Mapping the Quality of Land for Agriculture in Western Canada

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for Fall 1985 Mapping The Quality Of Land For Agriculture In Western Canada James M. Richtik University of Winnipeg Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Richtik, James M., "Mapping The Quality Of Land For Agriculture In Western Canada" (1985). Great Plains Quarterly. 1833. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/1833 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. MAPPING THE QUALITY OF LAND FOR AGRICULTURE IN WESTERN CANADA JAMES M. RICHTIK T he original impetus that brought explorers prairies, the area that now comprises the and settlers to the East Coast of North provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and America had, at least as early as the eighteenth Alberta (fig. 1). century, evolved into, among other things, an interest in the potential of the Canadian West PRESETTLEMENT MAPS for European types of agriculture. As set tlement spread across the continent, the The first explorers were fur traders who, perceived value of the West changed from fur understandably, showed only passing interest hinterland to possible agricultural empire. in a region's agricultural potential. Their maps, With this shift in interest there was a change in reflecting an interest in routes and Indian the purpose of exploration, and as features tribes, located physical features and sometimes such as rivers, lakes, and mountains became described vegetative cover or locations of known, assessing and mapping the agricultural gardens and crops, but they carried no clear potential of the land began. Cartographers implications about the value of the land for would henceforward record soil types, rainfall agricultural production in general. Even after and drainage patterns, and the types of the establishment in 1812 of the Selkirk vegetation existing upon the land. This paper Settlement at the forks of the Red and looks at the process of evaluating and mapping Assiniboine rivers, there was no effort to map the agricultural potential of the Canadian the agricultural potential of the rest of the Canadian West, perhaps because the banks of the rivers provided far more land than the James M. Richtik, professor of geography at the small number of farmers could possibly use. University of Winnipeg, has published many Not until the 1850s, when the American articles on western Canada in journals including frontier had spread into Minnesota and the Great Plains Quarterly and Agricultural Histo Hudson's Bay Company's mandate for the ry. Canadian Northwest was being reexamined, were the first attempts made specifically to [GPQ 5 (Fa111985); 236-248.\ chart the potential of the Canadian prairies for 236 MAPPING LAND FOR AGRICULTURE IN WESTERN CANADA 237 ~ Manitoba. Soil Productivity (Fig.111 ~ Western Saskatchewan. Soil Productivity (Fig.101 k·:":.~.:·:·:.] Original Land Surveyor's Soil Classification. 1879-81 (Fig.51 Land Classification. Department of Agriculture, 1906 (Fig.91 Land Classification. Railway Grant Lands in Central Saskatchewan (Fig. 81 FIG. 1. Location of study area and detailed maps. settlement and agriculture. Then both the referred to is supposed to contain a consider British and Canadian governments sent out able extent of fertile soil, and that in the rapid expeditions, the former under Captain John progress of British N. America and the United Palliser and the latter eventually under Henry States public attention is beginning to be Youle Hind. directed towards it." In his instructions to The Palliser expedition, though multifa Palliser, sent in March of that year, Labou ceted, always considered the examination of chere stressed the importance of the agricultur agricultural possibilities as a major responsibili al mission: "I have to impress upon you the ty. In January 1857, the president of the Royal importance . of regularly recording the Geographical Society wrote to the British physical features ... the nature of the soil, its secretary of state for the colonies, Henry capability for agriculture, the quantity and Labouchere, proposing an exploring expedi quality of its timber. "1 tion to the Canadian West to find all-Canadi In keeping with these instructions, Palliser an access routes and to examine "the general produced a map of the Canadian West divid capability of the country." He pointed out that ing the territory into three categories: (1) "The the Americans had just finished exploring true forests where spruce and pine predomi their Great Plains, whereas the Canadian West nate," (2) "the fertile belt," and (3) "the great was barely explored but was "said to be well plains with poor soil, scanty herbage, and no fitted for agriculture." Labouchere recom wood except on moist northern exposures." mended the plan to the Treasury as deserving Palliser said little about the true forest belt, but of public support, "considering that the region seemed to imply at least that it was not very 238 GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY, FALL 1985 suitable for agriculture. In the fertile belt he ries for the three soil zones (fig. 2). found the soil "abounds in vegetable matter" The Canadian expedition under Henry and that "a sufficiency of good soil is every y oule Hind was similar to the British one in where to be found." The land had previously purpose and timing. It too was at least partly ;been forested but was partially wooded with motivated by an awareness of American willow and poplar and elsewhere had been expansion and exploration to the south, and it denuded by fire; thus coming settlers would too was organized to look for a better water not have "to encounter the formidable labour route from Lake Superior to Red River "and of clearing the land." Palliser's account noted ultimately to the great tracts of cultivable land equally good land and agricultural potential beyond them." In 1858 Hind was instructed to a "superior class of soil" -along the eastern explore west to the South Saskatchewan River foothills of the Rockies, although this does not and to "endeavour to procure all the informa appear on his 1863 map. There can be little tion in your power." He was to describe "the doubt that Palliser's negative reaction to the general aspect of the whole region," observe plains was due to his awareness of the "Great "the character of the timber and soil," and American Desert" to the south-an awareness ascertain "the general fitness of the latter for that, according to John Warkentin, he got agricultural purposes ... as far as may be from from Hind. However, Palliser explained that observation and inquiry."3 even "the most arid plains" in Canada did not S. J. Dawson, leader of a portion of the include "the great expanses of true desert Hind party, had only praise for the Canadian country that exist further to the south." He prairies. Although aware of the "Great Ameri found the Canadian plains generally "sterile" can Desert," he quoted Lorin Blodgett's claim and "sandy," and his geologist, James Hector, that the dry areas "are not found above the 47th blamed the soil more than the climate for the parallel in fact." He also declared that "the lack of vegetation.2 Furthermore, the 1859, plains ... present a soil apparently of as great 1860, and 1863 maps show different bounda- fertility" as the Red River Valley. Dawson .. Fertile Belt Prairie. soil poor ••••• Boundaries on 1863 map FIG. 2. Captain Henry Palliser's map of land types. After Palliser. MAPPING LAND FOR AGRICULTURE IN WESTERN CANADA 239 quoted extensively from A. J. Russell, who prairie land 1st quality." The rest of their implied that the whole of the prairie territory fertile belt appears as "wooded arable land" would make excellent farmland because of the (fig. 3). ease of cultivation. He can be faulted for The maps by Palliser and Hind were making this judgment on the basis of second important because they established a popular hand information, but James A. Dickinson, image of a huge triangle of infertile land unfit the biologist of the group, seemed to agree with for settlement-the same image that was still him. From a hill on the edge of what later was being perpetuated by government agencies. G. mapped as desert, he looked "across the M. Dawson, exploring the Canadian-Ameri boundless plains, no living thing in view," and can boundary line in 1872-75, raised questions "thought of the time to come" when the about the aridity of the desert, but he attrib railway would create a thriving agricultural uted the lack of vegetation to poorer soil due area. This vision of the West appeared on the to the "special quality of the Cretaceous shale map that accompanied Dawson's version of parent material." However, he was not specif the joint report with Hind, and an area that ically mapping soil quality and confined his Palliser included in his prairie or poor soil zone work to areas along the border. In 1878, the was identified as "good clay soil" on Dawson's Department of the Interior produced a "Map map.4 of Part of the Northwest Territory, including In his own report, Hind identified an the Province of Manitoba showing an Approx extension of the "Great American Desert" into imate Classification of the Lands" (fig. 4). On Canada. He described the area southwest of a this map, Palliser's triangle appeared mostly as line from the Great Bend of the Souris River "open plains; poor soil; possessing occasional through the Qu'Appelle mission to the Moose tracts fit for settlement; extensive pasturage," Woods on the South Saskatchewan River as a but a smaller core of the triangle was shown as "treeless plain with a light and sometimes "principally barren lands; excellent pasture." drifting soil .

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