Report on the Peel River and Tributaries, Yukon and Mackenzie
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M aat fUm* « partir laft hand aoni«r. laft to bsglnning in tha uppar gaucha * droita. aa da rangia aupdrlaur gaucha. da right and top to bottom, aa many framaa at da haut an baa. an pranant la nombra Tha following diagrama INuatrata tha raquirad. d'Imagaa ntaaaaaira. Laa diagrammaa auivanu illustrant la mathodo. 6 MWMCorr MMuinoN ran cnait (ANSI and SO TCST CHMT No. 2) y^ Itt IH Ih1?? u lii ^i^ |2jO I.I 1 S.r i 111.8 1-25 11.4 1^1 1.6 /ff^PLIED IIVMGE Ine 1«53 Eoit Moin SlfMt «oeh<Ml«r. Nm .h 14009 USA (716) «2 - 0300 - !>.»„. "* A (71C) 28a - sgn - fo> r GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA ROBERT BELL, LS.O., M.l).. D.Sc, (Cantab.) LL.D.. F.R.S., AtTiNo Dirictoh. Qe- ) IS' REPORT ci*^-? 1 '^6(^ ON THE PEEL RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES YUKON AND MACKENZIE T C. CAMSELL OTTAWA PRINTED BY S. E. DAWSON, PRINTER TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1906 Ntf. Ml T RoBUT fiiLL, Esq., Acting Director, Oeologicftl Survej of Canads. Dear Sir, —Herewith I beg to hand you my report and map of the Peel river and some of ita tributaries. The report is accompanied by a few illustration* showing the physical aspect of the rvgion traversed. I remain, sir. Your obedient servant, C CAMSELL. Ottawa, March, 1906. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Intnx.'iictioii 7 RouUm anrvojrfd H Prrviotu rxpbtntiuiu 9 Early Prm|i>>ctori) 10 Braint* Cnrk :— D«cri|>tH)n. It Tupo(ra|ihjr mu) Opokigy |ft NmH Cr«<ek IH Huncmr Crack M Wind Rirer:— DcMiiptian 17 Topognphy and Ocoiofy of th* Mountain itectioa 21 TopcifTaphy and Oeology of the Plateau Section 23 lUtyd ran«e SH Coal 27 Gold 2M Pi*l Rirer :— Detcription 29 Topography.. .... SH Superficial (>(!ologr 3i» Ueneral Ueology 41 Satan River ai Fort Mac|>henon an Huakie River 37 .jonomic Geology 4«i Oame and Fiah 47 FuniU . 48 T •THK PKEL |{|VKH AND TRIIUJTARIES INTHODUCTION. The field work )»»«ignetl to me for the i-enmin of I'jOft enibraoad a geologic and topographic reconnnimiiinco of th» Peel riv«»r in the extreme northweHtern portion of the I)<«nini.»n. Owing to the nhort- neon of the season in that part, and the ditHculty and length of time required to get in and out of the region, .in early ^tart froiu Ottawrt wa» very necessary. In acconlunce, therpforn, with fr-.tructionn receivetl from Dr. Bell, I left utuwa about the middle of .March for Winnipeg. Here some supplies were purchaned and Nhipped by the Hudson • Bay Company to meet at me Fort McPherson in August, and later I proceeded to Dawson, where 1 arrive<l I on the . , of April. At Dawson the interval Inst ween the closing ol winter travel and the opening of navigation on the streams was consumetl in the testing and correction of instrumenUi, aac' in visiting and examining the placer mines of the Klondike creeks ; and during this period we were much indebted to Mr. J. B. Tyrrell for his kindness and hospitality in allow- ing us the use of his house. To Major Z. T. Woo<l also, Commandant of the North-west 5Iounte<l Police in the Yukon, are my thanks due for his kindly assistance in the selection of canoemen and the loan of a canoe. On .May 22, the pnity. consisting of six men and tliret- canoos, left D.vwson by .ss. the r,u»j^ri„r tot Frazer fails on the .Stewart rivfr. Four liays were consumed in reaching this point. .Xnoiher deky. ncca^oned l.y nn early rise of water in the Stewnrt ri\er, pre- vc'u.l usfrom UKvini; until Juno 5. When w- l..wi„.,ur journey at this date, it was only with the greatest dirticulty and som.. dnn-er that any progress could be made. With the water fifteen or twenty feet higher than its normal stage the velocity of the current .: -—nfly increased, quantities of driftwood are »)eing carried down stn-wi,. and in many places the banks are conipletlely submerged. Under th* se conditions we were eight days in getting as far as Lmsing river, a distance of eighty miles. Above this river the water w.i.s at a much Ijetter stage and the travel- ling was ?asier, until we came within twenty-five miles of the mouth of Braine creek. In this portion of the Beaver river, a northern tributary of the Stewart, the stream is split up into several channels and is filled with gravel bars, while the grade is greatly increased, so that con.sider- able difhculties were again encfmntered in making progress. At the 8UBVKY OF CASADA 8 CO OBOLOOICAL sur- survey commenced, though a track mouth Of Braine creek the actu.l cabin at the caHon seven m.le. been carried up from Williams's vey had Beaver survey of the lower part of the X. to connect with Mr. Keele's nvor R0UTK8 SELKCTED. on leaving Ottawa to follow identically It wa, my original intention which was taken by the prospectors same route across the mountains the by many from this on rea- hing Dawson 1839 but I was dissuaded in These men through the Bonnet Plume pa^ of thos^ who came route, any difficulties of thi, particular stated that on account of the at a.^ could not leara that any one, other would be preferable.