N O R T H W E S T E R N
O NT A R I O :
B O U ND A R E S R E S O U R C E S
C O MMU NI C A T I O N S .
PR E PA R E D U ND E R I NS T R U C T I O NS F R O M T HE
finruutu PR I N 2 5 WE L L I NGT O N S T E E T WE S T T E D NT E R O S E C O . B Y HU . R , R
1 879 .
T A B L E OF C ONT E NT S.
Agr icult ural C ap acit y
E R R A T A .
i r ea sou r ce of t he s a d e . 1 6 fo r s out h of t he s aid rive r d riv r n a e 2 in , O p g , l e amy ak a oot for a n E l e ea ge 3 fou r th l n e f o f , R R L O n p a , i r m i y v r r” d o et t e en t s ecomi hu e , er he a I n ce en t s t S , O n p age 7 u n d d du m l m ” r n west e . ” 13 1 11 hu e ea h e s on a n d on 5 , ¢h\ age 2 fir s : ime for Y o , O n p 7 , , rk r d l ’
east e n . r or e in e o t o for most r ea u a e 40 ou r t e en t l fr m p , d m O p g , f h - - r e ad n o t est . n e o oot for n o t e as t p e 6 3 sixe emh f m f , h O u ag , li r r r h w
Geological Feat ures
Lin e of t he Can ad ian Pacific Clim at e
E A S T E R N D I VIS IO N
’ Rout es t o Hu dson s B ay Lake Hu r on t o Moose Fact ory Moose Fact ory t o Michipicot on
T A B L E OF C ONT E NT S.
NO R T H - WE S T E R N O NT A R IO
A rea Populat ion Lakes and Rivers I Agricult ural C apacit y
WE S T E R N D IVIS IO N
Lake Super ior to Lake of t he Woods T he D awson Rout e C an adian Pacific Railway I mprovemen t s of t he Lake Rout e I n du cemen t s to Set t lemen t
V a e Kamin ist iqu ia. ll y V alley of t he Mat awin Height of Lan d A Pin e Regi on fl Rain y River
A lbert on A dj acen t Territ ory in Min n esot a
T he I n dian s Numb er Three Treat y Terms Oi t he Treat y Subsidies and Presen t s Progress in Civilizat ion
in eat No 3 Numbers in clude d Tr y . Geological Feat ures L ac des Mill e Lacs to Win n ipeg River Lin e of t he C an adian Pacific
E A S T E R N D IV IS IO N Lake Superior to J ames B ay ’ Rout es to Hu dson s B ay Lake Huron to Moose Fact ory Moose Fact ory to Mi chipicot on
Lak e Nepigon to A lban y
a e e on J o L k N pig to Lake S t . seph T NT S iv C O N E .
Physical Peculiarit ies and A spect
Moose Fact or y
a te oos A l an Clim at M e and b y a Min eral Re s ources of J am es B ay and Neighb ourhood Wild A n imals of N ort h West ern O n t ario I n dian s of J ames B ay
’ HU D S O N S B A Y
N e lson River V alley Rout e
S oil and Climat e at Y ork and Churchhill ’ Navigat ion of Hudson s B ay
s e es n e a s o e ce Fi h ri , Mi r l , and C mm r THWESTER N ONTA R I O NOR ,
mmmica 30 m and nmmunit atiuna , m
B a w as r det er min y the award of the Arbitr tors , to whom refer ed the duty of * Nor t her n a ing the and Western Bound ries of the Province of Ontario , a vast and magn ificen t territory has been declared to be within the jurisdiction of the Ontario
a fin e Go vernment and Legisl ture . This region contains within its limits , timber
a a a a a e lands of gre t v lue , rich and v ried miner l deposits , rivers and l kes of nobl
e —a fish n a pr portions , bounding in , and openi g up remote districts to tr vel and — t i S . commerce , and touches at once the head waters of the Lawrence nav ga
t he a t a w u tion and shores of grea northern sea, the tre sures of hich , when so ght
a with the ardour and appli nces of modern enterprise , may yield a return not even dreamed of by those old explorers and navigators who were most sanguine of it s
s e resources . The possession of such a country neces arily entails upon its rulers som
b m . urdens and any responsibilities To preserve peace and order, to administer t justice, to maintain civil rights , to encourage settlemen , to improve existing
a d means of communic tion , to promote e ucation , are duties coming, under the law,
o w ithin the functions of Provincial authority . It is therefore important to as er tain the advantages likely to accru e to the people of Ontario fr om the assumption of the new or additional obligation s in cidental to the possession of this extensive
domain .
T HE B OUND ARIES .
a he The question of boundary set at rest by the aw rd, had been t subject of much laborious investigation '1' The Dominion Government contended that t he northern boundary of Ontario was the height of land forming the watershed of h t e S t . fift een Lawrence and great lakes , and skirting, at distances varying from
fift n dNe i n a o . to y miles , the northern shores of Lakes Superior p g The western
n t o a boundary , it was co tended , was be ascert ined by a line drawn due north
C on . t at t es O n t . ca . . T he r t r at or s er e e J u st ice ar r son S ir F r an c s n c s an d S u ( ) p iv A bi w , Chi f H i , i Hi k , S ir ar or n t on t he r t s n st er at W as n t on . Edw d Th , B i i h Mi i hi g
S ee e or t on t he o n ar es of n t ar o a s 1873 a so an n est at on of the U n set t e R p B u d i O i , by D vid Mill , l I v ig i l d
o n ar es of O n t ar io ar e n 8 s s e 1 73. B u d i , by Ch l Li d y , W 2 NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
M fr om the con flu en ce of the Ohio and ississippi Rivers , and which was found to w 2 . t 89 9 m. 7 . be in longitude deg . sec west Such a line ould have intersec ed
t m t O n Thunder Bay , divided the existing set le ents on its shores , aliena ed from ’ t— n n V a a o a tario a large distric i cludi g the ill ge of Prince Arthur s L nding, the p p
a lation g t hering round Fort William , the site of the proj ected terminus of the
a Pacific Pai on e Canadi n Railway, and the Townships of Blake , Crooks , Pardee , p g , — eebin McI n t r e a an d Oliver, N g, and y , lready under Ontario jurisdiction , left w ithin the Province , only a narrow strip north of the lakes and south of the d i w height of lan . Op nions ere divided as to the rights of the Province beyond the
a boun daries contended for in behalf of the Dominion , but it will prob bly be found
t he i is that decis on of the arbitrators , on the whole consistent with equity, con
v en ien ce an d . a a a , public policy The aw rd decl res that the following are and sh ll
a a be the boundaries of the Province of Ontario, n mely Commencing at point
’ a m i on the southern shore of Hudson s Bay, commonly c lled Ja es Bay, where a l ne produced due north from the head of Lake T emiscamin gu e would strike the said south shore , thence along the said south shore westerly to the mouth of the Albany
t a l a River, hence up the middle of the s id A bany River and of the l kes thereon to
t he at a S t . ose h a the south of said river the head of L ke J p , thence by the ne rest
L ao line to the easterly end of Seul , being the head waters of the English River, thence westerly through the middle of L ao Seul and the said English River to a point where the same will be intersected by a true mer dion al line drawn northerly from the international monument placed to mark the most north - westerly angle
an d of the Lake of the Woods by the recent Boundary Commission, thence due
h t a t sout following the said meridional line to the said in ernation l monumen , thence southerly and easterly following upon the international boundary line be tween t he British possessions an d the U nited States of America into Lake Supe
n or . But, if a true meridional line drawn northerly from the said international bou ndary at the said most north - westerly angle of the Lake of the Woods shall be found to pass to the west of where the English River empties into t he Winn i
a a peg River , then and in such case the northerly bound ry of Ontario sh ll continue down the middle of the said English River to w here the same empties into the
an d a Winnipeg River , sh ll continue thence in a line drawn due west con fl u en ce of the said English River with the said Winnipeg River until W d ill intersect the meridian above escribed, and thence due south
i a said merid onal line to the said internation l monument, thence southerly and eas terly following upon the international boundary line between the British p ” s s and n i se sion the U ted States of America into Lake Superior.
A ARE .
The district inclu ded within these boundaries is of equal if not of area than the whole of the rest of Ontario , exclusive of the Lakes
e Hu r on an d , . n t he Pr ovin ce w Sup rior f Erie Omitti g those lakes, _ , T S A A ND U S . 3 I BOUND RIES, RESOURCES COMM NICATION
e mbraced in the proposition of the Dominion , contained about acres, — m or square miles of territory . From the Quebec boundary line fro
T emiscamm u e B a i Lake g to James y to the Lake of the Woods, the d stance a n t cannot be mu ch less than seven hundred miles ; while , me sured from or h to
a south , the new territory covers a breadth of country v rying from over three hundred to one hundred miles . The Province of Ontario will consequently, in mi a . future , possess an are of fully square miles This is square les gr eat ex; tlfan the area of the United Kingdom only square miles less than the whole German Empire ; only square miles less than France ; and equal
a a a a a . to the combined re s of Holl nd , Portug l , United Italy, Switzerl nd and Belgium
a i The awarded territory , lone , possesses an area greater by square m les ale I t al than the group of countries just named , excepting y .
POPULATION .
The present population of the terri t ory is chicfly con fin ed to the settle
- ments on the north or north west shore of Lake Superior , and in the valley of the
Kamin ist i u ia a q , to the colony at Fort Frances , on R iny River, to a few set
’ B a officials A l t o t ler s and Hudson s y at Moose and bany on James Bay , and W s a , the Indi ns , who are to be found mostly at Rainy River the Lake of the ood ,
- L ac S en " . a , and Pigeon River A few H lf breeds and christianized Indians are
’ on a also settled at Islington , the Winnipeg River, and round some of the Hudson s ’ t B a . y Company s factories The to al population , including, of course , the Thunder
a a Bay settlements , is probably under h lf of whom are Indi ns and Half breeds . A ND R V LAKES I ERS .
In the more southerly portion of the territory lies the chain of rivers
a s t he a and lakes forming what has been popularly known D wson Route , from
B a Thunder ay to Fort G rry . The western central portion is intersected by the
Pa ifi w l i Canadian c c Rail ay from Fort Wil iam to Rat Portage . The pr ncipal — ar e ba flow in - a B a rivers of the territory The Al ny, g north eastw rd to James y
t s h a a a S . o e w from L ke J p , which lies on the northern bound ry line , bout mid ay i between the Bay and Winnipeg R ver ; English River , which , leaving Lac Seul , a wi off fi n ds fter thro ng a branch to the southward , its way to the Winnipeg the
fin e a n - fi n all Seine , a stream , th t, co ning from the north east, is y lost in Rainy Lake ;
a flow in a a a R t he the M nitou , g due south from the l ke of th t name to R iny iver
Kamin ist i u ia an d con fl u en t Mat aw in a q its the , f lling into Thunder Bay ; the
’ B a an d Moose River, emptying itself into James y, which divides into three large
Missin ibi flowin a Missin ibi branches , known as the , g northward from L ke , just
- Mr . e n e e t r e or en er a of n t ar o es s ar e es as a r o a r o at e D vi , D pu y Su v y G l O i , giv qu mil ugh pp xim
est at e of t he ar ea of t he a ar e t er r t or . t er a t or t es o e er con s er 120 t o s . im w d d i y O h u h i i , h w v , id q
es t o be it s r o a e e t en t mil p b bl x . ‘ W oma mo r NORTH ESTERN ,
' north of the height of land that diyides t hat lake from the head waters of the
Mat t a ami s Michipicoton River ; the g , or South Branch of the Moo e ; and the Abbi A bbit ibbe chicfl tibbe , which runs from Lake , lying upon but y to the westward of
a a - a t h the Quebec and Ont rio Bound ry line , until it joins the m in s ream to the sout
’ difficu lt ies t of Moose Factory . Should the at ending the passage of Hudson s Straits prove to be a more serious hindrance to their navigation than modern‘ appliances
‘ ben efit can successfully overcome , the tendency would be to give to Ontario the of ’ ffi u a an d any t r a c that might be generated in H dson s Bay, or on its co sts , which
w a would seek an out let by y of the Moose or Albany Rivers, or by other means
' ' of commu n icat ion with the great lakes .
AGRICULTURAL CAPACITY .
a r The value of the territory in an g icultural sense, will have to be largely
aff determined by the facili t ies orded for the development of other industries .
fisher ies it s its Should its , forests , and mines yield a return at all propor
n t e fin d a n t io a to present indications, the agriculturist will ample demand for
n a the produce of large sections of cou try which will well repay cultiv tion . In
a of l l n oticing the fe tures and resources the territory more in detai , it wi l be most
t be a convenient roughly to divide it into two sections , one hat may gener lly
as described lying between Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods, the other
betw een Lake Superior and James Bay .
I VI I O N WESTERN D S .
O F n s LAKE S UPERIOR TO LAKE THE Woo .
From Fort William , at Thunder Bay, to the Lake of the Woods, according to
Pacific a the course taken by the Canadian Railw y, which crosses the waters of the ‘ * a R at a 2 98 l tter at Portage , its northern extremity, the dist nce is miles . The
D w n t awson route , hich , followi g the navigable waters , curves to the sou hward until
t a t - it reaches the In ern tional Boundary line , which it follows until the Nor h west
‘ Angle is r eachedfl in v olves a j ourn ey of 35 7 milesrf The latter may in fact be de
b a scri ed as the arc of a circle of which the railw y line is the chord . South of
a in the railw y, and connecting it at various points with the water route , are
a a a for a numer ble lakes and stre ms , some n vigable l rge boats , others with occa
a a siou l portages , for c noes , so that it has been said an Indian in his canoe may
s t e difficu lt traver e the whole region with li tl impediment or y .
e or t an a an Pacific a a 1877. R p C di R ilw y ,
“ i r e Wo s . as a er s an e or t c . a a 1875 . 1 R p Publ k S p p (C d ) , I T S A ND . 5 BOUNDARIES ,. - RESOURCES _ COMMUNICATIONS
D W T THE A SON ROU E .
The Dawson Route was origin ally design ed to form a means of commu n ica
a a t ion through Canadian t erritory with the Red River Settlements . The p rti l
a a an Pacific a cons truction , however, of the C n di Railw y, and ~ the completion of
u t he railway communication between D luth and Red River, have supplanted older
a a route, which must henceforth be reg rded m inly in connection with local coloni
i fin e B a zat ion and ndustries . To this object the road from Thunder y to Lake
a m s Sheb ndowan , the Fort Frances Lock on Rainy River,and numerous improve ent
a an d a A on the intermedi te waters portages may all be m de largely subservient . brief description of the route itself will give a very fair idea of the peculiar char ‘ act er ist ics of the region it t r aver sesfl From Thunder Bay to Lake Shebandowan by l 45 . road , the distance is mi es The remainder of the route is represented as follows
i es M l .
' L ake Sheban dowan 18 00 Por t age L ake K ash a o ie b‘ w Height of L an d Por t age L ac des Mille L acs B ar il Por t age
B r u lé P or t age L ake Win degoost eg
F r en c or t a e h P g . L ake Kaogas sikok Pin e P or t age L ac deux Rivi er es
D eux Rivier es P or t age L ake S tur geon M align e Por t age (lift ) River Malign e Islan d Por t age L ake Nequ aqu on
L ake Nameu kan Ket t le F alls Por t age a n a e R i y L k .
F or t F r an ces Por t age (n ow a voide d by t he L ock) R a n er an d a e of t he Woo s t o Nor t - e i y Riv L k d , h w st A n gle
. 1s route be performed with comparative ease Meantime, it worthy of notice that 30 0 the settlers along a line of country , over miles in extent, may secure com
R e or t c Wor s . eas . a er s an a a 18 5 p Publi k S p p (C d ), 7 . W N A 6 NORTH ESTERN O T RIO ,
b r mu n icat ion by the cheap and ready means afforded y a series of splendid wate
len th an din t er r u t d , e stretches , varying from oneto one hundred and twentymiles in g p mile an d m a , by only eleven portages , eight of which are less than two under two iles , a while on ly one exceeds th r ee miles in length . The facilities for communic tion are
e a con fin ed . not , however, ctually to the waters on the line of the Dawson Rout w t he Kamin ist i u ia an d South of the Thunder Bay and Shebando an Road , are q
n fin e an d st r eams an d alon n a Mat aw i Rivers , both navigable , , g the Inter ation l Boun
S a e n i a an d , dary line , are Pigeon River, Lake g g Basswood Lake connected with
. a Ne u a u on a a in . q q Lake , lre dy mentioned as a link the ch in of the Dawson Route
- 30 From the north east, navigable by boats for miles from its mouth , and for over
t he a 1 0 0 miles for the passage of timber, Seine empties itself into R iny Lake at
— fi n e — e Sturgeon Falls, while the Manitou also a river approaches the same lak
from a more northerly source .
A W Y T HE C ANAD IA N PACIF IC R IL A .
Pacific a i a The Canadian R ilway has , meantime , become a most mportant f ctor
in connection with the c olonization of t he . region under consideration . It was
a a d deflect originally intended that the line , fter le ving Fort William , shoul to the
h at a t a southward , in order to touc the water route Sturgeon Falls the he d of a
a a B n t he o s navigable ar m of R iny L ke . y the co struction of Lo k at Fort France
n a d the removal of a few obstructions in the Rainy River, an unbroken line of some 20 0 miles of regular communication would have been established between
S t u r eon F alls i an s ot g andthe cross ng of the Lake of the Woods , at y p determined upon whence another section of the railway would have been constructed to Red River
a But, for engineering reasons , the railway has been carried f rther north , and now
fir st at a t h , w touches the navigable aters Port Sav nne , situa ed at the nort ern
L a 1 u B o 7 a . extremity of des Mille Lacs , miles from Th nder y
T IMPRO VEMENTS O F THE LA KE ROU E .
The best mode by W hich t r affic may be maintained between Lac des Mille
o t he s b n a La s and Lake of Wood , has ee the subject of investig tion before a Com * mitt ee A t of the House of Commons . Lac des Mille Lacs , the height of land is reached separating t he waters th at flow into Lake of t he Woods from those that
fi n d t a a their outlet in Lake Superior . From Por S vanne to the he d of Rainy
1» a 1 1 2 w 6 . t he Lake , the distance is bout miles , ith 2 miles of portaging Adopting f M o r . u a W t he suggestions H gh Sutherl nd , Superintendent of Public orks in North
s t he t a a we t , Commons Commi tee , in their report, dvised the construction of tr m
a a w a an d a w ys upon the port ges bet een Port Sav nne Kettle F lls, to be worked
w t a - a a h a ith ligh n rrow guage c rs dr wn by orses , the cars being run on the b rges ,
e or t e ect t an n o t t e e on r at on an d o on zat on o s e of o on s 1878 . R p S l S di g C mmi Immig i C l i i , H u C mm , I T S B R E S O U R C E S A ND 0 OUNDARIES, COMMUNICATIONS . 7.
sf l r an d thus tran erred with their freight, without breaking bu k or requiring t ans
Mr a shipment . . Sutherl nd was of opinion that these works could be executed for
a a a sum of in one se son , and that they would le d to the colonization
ab a u of cultiv le tracts along R iny River, and other ports of the Dawson Ro te, and also furnish the Province of Manitoba with increased facilities for obtaining lumber ” a at a much cheaper rate than at present . Wh t this would do for the lumberers
on a n of Ontario will be noticed further . To complete the inform tion respecti g the a h ccessibility of this portion of the territory it is only needful to add , t at the
a a a Pacific a a a 1 1 3 C n di n R ilw y is being r pidly completed to English River, miles
h B a R at a an d west from T under y , and that the link between Port ge Selkirk on
23 a Red River, miles north of Winnipeg, with which it is connected by railw y, is
- a . lso under construction The country lying directly west of ‘the North west Angle of the Lake of the Woods was long since re n dered accessible by a good road from
a the Angle to Fort G rry .
INDUCEMENTS TO SETTLEMENT .
an d e a Having noticed the means of access to , int rnal communic tions of the southern portions of the territory it becomes necessar y to consider w hat at tractions it may possess in itself to the settler or speculat or . The exhaustive explorations of Canadian Pacifi c surveyors and their associates have done most
a aff a tow rds ording information on this he d .
KA MI NI S T I U I A VA L L Y Q E .
* f i a Pro essor Macoun , in his report to the Dom nion Government, fter repelling the current O pinion that the western shores of Lake Superior are u n fit for settle
t he a a a ment on account of severity of the clim te , and rem rking th t the vegeta ” a a tion round Lake Superior is noted for its luxuriance , thus describes the spect — “ of the country in the Vicinity of the Kamin ist iqu ia z As the traveller proceeds up
R sa bla n da a B - o . ar e the river, roses ( ) begin to appe r y the time two miles passed,
- ash F r axin u s sa mbu ci olia a an d be black ( f ) shows on the b nks , the undergrowth
a a a an d a t h comes lmost identic l with that of the rear of H stings Fronten c , on e
a ari h . sr an d a t o a shore of L ke Ont o A few miles furt , forms peculi r dry soil begin t o a a a a flat s a t ke the pl ce of those seen further down , while the lluvi l long the river support a most luxuriant growth of j ust such plants as would be seen on any
r a a a a a f f rive bottom in E stern or Centr l C n d . Thickets of wild plums (P r wn u s A mer ica n a ff ) , three or four di erent cherries , gooseberries , currants , raspberries
a V r and str wberries grow in profusion , interspersed with various species of ibu num
t ca r ifolaceou s and o her p plants . The herbaceous ones were very numerous an d a an d L th luxuri nt, these, including the wild pea ( a yr u s ven osu s ct
Vicia A mer ican a a a i and the vetch ( ) , c used such t ngled thickets t hat t was almost
t w a . Hu mu lu s S a u lu s an impossibili y to force our y through them Wild hops ( p ) ,
en C t o e or t an a an Pacific a a 1 8 4 App dix R p C di R ilw y , 7 . W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
i b t cl m ed up almos every tree. For the whole distance up to Kakabeka Falls there
a in flu x n e w h B K was a const nt of species aving a westward tendency . etween a
a l I 315 kaheka F l s and the mouth of the river detected species , all of these being ” natives of Hastings except eighteen . Professor Macoun adds I could see nothing in the flor a to le ad me to doubt the feasibility of raising all the cereals in
Kamin ist i u ia a the valley of the q , a v lley said by Professor Hind to contain an ” e a a ar a of more than cres exclusive of the Indi n reservations . Nor is Professor Macoun at all singular in his estimate of the a ttractions of the Kamin is
a tiquia v lley . "" u l a a The Rev . George (now Professor) Grant, in his pop r work s ys of the same dist r ict The flor a is much the same as in our eastern provinces ;
f ri a an d the soil light , with a sur ace cove ng of peaty or sandy lo m , a subsoil of
a n cl y , fairly fertile and capable of being easily cleared . The vegetatio is varied ,
a C u wild fruits being especially abund nt, raspberries, rrants , gooseberries and
o flow er s t matoes like the convolvulus , roses , a great profusion of asters , wild
kallas , water lilies on the ponds , wild chives on the rocks in the streams , and gene
rally a rich vegetation . It is a good country for emigrants of the farmer class .
- V Kamin is a fir st . The ro d, too, is rate and the market is near The alley of the ”
sa a a . tiquia, he goes on to y, is acknowledged to be splendid f rming country Timothy grass was gro wing to the height of four feet on every vacant spot from
n w had n c . as cha e seeds A bushel and a half of barley , which all a squatter sow , ” w as a t looking as if it could take the prize at an Ont rio Exhibi ion . Thirty years
’ a a h before Professor Gr nt s visit, Sir George Simpson had been equ lly struck wit
f He a Kamin is t i u ia the evidences of ertility of this region . s ys The river ( q )
’
m h f c. da s . ar c & during the y passed through orests of elm , oak , pine , birch , , being studded with isles not less fertile an d lovely than its banks ; and many spots r e
m u t inded s of the rich and quiet scenery of England . The paths of the por ages
flow er s were spangled with Violets , roses , and many other wild , while the currant ,
a . the gooseberry, r spberry, plum , cherry , and even the vine , were abundant All
n w as this bounty of ature , as it were , imbued with life by the cheerful notes of a ” v t en t hu siast icall b ariety of birds . Remembering tha the country so y descri ed is
contiguous to a mineral region of extraordinary richness, that the produce raised ' in the Valley of the Kamin ist iqu ia can be readily conveyed by water to the whole t of the nor h or west shores of Lake Superior , and that the terminus of a trans
a continental railway is close at hand with all the loc l demand that implies , little
m a ore need be said as to its attractiveness to the gricultural settler .
V Y or MA T A WI N ALLE THE .
h fin d Proceeding westward wit Professor Macoun , we him referring in the
i V Mat aw in fl K ia con u en t amin ist i u . follow ng terms to the alley of the , a of the q
cean t o cean 28 O O , p . .
1 er an J ou r n e o n t he W or 1841 -2 V l o . 1 36 Ov l d y R u d ld , , , p . . I T S A ND . BOUNDARIES, RESOURCES COMMUNICATIONS
A t Mat aw in d i the , vegetables of every escr ption were growing luxuriantly , but more especially Timothy hay which seems to be peculiarly suited to the region
a n round Thunder Bay . M ny of the stalks were four feet in le gth with beads
a i Mat aw in fully eight inches long . After p ss ng the the soil changes to a reddish
flor a at clay, but there is no change in the vegetation . The of the region indic es
s su fficien c m er fec a moi t climate , with a y of war th to bring seeds in all cases to p
u — w a tion . When the country becomes cleared p hich will be in a few ye rs . a a fir es a e either by ccident l or by those of the settler , a marked change will t k
a an d i place in the clim te . It will become drier all kinds of gra n will ripen much
a . e rlier Coniferous trees , with a thick coating of moss , cover the greater part of
ar e u the country ; when these gone a new crop of trees will spring p, but they
will be deciduous ones , and the country will probably be less moist and warmer .
T HE O F L A ND HEIGHT .
In the immediate vicinity of Lake Shebandowan there is little land fit for
a fin e an d l es m cultiv tion , but there is some land in the valleys on the p in any
at . places no great distance , especially west of the Kashabowie Portage There i are scattered groups of red and white pine , but the principal forest growth is b rch ,
oak an d i a d , aspen , scrub pine . The he ght of l n is passed, and Lac des Mille Lacs
is reached , surrounded with a continuous forest of spruce , balsam , aspen , and birch, '
‘
an d a . with a sprinkling of red white pine , and occ sionally groups of Banksian pine
" Mr u Bari Lake presents , according to . Maco n , much the same characteristics as
Lac de Mille Lacs .
G N A PINE RE IO .
t he h a But now the aspect of country changes . O the shores of L ke Winde
oost e on a a g g are large groves of red , white , and Banksi n pine , the forest t king the appearance of t he pine lands of This continues till Pine Portage is reached, where red and white pine attain to a great size , many of them being over
’ 3 a three feet in di meter . As there ar e considerable areas ofgood land in the neigh bou r hood r ofit able of Pine Portage , it may yet be the scene of a p conjunction of the
a . r lumbering and agricultur l industries From Pine Po tage to Rainy Lake, and
a until the western end of the lake is reached , the country we rs a cheerless aspect . fit Pine of good quality nearly disappears , but although little of it is for the saw
, an d mill vast quantities of railway ties might be produced, easily shipped to Rat
. a Portage It will be borne in mind , however, th t the foregoing applies only to one
a an d strip in vast area of country , that on the banks of the Seine and other rivers flowin g , an d into Rainy Lake there is a Very large growth of both red white pine . f The whole region, in act , bounded by Lac Seul and English River on the north: an d w a - Lake of the Woods on the est, may be said to be pine growing territory .
e or t an a an Pacific a a A en C 18 4 R p C di R ilw y, pp dix , 7 . ’ r o essor ac o n s e o P f M u R p r t . 1 0 fiO R T H WESTERN ONTARIO
* RA1NY RIV ER .
an r ofit able We h ave now reached what, in economical sense , is the most p and important section of the whole region lying between the height of land west a his of Lake Superior and the Lake of the Woods ” Professor M coun , speaking of
' The approach to Fort Frances is very beautiful . As visit to the district, says 1 a a we approach the outlet to the l ke and enter Rainy River, the right b nk appears
’ a far a a very much like a gentleman s park , the trees st nding ap rt and h ving the ' f r dt s u er cu s Pmn os va . r ounded tops of those seen in open grounds . Blue oak (Q
b sa mi er a a color a sa P o u lu s a l , , ) , and B l m Poplar ( p f ) with a few spen are the principal forest trees . These line the bank, and , for two miles after leav
a ing the lake, we glide down between w lls of living green , until we reach
a a , the Fort, which is be utifully situated on the right b nk of Rainy River
l a immediately below the fa ls . All sorts of gr in can be raised here , as well as all kinds of garden vegetables little attention is given to agriculture , but
enough was seen to show that nature would do her part if. properly
an d assisted . Barley , three feet high , oats over that , showed there was
nothing in the climate or soil to prevent a l u xuriant growth . The
n a a a le gth of the river is about eighty miles . The right, or C nadi n , b nk , for the w a a u hole dist nce , is covered with a he vy growth of forest trees , shr bs , climbing
a fl w r a as vines and be utiful o e s . The Indians say the timber gets l rger you pro
n l n d m es 1 a . as h ed , The forest trees consist of oak , elm , , birch , basswood , balsa ,
a a a spruce , aspen , b lsam poplar, and white and red pine ne r the L ke of the
flor a Woods . The whole of this region indicates a climate very like that of cen d t he tral Cana a , and the luxuriance of the vegetation shows that the soil is of
W a very best quality . ild peas and vetches were in the gre test profusion ; the
n average height was about six feet, but ma y specimens were obtained of eight
a d a a n feet and upw r s . While the bo t was wooding , I took a stroll inl nd, and fou d
a i a . progress lmost impossible , ow ng to the stonishing growth of herbaceous plants
a an The following pl nts were observed on Rainy River, and are only index to
’ n a r e ion z— ad the vast profusion of ature s bounties in th t g Lilium Can ense ,
a V i s it hamea a Lilium Phil delphicum , ic a Americana, Calystegia p , C lystegia
a a Kalmii sepium , Ar li hispida , Lobelia , Smilacina stellata, Lathyrus venosus ,
ochr olen cu s d fi st u losa Vi a Lathyrus , Monar a , burnum pubescens , Astr galus
d chier an t hoides n L o au lt hu s Cana ensis , Erysimum , Asarum Ca adensis, and p ” an ist at u s . W a a riting of the R iny L ke region, Sir George Simpson was fu lly as eulogist ic of its merits an d beauties as he had been of those of the
Mr Kami ist i u ia a a a . n q v lley . His description grees remarkably with th t of Ma
s do wn w ar ds a coun ju t quoted Sir George Simpson says :i From Fort Francis ,
Mor e r o er p p ly R en e River it s or igin al n ame .
e or t 1874. 1 R p ,
I er an J ou r n e o n h Wo 841—2 45 t e r . 1 . . Ov l d y R u d ld , p
1 2 NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO ,
a l a , 0 0 0 acres . In this v st district there are , of course consider b e varieties of cli mate soil and natural productions , but I desire expressly to draw attention to , ,
- fa a an d the ct, that it re ches nearly to the northern north western limits of the
a growth of pine wood of the cl ss known , in Ontario and Quebec , as red and white
a . a is a , pine th t , in the region eastward of the gre t pr iries Within this district
ar e on the streams tributary to Rainy Lake , there , in many places , extensive w a groves bo th of red an d hite pine , of a size and quality well dapted to all the
O u a a purposes for which such timber is usually applied . the lluvi l belt of Rainy River white pine of a large size is to be seen interspersed with other de scr i t ion s t he I a p of forest trees, and , on sl nds of the Lake of the Woods and main
as a e a ; land to the north and e t, there are occasion lly pine grov s of moder te extent
on b but, proceeding to the north , y way of the Winnipeg, it gradually becomes
a fin all d a . more rare , until , on re ching Lake Winnipeg it y isappe rs In the region west of the Lake of the Woods , and thence to the Rocky Mountains , except at
n o e or two isolated spots near the Lake , pine, properly so called , is unknown, and has to be imported by the ever - increasing population of Manitoba and the North
- - Gcn er al L . . t . West Col Dennis, lately Surveyor of the Dominion , and now
t t he u be Depu y Minister of Interior , estimates the quantity of pine to be fo nd
t he — a a tween Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods , including th t on the Isl nds in the Lake an d within the region which may be supposed to be embraced between the International Boundary and the n e w boundary awa r ded to Ontario on the north
- a . at twenty six thousand millions of feet, bo rd measure All this is destined to be c a - onsumed in the Province of M nitoba and the North West Territories . That it
u n r ofit able a it will form no p trade to the capitalist who emb rks in , may be judged from the fact that timber sells at t he present time for from 25 to 45 dollars per
a thous nd at Winnipeg . A cargo lately shipped from Collingwood , where it cost
1 0 r w as 30 a a dolla s per thousand , sold for doll rs in the Capital of Manitob , and
’ realized a good pr ofit after paying all the charges for freight ma Duluth and the
Red River . From Fort Frances the cost of shipment to Winnipeg would be tri flin , , g and as the Lake of the Woods is too stormy for the transit of logs, the lum ber m a must be anuf ctured in the district where it is found , thus giving a grand
a t impetus to local industry and lake tr nsportation . The founda ions of such a trade have been already laid by the allotment , under Dominion authority , of ex
i t he l a at t tensive t mber limits , and establishment of a saw mi l on a large sc le For
. a m 40 0 t t o Frances A popul tion of so e souls has been already a tracted the spot, R and it is stated that some persons who had passed via. ainy River to Manitoba
an d had returned taken up land on Rainy River, owing to a preference for a well
timbered country over one in which timber was scarce and dear .
ALBERTON .
‘ A lber t on i h r e The name of j has been given to the settlement , wh c also
s ossessiomof local n ew s a er b ta r ear j oice in the p , S , , l a ; p p the Al erton in which app ed I T S B O U ND A R I E S A ND C O MMU NI C A T I , RESOURCES O NS .
g wi durin the present year, the follo ng The lots immediately fronting on the i r t r ve are ten chains in wid h and have a dep th of two miles each settler is al
- lowed to homestead one of these lots , and pre empt the adjoining one if vacant , , al b fift a so . A out y entries have been t ken here during the past summer and ,
a a n ow a consider ble improvements h ve and are being m de on these lots . Some
fin ver y e crops were harvested by those who took the trouble to sow and plant in
, otfice this section last season samples of which may be seen at the land here . To
u man a t ' the ind strious , be he farmer, mechanic , or l bourer, wi h a small capital , Rainy R iver presents an opening second . to no other district in the Dominion of — a ma Can da and where in a few years any such man y become independent . 1‘ From Fort Frances to Rat Portage (about 1 20 miles) we a an via a h ve excellent water route Rainy River and the L ke of the Woods . There
’ a - am a are upon these waters now one l rge side wheel ste er , L dy of the Lakes ,
i a l a t u and two tugs , w th an ddition probab y of another l rge g next season . Those
a l t w a an d vessels will p ss down the whole ength of Rainy River on heir y out, ’ i u must consequently touch pon every man s homestead on the r ver, thus enabling
a him to take his produce to any m rket he pleases . In the meantime he may obtain a good price for anything he wishes to dispose of at Fort F rances or Rat " A t a n ow abou t Portage . the former pl ce there are sixty houses and 40 0 in habi
a —all - otfice l t nts necessary conveniences , four stores , post , school , b acksmith shop — all t . Mr and church and these have arisen wi hin three years We have also .
’ saw i ma d d d Fowler s large m ll , where you y get your lumber plain or resse , oors ,
‘
a . Mr a sashes , l ths , shingles , etc . Fowler is further making arr ngements for the
t a a w impor tion of grist mill, to run in connection ith his saw mill, on the opening
‘ 9“ 9" of a a n vig tion . We may also take into consideration
a the f ct that the land on the opposite side of the river is quite as good as our own ,
i u and that the Amer can Government will do btless soon place it in the market .
a a Our canal will shortly be completed , and through its g tes the l rge lumbering
r a m a trade (soon to be created) in the neighbou ing St te , Minnesota, ust p ss . This ” a will add much to the trade and commerce of R iny River . A later issue of the
i of a same paper speaks the f vourable crops of the present year, the busy demand ’ ’ r l n t B a upon the new g ist mil , the establishme of a Hudson s y Company s post at
a - a Sturgeon F lls , the summer like weather prev iling in the fall , the construction of another steamer for the Rainy River an d Lake of t he Woods navi ation g , the a an d s 1 n s arrivals of sever l new settlers , other g of a healthy, growing, and pros
n pero s community .
J AD ACENT TERRITORY IN MINNESOTA .
a a As well remarked in the newsp per we have lready quoted , it is not from the territory within Cana dian jurisdiction alone that the Rainy River settlements are a a likely to derive adv nt ge . While , from a distance of fully one hundred miles to the northward , the streams flow into Rainy Lake or River, and are thus made tributar y W 1 4 NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
i l he to the trade and commerce of the settler in that d strict , the large area ying ; :
a tween the height of land in Minnesota to the southw rd , and Rainy River , is also h lific s . capable of being rendered a pr o ource of wealth The height of land w ich divides the source of the Mississippi from the waters that ultimately fin d their
’ course to Hudson s Bay lies nearly parallel to an d some 6 0 to 70 miles south of
an d Pacific a l a Rainy River , about midway between that river the Northern R i w y
a a from Duluth to the west . The country is s id to be well timbered , to yield l rge
‘ a L ake Ver million quantities of pine , and to cont in , in the neighbourhood of ,
rich mineral deposits . The Big Fork and Little Fork Rivers , emptying them
a V Nameu kan a selves into R iny River, and the ermillion River, falling into L ke
h a may all be utilized for conveying t e timber and other products of Minnesot to
a a a common focus at Fort Fr nces . Th t the settlers on the American side are
t r affic W a o a live to the advantages of ith C nada is shown by the foll wing , clipped f rom the S t ar of October 29th One of the settlers from the Minnesota side of
Rainy River shipped a cargo of 30 0 bushels of potatoes to Rat Portage a short
a o a at time g , which he got s le for, as soon as landed , prices ranging from seventy
a fi ve cents to one dollar per bushel . The s me party has started with the second
w l a s of lot, hich he has a re dy dispo ed , on his arrival at the Portage , to the rail ” road people . F T L K OR FRANCES OC .
80 0 The works at Fort Frances consist of a canal feet in length , cut through a 24 f 8 the solid rock , bout forty feet wide, with one lift of eet inches . The
20 0 an d 38 chamber of the lock is feet long feet wide in the clear . The lowest
a 5 6 bu t depth of w ter on the sills will be feet inches , it is rarely if ever known
low a 8 1 0 to be so as that , and is ordin rily from to feet . The cost of the works to the Dominion Government has been
T HE A INDI NS .
The relations of the Government and white population of the territory to
di a the In n tribes must, necessarily , be an object of considerable interest and importance . The Indians of the country lying between Lake Superior and the
a S au lt eu x b L ke of the Woods are of the Oji way nation . They derive their
a a a n me from S ult Ste . M rie , from the neighbourhood of which they originally immigrated . In the southern division of the new territory they probably do not
sou ls n ear l - a number over from to , y one h lf of whom are settled in the
vicinity of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River .
N MB U ER THREE TREATY .
, These Indians as well as some of the same tribe , settled on Lac Seul are , t a a 3 hose embr ced in wh t is known as Treaty Number , negotiated at the North s 1873 - We t Angle of the Lake of the Woods , in , by Lieut . Governor Morris wi h , t E 5 ITS BOUNDARIES, R SOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS . 1
A N . P J . . S . . Messrs . J Dawson and rovencher as joint Commissioners This treaty settled an y troubles or difficu lt ies that had arisen out of the encroachments
' of Canadian settlers or surveyors on what the S au lt eu xhad regarded as their
a aff a a . l nds The negoti tions orded , too , very excellent opportunity for testing the
an d a as intelligence gener l character of the tribe there represented . Archbishop * a é S au lt eu x T ch , in his work , deplores the persistency with which the cling to
a a their pag n faith , and the habits and customs incident l to their unconverted
i fl u . n en ces S au lt u condition But although so hostile to christianizing , the e x
deficien t of this region are not in many of the qualities that command respect.
- n - They are brave , high spirited, and amo g themselves , very capable of self govern
at i ment. The bands Rainy River and Lake of the Woods meet frequently n
affa Council , discuss their irs very intelligently , and enforce sternly the rules m and regulations considered necessary for the co mon welfare . While mostly
W a retaining the primitive igwam , and practising pag n rites , they are far more
I n . a thrifty, prudent , and industrious , than many of their race ddition to
t he i fish the products of the shore , lakes y eld them an unlimited supply of , — principally whit e fish and sturgeon the exten sive marshes produce immen se
l en quantities of wild rice , which the Indians collect on a systematic p an
- w a a joined by their self imposed la s, and the same plant attr cts v st numbers of wild ducks of every description which divide with the Indians the collection and consumption of the rice , with , however, this advantage on the side of the
a Indi n , that, while the ducks can only eat the rice , the Indian , in addition
fir t a . s to the rice , can lso eat the ducks When visited by missionaries , these In
t a dians were already cul ivating m ize , which they still raise on their clearings , a
at a an d a a proof, once , of their p rtial civilization, the favour ble n ture of the soil
a S au lt eu x and climate of the district . The m in body of the refuse to hold com
i n v mu n icat o with the small band at Pigeon Ri er, whom they regard as an inferior l c ass, and look with supreme contempt on the little settlement at Islington ,
fift in where , under missionary guidance , a christianized population , y or more
a a r icu l number, have made good progress in the arts of civilized life , especi lly g
S au lt eu x a an d a ture . The are keen at b rgains, m naged to make a very good one
18 - . a under the Treaty of 73 Lieut . Governor Morris gives n amusing account of the n egot iat ion srf For four days they held aloof from meeting the commissioners
O n fif h . t altogether the , they attended in response to a peremptory summons .
a a a It then ppeared th t jealousies among themselves were the chief cause of del y , and that, so fearful were they lest one chief or band should obtain an undue ad
n vantage over othersby privately communicating with the Commissio ers , that they
’ ’ ~ . an d M r . had set a guard over the Lieut Governor s house Dawson s tent . Several
i n n days were consumed listening to and refusing exorbitant demands , u til mat
et c of t he or t - W est of er ca Sk h N h Am i ,
ess on a a er s an a a 18 5 No 8 7 . 15 S i l P p (C d ) . , p . . 1 6 NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO,
e ters at last came to a dead lock , and the Commissioners declared they would leav . ” “ a a t s T , unless the Indians came to terms . his , says the narr tor brought m t er s o w . to a crisis . The chief of the Lac Seul band came f r ard to speak The other He m a . tried to prevent him , but he was secured a he ring stated that he represe a ted ‘ four hundred people in the north ; that they wished a tre ty ; that they d wanted a schoolmaster to be sent them to teach their chil ren the knowledge of v o the white man that they had begu n to culti ate the soil , and were growing p
bu t t at oes and Indian corn , wished other grains for seed and some agricultural ” Mr . , implements and cattle . This chief, says Morris spoke under evident
n an d apprehension as to the course he was taki g in resisting the other Indians , ” He displayed much good sense and moral courage . was supported , however , by t Blackst one whose residence is at Pine Por age, and , the ice once broken , Chief , B u t the business of the mee ting went forward . after some progress had been
a m de the spokesm an of the Indi ns presented , with new demands , a request a ,
that fift y dollars annually should be paid to each chief, and a new suit of clothing for every member of the band was capped by the still cooler proposal that t hey
th C n a d a n P a ci c R ilw a r e a i a . ll should all have fr ee passes for ever ove fi y It wi
S au lt e u x - a hardly be alleged , after this , that the of North western Ontario h ve not made exceedingly good progress in the manners and customs of their white exemplar
r A TERMS o THE TRE TY .
The Treaty provides for the cession of all the lands within the following * bou n dar ies z Commencing at a point on the Pigeon River route where the International Boundary Line between the territories of Great Britain and the United States intersects the height of land S e parating the waters running to Lake
flow in a w Superior from those g to L ke Winnipeg thence northerly, esterly, and ” t a w a easterly, along the heigh of land afores id , following its sinuosities h tever
be t e their cour se may , to the point at which h said height of land meets the sum
mit of the watershed from whence the streams flow to Lake Nepigon ; thence
ma be northerly and westerly , or whatever y its course , along the ridge separating the w aters of the Nepigon and the Winnipeg to the height of land dividing the
- t waters of the Albany and the Winnipeg ; thence westerly and north wes erly,
’ along the height of land dividing the waters flow in g to Hudson s Bay by the
r iver s fr m , o E n lish R iv er an d t he Albany or other those running to g ‘ Winnipeg, to
a point on the said height of land bearing north forty - fi ve degrees east from Fort
Alexander at the mouth of the Winn ipeg ; thence south forty - fiv e degrees west to Fort Alexander at the mouth of t he Winnipeg ; thence southerly along the eastern bank of the Winnipeg to t he mouth of the White Mouth River thence sou ther ly b he f y g t fl line described as in that part orming the eastern boundary of
n a a er s an a a 18 5 No ess o 7 . 8 19 S i l P p (C d ) , , , p . . R E . 17 ITS BOUNDA I S , RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS
a‘ a t he tract surrendered by the Chippaw and Sw mpy Cree Tribes of Indians, to
3r d A 1 871 W W H er Majesty , on the of ugust, , namely , by hite Mouth River to hite
a an d Mouth L ke , thence , in a line having the general bearing of White Mouth
- n i a a River to the forty nth par llel of North L titude , to the Lake of the Woods , ” a a n d from thence by the International Bound ry line to the place of beginning . * a A reference to the map will show th t this Treaty , consequently, covers three f ourths of that portion of Ontario we have been describing as the western di vision
f a a a a . o the territory embr ced by the l te rbitr tion It extends , however, considerably
a a a s wa beyond the bound ries of Ont rio as s igned by the a rd, probably a little over
one - third of the Whole being north of the waters of L ao S eul and English River or
n ri a W . w est of the L ke of the oods The area, by the cessio of which Onta o is directly
en efit ed t n b , is bounded by Lac Seul and English River on the nor h by the Wi nipeg
a an d River, L ke of the Woods , International Boundary Line on the west ; by the Intern ational Boundary Line on the south ; and by the height of land which fir st
L a a S t ose h a s eparates the waters of c Seul from those of L ke . J p (the he d of the
flow in a Albany River) , and then those g eastw rd into Lake Superior, from those m flow in g to Lake of the Woods and for ing the Dawson Route . The whole area c ma eded is stated to be square miles ,"and of this we y rightly estimate
as comi ng within Ontario jurisdiction . From this have to be taken the
I n a a dian Reserves , the llotments of l nds for that purpose not to exceed one square
fi v e mile for each family of persons . The right of hunting is to be continued to
ma b the Indians , subj ect to such regulations as y be prescri ed by law , or to the
a limit tions imposed by settlement .
S U B S I D I E s AND PRESENTS .
a The payments , in money or kind, m de by way of purchase or presents , once for all , iin return for the cession , were as follows dollars per head for
n every man , woman , or child belo ging to the lands there represented ; for every
, band who were then cultivating or should hereafter cultivate , the soil , two hoes
a l for every family actu l y cultivating ; also one spade per family as aforesaid ; one a plough for every family as foresaid one scythe for every family as aforesaid ;
- saw an d han dsaw and also one axe and one cross cut , , one pit saw the necessary ‘ , files , , a one grindstone one augur for each b nd ; and also for each chief, for the use ’ of his band, one chest of carpenters tools ; also for each band enough of wheat , , b a a arley , pot toes , and oats , to plant the l nd actually broken up for cultivation by
; , each band also for each band one yoke of oxen , one bull, and four cows . In ad
d n fift een itio to these gratuities , the sum of hundred dollars is to be spent annu
M a of o - p r t est er r t or &c . e t n t r a s N h w T i y, , xhibi i g ct cede d by In dian Tr eat ies a ccompa yi g , n n R epor t o f in st er of n t er or 18 6 . M i I i , 7
1 e t en an t - o er n or or r i s 8 e or t ess on a p , a er s an a a 1875 N o 8 Li u G v M R S i l P p (C d ), , . , p . 18.
I ess . a er s an a a 18 5 No - 7 . 8 . 20 2 S P p (C d ) , , , p 1 . 2 1 8 NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO .
' ally in the purchase of ammunition and nets for the Indians ; a su m of fiv e dollars per head is to be paid to each Indian also annually ; each duly recognized chief is
e - fiv e d ofli to r ceive a salary of twenty dollars per annum , and each subor inate cer
— a — fift een not exceeding three for each b nd dollars per annum . Each chief and subordinate officer is also to be pro vided with a suit of clothing once in every three
a ye rs . Finally , in recognition of the closing of the treaty , each chief received a
fl an d ag medal . Schools for instruction were also to be established wherever the
it all r r Indians desired , and intoxicating liquo s were to be excluded from the e ale ser v es . In connection with the granting of the medals , an incident occurred
S au lt eu x during the conference , certainly creditable to the astuteness of the , if not
Maw edo in ias to their knowledge of the precious metals . p , the chief who acted as
c had a prin ipal spokesman , who obtained a med l given to one of the Red River
f a i chie s , decl red it was not silver, as it turned black , and , contemptuously str king
an d s it it with his knife , protested he his friends would he a hamed to wear .
P G Z RO RESS IN CIVILI ATION .
In the report of the Minister of the Interior for 1 8 77 the following passage occu r s : t f The Indians who reside abou eighty miles west of Rat Portage , 3 f . ad within the limits of Treaty No , are represented to be making satis actory ,
- vancement in the arts of civilization , and stock raising to some extent is ven t u r ed oh ; and altogether a commendable spirit of en t er pr ise has developed itself
A t L a a . c e among them Seul , lso , the progress of the Indians is said to be quit ”
. n a a ar e o marked The I di ns west of Rat Port ge , of course , beyond the Ontari W estern boundary .
N MB U No 3 . U ERS INCL DED IN TREATY .
The accounts of the Indian Department for 1 877 show that the Indians
3 cl ssifi d receiving annuities under Treaty No . numbered a e as follows
9 h 26 d n i 1 . 8 C iefs , Headmen , In ians The a nu ties paid in 77 amounted to the total sum placed to the credit of the bands being The
a - ha tribe in this region counted not m ny years since souls . Small pox s reduced them to their present numbers .
F A T GEOLOGICAL E URES .
The reports of the Crown Lands Department of Ontario refer to the numer ous mining locations granted within the area bounded on the west and north of
of Lake Superior by the height of land , and the whole of the interior region west
u has t he of Lake S perior been subject of geological surveys, very full accounts the Geological Branch of the Depart
20 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO .
A t N u . e a u on a da i granite q q Portage the rock consists of rk grey mica schist , n
t er st r at ified with gneiss , the latter prevailing towards the west end of the Por
tage where it has entirely replaced the former . The rocks along the route from Ne qu aqu on Portage towards Kettle Falls con s1st partly of gneiss and
a a N m p rtly of dark coarse splintery shining mica schist, to a point on e akon
a n it L ke , about six miles west of the narrows by which we e tered . Along the
d e u a u on an d n east si e of N q q Lake , approachi g the main body of gneiss in the
Nemakon in t er st r at ified western part of Lake , the gneiss and mica schist are wi t h
each other, while between the two latter the rock consists of mica schist alone ,
‘ with some veins and masses of granite . Proceeding westward from Kettle Falls
a a n through R iny L ke , g eiss continues to prevail for about twenty miles . The gneiss at that locality holds micaceous bands and intruded waves of coarse red
i r e d sh g y granite . A broad band of schist covers the central part of
R . ainy Lake This appears to be the same band which follows the Seine River,
and is probably identical with the one which covers Bush Creek . The Indians at t Fort Frances manufacture pipes from a grey sla e , which occurs on the long point
Mr b . . etween the mouths of the Manitou and Seine Rivers Robert Pither, the l Indian Agent at Fort Frances , showed me specimens of ight coloured granular t h t iron pyri es , w ich , he informed me , were taken from a hick band in the same
- locality as the pipe stone . I was shown a specimen of coarse silvery quartzose
m in situ . Mr ica schist, which is said to occur, , in the above neighbourhood . Pit her likewise exhibited me a sample of copper pyrites in quartz from a vein on
at H R a w a . e iny Lake , but he s not certain of the exact locality which it occurs
r con fir ms the acco u nts of M . Dawson and others as to the occurrence of Huronian
a the a schists long the Seine River. The rock at Falls of the R iny River is a
n l be massive grey granitoid g eiss . Gneiss is also seen on the river about a mi e
o A n - l w t en . Fort Frances , and again at about miles expanse of massive looking
a a R a h rocks , pparently Huroni n schists , occurs at the mouth of pid River, whic
a fift een joins Rainy River from the southward , bout miles from the Lake of the
a L ake f . p Woods The banks of Rainy River, except on appro ching the the Woods ,
a fif t een are gener lly from to twenty feet high , and are composed of clay and
a - t drift m terials , in which pebbles and boulders of a yellowish grey limes one are
e a t hese su er ficial . , , , p pl ntiful There is re son to believe however that under ' de ”
t . posi s , a broad band of Huronian rocks covers the lower section of the river The f d information thus af orded , while not absolutely conclusive , is so far in icative of
a mineral deposits of greater or less richness in the region we h ve been describing, as to suggest the propriety of a careful exploration , with the special object of as cer t ain i n g more thoroughly the val u e of the district for mining purposes . If to i an abundance of splend d farming land , extensive pine forests , and a water way f t O pen to a market o which the demand will be unlimi ed , the country traversed it s eolo by the Dawson route shou l d develop the mineral resources indicated by g ITS BOUNDARIES, RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS . 21
ical g formation , it will prove a rich acquisition both to the commerce of Ontario
and the revenue of the Government .
M L L VI A L A C S LAC DES I E LACS ( EUL) TO WINNIPEG RIVER .
i a u a While the exigencies of travel, and the need felt for highway thro gh Can
N - a a t he dian territory to the orth West, h ve done much to further knowledge of fea
scien t ific tures of the southern portion of the country we are describing, explora tions have been m ade along its northern limits by the ofiicer s of the Geological Sur
1 8 2 a v e . . 7 y Starting from Lac des Mille Lacs , Messrs Selwyn and Bell , in , tr velled
a 46 1 by canoe the whole dist nce of miles , to the Winnipeg River, encountering no
s s more serious ob tacle than portages , which were easily crossed , or the danger of
a a being lost in the labyrinthine system of l kes , stre ms , and rivers , with which the * b whole route is more or less intersected . A very rief sketch of the journey
w a condensed from the published reports , ill give a f ir idea of the nature of the
29th u a country Visited . Leaving Lac des Mille Lacs on the of A gust , the p rty, on l oth n a n the September, were camped on Sturgeon Lake , havi g p ssed over twe ty
fiv e l a 1 0 0 . portages , altogether yards in ength , in a dist nce of miles Being
a deserted by their Indians , the travellers fortun tely recruited their force by the
’ a a Pacifi c a a volunt ry services of h lf a dozen R ilw y surveyors men , who were met
t he w a an d . O n with on y , who desired to return to their homes on Red River
1 6 as a the th of September the camp w on the line of the Railw y Survey , from which
a point the Sturgeon L ke River was descended about ten miles , to the head
t a 2 10 a . of the second rapids in the por ge , y rds in length A journey of four miles further, brought them to the falls by which Sturgeon Lake River discharges into
a Min n iet aki L ke , there being in that distance three portages , respectively
25 at 0 . , and yards in length The water, however, was then its lowest stage ; when the river is full the rapids may be descended in a canoe . It is between
Min n ie t aki an d L ao a a an d Lake Seul th t the route becomes most intric te , , but l for the fortunate appearance of a wandering Indian , who acted as pi ot, the jour ney might have had a premature ending. One portage, yards in length , being
flow in an d crossed, the canoes entered a small river g directly into Lac Seul, on
’ ’ 20 th B a the September, the Hudson s y Company s Post on that lake was reached,
81 a miles from the c mp on Sturgeon Lake , the trip in that distance involving
a t portages , thirteen in number , and ggregating yards in leng h . The Hud
’ a son s Bay Post, on Lac Seul, appears from the maps to be situated bout midway between the eastern and western extremities of the lake . Some idea of the extent
t a t of his sheet of water may be formed from the f ct tha , from the post to the head ‘ a 5 2 of the English River, at the western end of the lake , the dist nce is miles
w n n The passage down the English River to its junction ith the Wi ipeg, was aecom
eo o ca r e 18 2- 7 3 87 . G l gi l Su v y, , p . 22 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO .
lished 2md p by the of October, the portages to be crossed being twelve 1n number
a and measuring ltogether yards .
A s to the general aspect of the country , Professor Selwyn , after urging the 1mpor t an ce of a mineralogical survey of the great parallel bands of
» schistose and slaty strata traversing this region , and pointing out that gold
a a s copper, and iron , are associated with simil r strata , s ys Except such a s ari es from causes connected with the presence of Huronian rocks , as above i u &c . described , or with the occurrence of s perf cial deposits of sand clay, , but l t he u ittle variation is perceived in the general aspect of the country, on ro te which
O h o . we traversed , between Lac des Mille La s and Lake Winnipeg the main m land , and on the innu erable islands , the shores of the lakes and rivers , generally f present bare rock surfaces . Bold clif s and precipices are rare the rocks either
fift een u rise abruptly from the water for or twenty feet, or else slope gently p
, flood ward till , above the line of highest , they are concealed beneath a thin coat in m - g of oss covered soil , supporting a thick undergrowth of brushwood , and a
a a forest of popl r, aspen, birch , spruce , and small tamar ck , with , occasionally , a
in few red pine trees , standing singly or small clumps , and which , though , considerably at taller than the rest of the forest , and hence conspicuous a distance , w are rarely of large size . The generally small size of the timber, ho ever , is evi den t ly ff not altogether due to the e ects of unfavourable soil and climate, but in a m great easure to t he fact that nearly all the older trees have been destroyed by t he successive fir es d ev ast aed a u that at one time or other have every p rt of the co ntry , ff and the e ects of which are often conspicuously marked by the tall dead branches f and charred trunks w hich still tower above the younger orest . There are no m pro inent hills or even ridges the highest elevations do not probably exceed four fi or ve f a n d exa er a hundred eet above the intervening waters , I think it is no gg tion to say that the latter occupy fully one half of the whole surface area of the region . a u n The surface is gener lly ndulati g and broken , and often rocky , but occa sion al ly an d d t m both lakes rivers are bor ered ei her by extensive swa py flats, or by b n st r at ified w a ks of sand , silt, and clay , hich ofter rise terrace like at a short dis
’ ’ tance t he wat er s t he from ; edge . The point on which Hudson Bay Company s
Post stands is formed of these deposits , and to the westward of the Post , along the ' north clifi n A t shore, they are exposed in sectio s for several miles . the junction of the a w v Mattaw and English Rivers , here a small Indian illage and trading post is situa ted , presided over by Chief Pierre , there are similar banks of sand and sandy clay resting on the ordinary grey Laurentian gneiss , which is exposed along ’ the water s edge . The banks here rise steeply to about thirty feet above the
, d la water and for some istance in nd the country seems to be tolerably level , and
a a the soil on this part of the river appears to be generally of f ir qu lity . Small
" a an p tches of it are cultivated by the Indi s , who succeed in raising excellent
eo c o a r e 18723 . 16 . G l gi l Su v y, , p 23 n n sou n c s s A ND A . ITS BOUNDARIES, COMMUNIC TIONS
by them if they were supplied with seed .
u hou t a d a g the region , especi lly from Sturgeon Lake westwar to L ke Winni
v . peg , there are considerable areas of soil suitable for culti ation
T HE L N or A D P F WA I E THE CAN IAN ACI IC RAIL Y .
n C an adl an Pacific a Followi g the course of the R ilway , as located and partially
u w R at t a constr cted bet een Fort William and Por ge , on the Lake of the Woods , we ” * fa a fr om t he r e r ts t he en in r o ee s . gather a ir idea of the char cter of the country , p of . g
a has a From Fort Willi m to Lacs des Mille Lacs the route lready been described .
a 1 1 3 m From thence to the arm of English River, crossed by the railw y iles from d Thunder Bay the groun is slightly undulating, and although there are several
a n n rock cuttings they are gener lly in short le gths . Still their freque t presence
a 1 1 3t h l 6 ot h denotes a rugged and uninviting surf ce . From the to the mile, where Little Wabigoon River is reached , the country is rolling , containing nume
a a rous l kes and swamps with very irregul r rocky ridges . From Little Wabigoon 20 6 to Thunder Lake , the latter miles west from Thunder Bay , the country is
a n very slightly undul ting, but where excavatio s occur they will be in rock . For
5 8 s the next miles the line traverses a heavy rolling country with numerou lakes ,
a a 26 4t h sw mps and rocky hills and some good land interspersed . L stly, from the
2 98th at s u in mile to the Rat Portage , the ection is over a very ro gh rocky country, dented with numerous lakes and hollows and containin g very little soil . It is evident that t he route for the railway has thus far been chosen with an eye mainly to
n deside engi eering purposes and obj ects , and , probably , to secure as the primary ratum the most direct line to the Red River, but uninviting as the section it
ma a a n a covers y ppe r from these descriptions , it must not be forgotte th t the very fact of a rail way passing through it gives v alue to what would otherwise be a
u st ifies an d a w it waste , and j an expenditure of labour capit l in places , that ithout ,
a would never entice either to attempt their reclamation . Should miner l wealth be developed on the line of the railway route , as there is good reason to anti ci at e a p , it will not be long before wh tever portions of the country can be made cultivable will be discovered and appropriated .
A T T HE C L IM E .
The ability , not only to live , but to enjoy life , in an atmosphere that, to the inhabitants of warm or very temperate regions appears to be almost incredibly
o u a severe, is tested every day for several months in the year by the hardy p p l
a a r a tion of Can da . A very low temper tu e has few terrors , and is often ttended
ff n a with less actual su eri g , or inconvenience , than the raw , damp , chilliness of
an a an Pacific a a R e or t 1877. A en i Z . 357 et se . C di R ilw y p , pp d x , p q 24 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
B - milder climate . y no one need the western portion of North Western O n
Mr a . . d tario be really dreaded S ndford Fleming, in his Report of Progress , lai b a 1 874 ri s efore P rliament in , refer ng to the climatic peculiarities of the region
Pacific a a traversed by the Canadian Railw y, s ys Throughout the whole of
i issin t . the woodland region (N p g to Red River) , the dep h of snow is generally less
an a a on aver ge than it is at the City of Ottaw . Only in one localit y on the routes
a a a N f vourable for the r ilw y , between Manitoba and Lake ipissing, is the snow
‘ a a a found gener lly so deep as t this city (Ottawa) . The loc lity referred to is in
di u a a the imme ate neighbo rhood of L ke Superior, where the route appro ches the coast here the lake appears to have a local in flu en ce on the humidity of the
- f atmosphere , and , in consequence , on the amount of snow all . From
a t he 0 a of Lake Nepigon to Manitob snow ranges from 7 to less th n 50 per cent . ” at a a n the depth Ott wa . A witness ex mined by the Committee on Colonizatio
m a a and Im igr tion, at Ott wa, in reply to a question respecting the climate of the ” a ‘ ‘ R iny River region , replied that it was similar to Manitoba . 1 This statement wou ld probably apply to the larger portion of the country the character of
ac which we are now considering . The intensity of cold will , of course , vary cordin g to the elevation or sheltered position of different l ocalities . The Hon .
t he - 1 876 Senator Sutherland , of Manitoba, before above named committee , in
a — [ a said, with regard to the winters in th t Province j The frost penetr tes on
f is a exposed places to the depth of from three to our feet, that where the l nd is not covered at all with snow . Where it is covered with snow it is seldom frozen deeper
V a an d f than eighteen inches . eget tion begins progresses be ore the frost is all out w of of the ground , and we generally begin so ing when it is thawed to the depth six inches, at which time the surface is perfectly dry . We believe this frost helps the growth of crops, owing to the heat of the sun by day , causing a continual evaporation from the underlying strata of frost . We have occasional
fir st (summer) frosts ; generally one frost about the of June, but seldom severe
a . enough to do any materi l injury to the growing crops , and showers are frequent
i a . dur ng spring and summer . The aver ge depth of snow throughout Manitoba is 20 about inches, and is quite light and loose . That the winter does not, in the
e ds in con region between Lak Superior and Lake of the Woo , encroach to an v en i en t extent upon the open season , is incidentally shown by a circumstance
Mr . w m alluded to by Da son , in his report to the Government of the Do inion , in A t 1 873 the close of the season of , orders were suddenly received to pre pare for the transportation of a body of the Mounted Police over the Dawson
. B t he t ime - route y the force had reached the north west angle , winter had set
, em in with great severity and the result was, that a large force of workmen ,
e or t an a an Pacific a ‘ a 1874 . 34 et se R p C di R ilw y, , p q. R e or t 16 9 t p , p . . J ou r n al s o se of o on s an a a 8 H u C mm (C d ) , 1 78.
e or t of o t t ee 39 o I p , p . , J u r n als o se of o on s an a R C mmi H u C mm C da 1876 . ( ) , c Wor s e or t 1874. A en 23 , . ess. aper s an a a p pp 1875 . Publi k R dix S P (C d ) , 2 A ND A . 5 ITS BOUNDARIES , RESOURCES COMMUNIC TIONS
n - s t w . ployed in the ransportation service , were inter bound It is in maki g thi r D aw son t sta tement M . incidentally mentions that the smaller lakes near the heigh 28t h of land were frozen over on the night of the October, and that , although ff t he every e ort was made to keep the navigation open , the thermometer fell on ° 2 n d ovember 6 night of the N to (Fahrenheit) , completely stopping the tugs
a a w l n But, he adds, winter had set in e rlier th n ever before kno n the short h . t e experience of the white man , or even in the knowledge of the Indians In in 1 8 5 8 report of the same gentleman to the Legislative Assembly of Canada, , he
l 1n a says B odget, his isothermic chart, shewing the me n distribution of heat
° a 6 0 t o for the summer , pl ces the line of the north of the Lake of the Woods , and ° a 6 5 a e th t of at Fort Garry . That great precipitation of rain takes plac
‘ t he w at er s flow in at and near the highlands which separate g to Lake Winnipeg,
a w t he from those th t run to ards Lake Superior, is evinced by the magnitude of
a a be rivers, as compared with the re they drain . The climate, however, seems to ” a a a w milder on the western slope of the highl nds th n on the e stern . The follo
a a ing record, by Sir John Rich rdson , of the progress of the seasons at Fort Willi m , will give some idea of the climatic conditions on the more favourably situ ated western s10 pe of the height of lan d above referred to :1’
— ° . 9 . m at F 39 . Feb Thermo eter noon , — ° 1 . a 6 1 d da March Temper ture , in the mid le of the y . 2 — . a April The sap of the sug r maple began to run . 9 — . First wild ducks seen . 0 — 1 . B u t t er flies blu eflies u l n , , and g ls oticed . 20 — . a . 3 ft General th w commences Ground frozen to a depth of . 9 in . — 30 . Kamin ist i u ia l River q partial y open . Ma 2 — . y River free of ice .
10 - . The birch tree and maple budding .
1 5 - . June Swallows building . 1 5 — . . fl July Barley just coming into ear Potatoes in ow er . 31 — . Raspberries ripening . 8 — , Red currants and blueberries perfectly ripe . 1 9 — . Barley ripening .
2 - 9 . Peas quite ripe . 31 — . Swallows have disappeared . S e t r — p . 7 . a n Le ves of birch and aspen cha ge colour. 1 — 3 . a , , cau liflow er s Potatoes c bbage turnips and nipped by frost .
- 7. October Leaves of the birch and aspen falling . — ov . 3 . a N Small l kes frozen over .
J ou r n al s L e . sse g an a a 1858. en 36 A mbly, C d , App dix . A r ct c 1 or n e - t on V ol . 22 i Expl i g Exp di i , . II , p . 7 8. W 2 6 NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
— me a 9 . Nov . River covered with a sheet of , which broke up ag in ’ — D ec ber 1 Ice driving about by wind . — * 1 . 7 . Thunder Bay frozen across to the Welcome Islands
Another authority states that the average period of the Kamin ist iqu ia fr eez
1 5 m a ice ing over is from the 3r d to the th of Nove ber, and th t it becomes free from
i m1n d an bet ween the 20 th and 23r d of April . Bear ng in the tendency to ameli
n u a oratio of the climate in p rsuing westerly course , and the comparison instituted
w an d a a bet een the Rainy River region M nitoba, there cert inly are no climatic difficu lt ies in the w ay of the colonization of the country lyin g between Lake
Superior and the Lake of the Woods .
V EASTERN DI ISION .
J A M B A Y LAKE SUPERIOR TO ES .
The possession of the territory lying north of the height of land and ex
’ tending to the shores of Hudson s Bay opens up an entirely new field to
e . nergy and enterprise The southern shore of the Bay, which forms under the
late award the northern limits of Ontario j urisdiction , is but little further from Toronto than the City of Quebec a railway from the present t ermination of our northern lines to Moose Factory need be accounted a no more chimerical scheme than would the proposition have been considered to connect Toronto with the
ancient capital of the Lower Province by a similar means fift y years ago , and the w ’ d terrors of frost and snow that, someho or other, are associated in men s min s
’ with the Hudson s Bay region , are certainly not more appalling than were the
f t o a ' stories of hardship and suf ering supposed , as but yesterday, attach to
s ettlement in what is now the populous and busy capi tal of Manitoba . The
’ b flow n a B a road rivers that orthward and eastw rd into James or Hudson s y, seem to invite the voyager by the facili ties they offer for his journey to the great r no thern sea or inland lake whose coasts he may desire to explore , and the head
w t n a S . aters of our Lawrence or lake avig tion , approach near enough to make the j our ney one of comparative ease to men inured to the experiences of Canadian
a pioneer life . These rivers could all tell a tale of str nge doings in past times to which their waters have been witness when Hudson ’ s Bay Company ’ s retainers contended for the rights secured to them under their monopoly when their traders
b wa were intercepted y rivals by whom , and to rds whom , rough measures were by no m ” ’ eans repudiated ; when the French from Canada, outbid the Company s factors
' ’ bor e t hem for the Indians hunting spoils , and away hundreds of leagues overland instead of leaving them to fin d their way by the annual ship from York Factory
- da I n . f to Europe To y, when all stri es and hostile competition are at an end , the
J ou r n als L e . A sse an a a 1858. A en 3. g mbly (C d ), pp dix
W A 28 NORTH ESTERN ONT RIO ,
it s Winnipeg, Red , and Assiniboine rivers , and of the mighty Saskatchewan with h n flu en t s fin d w a t o . , co , their y the ocean North of the Nelson is the C urchill a
. large river , and still further to the north the Seal River It is in the rivers of the south an d west we are primarily interested in connection with our present inqui
a a t ries . Recent explor tions m de under the direction of the Dominion Governmen have afforded very ample information as to t he routes to James Bay through
an d - r . what is now , under the award , Onta io territory, from the south south west A brief description of each survey wil l present a tolerably clear view of the general
n charac ter of the country a d the route s traversed .
H N Moosn LAKE URO TO FACTORY .
Setting out from the north shore of Lake Huron by way of the White - fish
Wan a it i f in a w a River, the p River and Lake , Pro essor Bell , p ssed , by y of — the Sturgeon River which flow s into Lake Nipissing an d mu st not be confounded
a — with a river of the same n me west of Lake Superior, through a succession of
a t he lakes to the head of the e st branch of the Montreal River , a tributary of
a a via flow Ott w thence Pigeon Lake to Grassy River , the waters of which north
S hat a ami a six a wards to Lake g . From this l ke , by a mile portage, Lake Matt
w as a a Mat t a ami gami re ched , and a pass ge down the g to the south Branch of
Mat t a ami ff w as the Moose or g River e ected . The river surveyed to its junc
Mi in ibi T he t tion with the north branch of the Moose or ss . party hen passed down the main st ream to Moose Factory a short distance south of
an d ba Mat t a ami a the mouth of the river open y . g L ke , which gives the river
it s an d the ma a name , which , if not source, y be reg rded as one of its sources , 2 t fi 6 . v e is about miles in leng h For or six miles the river , after leaving the
flow s a fir st an d , lake , smoothly but then takes plunge , by a fall , then a rapid
- a a thus accomplishing a descent of forty fiv e feet . This impediment to n vig tion t is overcome by a portage known as Fishing Por age , a mile in length , on the west A t t side of the river . a distance of a mile and a half from Fishing Por age the
' - Ken o amissee t m in . river enters g Lake , twen y two iles length The united length
fift - of the t wo lakes and intervening river supplies a navigation of some y four
' of mileS w ith one portage a mile long as the sole interruption. From the foot 21 6 Ken ogamisse Lake to Moose Factory is a distance of 5 miles , divided as follows
S E . From Ken ogamissee Lake to a (fir st ) brook at a . bend ut N E abo . N N E t . To second brook at a . . bend abou
S W. To a third brook to a . bend about
r N Mu ckw a Pow it ik a . To (Bear R pid) , about
- Geo o ca r e 1875 6 . 294. l gi l Su v y, , p 11 s N BOU DARIES, RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS . 29
a u Missin ihi To foot of Long Port ge to j nction of Branch , N 42 a . . bout deg 394miles ;
Missin ihi a N From junction of to Moose F ctory , about . E 5 2 deg .
a 2 1 6 Tot l % miles .
di Long Portage is the last of eighteen portages in the above stance . It is f 1 90 a our miles in length , and avoids a descent of feet, the three port ges above it 1 t being represented by a fall in the river of 95 feet . Adding for y feet for the inter
42 5 O n y eming space the total descent in 1 0 miles is feet . leaving Ken ogamissee
1 1 7 - Lake the river falls some feet in three quarters of a mile , but the intervening
ar e a in p ortages described as short , with comparatively slight fall the river at ” e w ach , so slight, in fact, that canoes can be frequently taken up and do n with a
u mer ou s Mat t a ami half load . N streams help to swell the g in its northward course
Missin ihi A bbit ibbe the principal one , besides the , already mentioned, being the which joins the Mat t agami 1 7 miles south of Moose Factory . The most in
’ r est in a Mat t a ami s t e g f ct , perhaps , in the foregoing brief sketch of the g course is
n B a he existe ce of a stretch of ninety miles inland from James y, with no serious t impediment to navigation wha ever.
MOOSE FACTORY TO MICHIPICOTON .
Leaving the topographical and productive features of the country watered by an d Mat ta ami , the g , to be noticed subsequently we will now turn southward a a com an r , s p y M . Bell on his homew rd trip his objective point being the River a Michipicoton on Lake Superior , probably the ne rest point on the navigable
’ a w waters of the S t . L rence chain to James s Bay , and which , owing to the wide reach of country , extending from Lake Huron northwards , before the height of a of l nd is crossed , and the sources the Moose are reached , must , in the absence
’ of roads or railroads be one of the more natural and accessible routes to Hudson s aié Matt a ami B ay . We have already traced the g or South Branch of the Moos e to its union with the North Branch or Missin ihi and thence to James Bay at Moose
Factory . The return trip will therefore commence at the j u n ction of the two streams . In a straight line the distance from Round Bay 41 miles below Long
a u Missin ihi 1 1 3 Port ge to the o tlet of Lake is miles . Following the cou rse of
. a the river the distance is much greater The port ges , twenty in number, are as follows :
‘
n n in . 3 . C o ge g House portage
- eo o ca S r e 1875 6 . 327. G l gi l u v y , , p W 30 NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
4 . River side portage 5 . Kettle portage 6 . Black feathers
or t a 7 . Rocky Island p g
8 . Sandy Bay portage
9 . Sharp rock portage
B eaver or t a e 1 0 . p g 1 1 .
. 2 . 1 . Pond portage Length not stated 1 3 . A portage sometimes navigable t ’ S . 1 4. Paul s portage
’
S t . 1 5 . Peter s portage
16 O kan da o or a . . g ( Greenhill) port ge
. 1 7 . Wavy portage 1 8 . Island portage
- of - m - 1 9 . Foot swa py grounds portage
20 Ke or t a e . g p g
I n the interval between the outlet of Missin ihi Lake and the mouth of the Michipicot on there are seven more portages: Following the general course of
- M each of the stretches above given , the total distance from oose Factory to the
314 a 2 81 . mouth of the Michipicoton is miles , or in straight line 1 miles In round
r es f w figu it may there ore be said that, at this point , the aters of Lake Superior ’ ar e separated from those of Hudson s Bay by a distance of a little over 30 0 miles . The number of portages varies considerably with the season and the state of the
an d . rivers their feeders In many cases , with a light load the rapids can be
an d . wholly overcome , a recourse to portaging avoided
Missin ihi Lake is a fin e sheet of water twenty - four miles in length and at
about eighteen miles from the outlet a bay opens off the north - east side and ru ns
- b a n O u back north east parallel to the main ody of the lake bout ni e miles . the ” - fift een south east side of the lake miles from the outlet, says the report , a river
f a Wi- a - - alls a consider ble height over the rocks into the lake . It is called sitch a ” wan or Water shining from Afar . The country traversed by the Missin ihi must
all Mr fir st be of a gener y level character, for, according to . Bell , the hills seen from the river after leaving Moose Factory were immediately north of Missin ibi
Lake . It is doubtful, however, whether either of the two routes above described
is the true one , if the object be to secure the easiest means of access to the waters
’ Hu d n s B so a s . a of s y from the great lake A more advantageous route will prob bly be
on e a or from the north shore of L ke Nepigon to the main stream of the Albany, ,
st e ill bett r, one from the mouth of Black River on Lake Superior by way of Long b Lake , and a southern ranch of the Albany, joining the main river at about 1 5 0 m fr om its iles fi mouth . U E M BO NDARI S, RESOURCES AND CO MUNICATIONS . 31
B . K S P A LACK RIVER (LA E U ERIOR) TO THE ALB NY .
h a T is route appears from the information at comm nd , to possess the greatest
g natural advanta es . After curving round Lake Nepigon the height of land dips
w n — or suddenly to the south ard, formi g a sharp bend rather loop , for it imme — el r diat y recedes to the northward again opposite to the mouth of the Black Rive .
fift in In this loop , or bend , lies Long Lake , a narrow sheet of water y miles
t a leng h , its southern end being one mile north of the height of l nd, and only
- L t he an twenty two miles from ake Superior . Between height of land d Lake Superior water communication exists the Black River being navigable by light
n canoes for its whole length . But, as portaging would be ecessary at several
1 s an W places for heavy freights , and as there intervening space between the aters
an running north and south respectively, which must, in y case , be overcome , it is
h n possible t at, whenever a scheme is devised for utilizing the navigation of Lo g
’ fi r st f Lake as a route to Hudson s Bay, the ef ort will be to secure an easy method of land conveyance from Lake Superior to the nearest longstretch of navigable
n S n er ior water . Although the country on the orth coast of Lake p is generally
an d a Pacifi c n of rugged rocky, the C nadian e gineers who have surveyed a line
n W b w railway from Lake Nipissi g to Nepigon River, hich passes et een the height
a as of land south of Long L ke and Lake Superior, do not represent this section being at all particularly formidable from their point of view , although they
a e would traverse it longitudin lly , while a road , tramway , or railroad , from Lak
l . Superior to Long Lake , wou d cut it laterally The elevation of Summit Portage
Mr l 48 9 Wh e is given by . Bel as feet above the Lake Superior level , ile Long Lak
fin e fift is 46 6 feet above Lake Superior . From Long Lake with its stretch of y
flow s t he a R miles of clear navigation , Kenog mi iver, marked as English River
a a on some of the maps , but that n me is appropriated by so m ny other streams , that it will be more convenient to use the Indian designation .
a a w As considerable interest may tt ch to this route, it may be ell to describe
’ “ H v n Mr w . e the Kenogami in . Bell s own ords says Lea ing Lo g Lake the
a Kenogami River winds for two miles mong open marshes , on which the Hudson
’ B ay Company s men ou t hay for the use of the cattle at Long Lake House the general ° s fir n i . 1 E st course of the river for the fir t ne miles is N 0 . In this section the portage
an d s occurs at three , the second at seven mile down, and between them on the west
Ken o amishish fiv e side , g , or little Long Lake River, enters at , and Manitou
n amai i - L g, or Dev l Fish River, at six miles from ong Lake . From the outlet to
fir st a the of these tributaries , the river is only from chain and a half to two
a ai u r t her do n s chains wide but below them it exp nds to four ch ns . F w it continue
in s w r a to increase width , till , at the end of nine mile (follo ing the st e m) , from
o w v a A t L ng Lake , it averages ten or t el e ch ins . the end of nine miles from
eo o 18 0 - ca r e 7 1 . 338 . G l gi l Su v y, p 3 2 NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO ,
°
N 86 E . . in a st aight line for eight v , Long Lake, the ri er bends ro und running r miles then it enters the west side of Mani - gw a - ga - mi or Pine Lake at right 3 7 o . oc a ngles about two miles fr m its southern extremity Portages to ' cur in this s tretch and a river enters from the north . The main body of Pine Lake , , ° an d , 1 2 E . which runs N . is about seven and a half miles long one and a half
' a A t a a , , wide. mile and a h lf from its northern extremity channel ten chains N 25 ° E h . w ide le ads into the lower division of the lake . T is runs , and is , t three and a quart er miles long an d one mile wide . Abou one and a half miles
a 1mmediat el it from Pine L ake we reach the eighth port ge, and y below , Arm
Lake which is about three miles long and lies at right angles to the general , t w o A r m c ourse of the river . The ninth portage is passed at about miles below
— - - on r Ka a Lake ; and half a mile further , the river ente s pees watan Lake two
a a - - a - miles long in which there are several low isl nds . M ni gwa g mish or Little
flowin a m Pine River, g from lake of the sa e name , enters the south side of this
- - - s a Wa a , l ke , and the big no or Mouse River, comes in from the same ide about two miles in a straight line below the lake . A third stretch of the river which has a nearly east course below Pine Lake , terminates with a rapid a mile and a
t he half long . This is avoided by a portage ( eleventh) , the tenth one being a N 45 ° E . mile higher u p. The fourth reach of the Kenogami river bears , and
n a is thirteen and a half miles lo g in direct line . It embraces portages twelve to t seventeen, and erminates on the eighteenth , which is the last to the junction of the river with the Albany, on which canoe navigation is uninterrupted to the
B a y. The Atiek or Deer River enters from the north , between the sixteenth and ° fifth N 80 E w as r . seventeenth po tages . The reach bears , and followed for
- t wenty one miles, when we reached Pembina Island, which although not large , is easily recognised by a con s picuous light - coloured bank about thirty - fiye feet
n i t high , run ng for about a mile along the nor h side of the river, immediately
it a a . bove Throughout this l st stretch the river is shallow, swift, and sometimes
a l rapid . In the l st twelve mi es explored , it spreads in several places among low isian ds , and flat lying limestone is exposed in the bed of the river . In the same
- - i- Wa - - - interval it receives the Mun did no and tis ti gum Rivers from the north ,
Pe - w o- t he and the na or Flint River from south . The follo wing register is given of the portages on Kenogami River .
a n s a in e Ch i . F ll Riv r .
1 4 20 e e t . a e e an d . a r can oes f Tr il l v l dry C r y .
5 a e e an d dr Wa 7 . e t can o Tr il l v l y d ligh es .
1 2 22 B an f s o r a e e a t . a can oe k g v lly r h C rry s . 9 25 B n t an . an W t a . a e t can oes ur l d S dy r il d ligh .
6 1 2 R u n t can o s ligh e .
3 4 R u n t can oes ligh . 34 24 t ee an at o e en d . a can o s S p b k l w r C rry e .
4 3 R u n t can oe ligh s . 2 10 O oc s . a can oes ver r k C rry . 33 . 11 s BOUNDARIES , RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS
a in ve . Chain s . F ll Ri r
a can oe s . 1 2 Lower en d st e ep an d r ocky . C rry ‘ t ee t e t a few s a a n es . 75 Trail level bu t in t erse c d wi h m ll r vi S p
n d o e o c a o e a b ban k n e ar lower e . S il y ll w l y, v rl id y
a a can oes . grav elly lo m . C rry
ar can oes . O v er rock . C ry
k a can oes . O ver roc . C rry
i R u n t can oes . Le vel t ra l . ligh
a r can oes . L e ve l t rail . C r y
t a l Wa e can oe s . Le vel r i . d , full
W t can oes . a . a e Le ve l t r il d , ligh R u n l Num erou s small islan ds of gn eiss l n river. ful
n Wa e u . can oes dow . d p
With the exception of a few rocky ridges and knolls in the upper part of t he
flow s is river the coun try through w hich the Kenogami to join the Albany River, ,
a a h t o uniformly level . Terr ces or banks of brown loam and gr velly eart from ten l a a forty feet m height are to be seen all a ong the Kenogami and round Pine L ke , soil 1n a t . sometimes close to , and others a short distance from the banks The the
1s a fir neighbourhood of the river is good . The timber principally spruce, b lsam ,
- - t he a . white cedar , tam rack , white birch and aspen Some of larger spruces and
fiv e t amaracks have been found to measure as much as from four to feet in girth ,
fi ve a a i at feet from the ground , but the aver ge di meter of the trees is about e ghteen
a w s inches . As the l st t enty or thirty miles is reached , the ground becomes wampy,
n z a . a the trees diminishi g in si e , and v lue in proportion The distances from L ke Superior to James Bay by this route would be made up as follows
22 Lake Superior to Long Lake miles .
a u t . Long L ke free navigation , abo Kenogami River and Lakes on its course 90 % 9 9 Pembina Island to junction of Kenogami with Albany . Albany to James B ay 1 5 0
41 6 }
The route from Pembina Island to t he junction with the Albany an d thence
’ B a t o a . James y , is without portages , and dmits of canoe navigation It would,
sa a fit t ed however , be more correct to y th t the Albany to the point ofjunction is for
i a a has - w c nav gation by l rger cr ft , a fact that been well kno n ever sin e the earliest
’ ’ Hu d B a a r w as a , opening of the son s y Comp ny s t ade . It at this point th t Henly House
a a or Fort, was erected , to protect the trade of the Company g inst the attempts of the French Canadians to intercept the Indians com ing from the west to trade
at b a fe w a Al any , and not sh rp encounters took place
al a a a in a limited sc e , thus maint ined a w rf re , too often of their res pective W 34 NO RTH ESTERN ONTARIO,
a t he a n i a d nations ne rer home . To cap bilities of the Albany for av g tion as describe
lder a r ecen t l o . by those who have tested them more y, uthorities also hear testimony * a commit t ee 1749 a Before of the British House of Commons in one John H yter,
’ B a a : He a a servant of the Hudson s y Comp ny , gave the following evidence s id ,
’ th at he had been twelve days journey up the A l bany River to a Fort or Factory
1 5 0 20 0 h s a w a e called Henly House , which is or miles up t at River , that he l rg ” trees there but n o corn . Being asked the occasion of building Henly House , he t said that the old leading Indian had been used ill by the Governor (a Albany) an d brought four French Indians (Indians favourable to the French) from the Southerly to the Westerly R iver u pon which the Governor erected that F ort to
r eyen t t a . p the French r de , who never traded there before that season The Indians referred to had probably taken a route similar to the one we h ave just
sa Mr . a been discussi n g on the authority of . Bell The witness H yter goes on to y
that the climate is much warmer at Henly House than at Albany ; but they broke no ground there an d consequently he can give no account of the frost that they carried up nothing but utensils an d met with but few falls of w aters (rapid s)
u a a which they towed their boats p . Th t they were forced to row lmost all day
t he u a long, stream being too rapid for boats to sail p even in a fresh g le ; that it
a W a a is impossible to tow the bo ts ith horses on ccount of the b dness of the ground ,
a 2 4 2 5 n an d 4 a but one man tows a c noe of or feet lo g feet wide , which dr ws about eight inches of water an d will carry a great weight ; that t he country about Henly House is very high but warmer than the coast that he has
la t l seen rge tracts of land hat wou d , in his opinion , bear corn , (grain) if cultivated, ” i a the climate being much warmer within land . Long Lake be ng t a level of 46 6
' a 1 20 1eet feet above , and Pembin Island below , the level of Lake Superior, a dif 5 86 d 1 40 ference of only feet in a istance of miles , a road from the outlet of Long
Lake to the point on the Kenogami which would be uninterrupted by portages
a t if n ot would hardly be a work involving much l bour or cos , , indeed , it were
n n . economical to , co struct it to the waters of the Alba y itself
NE PI GO N LAKE TO ALBANY .
a i We have , however , one more alternative route for reaching J mes Bay v a.
a . a A lbany , and one that has lso been very carefully explored This would m ke
‘ h- Ne i on oin t r i the nort east shore of Lake p g its starting p l Lake Nep gon , as will
n a B a be observed by the map , lies e rly due north of Thunder y, communication
Ne i on between the two lakes being maintained by the p g River . The level of
Ne i on 25 0 t f at p g is , however, some feet above Superior, and , here ore , a lift of th
- extent would be required to improve the inter navigation of the two lakes . That
m s ecu r once provided , a clear stretch of one hundred iles would be
f e or t e ect o t t ee o se o o on s 1749 . 221 . R p S l C mmi H u C mm , p
- eo o ca r e 1871 2 . 10 1 . G l gi l Su v y , p
36 N W ORTH ESTERN ONTARIO,
t Makokebat an . flo wenty miles below The northern channel has , meantime , w ed
a - a of through a lake c lled Washi saigan , or L ke the Narrows , formerly known as
’ a B a t Gloucester L ke , from a Hudson s y pos so called that once stood in the
’ Moosew aké t i vicinity . From Lake to Mar in s Falls , in a d stance of twenty miles ,
’
l i . a the river is fu l of slands and rapids Martin s Falls , so called , is re lly only a
2 a 1 1 5 . rapid of some or feet easy descent, and readily passed by c noes Between
’ fift een a Makoket aban r . Lake and Martin s Falls , the e are port ges But, at the
a u 1 20 a t he . F lls , the character of river changes The F lls are f ll miles above the
u t j nction of the Kenogami River with the Albany, which , as already s ated is 1 25 probably 50 miles from James Bay . For the whole course of 0 to 270 m1les
sea five to the , the Albany is from twenty to thirty chains in width , from to twenty feet (averaging about eleven feet) deep , and has a mean velocity of three
Mr l . mi es an hour . In the opinion of Bell , the river would , except in very low
he w a l water, navigable by po erful ste mers of ight draught all the way from its A t ’ ’ mouth to the Falls . Martin s Falls is a Hudson s Bay Post, where hay, tur f
an d nips , potatoes have, for a long time, been successfully cultivated , and ” as cattle thrive well . The river is open , shown by the journal kept at the
S o post for six months in the year . free is it from obstructions below the Falls,
’ a s w n i that the Hudson s Bay bo t ; in descending, are allo ed to drift all ght with
b su fficien t the stream, the submerged top of a pine tree eing to keep them in the channel . The total distances traversed by the surveying party are given in the report as follows
Miles . 1 From Lake Nepigon to the Albany . 42 t h 1 84 A lbany to e mouth of the Kenogami River . Kenogami mouth to James Bay 15 0
Total Miles or 5 6 , from Thunder Bay one hundred miles more , making the entire distance 7
e 1m or t an ce a miles . The question of actual distance , howev r, is of even less p th n
as . a the facilities of this route compared with others It must be recollected th t ,
B a at Thunder y, there is already a considerable population , and one of a very
a n d enterprising character that it is the head of the great lake navigation , also likely to be the resort of a very large tonnage of vessels from the United States m t as well as fro Canada . In view of a trade being opened up either wi h any
’ B a a section of the region intervening, or with Hudson s y, the consider tions sug
’
s . gested mu t have great weight Again , the Hudson s Bay Company were , afore
d via time , accustomed to bring in their goo s from Europe Moose for
W of at Fort illiam and other stations , the payment customs rates , in
l n i a . of governmenta supervisio , be ng thus voided And if it shou 1l ‘ s BOUNDARIES, RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS . 37
an d busy growing communities on the shores of Lake Superior and beyond , would
a naturally expect to ben efit by their comp rative contiguity to an Atlantic port .
fin d h We may , too, in the course of our inquiries , t at the mineral region around i Nep gon , as well as Superior, will need supplies that a more fertile region to the
n f d orthward will af ord, and for which a route correspon ing with some of those
Mr w . already traced out will have to be found . Dividing the cou rse follo ed by l Bell into open , and obstructed orinterrupted sectionswehave the fol owing result
Ne i on O mbabika W t he From p g by the ith the portages , to
a an d Pow it ik a Sho l Lake River seventeen mile re ch ,
33 6 8 a 2 5 . miles , reduced by ch ins portage at bend to miles From seventeen mile reach (open) 1 7 cc To Albany at Lake A bazot ikit chew an (with portages) 92
’ Lake A bazot ikit chew an to Martin s Falls (with portages) 6 4
’ ’ Martin s Falls to James Bay 270
l 46 8 mi es .
270 a u n With one sweep of miles , the dist nce in which any interruptions to an
t r affic 20 0 a impeded occur, is thus reduced to less than miles between the gre t
n la hin t he i nd lakes and the ocean, and there does not appear to be anyt g in nature of t he country to make such local improvements as may be needed to facilitate travel
a h Mr or the carri ge of freig t unreasonably expensive . The explorations of . Bell and
a t a an d his assistants , h ve been , it is eviden , conducted with gre t intelligence perse
r n ce n d v e a . a Still they have been , of necessity , more or less hurried , consequently
partial . A very careful examination of the whole country would be needed be
n fore pro ouncing authoritatively on the advantages of the respective routes , the
t he a prospects of settlement , the tokens of latent wealth , or me ns of reducing the i labour of a journey from point to point to a min mum .
A B B I T I B B E LAKE ROUTE .
The reports of the Geological Survey do not contain any account of explora
A bbit ibbe a t a a tions over the River to Moose F c ory , lthough th t route has, doubt
b a w a of less , been , in past times , well travelled y voy geurs coming by y the Ottawa
a a a River , from the head waters of which it is sep r ted by only a short dist nce .
a A bbit ibbe n an d L ke lies nearly east and west, a little orth of the height of land on
an d a - a a a the Ontario Quebec Bound ry line , about one fourth of its re , ccording to
a A bbit ib e . b the Government m ps , being in the latter Province The River may .
. a a a be said to rise in the height of l nd and to flow through the L ke , for the s me ’ name is given to its most important feeder from the southward as that of the stream
ues from its western extremity and , after a dip to the south , flows north
r om — James Bay . F L ac des Quinze an expansion of the Ottawa described 38 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO,
" Mr Mc by . O u at of the Geological Survey as in most parts about a mile wide
- — an d some twenty three miles in length with t he except ion of one short portage
fi ve t un in t er at a fall of four or fee on Lonely River, the navigation for canoes is r u pt ed to within half a mile of the height of land which separates the waters of
’ m r flow in the Ottawa fro the ivers g into Hudson s Bay , and there is scarcely a
di t - perceptible current to overcome . The stance is thir y one miles . The height
a - a t h . e of l nd is but some three qu rters of a mile to a mile in length That passed ,
w A bbit ibbe t ou ched at aters of the a—re a small lake lying at the foot of the height lan d L ake A bbitibbe it f e Mat a w a o i m of , sel being r ached bywayof Lake g g g, eight iles
A ot aw ekaim u and Lake g , six miles long, connected by a small stream with fo r
A bbit ibbe short portages in a distance of eleven miles . Here the southern is
a r struck an d traversed for nine miles until it j oins the L ke . Adding togethe the seve r al st retches of water and portage the distance to Lake A bbit ibbe from L ac
i a 5 u 6 3 . des Q inze will be about 7 miles , and from the he ght of l nd miles The
t a A bbit ibbe a t w o h otal length of L ke , or r ther of the lakes into w ich it is divided ,
- u t - flow s A bbit ibbe is forty seven miles . From the so h west corner the northern ,
- t t fir st u fir st a . so th west, then west, to its f ll , a distance of seven miles From his poin
w a in a straight line to its mouth , here it enters J mes Bay by the same outlet as the
a 2 0 0 a Moose , the length is bout miles , making an pproximate distance by this
a a 35 0 route, llowing for the sinuosities of the river , of prob bly miles from the
380 B a a height of land or from Lac des Quinze , to James y . Tr ces of iron are
f a A bbit ibbe a ound in the neighbourhood of L ke but not in large qu ntities , and one curious feature is a magnetic island situated about the middle of the west
’ u l a a side of the lower lake , so powerf ly ttractive th t the surveyors compasses
n were useless in its Vicinit y . O the northern slope of the height of land groves ” of white pin e were observed in all directions several pine trees were measured f ” and found to be eight or nine feet in circum erence . White spruce , yellow birch
a an d and cedar, are also toler bly abundant of good size , some good specimens of the latter being noticed in the hollows among the hills on the south shore of L ake
A bbit ib - be. a Around the lake itself pine is scarce , although few well grown trees
e e A i i Mr bb t bbe . M O u u . c at w re notic d Lake , says , is s rrounded on all sides
’ a a a by level cl y l nd ; several acres are cultiv ted at the Hudson s Bay Post, and
a A bbit ibbe a French Canadi n , who has been more than thirty years at , although
the only crop now raised there is potatoes , insisted that all the ordinary cereals
A i a bb t ibbe t he S t w . could be cultivated as successfully at as on . L rence
M NE PI GO N S T O S E PH. FRO LAKE TO LAKE . J
Mr u In following up the explorations of . Bell , we have incidentally s rveyed
- the larger portion of the tract forming the eastern half of North Western Ontario . The only section remaining is that lying between Lake Ne pigon and Lake S t
o eo ca r e 18723 . 119 et se G l gi l Su v y , , p q. '
11 s . 39 BOUNDARIES , RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS
' ‘
se h t he t he a . s r est of J o p or head waters of Alb ny Thi region , like all the the new
r an d a s e w e . territory , is int rsected ith riv s , lakes , stre m The construction of the
Canadian Pacifi c Rail way will do much towards utilizing these means of access to
' m di t r i t s a t he t hemore r e ot e s c . The information at command le ds to opinion
A t a Wabi on that it is neither a desert nor altogether inhospitable . L ke g the
a an d a r olific a Indi ns cultivate maize , lthough in a country so p of pine as is C nada other woods are in dan ger of being under valued as an element of national wealth
a a a fin er an d a a t he u r the spruce and t m r c , which seem to become more v lu ble f rthe ,
ar e a e north they extend , a class of timber th t b ar a good merchantable reputation ,
a a for where they can be e asily an d cheaply conveyed to market . The t m rac rail
a fi n ds as con s t r u c wypurposes an enormous consumption, which will increase the t ion of lines either by t he Government or as the result of private enterprise is
- - is an m d . pro ote in the North west , while for ship building , it excellent material
r PI I Y S I C A L PECULIARITIES m) ASPECT o EASTERN DIVISION .
Occasional reference has been already made to the physical peculiarities an d
’ aspects of the country traversed by the surveyors of the routes t o Hudson s Bay
A lit t le r a Ne i on . f om L kes p g , Superior and Huron closer examination of the m information at command on this point , may be interesting . The ter ination of the portages and the comparative smoothness with which the rivers falling into James B ay pursue their course from points at a considerable distance from their
“ u l timate destination is thus accounted for Between the great lakes and
J B a t he a f t he t w o ames y, country is of very dif erent character in each of geo
a a w a a a an d n a a logical re s hich it embr ces , n mely , the L urentian Huronia pl te u ,
a a m B a an d the palaeozoic and (prob bly) terti ry basin of Ja es y . The former is s w a ome hat elevated , undul ting, and dotted with great numbers of lakes , while
a e an d far wn the l tt r is low , level , and swampy, as as kno generally free from lakes ,
n w l - a as l as a co stituting a e l marked geographic l we l geological b sin, bounded by a
fi ve - distinct vein of hard , ancient rocks for sixths of its circumference , since it
’ a W 20 0 B a contr cts to a idth of only about miles , where it opens into Hudson s y on a i a ou a a on l ne between C pes Jones ( the e st) , and Henrietta Mari ( the west) .
m e This rim is high , and has a steep p towards the centre all round . Owing to
a a the unyielding n ture of the rocks , all the rivers running into J mes Bay meet
a an d a with a gre t generally very r pid descent on reaching the edge of this basin .
“ ” a As a consequence , the long port ges on all of them occur where they pour ” down this slope . While the t ermrocky is very generally applied to the whole
t w t he s an d a B a of the area lying be een lake J mes y , it is asserted , on very good
t r n i ifi authority, tha the propo tio that is rocky in the popular s gn cat ion of t he
u Mr h . W o term , is less than is commonly s pposed . Bell, , from his continuous and
eo o ca u r e 18 5- 6 7 . 338 . G l gi l S v y, , p 40 W A NORTH ESTERN ONT RIO,
a we very ble devotion to the study of the subject, are again tempted to cite , points out that the fact of the high and rocky points being more conspicuous than the
a a a levels , and the further fact th t the port ges usually occur at rocky pl ces, is * a a an d very likely to produce a generally ex gger ted erroneous impression . He goes on t o remark : Loose materials of some kind actually cover the greater pro
rt a a it po ion of the area, and in very considerable per cent ge of , the soil is more
. a has or less suited for agriculture Its precise nature , in v rious sections , been ,
1 8 A s described in my reports from 6 9 to the presen t one . a matter of experience
in this sort of country, in the district of Algoma and elsewhere , the quantity of
a t he a a w cultiv ble land , on est blishment of settlements , l ays proves to be much
a is greater than it appeared while in a st te of nature . In a general way there perhaps a greater proportion of good soil in the pl ateau region northward than
t h a a e . r southward of height of l nd This will apply, probably , with g e t fairness ,
f n not only to the area re erred t o as a whole , but to the most limited portio s
that may be traced along the courses and on either branch of the rivers . The general aspect of the country traversed by the Mat t agami or south branch of the
Moose, is undulating, but the inequalities do not often exceed one or two hundred ”
f . a eet Rock crops up here and there , the l nd otherwise consisting of a
a a n a s ndy and gravelly subsoil , underlaid by bouldery earth or cl y , and havi g
more or less vegetable loam upon the surface . From the foot of the Long
sea Portage to the , the basin already described is entered . The banks of the river
b an d are not often high , and are usually composed of gravelly and ouldery earth
a . a a a cl y The b nks sust in a second growth of popl r, and white birch , with some
a an d coniferous trees , but at short distance back , the ground is swampy covered
a t amar acs on a with bl ck spruce and growing a deep layer of sph gnum moss .
a a a The islands and m inland about the mouth of the river, consist of alluvi l e rth
'
well suited for cultivation . Farming and gardening have been v er y su ccessfu lly
" ’ a H Mat t a ami Mi in ibi A t c rried on at the udson s Bay posts at Lakes g and ss .
Missin ihi ou t be spring wheat has been grown and turned well . The climate
c a as omes more moder te the slope towards James Bay is descended , the lower
l a leve being a compensation for the incre sing latitude . The red and white pins
ar e t he n ei bbou r hoods Mat t a ami Ken o amissee both found in g of g and g Lakes, ‘ a Missin ihi t and lso at Lake , but not fur her north . Indications of mineral deposits
at a p resent themselves v rious points on the route , and large deposits of gypsum
occur on the Moose , near James Bay . A specimen of lignite from the main Moose River gave the following analysis :1‘
Fixed Carbon Voluble combustible matter
eo o ca r 18 5 - A e 7 6 . 339 3 G l gi l Su v y , p . ' eo o ca r e 18 56 7 . 422 1 G l gi l Su v y , p . . N 41 A D A . ITS BO UNDARIES, RESOURCES COMMUNIC TIONS
o co n F ast co n . Sl w ki g . ki g Water
Ratio of voluble to fixed combustible
a V t o The lignite is very simil r to some found in the Souris alley, and also specimens collect ed for analysis from the neighbourhood of Dirt Hills and
- t A n a e Woody Mountain in the North west Terri ory . an lysis of ore from a larg
a deposit on the Moose , at the foot of the Gr nd Rapid and below the Long Portage , ’le ir n has o . yielded per cent. of metallic
M B A Y JA ES .
Having noticed most of the several approa ches to James Bay from t he
an d an d at all a a s south west, supplied events m teri l on which some calculation d l may be ma e as to its accessibility , we sha l direct our attention to the Bay itself
. and its more immediate neighbou rhood James B ay is a sheet of water 30 0 miles
in length , measured from its most southerly point , to a line drawn from Cape
a a Jones , on its eastern, to C pe Henrietta M ria, on its western coast, where it sud
’ den l B a an y expands , and Hudson s y is entered , of which James Bay is simply l . B a w a in et James y , except at its southern end , here it becomes irregul r and
a a 1 5 0 more n rrow, is bout miles in width , its shores being almost parallel for 2 50 . a a a nearly miles It received its name from C pt in J mes , one of the North
a B a a t a r west p ssage explorers, who wintered in the y Ch rlton Island , in the yea 1 6 1 3 . w a a It is described as being so shallo th t , with the exception of a ch nnel
d a n a own its centre , the bottom may be touched with oar by a person rowing in
a a small bo t when almost out of sight of shore . The ship channel runs from point
B a a Man sfi eld opposite Moose Factory, in the south of the y the whole dist nce to
’ a 5 0 a a 7 . Isl nd in Hudson s Bay , miles north in ne rly a str ight line In traversing
a 5 0 0 a this ch nnel a chain of islands , miles long , is passed , many of them of l rge
an d i a a the a B a size , having r vers th t disch rge into l rger or smaller y . The southern
an d t he B a w a o western shores of y , hich represent the portion forming the Ont ri
an d of Boundary, are low level , and owing to the extreme shallowness the water
a difficu lt B a d at some pl ces , they are of approach from the y . Between high ti e
an d Mr a water mark the woods, says . Bell there is generally a broad sp ce or
marshy belt interspersed with willow bushes and divided by muddy creeks .
I n 1s a ri some places this open border raised bove all but the highest sp ng tides, and
T he a a an d . constitutes a level pr irie , supporting a rich growth of gr sses sedges marshy outline of the shore of the B ay is often int errupted by points and peninsula
eo o a 1 - c r e 875 6 . . 431 G l gi l Su v y , p . " - eo o ca r e 1875 6 . 322 . 1 G l gi l Su v y , , p 42 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO,
c m s t like islands o po ed of boulders piled together in thousands , wi h scarcely any
” “ ’ ’ fi n e i l am at e al mater a among them . In the southern part of J es Bay the w r,
a sa n mat t er ‘ as though tid l and brackish , is in some parts so free from li e to be used k n e for drin i g . This p culiarity is ascribed to the immense volume of fresh water n i a . poured to the bay from the gre t rivers of which it is the outlet Its muddiness ,
' shallow a b t ls f caused by the ebb and flow of the tides over so ot om , is a o atal to
fish con s e en t l the existence of , which , q y have to be sought for in a more
s northerly ituation . M OOSE FACTORY .
M the a m a s all oose Factory , at the mouth of river of th t na e , is situ ted on a m
’ six B a T he fa of u ; island , or seven miles from the y . ctories the H dson s Bay Com
a a a t pany are not loc ted nywhere with a view to the adv n ages of settlement , con v en ien ce a for tr de with the Indians and hunters , and protection in more troublous
m t he m V ti es than the present , having been objects ost in iew in the selection of s . a u e their ites The soil at Moose Factory is of cold wet cl y , on a level and q it
. ev er t heless a a a n a a s undrained N o ts b rley , be ns peas , tur ips , beets , carrots , c bb ge , n an d t a uc onio s , om toes , are grown with no more care for their protection or prod
a an da s of tion th n is shown in any other part of C a . A crop of bushel
' ‘ a a in 1874 an d a l had n d pot toes was h rvested , wheat, ccidental y sown , ripe e e m although no exp ri ents as to the ordinary capacity of t he soil and climate for it s production on a larger scale appear to have been recently made: That this is no
a - a a a at b rren or famine stricken l nd may lso be seen from the fact th t, Moose Fac
h an d tory t ere is quite an establishment of horses, sheep , pigs , in addition to eighty e . A n h h ad of cattle The Right Reverend Dr . derson in his evidence before t e
1 85 7 a liv m House of Commons Committee , in suggested that the me ns of g were
a at a his a a more precarious th n formerly Moose F ctory, but rem rk prob bly applied
’ to wild geese or other resources of the Indians , and not to those of settlers depend
t Mr Gladman ing on the cul ivation of the soil or domestic live stock . . George ,
’ w as a w as at who liter lly a child of the Hudson s Bay Company , for he born New ' , F act or r Brunswick one of their posts on the Moose River, and resided at Moose y
fift een a ‘ years , gave very favourable account of the productions of the dist r ict rf H e stated that the climate and soil were good that potatoes and vegetables were
a raised in great bundance ; that barley ripened well ; that small fruits , such as
, a an d a r currants gooseberries , str wberries r spber ies were plentiful and grew wild
, n t that wheat owing to the short ess of the season , had never been tried , but tha
a , horned c ttle horses, sheep and pigs , were kept there and did well . They required , of u “ n A t , . b 2 course to be ho sed in the wi ter Al any , which lies in latitude 5 degrees 8 , Mr Gl dm . a an minutes north , the climate and soil , stated were similar to those at F , n r 1 Moose ort although it is co siderably furthe north . It s well sheltered and the
’ e or t e ect o t t ee on son s B a C o. t o t he o s e of o on E n s 185 . 241 R p S l C mmi Hud y H u C mm ( g ) , 7 p . ’ e or t e ect om t t ee on s on s B a 0 0 . t o t he o se of o mon s 185 39 R p S l C mi Hud y H u C m 7 p . 1.
44 NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO .
sown a colon w ou ld soon have been n i cor n r a m ha d been , y reason , tha that f (g )
er ected ther e. The residents of any settlements on the shores of James Bay
n ot con fin ed . would , however, be to food raised by agricultural labour The rivers
fish fish . n . , abound i pike , trout perch and a , probably white from the description
an d fli ht s Enormous fl ocks of wild geese frequent the rivers and bay, countless g of
A s wild duck breed in the marshes near the mouths of the Moose and Albany .
l n a many as wild geese have been shot one season , the sl ughter only being
a e stayed because no more were needed . In ddition to these , there is an abundanc
f a . of partridges , plovers and other birds amili r to the sportsman
T oose A ND CLIMATE A M ALBANY .
Mr as t he t . Bell , previously mentioned , gives neighbourhood of the Bay credi
Mr . f a is experienced further inland at a higher level . or a milder clim te “ than ’ Hobhs a at a Frost, quoted in work , states th t , Moose Factory the ice bre ks up in
Mr a a an é his April . . M tthew Serge nt, employ of the Hudson Bay Company , in
1 749 h at evidence before the Committee in , stated , t at the thaw begins Albany 8t h 1 0 t h about the or of April , when there is a good soil for six or eight inches which may be gained within a fortnight after the beginning of the thaw ; that in
t he t be two or three weeks more it thaws to dep h of two feet , commonly by the ginning of May and the frost sets in again about the beginning of October but * a an d the frosts bre k sooner up in the country come in later . A journal kept at A lbany Factory gives an exact account of the weather and climate at that post in
1 729—3l r ‘ in a the years f The frost, it is recorded this document, beg n in October
1 72 9 had w in , about which time the geese that returned from the north ard to
that River in August , departed from thence to the more southern countries . The creek n ear the Factory w as frozen over on the 1 3t h by the 2 l st there w as a good deal of ice float in g in the river by the 31 st it was fast as far as Charles Creek
5 t h n ot by the November the whole river was frozen over, but so strong as to bear ; the weather was temperate with some snow to the 27t h ; all the month of c De ember was interchangeably three or four days cold , and then a temperate
an u ar frost with some snow ; the month of J y much the same , cold and temperate
a a interch ngeably ; the month of February was variable but mostly moder te , at
w 8t h a intervals warm , and then sharp eather ; March to the was warm , temper te
1 fin e frost ; from that time to the 7th clear weather, with some snow ; thence to
29t h a 30 th n cle r weather, tolerably warm ; on the a storm of snow ; and the it began to thaw in the middle of the day ; it continued th awing till the 5 th of
a it a 1 3 April , then two d ys frost ; thawed gain till the th after the geese returned
1 7 a 1 8t h from the southward ; then to th raw , cold we ther warm and rain ; 28th then interchangeably warm and raw weather until the , when the frost
e or t 1749 . 220 R p , , p .
o s 12 H bb , p . . R . 45 ITS BOUNDA IES , RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS was broken up in the country by the freshes (freshets) coming down ; the 29t h i ’ a w a t o , and next day drove down to Baily s the ice g ve y the head of the “ sland ov er flow ed a ; Island , when all the marshes were , the Bay not being yet th wed the t 5t h fi v e ice continued driving in the river un il the of May , then the river fell 7t h feet by the breaking up of the ice at sea ; the they had thunder and rain , the t o ice still driving in the river ; the 8t h the Indians came down in their canoes 1 h l 6 t h a trade to 3t they had raw , cold weather ; they began to dig their g rden
22n d the tide began to flow regularly ; the 23r d they so wed their turnips ; the
r aw a t 29t h geese then went to the southward to breed ; , cold we ther un il the ;
3ot h variable weather with some hail and snow from that time till the 1 2th of
July fin e warm weather ; then to the 7t h September warm or very hot weather to the 1 8th warm and temperate ; then to t he 25t h variable an d temperate wi t h s ome rain then frost in the night fin e weather until the 2 9t h October 2md and
r 1 2 fin e fishin 3 d some frost and snow in the night ; to the th weather stopped g, having no frost to freeze the fi sh to the 24t h fin e warm weather with small frost the 28t h ice in the river and the geese going away ; November 1 3t h the river full of heavy ice the 18t h it was moderate weather ; the winter was not so severe as t he 1 4 - oi 1 731 former ; the geese returned the th April , the freshets came down
5t h 12 w as sea 1 3t h d May , the th the ice gone to the the In ians came down to trade in their canoes they had fi n e warm weather that year from the 1 l t h of M ay to the middle of September. The Albany was frozen over on the l 0 t h of
h r a a Novem e . This perfectly reli ble narrative cert inly does not show the climate of t James Bay to be more severe than in many of the settled por ions of Canada . 1 729 t 1 30 That was not excep ionally mild , is evident from the remark , that, in 7 ,
' it o v was not s se er e as in the former year . There is nothing in the description here given to show that the inhabitants of the south shore of James Bay need
a want for any of the ordinary pleasures or comforts of life , or be more unf vour a bly circumstanced in regard to the length of the inclement season , than many of
their fellow countrymen even in some other portions of the Province of Ontario . T he a ttractions to settlement will be only ascertained after more thorough and s ystematic explorations than were possible in t he brief period of time allotted to
a offi cer s the surveyors of the Geological Department, and, lthough the of the
’ Hudson s B ay Company have now thrown off the reserve once enjoined upon t a f f a hem , and show much praiseworthy anxiety to f ord in ormation s to the r e s u n ources of the country , there has never been , der their auspices , any such thorough and exhaustive examination of its hidden treasures as the indication s of
0 t heir existence would justify .
M N R or A ME S B A Y E I GHB O U R HO O D I ERAL ESOURCES J AND N .
t Mr a 1 875 . w as While Moose Factory in , Bell presented with specimens of
s B a ma sive iron pyrites , dark , smoky chert , like that of Thunder y, epidosite, 46 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
a agate , carnelian, quarry crystals , galen , and black crystalline siderite , containing
s rather a large amount of mangane e , all from the mouth of Little Whale River . Little Whale River is on the east coast of Hud son ’ s Bay near the northern ex
J a an d - t r emit s a . y of mes Bay , north ea t of Moose F ctory It is consequently not
a within the limits of the Province of Ontario , but its ccessibility from Moose
a t Mr River renders its deposits vailable to any enterprise directed from that poin . .
ar e a Bell , in his report says The conglomerates s id to be largely developed A a J a . t between C pe ones and Little Wh le River Moose Factory, I was shown a pile of flags t on es which had been brought from an island about seven miles north
fin e - - of Little Whale River . This rock is a very grained semi crystalline n on
- a . a b t calc reous olive grey felsite I was given some chips of a somewh t similar, u
n a slightly calcareous rock , holdi g bunches of small cryst ls of iron pyrites , which ” a t were said to h ave c me from the same Vicini y . The specimens of lignite found
a a con flu en t o f on the Moose River or r ther at the mouth of Co l Brook , a the
Mr ff b . a Moose , and analysed y Ho man , h ve been already referred to . Another
an d object of interest, one demanding careful research , is the appearance of a
’ a Mr ff r mineral that closely resembles , if it is not the true , nthracite . . Ho man s e
port of his analysis of a specimen of anthracite from Whale River is as follows :1' It is not improbable that the mineral may have an origin analogous to that of
u the black anthracite matter which occurs in many places in the Quebec gro p , as
i u - also n the chert beds among the pper copper bearing rocks of Lake Superior,
a 1 86 3 5 25 8 6 . and lluded to in the Geology of Canada, , pages and The specimen
examined was very compact, homogeneous ; colour, pitch black powder, deep
a black ; lustre , bright metallic ; fr cture , highly conchoidal it does not soil the
fin er s . a g When boiled in a solution of caustic potash , it was app rently unacted
a b on . ; the solution rem ined colourless , and the powder lack Gradually heated ,
- hot l n or when projected into a bright, red crucible , either case decrepitated but ” a v very slightly . The following is the me n of two ery closely concordant analyses
Fixed carbon
Volatile combustible matter .
a m so Co l , whether anthracite or bitu inous, is potent a factor in all commercial
a a an t r affic operations , whether as a mech nic l agent or as article of , that the most
flow t he dis cov er of an important results might from ‘ yg y extensive deposits within
eo o ca r e 1875 6 . 323. G l gi l Su v y , , p
- eo o ca r e 1875 6 . 423. G l gi l Su v y, , p I T S A ND BOUNDARIES, RESOURCES COMMUNICATIONS .
a distance not more remote from the commercial centres of Ontario than many of " Mr ff a a their present sources of supply . . Ho m n also reports th t a specimen of iron ore froma large deposit on the north - west side of the south branch of t he
at a a Moose River, the foot of Grand Rapid , below the Long Port ge , cont ined
Mr a : ‘ er . . . p cent of metallic iron Bell, spe king of this ore , says 1 The position
- t s a . of the deposi is on the north west ide of the river, at the foot of the r pids It
a ff d 30 0 an runs long t he cli for a distance of upwar s of yards , with exposed
- fiv a fif n bread t h of twenty to twenty e yards . The highest points rise bout t ee
- feet above the level of the river . The surface is mottled , reddish yellow and ‘ ’ w has u a a a a s bro n , and a ro gh , spongy, or lumpy ppearance , like th t of gre t mas
O h a a a of bog ore . the surf ce , and sometimes to depth of sever l inches , it is a
a a in a a comp ct , brown hematite , occ sionally i botryoid l crusts, with a radi ting
a a - t fi n el columnar structure but deeper down it is d rk grey , compac , very y
a a a a ~ cryst lline sp thic ore , app rently of a pure qu lity . The brown hematite evi den t l s a y results from the conver ion of the carbon te . The former yields , according
M ff a a a r . n a to the n lysis of Ho m , per cent . of met llic iron , while the latter
a sm ll a shows very a mount of insoluble matter indeed there is, chemically , little
a a room for impurities , since it gives rise to so rich brown hem tite .
“ The gypsum beds on the Moose ar e thus descr ibed zi The bank on t he south - east side runs for above two miles that on the opposite side about half that distance . The gypsum consists of a bed of the ordinary hydrous sacchar oidalv ar ie t y running along ea ch side of t he river a n d rising to a height of not more than ten
- - a a . u feet bove low water m rk It is mostly of a light bl ish grey colour, with some
t t an d t whi ish por ions coloured or mottled with yellow o her colours . The white
a w a s v riety , suitable for making stucco , not observed to be in su fficien t quantity
. A to be of economic value gypsum bank , similar to the last, runs
- a along the south e st side of the river, between four and fiv e miles below the ex ” t r e mit a y of the higher one , on the s me side .
a Globe M In letter which recently appeared in the Toronto r . William Hickson , , ma t an d a gentle n of eviden intelligence pow ei s O f O bservation an d formerly in
t he the employ of Hudson s Bay Company , thus refers to the mineral deposits on “ t he shores of James Bay : A t a certain point on the east coast of James
a Bay there is vein of magnetic iron , so extensive , that, when examined by a 1 86 5 practical English miner in , it was pronounced by that gentleman to be one
a me t of the most v luable veins of that in exis ence . Plumbago m a pure state is , , also to be found in the same locality; and at this place is the m com encement, on t he a - , sea coast of a r nge of mineral bearing rocks , which extend along the main a a n d a a a l nd , mong the isl nds near the shore , for distance of 6 0 0 miles w ith a , ,
z eolo ical r e 1875 6 431 g Su v y , , p . .
eo o ca S r e 18 5 6 7 . 321 1 G l gi l u v y , , p .
" eo o ca r e 18 5 -6 7 . 321 1 G l gi l Su v y , , p . 48 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
fift t he u width of from y to two hundred miles or more , into the interior of co ntry , f ? “ A t a a a has a certain points on this r nge p rtial examination been m de ,
i ir on ‘ an d l show ng that galena, , copper are procurab e in almost unlimited quan
’ a a s tities , and during a thirteen years residence at v rious p rt on this east coast , I had ample opportunit ies for examini n g both its geological and mineralogical for ’ at a t an d n o mations, great many points , bo h in James and Hudson s Bay , have hesitation in sta ting that I believe it to be the most valuable mineral region in ” t the Dominion , perhaps on this continen .
M O F - T HE WILD ANI ALS NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO .
Most of the wild animals of North - Western Ontario are to be found in greater
a an d C ar ib o al or less numbers over both the e stern western portions . o range l throu gh the territory , either singly or in small parties of eight or ten . A curious change in the habits of these creatures has been noticed , and one that certainly
a l f speaks wonders for their instinct , if the circumst nces be as re ated . It was ormerly the habit of the car iboo to migrate during winter in vast herds to the colder r e gions north of the Nelson River . Thousands of them collected together for their f northern march , the crossing of the Nelson being always ef ected at pretty nearly
. the same period every year This fact being well known , they were watched for ,
r an d a certain numbe were killed , their condition in the fall being very favourable f r . a ba ttu e f o the purposes of the hunter But, in one atal year a gr nd was arranged Indians and whites gathered from all part s for one tremendous
ar ibo t m . c o assacre The poor were slaugh ered by wholesale, and in sheer sport, ' t he carcases that could not be consumed or carried off float in g in heaps dow n t he N ’ — — i . car boo waters of the elson to Hudson s Bay And strange to tell the have ,
da car iboo since that terrible y in the annals of history, never crossed the Nelson
a T he an d ag in . Moose are becoming very scarce in the region west north of Lake
h of i issin Superior, although still plentiful , it is said , in the neig bourhood Lake N p g. h Black bears are very numerous everyw ere . In the vicinity of James Bay and
’ u a - H dson s Bay , there is a bear , d rk brown in colour, and in form halfway between the common black and polar bear . This bear is exceedingly fier ce and dan gerous
a t he a to ttack , while bl ck bear is seldom known to show ferocity of disposition .
’ b h am The latter may be tamed , but the rown ear of Hudson s Bay is unt eable and ll a a at . resists , even when c ptured young , attempts its domestication Wolves are
a . s carce , as lso are their chief prey, the red deer Red deer once abounded in the
a fir e region west of L ke Superior, but the destruction of the forests by a great
20 0 s a of t he fi r st about year ago, or ne r the time of the advent white settlers an d the signs of which are seen in the age of vast forests of trees of about 20 0
’ ‘ a — ye rs growth drove out or destroyed the red deer, deprived them of their means
an d a t o a a of support , , prob bly , led the migr tion of the wolves to pl ces where they
an d ffa a too would secure food shelter . Bu lo were seen by e rly settlers near
ar e n ot 30 0 F Rainy River, but they now found nearer than some miles west of ort E 4 . 9 ITS BOUNDARIES , RESOURC S AND COMMUNICATIONS
Wit h an d chiev ou s Garry. The lynx is frequently met , so too is the thievish and mis v wol erine .
a — The rabbit, or rather h re for it is of the character of the latter animal — t he Canadian representative of the genus partakes is ubiquitous here as else
an d where . The rabbit is the chief food of most of the smaller carnivora
a their numbers largely depend on his fecundity . In times p st too , the Indians
ff fl esh w as found in the rabbit their sta of life . His their meat, his skin , worked m t up into every form of robe and gar ent, was their chief covering. But here came w 1 8 8 . 6 trouble to rabbits and to their human , as ell as brute , destroyers In a pes
t ilen ce attacked the rabbits of the whole northern part of the continent . They
d an d a had in goked ied in millions , , in Quebec, loc l authority to be to prevent the
- u diseased bodies of rabbits picked p in the woods being sold in the markets .
had The Indians , who most depended on rabbits for their supply of food , were
terribly distressed and but for the progress of the Dawson road , and works
a 2 . 0 0 en connected therewith , many would have st rved As it was , some were
Mr . is gaged by Dawson and thus temporarily supported . It to be mentioned to ff their honour, that they showed the utmost anxiety to send to their su ering
a families all they could e rn and spare from their own necessities . The rabbits
a are now gain multiplying as only rabbits do multiply . There is a sort of tradi
off a tion that they are cut , or fail to incre se , periodically about once in seven
a f. a y e rs, but this is probably only a local belie It is not a small allow nce of
r a a abbit, however, th t will satisfy the needs of a hungry man, white or Indi n .
fl esh a The contains but a sm ll proportion of nourishment, and three or four rabbits
a per diem are not too m ny for an ordinary backwoods or pioneer appetite . The com
a fox ar e z mon brown , and the more rare and very be utiful silver f among the deni ens i a of North Western Ontario . The black fox , beautiful creature with silky hair,
as l fox and whose skin sells for much as forty pounds ster ing, while an ordinary " h n bu t skin is not worth more than a dollar , is now and t e seen and captured , , as
a the price paid for his coat would imply , is regarded as very extraordinary spoil
by the hunter .
I t a a Beaver abound on the streams and creeks . is s tisfactory to le rn ,
i a a a . too , that they are incre sing inste d of dimin shing In the early d ys of set t lemen t the Indians and white trappers took p ains to preserve the beaver from
extinction . But, with the invention of beaver hats and other demands upon
’ a the be ver s coat, the price of beaver skins rose, and cupidity got the better of pru
a dence . For some years , however , furs h ve been low in price and the use of
a a be ver for b ts has all but ceased , so the beaver is recuperating his numerical
t fisher u strength . The o ter, , and mink , are plentif l ; while , in the more northern
a a a . regions , the m rten ttains a high degree of be uty and corresponding value The
musk - r at builds whole cities of his dwellings on the banks of the rivers and seems
a flou r ishes a n d to defy the destructive oper tions of his enemies, for he even
h ai t t increases , althoug , in the R ny River Distric alone , no less han musk
4 50 W N A I NORTH ESTER ONT R O,
r at l an d - skins have been col ected in a single year. The beaver musk rat are both
fi u r e t a good eating and g prominently in the Indian die ry . The ermine , a very
u l a a beautif and easily tamed creature , is lso a f miliar acquaintance of the Indian
. s and settler The ermine is of a brown colour in summer, but in winter become f per ectly white , with a black tip on its tail, in which condition it is most valuable
u for marketable p rposes . The opossum is a native of the territory and in the
a flesh u . southern part the porc pine is occ sionally found His is a delicacy . The common red - squirrel abounds an d t here are a great many large squirrels both of
A n r olific d a brown and grey colour . unpretending but very p creature is the eer
as n . mouse , looking, it poises itself on its hind legs , like a diminutive ka garoo It
h ber n at in a r is of a y g disposition and , like the squirrel, provides an mple winte ' - n a ofi a store , a colony of deer mice havi g been known to c rry half a b rrel of peas
O i r e that had been left unprotected . the odorous skunk and every other American pr esentative of the weasel tribe there are varieties enough to gratify the most pas M f sion at e student of that bran ch of natural history . any of the eathered inha
a bit an t s of the territory have been referred to already . The partridge , fant il . grouse and wa ter fowl of all kinds , are extremely plentiful . The feathers of the wild goose and the down of the wild swan have long been articles of trade by
’ the Hudson s Bay Company .
B A Y INDIANS O F JA ME S .
’ The Indians of James B ay and western shore of Hudson s Bay ar e like those
l a l . of the Rainy River district , members of the great A gonquin f mily A arge
n , area of country, lyi g between Nelson River on the north and Lake Superior has
t abor i l n al not yet been the subject of treaty arrangements wi h its g possessors . ’ an d a The Indians subsist largely by the chase , the s le of its produce to the Hudson s A t Bay Company . Moose River Post , York Factory , and on the English River,
a a ahd a n t he Church Missionary Society has maint ined st tions , , ccordi g to the tes
a a n t imon R . . y of the ight Rev Dr Anderson , lre dy mentioned in connectio with
1 8 5 7 sat isfac t he Parliamentary Committee in London in , the results have been
* n a l tory . The Bisho p, as previously oticed, took an unf vourab e view of the
a agricultural c pabilities of the country and , according to his evidence , some such
diffi u lt views must have more or less affected the policy he directed . The c y of
a a n producing perm nently serious impressions on men le ding a purely rovi g life ,
a a a or inducing them to conform to h bits of settled industry , is lmost insuper ble .
ben efit s But, in addition to the direct , in a religious sense, conferred by mission
, ff in flu en ce a ary e orts , the on the rel tions of the two races exercised by the pres ence of such an organization as tha t of the society referred to can be but
a a a a adv nt geous in elev ting the tone of a population in its primitive st te , and giv
a ha vin ing the Indi ns a sense of g in their midst disinterested advisers or protectors .
e or t of o t t ee . 236 R p C mmi , p .
5 2 W 0 NT A R I O MORTH ESTERN ,
u s o does not g to prove , by any means , that the bulk of the cereal products of the West could be forwarded to York Factory in time to admit of their being shipped t o an d Liverpool during the open season . That this might be done on a small scale e for, perhaps , several successiv years , is likely , but it is only by attracting shipping
a in the ordinary course of commerce , and th t , too , in considerable numbers , that a
a d it a on ad trade , suited to the exigencies of those eng ge in , can be c rried . The
a vent of an early winter and the consequent detention or dismiss l without freights,
fleet ff an d a of a of merchant vessels , would be ruinous in its e ects , , in all prob bility
m a O n . t a if discourage such ventures for any a ye r to come the o her h nd , , in the
’ r e ion t her e a a Hudson s Bay g , are subst nti l foundations for local enterprise , it may ‘
fin d a safe and uninterrupted outlet by way of the Canadian lakes or S t . Law
rence , to either the American or European market ; and meantime the possibility of using the mouth of the Nelson River as an ocean port may be experimentally
a tested for series of years with the certainty that, if the experiment be successful
be 1n a ff commerce will not long securing whatever advant ges it has to o er .
T HE V Y U NELSON ALLE RO TE .
Al t hough the Nelson ‘ River has been the highway of t r affic and used as the
’ means of communication between Hudson s B ay and the interior for well nigh two
ear s ~ it t o n n hundred y , is day as little know to the people of this continent ge er
n ally or of Great Britain as was , till rece tly , the great river the travels of Henry
n e w M. . Stanley have rendered so famous But, with the growth of a power in
an d n i z in t he - w British North America, the rapid progress of colo ation North est,
t o it is all but certain that the Nelson will ere long become as familiar Canadians,
- r l t he . eco at all events, as is to day Red River or the Assiniboine When it is d 250 0 le ct e that, while Lake Winnipeg is miles from the seaboard of the Gulf of
in n S t . Lawrence , and lies exactly the centre of the American co tinent , under the
a l t 380 5 7t h par l el , its nor hern extremity is only miles from the tide waters of
’ t he - Hudson s Bay , the inducements to bring interests of the North west into closer
relations with this comparatively contiguous ocean port are very great indeed .
flow The Nelson and Hayes Rivers both from the westward , and , after a
’
u . considerable divergence of ro te , enter Hudson s Bay nearly together It is at
the mouth of the Hayes River that York Factory , the chief trading post of the
’
m . is 5 7 . 1 0 . Company on Hudson s Bay , situated, in latitude deg north It is
- a about 6 5 0 mile s in a direct line nort h west from Moose F ctory overland ; by sea , 1 5 0 m a at , 75 0 miles . Prince of W les Fort , the mouth of the Churchill is iles
- further t o the north west . The Nelson is the only outlet of the waters of the
a . Lake Winnipeg Basin , including the North and South Sask tchewan Its
380 t r iflin fall in its whole course of nearly miles, is g, not exceeding twenty , f y o a er r oceedin east w ar d 11 18 inches to the mile . While , there ore , the y g p g with '
“ ” produce has the ben efit of a down grade , his return trip is not so laborious as ( 9 M B O U ND A R I U S . 5 3 ITS , RESOURCES AND COM UNICATIONS
a 111 the case of m ny of the river highways of commerce . The Nelson River proper is less frequented than the Hayes and the chain of rivers with which it is
’ B a connected . The reason assigned by the Hudson s y Company for preferring ” ba-t t eau x t he the Hayes for their is , that there exists danger in tracking in
r 1 it u a ec o s . Nelson , from the l rge blocks of ice hanging from its p p banks The
Indians , too , choose the Hayes , because of the accessibility of the Factory at its
be difficu lt mouth, which , in their light canoes , it would at times to reach from the f Nelson . The ollowing is the route , with distances marked , as furnished by the ’ B a surveyor of the Hudson s y Company and referred to by Professor Hind , in his evidence given before t he Immigration and Colonisation Committ ee at Ottawa last session .
York Hayes
Steel River “ “
Hill River to fir st fall. . Fall to upper part of Lac de la Jack River (Riviere aux Knee Lake
Holy Lake . Small brooks an d lakes on a great
’ Brook with Beaver Dam (Each - away Man s Brook) Hare Lake
Sea River (part of the Nelson) . Play Green Lake (Norway
Total Geographical miles
1 846 - In the year a body of troops , under the command of Li eut . Col . Crofton ,
a were sent by the York Factory and Lake Winnipeg route , to Fort G rry , a dis 70 0 . t 6 t h a tance of miles The troops consis ed of a wing of the Fo ot , a det chment 8 of artillery and a detachment of Royal Engineers . The force numbered 3 3 per 18 ffi 2 1 o cer s 3 9 7 19 . sons , including , men, women, and children With its equip m ment and four guns , it occupied thirty days in the trip , but the com ander
a — reached his destin tion in twenty three days from York Factory . The journey
t or a difficu lt in was accomplished wi hout accident, , pparently , any y , except those ciden tal - ommhn s . u t C ol C to portaging Lie . Crofton , in his evidence before the
R e o f r t o o t t ee . 155 . p C mmi , p 54 W A NORTH ESTERN ONT RIO , I ' 1857 d of Committee in , pro uced a list of the portages made by him on the line “1 - f r route . They are thirty our in numbe , as below
M E or A T U R E or GR O U ND A e n m n . N P a , N
oc ar e en R k H d, dry, v .
B or r owicks oc s a . R ky , w mpy W a hit e Sw mpy.
a e . H rd , rugg d a an d n e n H rd u ve . o e B n t D r an d en oo . L w r ur w d . y ev o an s oc o en M rg R ky, br k . U e B n t D r at e oo n e ven . pp r ur w d y, r h r u oc e e a r e R ky L dg . H rd , ugg d . oss a an M y Sw mpy d slippery . S moot hr ock a e ven H rd , . s t a Fir Sw mpy . n t a e a Se co d Por g Sw mpy . ’ o a a ifii u l a D s t e . D evil P r g H rd c t l n din g . G o n Wat e ee a r u d r Cr k Sw mpy . e a Low r Sw mpy . W on at e ee a . L g r Cr k . Sw mpy e con Wat e ee a S d r Cr k Sw mpy. U e W t e a pp r a r Sw mpy .
oc e en . R ky, v k ee oc s a . Cr k R y , w mpy a Sw mpy . a Sw mpy . o e a L w r Sw mpy . oo e a M r Sw mpy . oo e ou t oc s a Cr k d Sp R ky, w mpy . U e ou t a pp r Sp Sw mpy . o t a e oc u e Hill P r g R ky , r gg d U e o t a e oc e pp r P r g R ky, rugg d . ’ Whit efall o n son s e e bu t s er , R bi L v l , lipp y . a n t e t on e oc e en P i d S R ky , v . t D am s a st on . Fir H rd, y n D m H eco a a st on . S d rd , y S ea e oc en Riv r R ky, ev .
or w a accom The j ourney from N y House to Fort Garry would , of course , be
plished without obstruction by way of Lake Winnipeg and the R ed River .
A CLIM TE .
V ll v b t he In the a ey of the Nelson there is considerable culti a le land , nor is m t he climate one of extraordinary severity . That the seasons beco e milder and winters shorter as the westerly course is taken is proved by many incidents on
’ ' ' . Vo a e record In Ellis y g f it is mentioned that the ice in Hayes River, where his 1 6 t h 5th u n e ships had wintered , gave way on the of May, and , on the of J , w nineteen ca noes, laden ith furs , p assed the vessels on their way to York Factory , a clear proof that the rivers westward had been open at least a fortnight or three
e or t of o t t ee 181 R p C mmi , p . .
" ’ - 1 o a e t o son s B a 1 46 . V y g Hud y, 7 7 rf s A A ND U A 5 5 BOUND RIES, RESOURCES COMM NIC TIONS .
a r elat es that n weeks previously. He rne , i he and his companions killed
as teal in the rivers they passed through from Cumberland House to York Fort, 2 h n ot . late as the October This shows , not only that the birds in questio defer
O their emigration until the end of October , but that navigation is also pen up to , d or past that ate . In his evidence before the Immigration and Colonization
‘ Committee, Professor Hind stated as follows 1 The warm and moisture
Pacific - laden winds from the moving north easterly , deposit much of their
flan ks a moisture on the western of the Rocky Mount ins . Rising over the sum
a deflect ed in flu en ce mit of the r nges , they are to the south by the combined of
’ the ea rth s rotation and the pressure of the compensating cold winds from the
in flu en ce 95 th t . nor h The cold winds acquire their maximum on the meridian ,
a which passes through the Lake of the Woods . Farther to the e stward , the w isothermals are pressed back by the warm winds from the Gulf of Mexico , hich
t - push them to the nor h eastward . In both cases the rotation of the earth is a
he t . oh leading cause in determining course of the fertile zones These , be it
a modificat ion s served , are broad gener lizations , subject to numerous local , which V affect local climates . The alley of the Nelson appears to exhibit one of these
i a i n l mod fic t o s . local , arising from its low level above the sea Unti within thirty miles of Port Nelson the canoe route down Hayes River shows little difference in w point of climate from the canoe route of Lake Superior, here it crosses the
a . u a t o height of l nd The ca se , however, in this c se is , in part, assignable the
f a dif erence in elevation bove the sea level , which is upwards of eleven hundred feet ; this would theoretically produce a difference in temperature equal to more
a n A ll than three degrees of F hre heit . accounts agree in stating that the climate of the valley of the Nelson River changes greatly as soon as a distance of some
fi ve and twenty or thirty miles from the sea is reached . The cold w inds from
’ Hudson s Bay lower the temperature in the Vicinity of the sea - board to a great ” e in flu en ce modified xtent, but, thirtymiles inland, their is greatly .
ose h n ar r at iv e fi v e J p La France , in his ,i states that within four or leagues of
t he . u n e sea atYork Fort the cold continued, and there was ice in the river in J , when ,
fin e above that , they had a spring, all the trees in bloom , and very warm weather up ” A t o . t o the Great Fork , in the beginning of June ccording Ballantyne ,"vegeta
m 23r d tion in the valley of Hayes River, thirty miles fro its mouth , on the of
an a June was found to be in advanced state, the trees being covered with foli ge
t he 25t h hav e ' lon and , on of June , he describes the spring to g begun
.ou m Hill River, and along its gently ping banks the country ” was teeming with vegetable and animal life . This is on the canoe r oute from York Factory to Norway House and a little to the south of the valley
J o n u r ey t o t he Nor t h er n O cean .
e or t of o t t ee 1878 . 153. "R p C mmi , , p
I en e f o on s E n t o o s o . o tt ee 1749. App dix H u C mm ( g ) C mmi , ’ B a lan t n e s son B a l y Hud y. 5 6 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
. f k of Nelson River proper Ox ord House is situated on Holy La e , and Lieut
a an d Chappel remarks , th t owing to the richness of the soil, the geniality of
v a the climate , this place produces a number of excellent eget bles . Dr . King who
’ O cean ' ' e t h was attached to Captain Back s journey to the Arctic , l stat s that at e
w a commencement of Hill River, half ay between York F ctory and Norway House , ' a clifis i 1 0 0 t the argill ceous are seen r sing in some places feet above the wa er level ,
a capped with hills of at le st twice that height and at some parts of the stream ,
a a , where it is expanded to a breadth of several miles , innumer ble islands ppear
i a l- stretching in long v st s , and wel wooded , producing scenery of extreme beauty . The occurrence of such deep deposits of drift clay in this valley is of great im — . l l portance The same trave ler states , that Steel River the name which Hil — River takes after flow in g fift y- seven miles serpentines through a w ell - wooded
n ev er t u r n n u valley , presenti g at y much beautiful scenery , but othing to eq al
n is what is seen alo g the shores of the former stream . The mouth of Steel River
forty - eight miles from the sea by the winding course of Hayes River into which
a . : it f lls Professor Hind , in the course of his evidence , remarked i The brigade
’ ’ a r av a t of the Hudson s Bay Comp ny s boats for the interio , usually le es York F c ory
’ ot Ma h about the end y , which shows t at the rivers are open even in the cold
’ u a border land within twenty miles of H dson s Bay . We must bear in mind th t
a a a - a t ice is often found in the L kes ne r the w ter shed , west of L ke Superior , abou
at n the middle of May , and Lake Winnipeg is sometimes impassable its norther
fir t a s . extremity during the week of June From these comp risons , it will be seen that the climate of the Nelson River valley is of an exceptionally fay ou r able
a character away from the coast line . It can sc rcely excite surprise that there
a a n d a should be a large tract with a good clim te , great depth of drift cl ys in the
Vicinity of the valley of the Nelson River , for it is the lowest portion of the whole
a in flu en ce e basin of Lake Winnipeg, and is const ntly under the of the drainag
a waters from three hundred thousand square miles of l nd , lying altogether to the
n south of the arrow depression , not, perhaps , more than forty miles broad , through
fin ds a which the Nelson River its way . The great thickness of drift cl ys upon f r several of the rivers , noticed by dif erent observers , on the canoe oute from York
an d Factory to Norway House, must necessarily produce a good soil , the two con dit ion s of a good soil and a humid climate concur to sustain an exceptionally fin e ” t W in fores growth for this region , and an abundance of animal life . ith the
a a t he ma form tion we have at comm nd respecting Nelson River valley, we y safely
m n co e to the co clusion, that, if not a region to which large numbers of persons are likely to resort exclusively by reason of special attractions for the agr icu l
a on turist, it is one that would furnish bundant supplies for communities settled
’ ar r at ive of a o a e t o son s B a 1817. N v y g Hud y ,
- ar r at iv e of a o r n e t o t he s or es of t he r ct c cean 1833 45 c ar K n M. R . C . S . N j u y h A i O , by Ri h d i g,
e o f I e 1 154 I r t o 8 . . 0 . o t t e en t o J ou r n als an a a 87 . R p C mmi , A pp dix , C d , , p R s son n os s 5 ITS BOUNDARIES, AND COMMUNICATIONS . 7
’ s the shores of Hud on s Bay, or for any shipping that might resort to its western ports . oR K S OIL A ND CLIMATE A T Y AND CHURCHILL .
With the fact just referred to in view, the precise conditions of soil and climate
F a a n . O at York actory , or the mouth of the Churchill , are of second ry import nce
i . a . this point the statements are l ttle contradictory Dr Rae , in his evidence before ale the Common s Committee in 1 857 was asked how the climate at York Factory
a w a ff c . s omp red with that of the Orkneys His answer to the e ect , that the
w as a bu t character of the summers bout the same in both cases , that the winters
n e were longer, extendi g over seven or eight months , beginning in Novemb r and
n ‘ not actually e ding before June . Sir George Simpson also spoke 1 unfavourably of the productiveness of the soil around York , owing to the presence of ice in the
r é u n d Mr I i r A . sb st e g for most of the year . . , i; on the other hand , pointed out that frost in the subsoil does not ne cessarily prevent the growth of vegetation ,
a a a if the thaw extends to reason ble depth . In Siberia, he rem rked , which is d t ’ in the same latitu e as the northern par of the Hudson s Bay territories , there
a are l rge crops of wheat every year . With the process of clearing the country
’ the sun s rays would penetrate deeper and the thaw be more complete . The
a an d Mr Gladman u m testimony of Sir John Rich rdson " . George was rather
a a a f vourable th n otherwise to the cultivable cap city of the soil at York Factory .
’ Mr . ose h r J p Robson , six years resident in Hudson s Bay, already refer ed to , while admitting the presence of frost at from three to four feet depth in the ground , alleged that the surface of the ground was free from ice from the latter end of May t o the end of August that he had suffered more from cold in England than
a l at York F ctory, the clothing at the atter place being adapted to the climate and
a that the soil bore roots such as c rrots , radishes and turnips , as well as many
O w s other kinds of vegetables . In his pinion , if the land a properly cultivated it
u m would s pport nu bers of people . The want of proper cultivation , including
a a a dr in ge , has , no doubt, good deal to do with the rather , on the whole , unfavour able picture given of the agricultural or horticultural capabilities of the neighbour
hood around York Factory .
‘ who a a :lT Robson , ppears to have been very intelligent persons , says The l soil about York Fort is much better than at Churchi l . Most kinds of gar ' st u fi n den , grow here to perfectio , particularly peas and beans . I have seen a small pea growing without any culture ; and am of opinion that barley would flou r i h s . here Gooseberries, and black currants are found in the woods , grow u h . U ing pon such bus es as in England p the river , are patches of very good
’ e or t son s B a o t t ee 185 1 7 . 3 . R p Hud y C mmi , , p ’ e ort of o t t ee of s B a on s o an 1857 . 46 . R p C mmi Hud y C mp y , , p ’ I son s B a o e 185 t t e 7 . 1 36 . Hud y C mmi , , p ’ son s B a o t t ee 1857. Hud y C mmi , x ’ 1 S i ear s r es en ce . 43 y id , p . 5 8 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO , ground and bat t on es under banks so defended from the north an d north - west
fi n e winds , that there is a thaw below when the top is freezing ; here , whole
as families might procure a comfortable subsistence , if they were as industrious
are fift een t he they in their own country . Upon Hayes river, miles from fort ,
u is such a bank as I have j st mentioned , near which I pitched my tent. After
- 8 m paling in some ground for a coney warren , and for oxen , sheep , goats , , I should
a expect by no more labour than would be proper for my he lth , to procure a desir
b n ot a a le livelihood ; at all doubting of my being ble to raise peas and beans,
an d r obabl ot her . barley , p y, kinds of grain The island on which York Factory stands
a h a d is more c pable of improvement t an can be imagined in such latitu e , and so near
a B a a the Bay . It is n rrow , twenty miles up from the y, so that dr ins might be
a t cut to very useful purpose . I cut a drain ne r the For , to dry a piece of ground for a battery of four cannon which after w ards wore quit e a new face the snow
as an d flou r ished oh did not lie upon it so long before grain with new vigour. I
a f served lso , that, be ore the snow was thoroughly thawed , several vegetables were
n it l springi g up beneath ; and by the time it had left only a very thin she l of ice , ” these vegetables were grown up t hree or four inches . Some other experiments
Mr con fir med O t d by . Robson his pinion tha , with draining, a good soil for gar en cultivation could be obtained and a considerable quantity of produce raised . As ale a a s ession all professor Hind reminded the Committee at Ottaw l st , in these nort hern latitudes the duration of light as well as the intensity of the sun’ s rays must be taken into account as a compensating in flu en ce in rel ation to vegetable
He b growth . su mitted to the Committee the following table giving the relative
° ° ° da 40 50 6 0 intensity of the sun and the length of y in latitudes , and respectively, and therefore embracing the whole area of territory referred to in this paper cf‘
’ t he h TABLE Showing Sun s Relative Intensity , and the Lengt of the Day in Latitudes 50 ° and
M H M H . . H. M. . .
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
e or t of I . 3: C . o t t ee 152 R p C mmi , p . . o 1 e r t of I . 85 0 . o t t ee 153 R p C mmi , .
6 0 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO .
’ H D O N s B A Y NAVIGATION O F U S .
’ B Mr a . t In regard to the navigation of Hudson s y , Wal er Dickson , the cor
d Globe i m respon ent of the Toronto , prev ously entioned , expresses himself in the —“ ’ — following terms : This inland sea of Hudson s Bay w hich might well be termed — the Mediterranean of Canada is upwards of twelve hundred miles in len gth (in
a five cluding, of course , James Bay) with width varying from ninety to three ( )
a d hundred miles and upw rds , with several hundre s of islands studded over its surface, some of them of such extent as to have large lakes and rivers on them , giving altogether a se a - board of upwards of two thousand miles (more than that
n i an d of the U ited Kingdom of Great Br tain) , so easy of access that an ordinary screw steamer might start from Quebec and reach any point on its coast in con sider abl a y less than two weeks . That so little information concerning this gre t inland sea of the Dominion has been given to the world , is simply owing to the f , sea act that, for upwards of two centuries , this and the land surrounding were
’ n B a virtually the property of the great mo opoly the Hudson s y Company , who
’ as made it their study, it was to their interest to keep Hudson s Bay , like all the rest
s w a as o of the territory over which theyheld y , c mpletely unknown to the outer world as possible The sea of Hudson’ s Bay itself is so little known that there
’ are no cha rts of it in existence exce pting those made by the Hudson s Bay Com
an d ar pany, they e only useful as guides to the depots at certain points on the ” east and west coasts of the B ay Professor Hind states that the most recent Admiralty map of Hud ’ son s Straits exhibits a want of full information regarding t he coast lines on ” h 1 8 5 3 both sides of the Straits . A c art published in and corrected up to
’ 1 872 retains errors perceivable in those constructed in Queen Elizabeth s reign ° T h e practical tests of the n av igation of the B ay have been con fin ed to slow
- of- sailing merchant ships sometimes convoyed by men war, not less worthy l the appellation of tubs , as compared with the vesse s of the present time , sent out on any service sup posed to requ ire special qu alification s in the direction of occu speed , strength and security . Yet , it is alleged , that, since their original ’ patiou of the coasts of the Bay two centuries ago only two of the Hudson s
. Bay Companys own ships have been lost, and that through culpable recklessness
’ w B a w It is quite probable , ho ever, that the navigation of Hudson s y ill soon be
robbed of some of its terrors , and that what has been regarded as hazardous or w b impossible ill be found , y the aid of the new and powerful agencies modern
a e s discovery has provided , both safe and pr cticable . The contrast in oth r respect
between t he experience of twenty years since and that of to - day is rather amus in gly exemplified by a perusal of the evidence of Captain Herd one of the wit
“ ” f , nesses be ore the committee of I do not think , said the worthy captain
8 136 . I n d 0 o t t ee 18 . e or t . a . 7 R p C mmi , , p ’ e or t son s B a o t t ee 1 857 . 256 . 1 R p Hud y C mmi , , p r f s BOUNDARIES, RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS . 6 1
a u do at a a a a . that steamer wo ld all mong ice , to force p ss ge If I
a a a were asked my experience I would prefer s iling ship among ice to a ste mer .
t a a He would have been lo h to believe that , in very few ye rs , the whole condi tions of the great sealing industry would be changed by the adoption of steamers in
a a a a n far pl ce of s iling vessels , and th t the h rdy seal hu ters , so from avoiding, would
a y a actu lly seek the ery ice th t he was wont to encounter in his sailing ship , and
as t enter it as fearlessly he s eered his craft in open water. With stout screw
d ew fou n dlan d fishe r ies steamers , protected as are these use in the N seal , and
a - furnished with the m gneto electric light, there is very little loose ice that need i preclude a passage where an end is to be gained by attempting t .
’ Hu D S O N s STRAITS .
’ the - Hudson s Straits, the only outlet of Bay , are at its north eastern extremity . They are about 5 0 0 miles in length and vary in width from 45 miles at the e n trance between Resolution Island on the north and Bri tton Islands on the south
a a shore to three times that extent in other pl ces . The Str it, like the Bay, con
’ a aff a t ins numerous islands ording excellent shelter and harbour ge . The Hudson s R N * B . 1 8 1 a . 4 y ships, according to a table compiled by Lieut Chappell, . in had usually arrived abreast of Charles Island O n the south side an d near the western
e a at J ntr nce of the Straits , periods varying from the last week in uly to the 185 . 7 beginning of September Captain Herd , before the Committee in , stated that
a l 0 th 1 5 he usually arrived at York Factory bout the or th of August , and left again from the 1 5t h to the 25 t h of S ept ember r l' The time occupied in going through the Straits on the westward trip in July an d returning in August or
a f September in s iling vessels , dif ers greatly , varying from three weeks to a month
fi ve t a in the former case and from three to days in the la ter , the Str its in August i ’ ’ or September being free of ice . Professor H nd s theory 1 is that Hudson s Straits are never frozen over and that the ice brough t down in July is
’ B a bu t not even from Hudson s y from a more northerly region , whence it reaches
’ a s Hudson s Straits through Fox Ch nnel . The heavy tides in the Strait are V strongly against the notion of solid ice being formed there . There is ery good
’ t e authorityfor believing that the ice formed in Hudson s Bay , does not leave h
at a B a . Bay all , but that its dissolution takes pl ce in the y itself In the southern
’ parts of Hudson s Bay an d in James Bay nearly the whole surface may be frozen
a B a s o . a ver But the water there is sh llow , and , in J mes y, from cau es already
a O n B u d stated , contains very little s lt . the contrary, in the upper portions of
° ’ B a w at er it at son s y the main body of the , is believed , does not freeze all , a a , , " He rne , referring to a fact in ornithology mentioned by Penn nt alludes quite
’ ar r at iv e of a o a e t o u son s B a 1817. N v y g H d y , ’ 5 e or t son s B a o t t ee 1 8 7 . 255 . R p Hud y C mmi , , p
e o f I n 0 . o t t ee 18 8. r t o . a d 7 I R p C mmi ,
J c u r n e t o t he or t er n O cean . 429 . y N h , p 6 2 W NORTH ESTERN ONTARIO ,
“ incidentally to the ice being frozen several miles from the shore , the implication b eing that the ice was limited in its extent to a distance from the shore which the ” l term several miles would be popu arly supposed to represent. Another fact; ’ con fir mat or too, y of the belief that Hudson s Bay is n ot the source of the ice - pack
’ that crushes through Hudson s Straits , is , that, after passing Charles Island , near t he a western entr nce of the Straits , ice is seldom seen , except it is met with
float in g in the centre of the Bay . The proposition , however, that the passage of the Straits cannot be safely made before the middle of July has been very gener
i a ally endorsed by nav g tors of great experience, including Sir Edward Parry .
t he v - But iew held to day by Professor Hind and other more recent authorities , ff namely, that an entrance could be e ected and the Bay reached in June , is not a n ew one .
Robson , in his book already frequently referred to, and which was
2 a a J H d 1 75 . e : publishe in , advoc ted the passage being ttempted in une says
“ “ A t York Fort and Churchill River I have observed that the ice did n ot break off
fir st field - close at the shore , but gradually the leaving the shore ice two or three
d l . miles broa , the second ess , and so on until it was cleared away These several
l o off fi eld fi e ds of ice drive through the Straits ; but as they g at intervals , one may be driven through before the n ext enters from the Bay consequently the S a t a r e n ever r ozen Strait is sometimes pretty clear of ice . As the tr i s , then, f over a , , nor always unnavig ble , even when there is much ice in the Bay I imagine
ma a tha t a safe passage y often be made bout the beginning of June for, as the
a off w ice enters the Straits at intervals, ccording as it breaks , and as the ind and
t , currents drive it ou of the Bay , so the wind may keep the ice back at this season
as at any other. Besides , the ice at the bottom (southern end) of the Bay, and the w north and west ice, ill not have had time to reach the Straits, but after June all
t n f the Bay ice commonly reaches i . The begi ning of June , there ore , seems to be the
’ as likeliest time in which to expect a free passage . Robson s idea to the ice being
l a - from the Bay was probab y incorrect, but his inform tion as to the ice movements
“ in the Straits may nevertheless have been perfectly sound . Lieutenant Chappell , h O . T e R . was also of pinion that the Straits might be entered in June danger, if any exists, would be rather in the entrance of the Straits thah in their subsequent navigation . The ice at the mouth of the Straits is exposed to all the
a force of the Atlantic , but , once in the Str its , a vessel , if warned by signals of
of danger, could easily take refuge in one . the numerous places of shelter on the f coast or one of the Islands in the Straits . Pro essor Hindi suggests the establish
a be i ment of signal st tions, from which mariners could adv sed as to the drift of the
h a n ff t e . ice as a ected by winds , and thus usually secure a more or less open ch n el
- w m al In fact, if the iron protected scre stea er, thus aided and guided , did not
’ ’ 15 n in s o Y ear s es e ce n s B a . 58. Six R id Hud y , p ’ ‘ r r at e of a o a e t o son s B a 1 Na iv V y g Hud y .
e or t of r at on an d o on zat on o t t ee 1 878. I R p Immig i C l i i C mmi , 6 3 rf s R S URC S C MM IC TI S . BOUNDARIES , E O E AND O UN A ON ways succeed in overcoming the obstructions arising from this flow - ice inthe r 0 or t 1 on s Strait s the difficu lt ies it presents would be reduced to their smallest p p . , ’ It is understood that Professor Hind s theory has the full endorsation of Professor Bell whose next issued report of his most recent explorations will be looked for ,
n with great i terest .
’ A Y . HUDSON S B FISHERIES , MINERALS, AND COMMERCE
Calculations as to permanent trade and intercourse cannot , of course , be based
a e . on exceptional xperiences It is , however , fact attested by recent visitors to
’ the coasts of Hudson s Bay and James Bay, that for the past two seasons there
’ l a has been ittle or no ice in either, while Hudson s Str its have also been very clear, and navigation quite unimpeded . To what this state of things may be attribut
difficu lt u n able it is to say, and how long it may continue , is of course quite
’ aff i B a certain . But it is interesting as ord ng one more proof that Hudson s y is
- a not the ice bound sea it was once ende voured to make the world believe .
’ The accessibility or otherwise of Hudson s Bay and Straits for several months
in fl u en ce v fisher ies in the year, will have an important on the de elopment of its , l U n ar va which have yet received but ittle attention . g Bay , just within the
’ a a a e stern entrance of Hudson s Str its , has already an excellent reput tion as the
fisher b h r fi eld of an extensive seal and whale y . In an interesting little r oc u e ale - - I n t er ior recently issued by Lieut . Colonel Dennis , Deputy Minister of the , a
official table is given from American sources , showing the returns of American ’ 1 86 1 1 8 whaling vessels fi shin g in Hudson s Bay from the year to 76 . The
- of favourite resort of these vessels is Marble Island , in the north east part
’ fift een Hudson s Bay. Their numbers varied from one to in a season , the
- t he total number in the fift een years being forty nine . Another return of — t he a 1 86 1 1 874 1 8 6 9 value of catch for the eleven ye rs to , omitting and
— m n i t he 1 871 was Seals and porpoises , a ong the larger de zens of
O n t h . e ocean , are also to be found in the waters of the Bay or Straits
- a r olific a fisher a north western shore of the bay is very p s lmon y, capable , p
n l ar e t a . p y , of forming a most important loc l industry Although there is no evi
a a dence published of cod being c ptured live , their remains have been frequently
the — h found on the shore , and the resort to Bay of enormous shoals of caplin t e — chief food of the cod is regarded as one of the best proofs that the cod are n ot
far behind them .
- fin ds With the fur trade , which still , at the mouths of the great rivers
’ a o a a a a th t fall int Hudson s Bay, its princip l depots ; with the miner l we lth th t a a will inevitably , at no distant day , be extr cted from the co sts of these hithert o
almost unexplored waters ; from the fisher ies that may be stimulated as the facili
’ a v at on of B a son s . t t a a 1878 . N ig i Hud y O w , 6 4 NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO .
b ties for navigation become etter understood , and from the fertile soil on the banks
a n ma of the gre t wester rivers , y accrue results , most important to the people of
a s Canada, and in these it is desirable that the Province of Ontario , looking , it does ,
n or thefn to this vast sea as one of its boundaries , should as early as possible par
ici at e h t p . The question of establishing improved communications between t e
an d - h more populous sections of Ontario its north western territory, especially wit ll the settlements on Lake Superior, will undoubtedly ere long engage fu er attention .
T he li practicabi ty of constructing a railway to Sault Ste . Marie from the most
a s dvanced point of exi ting railway communications, has long since been demon
r a d T he r s t t e . M a late . Herrick, and other surveyors, h ve furnished information
n s pointing to the comparative ease by which connections in winter, by mea of a
a stage road, might be m intained with Thunder Bay, the inhabitants of which
ar a in a e . region now practic lly isolated for six months the ye r Lake Superior, on
the other hand, never freezes over, nor is it a stormy water, and even Thunder Bay
v o is open till so late a period that, with essels properly protected in the bows it w uld
t r affic v ia . be possible to maintain , the Sault, for nine months out of the twelve The Sault certainly appears to be the point to which railway enterprise will have to be directed as providing a way to intercourse w ith North - western Ontario and the vast territories lyin g both to the north and west of the boundaries of this
Province . I i HR A T A
n e 1 8 for so t of t he sa e ea s ou ce of t he sa e . li , u h id riv r r d r id riv r ” t fo a a n e 3 o t n e o oo r a n e e a e . , f ur h li fr m f , R i y Riv r r d R i y L k ” e n e ea I n ce en t s t o et t e en t secon in e for so t e n ea 7, u d r h d du m S l m , d l , u h r r d
” 27 fir st n e for Y o ea e s on an d on s xt n e for est e n e a li , rk r d N l , i h li , w r r d
4 een t n e o t f e e 0 o r t o or ost ea o . , f u h li fr m p, m r d m r xt e en t n e o - r n - s e 6 3 s oot for n o t e as t ea o t e t . , i h li fr m f , r h d r h w NORTH WESTERN ONTARIO . ties for navigation become better understood and from the fertile soil 0 11 the banks of the great western rivers , may accrue results most important to the people of it Canada, and in these is desirable that the Province of Ontario , looking , as it does ,
rn as to this vast northe sea as one of its boundaries , should early as possible par
ici at e t p . The question of establishing improved communications between the
a - r more populous sections of Ont rio and its north western ter itory, especially with
n the settlements on Lake Superior, will undoubtedly ere long e gage fuller attention .
The practicability of constructing a railway to Sault Ste . Marie from the most a s dvanced point of exi ting railway communications, has long since been demon d s t r at e . a Mr The l te . Herrick , and other surveyors, have furnished information to the co