere is a good harbour at the mouth of the Saskatchewan, from\\nwhich the current is swift up to the foot of the Grand Eapids,\\nwhich are three miles in length, with a fall of forty-three and a\\nhalf feet. Above them the current is moderate for four miles to a\\nrapid of one mile in length with a fall of seven feet. The ascent\\nof this by a powerful steamer is said to be practicable; but the\\nadvantage of it might be questionable.\\nFrom it to Cedar Lake, ten miles, the current is strong with\\nseveral rapids. Captain Munn, of the Steamer International,\\nand Mr. Hutchison, the pilot of that vessel, who examined the\\nriver up to Carleton House, state that a steamer could ascend this\\ndistance, with the single improvement of a pier at Cross Lake.\\nTo connect the foot of this reach with Lake Winnepeg, a tram-\\nroad or railway would be sufficient. There would be no object in\\ncanalling past the Grand Eapids, for the vessels employed on Lake\\nWinnipeg would have to be much stronger than what would be\\nsuitable on the Saskatchewan, so transhipment would be necessary\\nat any rate.\\nFrom the foot of Cedar Lake to Tobern s Falls, Captain Munn\\nsays, the river is uninterrupted by anything to impede navigation r\\nthe distance is said to be a hundred and eighty miles, probably\\nnot over a hundred and sixty.\\nTobern s Eapid, Captain Blackiston says, is certainly not navi-\\ngable at low, and he doubts much if it be so at high water, but\\nadds that the difference is so great that it is hardly safe to say.\\nDamming, with lockage, to gorge the rapid would seem neces-\\nsary there, or a tram road past it.\\nAbove Tobern s Falls, Captain Munn says, that for eight or ten\\nmiles the river is wide and shoal, with intermediate rapids, not\\nnavigable at low water. Captain Blackiston, E. E,, who ascended\\nthe river to Edmonton, is of opinion that there are no obstructions\\nfrom Tobern s Eapids up to Coles Falls or Eapids above the", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0091.jp2"}, "92": {"fulltext": "lurks, (a distance of about a hundred miles,) which could not be\\nsurmounted by a steamer at high water. Captain Munn, of the\\nsteamer International, in his report to the Hudson s Bay Com-\\npany says, in summing up, that the Saskatchewan is a good navi-\\ngable stream from the Grand Eapids up as far as Tobern s Falls,\\nwith the improvement suggested by him at Cross Lake. From\\nTobern s Falls to Carleton House, he did not find the river navigable,\\nthe water being low when he examined it, but he was informed by\\nMr. Pruden, at the latter place, that the water in the river is three*\\nand a-half feet higher from the first of June to the middle of Sep-\\ntember than it then was. He adds, with this additional water, I\\n\u00c2\u00abam of opinion that light draught steamers could be sent as far as I\\nexplored it, without any serious difficulty. He found the river\\nwell wooded, affording abundance for steam purposes. In this report\\nhis pilot fully concurred.\\nColes Falls, immediately above the Forks, are a succession of\\nrapids, twenty-six in number, from a hundred and fifty to three\\nhundred feet in length each, with slack water between. Captain\\nMunn includes them in the extent passable in the high water\\nperiod mentioned.\\nFor twenty- two miles above the Forks the ascent per mile is\\ngreat, and the rapids continue for eighteen miles of that distance\\nthe current is six to seven miles an hour when the water is high,\\nby Professor Hind s observation, a rate of current by no means\\ninsurmountable by a steamer of fair power, but for safety to vessels\\nthe boulders should be removed from a sufficient width of the\\nchannel.\\nAbove this, for the distance of two hundred and eighty miles,\\nthe ascent per mile is very much less than in the lower part of the\\nriver. It is estimated by Mr. Thompson, who surveyed it, as being\\nfrom six to nine inches per mile, and for a hundred and eighty\\nmiles further, up to Edmonton, at two feet a mile, less than half\\nthe rate of descent of the Ehone from Avignon to the sea. From\\nEdmonton to within forty-three miles of Rocky Mountain House,\\nThompson states the ascent to be four feet to the mile.\\nCaptain Blackiston gives the average descent of the Saskat-\\nchewan from Edmonton to Lake Winnipeg as one foot four inches\\nto the mile. To the foot of Cedar Lake it would be one foot three\\ninches to the mile, the same as the descent of the Rhine from\\nStrasbourg to the Sea. As the Rhine is navigated throughout that\\ndistance by steamers and vessels of considerable tonnage, the cur-\\nrent of the Saskatchewan, excepting at particular points, cannot be\\nsuch as to present any great obstruction to steamboats. Powerful\\nsteamers of two feet draught, such as are used on the Rhine, would\\nnavigate it very freely.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0092.jp2"}, "93": {"fulltext": "65\\nFrom the 1st of June to the end of September, and probably for\\na longer period, such vessels could ply.\\nThe navigation of the Saskatchewan will probably prove to be\\nnearly as useful as that of the Ohio, but less liable, on account of\\nits greater volume, to interruption from low water, to which the\\nnavigation of the Ohio is very subject in the dry months of summer.\\nCHAPTEE XVI.\\nPROPORTION OF ARABLE LANDS IN SOUTH HALF OF CENTRAL\\nPRAIRIE COUNTRY.\\nWe have now gone over that part of the- great territory under\\nconsideration, drained by the Saskatchewan and other tributaries\\nof Lake Winnipeg, the area of which, as before stated, is about two\\nhundred and eighty thousand square miles.\\nSpeaking of part of this area, Captain Palliser says The ex-\\ntent of surface drained by the Saskatchewan and other tributaries\\nto Lake Winnipeg which we had the opportunity of examining,\\namounts in round numbers to 150,000 square miles. This region\\nis bounded to the north by what is called the strong woods,\\nor the southern limit of the great circum-arctic zone of forest which\\noccupies these latitudes in the northern hemisphere. This line,\\nwhich is indicated in the map, sweeps to the north-west from the\\nshore of Lake Winnipeg, and reaches its most northerly limit about\\n54\u00c2\u00b0 30 1ST. and long. 109\u00c2\u00b0 W., from whence it again passes to south-\\nwest, meeting the Rocky Mountains in lat. 51\u00c2\u00b0 K, long. 115\u00c2\u00b0 W.\\nBetween this line of the strong woods and the northerly limit of\\nthe true prairie country, there is a belt of land varying in width,\\nwinch at one period must have been covered by an extension of the\\nnorthern forests, but which has been gradually cleared by successive\\nfires.\\nIt is now a partially wooded country, abounding in lakes, and\\nrich in natural pasturage, in some parts rivalling the finest park\\nscenery of our own country. Throughout this region of country\\nthe climate seems to preserve the same character, although it passes\\nthrough very different latitudes its form being doubtless deter-\\nmined by the curves of the isothermal line. Its superficial extent\\nembraces about 65,000 square miles (query geographical or statute\\nIf the former, it would be about 85,000 statute, which would agree\\nwith the area shown on Professor Hind s map,) of which more than\\none-third may be considered as at once available for the purposes\\nof the agriculturist. Its elevation increases from 700 to 4 000 feet", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0093.jp2"}, "94": {"fulltext": "as we approach the Rocky Mountains, consequently it is not equally\\nadapted throughout to the cultivation of any one crop nevertheless,\\nat Fort Edmonton, which has an altitude of 3,000 feet, even wheat\\nis sometimes cultivated with success.\\nThe least valuable portion of the prairie country has an extent\\nof above 80,000 square miles, and is that lying along the southern\\nbranch of the Saskatchewan, and southward from thence to the\\nboundary line while its northern limit is designated in the Indian\\nlanguages as the edge of the woods, the original line of the woods\\nbefore invaded by the fire.\\nThe fertile belt thus described by Captain Palliser contains, as\\nrepresented on Dr. Hector s and Professor Hind s map, an area of\\nabout 85,000 statute miles, the equivalent nearly of 65,000 geo-\\ngraphical square miles. We have here, then, in the portion of this\\nterritory explored by Captain Palliser and his party, an extent of\\nvery fertile, mixed prairie and woodlands, three times the size of\\nthat part of Upper Canada from Kingston to Sarnia of which more\\nthan one-third is at once ready to receive the plough.\\nThis, however, does not include the very considerable portion\\nof really good prairie land, already described as interspersed in the\\nregion classed as infertile country nor the Cypree Mountains south\\nof the South Branch of the Saskatchewan above the Elbow,\\ndescribed as a range elevated 1,600 feet above the plains, covered\\nwith fine timber, abounding in excellent grass and well watered\\nnor does it include the parts described as good of the wooded coun-\\ntry on the west side of Lakes Manitobah and Winnepegoos. If\\nthese were included, to say nothing of ground north of the line of\\nthick woods, not yet converted by fires into prairie, the total\\nwould probably amount to one hundred thousand square miles esti-\\nmated by Mr. Dawson, in his report, as suitable for settlement.\\nIt would be absurd to expect any country in a state of nature\\nto be all equally fit to receive the plough at once. The one-third\\nof the fertile region, estimated by Captain Palliser as being so, is a\\nvery fair proportion the other two-thirds, no doubt, are parts\\nrequiring draining or partial clearing. It would also be absurd to\\nsuppose it to be all equally fertile. There is a considerable differ-\\nence between the deep beds of black vegetable mould which prevail\\nchiefly in the Eed Paver valley, and the rich sandy loam spoken of\\nin some other parts and there are the occasional bad spots and\\npoor sandy ground, which we expect to find in all countries, though\\nthere are, apparently, tracts of great extent unusually free from\\nthem.\\nAs for the 80,000 square miles (about a hundred thousand\\nstatute square miles) which Captain Palliser designates as the least\\nvaluable part of the Prairie Country, it will no doubt, as he says,", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0094.jp2"}, "95": {"fulltext": "67\\nbe for ever comparatively useless, with the exception of such tracts\\nas the Cypree Mountains, and others where there is good grass with\\nwood and water. These, with the richer parts of the vast green\\ntreeless plains, will afford great scope for cattle feeding after the\\ngreat fertile region has become occupied.\\nMessrs. Cooper and Sueklay, the Naturalists of the U. S. Pacific\\nEailway Exploration, identify the same kind of dry prairie country\\nof Nebraska (of which this is a continuation) with the perpetual\\nsteppes of Eussia in Europe. There the pasturage or green sward\\nis not even continuous, except in very low valleys, as stated by Mr.\\nHaxhausen, and it is not uncommon for twenty months to pass\\nwithout rain. Yet these grounds, he says, afford excellent pasture,\\nespecially for sheep, and yield, where cultivated, sixfold to one\\nsown of wheat and rye, which he observes is greater than the aver-\\nage yield of Eussia in Europe.\\nThese steppes are stated to be increasing in population by immi-\\ngration from the northern parts of the Empire, now attracted to\\nthem. Buckwheat, Indian Corn, Oats, Barley and Beets grow there\\nabundantly.\\nWe have now taken a general view of the south part of the\\nsection under consideration, or that part of it which is comonly\\ncalled Eupert s Land. It is not usual to include more than this in\\nspeaking of the capacity of the country for settlement. But it is\\nfar from being all that is fit for agricultural occupation. We have\\nstill the countries lying on the Athabasca and Peace Eivers, the\\nEiver of the Mountains, Hay s Eiver and the upper part of Beaver\\nEiver, suitable for settlement, to go over, to complete the great sec-\\ntion of available country under consideration.\\nIn beginning to treat of this great section of territory, it was\\nstated, that in applying the term Central Prairie Land to it, that\\nexpression was meant merely to indicate this section as one contain-\\ning prairie land, with the distinction, that prairies prevailed in the\\nsouthern half, and woods in the northern half, with occasional\\nprairie tracts. It is the latter which we have now to consider,\\nunder the divisions indicated by its rivers. It contains an area of\\nabout two hundred thousand superficial miles.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0095.jp2"}, "96": {"fulltext": "68\\nCHAPTER XVII.\\nTHE BEAVER OR UPPER CHURCHILL RIVER.\\nThe Beaver Eiver has its source about forty miles only from the\\nNorth Saskatchewan at Edmonton, beyond the line of the strong\\nwoods.\\nIts course to Hudson s Bay is about eleven hundred miles in\\nlength, of which five hundred miles lie within the section under\\nconsideration.\\nFor two hundred and fifty miles from its source, its course is in\\nthe plain country of Silurian or more recent formations. It then,\\nbelow Isle a la Crosse, enters the great primary or azoic belt, which\\ncovers the remainder. of its course within this section. It may be\\nconsidered as draining part of the same plain as the Saskatchewan,\\ntheir basins being divided only by rocks a few feet in height. At\\nFrog Portage, two hundred and thirty miles lower, crossing to a\\ntributary of the Saskatchewan, the waters of the Beaver or\\nChurchill flow over into it at high flood.\\nSir John Eichardson says that the Beaver Eiver drains a com-\\nparatively small extent of prairie land, and Capt. Palliser describes\\nthe country between it and the forks of the Saskatchewan as a\\nthick wood country, with many lakes abounding in fish. Lying on\\nthe same formations, it no doubt resembles the fertile belt on the\\nNorth Branch of the Saskatchewan before its prairies were cleared\\nof timber by devastating fires.\\nSir Alex. McKenzie speaks favorably of the soil on the upper\\npart of the Beaver Eiver, of the buffaloes ranging the partial\\npatches of prairie along it, and of a garden at Isle a la Crosse,\\nthat well repaid the labor bestowed on it. He speaks of Lake a la\\nCrosse abounding in the finest fish in the world, and of the rich-\\nness of its surrounding banks and forests in moose and fallow deer,\\nwith the vast number of the smaller tribes of animals, and the\\nnumerous flocks of wild fowl.\\nAs its Indian name Missinipi, much water, implies, the Beaver,\\nor Churchhill as it is called in its lower course, is a river of great\\nvolume. At Island Portage, above Frog Portage, Sir J. Eichardson\\nspeaks of its being five or six hundred yards wide, where pent up\\nand narrow, with a strong current. Eastward of Lac a la Crosse,\\nwhere it passes through the primary or azoic formation, the soil of\\nthe country is poor, sandy, stony and rocky. Describing part of it,\\nSir John Eichardson says the general aspect of it is like the coun-\\ntry on the north shores of Lake Superior, though the water basin is\\nnot so deeply excavated.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0096.jp2"}, "97": {"fulltext": "69\\nCHAPTER XVIII.\\nTHE EIVER ATHABASCA.\\nWestward and northward of the Beaver Eiver country lies the\\ngreater region drained by the Eiver Athabasca and its tributaries.\\nThe Eiver Athabasca, though not the largest, is the most south-\\nerly and far extending branch of the Eiver McKenzie. It has its\\nsource between glaciers, among mountains whose highest peaks rise\\nto 15,000 feet, in lat. 52\u00c2\u00b0 20 K, and long. 118\u00c2\u00b0 25 W., near the\\nnorth bend of the Columbia Eiver. It reaches almost across the\\nEocky Mountains towards the Boat encampment, on a feeder of the\\nColumbia; the narrow valley of its main stream forming there\\nthe Athabasca Pass, while that of a more northerly arm is the site\\nof the Leather Pass known as the Tete Jaune or Yellow-Head\\nPass.\\nAt Jasper House, which stands in a wide valley within the\\nsecond range, about ninety miles bebow the source of the river,\\nDr. Hector describes the mountains as rising magnificently to the\\nheight of 5,400 feet above its bed, or 7,300 above the sea. Chang-\\ning from north to north-east, its general direction, at a hundred\\nand eighty miles further, (the greater part of the way among the\\nmountains and their lower ranges,) it receives, on the south,\\nMcLeod s Eiver.\\nAt Fort Assiniboine, about three hundred and sixty miles from\\nits source, Dr. Hector describes it as a stream 300 yards in width,\\nflowing in a valley from one to two miles wide, and 250 feet below\\nthe level of the surrounding plain. At about forty miles lower, it\\nreceives, on the south, the Pembina, a river about two hundred and\\nfifty miles in length at thirty miles lower the Lesser Slave Lake\\nEiver from the North the lake is a hundred miles in length, the\\nriver from it about forty. From this it makes an elbow south-east-\\nward, and then turns nearly north, which general direction it main-\\ntains, to its mouth at Lake Athabasca, receiving midway, at a\\nhundred and fifty miles from its mouth, Clear Water Eiver, on the\\nsouth-east, from Methy Portage. The whole length of the Athabasca\\nis nearly nine hundred miles.\\nSir John Eichardson describes the Athabasca, at its junction\\nwith the Clear Lake Eiver, as a majestic stream, between a quarter\\nand a half mile wide, with a considerable current but without\\nrapids. Sir Alex. McKenzie says it is about three quarters of a\\nmile wide, and runs with a steady current, sometimes contracting\\nbut never increasing its channel, till, after receiving several small\\nstreams, it discharges itself into the Lake of the Hills (Lake", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0097.jp2"}, "98": {"fulltext": "Athabasca.) He mentions that, about twenty-four miles below\\nthe mouth of Clear Water Eiver, there are some bituminous foun-\\ntains, into which a pole may be inserted without the least re-\\nsistance.\\nHe mentions that, in 1787, he found Mr. Fond, one of the\\nnorth-west Traders, residing on the Elk Eiver, (the Athabasca)\\nforty miles from its mouth, where he remained for three years, and\\nhad formed as line a kitchen garden as he (McKenzie) had ever\\nseen in Canada which is not surprising, as the line of mean\\nsummer temperature of Halifax, Nova Scotia, passes through that\\nvicinity.\\nThe bed of the Athabasca is described as being in many places\\ndeeply cut below the level of the prairie plateau, which is not\\nseparated, by any marked ridge, from the prairie country of the\\nSaskatchewan. Near Lake Athabasca, the high banks of the river s\\nbed sink into the alluvial lands of the delta at its mouth. From\\nthe west end of that lake the combined waters of the Athabasca\\nand the Peace Eiver, under the name of Slave Eiver, flow north-\\nward to Great Slave Lake, in what is described as the fracture be-\\ntween the Silurian and primitive rocks.\\nMr. David Thompson and Sir John Eichardson describe lime-\\nstone as prevailing throughout the lower course of the Athabasca,\\ngenerally under beds of sandy soil saturated with bitumen, some-\\ntimes of great depth. Thirty miles below Clear Water Eiver the\\nlimestone beds are covered with bituminous deposit, upwards of a\\nhundred feet thick. The roots of living trees and herbaceous plants\\npush themselves deep into beds highly impregnated with bitumen,\\nand, Sir John adds, the forest where that mineral is most abundant\\ndoes not suffer in its growth. He states that below Eiviere Eouge,\\na tributary, a copious spring of mineral pitch issues from a crevice\\nin a cliff, composed of sand and bitumen, in the middle of a thick\\nwood. It seems rather to increase than impair the fertility of the\\nsoil. Below Pierre au Calumet, he says the whole country, for\\nmany miles, is so full of bitumen, that it flows readily into a pit\\ndug a few feet below the surface. Below Clear Water Eiver, he\\nspeaks of pretty thick layers of lignite coal appearing in one of the\\ncliffs. On the upper part of the river, above Fort Assiniboine, Dr.\\nHector states that lignite coal appears in the banks, though not so\\nmuch as in the Saskatchewan.\\nThe Athabasca country, from Methy Portage, westward, Sir\\nJohn Eichardson says, though deeply furrowed by river courses\\nand ravines, and more or less thickly wooded, partakes so much of a\\nprairie character that horsemen may travel over it to Lesser Slave\\nLake and the Saskatchewan, (three hundred and fifty miles,) and\\nadds that in 1849 a fine body of upwards of forty horses came\\nthrough early in the season, and in good condition.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0098.jp2"}, "99": {"fulltext": "71\\nThe following extracts from Mr. Thompson s journal indicate\\nthe nature of the soil and climate of the upper Athabasca, en route\\nfrom Edmonton to the Forks of the Athabasca. He says he set\\noff with three men and five horses on 19th April, 1799, rivers open;\\n20th, white frost in the morning, but fine warm day.\\n21st. Very fine day, through thick woods, much wet ground\\nand deep mud, small prairies occasionally reached the Pembina\\nEiver in the afternoon in- a fine meadow.\\nThe soil for these three days has been in general a very fine\\nblack vegetable mould, with very little sand. It is also the same\\nfrom Fort George to Fort Augustus in the interior country, though\\nintermixed with more sand, and in a few places ridges of sand\\nhills.\\nThis description, it is to be observed, refers to a hundred and\\nfifty miles of country. He then descends the Eiver Pembina\\nfor three days banks well wooded, with small meadows soil,\\nsandy earth woods, birch, aspen pine and poplar.\\nHis Journal continues to say April 25th. Sandy earth, in\\nbanks they are high near the Athabasca. Enter Athabasca Eiver,\\n250 to 350 yards wide banks, including inner bank, 80 to 120 feet\\nhigh. White sandy earth, woods mostly pine there is also birch,\\naspen and poplar.\\n26th. Always fine weather. Ascends Little Slave Eiver.\\n27th. ISTo portaging yet is on west branch of Little Slave\\nEiver, then on right branch high hills in sight wet grassy\\nmeadows, Buffalo and Moose abundant, by tracks.\\n28th. Cold blustry frosty morning came to Slave Lake; Lake\\npartly open and part sound ice hills round lake 800 feet high.\\n29th. On Main Athabasca, very deep strong current, 220 to\\n250 yards wide banks, 240 to 360 feet over river; mild cloudy\\nday.\\n1st May Clear sharp frosty morning banks, sinking to low\\nones, or valleys, then swelling to hills 200 to 240 feet high with\\nsmall pines, mossy surface, the soil is now mostly a bluish clay\\nmixed with niarL\\n2nd. Canoe birch trees, many of them 2 J to 4 feet round\\nfound a poplar two fathoms round.\\nHere we have evidence of a country of varied character, but\\npresenting in its sandy earth, blue clay, and a hundred and fifty\\nmiles of generally rich black mould, a great deal of fair arable land,\\nmuch of it of the best quality imaginable and with a spring quite\\nas early as Lower Canada generally.\\nBut it is important to notice that it presents something, of much\\nvalue, that we have not in Canada. Dr. Hector mentions that\\nwhere he crossed the Eiver Pembina a bed of coal is exposed in", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0099.jp2"}, "100": {"fulltext": "72\\nits banks eight feet thick, and at one point has previously been on\\nfire. As the Pembina is a large stream from 90 to 110 yards wide,\\nwith a moderately strong current, it may afford the means of trans-\\nport and as there is much good land in the vicinity, as we have\\nseen, this coal, which extends to the main Athabasca, may be useful\\nfuel for future settlements, even before the wood, which is not of\\nthe best quality, becomes exhausted. The country on the upper\\nwaters of the Athabasca, like that around Edmonton on the Sas-\\nkatchewan, adjoining, is no doubt too elevated to be favorable for\\nthe growth of wheat. This is greatly balanced by the extreme fer-\\ntility of much of the land, and the advantages it offers for cattle\\nfeeding. The objection of over elevation does not lie against the\\nremainder of the Athabasca Country.\\nMr. McLean, a gentleman who had resided twenty-five years\\nin the North-west Territory, speaks of the banks of the Athabasca\\nand Slave Eiver as presenting many localities fit for farming, and\\nRoss Cox says of the Athabasca It is here a noble river, flowing\\nthrough a rich pasture country, thinly wooded. A little further\\non he adds, For the last one hundred and twenty miles its navi-\\ngation was uninterrupted by rapids, with a smooth steady current,\\nand the soil on each bank was of the richest description.\\nSpeaking of the valley of Clear Water Eiver, one of its tribu-\\ntaries, towards the eastern side of the section of territory we have\\nunder consideration, looking on it from an eminence, Sir Alexander\\nMcKenzie says:\\nFrom thence the eye looks down on the course of the little\\nriver, by some called the Swan Eiver, and by others the Clear\\nWater and Pelican Eiver, beautifully meandering for thirty miles.\\nThe valley, which is at once refreshed and adorned by it, is about\\nthree miles in breadth, and is confined by two lofty ridges of equal\\nheight, displaying a most delightful intermixture of wood and\\nlawn, and stretching on till the blue mists obscure the prospect\\nsome parts of the inclining heights are clothed with stately forests,\\nrelieved by promontories of the finest verdure, where the elk and\\nbuffalo find pasture.\\nSir John Eichardson describes the scenery as unequalled, the\\nsoil as sandy, but on a limestone basis, which is favorable to its\\nwarmth as well as to its fertility.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0100.jp2"}, "101": {"fulltext": "CHAPTEK XIX.\\nTHE PEACE RIVER.\\nThe Peace Kiver is the largest branch of the Eiver McKenzie.,\\nIts head waters lie beyond the Eocky Mountains, where its north\\nand south branches drain the great valley to the westward, between\\nthe Eocky Mountains and the Peak Eange. Its south branch is\\nabout two hundred miles long, and its north branch, the Findlay\\nEiver, is nearly three hundred.\\nThe Findlay, or Main Peace Eiver, is represented as having its\\nremotest source in a lake beyond the Peak Eange, about lat.\\n56\u00c2\u00b0 30 N., long. 126\u00c2\u00b0 W., about two hundred miles from the\\nPacific.\\nA little eastward from the junction of its branches, the Peace\\nEiver traverses the Eocky Mountains, and enters the section of\\nterritory under consideration, through a gap, which forms one of\\nthe passes leading to the coast of the Pacific it was through it\\nthat Sir Alex. McKenzie first penetrated to that ocean.\\nFrom the Forks the course of the Peace Eiver is nearly due\\neast for two hundred and forty miles, to Fort Dunvegan; passing\\nEocky Mountain House nearly at half way. From Dunvegan its\\ncourse is northward for a hundred and forty miles, then nearly\\neast north-east for about three hundred and thirty-five miles, to its\\nmouth. Fort Vermilion is about two hundred and fifty-five miles\\nfrom its mouth, and the Falls, of about twenty feet in height, are\\nabout forty-five miles below it.\\nThe whole length of Peace Eiver, rejecting lesser sinuosities\\ninappreciable on a good map, is about a thousand and fifteen\\nmiles which, when added to the remaining course of the McKen-\\nzie, makes the length of that river two thousand four hundred and\\nseventy miles.\\nThe delta of the mouth of Peace Eiver, and the country between\\nit and the mouth of the Athabasca, is a low alluvial flat, formed\\nby the sediment brought down by the high floods, which at some\\nseasons entirely overflow it. McKenzie says further, The\\ncountry in general is low from the entrance of the river to the\\nFalls, and with the exception of a few open parts covered with\\ngrass, it is clothed with wood. Where the banks are very low,\\nthe soil is good, being composed of the sediment of the river and\\nputrefied leaves and vegetables. Where they are more elevated,\\nthey display a face of yellowish clay, mixed with small stones.\\nOn a line with the Falls, and on either side of the jiver, there are\\nsaid to be very extensive plains which afford pasture to numerous\\nherds of buffaloes.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0101.jp2"}, "102": {"fulltext": "74\\nHe says, The banks of, the river from the Falls are in general\\nlofty, except at low woody points, accidentally formed in the\\nmanner I have mentioned they also displayed in all their broken\\nparts a face of clay, intermixed with stones in some places there\\nlikewise appeared a black mould. Speaking of cultivation, he\\nsays, There is not the least doubt but the soil would be very pro-\\nductive, if proper attention was given to its preparation.\\nAt low water the Peace Eiver does not exceed a quarter of a\\nmile in breadth below the falls at the falls it is four hundred yards.\\nIts width up to the Eocky Mountains continues much the same,\\nsometimes attaining eight hundred yards. It has much less des-\\ncent than the Saskatchewan. From Dunvegan to its mouth, about\\nfour hundred and seventy-live miles apparently, but which. Capt.\\nLefroy, probably quoting the reputed distances, calls six hundred\\nand fifty miles, there occur, he says, but the falls mentioned and a\\nfew rapids the bed of the stream preserves a nearly uniform incli-\\nnation, rising only three hundred and ten feet.\\nHe says the stream is more rapid above Fort Vermilion than\\nbelow it, and that the depth of the bed of the river, below the sur-\\nrounding country, increases with great uniformity upwards. About\\nsixty miles above Fort Vermilion, where it has cut through alter-\\nnating sandstone and limestone cliffs to a bed of shale, it flows at\\na depth of two hundred feet below their summits.\\nHe adds The general elevation of the country, however, still\\ncontinues to increase, and at Dunvegan it is six hundred feet above\\nthe bed of the stream yet even at this point, except in approach-\\ning the deep gorges, through which the tributaries of Peace River\\njoin its waters, there is little indication of an elevated country;\\nthe Eocky Mountains are not visible, and no range of hills meets\\nthe eye.\\nCaptain Lefroy gives 1,600 feet as the elevation of the country\\nabout Dunvegan above the sea; and the region in which the river\\nhas its sources is probably four times as high, according to Sir J.\\nEichardson.\\nIn latitude and longtitude corresponding with Dunvegan, how-\\never, McKenzie speaks of the Deer Mountains being seen, at a\\ndistance to the westward, as an immense ridge of highland or\\nmountains which take an oblique direction from below the falls.\\nHe adds, under date December, 1792 Opposite our present situa-\\ntion are beautiful meadows, with various animals grazing on them,\\nand groves of poplar irregularly scattered over them.\\nDescribing the country immediately above that, on resuming\\nhis journey the following spring, on the 10th of May he says\\nFrom the place which we quitted this morning, the west side of\\nthe river displayed a succession of the most beautiful scenery I had", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0102.jp2"}, "103": {"fulltext": "75\\never beheld The ground rises at intervals to a considerable height,\\nand stretches inwards to a considerable distance at every interval\\nor pause in the rise there is a gently ascending space or lawn,\\nwhich is alternate with abrupt precipices to the summit of the\\nwhole, or at least as far as the eye could distinguish. This magni-\\nficent theatre of nature has all the decorations which the trees and\\nanimals of the country can afford it groves of poplars in every\\nshape enliven the scene and their intervals are enlivened with\\nvast herds of elks and buffaloes the former choosing the steep\\nuplands, and the latter preferring the plains. At this time the\\nbuffaloes were attended with their young ones, and it appeared that\\nthe elks would soon exhibit the same enlivening circumstance. The\\nwhole country exhibited an exuberant verdure the trees that bear\\na blossom were advancing fast to that delightful appearance. He\\nadds, the east side of the river consists of a range of highland\\ncovered with spruce and soft birch, while the banks abound with\\nthe alder and willow.\\nAs it w^as on the 10th of May that McKenzie found things in\\nthis condition, it is evident, not only that it is a fine country, but\\nalso that the spring is earlier than in the most favorable parts of\\nLower Canada.\\nAVe might suppose that this was an unusually early spring, were\\nit not that the meteorological observations of Mr. David Thomp-\\nson, at the same place, give quite as favorable indications as to the\\nclimate. Only-twice in the month of May, 1803, on the 2nd and\\n14th, did the thermometer at 5 o clock A.M. fall to 30\u00c2\u00b0, and only\\ntwice was it as low as 36\u00c2\u00b0 at that hour, and that never after the\\n14th of that month. Frost did not occur in the fall till the 27th\\nSeptember. It freezes much later in May in Canada and at Mon-\\ntreal, for seven years out of the last nine, the first frost occurred\\nbetween 24th August and 16th September.\\nElevated as Dunvegan on Peace Eiver is, nine hundred and ten\\nfeet above the sea by Lefroy, seven hundred and seventy-eight by\\nEichardson, and under the high latitude of 56\u00c2\u00b0 6 ~N., it may be\\ninteresting to compare the mean temperature of the seven months\\nfrom April to October, inclusively, of the year 1803, with the mean\\ntemperature of Halifax, Nova Scotia, lat. 44\u00c2\u00b0 30 K, as given in\\nthe table of temperatures a few pages forward.\\nIt shows the monthly mean temperature at Dunvegan to be\\nfully a degree, and that of the three summer months to be about\\ntwo degrees, warmer than at Halifax.\\nThe three coldest months in winter are, on the other hand,\\nintensely cold compared with Halifax an admirable arrangement\\nfor utility. The milder winter of Halifax would be comparatively\\nvalueless at Dunvegan, but it is of the utmost importance at Hali-\\nfax, which owes its open winter navigation to it.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0103.jp2"}, "104": {"fulltext": "76\\nNothing conclusive can be based on one year s observations but\\ncombined with other indications of climate, they afford favorable\\nevidence.\\nFrom what McKenzie says of the countiy about a hundred\\nmiles above Dunvegan, it would seem very favorable for cattle-\\nfeeding, and for the raising of at least the coarser grains. Some\\nparts, he says, offer beautiful scenery in some degree similar to\\nthat which we passed on the second day of our voyage, and equally\\nenlivened with elk and buffalo, which were feeding in great numbers.\\nA little further, twelve miles above Sinew Eiver, he says The\\nland above where we camped spreads into an extensive plain, and\\nstretches on to a very high ridge, which in some parts presents a\\nface of rock, but is principally covered with verdure, and varied\\nwith the poplar and white birch tree. The country is so crowded\\nwith animals as to have the appearance in some places of a stall-\\nyard, from the state of the ground and the quantity of dung that\\nis scattered over it. The soil is black and light.\\nTwo days journey, by the river, above this, where the country\\nis wooded heavily, McKenzie speaks, in crossing a portage, of the\\nforest being of spruce and birch, and the largest poplars he had\\never seen. Further on he speaks of travelling through heavy woods\\nof spruce, red pine, cypress, poplar, white birch and willow, and of\\ntravelling through tall pine woods. Soil light, and of a dusty\\ncolour over gravelly clay. The river still from 400 to 800 yards\\nwide, diminishing to 200 where confined. It is here passing\\nthrough the Eocky Mountains, which do not rise apparently more\\nthan 1,500 feet above their base\u00e2\u0080\u0094 bare of wood in the upper parts,\\nwooded at the base. The bed of the river is limestone, and the\\nmountains solid masses of the same.\\nOn the 27th of May the trees towards the bases of the moun-\\ntains were, he says, putting forth their leaves. It is worthy of\\nremark, as indicating earliness of spring in these mountain valleys,\\nnotwithstanding their great elevation and consequent coldness,\\nthat the putting forth of the leaves here spoken of is a day or\\ntwo earlier than it was with us in the neighbourhood of Ottawa\\nthis season, (1867). Towards the Forks of the Findlay and South\\nBranch he speaks of the mountains being covered with wood.\\nThese wooded slopes and valleys of the mountains may be no-\\nticed as presenting a supply of timber which may, in future times,\\nbe valuable for the use of the prairie regions below.\\nSpeaking of the Peace liiver country, Sir John Bichardson\\nsays, The oaks, the elms, the ashes, the Weymouth pine and\\nthe pitch pine, which reach the Saskatchewan basin, are wanting\\nhere the balsam fir is rare but as these trees form no prominent\\nfeature of the landscape in the former quarter, no marked change\\nin the woodland scenery takes place, in any part of the McKenzie", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0104.jp2"}, "105": {"fulltext": "77\\nUiver district, until we approach the shores of the Arctic Sea.\\nThe white spruce continues to be the predorninent tree in dry soils,\\nwhether rich or poor; the Banksean pine occupies a few sandy\\nspots the black spruce skirts the marshes and the balsam, poplar\\nand aspen, fringe the streams. The white birch attains a good size,\\neven up to latitude 65\u00c2\u00b0 in sheltered positions, that is, nearly to\\nsix hundred and fifty miles north of Dunvegan.\\nCHAPTBR XX.\\nSLAYE RIVER.\\nSlave Eiver, which carries the united waters of the Athabasca\\nand the Peace Eiver, and of Lake Athabasca, from that Lake to\\nSlave Lake, is about two hundred miles in length. It is, properly\\nspeaking, a portion of the main Eiver McKenzie. It lies beyond\\nthe section of territory we have under consideration, and north-\\neastward from it. McKenzie describes the country on its west\\nbank as having a soil of rich black mould, covered with a growth\\nof heavy wood towards the river, with extensive plains, immedi-\\nately behind, frequented by numerous herds of buffalo.\\nThough stated by Mr. McLean as suitable for farming purposes,\\nthe country on Slave Eiver is not included within the limits\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0roughly assumed for the section under consideration, on account\\nof the apparent severity of the climate. Before reaching Slave\\nLake on the 9th of June, McKenzie found the ground was not\\nthawed beyond the depth of fourteen inches yet, the leaves of the\\ntrees had attained their full growth, which is but little if anything\\nlater than in Lower Canada.\\nTHE HAY RIVER,\\nHay Eiver, a tributary of Slave Lake, is nearly four hundred\\nmiles in length. Three-quarters of its course lie within the section\\nbefore us, of which it unwaters the north-eastern corner.\\nIt has two branches the west one rises in Hay Lake the other\\nrises not far from the banks of Peace Eiver, and flows at no great\\ndistance from Fort Vermilion. The country on this branch is\\ndescribed by Sir J. Eichardson as an agreeable mixture of prairie\\nand woodland, and frequented by vast bands of buffaloes.\\nThis he says is the limit of those vast prairies which extend\\nfrom New Mexico. Below the forks of Hay Eiver the country on\\nit is covered with forests, and intersected with swamps.\\nTHE RIVER OF THE MOUNTAINS.\\nThis large tributaiy of the McKenzie is formed of two great\\nbranches beyond the Eocky Mountains, which it traverses about", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0105.jp2"}, "106": {"fulltext": "78\\nseventy miles below their junction, or nearly four hundred miles\\nfrom the source of either. It flows for about a hundred and\\nseventy miles through this section, first due east and then due\\nnorth, to latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 K, and at a hundred and ninety miles further,\\non the same course, enters the McKenzie, at Fort Simpson, after\\na course of about seven hundred and fifty miles. It is half a mile\\nwide at its mouth.\\nIts lower course is through a country of limestone formation\\n.the mountains are composed of it and it appears, in the rapids of\\nthe river.\\nFort Liard is situated on\u00c2\u00abit near latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 K, below the\\nsharp turn it takes to the north. Speaking of it, Eichardson says\\nThough this post is more elevated than Fort Simpson, by at least\\na hundred and fifty feet, and is only two degrees of latitude to the\\nsouthward, its climate is said to be very superior, and its vegetable\\nproductions of better growth and quality. Barley and oats yield\\ngood crops, and in favorable seasons wheat ripens well. This place,\\nthen he adds, on the 60th parallel may be considered as the nor-\\nthern limit of the economical culture of wheat. A little further\\nhe says, Mr. McPherson had most kindly set aside for me a cask\\nof excellent corned beef, cured at the fort, and some bags of very\\nfine potatoes raised at Fort Liard, with several other things.\\nThe great elbow of this river, with its eastern branch, which\\nhas a course of about a hundred and seventy miles, together with\\nSmith s branch which enters above it, on ,the north-west side, drain\\nthe north-west angle of the section under consideration.\\nAs the outlines of this section were assumed to include, in a\\ngeneral way, the extent of country fit for agricultural occupation,\\nthe parallel of latitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 was adopted as its northern boundary,\\nfrom its being apparently the northern limit of the profitable culti-\\nvation of wheat.\\nSuch being the climate at that latitude on the Eiver of the\\nMountains, it may reasonably be assumed to be fully as favorable\\nin the country extending two hundred miles further south, on its\\neastern branch and on Hay Eiver.\\nCHAPTER XXL\\nCLIMATE AND FITNESS FOR AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS.\\nWe have already noticed, in some degree, the climate of the\\nnorthern and less favorably situated parts of this great central\\nsection, containing more or less prairie land..", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0106.jp2"}, "107": {"fulltext": "We have noted the indications of it at Mr. Pond s settlement,\\nnear Lake Athabasca, towards its north-eastern angle, McKenzie s\\ndescription of the earliness of the spring at Dunvegan, and above\\nit towards the Bocky Mountains, on Peace Eiver, with Mr. David\\nThompson s highly favorable thermometrical record of that region,\\nthough so elevated, and lastly what Eichardson has recorded as to\\nthe climate and cultivation at Fort Liard, in the north-west corner\\nof this section. We have next to consider the climate of the\\nmiddle and southern, or more favorable parts of it.\\nAs bearing on the climate of this section, and the other north-\\nwest territories, it may be well to repeat a few general observations.\\nThe warm current of the Pacific Ocean, flowing up along the\\nwestern coast of North America, gives it a comparatively warm,\\nand temperate climate, as the Gulf Stream does to the north-western\\ncoasts of the old world, accompanied with humidity, in both cases,\\ngiving much rain. The temperature of the east coast is, on the\\ncontrary, much reduced by the cold current from the Arctic Sea,\\nwith its icebergs flowing southward along it.\\nThus, Sitka on the Pacific coast, in lat. 57\u00c2\u00b0 03 1ST., has an\\nannual mean temperature (45\u00c2\u00b0 by Baer) fully higher than that of\\nHalifax, N. S., in lat. 44\u00c2\u00b0 39 (which is about 43\u00c2\u00b0). Nor is the\\ndifference from this cause confined to the immediate seaboard;\\nMontreal, two hundred miles from the Atlantic, lat. 45\u00c2\u00b0 31 N., has\\na mean annual temperature of about 43\u00c2\u00b0, while Fort Dallas in\\nOregon, lat, 45\u00c2\u00b0 36 K, two hundred miles from the Pacific, has an\\nannual mean of about 52\u00c2\u00b0.\\nHudson s Bay being an expansion of the same cold ice-bearing\\nArctic waters, has the same cooling effect, not only on the regions\\nadjoining, but also in some degree on the country lying more\\nremotely between it and the Eiver St. Lawrence and its Lakes.\\nAccordingly, it is not till we pass westward of the parallel to which\\nHudson s Bay extends and that is half-way between the Straits of\\nBelle Isle and the Pacific that we find any great change in the\\ndirection of the lines of equal mean annual temperature.\\nYet, though the mean annual temperature remains nearly the\\nsame in going due westward so far, the climate for agricultural\\npurposes improves very much after leaving the sea coast. Thus,\\nMontreal has a mean temperature for three summer months of 68\u00c2\u00b0,\\nwhile that of Halifax is only 61\u00c2\u00b0, and Green Bay, Lake Michigan, in\\nthe same latitude as Halifax, has a summer mean of 69\u00c2\u00b0, though its\\nannual mean is only 44\u00c2\u00b0.*\\nIt is proper to observe that authorities differ materially as to temperatures, from\\nvarious causes partly through actual variety in the years observed, and partly, pro-\\nbably, owing to errors in instruments and oversight as to the position of them.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0107.jp2"}, "108": {"fulltext": "80\\nWest of Lake Superior, about long. 94\u00c2\u00b0 W., the lines of equal mean\\nannual temperature curve to a north-west direction, and maintain it\\ndiagonally, through this section, till deflected again to the south-\\nward at the high grounds at the base of the Rocky Mountains,\\nwhere the rapidly increasing elevation reduces the temperature.\\nThe result of this rapid increase of heat westward towards the\\nPacific, except where interrupted by the elevation and consequent\\ncold temperature of the Rocky Mountain ranges, is, as would appear\\nfrom the observations of Mr. David Thompson, that Dunvegan, on\\nPeace River, lat. 56\u00c2\u00b0 17 N., has a mean annual temperature of 35\u00c2\u00b0\\n51 equal to that of Fort William on Lake Superior, lat. 48\u00c2\u00b0 23 K,\\nwith a mean temperature for four summer months, May to August,\\ninclusive, of 62\u00c2\u00b0 9 while that of Fort William for the same months\\nis only 57\u00c2\u00b0 13 or 59\u00c2\u00b0 9 for the warmest three of them yet Dunve-\\ngan is about five hundred and forty miles further north than Fort\\nWilliam.\\nEven Fort Simpson, in lat. 61\u00c2\u00b0 41/ N., on the river of the Moun-\\ntains, about a hundred and fifteen miles north of the assumed out-\\nline of the section now before us, has a mean summer temperature\\nfor three months, of 59\u00c2\u00b0 48 and for five months, from May to Sep-\\ntember, inclusive, a mean of 55\u00c2\u00b0 15 nearly the same as that of\\nFort William, which for the same months is 55\u00c2\u00b0 32 Fort Simpson\\nis about nine hundred and fifty miles further north than Fort\\nWilliam.\\nThe following table will afford the means of further compari-\\nsons", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0108.jp2"}, "109": {"fulltext": "31\\nTable of Mean Temperatures in the North-West Territory and Canadian\\nProvinces Compared.\\nMonths.\\nApril\\nMay\\nJune\\nJuly\\nAugust\\nSeptember\\nOctober\\nMean...\\nDo. of three Sum\\nmer months\\nNovember\\nDecember\\nJanuary\\nFebruary\\nMarch\\nMean\\nDo. of the year\\nt-3 a M\\nr\u00c2\u00b0 j\u00c2\u00a3\\n3\\n8^\\nBop\u00e2\u0084\u00a2\\n31\u00c2\u00b0.42\\n48\u00c2\u00b0.87\\n58\u00c2\u00b0.73\\n62\u00c2\u00b0. 19\\n58\u00c2\u00b0.84\\n48\u00c2\u00b0. 16\\n41\u00c2\u00b0.88\\no0\u00c2\u00b0.01\\n59\u00c2\u00b0.92\\n23\u00c2\u00b0. 43\\n18\u00c2\u00b0. 16\\n5\u00c2\u00b0. 70\\n8\u00c2\u00b0. 22\\n22\u00c2\u00b0.72\\n02\\npq\\njf\\n2 W\\nJj\\n25\u00c2\u00b0\\n50\u00c2\u00b0\\n59\u00c2\u00b0\\n70\u00c2\u00b0\\n60\u00c2\u00b0\\n48\u00c2\u00b0\\n39\u00c2\u00b0\\n50\u00c2\u00b0. 14\\n63 c\\n11\u00c2\u00b0\\n5\u00c2\u00b0\\n5\u00c2\u00b0\\n2\u00c2\u00b0\\n6\u00c2\u00b0\\n15\u00c2\u00b0. 64\\n5\u00c2\u00b0. 80\\n35\u00c2\u00b0.69 31\u00c2\u00b0\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2\u00e2\u0080\u0094J 03\\n37\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n47\u00c2\u00b0.3\\n54\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n59\u00c2\u00b0.7\\n60\u00c2\u00b0\\n55\u00c2\u00b0\\n45\u00c2\u00b0.7\\nCO P\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0IIP\\nII s\\nOS\\n1h3\\n38\u00c2\u00b0\\n48\u00c2\u00b0\\n56\u00c2\u00b0. 3\\n62\u00c2\u00b0.3\\n63\u00c2\u00b0. 7\\n57\u00c2\u00b0\\n47\u00c2\u00b0\\n51\u00c2\u00b0.38 53\u00c2\u00b0. 18\\n58\u00c2\u00b0.06 60\u00c2\u00b0.76\\n37\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n25\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n18\u00c2\u00b0.6\\n21\u00c2\u00b0.6\\n28\u00c2\u00b0\\n39\u00c2\u00b0.3\\n25\u00c2\u00b0. 7\\n25\u00c2\u00b0.0\\n24\u00c2\u00b0.3\\n29\u00c2\u00b0.0\\n26\u00c2\u00b0. 24 28\u00c2\u00b0. 66\\n40\u00c2\u00b0.90 42\u00c2\u00b0.\\nC3\\n02 j^\\nO c3 tx\\nsi*\\nr-H eg\\nJh3\\nc5,\u00c2\u00a7\\njg-S\\n.So*\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0id co\\n5^\\n1h^\\n37\u00c2\u00b0.6\\n64\u00c2\u00b0\\n64\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n63\u00c2\u00b0\\n60\u00c2\u00b0\\n55\u00c2\u00b0\\n40\u00c2\u00b0\\n54\u00c2\u00b0.8\\n62\u00c2\u00b0.50\\n14\u00c2\u00b0.6\\n-4\u00c2\u00b0\\n2\u00c2\u00b0\\n22\u00c2\u00b0. 5\\n8\u00c2\u00b0.42\\n35\u00c2\u00b0.51\\n37\u00c2\u00b0.9\\n51\u00c2\u00b0.6\\n63\u00c2\u00b0. 1\\n67\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n65\u00c2\u00b0.9\\n57\u00c2\u00b0. 6\\n44\u00c2\u00b0.6\\n55\u00c2\u00b0.45\\n65\u00c2\u00b0.50\\n34\u00c2\u00b0. 1\\n17\u00c2\u00b0.7\\n11\u00c2\u00b0.7\\n14\u00c2\u00b0.8\\n25\u00c2\u00b0.l\\n20\u00c2\u00b0.68\\n40\u00c2\u00b0.99\\no\\nCD\\n00\\nCD CO\\n-j C3\\n3^\\nu os\\no\\nCD\\nCO o\\nJh3\\n39\u00c2\u00b0.83\\n58\u00c2\u00b0.46\\n69\u00c2\u00b0.10\\n71\u00c2\u00b0.16\\n63\u00c2\u00b0.3\\n59\u00c2\u00b0.26\\n42\u00c2\u00b0.20\\n57\u00c2\u00b0.58\\n67\u00c2\u00b0.76\\n21 c .19\\n-8\u00c2\u00b0.31\\n-10\u00c2\u00b0.55\\n-1\u00c2\u00b0.71\\nt*9\u00c2\u00b0.09\\ntl\u00c2\u00b0.94\\n34\u00c2\u00b0.39\\nh\\n41\u00c2\u00b0.2\\n51\u00c2\u00b0.5\\n61\u00c2\u00b0\\n66\u00c2\u00b0.3\\n65\u00c2\u00b0.7\\n57\u00c2\u00b0.4\\n45\u00c2\u00b0\\n55\u00c2\u00b0.44\\n64\u00c2\u00b0.33\\n36\u00c2\u00b0.l\\n27\u00c2\u00b0\\n24\u00c2\u00b0.8\\n23\u00c2\u00b0.7\\n30\u00c2\u00b0.2\\n28\u00c2\u00b0.36\\n44\u00c2\u00b0.16\\n*More correctly about 600 feet.\\nt Citadel Cape Diamond.\\na Sir John Richardson.\\nh David Thompson, 1789-90.\\ne 1803.\\nc Tables by Mr. J. Murdock, of St. John s.\\nd From a paper read by Col. Byers at the Nova Scotia Institute of Science.\\nfh Lieutenant Ashe.\\ng Professor Hind.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0109.jp2"}, "110": {"fulltext": "82\\nIt must be observed that Capt. Blackiston gives the mean\\nsummer temperature at Fort Garry at nearly four degrees less than\\nMr. Hind, who admits that necessary corrections had not been\\napplied to the above observations used by him, but says that he\\nthinks the winter observations too low through probable error in\\nthe particular instrument used by the observer who made them\\nbut as Capt. Blackiston made use in part of observations by the\\nsame person, the inferiority of the instrument might possibly slightly\\naffect Capt. Blackiston s conclusions. Lorin Blodget, in his climat-\\nology, gives Fort Garry a mean summer temperature of 65\u00c2\u00b0, which\\ncorresponds with that assigned to it by Governor Stevens in his re-\\nport of Pacific Bailway Surveys. Blackiston and Hind, however,\\nagree in the mean annual temperature.\\nClimat6logists, according to the European practice, divide the\\nyear into four seasons of three months each, in their tables. Such\\ndivision is unsuitable in our northern countries for the considera-\\ntion of the climate with a view to the practical purposes of agricul-\\nture. As it is more natural, owing to the suddenness of the transi-\\ntions from one to the other in Canada, to consider the year under\\ntwo great divisions the frozen and the warm seasons the mean\\nof seven months for the latter and five for the former are shown in\\nthe foregoing table.\\nAdmitting an error of four degrees in Professor Hind s summer\\ntemperature, which the corrections would chiefly affect, and deduct-\\ning one-half of it, as its mean, from the temperature of the seven\\nwarm months at Port Garry, the mean of them would be 55\u00c2\u00b058, or\\nfully half a degree warmer than the mean of the corresponding\\nseven months at Toronto.\\nAs the result of careful observations by Capt. Palliser s assis-\\ntants, Capt. Blackiston assigns the same temperature as that of\\nPort Garry to Fort Carleton, on the North Branch of the Saskat-\\nchewan, above the forks. This agrees with the isotherm of mean\\nsummer of 65\u00c2\u00b0, as represented by Governor Stevens. He carries\\nit from Green Bay, in Wisconsin, to the Little Falls, between St.\\nPaul s and Fort Kipley, in Minnesota, by Fort Garry, and crossing\\nLake Manitobah, by Fort Pelly, on the Assiniboine, to the Forks of\\nthe Saskatchewan, and thence north-westward to the sources of the\\nBeaver Biv er, He gives the middle course of the North Saskat-\\nchewan and of the Athabasca, the mean winter temperature of\\nFort Pvipley, or 10\u00c2\u00b0. Capt. Palliser, who explored the Saskatchewan\\ncountry personally, says its climate is somewhat similar to that of\\nBed Eiver, but decidedly milder in the southern and western parts.\\nThere is besides conclusive evidence of such a difference. Pro-\\nfessor Hind*observed the temperature of the waters of the North\\nand South Branches of the Saskatchewan, just above their junction,", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0110.jp2"}, "111": {"fulltext": "83\\non the 5th of August, and found the latter five degrees warmer\\nthan the former. As large rivers change temperature very slowly,\\nthis may be taken as the mean result of having flowed for ten or\\ntwelve days through a warmer climate than that of the northern\\nbranch. But the difference would necessarily be diminished as the\\nrivers approached their junction in a common climate, and conse-\\nquently must have been originally much greater. The south-\\nwestern parts may, therefore, be taken to be 5 Q to 7\u00c2\u00b0 warmer in\\nsummer than the country traversed by the North Branch, or that\\naround Fort Garry. This corresponds with what is reported by the\\nBlackfeet Indians.\\nProfessor Hind found a considerable difference in favor of the\\nlower part of the South Branch as to the ripening of wild fruit. A\\nhundred and fifty miles further west, at Chesterfield House, though\\nthe elevation there is about two thousand feet above the sea, the\\nmean annual temperature is stated as 39\u00c2\u00b0, or nearly 5\u00c2\u00b0 warmer\\nthan that of Fort Garry.\\nDEPTH OF SNOW.\\nIn considering the climate it is proper to notice that the snow\\ndoes not fall so deep in this section of territory as it does in Cana-\\nda, which is of considerable importance, as regards the feeding of\\ncattle in winter and facility of travelling, and will be still more so\\nin the use of railways, for which this country is, in other respects,\\nso unusually well adapted.\\nThe ordinary greatest depth of snow in the Eed Eiver settle-\\nment is about eighteen inches, and people ride freely everywhere\\nthrough it all winter. Eastward towards the thick wooded country\\nthe depth increases, but it decreases in the plains to the westward,\\nthough where there are wooded tracts it accumulates to a greater\\ndepth.\\nIt is an ordinary well-known fact that dealers in stock, residing\\nin the Eed Eiver settlement, who purchase horses from the prairie\\nIndians, for the purpose of selling them in the American markets,\\nwinter them at large, in droves of a hundred and upwards, in\\ncharge of herdsmen, in the prairies where there are clumps of wood,\\nfrom ten to forty miles west of Fort Garry. The horses find abun-\\ndant food there, under the shallow snow, to keep themselves in\\ngood condition. Their other cattle the settlers feed at home on hay,\\nwhich is very abundant.\\nThis present winter of 1867, from the date of its commence-\\nment and the suddenness of transition from mild weather to hard\\nfrost, resembles a Eed Eiver winter.\\nAt the Touchwood Hills, west of the Upper Assiniboine, Pro-\\nfessor Hind says that the onow falls two and a half feet deep in the", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0111.jp2"}, "112": {"fulltext": "84\\nwoods, and not unfrequently eighteen inches in the plains where\\naspen groves are numerous. He says, so rich and abundant is the\\nvegetation here that horses remain in the open glades all winter,\\nand always find plenty of forage to keep themselves in good con-\\ndition.\\nSpeaking of the country from two hundred and fifty to four\\nhundred and fifty miles westward, Dr. Hector says, the winter of\\n1858-9 had been unusually severe, as far as the quantity of snow\\nis concerned, and yet the average depth of snow, when undisturbed,\\nas in the woods, was only about eight to twelve inches, throughout\\na large district between Battle Eiver and North Saskatchewan at\\nEdmonton. Towards the Mountains, in a south-west direction,\\nthe quantity is still less but during the early part of April, after\\nthe snow had nearly disappeared from Edmonton, a series of storms\\nfrom the North visited the neighborhood of Fort Pitt, so that in\\nthe middle of April there were from three to four feet of snow on\\nthe ground.\\nThe great quantity of snow at that time, and at that particular\\npoint, was no doubt as unusual as the severity of the season.\\nSpeaking of the whole region to the Eocky Mountains, and of\\nwhat he calls the immense extent of winter pasturage that it\\naffords, as being a most valuable feature, he states, as before quoted,\\nthat it is only towards spring, in very severe winters, that cattle\\nand horses cannot be left to feed in well chosen localities through-\\nout this region of country.\\nFrom these facts as to climate, it evidently appears that we\\nhave, in a very great part of this central prairie country, an open\\nor summer season of seven months, the mean temperature of which\\nis fully as warm as that of Toronto for the same period, with a\\nwinter season of five very cold months, but clear and dry as cold\\nas the northern parts of Minnesota a winter fully colder than\\nthat of Quebec, but without its obstructively deep snow, or the\\ndrawback it presents in the difficulty of feeding cattle through it.\\nNow, in a cold country like ours (where the frost of winter\\ninterrupts agricultural labor at any rate), if the seven open summer\\nmonths be warm enough, it matters little to the profit of agricul-\\nture whether the cold of winter be a few degrees more or less,\\nprovided it does not increase the cost and difficulty of feeding\\ncattle. But we see that in a great part of this section, that con-\\ndition at least is highly favorable, and even in the remainder, owing\\nto the great abundance of natural hay ground not requiring the labor\\nof clearing usual with us, it is more favorable than in Canada gener-\\nally, but especially so to the poor settler, who has, with us, to clear\\noff heavy woods, at much cost or labor, before he can raise hay for\\nhis cattle.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0112.jp2"}, "113": {"fulltext": "85\\nIt is true that with increasing settlement and density of popu-\\nlation, these most valuable winter pastures may cease to be used as\\nsuch, but that will be only when they have become still more\\nvaluable for cultivation, and that condition cannot arise without\\nthe settlement of the country being accomplished, which above all\\nthings is the object desired. But even then it does not appear that\\nthe advantage of winter feeding, which the very shallow snow\\nadmits of, need be lost in the country towards the mountains, for\\nthere the cattle could feed on clover and turnips on the ground, as\\nthey now do on the natural herbage or the wild vetch, to which it\\nowes its richness, might even be improved by careful cultivation.\\nWhile considering the climate of this section of territory, we\\nhave to bear in mind that it is not on climate alone that the fitness\\nof a country for the profitable prosecution of agriculture depends.\\nWithin certain limits, quality of soil and character of surface have\\neven more to do with it. Abundant crops of coarse grains and hay\\nare more profitable than scanty crops of wheat. But in the rich\\nlands of this central prairie country, the farmer can get wheat crops\\nfar heavier than in these provinces.\\nIt is no exaggeration to say that there are vast tracts there, now\\nvacant, where he could have wheat crops more than double the\\naverage returns of Lower Canada, and keep a far larger stock of\\ncattle, with far less labor.\\nThe character of the surface is also to be taken into account.\\nWhen we consider how much the use of machinery is in future\\nto reduce the labor and increase the profit of agriculture, and the\\nfavorable nature of the soil and surface of this prairie country for\\nits application, together with its great facility of internal communi-\\ncation, without the heavy expense of opening roads that we have\\nin Canada, and its inexhaustible supply of coal on navigable rivers,\\nwith its valuable metals and other minerals, we have every reason\\nto believe that settlement, and the profitable prosecution of agricul-\\nture, will be carried northward, to an extent it would never attain\\nin a rugged and less favorable country.\\nCULTIVATED CROPS AND GREAT RETURNS OF WHEAT.\\nLittle can be said of cultivated crops in the section of territory\\nwe have designated as the Central Prairie Country, except in the\\nKed Biver settlement.\\nAs already stated, Sir John Bichardson has given the line of\\nlatitude 60\u00c2\u00b0 N., (the assumed northern boundary of this section,) as\\nthe limit of the economic culture of wheat, and says that at Fort\\nLiard, on the Kiver of the Mountains in that latitude, barley and\\noats yield good crops, and potatoes are of an excellent quality,", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0113.jp2"}, "114": {"fulltext": "86\\nand in favorable seasons wheat ripens well, and gives good returns,\\nbut that it does not ripen perfectly every year, owing to summer\\nfrosts. This is ten degrees, or nearly seven hundred miles, further\\nnorth than the Red River Settlement failures of wheat crops from\\nfrost might be expected there, as we have them in some of the\\nsettlements of Canada.\\nSir John says further, that wheat grows freely on the banks of\\nthe Saskatchewan, excepting near Hudson s Bay, that is, beyond\\nthe limits of this section of territory and David Thomson, many\\nyears ago, the Astronomer of the Hudson s Bay Company, states in\\nhis manuscript journal that wheat comes to perfection even as\\nfar north-eastward as Cumberland House but from its position so\\nfar to the eastward, and the prevalence of marshy ground near it, the\\nclimate is much less favorable than further up the Saskatchewan.\\nAs might be expected from the richness of the soil, where set-\\ntlement has taken place in this territory, on the Red River and the\\nAssiniboine, the cultivation of wheat has been very successful, and\\nthe returns very great.\\nSir John Richardson, Capt. Blackiston, and our Canadian ex-\\nplorers, and othe rs, inform us that wheat, in these settlements, is\\nsown early in May and reaped in the end of August, and the re-\\nturns vary from thirty to forty fold, or bushels to the acre, as it is\\nindifferently expressed. They inform us, that in some parts thirty\\nbushels to the acre is an average crop of wheat, and that in others\\nforty bushels is not only common, but generally expected and\\nProfessor Hind mentions a settler who had obtained fifty-six\\nbushels of wheat to the acre, simply by judicious ploughing.\\nIf the average were thirty-two and a half, it would be double\\nthat of Upper Canada by the census of 1851, and Upper Canada is\\none of the best wheat-growing countries in the world. Even if a\\nlarge deduction were made from them for error and exaggeration,\\nas is generally necessary in such cases, the Red River returns would\\nstill far exceed those of Upper Canada.\\nBut this superiority is not without apparent causes in the\\nrichest of soils and the best of summers for the growth of wheat,\\nwhich affect, also, the quality of it. The acknowledged superiority\\nin quality of the wheat of Minnesota, adjoining, is attributed to the\\npowerful midsummer heat common to this region.\\nIt has been already mentioned that the climate at Carleton\\nHouse, on the North Branch of the Saskatchewan, though three\\ndegrees further north, is stated by the officers of the Imperial ex-\\nploring party, from careful thermometrical observation, to be at\\nleast equal to that of the Red River Settlement, and they and others\\nagree in stating that the warmth of climate of the valley of the\\nSaskatchewan, southward and westward from Carleton House, is still\\ngreater, till neutralized by elevation in approaching the Mountains.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0114.jp2"}, "115": {"fulltext": "87\\nIt is proper to observe, that in the colder parts of this Central\\nPrairie Country, where from elevation or extreme northerly posi-\\ntion failures of crop from frost may occur, the deficiency may be\\nmore than balanced by the extraordinary returns, in all other years,\\nwhich the richness of the soil may yield.\\nTo return to the Eed Eiver Settlement, the richness of the soil\\nis equalled by its durability, crops of wheat for upwards of twenty\\nyears being obtained, from the same ground, nearly equal to the\\nfirst.\\nIndian corn is sometimes prevented from ripening on rich but\\nmoist prairie lands, which is attributed by Mr. Lane, of the Hud-\\nson s Bay Company, to careless cultivation. On dry grounds it is\\nsaid to be a sure crop.\\nProfessor Hind and others speak of melons growing luxuriantly\\nand ripening in the open air, in great perfection, and also of the\\nabundance, size and good quality of the potatoes as remarkable\\nthat beets, turnips, and all other root crops grow well and attain\\nlarge dimensions and that all common garden vegetables cultivated\\nin Canada are equalled, if not surpassed, by those raised in the set-\\ntlements of the Eed Eiver and the Assiniboine.\\nWhen we take into consideration the extreme richness of the\\nsoil and warmth of the summer, it will be apparent that it could\\nnot well be otherwise as to these productions.\\nThe beet may prove a very important one for the manufacture\\nof sugar, which should be more profitable than the importation of\\nit, so far inland, where the transport in, of it, and out of the pro-\\nduce in payment for it, will be expensive.\\nThe cultivation of hemp and flax, which grow of an excellent\\nquality, may be of considerable importance, especially the latter,\\nfor domestic use, as well as for exportation, on the introduction of\\nmachinery for the preparation of it, and the opening of any even\\nmoderately advantageous outlet for such products. Woollen, linen,\\nleather, and other light goods, would be the most advantageous to\\nexport from a country situated so far inland.\\nCHAPTEE XXII.\\nCOAL, PETROLEUM, AND BUILDING MATERIALS.\\nIn describing the great Central Prairie Country, or region gene-\\nrally suitable for cultivation, in which prairie land is more or less\\nprevalent, it has been noticed that wood lands more generally", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0115.jp2"}, "116": {"fulltext": "88\\nprevail in the north half of it, while in the south half of it, on the\\nwaters of the Saskatchewan and the Eed River and their tribu-\\ntaries, the extent of prairie lands is very much greater than that\\nof wood lands. The eastern parts of the latter, on the lakes\\nWinnipeg, Manitobah and Winnipegoos, and on the Saskatchewan\\nbelow its forks, and the broad parallel belt of highlands lying to the\\nwest of the two last named lakes, known as the Riding Mountains,\\nDuck Mountain, Porcupine Hills, and Thunder Mountain, are\\ndescribed as densely and heavily wooded on the highlands,\\nwhile the valleys present about an equal extent of prairie and\\nwood lands; and it is said that the forests of this region are\\nsufficient to supply the inhabitants who may occupy it and the\\nadjoining country, with wood for all purposes, for generations to\\ncome.\\nTowards the Rocky Mountains also, and on the skirts of them,\\non the head waters of the Saskatchewan, there is a broad belt\\nof wooded country, where there is pine and other useful timber of\\na good growth, from which supplies of building timber may be\\nbrought down by the rivers, for the use of the prairie regions, on\\ntheir lower courses, when the supply from the limited growth of\\nwood there has become exhausted.\\nWhen the same necessity arises, the prairie lands on the Assi-\\nniboine may be supplied by its eastern tributaries, from the\\nforests of the highlands mentioned, and the prairies of the Red\\nRiver from the wood lands on its upper course, and when these fail,\\nfrom the wooded country on the eastern tributaries of Lake Win-\\nnipeg.\\nThe River Winnipeg, which unwaters a wooded region probably\\nlittle inferior to the valley of the Ottawa in area, has timber\\nenough of a useful description to form the staple of an extensive\\nlumber trade, for the supply of the prairie country to the west-\\nward.\\nThe timber from it will be much smaller, and inferior in kind\\nas well as quality to that from the Ottawa. Considerable quantities\\nof red and white pine are said by our explorers to be found on some\\nof its waters, though of an inferior size.\\nThe greater size of wood, though much in its favor in foreign\\nmarkets, is really of little importance for home use and poplar\\nand spruce yield very useful lumber, and are much to be valued in\\nthe absence of pine timber.\\nIn the eastern or nearer part of the prairie region lying on the\\nAssiniboine and its tributaries, and on the head waters of lesser\\nwestern tributaries of Lake Winnipeg, there seems to be a fair pro-\\nportion of woods, and advancing northward they predominate.\\nSpeaking of this region, Mr. Dawson says The streams that flow", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0116.jp2"}, "117": {"fulltext": "89\\nthrough the prairie are bordered more or kss with forests in which\\noak and elm of a fair size are to be met with, although not in\\ngreat quantities in the wooded section, of which, however, less\\nis known, poplar predominates; but on the borders of the lakes and\\nstreams, larch, spruce, birch and oak are to be found of a size and\\nquality available for economic purposes. Mr. Dawson is unques-\\ntionably a good judge of the subject, from his extensive, previous\\nexperience in the lumber trade.\\nProfessor Hind speaks of forests in the valley of the Assini-\\nboine, one of which he describes as four miles in width and thirty\\nmiles in length, wooded with oak, elm, ash, maple, poplar and\\naspen, and speaks of the flats and hill-sides of its valley elsewhere\\nbeing clothed with fine forests, which he describes as extending\\nalso from thirty to seventy miles up its western tributaries and at\\nintervals beyond, on the Qu appelle, he says, good timber is found,\\nas far as the Mission.\\nIn prairie lands, the abundant supply of timber, which entirely\\nwooded countries afford, does not exist and in the absence of pine,\\npoplar and spruce have to be used for building purposes. They\\nare both inferior to pine in value but in a great part of Lower\\nCanada spruce only is to be had, and much of it is exported as\\nsawn lumber to Europe. Poplar is undervalued through pre-\\njudice in a great degree. Of all the deciduous trees it is one of\\nthe best suited to take the place of pine in flooring and finishing\\nhouses and forbuilding the walls of dwellings it is very durable.\\nI have seen a house built of poplar logs, that stood upwards of\\na hundred years, perfectly sound to the foundation, when cut\\nopen. It may not accord with present ideas to say so, but before;\\nthe pine of the Ottawa becomes exhausted our extensive forests\\nof poplar will be valued for lumbering purposes and brought\\ninto use.\\nIn our interior territories spruce timber, on account of its light-\\nness, its straightness and its strength, will take the place of pine,.\\nfor engineering purposes and birch, on account of the fineness of\\nits grain and its strength, will be serviceable for furniture and fine\\nwood- work, especially in the northern regions, where oak and\\nmaple are not to be found.\\nThe timber of the interior is of a smaller growth than with us,\\nprobably owing to the greater dryness of the summer and cold in\\nwinter; it is therefore probably stronger and perhaps more durable.\\nIn these respects woods of the same kind differ much with the\\nsoil and climate. The oak of the Ottawa averages only half the\\nsize of that of the western parts of Upper Canada, but is far\\nsuperior to it in strength and the timber that grows in parts of\\nCanada near the sea is more durable than timber, of the same", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0117.jp2"}, "118": {"fulltext": "90\\nkind, of the interior. In bridge building I have found it to last\\nnearly twice as long. We have no data on which to determine the\\ncomparative durability and integral strength of the timber of our\\ninterior territory for engineering purposes.\\nGreat size gives squared timber an increased value in European\\nmarkets, but the small dimension into which our large Ottawa\\ntimber is invariably cut, in preparing sawn lumber for home use\\nand exportation, shows that great size is of no importance gene-\\nrally for home use, excepting for the greater quantity it gives.\\nWhite spruce is harder to saw and work up than pine, and with\\nus it is less durable when exposed, but it is stronger, and its length\\nand straightness make it very suitable for building timbers.\\nAccording to Sir John Kichardson, oak, ash, white pine and\\npitch pine, are not to be found north of the valley of the Saskat-\\nchewan, and are not prominent there, and white spruce continues\\nto be the predominant tree alike on rich and poor soil. Though\\nof a small growth near the Arctic Sea, it was found in some in-\\nstances, in sheltered positions, to attain the size of from three to\\nfive feet in girth, even there. Balsam, poplar and aspen, skirt the\\nstreams, and white birch is found chiefly, though not exclusively, in\\nrocky districts. It attains a fair size as far north as latitude 65\u00c2\u00b0 N.\\nFrom the foregoing, and the descriptions in detail given of the\\ndifferent parts of the south half of the central prairie country, it\\nwill be seen, that for prairie land, the supply of wood, distributed\\nthrough it, such as it is, seems sufficient for the supply of settle-\\nments in it for a long time to come, if carefully used. As for the\\nnorth half of it, lying beyond the Saskatchewan and the line of\\nthe strong woods, the abundance of the supply of timber in it is\\nnot questioned.\\nBut in view of the time when the forests and scattered woods,\\nespecially of the south half of this central prairie country, may\\nbecome inadequate for the supplying of fuel for an increasing popu-\\nlation, the great deposits of lignite coal in the western and northern\\nparts of this territory are of the greatest importance.\\nNor is the supply of peat fuel that may be obtained, by im-\\nproved methods of preparation, from the bogs in the eastern parts\\nof it, in and near the Red Kiver Settlement, unworthy of considera-\\ntion. As it has already become more economical to use it than\\nwood as fuel, in the vicinity of Montreal, it is natural to think that\\nit might before long become advantageous to use it as fuel in\\nprairie countries.\\nIn his report upon the Grand Trunk Railway, Capt. Tyler, R E.,\\nsays that peat fuel can now be furnished on the cars of the com-\\npany at S3 20 a ton, which is more serviceable than a -cord of wood\\nfor use in locomotive engines that it can be more conveniently", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0118.jp2"}, "119": {"fulltext": "91\\nstored and used than wood, and computes that the company will\\nsave \u00c2\u00a340,000 a year by using it. It is to be borne in mind that\\nthis is in Canada, possessing the boasted advantage over prairie\\ncountries of abundance of wood and not by a manufacturing\\nestablishment located in a city and obliged to pay the high prices\\ncurrent there, but by a company owning a railway traversing nearly\\nthe whole of Canada proper, enabling it to supply itself, wherever\\nit could do so with most advantage, and the cost of wood fuel to\\nthem must necessarily be not the price of it in towns and cities,\\nbut the average cost of it in the country places along the line.\\nApart from the shallow but extensive muskegs or marshes, the\\ndeeper bogs, near the Eed Eiver Settlement, would seem to present\\nthe vegetable matter necessary for the manufacture of this fuel.\\nLOCALITIES WHERE LIGNITE AND BITUMEN HAVE BEEN\\nOBSERVED.\\nProceeding northward from the United States boundary, (lat.\\n49\u00c2\u00b0 N.,) brown coal is shown by Dr. Hector s geological section at\\nLa Roche Percee, Coteau du Prairie, about long. 103\u00c2\u00b0 W. lat. 49\u00c2\u00b0\\n30 N on the Souris or Mouse Paver, a tributary of the Assini-\\nboine and in that direction a bed two feet thick was seen by a\\nMr. Pratt. Brown coal is also shown by Dr. Hector s section, in\\nthe Hand Hills.\\nOn the Eed Deer branch of the South Saskatchewan, which it\\nenters a hundred and thirty miles above the Elbow, an extensive\\ndeposit of coal is noted by Dr. Hector at a hundred and seventy\\nmiles from its mouth, and also at a hundred miles further up.\\nCapt. Blackiston says it is there in beds so close, that of twenty\\nfeet of strata exposed, twelve feet were of coal. It is also noted on\\nthe Battle Eiver adjacent, to the northward, at two hundred and\\nfifty miles above its mouth. The Battle Eiver enters .the North\\nSaskatchewan a hundred and seventy miles above the forks of\\nthe latter and the South Branch.\\nOn the North Saskatchewan Capt. Blackiston describes coal as\\nprevailing, with little interruption, in beds two and two and a half\\nfeet thick, from a little below Edmonton, upwards, for two hundred\\nmiles.\\nPassing northward to the next stream, the Pembina, a fine navi-\\ngable tributary of the Arthabasca, Dr. Hector found, where he\\ncrossed it, a bed of lignite coal exposed, eight feet thick. On the\\nArthabasca, above their junction, he says coal appears in the banks,\\nbut not so much as on the Saskatchewan.\\nThe lower course of the Arthabasca is described by Thomson,\\nin his manuscript journal of the year 1799, as abounding in bitu-\\nmen, presenting strata in parts six to twelve feet thick. Sir John", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0119.jp2"}, "120": {"fulltext": "92\\nRichardson speaks of deposits of sand on it a hundred feet thick,\\ncharged with slaggy mineral pitch. As already mentioned, in the\\ndescription of the Arthabasca, lie says that at Pierre au Calumet,\\naud a few miles further down the river, the whole country, for\\nmany miles, is so full of bitumen, that if you dig a pit a few feet\\nbelow the surface it flows readily into it and that below Riviere\\nRouge there is a copious spring of mineral pitch (fluid bitumen or\\npetroleum) that issues from a crevice in a cliff composed of sand\\nand bitumen.\\nSir Alexander McKenzie mentions that twenty-four miles below\\nthe forks of the Arthabasca there are some fountains of bitumen in\\na fluid state, in which a pole of twenty feet may be inserted with-\\nout resistance. It was used along with gum from the spruce and\\nfir for gumming canoes.\\nSuch abundant deposits of petroleum, for the supply of coal oil\\nfor the use of these interior countries, and for other economic uses,\\nare of much importance, and enhance the value of this territory.\\nBelow the mouth of Clear Water River, Sir John Richardson\\nnotes lignite coal as appearing, in pretty thick layers, in the bank\\nof the Arthabasca.\\nProceeding to the next stream to the northward, the Peace\\nRiver, Sir Alexander McKenzie found coal on it at Edge Coal\\nCreek, and Chief Factor Stewart informed Sir John Richardson\\nthat there were beds of coal on fire on Smoky River, a Southern\\naffluent, which joins the Peace River opposite Dunvegan, a hun-\\ndred and fifty miles further south, and that there were beds of coal\\non Lesser Slave Lake, a northern tributary of the Upper Artha-\\nbasca. As these points are about two hundred miles west from\\nthe lower course of the Arthabasca, that, at least, may be taken as\\nthe breadth of country in which coal may be found.\\nSir Alexander McKenzie mentions that there is bitumen on the\\nshore of Great Slave Lake, near its discharge and, as already men-\\ntioned, he found coal beds on fire on the banks of the McKenzie.\\nSir John Richardson says, that where the Bear Lake River joins it,\\nthere is a tertiary coal deposit of considerable extent, and that the\\nGarry Islands, lying off the mouth of the McKenzie, contain beds\\nof a tertiary coal that takes fire spontaneously.\\nFrom the description given by Sir John Richardson and others,\\nthere is much variety in the character, quality and condition of\\nlignite. Some is of very recent formation or yet being formed, like\\nthat of the vast deposits of drift wood in the conical hills at the\\nmouth of the McKenzie. In some of the beds of lignite the forms\\nof the trunks of trees are preserved. In others, composed of glance\\ncoal, the wood-like structure is lost, and pieces taken from the beds\\nsplit into small rhomboidal fragments, no longer presenting the", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0120.jp2"}, "121": {"fulltext": "93\\ngrain or layers of wood. Specimens of pitch coal are spoken of by-\\nSir John Eichardson as resembling Spanish liquorice, and also of\\nslaty coal from Edmonton on the Saskatchewan, like that gathered\\nfrom the shale cliffs of the Arthabasca. This coal of Edmonton,\\nCaptain Blackiston says, is preferred to charcoal for smith s work,\\nthough it is said to require rather a strong draft, an objection that\\nwould not seem to lie against the lignites, subject to spontaneous\\ncombustion. In some cases the lignites were found heavily charged\\nwith bitumen, while others are much silicified.\\nThe following table, extracted from a good work on metallurgy,\\nshows the difference in calorific value of several kinds of European\\nlignite and of varieties of peat, compared with some descriptions of\\nwood and Newcastle coals.\\nIt is proper to notice that the lignite coal of the Nanaimo mines\\nof Vancouver s Island is stated by Dr. Hector to be only ten per\\ncent, inferior to the true coal of the carboniferous epoch. It would\\nseem, therefore, to be much superior to the European lignites given\\nin this table, which, therefore, does not show the highest value of\\nlignite. By the rates in the table, we might safely estimate the\\nlignites of our interior territories as equal in heating power to five-\\nsevenths of the same weight of good Newcastle coal", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0121.jp2"}, "122": {"fulltext": "94\\nTABLE OF THE CALORIFIC VALUES OF VARIOUS KINDS OF FUEL.\\nNAME AND LOCALITY.\\nVarieties of Peat. averages.\\nPeat from Troyes\\nHam, Dep. de la Somme\\nBassy, Dep. de la Marne\\nKonigsbrunn Wurtemberg\\nFramont, Dep. des Voges\\nFrom Allan in Ireland, Upper\\nLower\\nBrown Coal, Lignite. averages\\nSaint Martin de Vaud (Canton de Vaud)...\\nMinerme, Dep. de l Aude\\nFaveau\\nKoep Fuarch, Lake of Zurich\\nVal, Dep. de la Sarthe\\nCommon German\\nSinter Coals. averages\\nNewcastle Hartley\\nNewcastle Can s Hartley\\nCoals S Hedley s Hartley\\nSteamboat Wallsend\\nWood. averages\\nOak Wood\\nAsh\\nSycamore Wood\\nBeech\\nElm\\nPoplar\\n16.52\\n8.\\n12. 3\\n13.\\n14. 3\\n15. 4\\n27. 7\\n25.\\n20.79\\n22. 6\\n22. 8\\n21.\\n20. 7\\n19.25\\n18.40\\n30.48\\n31.86\\n30.90\\n30.36\\n28.80\\n13.63\\n12.50\\n14.96\\n13.10\\n13.70\\n14.50\\n13.04\\no\\nP-l PR\\nCo*\\n37.40\\n18. 1\\n27. 9\\n29. 2\\n32. 4\\n34. 9\\n62. 7\\n56. 6\\n47.10\\n51.20\\n51.60\\n47.60\\n46.90\\n43.60\\n41.70\\n68.88\\n72.00\\n69.83\\n68.61\\n65.08\\n30.57\\n28.30\\n32.07\\n29.70\\n31.00\\n32.84\\n29.54\\nBerthier.\\nGriffiths.\\nBerthier.\\nI Philips.\\nBerthier.\\nWinkler.\\nBertheir.\\na\\nWinkler.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0122.jp2"}, "123": {"fulltext": "95\\nCHAPTER XXIII.\\nINDUCEMENTS OFFERED BY PRAIRIE LANDS TO SETTLERS.\\nThe chief peculiar advantage of our Central Prarie Country as\\na field for settlement, lies in the combination it offers of prairie\\nand wood lands the full advantage of which can be appreciated\\nonly by those who have had practical experience of the great and\\ncontinued labour required to clear off and cultivate a new farm,\\nin a wooded country, and the obstruction it presents to the making\\nof the roads necessary for the formation of new settlements.\\nMuch is said of the advantage of the superior supply of wood\\nfor fuel and fencing, afforded by wooded countries but these are\\nindefinitely over-estimated by many in comparing the facilities\\nfor settlement offered by prairie lands and wooded countries\\nrespectively. Such a comparison can be best approximated by\\nreducing the matter to figures as far as possible.\\nFor the benefit, of those who are not aquainted with the labour\\nof making a farm in the backwoods, I may go into particulars.\\nThe first and most obvious cause of expense, in money or\\nlabour, is the necessity of clearing off the wood before the land,\\ncan be even imperfectly cultivated, the average cost of which is\\nthree pounds five shillings an acre; but as the stumps still remain,\\nan outlay of twenty-five shillings an acre may be set down as to\\nbe incurred afterwards in getting rid of them. Where the stumps\\nare of pine or the land stony, the cost will be much greater.\\nIn general, pine stumps, if removed at all, will cost at least\\nfive shillings a piece, and some will cost twenty-five shillings.\\nWe have here as one item, at least four ponnds ten shillings an\\nacre, of expense, to be incurred, on account of the wood, before\\nthe land can be brought thoroughly under the plough. This is\\nthe cost to those who can pay for the labour of skilled backwoods-\\nmen, accustomed to the use of the axe, who can do twice as much\\nof that kind of work as the emigrants from Europe, even though\\naccustomed to other kinds of hard labour.\\nTo the farm labourer from Great Britain, whose time and\\nindustry, if applied to the cultivation of prairie land, would be\\neven more valuable than that of the backwoodsman, the cost of\\nclearing wood land, in money s worth of his labour, will be twice\\nas much. If he be very young he may learn the use of the axe\\nperfectly; if not, he will never learn to use it so as to be able to\\ndo as much work with it as the native backwoodsman.\\nAs by far the greater part of the emigrants who settle in the\\nwoods have to clear their farms by their own unskilled labour,.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0123.jp2"}, "124": {"fulltext": "96\\nadmitting even that they become gradually more proficient, the\\ncost to them in their own labour, of clearing their farms and\\nremoving the stumps, may, on a low estimate, be set down at five\\npounds ten shillings an acre.\\nI do not here speak of the value which their labour in clearing\\nwould command. No one would give them such a price for it.\\nI am speaking of the value of the labour unavoidably lost by them\\non account of the woods.\\nHere we have, then, to a family clearing a farm of a hundred\\nacres in ten or fifteen years, a loss of five hundred and fifty pounds\\non account of the woods.\\nThe settler expends all this, and ten or fifteen years of the\\nbest of his life, in toilsome struggles to convert his farm into such\\nproportions of open and wooded land as the settler on the partly\\nwooded prairie lands finds his when first he goes to it.\\nThe latter can adopt a regular system of cultivation ten years\\noner than the other. He can put as much land under the plough,\\nand reap the fruit of it, soon after commencing, as the former can\\ndo after ten or fifteen years of crushing toil in clearing land, which\\nnecessarily consumes much time which he would gladly devote to\\nmore extensive cultivation and raising larger crops, were the woods\\nnot an obstruction to his doing so.\\nBesides this relief from heavy toil and time lost in clearing,\\nthere is another advantage of prairie land that would operate\\nstrongly in the settler s favor, the full value of which can only be\\nappreciated by a man who has made a beginning in the unbroken\\nforest, an advantage that would tell immediately to the personal\\ncomfort and benefit of the settler and his family that is, the in-\\nfinite abundance of the rich grass for summer and winter food of\\ncattle, with which he would be surrounded.\\nThe new settler on prairie land can keep as many cows, for the\\nsupply of his family with milk and butter and cheese, as it may\\nsuit his means to purchase, from the first day of his settlement; for\\nhis pasture and meadows are already in abundance before him, and\\nin favourable places the cattle can even find the chief part of their\\nwinter food for themselves.\\nBut it may be said all this is far from market, and no money can\\nbe made there. That is true of all remote territories, newly opened\\nfor settlement, like the United States territory of Nebraska and the\\nremote parts of Minnesota, to which we assuredly know that settle-\\nment will flow nevertheless, and create its own outlets. We have\\nalso to remember that of the myriads of the industrious poor and\\nunemployed it is evidently the destiny of few only to make money.\\nThe million want independence and abundance of food and cloth-\\ning and, to obtain them easily is much to them all which, this ter-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0124.jp2"}, "125": {"fulltext": "97\\nritory, even in the meantime offers them, with much less toil than\\nthey can be had in the backwoods of Canada.\\nIt is not surprising, therefore, that so many European emigrants\\npass through Canada to seek the prairie lands of the United States.\\nEven old and successful settlers in Canada have found it much to\\ntheir advantage to do so.\\nBut there is another heavy charge against settlement in wooded\\ncountries. That is, the obstruction our dense forests present to the\\nspread of settlement, and the expense that has to be incurred in\\nmaking roads through them. It takes an expenditure of more than\\na hundred pounds a mile to make a road through the woods as\\npassable as the natural surface of the prairie, by the innumerable\\nroutes it offers and when a road through our forests is made, it\\ngives access only to the land immediately on the sides of it. When\\nthe settlers strike from it to reach the lands in the back conces-\\nsions the obstacle is again encountered, and the expense of opening\\nthe roads commences anew.\\nIt is a moderate calculation to say that for every square mile of\\nforest country settled, an expense in money or labour of \u00c2\u00a3100 has\\nto be incurred ultimately in making roads, or, what is worse, the\\nsettlers have to endure in hardship and difficulty of communica-\\ntion a much greater loss from the want of them.\\nHere again the practical man only can duly appreciate the mag-\\nnitude of the obstacle and the expense it entails I speak from\\nexperience, having superintended the making of upwards of three\\nhundred and fifty miles of roads through wooded countries in\\nCanada, within the last thirty-seven years.\\nThe facts mentioned may assist in showing more definitely the\\nloss, or cost of the obstruction, which the forests, in wooded coun-\\ntries, entail upon the settler. They will help to explain why many\\nof our own people as well as European emigrants prefer going to\\nthe prairie lands of the West to settling in our wooded country,\\nespecially since the western peninsula of Upper Canada has been\\nall taken up, and we are obliged to fall back on rugged and partially\\narable territories, inferior in climate, and generally so in soil.\\nOur forest lands have the advantage in the more abundant sup-\\nply of timber for fencing and fuel, to a certain degree, over the\\nmixed prairie and wood lands but it is to be borne in mind that\\ngreat districts of our Central Prairie Country have, in their im-\\nmense beds of lignite coal, a supply of fuel, for ever, which places\\nthem in a far better position than some of the old settlements of\\nCanada, where wood for fuel is already deficient, and is rapidly be-\\ncoming more so.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0125.jp2"}, "126": {"fulltext": "98\\nCHAPTER XXIV.\\nWHY WE REQUIRE THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES.\\nApart from the general reasons which make the acquisition of\\nvaluable territory desirable, there are some of a special nature\\nwhich render the acquisition of this North- West Territory, or the\\ngreat part of it suitable for settlement, of great importance to us.\\nWe are in present need of it as a field for settlement because\\nour best and most favorably situated lands in Canada are now all\\nsurveyed and disposed of and we have no vacant settling regions\\nleft, fit to attract and receive immigration on a large scale, as we\\nformerley had. We require it because there our young men, and\\nimmigrants from Europe, may find the rich prairie lands, ready\\nfor cultivation, which they have now to seek in a foreign country.\\nThe acquisition of it for that purpose is desirable, also, as a\\nmeans of preserving our chief staple of trade our timber, by\\nrelieving us from the necessity of converting our most valuable\\ntimber forests into comparatively worthless fields, through want\\nof a sufficiency of better lands to place our settlers upon.\\nThe acquisition of it is very desirable in order that the settle-\\nment of it, and the development of its resources, in connexion\\nwith the present Provinces of the Dominion, may give a wider\\nmarket and a greater demand for our manufactures, and extension\\nto our commerce in the manufactures of Great Britain, and in the\\nproducts of her Colonies and of other countries; and give in-\\ncreased employment to our sea-going shipping and internal car-\\nrying trade, and to our canals existing and to be made. We\\nwant it that the Maritime Provinces of the East may prosper By\\nthe trade of the West,\\nWe want all the strength its future population and trade can\\ngive in addition to all that which the extension of settlement in\\nour remaining vacant lands, and the development of their\\nresources, may afford us, to render it possible for us to maintain\\nthat degree of self-sustaining independence or future nationality\\nwhich the Mother Country contemplates.\\nTo see our way to part of these conclusions it will be necessary\\nfor us briefly to consider the character of the chief regions of\\ncountry that we now have left for the reception of settlers, and\\ntheir comparative value. It will also be necessary to consider in a\\ngeneral way the value of the lumber trade to the Provinces.\\nAs regards the commercial and manufacturing advantages, in\\nwhich the Maritime Provinces may be largely interested, it would\\nseem only to be necessary to look to the United States adjoining", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0126.jp2"}, "127": {"fulltext": "99\\nus, and to consider how much the settlement of their western\\nstates and territories has contributed to the development of the\\nmanufactures of New England and the commerce of New York\\nAs the people of the Maritime Provinces can build vessels so\\nvery much cheaper than the American ship builders can afford to\\ndo, and can also undoubtedly compete advantageously in navi-\\ngating them, they are evidently in a position to reap Wealth from\\nthe development of the agricultural regions of the West, from the\\nlarge share they will command of the carrying trade and the\\ncommerce of these regions.\\nTheir interest therefore is concerned in the development of\\nthe resources of these territories, and in every improvement that\\nwill tend to draw the trade of them down the St. Lawrence in-\\nstead of to American ports, where Canadian shipping would\\ncompete for the freight of it with less advantage.\\nCHAPTER XXV.\\nOUR VACANT TERRITORIES AND SETTLING REGIONS IN CANADA\\nCONSIDERED.\\nAbout forty years ago, when the population of Upper Canada\\nwas but one-tenth of what it now is, the western half of that\\nProvince, between the Great Lakes, presented an almost unbroken\\nfield for settlement, of wheat-growing land of the best quality,,\\ncomparatively even, and arable throughout as a garden.\\nThe stream of immigration flowed strongly to it for many\\nyears. Little or no selection was necessary. There was good\\nland in abundance everywhere for all comers. The settlers\\nprospered, and Upper Canada was a favorite colony for the desti-\\nnation of immigrants from Great Britain, including what is called\\nthe better class, with considerable capital. Even the high prices\\nat which lands were sold tended to ensure a greater proportion of\\nthe latter.\\nThis lasted till all the vacant public lands of the western penin-\\nsula and other parts of Upper Canada, south of the Laurentian\\nformation, were surveyed and sold, or very nearly so.\\nAt the same time, after partially successful attemps to attract\\nimmigration into the more favorable of the townships of Lower\\nCanada, the French Canadian population, straitened for room in\\ntheir old seigniories, and having exhausted much of the rich lands\\nI here quote, as most appropriate, the expressions of an Honorable Senator\\nof New Brunswick.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0127.jp2"}, "128": {"fulltext": "100\\nof the great plain country of the St. Lawrence, by a bad system\\nof farming and by over cropping, into which the original richness\\nof their lands had betrayed them, wisely turned their attention to\\nthese townships, which they have since been rapidly occupying.\\nHaving no other of a better quality, or more suitable to open for\\nthe expansion of settlement, it became necessary to turn to the\\ninferior lands of the Huron and Ottawa Territory, which are in a\\nregion of Laurentian formation, at the outline of which settlement\\nhad long before, as it were instinctively, stopped.\\nOf these lands, the best parts will not bear comparison with the\\npeninsula of Canada West or the older settlements of that Pro-\\nvince, nor with the rich alluvial lands of the St. Lawrence and its\\ntributaries on which the old seigneurial settlements of Lower\\nCanada were formed a proportion of them, unequally prevalent, of\\nabout three-quarters on an average of the whole, or one-half in the\\nbetter regions, is rocky and unarable, or poor sandy land unfit for\\nprofitable cultivation.\\nNotwithstanding the opening of several colonization roads to\\ngive access to them, the powerful efforts of Government to direct\\nsettlers to them by agencies to Europe and other means, and the\\nfar more powerful inducement presented in the very high prices\\ngiven, in that territory, by lumberers, for farm produce, these lands\\nhave failed to attract immigration in any considerable degree,\\nespecially of the class of settlers possessing capital.\\nAs we have now nothing better to offer, Canada does not attract\\nimmigrants from Great Britain, as formerly, nor retain those from\\nother European countries arriving at her ports. Nor will she ever\\ndo so till she has again abundance of the best lands to give them\\nnot scattered through a rough and rather forbidding country, of\\nLaurentian formation, but in unbroken continuity or vast tracts,\\nwhich can only be obtained in the territory we claim.\\nElsewhere, in Canada, even including the Maritime Provinces,\\nit is vain to look for any field for settlement at all approaching in\\nextent and value that which Canada West presented in its infancy\\nas a province incomparably less, therefore, do we possess any such\\nfield for expansion as is required to meet our greatly increased\\nnative demand, or to admit of that increase by immigration so\\nessential to our prosperity and security in the important and\\nresponsible national position in which Federation has placed us.\\nTHE OTTAWA COUNTRY AND HURON AND OTTAWA TERRITORY.\\nThe valley of the River Ottawa, and the country lying between\\nit and the Georgian Bay or Lake Huron, form together the largest\\nand best field for settlement remaining in Canada.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0128.jp2"}, "129": {"fulltext": "101\\nThe valley of the Eiver Ottawa is reputed to have an area of\\neighty thousand superficial miles, but it may prove to be scarcely\\nseventy-seven thousand.\\nThe area of the country lying between the sources of the\\nwestern tributaries of the Ottawa and the Georgian Bay is about\\nnine thousand square miles.\\nIt is of the same Laurentian formation, and being similar in\\ncharacter generally to the adjoining part of the Ottawa country,\\nmay be classed with it making together probably an area of about\\neighty-six thousand superficial miles of which the part lying\\nbetween the old townships, on the Ottawa, and the Georgian Bay\\nis called the Huron and Ottawa Territory.\\nThe uncertainty as to the extent of the valley of the Ottawa\\nis owing to that river not having been, till now, surveyed beyond\\nfour hundred and thirty miles from its mouth that is, to the head\\nof Lake Temiscaming. When the surveys of its upper course, at\\npresent in progress, are completed, its entire length may prove to\\nbe about eight hundred miles.\\nEighty-six thousand superficial miles is a great extent of country\\nbut unfortunately the greater part of it is ground unfit for culti-\\nvation, which, in proportion to its prevalence in a greater or less\\ndegree, obstructs the settlement of the remainder.\\nThe Eiver Ottawa from its tributary, the Bonneehere, down to\\nits mouth, at the foot of the Island of Montreal, a distance of a\\nhundred and eighty miles by its course, flows through the northern\\nmargin of a plain country of Silurian formation, of limestone and\\ncalciferous rocks. These with Potsdam sandstone extend with an\\nirregular outline from two to ten miles west of the Brockville and\\nOttawa Bailroad. This Silurian plain includes about seven thou-\\nsand square miles of the country watered by the Ottawa and its\\ntributaries. It is generally good arable land, much of it equal to\\nthe best in the Provinces. It is all organized into old settled\\nseigniories, (including those north of Montreal,) and old townships,\\nin which there are no vacant Crown Lands of any considerable\\nextent remaining.\\nThe remainder of the valley of the Ottawa, with little exception,\\ntogether with the country between it and Lake Huron, is of the\\nLaurentian formation. If the assumed extent of the Ottawa country\\nbe correct, their joint area will be about seventy-nine thousand\\nsquare miles, apart from the Silurian tract already mentioned.\\nOf this area about one-sixth part has been surveyed into town-\\nships. A further, and considerably larger portion, has been more\\nor less surveyed or explored, and partially occupied as timber loca-\\ntions. With the exception of surveys just completed on the\\nMontreal Eiver and the Upper Ottawa, but little is known of the", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0129.jp2"}, "130": {"fulltext": "102\\ninterior of the remainder, or about one-half of the entire area, even\\nby the agents of the Hudson s Bay Company and that little is\\nunfavorable.\\nFrom the returns of surveys made of townships and timber\\nberths, and of the courses of rivers, and from what is reported of\\nthe unsurveyed parts by the few who have traversed them/ it\\nwould be unsafe to estimate, at the utmost, more than an average\\nof one quarter of the whole area of this Laurentian country as\\narable land, fit for cultivation.\\nIt is unequally distributed, in small spots, veins and larger\\nblocks sometimes in tracts of considerable extent. In some parts\\nthe proportion of arable land of a good quality may be one-half,\\nand in less favorable regions, not one-twentieth part, and that in\\nspots too small to be available.\\nThe other three-fourths of the entire area consist of rugged and\\nunarable or poor sandy land, and worthless swamps.\\nOf these three-fourths, a considerable proportion may, and no\\ndoubt will, ultimately be occupied and brought under cultivation,\\nwhen the pressure of population and scarcity of land cause such\\nan increase in its value, as to render it profitable to incur the\\nexpense of removing stones from ground that is now quite unar-\\nable.\\nSuch lands are in part occupied now, under what is called\\nhoe and harrow cultivation, where the demand of the lumber\\ntrade gives very high prices for produce, or where poor settlers\\nare led to take them, from the good first crops to be had from a\\nrich surface soil, to be afterwards abandoned from being unarable.\\nIt is scarcely necessary to say that it would be heartless iniquity\\nto induce settlers, in search of permanent homesteads, to sink their\\nlabor on such lands, when better can be had.\\nOn the other hand, much may be said in favor of the proportion\\nof good arable land mentioned as occurring in the Laurentian\\nCountry of the Ottawa, and Huron and Ottawa Territory.\\nXotwithstancling the repulsive character of the gneiss ridges,\\nstony swamps, and coarse sandy ground, with which it is more or\\nless associated, and the too frequent presence of boulders, a great\\npart of it has a rich warm loamy soil, though frequently light and\\nsandy, or rather stony, and often uneven. Some of it is equal to\\nthe best lands in the Eastern Townships, with a better climate,\\nthough inferior in quality and in character of surface to the rich\\neven lands of the western part of the Province. Over a great\\nextent of it durable clay loam or rich alluvial flats are of rare occur-\\nrence.\\nThe largest and most favorable tract of country to which this\\ndescription would generally apply, is in the heart of the Huron", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0130.jp2"}, "131": {"fulltext": "103\\nand Ottawa Territory, on the head waters of the western tributaries\\nof the Ottawa and rivers falling into Lake Huron and Lake Nip-\\npissing.\\nIt embraces an area of about seven thousand square miles. By\\nthe returns of surveys about one-half of it, irregularly distributed,\\nis good land fit for settlement. A belt of inferior rocky country\\nintervenes between it and Lake Huron, about thirty -miles in\\nbreadth, and a band of rugged bad land, about twenty miles in\\nbreadth, lying along the height of land dividing the basin of the\\nOttawa from that of the St. Lawrence, separates it from the old\\ntownships in front of it. To the eastward of it lie the more\\nthickly pine timbered lumbering regions of the Ottawa. Hard\\nwood is its predominent timber. Like all countries of primitive or\\nazoic formation, it is thickly interspersed with lakes abounding in\\nfish, and presenting many desirable positions of great beauty and\\nfertility.\\nThe Gatineau, the chief tributary of the Ottawa, drains nearly\\nten thousand miles, with a course of about four hundred. There\\nis a good deal of rich alluvial land, but already occupied, along\\nits banks, and also in the narrow valleys of its lower tributaries.\\nLofty precipitous hills of gneiss and crystalline limestone overhang\\nits east bank for nearly a hundred miles up. Crystalline limestone\\nabounds a hundred miles further up, to, and sixty miles up its\\neastern tributary, the Piscatong. The romantic character of the\\nlower valley of the Gatineau is very much against its agricultural\\ncapacity and though there is much land fit for cultivation in so\\nconsiderable an extent even of rugged hilly country as more than\\nthe upper half of the valley is in a very unfavorable sterile region\\nit is probable the arable land fit for cultivation on the Gatineau\\nwill, by our present standard of fitness, be considerably less than a\\nquarter of the area it unwaters.\\nOn the other large northern tributaries of the Ottawa, it would\\nbe unsafe to estimate that a greater proportion of arable land, fit\\nfor settlement, will be found, than on the Gatineau. If the propor-\\ntion of such land be less on the northern tributaries of the Ottawa\\nthan in the Huron and Ottawa territory, rich alluvial ground and\\ndeep clay loam may, as on the Gatineau, be more frequently\\nfound.\\nCommencing gradually, about a hundred and forty miles up the\\nGatineau, a change occurs in the character of the country and its\\nforests. Poplar, fir, birch and pitch pine, become the prevalent\\nwoods white pines become small and scarce, and, at two hundred\\nand nine miles from the mouth of tbe Gatineau, cease to be found.\\nRugged hills of gneiss, occasionally bare and precipitous, with a\\nsoil of sand or poor sandy loam in the flats and valleys, in parts", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0131.jp2"}, "132": {"fulltext": "104\\nburned to utter barrenness, are the prevalent characteristics of\\nthe upper half of the valley of the Gatineau, as far as it has been\\nexplored. This description of country, interspersed with innu-\\nmerable lakes, extends over the upper courses of the other large\\nnorthern tributaries of the Ottawa generally.\\nSuch also, with little exception, as far as yet known, is the\\ncharacter of the countiy and its forests in the upper valley of the\\nmain Ottawa, for about three hundred miles of its course\\nabove Lake Temiscaming, and extending north-eastwardly from it.*\\nBut by far the greater part of it is quite unknown.\\nIt is varied by the circumstance that, in part of this upper\\ncourse of the Ottawa, the elevation between its waters and those\\nof Hudson s Bay is very slight, and the clay land of Lake Abbi-\\ntibbi overlaps the northern tributaries of the Ottawa, and ap-\\nproaches it through their valleys but the rock formation it over-\\nlies is Laurentian, not Silurian, as shown by the ridges of gneiss\\nprevailing throughout, on the routes traversed.\\nThis clay, which here presents itself, is white and hard, but very\\nsoluble, and destitute of any grit, and seemingly poor and hard to\\ncultivate. But white clay soil admits of much improvement. A\\ngentleman of my acquaintance in Pembroke, on the Upper Ottawa,\\nobtained thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, from a piece of white\\nclay ground, by proper cultivation and manuring.\\nThis clay occurs on the River Blanche, a northern tributary of\\nLake Temiscaming. On the lower course of that river there is\\nmuch very rich alluvial land, but it seems to be occasionally\\nflooded.\\nA blue clay soil extends for fifty miles along the banks of the\\nMontreal River (a large western tributary of that Lake), occupying\\nits immediate valley, which is from one mile to four miles in width.\\nSome blue clay soils in Lower Canada have been cropped for up-\\nwards of sixty years, without manure, owing to their durable fer-\\ntility. The upper course of the Montreal River is in a poor, rough\\ncountry, unfit for settlement (as ascertained by recent surveys),\\nwhich extends, with increasing ruggedness, through to the vicinity\\nof Michipicoten, on Lake Superior.\\nAt the upper end of Lake Temiscaming on both sides, and in the\\ninterior between the south end of that lake and Lake Nipissmg,\\nand north of the latter, there are considerable tracts of land like\\nthe better part of the Huron and Ottawa territory. There is a fine\\nI am of opinion that a larger proportion than is now estimated of the plain\\ncountry, on the upper course of the Ottawa, north of \u00c2\u00a3he Laurentian highlands, will\\nprove to be arable lands, and much of it of a clay soil and that though remote and\\nvalueless now, it will ultimately become occupied but I have not yet sufficient data\\nto enable me to speak decidedly.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0132.jp2"}, "133": {"fulltext": "105\\ntract in the interior of the north side, extending westward from the-\\nRiver du Moine, in the Province of Quebec.\\nThere are scattering lands of a middling quality on Black River,\\nand less on the River Coulogne. The valley of the Du Lievre, a\\nnorthern tributary of three hundred miles in length, below the\\nGatineau, is less favorable for settlement than that of the latter\\nriver. Further down on the north side, the lower part of the valley\\nof the River Rouge is more favorable, and the country between it\\nand the River Petite Nation above it is generally fit for settlement,\\nback to the distance of fifty or sixty miles from the Ottawa, having\\nmuch good, though light loamy soil, well suited for cultivation.\\nThis tract is most advantageously situated to meet the wants of the\\nsurplus population of Vaudreuil, which has no vacant lands in rear\\nof it.\\nIt may be necessary to explain, in using the expression land\\nfit for settlement, I do not mean land of the best or of a superior\\nquality only, but also land of a second or third-rate quality or value,\\nfrom being more or less stony or broken arable, or such as in\\nother parts of Canada is commonly made so, with moderate out-\\nlay or labor, and on which settlers, with industry and good manage-\\nment, make a comfortable living.\\nI may also add, that any estimate of what quantity of such land\\nthere is in a country, much of which is but little known, is neces-\\nsarily very vague, and that the proportion of one-fourth, which I\\nhave here given, is merely an approximation I have ventured to\\nmake, from having had charge of the public forests of the upper\\nsixty thousand square miles of the valley of the Ottawa for many\\nyears past. It is based on personal observation, returns of surveys\\nmade under my direction, and other sources of information.\\nOne-fourth of eighty thousand square miles of arable land, gaod\\nenough for cultivation, is a great quantity, but unfortunately all of\\nit is more or less depreciated by intervening bad ground, and a\\ngreat part of it, from being remotely scattered in small pieces, has\\nto be deducted as valueless for ordinary settlement, because the\\ncost of getting at it would be greater than its worth.\\nForty years ago the inhabitants of Canada complained that the\\nCrown and Clergy Reserves, amounting to two-sevenths of the land\\ngranted, obstructed the progress of settlement and maintenance of\\nroads but where one-third or a fourth only of a country can be\\noccupied, and especially where the intervening lands are rugged\\nand unfavorable to road making, the case is very much worse for\\nthere the inhabitants, in addition to maintaining the roads through\\ntheir own lands, will have to maintain and travel over twice or\\nthree times as much more extent of roads, which the ruggedness of\\nthe ground will render twice or even six times as expensive to\\nmake good, or even passable, as in a more favorable country,.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0133.jp2"}, "134": {"fulltext": "106\\nThese roads have either to be made or struggled through un-\\nmade and where such unoccupied lands prevent the consolidation\\nof settlement, there is difficulty in maintaining schools and churches,\\nand the necessary intercourse of society.\\nZealous as we Ottawa people are for our locality, we would\\ndeceive ourselves and others were we to deny these facts and\\nwe cannot reasonably expect to attract any great stream of immi-\\ngration to our country, while the vast extents of better soil, un-\\nbroken by such objectionable characteristics, are to be found else-\\nwhere.\\nI go into particulars as to this part of public domain, as a set-\\ntling district, because, as it is the largest and the best, if its unfit-\\nness to attract immigration, in the degree that we require for the\\nincrease of our national strength and prosperity, be considered, that\\nof our inferior territories will be evident. In this, it is not the\\ndesirableness of settling the Ottawa country, but the fact that it\\nfails to attract immigration, that we have to consider.\\nBut though it does not attract immigration, and settlement,\\nowing to the same cause, will advance more slowly in it than on\\nmore even ground, we should not undervalue the Ottawa country\\nas a field for the industry and enterprise of our native population,\\nwho are more capable of developing its resources.\\nIt presents many important advantages. Its climate is agree-\\nable, and the most healthful of any in the interior of Canada. Its\\nwinter is more dry and bracing than that of Toronto, and much\\nmilder than that of Lower Canada, eastward of it. The summer\\nof the middle parts of the Ottawa country is upwards of one month\\nlonger than that of Quebec* Fall wheat can be grown with ad-\\nvantage, and yields heavy returns, and unusually high prices are\\npaid for farm produce by the lumber trade. Its minerals, lead,\\nIt is here proper to notice an important and very gross error, in a work on\\nThe Influence of Climate in North and South America, by Mr. J. Disturnell, of\\nNew York. In a climatic map showing the limits of the cultivation of grains and\\nvegetables, he places the entire valley of the Ottawa beyond the limits of wheat cul-\\ntivation, and the north half beyond the limits of the cultivation of vegetables. If\\nMr. Disturnell had used the simple i recaution f referring to the Census of Canada\\nfor 1861, he would have found that the counties of Carleton, Lanark and Renfrew,\\naltogether north of his limit of wheat cultivation, yielded an average of 17 7-10\\nbushels of wheat to the acre that their total yield of wheat for that year was\\nupwards of a million of bushels, or 11 7-10 bushels to each inhabitant. That is fully\\nfifty per cent, more to each person than the State of Ohio yielded per head of its\\npopulation by the census of 1850, or nearly three times as much as the rate of wheat\\nraised per head in the United States. He would have seen also, that in the township\\nof Pembroke, on the Ottawa, a hundred miles north of his limit of the growth of\\nwheat, the average yield of wheat was the highest, being twenty-four bushels to the\\n.acre. A little enquiry would have enabled him to know that the temperature re-\\ncpuired for the growth of wheat prevails, as ascertained, a hundred miles still further\\nnorth, and beyond that to a distance not yet determined.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0134.jp2"}, "135": {"fulltext": "107\\nplumbago and iron are commencing to attract attention from their\\nabundance. It has unlimited water power, which is being largely\\napplied to various manufactures and above all, its lumber trade,\\nwhich contributes so much to the wealth and commerce of the Pro-\\nvince, and under careful management may do so for ever.\\nTERRITORY NORTH OF LAKE HURON.\\nWhat is here stated as to the comparative inferiority of the\\nOttawa country, as a settling region, is applicable even in a greater\\ndegree to nearly all the vacant territories of Canada, east and west.\\nThe territory north of Lake Huron possesses some valuable sites for\\nsettlement and mining enterprise in the front parts of it, much en-\\nhanced by their favorable position on the navigation of the great\\nlakes but it is generally inferior to the Ottawa country for agri-\\ncultural purposes, and in its timber. The surveys on the line from\\nthe Montreal liiver of the Ottawa, towards Michipieoten on Lake\\nSuperior, show the interior to be a very infertile rough country, in-\\ncreasing in ruggedness westward.\\nTHE ST. MAURICE TERRITORY.\\nPassing eastward we have the St. Maurice territory, upwards of\\ntwenty-one thousand square miles in area. It is of the same Lau-\\nrentian formation as the Upper Ottawa country, but rather more\\nrugged and inferior to it in fitness for cultivation as well as climate\\ninferior also in its timber, for which, nevertheless, it is chiefly\\nvaluable its great river, the St. Maurice and its tributaries, pre-\\nsenting everywhere the means of getting that to the market. As\\nvery much less of it has been surveyed into townships, it is more\\ndifficult to estimate the quantity of arable land fit for cultivation it\\ncontains. It has been roughly estimated at upwards of five thou-\\nsand square miles, unequally distributed. Its value will be en-\\nhanced and the settlement of it powerfully encouraged by the\\nmanufacture of its timber. The industrious population of seigniories\\nin front of it, will need the best of it with every advantage it may\\noffer for their own expansion. It will never attract any consider-\\nable amount of European immigration.\\nTHE SAGUEXAY TERRITORY.\\nOf the twenty-seven thousand square miles drained by the great\\nRiver Saguenay and its branches, about four thousand seven hun-\\ndred square miles is the utmost that has been estimated as fit for\\ncultivation, chiefly in the basin of Lake St. John, between the stern\\nbarrier of the Laurentide mountains and the still higher range fifty\\nmiles to the north of it, and enjoying from its sheltered position a", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0135.jp2"}, "136": {"fulltext": "108\\nbetter climate than Quebec. Though much of it is of the richest\\ndescription of deep clay loam, a great part of the northward of the\\nlake consists of sandy flats. What is tit for settlement is required\\nfor the surplus French Canadian population of the old settlements\\non the lower St. Lawrence. It offers no important scope for Euro-\\npean immigration.\\nTHE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS\\nAnd those opposite Quebec are, as already stated, being well\\nfilled up.\\nTHE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ST. LAWRENCE BELOW QUEBEC.\\nBehind the old settlements, the slopes and valleys of the Notre-\\nDame Mountains, with much uneven though good land, have a\\ncold climate, from latitude and elevation. (I have seen white\\nfrost on the Temiscouata Portage Koad in the month of July)..\\nThey present little or nothing to attract European immigrants.\\nBONA VENTURE, GASPE AND RESTIGOUCHE.\\nThe County of Bonaventure, on the Baie des Chaleurs, and the\\nEestigouche country lying chiefly in the Province of New Bruns-\\nwick, from their superior soil and climate, but especially on account\\nof their admirable position for communication with Europe, are as\\nadvantageous for settlement as the Eastern Townships, and nearly\\nequal to the better parts of the Ottawa Country.\\nThe soil of the County of Bonaventure, and of the north part of\\nNew Brunswick on the Eiver Eestigouche, is a rich warm loam,\\nfree from stones, even on the table lands on the mountains and is\\nunarable only where too steep to be ploughed. It yields heavy\\ncrops of spring wheat, and of oats and barley, much superior in\\nquantity to the acre, and in quality, to those raised in counties-\\non the St. Lawrence.\\nThe coast of Gaspe is similar in soil, but the summer is often\\ntoo cold for the profitable growing of wheat. Its fisheries are very\\nvaluable.\\nIf a direct trade were opened, in coarse grains, with Great\\nBritain, these countries might, to some extent, be occupied by\\nEuropean immigrants.\\nI found the interior, through to the St. Lawrence, on the route\\nafterwards adopted by Major Eobinson, as a line for the Intercolo-\\nnial Eailroad, to be generally an arable fertile country judging\\nfrom having had a hundred miles of it dug over in road making.\\nThis is the most healthful and romantic land within the com-\\npass of the Dominion. It has a winter temperature ten to fifteen", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0136.jp2"}, "137": {"fulltext": "109\\ndegrees warmer than that of Quebec and in summer its rich val-\\nleys and high swelling hills are fanned by the fresh breezes of the\\nsea. A land of interesting historical associations, where, three\\nhundred and fifty years ago, the flag of France was first unfurled\\non this continent, and the cross first planted, and knelt to, by\\nchristian men grim, armed men, forefathers possibly of men who\\nfought at Montcontour and Ivry/ before the astonished gaze\\nof the ancient masters of the land, now extinct, who then ruled\\nfrom Lachine to the Gulf, and to whom the Dominion of Canada\\nowes its name. Further up the banks of the Eestigouche, the high\\ntrees wave over the graves and ruined hearths of the defenders of\\nLa Petite Eochelle. It was bombarded and burned by Admiral\\nByron a year before the capture of Quebec by Wolfe.\\nReturning from romance to practical fact While the stream of\\nimmigration continued to find scope in Western Canada, it was\\nnatural that countries like this should be passed by but now that\\nit classes with the best that there is left in Canada, it is difficult to\\nsee why it should be longer disregarded, especially in view of the\\nIntercolonial Railroad, now to be made, being carried through part\\nof it.\\nIts rivers are uninterruptedly navigable by large scows drawn\\nby horses, from their mouths nearly to their sources and freight\\nfrom its ports to Europe costs about a dollar a ton less even than\\nfrom Quebec and every enterprise of sea and land is open to the\\nsettler on its shores.\\nThese advantages belong also, more or less, to the north-east part\\nof New Brunswick. In the County of Eestigouche, the proportion\\nof good arable land will be found about equal to that of the Ottawa\\nCountry. The southern part of New Brunswick contains much\\nland as valuable as the best parts of Upper Canada, but it is gene-\\nrally already owned and occupied.\\nINSUFFICIENCY OF OUR REMAINING LANDS TO SECURE IMMIGRA-\\nTION ON A LARGE SCALE.\\nThis summary view of our remaining public lands shows us\\nthat while we have territories, presenting many excellent sites for\\nthe industry and enterprise of our native population, and necessary\\nfor their use, the best field that we have to offer for the reception\\nof immigration on a large scale, such as flows to the Western\\nStates, or even such as formerly flowed to Upper Canada, is the\\nHuron and Ottawa Country, which already, under the most favora-\\nble trial, signally failed to attract such immigration and that the\\nnext best is a small territory on the Baie des Chaleurs and Resti-", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0137.jp2"}, "138": {"fulltext": "110\\ngouche, where immigration on a small scale might be successful,\\nprovided an export trade in oats and barley could be established\\nwith Great Britain, or any adequate market.\\nNow, it is evident that we cannot attract the immigration we\\ndesire to make us a strong people, while we have nothing better\\nthan that to offer.\\nIf, when all Canada numbered less than a million of souls,\\nthe great and almost unbroken extent of rich lands which Upper\\nCanada presented, was no more than sufficient for our expansion\\nof settlement by native increase and immigration, it is surely\\nabsurd to suppose that these inferior lands, in extent, soil and\\nclimate, isolated, or broken up by a much greater proportion of\\nrugged unarable land, can be sufficient for our expansion, now that\\nwe number four millions, and are called upon, by the position we\\nhave attained, to look chiefly to our own strength for the defence\\nby land of our country, and the maintenance of that constitutional\\nindependence that has been awarded us.\\nVALUE OF REMAINING VACANT LANDS AND THEIR RESOURCES.\\nIn speaking of the rugged and hilly regions of our country, as\\nlittle suited for the reception of European immigration, it is by no\\nmeans meant to undervalue them.\\nWhat good lands they contain, especially in lumber yielding\\ncountries, will have an increased value from the ready market and\\nenhanced prices which lumbering operations, mining and other\\nlocal industries, may give for their produce.\\nThe sons of the habitants, and the surplus population of the\\nold settlements adjoining, can select at leisure the good lands in\\nour hilly regions, behind the seigniories and from their being near\\ntheir homes, with their knowledge of the labor and climate of the\\ncountry, can settle up these lands with advantage to themselves,\\nwhile to European immigrants, they would be inaccessible and\\nunavailable. The value of their minerals, which are now but begin-\\nning to be worked, can hardly be sufficiently estimated. The\\nprosperity which mere fertility of soil gives a new country, soon\\nattains its maximum, and is ultimately checked by imprudent\\nover-cropping. We see that it has been so, and that mere fertility\\nof soil never made a country great in history. But the prosperity\\nthat arises from mineral resources, manufactures and maritime\\nadvantages, though slow of being developed, may raise a country to\\na pre-eminence which mere fertility of soil can never bestow\\nwhile the occupations they afford cultivate and develope the intel-\\nlect and enterprise of a people to a degree that mere agricultural\\noccupations fail ever to do.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0138.jp2"}, "139": {"fulltext": "Ill\\nNevertheless, it is rich agricultural countries only that are\\nsuitable for the reception of immigration on a large scale, and that\\nbecome populous with the greatest rapidity.\\nIt is as such a receptacle for immigration, in order to obtain\\nthat increase of population, that we want the great prairie land of\\nthe North-West.\\nOur good lands in the Provinces are far from being filled up r\\nbut the nearest and best being held by private owners, requiring,\\nhigh prices, they repel instead of attracting immigrants.\\nCHAPTER XXVI.\\nTHE PRESERVATION OF OUR TIMBER FORESTS AND LUMBER TRADE\\nA REASON FOR ACQUIRING THE NORTH-WEST PRAIRIE LAND.\\nHaving assigned the preservation of our Timber Forests, which\\nyield our chief staple of trade, from unnecessary and hasty destruc-\\ntion, as a reason for acquiring the North-West Prairie Land, it\\nseems necessary to consider the value of the lumber trade to the-\\ncountry. In doing so it may be sufficient to take a general view\\nof the value of that of Canada before Confederation.\\nTo judge correctly of the importance of the Lumber Trade, it is\\nnecessary to consider carefully the benefits arising from the expen-\\nditure attending it, and the employment it gives in the country\\nbesides that which it presents in furnishing the chief export of the\\nProvince, and the employment it gives in freight to British and\\nColonial Shipping.\\nIn considering the benefits arising from the expenditure attend-\\ning it where the timber is manufactured, it will be suitable to\\ncommence by estimating the cost of manufacturing the timber pro-\\nduced by the lumber trade of the Ottawa country for one year.\\nFor this purpose it will be sufficient to take the average of the\\nproduction of square timber on the Ottawa for the five years from.\\n1861 to 1865, and the produce of the saw-logs of last year (1866), in\\nsawn timber, which, owing to the rapid increase of the latter,\\nrecently, will go nearer a fair view of the trade than the five years\\naverage would.\\nTaken together these will show a total yield of about two hun-\\ndred and sixty-five millions of feet, board measure, of sawn lumber,\\nand very nearly twenty- four millions of cubic feet of square timber\\nrepresenting nearly eight hundred and seventy thousand trees.\\nIn the manufacture of these quantities of sawn and squared\\ntimber, there would be employed about 17,000 men for nine months", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0139.jp2"}, "140": {"fulltext": "112\\nf the year; the costs attending the manufacture and taking of the\\ntimber to ports of shipment would be\\nFor men s wages $2,596,747\\nTeams 346,760\\nHay and Oats 544,907\\nPork and Flour 990,740\\nDuty on Crown Timber and price to owners\\nof private timber 325,938\\nSlide Dues and Boomage to the Crown or\\nowners of private works, and interest on\\nexpenditure on Elver Improvements 134,112\\nInterest on cost of Saw Mills and their equip-\\nments, insurance, c 269,062\\nInterest on cost of shanty stock and equip-\\nments, tear, wear and casualties 149,052\\nTotal cost incurred by Ottawa Lumberers for\\none year, apart from further costs before\\nshipment $5,357,318\\nNearly all this large amount, it will be seen, represents employ-\\nment and profit given in the country to labourers, mechanics and\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2others, in current or original expenditure made.\\nOf this it will be observed that the second, third and fourth\\nitems, amounting to the large sum of $1,882,407 are for farm pro-\\nduce. It is true that part of the provisions is not produced in the\\nlocality, which shows that the trade offers a market for more farm\\nproduce than the locality as yet furnishes. About $100,000 is\\npaid or realized to the owners, for private timber, in the locality,\\nand a large part of the expenditure for wages also is local, though\\nmuch of it is paid to labourers from other parts of the Province,\\nchiefly Lower Canada.\\nThese items of cost are given from the application of known\\nrates of necessary expenditure to known quantities of timber, and\\nshow the cost with ordinary good management.\\nFrom its operations being remote, the lumber trade gives very\\n.high prices for farm produce in remote localities, near its works,\\nto save transport of produce into them. The more remote there-\\nfore, the higher are the prices given. It thereby creates a highly\\nfavourable market for new settlements, where, from the distance\\nand want of good xoads, the value of the produce would be con-\\nsumed in taking it to any other market, if it could be taken out at\\n-all It thus gives encouragement and assistance where they are\\nmost wanted; and that on a scale much exceeding what the most\\n.liberal arrangements of Government could ever afford.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0140.jp2"}, "141": {"fulltext": "113\\nIt is proper to dwell upon these facts, and to look well to the\\nmagnitude of the amounts, because through ignorance of this\\npeculiar subject, and prejudice acquired from others, or from limited\\nand unfavorable knowledge, many think that the lumber trade\\nimpedes settlement, and is in its nature injurious to the progress\\nand prosperity of the country. Experience throughout British\\nAmerica shows that it is so to the man who divides his attention\\nbetween lumbering and his farm, to the injury of the latter. It is\\nstill more injurious to the man who has been tempted to settle on\\nbad land by the duty on the timber given him as a bounty for doing\\nso, by the Settlers License system recently in force. But we know\\nwell that it is absurdly untrue, that the settler on suitable land,\\nwho confines his industry to his proper business, farming, is injured\\nby the trade which, gives him higher prices for his produce than he\\ncould otherwise obtain.\\nThese remarks are more or less applicable to all regions of the\\nthen Province of Canada, where lumbering is carried on, but\\nespecially to the Ottawa country.\\nFrom the remainder of the Province, the yield of sawn and\\nsquared timber, with the addition of staves, estimated in the same\\nmanner, may be about one-fifth less than that from the Ottawa and\\nall its tributaries.\\nWhen both are added together, they give a total for the whole\\nProvince for one year, of upwards of five hundred millions of feet\\nboard measure of sawn lumber, and about thirty-nine millions of\\ncubic feet of squared timber, besides staves and other miscellaneous\\nwood goods, in all the produce of upwards of a million and a half\\nof trees, and giving employment for nine months to about 30,600\\nmen, costing in manufacture and transport to ports of shipment\\nFor wages of men $4,661,960\\nTeams 618,057\\nHay and oats 975,915\\nPork and flour 1,763,660\\nInterest on cost of shanty stock, tear and\\nwear, and casualities 274,794\\nInterest on cost of saw-mills and equipments,\\nrepairs and insurance 538,124\\nDuty to Crown, or price to owners of private\\ntimber 571,824\\nInterest on cost of river improvements, ground\\nrents, boomage and slidage to Crown, and\\nowners of private works 186,\\nTotal Cost to the Lumberers for one year s\\noperations, for the whole Province, apart\\nfrom further charges before shipment $9,591,022\\n8", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0141.jp2"}, "142": {"fulltext": "114\\nIn this estimate, provisions and labour are calculated below the\\npresent high rates.\\nBut this total is far from representing the final amount or value\\nof the timber. Wood goods in the form of lathwood, sleepers,\\nknees, oars, c, to the value of nearly $1,000,000, besides, got out\\nby country people chiefly, have to be added to the quantity and\\nvalue.\\nThis would increase the amount to $10,591,022, which, com-\\npared with $13,009,207, the total value of exports of the forest,\\nshown by the Trade and Navigation Eeturns for 1865, (less Pot and\\nPearl ashes) which the above approximation most nearly represents,\\nleaves a difference of $2,418,185 to cover charges at shipping ports,\\nalmost entirely at Quebec, consisting of costs for culling, boomage,\\nputting into shipping order, commissions on sales, c.\\nHaving shown an annual expenditure by the Lumber Trade of\\nover nine and a half millions of dollars, of which upwards of eight\\nmillions is for farm produce and men s wages, we come to another\\nimportant item to be considered in the worth of the Lumber Trade\\nto the Province, that is, what it contributes to the city of Quebec.\\nIt is almost unnecessary to say that it forms the chief trade of\\nthat city. The wealth of its merchants is chiefly made by it,\\ndirectly or indirectly, and a large portion of its inhabitants are\\nmaintained by their labour, in receiving and shipping the lumber\\nin summer, and in the ship-building, connected with and dependent\\non it, in winter.\\nBesides the greater part of the amount before mentioned for\\ncharges and commissions on the timber, which Quebec receives,\\nher merchants benefit largely by the freight of the vessels owned\\nand built by them. The average amount of freight of timber,\\nshared by them and the shipowners in Britain, for the four years\\nfrom 1860 to 1863, at 30s. a ton, would amount to \u00c2\u00a31,258,221\\nsterling, or nearly six and a half millions of dollars.\\nIn 1865 the value of fifty-one ships built and exported, was\\n81,923,594 their tonnage 47,262. That this trade is dependent\\nfor its profits, which are derived chiefly from the freight of the first\\ncargo they take on being sent home for sale, will be at once seen,\\nwhen it is considered that a ship of 1,000 tons, worth, say $40,000,\\nwill make about $7,000 in freight of her cargo, when sent home\\nfor sale.\\nThe greater consumption of articles paying duty by men\\nemployed in lumbering, over those remaining in their parishes,\\nis not to be overlooked.\\nAs the mother country is largely engaged in this trade with us,\\nit would be decorous to consider her interests in the matter.\\nUpwards of a thousand ships come annually to Quebec for car-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0142.jp2"}, "143": {"fulltext": "goes of timber, earning profit by tlieir freights for their owners,\\nwho are chiefly in Britain; the annual value has been already\\nstated.\\nThe cost of the timber when taken home is a little greater than\\nthat from the Baltic, but of that cost, the greater part is freight\\nearned by the British shipping and Britain obtains a description\\nof timber here which she requires, and cannot obtain from the\\nBaltic.\\nIt is next necessary to consider the value of the Lumber Trade\\nto the Province in furnishing our chief means of remittance to\\nEurope, in return for our imports.\\nThe value of the timber imported from Canada into Great\\nBritain, by the Imperial Trade and Navigation Returns, for the six\\nyears, from 1858 to 1863, gives an annual average of \u00c2\u00a32,750,731,\\nwhile that of all our other goods is only \u00c2\u00a31,965,891 sterling, show-\\ning the value of our timber exported to Great Britain to be upwards\\nof a third greater than that of all our other exports there showing\\nalso that the thirty thousand men, then employed in lumbering,\\nfurnished more to her, than all the five hundred thousand other men\\nin Canada did in the same time.\\nIn the same manner, on comparing the total exports, for the\\nyear to 30th June, 1865, by our own Trade and Navigation Returns,\\nafter deducting the ashes, the total value of Timber Exports is\\n813,009,207, all- produced in Canada, and by the labour of only\\n30,600 men while all the other exports, without deducting any-\\nthing for part of them imported, amount in value to 829,471,944,\\nincluding all the exports produced by 600,000 other men engaged\\nin agriculture and all other pursuits being only about two and a\\nquarter times the value of the timber exported.\\nThis shows that each man engaged in lumbering contributes\\nabout ten times as much to the commerce of the country as other\\nmen do, besides contributing twice as much as they do to Internal\\nTrade for all that he eats, as well as wears, gives employment to\\nothers, besides what he produces. A pauper settler on bad land\\ncontributes nothing to the country compared with him.\\nThis view is fully sustained by a statement carefully compiled\\nby Allan Gilmour, Esq., from the Returns of Trade and Navigation,\\nshowing, that after deducting from the value of agricultural exports,\\nthe equivalents of quantities of the same articles imported, the\\naverage annual value of farm produce of Canada, exported from\\n1857 to 1863, was only 87,639,173, while the average annual value\\nof products of the forest, after deducting ashes, was 89,558,962\\nfrom 86,000,000 to 814,000,000 worth of farm produce being\\nannually imported for exportation, or to take the place of that\\nexported the returns in that respect making it seem that the", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0143.jp2"}, "144": {"fulltext": "116\\nsurplus agricultural produce of the Province was double what it\\nreally was.\\nOn our imports we depend largely for the comforts and neces-\\nsaries of life if our exports, the remittance in payment for them\\nwere diminished, our imports also would have to be diminished.\\nIt is vain to say that they could be made up for in agricultural\\nexports, for we see that to make them what they are, we have\\ngenerally to import much from the United States. Nor could the\\nlabour now employed in lumbering produce equivalent farm pro-\\nduce we have already seen that it would hardly produce one-\\ntenth of it.\\nIt is also vain to say, as some do, that a great part of the com-\\nputed value of lumber exported is properly due to agriculture, as\\nmerely representing in another form the agricultural produce con-\\nsumed in the manufacture of it. On the contrary, it is evident\\nthat it is the lumber trade which gives a value to the agricultural\\nproduce which it consumes for we know absolutely that if there\\nwere no manufactures, or other branches of industry, to purchase\\nand consume the farmers surplus produce beyond what he can\\nuse, it would be as valueless as heaps of sand.\\nSuch being the importance of the lumber trade to the internal\\nindustry and external commerce of the Provinces, it is to the\\ngeneral interest of the Dominion that the public forests, on lands\\nunsuitable for cultivation, should be preserved for economic use\\nfor ever, if possible.\\nIt is evident also that the destruction of valuable timber yield-\\ning forests, by extraordinary efforts to force settlement upon them,\\nwhile we have, or can have lands more suitable for cultivation, is\\nundesirable, as injurious to the real interest alike of the country\\nand the settlers themselves.\\nWhile every facility should be given for the settlement of the\\nlands really fit for cultivation, to be found in our lumbering regions,\\nno inducement should be held out to settlers to take pine timbered\\nlands in preference to others more suitable for successful settle-\\nment.\\nIn lumbering territories some lands, most frequently the best\\nfor settlement, have very little or no timber of commercial value\\nupon them, and others have a great deal; some have so much of\\nsuch timber that the value of it is equal to ten times the ordinary\\nvalue of land. The latter are generally unfit for settlement.\\nThe holding out of the pine timber as an inducement to settlers\\nleads to pretended settlement, or temporary settlement for the pur-\\npose of lumbering on such lands, causing destruction of the forests\\nby extensive running fires, and also over manufacture.\\nBy withdrawing that inducement, and leaving settlement on\\nthe lands fit for it, in our lumbering territories to be encouraged", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0144.jp2"}, "145": {"fulltext": "117\\nby the far more wholesome stimulus of the high prices for farm\\nproduce given by lumberers, and especially by opening our Central\\nPrairie Country for settlement, our timber forests, which yield\\nour chief staple of export trade, may be preserved from the\\nprecipitate destruction to which they would otherwise be exposed.\\nIt is important to the prosperity of settlements in our lumbering\\nterritories that the lumber trade should steadily continue ,in them,\\nfor were the local market it offers to fail, the produce of the\\nremote settlements could not be taken to any other market with\\nprofit, especially as the intervening rugged grounds would prevent\\nthe maintenance of good roads, and greatly increase the cost of\\ntransport.\\nThe simplest way of withdrawing to a great extent the induce-\\nments to take up pine timbered lands would be to give the land for\\nnothing to actual settlers, or sell it to them at a much reduced price,\\nunder the condition that the timber on it should not be exempt\\nfrom the usual Crown duties, on being cut and taken to market, by\\nthe settler or others.\\nThis would also stop the abuse of taking up lands under the\\npretence of settlement in order to evade the payment of duties on\\nthe timber, and the duties saved to the revenue by it would soon\\namount to an important sum annually.\\nCHAPTER XXVII.\\nROUTES TO RED RIVER COMPARED.\\nWe have now to consider what way we have of getting into\\nthis Central Prairie Country the character and comparative\\nvalue of the different routes known, by land and water, and what\\ncan be made of them, as means of travel and heavy transport;\\nespecially those which the nature of the intervening country affords\\nthrough our own territory.\\nHUDSON S BAY ROUTE.\\nThe route by Hudson s Bay to York Factory by sea, and thence\\nby Hill Eiver and its many portages, to Lake Winnipeg and Eed\\nEiver, may be dismissed without further consideration. As only\\none voyage can be made in a season into Hudson s Bay, and that\\nwith difficulty and danger with a rough portage navigation of\\nnearly four hundred miles from York Factory to Lake Winnipeg,\\nascending upwards of six hundred feet this route can never be an", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0145.jp2"}, "146": {"fulltext": "advantageous outlet for the produce of the interior fertile region,\\nand much less can it be an inlet for us. The cost of transport by-\\nit from York Factory to Eed Eiver is four dollars a hundred\\npounds.\\nFORT WILLIAM AND DOG LAKE KOUTE.\\nWe may now turn to the route from Fort William, on Lake\\nSuperior, which is being opened by Government.\\nCommencing near Fort William, the first part of this route is\\nthe Dog Portage Eoad, leading north-westward twenty-five miles\\nto the foot of Dog Lake. This road was projected in the field by the\\nCanadian Exploring Expedition. It is to be a thoroughly made\\nturnpike road, well crowned and graded six miles of it have been\\nmade this last season and in further pursuance of Mr. Dawson s\\noriginal project of improvement, material has been prepared for\\nthe building of a dam at the outlet of Dog Lake. This dam, by\\nraising the lake, will gorge Dog Kiver, that feeds it, so as to give a\\nnavigable reach of about thirty miles to Jourdain s Eapids, The\\nelevation of Jourdain s Eapicls above Lake Superior is seven hun-\\ndred and twenty feet.\\nAt three and a quarter miles further, is the height of land,\\nPrairie Portage, two and a half miles in length, between the waters\\nof Lake Superior and those of Lake Winnipeg. It is eight\\nhundred and eighty-seven feet above the level of Lake Superior.\\nA good road is to be made over it, eleven miles in length, from\\nJourdain s Eapids to Savanne Eiver, which is eight hundred and\\nthirty-two feet above Lake Superior.\\nSavanne Eiver is about sixty-six feet wide and flows sluggishly,\\nwith a depth of four feet, for twenty-two miles, to Lac des Mille\\nLacs, which is thirty-four miles in length, forming, with it, a navi-\\ngable reach of fifty-six miles, which, by constructing a dam below\\nthe outlet of the lake, might be increased in depth, and to about\\nsixty miles in length.\\nSavanne Eiver is the head of the Eiver Seine, which flows west-\\nward from Lac des Mille Lacs, by a course of about a hundred\\nmiles to the foot of the Twelve Portages, where its waters reach the\\nlevel of Eainy Lake to this Eiver, as a route of communication,\\nwe shall have occasion further to refer.\\nAfter going forty-two miles by Savanne Eiver and Mille Lacs,\\nthe route we are describing leaves the latter at twenty miles from\\nthe head of it, on the south side, and passes by a portage of less\\nthan a quarter of a mile (seventeen chains) to Baril Lake, which is\\nseven and a half miles in length, and nearly two feet higher than\\nMille Lacs.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0146.jp2"}, "147": {"fulltext": "From Baril Lake, Brule Portage, about a quarter of a mile\\n(twenty-two chains) in length, descends forty -seven feet to Lake\\nWindogoostogoon, seven and three-quarter miles long, and lesser\\nlakes connected with it, which, by a dam at the head of French\\nPortage below them, will give a navigable reach of about eleven\\nand a half miles, in which there is a fall of seven feet now.\\nFrom it, a portage of a mile and three-quarters descends a hun-\\ndred feet to Lac Francais, which, with Lake Kaogasica, or Pickerel\\nLake, makes a slack water navigation of nearly eleven miles and\\nthree-quarters.\\nThen there are two short portages, with a pond of a mile and a\\nhalf between them, to be passed, by a road of two miles in length,\\nwith a descent of a hundred and twenty-four feet, to a fine, deep\\ncreek, sixty-six feet w T ide, which, at a mile and a half further, en-\\nters Sturgeon Lake, forming with it a deep navigable reach of\\nsixteen miles. This reach Mr. Daw T son proposes to extend down-\\nwards to twenty-eight miles, by damming the river at Island Por-\\ntage, to flood out the rapids below Sturgeon Lake. The head of\\nSturgeon Lake is three hundred and thirty-three feet lower than\\nthe height of land at Prairie Portage, and only a hundred and\\ntwenty-live feet above the level of Eainy Lake, and is about forty-\\neight miles due east of it. By the course of the waters forming the\\nroute we are describing, the distance from the head of Sturgeon\\nLake to Eainy Lake is sixty-five miles.\\nThese facts regarding Sturgeon Lake are worthy of attention,\\nfor in view of the proposal to construct a railroad from Fort Wil-\\nliam, or rather from Point de Meuron to Eainy Lake, which would\\ntouch the head of Sturgeon Lake, it is important to consider\\nwhether it would not be better to terminate the railroad and adopt\\nthe water route there.\\nAs the forty-eight or fifty miles of direct distance from Sturgeon\\nLake to Eainy Lake would probably, in a rough country full of\\nlakes, require one-fifth more, or sixty miles of railroad, costing,\\nowing to the rocky unevenness of the surface, at least \u00c2\u00a3600,000,\\nthe improvement of the river by locks and dams, to overcome a\\nrise which is little more than one-third of that of the Welland\\nCanal, would cost much less and we know that the line of water\\nso improved could do more than four times as much business, and\\ncarry heavy freight at half the cost per ton. It would be more\\nlikely to give us command of the traffic, as it would bring the con-\\ntinuous navigation of the Lake of the Woods and Eainy Lake\\nabout fifty miles in direct distance nearer us. The supply of\\nwater is sufficient, as Sturgeon Eiver is from three to six chains\\nin width, with abundant lake reservoirs on its course and con-\\nnected with it. If done on the same scale of dimensions and qua-", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0147.jp2"}, "148": {"fulltext": "120\\nlity of work, and at the same expensive rate as the Eideau Canal,\\nit would cost only \u00c2\u00a3280,000, or less than half the cost of a railroad,\\nthe lockage being little more than a quarter that of the Eideau.\\nIf this were done, the remainder of the route we are describing\\nw T ould continue permanently to be the line of communication.\\nBut the same arguments, besides other reasons, point forcibly to\\nthe advantage of canalling the whole route, or that by the Eiver\\nSeine to Lac des Mille Lacs and Dog Lake, so as to reduce the\\nuse of railway to the least possible extent.\\nAt Island Eapids, by which Sturgeon Eiver descends ten feet\\ninto Pine Lake, a portage road of thirteen chains in length is re-\\nquired, or, in case of canalling, lockage of forty-five feet to over-\\ncome that fall, and flood out the small rapids on the twenty-eight\\nand a half miles above it.\\nPine Lake is an expansion of the Eiver Nameaukan or Macan, a\\ndeep and powerful stream, the main branch of the Eainy Eiver or\\nWinnipeg. This lake presents a navigable reach of ten miles to\\nits outlet, the Macan Eiver, and extends further westward.\\nThen there are two miles of strong current terminating in Snake\\nFalls, which may render a portage road of that length necessary\\nor in case of canalling a dam and double lock making seventeen\\nfeet lift, besides the additional height required in this and all other\\nlockages mentioned, to meet the difference between high and low\\nwater.\\nThen after three miles of slack water, Crow Portage requires\\na road of nine chains in length, or a lock of ten feet lift.\\nThen follows a reach of eight and a half miles to the Great\\nPalls, with shoals and two small rapids, which should be flooded\\nout by damming up the water a few feet at the head of the falls, in\\ncase of canalling.\\nThe Great Palls, sixteen feet in height, are now passed by a\\nportage six chains in length. In the distance of four and a half\\nmiles from the Palls to Cross Lake, there is one rapid which de-\\nscends ten feet, and another of seven feet fall, run by canoes. These,\\nwith the falls, would require thirty-six feet lockage, or a good\\nportage road of four and a half miles. By following the south\\nchannel (the U. S. boundary), or the portage of two miles from the\\nwest extremity of Pine Lake to the level of Cross Lake, the diffi-\\nculty here would be less, or the portages be reduced to one.\\nThen follows the navigable reach of Cross Lake, eight and a\\nhalf miles long to Bare Portage, where a portage road of nearly a\\nquarter of a mile in length is required, to the entrance of Eainy\\nLake, or a lock of eight and a half feet lift.,\\nWe have then thirty-six and three-quarter miles of deep navi-\\ngation along Eainy Lake and Eainy Eiver to its Great Palls, two", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0148.jp2"}, "149": {"fulltext": "miles beyond the lake. They are twenty-three feet in height,\\nrequiring a double lock at least.\\nProfessor Hind says that Eainy Lake freezes over about 1st of\\nDecember, and is open about 1st May.\\nThe boundary line of the United States passes through Pine\\nLake, Cross Lake, Eainy Lake and Eiver, and the Lake of the\\nWoods.\\nEainy Eiver, which the route now follows, is a large, deep, navi-\\ngable stream, averaging six hundred feet in width. Its course, from,\\nthe Great ?Falls to the Lake of the Woods, is about seventy-four\\nand a half miles. In this distance there are two small rapids the\\nManitou, at thirty-one and a half miles down, falls two and a half\\nfeet in three chains of length, and the Long Eapid, at seven and a\\nhalf miles further, falls three feet in five chains. It is said that as\\nthey are so short, a good steamer by gettiug under strong headway\\ncould ascend them. They have a fair depth of water, but may\\nrequire improvement.\\nLeaving Eainy Eiver, the route originally proposed traverses\\nthe Lake of the Woods and Lac Platte, connected with it, to its\\nwestern extremity, a distance of eighty-four miles, forming, with\\nEainy Eiver, an unbroken reach of navigation a hundred and fifty-\\neight and a half miles in length. From the west end of Lac Platte\\nthe distance to the Eed Eiver at Fort Garry, by the exploring line\\nmeasured, is ninety-one and a half miles.\\nBut on further examination, it was found that the best site for a\\nroad was to be had by leaving the Lake of the Woods at the extre-\\nmity of its north-west arm, a long inlet extending south of Lac Platte.\\nBy doing so the route over the Lake of the Woods is reduced to\\nfifty miles, and the land route from it to Fort Garry is nearly a,\\nhundred miles in length. This land route was traversed, on. horse-\\nback, and is an exceedingly favorable site for a railroad\\nWe may here make a few general remarks on the route from\\nLake Superior to Eed Eiver, which we have been describing. It\\nnaturally presents itself for consideration in two great divisions.\\nThe first part, from Fort William on Lake Superior to Eainy Lake,,\\ntwo hundred and six and a half miles in length by computation,\\nconsisting of eleven portage roads, varying from the ninth part of\\na mile to twenty-five miles in length amounting together to forty-\\nseven and a quarter miles of land road and ten reaches of slack\\nwater, which, with the exception of one short piece of three miles,,\\nvary from seven and a half to forty miles in length, making toge-\\nther a hundred and fifty-nine and a quarter miles of water convey-\\nance.\\nThe second part, from the east end of Eainy Lake to Fort Garry\\non Eed Eiver, two hundred and sixty-one and a quarter miles in", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0149.jp2"}, "150": {"fulltext": "length by computation, consisting of a hundred, and sixty-one and\\na quarter miles of unbroken navigation, excepting at Rainy River\\nFalls, and a hundred miles of land road, from the north-west arm\\nof the Lake of the Woods to Fort Garry.\\nMaking a total distance by this route of four hundred and sixty-\\nseven and three-quarter miles from Fort William to Fort Garry, of\\nwhich there are a hundred and forty-seven and a quarter miles of\\nland route, and three hundred and twenty and a half miles of\\nwater communication the latter in twelve divisions, if no canal-\\nling be done.\\nSuch is the line of boat and waggon communication with Red\\nRiver which this route would afford, on the simple scale of im-\\nprovement already commenced by making the hundred and forty-\\nseven miles of road required, one hundred of which is over an\\neven and inexpensive site, partly prairie ground and construct-\\ning three or perhaps four wooden dams, which would cost less\\nthan what some Ottawa lumberers would spend in improvements\\non a single river.\\nAs to the character of the roads and navigable reaches so\\nobtained, the roads, though costly to make, from their remoteness,\\nand the frequently rocky or swampy character of the ground,\\nwould be as favorable for transport as good roads in Canada\\nusually are for the ascents and descents are not such as to render\\nthem otherwise.\\nThe navigable reaches, though sometimes short, being deep\\nlakes, flooded streams and large rivers, would, even without canal-\\nling, admit of boats drawing upwards of three feet of water in the\\nshallowest portions of the line. The tonnage of such boats might\\nbe considerable and in the greater waters, others of a larger size\\nmight be used as preferable. Large row-boats and barges with\\nsails might be used on the short reaches, and steamboats on the\\nlonger ones. At first, no doubt boats like those of the Hudson s\\nBay Company, that could be drawn over the portages, would be\\nused, till suitable boats were established on each reach.\\nIt is to be observed that this navigation would not be subject to\\ninterruption from droughts, or obstruction from sand bars, like that\\nof the shallow and swift tributaries of the Missouri, or even the\\nRed River in Minnesota.\\nAs soon as the portage roads were opened, there are plenty of\\nenterprising men who would settle on them at the landings, and\\nkeep teams and waggons to do the transport on them, as on the\\nOttawa portages.\\nSuch is the communication this route would afford if opened in\\nan economical way for immediate use.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0150.jp2"}, "151": {"fulltext": "123\\nIn the forgoing, by following the Macan River between Pine Lake and\\nCross Lake, for the purpose of connected description of the main stream,\\ninstead of the two mile portage between them adopted by Mr. Dawson,\\ntwo portages are unnecessarily added, making together nearly five miles over-\\nestimated as land carriage in all my calculations of this route, wherever they\\noccur, in tables or otherwise.\\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\\nDESCRIPTION OF ROUTES CONTINUED.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 CAPACITY OF ROUTE BY\\nSTURGEON LAKE COMBINED WITH RAILROAD.\\nBefore proceeding further, it is well to consider the ultimate\\ncapacity of this route, if improved by lockage past the portages,\\nfrom the head of Sturgeon Lake westward, with a railroad from\\nthat point to Fort William, as already mentioned, and another\\nfrom the north-west arm of the Lake of the Woods to Fort Garry.\\nThis route, so modified, presents three naturally distinct parts\\nFirst, a line of a railroad from Point de Meuron, on the Kammisti-\\nquoia, eight miles west of Fort William, to the head of Sturgeon\\nLake, which with one-fifth added to the direct distance for una-\\nvoiadable sinuosities, due to the nature of the country, would be\\none hundred and twenty-two miles in length.\\nSecond, a water communication of two hundred and twenty-\\nsix miles in length from the head of Sturgeon Lake to the extre-\\nmity of the north-west arm of the Lake of the Woods, to be\\nrendered continously navigable throughout, on a scale much\\nexceeding that of the original Erie Canal, by the construction of\\nsixteen locks, equal to about a hundred and forty feet of lockage.\\nThird, a railroad of a hundred miles in length from the Lake\\nof the Woods to Fort Garry, including only one-tenth additional\\non the direct distance for sinuosities the ground being highly\\nfavorable.\\nMaking a total distance to Fort Garry, of four hundred and forty-\\neight miles, of which nearly one-half would be unbroken naviga-\\ntion.\\nTo assist in judging of the natural advantages and capacity of\\nthis water system, it is to be observed that Sturgeon Eiver, a\\nstrong stream from three to six chains wide, would, with its lakes,\\nbe converted into a level sheet of water twenty-eight miles in\\nlength and that the Nameaukan, next, followed through its expan-\\nsions to Eainy Lake, is equal to fully twice the Eiver Eideau in\\npassing volume of water. At and below its great falls, where the", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0151.jp2"}, "152": {"fulltext": "principal works on it are required, its waters can be turned off by\\nthe south side of the island and the bed laid nearly bare for the\\nconstruction of the locks, if the river be followed.\\nAs Mr. Dawson s and Mr. Napier s separate levellings very\\nnearly agree, though depending on estimation in parts, in making\\nthe head of Strugeon Lake a hundred and twenty-five feet higer\\nthan Eainy Lake, if we allow for the descent of the river in parts\\non the sixty-five miles of distance, a lockage downwards of a\\nhundred and seventeen feet in fourteen locks, as described, would\\nseem sufficient. The remaining two locks would be required at\\nthe Falls of Eainy Eiver, as already mentioned.\\nAs Eainy Lake is said to open about the first of May, we may\\nassume that the waters of Sturgeon Eiver, within fifty miles of it,\\nand not much higher, will be open for navigation nearly as soon\\nas it, though they may not remain open, like it, so late as the first\\nof December.\\nWooden dams would be by far the most economical and most\\nsuitable on such a route. The tenacity and strength of wood work\\nis much greater than stone, and under water it never decays. It\\nwould do well enough also for the lock walls if well secured, backed\\nsolidly with stones, earth and brushwood, in broken layers. The\\nparts that could not be kept generally wet or under water could be\\neasily repaired.\\nLINE OF RAILROAD FKOM FORT WILLIAM TO STURGEON LAKE.\\nOf the character of the country between Fort William, on Lake\\nSuperior, and Sturgeon Lake, we are not entirely ignorant. An\\nexploration was made through it sixty miles westward, though not\\nwith a view to a railway. Though rough and rocky, it was found\\nto be lower and less rugged than the country towards Lake Superior,\\nwhich is mountainous, very rough and precipitous.\\nAs the height of the water-shed to be traversed is probably\\nabout a thousand feet, its elevation is not such as necessarily to\\npresent an unsurmountable obstacle in a distance of a hundred and\\ntwenty-two miles. Without an adequate exploration for the purpose,\\nnothing can be said with certainty as to the quality of the railway\\nline it might afford. It is believed that a practicable railway could\\nbe made by sufficient expenditure. On such terms it would be well\\nworth making, if we could do no better. But even if a line of\\nfavorable general grades be found, yet, owing to the unarable\\ncharacter of the country generally, the frequent out-cropping of beds\\nof primitive rock, and unevenness of surface, the cost will probably\\nbe at least thirty per cent, greater than in .an even arable country.\\nThe conditions presented by the country to be traversed are all\\nunfavorable to a railway, which would besides be destitute of the", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0152.jp2"}, "153": {"fulltext": "usual advantage of being useful in winter, being subsidiary to a\\nwater communication.\\nFor water communication, on the other hand, the conditions are\\nunusually favorable abundant summit supply rivers and chains\\nof deep lakes nearly in the line desired, offering extensive sheets of\\nslack water, with the difference of level, accumulated so as to be\\nmost advantageously dealt with by lockage.\\nLINE OF RAILROAD FROM THE LAKE OF THE WOODS TO RED\\nRIVER.\\nFor the line of Eailroad from the Lake of the Woods to Eed\\nRiver, on the other hand, the conditions are in the highest degree\\nfavorable an alluvial plain country, where the bridging and grading\\nrequired will be very unusually little. Some low embankments,\\nin shallow swamps with hard bottoms, will, however, be required.\\nThe road will not be useless in winter there will be sawn\\nlumber to be carried to the prairie settlements from the forests on\\nthe Lake of the Woods and its tributaries, and fuel from the exten-\\nsive beds of excellent peat that abound and the line will be\\nin the proper position to form part of a direct interior railroad to\\nMontreal.\\nThese details are given so fully respecting this route, involving\\nthe construction of a railway to Sturgeon Lake, not for the purpose\\nof setting it forth as the best we have, which is very questionable,\\nbut because we are already in possession of sufficient information\\nrespecting it to give us reason to believe that, such as it is, if we\\nhad no better, its natural capacity and advantages are such, notwith-\\nstanding the disadvantage of a very expensive piece of railway, as\\nto give us, through our own territory, a highway for the heavy\\ntraffic of our north-west prairie lands, decidedly superior to any\\nother known, not within our territory, as will immediately more\\nclearly appear.\\nSUPERIOR CHARACTER OF THE WATER COMMUNICATION.\\nContinuing to speak of the water communication, as it would\\nbe, if improved by lockage from the head of Sturgeon Lake west-\\nward, it divides itself into two parts, distinctly different in character\\nand condition.\\nFirst, the waters of the Sturgeon Eiver and the JSTameaukan to\\nRainy Lake, sixty-five miles, where nearly all the lockage is\\nrequired; secondly, the remaining hundred and sixty-one miles,\\nfrom the east end of Eainy Lake to the end of the north-west arm\\nof the Lake of the Woods. As the latter is already a magnificent\\nstretch of inland navigation, of great capacity, requiring lockage", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0153.jp2"}, "154": {"fulltext": "126\\nonly at Rainy Falls, it is to the Sturgeon and Nameaukan part only\\nthai* the term canalling can properly be applied.\\nTo engineers, the favorable character of the navigation it would\\nseemingly aftbrd, will be sufficiently apparent from what has been\\nalready stated respecting it. To enable those who are not familiar\\nwith such subjects, to judge of it, and of the economy in rendering\\nit available, and in the after use of it, it may be necessary to\\nexplain that the comparative value of such a navigation depends\\non the length of it, compared with the amount of lockage, alike\\nas regards the cost of making the locks and works connected with\\nthem, and the maintaining and working of them and on account\\nof the delay to vessels in passing through them and also upon the\\ncapacity of the navigation obtained, as the economy of transport by\\nit will be in proportion to the size of the vessels that can use it.\\nThe least favorable, the Sturgeon and JSTameaukan section,\\ncompares very advantageously with other river and canal naviga-\\ntions of the best description.\\nThe Erie Canal, which has been so exceedingly useful and\\nbeneficial, has a total lockage of 692 feet in 363 miles of length, or\\nabout l T 9 \\\\j feet of average lockage to the mile.\\nThe Eideau Canal, which was exceedingly useful till superseded\\nby the St. Lawrence Canals, has a total lockage of 446 J feet, (or\\nby adding the lift of the locks in detail 454 feet 11 inches,) in its\\nlength of 126f miles or 3/^ feet per mile.\\nThe Sturgeon and jSTameaukan section of this route, with 117\\nfeet of lockage on its length of 65 miles, would have an average\\nlockage of only 1~^q feet per mile.\\nAs to its capacity, it would be, as stated, much greater than that\\nof the Erie Canal as originally made, the depth of which was four\\nfeet, its locks ninety feet in length and fifteen feet in width.\\nThe Sturgeon and Nameaukan section, according to published\\nand unpublished information, apparently will afford, when improved\\nby lockage, a depth of at least five feet, which is that of the Eideau\\nCanal and were it desirable the locks might be a hundred and\\neighty feet long and thirty-five feet wide, that is to say, equal to\\nfive times the original capacity of the Erie Canal or greater if\\nrequired.\\nBesides the greater capacity, this navigation would admit of the\\nuse of steamboats, and of their going at full speed, as there would\\nbe no artificial banks to be injured by the swell they occasioned.\\nMr. McAlpine, a high authority, in his report of the Erie Canal,\\nstates that from 1848 to 1852, the proportion of tonnage transported\\non the Erie Canal and the New York Central Eailroad, was as 32\\non the Canal to 1 on the Eailroad, and still more favorable to the.\\nCanal as to heavy articles.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0154.jp2"}, "155": {"fulltext": "Now, as a Canal of greater capacity admits of freight being\\ncarried at a lower rate, it seems grossly evident, that, even the\\nSturgeon and Nameaukan section of our route, with less lockage\\nand five times the capacity and obtained at no cost for canalling,\\nexcepting the locks would have a much greater advantage over\\nrailroads for transport than the Erie Canal possessed.\\nIt is equally evident, that if we apply the comparison to the\\nwhole line of 226 miles of water communication on this route,\\nwhen so improved, with only 140 feet of lockage, or only of a\\nfoot to the mile, the superiority over any railroad of equal length\\nwill be much greater still.\\nThese details and comparative views are gone over for the pur-\\npose of establishing a basis of comparison, in considering what\\nadvantage we possess as to routes of access to our interior territory,\\na question of much importance to us in relation to it, and one on\\nwhich conclusions against the practicability of our maintaining\\ncommunication advantageously with that territory have been drawn\\nhastily, and I would venture to say, in error.\\nThe details given may seem prolix, but no opinion of value on-\\nthis important question can be formed without some reference to\\nthem and I beg to remark, generally, that these and other details\\non the subject of communication are quoted from the reports of our\\nexplorers, with no pretension in using them beyond that of roughly\\napproaching such an opinion or suggesting investigation.\\nAs the information we have of the Baril Portage and Sturgeon\\nLake route is a great deal more ample than that before the public, re-\\nspecting the route by the Eiver Seine, the opportunity is taken of\\nusing it to show the character of the navigation that would be\\nafforded by either of these routes.\\nIt is necessary to explain, that in setting forth a line of railroad,\\nto Sturgeon Lake, as more advantageous than one to Eainy Lake, it\\nis by no means meant to show that to be the best means of com-\\nmunication we can have. On the contrary, the Sturgeon Lake route\\nadmits of being canalled throughout, with facility from Lac des\\nMille Lacs its deep lakes being- highly favorable, and Lac des Mille\\nLacs affording an abundant summit supply of water. It would\\nadmit of the water communication being carried through even to\\nDog Lake, corresponding in that respect with the Seine route, pre-\\nsenting, like it, the advantage of greater economy, alike in the con-\\nstruction of necessary works and in the cost of transport on it.\\nROUTE BY THE RIVER SEINE.\\nThe Seine route corresponds with that now under improvement,\\nas far as Lac des Mille Lacs, which is common to both, together\\nwith the slack water reach of Dog Lake, already described.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0155.jp2"}, "156": {"fulltext": "The distances here given do not exactly agree with Mr. Dawson s tables. I\\nhave used those stated in Mr. Napier s tables, not as being more correct, but\\nbecause they are least favorable, in order to avoid seeming to desire to over-estimate\\nthe comparative value of our interior route of water communication.\\nThe difference arises from the length of most of the slack water reaches having\\nbeen necessarily determined merely by estimation or cursory survey.\\nOn this route, Savanne Eiver and Lac des Mille Lacs form to-\\ngether fifty-six miles of navigable water, which might be increased\\nin length and depth by damming.\\nLac des Mille Lacs is about eight hundred and thirty-two feet\\nabove Lake Superior fifty-five feet lower than the height of land,\\nand four hundred and three feet higher than Eainy Lake, the level\\nof which is attained by the Seine about a hundred miles, by its\\ncourse, below Lac des Mille Lacs.\\nIn that distance the Seine presents thirteen short reaches of\\nnavigable water, of from about three to twelve miles in length,\\nseparated by rapids or falls the last and greatest being at the\\nTwelve Portages, where it falls seventy-two feet in twelve miles,\\nto the level of Eainy Lake.\\nTo render this river navigable from Eainy Lake to the head of\\nSavanne Eiver, near the height of land, say a hundred and sixty\\nmiles, with a small allowance for the descent of the stream, about\\nthree hundred and eighty feet of lockage would be required mak-\\ning an average of about 2 T 3 o 7 o feet per mile, or less than two-thirds\\nof the rate of lockage per mile on the Eideau Canal. To state the\\nmatter more simply, a navigation thirty-four miles longer than the\\nEideau Canal would be obtained, with sixty feet less of lockage\\nthan it has.\\nAs the head of this navigation is, by the route now being opened,\\nonly sixty -six miles from Thunder Bay, near Fort William, it might\\nbe connected by a railroad of about that length.\\nOr, (though a better way could most probably be found by the\\nwater courses,) as the height of land is only fifty-five feet higher\\nthan Lac des Mille Lacs, and is described as a sandy flat,\u00e2\u0080\u0094 -by a\\ndam of thirty-five feet in height at the outlet of Mille Lacs, and a\\ncutting of from thirteen to twenty-five feet in depth, over a length\\nof five miles, the waters of that lake would be carried over the\\nheight of land, with a depth of five feet, by a downward lockage\\nof a hundred and nineteen feet in that distance, to the head of the\\nslack water of Dog Lake, which a dam of thirty-four feet in height\\nat its outlet would obtain; using Mr. Napier s levels as least\\nfavorable.\\nThis would extend the navigation thirty-seven miles further, and", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0156.jp2"}, "157": {"fulltext": "129\\nbring it within twenty-five miles of the landing of Thunder Bay,\\non Lake Superior.*\\nOn the distance of a hundred and ninety-seven miles, from the\\nfoot of Dog Lake to Eainy Lake, the amount of ascent and descent\\nto be overcome by lockage would be five hundred and twenty-nine\\nfeet, (that is a hundred and sixty-three feet less than the Erie\\nCanal,) making an average of 2 T 9 o feet per mile, or about one\\nquarter less per mile than the Eideau Canal.\\nAs the Seine drains an area of about three thousand superficial\\nmiles, or more than double what the Eiver Eideau does, and\\nLac des Mille Lacs, which would be the summit reservoir of this\\nroute, receives the waters of upwards of seven hundred superficial\\nmiles of a proverbially rainy country, or more than double the area\\nthat the Eideau has to furnish its summit supply, there is little\\nreason to doubt the sufficiency of it. The capacity of the route to\\nafford a sufficient depth of channel seems unquestionable, as twenty-\\nfour feet additional lockage would apparently flood the river to\\nlevels throughout.\\nThe practicability of this route, therefore, resolves itself into a\\nmere question of cost. The works required on it are not of a nature\\nto render the expense extraordinary, and the commerce of the in-\\nterior may, at no very remote period, be such as to render the open-\\ning of the route in this manner profitable.\\nIt would then consist of three hundred and fifty-eight miles of\\ncontinuous navigation, from the lower end of Dog Lake to the ex-\\ntremity of the north-west arm of the Lake of the Woods, the average\\nlockage on which would be only lyVo feet per mile, and a hundred\\nand twenty-five miles of railroad, that is, twenty-five from Thunder\\nBay, on Lake Superior, to Dog Lake, and a hundred from the Lake\\nof the Woods to Fort Garry, on the Eed Eiver, making the total\\nlength of the route four hundred and eighty -three miles.\\nThe continuous navigation would be nine miles longer than the\\nSince the above was written, Mr. Dawson, by further survey this summer,\\n(1868), has found a new and more favorable route by which the navigable water of\\nLac des Mille Lacs can be carried through the height of land and brought within\\nabout forty miles of Lake Superior, at a cost so small as to admit of the route being\\nmade immediately available in connection with the greater part of the Dog Portage\\nRoad already commenced.\\nThis impportant improvement dispenses with the interruption of the ten or eleven\\nmiles of portage road at the height of land, which is crossed at a thirty feet lower\\nlevel, through a ravine, by which the waters of Lake Shebandowan on the River\\nMatawin, a branch of the Kaministiquoia, can be flooded through, in an unbroken\\nreach of thirty miles, to Lac des Mille Lacs. It shortens the route to Rainy Lake\\ntwenty-five miles reduces the obstructions on it to a few short portages, amounting\\nin all to about six-and-a-half miles and in case of future canalling will not require\\nthe five miles of deep cutting and about a hundred and fifty feet of lockage neces-\\nsary in crossing the height of land from Lac des Mille Lacs to Dog Lake by the old\\nroute.\\n9", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0157.jp2"}, "158": {"fulltext": "130\\nmain trunk of the Erie Canal, but would have forty feet less\\nlockage, the average of which would be only 1/^ per mile on the\\nwhole.\\nAs steamers of a good size could be used on it, and often at full\\nspeed, it would be superior to a canal. Possessing even more\\nthan the usual advantage that a canal has, in capacity and economy\\nof transport, over a railroad, and reducing the extent of the\\nlatter necessary to a minimum, it would render this route better\\nthan any other known for heavy freight, and therefore for that of\\nthe interior generally.*\\nIn relation to our routes of water communication to Eed Eiver,\\nthe following remarks on the neglect of canal and slack water\\nnavigation, contained in an article in the Scientific American for\\nJanuary, 1868, may not be out of place.\\nThe writer says this neglect is in a great measure due to the\\nmania for building railroads, which has for many years past absorbed\\nthe attention and capital of the American people, without yielding\\na return at all proportionate to the outlay.\\nAfter speaking of the disproportionately small outlay, in ren-\\ndering streams completely navigable that are already partly so, he\\nsays, It is not at all essential that streams should be large or\\ndeep to obtain sufficient depth of channel for barges or small\\nsteam-boats, as a few feet of water would amply suffice for vessels\\nof the requisite tonnage for inland trade, steam propulsion being\\nperfectly admissable (there being no artificial banks to be washed\\nas with canals) the cost of transport would be so low as to permit\\nthe carrying of all available freights, and the employment of fast\\nsteam-packets would provide a means of travel more pleasant, and\\nquite as rapid, as the accommodation trains on many railroads.\\nThese remarks would seem to be applicable, with much more\\nforce, to the generally large and deep waters of our route to Eed\\nEiver. We may appropriately add to them the opinion of Mr.\\nJarvis, an Engineer of great experience in such matters, expressed\\nin his report to the Canadian Government, on the proposed\\nCaughnawaga Canal. He says that many persons suppose that\\nEailroads will in a great measure supersede Canals, but that it is\\nevident that this conclusion has been reached without considera-\\ntion, especially when applied to channels of great trade. Speaking\\nI have obtained much valuable information on this and other subjects of this\\npamphlet, verbally, beyond what appears in his Report, from Mr. Dawson, whose\\nopinion on such matters is of great value, from his ability as an Engineer, and his\\nexperience in River Work in new countries. As such information, though exceed-\\ningly copious and valuable, cannot be quoted in detail, being unpublished, it is only\\nin this manner that it can be adequately acknowledged. Mr. Dawson, however, is\\nnot committed to any error in fact or in judgment I may have made in using it.\\nA. J. R.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0158.jp2"}, "159": {"fulltext": "of the trade of the West, he says, In regard to the trade under\\nconsideration, it may be remarked, that the great mass is com-\\nposed of bulky and heavy articles, of such general value as mate-\\nrially feels the weight of transport charges, especially if the dis-\\ntance moved be great, and cannot under the general condition of\\nthe market afford to pay much additional, to save a few days time\\nin transit.\\nNow, as a remoteness which will place even lighter articles of\\ncommerce at the disadvantage spoken of by Mr. Jarvis is un-\\nquestionably the greatest drawback which the prosperity of our\\ninterior prairie land will be subject to, and as there will be many\\narticles, products of agricultural and other industry, the bare pos-\\nsibility of exporting which will depend on even the slightest dif-\\nference in cost of freight, it is evident that we should avail our-\\nselves to the utmost degree of water communication, wherever\\ncheaper transport can be obtained by it, even if at greater original\\ncost in utilizing it; much more therefore should we do so where it\\ncan be made available at less expense.\\nIt cannot be argued that water communication being shut for\\na long winter is a reason for not doing so; for as long as water\\ncommunication is to form a great part of the route to Eecl Eiver,,\\nnot only beyond Fort William, but also in getting there, it will\\nnecessarily govern the utility of the Eailways depending upon it;\\nand the great depth of snow that fells in the slope towards Lake\\nSuperior is some what against the utility of any Eailroad there in\\nwinter.\\nCOST OF IMPROVING OR CANALLING RIVERS.\\nHaving assumed $40,000 a mile* or say thirty percent, over\\nthe cost of our cheapest railways in Canada, as the least possible\\ncost of a railroad from Lake Superior to the Eainy Lake waters,\\n830,000 would be in proportion a very ample rate at which to\\nestimate the railroad from the Lake of the Woods to Eed Eiver.\\nTogether with these rates it is necessary to form some idea of the\\ncost of improving or canalling rivers, in order to form any opinion\\nof the comparative economy of each as available means of com-\\nmunication. Difficult as it may at first sight appear, we have the\\nmeans of approximating the probable limit of cost of such improve-\\nment, in a general way it is true, but in such a way as may be\\naccepted as reliable.\\nSuch river work is widely different from ordinary canalling.\\nThe length of the navigation throws no light whatever on the cost;\\nThe average cost of Railways already made in Upper and Lower Canada ia\\n$66,222^0 per mile.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0159.jp2"}, "160": {"fulltext": "it is the difference of level the dams and locks required to over-\\ncome it that determine the cost.\\nWe have for data as to that, a case of the same kind, the\\nRideau Canal, on which the lockage is 455 feet, or only\\none-sixtli less than that required to make a continuous navi-\\ngation like that of the Rideau, from Dog Lake, twenty-five miles\\nfrom Lake Superior, through to Rainy Lake. The Rideau Canal\\nis also a system of rivers and lakes. Its locks are 134 feet long,\\n33 wide, and 5 feet depth of water. The ordinary width of canal\\nexcavated is seventy-five feet. There are forty-seven locks.\\nTwenty-four dams, varying from 5 to 60 feet in height, amounting\\nin total length to 15,472 feet; and of excavated canal the total\\nlength is 16 miles. By an official synopsis of the Royal Engineer\\nDepartment, for it, the total expenditure for works (including\\n\u00c2\u00a323,141 6s. lOf d. for gates), was \u00c2\u00a3648,686 13s. 3|d. stg. for\\nestablishment, i. e., management, \u00c2\u00a3110,279 19s. 8d.; total for\\nworks, not including land damages \u00c2\u00a3758,966 12s. llfd. stg.\\nequal to currency, \u00c2\u00a3923,409 Is. 8Jd.\\nAs the cost of management was rather greater than we would\\nfeel necessary, we may put the worth of the work for our purpose\\nat \u00c2\u00a3900,000 currency.\\nThose who have seen the stupendous stone dam, sixty feet in\\nheight, that was built at Jones Falls, the bridge and locks at\\nOttawa, and the 6,024 feet of dam built at Kingston Mills, will be\\nsatisfied that the magnitude and style of the works are more than\\nthe utmost we require for our Red River Route. Speaking from\\nhaving served on the Rideau at the time, some of the work, at least,\\nwas extravagantly paid for yet even at that high rate and style of\\nwork, water communication would cost less in construction than a\\nrailroad.\\nThus, canalling from Dog Lake to Rainy Lake,\\nrequiring one-sixth more lockage than the\\nRideau Canal, would cost one-sixth more, or. \u00c2\u00a31,050,000 cy.\\nAdd Railroad from Lake Superior to Dog Lake, 25\\nmiles, at \u00c2\u00a310,000 a mile 250,000 cy.\\n\u00c2\u00a31,300,000 cy.\\nRailroad from Fort William to Rainy Lake at\\n\u00c2\u00a310,000 a mile, 180 miles 1,800,000 cy.\\nDifference gained by canalling rivers \u00c2\u00a3500,000 cy.\\nBut as canalling on the scale of the Rideau, with a capacity of\\nI am indebted to Win. Clegg, Esquire, late of that Department, who compiled\\nit, for correct information as to these details.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0160.jp2"}, "161": {"fulltext": "transport equal to many railroads taken together, would be out of\\nall proportion with the one railroad, to be worked in conjunction\\nwith it, canalling on the small scale of the Erie Canal as first made\\nwould be quite sufficient for many years. But if the locks were\\nmade nearly equal to those of the Eideau, say with four feet depth\\nof water, and their walls and the dams built of wood, of which the\\nsupply is said by Mr. Dawson to be abundant, the rate of cost\\nmight be much under two-thirds of that of the Eideau, making the\\nwhole cost of the route about \u00c2\u00a3900,000 cy., from Fort William on\\nLake Superior to Eainy Lake, or half the cost of a railway between\\nthe same points.\\nThe top timbers over water only, would, say after ten years,\\nrequire repair, those under water would not decay. A railroad\\nwould be useless until completed through. The water communi-\\ncation would be serviceable in the meantime, with the improve-\\nments already commenced; and its usefulness would be increased\\nas the works advanced.\\nCHAPTER XXIX.\\nCOMPARISON OF KNOWN ROUTES TO RED RIVER.\\nHaving considered the character of the Dog Lake Eoute, now\\nunder improvement, and the capacity of that part of it from Stur-\\ngeon Lake westward, as a separate route, in connexion with a rail-\\nroad from Fort William to it, and also the Seine route, we can now\\ncompare them with other known or proposed routes to Eed Eiver\\nSettlement.\\nFor that purpose, the routes described are exhibited in the fol-\\nlowing table, together with the route by Chicago and St. Paul s, and\\na proposed route by Superior City and Crow Wing, in Minnesota,\\nand also a practicable direct railroad line, by the valley of the Ot-\\ntawa and Montreal Eiver, and thence westward through the interior.", "height": "3963", "width": "2465", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0161.jp2"}, "162": {"fulltext": "0)\\n2\\no\\nD\\nCO\\nO\\nPh\\nO\\nd\\n3\\no\\n.-H\\nH\\nB\\nPh\\nO\\nO\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a23 A\\n\u00c2\u00a7\u00c2\u00a7fi\\n134\\n-1 c o^\\n2J es\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0ft r5 .2\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0o rt =3\\nJ .a\\nrt C es u O\\n1\u00e2\u0080\u00941 o 3 T3\\no g-3^ P\\n\u00c2\u00abS.S*S-3\\nj \u00c2\u00a3^.3 gU.3 o\\nPh s- to.5 i a eS\\nb a -a -a r g\\nQ.O e3 eS O C3 O\\nu 3 f-H r-i rH\\n03 1-1 t-\\nS3 lO r-lr-t\\nO .J \u00c2\u00bb-p J -5 A\\n^Sq^oScsSs\\nis c c o Ph\\nd a a 3\\nOOO otf\\nH\\ne e\\nc3\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0a*\\n13\\n2\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a25\\nC3 \u00c2\u00a3_,\\nl-H\\nCO\\na\\nU1\\ng 6\\nsi\\nco Ph\\nT\u00e2\u0080\u0094 1\\nCO\\na\\nCO\\nPh\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a05 D\\n8+\\nl-H U\\n~|H.\u00c2\u00ab*H\\n3\\ncting w\\nWinnip\\nins.\\nPh Ho\\n\u00c2\u00bbio\\nH\\nCD CO\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0a\\nfl\\n-conne\\nLake\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2rH y\\na *p\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0P\\na\\nm\\nPh\u00c2\u00a7\\nHO)\\n03 _,\\n\u00c2\u00ab\u00c2\u00bbfe ci\\n10 h k\\n3\\nH\\n3\\n5\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0Sis\\n0 r-H\\nCO -H O\\no B TJ\\nrJ\\nfcO 03\\nO Ph\\nOh U\\nenoHo\\n5 +j _b^ ^3 cd a)\\n1 S .l||lfS|\\n4 P rd S 3\\nis\u00e2\u0080\u0094 1 s ii S\\ne ts\\nc:", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0162.jp2"}, "163": {"fulltext": "135\\nTo form a comparative estimate of the value of these routes, for\\nthe transport of heavy freight, we may apply to them the following\\nrates of transport, per ton, per mile, given by Mr. McAlpine in his\\nreport on the canals of the State of New York, which are considered\\nof high authority by Engineers\\nOn the Lakes, long voyage 2 mills.\\nDo. short do 3 to 4 mills.\\nSt. Lawrence and Mississippi 3\\nTributaries, Mississippi 5 to 10 mills.\\nCanals, Erie enlargement 4\\nOther canals but shorter 5 to 6\\nErie Canal, ordinary size 5\\nCanals with great lockage 6 to 8\\nEailroads transporting coal 6 to 10\\nDo. not for coal, favorable grades and lines. 12 J\\nDo. steep grades 15 to 25\\nThese rates include nothing for tolls on canals, or to cover cost\\nof construction of railroads. Mr. Jervis, in his report on the pro-\\nposed Caughnawaga Canal, says the actual cost of transporting a\\nton of freight from Ogdensburg to Eouse s Point, on the railroad,\\nby the report of the State Engineer, was 11 and 7-10 mills a mile,\\nallowing no profit on capital expended in construction.\\nHow much more would have to be added, in the form of tolls\\non the canalled rivers, or additional rates on railroads, to cover the\\ncosts of construction, no practical man would like to say, without\\ndeliberate estimation, based on specific survey. But we may\\nsafely assume, that on the improved river reaches, where there\\nwas little lockage, it would be small, compared with what it\\nwould be on a railroad, especially if wooden dams and locks\\nwere used, and that on the great central reach of Eainy Lake and\\nEiver, and the Lake of the Woods, it would be next to nothing.\\nWe have to bear in mind also, in judging of the comparative\\nvalue of these routes, that where railroads are proposed to be\\nused, in connexion with reaches of water communication, their\\nusefulness, in that way, will be limited to the period of open navi-\\ngation, and that therefore their usefulness in winter, which under\\nordinary circumstances gives them a great advantage over canals,\\ncannot be reckoned in their favor in this comparison.\\nApplying the foregoing rates to the approximate table of lengths,\\nwe have the bare cost of moving a ton of goods from Montreal to\\nEed Eiver Settlement, by the respective routes, as follows\\nBy the Grand Trunk and other railways, via Chicago and St.\\nPaul s, if railway communication were completed from St. Paul s\\n530 miles to Fort Gariy\\n1,767 miles of railway transport at 12J mills\\na ton, per mile...... $22.09", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0163.jp2"}, "164": {"fulltext": "136\\nBy proposed direct route up the Ottawa and\\nMontreal River valleys and through the\\ninterior to Fort Garry\\n1,110 miles, at 12* mills a ton, per mile $13.87\\n257 at 15 on account of\\nprobable steeper grades 3.86\\n1,367 $17.73\\nBy proposed route of railway from Fort Wil-\\nliam to Sturgeon Lake, canalling Sturgeon\\nand Nameaukan Rivers to Rainy Lake,\\nand railroad from the Lake of the Woods\\nto Fort Garry\\n442 miles by rail from Montreal to Colling-\\nwood, at 12 mills a ton, per mile.... 5.52\\n534 miles by the Lakes to Fort William, at 2\\nmills a ton, per mile 1.07\\n122 miles by rail to Sturgeon Lake, at 15\\nmills a ton, per mile 1.83\\n226 miles River and Lake navigation, at 4\\nmills a ton, per mile 0.90\\n100 miles railway, Lake of the Woods to\\nFort Garry, at 12 J mills a ton per mile 1.25\\n1,424 $10.57\\nIt will be at once seen that as there is so much Lake and other\\nnatural navigation on this last route, the additional charges to cover\\ncosts of construction on it must be small, compared with either\\nof the preceding.\\nBy proposed Railway route from Superior City to Crow Wing,\\nthrough Minnesota, and thence to Fort Garry if constructed\\n442 miles by rail to Collingwood,\\n548 miles Superior City to Fort Garry.\\n990 miles at 12J mills $12.3-7\\n654 miles by Lakes from Collingwood to\\nSuperior Dity at 2 mills 1.31\\n1,644 $13.68\\nBy proposed route by Dog Lake and River\\nSeine, if canalled through from Dog\\nLake to Rainy Lake\\n442 miles rail to Collingwood 5.52\\n534 miles Lakes to Fort William 1.07\\n25 miles rail to Dog Lake, at 20 mills, on\\naccount of steeper grades 0.50", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0164.jp2"}, "165": {"fulltext": "137\\n358 miles Eiver and Lakes from Dog Lake\\nto end of north-west arm of Lake of\\nthe Woods, at 4 mills 1.43\\n100 miles rail to Fort Garry, at 12-|- mills... 1.25\\n9.77\\n1,459 miles.\\nIf 100 miles of canal were made from the Lake of\\nthe Woods to Fort Garry, instead of railway, there\\nwould he a reduction of 55 cents a ton, reducing\\nthe above to 9.22\\nAnd the cost by Sturgeon Lake route to 10.02\\nAs already mentioned, these rates are very far from showing\\nthe total cost of transport on canals and railroads but being\\nadopted by Engineers as indicating the bare cost of movement of\\nfreight, they may be considered as sufficient to enable us to form\\na general idea of the comparative advantage that the routes-\\nrespectively offer, as ultimate highways for the transport of heavy\\nfreight to and from our interior territories.\\nThe difference shown by them in favor of the routes through\\nour own territory, is such as to warrant our believing that they\\npossess that advantage in a greater degree than any other known\\nroutes.\\nCHAPTEE XXX.\\nDIRECT RAILROAD ROUTE TO RED RIVER BY THE VALLEY OF THE\\nOTTAWA.\\nThe probability of a direct railroad route being found by the\\nvalley of the Ottawa, to Eed Eiver, has been to a great degree con-\\nfirmed, as already mentioned, by the recent survey of the Montreal\\nEiver, a tributary which joins the Ottawa in Lake Temiscaming.\\nThis route for a railway to the Pacific was, I believe, first pro-\\nposed by Col. Carmichael Smith, probably from information ob-\\ntained from officers of the Hudson s Bay Company.\\nFrom Pembroke, the contemplated termination of the Brockville\\nand Ottawa Piailroad, there is a favorable site for it along the Ot-\\ntawa to the Matawan, though the soil is there generally too poor\\nfor settlement. It might, with little loss of distance, be carried\\nmore to the West, through the interior, where the land is not so\\nunfavorable for cultivation.\\nBeyond this, the best ground would be found, alike for the road", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0165.jp2"}, "166": {"fulltext": "138\\nand settlement, by passing near the head of the Matawan, and\\nthence directly to the Montreal River, about two hundred and\\neighty-rive miles by this route from the City of Ottawa.\\nThence, north-westward about ninety-nine miles by a very direct\\nand highly favorable course, along the Montreal Eiver, over a flat\\ncountry, suitable for settlement for two-thirds of the distance, to\\nthe north elbow of that river, and the northern extremity, in lat.\\n48\u00c2\u00b0 K, of the long lake that receives it, to the water-shed imme-\\ndiately beyond which commences the level clay country, which\\nextends to Hudson s Bay.\\nThence, in a west-north-west course, in the edge of the clay\\ncountry, say a hundred and twelve miles, including sinuosities, to\\nthe meridian of the termination of Provincial Surveyor D. Sinclair s\\nwest line, run from the Montreal Eiver.\\nSo far the country is now known the level clay country, which\\nis here twenty miles north of Mr. Sinclair s line, continues north-\\nwestward how far is not definitely known. This nearly direct\\nline proposed would pass fifty or sixty miles north of the termina-\\ntion of Mr. Sinclair s line his line is a hundred and five miles in\\nlength. It lies altogether in a country which, though presenting\\nno serious obstacle to the passing of a railway line through it, is\\nexceedingly poor, sandy and rocky soil, unfit for cultivation. The\\nclay country north of it is at least superior in that respect. It is\\nworthy of remark here, that New Brunswick House, where Mr.\\nGladman resided, and describes the cultivation of grain, including\\nwheat, to have been successful, lies about a hundred and ten miles\\nnorthward, and a little to the west of the termination of Mr. Sin-\\nclair s line, which is from thirty to forty miles north of the water-\\nshed, from which the branches of Moose t Eiver descend towards\\nHudson s Bay. Our proposed line would therefore be about ninety\\nmiles north of the water-sheti here.\\nFrom the meridian of the termination of Mr. Sinclair s line, to\\nlong. 86\u00c2\u00b0 W., a hundred and sixty-eight miles, and even to long.\\n88\u00c2\u00b0 W., a hundred and eight miles further westward, including one-\\nfifth for sinuosities, Ave have but little knowledge of the country\\nover which our direct route would pass. Strictly speaking, a straight\\nline from Montreal to Fort Garry, would touch the northerly bays\\nof Lake Superior, near Pic Island and the country along the shore\\nof the lake is well known to be mountainous and unsuitable for a\\nrailway line but as it is known that the country behind is more\\nfavorable, and as the length of the line would not be increased in\\nany appreciable degree by carrying it forty miles further north, but\\non the contrary probably oe slightly diminished, by having much\\nfewer minor sinuosities, from being in better ground, it is assumed\\nthat our route would be carried there.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0166.jp2"}, "167": {"fulltext": "139\\nWhat little we do know is definite and favorable the line would\\nbe situated nearly altogether, if not quite so, in the level clay\\ncountry, north of the height of land, on waters flowing to Hudson s\\nBay, till it approaches Lake Nipigon, near long. 88\u00c2\u00b0 W.\\nThis character of the country, which has long been well known\\nto the officers of the Hudson s Bay Company, and has been con-\\nfirmed as far as recent surveys of the northerly waters of the\\nOttawa have extended, is referred to by Provincial Surveyor Herric,\\nin his report of his exploratory survey, in the country north of\\nLake Superior.\\nHe says From inquiries made amongst the Indians, as well as\\nfrom the officers of the Hudson s Bay Company who have travelled\\nmuch through the country, I am informed, that after from thirty to\\nfifty miles of hilly country, round Lake Superior, is passed, a level\\ncountry is reached, which extends from the height of land, between\\nLake Superior and the Bed Biver Settlement, east, for several hun-\\ndred miles and along the north of the sources of the tributaries of\\nthe Ottawa. If, then, at any future period it may be proposed to\\nconnect Canada with the Bed Biver Settlement by railroad, it does\\nnot appear that much difficulty will be experienced on this part of\\nthe route. The same description of the intervening country has\\nlong been given by officers of the Hudson s Bay Company, stationed\\non the northern waters of the Ottawa.\\nPassing south of Lake Mpigon, and crossing the Biver jSTipigon\\nat 18 miles from long. 88\u00c2\u00b0 W., difficulty would be encountered on\\nthis line from the rugged and hilly nature of the country, but from\\nthe character of the valleys no doubt a fair passage could be\\nobtained.\\nBefore proceeding further we may notice a few facts as to the\\nelevation of the country.\\nThe ridge of maximum elevation, between Lake Huron and\\nHudson s Bay, is a continuation of the anticlinal axis which tra-\\nverses Lake Temiscaming on the Ottawa, at the mouth of the\\nMontreal Biver, about lat. 47\u00c2\u00b0 07 N It continues westward, a\\nlittle to the north of that parallel, till approaching Lake Superior\\nit turns up towards Michipicoten. Mr. Murray, the Asst. Prov.\\nGeologist, traced the waters of the Sturgeon Biver of Lake Mpis-\\nsing, and the Wahnapetec, which flows to Lake Huron, up to an\\nelevation of more than 930 feet above the level of the sea, with\\nlofty hills to the northward rising 700 feet higher, or 1,630 feet\\nabove the sea.\\nFrom this high range the head waters of Moose Biver, as ascer-\\ntained by recent survey, flow northward to Hudson s Bay, and\\neven the Montreal Biver flows from it northward to near lat. 48\u00c2\u00b0\\nX., whence it turns abruptly and flows southward a hundred miles\\nto Lake Temiscaming.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0167.jp2"}, "168": {"fulltext": "So much does the country fall to the northward of this range,\\nthat the height of land, between Lac La Quinze on the Ottawa,\\nabove Lake Temiscaming, and the tributaries of Hudson s Bay,\\nis scarcely fifty feet higher than the surface of the main Ottawa,\\nor only about 830 above the level of the sea;* and it is over a\\nsimilar low level that the proposed line of railway, by the valley\\nof the Ottawa and Montreal River, passes the Lauren tides, and\\nenters the level clay country of the north.\\nTraversing the branches of Moose River from forty to ninety\\nmiles north of their sources, which are in the high range mentioned,,\\nthe line would still be in a comparatively low country. In long.\\n87\u00c2\u00b0 W., it would cross a branch of the Albany River on Hudson s\\nBay, which has its source within six miles of Lake Superior so\\nnear does the trough of Hudson s Bay there approach the lake.\\nPassing south of Lake Mpigon it would be again necessary ta\\nenter the trough of the St. Lawrence, but at no great elevation,\\nLake Mpigon being only four hundred feet above Lake Superior.\\nLake Mpigon is the last and the most romantic of the lakes of\\nthe St. Lawrence. By the highly interesting though brief report\\nof Mr. Armstrong, it is ninety-five miles long and sixty -five miles\\nwide, but full of islands. Its south end is about fifty miles north\\nfrom Mpigon Bay.\\nTowards Lake Superior the mountains or high grounds rise to a\\nthousand feet above that lake at the south end of Lake Mpigon\\nthey are noted as being less elevated, and there is much good land\\nin the valleys.\\nFrom the River Mpigon, a hundred and ninety-three miles\\nwestward, to the meridian of the south end of Lac Seul, little is\\nknown of the country through which a direct route would pass.\\nAs to the elevation of the water-shed to be traversed, we may\\nsafely assume that it is no higher than Prairie Portage on the\\nSavanne River route, which is 887 feet above Lake Superior for\\nthe western feeder of Lake Mpigon, and the Fire Steel River, a\\nbranch of the Seine, head together in the same water-shed a little\\nnorth of Prairie Portage.\\nAs a general characteristic, the country is known to become\\nlower and more even northward from the high ground towards\\nLake Superior.\\nFrom the meridian of Lac Seul westward, to the outlet of the\\nLake of the Woods, a hundred and thirty-four miles, the ground\\nover which the direct route would pass is reported, by those who\\nknow it, to be of such a nature as to present no important obsta-\\ncles of .elevation, though the lakes to be avoided would cause\\nSurvey of the Upper Ottawa from Lac La Quinze to Grand Lac, and of Lac\\nAbbitibbi and Canoe Route connecting them, by Prov. Surveyor L. Russell.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0168.jp2"}, "169": {"fulltext": "increased sinuosity, and the roughness of the surface might give\\nincreased expense in grading.\\nFrom the outlet of the Lake of the Woods, to the west end of\\nthe part of it called Lac Platte, forty miles, the ground is known\\nto be such as to admit of a fair line of railway being found\\nthrough it.\\nThence to Fort Garry, a hundred miles, including sinuosities,\\nthe country, as already described, is unusually favorable for the\\nconstruction of a railway.\\nThe foregoing detailed distances make a total of thirteen hun-\\ndred and sixty-seven miles from Montreal to Fort Garry, by this\\ndirect route.\\nThe total length, by the distances given, of the part of it passing\\nthrough unsurveyed country, between the northerly extremity of\\nthe waters of the Montreal Eiver, a tributary of the Ottawa, and\\nthe west end of Lac Platte, a part of the Lake of the Woods, is 773\\nmiles, while the direct distance, on the line of the route, is by cal-\\nculation by meridians, 650f the difference being the allowance for\\nsinuosities on the straight line assumed.\\nGreat extents of this line will be comparatively level, and will\\n.afford favorable grades. The least favorable parts in that respect\\nwill probably be found in the valley of the Ottawa, within the\\ndistance to which lumbering operations and surveys extend, and\\nwhere we have sufficient knowledge to be sure that a fair line of\\nrailroad can be carried, notwithstanding.\\nIn the unsurveyed region before mentioned, the greatest diffi-\\nculty will probably be encountered between the Eiver Mpigon and\\nLac Seul, in the rise to the water-shed; but that is necessarily less\\nthan five hundred feet, or not more than will be met on the Inter-\\ncolonial Eailway before getting twenty miles from the St. Law-\\nrence.\\nThese details are gone into so fully because it is not generally\\nknown that we have a favorable and most direct route to Eed\\nEiver, shorter than any other possibly can be. It is in a position\\nthat is rendered exceedingly unassailable by the rugged moun-\\ntainous country in front of it, and by the lakes, forests and exten-\\nsive marshes, to the westward, between it and the frontier so\\nmuch so that an invading force, of any considerable strength, would\\ntake more time to move twenty miles in the intervening country\\nthan to advance two hundred in the prairies beyond it.\\nTherefore, if we do not have a railway through our own territory\\nto Eed Eiver, it certainly will not be because we have not a\\nfavorable route for it, but for want of sufficient inducement or\\nnecessity for making it.\\nThis is of some importance and it is desirable that the fact\\nshould be known, that when the making of it becomes a national", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0169.jp2"}, "170": {"fulltext": "142\\nrequirement, for the purposes of defence or commerce, we com-\\nmand the best and shortest railway route to the interior and to the\\nPacific.\\nThe level clay country of the north, through which this route\\npasses, seemingly for four hundred miles, presents, as yet, no in-\\nducement whatever for opening it up. But when the navigation\\nof the Ottawa is improved as far as the Matawan, two hundred\\nmiles above the capital, a comparatively small expenditure will\\ncarry it a hundred miles further, to the head of Lake Temisca-\\nming. This will entirely change the prospect of settlement, not\\nonly of the good lands there, but also eventually of the clay country\\nbeyond it, should the soil of that great extent, of entirely arable\\nland, prove as capable of improvement by cultivation as other clay\\nsoils are.\\nTo be safe, we must reserve our judgment on the subject till\\nmore ample information, carefully collected, is before us. But\\nthis much we know, that clay soils, though stubborn and hard to\\ncultivate in extremely dry or wet weather, are in the end the\\nmost rich and durable and that tracts where grain can be raised,\\nif well watered, generally become occupied, when land becomes\\nvaluable by the increase of population and the progress of improve-\\nment.\\nThe period may be remote when such causes will operate in\\nthis particular region, but when we consider that, apart from its\\nown requirements under such advanced circumstances, it offers a\\nrailway route to Eed Eiver and the Pacific four hundred miles\\nshorter for winter travel than any other yet known to be prac-\\nticable, in view of the vast development of improvements during\\nthe term of the past generation, it would really not be irrational\\nto suppose that this route may be opened before the lapse of\\nanother.\\nThis will appear the more reasonable when we consider that\\nthis route would traverse the most habitable part of this Territory\\nsouth of Hudson s Bay, which, as before stated, is larger, and appa-\\nrently fully as suitable for cultivation as Finland, that sustains\\nnearly two millions of inhabitants and that Lake Superior, and\\nLake Temiscaming on the Ottawa, are the only possible outlets for\\nthe best part of this territory, which would be opened up in the\\nmost favorable manner by this proposed route, and placed by it in\\nimmediate connection with Lake Temiscaming.\\nIt is difficult to conceive that a country fully equal to Finland,\\nwith the great water system of the Ottawa leading directly to it,\\nshould remain for ever valueless and uninhabited.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0170.jp2"}, "171": {"fulltext": "143\\nCHAPTEK XXXI.\\nROUTE TO THE PACIFIC THROUGH BRITISH COLUMBIA.\\nThe subject of communication with the Pacific, through British\\nColumbia, is more immediately and urgently important than the\\npreceding.\\nIt is the opinion of many, that if it be of any importance that.\\nGreat Britain, the greatest commercial power in the world, should\\nhave a highway to the Pacific, for commercial and other purposes,,\\nthrough her own territory, one that could not be barred against her\\nby any other power if it be desirable that the solid freedom of\\nBritish institutions should be maintained on this continent and\\nif the fair programme of national life, in close connexion with the\\nmother country, set forth in the British North America Act, is to be\\nrealized, and this edifice of Confederated British Dominion is to be\\nanything more than a temporary expedient, the Confederation\\nshould be completed by the addition of Vancouver s Island and\\nBritish Columbia, and the opening of a line of commmunication\\nwith them, without delay.\\nLooking to the interest of the Central Prairie Country alone, as\\nBritish territory, when inhabited, it is as important for it to have\\na way to the Pacific without being exposed to all the conceivable\\ndisadvantages of having its means of communication controlled by\\na foreign power, and, under very possible circumstances, a hostile\\none, as it is for us to have communication through our own territory\\nwith the Atlantic.\\nTo render the comparison a fair one, we must conceive what it\\nwould be if there were no St. Lawrence, and we were dependent on\\nland transport alone.\\nIt is unnecessary to follow the line of evidence adopted by\\nphilosophical writers, showing that the importance and prosperity\\nof civilized countries is limited by their extent of frontage on seas\\nopen to commerce it is demonstrated in the history of nations,,\\nand the importance of that advantage is acknowledged in their\\nstruggles to obtain it.\\nBut whatever power may in future hold British Columbia, a\\nfree outlet through it is of the greatest importance to the prosperity\\nof our interior teritory adjoining it; and would have a powerful\\ninfluence in encouraging settlement there, and in ensuring its\\nsuccess.\\nIt would be to our advantage, as well as to its own, and also\\ngreatly to the advantage of British Columbia, that the interior", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0171.jp2"}, "172": {"fulltext": "144\\nprairie country should be a prosperous one; and its prosperity\\nwould be very much restricted if its commerce were limited to\\nthe St. Lawrence and Mississippi. It would be a great drawback\\nfor it to have its teas and other products of Eastern Asia and the\\nPacific imported by routes so circuitous, or to be obstructed in\\nexporting its own products to that ocean.\\nIt will assist us in judging of the importance of a route through\\nBritish Columbia, if we compare the distance by it from the\\nUpper Sasketchewan to the Pacific, with what it would be by the\\nBed Eiver and Mississippi to St. Louis, and thence by the Pacific\\nrailroad to San Francisco, now in progress, and which might be\\nsupposed to be in some degree useful to our territory.\\nBy the practically good route, though necessarily tortuous one,\\nthrough a mountainous country, described by Mr. Waddington,\\n(from personal exploration,) in his valuable pamphlet on the\\nsubject, the distance, from Edmonton on the north Saskatchewan,\\nto the head of Bute Inlet, a port on the waters of the Pacific, is\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2841 miles, of which 389 are navigable waters. By substituting\\nhis shorter railway route for the navigable water, the distance\\nwould be 654 miles.\\nBy St. Louis and the Pacific Eailroad the distance would be\\n1,060 miles from Edmonton to Port Garry, 532 to St. Paul s, 817\\nto Omaha, thence to San Francisco 2,032 miles, (by U.S. Sec.\\nat War s Beport) in all 4,442 miles, or 3,601 miles longer to the\\nPacific than the route through British Columbia, or possibly 3,788.\\nSupposing even that Gov. Stevens northern route, by the Mis-\\nsouri in lat. 47\u00c2\u00b0 N., were opened and 600 miles of road were made\\nto join it at the Bocky Mountains, that is at 750 miles from the\\nPacific, the total distance would be 1,350 miles against 654 through\\nBritish Columbia by rail.\\nEven from Fort Garry on Bed Biver, the difference would be\\nnearly the same on comparison, for we have 1,060 from Fort\\nGarry to Edmonton by water, and 645 further to Bute Inlet by\\nrail, against 532 miles to St. Paul s, and 1,864 thence to the\\nPacific, by Gov. Stevens line, making 2,396 miles by it, against\\n1,705 by Edmonton to Bute Inlet, the latter being 691 miles\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2shorter.\\nVery little reflection will be sufficient to enable us to see what\\na powerful inducement the opening of such a route through\\nBritish Columbia would be, even if at first imperfectly, for the\\nencouragement of settlement in our central prairie country, with\\nthe certainty there would be of its being completed as a line of\\nrailroad. Instead of being in an isolated Cut de Sac the set-\\ntlers on the Saskatchewan would have the assurance of being,\\nbefore long, on one of the great highways of the world s com-\\nmerce.\\n1", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0172.jp2"}, "173": {"fulltext": "145\\nThe route advocated by Mr. Waddington, through the interior,\\nby the valley of the North Saskatchewan, the Eiver Athabasca\\nand the Yellow Head or Leather Pass to the upper Fraser Eiver,\\nand descending it to its tributary, the Quesnelle Eiver, and from\\nit across to Bute Inlet, is unquestionably by far the best as regards\\nthis side of the Eocky Mountains, and the passage through them;\\nand there is no room to doubt its being so also to the westward\\nthrough British Columbia.\\nThe Leather Pass was long known and used by the Hudson s\\nBay Company. It is singular that Capt. Palliser, Dr. Hector and\\nCapt. Blackiston, were never informed of it. The advantageous\\nnature of it, however, was made apparent in 1862 by the passage\\nof a party of a hundred and fifty Canadian emigrants, including a\\nwoman and three children. They gathered at Fort Garry in June,\\nand got through to the settlements on the Fraser Eiver in good\\ntime. They took through with them about seventy horses and a\\nhundred and thirty oxen, excepting such of the latter as they killed\\nor sold by the way. So gentle was the ascent, that they did not\\nknow that they had passed the ridge of the Eocky Mountains, till\\nthey found the waters flowing westward. Lord Milton and Dr.\\nCheadle, also, in their journal say, of this pass, that they had uncon-\\nsciously passed the height of land, and that until they had the evi-\\ndence of the water flow, they had no suspicion that they were even\\nnear the dividing ridge.\\nThe height of the summit of this pass, which is in lat. 52\u00c2\u00b054 N.-;\\nis given by Mr. Waddington as 3,760 feet over the sea, being nearly\\nthe same level as the elevated sloping plain, on the east side, from\\nwhich the Eocky Mountains rise.\\nThe elevation of the other generally known passes are as fol-\\nlows Howse Pass, 6,347; Kicking Horse Pass, 5,420; Vermi-\\nlion, 4,944; Kanauski Pass, (recommended by Captain Palliser,\\nbut requiring a tunnel,) 4,600 British Kootanie Pass, near U. S.\\nBoundary, 5,960 feet above the sea. This last is recommended by\\nCaptain Blackiston, who thought he was the first white man that\\nhad entered it. Mr. David Thompson, Astronomer of the North-\\nWest Company, in his manuscript journal, now before me, gives\\ninteresting accounts of his exploratory journeys through this and\\nother passes of the Eocky Mountains, occasionally with horses,\\nabout the beginning of this century.\\nIn the U. S. Secretary at War s Eeport on the Pacific Eailway\\nlines, the elevation of the passes through the Eocky Mountains in\\nthe United States are given as follows Eoute near lat. 47\u00c2\u00b0 and\\n49\u00c2\u00b0 N, 6,044 feet; at lat. 41\u00c2\u00b0 and 42\u00c2\u00b0 N, 8,373 feet at lat. 38\u00c2\u00b0\\nand 39\u00c2\u00b0 N, 10,032 feet; lat. 35\u00c2\u00b0 N, 7,472 feet; at lat. 32\u00c2\u00b0 N.,\\n5,717 feet above the sea; and the extent of land generally unfit\\n10", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0173.jp2"}, "174": {"fulltext": "146\\nfor cultivation on these routes, is given, in the above succession, as\\n1,490, 1,400, 1,460 ,1,476 and 1,210 miles respectively, or about two\\nthirds of their length.\\nOn our route by the North Saskatchewan and Yellow Head\\nPass, we have a continuously and pre-eminently fertile country for\\n1,300, from the commencement of the Red River prairies to the\\nbase of the Rocky Mountains at Jasper House and of the remain-\\ning 761 miles to the head of Bute Inlet, nearly one-half apparently\\nis cultivable land. Mr. Waddington s description of the country,\\nbetween the mouth of Quesnelle River and the coast range, agrees\\nwith the favorable account of that plateau quoted from Mr. Barn-\\nston s report in Commander Mayne s work on British Columbia\\nand the unusual favorable character, in that very mountainous\\ncountry, which he gives of the great region extending northward to\\nthe River Skeena, the boundary of British Columbia, corresponds\\nwith the description given of parts of it intersected, in reports of\\nextensive explorations referred to in the same work, and published\\nin Imperial Parliamentary papers.\\nWe see, therefore, that we possess a route to the Pacific, through\\nour central prairie country and British Columbia, that besides\\ntraversing the Rocky Mountains far more favorably, at half the\\nelevation of the lines through the United States, is as remarkable\\nfor passing through a great extent of well watered fertile country,\\nas they are for the general aridity and uninhabitable barrenness\\nof a great part of the country they traverse.\\nThe superiority of our route across to the Pacific, over any other\\non the continent, is still more evident, when we consider that it\\nhas, in addition to the foregoing, the further advantage of consisting\\nchiefly of navigable waters.\\nThis advantage is, in its nature, a double one. First, the much\\nlower rate of cost of transport by the navigable waters, where on\\na large scale, like the St. Lawrence and its lakes, and even much of\\nthe interior lake and river navigation secondly, what to us is of\\ngreat importance, especially in the commencement, that in the\\nnavigable waters we have the greater part of the route ready,\\nwithout cost of construction, except on a very small proportion of it.\\nTaking the route, No. 4, in the foregoing table, in connexion\\nwith that advocated by Mr. Waddington, we would have, with the\\nimprovements mentioned, between Lake Superior and Red River,\\n226 miles (out of 448 J) of continuous navigation, on a large scale\\nfor inland waters, and 1,060 from Fort Garry to Edmonton of a\\nsimilar class, by Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan, requiring\\nlockage, or short portages, only at three places on the latter. Be-\\ntween Edmonton and Port Waddington, on Bute inlet, a harbour of a\\nthe Pacific, Mr. Waddington counts 309 miles of steamboat navi-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0174.jp2"}, "175": {"fulltext": "147\\ngation; making in all 1,595 miles of steamboat navigation, and only\\n754\u00c2\u00a3 miles of land travel or railroad, in tlie whole distance of\\n2,349 J miles by this route from .Lake Superior to the Pacific.\\nIf the railway route proposed by Mr. Waddington were adopted,\\ninstead of the navigation of Fraser River, in part, reducing the\\ndistance from Bute Inlet to Edmonton to 654 miles, and if 825\\nmiles of railway were made from Edmonton to Fort Garry, the total\\ndistance from the Pacific to Lake Superior would be reduced to\\n1,927J miles which with 976 miles to Montreal, via Collingwood,\\nand 843 to Halifax, would give a total distance from that city to\\nthe Pacific of 3,746 J miles.\\nIf a line of railroad throughout were ultimately required, to\\nensure rapid communication at all seasons, we could have from\\nBute Inlet to Edmonton, 654 miles, and to Fort Garry, 825 more,\\nand then the direct route, No. 1, of the table, from Fort Garry to\\nMontreal, by the Ottawa, 1,367 miles, making 2,846 from the\\nPacific to Montreal which, with 843 to Halifax, would make a\\ntotal from the Pacific of 3,689 miles, to which adding the distance\\nto Liverpool, 2,467, would give a total from the Pacific to Liverpool\\nof 6,156 miles.\\nBy the Eeport of United States Secretary at War, already\\nreferred to, the distances from New York to the Pacific are, to\\nCouncil Bluffs, at the mouth of the River Platte, 1,252 miles;\\nthence, to the Pacific by the railroad now in progress on both sides\\nof the Rocky Mountains, and nearly made to them, 2,032 miles,\\nmaking together 3,284 miles, to which add, from Liverpool to New\\nYork, 3,073, gives a total by this line of 6,357 miles, or 201 more\\nthan the route through British America.\\nCHAPTER XXXII.\\nIMPORTANCE TO BRITISH COLUMBIA OF UNION AND INTERIOR\\nCOMMUNICATION WITH THE DOMINION.\\nAVere British Columbia united to the Dominion, and an adequate\\nline of communication opened through that Province from Lake\\nSuperior to the Pacific, all the commerce of the vast interior of\\nBritish America, with the Pacific and Eastern Asia, and the carry-\\ning trade of it on the high seas, would be drawn to her ports and\\nher route across the continent would be a successful rival of the\\nPacific Railway from San Francisco, not only for traffic and com-\\nmunication between the Pacific and the present Provinces of Canada,\\nand parts of the United States adj oining, but also for that of Euro-\\npean countries through this continent. The great proportion of", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0175.jp2"}, "176": {"fulltext": "148\\nwater conveyance on our route, would render transport by it so\\nmuch more economical, as to admit of freight being carried of kinds\\nthat could not be sent by the San Francisco route, on account of\\nthe greater expense of transport entirely by railroad.\\nOur route through British Columbia would have the advantage\\nalso of being shorter to China and Japan the distance from any\\nport in these countries to Bute Inlet being upwards of 550 miles\\nless than to San Francisco. This is best seen by measurement on\\na terrestrial globe for the ordinary projections of the hemispheres\\nin charts and atlases give rise to a very erroneous idea as to dis-\\ntances between the continents.\\nTaking this 550 miles into account, the distance from any port\\nin China or Japan to Liverpool would be 751 miles shorter by our\\nroute, through British Columbia, than by the American Pacific\\nBailroad.\\nUnited to the Dominion, British Columbia would enjoy these\\nadvantages in relation to the interior, and communication through\\nit, which would be lost to her by annexation to the United States.\\nIf the Americans held British Columbia, they would be little dis-\\nposed to use it for the purpose of establishing a line of communi-\\ncation, nearly altogether through British territory, to rival their\\nown Pacific Bailroad, and carry trade to Canadian ports.\\nIn this respect, British Columbia, including Vancouver s Island\\nwith it, and Nova Scotia, are in a great degree similarly situated,\\nin relation to the interior of British America and its development\\nand the similarity goes further, for they are much alike in some\\nother respects. They are both comparatively rather unfavorable\\ngenerally for cultivation, but on the other hand possess alike ex-\\ntraordinary advantages for commerce and manufactures, in their\\nfavorable maritime position and numerous harbours, their metals\\nand their coal beds.\\nWith these advantages, and situated on the eastern and western\\noutlets of the great fertile interior of British America, it seems\\nreasonable to say that they are in a position to enjoy, in the greatest\\ndegree, every advantage in the extension of their commerce and\\nincreased employment for their shipping and manufactures, to be\\nderived from the development of the resources of the interior, and\\nthe opening of a line of communication through it from the Atlantic\\nto the Pacific.\\nIn position with relation to the interior, however, it must be\\nadmitted, that British Columbia surpasses Nova Scotia and New\\nBrunswick, the coast of the continent, southward from it, not being\\nstudded with rival ports and harbours, reaching close in towards\\nthe interior like the Atlantic coast. In the command of communi-\\ncation from the Pacific to the interior, British Columbia has no\\ncompetitor.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0176.jp2"}, "177": {"fulltext": "149\\nIMPORTANCE OF THE OTTAWA SHIP CANAL TO THESE NORTH-\\nWEST TERRITORIES, c.\\nTo judge correctly of the ultimate advantage which a route\\nthrough our own territories presents, alike as a means of communi-\\ncation with them and through them to the Pacific, and in view of\\nthe superiority which the greater economy of water transport gives\\nus in the comparison, we should take into account the reduction of\\ndistance and of cost which the improvement of our inland naviga-\\ntion may afford.\\nAs presenting the greatest prospective advantage in that respect,\\nthe proposed improvement of the Ottawa and French Eivers, or\\nwhat is called the construction of the Ottawa Ship Canal, may be\\nreferred to.\\nIt may be sufficient to remind the reader, that in the distance\\nby this route of four hundred and thirty miles from Montreal to\\nLake Huron, canalling for 21-| miles only is required, in addition\\nto the Lachine Canal already constructed, according to the report of\\nMr. Thos. C. Clarke, who completed the survey of it for Govern-\\nment and that according to the report of Mr. W. Shanly, his pre-\\ndecessor in charge, the cost of movement of freight per ton, from\\nChicago to Montreal, by the Ottawa Ship Canal, would be $2 89,\\nwhile by the St. Lawrence and Welland Canal route, and by the\\nToronto and Georgian Bay Canal, it would be $3 26 and $3 27\\nrespectively; that the distances by the two latter routes would be\\n1,348 and 1,050 miles, but by the Ottawa only 973, that is, 375\\nmiles shorter than the St. Lawrence and Welland route now used.\\nIt is proper to observe that the reduction of distance by it to\\nLake Superior, and consequently to the interior and the Pacific, is\\n40 miles greater than to Lake Michigan, or 415 miles.\\nApart from the advantages claimed for it of being the most\\nfavorable route for the trade of what has hitherto been designated\\nthe Great West, and for attracting it to Canadian ports, and\\nas vastly increasing the strength of the Provinces as a work of\\ndefence, the Ottawa Ship Canal, inasmuch as it would diminish\\nthe distance and the cost of transport, especially of heavy freight,\\nto and from our interior territories, would tend to remove the\\ngreatest drawback to the successful settlement of them. It would\\nbenefit Lower Canada, now the Province of Quebec, in a manner\\nthat no other work would do, for it would, in connexion with Lake\\nTemiscaming, and the navigable waters of its tributary, the Eiver\\nBlanche, develope the south-western frontier of that province for\\nfour hundred and fifty miles, and render available the considerable\\nextent of country fit for settlement at the head of that lake, which\\nis now too remote and it would facilitate communication with\\nHudson s Bay, and through the country south of it to Pied Paver,\\nas already mentioned, were that ultimately found desirable.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0177.jp2"}, "178": {"fulltext": "150\\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\\nTHE INTERESTS OF CANADA, THE HUDSON S BAY COMPANY AND\\nTHE INDIANS.\\nWe are at issue with the Hudson s Bay Company. We deny\\nthe justice and validity of their title to the territory most valuable\\nto us the Central Prairie Country claimed by them under their\\nCharter from King Charles the Second, in 1670, granting them\\nthe exclusive right of trade in Hudson s Bay and its waters, and\\nall the lands and territories on their Confines not possessed by\\nthe subjects of any other Christian Prince or State.\\nFar from giving the Hudson s Bay Company the interior coun-\\ntry on the Bed River and the Saskatchewa, their Charter, restricted\\nby this exception, did not even give them that part of the coast of\\nHudson s Bay in front of it.\\nThese regions were commonly known as French territory, and\\nwere virtually recognized as such by the Treaty of St. Germains\\nen Laye, of 1632, which restored to the King of France Canada or*\\nLa Nouvelle France,* of which they formed part and they had\\nalready, in 1627, been chartered to La Compagnie de la Nouvelle\\nFrance.\\nThe occupation of Hudson s Bay by the French before the date\\nof the Hudson s Bay Company s Charter is unquestionable, for not\\nonly had their trade been established there in 1656 and 1663, by\\nJean Bourdon and La Couture, and Missions been planted in the\\ninterior, but it is also historically notorious that the Hudson s Bay\\nCompany originated in two disaffected Canadians, who had been\\nengaged in the trade of the Bay (De Grozelier and Badison),\\ninducing English adventurers to join them in a trading voyage\\nthere* the success of which led to the formation of the Hudson s\\nBay Company and the granting of its Charter in 1670.\\nAfter a protracted struggle the Hudson s Bay Company s people\\nwere, in 1686, expelled as trespassers from the posts they had\\nestablished in the Bay. The justice of this expulsion and the prior\\nrightful possession of France is acknowledged in the treaty of Bys-\\nwick, of 1697, which provides for the restitution to France of these\\nposts in particular, as well as of all others taken in the war then\\nterminated, that had formerly belonged to France.\\nTherefore, without entering into the seemingly well grounded\\nobjections made, by able legists, to the fundamentally illegal char-\\nacter of that Charter, we see that in simple equity, (though that\\nSee Charlevoix, Vol. 1, p. 476.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0178.jp2"}, "179": {"fulltext": "151\\nmay probably be disregarded) King Charles could not give and\\nby the exception evidently did not intend to give the Company\\nall the territory they now claim, simply because it was not his to\\ngive.\\nWe see also that the completeness of the title given by the\\nCharter is vitiated by an exception well grounded on known\\nfact, a fact affirmed and sustained by the high authority of\\ninternational treaty and that, therefore, the Hudson s Bay Com-\\npany would probably, under it, be unable, in a Court of Law, to\\nprove perfect title, as required, for the ejectment of adverse pos-\\nsessors.\\nPrevious to the cession of Canada, Canadian traders had long-\\nbeen in undisputed possession of the interior country now in dis-\\npute holding there the forts of Maurepas on Lake Winnipeg, Fort\\nKouge on Eed Eiver, De la Peine, on Lake Manitoba, and Forts\\nBourbon, PasquiaB and Mppeween on the Saskatchewan. Under\\nthe Articles of capitulation of Canada their occupation and pro-\\nperty there would be secured to them. After the cession of the\\ncountry, British and Canadians, following in their track, maintained\\nthe right, by trading there, before and after the Hudson s Bay Com-\\npany entered the same grounds and they continued to do so for\\nupwards of forty years before the Hudson s Bay Company asserted\\nand in 1814 first attempted to enforce their exclusive claim.*\\nThen, after the protracted and sanguinary struggle between them\\nand the Canadian North- west Company, during which the exclu-\\nsive pretensions of either were expressly and carefully ignored by\\nthe Imperial and Provincial authorities^ the Hudson s Bay Com-\\npany, finding that they could not enforce their Charter, united\\nwith the North-west Company, so that they might jointly secure\\nthe exclusion of all other traders.\\nAs to the Hudson s Bay Company s claim to the right of soil\\nhow can Canada be asked to entertain it The soil, with most\\ninsignificant exception, is still the unalienated property of the\\nnative Indians.\\nThe great explorations of Sir Alexander McKenzie, up to the Arctic Sea and\\nthrough to the Pacific Ocean, and the scarcely less important exploratory surveys\\nof David Thompson, after May, 1797, including the discovery and survey of the\\nRiver Columbia and Thompson s River and the surveys of the Arthabasca and\\nPeace Rivers, Beaver River and Upper Saskatchewan, and of several passages through\\nthe Rocky Mountains, were operations of the Canadian North-West Company, of\\nwhom McKenzie was a leader, and to whom Thompson transferred his services, in\\n1799, as stated in his manuscript Journal, after serving the Hudson s Bay Company\\nfrom October, 1789.\\n*f* See Earl Bathurst s despatch of 6th February, 1817, enjoining the mainten-\\nance of the full and free permission for all persons to pursue their usual and\\naccustomed trade without hindrance or molestation.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0179.jp2"}, "180": {"fulltext": "152\\nIn Canada, the Mother Country recognized their right by pur-\\nchasing their lands and paying annuities for them. Before the\\nUnion these payments had to be refunded to the Imperial Govern-\\nment by Upper Canada. These annuities are now paid directly\\nby the Canadian Goverment,\\nSeeing, therefore, that we have to pay for all lands acquired for\\nus, or by us, from Indians, are we to be compelled to recognize\\nthe right of the Hudson s Bay Company to lands they never pur-\\nchased or paid for And is it consistent with that justice to the\\nAborigines, which we hear so much spoken about in England,\\nthat, in acquiring their lands, instead of paying them the whole\\nprice, we are to give part of it to the Hudson s Bay Company,\\nwho never acquired any right to it from the owners\\nThe grounds of claim to the territory in dispute are too obscure,\\nhypothetical and conflicting, to be conclusive in favor of either\\nCanada or the Company it is for the Crown, in whom the\\nabsolute right still remains, to deal with it as it sees fit.\\nBesides that of the native Indians, the only indefeasible right is\\nthat of mankind to have the obstruction to its lawful occupation\\nby settlers removed. All that the Company can justly be entitled\\nto is indemnity for any injury to their trade which settlement may\\noccasion, when it takes place.\\nThat, in the large portion of prairie land nearest to us, which is\\nexhausted as a fur-bearing country, must be comparatively little.\\nIn considering this question, we have to bear in mind that it is\\nonly such part of the territory, sending waters to Hudson s Bay,\\nas their Charter may, under the restricting exception be found to\\ncover, that the Company can have any permanent right to the\\nremainder of the territory they occupy, they held merely tempo-\\nrarily by lease, on the termination of which their rights become\\nextint, without claim to indemnity.\\nWe claim that the Ked Kiver and Saskatchewan country comes\\nunder the latter description. We should therefore avoid being-\\nled into calling it Eupert s Land, for as that was the name given\\nby King Charles to the land he gave the Company, we in a man-\\nner admit the Bed Biver and Saskatchewan Country to be the\\nproperty of the Company if we call it Eupert s Land.\\nBut though our interests are opposed to theirs as to territorial\\nright, we should be careful to be just to the Company, and con-\\nsider well the particulars in which their interests and ours may\\nI am led to make these remarks from its having been my duty, for seven\\nyears, to keep the accounts of these transactions, between the Imperial Com-\\nmissariat, the Local Government, and the Indian Department.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0180.jp2"}, "181": {"fulltext": "153\\nWe must acknowledge that their admirable system, good ma-\\nnagement and good faith in dealing with the Indians, are highly\\ncreditable to them, and have maintained tranquillity in the vast\\nterritories under their sway, and peace on our borders, and respect\\nfor the British name and power in the minds of the natives and\\nthat their officers and agents are proverbially honourable men.\\nIf the Company were broken up and their officers withdrawn\\nfrom these territories, and the trade of them thrown open to all,\\nit might, no doubt, give a few enterprising men in Canada the\\nopportunity of seeking, probably with some success, to amass\\nwealth like that of the old North- West Company of Montreal.\\nBut when the irregular, and too often unscrupulous trading of\\nthe adventurers was substituted for the well regulated and reliable\\nsystem of the Hudson s Bay Company, it would probably have,\\nwith the free use of spirits that would no doubt attend it, a most\\ninjurious and demoralizing effect upon the Indians and coupled\\nwith the many causes of provocation accompanying the advance\\nof settlement, would, almost certainly, lead to difficulties and\\nborder warfare with them, as in the adjoining States.\\nIt would therefore probably be better, on the whole, that the fur\\ntrade of these territories should remain in the hands of the Hud-\\nson s Bay Company, under lease from the Dominion, especially if\\nsuch an arrangement gave Canada more favourable terms in\\nsettlement with the Company. The importance of economy\\neffected in this way will be seen when it is considered that it\\nmight be sufficient to defray the expense of opening a serviceable\\nline of communication for the ingress of settlers.\\nOr it might be better for the Goverment of the Dominion to\\nstep into the shoes of the Company, and continue the trade,\\nthrough the agents and others now employed, retaining their\\nservices by giving them the same interest in the trade as they\\nnow hold, or equivalent advantage.\\nBy doing so, Government would have thoroughly competent\\nIndian agents throughout the whole of these territories, and by\\nmaintaining the same policy of* management as heretofore, would\\nprevent an important influence over the native tribes from being\\nimpaired or falling into foreign hands, and could use it for the\\npreservation of that tranquillity which would be doubly necessary\\nin the face of advancing settlement.\\nIf we have to buy the improvements or business stands of the\\nCompany, it would be reasonable to turn them to some account;\\nand the abrupt withdrawal of that trade on which the natives now\\ndepend for ammunition and other things, now become necessaries\\nto them, would be a calamity to the Indians, which it would be\\nthe duty of Canada, in extending her dominion over them, to avert.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0181.jp2"}, "182": {"fulltext": "154\\nThe exclusive reservation of the fur trade in the hands of\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0Government, for the good of all, would be less obnoxious than its\\nbeing held by a company. It would enable Government to check\\nthe use of spirits in the trade. The agents might be useful in\\nallaying difficulties and watching over the feelings of the natives\\nand their movements, as well as their interests and wants; but\\nthere are, no doubt, some obvious objections to the trade being carried\\non by Government.\\nBut whatever the arrangements as to trade may be, the security\\nof settlement will lie in good faith with the Indians, in all arrange-\\nments with them being honorably and liberally maintained. With\\nultimate advantage to ourselves we might even exceed that. Were\\nthe Government of the Dominion, on acquiring these territories, or\\nany paTt of them, to establish in the settlements, asylums, at a\\nfew points, for the helpless and infirm, and orphans of such tribes\\nas any arrangement as to territory or otherwise was made with;\\n-and were it also provided that any Indian of any such tribe might,\\nat any time forever thereafter and anywhere, obtain a free grant of\\ntwo hundred acres of land, on his choosing to become a settler, as\\nan inalienable homestead, and be entitled to admission into any\\nhospital, or to medical assistance in case of illness or injury, to be\\npaid for by Government on the certificate of any, magistrate, a\\nstrong and favorable impression would be made on the feelings of\\nthe Indians. The Indian would have it constantly before him that\\nif he became helpless there was a home ever ready for him under\\nthe roof of the Dominion.\\nThe liability to expense which this would entail may be objected\\nto, but when it is considered how little this exceeds what Christian\\ncharity would dictate, under such circumstances, and the small\\nnumber of the Indians, the benefit to them and the moral influence\\nin our favor, the liability of cost may be found moderate com-\\npared with the general advantage obtained.\\nBy adopting such a system of attaching the Indians, and either\\nobtaining the cordial co-operation of the Hudson s Bay Company,\\nby duly considering their interest, or otherwise by occupying their\\nplace, which would be still more effective, the security of orderly\\nsettlement, on just principles, would be provided for, and the\\nstrength of the Indian nations would be knit to ours for common\\ndefence if necessary, at less cost in the end than by bad faith and\\naggression and bloody wars with them.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0182.jp2"}, "183": {"fulltext": "155\\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\\nCOMPARATIVE VALUE OF THE SEVERAL TERRITORIES TO CANADA,\\nAND CONCLUSION.\\nHaving passed in review the Hudson s Bay and North-West\\nTerritories, in naturally distinct sections, we may now consider\\nwhich, or how many of them we may require and in what degree\\nthey are respectively of value to us.\\nFirst and chiefly, as generally admitted, and for reasons already\\nshown, we want the central prairie country on the Eed River,\\nSaskatchewan, Athabasca and Peace Rivers, as a favorable site for\\nthe immediate extension of settlement and reception of European\\nimmigration. We see that it much exceeds Canada in extent, that\\nit has on an average as suitable a climate for agricultural occupation\\nwhile it greatly exceeds Canada in the proportion of arable land it\\ncontains much of which is of the richest quality known.\\nThe next in value to us, though very much inferior to the pre-\\nceding, is that here described as the South Hudson s Bay Territory,\\nor that part of it, at least, up to the line of latitude 52\u00c2\u00b0 30 X. from\\na little above the mouth of the Albany River, on Hudson s Bay,\\nacross to Lake Winnipeg. It is a habitable country, with much\\nfertile arable land, admitting of the cultivation of coarse grains in\\nthe north, and, as we have seen, is as suitable, in some of the south\\nparts of it, for the growth of wheat, as Lower Canada. We require\\nit in connection with the preceding, because the southern part of it\\ncontains the best lines of communication with Red River, and\\nwhich being chiefly by water, are the most advantageous for the\\nheavy freight of the interior; and also because through it we can\\nhave a most direct and favorable line of railroad to Red River and\\nthe Pacific.\\nXext, but in a lesser degree, the Pelly River or Mountain\\nCountry would be valuable to us chiefly as a defence. Were it\\nin the hands of a power owning the seaboard, with strongholds in\\ncommanding positions, at the eastern outlets of the passes through\\nit, our central prairie country would be exposed to being, at any\\ntime, suddenly overrun. But with that three hundred and fifty\\nmiles in breadth of Alpine country occupied by our fur traders,\\nwith posts on all the leading passes, and couriers du bois and\\ntrappers scattered over it, in friendly communication with the\\nnatives, an enemy, without foothold, on attempting to pass, in\\nsuch insignificant force as it would under such circumstances be\\npracticable to lead, would easily be detected and destroyed before\\nhaving made much way or if by extraordinary fortune they did", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0183.jp2"}, "184": {"fulltext": "156\\npass unnoticed, the result to such small force as could so pass, would\\nhe as disastrous as Arnold s attempt on Canada hy the valley of\\nthe Chaudiere.\\nThe valleys of the Pelly Eiver and Mountain Country will seem-\\ningly admit of the cultivation of coarse grains, and cattle feeding,\\nthroughout its whole extent, and it is a valuable fish and fur yield-\\ning country.\\nEast Main and the remainder of what is here designated as\\nSouth Hudson s Bay Territory, might be valuable to us for their\\nseal fisheries and fur trade and the McKenzie Elver country for\\nits furs and minerals, and for the navigable highway to the most\\nvaluable of Arctic whale fisheries, which that river offers but\\nthese territories are of little value to us compared with the first\\nthree mentioned all of which are habitable countries, the first\\neminently so. As to the North Hudson s Bay, or Barren Ground\\nTerritory, it seems to have no conceivable value.\\nSouth Hudson s Bay Territory and the Pelly Eiver or Mountain\\nCountry, though unsuitable for occupation by our present standard\\nof estimation, will undoubtedly become inhabited. European\\ncountries, not more suitable, are occupied by civilized and enlight-\\nened nations, and have acquired considerable political and com-\\nmercial importance.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0184.jp2"}, "185": {"fulltext": "157\\nCONCLUSION.\\nSome will argue that, in desiring to acquire the North-west\\nTerritory, we allow our ambition to override our judgment that\\nthe organizing of it, and the maintenance of jurisdiction over it,\\nare a task beyond the ability of Canada that it is absurd to incur\\nexpense in the development of remote territories, while we have\\nalready so much waste land, requiring the making of more roads\\nthan we are able to accomplish for the opening of it, to say nothing\\nof the canals and railroads nearer home, which all admit to be\\ndesirable for the prosperity of the country.\\nOne might argue interminably in this manner but there is a\\nshorter and a surer way to a conclusion in this matter. We have\\nonly to look south of us, and see what has been done by the people\\nthere.\\nWe see that they acquired territory after territory, in the face\\nof obstacles that we have not to encounter.\\nWhen they were far weaker than we are, instead of acquiring\\nterritories in the easy way that we may do, they had to tight for\\nthem. They had to combat fierce and powerful tribes, backed by\\nthe power of France but still they extended their frontier.\\nWhen they entered on the career of national existence, they\\nwere but three millions but we are four. And then, in addition to\\ncontinual wars with the Indians, they had to fight with the mother\\ncountry, once and again, in wars ruinously expensive to them. But\\nthat did not prevent their continuing to extend their jurisdiction\\nover vast territories, which they acquired from European Powers,\\nand had to fight for afterwards.\\nThey had indeed vast regions nearer home of unsettled lands,\\nrequiring roads and other improvements to open them up, while\\nwe in fact have comparatively none of great value but instead\\nof the extension of their dominion leading them to neglect im-\\nprovements in their older states, the very reverse seems to be the\\ncase.\\nWho will say that the acquisition and development of their\\nwestern territories, which one after the other have grown into\\nthriving and populous states, has retarded the prosperity of their\\nolder eastern states and cities On the contrary, we find them re-\\nmarkable for their works and improvements; and what is more, we\\nfind them enriched by their manufactures for the markets of the\\nwestern territories, which they acquired and developed into power-", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0185.jp2"}, "186": {"fulltext": "158\\nful states, and that their chief seaports are swollen with the com-\\nmerce arising from them.\\nNow, Ave are not only greater than they were in population, but\\nalso exceed them in a much greater degree in wealth, and in the\\ncommand of wealth unknown to them, in their beginnings. We\\nhave no Indian wars; and instead of their expensive wars with the\\nmother country, we enjoy her powerful protection and pecuniary\\nassistance, and have the immense additional advantage of steam\\nand railroads in our favor.\\nWith all these advantages, it is evidently preposterous to say,\\nthat it is beyond our power to do what they did, unless we adopt\\nthe plea that we are intrinsically so inferior to the people of the\\nUnited States, in capacity, energy and patriotism, that with every\\nadvantage in our favor, and obstacles removed which they had to\\nencounter, we have neither the courage nor ability to imitate their\\nsuccessful example.\\nBut some will say, what is the real good of aspiring to national\\npower and greatness The answer is a simple one. Men in\\ngeneral are what the institutions of their country make them. The\\nsecurity of these institutions depends on the power of the people to\\ndefend them. Civil liberty depends upon political independence,\\nand that, it is needless to say, depends on the power to maintain it.\\nWhere would have been the civil liberty of England had she suc-\\ncumbed to the Armada, or the stability of her institutions had she\\nbeen conquered by France under Napoleon?\\nThe mother country has placed in our hands the national banner,\\nand the institutions of which it is the symbol, under which she has\\nattained her pre-eminent, moral and material greatness; the\\nstandard of responsible constitutional government and law-abiding\\nliberty and she expects us, with her assistance, and for our own\\ngood, to maintain it, and them, honorably, over these broad\\ndominions of which she endows us with the inheritance. May\\nthere be no failure on our part through short-sighted unpatriotic\\npusillanimity.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0186.jp2"}, "187": {"fulltext": "REPORT\\nLINE OF ROUTE BETWEEN LAKE SUPEEIOE\\nAND\\nTHEIRED RIVER SETTLEMENT", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0187.jp2"}, "188": {"fulltext": "Ottawa, 20th April, 1868.\\nSir, I have the honor herewith to submit to your consideration\\na Eeport on the Line of Eoute between Lake Superior and the Eed\\nEiver Settlement, with an Estimate of the cost of opening the com-\\nmunication in the manner therein suggested.\\nI have the honor to be, sir,\\nYour most obedient servant,\\n(Signed,) S. J. Dawson,\\nHon. Wm. McDougall, C.B., Civil Engineer.\\nMinister of Public Works, c, c,\\nOttawa.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0188.jp2"}, "189": {"fulltext": "REPORT\\nON\\nTHE LINE OF ROUTE\\nBETWEEN\\nLAKE SUPEKIOK AND THE BED ETVEE SETTLEMENT.\\nIn reporting as to the best means of opening a line of commu-\\nnication between Lake Superior and the Eed Eiver Settlement, I\\nbeg to be permitted, in the first place, to refer briefly to the opera-\\ntions of the Eed Eiver Expedition, carried on for several years\\nunder my direction, as it will, I doubt not, be satisfactory to the\\nGovernment to know that the suggestions which I have the honor\\nto submit are not the expression of mere theoretical views, but the\\nresult of long-continued investigation, under official instructions\\nfrom the Canadian Government.\\nThe earlier Eeports of the Expedition were printed by order of\\nthe Legislature, but those sent in during the last year of its opera-\\ntions have never ^been published. The present Eeport will contain\\nall that is believed to be of immediate importance in these docu-\\nments that is, in regard to the subject under consideration.\\nThe following Maps are annexed for convenience of reference\\nT. A Plan, on a scale of two miles to one inch, showing the\\ncountry between Thunder Bay and Lac des Mille Lacs, Dog Lake\\nline of road, position of dam, c.\\n2. A Plan of the Lake Eegion, on a scale of four miles to one\\ninch, showing the country between the Height of Land and Eort\\nFrances.\\n3. A Plan on a scale of ten miles to one inch, showing the\\ncountry between Fort Frances and Fort Garry.\\n4. A Map, in profile, showing the relative altitude of the Eoutes\\nby Pigeon Eiver and the Kaministaquia.\\nPlan No. 3 might be lithographed at small cost, and I think it\\nwould be advisable to have it published, as it is the only correct one\\nof the section which it exhibits.\\nThe Eed Eiver Expedition consisted at its outset of three dis-\\ntinct parties, receiving their instructions from three different De-\\npartments of Government. One of these was under my direction,\\none under Mr. Napier s, while Mr. Gladman, a retired officer of the\\n11", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0189.jp2"}, "190": {"fulltext": "162\\nHudson s Bay Company, who had the guidance of the Expedition\\non the journey to Eed Eiver, had a separate party of his own.\\nThe parties thus organized set out in July, 1857, and proceeding\\nby the usual canoe route from Fort William, made numerous ex-\\nplorations, determined the levels as they went, and eventually\\narrived at the Eed Eiver Settlement in the fall of the same year.\\nMr. Gladman, after a short stay, returned by the way he had\\ncome to Toronto, where his connection with the Expedition soon\\nafterwards ceased, while Professor Hind, who I should have men-\\ntioned had been attached to the party as geologist, proceeded by\\nway of the Eed Eiver over the prairies to St. Paul.\\nMy assistants at this time were Mr. Lindsay A. Eussell, Mr. J.\\nE. Gaudet, Mr. Alex. W. Wells and Col. C. de Salaberry. The\\nthree first-named gentlemen were surveyors, all of whom are of\\nhigh standing in their profession, while Col. de Salaberry acted\\nchiefly as Commissary an important office in a region where pro-\\nvisions were not always very abundant.\\nThe winter of 1857-58 was chiefly occupied in exploring the\\ncountry between the Lake of the Woods and Eed Eiver, a region\\nat that time but little known, and reported to be impassable in\\nsummer, on account of swamps which were said to cover the greater\\nportion of its area. At the same time, an instrumental survey was\\nmade, so as to connect Fort Garry with the survey made many\\nyears previously by the Boundary Commissioners, under the treaty\\nof Ghent. This enabled us to establish with accuracy the longi-\\ntude of Fort Garry, which, on the maps then in use, was set down\\nas much as twenty-one minutes too far to the west.\\nThe party were also able, before the opening of navigation, to\\nexplore the Eosseau Eiver and make an instrumental survey of the\\nEed Eiver and Lake Winnipeg, between Fort Alexander, at the\\nmouth of the Winnepeg Eiver, and the Boundary Line at Pembina.\\nImmediately after the opening of the navigation, having organ-\\nized a party of half-breed Indians and procured canoes, we pro-\\nceeded by way of the Manitoba and Winnepegoos Lakes to the\\ngreat Saskatchewan Eiver, and examined the rapids and impedi-\\nments to the navigation between Lac Bourbon and Lake Winnipeg.\\nThe levels were determined with care, and the Track Survey\\nwhich we had made of the Lake Coasts, as we proceeded, was\\ncorrected as often as possible by observations for latitude and\\nlongitude.\\nSeparating our party at the Mossy Portage, the name by which\\nthe path between Lake Winnepegoos and Lac Bourbon is called, I\\nsent Mr. Wells to explore Lac Dauphin and survey the route by\\nway of the Little Saskatchewan and Lake Winnepeg to the mouth\\nof the Eed Eiver, appointing the 1st of July following to meet him\\nat the settlement.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0190.jp2"}, "191": {"fulltext": "163\\nTaking with me my assistants, Mr. Gaudet, and Mr. de Salaberry,\\nand a few Indians, I ascended Swan Eiver, crossed from thence to\\nFort Pelly, and descended by the Assiniboine to Fort Garry, having\\non this excursion obtained much information, as to the soil and\\nclimate of a very extensive district, and made such observations as\\nenabled us to delineate its geography with tolerable accuracy.\\nThroughout the entire period during which our head quarters\\nwere at the Eed Eiver Settlement, a Meteorological Eegister was\\nkept, regularly, under the supervision of Mr. Eussell, and it has\\nsince been of considerable value, as, taken in connection with some\\nreliable observations made by others, it has served not a little to\\ndispel the absurd ideas which at one time prevailed in regard to\\nthe severity of the climate and the duration of the winters.\\nOn the 4th of July, 1858, our party was once more assembled\\nat the Eed Eiver Settlement, and having with some difficulty pro-\\ncured supplies, we set out, with all possible dispatch, for a more\\nthorough exploration of the country between Eainy Lake and Lake\\nSuperior. Among the instructions received from the Government\\nat this time were the following\\nSecretary s Office,\\nToronto, 16th April, 1858.\\nSir, Adverting to the last paragraph in my letter to you this\\nday, I have the honor to inform you, that it is not thought necessary\\nto make any alterations in the instructions for your future opera-\\ntions, contained in the Order in Council of 29th January last.\\nYou will therefore consider these instructions, so far as your\\nexplorations are concerned, still in force.\\nI am to add, however, that if time allows it, you will endeavor\\nto survey the road between Gun Flint Lake and Pointe de Meuron,\\nand when returning from the North-west Corner of the Lake of the\\nWoods and passing through Eainy Lake, make occasional traverses\\nwhen practicable, with a view to ascertain the extent of arable land\\nin that locality.\\nI am further to state that His Excellency, having every con-\\nfidence in your judgment, does not think it right to trammel your\\nmovements by detailed instructions, and that you are therefore at\\nliberty to make any other explorations in addition to those particu-\\nlarly mentioned in the instructions already conveyed to you, should\\nyou, upon the information obtained in the locality, deem it desirable\\nyou should do so.\\nI have the honor to be, Sir,\\nYour obedient servant,\\n(Signed,) T. J. J. Loranger,\\nS. J. Dawson, Esq., Secretary.\\nCivil Engineer in command,\\nof the Eed Eiver Expedition.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0191.jp2"}, "192": {"fulltext": "164\\nFrom that time forward, for the remainder of the season, and\\nduring the winter of 1858-59, our explorations were confined chiefly,\\nI may say exclusively, to the country between Rainy Lake and\\nLake Superior. Two well appointed parties were kept constantly\\nat work, and sometimes three. Instrumental surveys were carried\\nfrom Lake Superior, westward, through Dog Lake, Dog Eiver, Lac\\ndes Mille Lacs and the Seine, to within a short distance of Rainy\\nLake. The levels were taken from Jourdain s Rapid to Dog Lake,\\nand from that Lake across, by the line laid out as a road, to Lake\\nSuperior.\\nIn the spring of 1859, having learned that a party fitted out by\\nthe people of Red River, who at that time took a great deal of\\ninterest in promoting the development of the country, had been\\nbaffled in an attempt to take horses through to the Lake of the\\nWoods, had in fact got bewildered in swamps, from which they had\\nexperienced much difficulty in extricating themselves, and as the\\nimpression as to that section of the country being impracticable for\\nroads was thus gaining confirmation, I hastened to the Lake of the\\nWoods, with the most active of my assistants, and proceeding to its\\nwestern extremity had the good fortune to secure the services of an\\nIndian Chief, who undertook to show us ground on which the\\ncountry could be crossed.\\nLeaving my assistants to find their way across with the Chief, I\\nproceeded by way of the Winnipeg to the Red River Settlement,\\nwhere I had not long to wait for their arrival. They reported that\\nthe Chief had led them to a gravelly ridge which extended, with\\nbut few breaks, for a long distance across the most swampy parts\\nof the country, and that the remains of Indian encampments showed\\nthat it had been much used as a pathway, in times long past.\\nA number of men were immediately engaged in the Settlement\\nand sent to open the line which had been traced, in such a way as\\nto render it passable for horses and over this line our party rode\\nclear through to the Lake of the Woods, on horseback.\\nThe line thus opened was used afterwards as a Post road for the\\nconveyance of Mails on horseback, and it requires but slight know-\\nledge of engineering to understand that ground, over which horses\\ncan be ridden, is not so swampy as to be impracticable for roads.\\nReturning again to Rainy Lake, we made a more thorough\\nexamination of the Lakes, by the old canoe route, than we had\\npreviously had an opportunity of doing, and the result led me to\\nthe conclusion that, considering the long reaches of navigable water\\non that route, it could be rendered available, in the first instance,\\nto greater advantage and at less outlay than the line by the Seine,\\nw T hich had been examined and reported on the previous year.\\nArriving at Lake Superior, I was joined by my assistant, Mr.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0192.jp2"}, "193": {"fulltext": "165\\nWells, who had spent the whole summer in examining the country\\nabout the Height of Land and Lac des Mille Lacs. The fall being\\nnow far advanced, the parties were gradually withdrawn, such of\\nthem as we had left at the Lake of the Woods returning only in the\\nbeginning of November.\\nTo sum up, the explorations and surveys were thus continued, un-\\ninterruptedly, for three summers and two winters. There were gene-\\nrally three well-appointed parties simultaneously at work, in differ-\\nent sections, and, Avhether at Lake Superior or the Lake of the W oods\\nthe one a swampy and the other a hilly region they always\\navailed themselves of the aid of the natives, whose occupation of\\nhunting, pursued from youth to age, within particular areas, rendered\\ntheir local knowledge of the greatest value.\\nA considerable period of time has now elapsed since the oper-\\nations of the Eed Eiver expedition were brought to a close, and\\nsince that time there has been no further exploration whatever in\\nthe country between Lake Superior and the Eed Eiver Settlement,\\nso that such of our preliminary Eeports as have been published are\\nthe only sources of information generally available.\\nHaving thus briefly alluded to the surveys and explorations\\nmade by me, or under my direction, I proceed to describe the dif-\\nferent sections of the country in detail, pointing out, as concisely as\\npossible, the works and improvements required, and the reasons\\nfor adopting particular lines of route or starting points.\\nFor the sakcof convenience, in description, the country between\\nLake Superior and the Eed Eiver Settlement may properly be\\nregarded as forming four divisions.\\nThe first, embracing the region to the east of the water-shed, or\\nHeight of Land, will be referred to as the Lake Superior Section.\\nThe next, extending from the Height of Land to Fort Frances,\\nI propose to designate as the Lake Region.\\nThe navigable reach, extending from Fort Frances to the north-\\nwest angle of the Lake of the Woods, will be called the Lake of\\nthe Woods Division.\\nWhile that between the north-west angle and the Eed Eiver\\nSettlement may not inappropriately be known as the Fort Garry\\nSection.\\nLAKE SUPERIOR SECTION.\\nThe country between the Boundary Line, at Pigeon Eiver, and\\nthe head or eastern end of Thunder Bay, was carefully examined\\nwith the view of finding a practical route from Lake Superior to", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0193.jp2"}, "194": {"fulltext": "1G6\\nsome one of the water systems leading from the Height of Land,\\nwestward, to Rainy Lake.\\nOn all the routes, proposed or suggested, I had at various times\\nduring the progress of the expedition, reported to the Government,\\nso that, here, I need only state the leading advantages or objections\\nwhich attach, respectively, to each.\\nTHE PIGEON RIVER ROUTE.\\nThe nature of this route, and the objections to it, will be found\\npretty fully stated in my preliminary reports, printed by order of\\nthe Legislature. Pages 7 and 27.\\nThe starting point is entirely within the United States territory,\\nand, for a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, the canoe route\\nforms the Boundary Line. But this is far from being the only ob-\\njection. The ascent from Lake Superior is very rapid and steep,\\nand at the Height of Land, and far to the westward thereof, the\\nroute leads over a very high and broken region. The lakes at the\\nsummit of the water-shed are 1,058 feet above the level of Lake\\nSuperior, and, even at that elevation, are embosomed in rocky hills\\nwhich rise to the height of several hundreds of feet around them.\\nMoreover, the supply of water is so inadequate as to forbid the idea\\nof improving the navigation, and there is no source from whence a\\nsupply can be obtained. The route itself is at the summit of\\nsupply, and touches in its course on the head waters of no less than\\nfour different rivers.\\nBetween Pigeon River and the Ka minis taquia, there are several\\ngood harbours on the coast, but from these access to the interior\\nwould be exceedingly difficult, and could only be provided at\\nenormous outlay.\\nIt was at one time suggested that a practicable line might be\\nfound by which to cross the country from Pointe de Meuron, so\\nas to join the Pigeon River Route, to the westward of the Height of\\nLand. This point I was instructed to investigate, and accordingly\\ndespatched Mr. L. A. Russell, with a well-appointed party, to\\nexplore in the direction which had been indicated He ran a line\\nfrom Pointe de Meuron to Gun Flint Lake, a distance of some fifty-\\nfour miles, and examined the ground on either side thereof, but his\\nreport and field notes show that the country which he traversed\\nwas too rough and impracticable to admit of an available line of\\ncommunication.\\nIn concluding my notice of this route, I may say that, for a\\ndistance of one hundred and thirty miles from Lake Superior, west-\\nward, it cannot be made in any way available as a line of water\\ncommunication, except for small canoes that the country being\\nfor a great part of the distance rugged, mountainous and cut up", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0194.jp2"}, "195": {"fulltext": "167\\nwith lakes, it is next to impracticable for roads, and, finally, that\\nthere being a much better route to the eastward, entirely within\\nBritish territory, there would be no object in attempting to open\\nthis line, or spending further sums in its exploration.\\nKAMINISTAQUIA ROUTE.\\nThis is the old canoe route of the North-west and Hudson s Bay\\nCompanies. On this line the supply of water is ample, and the\\nelevation of the country at the summit of the water-shed less, by\\nsome two hundred feet, than on the Pigeon Eiver Boute, while it is\\nat the same time, that is, at the turn of the water-shed, compar-\\natively level and practicable for roads. Dog Lake, a large sheet of\\nwater on the Kaministaquia, twenty-four miles inland from Lake\\nSuperior, extends for a distance of some twenty miles in a direction\\nnearly parallel to the western coast of Thunder Bay. To the west-\\nward of this lake, the principal stream which supplies it with water\\nDog Biver can be made navigable nearly to the Height of Land\\n(and it will be so when a dam now in progress of construction is\\ncompleted), so that, between river and lake, an available reach of\\nsome thirty-five miles could be commanded. It became, therefore,\\na matter of importance to find access to this navigable reach, and\\nwith this end in view, the levels of the Kaministaquia were\\ndetermined, and the country between Dog Lake and Lake Superior\\nexplored.\\nDog Lake was found to be at an elevation of 718 feet above the\\nlevel of Lake Superior, and the intervening country proved to be\\nextremely mountainous and rough, while the difficulties by water\\nwere of a still more formidable character.\\nThe Kaministaquia, after leaving Dog Lake, runs nearly south\\nto its confluence with Fish Biver, then eastwardly to Bointe de\\nMeuron, and thence north-east to its discharge, making a sweep of\\nsixty miles before it reaches Lake Superior and as it has in that\\ndistance to get down a declivity of 718 feet, its character, in regard\\nto its capacity for navigation, may be easily imagined. It affords,\\nhowever, an available, although a difficult route for canoes but, for\\nlarge craft, it could only be made navigable at an outlay which no\\ncircumstances likely to arise would warrant.\\nA land road to Dog Lake, therefore, became indispensable, and,\\nafter much careful investigation and exploration, an available pass\\nwas found and a line laid out, and on this line during the past\\nsummer a fair commencement was made, and six miles of road,\\nreckoning from Thunder Bay, completed.\\nThe starting point is at a place called the Depot, on Thunder\\nBay, about three miles to the eastward of the mouth of the Kamin-", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0195.jp2"}, "196": {"fulltext": "168\\nistaquia, and at this point there is, in my opinion, every facility\\nfor constructing wharves and forming a perfectly safe harbour.\\nThe Kaministaquia, itself, has been strongly recommended as\\na harbour, but, in its present state, it is inaccessible to vessels draw-\\ning more than five and a half feet of water, on account of a bar or\\nshoal of great extent at its mouth. Its adoption would involve the\\ndredging of a channel, and the construction of extensive piers or\\nwalls of heavy crib work, on either side thereof, to prevent it from\\nbeing filled up by the action of the ice which, at certain seasons,\\nploughs over the bar. Another consideration, which should not be\\nlost sight of, is that the causes which produced the shoal are still in\\noperation. Quantities of sediment are brought down with every\\nfreshet, more especially in the spring, and the dredging would have\\nto be repeated at intervals to keep the channel, once formed, open.\\nEverything considered, therefore, I would not for the present\\nrecommend the Government to undertake the dredging of the Kam-\\ninistaquia, and the construction of extensive works to keep the\\nchannel so formed from filling up. The first great object is to open\\nthe communication with Fort Garry and, when that is accom-\\nplished, there will be no lack of means, from private sources, or of\\nenterprise, to render the Kaministaquia an accessible harbour. In\\nthe meantime, it might seriously affect the enterprise if large sums\\nw T ere to be expended at its very outset on merely local works.\\nFort William is, however, even at present, accessible to the\\nsmaller class of schooners or fishing vessels which navigate Lake\\nSuperior. It is, besides, a place of importance as being the centre\\nof such trade as is carried on, and it will gradually become of in-\\ncreased consequence, as the mines in the vicinity are developed,\\nand the fertile portion of the valley of the Kaministaquia fills up\\nwith settlement. For these reasons, it is expedient to connect it\\nby a branch line with the Dog Lake Eoad, as shown on the accom-\\npanying plan, and for this purpose I have included a sum of seven\\nthousand dollars ($7,000) in the estimate, which I have now the\\nhonor to submit.\\nBefore concluding this subject, I would call attention to the fact\\nthat many persons who take a deep interest in that part of the\\ncountry are under the impression that by going up the Kaminista-\\nquia to Pointe de Meuron, or as far as the navigable water extends\\na distance of some ten or twelve miles the length of land road,\\nwhich would then be required to reach Dog Lake, would be by so\\nmuch shortened. But this is a mistake. Pointe de Meuron is, in\\nan air line, somewhat further than either Fort William or the\\nDepot from Dog Lake, and there would, consequently, be no object\\nin taking cargoes up a narrow channel to a point which brought\\nthem no nearer to their destination. The branch line should, there-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0196.jp2"}, "197": {"fulltext": "169\\nfore, start from Fort William and not from Pointe de Meiiron.\\nFrom the former place the Dog Lake Eoad can be reached in six or\\nseven miles, while, from the latter, ten at least would be required,\\nwith corresponding increase in the outlay. A glance at the map\\nwill show clearly what I have endeavoured to explain.\\nIt has been objected to the Depot as a starting point, that it is\\nshelterless, and that the ice will tear away any wharves that can be\\nbuilt.\\nXow, on reference to the map, it will be seen that Thunder Bay\\nis itself a harbour, although of somewhat large dimensions, com-\\npletely land-locked and sheltered from every wind; any swell\\ntherefore, which can be felt must arise within the Bay itself. The\\nhuge surges of Lake Superior do not roll into it at all, and it may\\nbe regarded for all practical purposes, in relation to the subject\\nunder consideration, as an inland lake. Looking upon it in this\\nlight, the starting point at the Depot is in a Bay of moderate depth,,\\ncompletely sheltered from the prevailing winds, which are westerly.\\nA glance at the map will show that it is safe from winds blowing\\nfrom the west, south-west, north and north-west; and, I may add,\\nthat a wind blowing from a direction fifteen or twenty points to\\nthe east of north, would not affect it. East, or south-easterly winds,\\nalone, would blow in upon the harbour, but the extent of their\\nsweep would be limited to the width of Thunder Bay, and the surge\\nwhich could arise in that distance may easily be guarded against.\\nThat the swell hair no great effect in Thunder Bay, at any time, is\\ndemonstrated by the fact, that the trees crow clear down almost to\\nthe level of the water, indeed, in some places, dipping their branches\\ninto it whereas, in exposed parts of Lake Superior, the wave-lashed\\nshores are destitute of vegetation.\\nIt has been said, moreover, that the ice would carry wharves\\naway, and, as convincing proof of this, a boulder was pointed out\\nto me which had been shoved ashore by the ice. I merely notice\\ntins to show the sort of arguments which have been advanced to\\ndisparage Thunder Bay and promote the Kaministaquia. If\\nwharves cannot stand in the tranquil waters of a land-locked bay\\nthey can stand nowhere, and those who object to them in Thunder\\nBay, on the score of ice, can have had but little experience of such\\na river as the St. Lawrence, where wharves are built to resist ice\\nrushing against them in immense fields, with the full force of the\\nspring floods, as is the case at Three Eivers when Lake St. Peter is\\nbreaking up.\\nAmong the advantages which the Depot at Thunder Bay pos-\\nsesses, may be mentioned the facility of approach or departure\\nto sailing vessels, as they would have ample sea-room to beat in or\\nout, which they could not have in a narrow river like the Kamin-", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0197.jp2"}, "198": {"fulltext": "170\\nistaquia, with a shoal at its mouth extending a full mile from the\\ncoast and a very important point to be considered is that Thunder\\nBay, as compared to the Kaministaquia, opens earlier in the\\nspring and remains open later in the fall. As an instance of this,\\nit may be remarked that, in the fall of 1866, when the steamer\\nAlgoma made her last trip, the Kaministaquia is said to have been\\nfrozen over, and that so strongly that the people of Fort William\\nwere skating on the ice.\\nFrom the Depot, eastward along the shore of Thunder Bay, the\\nground for a distance of several miles is practicable for a road, and\\nthere are facilities for the construction of wharves, in various places,\\nmore especially at a point a little to the eastward of Current Eiver,\\nwhere there is a small natural harbor, which, by means of piers,\\nmight be sufficiently extended.\\nIt was at one time believed that the upper or eastern end of\\nThunder Bay, affording as it does an excellent natural harbor, would\\nhave been a favorable point from which to run a line of road to\\nDog Lake, but a careful examination showed such a line to be im-\\npracticable, within any reasonable limit of expenditure, on account\\nof the rugged nature of the country over which it would have had\\nto pass. Moreover, to have adopted the head of the bay would\\nhave increased the distance to be navigated by some forty miles,\\nthat is, including the addition both in Dog Lake and the bay.\\nReferring again to the locality which has been chosen as the\\nstarting point at Thunder Bay, it is admirably adapted for the\\nconstruction of wharves. The water deepens uniformly and gra-\\ndually from the shore, until, at a distance of five hundred feet, it has\\na depth of three fathoms and a half. Timber suitable for the work\\nis very abundant on the Kaministaquia, whence it could be easily\\nfloated down, and on various parts of the shores there is abundance\\nof loose stone for filling the piers, and the fixed rock, close at hand,\\nis of a nature to be easily blasted.\\nAt present, it is proposed merely to sink an isolated pier or\\nbreakwater, at which vessels can discharge their loads, doing in\\nfact no more than is necessary to facilitate the landing of material\\nand supplies for the works, leaving it to a future consideration\\nwhether the wharves shall be extended at the public cost, or left to\\nprivate enterprise.\\nI conclude this part of the subject by noticing still another\\nroute which has been advocated, namely the\\nNIPEGOX BAY EOUTE.\\nAmong the many schemes recommended for opening the North-\\nwest Territories, the head of this bay has been suggested as a point", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0198.jp2"}, "199": {"fulltext": "171\\nof departure, chiefly on the ground that it affords an excellent harbour,\\nand that, by its adoption, the distance to be navigated in Lake\\nSuperior would be somewhat shortened.\\nIt is not, however, without its objections, and a conclusive one\\nwill be found in the fact that it is too far to the eastward of the\\nline which it is proposed to open to render its adoption in any way\\nexpedient It would, in fact, involve at the outset a land, road of\\nninety or a hundred miles to reach the nearest point beyond the\\nwater-shed, without any compensating advantage. Moreover, Mpe-\\ngon Bay, being completely land-locked, is said to be very late of\\nopening in the spring, and the access to it is reported to be so intri-\\ncate as to require light-houses and beacons to render it safe whereas,\\nThunder Bay is remarkably easy of access, and has been for many\\nyears approached, night and day, without the occurrence of an\\naccident.\\nI may further state that a road from Mpegon Bay, to connect\\nwith the proposed line west of the water-shed, would pass over a\\nregion as yet unexplored, and only known to be exceedingly moun-\\ntainous and rough, and as it would run in a direction transverse to\\nthe valleys, more than one mountain range would have to be crossed\\nand several considerable rivers bridged.\\nTHE LAKE REGION.\\nWestward of the Height of Land, on the streams tributary to\\nEainy Lake, there is a section of country remarkable from the fact\\nthat a very considerable portion of its area is occupied by lakes.\\nThose on the various routes which have been followed, are set down\\non the annexed map, but these give only a faint idea of their num-\\nber. Every river and rivulet has its lakes. Go in whatever direc-\\ntion he will, the explorer, on passing over a mountain range, is sure\\nto stumble on a lake. The Indians, with their little canoes, seem\\nby means of these lakes to travel in almost any and every direction.\\nSo numerous are they, that it would be difficult to say whether the\\ncountry would be better described as one vast lake with ridges of\\nland running through it, or as land intersected by water. On as-\\ncending any of the bare rocky bluffs frequent in the country, moun-\\ntains are seen stretching away in tumultuous and broken ridges to\\nthe horizon, with lakes gleaming from every valley which the eye\\ncan reach.\\nSuch a region is but ill adapted for railways, but nature has\\nmade up for the deficiency, by providing such means for canals as\\nexist in but few regions of so mountainous a character. Between", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0199.jp2"}, "200": {"fulltext": "172\\nthe hills and mountain ranges there are long reaches of tranquil\\nwater which could be connected together by means of lock and\\ndam, with but little excavation. The country, however, in its pre-\\nsent state, is not in a condition to admit of such projects as either\\nrailways or canals, but, even if it were, the very primitive and\\nmoderate way in which I propose to open the communication would\\nstill be necessary, as a preliminary step, to render the different points\\naccessible.\\nA very marked characteristic of the region is that the streams.\\nare not subject to sudden or considerable floods, and this is a fea-\\nture which the engineer, who has to provide for water-works of\\nwhatever description, will look upon with unmixed satisfaction.\\nThis very favorable circumstance is due, primarily, to the lakes\\nwhich serve as reservoirs, rising slowly during freshets, and sub-\\nsiding gradually when they have passed. It is in part produced\\nalso by the character of the country, which is, in general, densely\\nwooded.\\nThe rain fall is excessive, and as a consequence the streams\\ncarry a very heavy volume, as compared to the area which they\\ndrain.\\nThe lakes are everywhere studded with wooded islands, and\\nso sheltered that the smallest canoes are rarely wind-bound.\\nThe first considerable sheet of water westward of Height of\\nLand, on the route which it is proposed to follow, is\\nLAC DES MILLE LACS.\\nTo render this Lake accessible from Dog Eiver, all that is re-\\nquired is a road of ten miles across the water-shed, between Jour-\\ndain s Eapid and the navigable water of the Savane Eiver.\\nThis line would pass over very easy ground, presenting no en-\\ngineering difficulty whatever, except for about two miles near the\\nSavane Eiver, where the ground is low and swampy, requiring to be\\nwell ditched and fascined.\\nTwo routes have been followed from Lac des Mille Lacs to\\nEainy Lake one by its discharge, the Eiver Seine, and the other\\nby the old canoe route. A description of the former will be found\\nin my printed report, pages 28 and 29. Subsequent to the publi-\\ncation of that report, the old canoe route, marked in yellow on the\\naccompanying plan, was more thoroughly surveyed than it had\\nbeen before.\\nEither route can be made practicable in the way I have recom-\\nmended for the Seine, at a moderate outlay, but, after weighing duly\\ntheir respective advantages, I am satisfied that the old canoe route\\nwill be, both as to economy of work in rendering it available, and\\nfacility of managing and navigating it afterwards, the best.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0200.jp2"}, "201": {"fulltext": "173\\nTHE CANOE KOUTE.\\nThe canoe route, to describe it more particularly, leaves Lac des\\nMille Lacs at Baril Bay, by a portage of sixteen chains leading to\\nBaril Lake, which is eight miles and a half in length.\\nThis Lake is again left by the Brule Portage (of twenty-one\\nchains), leading to Windegoostegoon a series of Lakes connected\\nby a small stream, and having an aggregate length of twelve miles.\\nThe water is in some places shallow, but it can easily be rendered\\nof sufficient depth.\\nThen comes the Great French Portage of one mile and sixty\\nchains, the descent in that distance being 99 T Vo feet succeeding\\nwhich the Kaogassikok Lake presents an unbroken reach of fifteen\\nmiles, ending at the Pine Portage.\\nThen follow two portages in close succession the Pine and the\\nDeux Rivieres in length, respectively, twenty-six and thirty chains;\\nbut a road of two miles, to the navigable water leading to Sturgeon\\nLake, would pass them both, and a small pond between them.\\nSturgeon Lake, with a pond above it, presents sixteen miles of\\nnavigable water, but the river below it, for eleven miles downwards\\nto Island Portage, makes a descent of only 32^% feet; a dam of\\nsufficient height at Island Portage would, therefore, add eleven\\nmiles of navigable water to its length, making a reach of full\\ntwenty-seven miles.\\nIsland PortagtTis about thirteen chains in length, with, in its\\npresent state, a fall of 10 1 -go feet. Immediately below it the Stur-\\ngeon River is somewhat shallow, but navigable, nevertheless, and\\nat two miles from the Portage, ISTequaquon Lake presents a magni-\\nficent expanse, navigable for fifteen miles, making, with the river\\nis inlet, a reach of seventeen miles.\\nFrom the Lake just named to the Nameukan Lake, there are\\nthree routes the northern one, by Snake Falls, always followed at\\nlow water, is considered dangerous, as may be inferred from its\\nname, the Maligne\\nThe southern, or high water route, is easy of navigation for\\ncanoes, the total fall being overcome in three short portages. The\\nthird, at present only used with light canoes, avoids all the rapids\\nby a portage of two miles into Nameukan, as shown on the plan,\\novercoming in that distance a descent of about seventy-two feet.\\nThen follows a traverse of ten miles, through Nameukan Lake,\\nto the Bare Portage, which is but eleven chains in length, with a\\nfall of SjYo feet to Rainy Lake.\\nThe following table shows the distances, with the fall, at each\\ncarrying place, in a more concise form", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0201.jp2"}, "202": {"fulltext": "174\\nTable showing Portages and Navigable Readies between Height of Land\\nand Fort Frances.\\nPORTAGES.\\nLand C\\nMiles.\\narriage\\nChains\\neg\\no\u00c2\u00a3\\nPS\\n|.S\\n5\\nNavigable Branches.\\nto\\na\\nto\\n1\\nSavane River and Lac des\\nMille Lacs Baril Portage\\n16\\n21\\n1.86\\n-47.02\\n-9.50\\n-99.71\\n124.12\\n(10.06\\nJ32.50\\n72.00\\n8.55\\n42\\nSJ-\\nWindegoostegoon Lakes\\n12\\nDescent in Windegoostegoon lakelets and\\n1\\n2\\n2\\n60\\n13\\nii\\nLittle: French] Lake and\\nKaogassikok Lake\\nSturgeon Lake and River\\nNequaquon Lake\\nPine and Deux Rivieres Portages\\nIsland Portage and Fall, Sturgeon River\\nPortage between Nequaquon Lake and\\n15\\n27\\n17\\n10\\nRainy Lake and River.\\nNavigable\\n46\\n6\\n41\\n403.46\\n1.86\\n177^\\nOff\\n6\\nDiff. level between Lac des Mille\\n401.60\\n184\\nThus, between the head of the Savane Eiver and Fort Frances,\\nthe extent of navigable water would be one hundred and seventy-\\nseven and a-half miles, in eight reaches, divided by seven portages,\\nthe latter having an aggregate length of six miles and forty-one\\nchains in round numbers, six miles and a half. At a very little\\noutlay, however, over what I am about to propose, the navigable\\nreaches could be somewhat extended, and the number of carrying-\\nplaces reduced to five.\\nFor example, the difference in level between Lac des Mille Lacs\\nand Baril Lake is hardly two feet, the latter being so much the\\nhighest. If, therefore, Lac des Mille Lacs w r ere raised by means of\\na clam to the level of Baril Lake, and a cut made between the two,\\neight miles and a half would be added to the navigable reach of\\nMille Lacs, and one portage done away with.\\nIn like manner, the difference in level between Nameukan and\\nRainy Lakes is but 8/^ feet, which might be overcome by a wooden\\nlock, thus adding some ten miles to the navigable water of Rainy\\nLake, and avoiding another trans-shipment. There would then\\nremain only five portages, in a distance of one hundred and eighty-\\nfour miles one hundred and seventy-seven and a half miles being\\nby water and a little over six by land. On three of the portages,\\naveraging about two miles each, horses or oxen would have to be\\nmaintained, while, on the remaining two, namely Brule and Island", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0202.jp2"}, "203": {"fulltext": "175\\nPortages, being respectively but twenty-one and thirteen chains in\\nlength, wooden-ways might be so constructed as to admit of hand-\\ncars being drawn over them with facility. I point this out, but\\nwould not recommend, for the present, either a cut at Baril Lake or\\na lock to connect Nameukan and Eainy Lake.\\nThe following are the works which I consider of the most\\npressing and immediate importance in this division\\nDAM AT LITTLE FALLS, RIVIERE LA SEINE.\\nA dam at this point, if of sufficient height, say forty-two feet,\\nwould have the effect of raising the wat r of Lac des Mille Lacs to\\na level equal with, or a little higher than Baril Lake, the latter\\nbeing l T 8 o 6 o feet above the level of Mille Lacs; so that, by a mere\\ncut, the two could be connected, and, in the event of more exten-\\nsive works being undertaken at some future period, it would be no\\nsmall matter to have the water of Mille Lacs at command, for, until\\nafter passing French Portage, the supply of water on the canoe\\nroute, although ample for the works now proposed, is not sufficient\\nfor the more extensive improvements which will doubtless be re-\\nquired in the future.\\nAmong the further advantages of this dam would be the addi-\\ntional depth which it would give over an extensive shoal just at the\\nmouth of the Savanc Eiver.\\nMoreover, in the event of a land road all the way between Lac\\ndes Mille Lacs and Eainy Lake becoming necessary, a dam at the\\nLittle Falls would extend the navigable waters of Mille Lacs to a\\ndistance of seventy miles on Eainy Lake. The construction of such\\na road has been strongly urged by various parties who have mani-\\nfested a deep interest in opening the communication, chiefly under\\nthe idea that it would greatly expedite the conveyance of mails.\\nIt must be borne in mind, however, that taking into account the\\ncharacter of the country, seventy miles of road made in such a way\\nas to be really useful, in a region so remote, would cost not less\\nthan one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. It is therefore a\\nmatter for consideration whether for the present the less expensive\\nway would not be the best, and whether if such a sum, instead of\\nbeing applied to making a road, were expended on the construction\\nof locks to extend the navigable reaches, it would not have a better\\neffect, even as regards the transport of mails, inasmuch as steamers\\nmight then be placed to advantage on reaches now too short to\\nadmit of their being used.\\nThe situation at the Little Falls is admirably adapted for a dam,\\nthe river at that point passing through a cut in the rock with high\\nrocky banks on either side. To have the desired effect of raising", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0203.jp2"}, "204": {"fulltext": "176\\nthe water of Lac des Mille Lacs to the extent of about three feet\\nabove its present level, the dam would require to be forty-two feet\\nin height. Prom a rough estimate by me when on the ground, I\\nhave set down its cost at twenty thousand dollars. If, however,\\nthe mere raising of Lac des Mille Lacs were the only object in view,\\nit could be attained by a much less costly structure at its immediate\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2outlet.\\nTaking the works proposed in their regular order from the Lac\\ndes Mille Lacs to Eainy Lake, the improvement next required would\\nbe at\\nBARIL PORTAGE.\\nThis is the portage or carrying place, between Lac des Mille Lacs\\n-and Baril Lake, in length sixteen chains, For the present it is\\nmerely proposed to improve the portage and place a tramway upon\\nit for hand-cars. Baril Lake is, as stated, 1 t 8 q 6 feet above the level\\nof Mille Lacs, and when the latter is raised by means of the dam\\nproposed, a cut might easily be made to connect the two lakes and\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2do away with the portage, as already said.\\nBRULE PORTAGE.\\nHere, also, it is proposed to place a tramway. The present\\nlength of the portage is twenty-one chains, but the brook forming\\nthe discharge of Baril Lake can be so improved as to reduce the\\ndistance to ten chains. The difference of level between the water\\nof Baril Lake and the lower end of the portage is 47 T feet.\\nDAM AT HEAD OF FRENCH PORTAGE.\\nThe effect of this dam would be to raise the water of the Win-\\ndegoostegoon Lakes, which is in some places shallow, and do away\\nwith a little rapid where there is a Ml of three feet. The channel,\\nwhere the dam is to be built, is of solid rock, eighty feet in width,\\nwith rocky banks on each side. The structure would be an ordi-\\nnary flat dam, builtfof unhewn timber, and covered in front with\\ntimbers hewn to six inches, raised to the height of twelve feet, with\\na flood-gate fifteen feet in width, provided with stop logs and the\\nmeans of raising them, in the same manner as at the head gates of\\na slide. A work of this extent would cost in ordinary circum-\\nstances about twelve hundred dollars, but considering the remote-\\nness of the situation and the cost of getting men, supplies, etc., I\\nhave set it down at sixteen hundred dollars.\\nFRENCH PORTAGE.\\nThis carrying place is one mile and sixty chains in length, and\\nthe fall from its eastern end to the Little Lake at its western extre-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0204.jp2"}, "205": {"fulltext": "177\\nmity 90 /jo feet, a difference of level which forbids any attempt to\\nencounter the river for the present. There is nothing for it, there-\\nfore, but a road, and for this the ground, although somewhat hilly,\\nis not unfavorable. French Portage is succeeded by a navigable\\nreach of fifteen miles, embracing Kaogassikok Lake and ending at\\nPine Portage.\\nPINE PORTAGE AND DEUX RIVIERES PORTAGES.\\nThese two portages may be considered as one, and have to be\\npassed by a land road of two miles, as at French Portage, as the\\nriver could only be rendered available at an outlay which must\\nform a subject for consideration in the future, the fall being 124 T\\nfeet. At present, a land road, of the required distance (two miles)\\ncan be made over ground somewhat rough, but on the whole favor-\\nable. This road would end at the navigable water leading to\\nSturgeon Lake, and the next work required would be the\\nDAM AT ISLAND PORTAGE.\\nThis is one of the most important works on the whole line of\\nroute, as its construction would give an unbroken reach of twenty-\\nseven miles of navigable water, through the very roughest section\\nof the Lake Eegion. Sturgeon Lake, which would form a link in\\nthis stretch, is sixteen miles in length, navigable throughout. From\\nits discharge to Island Portage, the distance is eleven miles, and\\nthe aggregate fall 32 T 5 V The carrying place is on an island just at\\nthe brow of a fall of ten feet. Sturgeon Eiver is, at this point,\\nthree hundred and thirty feet wide, with a bottom of solid rock,\\nand rocky banks on either side rising with a moderate ascent.\\nHere it is proposed to construct a flat dam of the simplest form,\\nbut at the same time the strongest; and, in this instance, I see no\\nobject in going to the expense of making flood gates. The height\\nof the dam would be not less than thirty-five feet. The quantity\\nof timber used in its construction will reach eighty thousand lineal\\nfeet, and timber of the finest description, both red and white\\npine, is available; but, considering the remoteness of the locality,\\nits cost, built into the work, cannot be reckoned at less than seven-\\nteen cents per foot, equal to fourteen thousand four hundred\\ndollars, add to which for filling, c, three thousand six hundred\\ndollars, making eighteen thousand dollars, as set down in the\\nestimate.\\nDAMS AT NEQUAQUON.\\nImmediately below Island Portage, Sturgeon Eiver is shallow,\\nbut deepens gradually, till, at a distance of some two miles, it\\n12", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0205.jp2"}, "206": {"fulltext": "178\\nopens out in Nequaquon Lake. The main, or northern outlet of\\nthis lake, is over a rocky bottom, and across this I propose to run a\\nlow flat dam, so as to give a sufficiency of water below Island\\nPortage, at the shoals just mentioned. The southern outlet is\\nsmaller, but would also require a dam, and for these works I have\\nincluded in the estimate a sum of four thousand dollars.\\nPORTAGE BETWEEN NEQUAQUON AND NAMEUKAN.\\nThis Portage leads from the smooth water, at the western end\\nof Nequaquon Lake, to a bay of the Nameukan Lake its length is\\ntwo miles, and the descent from one lake to the other about seventy-\\ntwo feet. The ground is rough and difficult, but in the estimate I\\nhave included it with other portages, and taken a general average\\nfor the whole. From this Portage a reach of ten miles of navi-\\ngable water ends at\\nBARE PORTAGE.\\nThis is the last carrying place to Eainy Lake. The descent is\\n8 fo 5 o feet, and the length of the portage eleven chains can be\\nmuch reduced by a little excavation.\\nLAKE OF THE WOODS DIVISION.\\nThis comprises the navigable reach extending from Fort Frances\\nto the north-west angle of the Lake of the Woods, a distance of\\none hundred and twenty miles.\\nAt Fort Frances, there is a complete and sudden change in the\\nappearance of the country, and an evident improvement in the\\nclimate. The ever-recurring rocks and hills of the lake region\\ndisappear, and in contrast to these are commodious buildings, a\\nfarm of some extent, and cattle grazing in the fields, with a broad\\nriver sweeping westward between banks of deep alluvial soil.\\nEainy Eiver is, here, a stream of great volume, nearly a quarter\\nof a mile in width. The falls (22 T 8 o% feet in height) are just\\nopposite the Fort, and from this point to the north-west angle of the\\nLake of the Woods (a distance of one hundred and twenty miles,\\nas stated), the navigation is uninterrupted.\\nThere are, however, two little rapids on Eainy Eiver, the\\nManitou and the Long Eapids, occurring about half way to the\\nLake of the Woods, as set down on the accompanying map. The\\nfirst, with a fall of 2f 5 o\u00c2\u00b0o f ee has great depth of water, and could\\neasily be stemmed by a steamer of moderate power. The Long", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0206.jp2"}, "207": {"fulltext": "179\\nEapicl may have a fall of 3 J to 4 feet, distributed over a distance\\nof some thirty chains. In this rapid the water glides smoothly,\\nbut is in some places shallow. I think, however, that even at the\\nlowest stage of water, a vessel drawing four feet could pass. In any\\ncase, the bottom is of a nature to be easily deepened, if required.\\nThe strength of the current presents no serious obstacle, as canoes\\ncan be paddled up, requiring the use of the setting poles at only\\ntwo points. At the Manitou the tow line has generally to be used.\\nAny impediment in these rapids, therefore, would be so easily\\novercome, that it is hardly worth estimating, and to all practical\\npurposes, the navigation in this long reach may be regarded as\\nuninterrupted.\\nIn my preliminary report, as already said, before the later\\nexplorations were made, in the country westward of the Lake of\\nthe Woods, Lac Plat was suggested as the starting point of a road\\nto Fort Garry, chiefly because it was supposed to be the point\\nwhich would involve the making of the smallest extent of road.\\nThe western extremity of Lac Plat is, however, one hundred and\\nfifty eight miles from Fort Frances, while the north-west angle,\\nwhich is now adopted as the starting point, is but one hundred\\nand twenty miles a saving of thirty-eight miles is thus effected\\nin navigating the Lake of the Woods.\\nBefore concluding this part of the subject, I would draw atten-\\ntion to the fact 4h at two locks at Fort Frances, where the fall is\\n22 T 8 feet, would have the effect of adding Painy Lake to the\\nnavigable reach which I have just been describing, giving one\\nhundred and sixty-six miles without a trans-shipment.\\nFORT GARRY SECTION.\\nAs already explained, a good deal of difficulty was experienced\\nin finding a line practicable for a road, by which to get through the\\nmarshy region intervening between the Lake of the Woods and the\\nprairie eastward of the Pted Eiver Settlement.\\nThis section of country presents to the eye, in its general\\ncharacter, the appearance of an uncleviating Hat. From the Lake\\nof the Woods, for a distance of twenty-five or thirty miles west-\\nward, swamps of great extent, covered with moss and stunted ever-\\ngreens, are of frequent occurrence. In other sections, considerable\\nareas are occupied by marshes or shallow lakes, with bulrushes\\nand other aquatic plants standing out of the water. In the latter\\ncases, the bottom, after a certain depth is attained, is generally firm,\\nwhile, in the swamps, in some instances, the surface covering is", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0207.jp2"}, "208": {"fulltext": "180\\nitself afloat, and heaves and undulates beneath the feet, presenting\\na quagmire or peat bog, on an extensive scale. This description\\napplies more particularly to the section nearest to the Lake of the\\nWoods. On approaching the prairie, the swamps are less extensive\\nand the ground in general more favorable. In the swampy sections,\\nhowever, there are some areas of dry ground and good soil, and,\\nwhere the bogs are deepest, they are intersected by low gravelly\\nridges which rise but a few feet over the general level. These\\nridges are firm, and their direction can be traced by the heavy\\ngrowth of wood which they carry. Flat and level as the country\\nappears to be, it is susceptible of being drained. The section most\\nswampy, although but slightly higher than the Lake of the Woods,\\nis at an elevation of over three hundred feet above the valley of\\nEed River, and wherever a run of water is met with, except in the\\nlake-like swamps, it is seen gliding on with a speed which indicates\\na sufficient fall for drainage.\\nThe principal streams in the region are the Broken Head Eiver,\\nthe White Mouth Eiver, and the Eoseau or Eiver of Eoses.\\nThe latter takes its rise in the United States Territory, and runs\\nwestward, at a short distance from, and nearly parallel to, the\\nBoundary Line, till it joins the Eed Eiver, a little to the north of\\nPembina. This stream forms a link in the ancient war-path of the\\nSaulteaux Indians to the country of their enemies the Sioux.\\nThe Broken Head runs north to Lake Winnipeg, while the White\\nMouth falls into the Winnipeg Eiver, just above the Seven Portages.\\nThe section which I have just been describing, except in the swamps\\nand marshes, is densely wooded. Westward of this is the Prairie,\\nhaving a depth of thirty miles to the eastward of Eed Eiver. This\\nPrairie does not meet the wooded region as might be supposed,\\ngradually merging from prairie to woodland, but abruptly and at\\nonce. It seems to be an ancient lake bottom, still nearly as level\\nas a lake, and generally without wood. Bordering on this is the\\nwooded region, with points stretching into the plain, like the head-\\nlands of a lake. Just where the prairie and woodland meet, there\\nare, in some places, banks of gravel which will eventually become\\nof importance, as material for forming roadways over the soft and\\nyielding soil of the plains.\\nProm Fort Garry to the north-west angle of the Lake of the\\nWoods, a road line has been laid out, and its practicability proved\\nby the fact that, for several years, it was used as a post road and\\nthe mails carried over it on horseback. Wheeled vehicles, except\\nin very wet weather, can already travel over the Prairie, and, taking\\nthe line altogether, its average cost, to form a first class country\\nroad, will be rather under than over the general average of such\\n-works", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0208.jp2"}, "209": {"fulltext": "181\\nTo describe it more particularly, starting from the north-west\\nangle of the Lake of the Woods, the ground, for a distance of fifteen\\nmiles, is low and swampy, requiring deep and extensive cuts for\\ndraining, added to which the roadway, for several miles, will require\\nto be fascined no large bridges on this section.\\nProceeding westward, there is a marked improvement in the\\nnext ten miles, but the ground is still very swampy. Material for\\nfascining and bridging abounds, and two small bridges have to be\\nmade, on tributaries of the White Mouth Eiver. Taking the above\\nas one section of twenty-five miles, reckoning from the Lake of the\\nWoods, I set its average cost at sixteen hundred dollars per mile,\\nequal to forty thousand dollars; still proceeding westward for thirty-\\nfive miles (which may. be regarded as one section) the ground is\\nmuch improved in character. For some four or five miles, near the\\nWhite Mouth Eiver, nothing better could be desired. Then follows\\na series of low gravelly ridges, over many portions of which little\\nmore has to be done than to grub out the trees. An occasional\\nintrusion from an adjoining swamp has to be fascined, and bridges\\nwill be required over the Broken Head and White Mouth Eivers.\\nFor this section, I have set down one thousand dollars per mile; in\\nall thirty-five thousand dollars.\\nThe next section is over low prairie embracing a distance of\\nabout thirty miles, from a place where there are a few Indian huts,\\ncalled Oak Point Settlement, to Fort Garry. For this section I\\nhave set down four hundred dollars per mile, which may appear to\\nbe a low estimate for a road, but all that can be done for it, with-\\nout going to a very great outlay, is to drain it thoroughly, and, if\\nthis were done, it would be as good as the roads at Eed Eiver\\ngenerally are. A road on a prairie has this advantage, that when\\nthe turf cuts and the wheels begin to sink in one track, another is\\nalways available, the width being quite unlimited.\\nTo render the section under consideration practicable in this\\nway, one deep ditch is necessary, with a little fascining and raising\\nof the roadway in the lower parts. Lateral cuts, of considerable\\nlength, will have to be made to drain the water from the main\\ntrench all which can be accomplished at an average cost of four\\nhundred dollars per mile, making in all, twelve thousand dollars for\\nthe Prairie Section.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0209.jp2"}, "210": {"fulltext": "182\\nTOTAL LENGTH OF ROUTE BY LAND AND WATER.\\nLand Miles. Chains. Water Miles.\\nDog Lake Poad 25\\nDog Lake and River 35\\nHeight of Land Portage 10\\nLac des Mille Lacs and Savane Piv r 42\\nBaril Portage 16\\nBaril Lake 8 J\\nBrule Portage 21\\nWindegoostegoon 12\\nFrench Portage 2\\nKaogassikok 15\\nDeux Eivieres 2\\nSturgeon Lake 27\\nIsland Portage 13\\njSTequaquon 17\\nNequaquon Portage 2\\nXameukan Lake 10\\nBare Portage 11\\nKainy Lake 46\\nFort Frances 10\\nKainy Paver and Lake of the Woods 120\\nFort Garry 90\\n131 71 3321\\n131\\n463-i\\nESTIMATE.\\nThe probable cost of opening the communication, in the way I\\nlave proposed, from Jourdain s Eapid, at the head of- the navigable\\nwater on Dog Kiver, to Fort Garry, would be as follows\\nLAKE KEGION.\\nEoads and improvements at Height of Land,\\nbetween Dog Kiver and Lac des Mille Lacs $11,000 00\\nDam, with flood-gates, at eastern end Great\\nFrench Portage 1,600 00\\nDam, thirty-five feet high, across Sturgeon\\nPaver, at Island Portage 18,000 00\\nTwo low flat dams, at Nequaquon Lake 4,000 00", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0210.jp2"}, "211": {"fulltext": "183\\nDam, at Little Falls (Two Falls Portage on\\nthe River Seine) 20,000 00\\nSix and a half miles road and tramway over\\nportages, between Lac des Mille Lacs and\\nRainy Lake 10,400 00\\n865,000 00\\nLAND EOADS (FOET GxVEEY SECTION.)\\nNinety miles land road, between\\nnorth-west angle of the Lake\\nof the Woods and Fort Garry,\\nwould cost for twenty-five\\nmiles, Eastern Section, at\\n\u00c2\u00a71,600 per mile $40,000 00\\nThirty-five miles, Middle Sec-\\ntion, at 81,000 per mile 35,000 00\\nThirty miles, Western Section,\\nover low prairie, at 8400\\nper mile 12,000 00\\n87,000 00\\n$152,000 00\\nOTHEE WORKS (LAKE SUPEEIOE SECTION.)\\nA pier required at the Depot, Thunder\\nBay, Lake Superior 2,500 00\\nSeven miles land road, to connect Fort\\nWilliam with Dog Lake Line 7,000 00\\n9,500 00\\n$161,500 00\\nSuperintendence and contingencies 5,000 00\\n$166,500 00\\nThe above does not include- such of the works, in the Lake\\nSuperior section, as were provided for in the grant of fifty-five\\nthousand nine hundred dollars made last year, except a road at the\\nHeight of Land, which is allowed for in the present estimate. This\\nwas necessary, inasmuch as the total grant of last year will be re-\\nquired to complete the road to Dog Lake, and finish the dam, which\\nlatter was found to involve a little more work than anticipated, on\\naccount of the necessity which has arisen of running an additional\\ndam along a rocky ridge of low ground, south of the outlet of\\nDog Lake.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0211.jp2"}, "212": {"fulltext": "184\\nPROBABLE TRAFFIC.\\nWithin the last few years, since the North-west Territories have\\nbegun to attract so much attention, many schemes have been ad-\\nvanced and many suggestions made, as to the best means of opening\\nthe communication. Without going, for the present, into the merits\\nof these schemes, I would draw attention to the fact that the coun-\\ntry between Lake Superior and the Eed Eiver Settlement is a\\nwilderness, as yet in a state of nature that, except to the canoe of\\nthe Indian, or the voyager, it is quite inaccessible in its present\\nstate, and that until some way of getting through it is devised, there\\ncan be no means of taking even the initiatory steps in the construc-\\ntion of works of great magnitude, such as railways or canals. A\\nline of communication such as I have proposed would render the\\ncountry accessible, and, when it is completed, it will be time enough\\nto entertain greater projects.\\nBut, while taking this view of its utility, I must also draw at-\\ntention to the fact that the opening of the communication, even in\\nthis simple way, would have the immediate effect of drawing the\\ntrade of the North-west Territories to Canada.\\nThe people of Eed Eiver, at present, purchase their goods in\\nSt. Paul, and take them from thence full six hundred miles, over-\\nland, to the settlement sometimes, indeed, there is a small steamer\\nwhich runs on Eed Eiver during high water, but, as a general rule,\\nthe goods which the settlers require are carted all the way through,\\nand the cost of freight is generally reckoned at from four and a half\\nto five dollars per 100 lbs.\\nNow, from an estimate which I have made, I feel confident that\\nif the communication were opened, even in the primitive way sug-\\ngested, the cost of transport from Lake Superior to the Eed Eiver\\nSettlement would not exceed $1.75 per 100 lbs.; but, supposing that\\nit should cost as much as two dollars, it would still be less, by over\\none-half, than the cost of freight from St. Paul; and when the vastly\\ncheaper rate at which goods can be purchased in Canada, as com-\\npared to Minnesota, is considered, it is but reasonable to suppose\\nthat the trade must come this way.\\nI have only alluded, so far, to the trade of the settlement, or\\nrather of the settlers, apart from that of the Hudson s Bay Com-\\npany, but I think the latter might be looked for also for the able\\nofficers who manage that ancient and honorable corporation, as soon\\nas they saw that they could get their supplies cheaper by Lake\\nSuperior than by Hudson s Bay or St. Paul, would at once adopt\\nthe route. It is clear, therefore, that by opening the communica-\\ntion in the manner proposed, a trade, amounting to several millions\\nof dollars annually, would be at once transferred to Canada, Even\\nas a matter of speculation, without reference to political consider-", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0212.jp2"}, "213": {"fulltext": "185\\nations or the vast field which would be opened to colonization, it\\nwould be a safe enterprise to open the line.\\nIt is a circumstance of no small importance, in recommending\\nthe expenditure of money on a public work, to be able to show that,\\nwhen completed, it will at once begin to yield a return. In the\\npresent instance, the return would not, of course, be in the shape of\\ntolls on the works, but in the way of increasing trade, and conse-\\nquently increasing revenue, the laying open of extensive tracts of\\nfertile territory lor settlement, and the development of a district\\nnow known to be rich in mineral resources.\\nThe State of Minnesota has, of late, being doing a good deal to\\nfacilitate intercourse and trade with the Bed Eiver Settlement.\\nDuring the summer now approaching, a tri-weekly line of stages\\nwill be established, mails will be delivered every second day,\\nand the people, cut off from Canada, will naturally draw closer to\\nthe only neighbors with whom they can hold intercourse, and, if\\ntins state of things continues long, they must become a community\\nof the United States, rather than a British Colony.\\nNow, it is evident, that if the trade of the North-west Territo-\\nries is of value to Minnesota, it ought to be of some importance to\\nCanada; and, if the people of a new State see advantage in taxing\\ntheir scanty resources, to make roads and keep up lines of stages to\\nattract that trade, overland, surely the Dominion, with much greater\\nfacilities and more ample resources, might do a little to obtain it,\\nwhen nearly two-thirds of the distance would be by navigable\\nwater.\\nTHE MEANS OF TRANSPORT.\\nWhen the traffic of the Eecl Eiver Settlement and the North-\\nwest Territories has once fairly begun to take the route by Lake\\nSuperior, private enterprise will soon fall upon the means by which\\ntransport can be most easily effected.\\nLAND CARRIAGE.\\nIn the meantime, I may suggest the mode, which, in the first\\ninstance, must be resorted to. At Lake Superior, of course, when\\nthe communication is once completely opened, there will, no doubt,,\\nbe ample competition for the conveyance of articles over the road\\nto Dog Lake, as there probably will be at the Height of Land Port-\\nage also.\\nAt three of the portages in the interior, however, namely, the\\nFrench, Deux Eivieres and Nequaquon Portages, averaging two\\nmiles each, horses and oxen will have to be maintained for a\\ntime. At the Baril, Brule, Island and Bare Portages, tramways-\\nwill be arranged for hand cars, the latter being short.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0213.jp2"}, "214": {"fulltext": "186\\nBetween the North- west angle of the Lake of the Woods and\\nFort Garry, no provision would have to be made, as the means of\\nconveyance are abundant at the Bed River Settlement.\\nWATER CARRIAGE.\\nOn the shorter reaches, boats, such as the Hudson s Bay Com-\\npany use in the transport of goods from York Factory to the Eed\\nfever Settlement, would be the best. They carry about five tons,\\nand are easily drawn over a portage. Such boats would answer well\\nbetween Lac des Mille Lacs and Fort Frances. Once the communi-\\ncation was fairly established, a relay of boats might be kept on each\\nreach, and then much larger vessels might be employed.\\nIn the longer reaches, steamers might be used to advantage, and\\nwould probably most certainly, if the traffic became extensive be\\nmore economical than boats.\\nThere would be in all five reaches in which I think it would be\\ndesirable to have small steamers, namely\\nOn Dog Lake and Eiver 35 miles navigable.\\nSavane Eiver and Lac des Mille Lacs... 42\\nSturgeon Lake and Eiver 27\\nRainy Lake 46\\nFort Francis to North-west Angle 120\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0G j\\n270 miles.\\nThus, in five reaches, amounting in the aggregate to two hundred\\nand seventy miles, the shortest of which would be twenty-seven\\nmiles in length, small steamers, of a cheap class, might be used to\\nadvantage. Gradually, as improvement advanced, the reaches\\nmight be connected together by means of locks, and then, of\\ncourse, larger vessels would come into play.\\nIn the five shorter navigable reaches of the Lake Region,\\nboats such as I have suggested, or indeed scows or boats of any\\nkind, might be used, as for instance, in\\nBaril Lake 8 J miles.\\nWindegoostegoon 12\\nKaogassikok 15\\nNequaquon Lake 17\\nNameukan 10\\n62| miles.\\nFive reaches, giving sixty-two miles and a half for ordinary row\\nboats and scows.\\nCOST OF FREIGHT.\\nWith these arrangements on the carrying places and navigable\\nreaches, the cost of freight would be nearly as follows", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0214.jp2"}, "215": {"fulltext": "187\\n25 miles land carriage, to Dog Lake 25 cents.\\n35 miles water carriage, through Dog River and\\nLake 8\\n10 miles land carriage, Height of Land 12\\n184 miles, to Fort Frances, land and water 60\\n120 miles, Fort Frances to Lake of Woods, in\\nsteamers or barges carrying say fifty to\\none hundred tons 8\\n90 miles, North-west Angle to Fort Garry, by\\nland 80\\n464 miles. SI 93\\nor say even two dollars per 100 lbs.\\nThis would be less than half the cost of freight from St. Paul,\\nwhich is $4 50 per 100 lbs. and sometimes five dollars.\\nI have set down the cost of transport purposely high, although\\nin some places it may appear low for example, between the North-\\nwest Angle and Fort Garry, I have put down eighty cents per one\\nhundred pounds, as the cost, in a distance of ninety miles. In es-\\ntimating the accuracy of this, it must, in the first place, be consid-\\nered that horses and carts are abundant at Eecl Eiver. Horses are\\nvery numerous, and there is but little employment for them, and\\nthe people make their own carts and harness, which, although very\\nserviceable, are very cheap they besides bring articles six hundred\\nmiles from St. Paul for S4.50 per 100 pounds, which would be but\\nequal to sixty-seven and a half cents on ninety miles, and I have\\nset down eighty cents, a fair allowance in any country. Even in\\nLower Canada, on the St, Maurice, where there is a good deal of\\ncompetition in winter, loads can be sent one hundred and twenty\\nmiles into the interior for from seventy-five to eighty cents per 100\\npounds and between Three Eivers and Montreal, a distance of just\\nninety miles, sixty cents per 100 pounds, would be considered, at\\nThree Payers, a high rate.\\nIn the long navigable reach of one hundred and twenty miles,\\nbetween the North-west Angle and Fort Frances, I have put eight\\ncents per 100 pounds, equal to 81.60 per ton of 2000 pounds one\\ndollar per ton would be ample, as large vessels can be used.\\nIn the reach of broken navigation, of one hundred and eighty-\\nfour miles, between the Savane or Height of Land Portage and Fort\\nFrances, I have put sixty cents per 100 pounds, equal to twelve\\ndollars per ton of 2,000 pounds. Now five men with a boat carry-\\ning five tons, can go in five days from the Savane to Fort Frances,\\nand return in four days, taking the same boat with them all the\\nway. Allowing one dollar per day for each man, their expenses\\nwould be, for nine days, forty-five dollars, whereas I have allowed\\nsixty dollars but, if there were a relay of boats and scows capable", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0215.jp2"}, "216": {"fulltext": "188\\nof carrying fifty tons, on each reach, with horses and waggons on\\nthe three longer portages, it could be done for six dollars per ton,\\nor say thirty cents per 100 pounds.\\nFor the Height of Land carriage of ten miles, I have set down\\ntwelve cents per 100 pounds, or say $2.40 per ton of 2,000 pounds.\\nIt requires no explanation to show that this is a very ample estimate.\\nIn the Dog Lake and Eiver reach of thirty-five miles, I have\\nput down eight cents, equal to $1.60 per ton, and for the land car-\\nriage of twenty-five miles, from Thunder Bay to Dog Lake, I\\nestimate twenty-live cents per 100 lbs., or say five dollars per ton\\nof 2,000 pounds.\\nThese estimates will all be considered ample but, supposing the\\ncommunication to be well opened, and the appliances for transport\\nin full operation, the following would be a fair estimate\\n25 miles land road, Thunder Bay to Dog Lake 25 cents.\\n35 miles water carriage, Dog Eiver and Lake 6\\n10 miles land carriage, Height of Land 10\\n184 miles, Fort Frances, 6^ being by land 30\\n120 miles, Fort Frances to north-west angle in Bat-\\nteaux, of 100 tons 6\\n90 miles land carriage, North-west Angle to Fort\\nGarry 75\\n464 miles. $1.52 per 100 lbs.\\nThat is, $30, T 4 o\u00c2\u00b0o per ton of 2,000 lbs., from Thunder Bay to Fort\\nGarry. But, as I said before, making every allowance, and taking\\nthe cost at $2 per 100 lbs., equal to forty dollars per ton, at the\\noutset. From York Factory to Eed Eiver, the contract price used\\nto be twenty pounds sterling, or one hundred dollars per ton, while\\nthe present rate, by the Prairies and Eed Eiver, is ninety dollars\\nper ton of 2,000 lbs.\\nBeyoud this, it surely requires no argument to show that, if the\\ncommunication were opened, the whole trade of the Eed Eiver set-\\ntlement, both that of the Hudson s Bay Company and the settlers,\\nwould pass by Lake Superior. A saving of fifty dollars per ton on\\nfreight would certainly decide the matter. But this is not all, the\\nprice of such articles as the people of the Eed Eiver require, being\\nchiefly dry goods and groceries, is much lower in Canada than in\\nany of the remote western Towns of Minnesota. If Fort William\\nwere again made a free port, as it recently was, and always sup-\\nposing the communication to be opened, the people of the Eed\\nEiver Settlement would be in position to supply the northern set-\\ntlements of Minnesota with merchandize, instead of being depend-\\nent upon them, as at present.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0216.jp2"}, "217": {"fulltext": "189\\nRESOURCES\u00e2\u0080\u0094 TIMBER, c.\\nWhen the communication is opened, and settlement begins to\\nadvance in the prairies of the West, there will be a demand for\\nwood for building and other purposes, increasing gradually until it\\nhas attained proportions commensurate with the means of trans-\\nport. Westward of the Height of Land, on the streams flowing\\ntowards Rainy Lake, there is an abundance of timber, such as red\\nand white pine, of a large size and good quality. This section\\nwould compare not unfavorably with some of the best lumber\\nregions on the Upper Ottawa.\\nThe prairies are nearly destitute of timber, and here is a supply\\nwhich, to all practical purposes, may be said to be illimitable, and,\\nlooking to the future of the western territories, and having regard\\nto the probable traffic which is to support a line of communication,\\nthere are, in the forests of the Winnipeg slope, the elements of a\\ntrade which should be kept in view.\\nAnother article of economic value, which should be taken into\\naccount, is the vast quantity of peat which might be obtained in\\nthe swampy region near the Lake of the Woods; some of the\\nswamps are very deep, and hold in store great quantities of fuel of\\nthis description, for a region further to the west where there is but\\nlittle wood. In a very short time the people of Red River Settlement\\nwill find peat cheaper than wood, although, doubtless, they have\\nfor the present a considerable supply of the latter article.\\nThe country has, however, other valuable resources, of which\\nbut little is as yet known, and no doubt, in the future, attention\\nwill be directed to its\\nMINERAL RESOURCES.\\nIt is now well known that silver mines of surpassing richness\\nwere discovered at Lake Superior last summer, but it is not so\\ngenerally understood that a formation, of the same age as that in\\nwhich they occur, extends with more or less interruption to the\\nLake of the Woods, and that, for a great part of the way, the line\\nwhich it is proposed to open will pass over Schists of the\\nLower Silurian period, such as yield silver at Lake Superior, and\\ngold in Nova Scotia.\\nThat part of line, however, extending from a little eastward of\\nDog Lake to the Nameukan Lake, will be almost wholly in Lau-\\nrentian gneiss Silurian rocks then show themselves, and the\\nSchists on rainy Lake are plentifully intersected with lodes of\\nquartz. While at Fort William, last summer, I was shown some\\nvery fine specimens of Gold quartz taken from Rainy Lake. I", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0217.jp2"}, "218": {"fulltext": "190\\nwas also informed, on what I believed to be good authority, that\\nalluvial Gold had been discovered, but that the fact was being kept\\nas secret as possible. These reports gain confirmation from the\\nfact, that on Vermillion Lake, in Minnesota, which is tributary to\\nRainy Lake, and only at a short distance from it, Gold quartz has\\nbeen already worked and various claims taken up. The commu-\\nnication which it is proposed to open might, therefore, be the\\nmeans of developing an American as well as a Canadian Gold\\nField*\\nAt the Lake of the Woods, chloritic and talcose schists, of Silu-\\nrian age, similar to those of the Gold districts of the Chaudiere, are\\nfrequent on the Islands, and they are traversed by what appear to\\nbe very promising quartz lodes.\\nL T pon the whole, the indications and actual discoveries through-\\nout the region are such as to warrant the expectation that there\\nare mineral resources, as yet undeveloped, which will eventually\\nlead to a trade which will greatly aid in sustaining a dine of com-\\nmunication.\\nOTHER METHODS OF OPENING THE COMMUNICATION.\\nEAILWAYS.\\nIt has been urged that a Railroad from Lake Superior to Red\\nRiver would afford the best and easiest means of communication,\\nand that it would form a link in the great Railway system which\\nit is believed will, at no distant day, span the continent from the\\nAtlantic to the Pacific, within British Territory.\\nNow, while admitting the great advantages which would result\\nfrom a work of this kind, it must be borne in mind that the means\\nfor its construction cannot at present be obtained. There is no\\namount of argument, as to prospective advantages, which could\\nprocure the investment of twenty millions of dollars, which\\nThe following extract shows that the mines in the Vermillion district, near\\nEainy Lake, are beginning to attract attention\\nThe Lake Superior Country. The Gazette (Superior, Wis.,) says: Col.\\nHenry Tyndall arrived here from the Vermillion district late last evening, and\\nstarted for St. Paul this morning. Tests have been made from several of the veins,\\nall with the most favorable results. The quantity of rock tested in each case was\\nnot less than five hundred pounds. In every experiment so far, the yield has been\\nlargely over $100 per ton and some of them have gone up to thousands. A private\\nletter informs us of one instance where one hundred and fifty pounds of rock\\nyielded a pound and one-half of bullion. Colonel Tyndall pronounces the country\\nrich, and in this statement he is borne out by the amount of bullion which he\\nbrings with him, amounting to between seven and eight pounds of gold and silver.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0218.jp2"}, "219": {"fulltext": "191\\nwould be about its cost, in an undeveloped region, such as that\\nthrough which it would pass. Theoretically, the idea may be a\\ngood one, but practically, it is at least premature.\\nMoreover, a railroad between the points indicated would be\\nisolated as regards other railways, and being available only during\\nthe season of navigation, would be without one of the chief advan-\\ntages of a railroad, which is that it can be kept in operation,\\nindependently of the navigation.\\nIt has been suggested that, whatever objections might attach\\nto the project of a railway all the way to Ked Eiver, a compara-\\ntive short line would best overcome the rough and difficult section\\nintervening between Lake Superior L^d Eainy Lake. But the\\nsame objections which present themselves in regard to the former,\\napply to the latter.\\nIts length, that is of a line from Lake Superior to Eainy Lake,,\\nallowing for deviations, would not be greatly less than two hun-\\ndred miles, and its cost would far exceed any means which there\\nis a probability of obtaining.\\nIt would absorb an amount of capital more than sufficient to\\nprovide for the lockage required to connect the navigable reaches\\nbetween Dog Lake and Lake Winnipeg, and form a canal, which,\\nin the present state of the country, or any stage of development to\\nwhich it can attain for a considerable period, would be of greater\\nutility than a railroad.\\nFinally, before such a work was undertaken, the country would\\nhave to be rendered accessible, as I have already said, by some\\nsuch means of communication as I have suggested.\\nIt will not be understood, however, from what I have said, that\\na railway is impracticable. In fact, with exception of the section\\nbetween Lake Superior and Eainy Lake, which is rough and broken\\nand has never yet been explored with a view to a work of the\\nkind, the ground is not unfavorable, but, as I have said, the idea\\nof such a work is premature.\\nCANALS.\\nOn reference to what I have already stated, it will be seen\\nthat, from Dog Lake north-westward, to the Lake of the Woods,\\nlong navigable reaches occur in continuous succession, separated\\nby short intervals of rapid water or other impediments. From\\nthe Height of Land Portage, where it strikes the Savanz Eiver, to\\nthe North-west Angle of the Lake of the Woods, the distance is\\nthree hundred and four miles, and the total amount of lockage that\\nwould be required, four hundred and twenty-five feet, being some-\\nwhat less than that of the Eideau Canal. By means of lock and", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0219.jp2"}, "220": {"fulltext": "192\\ndam, the whole of this distance might be rendered navigable with-\\nout a break, at comparatively small cost, if wooden locks were\\nadopted. The river channels between the navigable sections, are\\nevery where of rock, and generally favorable for the construction\\nof such works as would be required.\\nWith this extent of navigation might be connected the navi-\\ngable water, east of the Height of land, having a length, in Dog\\nLake and Kiver, of thirty-five miles.\\nWhen the dam now in progress at Dog Lake is completed, the\\ndifference in level between the waters of Dog Eiver and the\\nSavanc will be about a hundred feet, and a Canal with locks, by\\nway of Muskaig Lake, might be constructed to connect the two.\\nLac des Mille Lacs would be the summit level, and it has suffi-\\n-cient water for a Canal both ways.\\nThis would give three hundred and fifty miles of unbroken\\nnavigation, approaching at its eastern extremity to within twenty-\\nfive miles of Lake Superior, and at its western to within ninety\\nmiles of Fort Garry.\\nAll the lockage required would cost less than would a railroad\\nof two hundred miles to Eainy Lake, and it would be of vastly\\ngreater utility.\\nA short Eailway of twenty-five miles, from Dog Lake to\\nThunder Bay, would connect the navigation with Lake Superior\\nwhile a similar work of ninety miles, from Fort Garry to the\\nISTorth-west Angle of the Lake of the Woods, would join it to the\\nEed Eiver Settlement. The latter Eailway would be over very\\neven ground.\\nI have offered these suggestions, not with a view of conveying\\nthe impression that they should be immediately acted upon, but to\\nshow what is practicable, and what would be the true way of\\nopening a line adapted for heavy traffic, when the country has at-\\ntained a stage of development to warrant the expenditure which\\nit would involve.\\nSYSTEM OF WORK BY CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE.\\nThe work is of that nature, which from long experience in car-\\nrying on similar operations, in remote sections, I believe could be\\nbetter performed by engaging good workmen and competent over-\\nseers than by contract.\\nContract work is all well enough in a settled country, where, if\\none man fails in accomplishing an undertaking, others are always\\nready to take it up but, in such a region as that in which the", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0220.jp2"}, "221": {"fulltext": "193\\nworks under consideration would be carried on, the Government\\nwould be, in a measure, at the mercy of the contractor; as for in-\\nstance, if he should not make provision for a particular work, or\\nfrom any cause break off, it would throw the enterprise back for a\\nfull year. Contractors, as a general rule, would only undertake\\nwork in a region so remote in the hope of large profits, which the\\ncomparatively small sums set down for each particular section\\nwould not bear. They would, as usual, have endless bills for\\nextras, where every little contingency could not be foreseen;\\nand if it appeared to be a losing business, would delay and petition\\nfor increase in their rates, and might, indeed, abandon the works\\naltogether. M orever, the Indians, in some of the sections, have to\\nbe very carefully dealt with. At such a distance from the re-\\nstraints of law, none but men of good character should be brought\\namong them, and spirituous liquors should be strictly prohibited.\\nUnder a system of contract, the Government would have little\\nto say as to the class of men to be employed, and the officers in\\ncharge of the works might be unable to prevent liquor from being\\nsmuggled in. The Indians sometimes assemble at Fort Frances,\\nand on Eainy Eiver, to the number of five or six hundred, and if a\\nfew barrels of whiskey were rolled amongst them the consequences\\nmight, undoubtedly would, be serious.\\nMoreover, contractors, or their employes, would not consider\\nthemselves in any way bound to refrain from interfering in the fur\\ntrade, and tlieir doing so would irritate and render hostile the\\nemployes of the Hudson s Bay Company, who had been so friendly\\nand obliging in the past, and whose good offices will, I have no\\ndoubt, be equally at the disposal of the country in the future, if\\nthey meet with the courtesy they are always ready to extend.\\nIn my allusions to the contract system, I wish it to be clearly\\nunderstood that I speak from my own experience of such a system\\nin the wilderness, and, meaning no reflection on contractors in\\ngeneral, I would say that if such a system is adopted in the Eainy\\nLake Section of the country, a military force will be required to\\nsupport it, and this would soon occasion a greater outlay than the\\nfull amount of my estimate for the work.\\nFor the works on the Lake Superior Section, and the Lake\\nEegion, the head-quarters, from whence supplies are to be sent in,\\nmust be at Fort William or Thunder Bay the latter, of course,\\nafter the Dog Lake road is completed.\\nFor the road between the North-west Angle of the Lake of the\\nWoods and Fort Garry, supplies and men must be obtained at the\\nEed Eiver Settlement. Workmen in sufficient numbers can be\\nhad there, and, from letters I have recently received, I am led to\\nbelieve that provisions also will be abundant, such as flour, beef, etc.\\n13", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0221.jp2"}, "222": {"fulltext": "194\\nTHE INDIAN ELEMENT.\\nIn opening the communication to Red River, the country will be\\nbrought, to some extent, into contact with the Indians, who have\\ntheir hunting grounds on the line of route.\\nHitherto, Canada has been fortunate in dealing with the Indian\\nelement; and, in the present case, I see no reason for anticipating\\ngreater difficulty than has arisen in the past,\\nThe only localities were the Indians are at all numerous, are at\\nthe Lake of the Woods and Rainy River, but the entire population\\ndoes not greatly exceed three thousand. They can, however, collect\\nin summer in larger numbers than Indians usually do, from the\\nfact that they have abundance of food. This is afforded by the\\nwild rice of the country which they collect, and by the fish which\\nliterally swarm in the lakes and rivers some industry practised\\non their own part, too, in raising Indian corn, serves to supply\\nthem to a small extent. I have seen as many as five or six hun-\\ndred of them collected at one time, at the rapids on Rainy River,\\nengaged in catching sturgeon, the flesh of which they preserve by\\ndrying it like Pemican and then pounding it up and putting it,\\nwith a due mixture of oil, into bags made of sturgeon s skin.\\nThey have a rude sort of Government, and the regulations made\\nby their Chiefs are observed, it is said, better than laws usually are\\nwhere there are no great means of enforcing them.\\nThey are very intelligent, and are extremely jealous as to their\\nright of soil and authority over the country which they occupy.\\nWhen the Red River Expedition first came in contact with\\nthem, they manifested some displeasure, and were not slow to\\nexpress it, at parties being sent through their country, to explore\\nand examine it, without their consent being first asked and obtained.\\nOn becoming better acquainted with them, we found it to our\\nadvantage to keep up a little friendly intercourse with the Chiefs,\\ncalling upon them as we passed, and interchanging a few presents\\nof no great value. When we had adopted this course, all difficulties\\nvanished, and, ere the explorations were brought to a close, they\\nmanifested and expressed an earnest wish to see the communica-\\ntion opened.\\nThe chief danger which could arise of coming into unfriendly\\nrelations with the Indians, would be from having large parties of\\nworkmen in the vicinity of their encampments. Now, this is a\\ncontingency not likely to arise, from the fact that where the Indians\\nare numerous the navigation is unimpeded and but little work\\nrequired but, as a rule, extreme prudence will always have to be\\nobserved by the officers in charge of men to keep them from coming\\nin contact with the Indians.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0222.jp2"}, "223": {"fulltext": "195\\nThese Indians are all heathens, and never seem to have been in\\nthe slightest degree impressed by the Missionaries who have\\nattempted their conversion. They are, however, very pious in their\\nown way, and much of their time seems to be occupied in\\nreligious observances, which have their manifestation in long fasts\\nand nights of watching, when they pretend to hold familiar inter-\\ncourse with Spirits, whose presence, in the secret recesses of their\\nlodges, is indicated by drum-beating, chanting, incantations and\\nmany unearthly noises besides. At stated intervals, the greatest\\nand most solemn ceremony of the tribe, the Mystical Feast of the\\nWhite Dog, is held at Fort Frances, and, at such times, the gravity\\nand terrible earnestness of their demeanor would do no discredit to\\nmore civilized congregations.\\nIn appearance these Indians are tall and well formed, and, in\\nbearing, independent sometimes, even a little saucy, but in their\\nintercourse with strangers they are hospitable and hind. Their\\nmorality is said to be of a high order, as compared to that of the\\nIndians of the Plains.\\nThey are, in general, keen traders, and seem to know the value\\nof what they get and give, as well as any people in the world.\\nSome of those who assemble at Eainy River for the sturgeon fishing,\\nin summer, come from Bed Lake, in the neighboring State of Minne-\\nsota, where they possess hunting grounds and, among these latter^\\nare some who have been parties to treaties with the United States\\nfor relinquishing certain tracts for settlement, for which they are\\nnow in receipt of annual payments. The experience they have\\nthus gained has rendered them expert diplomatists, as compared to\\nIndians who have never had such advantages, and they have not\\nfailed to impress on their kindred and tribe, on Eainy Eiver, the\\nvalue of the lands which they hold on the line of route to Eed\\nEiver.\\nAny one who, in negotiating with these Indians, should suppose\\nhe had mere children to deal with, would find himself mistaken.\\nIn their manner of expressing themselves, indeed, they make use of\\na great deal of allegory, and their illustrations may at times appear\\nchildish enough, but, in their actual dealings, they are shrewd and\\nsufficiently awake to their own interests, and, if the matter should\\nbe one of importance, affecting the general interests of the tribe,\\nthey neither reply to a proposition, nor make one themselves, until\\nit is fully discussed and deliberated upon in Council of all the\\nChiefs.\\nThe Chiefs are fond of asking any travellers, whom they believe\\nto be of importance, to attend a Grand Council, as it affords them\\nan opportunity of making speeches, which are meant quite as much\\nto swell their importance in the eyes of their own people as to", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0223.jp2"}, "224": {"fulltext": "196\\nimpress the stranger; and with their people these meetings\\nare popular, as it affords them an excuse for making a holiday, and\\ncoming out in all the varieties of colour which paint, unsparingly\\napplied, can produce.\\nAt these gatherings it is necessary to observe extreme caution\\nin what is said, as, although they have no means of writing, there\\nare always those present who are charged to keep every word in\\nmind. As an instance of the manner in which records are in this\\nway kept, without writing, I may mention that, on one occasion, at\\nFort Frances, the principal Chief of the tribe commenced an oration\\nby repeating, almost verbatim, what I had said to him two years\\npreviously.\\nAll this goqs to show a certain stability of character, and a\\ndegree of importance attached to what they say, on such occasions,\\nthemselves, as well as to what they hear from others. The word of\\nthe Chiefs once passed, too, seems to be quite reliable, and this\\naugurs well for the observance of any treaty that may be made with\\nthem.\\nFor my own part, I would have the fullest reliance as to these\\nIndians observing a treaty and adhering most strictly to all its pro-\\nvisions, if, in the first place, it were concluded after full discussion,\\nand after all its provisions were thoi oughly understood by the Indians,\\nand if, in the next, it were never infringed upon by the whites, who\\nare generally the first to break through Indian treaties.\\nTHE TEEATY.\\nFrom what I have said, I trust it will be seen that some sort of\\na treaty should be arrived at with the Indians. They are, as I have\\nstated, desirous of seeing the communication opened, believing that\\nit will conduce to their advantage, and I think a treaty with them\\nshould, in the first instance, be confined to this one point, namely,\\nright of way. This they expressed their willingness to accord\\nmany years ago, but the question of relinquishing land for settle-\\nment was always taken by them en delioerc. In this latter respect,\\nwhat they are afraid of is, that settlers w^ould interfere with the\\nfisheries, from which they derive their chief means of subsistence,\\nand I think it would, in the first instance, be imprudent to introduce\\nsettlement in the particular section which they occupy. The first\\ngreat point is to get the communication opened, and the first treaty\\nshould be confined, as I have said, simply to right of way. By\\ncombining it with the land question, surveys of townships for\\nsettlement, reserves for the Indians, and so forth, complications\\nmight arise which would prove embarrassing.\\nThere is but one point more, in relation to this subject, to which I\\nwould invite attention it is the necessity of adopting the most", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0224.jp2"}, "225": {"fulltext": "197\\nrigorous and strict measures to prevent the conveyance of ardent\\nliquors to the Indian country. This the officer in charge of the\\nworks can easily see to, if he is armed with the proper authority.\\nThere is no likelihood of any of the employes of the works taking\\nspirits, in any quantity, with them, unless contractors are employed\\nbut there are private traders who would follow in their wake, and\\nwould not be slow to bring liquor, if through it they could drive a\\ntrade for furs and such persons should, if they made the attempt,,\\nbe at once arrested.\\nThe Indians at Kainy River and the Lake of the Woods are, as\\na general rule, in happy ignorance of what ardent liquor is. On\\nthe American side, the penalties against its introduction are so\\nsevere that it rarely makes it appearance, while on the British side\\nits use is prohibited by the Hudson s Bay Company.\\nTo these fortunate circumstances, I believe, are due the well-\\nbeing and orderly demeanor of the Indians, and the rapid increase\\nin the population which, in this section, is, in contrast to the general\\nrule, said to be taking place.\\nThe precautions which I have recommended will appear not to-\\nbe unnecessary, when it is considered that these Indians, notwith-\\nstanding their many good qualities, are still but savages that they,\\nin common with all the untutored tribes of their race, are keen to\\nresent an injury, real or supposed that a quarrel with one pro-\\nminent indhiciTtal would be a quarrel with the tribe, and that the\\nsole arbiters of a dispute with them are the scalping knife and\\ntomahawk, to the use of which they are well practised in their\\nunceasing wars with the Sioux; and when, alono: with all this, it is\\nconsidered that they can muster five hundred fighting men, accus-\\ntomed to the woods, the rivers, and every defile in the country, the\\nexpediency as well as the justice of keeping from them that first\\nprolific source of Indian quarrels and Indian demoralization, Fire\\nWater, will be apparent.\\nI have only further to say, that, with ordinary prudence, there\\nneed be no risk of getting into difficulty with the Indians. They\\nwill extend a warm welcome, in the first instance, to the parties\\nsent in by the Government, and it will be for the latter to see that\\nnothing occurs to interrupt a continuance of friendly intercourse.\\n(See Xotices of Indians, in my printed Beport, pages 14\\nand 26.)", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0225.jp2"}, "226": {"fulltext": "198\\nAGRICULTURAL RESOURCES.\\nLAKE SUPERIOR SECTION.\\nIll this section the cultivable areas are of limited extent, and\\nconfined chiefly to the valleys of the streams. There are, however,\\noccasional plateaux at a considerable elevation, showing a moderate\\ndepth of loam. In the vicinity of the line of route, the best loca-\\ntions will be found in the valley of the Kaministaquia, and on the\\nshores of Thunder Bay. The climate of the country bordering on\\nthe lake shore is favorable to the growth of cereals, and all kinds\\nof vegetables which are usually raised in other parts of Canada,\\nWhen the mines at Thunder Bay, and on the north shore of Lake\\nSuperior generally, become developed, they will create a market\\nfor all kinds of agricultural produce, and this must render of great\\nvalue such lands as are susceptible of cultivation.\\nAround the shores of Dog Lake, there are occasional patches of\\nfair land, but the elevation of the country is such as to render the\\nclimate rather cold. On Dog Eiver, and at the plateaux at the\\nHeight of Land, there is any amount of pasturage, and oats, potatoes,\\nc, might easily be raised.\\nTHE LAKE REGION.\\nThe eastern section of this region is cold, on account of its great\\nelevation, but on descending to the westward the climate rapidly\\nimproves, and by the time Sturgeon Lake is reached, the summers\\nare as long as at Lake Superior, and I think somewhat warmer.\\nEastward of Sturgeon Lake, the rock formation is Laurentian,\\nand, as usual in regions occupied by that series, the cultivable\\nareas are limited in extent, although, where they do occur, the soil\\nis often very rich. It is such a country as that now being settled\\non the Gatineau or Upper Ottawa, with this difference, that\\nwhereas on the Gatineau and Ottawa the valleys present rivers\\nbordered with alluvial soil, the valleys in this region are occupied\\nby lakes. There are, nevertheless, occasional spots occurring at in-\\ntervals throughout the whole region, where the soil is good, and of\\nsufficient extent for farms but, as a rule, speaking generally, the\\ncountry never can become an agricultural district.\\nThere are those, however, who would prefer a mountainous and\\ndiversified region of this kind, to the level areas which are spread\\nout like oceans, a little further to the west. Among the Laurentian\\nhills, and on the borders of lakes studded with wooded islands, there\\nare situations of surpassing beauty and magnificence. The forests\\nabound in game, and the rivers and lakes are teeming with fish,\\nwater power is unlimited, and timber, which will yet find a market\\nin the prairies of the West, is abundant.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0226.jp2"}, "227": {"fulltext": "199\\nA farmer who should establish himself on any of the carrying-\\nplaces with horses and waggons, would soon realize an indepen-\\ndence, as many have done in similar situations on the Ottawa.\\nThe first to locate themselves would have the advantage, and might\\nhope soon to see villages growing up around them. No more ad-\\nvantageous situations could be desired than Jourdain s Eapids, the\\nPrairie Portage, where there is an abundance of grass, or the French\\nor Deux Bivieres Portages, all of which, until a canal is made, must\\nbe places of land carriage and trans-shipment. Here, then, in the\\nevent of the communication being opened, would be a field for enter-\\nprise, to steady and industrious farmers, who could combine the\\ncultivation of the land with the profitable employment of carrying\\nfreight over the portages.\\nIn such situations, too, the growing wants of a new settlement\\nwould soon create a demand for various branches of industry.\\nBoat-builders, blacksmiths and carpenters, would find ready em-\\nployment where small craft had to be provided for such a length of\\ninland navigation, and saw mills would be required to supply them\\nwith material.\\nBut, to proceed in regard to the capacity of the country for\\nagriculture, on getting to Sturgeon Lake, the climate is improved,\\nbut the ground is rough and broken, as it is also at Nequaquon\\nand Nameukan Lakes. Bainy Lake is so much indented with bays,\\nthat in passing through it only headlands and islands can be seen,\\nand these are often rocky but I have heard it reported by the\\nIndians that there are areas of very fine land about Bainy Lake.\\nLAKE OF THE WOODS AND FORT GARRY SECTIONS.\\nArrived at Fort Frances, one hundred and ninety miles in an\\nair line from Thunder Bay, the mountainous region is passed, and,,\\ncommencing here, a beautiful tract of land extends along the bank\\nof Bainy Biver to the Lake of the Woods. This tract is of the very\\nrichest alluvial soil, and in the whole distance there is not appa-\\nrently an acre unsusceptible of cultivation. Old Indian gardens,\\ngrowing vetches and wile! grass, are met with at intervals on the\\nbanks, and the forests present bast \\\\ood, oak and elm, with occa-\\nsional white pines of gigantic proportions.\\nTo this succeeds the Lake of the Woods, with fifty miles of navi-\\ngation among islands varying in character, some fertile and others-\\nbarren, but on some of which the Indians have grown maize from!\\ntime immemorial. The section which comes next, that between\\nthe North-west Angle and the Prairie, as already described, is\\nswampy. There are, nevertheless, occasional portions of it well\\nadapted for settlement.", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0227.jp2"}, "228": {"fulltext": "200\\nThe wooded region ends with the section just referred to, and,,\\nfrom this point westward to the Rocky Mountains and north-west-\\nward to Peace River, the prevailing characteristic is prairie. These\\nprairies are, for the most part, of rich alluvial loam, but they are in\\nsome places sandy, as on the upper portion of the South Branch of\\nthe Saskatchewan. So vast is the region, and the soil throughout\\nthe greater part of its extent so good, that it is no exaggeration to\\nsay the cultivable areas may be reckoned by hundreds of millions of\\nacres.\\nThe country is intersected with rivers, one of which, the Sas-\\nkatchewan, drains an area greater than does the St. Lawrence, and\\nis navigable for seven hundred miles of its course. From the South\\nBranch of this great river, north-west to Peace River, the climate\\nis adapted to the growth of wheat. Coal, salt, iron, gold and bitu-\\nmen, are among the minerals to be found. Over the untilled fields\\nwhich nature has spread out, the wild cattle of the plains roam in\\ncountless herds, and for hundreds of miles together may be seen\\ngrazing like domestic cattle in a field of pasture. A region which\\nthus, in a state of nature, supports animal life in profusion, must\\nbe naturally rich, as regards its soil and climate. It is, in fact,\\nfitted to sustain as dense an agricultural population as any area of\\nequal extent on the face of the globe.\\nSuch, in a brief view, is the country with which it is proposed\\nto open communication but to describe it further would be beyond\\nthe scope of this Report.\\nTHE WORK OF LAST SUMMER.\\nIn the month of May, last year, at the request of the Hon.\\nAlex. Campbell, the then Commissioner of Crown Lands of Canada,\\nI submitted an estimate of the probable cost of the works I had\\nproposed in the Lake Superior Section, and an appropriation of\\n855,900 having been made, on the same, from the Upper Canada\\nColonization Road Fund, as my time was greatly occupied by other\\nengagements, it was eventually arranged that Mr. Bridgland, who had\\ncharge of the Upper Canada Colonization Roads, should undertake\\nthe road from Thunder Bay to Dog Lake, while, in regard to the\\ndam, as he had no experience in works of the kind, I undertook to\\nprovide for its construction, and was accordingly instructed to lay\\nout the work and place over it a competent superintendent, who\\nshould see to its management during my absence.\\nUnder these arrangements, considering the lateness of the period\\nof the season at which operations were commenced, a fair amount", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0228.jp2"}, "229": {"fulltext": "201\\nof work was accomplished. Six miles of tlie road were completed,:,\\nunder the able management of Mr. Snow, who had immediate\\ncharge of the working parties, and, at Dog Lake, nnder the direction\\nof Mr. Joseph Samson, a considerable quantity of timber was got outr\\nfor the dam. Boats and scows were built for the conveyance -of*\\nstone and material to the work, and a suitable building elected for\\nthe accommodation of the workmen.\\nMuch of the necessary material and tools for the road and dam,\\nbesides a small quantity of provisions, are now on hand, and it is\\ngreatly to be desired that the operations, so auspiciously commenced,\\nshould be proceeded with as early as possible in the spring, inas-\\nmuch as these works, as well as being of paramount and permanent\\nnecessity to the line of communication, will, when completed, be of.\\ngreat advantage in the first instance, in facilitating the conveyance-\\nof materials and supplies to w* orks of similar character farther in\\nthe interior.\\nME. J. W. BRIDGLAND S REPORT.\\nI notice this document to correct an error into which Mr.\\nBridgland seems, inadvertently, to have fallen. He has projected,\\non a map, a line of Eailway from Lake Superior to Bainy Lake,\\nand, from the information gleaned from a mere preliminary report\\nof mine, represents the country through which it would pass as\\nbeing imperfectly examined, or wholly unexplored. Now, the fact\\nis, that the region to which he refers, although not examined\\nexactly with the view to a railway, has been explored to such an\\nextent as to afford, at least, a fair knowledge of its topography.\\nMessrs. Wells, Bussell and Gaudet, Provincial Land Surveyors,\\ncrossed and recrossed it in various directions, as I, myself, also did,\\nmaking surveys and determining levels over extensive sections, and\\nshould Mr. Bridgland ever visit the country, which he has not as\\nyet done, I feel confident that he will perceive the accuracy of the\\ndescription contained in my reports, and reproduced in an abridged\\nform in this document, under the heads of Lake Superior Section\\nand Lake Begion.\\nAs regards the railroad, I have, in various reports submitted to\\nthe Government, explained that when the circumstances of the\\ncountry would admit of works of such magnitude, and when the\\nNorth-west Territories had attained a certain degree of development,\\na short line, of some twenty -five miles, from Thunder Bay to Dog\\nLake, would be of advantage, as would also a line from the North-\\nwest angle of the Lake of the Woods to Fort Garry, combining\\nwith these great works the improvement of the intermediate navi-", "height": "4023", "width": "2518", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0229.jp2"}, "230": {"fulltext": "202\\ngation, by means of lock and dam, from Dog Lake to the Lake of\\nthe Woods.\\nMr. Bridgland has adopted the same idea, with this difference,\\nthat he proposes a railroad of no less than two hundred miles at the\\noutset, with one lock at Fort Frances. In either case, it will be\\nobserved that there must be intermediate navigation. Then, why\\nnot bring the navigation as close as possible to Lake Superior, so as\\nto have a shorter railroad A canal, supposing the lockage to\\naverage as much as that of the Eideau has done, would not cost half\\nas much as a railroad of 200 miles in length, which latter, suppos-\\ning it to involve no greater outlay than similar works in this\\ncountry have averaged, would cost at least eight millions of dollars.\\nSuch vast projects are as yet premature. In regard to Mr.\\nBridgland s scheme, as he professes no personal knowledge of the\\ncountry, and merely submits it as a suggestion, I shall offer no\\nfurther comment than to say that it would be useless to expend\\nfurther sums of money in exploration of the route which he pro-\\nposes, with the view to a railroad. His line, at the summit of the\\nwater-shed, would be at an elevation of some 1,500 feet above the\\nlevel of Lake Superior, and that not in one gradual rise, but over\\nsuccessive hills and valleys. Further to the westward it would be\\non a sort of dividing ridge, between long and irregular water-\\ncourses. Its course would be transverse to the strike of the gneiss\\nwhich, over a considerable part of the route, is heaved up in\\nmountain chains, or depressed in sharp valleys filled with\\nlakes as already described, in this report, under the head of Lake\\nEegion. Moreover, a railway of such considerable length should\\nbe so placed as to be available, at some future period, as a link in\\nthe extension of Canadian Eailways to the- vast, prairies of the\\nWest, and, in this regard, Mr. Bridgland s proposed line would be\\nquite out of the way.\\nI fully concur with him in his views as to the expediency of\\nimmediate and energetic action in opening such communication as\\nwould attract the trade of the western territories to this country,\\nand I believe the plan which I have proposed would have the\\ndesired effect.\\nEespectfully submitted,\\nS. J. Dawson.", "height": "3993", "width": "2579", "jp2-path": "redrivercountryh00russ_0230.jp2"}, "231": {"fulltext": "THE\\nRED RIVER COUNTRY.,\\nHUDSON S BAY NORTH-WEST\\nTERRITORIES,\\nCONSIDERED\\nIN RELATION TO CANADA,\\nWITTT THF LAST RETORT OF S. J. DAWSON, ESQUIRE, C. E., ON THE LINE OF ROUTE\\nBETWEEN LAKE SUPERIOR AND THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT.\\nILLUSTRATED BY A MAP.\\nBY ALEX. J. Kl T SSELL, E.,\\nINSPECTOR OF CLOWN TIMBER AGENCIES, CANADA FAST AND WEST.\\nOTTAWA:\\nPUBLISHED BY G. E. 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