Report on the Basin of Moose River and Adjacent Country Belonging To
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REPORT ON THE BASIN OF MOOSE RIVER AND ADJACENT COUNTRY BELONGING TO THE PROVI1TGE QIF OI^TTj^JRXO. By E. B. BORRON, Esq. Stipendiary Magistrate. PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. TORONTO: PRINTED BY WARWICK & SONS, 68 AND 70 FRONT STREET WEST. 1890. RE POTT ON THE BASIN OF MOOSE RIVER AND ADJACENT COUNTRY BELONGING TO THE PRCVI1TOE OW OHTABIO. By E. B. BORRO N, Esq.. Stipendiary Magistrate PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. TORONTO : PRINTED BY WARWICK & SONS, 68 AND 70 FRONT STREET WEST 1890. , — CONTENTS PAGE. Introductory remarks 3 Boundaries and area of Provincial Territory north of the water-parting on the Height-of-Land Plateau 3,4,5 Topography. Naturally divided into three belts 5 ] st, the Southerly or Height-of-Land Plateau 5 2nd, the Intermediate Plateau or Belt 5 3rd, the Northerly or Coast-Belt 5 The fundamental rocks in each 5 Explanations of possible discrepancies in the statements contained in reports for different years in regard of the same or of different sections of the territory 5 Routes followed in lb79 6 Extracts from Report or 1879. Description of the Height-of-Land Flateau from repoit for that year 6 The Northerly or Flat Coast Belt 7 The Intermediate Plateau or Belt 7 James' Bay exceedingly shallow 7 The Albany River and Abittibi, Mattagami and Missinaibi branches of Moose River navigable by boats for some distance in spring 7 Few if any mountains in the two northerly divisions 8 Shallowness of rivers, and slight depth below the general surface of the country 8 Ice jams at or near the mouths of Moose and Albany Rivers 8 Moose Factory, the principal trading post and settlement in the territory 8 Extracts from Reports of 1880. Regarding the Northerly Belt or Great Plain on the coast of James' Bay 8 Found to be largely overspread by peat mosses or muskegs, and the cause thereof 9 Description of this Northerly Belt or Plain 10 Large areas may, and will in the future be reclaimed and rendered fertile 11 The reclamation of peat mosses, costly even in Europe 11 Chat moss in the heait of Lancashire, England, an instance of this 11 Description of the intermediate Belt or Plateau as seen this season 11 Views expressed in first report too sanguine, in i eference to the quality and (juantity of arable land «. 11 Object of explorations— to acquire a good general idea of the whole territory lather than an exhaustive examination of a small portion only 11 . IV. EXPLORATIONS IN 1881. PAGE. Routes followed distance traversed number of portages necessary 12 Mr. 0. S. Gamsby'i report on the country lying between the Missinaibi and M attagami Rivers 13 Dr. Boll's deaoripl ion of the Mattigami River 15 ExtraoU from <>"m Report for 1881 15 Land in ooast or northerly belt available for agricultural or pastoral purposes, consists of three classes 16 Fossibi] ty of draining, burning and reclaiming some thousand square miles of this peat covered belt, and thus rendering the same arable 16* and 17 A large proportion of the clays, sands, gravel and other loose mateiial on the Intei mediate Belt or Plateau, and to some extent on the Height-of-Land Plateau also has been brought from the north 17 Description of this Plateau 18 " of Height-of-Land Plateau 19 Route in 1882 and Extracts from Report for that Year 19 Dr. Bell's descript'on of Hudson's Bay and regions lying adjacent thereto 20 Shallowness of James' Bay— frontage and harbour 22 Land rises very gradually toward the south 22 Clay, or more properly " marl " usually below the peat 22 A blue or slate colored clay—highly calcareous, near coast 22 No hills and little bare rock in this belt 22 The large timber confined to narrow strips along the rivers 22 But a small proportion of bare rock in the next or intermediate belt 23 Evidences of erosion everywhere 23 Probably due to ice in the form of glaciers impelled southward from a "Polar Ice-Cap." 23 Affording vast stores of raw material for soil 24 That part of the Intermediate Belt lying south of the 49th parallel of latitude — more broken, better drained, and more densely timbered than the flat country to the north 24 More or less red and white pine 24 Many lakes in course of being filled up or drained and thus converted into dry land 24 Climate—one of extremes in regard of temperature 24 Dr. Bell's opinion somewhat different from that of the writer 24 Rainfall at Moose Factory 25 The healthiness of the climate unquestionable 25 Extracts from Report for 1883. Routes followed 25 Physical features and soil of the country traversed 25 Dr. Bell's exploration of—and report on Long Lake and the country lying to the north west 26 The water-parting and width of the Height-of-Land Plateau at this point 28 General bearing of Kenogami River from Long Lake to the eighteenth or last portage. 28 The Intermediate Belt as seen on the Kenogami 29 The Northerly or Coast Belt " " 29 The Kenogami and Albany Rivers afford 250 miles uninterrupted canoe navigation and boats also for a limited period 29 — PAGE. Explorations in 1884 , 30 Specially directed to the ctnfiimaticn or otherwise of favourable oj inicns, in regaid of the practicability and value of the navigable stretches on the AlVany and Kenogami Rivers. The results disappointing 30 Explorations in 1885. Devoted to an examination of the country situated between the Missinaibi River and Kapuskasing River, and from Lake Missinaibi northwards 30 Extracts from Repo>t. Topographical features Watershed between Lake Superior and James' Bay lower than that between Lake Superior and the basin of the Mississippi 30 Description of Heigh t-of-Land Plateau and of the Missinaibi River, northward to " the two portages." 31 The fall on the Kapuskasing River corresponds with that on the Missinaibi 32 Indicating the probable existence at one time of an e^ tensive lake, now nearly drained 32 The hills fewer in number and lower as we proceed northward 32 The lakes also fewer in number and shallower 32 Character of the Land. But a small portion of that on the Height-of-Land Plateau lying to the south of Lake Missinaibi arable 32 Much of it suited for the growth of forest trees and more or less for pasture 32 Even the lakes may be rendered productive 32 More and better land in the northern portion of this plateau 32 A fertile strip between the Height-of-Land Plateau arid the Intermediate or Central Plateau or belt 32 Description of this better d ained and more fertile strip 33 Reference to Mr. Gamsby's report 33 River bottoms on the Kapuskasing River ::3 Description of country between Kapuskasing River and Lake Opazaiika— soil and timher, etc 34 General description of Lake Opazatika and adjacent country 34 John Driver's exploration of and report on Lake Opazatika 35 Good land on Opazatika River between the lake and junction of Big River 37 North of this junction to Lake Na-sko-si-wa-kan, " Grassy Point Lake," very little arable land 87 Tolerably dry and fairly good land between the south end 1 f Lake Opazatika and Missinaibi River 37 The greater part of the intermediate strip of country between Lake Opazatika and Missinaibi River found to be swampy 38 Good bottom hind between the Missinaibi River and Brunswick Lake 38 Nature and Origin of the Soil 38 The Intermediate Belt or Plateau always supports a growth of trees ard shrubs of some kind 38 The timber not always a safe guide as to the character of the soil or land 38 A natural rotation in the crop of forest trees 39 — VI. Explorations in 1885. Continued, page. Too much importance d baohed t.. the influence of the underlying rock on the composh ion, and ferl ility of the soil 89 Professor Johnson's remarks on this subjeol 39 1 he soil on this plateau or bell has little relation bo 1 he rooks in situ, the material for the most pari ha\ ing come from the north 41 This drifl or transported material almost entirely furnished by the Silurian and Devonian Strata underlying the coast belt 41 Bence abundance of lime associated with the clays, constituting in many instances " marls/' and occasionally highly calcareous sand 41 This fart important as otherwise the soil both on the Intermediate and Height of- Land Plateau, if not also on the north thores of Lakes Huron and Superior, must have been thin and poor 42 The agency by which it has been formed and transported lias left this material " imperfectly mixed." 42 The clay immediately on the surface frequently much less calcareous and sometimes destitute of lime 42 l>ii1 almost always contains abundance at from one to two feet in depth 42 The amount of organic matter in the soil does not in many places appear great 42 Probable causes of this deficiency 43 Bush fires, no worms, few burrowing animals, general conclusions in regard to the soil in the several belts of this territory 43 Conjectures in regard to the formation, transportation and deposition of the so-called drift, clays, sands, gravel, stones and boulders 44 Timber— Apparently a small quantity only of pine either on that portion of the Height-of-Land or of the Intermediate Belt or Plateau examined this season 45 Fine tract of both red and white pine on the head waters of the Mattagami and Groundhog Rivers 4b A few red pine on Lake Opazatika 46 No pine of any great consequence west of the Missinaibi River 4b* Spruce the most common tree in this territory is present in large quantity and often of large size 46 Tamarac co-extensive in growth with spruce, but smaller and less valuable 46 Cedar on banks of rivers and elsewhere on the Height-of-Land and Intermediate Plateau ., 46 Aspen the most common tree with the exception of spruce in the territory, and in view of the many uses to which wood pulp is being applied may be more valu- able than any other , 46 — • Minerals — The only mineral of economic value and importance—discovered this season "iron " yrites 47 > I Apparently a large body and would be valuable if more favorably situated 47 ( Opening up the country—suggestions in reference thereto 47 AoRieuLTn: ll Resources and Capabilities.