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With numerous Woodcuts. 8vo. 60s. pEOJECTILE WEAPONS oFVaE and EXPLOSIVE COM- X POUNDS. By J. Scoffern, M.B., London. Fourth Edition, extended in a Supplement. Post 8vo. with Woodcuts, 9s. 6(1. Sui'I'Lement, containing new Resources of Warfare, 2s. pELESTIAL OBJECTS for COjMMON TELESCOPES. By yJ T. W. Webb, M.A. With Woodcuts, and a Map of the Moon 12 inches in diameter en- graved on Steel. l6mo. 7s. qiE JOHN HEESCHEL'S OUTLINES of ASTEONOMY. «^3 Fifth Edition, revised and corrected to the existing state of Astronomical Knowledge; with Plates and Woodcuts. 8vo. lbs. ^^^ London: LONGMAN, GEEEN, and CO. Paternoster Eow. 11 (^ 'V CANADLVN llED RIVER ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIONS l-RINTED BT SPO TTI SWOOD E AND CO. KEWSTREET SQUABS NARHATIVE OF THE CANADIAN RED EIVER EXPLOPaKG EXPEDITION OF 1857 AND OF THE ASSIMIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPLOEING EXPEDITION OF 1858 HENEY YOULE HIND, M.A. F.E.G.S. PKOFESSOE OF CHEMISTRY AND GEOLOGY IN THE TJNITEItSITY OF TKINITY COLLEGE, TOKONTO In Charge of the Assmnibome and Saskatchewan Expedition In Two Volumes VOL. I. LONDON LONGMAN, GEEEN, LONGMAN, AND EGBERTS 18 GO v^\ PREFACE. The objects for which the Explorations described in these vohimes were undertaken, necessarily involved a more minute topographical examination tlian would be thought necessary in a general survey of a comparatively un- known country. It was desirable to ascertain the practicability of esta- blishing an emigrant route between Lake Superior and Selkirk Settlement, and to acquire some knoAvledge of the natural capabilities and resources of the Valley of lied Eiver and the Saskatchewan. The country between Lake Superior and Ecd Eiver is therefore minutely dehneated witli reference to the object of the exploration of 1857, and tlie first four chap- ters are mainly devoted to toj)ographical details of less interest to the general reader than the subsequent narra- tive. The same remark appHes, though in a less degree, to the description of the country west of Eed Eiver, the object being to show its fitness, or the contrary, for set- tlement. The estabhshment of a new Colony in the Basin of Lake Winnipeg, and the discovery of a Fertile Belt of A 3 0.1 .^ OoO VI rHEFACE. country extending from the Lake of tlie Woods to the Eocky Mountains, give to this part of British America a more than jDassing interest. The idea of a route across the Continent of America lying wholly mtliin British Territory, is daily becoming more settled and defined. The trade of China and Japan, now on the point of being opened to British enterprise, the gold wealth of British Columbia, and the Fertile Belt forming the northern boundary of the great American desert, aU give importance to the Basm of Lake Winnipeg, which in- creases mth om^ contemplation of its possible and mdeed probable futm-e. Tlie inimitable wastes of Siberia, extending over eighty degrees of longitude, are traversed by Eussian comiers in far less time than with all our apphances of steam and telegraph, we can receive "news" from China. The same postal system which there prevails can be far more easily maintained in British America, and with this vast advan- tage, that from the Lake of the Woods to the Eocky Moun- tains the route would lie through a tract of country not only remarkably fertile, but possessing rich stores of timber for fuel, lignite coal, u'on, and salt — tlie most important elements of industry and wealth. The chief difficulty in the way of rapid transit across the continent lies between Lake Superior and Eainy Lake. The liberality wJiich has already been manifested by the Parhament of Canada, in voting supphes to explore and open this hue of communication, will doubtless be perse- PREFACE. Vll vered in until the route is well established. The Governor of British Columbia sees in " means of communication " the most expeditious way of calhng the inert gold wealth of that distant colony into activity, and it remains for the Imperial Government to determine how soon a postal communication shall be established across tlie Basin of Lake Winnipeg, and the first step taken in establishing a permanent route through British Territory, between the Atlantic and the Pacific. London, October 18G0. A 4 CONTENTS THE FIRST VOLUME THE CANADIAN RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION or 1857. CHAPTEK I. TORONTO TO FORT WILLIAM. LAKE SUPERIOR. Departure of the Expedition from Toronto. — Squall on Lake Superior. — Fog Phenomena. — Steamer strikes on a Ptock off Michipicoten Island. — Michipicoten Harbour. — Refraction. — Thunder Bay. — Pie Island. — Thimder Cape. — The Kaministiquia. — Fort William. — Mr. M'Intyre. — Old North-West Company. — Accessibility of Lake Superior. — The Sault Ste. Marie Canal. — Trade of Lake Superior. —Ship Route to the Ocean. — Canadian Canals. — Elevation of Lake Superior. — Variations in the Levels of the gi-eat Canadian Lakes. — Influence and Importance of. — Obstacles to Progi-ess westward of Lake Superior. — Dividing Ridges. — Connection of the Valley of the Mississippi with Lake Superior. — Access to the Valley of Rainy River Page 9 CHAP. II. THE KAMINISTIQUIA ROUTE. FORT WILLIAM. LAKE SUPERIOR TO THE HEIGHT OF LAND. Thunder Bay. — Fort William.— M'Kay's MoimtaVu, —The Mission of the Immaculate Conception.— The Rev. Jean Pierre Chone.— Indian Treaty. — Mass.— Cun-eut River.— Garden at Fort William.— Remains of former Industry.— The first Brigade.— Iroquois and Ojibways.— A Dance.— The X CONTENTS OF Eiver. — Scenery of Kakabeka Falls. — Valley of the Kaministiquia. — Little Dog Lake. — The Great Dog Portage. — Little Dog River. — The Great Falls on Little Dog River. — Their Beauty. — Winter Road to Dog Lake. — Summer Road to Dog Lake. — Area of Dog Lake. — Description of. — Dog River. — Character of the Coimtry. — Prairie River. — Upper Dog River. — Prairie Portage. — Viscous Lakes. — Description of Prairie Portage. — ^Atmospheric Phenomena. — Scarcity of Animal Life . . Page 24 CHAP. in. THE HEIGHT OF LAXD TO RAINY LAKE. The Height of Land Lake. — Savanne Lake. — Savanne Portage. — Savanne River. — Mr. Bell from the Mackenzie. — A yoiithful Traveller. — MiUes Lacs. — The Seine River. — Character of the Seine. — BarU Lake. — An- cient Forest. — Cannibal Lake. — Cannibalism. — Brule Lake. — Pickerel Lake. — Portage des Morts. — Death of a Voyageur. — Dore Lake. — French Portage. — Sturgeon Lake and River. — Pictm-esque Character of Sturgeon Lake. — Lac de la Croix. — Rattlesnake Portage. — Morning in the Wil- derness. — Nameaukan Rapids. — ^Nan-ow Escape. — Nameaukan River. — Nameaukan Lake. — Rainy Lake 57 CHAP. IV. RAINY LAKE TO THE SOURCE OF THE WINNIPEG RWER. Rainy Lake. — Description of. — Rainy River. — Affluents of Rainy River. — Fort Frances. — Lac la Pluie Indians. — Valley of Rainy River. — Cha- racter of the Valley. — The Winter Road to the Lake of the Woods. — Arrangement for crossing the Swamps to Red River direct from the Lake of the Woods. — Fertility of Rainy River. — The Manitou Rapids. — Obstructions to Na"\-igation. — The Long Rapids. — Indian Encamp- ments. — Tumuli. — Graves. — Banks of Rainy River. — Catei-piUars. — The Lake of the Woods. — Beauty of the Lake of the Woods. — Confervte. — Garden Island. — Refraction. — Indians. — A Coimcil. — Its Results. — — Grasshoppers. — Shoal Lake. — North-west Comer of the Lake. — Monu- ment Bay. — Route to Rat Portage. — Indians. — Stm-geou. — Polished Rocks * 79 CHAP. V. THE WINNIPEG RIVER. Character of the Winnipeg. — Rat Portage. — Thunder Storm. — Thunder Stonus in the North-West. — A View on the Winnipeg. — Islington Mis- sion. — Cultivable Areas on the River. — Rev. Robert Macdonald. — Church Sen-ice. — State of Islington Mission. — Indian Superstitious. — Farm at the THE FIRST VOLUiME. XI Mission. — The School-House tlie Hope of the Mission. — En route forUed River. — James's Falls. — Auimal Life. — Rico (t rounds. — Mr. Cloiiston. — Otter Falls. — The Peuuawa River. — Scarcity of Food on the "Winnipeg. — Bonnet Lake. — Lidian ('ache. — The Silver Falls. — Fort Alexander. — Lake Winnipeg. — Character of the Coast. — Camp in the Marshes. — Mouth of Red River. — Lidian Village. — Christian Indians . Page 100 CHAP. VL RED RIVER SETTLEMENTS. The Red River of the North.— Its Tributaries.— The Red Fork.— The Red River within British Ten-itory. — Its physical Features. — Objects seen on ascending the River. — Section of the River and Prairie. — Objects on the Banks. — The Settlement. — The King's Road. — Character of the Country north of Fort Garry. — Asj^ect of the Prairies. — Beauty of the Prairies. — The Assinuiboine River. — Effect of Evaporation on the Volume of Water in the Assinuiboine. — Description of the Assinniboine. — Prairie Portage. — Mud and Sand Flats in the River. — Timber. — John Spence. — Lignite reported to exist on the Assinniboine. — Sioux. — Indian Corn. — The Big Ridge. — An Overtui'u. — The Prairies of the Assinniboine. — Mr. Lane. — Mr. George Flett. — Mr. Gowler. — Mr. Gowler's Farm. — His Opinions respecting the Prairies on the Assinniboine. — Melons. — Old Associations. — Independence. — Mr. Gowler's Success. — The Nor'wester. — A Newspaper published at Red River Settlements. . . . 125 CHAP. VII. THE WEST AND EAST BANKS OF RED RIVER, BETWEEN FORT GARRY AND THE BOUNDARY LINE. La RiA^iere Sale. — Pembina Mountain. — Scratching River. — Pembina Fort. — Pembina. — The Roseau River. — Ancient Lake Ridge. — Roseau Lake. Route to the Lake of the Woods. — Meet an Indian. — Indian Idea of Money. — Crossing place at the Roseau. — ludiam Wigwams. — Ancient Lake Rridge. — Prairie Hens. — Indian Snares. — Still-water Creek. — Rat River. — The Nine-mile Swamp. — Mr. Piei-re Gladieux. — Half-breed Po- liteness and Hospitality. — La Riviere Seine. — Character of the Country. — Indian Scruples 154 CHAP. VIIL BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLONY. — STATISTICS OF POPULATION. ADMINIS- TRATION OF JUSTICE. — TRADE AND OCCUPATIONS. Lord Selkirk. — First Emigi-ants. — Difficulties of the Emigi-ants. — The De Meurons. — Mr. West. — First Missionary. — The Census. — Em'opean and xii CONTENTS OF Native Population. — Statistical Table. — Population by Families. — "Na- tives." — Character of the Half-breeds. — Occupations. — Improvidence of the Ilalf-breeds. — Aids to Improvement. — Administration of Justice. — Governor and Coimcil. — Quarterly Courts. — Council of Assinniboia. — Trade and Occupations. — Absence of Trades. — Mills. — Merchants. — Freighters. — Land. — Leases. — Unoccupied Area fit for Settlement. Page 172 CHAP. IX. THE MISSIONS AT RED RIVER. l^eligious Denominations. — Missionaries, Stations, and Congi-egations. — The Protestant Congregations. — St. John's Church. — St. Andrew's Church and Parsonage. — The Parish of St. Andrew. — Its History. — St. Paul's Church. — St. James's Church. — Church at the Indian Settlement. — Service.— A Novel Night Bell.— A Contrast.— Peguis.— Prairie Portage.— A Congregation.— Wild Indiims.— The Presbji;eriau Church.— The Presby- terian CongTegation. — The Roman Catholic Churches. — The Cathedral of St. Boniface.— St. Norbert.— St. Francois Xavier.— The Congi-egations at Eed River. — Their Demeanour and Appearance. — Protestant and Roman Catholic Parishes.— Extent of the Charities of the Home ]Missionary So- citties. — Apathy of the wealthy at Red River. — Difficulties of Missionary Enterprise at present. — Privations and Difficulties at remote Stations. 194 CHAP. X. EDUCATION IN THE SETTLEMENT. AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY. Schools.— Protestant Schools in the Settlement.— Subjects taught.— Col- legiate School.— Distinguished Scholars.— School Attendance.— Soiu-ces of Income.— School Wants.— The Presbyterian School.— The Roman Ca- tholic Schools.— Agiicultural Industiy.— The Farms.— Want of Improve- ment manifest. — Cause of the Absence of Progi-ess.— Cultivated Crops. —Indian Com. — "WTieat. — Hay.— Barley and Oats.— Root Crops.— Sugar. —Hemp and Flax.— Live Stock.— Agxicultural Implements. — Facilities for raising Stock. — Timber.— Coimtry west of Red River . . 214 CHAP. XL SKETCH OF THE COUNTRY WEST OF RED RIVER. General Surface. — Elevation of the Prairies of Red River. — Pembina Mountain. — Terraces. — Mountains. — Lakes and Rivers. — East of the South Branch of the Saskatchewan.— North-East of the Assinniboine.— Riding and Duck Moimtains.- The Great Lakes.— Geological Formations. — The Touchwood HiUs. — Tm-tle Moimtain. — Lake Winnipeg. — Lakes Manitobah and Winnipego-sis. — The Qu'appoUe Lakes.— The South THE FIEST VOLUME. Xlll Erancli. — The Main Saskatchewan. — The Grand Rapid. — The Little Saskatchewan. — The Qu'appelle, or Calling River. — The Little Souris. — Wooded and Prairie Land. — Areas fit for Settlement. — Valley of the ^Vssinniboiue. — Valley of the Saskatchewan. — East of the Riding and Diicli Mountains .......... Page 233 CHAP. XII. THE JOUIiNEY TO CANADA VIA ST. PAUL. Isolation of the Valley of Lake Winnipeg. — The Conntry drained by the Saskatchewan. — Routes to the Valley of Lake Winnipeg. — The Northern Route. — The Southern Route. — Pembina. — St. Joseph. — Deux Rivieres. —Pine River. — The Mail. — The Red River Post Office. — Red Lake River. — War Path of the Sioux and Ojibways. — Turtle Creek. — Bm'uing Prairies. — Height of Land Hills. — Caravans. — The Southern Slope. — Leaf River. — Crow Wing River. — Table of estimated Distances between Camps. — Crow Wing. — St. Paid. — Toronto 251 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPLORING EXPEDITION OF 18.58. CHAP. XIIL FOKT GAKRY TO THE BOUNDATIY LINE, VIA THE ASSINNIBOINE AND LITTLE SOURIS. Members of the Expedition. — Iroquois Indians from Cauglmawaga. — De- troit.— Sault Ste. Marie. — Grand Portage. — Fort Frances. — Red River.— Expedition into the Interior. — The Start. — Supplies. — Prairie Ridges. — Pigeon Traps. — Stony Mountain. — Birds. — Saline Efflorescence. — Cha- racter of the Big Ridge. — The Assinniboine. — Grasshoppers. — Ojibway Encampment. — i\.rchdeacon Cochrane. — Prairie Portage. — Cliff Swall()^^^ — Thunder Storms. — Ojibways. — The Bad Woods. — Assinniboine Forest. — River. — Rabbits, — Sandy Hills of the Assinniboine. — Latitude. — Di- mensions of Valley. — Variation of Compass. — Sand Dunes. — Aspect of Country. — Hail Storm. — " Smokes." — P>alsam Spruce. — Pine Creek. — The Little Souris. — Grasshoppers.-^Fish. — Sioux. — Cretaceous Rocks. — Blue Hills. — Pembina River. — Backfat Lakes. — Vast Prairie. — Prairie Fires. — Horizontal Rocks. — Inoceramus. — G uelder Rose. — Li^rnite. — An- XIV CONTENTS OF cient Lake Beaches. — Sand Dunes. — Oak Lake. — Souris Sand Hills. — Night ILawk. — Bog Iron Ore. — Floods in 1852. — Bois de Vacho. — Grass- hoppers, infinite Multitude of. — Appearance • of the Sky, of Prairie. — Little Souris Valley. — Track's. — Turtle Mountain. — Sioux. — Character of Prairie.— Souris Lakes.— Boulders.— Mandan Village.— Probable Source of the Little Souris.— Character of the Souris south of the 49th Parallel. —Absence of Timber on the 47th Parallel .... Page 273 CHAP. XIV. FROM THE BOUKDARY LINE TO THE Qu'aPPELLE LAKES VIA FORT ELLICE. Indian Signs.— Smell of Fire.— The Sioux.— Precautions.— " Something."— Red Deer's Head Pdver.— The Great Prairie, Character of.— Mirage.— Birds —Grasshoppers. — Limit of Burnt Laud. — Pipestone Creek. —Standing Stone.- Country changed.— Forest disappeared.— Approach to the Assin- niboine. — Cretaceous Eocks. — Buffalo Bidl. — Fort Ellice. — McKay.— Crees,— Hunters.— Provision Trading Posts.— Pemmican.— Dried Meat.— Thunder Storms.— Mammoth Bones.— Ojibway Hunter.— Half-breeds.— En route for the Qu'appelle Mission.— Grasshoppers.— Thunder Storm.— Trail. Weed Eidge. — Kinni-Kinnik. — Mode of Manufacturing. — Boulders.— White Crane. — Magpies. —Birds.— Dew.— Aridity of Great Prairie. — Charies Pratt. — Chalk Hills.— Indian Tiimip. — Qu'appelle Lakes. Fresh AiTangements.— Descent and Ascent of the Qu'appelle.— Qu'appelle Mission. —Dimensions of Valley. — Character of Lakes.— White Fish. — Eev. James Settee. — Garden at the Mission. — Grasshop- pers.— Christian AVorship.— Baptism. —" Praying Father " and " Praying Man." Rmn. — Indian Wishes. — Objection to Native Missionaries. — Difficulties arising from the Prejudice of Tribes. — Plain Crees passing away.— En Eoute 3^2 CHAP. XV. THE qu'appelle VALLEY.— FROM THE MISSION TO SAND HILL LAKE. Depth of the Fishing Lakes.— Cross-Sections.-Confervoe.-Lower Lakes 66 Feet deep.— Birds.- Vegetation.— Water-mark.— Third and Fourth Fish- ing Lakes.— Fish.— Soundings in Fourth Lake.— Fishing Lakes probably once united.— Geese.— Pelicans.— Fourth Lake.— Water-mark.— Aspect of Valley in 1852.— Qu'appelle Eiver.— Prairie.— Depth of Valley.— White Cranes.- Section of Alluvial Flats.— Temperatm-e.-Character of Prairie. Birds. — Shrubs. — Antelope. — Hare. — Eoses. — Grand Forks. — Plain Crees.— Temperature of Eiver.— Ice Marks.— Buffalo Tracks.— Character of Stream.— Willow Bushes.— Fetid Air.— Drift Clay.— Er- ratics. — Freemen's Houses. — Prairie. — Want of Timber. — Thunder THE FIRST VOLUME. XV Storms.— Touchwood Hills.— Indians.— Tolls.— Diplomacy.— ludian Re- solve.— The Grand Forks.— Long Lake.— Souris Forks.— Soiiria of Qu'ap- pelle and Assinniboine. — Dimensions of Valley. — The Grand Coteaii. — Trairie Fires. — Indian Signs. — A Prairie on Fire. — Buffalo. — Consequence of Prairie Fires. — Reclamation of sterile Areas. — Indian TelegTaph. — Scarcity of "Wood. — Ancient Indian Encampment. — The Plain Crees. — Cree Tents.— Pro^-isions.-Buftalo Pound Hill Lake.— Indians.— Aspect of Country.— Coteau de Missouri. — Last Mountain. — Treeless Plain. — The Grand Coteau.— Buffiilo.— Birds.— Plain Crees, Camp of.— The Qu'appello VaUey. — MaiTow. — Precautions. — Sand Hill Lake. — Crees. — Bois de Vache. — Salt Lake. — Dimensions of Valley. — Erratics. — Cross the Qu'appelle Valley.— Camp at Sand Hill Lake . . . Page 326 CHAP. XVI. SAND HILL L.VKE TO THE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE SASKATCHEWAN. Encounter with a Buffalo Bull.— Interior of Tents.— Barter. — Watchers. — Dogg. — Eyebrow HiU. — Prairies. — Prairies and Plains. — Difference be- tween Prairies and Plains. — Limits of the Prairie Coimtry in the United States.— Growth of Timber in River Bottoms.— Plains in Rupert's Land. Origin of Prairies. — Grand Coteau de Missouri. — Extent and Boun- daries of.— Character of the Grand Coteau. — Elevation of.— Vegetation of.— Eyebrow Hill. — Source of Qu'appelle. — Buffalo. — Character of Qu'appelle Valley. — Water-marks. — Sandy Hills. — Distribution of Boulders.— Section. — Rock Exposure. —Mis-tick-oos. — Sand Dunes. — South Branch.— The Qu'appelle Valley.— Cree Camp.— Height of Land. —Section of Valley.— Levels.— Buff'alo Pound.— Camp Moving.—" Dead Men."— Old Buffalo Pound.— Horrible Spectacle.— New Poimd.— Bringing in Buffalo.— Slaughter inPouud.— '^\ Talk."— Objections to Half-breeds. —To the II. B. Co.— Demeanour of the Indians.— The Wants of Mis- tiek-oos.— His Tent.— His Wives.— Rock Exposure.— Boulders in Valley. —Character of the South Branch 345 CHAP. XVII. FROM THE Qu'aFPELLE MISSION TO FORT ELLICE, DOWN THE qu'appelle river. Tlie Second Fishing Lake. — Depth of.— Indian :\Iap. — Origin of name Qu'appelle, or " Who calls River. "—The First Lake, or Pakitawiwin.— Great Depth of First Lake. —Fish.— Confeiwa}. — Depth of Valley.— Width of River.— High-water Mark.— Valley flooded. — Affluents.— Depth of Valley— Crooked Lake, or Ka-wa-wa-ki-ka-mac— Dimensions of.— Effects of Fires.— Trees in Valley.— Boulders.— Character of the Coimtry.— Indian Surprise—Indians.— Summer Beny Creek.- Dimon- xvi CONTENTS OF sions of Valley.— Valley and Prairie Scene.— Camp Scene.- Character of Valley. — Ka-wah-wi-ya-ka-mae, or Round Lake. — Dimensions of. — Stony Basin.— Granite Boulders. — Little Cut-Ai-m Creek.— The Scissors Creek.— Rock Exposm-e. — Grasshoppers.— Big Cut-Ai-m Creek.— Di- mensions of Qu'appeUe. — Flooding of VaUey.— Timber.— Undergrowth. —Birds. — Minks. — Deer. — Uniformity of Qu'appeUe Valley.— Table showino- the dimensions of the Qu'appeUe VaUey and Qu'appeUe Lakes. Page 3G8 CHAP. XVIIL FROM THE ELBOW OF THE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE Sx^SKATCHEWAN TO THE NEPOWEWIN MISSION ON THE MAIN SASKATCHEWAN. Rocks on the South Branch.— Cretaceous.— Altitude of Exposm'e.- Cha- racter of. — Selenite. — FossUs. — Concretions. — Mesaskatomia Beny. — Character of River.— Drift.— Rock Exposures.— Fibrous Lignite.— Tree- less Prairie.— Cree Camp.— Mud Flats. — Rock Exposm-e. — Concretions. — ^Treeless Banks and Praii-ie. — Loav Country. — Driftwood. — Ripple Marks.— Dimensions of the South Branch. — The Moose Woods.— Water and Ice Marks. — Forest Timber. — Character of River. — Treeless Prairie. — Boulders. — Soundings. — Buffalo. — "The Woods." — Rate of Cm-rent. — Boulders, Ai-rangemeut of. — .\i-tificial Pavement. — Tiers of Boulders. — Temperatm-e. — Balsam Spruce. — Former Aspen Forest. — Good Counti-y. — Water-marks. — Soundings.— Stratified Mud. — Fall of River. — Cha- racter of River. — Colour and Temperature of North and South Branch. The North Branch. — Absence of Indians. — Absence of Animal Life. — Grizzly Bear. — Aridity of Country through which the South Branch flows. — Cm-rent of North Branch. — Coals Falls. — Boulders. — Trees. — The Grand Forks. — The Main Saskatchewan. — Fort a la Come. — The Rev. Henry Budd. — The Nepowewin Mission. — Cubic Feet of Water in North and South Branch and iMain Saskatchewan, or Ki-sis-kah-che-wuu. — Opening and Closing of tlie River ...... 380 CHAP. XIX. FROM THE NEPOWEWIN MISSION ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO FORT ELLICE. Sandy Strip on the Saskatchewan. — Banksiau Pine. — Indian Idols. — Medi- cine Feasts. — Rev. Hem-y Budd. — His Jom-nal. — Fine Country. — Long Creek.— Old Forest.— Fires, Extent of — Extension of the Prairies. — Former Extent of wooded Country. — Effect of Fires. — Long Creek. — Hay Groimd. — Moles. — Humidity of Climate. — A Bear. — Source of Long Cjeek — The Birch HiUs. — Flowers. — Aspect of Counti-y. — Carrot River. — The Lumpy HiU of the Woods. — Lakes. — The wooded Coimtiy.— Former Extent of. — Limits of good Laud — Raspben-ies. — Mosquitoes. — The Height of Land. — Continuation of the Eye-brow Hill Range. — Valley inoscidating with the South Branch and Main Saskatchewan. — Grass- THE FIRST VOLUME. XVll hoppers. — Character of the Country. — Birds. — Destruction of Forests. — The Big Hill. — Boulders. — Limit of wooded Coimtry. — Belts of Wood. — Great Prairie. — Character of the Country. — Salt Lakes. — The Touch- wood Hills. — Beautifid Country. — Excellent Soil. — The Quill Lakes. — Flowers.— "White Cranes. — The Heart Hill. — The Last Mountain. — The Little Touchwood Hills. — Lakes. — Touchwood Hill Fort. — Ka-ou-ta-at- tin-ak. — Touchwood LliUs Range. — Long Lake. — Devil's Lake. — Garden at the Fort. — White Fish in Long Lake. — Burnt Forest. — Grasshoppers. — Winter Forage for Horses. — ^\]lite Fish. — Buffalo.— Climate of Touch- wood Hills — Humidity of. — Medicine Man. — ^'Wampum." — Trail to Fort EUice. — Marshes. — Little Touchwood Hills. — Character of Country Changes. — Depressions. — Pheasant Mountain. — File Hill. — Character of the Country. — Heavy Dews. — Cut-Arm Creek. — Willow Prairie. — Little Cut- Arm Creek. — Rolling Prairie. — Attractive Coimtry. — Spy Hill. — Boulders. — Aspen Groves increasing. — Sand Hills. — The Assinniboine. Page 401 CHAP. XX. THE QU'aPPELLE VALLEY. — PORT PELLY TO THE SETTLEMENTS ON RED RIVER. The Qr'APPELLE Valley. — Leading Dimensions. — Character of the Great Plain it intersects. — Elevation above the South Brnch. — Lakes in the Qu'appelle Valley.— Depths of. — Timber on. — Valley flooded.— Effects of a Dam across the South Branch. — Diversion of the Waters of the Saskatche- wan. — Table showing leading Dimensions of the Qu'appelle River, Lakes, and Valley. — The Assinniboine. — The West Bank. — Fort Pelly. — ViTiite Sand River. — Manitou Lake. — Little "\Miite Mud River. — Leech Lake. — Character of Country. — Crops at Fort Pelly. — Swan River. — Snake Creek. — Fertility of Swan River. — Mr. Dawson's Description. — Thunder Mountain. — Porcupine and Duck Mountains. — Dividing Ridge between the Swan and Assinniboine Rivers. — Miiy Creek. — Riding Moimtain. — Shell River. — River Terraces. — Indian Graves. — Little Saskatchewan. — Cre- taceous Shales on Bird's-tail Creek. — On Rapid River. —Termination of Riding Moimtain.— White Mud River. — Ancient Beach. — Beauty of White Mud River.— Rat River.— Prairie Portage.— The Settlements. 426 CHAP. XXL FROM FORT A LA CORNE, DOW^ THE SASKATCHEWAN, TO THE GRAND RAPID AND LAKE WINNIPEG. Departure fi-om Fort a la Corne.— Object of the Expedition. — Equipment. — "Bull-Boats." — Birch-bark Canoes. — General Direction, Current, and Breadth of the Saskatchewan. — Character of its Valley. — Coimtry VOL. I. a xviii CO.\TE>'TS OF THE FIEST VOLUME. througli wliicli tlie River flows well adapted for Settlement.— Pem- mican Portage.— Cimibeiiand House.— Description of Cumberland.— The Saskatchewan and surroimding Countiy between Cumberland and the Pas. — Indian Hunter.— Sturgeon. — The Pas.— Christ Church.— Gradual Depression of the Coimtiy bordering the Eiver.- Alluvial Flats. — Marshes.— Delta. — Muddy Lake.— Rock Exposure.— Marshes and Mud ipiats.- Cedar Lake : its Situation and Dimensions.— Siu-roimding Coim- try. The Saskatchewan between Cedar Lake and Lake Winnipeg. — Cross Lake Rapid : its Dimensions. — Enter Cross Lake. — Meet a Brigade of Boats.— Cross Lake : its Dimensions and Altitude.— Sun-oimding Countiy. —The Saskatchewan east of Cross Lake.— Rapids : their Dimensions.— Smooth Reach. — Drift Clay Banks. — The Grand Rapid : Portage ; Running the Rapid ; its Dimensions ; Character of its Excavated Bed ; ]\Iagnificence of the Upper Portion of the Cataract ; Mode of Ascending it ; Remarks in Relation to surmounting this Bamer and making the Saskatchewan available for Steam Navigation.— Indian Encampment.— Lake Winnipeg Page 441 CHAP. XXII. FROM THE GRAND RAPID OF THE SASKATCHEWAN TO THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENTS, VIA THE WEST COAST OF LAKE WINNIPEG. Enter Lake Winnipeg. — Cape Kitchi-nashi. — Storms. — Detained on an Island.— Windbound on the Mainland.— Tempest.— Repulsed by the Wind. —Character of the Coast : the Sand Beaches and Swamps.— War Path Riyer.— Verifying Rate of Canoe. — Indians. — Tracking. — Limestone Point. — Encountering a Head Wind and Storm. — Lightening Canoe. — Starving Indians. — The Little Saskatchewan. — The Prominent Features of the Coast. — Formation of Cape Kitchi-nashi. — Limestone Exposures. —Tributary Streams.- General Character of the Comitiy. — Indians and Fishery at Little Saskatchewan. — Indian Chart.— Inaccuracy of the ]Maps of the Lake.— Depart from the Little Saskatchewan.— Windbound again for three Days. — Provisions exhausted. — Contrary Winds. — Driven back and stopped.— The Cat Head.— Windbound again by a HmTicane.— Bar- rier of Boulders. — Eagle. — Stopped by Foul Winds again at the Wicked Point.— Pike Head and River.— Indian Fishing- Weir.— Opportune Supply of Fish.- Wide Traverse to Grindstone Point.— Grassy NaiTOWS.— Sandy Bar. — Arrive at the Settlements. — Conclusion .... 475 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIOKS THE FIRST VOLUME. The following Ilh(strativ7is are from Photographs taken hy Mr. Humphrey Li.OYD HiME, I'hotographer to the Assimiihoine and Saskatchewan Ea-pidi- tion, or from Sketches by Mr. John Fleming, Assistant Surveyor and Draughtsman. CHROMOXYLOGRAPHS. Ka-ka-beka Falls ....... Fall at the third Portage above Ka-ka-beka Beginning of the Great Dog Portage Great Falls of Little Dog River .... Grand Falls of the Nameaiikan River Chaudiere Falls, Rainy River, opposite Fort Frances Islington Mission, "Winnipeg River .... View of Red River from St. Andrew's Church, four miles Stone Fort The Prairie, looking West ..... Half -Way Bank, Assinniboine River Confliience of the Little Souris and Assinniboine Fishing Lakes, Qu'appelle River .... Valley of the Souris ...... Driving Buffaloes into the Pound .... WOODCUTS. Steamer CoUingwood on a Rock near Michipicoten Island, Lake Superior Fort William, looking up the river .... Decharges des Paresseux ...... Second Falls, Kaministiquia River .... Entrance to Little Dog Lake, from Kaministiquia River Ojibways at Fort Frances, Rainy River to feice page 36 i) 38 )> 40 )f 42 )y 73 )) 81 )f 112 above the )> 128 V 135 » 285 )} 289 )) 321 }f 293 }} 358 Page ake Superior 12 , 25 35 38 . 39 , , 83 XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page 86 . 105 . 107 . 117 . 121 . 145 . 153 . 165 le Settlem 3nt . . 200 Fort Frances^ Rainy River .... Falls at Rat Portage Iludsou's Bay Company's Post at Rat Portage Slave Falls, Winnipeg River Fort Alexander, Mouth of the Winnipeg River Prairie Poi-tage, Assinniboine River Confluence of the Assinniboine and Red River The Red River at Pierre Gladieux's Birch-bark Tents, west Bank of Red River, Middle Settlement Ojibway Tents on the Banks of Red River, near the Middle Settlement 202 The Village of Pembina, Dakotah Territory 255 Stony Mountain 278 Valley of the Souris, looking towards the Blue Hills of the Souris . 290 Valley of the Souris, opposite the Valley of the Backfat Lakes . . 291 Section on the Little Souris, showing ancient Beaches with Lignite Boulders 294 Fort EUice, Beaver Creek 310 Encampment in the Qu'appelle Valley ...... 323 Transverse Section of the Valley of the Qu'appelle at the Height of Land 355 Ridges, with Boulders, on the East and West side of the Height of Land in the Qu'appelle Valley ...,...• Section on the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, showing layers holding Avicula Lingufeformis and Avicula Nebrascana Horizontal Tiers of Boulders in Drift on the South Branch, with polished Boulder Pavement at the Edge of the River ..... Polished and Grooved Pavement of Boulders on the South Branch Nepowewin Mission and Fort a la Corne Cumberland House, Pine Island Lake . The Pas, or Cumberland Mission . The Grand Rapid of the Saskatchewan The Cat Head, Lake Winnipeg . .364 381 389 390 399 449 453 468 488 MAPS AND PLANS. INIap to Illustrate the Narrative Plan of Selkirk Settlement . . . Plan of the Fishing Lakes Plan, showing the Jimction of the Qu'appelle Vidth the South Branch of the Saskatchewan .... Plan of the Grand Rapid of the Saskatchewan to face page 9 172 329 366 471 THE CANADIAN RED EIYEH EXPLORING EXPEDITION OF 1857 VOL. I. 5 THE CANADIAN RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION OF 1857. INTEODUCTION. Ix July, 1857, the Canadian Government organised and despatched an expedition to examine the country between Lake Superior and the Eed Eiver of the NTorth, with a view to determine the best route for opening a commnni- cation between that hake and the settlements on Eed Eiver. The expedition consisted of the following mem- bers : — GrEORGE GrLADMAN, Director, and one Assistant. Henry Yoitle Hind, Greologist, and oiie Assistant. W. H. E. Xarier, Engineer, and five Assistants. S. J. Dawson, Surveyor, and four Assistants. One road superintendent. The voi/af/eurs were composed of twelve Iroquois Indians from Caughnawaga, near Lachine, a Scotchman from the Ottawa, a French Canadian from Colhngwood, a French Canadian (Lambert) from Fort Wilham, a lialf-breed, engaged on board the steamer Colhngwood, AvJiere he was employed in the capacity of cook, and twelve Ojibway Indians from Fort William, thns making the number of the party forty-four persons in all, when the canoe voyage commenced. The following extracts from Mi'. Gladman's instructions b2 4 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. will exhibit the designs of the Canadian Government in despatchmg this expedition : ■ — " The primary object of the expedition is to make a thorough examination of the tract of country between Lake Superior and Ked Eiver, by which may be determined the best route for opening a facile communication through British territory, from that lake to the Eed Eiver Settlements, and ultimately to the great tracts of cultivable land beyond them. With this view the following suggestions are offered for your guidance, so far as you will find them practicable, and supported by the topography. " In the first place, after being landed at Fort William, to pro- ceed by the present Hudson's Bay canoe route — by the Kami- nistiquia Eiver, Dog Lake, Lake of the Thousand Islands, &c., to Lac La Croix, and thence by Eainy Lake, Lake of the Woods, Winnipeg Eiver to Lake Winnipeg, and up the Eed Eiver to Fort Garry. *' From Eainy Lake to Lake Winnipeg, the route as at present affords a good navigation for boats of considerable size, with the interruption however of some short portages; but from Eainy Lake eastward to Lake Superior, the route is very much inter- rupted, and rendered laborious, tedious and expensive, by the great number of portages, some of considerable length, which have to be encountered to avoid the falls and rapids in the ravines and creeks which this route follows. " For the establishment of a suitable communication for the important objects aimed at, it is believed that the construction of a road throughout, from some point on Lake Superior, prob- ably either at Fort William, or at or near the mouth of the Pigeon Eiver to Eainy Lake, must be undertaken. To ascertain, there- fore, at present, by general exploration, what the route for this road should be, whether in the vicinity of the Hudson's Bay route, or by the line of country in which lies the chain of waters from Eainy Lake to the mouth of Pigeon Eiver ; this question can obviously be only satisfactorily determined by the difficult portions of both being tested instrumentally, but in either case, as the construction of such road would be a matter of time and much expense, it is considered necessary that the portages, S:c., IXTRODUCTIOX. 5 of eitlier of tlie routes above described should be improved, so as to be made more available and facile, and to be auxiliary to the works of the road by facilitating the transj^ort of men, supplies, &c. " To determine, therefore, the portages to be improved, and the best mode of doing so, and whether the present reaches of canoe or boat navigation may not be further extended by the removal of shoals or the erection of dams, will be points to which you will direct the attention of the engineering and surveying branches of your party. "From Eainy Lake by Lake of the Woods, and Lake Winnipeg to Fort Grarry, as before described, is now comparatively a good water communication, but very circuitous ; and should the cha- racter of Eat Eiver, which rises at no great distance from the Lake of the Woods, and falls into the Eed Eiver above Fort Garry, be found susceptible of its being made a boat channel, a saving probably of 150 miles in length might be effected ; or on an exploration of the country through which that river flows, it may be found more desirable to construct a road along it from Eed Eiver, and should this be so, the nature of the communica- tion between Eed Eiver and Lake Superior eventually would be about 100 miles of road from Eed Eiver to the Lake of the Woods, thence about 140 miles of water communication to the eastern end of Eainy Lake, and from that point a continuous road to Lake Superior of from 160 to 200 miles in length." * My duties in connection with this expedition are ex- plained in the following instructions : — '' Secretaiy's Office, " Toronto, 22nd July, 1857. "Sm, — I have the honour to inform you that his Excellency, the Administrator of the Government, has been pleased to nomi- nate you Geologist and Naturalist to the party which is to leave this city immediatel}'' for Fort William, for the purpose, in the first instance, of examining the lines and state of the * Report on the Exploration of the coimtiy between Lake Superior and the Red River Settlement. Printed by order of the Legislative Assembly, 1858.— Instructions and Communications, page 5. B 3 (5 JIKD RIVER EXPLORIXO EXPEDITION. commimicatiou thence to Fort Garry, on the Eed River. It being indispensable to the satisfactory result of the expedition, as well as to the safety of the party, that one individual should be invested with the general control and management of it, Mr. Gladman has been intrusted with this authority and responsibi- lity, for which he is considered eminently qualified, from his long residence in the territory, his acquaintance with the leading lines of communication, with the trading posts, with the tribes of Indians with whom the party will necessarily come in con- tact, and with the extent and nature of the supplies which can safely be calculated on as procurable in the country during the course of the expedition. By him, therefore, will be regulated and determined the movements of the party, the routes to be taken and explored, and all matters connected with the pro- visioning and transport of the party, the hiring and payment of the men, and all other matters of detail whatever comprised in the general conduct of the expedition. " From the nature of your duties, it may be necessary that you should occasionally separate yourself from the party. In such cases you will state so to Mr. Grladman, who will take care that you are provided with the necessary provisions and means of transport, and with all such necessaries as you may require ; and he will arrange with you as to the places and times for your re- uniting yourself with the main body. " As you will require the services of an Assistant, the appoint- ment of an efficient one is left with you, his remuneration not to exceed 20?. per month. That of the Greologist, Engineer, and Surveyor is fixed at thirty shillings per day each, " The objects to which your attention is requested are of a ge- neral character, comprising a description of the main geological teatures of the country you traverse, and of whatever pertains to its natural history which you may have an opportunity of ob- serving and recording. " In relation to its geology, you will be guided by the memo- randum furnished you by Sir William Logan ; giving especial attention, as far as lies in your power, to the following points : 1. The boundaries of formations. 2. The distribution of limestone. INTRODUCTION. 7 3. The collection of fossils. 4. The occurrence of economic minerals. 5. The exact position of all facts, and the attitude of the rocks. **The distribution of limestone should be made a constant subject of question with every one you meet. " With reference to natural history, you will, if at the time convenient, and the object capable of transportation, collect what- ever may appear to be new or of interest ; and you are requested to record in a daily journal, such facts in connection with this subject as may present themselves to your notice, when not susceptible of representation by sjDecimen or illustration. "A general description of the whole of the country you tra- verse, from Fort William westward, is ver}^ desirable ; and it is advisable to note, as minutely as possible, all leading features of topography, vegetation, and soil, along your line of route. " You will proceed mth the main party to Fort William, and continue with it, or with such party as may be detached from it, as much as is consistent with the efficient prosecution of your own exploration and researches. It may, of course, be occasion- ally necessary, as already adverted to, that you should separate from the others for a short time, for which course Mr. Grladman will aiford you all requisite accommodation ; but as that gentle- man's instructions require him to explore not only the present canoe route of the Hudson's Bay Company, from Fort William by Dog Lake, Lake of the Thousand Islands, Lac Croix, Lake of the Woods, and Lake Winnipeg, to Fort Grarry, but also in returning to examine the former North West Company's route by Pigeon River ; and further to survey or examine the line of Eat Eiver, from the Red River to its source, and the intervening country between it and the Lake of the Woods ; it is not probable that there will be much necessity for your leaving the party for more than a few days at a time, which is desirable, from its limited number and the late season of the year. " It is arranged with Mr. Gladman, that he is to send a mes- senger, some time hence, with despatches to the Government, explanatory of the progress made towards carrying out the ob- jects of the expedition ; and by this means you will also have an b4 8 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. opportunity of making such ad interim report as you may con- sider desirable. You will determine the return route to be taken by you and your assistant, whether by Lake Superior or by St. Paul, as you may be led to believe will most conduce to the attainment of the object of your branch of the exploration. " When materials for illustrating the geology and natural history of the country accumulate, so as to render their transportation an inconvenience, you will hand them over in packages, properly made up and directed, to Mr. Gl adman, who will take care that they are safely lodged at some of the posts, and arrangements made for their being securely conveyed to this city. " Your reports and communications upon the various subjects to which your attention is directed will be addressed to the Hon. Provincial Secretary; and it is presumed to be unnecessary to impress upon you the propriety and expediency of taking care that the subject of such reports, and the results of yom* labovir, shall be only so communicated. " I have the honour, &c. (Signed,) «T. L. Tekeill, "Provincial Secretary. '' H. Y. Hind, Esq. '^ Professor, &c., Trinity College." p CHAPTER I. TORONTO TO FOKT WILLIAM, LAKE SUPERIOR. Departm-e of the Expedition from Toronto. — Squall on Lake Superior.— Fog Phenomena. — Steamer strikes on a Rock off Michipicoten Island. — Michipicoten Harbom\ — Refraction. — Thunder Bay. — Pie Island. — Thunder Cape. — The Kaministiquia. — Fort William. — Mr. M'Int}Te. — Old Xorth-West Company. — Accessibility^ of Lake Superior. — The Saidt Ste. Marie Canal. — Trade of Lake Superior. — Ship Route to the Ocean. — Canadian Canals. — Elevation of Lake Superior. — Variations in the Levels of the great Canadian Lakes. — Influence and Importance of. — Obstacles to Progress westward of Lake Superior. — Dividing Ridges. — Connection of the Valley of the Mississippi -^nth Lake Superior. — Access to the ^'aUey of Rainy River. On the 23rd of July, 1857, the Eed Eiver Expedition left Toronto for Collingwood, Lake Huron, and during the afternoon of the next day embarked on board the steamer CoUingAvood, bound to Fort Wilham, Lake Superior. We passed through the magnificent locks of the Saidt Ste. Marie Canal at 3 p. m. on the 27th, and when entering Lake Superior were met by an imposing but threatening- spectacle, which instantly arrested and fixed the attention of all. A huge cloud, dense and black at its base, seemed to He with one extremity resting on the Gros Cap de Superior, the other on Point Lroquois, the distance be- tw^een those elevations bemg about six miles. The form of the cloud was that of a double cone, with the bases joined together, and the apices resting upon the opposite heights. A httle attention showed tliat the cloud was in rapid motion towards us, and as it approached masses 10 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. seemed to detach themselves from the main body, and be whirled or driven in its van. For a space of five degrees, the sky beneath the cloud, and between it and the horizon of Lake Superior, was clear and blue, and as the great mass of vapour slowly rose from the lake to the height of about eiglit degrees, its lower edge became briUiantly tinted by the rays of tlie sun, which it had hitherto com- pletely obscured; below it a shadow of the deepest purple, sharply bounded by a greemsh white line, added extreme beauty and singularity to the spectacle. Its form changed rapidly, and a white line of crested waves beneath it gave warning of an approaching squaU, wliicli soon came down with great force, and compelled us to seek shelter in Whisky Bay. As soon as the morning da\vned, preparations were made for steaming out of oiu: harbom^ of refuge. Fogs, so common in Lake Superior, began to appear about 9 A. M., and contmued throughout the day. Fog-bows, several degrees broad, very low, and of httle variety of colour, were visible whenever the sun's hght succeeded in penetrating our misty screen. On looking over the side of the vessel a double halo of very brilliant colours might be seen ench-chng the shadow of the observer's head projected on tlie dark coloiu-ed waters. Every man saw " his own halo," but not that of his neighbour. To- wards evening a sharp look-out was kept for land on either hand. Caribou Island was supposed to be lyuig to the south, and ]\Iichipicoten Island to the north of our course. The day was very cold ; thermometer at 3 p.m., 42°; at 4, 40°; and at 4.30, 39°.5, Avhich was the lowest pomt it reached. The waters of the lake showed also a temperature of 39°.5. ]\Ir. Wilson, a fellow- passenger, who has resided two summers on IMichipicoten Island, says that the Lake Superior summer fogs begin THE STEAMER " C'OLLINGWOOD" STRIKES A ROCK. 1 1 about 9 A.M., and disappear generally at 10 or 11 p.m., but sometimes they last for a week. They are low, and from the mountain on IMichipicoten Island, at an eleva- tion of 800 feet above the lake, they may be seen resting on its waters as far as the eye can reach. In consequence of the variation of the compass being re- ported to be much affected by local attractions in this part of Lake Superior, two of om* Indians were placed in the bow to look out for land at the approach of night, and in addition to the usual watch, the ca])tain, mate, and some of the passengers were walking the deck until past II o'clock. An evident feehng of anxiety was common to both passengers and crew ; several of the former went to their berths without taking off their clothes. The night was extremely foggy ; it was impossible to see more than a few yards beyond the bow of the vessel. The lead was cast several times, with no bottom at 288 feet. At a quarter to 12 p.m. no soundings were obtained with twenty fathoms ; a few minutes afterwards the lead showed forty-five feet of water ; the signal was given to stop her, and then to " back water," but it was too late, a harsh gratuig noise, a sudden upliftmg of the bow of the steamer, and a very decided shock quivering through the vessel, told that she had struck. The alarm and anxiety inseparable from such an incident followed, and it was several minutes before a rapid inspection by torch light of the ledge of rock on wliicli we had struck showed that there was no immediate danger to be apprehended. Anchors, chains, and fuel were moved aft, but all efforts to get the vessel off were without the least effect. Her bow was five feet out of the water, her stern in thirty- six feet water ; the ledge on which she struck dipped gradually to the south-east, while on either hand, and not removed from the vessel more than fifteen or twenty feet, 1-2 RED RIVETl KXPI^ORING EXTEDTTIOX. were huge masses of rock a few feet below the siirfoce of the water. When mornuig dawned, and the mists had partially cleared away, the steamer was found to be firmly lodged upon a low rocky island of about two acres in area, lying a mile south of Mcliipicoten Island, and about two miles from Michipicoten harbour. A boat was despatched to Mchipicoten Island to procm^e timber for derricks, Avith which it was hoped that her bows might be raised from the ledge and the vessel shpped off into deep water, a result which was fortunately attained during the afternoon by the aid of derricks, steam, and a continued roUing from side to side by the united efforts of the passengers run- ning with measm'ed step from one side of the vessel to the other. ■ii^ Steainor Collingwood on a rock near Micliipieoten Island, Lako Superior. It was soon ascertained that the sheeting was quite sound, and neither huU or machinery liad sustained any material injuiy from the shock of the preceding night. MICHIPICOTEN ISLAND. 13 and tlie eflbrts made to move the vessel. Nevertheless the captain thonght it would be judicious to go into Michipi- coten harbour and examuie her more narrowly, as well as to shift the cargo and coal into their proper places. We reached the entrance of !Miclupicoten harbom^ in safety, but had scarcely advanced more than a few hundred yards when we again grounded on a shoal, and remained firmly fixed in a new position. Li the evening the Agate Islands in ]\iichipicoten harbour were \^sited, and very beautiful agates found in great abundance in the trap ; but it was difiicidt to procure good specimens, on account of the hardness of the matrix. During the afternoon the most singular effects of mkage were continually changing the outline of a few low rocks which projected above the level of the water, some two or three miles from us ; and occasionally the steep wooded hills of ^lichipicoten Island seemed to be filled with bril- liant ever-changing little lakes, which, if they preserved then- apparent form for more than a minute, were most curiously delusive. AU the phenomenon which sunshine and foo- are capable of producing seem to be of constant occurrence near the middle of Lake Superior ; not an hour passed during the daytime without our witnessing fo^-bow, halo, or mirage of very singular beauty. At 4 p.:m. on the 30th we steamed out of Michipicoten harbour, and pursued a straight course to Thunder Bay. Early on the following morning we sighted the Paps and Isle Eoyale. The magnificent scenery of Thunder Bay and the adjacent shores of Lake Superior were gra- dually revealed as the mist slowly disappeared with the advancuig day. Passed Thunder Cape at 2 r.M., and anchored off Fort William about half-past 4. The scenery of Thunder Bay is of the most imposing descrip- tion. Pie Island, witli its rcnmd eminence Le Pate, 850 14 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION, feet above the Lake, and Thunder Cape rismg boldly 1350 feet, stand on either hand as you enter the deep inlet. Mackay's mountain uphfts a broad front to the height of 1000 feet on the mainland, in the direction of Fort William. The waters of Thunder Bay are coloured by the Kaministiquia for a considerable distance fi^om the three mouths of that river. Early on the 1st August the expedition, with baggage and stores, were landed at Fort Wilham. 'Mr. McLityre, the officer in charge of the Fort, received us with much courtesy and hospitality, kindly placing some of his ap- partments at our disposal for the night. The Ii^oquois made themselves comfortable under the canoes we had brought with us from Collingwood, which m the first instance were procured from Lachine, and transported by rail and steaml3oat to near the western extremity of Lake Superior. The present position of Lake Superior and its tributaries in relation to Montreal or the Atlantic seaboard, is wholly changed since the period when the old North-West Company, estabhshed in 1783, and amalgamated with the Hudson Bay Company in 1821, maintained large estabhshments at Fort Wilham and at Fort Charlotte, on the Pigeon Eiver, some thu-ty-five miles in a south-westerly direction from the mouths of the Kaministiquia. In those days of canoe transportation, merchandise was conveyed up the Ottawa, across the height of land to Lake Huron, thence by the north shore of Lake Superior to Fort Wil- liam, the starting point of the long journey into the great interior vaUeys of Eed Eiver, the Saskatchawan, and the Mackenzie. In these days ships can sail from European or Atlantic ports, and without breaking bulk, land then- cargoes at Fort Wilham for less than one-fiftieth part of the cost involved during the period when the North-West TRADE OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 15 Company became a powerful, wealtliy, and influential body. The completion of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal*, in May, 1855, estabhshed an uninterrupted water communi- cation for sea-going vessels between Lake Superior and the ocean. The first ship which sailed from Chicago to Liverpool was the Dean Eichmond, in 1856 ; this craft measured 379 tons American measurement, or 266 tons uccordinCT to the Eng-hsh method of determininor the ton- nage of a vessel. Since that period the number of sea- going vessels from the Upper Lake ports has been increasing with great regularity. The trade of Lake Superior is also becoming of miexpected importance. In 1859, between the 1st day of June and the 1st No- vember, the value of the different articles which passed through the St. Mary's Canal amounted to 5,703,433 dollars, and tlie number of passengers to 11,622. Fifteen years since three schooners constituted the entire fleet engaged in the Lake Superior trade. The number of vessels which passed through the St. Mary's Canal in the seasons of 1858 and 1859 were respectively 443 and 847, Avnth a toimage 149,307 and 304,860.t The heights and distances enumerated in the subjoined Table, show a profile of this ship route between Anticosti, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Fort WiUiam, at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River, Lake Superior. J * The Sault Sto. Marie Caual is one mile and an eighth in leng-th, 70 feet wide at bottom, and 100 at water-line, depth 12 feet. Tlie average lift of the locks is 17 feet 6 inches. t Detroit Advei-tiser. From official retm-ns. X See a Map of tlie Province of Canada, showing the connection by steam navigation of the region of the gi-eat lakes with Europe, by the route of the St. LawTence and tlie great lakes, prepared for the Canadian Commissioners of the Paris Exhibition, bv Tlionia.-^ Ke'efer, C. E., Montreal, 1855. 16 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Distance Elevation 0)^ 5^ ■ 60 . Names. from An- above the ^g •act — " " ticosti in Sea level. i-J lit c c ^ miles. !z;o 3^i So. 2 Anticosti Quebec - - - _ 410 Moutreal - - - _ 590 14 Lacliine Canal - - - 598^ 14-58 5 200 45 443 Beauliamois do. - - - 614 58-5-141 -3 9 200 45 821 Cornwall do. - - - 6621 142-6-185-6 7 200 45 43 Farren's Point do. 6731 190-5-195 1 200 45 4 Rapid Plat do. 688"" 195-3-207 2 - - 12 Pt. Iroquois Canal 6991 207-213 1 _ _ 6 Galops do. - 7Ul 213-225 2 - - 8 Lake Ontario _ _ _ 766 2.34 WelLaud Canal - - - 1016 234-564 27 150 261 330 Lake Erie - - - - 1041 564 Detroit River - - _ 1280 564 Lake St. Clair River St. Clair Lake Huron _ _ _ 1355 573 River Ste. Marie 1580 573-582-5 Sault Ste. Marie Canal 1650 582-5-600 2 550 75 m Lake Superior - - - 16.50 600 Fort William 1910 Superior City _ - _ 2030 Witli tlie single exception of the Saiilt Ste. Marie Canal, all the great pubhc works which have been contrived and executed for the purpose of reducing the obstacles to uninterrupted navigation between tlie great lakes and the ocean, he within Canadian territory, and are under the control of the Canadian Government.* According to the results of a recent survey of the Ottawa, made with a view to connect the St. Lawrence with Lake Hm^on by that river, the distance from the * The cost of tlie construction of these remarkable links in the chain of unbroken communication which now penetrates a distance exceeding 2000 miles into the interior of the North American continent, approaches 15,000,000 dollars, and the annual revenue has risen from 131,000 dollars, in 1850, to 369,110 doUars in 1858. ALTITUDE OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 17 mouth of tlie French Eiver to Montreal by tlie route sur- veyed, is 430-76 miles, of which 35-18 miles is abeady a good navigation, requiring no improvement. Of the other 78-95 miles, 29-32 will reqim-e to be canal naviga- tion, and 49-63 miles improved, so as to connect the whole into a first class navigation for vessels dra-vving 12 feet of ■water. The cost, exclusive of deepening the Lachine Canal and Lake St. Louis, and apart from land damages and ex- penses, is estimated at 12,026,351 dollars. This route w^ould effect a sa\dng of distance between Chicago and Montreal, over the existing one by tlie Welland Canal, of 343 miles; but Avith an increased lockage of 15 locks, and an additional rise and fall of 169-60 feet. The lake navigation by the existing route is 1145 miles in extent, and the inland or river 134 ; but by the Ottawa, the former is 575 miles, and the latter 401.* The elevation of Lake Superior above the ocean has been variously estimated by different observers. Captain Bayfield considered it to be 627 feet above tlie level of the sea, which altitude is adopted by the narrators of Agassiz's tour in that region, and by Messrs. Foster and Wliitney, in their report on tlie geolog}^ of the Lake Superior Land District. Sir William Logan, in his Geo- logical Eeport for 1846-7, states that its surface is 597 feet above the ocean ; in Professor Hall's Geology of the 4th District, JST. Y., 596 feet is its assigned elevation. Sir John Eichardson assumed its level to be 641 feet above the ocean. The altitude deduced by Mr. Keefer for the map pre- pared for the Canadian Commissioners at the Paris Exhi- * Report of the Commissioner of Public Works, 18o9, based ou the report of T. C. Clarke, Esq., C. E. Engineer Ottawa Sm-vey. VOL. f. C 18 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. bition in 1855, with the advantages and information derived from the levels obtamed in the constrnction of various railways and canals from the ocean to Lake Superior, estabhshed a difference of only three feet in excess of that obtained by Sir WiUiam Logan in 1847. The occasional fluctuations in the level of the waters of Lake Superior certainly exceed three feet, so that an ele- vation of 600 feet is probably a correct estimate of the mean height of the waters of tliis Kitchi-gum-mi*, or " Great Lake" of the Ojibways above the ocean. In the region about Lake Superior the years 1845-6 were unusually dry, and in 1847 the lake had reached a very low stage of water. The years 1849-50 were wet, and the level of the lake in 1851 was from three to three and a half feet above the level of 1847.f The variations in the levels of the Great Canadian Lakes are phenomena of the utmost importance to com- mercial interests. J The supply of water to the Erie and Welland Canals is dependent upon the relative height of the waters of Lake Erie. Periods of great anxiety have occurred among mercantile men at Buffalo respectmg the supply of water to the great artery which unites Lake Erie with the Hudson Eiver. If Lake Erie should subside to the zero of comparison adopted by Dr. Houghton, the depth of * Spelt by Longfellow Gitclie-Gumee, Big Sea Water (Hiawatha). t Report on the Geology of the Lake Superior Land Disti-ict, by J. W. Foster and J. D. Whitney, U.S., Geologists. J The commerce of the Lakes is increasing with niaiTellous rapidity. Three thousand and sixty-five steamers passed up from Lake Erie to Lakes Huron and Superior, by Detroit, in 1859, and three thousand one hundred and twenty-one passed down. The greatest nimiber up in a single day was eighty-five — down seventy-three. Detroit statistics show that five steamers, seven propellers, four barques, seven brigs, and eighty-five schooners were more or less engaged in the Lake Superior trade dm-ing the same year. Forty vessels left dm-iug the season for European and outAvard ports, some of which have returned, and one has taken her second departure. VARIATIONS IN THE LEVEL OF THE CANADIAN LAKES. 19 Avater on tlie initre sill at the Black Eock Guardlock would be less tliau five feet, through which all the water for the supply of a canal 150 miles long would have to flow. This contingenc}'' formed tlie subject of a memorial to the Legislature of the State of New York in 1854. The following tables and memoranda are abbreviated from a paper by Major Lachlan, communicated to the Canadian Institute in July 1854.* VAEIATIONS rN THE LEVEL OF LAKE ERIE. Date. Comparative Level. Authorities. 1790 1st nuLrimum, being 5 ft. Gin. above lowest level. Hall, Higgins, \Miittlesey, Mather, kc. 1795 1st mmimiim. Weld, AVliittlesey. 1801 2nd maximum. Higgins, Houghton, \Miiting. 1810 2nd minimum. Eeported 6 feet * below 18.38. Whittlesey. 1815 3rd maximum, 2 feet less than 18.38. Houghton, Higgins, &c. 1820 3rd ;«/«/>«. or ZERO OF COMPAKisox. „ „ Whittlesev. 1827-30 4th maximum. Houghton, Higgins, Whiting. 1832 4th minimum. 1838 5th 7miximum. 5 ft. 3 in. above * zero. American Journal of Science, Dewey, &c. S:c. 1846 5th minimum. 2 feet aboA'e zero. 1853 6th maximum. 1859 April, 5 feet 6 inches above zero of comparison. Years of maximum Level Years of minimum Level of Lake Erie. of Lalie Erie. 1700 1795 1801 1810 1815 1820 zero of comparison. 1827 1832 18.38 1841 1853 1846 1859 5 ft. 6 in. above zero. * See Canadian .Tournal, Lst Series. On the Periodical Rise and Fall of the Lakes, by Major Lachlan. c 2 20 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Changes ' in lake levels are important physical pheno- mena hi the basui of Lake Winnipeg. The rise or fall of a few feet in Lakes Maintobah and Winnipego-sis deter- mines the character of an immense area of comitry on the low shores of those great inland lakes. Many hundred square miles of splendid pastm\^ge are accessible at low lake levels, which are converted into marshes or swamps during periods of high water. The shores of the Great Canadian Lakes are generally high, and are not affected by a rise or fall of a few feet. The follo^\ing additional notices of extraordinaiy changes in lake levels, which have occurred in the St. Lawrence valley, may tend to throw some Hght upon similar phenomena in tlie valley of Lake Winnipeg durmg recent periods. Pl'om 1788 to 1790, the lakes generally, and Lake Erie in particular, are stated to have been as high as in 1838 (5 ft. 3 m. above zero). Professor Hall mentions evidence of a higher level than in 1838, as recorded by ridges and submero-ed trees. Li 1819 and 1820, the central and lower lakes are described as bemg unusually low. Lake Superior m 1827 and 1828 was lower than ever before kno\vn. In 1838 Lake Erie was 5 ft. 9 in. higher during the month of August than in 1819. Much land was overflowed, and trees of 100 years' growth destroyed. In October, 1849, the water level of Lake Ontario was at a minimum; m June, 1853, it was 4 feet 5 inches above the minimum. In the winter of 1855 it again sank to the minimum ; and during the summer of 1858 the rise amounted to 4 feet 3 inches. No less than 40 inches, or 3 feet 4 inches, of this rise in the mean level was attained during the summer of 1858. As the result of observations extended over twelve years (1846 to 1857) in the variations of the level of Lake Ontario, tlie following tacts have l)een estabhslied : — COUNTRY WEST OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 21 1. The mean minimum level is attained in January or February. 2. The mean maximum level in June. 3. The mean annual variation is 25 inches. 4. The maximum variation in twelve yeai's is 4 feet 6 inches. 5. There is no periodicity observable in the fluctua- tion of the lakes, and recent observations tend to show that there is no flux and reflux dependent upon lunar influence.* The Bishop of Montreal states in his journal that it is only during an extraordinary concurrence of circum- stances that the whole of Lake Superior can freeze over.f He was assured that this remarkable event happened in the muter of 1843, after a calm of four days, and during intensely cold weather. ]^o other instance is said to be on record. The greatest supposed depth of Lake Superior is 1200 feet. Its area is about 32,000 square miles, its coast hue about 1,500 miles, and it contams probably 4,000 cubic miles of water. The barrier which opposes further progress by steam or boat navigation westward of Lake Superior follows the general direction of the north-western and western coast of that lake. Near Fond du Lac, in the tenitory of the United States, the dividing ridge separating the valley of Lake Superior fi-oni that of the Mississippi, is distant from the St. Louis Eiver about 18 miles in a southerly direction, and here the elevation of the ridge is 475 feet above the waters of the lake. * Clias. Whittlesey and C. Dewey.- American .Toiirnal of Science and Arts, May 1859. t Jonnial of the Bishop of Montreal during; a visit to the ('Inucli Mis- siouarv Society's North AVcst American Missions. c 3 22 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Tlie dividing ridge between the Embarras Eiver, a tri- butary of the St. Lonis Eiver, and Vermihon Eiver, which flows into the valley of Eainy Lake, is about 48 miles in an air line from the north-west coast of Lake Snperior. On the Pigeon Eiver, which forms the boun- dary between the United States and Canada, the dividing ridge separating the St, Lawrence from the Winnipeg basin is only 28 miles in an air line from the north-west coast of the same great water level, but by the canoe route on Pigeon Eiver, the height of land is 53 miles from the coast. Within the territory of the United States, the country between Lake Superior and the valley of the Mississippi presents no difficulties for the construction of a railroad. The valley of the Mississippi is in direct communication with that of the Eed Ei\'er of the north by traveled roads, so that the approach to the valley of Lake Win- nipeg from the head of Lake Superior is only a question of time, and will not involve any considerable outlay when the necessities of the country, or of commerce, render the opening of this hue of communication de- sirable. Kettle Eiver, flowing into the St. Croix, a tributary of the Mississippi, issues from a small lake not 20 miles from Lake Superior, and the distance of the navigable portion of the Mississippi, adjoining Sandy Lake, is scarcely 45 miles fi-om Fond du Lac. The Mississippi is said to be navigable for steamers of light draught from Crow Wing to beyond this point, and Crow Wing is 130 miles from St. Paul by the traveled road, and less than 120 miles in an aii* line from Superior City. St. Paul and Crow Wing will soon be connected by a railway. A large portion of the heavy work on this Hue is completed, and if no unforeseen events occur, the con- COUNTRY WEST OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 23 nectioii will have been established before the pubhcation of this narrative. Tliis important chain of communica- tion will be referred to in succeeding pages. The construction of a plank road between Superior City and Crow Wing, is akeady in contemplation, and the route is even now occasionally traveled. It will no doubt become of great commercial importance to the region of the Upper liklississippi and its numerous tribu- taries; and it is not improbable that its influence may rapidly extend to other water-sheds, \-iz. those of Eainy Eiver, Eed Eiver, and the Saskatchewan. In Canadian territory there are two established routes by wliich access is gained from the valley of Lake Supe- rior to that of Eainy Eiver. The most southerly of these is the old North-west Company's frontier route by Pigeon Eiver, the second by the Kaministiqida Eiver, which forms the subject of the first part of this narrative. ■24 RKT) RTVER IvXlM.ORIXG EXPRDTTIOX. CHAP. II. THE KAJVIIXISTIQUIA ROUTE. FOET WILLLOI. — LAKE SUPERIOR TO THE HEIGHT OF LAXD. Tlumder Bay.— Fort William.— McKay's Moimtaiu.— The Mission of the Immaculate Conception. — The Rev. Jean Pierre Chone. — Indian Treaty-. — Mass. — Current River. — Garden at Fort WiUiam. — Remains of former Industry. — The first Brigade. — Iroquois and Ojibways. — A Dance. — The River. — Sceneiy of Kakabeka Falls. — "N'alley of the Kamiuistiquia. — Little Dog Lake.— The Great Dog Portage.— Little Dog River.— The Great Falls on Little Dog River. — Their Beaut}^ — Winter Road to Dog Lake. — Summer Road to Dog Lake. — Area of Dog Lake. — Description of.— Dog River. — Character of the Country. — Prairie River. — Upper Dog River.— Prairie Portage. — Viscous Lakes. — Description of Praii-ie Portage. — Atmospheric Phenomena. — Scarcity of Animal Life. Thux^der Bay, whicli receives the waters of the Kaniinis- tiqiiia*, forms a portion of the north-west expansion of Lake Superior. It is the most southerly of tlu'ee large and deep land-locked bays, which characterize that part of the coast ; and it is situated between the parallels 48° 15' and 48° 35' north latitude, and in longitude 89°, and 89° 25' west of Greenwich. Its greatest length in a north-easterly direction is 32 miles, and its breadth fi^om Thunder Cape to the mouth of the Kaministiquia, upon which Fort Wilham is situated, about 14 miles. The main entrance to the bay is between the imposmg headlands of Thunder Cape, 1,350 feet above the lake level, and Pie Island, 5 miles south-west of the Cape, with * Spelt Kaministikwoya by Sir Jno. Richardson, " the river that runs far about." FORT WILLIA.M. 2.5 an altitude of 850 feet. The depth of water in this broad entrance exceeds 180 feet, and a measure of 60 to 120 feet is maintained in many parts of the bay. Seven miles south-east of Thunder Cape the lake is G30 feet deep, with a muddy bottom. Immediately opposite, and east of the three mouths of the Kaministiquia, the Welcome Islands are distant about two miles, and inside of these islands from 30 to 60 feet of water is sho^\ai on Bayfield's chart. Withhi half a mile of the river's mouth the water shoals rapidly, and the bar has a variable depth of 3-| to 5^ feet water upon it; but within 1,000 yards of the north, or main channel, 12 to 14 feet water is maintained. Land is forming fast near the mouths of the river, and large areas in advance of the increasing delta, sustain a thick growth of rushes. Fort William, looking up the river. At a distance of about half a mile from the exit of the northern or main channel, Fort WiUiam is situated, upon the left or north bank. Opposite to it is a large island formed by the middle channel of the Kaministiquia, 26 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. which branches off from the main stream about one and a half mile from the bay. Li the time of the North-west Company, this island was denuded of the trees it sus- tamed, which consisted mainly of tamarack, for fuel and other pm^poses, and the greater portion is now covered with second growth. A large area south of the fort still remains denuded of wood, and forms the site of an Ojib- way village, besides serving as an excellent open pasture ground for a herd of cows belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, which swim across the river every morning, a distance of 400 feet, and return at an early hour in the afternoon to the farm yard in the vicinity of the fort. The banks of the river here are low and flat, not ex- ceeding ten feet in altitude In the rear of the fort, tamarack of small but dense growth prevails. The soil is a hght sandy loam reposing on yellowish clay. Two miles above the fort, and in a direction nearly south from it, the third or southern outlet separates from the main channel. The banks of the river continue to rise above the level of its waters until they attain at the Mission of the Immaculate Conception, an altitude of 18 or 20 feet. Near the Mission the Indian Eeserve of about 25 square miles begins ; it embraces the best and largest area of cultivable land m the valley of the Kaministiquia, and much of it being situated on the flanks of. McKay's mountam range, some portions possess many advantages which do not belong to the available tracts near the shores of Thunder Bay. The general course of the river above the Mission for a distance of nine miles is towards the south-west, by very tortuous windings. Five miles from Fort Wilham it ap- proaches the base of the elevated but broken table land to which McKay's Mountain forms an imposing and abrupt termination. McKay's Mountain has an elevation McKAY S MOUNTAIN. 27 of 1000 feet ubove tlie lake, and is the north-eastern boundary of an UTegular but extended trap range, whose south-eastern flank follows the trend of the coast as far as Pigeon Eiver, It is worthy of remark, that the flanks of McKay's Mountain support a heavy growth of hardwood timber (maple, &c.), and through various soiu-ces I was informed that this heavily-timbered land stretches far to the south- west, on the side and borders of the trap range. The rock formations which comprise the country between the Kaministiquia and Pigeon Eivers indicate the presence of a fertile soil on the flank of the irregular table land ; the trap with which the slates are associated giving rise upon disintegration to a soil of superior character. At the ISIission, a hght reddish loam constitutes the soil, having a depth of six feet, and resting upon a bluish grey clay, wliich extends to the water's edo-e. The Mission of the Immaculate Conception is under the charge of the Eev. Jean Pierre Chone, who has resided on the banks of the Kaministiquia for nine years. Prom that gentleman, who kindly aflbrded me much information respecting this vaUey, I obtained numerous facts of in- terest in relation to its adaptation for settlement. At the Mission there are akeady congregated from thirty to thirty-five houses, substantially built of wood ; in theii' general arrangement and construction they are far su- perior to the log houses of Canadian pioneers in the forest. Many of them had gardens attached to them, a few of which were in a good state of cultivation ; some small fields fenced with post and rail were in the rear of the most thriving. The river here is from GO to 70 yards wide, its waters are very turbid, with a current not ex- ceeding two miles an hour. M. Chone's room, mto which we were admitted, gave 28 RED RIVRTl EXT'T-ORIXG EXPEDITION. US a clue to the prosperity, cleanliness, and appear- ance of industry wliich distinguished the mission. A young tame partridge was hopping about the floor when we entered. A number of books occupied a small table in one corner, the other was taken up by a turning lathe, and various articles manufactured by the cm'e were lying about the room. A low bed covered with a buffalo robe filled another corner, and while we were conversing an old chief, di^essed in scarlet cloth, quietly entered and placed himself on a chair by the side of a small carpenter's bench, which filled the remaining angle. Among many interesting facts with which we were furnished by the kindness of M. Chone, we learned various particulars respecting the condition of the Indians and their relation to the Government of Canada, which an inspection of the treaty confirmed. In 1850 a treaty was concluded by the Hon. W. B. Eobinson on behalf of Her Majesty and the Government of the Province wdth the Chiefs of the Ojibway Indians, inhabiting the northern shore of Lake Superior from Batchewanaung Bay to Pigeon Eiver, and inland to the height of land between Canada and tlie territories in the occupation of the Hud- son's Bay Company. For the sum of £2000 currency, and an annual payment of £200, to be paid at Fort WiUiam and ]\iicliipicoten, the chiefs surrendered aU their right and title to the above territory, with the exception of tlie following reserves made over to them for the purposes of residence and cultivation, allowance being given under certain reasonable restrictions that they shall still hunt over the territory and fish in the waters as heretofore. The number of Indians included in this treaty was 1240. The reservations made for their benefit were as follow :— First. For Joseph Peau de Chat and his tribe ; the re- serve to commence about two miles from Fort William on INDIAX SURRENDERS AND RESERVES. 29 the right bank of the river Kamiiiistiqiiia, thence westerly six miles parallel to the shores of the Lake, thence northerly five miles, thence easterly to the right bank of the said river so as not to interfere with any acquired rights of the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company. Second. Four miles square at Gros Cap for Po-to-mi- nai and tribe ; and Third. Four miles square on Gull Eiver, near Lake Superior, on both sides of the river, for the chief Liish-i- muck-qua. Our L-oquois being desirous of going to mass at the Mission on Sunday, August 2nd, several of the party accompanied them, and witnessed the rather rare spectacle of a numerous and most attentive Lidian congregation engaged in Christian worship. The chapel is a very spacious and well-constructed building of wood, with a semi-circular ceiling painted hght blue. The walls were panelled to the height of about four feet, and altogether the interior arrangements and decorations exceeded our anticipations, and everywhere showed the industrious hand or intelhgent direction of the Eev. M. Chone. The Indians forming the regular congregation were arranged in the most orderly manner ; the left side of the chapel being appropriated to the men and boys, the right to the women and girls. The boys and gn-ls were placed in front of their seniors. The men were provided with forms, the women sat upon the floor. The utmost de- corum prevailed throughout the service, and the chanting of both men and women was excellent, that of the squaws being remarkably low and sweet. Few of the male por- tion of the congregation took their eyes from the priest or their books dimng the service. The squaws drew their shawls or blankets over the head and shewed the utmost attention. The CHue delivered a long sermon in 30 RED KIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. the Ojibway language with much energy, and seemingly with the greatest fluency. After the ordinary service of the day was over, being before requested by one of our party, he dehvered an admirable sermon in French. His style, language, and manner, were of a very superior order, and the drift of his words seemed to go far in shadowing forth the philanthropic impulses wliich sustained him in his sohtary work of love, so remote from society, comfort, and civihsation. In the afternoon I visited the mouth of Current Eiver, six miles from Fort William. The river reaches the Lake by a succession of sloping falls over an argilla- ceous rock, which in the aggregate exceed forty feet in height within half a mile from the Lake. The common chive was found occupying in abundance the cracks and fissures of the shale on the banks of the river. I visited during the day the garden of the fort; its area is about 1^ acres. The shallots were small, but the po- tatoes looked well, being at the time in flower, and Mr. McLityre thinks that varieties may be found which will ripen well near the fort. Tomatoes do not ripen here ; turnips and cabbages are very hable to be destroyed by the cut- worm or grub ; currant bushes procured from the forest flourish admirably, and produce a very large berry ; the red currant was just beginning to ripen. This part of the country appears to abound in currants, raspberries, strawberries and gooseberries ; they were seen growing in the woods in every direction, where du^ect light penetrated. A patch of oats in the garden showed a most remarkable development of stalk and leaf, and the ears were beginning to show themselves. The soil of the garden was brought from the foot of the Ka-ka-beka falls in the time of the North West Company's glory. The average j^eriod when the Kaministiquia freezes, is CLIMATE AT FORT WILLLUf. 81 from the third to the fifteenth of November, and it becomes free from ice between the twentietli and twenty-third April. The year 1857 proved an exception in many respects ; the ice did not pass out of the river imtil tlie thirteenth of May, and on tlie first of August, the day of my visit, the waters of the river were higlier than they had ever been known before at that season of tlie year. Lidian corn will not succeed in this settlement, early and late frosts cutting it off. Frost occurs here under the influence of the cold expanse of Lake Superior, until the end of June, and begins again towards the end of August. A few miles further up the river, west of McKay's Moimtain, the late and early frosts are of rare occurrence, and it was stated that Indian corn would ripen on the flanks of McKay's Mountain. All kinds of small grain succeed well at the Mission, and the reason why they have not been more largely cidtivated is owing to the want of a mill for the pm^pose of convertino; them into flour or meal. Near the lake, at Fort Wilham for instance, oats do not always ripen ; 'the cold air from the lake, whose surface, thirty and fifty miles from land, showed a temperature of 39° 5', at the close of the hottest month of the year, is suflScient to prevent many Idnds of vegetables from acquii-ing ma- tiu-ity, which succeed admirably fom^ or five miles up the river. Fragments of limestone have been procm-ed in the neighbourhood, but the locahty could not be pointed out by any of its inhabitants. The ruins of a lime kiln, used by the North West Company, have been discovered, and it is very probable that the hmcstone was obtahied from crystalline layers, the existence of which has been estab- hshed over wide areas in Thunder Bay, by Sir William Looau, and are noticed bv him as being of a "reddish 32 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. wliite colour, and very compact, some of whicli would yield good material for burning." These beds of impiu-e limestone are mentioned by ]\Ir. Murray (Geological Survey of Canada, for 1846-7) as occurring in tlie lower portions of the formation occupying this valley. It is worthy of notice that substantial records of far more extensive settlements than now exist, showing a much higher degree of civihsation and improvement, are found at or near the various posts along this route, and particularly at Fort William. Most of these remains of former industry and art, date from the time when the North West Company occupied the country, and there is reason to beheve that much valuable knowledge resj^ecting the resources of particular locaUties has been forgotten, or is hidden in the memories of those who may not have the opportunity to make it known. Mr. Keating* mentions the ruins of the old Fort de Meuron, erected by Lord Selkirk. He was also shown the remains of a winter road opened by that enterpris- ing nobleman, from the Kaministiquia to the Grand Portage on the Pigeon Eiver, about thirty-six miles distant. The remains of a road to White Fish Lake is also still to be seen, and, indeed, it forms a winter route for half-breeds and Lidians at the present day between the lakes on the Pigeon Eiver, and the valley of the Kaministiquia. The Canadian government have recently laid out the valley of the Kaministiquia below the Ka-ka- beka Falls into two townships, named respectively Pai- pooNGE and Nee-bixg. On the 3rd August we prejoared for our immediate de- parture, and were all ready, with the exception of the * XaiTfitive of au Exjiedition to the Source of St. Peter's River. AN INDIAJff DANCE. 33 Ii'oquois Indians, by 10 a.m. The delay with tlieni arose from an indisposition to separate and be associated in dif- ferent canoes with the Ojibways we were obHged to hire ; by noon, however, an arrangement was made, it being de- termined that one brigade of three canoes should proceed at once, the other follow on the morrow. Just before starting a large body of heathen Indians, from the camp on the opposite side of the river, came over in a number of small canoes and commenced a dance outside of the pickets of the fort. They were pamted and feathered hi various ways, and furnished an admirable subject for our artists. Having danced on the outside of the fort for some minutes, they entered and arranged themselves in a semicircle in the quadrangle. The mechcine-man and his assistant, gaudily painted and decked with eagles' feathers, sat on the ground beating a drum, and near to them squatted some half dozen squaws, with a few cliikben. About sixty men and boys, headed by the chief, painted and feathered similar to the medicine man, danced or jmnped round the ring. Our party being collected in front of the chief, he made a short speech, which was interpreted by a half-breed attached to the expedition to the following effect : — " They were happy to see us on the son, they were hungry and required food, and trusted to our generosity and the plenty by which we were sur- rounded." The pipe of peace was then lit, and handed in turns for each to take a whiff. The ]:)icture of a hand across the mouth and cheek was admirably drawn in black on the faces of the chief and medicine-man. The Iva-ld-whe-on, or insignia, consisted of eagle's feathers stuck in a strip of red cloth about four feet long, and attached to a cedar pole. The whole scene was highly ridiculous, and many of the performers were wretched looldng crea- VOL. I. D tHEe&liesBE dreadfolhr afiected with scro^ila. Some ot* tbe iffiea. towever, possessed, spleiidid Wking figures, but tli^ -- — ^- ' :—".--. y^jji scxm. close the history of tlbr-_ ii:__ 1 — r Ekministiqiiia. Ctar first brigade, c _ erf" two krge five fiidM»a, SHid tme middle aze c^ioue. ctmtarning twrenty-ax id«i m. ^L started fix)m Fort WiltiAm at 5 P. n.. and arrived o|iposte ilcKay" s Motmiain at abc»m haJi^past six. Half m, miie abive the nfisaoQ we noticed a very neat house rn. a cleazrng of abocit toi aoes in extent, die kst eScat d civilisation to be se«u with the e~ " ". of an «xxa^i:>oal post c»f the Hndson's Bay C ^ /- for many hundred miles. The first eamp was jMtched aboot thre^-qnartons of a miie beyond McKay's Motm- tain> Opp»3^e this mzignificeni exposnre oi trap, the clay banks of the river are ab«>Qt 14 feet high, and omtinue to rke ccasion the portage. The fall here is 5 feet 1 inch, in a ^)ace of &-24 feet The dis- tance of tins portage fi^nm the lake, by the windings of the river, ir about 22^ miles, and the total rise probably T^r, %t-^Lar9axjt rsfjJL Aae :' - .' " V^^:- ia«^ ei^'' a»-. ^T^^^i:. _'_J -■- 1." rr-aaari i'iiL*^ r.: ■w:^^ «» tfa■ r (.. ■> s^ jiEir 36 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. As the altitude of these falls has attracted the attention of several observers, the different results obtained may not be without interest : — Altitude ascertained by leveling (Mr. Dawson, August, 1857) Capt. (now Col.) Lefroy, barometi-ical measm-ement Mr. Murray, of the Canadian Geological Siu-vey Major Delalield ........ Sir John Richardson, barometiical nieasiu'enient • Lieuts. Scott and Denny* ...... Feet. 11905 115-00 119-00 125-00 127-00 130-00 Assuming the height of Ka-ka-beka to be 119 feet, the summit will be 175 feet above Lake Superior. Tliis result includes the rapids at the foot of the falls. The levels were taken along the portage path, and, if the rapids be deducted, the true height of Ka-ka-beka pro- bably does not exceed 105 feet. The scenery of the Grand Falls is extremely beautiful. The river precipitates its yeUowish-brown waters over a sharp ledge into a narrow and profound gorge. The plateau above the portage chff, and nearly on a level with the summit of the falls, is covered ^\"ith a pro- fusion of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pigeon cherry, and various flowering plants, among which the bluebell was most conspicuous. On the left side of the faUs a loose talus is covered with ^\•ild mint and grasses which grow luxiu-iantly under the spray. Beautifid rain- bows of very intense coloiu- are continually projected on this talus, when the position of the sun and the clearness of the sky are favourable. Numerous small sprmgs trickle down a perpendicular chff of about 12 feet in alti- tude at the base of the talus, whose coolness and clear- ness, compared with the warm, coloured waters of the river, make them a dehcious beverage, the difference * Sir Jno. Richardson's -Irclic Searching Expedition. VALLEY OF THE KAMINISTIQUIA. 37 between the temperatiu'e of the springs and river being about 20°. Tlie right side of the cliff at the falls is per- pendicular for a height of more than 100 feet, and ex- poses the stratification with perfect fidelity. The peculiar rounded forms into which tlie rock divides itself, noticed by Mr. Murray, were well marked. The alluvial valley of the river from about three miles below the mountain portage to Fort WiUiam varies in breadth from a few hundred yards to one mile ; the breadth occupied by land of a quahty which might fit it for agricultural purposes extends to near the summit of the flank of a low table land, which marks the true Hmit of the river valley, and the average breadth of this may be double that of the strictly alluvial portion. The low table land is thinly wooded with small pine, and the soil is poor and dry ; the alluvial valley sustains elm, aspen, balsam, poplar, ash, butternut, and a very luxuriant profusion of grasses, vetches, and chmbing plants ; among which the wild hop, honeysuckle, and convolvulus, are the most conspicuous. The rear portion of the vaUey, with an admixture of the trees just named, contains birch, balsam-spruce, white and black spruce, and some heavy aspens. The underbrush embraces hazel- nut, cherries of two varieties, &c. Occasionally the flanks of the low table land approach the river, contract the valley, and give an unfavourable aspect to the country. This occurs near the Decharges des Paresseux, and at most of the heavier rapids. The area available for agricultural purposes below the Grand Falls, probably exceeds twenty thousand acres, but if the flanks of McKay's Mountain be included in tlie estimate, a large addition may with propriety be assumed. The Grand Falls mark the hmits of a tract of country differing in many important physical aspects from the D 3 38 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. valley of tlie river lower down. From black argillaceous slates of Huronian (Cambrian) age we pass to a region in which granite, gneiss, and chloritic schist prevail, and where the vegetation is often scanty and poor. The course of the river is now almost due north to Little Dog Lake, and its flow is much broken by falls and rapids, w^hich occasion in a distance of nineteen miles, six portages and five discharges. The names, alti- tudes and distances from Fort Wilham of the faUs and portages are given in a table at the end of the second volume. Li the forests which Imed the banks at the different discharges, the canoe birch was fi^equently seen eighteen Second Fulls, Kaministiquia River. inches in diameter ; the underbrush consisted chiefly of hazel nut. Wlienever the gneissoid and s^x'iiitic rocks prevailed, the valley of the river was much contracted, the timber liuht, and the soil shallow and full of iDoulders or detached masses of rock. The volume of Avater in the river appeared to be very small, considering its unusual height at this season of the year : an approximate mea- surement at one of the rapids gave a breadth of seventy with an average depth of two feet. ss ^^Mifli^' •V,r THE GREAT DOCJ PORTAGE. 39 Extensive areas covered witli burnt forest trees, con- sisting chiefly of pine, occur in tlic valley of the river as far as Little Dog Lake, when the formidable barrier of the Great Dog Mountain, sustaining a heavy growth of timber, comes into view. Occasionally aspens of large dimen- sions may be seen from the canoe, but it is not until the plateau of the Great Dog Mountain is attained that they acquire a diameter varying from eighteen to twenty-four inches, five feet from the ground. Trees of this species, and of the above dimensions, are found m abundance on the elevated barrier which separates the region of Great Entrance to Little Dog Lake, from tlie KaministRjuia Iviver. Dog Lake from the valley of the Kaministiquia, 350 feet below. The Great Dog Portage rises 490 feet above the level of Little Dog Lake, and at the point of greatest eleva- tion the ridge cannot be less than 500 feet over the same lake. The difference between the le\els of Little and Great Dog Lakes is 347-81 feet, and tlie length of the portage between them one mile and fifty-three chahis. The view from the summit of the Great Dog is very D 4 40 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. striking ; Little Dog Lake lies at our feet, an unbroken forest of pines dotted with groves of aspen and birch, and in the swamp portions with tamarack, stretches in all di- rections from east to west, being bounded in the view by the distant undulating outline of the wooded hills which limit the valley of the Kaministiquia. A portion of the abrupt escarpment of the elevated table land in the neigh- bourhood of McKay's Mountain is distinctly visible in clear weather. The base of the Great Dog Mountain consists of a gneis- soid rock supporting numerous boulders and fragments of the same materials. Micaceous rock was observed in position by Mr. Keating on the east side of the portage.* A level plateau of clay then occurs for about a quarter of a mile, from which rises, at a very acute angle and to an altitude of 283 feet above Little Dog Lake, an immense bank or ridge of stratified sand, holding small water worn pebbles. The bank of sand continues to the summit of the portage, or 185 feet above the clay plateau. The portage path does not pass over the highest part of the sand ridge; east of the path it is probable that its summit is 500 feet, as before stated, above Little Dog Lake. Li an endeavour to reach the head of Little Dog Eiverf , before it begins to make in its short course of about four or five miles a precipitous descent of 347 feet, I found that much of the soil on tlie flanks of the Great Dosf Mountain was far superior to the average quality in the valley of tlie Kaministiquia. It consisted of a clay loam, with a gravelly subsoil, containing numerous pebbles and * Expedition to the Sources of tlie St. Peter's River. t Little Dog River is a continuation of tlie Kaministiquia^ but, in accor- dance with the Indian custom, it is named from the lake into which it flows. ^M '^siJi tsnw^ GREAT FALLS OF LITTLE DOG RIVER. 41 water-worn fi-agments of rock ; this was particularly noticed on the flanks and surface of the lower plateau. The uptm-ned roots of trees in the track of a tornado, which must have occurred here some years since, afforded an excellent opportunity for examining the soil and sub- soil of the lowest plateau, and the flank of the upper one. The upturned roots of large aspens, birch, and pine showed everywhere a gravelly loam contahiing pebbles from one to six inches in diameter. On approaching the source of Little Dog Eiver, a black spruce swamp was found to occupy an extensive area but little above the level of the river. The clay soil in this swamp was covered to the depth of two feet Avith moss, which was again largely overgrown A\ath the Labrador tea plant. Small holes in the moss, filled with clear, cool, limpid fluid, afforded a striking contrast to the heated waters of the rivers and lakes ; the temperature of these shallow wells did not exceed 42°, while the water of Great Dog Lake, tested a few hours afterwards (half-past 5 p. m.), was 69°, a difference of 27°. The Great Dog Mountain derives its name fi^om a mur- derous conflict between the Sioux and Ojibways, which occiured some centuries since on or near this eminence. The figiu-e of a dog, in commemoration of this event, is carved on the side of the mountain. It was nearly ob- literated when Major Long passed through the country in 1823, and we could not discover it in 1857. The Sioux and Ojibways were at war when the French traders and missionaries first visited the head of Lake Superior, which event may be placed as early as the year 1620.* The great falls of Little Dog Eiver are surprisingly * Schoolcraft. History of the Indian Tribes of the United States. Tart ^'I. 42 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. beautiful. Tlie difference in level between Little and Great Dog Lake is 347 feet, which is descended by the foaming torrent in six successive leaps. The course of the canoe route lies some distance to the right of the foils, hence the reason why they have not been described by former travellers in these regions. In picturesque beauty they far surpass Ka-ka-beka, and would probably take rank with the most charming and attractive falls on the continent. They have not the grandeur of the Silver Falls on the Winnipeg, nor do they approach Niagara in magnificence or subhmity, but their extraordinary height, and the broken surface they present, impart to them singular and beautiful pecuharities. The strange aspect they must possess in winter, when fringed with masses of frozen spray, woidd probably be unrivalled ; and in spring, when the feeding lake is from three to four feet higher than during the summer months, their augmented volume would give them an appearance of magnitude which is lost when the waters are low, in consequence of the succession of ledges of rock over which they leap being partially screened by the foliage of overhanging trees. The shoals, rapids, and falls on the Kaministiquia will filways prevent that river from being used as a mean of communication with the interior for commercial purposes. The first large area of open water on this route is Dog Lake, and with a view to reach that elevated sheet of , water a road from the shores of Lake Superior in as direct a line as possible will be required. About six miles in a north-east by east direction from Fort Wilhani the waters of Current Eiver are seen to foil over a precipitous ledge of black argillaceous slate^ of Iluronian age, within a few yards of their exit into Thunder Bay. \\ raSLC GREAT DOG LAKE. 43 The valley of this river forms the winter route of the Indians from Thunder Bay to Great Dog Lake, and while the Great Dog Portage, by the circuitous route of the Kaministiquia, is not less than 43 miles from Fort Wil- liam, Great Dog Lake is reached by the Valley of Current Eiver, in an eighteen or twenty miles march from Thiui- der Bay. In making theii' wmter jom'ney to Great Dog Lake, the Indians generally proceed from the Mission in the neigh- bourhood of Fort William to the mouth of Current Eiver, and ascend its open and unencumbered course, reaching Dog Lake in one day from Fort WilHam. A cm^sory inspection of the map wiU show that the direct hue of route from Fort Wilham, or rather from Point Meuron, through the forest, if a track were cleared, would save several miles.* The height of Great Dog Lake above Lake Superior is 710 feet, and to reach it in canoes or boats by the route of the Kaministiquia involves portages, which in the aggregate amount to 325 chains, or four miles in length. As a mean of communication between Thunder Bay and Great Dog Lake, the Indian trail up tlie valley of Current Eiver, appears to be of sufficient importance to require this special notice ; a l)ird's-eye view of the country, from the summit of the Great Dog Portage, showed no mountainous range between that point and Lake Superior apparently equal in altitude to the great barrier of Doe: Lake, which exceeds 850 feet above Lake Superior. It acquires additional importance from tlie fact that a travelled Indian canoe route and ^vinter road exists * In Current Kiver speckled trout are numerous, and its valley abounds with red and black currants, raspberries, strawberries, and irooseberries, wherever sufficient light and air for their growtli obtains admittance into the forest which covers the coimtrv. 44 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. between Dog Lake and Thousand Lakes, on tlie west side of the height of land.* The area of Great Dog Lake, according to Mi\ Murrayf, whose opportunities of examining it were considerably greater than those of the members of the Exploring Expedition, probably exceeds 200 square miles ; the country surrounding it is hilly, and covered -with forests in which white spruce prevails, interspersed wdth groves of aspens, and occasionally dotted with the Weymouth and Banksian pines ; white and yellow birch are abundant, and some of them of large dimensions. The lake is bounded by bold primary rocks, and studded with in- numerable islands. The traverse of the canoe route, from the head of the Great Dog Portage to the mouth of Dog Eiver, is about 11 miles in length, and the lake is seen to stretch far to the north of the last named point ; the canoe route fol- lows closely the direction of its longest diameter, which is nearly due north and south. The depth of water, as ascertained by occasional soundings along the hue of traverse, is very considerable ; in one instance, 72 feet was recorded about 200 yards from a low rocky shore, * Dming; the year 1858, Mr. S. Dawson was employed in examining the country between Lake Superior and Red Eiver with a ■v'iew to establish a line of commvmication. In his report of the operations earned on dming that year he speaks favourably of a line of road between Thunder Bay and Great Dog Lake. The subjoined extract is from Mr. Dawson's report for 1858 : — " To commence at Lake Superior, a land road would be required from Thunder Bay to Dog Lake, as the navigation of the Kamiuistiquia is utterly impracticable, except for canoes, and could only be rendered other- wise at an enormous outlay. Dog Lake is distant from Lake Superior 22|^ miles, and at a higher elevation by 718 feet, a difference of level which renders a canal out of the question, notwithstanding that the supply of water in the Kaministiquia would be ample. The only way of reaching it, therefore, is by land, and the surveys have progi-essed so far as to show that a good line may be obtained in a distance of 28 miles." t Report of Progress for the year 1846-7. (Geological Survey of Canada. ) AN OJIBWAY JOKE. 45 and another sounding showed 90 feet lialf a mile from land. The waters of Dog Lake at the time of our visit (Aug. 8th) appeared to be teeming with countless milhons of animalcula3 visible to the unassisted eye. The water marks showed an elevation shghtly exceeding three feet above the level at the time of observation. In making the traverse I timed the voyageurs at their paddles, and fomid they made one stroke a second, or sixty a minute, witli remarkable accuracy. This would give for a day's w^ork, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., with two hours stoppage, 12 hours, at 3600 strokes per hour, or 43,200 strokes a day. We soon began to find that no feehng of sjanpathy existed betAveen our Ii"oquois and Ojibway voyageiurs ; nor was any effort made by individuals of either nation to assist or enhven those of the other. As an instance of then- utter uidifTerence and selfishness, the following trait may be mentioned. One of the Iroquois from Caughnawaga was very ill at Fort WiUiam, and not only incapable of working, but unable to walk without assistance. He suffered much from chills and cramps, and was thought to be in a very dangerous condition ; with care, medicme, and a good constitution, he grew a little better, and was able to eat, but the salt pork and salt beef we had with us were not very well adapted for a man so much reduced in flesh and slowly recovering from a severe illness. I shot a pigeon, and in the hearmg of the Ojibways stated that it was to be cooked for the sick man. The following day I fomid that the Ojibway who picked up the pigeon had not only eaten it in the presence of the invahd Iroquois, but he and ]iis com- })anions had devoured two partridges which had also been reserved for the Iroquois. Another day, passing near the fire of the Ojibways, I found them roasting a pike which 46 RED RIVER EXPLORIXG EXPEDITIOX. was intended for the dinner of the iiivahd. In future we committed the pigeons into the sick man's charge, and they were cooked by his friends, but the Ojibways lauglied loud and long at the excellent practical joke they liad enjoyed, and for many days after they reminded Lambert, the interpreter, about the sick man and his pigeons and partridges. " Tell him," said one waggish feUow, pointing to me, " shoot pigeon for Iroquois, Ojib- way eat it, do Iroquois much good." A joke lasts an Indian a long time, and is continually repeated, both in canoe and in camp ; it never appears to lose interest or grow stale. The former extension of Dog Lake in a westerly direc- tion for fourteen or fifteen miles, up the valley of the river of the same name, is shown by numerous sand ridges which uitersect it nearly at right angles to its course, as well as by the probable former extension of a prolongation of the sand ridge which has been described as occurring at the Great Dog Portage, across the valley of the Little Dog Eiver. Great Dog Lake appears to be a centre of commu- nication to which some degree of speculative interest may be attached ; from one of the deep westerly bays, our guides pointed out the direction througli which a communication with Thousand Lakes, on the other side of the water shed, has long been known to exist. 'No doubt the country through which tliis communication passes embraces extensive marshes, yet, if it avoids the objectionable ascent of Prairie Eiver and Portage, it may be worthy of attention. Thousand Lakes, or Milles Lacs, as it is more commonly called, is eight hundred and thirty-two feet above Lake Superior, consequently one hundred and twenty-two feet above Dog Lake. This route has long been known to the vovau'eurs and DO(i RIVER. 47 Indians about Fort William, and the same may bo re- marked of many other routes of Avhicli the Indian guides speak and attempt to describe. Tliirty-three years ago it was an old " path," and may lune been one for cen- tmies to the Indians of this remon. Communications superior to those now travelled may yet be found, but it seems clear that until the water-shed of Eainy Lake is I'cached, no connection possessing sufficient water to form a boat route exists, or can be made without numerous dams. Mr. Keating, so far back as 1823, relates that his party Avere shown an arm of the lake which extends to the south-west, and which they were informed connects Great Dog Lake by an uninterrupted water communica- tion with the Thousand Lakes. The route is shorter than that by Prairie Portage, but broken by rapids. The same authority says that there is a communication between tlie Kaministiquia and Thousand Lake^ passing more to the south than that from Dog Lake.* This is doubtless the Matawan Eiver which joins the Kaministiquia at Couteaii Portage, and rises within five miles of JMilles Lacs. So sluo-o-ish is the flow of Doq; Eiver, that a rise of ten feet in the level of the lake would push back its waters to a distance of thirty- five miles up the tortuous course of that stream, and the voyageurs relate that in the spring of the year they are accustomed to paddle their canoes over the tops of the willows which fringe its banks below the fi.rst ra]iids, fourteen miles in an air line from the mouth of the river; the greater portion of the intervening valley being then under water. The banks of Dog Eiver are altogether alluvial for some distance up the valley, with the occasional excep- * Narrative (;f an Expedition to the soiu'ce of the St. Peter's IJiver, &c., \-c.. by Will. II. Kcatinfr, A. M.S., 1824. 48 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. . tion of abrupt sand-cliffs already noticed, which come upon the river and seem to form the termination of ridges, traversing the valley at nearly right angles to the course of the stream. These ridges of sand are probably of very ancient date, and pomt to the period when the waters of Dog Lake were many feet liigher than at present. The wearing away of the barrier at the mouth of Little Dog Eiver would be sufficient to accomit for the former liigher elevation. Eecent water marks showed a rise of 5 feet witliin three miles of the mouth of the river. Fur- ther up the stream a rise of 6 feet was indicated. Its average breadth is about 80 feet in ordinary seasons ; its general depth at this period of the year cannot be above 2 or 3 feet, indeed we were informed by om" steersman, that he has often known canoes to be constantly impeded by shallows and sand bars when the level w^as probably much lower than during the present extraordinary season. The banks showed alder bushes, "willows, dogwood, and tamarack. The average height of the banks rises from 4 feet, a short distance from the mouth of the river, to 10 feet, 14 miles further up. At nearly every turn, newly formed oval and elongated ridges of sand protrude and show a general elevation of 5 feet above the present level. Low hiUs of granite begin to narrow the valley after passing a small stream coming from the north, and said to lead to a communication with the Nipigon. From the summit of a low granite hill, perhaps 200 feet above the river bed, the surrounding country was distinctly mapped at our feet. The valley of the river appeared to have a breadth of a mile at our point of view, widening out in the du^ection of Dog Lake, and contracting towards the Height of Land between low VALLEY OF DOG RIVER. 49 ranges of hills, wliicli did not seem anywhere to exceed 200—280 feet in altitude. Some of the liills consisted of bare rock, others were covered with a young forest growtli, which appeared to consist chiefly of Banksian pine and aspen. In tlie distance the tops of a few hills showed clumps of red pine standing erect and tall above the siu-rounchng forest. They may be the remnants of an ancient growth which probably once covered a large portion of this region, Jiaving been destroyed by fire at different epochs ; wide areas were still strewed with the blackened trunks of trees, and in the young forest, which seems fresh and green at a thstance, the ground was found to sustain tlie charred remains of what had once been a far more vig-orous o vegetation. The low ranges of hills bear a great outward resem- blance to those whicli surround Dog Lake. No preci- pitous escarj^ments are visible, but most of them have a rounded dome-hke aspect, and close inspection of some of them gave indications of the abrading action of ice. Large quantities of Labrador tea {Ledum paliistre), were seen wherever we landed. The flow of the river for a distance of twenty-five miles from Dog Lake, varies from half a mile to one mile an hour. The general character of this valley is very uniform, and the idea presented to the mind, in endeavouring to picture its aspect when covered with water in the spring, was that a general rise of 20 or 25 feet would give it an appearance very similar to Great Dog Lake, with an- alogous deep bays formed by the valleys of its tribu- taries, and having on its shores liills of the same altitude and similar formation as are found bordering tlie lake below ; in fact, a high (25 feet) dam, as has already been hinted, at the source of Little Dog Eivcr, might VOL. L E 50 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. perhaps convert Dog Lake into a magnificent sheet of water, having in a Avesterly direction a farther extension of at least 15 miles. It remains, however, to be as- certained whether Dog Lake has not other outlets than the one which leads through Little Dog Eiver. It is not at aU improbable that this may be the case. At our camp on the 9 th of August, near the head of a fall of 3^ feet named Barriere Portage, about 3 miles below the mouth of Praii^ie Eiver, blue berries, not yet ripe, were very abundant, sho^^ing a marked difference in the chmate of this spot and the Grand Falls, where some days before we had found them perfectly ripe and in the gTeatest profusion. The difference in elevation is about 542 feet. A quarter of a mile from the camp, in om^ coiu-se up the river, we came upon a bare granite hill, about 250 feet high, rising from the water's edge at an ano-le of nearly 45°. Its surface consisted of smooth rounded ridges, and 15 feet above the river a collection of water-worn boulders, from 6 inches to 2 feet in dia- meter, were deposited upon a ledge, leaduig to the infer- ence that they had been left there by ice dming spring freshets, and so far showing some confirmation of the statements of the Indians respecting the remarkable rise of water in the valley during the spring months. The last portage on Dog Eiver, folloA\dng the canoe route to Fort Francis, is the Jourdain Portage, four miles in an air hue from the height of land, and thirty-seven miles from Dog Lake by the windings of the river, ac- cording to ]\Ir. Gaudet, who measured the distance in 1858. It involves an ascent of 8-60 feet by a portage 6^ chains long. A very short distance above it, the mouth and windings of Prairie Eiver are seen with difficulty through the tall rushes which seek to conceal its com^se for a" distance of 200 or 300 yards. Up this httle VISCOUS LAKE. 51 streamlet, scarcely ten feet broad, the canoe route lieg, while Dog Eiver, still measuring a breadth of forty feet, can be traced ftir to the north by a succession of small lakes and ponds which mark its course. ]\Ii\ Murray, of the Canadian Geological Survey, as- cended Dog Eiver up to its feeding marsh in 1847, and describes its course after receivinor Prairie Eiver, throuc^h which our route lay, " as tm^ning off nearly due north, and widening out into a long narrow lake for about two or three miles, after which there follows m the same hne a chain of twelve small lakes, or ponds, comiected by short rapid streams, comprised mthin the distance of ten to twelve miles. The uppermost pond appeared at its northern extremity to terminate m a great marsh, which was supposed to be the ultimate som-ce of the river, and to extend far and vdde along the height of land, probably joining the Great Marsh of the Savannah Portage on the Eed Eiver route."* Prairie Eiver for a few hundred yards is so tliickly fringed with rushes that two canoes cannot proceed side by side, or even pass one another with facihty. The distance to Cold Water Lake is about 1| mile in an air hne, and perhaps nearly double that distance by the windings of Prairie Eiver, whose general course is a few degrees to the south of west. Much of the route towards the high barrier of land at Cold Water Lake, which now comes into view, Hes thi'ough small marshy lakes or ponds, three in number, veiy shallow, and much encumbered with aquatic plants. The thu'd or last lake, called Muddy Lake, is about 200 yards long and 100 yards wide. The voyageurs all complained of the great chfficulty they experienced in paddling through this small ♦ Report of Progress, 1846-7. E 2 52 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. and shallow sheet of water. It has loiisj been celebrated as the Viscous Lake. Mr. Keatmg notices this supposed property of the Viscous Lake, but remarks at the same time that no such character was observed when he passed through it. A lake with a similar reputation occurs at the height of land on the Pigeon Kiver route. During our voyage through it in 1858, the voyageurs then per- sisted in the statement that they experienced great diffi- culty in urging the canoes forward ; one of the gentlemen attached to the expedition, after practically testing the resistance, expressed a strong opinion in unison with that of the voyageurs. The lake was only about three feet deep, and a paddle could be thrust into the soft slime as far as it would reach. The barrier behind Cold Water Lake, stretching far to the north and south, may rise 220 feet, the western ex- tremity of the portage path, according to measurement, being 157 feet above the lake. It constitutes the great and formidable prairie, or height of land Portage, two miles and five-eighths of a mile long. Cold Water Lake is weU named on account of its temperature. Careful observation made it 41 '5°, and the large spring or source which feeds it, and gives rise to the Prairie liiver, one of the sources of the great St. Lawrence, gushes out of the rocky side of the barrier, about 50 feet above the lake, with a temperature of 39-5°. Prairie Portage passes over the height of land, but not the highest land on the route, and its course lies first south-west up a steep wooded hill, without rock exposure, but composed of drift clays, sand, and numerous boulders ; it then enters a narrow valley, which terminates in a small lake, about five acres in area and 20 feet deep, occupying a hollow among the hills on the heiglit of land. The portage patli continues on in tlie same direction until the Height of PEAIRIE PORTAGE. 53 Land Lake is reached, a small sheet of water, about a square mile in area, and 157 feet above Cold Water Lake. The utmost elevation attained on the Prauie Portasre is probably 190 feet above Cold Water Lake, or nearly 900 feet above Lake Superior. No hill within view appeared to possess an elevation exceedhig 20 or 30 feet above this limit. Prairie Portage sustains some spruce and pine of fair chmensious ; one Piniis Banksiana measured 5 feet 9 mches in circumference four feet from the ground, and many of equal dimensions were seen in the neighboiurhood. A considerable portion of the timber is burnt, and the under- brush every^vhere shows a profusion of hazel nut, with small shrubs and plants, such as raspberries, blue berries, gooseberries, and strawberries, all of which were here gathered ripe. The Labrador tea [Ledum jyahcstre) grew in great profusion in particular spots, and at the termina- tion of the portage, near the Height of Land Lake, the fragrant Lidian tea plant (Ledum latifolium) abounded in the moss bordering this elevated sheet of water, which is 885 feet above Lake Superior, or 1,485 above the sea. The following estimates of the heights of Prairie Port- age above the sea, are taken from Sir John Eichardson's " Arctic Searchmg Expedition."* Feet. Dog Lake, above Lake Superior ..... 657 Ascent of Dog River ' , . 14 Portage to Cold Water Lake ...... 2 West end of Praii-ie Portage, and Middle Portage . . 161 Lake Superior above the sea ...... 641 Height of Prairie or Middle Portage above the sea . . 1475 "Lil849, the height of the upper end of Dog Portage * Ai'ctic Searching Expedition ; a Joimial of a Boat Voyage tlirough Rupert's Land and the Ai-ctic Sea, in search of the Discovery Ships under Sir J. Frankliu; by Sir John Richardson, C. B. D 3 54 RED EIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. was ascertained by me with Delcro's barometer. Li the previous season the aneroid barometer gave 328 feet as the height, wliich was a greater degree of accordance between the instruments than I generally found. Major Long estimates the watershed between Lakes Winnipeg and Superior, at 1200 feet above the tide. Major Delafield calculates the height of Cold Water Lake at 505, to which if 161 be added for the Prairie Portage, and 641 for Lake Superior, we have 1307 feet for the height of Prairie Portage over the sea. Captain Lefroy, by baro- metrical measurements, made m connection with the Observatory at Toronto, makes the west end of Prairie Portage 1361 feet above the sea ; but the distance between the two places of observation renders the result hable to some error." At our camp on the Height of Land (Aug. 12 th) an atmospheric phenomenon of singular beauty occurred. The night was very beautiful and calm. The moon shone with great clearness and briUiancy, and numerous meteors darted through the sky in the south and west. Early in the morning, before dayhght, I noticed a distinct arch of what at first sight I mistook for an aurora, but, observmg its position to be nearly due west, referred it to very elevated clouds illummed by the sun's light. Its appearance was Uke that of a dim auroral arch, well defined, and forming the complete segment of a cii'cle to the height of 45°, its form being persistent as long as observed. The remaiiung portion of the sky was clear, the moon and planets shining at the time with a very briUiant lustre. It occurred to me tliat it might be the forerunner of a storm, an idea which the rising sun, fighting up the tops of the trees beneath a perfectly cloudless sky about an hour afterwards, bamshed for a few hours. Towards noon the sky became overcast SCARCITY OF AxMMAL LIFE. 55 from the south-west. About half-past 3 thunder was heard m the distance, and at 4, scud from the south-east began to traverse the sky. At 5 p. m. the clouds m the south-west presented a very magnificent spectacle ; they seemed like gigantic waves setting towards the north east. This wave-like appearance occurred in different parts of the heavens, and almost every variety of cloud passed in review. A few minutes before 5 p. i\r. a very long and vivid flash of hghtning shot across the sky in a direction from south to north, succeeded by a distinct snap hke that produced by an electrifying machine. About ten seconds afterwards the loud rolhng thunder re- corded the flash, and at 5 p. m. the rain commenced ; the lightning was intensely vivid, and the thunder unusually loud.* The scarcity of animal hfe at this season of the year on the canoe route has several times been remarked by travelers. It is probable that the noise inseparable from the passage of several canoes through the lakes and rivers Avould drive away the game into the interior, but their tracks would be seen if they existed in large numbers. On the Ka- ministiquia the following animals or tlieu' fresh tracks were seen : Of quadrupeds : Cariboos, bears, foxes, hares, minks, otters, squirrels, muskrats, and fieldmice. Of birds : eagles, hawks, ducks, pigeons, plover (two varieties), sandpipers, cheriy birds, loons, partridges (two varieties), jays, magpies, blackcaps, nighthawks, Canadian nightingales, swallows, humming birds, kingfishers, and owls. There were shot by different members of the expedition, the ruffled grouse or hardwood partridge, spruce or cedar partridge, pigeons, plover (two varieties), squirrels, and one jay. Of fish we * A til under storm occurred at Toronto tliis day from 8.30 to 11.30 p.m. See remarks in the Toronto Meteorological Register for August. Canadian Jom-nal, November 1857. £ 4 56 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. caught one pike. There is no doubt that we might have prociu-ed an abundance of pike, but a fear of retarding progress by the drag of the trolhng hne and its interfer- ence with the steersman in the tortuous course of the rivers, as well as in the lakes, led to the discontinuance of its use, until necessity should advise us to adopt it as a means of procuring food. Mr. Keating states, in 1823, that from Eainy Lake to Lake Superior they did not meet with a single quadruped. The only animals they saw were about thirty or forty bkds, chiefly ducks Among the birds observed were the Cana- dian jay [Garrulus Canadensis) ; blue jay (Garndus cris- tatus) ; hairy woodpecker, Indian hen, golden plover, and Avoodcock. Partridges (Tetrao umhellus) were killed ; a whip-poor-will was heard, and a rail seen. The Bishop of Montreal in 1844 saw one wolf, some of the smaller quadrupeds, innumerable ducks, many loons, some other aquatic birds and a few of the heron tribe. 57 CHAP. III. THE HEIGHT OF LAND TO RAINY L.\KE. The Height of Land Lake. — SaA-anne Lake. — Savauue Portage. — Savanno River. — Mr. Bell from the Mackenzie. — A youthful Traveller. — MiUes Lacs. — The Seine River. — Character of the Seine. — Baril Lake. — An- cient Forest. — Cannibal Lake. — Cannibalism. — Brule Lake. — Pickerel Lake. — Portage des Morts. — Death of a Voyageiu-. — Dor6 Lake. — French Portage. — Sturgeon Lake and River. — Pictm-esque Character of Sturgeon Lake. — Lac de la Croix. — Rattlesnake Portage. — Morning in the Wil- derness. — Nameaukan Rapids. — Narrow Escape. — Nameaukan River. — Nameaukan Lake. — Rainy Lake. The marsliy lake which stretches along the narrow level plateau forming the Height of Land in this region, is about one-third of a mile broad, but its length from the north-west to the south-east could not be determined on accomit of the vast expanse of rushes, with islands of tamarack, which seemed to blend it with an extensive marsh stretcliing far in both directions. Its elevation above the sea is 1485 feet. A portage about half a mile in length, letting us do-vvii 16 J feet, brings Savanne Lake into view. The shores of this small but reedy expanse of water are fringed with Labrador and Indian tea, and here, for the first time, the beautifril Indian Cup or Pitcher Plant {Sarracenia |:>?^/p?«r^rt), once so common at the Grenadier's Pond near Humber Bay, Lake Ontario, was seen in great profusion. From the topmost branches of a pine tree which I ascended, a shglit depression to the north and north-east of the dividing ridge was observed in the generally level outline of the horizon ; by this de- 58 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. pression it is not improbable that the waters of the Height of Land Lake and its connecting swamps drain mto Dog Eiver. With this exception tlie horizon appeared to be perfectly uniform, the slight difference in the height of the tamaracks and spruces, which seemed most to abound, furnishing the only deviation from a level expanse in all other directions. The Savanne Lake with its feeding swamps may there- fore be considered to be the source of the waters which, in this latitude, send tributaries to Hudson's Bay ; although the Indians say that there exists a connection between the Height of Land Lake and Savanne Lake ; the portage be- tween them is named Portage de Miheu ; it passes over a low sandy ridge supporting small pine, with tamarack and spruce at its foot. The connections, mdeed, which exist between different water-sheds by means of swamps at the Height of Land, impassable even to a small canoe, are by no means of rare occm^rence. In the present case we have the Height of Land Lake sending water both to the St. Lawi'ence and to Hudson's Bay ; but if we go a little farther south, we find that m the territory of the United States these interlockages are numerous and com- plex.* The St. Croix Lake, connecting the Mississippi mth Lake Superior ; the west fork of Bad Eiver and the Nemakagon at Long Lake, establishing the same connec- tion ; and the Big Fork, which flows into Eainy Eiver, thence mto Hudson's Bay, is connected with the Ondo- dawanoan Eiver, a tributary of Lake Winibigoshish, through which the Mississippi flows. Savanne Lake is about one mile broad ; at its south- westerly termination begins the Great Savanne Portage, near the mouth of a small stream, flowino- into Savanne * See Dr. Norwood on lliis subject, in the Geological Survey of Iowa, Wisconsin, &c. &c. THE HEIGHT OF LAND LAKE. 59 Eiver, and much encumbered with fallen trees ; by this small stream canoes pass when the water is high, and thus avoid the troubles of the Great Savanne Portage. This common dread of the voyageurs is one mile and forty-one chains in length ; it descends 31^ feet to Sa- vanne Eiver, and consists of a wet tamarack swamp, in which moss grows everywhere to the depth of one foot or eighteen inches ; the moss is supported by a retentive buff clay, which is exposed at the western extremity of the portage. The remains of an old road formed of the spht trunks of trees, probably constructed in the time of the North- West Company, passes through it ; it is noAV in a thorough condition of decay. The same may be said of all the swampy portages along this hue of route. In the time of the North- West Company, this portage was doubt- less one of the best, considering its length and general character, but now a false step from a rotten or half float- ing log, precipitates the voyageur mto eighteen inches of moss, mud, and water. No physical impediment appears to exist which would prevent this portage from being drained at a very small cost, and converted into one of the best on the whole hue of route. Savanne Eiver, to which it leads, is very rapid a httle above the landing place ; but on wading up the stream for about a quarter of a mile, the occurrence of dead water without froth or bubbles, showed that the feeding swamp or lake was near at hand. Savanne Eiver is about twenty-five feet broad here, and it continues a very me- andering and crooked westerly course of about eighteen miles to ISIiUes Lacs, or Lake of the Thousand Islands, as it is sometimes termed. Mr. Gaudet, one of Mr. S. Dawson's assistants, ran a hue between Jourdain's Eapids on Dog Eiver and the Sa- vanne Eiver in 1858. The first two miles of the fine 60 RED mYEU EXPLORING EXPEDITION. were swampy, but not considered impassable even in their present condition, the depth of black mould over clay- being fi'om six to eighteen inches. From the second mile post to the seventh the country is well adapted for a road, consisting of a sandy ridge clothed with Banksian pine (Cypres). The remaining distance, about one mile and three-quarters, is a gradual descent to the Savanne Eiver. The banks of this river are altogether alluvial, and di- muiish gradually from ten feet in altitude, near its source, to the level of ]\iilles Lacs, at its entrance into that exten- sive and beautiful sheet of water. The immediate banks of Savanne Eiver are clothed with alder, willow, and dog- wood ; behind these are seen tamarack, pine, sj^ruce, and aspen. Near its mouth much marshy land prevails, and at its confluence with Milles Lacs it is characterised by a large expanse of rushes and other water plants com- mon in such situations. While descending this tortuous stream we were sur- prised and dehghted at hearing the exclamation, " canoes ! canoes ! " from the lips of om- keen-eyed voyageurs, and soon, sweeping round a distant bend, we observed a north canoe rapidly approaching. It contained Mr. Bell, an officer in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, who had started from his post on the Mackenzie Eiver in May of this year, and was on his journey to Montreal, where he proposed to spend two years of furlough. Mr. Bell was accompanied by his daughter, a child of about twelve years, who had journeyed for three months with her father through the trackless wilderness separatmg Mac- kenzie's Eiver from Savanne Eiver. Such early experi- ence of hfe in the wilderness it is the lot of few to suffer or enjoy. Milles Lacs was described by the Indians as extending in a direction due west much farther than was visible fi'om SAVANNE EIVER. 61 the canoe route, on account of the numerous islands with which it is everywhere studded. In tlie lower portion of the Savanne Eiver many large ponds and reedy lakes, con- nected together ])y small water courses, join with the mam river, and indicate the great extension w^liich Milles Lacs assumes in an easterly direction during spring freshets. It appears very probable that a length of twenty-five miles, \vith an average breadth of four miles may be taken as a fair representation of this remote sheet of ivater ; the ca- noe route through it is twenty-one miles in length, from the mouth of the Savanne to Keg or Baril Portage. Gra- nitic dome-shaped islands are very numerous, and occa- sional exposures of clay and sand banks come into view on the pomts and islands along the hue of route. Milles Lacs is di'ained by the River Seine, which empties into Eainy Lake. The Seine was exammed ui 1858 by ]VIi\ S. Dawson, and the following notice of its general features is abbreviated from his report pubhshed in Toronto in May, 1859. Wliere the Seine issues from Milles Lacs it is more than one hundred feet wide. It pursues a wind- ing course in a westerly direction through a narrow valley (" flat ") thickly wooded with Banksian pine and poplar of large size. On either side low hills rise gradually ; they are covered for the most part with a dense growth of poplar, interspersed here and there with tall pines, which rise singly or in groves above the surrounding forest. " At times the valley contracts, and where it does so the river presents cascades past which a portage has t j be made, or httle rapids which can be run with a canoe ; but between these there is generally a considerable extent of navigable water. This description will apply to the coun- try for about forty miles below Lac dcs Milles Lacs. The lower part of the valley presents a succession of lakes, varying from a mile to fifteen miles iu length, until near 62 KED KIVER EXPLOEING EXPEDITIOJV. Eainy Lake, into wliicli the river, much increased in vo- kime, discharges itself in a series of cascades, making a phmge of over 112 feet in the distance of five miles and a half. The lakes just referred to are bounded, for the most part, by low hills, generally wooded, but in some cases rocky, with an occasional valley between them pre- senting a less barren appearance." The Seine Eiver enters Eainy Lake at Seine Bay, one of the deep north-easterly expansions of that UTegular body of water. Seine Bay and a part of the river are shown on Thompson's map of the Boundary Siu^vey ex- ecuted in 1826. A beautiful reduced copy of the geogra- phical outlines of part of this map is published m the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for May, 1854, accompanying a paper on the Geology of Eainy Lake, by Dr. J. J. Bigsby. Seine Bay and the mouth of Seine Eiver are both sho^vii on this reduced cojDy. The Seine Eiver receives an affluent called Fire Steel Eiver, which rises m the wide spreading marshes at the height of land, from which also Dog Eiver, flowing into Lake Superior, issues. Soon after leaving Milles Lacs, the Seine falls by a series of rapids, seven in number, a depth of thirty-six feet in a distance of nine miles ; its waters are then precipitated twenty-four feet in two steps at Little Falls, and before reaching Eainy Lake, a distance of sixty-seven miles in a direct hne, it falls 350 feet by twenty-nine steps varying in altitude from three to thirty-six feet. The hiUs surrounding Milles Lacs here and there bear pine of fair dimensions, while in the narrow and shal- low valleys between them there is every indication of hardwood over large areas. Exposures of white quartz are repeatedly seen on the islands and main land at the western extremity of the lake ; and not unfrequently are THE SEINE EIVER. 68 they taken by travellers dimng their first voyage for the sails of distant boats. The name "sail rock," given to them by the voyageurs, is derived from this erroneous im- pression. Where the lake narrows on approaching Baril Portage, gneissoid hills and islands about 100 feet high show a well defined stratification dipping north, at an angle of about 15°, and on that side smooth, and some- times roughly polished ; on the south side they are pre- cipitous and abrupt. The same character was noticed at the Baril Portage, which has a length of sixteen chains eighty-five links, with an altitude of 72 J feet, and an ascent of 1*86 feet. The north-eastern exposure of the rocks here was smooth, the southern rugged and often precipitous. Baril Lake is seven and a half miles long, and is the counterpart of the western extremity of Milles Lacs, but it belongs to a different water system, being 1 ft. 10 in. higher than Milles Lacs. It is terminated by the Brule or Side Hill Path Portage twenty-one chains long, leading to Brule Lake forty-seven feet below Baril Lake. At Brule Portage I ascended a steep hill bordering a small rapid stream called Brule River, and from an altitude of fully 200 feet, had a fine view of the surrounding coimtry. The vegetation upon the hill side and summit was truly aston- ishing, and the term Brule Portage received an unex- pected interpretation on finding hidden by a rich profu- sion of brushwood, the dead trunks of many noble pines. Throughout the day the tall trmiks of wdiite pine, branch- less and dead, rising in clumps or in single loneliness far above the forest, had attracted attention, and on the side of the Brule HiU we observed many prostrate half-burnt trees of the largest size. One dead trunk was measured, and found to be twelve feet in circumference, five feet from the ground. A living tree, taU, clean, and 64 IlED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. apparently quite sound, measured nearly ten feet in cir- cumference, and many of the prostrate pines were of equal dimensions. There can be little doubt that these were the remains of a magnificent white pine forest, which formerly ex- tended over a vast area in this region, since from the summit of the hill the forms of scattered living trees, or tall, branchless and scathed trunks, met the eye in every direction. The young second growth indicated a soil not incapable of sustaining pine trees of the largest proportions ; black cherry, birch (both the white and black), alder, small clumps of sugar maple, and a thick undergrowth of hazel nut now occupies the domain of the ancient forest. The south west side of this hill formed a precipitous escarpment 150 feet above the waters of a long clear lake. All around the eye rested upon low dome-shaped hills dipping towards the north-east, and covered Avith a rich profusion of second growth. The vast wilderness of green was studded with black islands of burnt pine, and a few isolated hving trees, serving by their surprising dimensions to tell of the splendid forest which must have once covered the country. The soil wherever examined consisted of a red sandy loam, covered with a thm coating of vegetable mould. Occasionally bare rock exposures protruded, and granitic boulders were numerous. The uniform size of the second growth timber on the Brule Hill, seemed to prove that the great fire which devastated this region may have occurred about thirty years since. The hill round which the portage path whids is considerably higlier tlian any ob- served range on the height of land, and its summit, from which a view of the surrounding country was obtained, is probably about 100 feet above the Height of Land Lake, or 1,585 feet above the ocean ; McKay's mountam WIN-DE-GOS OR CANNIBALS. 65 having an elevation of 1,G00 feet above tlie same level. Brule Lake bears another name of terrible import. It is called Win-de-go or Cannibal Lake, a term applied to it in commemoration of an unnatural deed committed here by a band of Ojibways in 1811. Although not less, it is stated, than forty in number, yet they were unable to procure sufficient food to preserve them from famine. Many perished with hunger and the survivors sustained existence by feeding upon the dead bodies of their com- panions. The whole of the band with one exception perished, the suivivor, a woman, preserved existence by murder ; she, however, was not long permitted to live. Meeting with another party of Indians, who drew the dreadfid secret from her, she was put to death, under the impression that those who have once fed on human flesh ahvays retain a desire for it, which they are not unscru- pulous in gratifying when opportunity oflers. Several instances of cannibahsm were mentioned to us by the voyageurs as having occurred on this route; and in the following summer noted spots in the basin of Lake Win- nipeg were pointed out, which preserve a similar dreadful reputation. Both voyageurs and Indians always spoke of these horrible deeds in subdued tones and with an ex- pression of anxiety and alarm. The impression produced by a survey of the sohtudes about the western extremity of ]\iilles Lacs and of BarilLake was rather of a favoiu\able character. If in the course of time mineral wealth should be found to exist in profitable distribution about IVIilles Lacs, there would be no scarcity of arable soil between the low hill rano-es of that beauti- ful but desolate lake to supply the wants of a mining popu- lation ; or, in the event of a line of communication between Thunder Bay and Eainy Lake being established, its VOL. I. F 66 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. western shores and those of Baril and Brule Lakes offer suitable locahties for village depots. From Brule Lake to French Portage, a distance of four miles, the canoe route lies through a series of lovely lake- lets and short rapid streams fringed with cedar and spruce ; behind these are fair-sized red pine, bkch, aspen, and large spruce. French Portage bearing due west, is 1| miles long, and lets us down 99f feet into French Portage or Pickerel Lake. The timber on this portage consists of aspen, red pine, and spruce. On the shores of the lake low liills appear, wooded with an extensive forest of red pine, varied with patches of spruce, aspen, and birch. Ice formed on the upturned canoes during the night of August 16 til. Pickerel Lake, through which in a direction nearly due south-west the canoe route continues, is a fine sheet of water, thirteen miles long by two to four broad ; its shores consist of low hills covered with a thick forest of pme, with spruce, aspen, and birch in the valleys. On the east side of the lake, the remains of an ancient pine forest are often visible in the forms of noble, isolated trees. These occur about six miles from its head, and further on there may be observed small groups of the same trees rising far above the comparatively young growth which now sur- rounds them. The half-burned standing trunks of huge dimensions, show the extent and character of the earher forest, and the cause which destroyed their companions. White pines in large numbers still remain at the foot of the lake, and Avere seen at the portage, which is called Portage du Pin, also Portage des Morts. The first name is evidently derived from the prevalence of large red and white pine ; the second has a melancholy reference. It commemorates the death of a voyageur, who being over anxious to cross the portage while supporting the bow of POKTAGE DES MORTS. 67 a north canoe, lost his footing, and was so mucli injured by the lieavy burden crushing him as he sank to the ground, that lie ched after the lapse of a few hoiu's, A north canoe often weighs between three and four hun- dred pounds when soaked by long immersion in water ; this unwieldy biu-den is borne by two voyageurs, one at the bow, the other at the stern, when crossing the portages ; and bruises, sprains, or ruptures are the frequent conse- quences of over-exertion, rendered necessary, however, by the present condition of the portage paths. Portage des Morts is twenty-six chains long, and it overcomes a descent of seven feet in the small stream connecting Pickerel Lake with Dore Lake, a sheet of water about a mile across, but extending much further in a north-westerly direction. Among the trees observed here remarkable for their size, cedar, ash, white and red pine, with birch of two kinds, may be enumerated. The cedar is far superior to any before seen. A clay sub-soil is found in the valley of a small river running near the portage path, and the up- turned roots of trees on the hill-side showed fine washed white sand upon wliich a sandy loam rested. The foot of Dore Lake brings us to the Portage des Deux Eivieres, wliich lets us doA\ai 117-21 feet into Stiu-geon Lake, in a distance of 32 chains. The whole country seems to suik with the French and the Deux Eivieres Portage. The hills about Sturgeon Lake at its upper end are not above 100 feet hio-h, and if the valleys and lakes were filled up between the tract of country south-west of French Portage, it would be nearly a level plain, with a slight south-westerly descent. In Sturgeon Eiver, leading to the lake of that name, we met with the first marshy place since leaving the mouth of the f2 68 RED EIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Savanne Eiver. The canoes Here were forced through a profusion of aquatic plants, among which the beautiful white water lily, with its golden-hued companion, fre- quently occurred. Willows, small aspen and alder, grew on the banks, but no hill or elevated tableland was visible from the shallow but tortuous river. Once on the open lake, hills about 200 feet high rose into view at some distance on the eastern side. The bushy tops of what appeared to be a grove of elms, were seen near the head of this large and beautiful sheet of water ; again wide tracts of burnt land attracted attention, with a few white pines, remains of a forest long since destroyed. The north- eastern termini of hill ranges slope to the water's edge, and, when bare, are found to be evenly smoothed and ground down. Everywhere on the shores of the first large expansion of the lake, remains of an ancient forest lay black and branchless, or still flourished green and erect amidst a vigorous undergrowth of spruce and aspen. Sturgeon Lake and Eiver, or rather a succession of lakes and rivers bearmg the above names, extend for thirty-six miles from the Portage des Deux Eivieres to Island Portage, which leads into Pine Lake, a small sheet of water connected by means of a broad river about three and a half miles long, with the great Ne- quauquon Lake or Lac la Croix. Nine miles from its head, Sturgeon Lake was found to have forty-five feet depth of water, with a muddy bottom. The temperature of the lake was 68° at six p.m. ; the pines and balsams growing near the shore were seen to be scraped or barked for about a foot near the ground by Lidians, for the purpose of procuring gum or resin. No lake yet seen on the route can bear comparison for picturesque scenery with Sturgeon Lake. The nu- merous deep bays, backed by high-wooded hills or rocks, OJIBWAYS. (59 rugged or smooth, according to their aspects, its sudden contraction into a river breadth for a few yards between large islands and the equally abrupt breaking out into open stretches of water, oflered a constant and most pleasing variety of scene. The higli jutting points of granite rock, which here and there confine the channel, offer rare opportunities for beholding on one side an in- tricate maze of island scenery, and on the other an open expanse of lake, with deep and gloomy bays, stretching seemingly uito the dariv forest as far as the eye can reach. Here we met several Ojibways in their elegant birch bark canoes. They were very friendly, and apparently dehghted ^vitli a small present of tobacco and tea. One young hunter with his squaw hurried to the shore as we approached, but soon returned gaudily painted with patches of vermihon on his cheeks and ui bars across his forehead. The fourth large expanse of Sturgeon Lake is bounded by low, densely-wooded shores, with high hill ranoes m the far distance. The first cascades, with a fall of foiu- and a half feet, occur at the foot of this last expansion ; these are quickly followed by the second falls of six and a quarter feet descent, then occurs a narrow reach of river for three miles, which is terminated by the third rapids of two and a half feet fall, leading to another expanse with a general direction nearly due west ; the fourth and fifth rapids then occur within four miles of one another, and are fol- lowed by Island Portage two miles fiuther on. Island Portage lets us down ten feet, and involves a portage of fifty yards. Crossing the small Pine Lake, the river now assmnes a course nearly due west, and within a distance of four miles, brings us to a north- F 3 70 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. eastern arm of Lac la Croix. The canoe route passes near the north shore of this extensive and beautiful lake. High precipitous rock exposures begin to show them- selves, often clothed with dense groves of pine rising above the mass of light green aspen fohage which prevails. Although Lac la Croix is fourteen or fifteen miles long, yet our traverse did not exceed eight, for we entered the Nameaukan Eiver, which issues from the north-western coast, and takes a ckcuitous north-westerly du"ection, brinoiiiCT us to Eattlesnake Portage, where the river de- scends by a beautiful cascade 12-14 feet, involvmg a por- tage of 110 yards. We camped at the edge of the cascade, the portage path offering the only even spot wdiere our blankets could be spread. The guide pointed significantly to the surging waters at the foot of the falls, and with a quiet smile said, " better not walk much in night." Three steps from my resting-place would have precipitated me into the rapid, and as a somnambuhst happened to be one of the party, he was carefully warned not to indulge in midnight ex- plorations. The noise of the cascade effectually drove sleep from my eyes, and although the night was really short, it seemed an interminable age. Generally my sleep was excellent, however hard the bed or stormy the night, yet if rain did not penetrate the canvas tent, I slept soundly and well, mvariably awakening Avith the first streak of day. The dawn of morning and the early start in this rocky wilderness possess some characteristics peculiar to the country and the strange companions with whom necessity compels you to associate. Eising from a bed on the hard rock, which you have softened by a couple of rugs or a north blanket, and if time and opportunity permitted by fresh spruce or pine boughs, the aspect of the sky first MORNING IN THE WILDERNESS. 71 claims and almost invariably receives attention. The morning is probably calm, the stars are slightly pahng, cold yellow light begins to show itself in the east ; on the river or lake rests a screen of dense fog, landwards a wall of forest impenetrable to the eye. Walking a step or two from the camp a sudden rush through tlie underbrush tells of a fox, mink, or marten prowling close by, probably attracted by the remains of last night's meal. From the dpng camp fires a thin column of smoke rises high above the trees, or spreads lakewards to join the damp misty veil wliich hides the quiet waters from view. Around the fires are silent forms hke shrouded corpses stretched at full length on the bare rock or on spruce branches carefully arranged. These are the Indians, they have completely enveloped themselves in their blankets, and He motionless on their backs. Beneath upturned canoes, or lying hke the Indians, with their feet to the fire, the French voyageurs are found scattered about the camp ; generally the servant attached to each tent stretches himself before the canvas door. No sound at this season of the year disturbs the silence of the early dawn if the night has been cold and calm. The dull music of a distant Avaterfall is sometimes heard, or its unceasing roar when camped close to it as on the Eattlesnake Por- tage, but these are exceptional cases, in general all natirre seems sunk in perfect repose, and the silence is almost oppressive. As the dawn advances an Indian awakes, uncovers his face, sits on his haunches and looks around from beneath the folds of his blanket which he has drawn over his head. After a few minutes have thus passed, not observing his companions show any sign of waking or disposition to rise, he utters a low " waugh " ; slowly other forms unroll themselves, sit on theii' haunches and E 4 72 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. look around in silence. Three or four minutes are al- lowed to pass away when one of them rises and arranges the fire, adduig fresh wood and blowing the embers into a flame. He calls a Fi'ench voyageur by name, who leaps from his couch, and in a low voice utters " leve, leve." Two or three of his companions quickly rise, remain for a few minutes on their knees in prayer, and then shout lustily " leve, messieiu^, leve." In another minute all is life, the motionless forms under the canoes, by the camp fires, under trees, or stretched before the tent doors, sprmg to their feet. The canvas is shaken and ten minutes given to dress, the tent pins are then unloosened and the half dressed laggard ruslies into the open air to escape the damp folds of the tent now threatening to envelope him. Mean^vhile the canoes are launched and the baggage stowed away. The voyageurs and travellers take their seats, a hasty look is thrown around to see that no stray frying pan or hatchet is left behind, and the start is made. An effort to be cheerful and sprightly is soon damped by the mist into wdiich we plunge, and no sound but the measured stroke of the paddle greets the ear. The sun begins to glimmer above the horizon, the fog clears slowly away, a loon or a flock of ducks fly wildly across the bow of the first canoe, the Indians and voyageurs shout at the frightened bhxls or imitate their cry with admi- rable accmucy, the guide stops, pipes are ht, and a cheer- ful day is begun. After leaving Eattlesnake Portage, rapids and falls fol- low one another in quick succession. The most important are Crow Portage, wdth 9*88 feet fall; the Grand Falls Portage 16 feet, and the great and dangerous Nameaukan Eapids, letting the river down in steps between fifteen and sixteen feet. In descending the Grand Eapids, my canoe had a narrow escape. Lambert acted as steersman, and THE NAlIEAUKi^ RAPIDS. 73 Charley, an Ojibway Indian, as bow-man. Lambert was not strong enough to give the proper direction to the canoe in order to avoid a rock jutting out at the head of the rapid. Just as we made the leap, the stern, borne swiftly round by the current, grazed the rock and tore the bark, without, however, doing serious damage. The moment Charley felt tlie graze, he turned round, brandished his paddle, and shook it at the unfortunate Lambert ; we shot dow^i the rapid with great velocity, and embraced the opportunity afforded by tlic first safe eddy to examine the bark of the canoe. We were deeply laden, and the bottom of the canoe was so covered with our baggage, that no part was visible. " Put your fingers to the bot- tom of the canoe, monsieur," said Lambert to me ; " how much water?" " Two inches," I rephed. "That will do, we shall not make more water now we are out of the rapid, it is only a crack, and the bark is tough." We made, however, three inches of water in a short time, and as the baggage was in danger of being wetted, it was deemed advisable to gmii the leak without mmeces- sary delay. The shores of Nameaukan Eiver are fringed with the Banksian phie, and where an alluvial soil has accumulated, the aspen grows to a large size. Where the river de- bouches mto Nameaukan Lake, there is a fine grove of ancient elms, and underneath their wide-spreading branches we found a large encampment of Lidians. The traverse across Nameaukan Lake is six and a half miles in length, the lake itself extending for more than double that distance in a direction due west. At the extremity of the traverse is the Nu Portage, where the descent is eight and a half feet, leachng us into a nar- row circuitous river, without perceptible current, which meanders through a reedy expanse, fringed with low 74 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. willows for about three miles. The canoe route then takes a winding course, whose general direction is nearly due north for a distance of two and a half miles, when turninir westward we suddenly arrive at the open and beautifid, but indescribably barren and desolate region of Eainy Lake. The canoe route followed by the North-West Company, commonly called the Pigeon Eiver route, joins the chain of communication Avhich has just been described in JSTe- quauquon Lake ; from this point they both pursue the same course by the Winnipeg to Eed Eiver. The diffi- culties of the Grand Portage induced the North- West Compau}^ to estabhsh tlieii' chief depot at Fort Charlotte, nine miles west of Grand Portage Bay. Fort Charlotte was connected with Point des Meurons by a traveled road in the time of the North- West Company, but owing to neglect and the diversion of traffic, it has long been choked up -with young trees, and now only serves as an Lidian path. There is also an old cart road between Point des Meurons and Wliite Fish Lake, which is close to Arrow Lake. In 1858 I took the expedition under my charge by the Pigeon Eiver route, with a view to compare- its facihties with those of the more northern communication by the Kaministiquia. The foUowing brief notes of this route will complete the description of the available water communications between Lake Superior and Eainy Lake within British territory. The Grand Portage made to overcome the falls of Pigeon Eiver, 120 feet high, has been often cited as the chief obstruction to the Pigeon Eiver route. Its length is eight miles fifteen chains. The road is dry, and in comparison with some of the portages on the Kaminis- tiquia route, in good condition. It is passal^le for an ox THE GRAND PORTAGE. " 75 team, wliicli is employed by the people in charge of the American trading post in forwarding theiir snpphes. I endeavoured to procure a waggon and team from the American traders at Grand Portage Bay to transfer the heavy baggage fi'om the east to the west end of the portage, but although the vehicle was available the team was not ; one ox having died during the ivinter, and the other was in such a miserable condition that he could scarcely draw the empty w^aggon. The passage of the Grand Portage consequently occu- pied five days instead of two, and in making a comparison between the two canoe routes to Lake Winnipeg, these facts must be borne in mind. In 1857 the Eed Eiver expedition landed at Fort WiUiam on the 31st of July, and reached the Settlements on the 4th of September, having been thiity-four days on the road, or forty from Toronto. The expedition of 1858 reached Grand Portage on the 5th of May, and arrived at the Stone Fort on the 2nd of June, a period of twenty-eight days, or thirty-four from Toronto. The Grand Portage lying within the ter- ritoiy of the United States loses all interest as the terminus of a Canadian route ; but that part of the water communi- cation which forms the boundary line, and the country be- tween Arrow Lake, Wliite Fish Lake, and Fort William, seems to acquire importance in proportion to the ex- tension of our knowledge respecting its capabihties and resources. The waters on the rivers and lakes on the east side of the Height of Land, the Lake Superior water-slied, were high m 1858, while those on the west side, or the tribu- taries to Lake Winnipeg, were unprecedently low. In many of the lakes recent water-marks, four and five feet above the present level, were frequently observed. This remarkable lowness of the water was attributed by tlie half-breeds and 76 RED EIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Indians to tlie veiy small quantity of snow wliicli fell on the western slope during the winter of 1857. It is important to bear in mind that the voyage of the expedition of 1858 was made under the great disadvan- tages inseparable from unusually low water, and whatever superiority the route appears to possess over that of the Kaministiquia by Fort William, will be much more ap- parent in ordinary seasons, when the lake and river levels are from two to five feet above their present altitude. On our arrival at Moose Lake, May 12th, a glistening sheet of sohd ice overspread its surface, and seemed to threaten a long delay ; but by noon on the following day, imder the influence of a hot sun and a gentle breeze, lanes of water opened, through which we succeeded in passing the canoes, and on the evening of the same day a high wind, accompanied by rain, completely broke up the ice in the higher lakes, and opened the communica- tion. The part of the Pigeon Eiver route to which this notice refers, commences at Arrow Lake, a fine expanse of water close to White Fish Lake, lying in a north-easterly direction, and within thirty miles of the Kaministiquia. From Arrow Lake, a short portage brings us into Eose Lake on the course of the old North- West Company's route, following the boundary hue. The portages between Eose Lake and the Height of Land are short and low, while the Height of Land Portage is not 500 yards long, and does not rise above fifty feet. The passage from the St. Lawrence water-shed to that of Lake Winnipeg is short, easy, and diy, incom- parably superior to the Prairie Portage, and the Great Savanne on the Kaministiquia route. In consequence of the very low stage of the water that year, numerous small rapids were formed in the rivers connecting Gun Fhnt LOON S NARROWS. 77 Lake witli Lake Seiganagali ; during ordinary seasons, these rapids are passed without difficulty, but in 1858 they involved the portage of a portion of the baggage, and the letting of the canoes down them by rope. From Lake Seiganagali * an Indian route passes into Little Seiganagali Lake, which is connected with Sturgeon Lake on the northern route. The Little Seiganagali is a favourite wintering place of numerous famihes of Indians ; it abounds in fish, and near its shores the winter road to Fort WiUiam runs. Between Knife Lake and Birch Lake there are two routes, one coinciding with the boundary Hne, the other, which we followed, passing in a north-westerly direction, causing us to make two portages instead of one, but escaping some rapids. From Nequauquon Lake one route passes into the Nam- eaukan River, and another, turning south, follows the boundary hne through Loon's Narrows, and then north into Nameaukan Lake. Our guide preferred going by Loon's Narrows, fearing that the always dangerous Nameaukan Rapids would be almost impassable for heavily laden canoes, on account of the low stage of the water. In Loon's Narrows we found a shallow river with a strong current and many boulders, and in making the north-westerly turn, instead of the broad channel shown on the map of the Boundary Commissioners, a very tor- tuous, sluggish and shallow stream, led us into the south arm of Sand Point Lake. Sand Point Lake is connected with the Nameaukan Lake by a broad channel, and it is at this point that the route through Loon's Narrows coincides with the more 'G' Seiganagali or '' Full of Islands." 78 EED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. northern route, and follows the l^oundary line through Rainy Lake to Fort Frances. At the close of the 2nd volume there is a table of the portages, decharges, rapids, lakes, lake straits, and navi- gable channels on the Pigeon Eiver route, from Lake Superior to Eainy Lake, showing their lengths and dis- tances from Lake Superior. 79 CHAP. IV. EAINY LAKE TO THE SOURCE OF THE WINNIPEG RIVER. Rainy Lake. — Description of. — Rainy River. — Aflluents of Rainy River. — Fort Frances. — Lac la Pluie Indians. — Valley of Rainy River. — Cha- racter of the ^'alley. — The "Winter Road to the Lake of the Woods. — Arrangement for crossing the Swamps to Red River direct from the Lake of the Woods. — Fertility of Rainy River. — The Maniton Rapids. — Obstructions to Navigation. — The Long Rapids. — Indian Encamp- ments. — Tumuli. — Graves. — Banks of Rainy River. — Catei-pillars. — The Lake of the Woods. — Beauty of the Lake of the Woods. — Confervse. — Garden Island. — Refraction. — Indians. — A Council. — Its Residts. — Grasshoppers. — Shoal Lake. — North West Corner of the Lake. — ]Monu- ment Bay. — Route to Rat Portage. — Indians. — Stiu-geon. — Polished Rocks. In 1826 a map of Rainy Lake, as part of the survey under the seventh article of the treaty of Ghent between Great Britain and the United States, was constructed by David Thompson, Astronomer and Surveyor. No labour was spared in producing a correct delineation of the geographical features of this part of the country, and the portion of the map accompanpng this narrative, which includes Eainy Lake, Eainy Eiver, and the Lake of the Woods, besides the Pigeon River referred to in the previous chapter, is reduced fi^om an authorised copy of those parts of the sm^vey. Dr. Bigsby, who accompanied the Com- missioners as Geologist, communicates the chief facts in the following enumeration of the geographical position, &c., of Rainy Lake, in tlie Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for May, 1851.* * On the Geology of Rainy Lake, South Hudson's Bay. By Dr. J. J. Bigsby, F.G.S., &c. 80 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Rainy Lake, or Lac la Pluie, as it is more frequently called by the voyageiirs, is 225 miles west of Lake Supe- rior, and from the head of Eainy Eiver eighty-five south- east of the Lake of the Woods. It is fifty miles long by thirty-eight and a half broad, and is 294 miles round by canoe route. Its form is that of three equal trouglis, with deep lateral indents, the main one running in an east and west direction, the other two northerly from it. It is through the main trough that the canoe route lies from the mouth of JSTameaukan Eiver, in latitude 48° 30'' N., longitude 92° 40' W. to the soiu'ce of Eainy Eiver, thirty-eight miles distant, in a direction a few degrees to the north of west. The shores of Eainy Lake are generally low, and often consist of naked shapeless masses of rock, with marshy intervals, or they rise in ridges which become hills 300 to 500 feet high, half a mile to four miles from the lake. The timber seems to be very small and thin in the marshes, and on the islands, whicli exceed 500 in number, the largest growth was observed. Taken as a whole, the general aspect of the shores is forbidding, and furnishes on the ridges and hill flanks a picture of hopeless sterihty and desolate waste. Dr. Bigsby says that there is but Httle loose debris about Eainy Lake, the earth or gravel banks being scarce, and seldom exceeding a few feet in thickness. Whenever tlie land rises, for the most part bleached and naked rocks occur for many square miles together. Colonel Lefroy made Eainy Lake 1,160 feet above the sea, by barometrical measurement. Its height deduced from the levels taken at the portages, and the estunated rise and fall in the current of the rivers along the line of route, was 1,035 feet. In this calculation the level of Lake Superior is taken at GOO feet above the ocean. RAINY RIVER. 81 Major Long estimated it to be 1,200 feet above the same level. Eainy Lake freezes about the 1st December, and is open about tlie 1st of May ; as is usually the case where large rivers issue from spacious lakes, the discharging stream is not frozen for a number of miles from its source. The warm Avaters coming from beneath a shelter of ice in their cajDacious feeding lake, retain their heat so as to enable them to resist the cold of these regions for many miles below the Chaudiere Falls. At the entrance of Rainy Eiver on the evening of August 19th, the delightful odour of the balsam poplar [Populus halsamifera) loaded the air, and seemed to welcome our arrival in a region differing altogether from those through which we had lately passed. Where Eainy Eiver issues from Eainy Lake, it is a broad and rapid stream, with low alluvial banks, clothed with a rich second growth. The fine forests with which they were once covered had long since been stripped of their ornaments by the occupants of the old North- West and the present Hudson's Bay Com- pany's Fort. The general course of Eainy Eiver is a few degrees to the north of west for a distance of eighty miles by the windings of the river, and m an air line sixty miles. The rapids at its source offer no impediment to skilful naviga- tion, nor do the whirlpools which usually accompany the passage of such a large body of water, in consequence of their being distributed over a wide area. Two miles below the head of the river. Fort Frances is situated on a high bank, just below the Chaudiere Falls. These magnificent cascades let the river down 22-88 feet, and at their foot is a famous fishing ground, from which the Lac La Pluie Indians obtain an abundant supply of their staple food. Three miles from Fort Frances, the river takes a VOL. I. G 82 RED RIVER EXPLORIXG EXPEDITION. sudden southerly bend, which it maintains for a distance of four niiles ; it then again assumes a course due west for about sixteen miles, and receives the Pekan, or Little Fork, the Missatchabe, or Big Fork, and the Kakmaskatawagan Eivers, on the south or United States side ; the course then turns abruptly due north, and continues for a dis- tance of six and a half miles, when it again resumes a westerly direction for eighteen miles, its otherwise gentle and uniform current is here broken by the Manitou Eapids and Long Eapids, which let the river down about two and a half feet, and three feet respectively. Six miles fi^om the Long Eapids a short northerly bend again occurs, after which the river, with shght meanderings, pursues a north- west by west direction, until it debouches into the Lake of the Woods. Li this part of its course it receives on the British side, small sluggish streams known by the names of the Kiskarko or Pine Eiver, the Kahlawakalk, and Kawawakissinweek, and from the territory of the United States, the Muttontine, or Eiver of the Eapids, the Wishahkepekas, and Kapowenekenow, or Winter Eoad Eiver. Its afEuents, on the British side, are insignificant outlets to the swamps which occupy the region north of Eainy Eiver valley ; but some of those on the United States side are of important dimensions. Fort Frances, two miles from the source of Eainy Eiver, is situated on the right bank, in lat. 48° 36', and longitude 93° 33' W. Mi\ Pether, the gentleman then in charge, stated that the river never freezes between the falls and the Little Fork, a distance of twelve miles, nor between the falls and its source in Eainy Lake. Wheat is sown at this estabhshment of the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company, from the 20th to the 23rd of May; it ripens about 1st September. Potatoes, turnips, carrots, and indeed all common culinary vegetables succeed well. THE L.VC LA I'LUIK IXDIAXS. s:l Potatoes are tliig in the lirst week of October, and baiie}- is ripe by the middle of August. Snow ftiUs liere to tlie depth of four feet. The great enemies to extended cultivation are the Lac la Pluie Inchans. They are not only numerous, but very independent ; and although diminishing in numbers, they frequently hold near Fort Frances their grand medicine ceremonies, at which 500 and 600 individuals some- times assemble. The number of Indians visitinsr this Ojibways at Fort Fi-aiices, liainy Ilivor. fort for the purpose of trade, reaches 1,500. Tliey do not scrnple to jumj) over tlie fences, and run through tlie growing crops, if tlie ball in tlieir games is driven in tliat direction. In tlie immediate neighbourhood of Fort Frances, the swamp or morass bounding the valley of Eainy Eiver on the right bank, is about half a mile in its rear. This swamp, whicli extends from Eainy Lake to tlie Lake of G -2 84 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. the Woods, is described by Mr. Petlier, and the Indians who were questioned about it, as consisting of a springy, movable surface, overlying a vast deposit of peat, through which a pole might frequently be pushed to the depth of thirty feet without reaching the bottom. The surface sustains low bushes, with here and there islands of small pine. Its borders approach and recede from Eainy Eiver with the windings of that stream ; the breadth of the dry wooded and fertile vaUey varying fi^om half a mile in the rear of Fort Frances, to six or eight miles in the dkection of the Lake of the Woods. The average breadth of superior land for a distance of seventy miles might perhaps, with propriety, be assumed to be not less than four miles, giving an area of available soil of high fertility, exceeding 170,000 acres ; and there can be httle doubt, that with the progress of clearing, much that is now included in the area occupied by swamps would be re- claimed without difficulty or great expense. In 1858 Mr. S. Dawson was instructed to examine the country on the right bank of Eainy Eiver, with a view to ascertain the extent of surface available for the purposes of an agricultural settlement. He reports as foUows : — " The land immediately bordering on Eainy Eiver, on the British side, is of an ahuvial description, and almost as uniformly level as the prairies at Eed Eiver. For a mile or so inland from the main stream the ground is dry, and a dense growth of large timber, consistmg of poplar, elm, oak, basswood, and occasional white pines, indicates a productive soil. For a mile or two beyond this, however, swampy ground predominates, Avhile beyond that again the land gradually rises to a range of hills of no great eminence, which, as far as we could observe, seemed to run parallel to the river, at a distance of from THE WINTER ROAD. 85 four to eight miles back. The distance from Eainy Lake to the Lake of tlie Woods, following; the windino-s of tlie stream, is about eighty miles, and througliout the ^vhole of this extent the land fronting on the river is fit for settlement." At Fort Frances the party was separated into three di- visions, with a view to explore different routes. Mr. Napier was furnished with a guide to conduct him by the Eiviere du Bois, from one of the north-westerly bays of Eainy Lake to the Lake of the Woods. The result of this exploration established the fict, that however advan- tageous this route may be for Lidians, in their small canoes, it is far inferior to that by Eainy Eiver, and the Lake of the Woods, as a boat communication. In de- scribing it Mr. Napier says : — " This is the winter road, and is preferred to the route by the Eainy Eiver, as being more sheltered and free from the long open traverses necessary in crossing to the Eat Portage from the mouth of Eainy Eiver. From Eainy Lake this road follows a chain of small lakes and connecting creeks, with occasional portages, until the north-east corner of the Lake of the Woods is readied, where tlie route continues through the numerous islands to the Eat Portage. The land throuo-hout is ru^rsed, rocky, and timbered with spruce and bircli." Mr. Gladman, accompanied by the remainder of the party, with tlie exception of Mr. S. Dawson, myself, and two French Canadian voyageurs, took the old route by Eainy Eiver, the Lake of the Woods, and the Winnipeg, to Eed Eiver. On Saturday, August 22nd, I started from Fort Frances at noon, m company with Mr. S. Dawson, for Muskeg Eiver, a small stream flowing easterly from the swamps which occupy the summit of the water-shed between the r, 3 86 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. valley of Eed Eiver and the Lake of the Woods ; our object being to ascend the Muskeg Eiver, cross the swamps, and descend the Eoseau Eiver to its junction with Eed Eiver. We were provided with two small canoes fit for transportation through the swamps, and siipphed ourselves with provisions to last for ten days, one change of clothing, a small tent, and a pair of blankets each. Fort Frances, liaiiiy Ilivcr. In Mr. Dawson's canoe were a French Canadian (Fran9ois) and an Iroquois (Pierre). In my canoe an Inthan guide from Garden Island, Lake of the Woods, and Lambert, who acted as interpreter. In describing the general aspect of the banks and alley of Eainy Eiver, it will be advantageous to sketch \c with considerable minuteness the features of the soil and vegetation at the different stopping places, where very excellent opportunities were offered for acquiring infor- mation on these parlicuhirs. CHAKACTEli OF KAIXY RIVER. 87 The ground at our camp, twelve miles below Fort Frances, was covered witli the richest profusion of rose bushes, Avoodbine, convolvulus in bloom, hehanthii just beginning to flower, and vetches of the largest dimen- sions. Fringing this open interval of perhaps 280 acres in extent, were elms, balsam-poplars, ashes, and oaks. One elm tree measured three feet in diameter, or nine feet eight inches in circumference ; and there is no exag- geration in saying that our temporary camping place was like a rich, overgrown, and long neglected garden. Similar intervals to the one just described were noticed occasionally as we descended the river; the banks pre- serving an average altitude of about forty feet, and sustauiing a line growth of the trees before enume- rated. JSTo part of the country through which we have passed west of Lake Superior can bear comparison with the rich banks of Eainy Eiver which everywhere preserves a very uniform breadth, varjdng only from 200 to 300 yards. The soil is a sandy loam at the surface, nuicli mixed with vegetable matter, but where the bank has recently fallen away, clay may be seen stratified in layers of about two inches in thickness, following in all respects the contour of what appears to be unstratiiied drift clay below. Basswood is not un- common, and sturdy oaks, whose trunks are from eighteen inches to two feet in diameter, were found in open groves with luxuriant grasses and climbing plants growino- be- neath them. The lodge poles of an Indian camp of former seasons were covered with convolvulus in bloom, and the honeysuckle twined its long and tenacious stems around the nearest support, living or dead. The banks of the river maintain for twenty miles an altitude varpng from fifteen to sixty feet. Occasionally, they show the abrupt boundaries of two terraces, the u 4 8S RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. lower boundary liaviiig the form of a sloping bank or an abrupt cliff from fifteen to thirty feet in altitude ; in its rear the upper terrace rises gradually or abruptly from fifteen to twenty feet higher, according to its position with reference to the river. There is every appearance in places of fire having destroyed a former larger growth of trees than those which now occupy these areas. The extraordinary height of the water in August 1857, was seen by the lodge poles of former Indian encamp- ments at the foot of the bank. They were under water to the de])th of one and even two feet. The river does not appear to rise high in the spring, as the trees fringing the banks to the water's edge show no action of ice. The difference between the highest and the lowest water levels may be seven feet, and no record of recent higher levels meets the eye. The Manitou Eapids let us down about two and a half feet, and appear to be caused by a belt of rock crossing the river at neai'ly right angles to its course. On the American side the hill range has an altitude of about eighty feet, on the British side it is much lower, and ap- pears to subside rapidly in gentle undulations. The Ma- nitou Eapids are capable of being ascended by a small steamer of high ])ower without difficulty, and cannot be considered as presenting an obstacle to the navigation of this important stream as long as the water maintains its present altitude, which is about three feet higher than is usual at this season of the year, but often exceeded in the spring and fall. Two locks of ten feet lift, with one guard lock, would overcome the falls at the mouth of the river, and thus form a splendid water communication between the head of Eainy Lake and Eat Portage, Lake of the Woods, by the north-west coast, a distance of 190 miles, or between tlic lu-ad of Ivniiiy Lake and the north- ANCIENT ARTIFICIAL MOUNDS. 89 west point of tlie Lake of the Woods, a distance of 170 miles. BDigh clay banks are exposed above and beloAV tlie Ea- pids, and many hnndred acres are very scantily timbered with second growth. Ascending the bank two miles below the Eapids, I was much surprised at the number of birds of different kinds chirruping and singing in the hght and warmth of a bright morning sun. I heard more birds in ten minutes here than during the whole journey from the Kakabeka Falls on the Kaministiquia to the mouth of Eainy Eiver. At the second or Long Eapids an extensive area denuded of trees presents a very beautiful prairie appearance. Here Ave landed to examine two immense mounds which ap- peared to be tumuli. We forced our way to them through a dense growth of grasses, nettles, and helianthii, twisted toge- ther by the wild convolvulus. On our way to the mounds we passed through a neglected Indian garden, and near it observed the lodge poles of an extensive encampment. The garden was partially fenced, and contained a patch of helianthii, six and seven feet high in the stalk, and just be- ginning to show their flowers. The wild oat attained an astonishing size, and all the vegetation exhibited the utmost luxuriance. The mound ascended was about forty feet high and one hundred broad at tlie base. It was composed of a rich black sandy loam, containing a lai'ge quantity of vegetable matter. On digging a foot deep no cliange in the character of the soil was observable. The Inchan guide called them underground houses ; he informed Lambert that a tradition existed regarding the origin of tliese mounds which he had often heard his fother repeat in the spring of the year when his tribe assembled at the foot of the Eapids to catch sturgeon. About two lumdred 90 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. and fifty years ago, so runs the tradition, a large party of Sioux had penetrated from the south-west into tlie hunting grounds of the Ojibways, to make war upon them in the heart of thek country and at their best fishing station. The Sioux were driven back, but with terrible loss to the Ojibways. A grand council was held after the defeat of the enemy, and it was resolved to erect a number of mounds or underground houses, wherein a store of pro- visions might be laid up and the w^omen and children retreat in case of a sudden invasion. These mounds were the result of that determination, and are regarded by the Lac la Pluie Indians, according to my guide, as the for- tifications which their ancestors erected to protect their famihes from the invading Sioux, to enable the warriors, freed from the embarrassment occasioned by the presence of their wives and children, to liarass the enemy in all directions, and possibly cut ofi" his retreat. The Eainy Eiver mounds are far larger than the burying- places or ossuaries which are scattered over Canada, and especially on the south-eastern shores of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. It might be supposed by many famihar with those curious mounds containing the bones and relics of the barbarous people who occupied Canada some centuries since, that, hke the smaller ossuaries distributed in the forests of the Lake Eegion, the gigantic mounds of Eainy Eiver were places of sepulture. The custom of burying the remains of many individuals in one spot and heaping over them a mound of earth was common in remote times among the wandering tribes who hunted over the rocky and barren plateau nortli of Lakes Hin-on and Superior. The dead were laid upon the bare rock and covered with stones to protect the body from wild animals. After a certain number of years the tribe made a gathering of tlieir dead, and bore the bones to a suit- able resting-place wliere earth existed in sufiicient INDIAN LODGES. 91 abiiiulauce to admit of a mound being made witliout dilliculty. Over very extensive areas on the north sliore of Lake Huron this could not be easily accomplished, in consequence of the rocky character of the country and the general absence of loose earth, except in the valleys of rivers lialjle to annual overflow. The modern graves of Indians are numerous on Eainy Eiver ; they have each a httle birch bark roof placed over them, and fixcing the south a small opening is left, through which the relatives introduce tobacco, rice, or other offerings at their periodical visits. About three hundred yards below the second rapids, which have a fall of three feet at the present high stao;e of water, twenty-three skeletons of Indian lodges were seen, all clothed with the wild convolvulus, and now servino- as records of the love of change which seems to form a leading characteristic in the habits of the barbarous race who possess, without appreciating or enjoying them, the riches of this beautiful and most fertile valley. Limestone fragments and boulders, more or less water worn, with pebbles of the same rock, are found everywhere on the beach, at the foot of the clay or loamy banks. As we approached the Lake of the Woods the river increased in breadth, and at each bend a third low terrace was in process of formation, often fi-om 200 to 300 acres in area, and elevated above the present high water level from one to three feet. Coarse grasses grow in great abundance upon many of these rich outlpng alluvial de- posits, and it appeared very probable that in ordinary seasons they woidd furnish some thousand acres of rich pasture land, as the grasses they sustain are hke those which on the Kaministiquia the settlers cut for their winter supply of fodder for cattle. Near the mouth of the river the tall tops of a few red and white pine may be seen, which rise far above the aspens occupying the lower 92 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. plateau, while a vast reedy expanse, probably in ordinary seasons available for grazing purposes, marks the junction of Eainy Eiver with the Lake of the Woods. Eainy Eiver flows upon an alluvial bed partly of its own formation, the materials being probably derived in a great measure from the cutting away of the clay and sand which constitute the higher of the two terraces by which its boundary is so well defined. The first or lowest terrace being generally from twelve to fifteen feet above the present water level, frequently terminates on the river in abrupt, low, clay bluffs, capped with loam and sand, or rich alluvial deposits ; sometimes both terraces come upon the river together in one bold bluff, often forty feet in altitude, and again the lower terrace is found to occupy the bank without the hifjher one in the rear beino: visible from a canoe. The separation of these terraces is an important item in the description of the topography and general character- istics of Eainy Eiver. Wliere the lower terrace is alone visible, the vegetation it sustains is often characteristic of a poor and sandy soil. Eed pines, some of them of fair dimensions, red cedar and small poplars occupy it, and if any passer by were to draw an inference from the pre- vailing timber which, in such situations, meets the eye, he would at once form the opinion that the land was com- paratively worthless. But let him cross the lower terrace until he reaches, at a distance of 200 yards or per- haps a quarter or half a mile, the higher one, and the magnificent growth of poplar, elm, and basswood would quickly reverse such judgments. As far as I pene- trated in different places back from the river, the soil of the higher terrace was of admirable quality, and supported a heavy growth of timber. The clay upon which it rested was often exposed by the steep banks of numerous slug- gish streams Avhich cut the^ terrace to neai'ly the level of ARMY OF CATERPILLARS. 9;l Eainy Eiver, and evidently form channels by which the swamps in the rear are drained. On the 6th June, 1846, 'Mr. Kane* saw the trees on each side of Eainy Eiver, and part of the Lake of the Woods, for full 150 miles of the route, hterally stripped of fohage by myriads of green caterpillars, which had left nothing but the bare branches. In such extraordinary numbers were these destructive insects that Mr. Kane's party foimd it impossible to breakfast on land unless they submitted to the unpleasant addition of numbers of these caterpillars to their meal, dropping as they did from the trees ^vithout intermission and coverina- the ground. Sir John Eichardson relates that in 1847 multitudes of caterpillars spread like locusts over the neighbourhood of Eainy Eiver. They travelled in a straight Ime, crawling over houses, across rivers, and into large fires kindled to arrest them. Throughout the whole length of Eainy Eiver, on the Lake of the Woods, and on the Eiver Winnipeg, they stripped the leaves from the trees and ate up the herbage. They destroyed the Folk avoine (wild rice) on Eainy Lake, but left untouched some wheat that was just coming into ear. This was the first time that Fort Frances had experienced such a visitation. The following year Sir John Eichardson found the still leafless trees covered with the cocoons of the previous year, in each of which there remained the hairy skin of a cater- pillar. In 1858 we noticed the trees in the Bad Woods, on the north bank of the Assinniboine, covered Avitli an incredible number of small green caterpillars, resembling the palmer worm, so destructive in the United States in some seasons. The Lake of the Woods is about seventy-five miles in * Wanderings of an Artist among the Indians of North America, by Paul Kane. 94 RED RIVER EXPLORIXG EXPEDITION. length, and the same in breadth. It is 400 miles round by canoe route*, and is broken up into tliree dis- tinct lakes by a long promontory, which in periods of high water becomes an island. The southern part is termed the Lake of the Sand Hills, the eastern portion Wliite Fish Lake, and the northern division the Lake of the Woods. White Fish Lake and Lake of the Woods are separated from Sand Hill Lake by the broad promon- tory before referred to, respecting which httle is known. The name of the latter division is derived from vast numbers of low sand hills, which occupy its south-western coast. The distance of the Lake of the Woods from Lake Superior, is north-west 325 miles by the Pigeon Eiver route, and 381 by the route from Fort William, followed by the expedition. The north-west corner of the lake is only about ninety miles from Eed Eiver, in an air line. Its elevation above Lake Superior is 377 feet, or 977 feet above the sea. Major Long made it 1,040 feet above the ocean level. The scenery among the islands towards the north-west corner of the lake is of the most lovely description, and presents in constantly recurring succession every variety of bare, precipitous rock, abrupt timbered liills, gentle wooded slopes, and open grassy areas. Some of the islands are large and well timbered, others show mucli devastation by fire, and often a vigorous second growth of a different kind of tree under the blackened trunks of branchless pines. The ordinary course of the canoe route to Eed Eiver lies in a north-easterly direction, following tlie trend of the coast towards Turtle Portage, which leads from the Lake of the Sand Hills to Wliite Fish Lake. In pursu- ance of our intention to endeavour to pass from the west * See vol. viii of the Quarterly Journal of the Cleological Society, for an account of the I>ake of the Woods, hy Pr. Rigaljy. SAXD DUNES '-THE WEED." 95 side of the Lake of the Sand Hills across the country, in as direct a line as possible to Eed Eiver, we made a traverse in a north-westerly direction towards the south point of Keating Island, a distance of sixteen miles. The sm-face of the lake was perfectly smooth, reflecting the sun's rays with extraordinary power and brihiancy. As we receded from the shores the low sand dunes to the south-west were refracted into the similitude of distant mountain ranges, and the rocky coast of the eastern side, as seen through a glass, into high, precipitous, half wooded chffs. The origin of the sand dunes is interesting ; they prob- ably point to the existence in tliis neighbourhood of the Chazy formation (Lower Silurian) so characteristic of the west coast of Lake Winnipeg. About four miles from land the water became tinsfed with green, deriving its colour from a minute vegetable gTOwth (confervse), which increased as we progressed, imtil it gave an appearance to the lake like that of a vast expanse of chrty green mud. On hfting up a quantity of water in a tin cup, or on looking closely over the side of the canoe, the water was seen to be clear, yet sustaining an infinite quantity of minute tubular needle-shaped organisms, sometimes detached, and sometimes clustered together in the form of small spherical stars, varying from a quarter to half an inch in diameter. Five miles from the shore the lead showed thirty-five feet of water, and four miles further on thirty-six feet ; the green confervas increased in quantity, and the little aggregations assumed larger dimensions, some of them exceedmg one inch in diameter. The temperature of the lake near the mouth of Eainy Eiver w^as 67° at half-past eleven, a.m. ; yet five miles from land it was found to be 76°, six inches below the surface ; an hour afterwards, repeated and careful obser- 96 EED RIVRR EXPLORING EXPEDITION. vations showed the temperature to be 77^°. At one, p.m. the temperature two feet below the surface was 71°, and at the surface 78°. The depth of water was here tliirty- six feet, and the green confervee uniformly abundant, so that it was impossible to obtain a tablespoonful of liquid free from their minute forms. The presence of this "weed," as the voyageurs termed it, was the probable cause of the unusual temperature of the lake. Occasion- ally grasshoppers were seen resting on its calm glistening surface, and as we approached Keating Island they increased in number, all of them preserving, with singular uniformity, a direction towards the soutli- east. The Indians think the " weed " proves destruc- tive to fish ; they had seen it on Lake Winnipeg, where also we recognised it in September of the following year. After passing the south point of Keating Island we steered for Garden Island, distant from us about nine miles. On the west side of Keating Island the Indian guide pointed out one of their fishing grounds, where he stated the water was thirty fathoms deep, and illustrated the manner in which he arrived at that estimate of the depth by explaining, through the interpreter, the mode of fishing during the winter months, showing the length of a fathom and the number of these in the hnes his people employed to reach with their nets the feeding grounds of the white fish at that period of the year. He also described the thickness of the ice through which they had to break before they arrived at the water as sometimes exceeding five feet. Wild rice (Zizania aquatica) grows very abundantly in the marshes bordering the Lake of the Woods. It is an important article of food to the Indians. They gather it about the end of August and beginning of September, and lay up a store for winter consumption. A soup made of (;akde:s iSL.i.\D. 97 wild rice and blue berries is a very palatable dish, and eagerly sought after by those who have been hving on salt food for several weeks. On approaching and receding from Keating's Island, the efiects of refraction were most astonishing, elevating low detaclied island rocks into huge precipitous promon- tories, and giving to a shore, a few feet above the level of the water, the ap})earance of a high rock-bound coast. On nearing a small island about four miles east of Garden or Cornfield Island, tlie grasshoppers on the surface of the lake became more numerous, the green confervai was \'isibly less in quantity, and before we landed to dme it had disappeared altogether, but the grasshoppers Avcre found in great numbers on the shore. The island on Avhich w^e rested for an Jiour was about tln^ee acres in extent, and sustained some fine old oaks and elms, with a profusion of long grass, not mucli destroyed by the grass- hoppers, which had evidently only just arrived there, as was afterwards inferred, while those which had been observed scattered over the surftice of the lake were probably stragglers from a vast flight of these insects, whose main body we saw subsequently on Garden Island. During the morning the sky had been cloudless, the air stiU, and the sun oppressively hot ; but in tlie after- noon a long gentle swell began to rise upon the lake, and wlien Ave put off for our destination, a wind arose 'wliicli gradually increased to a gale before we landed dming the evening of the 24th August, on a low graveUy beach, at the north-west corner of Garden Island. We camped near a well-cultivated field of Indian corn, and a rapid exploration of the island revealed to us a large potato patch, and a small area devoted to squashes and pumpldns of different kinds. We ascertained that VOL. [. II 98 RED RIVER EXPLORINCi EXPEDITION. the island had been cultivated by the Lake of the Woods Ojibway Indians for generations. My companion and the Iroquois, Pierre, both com- plained that evening for the first time of being unwell. Oiu- camp fire e\ddently soon attracted the attention of a number of Indians, who were then living on a neigh- bouring island about four miles from us, for at midnight we w^ere aroused by the sudden appearance at the door of the tent of tw^o of these people, and in half an hour twenty or more had arrived. Li the morning w^e an- swered their inquiries, and were requested to visit their chief, who remained w^ith his tribe on the island already referred to. DecHning then" uivitation, as we were anxious to hasten to the mouth of the Muskeg Eiver, they told us they would send for their chief, who would arrive as soon as t e wind fell. We made the necessary preparations for a long council, and about noon the chiefs son, who was one of the first arrivals on the evening previous, announced that the canoes were coming. We counted thirteen canoes, and foimd that they con- tained in all fifty-three men and boys, there being seven of the latter ; the others w^ere the chief and warriors of the tribe. A portion of them had just returned from an expedition against the Sioux, and were decorated or dis- figured, according to taste, with whatever advantages paint, feathers, and ornaments could confer. As the object of their visit was to ascertain the reasons why w^e ^vished to pass through tliis part of their country, a long council or " talk " was the result of the visit. The council terminated by a distuict refiisal, on the part of the chief, to allow any of the tribe to gmde us through the swamps which separate the Lake of the Woods from the prairie countiy to the west. The repHes and ol)je('tions of the chief were often couched in very AN INDIAN COUNCIL. 99 poetical lano-iiage, "svith a few satirical touches, which were warmly applauded by the audience. The following is a specimen of tlie colloquy : — " What reason can we offer to those who have sent us, for yoiu' ha\'ing refused to allow" us to travel through your country ? " Chief. — " The reason why we stop j'ou is because we think you do not tell us why you want to go that way, and what you want to do with those paths. You say that all the white men we have seen belong to one party, and yet they go by three different roads, wdiy is that ? Do they want to see the Lidian's land ? Eemember, if the white man comes to the Indian's house, he must walk through the door, and not steal in by the window. That way, the old road, is the door, and by that way you must go. You gathered corn in our gardens and put it away ; did you never see corn before ? Why did you not note it down m your book ? Did your people want to see our corn ? Would they not be satisfied witli your noting it down ? You cannot pass through those paths." " We ask you now to send us one of your young men to show us tlie road ; we shall pay him well, and send l)ack ]iresents to you : wliat do you wish for ? " Chief. — " It is hard to deny your request ; but we see how the Indians are treated far away. The white man comes, looks at their flowers, their trees, and their rivers ; others soon follow ; the lands of tlie Inchans pass from their hands, and they have nowhere a home. You must go by the way the white man lias hitherto gone. I liave told you all." At the close of the council, the chief said to the inter- preter, "Let not these men think bad of us for takino; away their guides. Lot tliem send us no presents ; we do not want them. They have no right to pass that way. 100 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION, We have hearts, and love our lives and our coiuitry. If twenty men came we would not let them pass to-day. We do not want the white man ; when the wJiite man comes, he brings disease and sickness, and our jieople perish ; w^e do not wish to die. Many white men would bring death to us, and our people would pass away ; we wish to love and to hold the land oiu* fathers won, and the Great Spirit has given to us. Tell these men this, and the talk is finished." A hasty consultation with my companion as to what we should do in this chlemma, was abruptly closed by being informed that the Iroquois Pierre was very ill at the back of the tent. Without his paddle, without guide, and Mr. Dawson feeling much worse than on the previous evening, we determined at once not to attempt to cross the swamps between the Lake of the Woods and Eed Eiver alone, but decided to go to Eed Eiver by the Eat Portage and Winnipeg. We told this determination to the chief, and asked for assistance to take the canoes to the settlements. He pointed out two young men, who received orders to take us down the Winnipeg. One was to retiu-n from Ishngton Mission, the other to go on to Eed Eiver. We then told the chief that we would send him presents from Eed Eiver, at which he expressed satisfaction, and sug- gested tea and tobacco. Garden Island is about a mile and a half lono; and a mile broad at its widest part. Its western half is thickly wooded, but the greater portion of the eastern half is cleared, cultivated, and planted with Indian corn. ISTear the centre of the field were several graves before referred to, with neatly constructed birch bark coverings. Only one lodge was seen on the island, and that was placed about 1 00 yards from the graves. Near the space devoted Till-: •' GRASSHOPPERS." 101 to Indian corn, were several small patches of potatoes, pumpkins, and squashes. An air of great neatness pre- vailed over the whole of tlie cultivated portion of the is- land, and in the part still remaining in its natural state, thickets of raspberry, black currant, and gooseberry bushes grew in the intervals between groves of elm, basswood, and oak ; and on the sandy beach an abundance of the sand cJierry [Cerasus pumila), the favourite Nekaumina of the Indians. Large flocks of passenger pigeons (Co- liimba migratoria) flew backwards and forwards over the island, occasionally alighting in dense masses in the small groves. The shores were covered to the depth of two or three inclies "with countless millions of grasshoppers, Avhich had been washed there during the gale of the preceding night. The greater number of the grasshoppers were ahve, and as the rising sun warmed and invigorated them they spread with much regularity over the field of Indian corn and the potato patches ; their progress across the potato patches was like that of an invading army of in- sects, eating and destrojdng every living green thing in their way. Before w^e left the island they had advanced, here and there, some thirty or forty yards from the beach, in a well defined and undulatmg fine, leaving behind them nothing but the bare and blackened stalks of the plants over which they had spread themselves and destroyed. By inchning tlie head, and seeking shelter from the wind under the lee of a bush, the noise of thek jaws could be distinctly perceived ; and had it been calm, I have no doubt it would have been heard with the greatest ease for a distance of several hundred yards. The Indians had seen the grasshoppers before, but never in such alarming numbers ; they appeared,, however, quite indifferent to tlieir progress, and quietly amused themselves as they squatted or lay on the ground, by jerking the intruders H 3 102 RED RIYPm EXPLORING EXPEDITION. off their arms and legs with a thin piece of wood, bent by the fingers so as to act as a spring. In another chapter it will be shown that this grasshopper is a true locust (Acri/dium femur-ruhrum). The term grasshopper is retamed hi the narrative because it is universally apphed by the half-breeds to this destructive insect. From Garden Island to the north-Avest corner of the lake, in longitude 95° 15', is about twenty miles, but the westerly hmits of navigation are not yet found there. It is possible to proceed without difficidty some miles in a due west direction, through a narrow, shallow channel, into a small lake called Shoal Lake. Although no facts derived from personal observations can be here adduced respecting the general features of Shoal Lake, yet the im- portance which it derives from its position requires special mention to be made of it. From our Indian guide, per- mitted to take us to Eat Portage by the chief on Garden Island, I learned that Shoal Lake is a reedy expanse of water, eight or ten miles long, connected with the Lake of the Woods. The north and west sides of Shoal Lake^ were represented to be blended with a vast marsh or muskeo-, which stretches fi'om near Eat Portage to far south of the Lake of the Woods, and is the source of numerous rivers which How from it both eastward and westward. It is this great muskeg or marsh which forms the barrier between the Lake of the Woods and Eed Eiver valley. On part of the south shore of Shoal Lake, and all along the west coast of the Lake of the Woods, there is a con- siderable area of dry land thnbered ^vith spruce and smaU pine. Shoal Lake is about eighty-seven miles hi a dii^ect hue from Fort Garry, but by the very dangerous and ck- cuitous Winnipeg route, it is at least 320 miles. The South shore of Shoal Lake is in latitude 49° 23', and the same paraUel cuts Eed Eiver at a spot tweiity-hve miles north of SHOAL LAKK. 10;l tlie boundary line. The importance of the no^tll-^\•c.st corner of the Lake of the Woods, and possibly also of Shoal Lake at the terminus of a communication by land with Eed Eiver cannot fail to be appreciated. The north-west corner of the lake is styled Monument Bay; it marks the point where the boundary line between British America and the United States, after passing down the middle of Eainy Eiver and striking across the Lake of the Sand Hills readies the north-west corner of Monument Bay; from this pomt the boundary line piu-sues a due south direction, intersecting the 49th parallel in longitude 95° 15', according to Dr. Bigsby's map published m the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, but on the map of the Boundary Survey in the Crown Lands Office at Quebec, the longitude of the Monument at the extre- mity of the north-west corner of the Lake of the Woods is represented to be 95° 24'. Shoal Lake, or Lac Plat, as it is also termed, was ex- ammed during the winter of 1857-8 by some of the assis- tants attached to the Surveying Department of the Expedition. The exploration having been made during the winter montlis, when the deep bogs and wide spread- ing marshes were frozen and covered with snow, loses much of the interest it would doubtless have possessed had it been executed during the summer season. An effort to penetrate from Fort Garry to the Lake of the Woods in the direction indicated by the exploring party of the previous year, was wholly unsuccessful in the autumn of 1858. A number of half-breeds from the settlements at Eed Eiver also made the at- tempt to reacli the Lake of the Woods in September 1858, but were defeated in the attempt by unpassable swamps. In 1859 some half-breeds belonging to Mr. Dawson's party succeeded in passing througli with horses. H 4 104 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. The route we pursued, from a point near the north-west corner of the lake, lay through a lab}Tinth of islands in a north-east by north dkection for a distance of twenty- eight miles. Six miles more, nearly due north, through scenery of the same description but of a bolder character, brouoiit us to Eat Portage, on one of the numerous mouths of the rocky Winnipeg. Much good pine timber was seen on the larger islands, near the northern part of the Lake of the Woods, and if conclusions may be drawai from the accounts which the Indians gave us of their gardens, it is very probable that extensive areas of excellent land exist on the great promontory, and on some of the large islands. They spoke of growing Indian corn to a far greater extent than seen by us on Garden Island. During our voyage from Garden Island to Eat Portage we met with six small canoes one after the other ;^ four of them contained only women and cliildren, who had been gathering berries on the islands. We exchanged tea and tobacco for a birch bark basket of blue-berries ( Vaacinium Pennsylvanimm), of which they had collected a large supply. Sturgeon are very numerous in the Lake of the Woods ; they were repeatedly seen leaping out of the water in their gambols at the approach of evening. The Indian in my canoe told me that in calm weather they could be seen lyuig on the bottom in deep w^ater, among the beautiftil islands with which the narrows between the Lake of the Sand Hills and the true Lake of the Woods are studded. Wlienever we landed to dine or camp before reaching Eat Portage we found hosts of grasshoppers ; they covered the bare rocks, and rose m small clouds from the grass at my approach. We succeeded in securing a large pike which lay basking in the sun at the surface of the water. FALLS AT RAT PORTAGE. 10.5 by cautiously approaching and striking him on the head \dih a paddle ; he proved to be a splendid fish, probably not less than ten pounds in weight. A thinider storm of great violence detained us for a few hours on a small island, where the rock was so smoothly worn and polished by the action of ice, that we found some difficulty in keep- Falls at Eat Portage. ing om' feet. The recent action of ice is often beautifully shown on the islands in this lake, and instances of ancient glacial action are by no means uncommon here as else- whei-e on the canoe route. We arrived at Eat Portage, where the Great Winnipeg issues from the Lake of the Woods, on the morning of the 27th of August, 106 RED RIVER EXPLORINd EXPEDITION. CHAP. V. THE WINNIPEG RIVER. Character of the Winnipeg. — Rat Portag-e. — Thunder Storm. — Thimder Storms in the North-West. — A View on the Winnipeg. — Islington Mis- sion. — Cultivable Areas on the River. — Rev. Robert Macdonald. — Chiux-h Service. — State of Islington Mission. — Indian Superstitions. — Farm at the Mission. — The School-House the Hope of the Mission. — En route for Red River. — James' Falls. — Animal Life. — Rice Grounds. — Mr. Clouston. — Otter Falls. — The Pennawa River. — Scarcity of Food on the Winnipeg.— Bonnet Lake.— Indian Cache. — The Silver Falls.— Fort .Uexander. — Lake Winnipeg.— Character of the Coast. — Camp in the Marshes. — Mouth of Red River. — Indian Village. — Christian Indians. Issuing from the Lake of the Woods through several gaps ui the northern rim of tlie lake, the Eiver Winnipeg flows through numerous tortuous channels for many miles of its course in a north-easterly direction. Some of the channels unite with the main stream ten to fifteen miles below Eat Portage, and one pursues nearly a straight course for a distance of sixty-five miles, and joins the Winnipeg below the Barriere Falls. The wmdings of this immense river are very abrupt and opposite, suddenly chansfino; from north-west to south-west, and from south- west to north-west, for distances exceeding twenty miles. In its course of 1G3 miles, it descends 349 feet by a succession of magnificent cataracts. Some of the falls and rapids present the wildest and most pictur- esque scenery, displaying every variety of tumultuous HUDSON S BAY CO. POST AT KAT I'OKTAGE. 107 cascade, with foaming rapids, treacherous edthes, and huge swelhng waves, rising massive and green over hidden rocks. The pencil of a skilful artist may succeed in conveying an impression of the beauty and grandeur which belong to the cascades and rapids of the Whmipeg, but neither sketch nor language can portray the astonish- ing variety they present under different aspects ; in the grey dawn of morning, or rose-coloured by the setting sun, or flashing in the brightness of noon day, or silvered by the soft lif;-ht of the moon. Hudson's Bay Company's Post at Rat Portage. The river frequently expands into large deep lakes full of islands, bounded by precipitous cliffs or rounded hills of granite. The Fort in the occupation of the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company at Eat Portage is beautifully situated on an island at one outlet of the Lake of the Woods. It is surrounded, with hills about 200 feet high, and near it some tall white and red \)me, the re- mains of an ancient forest, are standing amidst a vigormis 108 RHD RIVER EXPLORIXG EXPRDITIOX. second growth. The rock about Eat Portage is cliloritic slate, Avhich soon gives place to granite, without any covering of drift, so that no area capable of cultivation was seen initil we arrived at Islington Mission. We did not pursue the usual canoe route, but in the hope of overtaking the other members of the expedition, followed an Indian route for some miles, which was said by our guide to be half a day's journey shorter than that by the main river. In descending this branch of the Winnipeg, a terrific thunder storm, accompanied by a hurricane of wind and an extraordinary fall of hailstones, approached us from the south as we reached the high portage which connects this route with the great river. Turning round in my canoe I saw, about half a mile in our rear, a white fine of foam advancing rapidly towards us. Directing the attention of Lambert who occupied the stern, to the approaching squall, he instantly changed the course of the canoe to the opposite bank. The river here was aLout 300 yards broad, and we were swiftly paddhng close to the west side, which was bounded by high and precipitous granite rocks. I had barely time to stretch a gutta- percha cloth over the canoe, before the hurricane came down upon us. Lying, as directed, at full length on the floor of our small craft, I left her to the dexterity of Lambert and the Indian. They met the shock skilfiiUy, and paddled before the storm with great rapidity, as did also oirr feUow-travellers in the other canoe. We con- tinued on our way for some minutes, gradually drawdng near to the right bank, where we intended to land. Sud- denly, however, large hailstones began to descend with such force as to bruise my hands severely in endeavour- ing to retain the covering in its place. The Indian in the bow laughed heartily at first, but having no covering on STORM ON THE WINNIPEG. lOD liis head, beyond liis thick and matted hair, lie soon crouched, and dre-sv a part of the gutta-percha cloth over him. Lambert being provided with a thick fur ca[) held bravely on, although he loudly exclaimed that the hail- stones were bruismg liis hands, and he would not be able to i)addle much longer. Fortunately we were now close to tiie bank, and Lambert called out to the Lidian to keep the canoe from strikino- ao-ainst the rocks. A few strokes of the paddles brought us wdthin a yard, of the shore, when the Indian, lightly springing out of the canoe, caug-ht her bow as she was about to strike the rock. I succeeded in disentangling myself from the covering, which was pressed down by an accumulation of hail- stones, enough to have filled at least three buckets, and looking over the side of the canoe I saw the Indian in Mr. Dawson's tiny craft leap out on the bank, and catch the fragile vessel as it was about to strike with wonderful agihty. Lambert's hands were much bruised, and soon became swollen and very painful ; he wrapped them in wet cloths, and on the following morning, with his usual hghtheartedness, declared they were as sound as ever. We made a large lire and a comfortable tent of spruce bows, soon forgetting, as the storm cleared away and. allowed us to enjoy a most gorgeous sunset, the imminent danger from which we had escaped. Violent thunder storms are very common during the summer months on the Winnipeg ; hailstones have been known to descend with such force as to pass through the thin birch-bark of the small canoes constnicted by the Indians who hunt on this river. On the grand Coteau de Missouri, the tough birfTalo-sldn tents of the Crees and Sioux are sometimes penetrated by the small angular masses of ice which faU on that elevated plateau. In the summer of 1858 the canoes we carried across the prairies to the elbow of the no KED ElVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION, south branch of the Saskatcliewan were indented, and m some instances penetrated by hailstones during a severe storm ; in several places, many miles apart, we observed the long grass laid smooth and uniform over wide areas as if pressed by a heavy roller. Just before sunset I ascended a hill about 250 feet high, and obtained from its summit a veiy extensive view of the surrounding countiy. The broad river, with its numerous deep and spreading bays, was seen stretching far to the north, and all around dome-shaped hills, similar to the one on which I stood, showed their bare and scantily- wooded summits ; generally they seemed to be thinly covered with stmited pine, but in the hollows or valleys between them, pine and spruce of large dimensions, interspersed mth fair sized aspen and birch, flourished abundantly. The pine on the granite hills grew in httle hollows, or in crevices of the rock. The general surface was either bare, and so smooth and polished as to make walking dangerous, or else tliickly covered with cariboo moss and tripe de roche. The aspect of the country was similar in its outline to the region about Milles Lacs, but the vegetation was far inferior. Until we arrived at Ishngton Mission, the general features of the country maintained an appearance of hopeless sterihty, and inhospitable seclusion. Ishngton IMission, or tlie Wliite Dog, or Chien Blanc, for by these names it is known to the voyageurs, occupies an area of what seems to be drift clay extending over 250 acres, smTounded by granite hills. The soil of this small oasis is very fertile, and all kinds of farm and garden crops succeed well. Wheat sown on the 20th of May was reaped on the 26 th of August ; in general it requires but ninety-three days to mature. Potatoes have not been attacked by spring or fall frosts ISLINGTON MISSION. Ill during a period of five years ; Indian corn ripens well, and may become a valuable crop on the Lower Win- nipeg. Sj)ring opens and vegetation commences at Is- lington about the 10th of May, and \\dnter sets in generally about the 1st of November. These facts are noticed in connection Avith the small cultivable tract at the Mssion, on account of the occurrence of other avail- able areas, varjdng from fifty to three hundred acres in extent, between the Mission and Silver Falls, abont eighteen miles from the mouth of the river. From Silver Falls to where the river flows into Lake Winnipeg, poor and rocky laud is the exception, allu\dal and fertile tracts, bearmg groves of heavy aspens and other trees, prevailing. The cultivable areas on the river banks may yet acquire importance, for they may be regarded in the light of pro- ductive islands in a sterile waste of rock and marsh. The Eev. Eobert Macdonald, the missionary in charge at Islington, informed me that the IVIission was formerly held by the Eoman Cathohcs for a period of several years, l)ut was abandoned on account of the opposition of the Indians, who drove them away in conseqnence of the death of a young girl in the nunnery at Eed Eiver settle- ment. The heathen Indians persuaded the converts that all wlio embraced Christianity would soon die. The Mssion was left vacant for a period of six years, after which Mr. Philip Kennedy w^as appointed catechist in 1850, a post which he held until the 20th October 1853, when the Eev. Eobert Macdonald was enabled to revive the Mission by the generous and Christian liberality of an English lady. This Mission is at present sustained by a munificent gift from Mrs. Landon of Bath of 1,000/. sterling for its establishment, and 100/. a vear for its maintenance. Its 112 liED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. present prospects are favourable, and it will eventually become an important station in tlie Avilderness by which it is surrounded. I attended divine service in the school- house, wliere it was celebrated in the Ojibway language ; at my request the heathen Indians, who had assisted in conducting us from Garden Island, were present. They maintained a respectfid silence during the service, and a favourable impression may have been produced. Mr. Macdonald has given away ten himdi'ed weight of ilour and forty bushels of wheat since May last, to the wander- ing Lidians who occasionally touch at the White Dog. Their attention and sympathy must first be enlisted by continually renewed presents ; this shows the advantage of agricultural operations being associated with spiritual labom' at remote stations. In seasons of scarcity the Indians assemble at the Mission and expect to be assisted by material contributions ; these faihng, they lose confi- dence and heart, and the influence which the missionary may have succeeded in acquiring is soon lost when they disperse in search of the means of sustaining life. The present congregation numbers about forty-five when the entire body of Christians attached to the JVIission are as- sembled. They belong to the Swampy Crees, and hunt on the lower Winnipeg. Mr. Macdonald divides the Indians who hunt north-east and north of the Lake of Woods from those wlio in- habit the shores, islands, and the country east and south- east of that beautiful lake. The former belong to the Muskeg nation (Muscaigoes) or Swampy Crees, the latter to the great Ojibway nation. The Swampys have a tra- dition that at a remote period they drove the Ojibways from the lower Winnipeg to the country bordering on the Lake of the Woods, and since that time they have main- tained their footing in the conquered territory. SWAMPY CONJUROES. 1]3 The heatlieii Muskegs or Swampys address their in- vocations to the Evil Spirit, but they acknowledge the existence of a Supreme and Good Being. The Bishop of liujiert's Land had an opportunity of witnessing the idolatrous worship of the conjurors of the Swampys on the Lower Winnipeg in 1852. He describes the scene in the following words : — " There were two or three tents, I entered the largest, and there found the son of Wassa- cheese sitting in solitary state. < I was about to sit down where I saw some articles expanded, and where at first I tliought he liad prepared a seat for me ; but I found, on a second look, that these were the idols of tlie chamber of imagery, the instruments of his art as conjiu'er, and the feast spread out for spirits. I asked him to explain liis mamc art, which he said he woidd if I would oive him some flour. I gave him instead a little tobacco, and then heard his tale. He showed me, as a special favour, that which gave him his power — a bag with some red- dish powder in it. He allowed me to handle and smell this mysterious stuff, and pointed out two httle dolls or images which, he said, gave him authority over the souls of others ; it was for their support that flour and water were placed in small birch-rind saucers in front. The altar was raised a little on some Indian matting, and on it, ranged in order, the bags and images and all the instruments of his craft. what is man without the grace of God ! " * At IsUngton there are now (1857) five houses, besides the mission-house and a school-house, which is used as a chapel. With the exception of the hill of drift clay, on which tlie Mission is situated, the country is wholly gra- nitic in the immediate neighbourhood, and resembles the * The Net in the Bay, p. 19. vol.. I. I 114 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. bold but dreary region tlirougli wliicli the Winnipeg flows from Eat Portage to tliis, the first small area on or near the banks of the river where farming operations on a . small scale can be conducted with any prospect of success. The river is about 250 yards broad, and flows past this httle oasis with a rapid current. Mr. Macdonald has about six acres of wheat and four acres of potatoes in a very promising condition. In a garden surrounding the dweUing of one of the Christian Indians, I observed an acre and a half of potatoes, some Lidian corn, and a patch of wheat. Missionary labour here, as elsewhere, is not encouraging ; the adults are generally very mdolent, un- settled, and improvident ; they make but httle improve- ment, and their conduct tends to confirm the impression wliich I find to prevail among missionaries, that many embrace and adhere to Christianity for the sake of the temporal benefits it seciures, often relapsing when material advantages diminish or cease, into their original condition of barbarous idolatry. ]\ir. Macdonald looks to the school- house as the main hope for the future. When the Mis- sion was established the Indians who visited this favourite camping ground made many promises ; but even in 1852, when the Bishop of Eupert's Land visited Ishngton, he had occasion to remark, "that the Indian promised more at that time than he has since performed will not appear surprising to those who know the Indian character, and therefore all would stand prepared for some httle disap- pointment in the carrying out of the plan."* I started from Ishngton Mission on the 31st August, with Lambert, a young Indian lad, and the Ojibway from the Lake of the Woods whom I had persuaded to accom- pany me to the settlements at Eed Eiver, leaving Mr. * The Net iu the Bay, by the Bishop of Rupert's Land. SCAECITY OF .^Is^MAL LIFE ON THE WINNIPEG. 115 Dawson in tlie charge of the Eev. Eobert Macdonald and liis sister, in a fair w^ay of recovery, although far too much indisposed and feeble to attempt the rough and dangerous voyage down the Winnipeg in a small canoe, weakly manned. I arranged with Mr. Macdonald to send sup- phes, nomisliing food, and a north canoe, as soon as I arrived at the settlements, which I hoped to reach in five days. The poles of Avigwams are numerous in the flat country bordering the shores of Grand Turn Lake ; the timber is aspen and poplar, wdth a few Baiiksian pine. Eagles and fish-hawks were the only birds visible in this part of the Winnipeg, the other species of the feathered tribe being in the rice-fields. Near James' Falls there is a small area of clay sustaining aspen and poplar ; it may embrace 200 or 300 acres. Here I observed some gigantic ant-hills close to the river. The largest were from five to seven feet in diameter at the base, and fi'om four to five feet high. I counted thirteen of these curious habitations of the " vnse " ant. James' Falls are about thu'teen feet high, and are always approached with great caution in descending the stream ; they are considered to be among the most dangerous obstacles on this broken and tumul- tuous river. The foaming torrent passes over three steps, eacli about four feet in lieight and ten apayt, caused by a ledge of rock stretching across the river in a direction W. 10° s. Below James' Falls the poles of wigwams are numerous, and many Lidians were seen at the foot of the different rapids engaged in fishing. The scarcity of animal hfe of all kinds was very remarkable, eagles and fish-hawks, ducks and rabbits, being the only representatives seen. This scarcity is, however, confined to tlie autumnal months, as to the time, and to the Great Winnipeg Eiver I 2 116 BED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. in respect of area. Some distance from the river tlie extensive rice grounds cover many thousand acres, and continue for miles on either bank. Here the game con- oreoates, and revehng; in the midst of such an abundant supply of nutritious food, vast flocks of ducks, geese, and all kinds of aquatic hiids common in these regions, are to be found. It is here too that the Indians assemble at stated periods amidst the rice-grounds, procuring Avitliout any difficulty, in favourable seasons, a large supply of food for muter consumption. The falls of the Portage du Bois, where we arrived on the following day, are exceedingly beautiful ; they let the river down ten and a half feet, and are di\dded into four parts by three prettily wooded islands ; the whole breadth of the river here is about one-thii'd of a mile. The portage path passes over a fertile oasis sustaining oak, ash, and cherry, with rosebushes, honeysuckle, and a great variety of sweet scented flowering plants, which fill the air early in the morn- ino- mth dehcious frao;rance. Succeedmg tliis romantic break in the river, the Point aux Cliiens falls and rapids let the river down nineteen feet. It is succeeded by the Eoche Brule Portage and then by the Slave FaUs, the scene of one of those terrible incidents in Inchan hfe formerly of fi^equent occm-rence in these inliospitable wilds. Tra- dition tells that a slave of a ferocious master, maddened by long continued cruelty, calmly stepped into a canoe above these faUs in the presence of the tribe, and sud- denly pushing ofi* from shore, wrapped her deer-skin robe round her face and glided over the crest of the cata- ract, to find rest in the surging waters below. Above the Barriere Falls, which are next approached, a clay cliff comes on the river, and exposes a section about fourteen feet high ; its breadth is not great, as in the rear bare rocks can be seen from the river ; it occupies, how- SLAVE FALLS, WINNIPEG KIVER. 117 ever, a considerable area, being also observed below the falls, where it attains an altitude of eighteen feet. At this spot we met ]\Ii\ Clouston, of the Hudson Bay Com- pany's service, in charge of supphes for Eat Portage and Fort Frances. He kindly consented to open his cases and allow ]\Ii\ Macdonald to select some medicine and whatever necessaries he might requke for Mr. Dawson's use. The motley crew of Indians and half-breeds were ene^asfed at the time of our meetino: in hauhno' a bateau DO o O Slave Falls, Winnipeg liivt-r. over the falls, having deposited the cargo on the rocks. Twenty to twenty-five men were pulHng at a rope attached to the bateau, and with the utmost exertion slowly hfting the un\vieldy craft up the wall of water, five feet high, which constitutes the Barriere Falls. Late in the eveiiino- ^ve arrived at the mouth of the Pennawa, a small branch of the Winnipeg, which joins it again at Bonnet Lake. At and below the Otter Falls were a number of Lidians en- gaged in fishing ; as we hurried past thein they shouted I 3 118 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. to US to stop aiicl camp with them, but uot being provided with presents, and having only a very small stock of pro- visions, I thought it advisable to dechne the invitation ; leaving a few pieces of tobacco on tlie portage path we hastened to the mouth of the Pennawa, and camped about half a mile down the river. Being anxious to reach Fort Alexander, I awoke the men an hour before dayhght, and whilst breakfast was preparing, strolled over the rugged and fissured rocks through which the httle river finds its way. The almost oppressive silence -was broken only by the occasional splash of a pike, or the distant howhng of a wolf, or the subdued roar of the Wuinipeg wafted by a very gentle breath of wind which now and then stole fi^om the west. The musk rats were busily engaged swimming across the httle ponds which separate the rapids into which the Pennawa is broken, near where it branches ofi" from the Winnipeg. Instead of following the course of the Great Winnipeg, after arriving at tlie Otter Falls, I passed down the Pennawa Eiver into Bonnet Lake, in order to avoid the dangerous " Seven Portages," and save several miles of route. Near the entrance of the Pennawa into Bonnet Lake, the little river winds tlii^ough an immense marshy area covered with wild rice, and I succeeded in collecting a considerable quantity as the voyageurs paddled througli its light and yiekhng stalks with undiminished speed. There, too, were seen vast numbers of difierent species of duck, and many other kinds of birds, such as herons, pigeons, woodpeckers, cedar birds, jays, &c. The Indians we met lamented tlie failure of the rice this year ; they described the appearance in. favourable seasons of the ground through whicli we were liurrying, as a vast expanse of waving grain, from which they could soon fill their small canoes, by beating the heads with FAMINE ON THE WINNirEG. 119 a stick. Tlie waters of the river and marshes were unusually high, so as to check the growth of the rice to an extent which, when coupled with other deficiencies, threatened them with famine during the coming winter. The same cause which originated the partial failure of the wild rice led also to a great scarcity in fish. In general, the Winnipeg teems with fish, among which are sturgeon, pike, two kinds of white fish, perch, suckers, &c., affording a bountiful supply to the Indians who hunt and five on or near the lower portion of this majestic river. The extraordinary height of its waters during the summer of 1857 had so extended the feeding grounds of the fish, that they were with difficulty caught in suffi- cient numbers to provide the Lidians with tlieii' staple food. The unlooked-for short supply of wild rice and fish were more severely felt in consequence of the unaccount- able disappearance and death of the rabbits, which are generally found in vast multitudes in the region of the Lake of the Woods and Winnipeg Eiver. Dmdng the spring and summer, large numbers of rabbits were found dead in the woods, owing probably to the exhaustion which followed a severe winter, prolonged this year to an unprecedented length in these regions. With a partial failure in the rice, great scarcity of fish, and tlie prospect of a very hmited supply of rabbits, the anticipations of the coming winter on the part of those who cared to think of the sufferings of the wretched Indians of the Wimiipeg, were gloomy indeed. The Pennawa enters Bonnet Lake between high and rug- ged rocks, the termination of a range of dome-shaj^ed liills, which dechne from an altitude of 250 feet to small island bosses in the lake. The strike of the range is nearly north and south, curving shghtly to the south-east ; the summit I 4 120 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. of the range is bare, rounded, and apparently polislied. Camping on an island in tlie lake to escape an approach- ing squall, I found an Indian cache elevated on a stage in the centre of the island. The stage was about seven feet above the ground, and nine feet long by four broad. It was covered with birch bark, and the treasures it held consisted of rabbit-skin robes, rolls of birch bark, a ragged blanket, leather leo-mno-s, and other articles of winter apparel, probably the greater part of the worldly wealth of an IncUan family. At the great Bonnet Portage there are many acres of good farming land, and, indeed, from this point to Lake Winnipeg, a strip on the river, widening as we descend, possesses aU the requirements as far as soil and timber is concerned for a large settlement. The Silver Falls, the last but one, are perhaps the most im- posing and beautiful of aU the cascades on the Winnipeg. The volume of water precipitated here is immense ; all the inosculating branches of the Winnipeg uniting some distance above the magnificent Silver Falls. Tlie vast tor- rent descends a slope about 200 yards long with an inclmation of nearly sixteen feet, in the form of five or six gigantic swells. The observer may stand close to the huo-e heaving waves and watch them rush past him with astonishing velocity and ever-changing form. Sometimes they send a thin sheet of water over the smooth rock on which he is standing at the edge of the torrent ; m another minute there may be a gulf ten or fifteen feet deep, with a terrible whirlpool ragmg below, between him and the crested swell fifty feet from the shore ; suddenly the gulf is filled, and the turbulent waters, dashing against the rocks, send a shower of spray far and wide over the pohshed gneiss which confines them. We reached Fort Alexander at four in the afternoon, stayed half an hour to THE SILVER FALLS. 121- procure some flour and potatoes, and then hurried on to Lake Whinipeg, camping at the mouth of the river. Fort Alexander is situated within one mile and a half from Lake Winnipeg. Li fields near the fort I saw wheat in process of being harvested on the 3rd of September, and obtained some new potatoes of great size and excel- lent quality. I was informed by the officer in charge of the fort that Lidian corn succeeded well in many parts of the south-eastern rim of the lake, and that it was very rarely touched by late spring frosts ; it is cultivated by the Lidians. On the following morning I aroused the men at three, and made the first lake traverse by moonlight. The l'"ort Alexander, iVImitli ut' the Winnipeg River. west shore of Traverse Bay is high, and shows an excel- lent soil, thickly covered with balsam-poplar, aspen and birch. Tlie lodges of Lidians are very numerous on the west point, which forms one of their most important fish- ing stations. When we landed to breakfast or dine, oppor- tunities were afforded of examining the precipitous but luistable cliffs wdiich were occasionally exposed. At a 1-22 RED KIYER EXPLORING EXrEDITION. point on the east coast of the Grand Traverse, a section showed one feature of interest, which is common to all the great lakes of the St. Lawrence basin. The summit of the cliff, clothed with an inch or two of sandy loam, exhibits an ancient lake beach, composed of water-worn boulders, pebbles, and stratified sand, two feet thick. This is underlaid by sixteen feet of stratified sand, contahi- ins hmestone frae^ments, and boulders of the unfossiliferous rocks ; it is flanked by a talus of shingle, slabs and boul- ders, among which, bright yellow, cream-coloured, and beautifully variegated hmestones are numerous. This talus is the present shore of the lake, and the shingle, slabs, and boulders have probably been Avashed out of the un- stable chff. Its breadth may reach sixty feet, with an inchnation of three to five feet from the level of the lake, giving to the ancient beach at the summit an elevation of twenty-one feet above the present level of Lake Winnipeg. About five miles further south, I ascended a chff fifty feet high, consisting of stratified sand and marl, in which were embedded primitive boulders of most gigantic dimensions: some of them measured twelve to fifteen feet in diameter ; they were all water-worn, and distri- buted throughout the chff. On the surface, walldng was exceedingly difficult on account of their numbers and size. Many of them were covered with the Virginian creeper (Ampelopsis quinquefolia). The base of the cliff was well protected by an immense accumulation of these erratics, which had fallen from the loose sand of the chff. The temperature of the lake, six miles beyond this point, was 64° 5'. A heavy squall from the north-Avest com- pelled us to approach the shore wdien within three miles of the mouth of the Eed Eiver ; the Avaves rose with great rapidity, as is usual in large, open, and shallow sheets of water, compeUing a hasty retreat among the willows MOUTHS OF RED RIYER. 123 and rushes, wliere, notwithstanding exposm^e to the dis- comfort of the waves washing over oiu' camp during the night, we were compelled to remain in a damp maze of reeds until the wind and waves subsided. Here I had an opportunity of observing the vast number of duck, geese, and plover, which congregated amongst the rushes at the approach of niglit. Early in the morning, flights swept backwards and forwards close to our camp in con- stant succession. Eed Pdver enters Lake Winnipeg by six chstinct channels, which will be- described in the second volume. Its junction wdth the lake by the branch tlirough which we entered is marked by a low spit of sand, which was the only piece of land visible amidst the tall reeds extending far to the south. Land wdiich is dry during the summer montlis at tJie stage of water in the river on the 5th September, 1857, begins five miles from the mouth of the main channel. Half a mile above tliis pomt, Netley Creek comes in from the west, and by means of this small affluent, much of the water fL'om the upper country during floods reaches Lake Winnipeg. Large numbers of haystacks were seen here in September 1857. An immense area is flooded during the spring, and produces a very rank profusion of those grasses which dehght in a rich and marshy soil. A httle below the Indian village, fourteen miles from the mouths of the river, the whole country rises, the banks are about thirty feet higli, the timber is imposing, and all the aspects of a level, fertile region, gradually invest the scene ; but the sameness in the general appearance of the banks at this season of the year soon becomes mono- tonous, after the wild and varying beauties of the W^mnipeg. The sight of clearhigs, however, \vith the neat white houses of settlers at the Lidian missionary 124 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. village, speedily creates other impressions, aroused by such fair comparisons between the humanizing influence of civihzation, and the degraded, brutal condition of a barbarous heathen race. These familiar and suggestive signs of improvement m moral and social position, rapidly create a healthy tone of feeling m passing from the cascades and rapids of the Winnipeg, where half clad savages fisli and hunt for * daily food, to the even flow of Eed Eiver, where Christian men and w^omen, once heathen and wild, now" hve in hopeful seciu"ity on its banks. I arrived at the Stone or Low^er Fort about six p.]M., and after a little delay succeeded in procuring an Indian horse, wdiich carried me to Fort Garry, a distance of twenty miles, in a httle less than three hours, where I found the other members of the expedition camped under the walls of Fort Garry.* * The Blue Book, published by order of the Legislative Assembly, dated 10th May 1858, contains an account of the steps which were taken to send supplies to Islington Mission. 125 CHAP. VL RED RIVER SETTLEMENTS. The Red River of the North.— Its Tributaries.— The Red Fork.— The Red River withiu British Tenitory. — Its physical Features.— Objects seen ou ascending- the River. — Section of the River and Prairie.— Objects on the Banks. — The Settlement. — The King's Road.— Character of the Country north of Fort Garry. — Aspect of the Prairies. — Beauty of the Prairies. — The Assinniboine River. — Effect of Evaporation ou the Volume of Water in the Assinniboine. — Description of the Assinniboine. — Prairie Portage. — Mud and Sand Flats in the River. — Timber.— John Spence. — Lignite reported to exist on the Assinniboine. — Sioux. — Indian Com. — The Big Ridge. — An Overturn. — The Prairies of the Assinniboine. — Mr. Lane. — Mr. George Flett.— Mr. Gowler.— Mr. Gowler's Farm.— His Opinions respecting the Prairies on the Assinniboine. — INIelons. — Old Associations. — Independence, — Mr. Gowler's Success. — The Nor'wester. — A Newspaper published at Red River Settlements. The Eed Eiver of the North rises in Ottertail Lake, State of Minnesota.* The north-east end of Ottertail Lake is in latitude 46° 24' V\ and the general course of the river is westerly, through an attractive undulating country, imtil it makes its great bend to the north, in latitude 46° 9". It then meanders through a boundless prairie, which gra- dually declines in elevation until it forms a vast level plain, elevated above the water of the river only about one and a half to two feet, at its ordinary stage in June. Tlie distance of this great bend is 110 miles from Otter- tail Lake, and the vast low prairie through wliicli the river subsequently flows, in an exceedingly tortuous * The description of that part of Red River which lies within tlie ter- ritory of the T'nited States is abl)reviated from Dr. D. D. Owen's account in his geological survej' of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. 126 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. channel, is level as a floor. In latitude 46° 23' 30" a belt of timber sets in, and continues with some interrup- tion along its banks, on one side or the other, to Pembina, near the boundary hne. In latitude 46° 41' 12" the level of the prairie above the river is thirty feet ; this depression is probably due to the gradual erosion of the river channel in soft clay. Eed Eiver receives some important tribu- taries south of the 49 th parallel : on the left bank the Shayenne sweeps round the north-east flank of the Grand Coteau de Missouri, and joins Eed Eiver in latitude 47° 3^ Numerous streams, draming a lower terrace of tableland than the Grand Coteau, cut the fertile prairies through which Eed Eiver meanders at right angles to its course, but no afiluent of importance is received between the Sliayenne and the Pembina, near the international boundary line, or 525 miles from Ottertail Lake, by the windings of the main stream. On the right bank, the Eed Fork, issuing from Eed Lake, and joining the main river m latitude 47° 50', is the most important ; in consequence of its being on the line of water communication between Eainy Eiver and Eed Eiver, and also separated by a low-water parting from the Mississippi and Lake Superior, it may hereafter acquire some degree of prominence. Dr. Owen remarks of the country through wliicli Eed Eiver flows in the United States territory, that it possesses features both geologically and physically of great same- ness and flatness, without the least indication of minerals of any value, except salt, which may be crystalhsed out of sahne springs. The length of Eed Eiver within British territoiy is about 140 miles by the windings of the stream. It debouches into Lake Winnipeg, in latitude 50° 28', longi- tude 96° 50^ Its most important aflluents on the east BAXKS OF RED RIVER. 127 side are Eoseaii Eiver and German Creek. On tlie west side it receives, in latitude 49° 53' 24'', and longitude 9G° 52', tlieAssinniboine* Eiver; at the confluence of these streams Fort Garry, the capital of Assinniboia, and the head quarters of the fur trade in British America, is situated. The following description in detail of Eed Eiver, witliin British territory, supposes the observer to ascend the stream from Lake Winnipeg in a bateau or canoe, and is confined to those objects which come under observation during the voyage. Fourteen miles from the mouths of the river, the Indian missionary village occupies a terrace thirty feet above the summer level of the stream. Above the village the banks are fringed with oak, ehn, and maple, which soon give way to aspen, and then to open prairie land, the trees of larger growth appearing at intervals on the points and on the insides of the bends. About four miles above the Indian missionary village, a remarkable bend in the course of the stream gives rise to a sharp projection of the level plateau of the prairie, called Sugar Point, from the groves of maple which cover it. It has been preserved from the abrading action of the stream by numerous fragments of Hmestone which lie at the bottom of the river bank and continually increase in number and size in its ascenduig course, as far as the exposed strata of rock in position, at and above the Stone Fort, where their place is supphed in part by the parent rock. The maple, which at one time grew in considerable quantities near Sugar Point, is not the true sugar maple (Acer saccharinum) so common in Western Canada, but * Assinniboine, from " assiniii " a stoue — Cree. IIowsc, in his grammar of the Cree language spells the name of the tribe, " Assinno- boigne." 128 RED EIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. another species, generally known as the ash-leaved maple (Negimdo fraximfolium), also furnishing an abundance of juice from which sugar is made as far north as the Saskatchewan. Near to Sugar Point is an Indian school, in connection with the Indian Mission below, situated north of the Ihie which divides the parish of St. Peter from that of St. Andrew, and marking the northern limits of the Eed Elver Settlement, The banks on both sides are very heavily timbered close to the river ; but be- tween this place and the Stone Fort there are very few farmhouses. The general direction of the river from Sugar Point to Fort Gariy, is a few degrees to the west of south. In an air line the distance is twenty miles ; by the road on the left or west bank twenty-one, and by the river itself twenty-three and a half miles. The scenery and objects Avliich meet the eye in ascending tlie river between the Lower Fort and 49th parallel are uniform, but singular and interestino". o Li order to arrive at a true conception of its physical featm^es, it is merely necessary to imagine a river from 200 to 350 feet broad, vdth a moderately rapid current, havino; in the coiurse of asjes excavated a windino- trench or cut to the depth of from thirty to forty feet in tenacious clay, through a nearly level country for a distance exceed- ing 100 miles, and the general physical aspect of Eed Eiver, within British territory, is reproduced. Here and there local diversities occur which give some appearance of variety. Such are noticed at the Grand Eapids, Avhere the even flow is broken and disturbed by a ledge of limestone, which may occasion a faU of six feet within a mile. A lower terrace has here and there been exca- vated perhaps ten feet below the general level of the prairie banks. Occasionally sand, mud, and gravel bars are formed at the numerous sharp turns in the general %rh BANKS OF RED RIVER. 129 course of the stream, before the volume of its waters is augmeuted by the Assinniboine which comes in at Fort Garry. These projecting bars or points are often covered with fragments of hmestone, primitive boulders, and vast numbers of large fresh- water shells. The cur- rent round them is rapid, and during low stages they present an obstacle to the navigation of the river by means of steamers exceeding 120 feet in length. Often, too, on one side or the other, and sometimes on both sides, a narrow belt of heavy forest timber closes upon the river, and seems suddenly to narrow and darken its abrupt windings. The most uniform character, how- ever, and one which is more frequently found on the west side, is a clean and steep hue of bank about thirty feet in altitude, perfectly level to the eye, and forming the boundary of a vast ocean of prairie, whose horizon or intermediate surface is rarely broken by small islands of poplar or willow, and whose long, rank, and luxm^iant grasses show everywhere a uniform distribution, and indicate the character of the soil they cover so profusely. A subsequent closer inspection of the soil never failed to establish its fertihty and abundance, as well as its distri- bution over areas as far as the eye can reach, both eastward and westward, from the banks of this remarkable river. The objects which arrest attention in ascenthng the river between Sugar Point and the Stone Fort, are hmited to precipitous clay banks, fringed with elm, poplar, maple, oak, and ash, all of large growth, but not fair representatives of the forest which once skirted the stream, so long subjected to a destructive cuUing process, in order to supply the necessities of the settlement above. Among the underbrush, the Virginian creeper, and occasionally a wild grape, with a profusion of convol- vulus twming round hazel, alder, and rose bushes are most VOL. I. K 130 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. conspicuous. At the Stone Fort, massive layers of lime- stone crop out, -wliicli have been extensively quarried, and their apphcation is seen in the walls and bastions of the fort built u]3on the bank, here about forty feet m altitude, and forming the abrupt termination of the prame stretch- ing westward, wliich for some distance sustains a small but dense growth of aspens. At each turn of the river above this point the houses of the inliabitants of Eed Eiver Settlement come in sight, and occupy the banks, at short intervals, all the way up to Fort Garry, a dis- tance of twenty-tlu^ee and a half miles by the wmdings of the river. Two miles above the Stone Fort, is the so- called Whirlpool Point, and immediately above it the Big Eddy ; these are obstacles to further progress, formid- able only in name, and Hke most other local descriptive titles on this river, must be accepted "\\dth the mildest interpretation, and only understood to designate marked differences from the general even flow of the river. A small brook on Avliich a water-mill is situated enters the river at the Big Eddy. A short distance above the same locahty hmestone crops out in heavy layers on the west bank, and detached fragments in great abundance protect the base of the chff, which in no mstance, from the mouth to the 49th parallel, as far as my observation permitted me to judge, rises above forty feet from the water level. Some very "substantial illustrations of the adaptation of the limestone for buildhig pm^poses occiu' here, and particularly at the Grand Eapids, two and a quarter miles farther up the stream. The east side of the river is wooded to a depth varying from a few yards to a mile, and generally this feature prevails along the eastern bank as far as Fort Garry ; the timber is si- milar to that already described. At the Grand Ea- pids, which even during the low stage of water in BANKS OF RED RIVEK. 131 September, offer no formidable obstacle to the Company's and freighters' boats carrying four and five tons, an assem- blage of well-built stone buildings are grouped, which create a very favom-able impression of Eed Eiver resources and comfort, not unfrequently repeated m as- cending the stream. There is erected a very substan- tial stone church, capable of seating 500 people, and surrounded \vith a stone wall enclosing an extensive burying-ground. About 300 yards south of the church, the parsonage house is seen from the river, and a visit to its interior, to be more fully noticed subsequently, proved that every deskable comfort Avas enjoyed by the kind and hospitable incumbent, Archdeacon Hunter. Adjoin- ing the parsonage is the residence of the curate, ]\ir. Kirkby (now on Mackenzie's Eiver), and next to it a capacious and well-built school-house of wood. Four miles above the Grand Eapids, Water-mill Creek enters the river, having cut its way tlirough the yielding clay substratum of the prairie to a depth of twenty-five feet, half a mile from its mouth. Above Mill Creek the river banks break off abruptly from the prairie level, and are well wooded on the east side, the houses of the inhabitants occurring at regular intervals upon the west bank. At a short distance above the very commodious and comfortable residence, of Mrs. Bird, a lower terrace, caused by denudation, commences, and its prairie boundary passes in the rear of the house occupied by the Expedition, and comes upon the river again before reacliing the Presbyterian church. The following section shows the relation of the lower terrace to the general level of the Great Prairie, the relation of the Big Swamp, noticed hereafter, to the rivei", and also of the ancient beach or ridge of Lake Winnipeg to the general level of the country. K 2 132 RED EIVEE EXPLOEING EXPEDITION. Distance from water mark, Height above level of river, W^st. 18th September. Water mark feet feet. 6G „ 18-48 „ 109 „ 11-36 „ 152 „ 20-74 „ Benc-li-mark. 233 „ 20-06 „ 830 „ 16-52 „ 1230 „ 19-07 „ 1330 „ 25-76 „ 1853 „ 27-52 „ King's Road. 2482 „ 23-80 „ Small shallow bed of creek. 2667 „ 27-38 j;! riT,„„^ PmiTiP T;Pvp1 2988 " 27-30 , J ^'^'''''^ ■^'''™^ -^^'^^^• 4212 „ 26-31 „ Commeucemeut of marsh. East. 4 miles nearly 1 o p^. J Ancient beach of Lake Win- N.E. ^ ] ' ' '^ ^''*-l Bipeg. Above St. Paul's cliurcli, in tlie Middle Settlement, eight miles north of Fort Garry, the river winds between liigh prairie banks, which generally maintain an altitude of about thirty feet ; houses and windmills occur at regular intervals, until the steeple of St. John's church, the peaked roof of St. John's College, the school-house, the Bishop's residence, &c., offer the appearance of a large village, which is again re-produced after a sharp turn at Point Douglas, by the imposing Eoman Cathohc chin-ch, dedicated to St. Boniface, the spacious nunnery and the parish school, mth other buildhigs on the left, and a group of several commodious private dwelhng houses just below Fort Garry, on the right. About half way between these small centres of population, German Creek, a smaU meandering stream, comes in from the south-east. A quarter of a mile above the Eoman Cathohc church, the Assinniboine enters Eed Eiver, and a short distance up this stream the bastions of Fort Garry come into view. Above the mouth of the Assinniboine the course of the river is exceedingly tortuous. An idea of its meander- ings may be obtamed from the comparison between THE STONE FORT. 133 distances by the river from Fort Garry to the mouth of La Eiviere Sale, and the relative position of the same places by the road, the former being sixteen, and the latter nine miles. The houses of settlers appear at intervals on the banks for several miles above La Eiviere Sale, the last house being situated thirteen miles from Fort Garry, or fifty-seven from the 49th parallel. Above this the river windings are fringed with forest, varying in depth from a few yards to half a mile. Here and there naked bends are exposed to the prairie, the peninsula portion on the opposite side being generally clothed with trees of large dimensions ; this character is preserved far south of the 49 th parallel. Eeturning to the Indian village, and following the road to Fort Garry, thence to the 49th parallel, the following description refers to the west or most thickly hihabited parts of Selkirk Settlement. From that part of the Lidian village which hes on thq west bank of the river to the Stone Fort, httle can be seen of the surrounding country, as the road traverses a forest of small aspens, and farms are few in number and small in extent. The Stone Fort covers an area of about four acres, and encloses within its walls numerous buildings of which several excellent photographs were taken in 1858. The main or King's Eoad does not follow the windings of the river, but stretches from point to point, sometimes approaching it at these places within a quarter or half a mile. Where the river windings throw, it back to a distance exceeding a mile, inner roads, as they are termed, branch off to the river for the convenience of settlers, and there is a bridle path all the way from the Lower to the Upper Fort, on the immediate bank of the river. Aspen woods continue to shut out the view until K 3 134 EED RIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. we arrive within a mile or two of Water-mill Creek, when a scene opens upon the right which discloses on the one hand the white houses and cottages of the inha- bitants, with their barns, haystacks, and cattle yards, grouped at short distances from one another, and stretch- ing away in a thin vanishing line to the south ; while on the other hand, a boundless, treeless ocean of grass, seem- ingly a perfect level, meets the horizon on the west. The same kind of scenery, varied only on the left hand as the road approaches or recedes from the farmhouses, on the river banks, or passes near neat and substantial churches, which at almost regular distances intervene, prevails without interruption until within four or five miles of Fort Garry. Here, stretching away, until lost in the western horizon, the belts of wood on the banks of the Assinniboine rise above the general level, while from the Assinniboine toward the north again is an uninterrupted expanse of long waving prairie grass, sprinkled with herds of cattle, and in the fall of the year w^ith clusters of stacks of hay. This is the ordinary aspect of the country com- prising that portion of Eed Eiver Settlement which lies between Water-mill Creek and Fort Garry. Eemove the farmhouses and churches, replacing them on the river banks by forest trees of the largest groAvth, and the country between Fort Garry and the 49th parallel, as seen along the road to Pembina, a distance of seventy miles, is continually reproduced in its ordinary aspect of sameness and immensity. The vast ocean of level prairie which lies to the west of Eed Eiver must be seen in its extraorduiary aspects, before it can be rightly valued and understood in refer- ence to its future occupation by an energetic and civihsed race, able to improve its vast capabilities and appreciate its marvellous beauties. It must be seen at sunrise, when m 1 /^Hm W' fj^^^Biif|fc» vUlf^ ^^™fflRHH| iH'w' ; M 1 H| 1 1^^^ 1 ifl^Q i"' HM 1 ^ i/' J s' 1 , "* ^ , ' -^ \ <' v -". V ' .) r THE PKAIRIE. 135 the boundless plain suddenly flashes with rose-coloured light, as the first rays of the sun sparkle in the dew on the long rich grass, gently stirred by the unfoihng morn- ing breeze. It must be seen at noon-day, when refraction swells into the forms of distant hill ranges the ancient beaches and ridges of Lake Winnipeg, which mark its former extension ; when each willow bush is magnified into a grove, each distant clump of aspens, not seen before, into wdde forests, and the outhne of wooded river banks, far beyond unassisted vision, rise into view. It must be seen at sunset, when, just as the huge ball of fire is dipping below the horizon, he throws a flood of red light, indescribably magnificent, upon the illimitable waving green, the colours blending and separating with the gentle roll of the long grass in the evening breeze, and seemingly magnified towards the horizon into the distant heaving swell of a parti-coloured sea. It must be seen, too, by moonhglit, when the summits of the low green grass waves are tipped with silver, and the stars in the west disappear suddenly as they touch the earth, rinally, it must be seen at night, when the distant prairies are in a blaze, thirty, fifty, or seventy miles away; when the fire reaches clumps of aspen, and the forked tips of the flames, magnified by refraction, flash and quiver in the horizon, and the reflected hghts from roUing clouds of smoke above teU of the havoc which is raging below. These are some of the scenes which must be ^vitnessed and felt before the nund forms a true conception of the Eed Eiver prairies in that unrelieved immensity which belongs to them in common with the ocean, but which, unlike the ever-changing and unstable sea, seem to promise a bountiful recompence to millions of our fellow-men. On the 10th September I started for Prairie Portage, K 4 136 RED KIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. on the Assinniboine, about sixty-five miles west of Fort Garry, with ]\ir. Napier and a Cree half-breed named John Hallet. Our conveyance, which resembled a very shaky old fashioned light cart, was furnished by Mr. M'Dermott, the most enterprising and wealthy merchant and freighter in the settlements. ]\ir. M'Dermott became a kind of j)urveyor-general to the Expedition, and supphed us with whatever was to be procured for money in this remote region. Hallet provided two horses, one of which he declared to be an excellent buffalo runner, but not to be trusted in shafts, as we found to om* cost. In the following general description of the Assinniboine, a few facts are incorporated wliich were acquired during the exploration of the following year. The Assinniboine rises in latitude 51° 40', and pursues a south-easterly course for a distance of about 260 miles parallel to the basins of the Great Lakes on the east of the Eiding and Duck Mountains. Within eighteen miles south of the 50th parallel it takes a sudden bend to the east, which general dkection is preserved imtil it falls into Eed Eiver, a distance of about 240 miles from the great bend. At Lane's Post, twenty-two miles from Fort Garry, the Assiimiboine is 120 feet broad (June 28th, 1858), with a mean sectional depth of six feet. Its greatest depth here is seven and a half feet, and the rate of its current is one and a half mile an hour. JSTear Prairie Portage, sixty-seven miles from Fort Garry, the speed of the cur- rent is two miles an hour, and its fall, as ascertained by leveUing, is 1-18 feet in a mile. At its junction with the Little Souris, an affluent wliich it receives 140 miles from its mouth, tlie breadth of the river is 230 feet, its great- est depth twelve feet, and its mean sectional depth 8-6, the speed of its current being one ond a quarter mile an hoiu- ; this river is apparently considerably larger 140 THE ASSINXIBOIXE. 137 miles from its outlet than twenty-two miles from tlie same place. Even at Fort Ellice, 280 miles from its j mic- tion with Eecl Eiver, the Assinniboine is 135 feet ^vide, 11-9 feet deep in the channel, Avitli a mean sectional depth of eight feet, and a current flowing at the rate of one and three quarters of a mile an hour ; in other words, this river, 280 miles from its mouth, carries a larger body of water than at a point twenty-two miles from it. The following table shows the quantity of water which the Assinniboine carries at three different points, distant respectively in round numbers, twenty-two miles, 140 miles, and 280 miles fi'om its outlet by the windings of the river valley, but not by the windings of the river itself, which will be at least double the length of the river valley. Cubic feet per hour. Distance from outlet at Fort Garry. Lane's Post . . 5,702,400 22 mUes. Mouth of Little Soiuis . . 12,899,040 140 „ Opposite Fort Ellice . 9,979,200 280 „ It thus appears that the volume of water in the Assinni- boine is nearly twice as large at Fort Ellice as 253 miles lower doAvn the river, if the foregoing table affords suffi- cient data on which to rest an opinion. It is very probable that the character of the season would modify these results hi different years. The measurements were not made simultaneously, and the rainfall in the neighbourhood of the Touchwood Hills and m the region about Fort Felly in 1858 was represented to be more hi the extreme, than is usual dining the summer months. But judging from the appearance of the river bank, and the statements of Indians and half-breeds, famihar with the summer level at the locahties where the sections were made, there is no reason to suppose that its waters were in excess of their orduiary summer level. It is, therefore, very probable that evaporation during a long and tortuous course through 138 EED KIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. an open valley, is adequate to diminish the volume of water in the Assinniboine very much in excess of the supply wliich it receives from tributaries or springs during its course to Eed Eiver. East of Frame Portage the Assinniboine flows through a flat, open, prairie country, not more than sixteen or twenty feet above the general level of the stream, until within a few miles of Fort Garry. The whole country rising in steps west of Frame Fortage, the Assinniboine has excavated a deep and broad valley through it, in which it meanders with a rapid current. At the mouth of the Little Souris, or Mouse Eiver, tliis valley is 880 yards across and eighty-three feet below the general level of the prairie. At Fort Elhce the valley is one mile and thhty chains broad, and 240 feet below the prairie. The Assinniboine receives numerous and important aflluents. On its eastern water-shed are the Two Creeks, Fine Creek, Shell Eiver, Birdstail Eiver, and Eapid Eiver or the Little Saskatchewan. The distances of the rivers from Fort Felly, wliich may be considered as lying at the head of bateau navigation, will be noticed hereafter when the country they drain is described. From its western water-shed it receives the Wliite Sand Eiver from the Touchwood Hills ; the Qu'Appelle or Calhng Eiver, in- osculating with the south branch of the Saskatchewan ; Beaver Creek, a small rivulet on which Fort Elhce is situated ; and the Little Souris or Mouse Eiver, sweeping round the flanks of the Grand Coteau de Missouri. The Crees of the Sandy HiUs on the south branch, state that Elbow Bone Creek, an affluent of the Qu'AppeUe Eiver, in- osculates by a deep valley mth the Mouse Eiver, or an arm of it, and is connected continuously with the Assinnibome. For a distance of several miles above Fort Garry the Assinniboine flows in a trench excavated through a level CHARACTER OF THE ASSINNIBOINE. 139 prairie to the same depth as the river it feeds, or from twenty-five to forty feet. DifTereiices due to local varia- tions in the height of the bank are often referable to very shght undulations in the level of the prairie, and to the occurrence of ancient lake beaches or ridges, the first of ■which is cut by the river, near St. James' church. This ridge continues in a direction nearly due north, until it dies away in the general rise of the prame. It is near this spot that the rapids occur which, in the summer months, when the water is low, offer the only impediment to the con- tinuous boat navigation of the Assinniboine for many miles. Some short distance above the rapids the river widens ; at its mouth it may be 130 feet in breadth, and four miles from its mouth, 150 feet, a breadth which it pre- serves with considerable uniformity for a distance of 130 miles. About six and a half miles from Fort Garry the Assinniboine receives a small afHnent called Sturgeon Creek, coming from the north-west. The general di- rection of the river up to this point is nearly due west, and its course comparatively straight. The south bank is heavily timbered to a small depth, but the north bank is chiefly taken up by farms, and devoid of timber. Prom Sturgeon Creek the course against the stream continues still westerly, but with more decided meander- ings, and the wooded points on both sides of the river rarely penetrate a quarter of a mile into the vast prairie on either side. The distance from Fort Garry to where it makes its north-westerly bend is twenty-three miles by the river's windings, but by the road through the prairies and settlements only sixteen miles. The river banks are here about eighteen feet high, and their height imper- ceptibly diminishes until, at Prairie Portage, tliey were found by measurement not to exceed sixteen feet, dming the stage of water, on the 7tli of September, 1857. 140 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. After making its nortli-west turn, the Assinniboine is so remarkably crooked that a straight hne drawn through the tract of country in which it meanders for a distance of twelve miles, would be cut eighteen times by the river, and these windings are confined within such a hmited breadth that in a strip of the same length, and 1,000 yards broad, the curves of the river would just overlap this boundaiy foiu: times. The physical featiu-es of the Assinniboine as far as Prakie Portage, resemble in every important particu- lar those of Bed Eiver. The tortuous sinuosities of the larger stream are reproduced with ciurious fidelity in the magnificent prakies tlu:ough which its western rival flows. There is httle or no variety in the character of the banks either of Eed Eiver or the Assinniboine ; they con- sist of Post Tertiary stratified clays and marls, overlaid by vegetable mould. At Lane's Post, twenty-two miles west of Fort Garry, a fresh exposure of the bank, which, by the way, is continually brealdng down in small patches and changing, during the lapse of many years, the channel of the river, exhibited stratified whitish marly clay, and dark divab coloured clay fi^om the water's edge to within five feet of the prairie level, which here, as is frequently the case, comes abruptly upon the river. Dark alluvial clay suc- ceeds, having an average thickness of about four feet ; this is followed by from six to eighteen inches of black prairie mould. Beyond Lane's Post the river course is westerly for a few miles, it then makes a bend towards the north-west, until Long Lake, an old bed of the river, is reached, after which it turns towards the south-west for about sixteen miles, thence westerly, ten miles fmlher to Prame Portage. Nine miles beyond Lane's Post the settlements cease ; they BAXKS OF THE ASSIXNIBOINE. 141 recommence thirty miles further up the stream by the road, and aUhough the distance from Lane's to Prairie Portage is not more than forty-three miles, the course of the winding Assinniboine would probably exceed ninety miles. The river banks are heavily timbered, and sustain trees of very large dimensions. The distance between the top of the banks on either side of the river is variable, but it appears to be generally between 600 and 800 feet, at sharp turns it was often not more than 400, and when- ever it exceeded that distance one side was steep and washed by the water, the other occupied by a sand spit or mud-flat at the foot of the opposite bank. During my stay at Prairie Portage, in September, 1857, I had an excellent opportunity of examining the relation of the sand and mud flats to the river banks, as well as the forest which fringed it to the depth of half a mile. The river is here about 180 feet broad, and with a rapid cmTcnt sweeps under the south bank, which forms the outer arc of a very beautifid curve extenduig over 120 degrees. The cord of this arc is well defined by the old north bank of the river, under which, probably, it once swept, but now only touches when the chamiel is full dm'- ing spring freshets ; the length of this cord is perhaps 700 yards, and at each extremity the river is seen sweeping between steep banks, sixteen feet high, until, a httlc lower do^vn or a httle higher up, similar curves, with their ac- companyuig sand and mud-flats recur. These sand and mud-flats are arranged in the order of the specific gravi- ties of the materials which compose them, but witli such singular regularity, and with such curious and interesting admixtures, that I have considered it worth while to de- scribe them with some degree of particularity. At the western extremity of the curve, a few rounded boulders were seen, not exceeding eight inches in diameter ; 142 KED RIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. these were followed by gravel spits as the area opened ; beyond tlie gravel spits, which extended perhaps over a quarter of the segment, flats of coarse sand showed them- selves ; these were strangely filled and strewed with the decayed and broken horns of the elk, the bones and horns of the elk, buffalo, deer, and just beyond these a human skull, with two or three scattered and water- worn skulls of bufialo ; the sandy areas ceased in curved lines, with a small steep descent of about two feet, and were succeeded by mud partly covered here and there with fine sand, probably drifted by wind. The sandy mud was followed by fine compact mud, with numerous deep cracks par- tially filled with fine sand. Another fall of about three feet occurred in the form of a bank, and recent mud, smooth and treacherous, occupied the remaining portion of the segment a few inches above the present water level. This arrangement of mud, sand, and gravelly spits was noticed elsewhere, and probably frequently occurs in the Low Prairie region through which the Assinnibome is con- tinually changing its com^se by excavating new channels in the soft and yielding clays. The timber on the banks of tliis river is perhaps not so • heavy as on Eed Eiver, nevertheless some very fine oak and elm, with white wood and poplar of extraordinary dimensions, were seen near the Prairie Portage. A fair quantity of sugar is made by the Assinniboine half-breeds, but not in comparison with what might be easily obtained if systematic habits and a proper appreciation of the fruits of industry existed here. A species of grape grows in pro- fusion on the banks of this river. I suppose it to be the frost grape ( Vites Andifolia). The fruit when first gathered is not very palatable, but after hanging in the open air for forty-eight hours it acquires a sweet taste and a very de- licious flavour. LIGMTE. 143 The name Prairie Portage is derived from the existence of a carrying place nine miles long, between this part of the Assinniboinc and Lake Manitobah. It is stated by half-breeds at the settlement, that at seasons of extraor- dinary high water, canoes can approach each other from the Assinniboinc and Lake Manitobah, so as to leave but a very short distance for the portage ; and instances have occmTcd of water, dm-ing periods of high floods, flowing from the Assinniboinc into Lake Manitobah by the valley of Eat Eiver. I had an opportunity of meeting, at this isolated settle- ment, with one John Spence, a Cree half-breed of great experience in Eupert's Land. He drew a small chart for me, showing the position of what he called " coal " on the Assmniboine. I saw and conversed with a half-breed who had brought "a few bushels" of tliis coal to the settlement, for the pm^pose of ascertaining its fitness for the forge ; he stated that he was a blacksmith, had used the coal and found it answer, but it required a strong draft. I procured from another half-breed several speci- mens, and ascertamed that it was lignite, and not the true coal of the coal measures. On the Little Souris, a tribu- tary of the Assinniboinc, the hgnite was described as cropping out in bands exceeding a foot in thickness, and occupying a large area on its banks, a statement which the exploration of the succeeding year did not verify, at least in the locahty pointed out to me. Dr. Hector, how- ever, found hgnite in the valley of the Souris, three hundred miles west of Prairie Portage. I endeavoured to induce John Spence to accompany me and point out the locality where the lignite cropped out on the Assinni- boinc ; he expressed perfect Avillingness to do so, if I could procure for the trip ten men in all, so that watches might be estabhshed by night, in consequence of the pre- 144 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. sence of several bands of Sioux Indians on the trail of the buffalo hunters, who were then coming in from the Great Prairies, after their summer hunt. The Sioux had suc- ceeded in driving off ten horses from the tail of the cara- van, about half a day's journey from Praurie Portage the night preceding my arrival there ; and this incident led John Spence and others to dechne going with me, unless the number of the party amounted to ten in all. So large an addition I found it impossible to procure at Prairie Portage, and after my return to the settlements, the time at my disposal was too short to admit of the exploration. In carefully searching the recent mud-flats of the Assin- niboine at, and a httle above Prame Portage, I found numerous small fragments of lignite, fi'om which it might be inferred that an exposure of the parent rock was situ- ated some distance up the river ; but beyond tins and the reiterated statements of many who had descended the stream in a batteau, I found no proof of the existence of lignite in available quantities. In the settlements on Eed Eiver and the Assinniboine, small specimens of lignite were frequently shown to me by different people, who stated that they procured them from the crossing-place on the Little Souris ; and an Indian had a bag containing about half a bushel of the same mate- rial, together with specimens of silver mica, carefully trea- sured up m many folds of dressed buffalo skin. Many mtel- ligent people in the settlements appeared to be much im- pressed with the importance of ascertauiing the true nature and extent of the hgnite beds on the Little Souris. The great scarcity of wood in the prairie country, and aU through the valleys of Eed Eiver and the Assinniboine, making the question of a permanently increasing settle- ment in a measiure dependent upon the supply of fuel which may be obtained from other sources than those IXDIAN CORN'. 14.5 offered by the asjieii-covered ridges, or the thin strips of timber on the immediate banks of the rivers. In order to reach John Spence's house, I passed througli a field of Indian corn, and from the proprietor I obtained the following statement respecting the culti- vation of this valuable grain. The kuid of Indian corn most common in the settlements is called the Horse-teeth corn, and it does not always ripen. The variety sown by Spence he termed the Manchil corn, the seed was pro- cured from the Indians near the head waters of the Mis- souri ; probably the " Mandan corn " would be the correct name. He had cultivated it for two years ; it ripened Prairie Portage, Assinniboiiie River. well both years. One of his neighbours, a Cree Indian, had cultivated it for four years and had not met witli any failure. Spence sowed his corn on the 1st June, and gathered it 10th September, or after a period of 102 days. In dry seasons it ripens earUer, and is planted about tlie 20th of May ; the wet spring of the present year retarded all agricultural operations. A small house adjoining the one in whicli Spence resided I found filled witli a portion of his corn crop. The ]'oad from tlie village of Prairie Portage folloAvs VOL. I. L 146 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. a general north-easterly direction for a distance of twenty- nine miles, before it tnrns south-westerly towards Fort Garry. This deviation is necessary in order to avoid Long Lake, an ancient bed of the river, now converted into a narrow, ^vinchng lake of great length. .' On each side of the road is a very magnificent prairie, bounded on the right by the wooded banks of the Assinni- boine, and on the left by the horizon ; a few scattered clumps of poplar are seen here and there, but no trees, until the " Big Eidge" comes in sight. The ridge is pro- bably an ancient beach of Lake Winnipeg ; its elevation does not appear to be more than sixty feet above the • prau'ie level. Wliere the road touches Long Lake, a spur of the Big Eidge is distant about three miles. I made a diversion from the main track for the purpose of examining the character of the ridge. It rises almost imperceptibly from the prairie, and at its base are nu- merous small fragments of hmestone. Ascending the ridge, the hmestone debris was found to increase in quantity, and near its summit the slabs were of large dimensions. Our cart-horse beginning to show signs of brealdng doAvn soon after we left the Big Eidge, Hallet proposed to put his buffalo runner into the shafts, thinking that the journey had so far subdued his spirit, that he would submit to the indignity of drawing a Hght cart. He travel- led for a few hundred yards quietly enough, but when we came into the open prairie, he started off at a gallop, and swerving suddenly, overthrew the cart, projecting its con- tents into the grass. Mr. Napier received a serious sprain in the Avrist, but I fortunately escaped without injury, having fallen on my feet. The buffalo runner soon broke loose from the shafts, and after a short gallop stopped to survey the ruin he had made. HaUet caught him without much trouble, but did not ventm-e to harness THE AVHJTE IIOKSH PLALV. 147 him again. A few strips of buffalo hide placed our cart m travelling condition, and permitted us slowly to resume our journey. Eegaining the main road, well marked by the deep nits formed by the buffiilo hunters' carts, Ave soon arrived at the White Horse Plain, a vast, shghtly undulating prairie, bounded by the horizon in every dii^ection but the south, where the distant wooded banks of the Assinnibome afford some rehef to the eye. The grass is long and rank, and the soil a black mould of great depth, often exceeding eighteen inches. In many places it is thrown up mto conical heaps by moles, and uniformly displays the same rich appearance, tridy represented by the bountiful provision of verdm'e it sustains. Li 1857 the edges of the Wliite Horse Plain unfortunately teemed AAith another kind of hfe. The grasshoppers (locusts) ap- peared in countless millions just before my arrival; every bare patch of ground in the road was filled with theu' egus, the lining insects were leaping through the tall grass in infi- nite multitudes, yet, notwithstanding, faihng to change the appearance of the country in the midst of so great a pro- fusion of food. Wliat the next year's brood may do remains to be seen, their progenitors had come in swarm- ing clouds from the south side of the Assmniboine, but no one could tell of then origin, or of the devastations tliey must have created before they took their flight, and ahghted on the White Horse Plain. The last house of the settlement, westward of Wliite Horse Plain, is about thiity-three miles fi^om Fort GariT, and between it and the Company's Post, in charge of Mr. Lane, there are nine houses and farms. The Prairie Portage road, however, does not pass near them, it touches tlie river only at those bends which do not necessarily compel much deviation from a straight com'se. The 148 RED KIVEK EXPLORING EXPEDITION. farmliouses are similar to those on lied Eiver, but tJie soil appears to be, if possible, of a better description. We were very hospitably entertained by Mr. Lane, the gentleman in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's Post on the Assinniboine, twenty-two miles west of Fort Garry. ]\Ir. Lane informed me that Indian corn did not always ripen on that part of the river. Spring frosts rarely affect it, but autumn frosts sometimes cut it off. He thought that careless cultivation was the reason Avhy it did not progress fast enough to escape the early autumnal frosts. Indian corn sown on diy points of the river arrived at maturity much sooner than that which was sown on the rich and moist prauie mould. Leaving Lane's Post, the river is touched again at the Eoman Cathohc Mission of St. Francois Xavier. The road now foUows the general course of the river, in the rear of the farms which, from this point to Fort Garry, are not far apart. On the night of the 15th September, we stayed at the house of ]Mi\ Geo. Flett, fifteen miles west of Fort Garry. Mr. Flett's turnips had been altogether consumed by the grasshoj^pers, but his wheat was safe and good ; he says that Indian corn succeeds well, and almost always ripens ; it is his opinion that it may always be rehed upon Avhen care is taken ; it does not progress quick enough on the open prairie to escape every season the early autumnal frosts ; on the points of the river where the soil is hghter and chyer than in the open prairie, and where some shelter may be obtained from the neighbouring timber, he has never known it to fail. ]\Ir. Flett finds the cut worm the great enemy to his tm^nips ; his potatoes for the summer crop are planted 1st June, and ready for eating from the 10th to the 15th August ; the winter supply he does not hft until October. Over the whole of MR. (iUWLER. 149 tlie Wliite Horse Plain district, thirty bushels to the acre is an average crop of wheat, but on new land forty- bushels is not only common but generally expected. On the morning of the 16th we paid a visit to lir. Gowler, whose farm is situated on the immediate banks of the Assinniboine, about nine miles from Fort Garry. Nearly all forming operations were over, but an inspection of his farmyard and garden enabled me to form an opinion of his success and prospects as an agriculturist on the Assinniboine. A small stack-yard was filled with stacks of wheat and hay ; his barn, Avhich was very roomy, was crammed with wheat, barley, potatoes, pumpkins, turnips and carrots. The root crops were shortly to be transferred to root houses, which he had constructed by excavating chambers near the high bank of the Assinniboine, and draining them into the river. The drain was supphed wdtli a close and tightly fitting trap, which was closed when the water rose during the spring above its mouth, at that time eight feet above the level of the river. The chambers were about nine feet high, and their ceihngs three feet below the prairie level. Access was obtained through a hole in the ceihng, which was covered with a neat httle movable roof. There were three of these cellars or root-houses before the dweUing-house, and between it and the river. Frost never entered them, and he found no difficulty in preserving a large stock of pota- toes and turnips through the severe winters of this region. ]VIr. Gowler farmed fifty acres in white and green crops, hay and pasture being furnished by the prairie. He OAvned much more land, but found it useless to crop it, as no market for surplus produce existed. In 185G he had sold many bushels of i^otatoes at sixpence per bushel, and had carted them nine miles. I had been previously in- L 3 IW RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. formed of the extraordinary success of Mr. Gowler in growing wheat, but I found upon inquiry that the prac- tice he employed was simply not to groAV wheat after wheat ; he had groA\ii fifty-six measured bushels to the acre. The jDrice of wheat at the time of my departure was 4.S. bd. sterhng a bushel, but last year at the same time it had been os. M. sterhng. His turnips (Swedes) were magnificent ; four of them weighed 70 lbs., two weighing 39 lbs., and two others 31 lbs. Wliatever manure his yard and stables supplied he gave to green crops and the garden. A portion of the potato crop was still ui the ground ; they far surpassed in quantity, quality and size, any I had ever seen before. Mr. GoAvler very kindly turned them up out of the soil wherever I pointed out. I counted thirteen, fourteen, and sixteen potatoes, averaging three and a-half inches in diameter, at each root respectively. They were a round white-skinned variety, like those known in Canada as the "Enghsh White." The potatoes were planted on the 1st June, and were ready for eating on the 16th or 18th August. The muter sup]:)ly was rarely taken out of the ground before the beginning of October. The greatest enemy to the turnip crop is the cut- worm (the grub of an elater). Indian corn succeeds well on Mr. Gowler's farm, and onions of rare dimensions were growing in his garden. He had had this year a splendid crop of melons, the seed being sown in the open air at the end of May, and the fruit gathered about the 1st September. At the time of my visit the melons had all been consumed, but I had several opportunities of tasting and enjoying this fruit, at Fort Garry and elsewhere, on the Assinniboine and Eed Eiver. In every instance they Avere grown in the open air, without any artificial aid beyond weeding, from the time the seed was planted to the maturation of the fruit. MR. GOWLER'S VIEWS OF THE ASSINNIBOIi\E PRAIRIES. 151 Mr. Gowler insisted on my tasting his wife's clieesc, and smoking his tobacco, before I departed. The cheese was tolerable ; the tobacco, which was o-rown in the nei<>h- bonrhood and highly prized by Mr. Gowler, was dread- fnlly strong, and woidd involve long training in order to acquire a taste for its quahties. Nevertheless, Mr. Gowler preferred it to some excellent fig-leaf which I offered him ; he remarked, that he had grown and prepared it himself, and knew what it was. I may here relate, ^vitli a view to show how long old associations hnger in the recollections of the European portion of the population in this remote region, that when I sat down to table Mr. Gowler turned inquiringly to his wife, saying, " And where is my plate .^ " " Oh, John ! you would not think of sitting at table with gentle- men ? " Ml-. John seemed puzzled for a moment ; his son-in-law and children were looking- in silence from dif- ferent corners of the room. He cast a hasty glance around, and tlie true feehngs of independence and manly light showed themselves, as he exclaimed, " Give me a chair and a plate ; am I not a gentleman, too ? Is not this my house, my farm, and these my victuals ? Give me a plate." As Mr. Gowler accompanied me to the gate, where my horse was tied, he expressed, with much warmth of feeling and manner, the following opinion of husbandry and its prospects in Assinniboia : — "Look at that prairie; 10,000 head of cattle might feed and fatten there for nothing. If I found it worth my while, I could enclose 50, 100, or 500 acres, and from every acre get 30 to 40 bushels of wheat, year after year. I could grow Indian corn, barley, oats, flax, hemj), hops, turnips, tobacco, anything you wish, and to any amount, but what would be the use.^ Tliere are no markets, l4 1/52 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. it's a chance if my wheat is taken, and my potatoes I may have to give to the pigs. If we had only a market, you'd have to travel long before you would see the like of these prairies about the Assinniboine." The substantial character of the barn, stables, and piggeries, constructed of wood, their neatness and clean- hness, the admirable arrangements of the hammels for cattle, and the sheds for sheep, all showed how far a little energy and determination, instructed by the expe- rience of earher years, would go in reproducing amidst the boundless prairies of Assinniboia, the comforts and enjoyments which are by no means the rule among the small farmers of Great Britain. I regretted to find that a few days before my visit the grasshoppers had arrived from the south-west, and consumed in a single day every green leaf in the garden which remained exposed to their attacks. The " Nor'- Wester," a newspaper published for the first time at the Eed Eiver settlement on the 28th December, 1859, mentions Mr. Gowler's success as an agriculturist in the following terms : — " At seed-time of the present year (1859), all traces of the pestilence (the grasshoppers) had disappeared, and Mr. Gowler having before liis eyes the pretty sure pros- pect of a good market, brought under cultivation a greater breadth of land than any year previously. He sowed 63 bushels of Avheat, 36 of barley, 24 of oats, and 101 of potatoes, and from these he realised 700 bushels of wheat, 350 of barley, 480 of oats, and 2,100 of pota- toes. The cost of the seed was 50/. ; in preparing and tilling the soil, about 25/. more were expended; and the cost of gathering in and thrashing the crops is set down at 100/. — making a total expenditure of 175/. Place against that the sums representing the sale of the wheat MR. GOWLER'S SUCCESS. 153 at 65., the barley at 3.y. del., the oats at 2-y. Gc/., and the potatoes at l^v. od. per bushel (average prices, which the produce will easily command), and an argument more strong and convinchig than could be wrought out by any other ])rocess of reasoning, stands stubbornly forth in favom- of the claims of the settlement as being one of Confluence of the Assinniboine and Eecl River. the best agricultural countries on the face of the globe. It should be added that Mr. Gowler's profits have already enabled him to enlarge the bounds of his estate to 600 acres ; to stock it with a noble herd of cattle and horses, and to make the necessaiy preparations for erecting thereon, next summer, a snug and comfortable mansion." 154 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. CHAP. YII. THE WEST AND EAST B.\NKS OF RED RIVER, BETWEEN FORT G.iRRY AND THE BOUNDARY LINE. La Riviere Sale. — Pembina Mountain. — Scratching Eiver. — Pembina Fort. — Pembina. — The Pioseau Ptiver. — Ancient Lake Ridge. — Roseau Lake. — Route to the Lake of the Woods. — Meet an Indian. — Indian idea of Money. — Crossing place at the Roseau. — Indian Wig-warns. — Ancient Lake Ridge. — Prairie Hens. — Indian Snares. — Still Water Creek. — Rat Eiver. — The Nine Mile Swamp. — Mr. Pieii-e Gladieux. — Half-breed Po- liteness and Hospitality. — La Riviere Seine.— Character of the Coimtry. — Indian Scruples. As soon as I returned from Prairie Portage preparations were made for an exploration of the Eoseau or Eeed-grass Eiver, with a view to ascertain whether a communication mioht be effected between the Lake of the Woods and Eed Eiver, as well as to ascertain the hmit of the paljeozoic rocks, and their junction with the metamorphic series on wliich they rest. On the 21st September, accompanied by my assistant, Mr. Fleming, I started fi'om our quarters m the ]\£ddle Settlement. Om- equipment consisted of three men, five horses, and a Eed Eiver cart. We crossed the Assumiboine by the feriy at Fort Garry, and took the road on the west side of the river to Pembina. The country Mng to the west of Eed Eiver was examined by ^Mr. Dickinson in 1858, and, for the sake of miiformity, his observations are incorporated in the de- scription which follows, of La Eiviere Sale, and an exten- sive range of table-land called Pembina Mountain. Nine miles above Fort Garry, LaEi\aere Sale joins with the main stream. The buffalo hunters' trail to the great WEST BANK OF KED RIVER. 155 south-western prairies on the Grand Coteau cle Missouri passes up the south side of this river for a distance of thn-ty miles, cutting across the large and winding bends of the valley. The country lying between it and the Assinniboine is very marshy, and is covered w4th mllows and clumps of small aspen. In the valley of La Eiviere Sale, and along both sides, grow oak and elm and some fine ash, many of the trees bemg two feet in diameter; this narrow forest extends the whole way up the river on the north bank. On the south side there is a prairie apparently as level and boundless as the ocean ; the grass on it is most beautiful and luxuriant, indicating the richness of the soil. The valley is about a quarter of a mile wide and forty feet deep, abounding in salt springs, which make the water in the river quite brackish, from which it derives its name. The river higher up opens out into small lakes, and rises from an extensive marsh. The track here joins the hunters' track from the \Vliite Horse Plain ; it then turns to the south, in Avhich direction it goes for about twenty-five miles through open prairies, until it crosses "La Eiviere des Lies des Eois," a river fifteen feet wide and two deep, flowing into the Scratching Eiver. This portion of the country is all a level prairie, the greater part of it being wet and marshy, except near the last-named river, where it is quite dry for five miles ; the land is a rich sandy loam, yielding most luxmriant grass. On both sides of the river there is a skirting of trees, chiefly of oak, averaging one foot six inches in diameter. The buflldo hunters, when they have crossed this little river, begin to keep a sharp look-out for the Sioux, and to take their usual precautions, such as setting watches by night and ])lacing their carts in a ring. The track, continuing in the same direction, crosses a 156 RKD RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. prairie twenty miles wide, of light sandy soil, with clumps of aspen and willows growing here and there ; it is inter- sected by many small valleys, in all of which, with one exception, the brooks that formed them are now dried up. The vaUey of " La Eiviere Tabac " is seven chains wide and twenty feet deep, with very little water in the fall of the year, where in spring time there is a rapid How. The prairie on the south and west is bounded by what is generally caUed the " Pembina Mountain," which is ra- ther a series of steps rising up from the prairie below to one above. There are three steps, from twenty to twenty- five feet hi.sh, together with a gTadual ascent for two miles ; the whole of it is thickly strewn with granitic boulders. This " mountain," which consists of clay, gravel and sand, rims in a south-easterly direction, from a little above Prakie Portage to Pembina. Wliere we crossed it there is no timber, but on both sides it is well covered, particularly on the south, where the trees seemed large and good. Here the forest is said to begin which reaches to the As- sinniboine, but with the exception of some oak on the mountain there is no good timber, nothing but young aspen from twenty to thirty feet high, growing very close together, and forming a dense thicket. Scratching Eiver joins the main stream thirty-seven miles from Port Garry. The postman who carries the mail between Pembina and the settlements hves here, and has estabhshed an apology for a tavern and a ferry. Scratching Eiver winds for many miles through a bound- less prairie, without a tree or shrub on its banks. We arrived at Pembina Port on the 24th, Justin time to partake of an exceUent dinner with Mr. Murray, the gen- tleman in charge. In the afternoon we crossed Eed Eiver, passing through the miserable cluster of houses which bears a prominent position on maps of the north-western ANCIENT LAKE RIDGE ON THE ROSEAU. lo7 states, figuring under the name of the town of Pembina. Most of the inhabitants of Pembina liave moved to St. Joseph, so that the population of this frontier village does not now number more than 100 souls. On the eveninn; of the 25th we camped on the banks of the Eoseau, after a hard mai'cli of thirty-one miles through a very fine and promising country. The general course of this stream fi'om its confluence -with Eed Eiver to Eoseau Lake is a few degrees to the south of east. It enters Eed Eiver about ten miles north of the 49th parallel, and it is probable that Eoseau Lake is on the boundary hue between Eupert's Land and the State of IVIuinesota. The coiu"se of the Eoseau is very tortuous, and for the first twenty miles it meanders through a beautifid prairie, with a belt of heavy forest trees on its banks. Near the mouth of the river, on the south side, there is a large area of low land, but above that point the banks vary fi^om fifteen to twenty feet in height until, at the crossing place, the ancient Lake Eidge is reached. Here the banks are from fifty to fifty-five feet above the level of the river. Near the crossing place, the ridge has probably an elevation exceeding sixty feet above Eed Eiver ; it, with its offsets, form a very singular and most interesting fea- ture in the topography of the valley of this river. The ridge once past, the whole face of the country changes. The soil becomes poor and sandy, although still preserving a prairie or plain character. The timber on the banks of the river fast dwindles to small sized oak, elm, birch, and poplar, until it gives place, about forty-six miles from the mouth, and perhaps seventy or eight}^ by the winding of the stream, to extensive marshes, in which there are islands of small pine. At the commence- ment of these marshes the Eoseau Eiver moves sluggishly, and its stream soon becomes dead water, witli a vast ex- 158 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. panse of flooded land on either side, extending, according to om- gmde, fifty miles to the right hand and to the left. Having found it impossible to proceed further on horse- back than the beginning of the great marshy tract of the Eoseau, and not being provided with a canoe, the following description of the country rests upon the authority of the guide who accompanied us, and who had resided at Eo- seau Lake for a year and a half Avlien in the ser\dce of the Hudson's Bay Company. The river channel can be traced through a marsh ten miles long, nearly on a level with the water in the river. The depth of the marsh does not ex- ceed three feet, and it is quite possible to wade on horse- back through it. The Hudson's Bay Company's route to their post on Eoseau Lake (in 1851) retired from the banks of the river when the waters began to flow slug- gishly, and pursued a direction some miles to the south of the channel, probably ^dthhi the United States territory. In 1847, a very diy season, it was possible to proceed mth carts in a direct hne near the banks of the river fi'om the beginning of the marsh to the post, one mile and a half from Eoseau Lake. An idea of the character of the country about this post may be inferred from the guide's description of his at- tempts to destroy the monotony of his life, when stationed at Eoseau Lake. He informed me that when he wished " to see anything " beyond the four walls of his log shanty, and the rushes by which it was surrounded, he Avas in tlie habit of mounting to the roof, and from the top of the mud chimney enjopng the view ; which consisted of reeds to the north, reeds to the south, and reeds to the west, as far as the eye coidd reach, and to the east, Eoseau Lake, fifteen miles long by ten broad, mth a deep fringe of reeds. On the bosom of this retired sheet of water, in the spring and the fall, he was enabled to watch countless millions ROSEAU LAKE. 159 of ducks and geese ; and the noise of theii shrill cries, with the flapping of mngs as they would rise to take their morn- ing flight to the north or south, according to the season of the 5'ear, were almost the only sounds he heard, save the sighing of the wind through the reeds, dming liis dreary abode in the waste of Eoseau Lake. The altitude of Eoseau Lake above Lake Winnipeg probably does not exceed 170 feet ; and as the elevation of the Lake of the Woods is at least 370 feet above the same level, there must still be a rise of 200 feet to be overcome before reaching the height of land. Our guide described the Eoseau Eiver, before it enters Eoseau Lake, as stretching to the south in the terri- tories of tlie United States. He also said, that issuing from the Great Muskeg, or swamp, oceuppng so much of the height of land between Eed Eiver and the Lake of the Woods, was a narrow rapid stream fifty miles long, emptying into Eoseau Lake, thus forming a route by means of ^^'hicli none but the smallest sized canoes can pass from Eoseau Lake, through the Great Muskeg, to the Lake of the Woods. The ancient Lake Eidge is a contmuation of the one re- ferred to on page 132; it extends in an imbroken hue, except where the river from the higher level in the rear has cut channels through it, from near Lake Wumipeg, far beyond the international boundaiy. At the crossing- place on the Eoseau, about forty-six miles from Eed Eiver, its height was estimated to be the same as at the Middle Settlement ; it forms a beautiful dry gravel road wherever traversed, and suffers only from tlie drawback of being the favourite haunt of numerous badgers, whose holes on the flank, and sometimes also on the summit, are dangerous to horses ; it is, apparently, perfectly level for a hundred miles, and everywhere, as far as my obser- vation enabled me to judge, shows tlie same even rounded summit ; it may yet form an admirable means of com- 160 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. miuiicatioii through the coimtry, and it marks the hmit of the good land on the east of Eed Eiver. This ridge is a favourite resort of the prairie hen {Tetrao cupido), when they perform their curious circular dances in the early spring months. We frequently met with a rmg of sticks, placed in a circle about ten feet in diameter, to each of which a noose of smew was attached. Our half-breeds informed us that they were snares which the Indians set to catch the prairie hens Li the spring the males con- gregate on dry gravelly ridges, frequenting the same spot year after year, and march round and round, with feathers erect and wings rubbing the ground as a prehminary to a general combat. The Indians observe the spot where the birds congregate, and after night-faU set theu" snares on the edge of the ring, which the male bh'ds have selected to try their strength, and to attest their claims to the favour of the females who are perched on the neighbour- ing bushes. In the battle which ensues, or durmg their solemn march, some of them are caught and strangled. The following spuited description from Audubon's dehghtful "Birds of America" Avill, doubtless, be read with interest : — " Their love season commences, and a spot is pitched upon to which they daily resort until in- cubation is estabhshed. Inspired by love, the male buds, before the first ghmpse of day lightens the horizon, fly swiftly and singly from their grassy beds, to meet, to challenge, and to fight the various rivals led by the same impulse to the arena. The male is at this season attired in his full dress, and enacts his part in a manner not sur- passed in pomposity by any other bird. Imagine them assembled to the number of twenty by daybreak ; see them all strutting in the presence of each other ; mark their consequential gestiues, tliCK looks of disdain, and their angry pride as they pass each other. Their tails THE PRAIRIE HEN. 161 are spread out and incliued forwards, to meet the ex- panded feathers of their neck, which now, hke stiffened frills, he su])ported by the globular orange-coloured receptacles of air, from which their singular booming sounds proceed. Their wings, like those of the tm^key cock, are stiffened and declined so as to rub and rustle on the ground, as the bird passes rapidly along. Theu^ bodies are depressed toAvards the ground ; the fire of their eyes evinces the pugnacious workings of the mind ; their notes fill the air around, and at the very first answer from some coy female, the heated blood of the feathered warriors swells every vein, and presently the battle rages. Lil^e game cocks, they strike and rise in the air to meet their assailants to better advantage. Now many close in the encounter ; feathers are seen whirlmg in the agitated air, or faUiug around them tinged with blood. The weaker begin to give way, and one after another seek refuge in the neighbouring bushes. The remaining few, greatly exhausted, maintain their ground, and withdraw slowly and proudly, as if each claimed tlie honours of victory The vanquished and the victors then search for the females, who, beheving each to have retimied from the field in triumph, receive them with joy." At noon on the 26th September, when discussing witli the guide the possibihty of proceeding fmther up the banks of the Eoseau Eiver on horseback, we heard the sound of a gun, proceeding apparently from the river. Having fired one in retm^n, we were not suqorised some time aftenvards to see an Lidian approach. He had just arrived with his family from the Lake of the Woods, by the route proposed to be taken by Mr. S. Dawson and myself some weeks before. He described the route in the same way as the guide, and in no material respect differed from the accounts we had before received fi^om VOL. I. M 162 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. the Lac la Pliiie Indians, Avho had been engaged to convey us through it, before the intervention of the tribe at Garden Island, narrated in Chapter IV. He had been ten days on the road, but might have accomphshed the journey thus far in shorter time, had he not found it necessary to hunt for his family, who accompanied him. At my request he drew a chart of the route, which was, in almost all particulars, similar to that fimiished by the Indian at Fort Frances. He ascended a smaU river, marked on the map Eeed Eiver, from the Lake of the Woods, for a distance of thirty miles to the Great Muskeg at the height of land. He was two days dragging his canoe through the Muskeg, which is here nine miles broad. He then descended, the rapid stream, forty to fifty miles long, before noticed, which is called by the Indians Muskeg Eiver, and found himself among the rushes or reeds of Eoseau Lake. In his canoe we found his wife and two children. The half-naked Httle savages were busily engaged in plucking a goose for their noon- day meal. I offered him some tea in exchange for the bird, and when the transfer was made, asked him what they intended to eat for their own dinner ; he rephed by pointing to the bow of his canoe, addressing at the same time a word or two to his wife, who raised a piece of birch bark and disclosed two more geese, which he had shot a few minutes before we saw him. Having bartered for them also, vdth a small plug of tobacco, I asked the guide what he would take for a new stone pipe which one of the children was plapng with ; to my astonishment the Indian repHed, three beaver skins (about five shillings), but at the same time casting his eyes upon our cups and saucers which lay on the grass, he said he woidd prefer a cup, worth about four-pence. He really knew nothing of the value of money or of cups, although he was quite AX INDIAN'S IDEA OF MONEY. 163 aware of the worth of a beaver-skin iii ordinary articles of trade, such as powder, shot, tobacco, or tin- ware, but a painted earthenware cup was something new to him ; and his wife expressed great dehght as she examined with much minuteness the addition to her household goods. Eeturning nearly in our steps to the crossing-place, we went over to the right bank of the Eoseau, and after threading through a forest of fine oaks, about one quarter of a mile deep, found ourselves emerging upon an open, dry prairie, bounded on the east by the low wooded ridge before noticed as occurring on the south side of the river. The distant belt of woods, fringing Eed Eiver, might just be seen in the far western horizon, the whole intervenino" space being a rich and level prairie, without shrubs or willows. On the bank at the crossing place the skeletons of Indian wigwams and sweating-houses were grouped in a prominent position, just above a fishing weir where the Ojibways of this region take large quantities of fish in the spring. The framework of a large medicine wigwam measured twenty-five feet in length by fifteen in breadth ; the sweating-houses were large enough to hold one man in a sitting position, and differed in no respect from those frequently seen on the canoe route between Lakes Superior and Winnipeg, and Avhicli have been often described by travellers. Six miles from the Eoseau, Still Water Creek occurs ; its waters are deep, and, as its name implies, sluggish, or almost stagnating. Between Still Water Creek and Eat Eiver some marshy spots occiu", while on the right the ridge, wooded with aspen, continues in the direc- tion of the Eapids of Eed Eiver, near which spot it is found within four miles of the banks of the main stream. Eat Eiver is an insignificant brook coming from the Great Muskeg, which occupies the height of land to the east of M 2 164 BED KIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. the Valley of Eed Eiver. At tlie crossing place it is fifteen feet broad. Four miles from Big Eat Eiver, Little Eat Eiver was crossed, and the trail then led to the point of junction of tlie two streams, until it came upon a ridge, which it fol- lowed for a distance of ten miles, after which the great Nine Mile Swamp occurs, where water lodges in marshy intervals, for the distance which has given its name to this wet prairie. A strong Scotch plough, drawn by a stout team of oxen, would soon effect the drainage of the Mne Mile Swamp. It partly originates from the excessive luxuriousness of the grasses growing upon the level ex- panse, which, in a humid season, hold up sufficient water to give permanency to the wetness of this portion of the prairie. Hay, in considerable abundance, as exemphfied by the stacks which were seen in all directions, is made on the dry intervals of the Nine Mile Swamp. A French settlement commences immediately on the northern ex- tremity of this characteristic illustration of Eed Eiver indifference and unconcern in regard to the improvement of the country. A very httle well-directed labour woidd convert these extensive marshy areas into the richest pasture and hay privileges, and drive to more congenial haunts the myriads of snipe and plover we disturbed in our passage through them. We arrived at Mr. Pierre Gladieux's house an hour after sunset on the evening of September the 29t]i. We were soon provided with an excellent supper, and our horses, seven in number, well supphed with hay in the yard. Before starting next morning an almost sumptuous breakfast was given to us, and while the horses were being saddled, I begged permission to see the farmyard, &c. Under a small shed there was a neat, hght, four-wheeled carriage, which as we passed Mr. Gladieux very politely and Idndly MR. GLADIEUXS FARM. 165 placed at my disposal during the remaining period of my stay at Eed Eiver. He remarked that on the morrow he was going to the plains to hunt buffalo, and should not requu'e the carriage for several weeks after my proposed departure. I requested the guide to ask what I had to pay for the entertainment of the party. Tlie pohte answer returned was as follows : " Nothing ; it is not the custom of the people of this countiy to charge strangers who may honour them with a visit." ]\Ii\ Glatheux is a French " native," he resides on the right bank of the Eed Eiver, five miles south of Fort Garry. He showed me his farmyard, barns, garden and cattle. Tho Red EivtT at Pierre GhuUeux's. Four pea stacks, several wheat stacks, and five or six hay stacks, all of fair dimensions, were neatly arranged in the stack yard, while the cattle yard was tenanted by a ninn- ber of cows, pigs, horses, and poultry. His peas were soAvn on the 7th May, and reaped on the 25th September. Before Mr. Gladieux's liouse, the trunk of an immense hard lay ready for sphtting into firewood ; the size appeared to be so unusual that I mcasiu'cd it carefidly, and found it to H 3 16(3 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. be foiir feet ten inches in diameter six feet from the base, and four feet eight inches in diameter ten feet from the base ; at the base it measured 16-5 feet in circumference, and showed 150 well defined rings. German Creek, or La Eiviere Seine, fiows into Eed Eiver about two miles below Fort Garry. Li 1858 this river was explored by Mr. Dickinson, whom I had requested to try and penetrate to the Lake of the Woods. Mr. Dickinson set out on the 16th September : liis description of the country is pubhshed in my Eeport on the Assinni- boine and Saskatchewan Expedition, and the introduction of an abstract here, while completing the view of the Valley of Eed Eiver within British territorj^ will not materially affect the narrative of our explorations in the succeeding year. I give the following description nearly in Mr. Dickinson's own words : — " As the country east of Eed Eiver, extending to the Lake of the Woods, is quite unknown, except for a few miles back from the river, to any but Indians, I was anxious to prociu-e one of them as a guide. Having succeeded in doing so after some httle delay, I was obliged to examine this part of the country first, as the Lidian guide was about to leave the settlement in a few days for his winter quarters. " Considering that one of the objects of this exploration should be that of ascertaining where a summer road could be most easily made from Eed Eiver to the Lake of the Woods, that being now a subject of great interest among the settlers, who were about sending a party out for that special pui^ose, I thought it advisable first to go along the straight picket hue made by Mr. Dawson last winter, in which direction, I understand, lie reports that a road can be made for some miles, in order that I miglit be able COUNTRY EAST OF RED RIVER. 1G7 to institute a comparison between tliis and any other portion of the adjacent country through which the Indian might guide me. "• The first day I was able only to go about fourteen miles — two-thirds of this distance at least being through marsh and wet prame. The general course was along the picket-hne, from which I was obhged to diverge frequently — sometimes a mile or more, but always keeping it in view — in order to avoid, when possible, the wide marshes through which it passes. The next day I continued in the same direction, and having reached a point opposite the 22 nd mile-post, on the picket-hne, I could go no further, being stopped by a swamp or quagmire, impas- sable for horses, or even men, extending in front for many miles, and on both sides as far as the eye could reach. Though taking advantage of all the diy places within reach, ten miles of the course I took lay through marsh and wet land, and five miles at least through swamp. There are a few small clumps of young aspens along the Hne, and low willows in some of the marshes ; but far away towards the north may be seen some clumps of larger trees. " The land is, for the most part, a rich loam, w4th a subsoil of sandy clay ; but the difficulty, or rather the im- possibihty of draining the numerous swamps and marshes, and the want of timber, render this tract of country unfit for settlement ; and for the same reasons, the difficulty of constructing a suitable road through it would be very considerable, and the expenses enormous. " Judging, then, that I had seen enough of this part of the country for my purposes, I retraced my steps to the settlement, from which I set out again, under tlie guidance of the Indian, who promised to conduct me by the only M 4 168 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. dry path towards the Lake of the Woods, as far as the boundary of his hunting grounds. " On the morning of the 23rd, I proceeded along the south side of ' La Eiviere Seine,' or German Creek, which flows into the Red Eiver a httle below its junction with the Assimiiboine. There are farmhouses and a good road along it for a distance of five miles, when an Lidian track begins, which keeps close to the valley of the creek for eight miles, between it and the marsh. " This dry space varies from half a mile to a quarter mile wide, and is crossed by two small sluggish creeks, which, if widened and deepened, woidd effectually drain the marsh. There is plenty of good timber along the valley, consisting of poplar, elm, and black ash, with small oaks. Leaving German Creek here on our left, we went along a low ridge about one foot above the level of the marsh, and varying m width from fifty to a hundred yards ; it runs in a south-easterly direction for about three miles, and then widens out on the left as far as I could see, and on the right to half a mile. At this point we were about three miles from German Creek, which we lose sight of now for some time. Continuing in the same direction for three miles more through beautifid rich grass, with clumps of aspens on the left, and high Avillows on the rio-ht, we came to Oak Creek, which' is about two chains wide, but so still and sluggish that it rather resembles a long lake. Our course lay along it nearly due east for two and a half miles, when the creek turns to the south. This would be an adnikable place for a settlement, the land beino- as rich as any in the whole country, and there being a large supply of oak, averaging one foot sLx inches in diameter, and poplars suitable for fencing. "On the south side of Oak Creek the open prairie stretches away to the horizon, the greater part of that GERMAN CREEK. 169 which was within view being dry, tliere being only a few patches of wet hand. Leaving Oak Creek we went through a country of this character for about nine miles in a south-easterly direction, our track winding, how- ever, a httle to avoid the wet places, a few of which we had to cross ; but none of them were more than seven or eight chains wide, and easy of crossing. There are numerous clumps of small aspens and willows in every direction. We then proceeded nearly due east for about seven miles, German Creek being from one and a half to two miles on the north, a beautiful and rich prame lying between us and it, and on the south, one mile distant, runs a well wooded ridge, parallel with our course ; then turning to the south-east we wound round numerous large clumps of aspen from five to thirty feet high, and willows for seven miles, when we came to a rising ground so densely covered with young aspen and fallen timber, that it was impossible for carts to go further; we therefore left them here, and made packs of a few things for the horses to carry. Here the land becomes of a lighter description, being of a light sandy and clay loam. The timber has been all burnt, and the ground was so thickly strewed with the fallen logs, that it was with much difficulty the horses could travel. Two miles fmther on we came to the banks of Oerman Creek ; its valley here is from fifteen to twenty chains wide, and about forty feet deep ; it is full of excel- lent timber, elm, oak, poplar, and black ash, all large enough for building purposes. The creek, which is here very rapid, is thirty feet wide, and about one foot six inches deep. We followed its course for twenty-seven miles, never being more than half a mile away from it. The country through which w^e passed is for the most part covered with trees of various kinds growing in large 170 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. clumps, such as balsam poplar, aspen, tamarack, balsam spruce, cedar, and oak. The whole country has been burnt some years ago ; the remains of the timber every- where to be found indicate that there was once a vast forest of large trees. "The Indian miide now said he had come to the bomidary of his o^vn country, and could not bring me further; and though I tried to induce him by every available means, he remained firm to his resolution. He was unwiUing for some time even to give me a descrip- tion of the country beyond ; but finally I procured from him the following account : — " At half a day's journey on snow shoes, or a distance of fifteen miles from where we were, there is a mountain or ridge thickly covered with trees stretching towards the Lake of the Woods, A part of this intervening space is a swamp in which grow tamarack, cedar, and spruce ; the remamder is dry ground covered with small aspens and willows. Passing along the ' mountain ' you come to a marsh which extends to the ' Lake of the Woods ; ' but tlu-ough it there flows a river up wliich large canoes could come within the hearing of a gun-shot, or about two miles from the moimtain. The entire length of the way I had come was seventy miles ; fifty miles, at least, of this distance, being fit for settlement, and throughout the whole of it a road could be made without the shghtest difficulty, and at httle cost. If time and means had per- mitted, I would have pushed through to the lake, but under the ckcumstances I considered it better not to attempt it. " From the description given by the Indians of the country, and which I think may be rehed on as correct, I am of the opinion that a road can be easily made through it." EMPLOYMENT WHILE AT RED RWER. 171 On the 29tli September I arrived at the settlement again, and during the week following, while ]Mi\ Fleming was making preparations for om^ journey to Canada, via St. Paul, and ]\ir. Napier and his assistants were engaged in preparing maps and a report on the canoe route, I traversed the settlement from the Indian Mission to the last French house on the road to Pembina, gathering wliatever information was accessible respecting the capa- bihties, condition, and resources of the Valley of Eed Eiver, and its singular inliabitants. 172 EED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. CHAP. VIII. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLONY. STATISTICS OF POPULA- TION. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. TRADE AND OCCU- PATIONS. Tjord Selkirk. — First Eniigi-ants. — Difficulties of tlie EmigTants. — The De INIeurous. — Mr. West. — First Missionary. — The Census. — Eiu'opean and Native Population. — Statistical Table. — Popiilation by Families. — ''Na- tives." — Character of the Ilalf-breeds. — Occupations. — Improvidence of the Half-breeds. — Aids to Improvement. — Administi-ation of Justice. — Governor and Coimcil. — Quarterly Courts. — Council of Assinniboia. — Trade and Occupations. — Absence of Trades. — Mills. — INIerchants. — Freighters. — Land. — Leases. — Unoccupied Ai'ea fit for Settlement. The first attempt to found a colony in the country now occupied by the Eed Eiver settlements was made in the year 1812, under tlie patronage of Lord Selkirk. A large tract of country, extending from the sources of the Win- nipeg to Lake Winnipego-sis*, and stretching from Lake Winnipeg far beyond the United States boundary, was purchased from the Hudson Bay Company by Lord Sel- kirk in 1811, for the establishment of his contemplated colony. The colonists consisted of several Scotch fami- lies, who, after they had reached the spot which was to be their future home, were met by a large party of half- breeds and Indians in the service of the North- West Company, and warned not to attempt to estabhsh a per- manent settlement. They were conducted by a number * "Winnipego-sis/' Little Winnipeg. The affix " sis " sigiiifies in Cree <' little." \Vi.V FIRST SETTLEMENT OF RED RIVER. 173 of these mid and reckless cliildren of the prairies to Fort Pembina, a post of the Hudson Bay Company, where they passed the winter in buffiilo-skin tents, and soon adopted the habits of life belonging to the savage and half-savage natives by whom they were surrounded. In May, 1813, the emigrants returned to the neighbourhood of Fort Douglas, about two miles below the present site of Fort Garry, and here commenced their agricultural laboiu's. Li the fall of the year they agaui sought refuge at Fort Pembina, and after a winter of much suffering, revisited, in the spring of 1814, the scene of the previous year's attempt to plant themselves on the banks of Eed Eiver, "with a determination to make it a permanent rest- ing-place. During the summer, however, their houses were destroyed by the wandering half-breeds, who were opposed to the establishment of a colony ; and when, in October, 1815, the main body of emigrants arrived from Scotland, they found poverty, ruin, and despondency pre- vaihng where they had hoped to meet -with a warm reception and comfortable homes. The provident care of Lord Selkirk prevented the colonists from suffering all the horrors of starvation durmg the inclement winters of this region. His lordsliip had estabhshed a general store of goods, implements, arms, ammunition, clothing, and food at Fort Douglas, from which the impoverished emi- grants were supphed on credit. This store was erected in the first year of the colony, and regularly replenished from time to time by shipments from England.* In 1816 a serious conflict took place between the colo- nists and the native employees of the ISTorth-West Com- pany. Many were kiUed on both sides, and the settlement * The Red River Settlement ; its Rise, Progress, and Present State, by Alexander Ross. London, 1846. 174 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. was again destroyed, the settlers dispersed, and some of them banished, by the half-breeds, to Norway House. At the time when these disastrous occurrences were taking place, Lord Selkirk was on his way to the Eed Eiver with about 100 disbanded soldiers of the De Meu- ron regiment, composed chiefly of Germans, French, and Swiss. After Lord Selkirk's arrival order was restored, the Scottish emigrants recalled, the De Meuron soldiers rewarded with grants of land on German Creek, a town was laid out on Point Douglas, and such arrangements completed for the government of the colony as the posi- tion of the Hudson's Bay Company and the interests of the fur trade would admit of The social condition of Eupert's Land at this period may be gathered from the following brief description by Governor Semple, who was killed in the unfortunate conflict just referred to : — "I have trodden the bm^nt ruhis of houses, barns, a mill, a fort, and sharpened stockades, but none of a place of worship, even on the smallest scale. I blush to say that, through- out the whole extent of the Hudson's Bay territories, no such building exists."* On the 16th July, 1818, several French-Canadian fami- lies, under the guidance of two priests, Messrs. Provencher and Dumoulin, arrived in the colony, and in the same year, and almost at the same period, innumerable hosts of grasshoppers came from the south-western prairies, and in a few hours destroyed every green thing, threatening the young colony with famine. In 1820 the foundation of a Eoman Cathohc church was laid near the site of the present Cathedral of St. Boniface ; and in the fall of that year Mr. West, a minister of the Church of England, visited the colony as chaplain to the Hudson's Bay Com- * Governor Semple. Quoted by Tucker, in the "Rainbow of the North." MR. WEST'S NAERATIVE. 175 pan}', aided and encouraged by tlie Chiuxli IMissionary Society. Mr. West's instructions were to reside at Eed Kiver Settlement, and endeavour to meliorate the condi- tion of the native Indians.* The foUowino; extract from ]\ir. West's jomiial shows the state of the settlement at this period : — " On the 14th of October we reached the settlement, consisting of a number of huts widely scattered along the margin of the river ; in vain did I look for a cluster of cottages, where the hum of a small population at least might be heard, as in a village. I saw but few marks of human industry in the cultivation of the soil. Almost every inhabitant we passed bore a gun upon liis shoulder, and all appeared in a wild and hunter-like state. The colonists were a compound of individuals of various coun- tries. They were principally Canadians and Germans of the Meuron regiment, who were discharged in Canada after the conclusion of the American war, and were mostly Catholics. There was a large population of Scotch emi- grants also, who with some retired servants of the Hud- son's Bay Company were chiefly Protestants, and by far the most mdustrious in agricultural pursuits. There was an unfinished building as a Cathohc church, and a small house adjoining, the residence of the priest ; but no Pro- testant manse, church, or school-house, which obhged me to take up my abode at the Colony Fort (Fort Douglas), where the charge-d'affaires of the settlement resided, and who kindly afforded the accommodation of a room for Divme worship on the Sabbath. My ministiy was generally well attended by the settlers, and soon after my arrival I got a log-house repaired about three miles below the fort, among the Scotch population, where the school- * The Substance of a Journal during a llcsidence at the lied Eiver Colony, &c. &c., by John West, A.M. London, 1827. 176 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. master took up his abode, and began teaching from twenty to twenty-five of the children." In 1821 the North-West and Hudson's Bay Companies united, and from that time the condition and prospects of the Eed Eiver settlements became more encouraging, and their progress slow but sure. In 1823 the population of the colony was about 600, twenty years afterwards it had increased to 5143, and thus assumed an important, though not a prominent, position among Christian communities, in the midst of barbarous and sava2:e races. POPULATION OF THE SETTLEMENTS. The census upon which the statements contained in the foUow^ing pages are founded w^as taken in the years 1843, 1849, and 1856, and the copies were kindly fm-nished me by Mr. W. R. Smith, the clerk to the Council of Assinni- boia. The total population at the settlements on Eed Eiver and the Assinniboine amounted to 5143 in 1843 ; 5291 in 1849 ; and 6523 in 1856, showing an increase in the first six years of only 148, and in the last seven years of 1232 souls. This great difierence in the apparent rates of in- crease is one which may be easily explained, by enume- ratmg the ofisets from Eed Eiver Settlement, which have occurred since the period when the census w^as taken. These consist of a number of famihes, embracing 120 persons, forming a settlement at Frame Portage. St. Joseph's at Turtle Mountain has absorbed a very consi- derable number, exceeding 500 persons, and many fami- hes have left the settlement to seek a home in otlier localities. At the same time the population of Eed Eiver has received very few accessions from distant countries ; indeed, the foreign element, as it may be termed, shows POPULATIOX OF RED RIVER. 177 a very decided diminution in one important som'ce of supply. Between tlie periods of the census taken in 1843 and 1849, there was an increase in the European and Cana- dian element to the extent of 74 families, and of the half- breed of 113 families. During the seven years which elapsed between 1849 and 1856, a decrease in the num- bers of Em'opeans or Canadians — that is, of people not born in Eupert's Land, although British subjects, and originally commg from England, Scotland, Ireland, or Canada, has taken place to the extent of 102 families. Tlie increase in native or half-breed famihes during the same period was 132. The diminution in the number of Em'opean settlers has already worked a change for the worse in the habits and customs of the half-breeds or natives. The tendency of the native population is gra- dually to lose many of the humanities of civilisation, and approach nearer to the savage Avildness of Indian life. An influx of Em-opean or Canadian blood had a very good effect in arresting this tendency, which circumstances, far more than disposition, have induced and fostered. According to origin, the population of Eed Eiver now stands as foUows : — Families. 1 Families. Families. Period of comparison, 13 years. 1856. Rupert's Land — Half breeds . "1 q-.^ Natives . . T ^^^ 1819. 1843. 684 571 Increase in half-breed families 245 Scotland . Canada. . England . Ireland . . Switzerland Norway . . 116 92 40 13 2 1 129 161 46 27 2 8 110 152 22 5 2 „ Scotch „ Decrease of Canadian „ Increase of English „ „ Irish „ „ Swiss „ ,, Norwegian „ 6 60 18 8 1 In 1843, or thirteen years before the census of 1856. VOL. I. N 178 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION there were twenty-seven more European or Canadian families than there were at Eed Eiver in May, 1856. These numbers show that in place of an introduction of emigrants of a character hkely to refine and elevate the rough natures of the natives, endowed as they are with many pecuhar and valuable qualities, those who have been fi^om their youth familiar with the advantages and blessings of civilisation have gradually left the settlement and sought a home elsewhere. The increase of poverty, or incapability of supporting famihes, is seen by the average number of individuals belonging to each family. In 1849 the average of each family was ^tM^- In 1856 „ „ „ 6t^ The difference in the whole population of 1856 and 1849 being 1232 souls, while the difference in the number of famihes was 28 only. This very extra- ordinary cUscrepancy was stated by Mr. Smith, under whose direction the census was taken, to arise from the generally depressed circumstances in which many families found themselves. Numbers were unable to hve in separate houses, and it now happens that two, and some- times three famihes, formerly occupying distinct houses, and cultivating distinct farms, are crowded together in one house for the sake of economy. In 1849 there were 137 more males than females in the settlements ; in 1856 there Avere 73 more females than males. The reason of this remarkable change in the relative numbers of males and females in so small a community, and in such a short period of time, was stated to arise from the circumstance that during the past five or six years, many young men have gone to seek recompence for industry in the United States, which the district of Assinniboia has not yet offered to them. The term " native," distinguishing the half-breeds from CHARACTER OF THE HALF-BREEDS. 179 the European and Canadian element on the one hand, ajid the Indian on the other, appears to be desired by many of the better class, who naturally look upon the epithet "half-breed" as apphed to a race of Christian men, scarcely appropriate. There is a strong and growing feeling among the few who have turned their attention to such matters, that in the event of an organic change occurring in the Government of the country, the " native" or half-breed population should not be neglected, or thrust on one side. The half-breeds of the north-west are a race endowed with some remarkable qualities, which they derive in great part from their Indian descent, but softened and im- proved by the admixture of the European element. It is, however, much to be regretted that, from the singular necessities of then- position, many of them are fast sub- siding into the primitive Indian state ; naturally impro- vident, and perhaps indolent, they prefer the mid hfe of the prairies to the tamer duties of a settled home ; this is the character of many, but it belongs more to those of French descent than of Scotch or English origin. About the 15th of June they start for their summer hunt of the buffalo. There are now two distinct bands of buffalo hunters, one being those of Eed Eiver, the other of the White Horse Plain, on the Assinniboine. Formerly these bands were united, but, owing to a differ- ence which sprung up between them, they now maintain a separate organisation, and proceed to different hunting- grounds. The Red Eiver hunters go to the Coteau de ^iissouii, and even as far as the Yellow Stone Eiver ; the White Horse Plain settlers generally hunt west of the Souris Eiver, and between the branches of the Saskat- chewan, but also over the same grounds as their Eed Eiver brethren. N 2 180 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. The improvidence of many of the half-breeds is re- markable. Dming the winter before the last, those of the Wliite Horse Plain camped out on the distant prairies, and killed many thousand buffalo in wanton revelry, taking only their skins and tongues, httle caring that the reckless destruction of these animals must exercise a very important change for the worse in their own condition. As the buffalo diminish and go farther away towards the Eocky Mountains, the half-breeds are compelled to travel much greater distances in search of them, and consume more time in the hunt ; it necessarily follows that they have less time to devote to farming, and many of them can be regarded in no other hght than men slowly sub- jecting themselves to a process of degradation, by which they approach nearer and nearer to Indian habits and character, refusing to adopt or rehnquishing the tame pursuit of agriculture, for the \vild excitement and pre- carious independence of a hunter's life. The fascination of a camp in the high prairies, compared with the hitherto almost hopeless monotony of the farms of Eed Eiver, can easily be understood by those who have tasted the care- less fi^eedom of prairie hfe. I was often told that the half-breeds generally sigh for the hunting season when in the settlements, and form but a feeble attachment to a permanent home, which cannot offer to the majority a comfortable maintenance under present cu-cumstances, or secure the consciousness of possessing a free and manly spirit, \vith rational aspirations and hopes. But few simple aids are required at Eed Eiver to ameliorate and vastly improve the condition of the more improvident and careless half-breeds. They fi'equently bring in a large quantity of buffalo meat or robes to the trading posts, and receive a considerable sum of money in exchange, or if they insist upon it, a certain quantity of CAPABILITIES OF THE HALF-BREEDS. 181 rum. The money is spent at once in simple necessaries, dress, and ornaments. The estabhshment of a savings bank woidd have an excellent effect, and doubtless become the soiuxe of much permanent good. There are several hundi'ed half-breeds who, hke their ancestors, pass their hves on the prairies, visiting the settlements occasionally, according as they may be in Avant of ammunition or clothing. It is impossible to arrive at an accurate estimate of then- numbers, but there is no doubt that collectively they form a numerous and influential body. The half-breed hunters, with theu- splendid organisation when on the prauies, theu' matchless power of provichng themselves -with all necessary wants for many months together, and now, since a trade with the Americans has sprmig up, if they should choose, for years ; their perfect knowledge of the country, and their full appreciation and enjoyment of a home in the prairie wilds diu-mg whiter or summer, would render them a very formidable enemy in case of distm^bance or open rebelUon against consti- tuted authorities. The half-breed hunters of Eed Eiver could pass into the open prauies at a day's notice, and find themselves perfectly at home and secure, where men not accustomed to such a Hfe would soon become powerless against them, and exposed to continual peril. The causes which have led to the present condition and prospects of this people are truly a painfid subject. It is one which cannot escape the attention and care of philanthropists. Men will inquire how it is, tliat a race givmg e\TLdence of admirable disciphne, self-government, and courage, when in the open prau'ies, should subside into indifferent and mdolent husbandmen when m the settlements. Considered as the native population of Eed Eiver, how is it, it will be asked, that so few among the N 3 182 RED RIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. many have succeeded in the course of years m acquiring comfortable homesteads, and well stocked granaries and farm yards? and why has the European and Canadian element disappeared? The chances of nearly all have been equal, — land of admirable fertihty everywhere sm*- rounds them ; with unsurpassed advantages for rearing horses, cattle, and sheep, yet little or no progress has been made ; and in respect of sheep, Avhich might soon in a measure supply the place of the bufialo, a serious diminution in numbers has taken place. It is true that within the last few years many hundi^ed head of cattle have been driven across the prairies of Minnesota to St. Paul and sold well there. But this ne^v export trade should have given encouragement to raising stock ; yet stock, with unlimited pasture, is diminisliing. The distant himt consumes the time which might be given to far more profitable home industry ; and those who really enjoy a settled life, and know the advantages which industry con- fers, fi^om experience gained in Canada or Em'ope, leave the country and seek their fortunes elsewhere. Every stranger is struck with surprise that the houses of half-breed hunters generally show no signs of recent improvement, show no signs of care and attention devoted to gardens or the cultivation of fruit. Plums grow wild in the forest, but none are seen in the settlements. Apple trees are only now begimimg to be tried at the Stone Fort. No effort of manufactming industry is visible beyond the windmills for grinding Avheat. It must not be supposed that this stationary, or rather retrograde, condition, is unnoticed by the mass of the people. They see the comfort by which the retired fac- tors, the clergy, and the traders of the settlement are surrounded, and the comparative luxmy which exists at the forts ; but they do not rightly understand how their JUSTICE AT RED RIVER. 183 own condition might be remedied, for the majority can- not discover in what way the reward of industry may be won, or where a market for labom^ is to be found, except that khid of wild labour in the distant prairie, or in the woods, which they love instinctively, and which they have always been taught to consider most profitable, and alone capable of securing their comfort and happiness. Under such circumstances it cannot cause surprise that discontent prevails in the settlements. Much disappointment and dissatisfaction is ever3rwhere seen, and wrongs, real or imagmary, for which they have no redress, form the constant subject of complaint in daily conversation. Li these repinings, all who were not in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, or in some way connected with them, as far as my experience enabled me to judge, miiformly agreed. Let the condition of the half-breed hunters, generally, be contrasted with the present prosperity of the Gowlers, Gladieux, Fletts, the McKays, and several others that might be named, who farm with industry and economy, and the capabilities of Red Kiver and the Assinniboine will not be overlooked in surveying the paralysed efforts of those who are taught to rely chiefly upon the hunter's precarious gains. • ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. The mode in which justice has been, and is adminis- tered in the settlements, is of rather an undetermined character. In 1839 the first Recorder was appointed, and in some instances the office of Governor of Assinni- boia, a district comprised within a circle of fifty miles radius round Fort Garry, has been associated with that of Recorder. The Governor has a council of twelve of the principal inhabitants of the settlement to assist and advise N 4 184 RKD lilVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. liim ill performing the duties of his office. All the chief factors of the Company are magistrates, ex officio, and although instances have occurred of a court of magistrates trying cases without a jury, yet in general, and probably at the present day, a jury is always empannelled. The reports m the recently estabhshed news^mper at Eed Eiver exhibit the mode in which justice is now administered ; and as this is the first instance in which a reporter has enjoyed the opportunity of supplying the Eed Eiver pubhc with a full account of the proceedings of these courts of justice, it possesses an interest apart from and superior to the subjects to which it refers. RED RIVER SETTLEMENT, Dec. 28, 1859. GENERAL QTJAETERLY COTTRT. A sitting of the above Coiu't took place within the Court House, at the Upper Fort, on Thursday, the 15th instant, before "William Mactavish, Esq., Governor; Dr. Bunn, Sheriff; Thos. Sinclair, Esq., Robert McBeath, E.^q., and Francois Bnmeau, Esq., Chairmen of the several District Courts. The building was crowded throughout the day, and the liveliest interest ap- peared to be taken in the proceedings, which, on the whole, as will be seen from the report, were of an animated character. ]\L'. James Rosa acted as French and Mr. James McKay as Indian interpreter. THE ROBBERY AT THE STONE PORT. Catherine Daniel and Mary Daniel, aged respectively 13 and 16, were charged, the former with having stolen two several sums of money from the Stone Fort, the property of the Hudson's Bay Company, and the latter with having received part of the cash at the time, well knowing it to have been stolen. They both pleaded not guilty. Margaret Daniel, a still younger girl than either of the prisoners, stated that on the 10th of October Catherine Daniel stole money from the shop at the Lower Fort, which she entered by the window. Witness saw her get through the window, go to the drawer, and take the money out. When she returned, Catherine told witness she had taken £6. Part of the money was spent by Catherine in the shop, and of the balance she gave witness one poimd. Subsequently, Catherine a second time entered the store by the same window, witness being with her. On this occasion Catherine went to the counter drawer and abstracted five ^1 notes. The drawer had COURTS OF JUSTICE. 185 been left unlocked. They left the shop by the same way that they had entered it. Catherine again spent a portion of the money in the shop, Afterwards, Catherine told witness that she had given some of the money to Mary Daniel ; and Mary acknowledged to witness that she had received it. The first time Catherine spoke to Mary about the money she told her she had foimd it ; but when the money had been spent, Catherine confessed to her that she had stolen it. Mary likewise spent her money at the Stone Fort. Witness only once heard Catherine tell Mary tliat she had stolen the money, and that was after the money had been spent. There being no further testimony adduced, the prisoners were asked if they had anything to say in defence. They made no reply. Dr. Bunu then summed up, and the jury, after a short deliberation, retm-ned into Court, with a verdict of guilty against Catherine Daniel. Mary was ac- quitted. Dr. Buun, adcb-essing the prisoners, said : Catherine Daniel, after a fair and impartial trial, the jury have foimd you guilty of felony. The offence you have committed is one of a very serious nature, and in any other coimtiy you woidd in all probability have been condemned to seven or perhaps fourteen years' confijiement. The Court, however, taking into consideration the fact that you are young, and hoping that you will never commit such an act again, are inclined to be merciful to you. Already you have been nearly three weeks in prison ; we were disposed to have com- mitted you other three months ; but the Governor, who has in his power to remit your term of imprisonment to any period he pleases, thinks it will be sufficient punishment to you and warning to others if he ti'eats you witli great leniency. Therefore, the sentence of the Court is that you be im- prisoned for two weeks from this day. You, Mary Daniel, are discharged. But take care. You have had a narrow escape. There is a strong impres- sion on the minds of every one present that you have acted dishonestlv. Avom being brought up again ; for if you come hither a second time, the evidence which has been given to-day will tell heavily against you. LOWER DISTRICT COURT. The usual bi-mensal meeting of this Court, was held at the Rapids, on Monday, November 28th, before Thomas Sinclair, Esq. (chairman^, Donald Cxunn, Esq., John Inkster, Esq., and Donald Mm-ray, Esq. COClSrCIL OF ASSINNIBOIA. The Governor and Coimcil of Assiuniboia held a general meeting at Fort Garry, on the 7th instant, at which were present — "N^'illiam Macta^-ish, Esq., Governor of Assinniboia, President ; and the follo•^^^ng Councillors of Assiuniboia — Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Rupert's Land, Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of St. Boniface, John Bunn, Esq., John Inkster, Esq., Pascal Berland, Esq., Solomon Emlj-n, Esq., H. Fisher, Esq., Maximilian Genton, Esq., Robert; McBeath, Esq., Thomas Sinclair, Esq., and John E. Harriott, Esq. 186 • RED EIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. TRADE AND OCCUPATIONS. Upon making inquiry of Mr. Smith, mider whose superintendence the census was taken, why no enumera- tion of trades and occupations was introduced into the census roll, I was informed that no kind of industry or a distinct trade or occupation existed in the settlements. Almost every man was his own wheelwright, carpenter, or mason ; carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, &c., could be found, but they were also engaged in other occupa- tions, either as small farmers or hunters. ]VIi\ Smith did not think that one man could be found in Assinniboia who pursued any particular trade, or hmited his industry to one special branch. The present condition of the settle- ments would not, it was thought, afford a hving to any distinct class of artificers. A horse-shoe imported from England could be purchased .as cheap as the unmanufac- tured iron required to make one ; every article, no matter of what description, was imported in its manufactured con- dition. Even the ponderous and unwieldy grindstone was conveyed across the portages from Hudson's Bay, although material well adapted for grindstones existed on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, not one hundred miles from Ked Eiver. Grindstones had, I was informed upon au- thority I could not doubt, been made from the rock in question, and brought to the settlement, but they could not compete commercially with those imported by the Hudson's Bay Company, which, for a time, were sold little above cost, even after their long and expen- sive journey. In 1858 I had occasion to send to a blacksmith near Fort Garry for some hasps which I wished to have made, to replace those which had been broken from the pro- vision boxes in crossing the portages on the Winnipeg. LABOUR AT RED" RIVER. 187 The hasps were made according to my dii'ections as regards form, but the material was copper instead of iron, the blacksmith alleging that he had no iron from which he could make the hasps. It is not improbable that this was an excuse arising fi'om indolence rather than inability to execute the work, or the want of the material, for I saw a few days afterwards plenty of h-on suitable for the purpose m the storehouse at Fort Garry. The Bishop of Eupert's land says : " After all, our grand want is division of labour. We have no separate trade ; all are engaged in everything, farmers and carpenters at the same time, and so on. At a meeting held two years ago, for the promotion of social improvement, I endea- voured to press this upon them, but they are slow in under- standing the 'philosophy of improvement.' We want one skilful in tanning, for the hides of the domestic animals are wasted at present. We want one to mstruct them in makmg soap, to save the importation of this bulky and necessary article from Britain. We want, too, improvement in the fulhng of cloth, to bring the wool into use, and provide clothing cheaper than what is im- ported. We have country cloth now, but the fabric is imperfectly fulled, and therefore not sufficiently warm. Young men commg among us, who could guide and instruct the people in any of these branches, would be a great gain."* The mechanical force employed in preparing food is represented by sixteen windmills, nine water-mills, and one steam-mill, which is also used as a saw-mill. Articles of pottery, notwithstanding their fragile nature, are im- ported, although, as if reflecting upon the industry and enterprise of the modern inliabitants of Eed Eiver, ancient * Report on the Red River Expedition of 1857. Letter to the Author. Appendix, No. 9. 188 RED RIYER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. articles of pottery, in the form of broken fragments, are sometimes found in making excavations on the banks of the river. Speaking in general terms, it may be said that trades and occupations, as representmg special branches of industry, do not exist in Assmniboia. Under the head of merchant-shops, we find no less than fifty-six enumerated in the last census, a heading which, it will be observed, is not represented m the census of 1849. Li fact, the class of merchants, including petty traders, has almost sprung into existence during the last ten years. They obtain theii' goods from St. Paul on the Mississippi, and purchase them in exchange for gold or peltries. This trade with the United States is fast grow- ing into importance, and from the immense extent of frontier, it is not easily checked by fiscal regulations ; its contmuance must effect to a most serious extent the position of the Hudson's Bay Company in the valley of Lake Winnipeg. Some of the merchants at Eed Eiver import largely from England by the Company's vessels, and almost any article of common necessity or ornament can be pro- cured at the stores ; which, by the way, are of the rudest description, without the least effort being made by then- owners to display the wares, but rather showing an en- deavom- to conceal from outward view whatever goods they may contain. Besides being merchant or trader, ui the ordinary ac- ceptation of the term, some of the inhabitants are freigh- ters, conveying goods between Hudson's Bay and the valley of Lake Wimiipeg. They employ Lidians and half- breeds to row their boats of 3 to 5 tons burden, and haul them and their freights over the portages. Fifty-five of these boats are enumerated in the census as belonging to Eed Eiver, but whether the Hudson's Bay Company's fleet TEXURE OF LAND. 189 is included in the number is not stated. The employment of Lidians by the freighters has, at times, given rise to some little difficulty between them and the Hudson's Bay Company, as introducing a species of industry not com- patible with a hmiter's pursuit, and likely to divert at- tention from the great objects of the fm' trade. Among nmnerous documents which are in the possession of many of tJie most respectable people of Eed River, treasured up, perhaps, as memorials of bygone but not forgotten difficulties in gaining a hveliliood by pursuits not connected with the fiu" trade or its interests, — the following brief note may or may not possess some Httle historic interest, and, if rightly understood and interpreted, offer a clue to the present condition of the Red River settlements, and of the Indian missionary stations. Fort Garry, June 5th, 1844. Sir, — I am informed that private freighters from Eed Eiver frequently employ and afford passages to Indians along the line of communication to York Factory in their boats, which is highly objectionable in many points of view. I have there- fore to desire you will not in future receive as passengers, or employ Indians in your craft, on the line of communication between York and Red River. — I am, &c. (Signed) Gr. Simpson. Mr. Edward Mowat, &c. &c. Copied, 30th July, 1844. (Signed) A. TENURE OF LAND. Land in Assinniboia is sometimes sold to purchasers at the rate of 7s. Qd. sterhng per acre. The title is convej^ed under the form of a lease for 999 years. The conditions in the lease are : 1st. That one-tenth of the land is to be brought into cultivation witliin five years. 2nd. That trading or dealing with Indians or others, so as to violate the chartered privileges of the Company, be forsworn. 190 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. 3rd. Obedience to all laws of the Company. 4th. Contri- butions to expenses of public e stabhshments m due pro- portion. 5th. All trade or traffic in any kind of skins, furs, peltry, or dressed leather, except under licence of the Company, forbidden. 6th. Land not to be disposed of, or let, or assigned, without the consent of the Company. These are the main features of the lease ; the document is lone, otherwise it would have been inserted in full; it is contained in the minutes of evidence taken before the Select Committee on the Hudson's Bay Company. It is necessary here to remark, that I did not see this lease in the hands of any one of the settlers of whom I made inquiries respecting their tenure. I heard of its existence, and saw a copy, through one of the resident clergy, but in no single instance could I find any half- breed, in possession of a farm, acquainted with its exist- ence. Li very many instances the settlers did not know the number of their lots, and had no paper or dociunent of any kind to show that they held possession of theu" land from the Company, or any other authority. These inquiries were necessary for the purpose of ascertaining the exact position of a hne of section across the valley of Eed Eiver, which I caused to be made for the purpose of ascertaining the level of the swamps, &c. The re- quired information was obtained tlirough Mr. Smith, the Clerk of the Council, but from the people themselves no information of the kind could be obtained. They knew that they had paid a certain sum for their land, or it had been given them in return for services, or that they had squatted upon it, and that they were now in possession, but of title-deeds or receipts they knew nothing. These remarks refer only to those from whom the information was sought for the purposes mentioned above. REVENUE AND EXPEXDITURE. 101 When passing from Fort Garry towards tlie 49tli pa- rallel, with a view to explore the Eoseaii Eiver, our guide pointed out a number of hay stacks occuppng a dehghtful bend on the west side of Eed Eiver, about 25 miles from the settlements ; he informed us that the hay stacks were made by himself and some friends, a few weeks ago, and that they intended to " move there " during the winter and form a new settlement. I inquired how much he had paid for his land ; the reply was, " J^othing ; we are not required to pay anything for land lying beyond the pre- sent hmits of settlement on the river." I may add, that many milhon acres of land, which cannot be surpassed for fertihty, being composed of rich prairie mould, from 18 inches to 2 feet deep, lie free and unoccupied on the banks of Eed Eiver, the Assinniboine, and their tributaries, inviting settlement. REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. The fohomng abstract of the pubhc accounts of the Eed Eiver Settlement, ending May 31, 1859, will show the condition of the revenue and expenditure of the colony : — DISBURSEMENTS. PUBLIC servants' SALAEIES. Governor of Gaol and Sheriff Executive Officer . Presidents of Petty Courts Collector of American Duty Petty Magisti'ates . Constables Total amount of Salaries GAOLER an; Gaoler's Salary, Rations, and Advances Gaoler's Wood .... Gaol Expenses .... Prisoners' Expenses Total, Gaoler and Gaol £ f. d. 30 100 26 15 50 108 329 32 12 6 4 7 2 3 18 3 4 1 6 44 19 5 192 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. PUBLIC WOEKS. Labovir performed . Timber . Roads . Bridges . Total amomit expended on Public Works Sundries Eent of Coiurt Houses ..... FERRY AND SCOWS. Ferry- Scows £ s. d 34 11 6 29 1 3 282 4 2 64 3 6 410 5 5 6 6 1 8 10 Total 11 8 Premiums paid for Wolves' Heads 85 10 6 Post Office . . 154 11 Hi Grand total 996 15 44 REVENUE. By Outstanding Creditor Balance, June 1, 1859 IMPORT DUTY. Hudson's Bay Company's European Hudson's Bay Company's American Settlers, European .... Settlers, American .... Total amount of Import Duty Interest on ,£186 8s. at 4 per cent. Feriy ....... Advanced Cash returned Debtors' ^Maintenance .... Old Materials sold by the Board of Works Fines Post Office Marriage Licence ..... Grand Total 869 9 61 788 3 10 129 6 7 351 11 0* *35 15 4 1,304 17 ^ 7 9 1 6 5 2 4 2 6 1 149 16 8 1 2,347 * There is £30 of American duty in the hands of the Collector, which came in too late to be entered in this year's accounts. PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AT EED RIVER. 193 May 31, I80O. To Disbursements . . . . ' . 996 15 Jx ToBuLiuce . . . . . ; 'jg^o ^ -J 2,347 May 31, 1859. Bv Revenue . . 9 q^7 n n „ -tsy balance earned to New Account . . 1^350 4 7, W. R. Smith, E. O. John Inkstek, Auditor. VOL. I. 194 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXrEDlTIOX. CHAP. IX. THE MISSIONS AT RED RIVER. Religious Denominations. — Missionaries, Stations, and Congregations. — The Protestant Congregations. — St. John's Church. — St. Andrew's Church and Parsonage. — The Parish of St. Andrew. — Its Histoi-y.— St. Paul's Chiu'ch. — St. James's Church. — Church at the Indian Settlement. — Service. — A Novel Night BeU. — A Contrast. — Peguis. — Prairie Portage. — A Congregation. — Wild Indians. — The Preshyterian Church. — The Presby- terian Congi'egation. — The Eoman Catholic Churches. — The Cathedral of St. Boniface. — St. Norbert. — St. Francois Xa-\aer. — The Congregations at Red River. — Their Demeanour and Appearance. — Protestant and Roman Catholic Parishes. — Extent of the Charities of the Home Missionary So- cieties. —Apathy of the wealthy at Red River. — Difficulties of Missionary Entei-prise at present. — Privations and Difficidties at remote Stations. There are three religious denominations in Assinniboia — Churcli of England, Presbyterian, and Eoman Catholic. In the census of 1843 and 1849, two di^'isions only were recognised — Protestant and Eoman Cathohc — and the numbers of members w^ere stated to be 2798 Eoman Cathohcs and 2345 Protestants. In 1849 the Episco- palian famihes were stated to number 539, and the Eoman Cathohc famihes 513. In 1856, a division in the enumeration of the Protestant element was made, pro- bably on account of the advent of a Presbyterian minister, who responded to the call of a numerous body belonging to that denomination, yet in the absence of a minister, formerly enumerated with the Episcopahans. In 1856, the census, according to rehgions, stood thus :-. PROTESTANT MISSIONS. 195 FAMILIES AXD CHrRCHES. Tvomau Catholics, 534 families, witli 3 clim-clies. Episcopalian, 488 „ „ 4 ,, Presbyterian, 60 „ „ 2 ,, The settlemeut at Prairie Portage, and the Indian mis- sionary village, are not included in this enumeration, and, in adthtion to the churches enumerated, services are ])erfbrmed in two or three school-houses. Subjoined is a table of the missionaries, stations, con- gregations, income and sources of income, belonging to the Protestant and Eoman Cathohc Missions in Assinniboia : — (See Appendix, Vol. II. for the latest statistics.) PROTESTANT MISSIONS. — Missionaries stations. E o Sources of Income. Remarks. Sterl. Bed Bhu r. £ 1 The Right Rev. ' tlie Lord Bisliop of Rupert" t^Land St. John's 500 700 . £300 Hon. Hud- sou's Bay Com- pany. £400 funded pro- . perty. 2 Rev. T. Cochrane _ " H)0 Society for Propa- gation of the Gos- pel. 3 Rev. J. Cliapnian . St. Paul's 300 200 f £150 Hon. Hiid- J son's Bay Com- 1 Pany- l_£50 the Bishop. The Hon. Co.'s Chap- lain. 4 Rev. Arch. IIuu- "j ter . . .1 St. Audi-ew's 1200 250 Church Missionary Society. 5 Rev.W.W.Kirk- ' 200 Curate. 6 Rev. A. Cowley Indian Settle- ment. Assimiiboine Bivcr. 600 200 Indian ^Mis- sionar)-. 7 Rev. W. H. Taylor St. James 250 200 '£100 Society for Propagation of the Gospel. £100 Bishop. 8 Rev. Arch. Coch- rane Portage la Prairie. 200 200 Church Missionarj- Society. o 2 196 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. - Missionaries. Scations. til § B o Sources of Income. Remarks. Rev. John Black . Red Eiver. Middle Settle- ment. 400 150 •£50 Hon. Hiid- son's Bay Com- J Pany- Remainder by the Congrega- gations. 1 1 ROilAN CATHOLIC MISSIONS. The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop oftheNorth-West, and 5 to 7 Clergy. Red River. St. Boniface . St. Norbert. De la Riviere 1500 Inclu- ded in the above. 1000 £100 from the Hon. Hudson's Bay Co. A spacious Nimnery and Schools attached. 2 Rev. M. Thibcaiilt, Grand Vicar Assinnihoine River. St. Francois Xavier A Nunnery attached. THE PROTESTANT CONGREGATIONS. St. John's Church is in a very unstable condition, the walls being supported with wooden props. A large quantity of stone is now l}^ng near it for the construction of a cathedral, which is estimated to cost £5000 sterhng. The Bishop of Eupert's Land returned to Eed Eiver in the autumn of 1857 from a visit to England, wdiere he succeeded in obtaining a large sum towards tlie erection of his cathedral, but not sufficient to defray the entke cost. St. John's Church, and the proposed site of the new cathedral, are within two miles of Fort Garry, near where it is most desirable that a substantial and com- modious Church of England cathedral should be erected, in the centre of what will soon liecome the capital of ST. ANDREWS CHURCH. 197 Assinniboia, and iiuek'iis of Christianity and civilisation in the great North-West. St. Andi^ew's Church, called also the Eapids' Chiu-ch, is a new and very substantial structure of stone, well buttressed, and very conveniently and neatly furnished : all its interior arrangements are attractive and substan- tial. It is surrounded by a thick stone wall enclosing .a capacious churchyard. The parsonage house, also recently completed, is in every respect fitted for the severities of the winter climate of the country. The size is 50 feet by 30, and two stories high ; the walls, of Umestone, are 2 feet 8 inches thick, the rooms lofty and capacious, and in its internal arrangements it leaves nothing to be desired. The Eev. W. W. Kirkby's (now of Mackenzie's Eiver) house is roomy and comfortable, but its architectural points are far from being attractive. A school-house, constructed of wood, is admkably arranged, and in it I saw sixty children pursuing their studies, under the instruction of lix. Mayhew, lately fi^om Dubhn, with a decorum and attention not often to be sm^passed ui the primary schools of this or the Eitropean continent. The parish of St. Andrew is the most populous on Eed Eiver, and the Church of England element is very largely in e:?cess of the Eoman Catholic, there being two hundred and six Protestant and eight Eoman Catholic famihes. The commencement of the mission of St. Andrew may be dated as far back as the year 1824, when four or five retired servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, with their native wives, first sought a permanent home at the Grand Eapids. To these, year by year, a few famihes were added until 1829, when the Eev. W. Cochrane (now o 3 198 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Archdeacon), was placed there, and from that time the population of the Grand Eapids' district increased by immi- gration with great rapidity. After the erection of his own house, the first act of Mr. Cochrane was to build a room about 30 feet by 18, which served the double purpose of school-house and churcli. As soon as it became known in the far-distant outposts of the Company that a school for the young, and a church, with a resident minister, were estabhshed at Eed Eiver, many of the retired servants of the Company, half-breeds and Europeans, came from the Saskatchewan, Albany, and even Moose, to avail themselves of the advantages which were now for the first time offered to them, with a guarantee for their continuance. In two years the congregation had outgrown the school-house, and found themselves obliged to build a larger church, to accommodate their growing num- bers. This they completed in the autumn of 1831. It was a neat wooden building, 60 feet by 24, and cost about £200, which was paid by the people themselves in labour, materials, &c. ISTo sooner was the church built, and things began to wear an aspect of stabihty and per- manency, than others came in from Norway House, and the southern department. The population of the parish went on steadily increasing until every lot of land was taken up for about five miles on either side of the church, and a ten-mile hue of white-washed cottages and pleasant homesteads enlivened the banks of the river. In the year 1844, the church was again too small for the confrreiration, not more than three-fourths of whom coidd find admittance. Mr. Cochrane now determined to make an efibrt to build one of stone, instead of wood, which should be large enough for the increasing wants of ST. PAUL'S CHURCH. 199 the settlement. Fortunately there was abundance of hme- stone about foiu' miles down the river, so that when the people were consulted, all were found to be unanimous on that point. It was commenced in the autumn of 1845, and finished in the autumn of 1849, when it was consecrated by the Bishop of Eupert's Land, who had just arrived in the country. Its dimensions are 88 feet by 44, wjtli a tower 20 feet square, and 100 feet high, that is, to the vane ; the stone work is only 50 feet. The tower contains three beUs, and it is proposed by the inliabitants to increase their number to five. The entire cost was about 1600/. which, with the ex- ception of 100/. kindly given by the Hon. Hudson's Bay Co., 50/. by Duncan Finlayson, Esq., of Lachine, 30/. from a clergyman in England, were collected on the spot in the shape of money, labour, materials, &c. It is a plain, unpretending, at the same time a soHd and. substantial building ; and one that reflects credit upon the piety and Hberality of the inhabitants. In 1852-3, the substantial parsonage before referred to was built by the Chm'ch Missionary Society at a cost of 700/., and dming the same year the people built the new school-house, at a cost of 120/. The average attendance of divine worship is about 500, and the number of communicants 207. St. Paid's church, parsonage, and school-house are sub- stantial and serviceable buildings, with no pretensions to architectm-al display, but well fitted for the object of their construction. They are biult a few hundred yards from Eed Eiver, and at the edge of a boundless ocean of prairie, which, when illuminated by the setting sun, seems in its brio-ht and g-oro-eous vastness to be emblematic of eternity according to the hope and faith of a Christian, o4 200 RED RIVEB EXPLORING EiPEDlTIO>". but when dull and cold and grey in the da\m, it sym- bolizes the gloomy iguoiunce of its heathen \randerei"s. St James's Chmvh, on the Assinniboine, is a pleasing object at a distance. I had no opportmiity of asceitaining how far its internal aii"angements comported with its external aspects. The congregation is the smallest in the Ked Kiver settlements. Bireii-bark xeai;?. wr-- Firer. MinMle Settlement. The church at the Indian settlement is also a new and spacious building of stone, with a wall of the same material enclosing the churchyard, in which is a wooden school-house, where I saw about fifty Ojibway Indian young men, yoimg women, and children, receiving in- structions finom the Kev. A. Cowley, Mi^ Cowley, and a native schoolmaster. The young Indian women read the Testament in soft, low voices, but with ease and in- telligence. During service (Sunday, October 4th, 1S57), the church was about three-fourths ftdL The congn^i- tion appeared to be exclusively Indian ; in theii" behaviour TlfK INDIAN SETTLEMK.VT. 201 they were most decorou.s and attentive. The singing was very sweet, and all the forms of the service appeared to be understood, and practised quietly and in order by the dusky worshippers. A seraphino was played h)y Mrs. Cowley to accompany the singers ; the responses were well and exactly made, and the utmost attention was given to the sermon. The prayers were read in English, the lessons in Ojilnvay, and the sermon was delivered in Cree. After service an Indian child, neatly dressed in white, was baptLzecL A few of the women and girls wore bonnets, but the greater number drew their shawls over the head. The minister and part of the congregation suffer under the mutual disadvantage of being separated by the river. The settlement is chiefly on the left, the church, school, and parsonage on the right bank of the river. A good ferr}', which will probably soon be procured, would en- able the conm-egation to cross with ease. The Eev\ Mr. Cowley enjoys no sinecure ; he is not only missionary, but the doctor, magistrate, and arbitrator of the settlement. During my short visit of a day and a half, he was sent for three times to visit sick children, and he says that when the Indians require his services during the night, they come into the parsonage, the door of which is never locked, and tap gently at the stove-pipe, which passes from the sitting-room into his bed-room above, to aroase him. They agreed among themselves that they would adopt this novel kind of night beU, and he has never known them endeavour to call him, after retiring to rest, in any other way ; they open the outer door and steal without the shghtest noise, in the darkest night, to the well known stove-pipe, give two or three low Lidian taps, and quietly await the result. A wonderful contrast do the subdued Indian worship- 202 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. ers ill tliis missionary village present on Sunday, to the heathen revelers of the prames, who perform their dis- o-usting ceremonies within a mile and a half from some of the christian altars of Eed Eiver. On two Sundays durmg my visit, at the time when Divine service was being celebrated in all the churches of the settlement, the heathen Lidians held their dog feasts and medicine dances on the open plain. In one instance five dogs were Ojibway Tents on the banks of Red River, near the Middle Settlement. slaughtered, cooked and devoured ; in another instance three ; the evil spuit was invoked, the conjuror's arts used to inspire his savage spectators with awe, and all the revolting ceremonies belonging to the most degraded heathen superstition practised within a mile and a half of the spot where the stones are now gathered for the Bishop of liupert's Land cathedral, and nearly the same distance from two capacious churches, Protestant and Eoman Cathohc, where Divine service was at the same time being solemnized to orderly resident congregations. THE FARM AT THE INDIAX MISSION. 203 The farm attached to the Indian mission is cultivated with more than ordinary care, not only being intended to serve as a model for the Christian Indians settled in the vicinity, but also to provide them with seed and supplies in the event of their own stock faihng, a contingency by no means improbable, since habits of forethought or economy are rarely acquu'ed by these people until the second generation. Li part of the garden allotted to vegetables, a small area was devoted to wheat in 1857, for the purpose of raising seed from an early variety, which Mr. Cowley had procured fi'om Scotland the j^ear before. The " Scotch Avheat" w^as sown on the 16th and 18th of May. It was ready for the sickle and reaped on the 24th of August, haA-ing been 97 days in arrivino- at maturity. The common wheat of tlie countiy was sown May 5th, and harvested August 18th, having required 105 days to grow and ripen. Barley w^as sown May 28th, and reaped August 18th. Indian corn is planted about the 23rd May, and ripens every year. Potatoes are planted fi'om the 22nd to the 2Gth of May. The potato crop is here truly magnificent. I was favoured with an inspection of the produce of a small field, after- wards visited, and certainly no finer or more plentiful retiuns coidd be desired. AU were perfectly clean and sound, and of very imusual size and weight. With the permission of Mr. Cowley I took four potatoes which lay close at hand, on the top of a large heap, containing very many equalling in size tliose I had taken without special selection ; when carefully weighed, tliey were found to average ten ounces each (10-1 ounces) ; a practical ex- periment proved them to be an excellent table variety. I may here mention that m the garden I noticed aspa- ragus growing luxuriantly, beet, cabbages, brocoli, sliallots, and indeed most culinary vegetables. In tlie farmyard 204 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. were ducks, fowls, turkeys, pigs, sheep, with some excel- lent milking cows, and, through the politeness of 'Mrs. Cowley, I was enabled to form a very favourable ophiion of several varieties of preserve from the Avild strawberry, cranberries and plums, which grew in profusion not far from the village. Among many kinds of wild fruits common here and much sought after by the Indians, are red and black cm-rants, high and low bush cranberries, two kinds of raspberries, two lands of gooseberries, moss- berries, blueberries, summer berry, choke cherry, stone cherry, &c. ; these are the common names by which they are known in the settlements. In the garden around the house some flowering shrubs and annuals were still in bloom on the 3rd October. The air was fragrant with the perfume of mignonette, and the bright orange-yellow eschscholtzia shone pre-eminent among asters and sweet peas, which had escaped the autumn frosts. I was introduced to Peguis, the great Ojibway chief, who at one tune commanded three hundred warriors, and about whom so much has been written by the missionaries. He is now a quiet old man, a good Christian, and happy, as he states, in his belief Up to the day of my visit, October 4tli, there had been fifty-one baptisms, exclusively Indian, in Mi\ Cowley's mission, during 1857 ; and in the same period, twenty-six deaths, six of the number beuig adults. The population of the mission in 1855 was 473 baptized Indians, and 203 heathens ; only four adult baptisms were celebrated in 1855. Next to the Indian settlement, Praiiie Portage is the most interesting illustration of a Christian settlement, in a wilderness still inhabited by roving bands of Inchans, who, as of old, occupy themselves in barbarous warfare, THE MISSION AT PRAIRIE PORTAGE. 205 Iniiit for daily food, or submit with abject liumility to the conjuror's inahgnant influence. Prairie Portage owes its existence to tlie untiring energy and undaunted zeal of Archdeacon Cochrane. The church at this most westerly hmit of civihzation in the Far West is constructed of wood, and contains twenty-five or thirty very substantial family seats, but is capable of liokhng three times that number ; each seat is manufactured by the o^vner, accord- ing to a pattern supphed by the archdeacon. The con- gregation (on Sunday loth) was composed of Plain and Swampy Cree Indians and half-breeds : one Plain Cree woman's home was three hundred miles to the west ; she was a fine specimen of the race, and neatly habited in the dress of the half-breeds. Near the door of the church, inside the building, a number of heathen Indians from the prairies stationed themselves to indulge their curiosity ; they squatted on the floor, remaining quiet and grave, and conducted themselves with the utmost propriety during the service. They were Plain Crees, followers of the Bufililo hunters, with whom they had lately arrived fi'om the high prairies ; some were clothed in dressed skins, others robed in blankets, with head and neck decorations; and one young heathen girl, wild, and almost beautiful, triumphed in a robe of scarlet military cloth. Wlio can say what benign influence the sight of Christian worship- ers may have upon many of these savage children of the prairies, who saunter in during the services of the Church, and with characteristic decorum always maintain a re- spectfiil demeanour, and a grave and earnest look. The Upper Presbyterian Chiuxh is a neat building of stone, situated in the middle of the settlement. The cost of its erection exceeded 1,000/. sterhng, and it has sittings for 500. The manse is delightfully placed on the river bank, wliicli here slopes uniformly to tlie water's edge 206 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. from the great prairie, some thirty feet above the stream dmino: its summer level. 111 the letter referred to on page 219, the Eev. Mr. Black says, "As to Glim^ch matters, we have here two congre- gations, or rather a congregation and a mission station belonging to this congregation. In the one where I hve there are about sixty families ; in the other (situated at Mr. Gunn's, Stone Fort) there are ten or eleven in aU. There are somewhat upwards of 120 members in full communion. The people are mostly Scotch, or of Scotch parentage. There are a few Orkney men, whom our Highlanders scarcely recognise as Scotch, a few half-breeds, one Enghshman, and one Swiss. We have sabbath schools at both places : here the attendance may just now average eighty-five ; below about thkty. Here we have divine service every Sabbath forenoon, and in the afternoon alternately here and below. We have also week lectures on Thursdays, and prayer meetings on Tuesday evenings. Li regard to temporahties, the congregation below have no property but their small meeting-house ; the one here has about 300 acres of good land, a stone church which cost about 1,000/,, and the cottage in which I hve. My stipend is 150/. sterling a year, 100/. of which is raised by voluntary contributions, and 50/. is allowed me by the Hudson's Bay Company. My people are mostly aU farmers in comfortable cu'cumstances, but none rich. They are, however, allowed to be the most steady and industrious portion of our population." THE ROMAX CATHOLIC CHURCHES. By far the most imposing ecclesiastical building in the settlement is the Eoman Cathohc Cathedral of St. Boniface, near Fort Garry. The external appearance is neither THE ROMAX CATHOLIC CflURCHES. -207 pleasing nor tasteful, although at a distance the two tinned spires, 100 feetliigli glittering in the sunlight, give an im- posing aspect to the building. They can be seen from a great distance, and with the spire of St. James's Church on the Assinnibome, are well-known landmarks. The inter- nal decorations of St. Boniface, for so remote a region, are very striking, and must necessarily exercise a potent influence upon the large and singular congregation who worship every Sunday within its walls. Two or three very sweet-toned bells ring at matins and vespers, and to a stranger just arrived from a long journey through un- peopled w^astes, no sight or sound in lied Eiver creates such surprise and melancholy pleasure as the sweet tones of the bells of St. Boniface, breaking the stilhiess of the morning or everdno* air. The body of the cathedral is 100 feet in length, 45 in breadth, and 40 in height. The three bells weigh up- wards of sixteen hundred pounds, and their cliimes are deservedly hstened to with pride and emotion by the Roman Catholic population of Eed Eiver. The parish of St. Norbert is thuily peopled, but the chapel, which is constructed of wood, is 90 feet long, and 33 broad. The chapel of St. Francois Xavier is in a very dilapidated condition, but there is every prospect that a new and commodious structure Avill soon be erected on the Wliite Horse Plain. (See Appendix, Vol. II.) The appearance of the congregations of the different churches in the settlements, produces a very favourable impression upon a stranger. From whatever direction Eed Eiver may be approached, the journey has to be made through a wilderness in which no signs of civiliza- tion are to be seen for several hundred miles, much less a chmTh in which divine service is celebrated to attentive and intelligent woj-shipers. 208 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. The conoTeo-ations at Eed Eiver consist of resident and retii-ed officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, some mer- chants, farmers, and the natives or half-breeds of the respective parishes. The services are conducted in strict accordance with customary forms, and tlie demeanour of the congregations is very attentive and decorous. A fak proportion of the congregations come to and go from church in neat carriages, or on liorseback, and the exter- nal appearance of the assemblages, taken as a whole, m relation to di^ess, is superior to what we are accustomed to see in Canada, or in the country parishes of Great Britain. The young men wear handsome blue cloth frock coats, with brass buttons, and round their waist a long scarlet woollen sash ; the young Avomen are neatly dressed like the country girls at home, but in place of a bonnet they wear the far more becoming shawl or coloured handkerchief tlu^o\\^i over or tied round the head ; some- times they allow then- long black hak to serve the purpose of a covering and ornament for which, from its profusion, it is admirably fitted. In this particular many of the half-breed girls follow the custom of their Lidian ancestry, who, as a general rule, never cover the head. There is a distuict and well-preserved difference in faith between the populations of the different parishes into which the settlement is divided. Some are almost exclusively Protestant, others equally Eoman Cathohc. In the parish of St. Norbert there is not one Protestant family, but 101 Koman Cathohc famihes. In the parish of St. Boniface there are 178 Eoman Catholic families and five Pro- testant ; so also in the parish of St. Frangois Xavier, on the Assinniboine, there are 175 Eoman Cathohcs to three Protestant families. On the other hand, in the parish of THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 209 St. Peter there are 116 Protestants and but two Eoman Catholic famihes, and m the parishes of Upper and Lower St. Andi-ew's there are 206 Protestant to eight Eoman Cathohc famihes. A very short stay in Eed Eiver is sufficient to create both admiration and surprise at what may not be inaptly termed, the condition of rehgion in Assmniboia. Admiration is aroused by the extent and design of tlie charities of the different societies in England, who sustain such a large ecclesiastical corps m connection with the Church of Eng- land as resident missionaries m the settlement, and who have contributed very munificently to the erection of the excellent churches which are now constructed. In ad- dition to these demands upon their hberality, the home societies give large sums towards the maintenance of missions in dilferent parts of Eupert's Land, so that at the present time there are scattered over this immense country nineteen clergymen of the Chmxh of England, costing between 6000/. and 7000/. sterhng, aimuaUy. The Church Missionary Society have expended, up to the date of then- last report, very nearly the sum of 60,000/. ster- hng upon missionary operations in Eupert's Land. Wliile, however, so much is done by those in England for cha- rity's sake, it is much to be wondered that so httle is contributed by the wealthy residents of Eed Eiver, such as the retired factors of the Hudson's Bay Company, the merchants, traders, and better class of farmers, towards the maintenance of the clergy, the support and extension of schools, and to the christianising of the heathen Indians, whose medicine-drum, accompanpng the monotonous song of the conjm-or, can almost always be heard m sum- mer during the hours of service. The outward appearance of many among the congrega- tions of the episcopal churches as they come and go in VOL. I. P 210 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. neat little carriages, or on horseback from comfortable well-furnished homes, enforces the expectation that in proportion to their means, they would at least endeavour to prepare the way for the spread of Christianity among the thousands of heathens who frequent the settlement ; that such is not the case there is too strong ground for behef. In the present condition of the country, with the interests of the fur trade to be upheld, the whole sub- ject of missionary enterprise in Eupert's Land is fiill of difficulty. This much aj)pears certain : the Lidians must be induced to settle in one place for a few months of the year at least ; schools must be founded, and thek children taught the truths of Christianity ; missionaries must learn the Indian language ; and then the spread of Christianity among the heathens may be in some degree commensurate with the charity which animates the different supporting societies in Great Britain and Ireland. In the settlements at Eed Eiver, and on the Assinniboine, all the services are conducted hi the English tongue ; and among the clergy of the Church of England at Eed Eiver, but one only speaks one Indian language with the fluency and ease ne- cessary to make himself understood by the natives. Of course the Indian ]\Iission below the settlements is not in- cluded in this enumeration. The Hudson's Bay Company continue to be very hberal in their support of missionaries, as far as money is con- cerned ; their contributions will be seen in the foregoing table ; but the impression was irresistibly forced upon me, and I found it strongly felt by some residents in Eed Ei- ver, that the progress of Christianity among Indians would be rather aided than otherwise, if missionaries were not to receive any assistance m the form of an annual stipend MISSIONAEY LABOUR AT THE OUTPOSTS. 211 from the Hudson's Bay Company. Perfect freedom of action in inducing Indians to settle ; in the education of Inchan orphan children, and in teaching them and adults the blessmgs of a settled, Christian home, as opposed to a hea- then himter's hfe, are essentially necessary before much satisfactory progress can be made. Can the ministrations of the Church in the Enghsh tongue to orderly resident congregations of European, Canadian, or half-breed origin, be missionary labour in the sense in which that highest of all duties is understood by those who contribute to the spread of the trutlis of Christianity among a wandering, degraded, and barbarous heathen race ? Missionary work at the outposts is altogether different to missionary work in the settlements. In no respect do the material means, necessary to make hfe comfortable, fall short of rational requirements at Ked Eiver, if proper forethought be exercised ; but at the distant stations, iso- lated and often alone, the missionary's work becomes a labour which must spring from the heart in order to secure even an outward show even of promise or success. Many country parishes in England are far less attractive, remunerative, or desirable than the missions at Red River Settlement. Those who have not experienced the privations result- ing to missionaries in remote outposts from the non-arri- val of their supplies by the customary route and at the expected season, can form but a feeble conception of the troubles and anxieties which chequer the hfe of a zealous missionaiy in the wilds of Rupert's Land. It is not mere personal inconvenience which causes him care and em- barrassment ; it is the impossibility of taking advantage of many opportunities for inducing wandering Indians to settle around the mission, of clothing and feeding the chil- p 2 212 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION". dren entrusted to his charge, and of securing, by aid judi- ciously apphed, the respect and affection of those he is endeavouring to christianise and educate, or seeking to draw from their faith in strange and imaginary gods. The Indian generally, from his habits and precarious mode of subsistence, requires something tangible in the first instance to arrest his attention, and practical encou- ragement, often repeated, to secure his good-will, before an impression can be made on his heart. If the mission- ary be cut off from his supphes in the infancy of a Mission, much of his work has to be done over again. Indian wants are few and simple, but they must be suppHed without fail at new stations ; hence the importance, if success is to be secured, of effecting and sustaining a tolerably regular communication once or twice a year with the settlements at Eed Eiver. It has sometimes happened that tliis is not convenient, or perhaps quite impossible ; it is natural to suppose that when, from missing a season or from other causes, the supplies for the service of the different posts of the Com- pany are in arrears, and the brigade of boats can take only a certain quantity of goods, those for the purposes of the trade will first receive attention. It has happened two or three times that one year's supphes for the whole population, of tea, sugar, articles of clothing and other important necessaries, have been unavoidably left at York Factory, causing no httle inconvenience and trouble to the settlers as weU as the missionaries. At Eed Eiver their wants can be in part supplied from the stores at Fort Garry, but at the missionary outposts such rehef cannot be looked for. Now that rapid communication may be said to be esta- bhshed between Fort Garry and St. Paul by steamboat COMMUNICATION WITH ST. PAUL. 213 and stage coach, there will always be an abundant supply of necessaries at the settlements, which was not the case when the chief means of communication with the outer world lay through York Factory. Opportunities may now be embraced for furnishing distant outposts, which did not exist before Georgetown in the State of Minnesota was connected by steam with Fort Garry, and by stage- coach with St. Paul on the Mississippi. p 3 214 EED EIVER EXPLOEING EXPEDITION. CHAP. X. EDUCATION IN THE SETTLEMENT. — AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY. Schools.— Protestant Schools in the Settlemeut.— Subjects taught.— Col- legiate School.— Distinguished Scholars.— School Attendance.— Sources of Income.— School Wants.— The Presbyterian School.— The Roman Ca- tholic Schools.— Agricultm-al Industry.— The Farms.- Want of Improve- ment manifest.— Cause of the Absence of Progress.— Cultivated Crops. —Indian Com.— Wheat.— Hay.— Barley and Oats.— Root Crops.— Sugar. —Hemp and Flax.— Live Stock.— Agi-icidtural Implements. — Facilities for raising Stock. — Timber. — Coimtry west of Red River. THE CONDITION OF EDUCATION AT RED RIVER. Education is in a far more advanced state in tlie colony than its isolation and brief career might claim for it under the pecuhar circumstances in which the country has been so long placed. There are seventeen schools in the settlements, generally under the supervision of the ministers of the denomina- tion to which they belong. The following enumeration is nearly accurate : — statistics and enumeration of schools. 1. St. John's College, including a boarding school for boys and girls, under the immediate supervision of the Bishop of Eupert's Land. 2. Archdeacon Hunter's School, " Model Training School," conducted by Mr. Mayhew, recently from the Normal School, Dubhn. 3. Mi\ Gunn's Commercial Boarding School, more par- ticularly in connection with the Presbyterians. EDUCATION AT RED RIVEK. 215 4. The Eev. Mr. Taylor's Parochial School on the As- siniiiboine. 5. The Eev. Mr. Chapman's Parochial School, near the middle settlement. 6. Tlie Presbyterian School, under the snperintendence of the Eev. Mr. Black. 7. Three minor schools, under the supervision of the Episcopal ministers in different parishes. 8. The Eoman Catholic schools are three in number, one of them occupying a very spacious and imposing building, near the church of St. Boniface, and providuig ample accommodation for female boarders. 9. At the Indian missionary village, an excellent school is under the control of the Eev. Mr. Cowley. All of the foregoing estabhshments are independent of the Sunday schools, properly so called, in connection with the dif- ferent churches. 10. A private ladies' school is now estabhshed in the parish of St. Andrew, near the rapids. The house is commodious, and the boarders are under excellent super- vision. PROTESTANT SCHOOLS IN THE SETTLEMENT. The present condition of Protestant education has been so ably described by the Bisliop of Eupert's Land, in a letter with which he favoured me, in reply to inquiries on the subject, that I avail myself of some extracts, which embody as full and exact information as could be desired.* " We may perhaps take the hmits of the settlement as extending from Portage La Prahie to the Indian settle- * This letter was published at length in the Canadian Blue Book, " On the Exploration of the Countiy between Lake Superior and the Red River Settlements," 1858. Also in the Imperial Blue Book on the same subject, Jime 1859. r 4 216 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. ment. Within these boundaries the schools connected with the Church of England are thuleen. They are necessarily more numerous than would under any other circumstances be required by the population ; from the houses of the settlers lying along the banks of the two rivers, and not being in the form of a town or village, the children cannot go to school above a certain distance, and the schools have been in consequence multiphed to suit the convenience of the inliabitants. The thirteen are ex- clusive of the two higher academies for young ladies and for boys. " The subjects taught must vary considerably, from the great difference of capacity in the pupils. The two leading schools would be " St. John's Parochial School," in the upper part of the settlement, and the " Model Training School," connected with St. Aiidi'ew's Church. In the former, in addition to the usual branches, the upper pupils have the opportunity of studying Latin, French, and mathematics. In the model school, which is taught by a certified master from Highbmy, the senior pupils have also the advantage of instruction in Latin, Euchd, and algebra. They are thus an approach to the grammar schools in Canada. In the other schools, of which St. Paul's is the best example, there is an excellent education afforded in British history, grammar, geography, arith- metic, with the elements of general history. Of course we must be content mth much less where the pupils are the children of Indian parents. With them it is difficult to go beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. " In the Collegiate School many of the pupils make very great progress both in classics and mathematics. Soon after my arrival in the country I was induced to found some scholarships as an incentive to study, and an ap- proximation to what takes place in other countries. To THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS. 217 the scholars elected from year to year, was assigned a free board, and the sum of 10/. a year, or m all about 30/. per annum. Of these so elected, some have done well else- where, and reflected credit on theu' early traming. I would only specify among these Mr. Colin C. McKenzie, B.A., of St. Peter's College, Cambridge ; Mr. Jas. Eoss, B.A., who has distinguished himself very highly at the University of Toronto ; the Eev. Peter Jacobs, ordained by the Bishop of Toronto to labour among the Indians on Lake Hiu:on ; and the Eev. Eobert McDonald, ordained by myself to the missionary station of Ishngton, on the Winnipeg Eiver. With more advanced pupils the higher classics have been read, such as ^Eschylus, Herodotus, and Thucydides. The turn of the native mind is, however, more towards mathematics. All attain to excellence in algebra, and acquire it \\dth great ease. All, too, have uatiu-ally imitative power, and write and draw well. Wliile I have had great pleasm^e in cariying on these branches of education, my one feeling of disappointment has been, that there is comparatively little opening for those who distinguish themselves in this country in after hfe. Yet I have felt that the duty is ours ; the event was with God. In the young ladies' school the want of ade- quate motive to excite to study is felt more than in the collegiate school. They have the opportunity of learning every branch usually taught in such estabhshments else- where, such as French and music, and there is a very gi'eat change perceptible in the seven years. Their edu- cation is all-important with a view to the training of the next generation ; and although the progress may not be visible in their case, the effects will, I trust, be fully acknowledged when they are settled in hfe. ." In the thirteen schools there may be about six hun- di-ed, from that to seven hundred children. In one or 218 EKD KIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. two there may be above fifty in attendance in ^vinter, but the average will not exceed forty. The students at the Collegiate School have been as many as twenty-foin% but as the standard of education rises in the parochial school:^, the Collegiate School, as such, will be comparatively un- necessary, and it will ultimately be hmited to those who may be under preparation for holy orders. For such, and for the clergy generally, there is a hbrary, possessing now one thousand books of standard divinity, as well as other useful subjects. " The sources of income vary much ; ten out of the thirteen schools are connected "with the Church Mssionary Society. The masters of such schools have all a salary from the Society. The model training master is entirely paid by them, and also the masters of the pure Indian schools. Li the other schools about one half may be paid by the Society, sometimes less, and the rest made up by the parents of the children. In the three parochial schools unconnected with the Church Missionary Society : in St. John's parochial school, a portion of the salary is paid by my own college, Exeter College, Oxford ; in St. James's, by some christian friends in Edinburgh ; and at Headingly, by the congregation of the Eev. T. M. McDonald, Trinity Church, Nottingham. " The sum paid by parents is 15s. a year ; where Latin is taught, 1^. In some parishes they prefer to pay the poimd, or thirty shiUings a family, and to send as many as they choose for that sum. " We want much, school apparatus, books, and maps. A very large quantity of books have been imported, and the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowdedge has given many valuable sets of maps to several parishes ; but scattered over thirteen schools, they are still insuffi- cient. * * * THE PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOLS. 219 " On the ground of education, let none fear to make trial of the country. The parochial school connected with my own church is equal to most parochial schools which I have known in England ; in range of subjects superior to most, though in method and in the apparatus of the school necessarily a httle inferior." The Eev. John Black, the Presbyterian minister at Eed Eiver, also favoured me with an account of his church and school. The following extract from that gentleman's letter conveys the necessary information : * — " First, then, as to the school : This is entirely supported by the people of the district, or rather by those of them who send their childi'en to it. There is no endowment, no public money, nor any allowance by any missionary or other society. The salaries of the chfferent teachers have varied fi'om 221. to 401. sterhng a year. The branches taught are Enghsh readmg, writing and grammar, geo- graphy, arithmetic, and the elements of algebra and geo- metry. Li the last two branches I think there are no pupils at present. The average attendance will be fi'om tlm-ty-five to forty. The school is kept open for the whole year, excepting a month in harvest, and the usual holidays. Tlie school is not exclusively composed of the children of Presbyterian famihes, neither do all the children of such families attend it ; some of these, residing at the extremities of the parish, attend the Church of England schools at the upper and middle churches, wliilst some of the Church of England people who reside amongst us send their children here. You are aware that we have no public school system in the colony, and this, hke the rest, is therefore * This letter was published at lenglh in the Canadian Blue Book, " On the Exploration of the Country between Lake Superior and the Red River Settlements," 1858. Also in the Imperial Blue Book on the same subject, June 1859. 230 KED RIYEK EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. offer nmivallecl advantages for rearing stock. The intro- duction of mowing machines would enable the settlers to lay in any required quantity of hay for winter consump- tion. Few of the better class of farmers keep more than thirty or forty head of cattle, in consequence of the want of a market for beef, tallow, hides, &c. The answer I received on all hands to the question, " Why do you not raise more cattle ? " was always the same in substance : " Find us a market for beef, tallow, and hides, and we will soon furnish any quantity of cattle you may recj[uire." There does not appear to be any good reason why sheep and cattle should not supply the place of the buffalo ; the experience of many years shows that no physical impedi- ments arising from climate or soil exist to prevent the prairies of Eed Elver fi^om becoming one of the best graz- ing countries in the world. Two reasons for the neglect of this important branch of mdustry are soon apparent, even to a stranger at Eed Eiver. Buffalo meat, pemmican made from bufihlo meat and fat, together with the robes and sinews, are always a cash article at the Hon. Company's stores ; whereas beef, mutton, hides, tallow, and wool, are a mere clrug in the market ; again, the habits of the half- breeds, who have long been trained to the hunt, are op- posed to the quiet monotony of a pastoral hfe, Litro- duce European or Canadian emigrants into the settlement, with the simple machineiy they have been accustomed to employ in the manufacture of homespun, and in a very few years the beautiful prairies of Eed Eiver and the As- sinniboine will be white with flocks and herds, and the cattle trade, already springing into importance between the settlements and St. Paul, will rapidly increase, or without much difficulty be diverted into an easterly chan- nel. Such are the ideas of many with whom I cUscussed the subject when in the settlements, and my own obser- IMPORTANCE OF TDIBEE AT RED RIVER. 231 vations lead me to the opinion that no real difficulty exists in the least degree hkely to hinder Eed Eiver from becom- ing a grazing country of the first class, when other inter- ests shall be permitted to exist in the presence of that aU absorbing, all-controlling service — the Fur Trade. Timber fit for lumbering purposes is only found in narrow strips on the Eed and Assinniboine rivers, and in still less quantities on the Eoseau and Eat rivers ; the timber consists of elm, oak, maple, and poplar of very large growth, as is stated elsewhere ; but if the settlements progress, — and why should they not ? — these supphes ^vill soon be consumed. The ridges afford small aspen and pine ; and in the rear of the great ridge, on tlie east side of the Eed Eiver, good pine is to be found towards the Lake of the Woods ; the Winnipeg would doubtless furnish some good pine, but the difficulty would he in bringmg it up Eed Eiver, in its unmanufactured state. Saw-mills are unknown in the settlement, but the rapids of the Winnipeg could afford any required power there. The question of a supply of timber for building purposes is not so important as the requirements of the same material for fuel ; hence it is that those who interest themselves in the future of Eed Eiver are anxiously turning their inquiries in the direction of the upper Assinniboine and the httle Souris, to those supposed beds of hgnite or tertiary coal which are so often spoken of by the Buffalo hunters who have occasion to cross these rivers in their progress to the high prairies. The value of the expectations of the settlers in this respect will be discussed in the second volume. Whatever may be the future of Eed Eiver, it is quite evident that it will depend to a large extent upon the character of the country lying to the west of the present area occupied by settlements. With a view to supply some data on which an opinion may be based regarding Q 4 222 EED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. are sometimes placed near the public road, and rarely in the depression formed by the ancient course of the stream. Above Mill Creek, on Eed Pdver, there does not appear to be any rise of land sufficient to afford security against extraordinary floods, such as those of 1826 and 1852, when the waters rose above the road, or more than thirty feet above the present river level. On the west of the road, as already remarked, is a boundless expanse, in which are enclosures, offering to the eye perfectly level fields of waving grain, or luxuriant pas- ture. Wliere no enclosm^es west of the road have been made, the prairie often passes into what are locally termed swamps or marshes ; but which are so susceptible of drainage, and conversion mto the richest pasture lands, that they do not deserve the title which has been assigned to them. Familiarity with the settlements dispels the favourable impression with which a stranger at first regards them. At a distance, the neat whitewashed houses, with their gardens and farmyards, contmuing without interruption for twenty miles Ijetween the forts, the herds of cattle, horses, and sheep, feeding on the plains, the vast expanse of what seems to be meadow of the richest description, lead one to suppose that universal prosperity and con- tentment would here be won without anxiety or trouble. Nevertheless, no one can fail to be struck with the indifference to the future, wliich seems habitually to characterise the people, especially the French portion of the population, and to show itself m their unfinished dwellings, neglected farms, and extravagant indulgence in dress, or in articles they covet. Many of the apparent efforts of industry which, seen fi'om a distance, excite admiration, shrink upon a nearer approach into sluggish and irregular attempts at improvement, often abandoned KUKAL ECOXO-MY AT RED RIVER. 223 before completion. The farms and farm buildings in tlie occupation of the majority afford no sign of recent improvement; and in general it may be said, that the buildings which in Canada would be considered good, roomy comitry houses are exclusively possessed and occupied by the retired officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, the traders or merchants of the settlement, and the clergy. The farmers' homesteads, and the hunters' and trappers' cottages, if these classes here can with propriety be separated, bear rather the appearance of slow decay, and a decUne m fortune, than a healthy, hopeful, progressive condition. With few exceptions, and these are chiefly among the Scotch, farming operations are conducted in a very slovenly maimer. Weeds abound in most of the fields appropriated to grain ; some fields are seen here and there to be altogether abandoned, and the out-houses wear a neglected aspect, or one of rmnous decay. As might be supposed in this primitive part of the world, manure is allowed to accumulate in the front of the stables and cattle sheds, or is sometimes thrown into the river, or heaped in such a position that it may be swept away by spring freshets. All these drawbacks and indi- cations of negligence and imprudence are not uncommon, within certain hmits, in every new country, indeed in any locahty remote from markets, and wherever ignor- ance of the first principles of rural economy prevails ; but where such marked neglect and seemmg duhiess abound in the midst of very general inteUigence and acuteness, and are limited to the so-called agricultural class, in pos- session of a soil of unsurpassed excellence, the enjoyment of an admu-abie summer cHmate for agricidtural purposes, and no greater share of periodical contingencies than 224 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. those to which every other country is hable, the causes which induce these evils must be sought for in other directions than those wliich may be said to spring from a dishke for agricuUural operations, or a characteristic inabihty to take advantage of the boundless apphances promoting happiness and comfort which He within their reach. The Bishop of St. Boniface, in his letter before referred to, page 220, points to the results of this apathy hi relation to agriculture, in the following remarks on the means and resources of a population of about 7000 ; occupying a country possessing a soil of extraordinary fertihty, to supply an unexpected demand for the ordinary neces- saries of hfe. " In the present condition of the Eed River settlement, those who have large famihes are not the persons who should come ; we are more in want of arms than of mouths. A company of soldiers and the exploring par- ties who visit the settlement suffice, as it is, to create a famine. The price of many of the necessaries of hfe has doubled since last year, and although the liarvest was pretty good, and hunting and fisliing abundantly success- ful, nevertheless, there is an extreme scarcity of every- tliing." The description which has been given of the general aspect of the farms and farm-houses in the settlements is not such as to create a favourable impression of the condition of husbandly in this remote region ; but it would be very unfair to form an opinion of the agricul- tural capabihties of the country from the results obtained by the majority, under its present state of isolation, and the dh-ection of the best efforts of the inhabitants to objects the reverse of those which belong to a pastoral life. CROPS AT RED RR^R. 225 The farm, as an exclusive object of industry and attention, is recognised by very few of the people of Eed Eiver. Hitherto remuneration for agricultural industry has been impossible as a general rule, on account of the want of a market. \Vliere, however, due attention has been given to husbandry, it has secured comfort and sohd independence. The fruits yet remain to be reaped ; for now that immigration is taking place to a hmited extent, prices of all kinds of farm productions have doubled; and those who have looked to the soil as their means of support in Eed Eiver, wiU be in a position to benefit by the industiy and care of former years, and probably find a remunerative market for all they can produce dui'ing the next two or three years, until the market becomes overstocked, which is extremely probable in respect of grain, on account of the remarkable facihties Avdhch the country offers for bringing large areas of land into immediate cultivation. CULTIVATED CROPS. 1. Indian Corn. — Varieties of corn exist, which may always be expected to ripen in Assinniboia. In order to secure tliis result, the rich and moist prairie soil requires draining, which may be accomplished without difficulty or expense, by running deep fm-rows \d\h a common plougli, at certain distances apart through the field devoted to Indian corn. This grain is a sm^e crop on the dry points of the Assinniboine and Eed Eiver, where the absence of superabundant moisture permits it to ripen withm a certain period, so as to be secure against the early autumnal frosts. No doubt varieties of Inchan corn are to be found in New England and in Lower Canada, which would ripen several days earlier in Assimiiboia than VOL. L Q 226 EED RIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. tlie horse teetli or even tlie Mandan corn, wliicli are cul- tivated there. 2. Wheat — This is the staple crop of Eed Eiver ; its cultivation is so general, and the good quality of the grain is so well and widely known, that very httle need be said respecting it. In favourable years, that is, in years which have not been distinguished by so wet and backward a spring for farming operations as that of 1857, wheat ripens and is ready for the sickle three months from the day of sowing. I think it very probable that new varieties from Canada, or the New England States, would ripen in less than three months, and this is the opinion of several of the best farmers in Eed Eiver. No fact, however, is more satisfactorily determined than the admirable adaptation of the chmate and soil of Assinniboia to the culture of wheat. Forty bushels to the acre is a common return on new land ; and I have elsewhere stated that Mr. Gowler has obtained fifty-six bushels to the acre, without the introduction of any artifice beyond deep land fiu-rows to keep the rich vegetable mould of the prairie dry. The great drawback to the cultivation of wheat is the want of a market. Asking a native to show me his wheat field, he said that he had grown enough tlie year before to last for two years, and the chances of his being able to dispose of any surplus were so small, that he determined not to trouble himself this year with growing wheat. As it happened, he would have been well repaid for any surplus, the expected arrival of the troops, and other circumstances, created a temporary market for wheat, which, however, could not have been foreseen by the easy going half-breed. None of those diseases, with the exception of smut or rust, or insect enemies, to which the wheat crops in Canada INDLIN COEN, WHEAT AND HAY. 227 and tlie United States are subject, occur, it is said, at Eed Eiver. Of tliis fact I cannot speak from personal experi- ence ; all I can say is that I heard no complaints of rust, nor did I see a single instance of its presence ; j^et it would be very miwise to infer from so short an experi- ence that rust is not an enemy to the wheat crops there ; the character of rust leads to the supposition that it will be fomid wherever wheat is groAvn, if the chmate be favom-able to its production. Tlie absence of rust is probably more a question of summer chmate than of pecuharities in the soil which prevent its attacks. Al- though I made numerous inquiries respecting destructive insects, yet I could hear of none similar to the Hessian fly or wheat fly, as havmg been observed there. The grasshoppers, from 1817 to 1820, were the most destruc- tive enemies kno^vn ; in 1857 and 1858 they destroyed the wheat crop at Frame Portage, and to a small extent in the settlements. 3. Hay. — Quantity unhmited, and quality excellent. The prairies for hundi-eds of miles, through which Eed Eiver, the Assinniboine, Eat, and Eoseau Eivers flow, offer everywhere a bountiful supply of grass and hay. Hay ground privileges have been established on the banks of the larger rivers, and the right of makhig hay within particular hmits is recognised by the inhabitants. Barley and oats are not much cultivated ; hops grow wild and in the greatest luxuriance. In 1858 they were seen on the Little Souris Eiver, at the Qu'appelle Lakes and on the Little Saskatchewan. Beet yields very abund- antly. Tobacco is cultivated to a small extent, but from trial of its quahties, I infer that it is susceptible of great improvement in the manufacturing process to which it is subjected. The season is, perhaps, too short for it to acquire maturity, and produce a good article. ci 2 228 EED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITIOX. All kinds of root crops grow well, and attain large di- mensions. All common garden vegetables, which are cultivated in Canada, are equalled, if not surpassed by the productions of the ricli prairie soil of Assinniboia, Considerable quantities of sugar are made from the ash- leaved maple on the Assinnibome. As no care is taken of the trees furnishing this useful article, it is probable tliat the supply from this source will soon cease. In cut- ting wood for fuel, the " natives " do not seem to have any special regard for the valuable trees. Some years since, at the instance, it is stated, of Sir Geo. Simpson, flax and hemp were cultivated to a con- siderable extent by the settlers at Eed Eiver. The product was of excellent quahty, and gave every promise of fur- nishing a very valuable commodity for home manu- facture, and for exportation. The cultivation of these important crops was stimulated for a fcAV years by premiums given by the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company, but when the premiums were withdrawn the cultivation soon ceased. Many settlers with whom I conversed had grown both of these vegetables, but that universal complaint, the want of a market, or of machinery to work up the raw product, led them to discontinue this very important and profitable branch of husbandry. Live Stock.^ — ^The hve stock of the settlements are re- presented by 2,799 horses, 2,726 oxen, 3,883 cattle, 2,644 calves, 4,674 pigs, and 2,429 sheep. Since the census of 1849 an increase has taken place in all of the foregoing items, with the exception of sheep : this useful animal ap- pears to be fast diminishing at Eed Eiver, and httle wonder, when only one carding miU, and that not in operation, as I was informed, exists in the settlement. In 1856 there were 667 fewer sheep in Assinniboia than in 1849, and 1130 less than in 1843. This decrease is AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 229 very miicli to be lamented ; it is said to arise from the want of a market for the wool, or means to manufactm-e it in the settlement. Dming the winter of 1855 — 6, the number of animals lost amounted to 184. The Eev. Mr. Black expresses a strong opinion in favour of the rearing of sheep.* "You saw what a splendid country- it is for sheep pasture, and were there means of making- wool into cloths, blankets, &c., greater attention would be given to the rearing of sheep ; great quantities of such goods are also required for the fur trade, and it would be an advantage to have them manufactured here. Among the emigrants coming up to take possession of the land, it would be a great advantage were there somebody to establish machinery for carding, fuUing and dyeing, per- haps spinning and weaving also." AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. The agricultural implements are Enghsh and American ploughs, of which 590 are now to be found in the settle- ment; together with 672 harrows, eight threshing machines, two reaping machines, and six winnowing machines. Pro- duce is hauled in the celebrated Eed Eiver carts, of which there were 2,108 in the settlement in 1856. They are ad- mirably constructed of wood ; no iron is employed, but sometimes buffalo-hide is made to serve as a tire ; these carts will last for several years ; and one which conveyed some heavy boxes of geological specimens from Eed Eiver to Crow Wing last autumn, had previously been twice near to the foot of the Eocky Mountains, and was still in good condition. The vast prairies of Eed Eiver and the Assimiiboine, clothed with a rich profusion of most nutritious grasses, * Vide letter referred to on page 210. H 3 •230 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. oJBTer unrivalled advantages for rearing stock. The intro- duction of mowing machines would enable the settlers to lay in any required quantity of hay for winter consump- tion. Few of the better class of farmers keep more than thirty or forty head of cattle, in consequence of the want of a market for beef, tallow, hides, &c. The answer I received on all hands to the question, " Wliy do you not raise more cattle ? " was always the same in substance : " Find us a market for beef, tallow, and hides, and we will soon furnish any quantity of cattle you may require." There does not appear to be any good reason why sheep and cattle should not supply the place of the bufialo ; the experience of many years shows that no physical impedi- ments arising from chmate or soil exist to prevent the prairies of Eed Eiver from becoming one of the best graz- ing countries in the world. Two reasons for the neglect of this important branch of mdustry are soon apparent, even to a stranger at Eed Eiver. Buffalo meat, pemmican made from bufialo meat and fat, together with the robes and smews, are always a cash article at the Hon. Company's stores ; whereas beef, mutton, hides, tallow, and wool, are a mere drug in the market ; again, the habits of the half- breeds, who have long been trained to the hunt, are op- posed to the quiet monotony of a pastoral hfe. Litro- duce European or Canadian emigrants into the settlement, with the simple machineiy they have been accustomed to employ in the manufacture of homespun, and in a very few years the beautiful prairies of Eed Eiver and the As- sinniboine will be white with flocks and herds, and the cattle trade, already springing into importance between the settlements and St. Paul, will rapidly increase, or without much difficulty be diverted into an easterly chan- nel. Such are the ideas of many -with whom I discussed the sul^ject when in the settlements, and my own obser- IMPOETANCE OF TIMBEE AT EED EIVEE. 231 vations lead me to tlie opinion that no real difficulty exists in the least degree Hkely to hinder Eed Eiver from becom- ing a grazing country of the first class, when other inter- ests shall be permitted to exist in the presence of that all absorbing, all-controlling service — the Fur Trade. Timber fit for lumbering purposes is only found in narrow strips on the Eed and Assinniboine rivers, and in still less quantities on the Eoseau and Eat rivers ; the timber consists of elm, oak, maple, and poplar of very large growth, as is stated elsewhere ; but if the settlements progress, — and why should they not ? — these supphes will soon be consumed. The ridges afford small aspen and pine ; and in the rear of the great ridge, on the east side of the Eed Eiver, good pine is to be found towards the Lake of theWoods ; the Winnipeg would doubtless fin^nish some good pine, but the difficulty would he in bringing it up Eed Eiver, in its unmanufactured state. Saw-mills are unknown in the settlement, but the rapids of the Winnipeg could afford any required power there. The question of a supply of timber for building piu'poses is not so important as the requirements of the same material for fuel ; hence it is that those who interest themselves in the futm^e of Eed Eiver are anxiously turning their inquiries in the direction of the upper Assinniboine and the httle Souris, to those supposed beds of hgnite or tertiary coal which are so often spoken of by the Buffalo hunters who have occasion to cross these rivers in their progress to the high prairies. The value of the expectations of the settlers in this respect will be discussed in the second volume. Wliatever may be the future of Eed Eiver, it is quite evident that it will depend to a large extent upon the character of the country lying to the west of the present area occupied by settlements. With a view to supply some data on which an opinion may be based regarding Q 4 232 EED EIVER EXPLOEING EXPEDITTOX. the probable political and commercial status this coiintiy may acquire in process of time, the succeeding chapter is devoted to a very general description of the physical character and resources of the region included between the Saskatchewan, from the elbow of the South Branch to the Grand Eapids, the west coast of Lake Winnipeg, and the 49th parallel or international boundary. It is intended to serve as an introduction to the narrative of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Expedition of 1858, which follows the description of the Journey to Canada in the autumn of 1857 by Crow Wing and St, Paul. 233 CHAP. XI. SKETCH OF THE COUNTRY WEST OF RED RIVER. General Surface. — Elevation of the Prairies of Red River. — Pembina Mountain. — Terraces. — Mountains. — Lakes and Rivers. — East of the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. — North-East of the Assinniboine. — Riding and Duck Mountains.— The Great Lakes.— Geological Formations. —The Touchwood Hills.— Tm-tle Mountain.- Lake Winnipeg. — Lakes Manitobah and Winnipego-sis. — The Qu'appelle Lakes. — The South Branch.— The Main Saskatchewan.— The Grand Rapid.— The Little Saskatchewan.— The Qu'appelle, or Calling River.— The Little Sourip. —Wooded and Prairie Land.— Areas fit for Settlement.— Valley of the Assinnibome.— Valley of the Saskatchewan.— East of the Riding and Duck Mountains. GENERAL SURFACE. The prairies of Eed Eiver at Fort Garry are about eighty feet above tlie level of Lake Winnipeg. Tliey form the southern portion of a vast region of lake, swamp, and marsh, which is bounded in a very well defined manner by the Pembina Momitain, and its continuation to the Saskatchewan, which river it crosses a few miles below the Nepowewin Mission, opposite Fort k la Corne. Pembina Mountain forms the western hmit of an ancient sea or lake coast ; its direction is partly shown on the map as far as the Assinniboine. On the precipitous eastern flanks of the Kiding and Duck Mountains, it occurs in the form of a ridge, of which a description is given in the second volume. From the Pasquia Mountain the course of the ancient sea or lake coast is westerly towards Fort k la Corne. The whole of the country east of Pembma Mountain, and its continuation as 234 EED EIVEE EXPLORING EXPEDITION. described above, with the exception of the Assinniboine and Eed Eiver prauies, is low, swampy, and in great part occupied by Lakes Winnipeg, Winnipego-sis, Manitobah, and other bodies of water of less magnitude, having an area exceeding in the aggregate thirteen thousand square miles. Rising above Pembina Mountain in the form of steps, are two other terraces, best seen on the east and west flanks of the Eiding and Duck Mountains, but obhterated in the valley of the Saskatchewan and Assinniboine by the denuding forces which have swept over the whole of this region. The south-western hmit of these table- lands is marked by the boundary of the Grand Coteau de Missouri, which forms the highest terrace or plateau of the series. MOUNTAINS, LAKES, AND RIVEES. Surveying the country in the direction in wliich the great rivers flow, these vast plains slope gently from a low heiofht of land near the south branch of the Saskatchewan with an easterly trend to the Assinniboine. This slope is continued throughout the valley of the Assinniboine to Eed Eiver, after an abrupt declension, where the Assinni- boine descends the flank of Pembina Mountain. North-east of the Assinniboine the country rises almost imperceptibly for a distance of fifteen to thirty-five miles, as far as the base of a series of hill-ranges lying parallel to the general direction of the river valley, before it makes its easterly bend ; it then rises by successive steps and sloping plateaux to a summit altitude of about one thou- sand feet above Lake Winnipeg, or sixteen hundred feet above the sea. These hill-ranges are known by the names of the Eiding Mountain and the Duck Mountain. On their eastern and MOUNTAINS, LAKES, AND RIVERS. 235 south-eastern flanks they show an abrupt and broken escarpment, and within the space of five miles the country- sinks from sixteen hundred to six hundred and eighty feet above tlie sea, or within eighty feet of the level of Lake Winnipeg. At the foot of these hill-ranges, and east of them, lie the great Lakes Winnipcgo-sis and Manitobah, which are separated from Lake Winnipeg by a low, marshy, and nearly level tract, having an elevation rarely exceeding- eighty feet above it. The uniformity which obtains in the geographical dis- tribution of the great lakes of the Winnipeg Basin is a beautiful illustration of the dependance of geographical features upon geological structure. It is equalled only by the relations of the great Canadian lakes, whose form and general features have been shown to be determined by the formations in which they are excavated.* The outcrop of the different formations in the valley of Lake Winnipeg, as far as they are known, follows the general direction of the rim of the basin in which they are deposited with remarkable uniformity. Conforming to the du^ection of the Laurentian system exposed on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, and constituting the Lauren- tide Mountams, the Silurian series stretches from Pembina on the 49tli parallel, to the Saskatchewan on the 54th, and thence towards the Arctic Sea. Followmg its out- crop, the Devonian series is symmetrically developed between the same distant boundaries ; but the most singular feature of this region is, that the soft Cretaceous shales should also conform, with tolerable exactness, to the exposed edges of the unfossihferous rim of the great * On tlie Physical Stmctiu'e of tlie Western District of Upper Canada, by Sir W..E. Logan, F.R.S. 236 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. basin in which they He. The present nucleus of the fos- sihferous basin is occupied by the great hgnite formation of the Tertiaries on the Grand Coteau de Missouri ; and so symmetrical is the arrangement in this part of the north-west, that a hne drawn through any part of the country from the Grand Coteau de Missouri, where it strikes British territory, to any point between Pembina and Cumberland on the Saskatchewan, would pass over proportionally extensive areas of the Tertiary, Cretaceous, Devonian, Silurian, and Laurentian series. Besides the imposing Eiding and Duck Mountains, the Touchwood Hills may be enumerated as very important and striking in a region whose marked characteristic is that of a gently sloping plam. These hills he between the head waters of the Assinniboine and the South Branch ; the elevation of the highest peak, the Heart Hill, pro- bably does not exceed 700 feet above the general level of the great plain. The course of this range is from north- east to south-west, and it forms the most prominent of several ranges which he parallel to one another. South of the Assinniboine the Turtle Mountain is a prominent and important feature. It is cut by the 49th parallel. The Blue Hills of the Souris serve to destroy the general sameness of the prauie level on the river after which they are named ; while the Blue Hills south of the Assinniboine, and east of the little Souris Eiver, offer perhaps the wildest and most picturesque scenery in the area here referred to. The Porcupine Hill, Thunder Mountain, and Pasquia Hill, were not included within the area explored. They are eminences wliich he between the Grand Eapids of the Saskatchewan and the head waters of the Assinniboine, all of them probably forming, in connection with the Eiding and Duck Mountains, at a former epoch, a continuation of a vast tableland, now THE GREAT LAKES OF THE WINNIPEG BASIN. 237 broken into detached mountain ranges by denudation, with bold abrupt escarpments on then' eastern exposures, and gently sloping terraces, separated by steps, on their western aspects. Prominent among the physical features of this region are the vast expanses of water which occupy the larger portion of its low eastern area. Lake Winnipeg is two hundred and eighty miles long, and in several parts more than fifty miles broad. Lakes Manitobah and Wimiipego- sis together are nearly of the same length, and the broadest part of the first named is not less than twenty- six miles across. Nearly the whole country between Lake Winnipeg and its western rivals is occupied by smaller lakes, so that between the valley of the Assin- niboine and the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg fully one tliird is permanently under w^ater. These lakes, both large and small, are shallow, and in the same water area show much uniformity in depth and coast hne. Some of the smaller lakes are of dimensions which entitle them to notice. Such are St. Martin's Lake, with an area exceeding three hundred square miles : Water-hen Lake, Ebb and Flow Lake, and Dauphin Lake, each covering an area exceeding one hundred and fifty square miles. West of the Assinniboine are the Qu'appelle Lakes, situated in the Qu'appelle vaUey, eight m number, and with an aggregate length of fifty-three miles. Besides these, the last Mountain Lake is probably forty miles lono-, and varies from three quarters of a mile to two miles in width. The Qu'appelle Lakes are very deep, eleven fathoms or sixty-six feet having been recorded. North-east of the Touchwood Hills there are numerous large lakes, havuig areas varying from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty square miles. Some of 233 EED KIVER EXPLOEIXG EXPEDITJOX. these are strongly impregnated with saline ingredients, and are the haunts of innumerable hosts of geese and other aquatic birds. On the south-east flank of the same range, and throughout the plain stretching towards the Assin- niboine, lakes and ponds are everywhere distributed ; the same remark applies to the western flanks of the Eiding Mountain and Duck Mountains, as well as to a large area south of the Assinniboine and east of the Little Souris. Lake Winnipeg receives the waters of numerous rivers which, in the aggregate, drain an area of about 400,000 square miles. The Saskatchewan (the river that runs swift) is its most important tributary. The South Branch of this magnificent river flows for fully two hundred miles below the Elbow, at the foot of a continuation of the Eyebrow Hill Eange, a low ofiset of the Grand Coteau, in a north-easterly direction, and its deep excavated valley appears to he at an average distance of twelve miles from it. This range is cut by several narrow but deep valleys, and from the small lakes or ponds which occupy their summits, water flows during spring fi^eshets to the Saskatchewan and Assinniboine. The valley of the Qu'appelle Eiver is a remarkable and important instance of this interlockage, but not the only one wliich connects two difierent drainage slopes in this region. Within fifty miles south-west of the Grand Forks, and a short distance south of the Lumpy Hill, there is another deep valley in the dividing ridge, from whose summit lakelets water flows in the spring to the South Branch, a distance of ten or twelve miles, and also to the main Saskatchewan, which it reaches below Pine Island Lake, a distance exceeding IGO miles. One other interlockage between the South Branch and the valley of the Assimiiboine will be noticed in the proper place. Tlie South Branch, eighteen miles below the Elbow, THE RIYEKS OF THE WIXNIPEG BASIX. 239 and 584 miles from its moutli, is 600 yards broad. The rate of the cmTent is here 2^ miles per hour, the greatest depth 10 feet in the main channel, the mean depth across being 4*6 feet. There are channels on both sides of the river, one being 6 and the other 10 feet deep. After passing the Moose Woods, about ninety miles from the Elbow, the river channel is much contracted, its current is uniform and swift, varying from 2^ to 3 J miles per hour : mud and sandbars disappear, and it flows between high banks of drift clay, with a treeless, arid prafrie or plain on either hand. At the Moose Woods, where the river is very broad and sandbars numerous, the paddles of canoes have touched the bottom from one side to the other with the ordinary stroke of the voyageurs ; this occurred during a season of low water. In August 1858, Lidians were crossmg on horseback from the right to the left bank above the Elbow, the depth not exceeding four feet. Before joining the North Branch the current be- comes very strong, often from 3^ to 4 miles an hour. The river winds between high precipitous banks, with forests of oak, elm, ash, aspen and birch covering the low points, the opposite hill banks being clothed chiefly with birch and aspen. Groves of spruce show themselves on approaching the North Branch, but the soil on the prairie plateau maintams the most luxuriant growth of vetches, roses, and berry-bearing bushes of different kinds wher- ever the aspen forests have been burnt and open areas formed. From the Elbow to the Grand Forks the dis- tance is 250 miles, and generally throughout the last fifty miles of its course the South Branch flows through a thinly wooded country, but possessing a soil of great depth and fertihty. The main Saskatchewan, opposite Fort a la Corne, is 320 yards broad, 20 feet deep in the channel, and 240 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. flows at the rate of 3 miles an hour. The mean depth across the river here is 14 feet, but it is in the memory of those Hving at the fort, when the river was crossed on horseback during a very dry season. About 158 miles below Fort a la Corne, near Tearing Eiver, the main Saskatchewan is 330 yards broad, 22 feet deep in the channel, has a mean sectional depth of 20 feet, and flows at the rate of two miles an hoim Two hundred and ninety one miles below the Grand Forks the main Saskatchewan enters Cedar Lake, a dilatation of the river thirty miles long. Issuing from this large body of water, it expands into a small lake, but soon again contracting its channel, the Cross Lake Eapids come into view; these rapids have a fall of 5| feet. Hudson's Bay Company's boats of four or five tons are tracked up them with half cargo, but loaded boats, descending, run the rapids. The Saskatchewan then enters Cross Lake, and after issuing fi-om this elongated expanse of water begins a rapid course to Lake Winnipeg, with a current often 3 and sometimes 3^ miles an hour. The head of the Grand Eapid is about four miles from the mouth of the river. The length of the portage is one mile seven chains, and the rapids below the portage are about 1^ mile long, so that the total length of the Grand Eapid exceeds 2-V miles. The fall from the west to the east end of the portage, as ascertained by levehng, is 28^ feet ; the fall below the portage is estimated to be 15 feet; consequently the total fall is about 43 feet. The Grand Eapid is run by Hudson's Bay Company's loaded boats ; in ascending from the foot of the Eapids to the east end of the portage, boats are tracked or towed up with half cargo ; they are then run back again, and again tracked up with the other half of their freiglit. From east to west end of the portage boats are tracked up on the THE RIVERS OF THE WINNIPEG BASIN. 241 south side of the river, with a load of fifteen pieces (1350 lbs.), the remainder of the freight is carried over the portnge. The distance from the Grand Forks to the mouth of the Saskatchewan is 342 miles ; the distance from the Elbow of the South Branch to the mouth is G03 miles. The Saskatchewan receives several affluents on its south side which are important only on account of the fertile tracts of country they drain. About 110 miles in an air line south from the Grand Eapid, and 136 miles by the canoe route along the coast, Lake Winnipeg receives the Little Saskatchewan or Dauphin Eiver, through which Lakes Manitobah and Wmnipego-sis discharge themselves. During ordinary summer levels, the Dauphin Eiver offers no impediment to small steamers of light di^aft ; it thus forms a valuable and direct communication between the vast Avater areas which it hnks together. It flows through a flat and swampy country offering very few inducements, or indeed opportunities, for settlement. The mission of Fairford is situated on that part of this river wdiich Kes between St. Martui Lake and Lake Manitobah, having been removed to its present position from the lower part of Dau])hin Eiver in consequence of the occurrence of destructive floods, the surface of the country not being above eight feet over the summer level of the river. Dauphin Lake is connected with Lake Winnipego-sis by ]\Ioss Eiver, navigable in high water by Eed Eiver freighters' boats. The tributaries received by Dauphin Lake scarcely re- quire notice here, although they may become useful tis affording means for transporting the valuable spruce of the Eiding and Duck Mountains to Lake Manitobah ; the most important of these tributaries is the Valley Eivei', which separates the Duck from tlie Eiding Mountain. VOL. I. R 242 RICD KIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION'. Lake Winnipego-sis receives the Eed Deer Eiver and Swan Eiver, which open communication to an important tract of country east and north-east of the head waters of the Assinniboine. The south-western extremity of Lake Manitobah is distinguished by the extent and richness of the prairies which at a higher hike level it has assisted in forming. The Wliite Mud Eiver which meanders through them may be classed among the most valuable of the lesser tributaries of the great lakes of the Winnipeg basin. The Eed Eiver of the north and the Assinniboine having been already described, require no further notice. Some of the affluents of the last-named river are suffi- ciently important to deserve a separate notice. The Qu'appelle or Calling Eiver falls into the Assinni- boine about five miles below Fort ElHce. At its mouth this stream is 88 feet broad, 12 feet deep in the main channel, and shows a mean sectional depth of 8 feet ; its current is at the rate of 1^ miles an hour. The valley in which it flows inoscidates with the South Branch of the Saskatchewan at the ElboAv. It is 269 miles long, and seventy miles from the Assinniboine about one mile broad, and 310 feet below the prairie, which stretches north and south from its abrupt edges as far as the eye can reach. At the Qu'appelle Mission, 119 miles from the Assinniboine, the valley is one mile and a quarter broad, and 250 feet deep. The river here is 48 feet wide, 6 feet deep in the channel, with a mean sectional depth of 3 feet 6 mches, and a current of one mile an hour. The lakes at this point liave a depth of 57 feet, so that the total excavation below the prairie on either hand is 307 feet. Near the first or Qu'appelle Forks the valley is one mile and one third broad, and 220 feet deep. At the THE LITTLE SOURIS. 24.3 east end of Sand Hill Lake, 239 miles from the xVssin- niboine, and thirty-one miles from tlie South. Branch, the vaUey is one mile and live chains broad, witli a depth of 140 feet below tlie prafrie. Eight miles from tlie west end of Sand Hill Lake, or fifteen miles from the Saskatchewan, the excavation is one mile and seventy chains broad and 150 feet deep. At the height of land where it has been invaded by sand dunes fr'om the west and south-west, it is still nearly one mile broad and 110 feet deep, estimated from the well defined edge of the valley, where a low escarpment of rock still uncovered by the advancing sand of tlie dunes, serves to mark its limit and the power of the forces which ex- cavated it. The level of the prairie studded ^\dtli sand hiUs and dunes is some 30 feet above the edge of the rock noticed above. The Little Souris, or Mouse River, joins the Assimii- boine 140 miles fr'om Fort Garry, by the windhigs of the river valley, and 116 by the buffixlo hunters' trail. At its mouth the Little Souris is 121 feet broad, 3 feet 6 inches deep in the channel, wath a mean sectional depth of 2 feet 4 inches, and a current of half a mile an hour. Its vaUey, at the Back-fat Creek, twenty-five miles from the Assinniboine, is one mile and a half broad (8,016 feet), and 225 feet deep, Avith a level prairie on either hand. Near Snake Hill, sixty-one miles from the outlet, the valley is only 110 yards broad, and 66 feet deep, Avith open prairie on both sides. The river here is 100 feet broad, and 4 feet deep m the channel. In its passages through the Blue HiUs of the Souris, the river has excavated a profound valley between 400 and 500 feet deep, making a sudden turn from a due easterly com-se to one almost northerly, and avoiding what appears to be an ancient channel but R 2 244 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. slightly elevated above its present level. This old chan- nel piu-sues a straight course to Pembina Eiver, with which, on the authority of half-breeds faniihar with the country, it is said to be connected. Entering the tenitory of the United States against the course of the stream, the Little Som'is may be traced as far south as the 48th parallel of latitude, when suddenly tinning to the north- west it pursues a course parallel to the flanks of tlie Grand Coteau de Missouri, re-entering British territory about the 102nd degree of longitude. WOODED AND PRAIRIE LAND. The western and south-western slopes of the Eiding and Duck Mountams support heavy forests of white spruce, bh'ch, aspen, and poplar. The trees are of a large size, and often exceed 1^ and 2 feet in diameter, with an avail- able length of 30 to 50 feet. On the summit plateau of the Eiding Mountain the white spruce is the largest tree ; here it attains dimensions, and is found in quantity suffi- cient to give to tliis region a great economic value. The wooded area over which timber consistmg of the four kinds of trees enumerated, is found on the Eiding and Duck Mountains, has a length of one hundred and twenty miles, with a breadth exceeding thh'ty miles. The afflu- ents of the Assimiiboine will serve during spring freshets, to bear these valuable forest productions to areas which will probably first attract settlement, and where they will be most required. In the vaUey of the Assinniboine is an extensive and valuable forest of oak, elm, ash, maple, poplar, and aspen, with an average breadth of four miles ; its length is about thirty miles. The flats and hill sides of the deep eroded valley, through which this river flows above Prairie Port- age, sustain a fine forest, in which aspen, oak, birch, elm. THE WOODED REGION. 245 and maple appear to prevail in numbers corresponding with the order in wliich they are enumerated ; but this forest does not extend beyond the excavated valley of the river or its tributaries. All the affluents of tlie Assinni- boine flow through deep ravines, which they have cut in the great plain they drain ; these narrow valleys are well clothed with timber, consisting chiefly of aspen and balsam-poplar, but often varied with bottoms of oak, elm, ash, and the ash-leaved maple. On the west side of the main river, the valleys of the tributaries, such as the Little Souris and the Qu'appelle Eiver, are timbered continuously for a distance of thirty to seventy miles from their outlets, and at intervals onty, further up stream. On the Qu'appelle Eiver good timber is found as far as the mission; but in progressing westward it is seen gradually to diminish in size, and finally to disappear altogether. The Touchwood Hill Eange, together with small parallel ranges, such as the Pheasant Mountain and the File Hill, averaging twenty miles in length by ten in breadth, are in great part covered with aspen forests, but the trees are generally small. At the Moose Woods, on the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, forests of aspen begin to appear; they continue, Avith occasional admixtures of bii'ch and oak, more rarely of oak and elm, as far as the Grand Forks ; here the spruce becomes common, and, with aspens, occupies the excavated valley of the main Saskatchewan for many miles. The hill-banks and the plateau on the south side of the river, for a distance of three or four miles south, sustain the Banksian pine, which disappears as the soil changes from a light sand to a rich and deep vegetable mould, supporting detached groves of aspen and clumps of willows. On the Little Souris, especially in tlie neighbourhood ' K 3 24() RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION, of the Blue Hills, the country is fertile and beautiful, Ixit the areas adapted for settlement lose much of the value which would othervvdse belong to them, from the absence of wood. West of the Souris is a boundless, treeless prauie ; so that in crossing from Eed Deer's Head Eiver to Fort EUice it was found necessary to carry wood for fuel for a distance of sixty miles. At Sand Hill Lake, on the Qu'appelle, timber is so scarce in the river valley and gullies leading to it, that bois de vache is the only avail- able fuel. The South Branch, from the Elbow to the Moose Woods, flows through a treeless region, as far as relates to the prairie on either side ; but in the ravines leading to the river detached groves of small timber occiu-. The boundary of the prairie country, properly so called, may be roughly shown by a hne drawn from the great bend of the Little Souris, or Mouse Eiver, to the Qu'ap- pelle mission, and from the Mission to the Moose Woods, on the South Branch. AREAS FIT FOR SETTLEMENT. Valley of the Assinniboine. — Issuing from the Duck Momitam are numerous streams wMch meander through a beautiful and fertile country. This area may be said to commence at the Two Creeks, ten miles fi-om Fort Felly, thence on to Fme Creek, fifteen miles further. The vege- tation is everywhere luxuriant and beautiful, from the great abundance of rose-bushes, vetches, and gaudy wild flowers of many species. After passing Pine Creek the trail to Shell Eiver pursues a circuitous route through a country of equal richness and fertihty. Shell Eiver is forty-two miles from Pine Creek, and in its valley small oak appear, with balsam-poplar and aspen, covering a thick under- groAvth of raspberry, currant, roses, and dogAvood. Between Shell Eiver and Birdstail Eiver, a distance of THE VALLEY OF THE ASSINNIBOINE. 247 tliirty-niiie miles, the countiy is level and often marshy, with numerous ponds and small lakes, but where the soil is dry the herbage is very luxuriant, and groves of aspen tliirty feet high vaiy the monotony of the plain. Between the trail and the Assimiiboine the soil is light, and almost invariably as the river is approached it par- takes of a sandy and gravelly nature, with boulders strewn over its surface. The flanks of the Hiding Mountain are covered with a dense growth of aspen and poplar, and cut by numerous small rivulets. From Birdstail Eiver to the Little Sas- katchewan, or Eapid Eiver, a distance of thirty-three miles, the same l-dnds of soil, timber, and vegetation prevail. About one hundred miles from its mouth the Eapid Eiver issues from the densely wooded flanks of the Eiding Mountain through a narrow excavated valley filled with balsam-poplar, and an undergrowth of cherry and dogwood, with roses, convolvuli, vetches, and various creepers. The slopes are covered with poplar eighteen inches in diameter. Descending the river, groves of poplar and spruce show themselves, Avitli thick forests of aspen and balsam-poplar covering the terrace on either hand. The river is here forty feet ^vide, with a very rapid current. Before it makes its easterly bend the ash-leaved maple shows itself in groves, and on both sides is an open undulating country, attractive and fertile, with detached cliunps of young trees springing up in all directions. The region di^ained by the Eapid Eiver continues beautiful and rich until within twentj^-five miles of the Assinniboine, so that it may with propriety be stated, that for a distance of seventy-five miles this river meanders through a country admirably adapted for settlement. Ponds and lakes are numerous, wild fowl in B 4 248 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. great numbers breed on tlieir borders, and the waters of the Eapid Eiver abound in fish. It will probably become important as a means of conveying to the settlements on the Assinniboine and Eed Eiver supphes of lumber from its valley and the Eiding Mountain. From the Eapid Eiver to White Mud Eiver the distance is thirty-three miles, and the country continues to preserve the same general character with respect to fertility and fitness for settlement which has now been traced out for a space of 164 miles. Wliite Mud Eiver flows into Lake Manitobah at its south-western extre- mity. This river drains an extensive area of the richest prairie land, similar in all respects to the White Horse Plain on the Assinniboine, or the rich wastes on Eed Eiver. White Mud Eiver is connected with Prairie Portage by an excellent dry road, the crossing place beinsf about eiditeen miles from the Portage. The river banks are well timbered with oak, elm, ash, maple, aspen, and balsam-poplar. It possesses valuable fisheries, and comnnmicates by an uninterrupted canoe navigation with Lake Manitobah for a length of thirty miles. The soil on its banks and far on either side is of the finest quahty. At the month of the river a fishing establishment has been maintained by the people of the Portage for several years. The valley of La Eiviere Sale has a general direction parallel to that of the Assinniboine, and about sixteen miles south of it. The country between the two rivers is wet and marshy, with large areas covered with wil- low thickets and clumps of small aspen. South of the valley of the first-named river the prairie is magnifi- cent, and not surpassed by any area of equal extent on Eed Eiver. T'he area of the region well adapted for settlement on THE VALLEY OF THE SASK^VTCHEWAN. 249 the east and north of the Assiiiniboine, and in the valley of La Eiviere Sale may be assumed to occupy 3,500,000 acres. In the valleys of Mouse Eiver, the Qu'appelle Eiver and Wliite Sand Eiver, the area of land hkely to invite settlement does not exceed one million acres. The lakes in the valley of the Qu'appelle Eiver are im- portant, they abound in fish, among which white fish are numerous, large m size, and of excellent quahty; the gray and red suckers, pike and pickerel are also abundant. Valley of the Sashatcliewan. — 1. The country between the Lumpy Hill of the Woods and Fort ii la Corne, or the Nepowewin Mission, including the valley of Long Creek and the region west of it, bounded by the South Branch and the Main Saskatchewan. This area may contain about 600,000 acres of land of the first quahty. 2. The valley of Carrot Eiver and the country included between it and the Main Saskatchewan, bounded on the south by the Birch Ilill range. There is a narrow strip on the great river, about five miles broad, where the soil is light and of an indilTerent quality. The area of available land probably does not exceed 3,000,000 acres. 3. The comitry about the Moose Woods on the South Branch. 4. The Touchwood Hill range. 5. The Pheasant Hill and the File Hill. The aggregate area of these fertile districts may be stated to extend over 500,000 acres. Assuming that the prairies of Eed Eiver and the Assinniboine east of Prairie Porta^-e contain an available area of 1,500,000 acres of fertile soil, the total quantity of arable land included l)etween Eed Eiver and the 250 RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. Moose Woods on the South Branch of the Saskatchewan will be as follows : — ACRES. Red River and the Assinuiboine Prairies east of Prairie Portage 1,500,000 Eastern watershed of the Assinuiboine and La Riviere Sale . 3,500,000 Long Creek and the Forlcs of the Saskatchewan . . . 600,000 Between Carrot River and the Main Saskatchewan . . . 3,000,000 The Touchwood Hill range, the Moose Woods, &c., &c. , . 500,000 Mouse River, Qu'appelle River, White Sand River ■ , . . 1,000,000 The region about the head waters of the Assinuiboine, including the vaUey of Swan River 1,000,000 Total area of arable laud of first qualitj^ 11,100,000 Of land fit for grazing purposes, the area is much more considerable, and may be assumed equal in extent to the above estimate of arable land. East of the Riding and Duck Mountains. — The region east of the Eiding and Duck Mountains, when viewed as a whole, will furnish a very insignificant field for settlement. Wliere permanently dry land exists, the limestone rock generally approaches so near to the surface, as to be exposed wdienever small trees are blown down, or the soil is penetrated to the depth of six or eight inches. The greater portion of the area on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitobah, the Little Saskatchewan, Moss Eiver, Dauphin Lake, and St, Martin Lake, together with the region between Lakes Winnipeg and Manitobah, always excepting the southern shore of the latter lake, is not generally fitted in its present condition for the habitation of civiHzed man. 251 CHAP. XII. THE JOUEXET TO CAXADA VLV ST. PAUL. Isolation of the Valley of Lake Winnipeg. — The Countiy drained by the Saskatchewan. — Eoutes to the Valley of Lake Winnipeg. — The Northern Koute. — The Southern Route. — Pembina. — St. Joseph. — Deux Eiyieres. —Pine Riyer.— The Mail.— The Red Riyer Post Office. — Red Lake Riyer. — AVar Path of the Sioux and Ojibways. — Turtle Creek. — Burning Pi-airies. — Height of Land Hills. — Carayans. — The Southern Slope. — Leaf Riyer. — Crow Wing Riyer. —Table of estimated Distances between Camps. — Crow Wing. — St. Paul. — Toronto. The valley of Lake Winnipeg is separated from the valleys of the JMississippi and St. Lawrence by extensive barriers, which have hitherto been instrumental in pre- serving it from the approach and intrusion of civilized races. The time has now arrived when this secluded region is hkely to attract a wide-spread attention, and inqiury will natm^ally be tmiied not only to its resoiu"ces, but also to its relations in point of geographical position and means of communication with tlie commercial world, as well as the opportimities it may supply for estabhshing a direct hue of communication across the continent of America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.* * The Missouri is nayigable as far as Fort Benton in long. 110° 30', lat. 47°40' ; 3,120 miles from its j imction with the Mississipi. The flat-bottommed steamer ''Chippewa" left St. Louis on the 1st Jime, 1857, and arriyed at Fort Benton on the 17th Jidy. Retui-ning she reached St. Louis on the 10th August, perfoi-ming a distance of G,240 miles in 80 days, or 78 miles a day. At Dauphin's Rapids, aboye the Yellow Stone, the steamer was hauled by line, with this exception no difficulty in nayigating the Missouri was experienced. This piuneer .'D SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. Charles Skanasati, guide. Martin Takatsitsiensere. Louis Pekageiaien. Ignace Tior-ateken. Lazare Aneratentka. Mathias Sbaitikarenes. Thomas Orite. Louis Atioksisaks. Thomas Shakashetstha. Mathias Asinrathon. Ignace Taseraren. Thomas Tekarenhonte. Pierre Aronhiakenra. Fortunately the steamer "Illiuois" from Detroit to Lake Superior Ports had some freight for Grand Portage, the Lake Superior termination of the Pigeon Eiver route to Eed Eiver. By this long-neglected commimication I determined to go. Having secured a passage to Grand Portage direct, and embarked our baggage and stores, which weighed nearly six thousand pounds, Ave left Detroit on the 30th April, and reached the Sault Ste. Marie on the 2nd of May. A week before leaving Toronto I wrote to ^Mr. Simpson, the officer in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's post at Sault Ste. Marie, enclosing a copy of a letter from Sfr George Simpson, and requesting him to send two new North canoes, fully appointed, to the United States side of the St. Mary's river, in order that thefr embarkation might occasion as little delay as possible. The canoes were Ipng in readiness on the whurf at the Sault together Avith a supply of gum, watap *, cod-hnes, and other mdispensables to canoe naAdgation. * The root of the tainarac, used for sewiug together the pieces of binh bark of which the canoes are constructed. THE PIGEON RIVER ROUTE. 275 We arrived at the Grand Portage on the 5th of May and unmediately made preparations for crossing the Portage. I found it necessary to engage three more voyagem-s to man a tliii'd canoe whicli the hxrge quantity of baggage rendered necessary ; tliese were Wigwam, an Ojibway hah- breed ; Charles Louis, a French Canadian, and Fran9ois Chabot, also of French Canadian origin. We started from the Avest end of the Grand Porta^'e on the 9th May, reached Fort Frances on the 2-ith, and the mouth of the Wimiipeg on the 29tli.* We camped off the mouth of Eed Eiver seven days after leaving Fort Frances, and might easily have reached the settlements on the first day of June, but in view of our rapid voyage from Eainy Lake, and being in advance of Sir George Simpson, I did not think it necessaiy to press the guide, we therefore waited for a few hours at Fort Alexander, and enjoyed the hospitahty of j\Ii\ Sinclair, the gentleman in charge. The exact time the expedition spent in canoes between Lake Superior and Eed Eiver, after deducting the delays at the forts before mentioned, was twenty-one days and six hours, as opposed to twenty-seven days and six hours by the Kamunstiquia route the year before. The average daily progress was twenty-eight and a half miles against twenty-live miles in 1857. On my arrival at the Middle Settlement, where Mr. Dawson and his party had their quarters, I found IVIr.Eussell in charge of the house and effects, Mi\ Dawson vdili other members of his party having started some days previously for the Saskatchewan, whence they were not expected to return imtil the end of June. I therefore placed Mr. Eussell in [lossession of the canoes and men intended for * For au estimate of the cost of opening the IMgeon River Itoute, see Appeutlix, Vol. II. T 2 276 ASSINNIBOI^'E AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. Mr. Dawson, and immediately commenced to organize a party to explore the country drained by the Assmniboine and Little Souris. On the morning of the 14th June, the half-breeds en- gaged for the expedition into the prame country west of Eed Eiver, assembled at our temporary quarters and began to load five Eed Eiver carts and a waggon of American manufacture, with two canoes, camp equipage, instruments, and provisions for a three months' journey. At noon the start was made, and the train proceeded to Fort Garry*, a distance of eight miles, to take in a supply of flour and pemmican. We camped about half a mile fi-om the fort and took an inventory of our baggage, and made such regulations and arrangements as are considered ne- cessary at the commencement of a long journey through a country partly inhabited by hostile tribes of Indians, and not alwaj^s affording a supply of food even to skilled hunters. The party was composed of the gentlemen already named, six Cree half-breeds, a native of Eed Eiver of Scotch descent, one Blackfoot half-breed, one Ojibway half-breed, and one French Canadian. Our provisions consisted of one thousand pounds of flour, four hundred pounds of pemmican, one thousand rations of Crimean vegetables, a sheep, three hams, and a supply of tea for three months, with a few luxuries, such as pickles, choco- late, a gallon of port wine, and a gallon of brandy. Each cart was loaded with about 450 lbs. and the waggon with double that amount. The birch bark canoes were 18 feet * "The mean of five observatious at Upper Fort Gany, at the mouth of the Assiimiboine, for latitude, three meridian by altitude of the sim and two by Polaris, gave for the latitude 49'^ 53' 24". Mr. Calhoun, who was attached to Major Long's expedition in 1823, made it 49° 35' 35'', but ac- cording to a record in the possession of one of the officers of the fort, Lefroy placed it in latitude 49° 58'." Owen's " Geological Survey of Wis- consin, Iowa, and Minnesota," p. 180. Capt. Palliser places Fort Garry in latitude 40° 52' 0". Longitude, 0G° 52' 27". THE START FOR THE PRAIRIES. 277 long, and weiglied 150 lbs. each. At the White Horse Plain, twenty-two miles from Fort Garry, I procured an additional cart, and purchased an ox to serve as a dernier ressort in case we shoidd not meet with buffalo ; and at Prairie Portage, the last settlement on the Assinniboine, I engaged the services of an old hunter of Cree origin, who had been from his youth famihar with Indian hal3its and stratagems. This addition increased the party and equipment, before we left the last settlement, to fifteen men, fifteen horses, six Eed Eiver carts, one waggon, and one ox. Leaving our camp early on the morning of the fifteenth, we ascertained by levehng the altitude of an ancient lake ridge, near to St. James's Church*, to be eleven feet above the prauie at Fort Garry, and about two miles from it. These ridges are common in the prairies of Eed Eiver, and do not necessarily point to an ancient lake margin, as it is probable that most of them were formed under water. They may be traced for many miles, but are sometimes lost in the general rise of the prairie, or blend with higher rido;es. On arriving at St. James's Church we separated into two divisions, Mi\ Fleming and Mr. Hime, with the carts and waggon, proceeding to Lane's Post on the Assinniboine, twenty-four miles from Fort Garry, while Mr. Dickinson and myself with two half-breeds, struck in a north-west- erly dii^ection across the prairie to Stony Mountain, and thence to the Big Eidge, having arranged to meet at Prairie Portage. Li a wdieat field opposite St. James's Church were se- veral pigeon traps, constructed of nets 20 feet long by 15 broad, stretched upon a frame ; one side was propped up * The Rev. W. H. Taylor's Mission. The income of this Mission is de- rived from the follov^ing sources : ^100 from the Society -for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel, ^100 from the Bishop of Rupert's Land. T 3 278 ASSIXNIBOIXE A^B SASIiATCHEAA'AX EXPEDITIOX. by a pole 8 feet long, so that when the biixls passed inider the net to pick np the grain strewed beneath, a man or a boy concealed by a fence or bush, A^dthdi'ew the prop by means of a string attached to it, and sometimes succeeded in entrapping a score or more of pigeons at one fall. Near the net some dead trees are placed for the pigeons to perch on, and sometimes stuffed bu'ds are used as decoj^s to attract passing flocks. In pursuing our course to Stony Mountain we endea- voured to followthe ridge before alluded to, but after tracing it for several miles it became imperceptibly blended with the level prairie. Several ridges were crossed after we lost the first, but in all instances they died away after ha\ing preserved theii' rounded form for two or three miles. Stony Mountain is a hmestone island of Silurian ao-e. fStoiiy Mountain. having escaped the denuding forces which excavated the Eed Eiver valley. It is about four miles in circumference, its highest point is sixty feet above the prairie level. Ho- rizontal layers of hmestone, hokhng very few and obscure fossils, project on its western chff-hke sides. Its eastern exposure is gently sloping, and some ten feet from the summit, the remains of an ancient lake beach are weU pre- served. Viewed from a distance. Stony Mountain requires TIIK iiUi RIDGE. 270 little C'fTort of tlie imagination to recall the time when the shallow waters of a former extension of Lake Winnipeg, washed the beach on its flank, or tlirew up as tliey gra- dually receded, ridge after ridge, over the level floor of the lake, where now are to be found wide and beautiful prairies covered with a rich profusion of long grass. Leaving Stony Mountain our course lay westerly through a wet prairie to tlie Big Eidge. Grey cranes, ducks, and plover were numerous on the marshy areas, and in every httle bluff* of aspen or willow, the beautiful rice birds {DolicJionyx oryzivora) were seen or heard. Wliere we camped on the edcre of a lake near the foot of the Bif' llidge, bittern, gi^ackle, and several varieties of duck flew to and fro in alarm at our invasion of their retreats. On the flank of tlie Big Itidge tlie cinnamon tin^ush {Tardus rufiLs) was noticed, but most common of all was the tyrant flycatclier (Muscicapa tyranmis), who endeavoured to hold undisputed sway over the bluff he had selected as his home. Near and west of Stony Mountain, many small barren areas occur, covered with a sahne efflorescence ; they may be traced to the Assinniboine, and beyond that river in a direction nearly due south to La Eiviere Sale, and the 4yth parallel. These sahne deposits are impor- tant, as they in all ])robability serve, as will be shown hereafter, to denote the presence of salt bearing rocks be- neath them, similar to those from which the salt springs of Swan lliver, Manitobah Lake, and La Eiviere Sale issue. Early on the morning of the 17th we ascended the Big Eidge. Its elevation above the prairie is about 60 feet ; on its south side it slopes gently to the prairie level, to the north is a plateau, well wooded with aspejis, stretching • The half-breeds call little groves of aspens or willows in the prairies "bluffs." T 4 280 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. towards Lake Manitobah ; the view from its summit ex- tends far and wide over the Assinniboine prairies ; and skirting its base on the south flank are groves of aspen and balsam poplar, with scattered oak trees and willow bushes. The pasturage in the open glades is of excellent quality and very abundant. The ridge is quite level and from 80 to 100 feet broad, devoid of trees, slightly arched and composed of gravel. Here and there it is cut by ri- vulets draining the marshes in the plateau on its northern side. As it approaches Prairie Portage its apparent ele- vation diminishes, until at the Portage Eiver it is no longer discernible. We traced it for a distance of seventy miles, and it will be mentioned further on that a similar ridge, but one formed at an earher period and at a higher level, is seen west of Manitobah Lake, near the Hudson's Bay Company's post, Manitobah House. The older ridge pre- serves there the same characters of horizontality, uniform outhne, gravelly formation, and admirable adaptation to the purposes of a road, which have been already noticed in connection with the Big Eidge north of the Assinniboine and east of Eed Eiver. For many miles, ties for a railway might be laid upon both without a pebble being removed, and the only breaks in their continuity occur where streams from the plateau and higher grounds in the rear have forced a passage through them. The older ridge, however, follows the western contour of Lakes Winnipeg and Manitobah, and passes through a country not likely to be first selected by a large body of settlers. The Big Eidge is important in so far that it forms the boundary of land of the first quahty, which occupies the low prairie valleys of the Assinniboine and Eed Eiver. Soundings subsequently made in Lake Manitobah showed a uniform depth of eighteen feet for a distance exceeding sixty miles along its south- eastern coast, so that if its beds were exposed, it is pro- THE OJIBWAYS OF PRAIRIE PORTAGE. 281 bable that in process of time it would also become a rich and extensive prairie country, with its present beach chs- tinctly visible as its old boundary. Indeed, the surface of the country between the Big Eidge, the Assinniboine, and Eed Eiver, is similar in gently undulating outline to the succession of undrained marshes, ridges, and bogs which exist between the west coast of Lake Manitobali and the older ridge, pointing to a very gradual but constant drainage of this region after a long period of submergence. We reached Prairie Portage in the evening, where we joined the main party. The Assinniboine at Lane's Post (June IGth) is about 120 feet broad, and its turbid water flows at the rate of 1| miles per hour. A few miles west of Lane's Post, the sahne efflorescence, before noticed as occurring in patches on the prairies and form- ing small barren areas, is no more to be seen ; it consists of chloride of sodium and sulphate of magnesia, with a little chloride of calcium. The first grasshoppers were observed this year at Lane's Post ; they were a brood fi-om the eggs deposited by a swarm which ahghted on the White Horse Plain m September last'. At Prairie Portage we found an Ojibway encampment in which were some of the refractory personages who had hitherto resisted the humane and unceasing efforts of Archdeacon Cochrane to christianize them. Amon(^»- the various methods tried by the archdeacon to induce these wanderers to settle and farm, — the first prehminary to the progress of Christianity among wild Lidians, that of presenting the most docile with an ox and plough and teaching them to use it, was the least successful. At tlie first good opportunity, or during a time of scarcity, the ox and plough would be sold to the highest bidder for veiy much less than it cost. A promise to add another 282 ASSINNIBOTXE AND SASKATCIIEAVAN EXPEDITION. OX at the end of a year if the first gift was faithfully pre- served was of no avail, the charms of the buffalo plains were too tempting, or the seduction of gambling too powerful to be withstood, notwithstanding the most solemn heathen promises. The school, however, gives better hope, and no doubt the rising generation of Indian and half-breed origin at Prairie Portage, ^^dll form a thriving, industrious, and Christian community. Prairie Portage is very dehghtfully situated sixty miles west of Fort Garry on the banks of the Assinniboine. The prairie here is of the richest description, and towards the north and east boundless to the eye. The river bank is fringed with a narrow belt of fine oak, elm, ash, and ash- leaved maple, but on the south side a forest extends from two to four miles in depth, and then passes into aspen groves ; the river abounds in sturgeon and gold eyes, and w^ithin eighteen miles there is an excellent fishing station on the coast of Lake Manitobah, where the Portage people take vast numbers of-wliite fish every fall. The old water course of the Assinniboine, near Prairie Portage, is now a long narroAv lake, fringed with tall reeds, a favourite haunt of wild fowl and grackle, among which we ob- served the showy yellow-headed blackbird (Agelaius xanthocephalus). Prairie Portage will eventually become an important settlement, not only on account of the vast extent of fertile country which surrounds it, but because it hes in the track of the buffalo hunters proceeding to the Grand Coteau and the South Branch by way of the Somis Eiver. It is also near to the fertile region drained by Wlute Mud Eiver, and the road to the south- western flanks of the Eiding Mountain, passes by the Portage. The current of the Assinniboine is very uni- form here, careful leveling showed that it fell one foot two inches in a mile, with a velocity of two miles an THE BAD WOODS. 283 hour where tlie trial was made, but in the middle of the stream the velocity must be considerably greater. The cliff swallow {Hirundo fulva) had built its nests in great numbers on the banks of the river, wliich are about six- teen feet above the level of the water. I counted no less than thii-teen groups of nests within a distance of live miles, when drifting down in a canoe. The cliff swallow was afterwards seen in great multitudes on the Little Souris, the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, and the Qu'appelle Eiver. The first of a series of thunder storms which lasted for some weeks visited us on the 17th ; the warm rain fell in torrents and thoroughly wetted all wdio were exposed. Pigeons were flpng in vast numbers across the Assinni- boine, and the black tern [Sterna nigra) was numerous in the prairies near the settlement. In descending the river for a few miles to inspect its banks, we had occasion to pass by a fish weir, where several Ojibways from the camp near the Portage w^ere watching for sturgeon with spears in their hands. Tliey took no notice of us as we passed, being too busily engaged, but on our return to the encampment we found them waiting with fish to barter for tobacco and tea. We made them a few trifling presents, and, by way of recompense, sustained during the night the loss of a cheese, wdiich after curi- ously eyeing during supper, they modestly asked for permission to taste. They pronounced it excellent, and in the dead of night (when our half-breeds were sound asleep) they opened the basket in whicli it had been placed, and quietly abstracted it. In future, when In- dians were around, all eatables and articles they might covet w^ere properly secured, and the cheese proved to be our only loss during the exploration. Leaving Prairie Portage on the morning of tlie 19th, we took the trail leading to the Bad Woods, a name 284 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. given to a wooded district about thirty miles long, by the buffalo hunters in 1852, who, in consequence of the floods of that year, could not pass to tlieir crossing place at the Grand Eapids of the Assinniboine by the Plain or Prairie Eoad. ■ There were four hundred carts in the band, and the hunters were compelled to cut a road through the forest of small aspens which forms the Bad Woods, to enable them to reach the high prairies. This labour occupied them several days, and will be long remembered in the settlements in consequence of the misery entailed by the delay on the children and women. The trail continued for three miles through a continua- tion of the low prairies of the Assinniboine, when a sudden ascent of 20 to 25 feet introduced us to a different kind of country, the plateau beyond the Big Eidge, which here crosses the river, and forms the lowest or first step of the Pembina Mountain. The physical featiures of this boun- dary to a great table-land will be noticed at length in the sequel. The soil continues poor and sandy for several miles, supporting clumps of aspen interspersed with a few oaks in low places. The view across the Assinniboine reveals in the distance the Blue BjIIs, and between them and the river is a vast forest, which a subsequent explo- ration in the autumn showed to consist of oak, elm, ash and aspens, for two to three miles nearest to the Assinni- boine ; but beyond this hmit the forest is almost entirely composed of aspens of small growth. Grasshoppers were now seen in great numbers, and the first humming-bird was noticed here. The banks of the river showed recent watermarks twelve feet above its present level, willow and other trees overhanging the stream being barked by the action of ice during spring freshets at that elevation. Everywhere rabbits were nu- merous, and considerable areas occur covered with dead DIMENSIONS OF THE ASSINNIBOINE VALLEY. 285 willows and aspens, barked by these animals in the winter, about two feet six inches above tlie ground. The height of the bank twenty-two miles from Prauie Portage is about 80 feet above the river, denoting a rapid rise in the general level of the country. ' On the morning of tlie 20th we entered the Bad Woods and followed the road cut by the hunters in 1852. The aspens were much disfigured by countless numbers of caterpillars resembhng those of the destructive Palmer worm. In the afternoon we arrived at the Sandy Hills ; they consist of rounded knolls covered with scrub oak and aspens. Our latitude to-day at the Half Way Bank was ascertained to be 49° 46' 19", the height of the prairie 150 feet above the river, the breadth of the valley in which the river flowed 5,G80 feet, and the variation of the compass 13° E. After passing the point where the foregoing obser- vations were made, the trail again enters the Bad Woods and continues through them until it strikes the Sandy Hills again. These rounded eminences have all the appearance of sand dunes covered with short grass and very stunted vegetation. As we emerged from the Bad Woods a noble elk trotted to the top of a liillock and surveyed the surrounding country ; a shght breath soon carried our wind as the hunter was endeavouring to approacli him, he raised his head, snuffed the ak and bounded off. Another terrible thunderstorm came on at sunset, with heavy rain and boisterous wind. The aspect of the country for many miles is that of a plain sloping gently to the east, and studded with innumerable mounds or hillocks of sand, thmly covered with a poor and scanty growth of grass ; here and there small lakes or ponds occur fringed with rich verdure, but its general character is that of sterihty. From the summit of an imposing sand-hill, formerly a di'il'ting dune, which we ascended on the 2l8t, the 28G ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. country lay mapped at our feet ; as far as the eye could reach, sand-hills, north, east, and west, sometimes bare and ripple-marked, but generally covered -with short grass, were exposed to view. On the afternoon of this day a hail storm of unusual violence caused us to halt. The stones penetrated the bark of our canoes and broke off the o-uni. The 2;rass- hoppers, which were very numerous just before the storm began, suddenly disappeared, but they might be found quietly clinging to the leaves of grass in anticipa- tion of the storm. After it had passed they re-appeared, apparently in undiminished numbers, although every mem- ber of the party, crouching for shelter under the carts and waggon, fully expected the complete annihilation of these destructive and troublesome insects, A wonderful instinct enables them to seek and find refuge from a pitiless hailstorm or a drencliing rain. The same evening a thunderstorm of short duration again arrested om^ pro- gress, but the sun set in gorgeous magnificence, with a briUiant rainbow and vivid flashes of lisjhtnino- in the east. The cinnamon thrush is not uncommon amon^- the sandy hills ; we saw several during the day. The following morning we reached the " pines," for which we had been anxiously looking, but to oiu: disappointment they proved to be nothing more than balsam spruce in scattered clumps. The heat of the weather began now to be veiy op- pressive, and joined to the incessant attacks of mosquitoes and " bulldogs" proved very exhausting to the horses. At each camping-place we were compelled to make "smokes" to diive away these tormentors, otherwise the persecuted animals would endeavour to approach our camp fires, creating no small confusion in our cooking arrangements. On the 23rd, we traversed a region of sand-hills and SAND DUNES. 287 ridges, until we arrived at Pine Creek, a distance of eiglit miles from the preceding camp. Here the sand-hills are absolutely bare, and in fact drifting dunes. Sending the main party in advance, ]\ii\ Dickinson and I set out to examine the valley of the Assinniboine where Pme Creek disembogues. The sand dunes were seen reposing on the prairie level about 170 feet above the river. In crossing the country to regain the carts, our course lay across a broad area of drifting sand beautifully ripple-marked, with here and there numbers of the bleached bones of buffalo protruding fr'om the west side of the dunes, me- morials probably of former scenes of slaughter in buffido pounds, similar to those which we witnessed some weeks afterwards at the Sandy Hills on the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. The progress of the dimes is very marked ; old hillocks partially covered with herbage are gradually drifted by the prevailing westerly wind to form new ones. Sometimes the area of pure sand was a mile across, but generally not more than half that distance. The largest expanse we saw was near the mouth of Pine Creek, it is called by the Indians " the Devil's Hills," and a more dreary, parched-lookhig region could scarcely be imagined. Opposite the Souris the subjouied section of the north bank of the Assinniboine was measured : — 1. 22 feet pale yellow sand. 2. 1 foot dark blue clay. 3. 12 feet femigiiious gravel and sand. 4. 4 inclies dark gi-eeu hard gTavelly clay. 5. 15 feet soft unctuous blue clay to the water's edge. It is veiy probable that, of this section, the lowest number represents the weathered shales which were afterwards found exposed a few miles up the Little Souris vaUey. 288 ASSINNIBOINK AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. We reached the mouth of the Little Souris Eiver on the 24th, and made preparations to cross the Assinni- boine at tliis point. The distance traveled through the Sandy Hills was about forty-eight miles, their breadth does not exceed ten miles. At the mouth of the Souris the grass- hoppers were in countless numbers, and so voracious as to attack and destroy every article of clothing left for a few minutes on the grass. Saddles, girths, leather bags, and clothing of every description were devoured without distinction. Ten minutes sufficed them, as our half-breeds found to their cost, to destroy three pairs of woollen trowsers wdiich had been carelessly thrown on the grass. The only way to protect our property from the depre- dators was to pile it on the waggon and carts out of reach. There were two distinct broods of grasshoppers, one with wings not yet formed, which had been hatched on the spot, the other full-grown, invaders from the prairies soutli of the Assinniboine. We saw here one of the vast flights of these insects which afterwards were witnessed on a scale of alarming magnitude, giving rise in their passage through the air to optical phenomena of very rare and beautiful descriptions. As we cautiously approached the bank of the river opposite the mouth of the Little Souris, on the look-out for Sioux Lidians, some jumping deer and a female elk were observed gamboling in the river. A shot from a Minie rifle dispersed them and started from their lair two wolves who were watching the deer, patiently waiting for an opportunity to surprise them. The volume of water in both rivers was carefuUy measured at their point of junction. The Assinniboine was found to be 230 feet broad, with a mean depth of 6 feet, and a current of one mile and a quarter per hour. The Little Souris was 121 feet broad, 2 feet 4 BLUE HILLS OF THE SOURLS. 289 inches in mean depth, and flowing at the rate of half a mile an hour. Observing numbers of fish rising at grasshoppers in the Souris, we stretched a gill net across the mouth of the river, and succeeded in taking pick- erel, gold-eyes, and suckers, the grey and the red. In a second attempt we caught a tartar ; a huge sturgeon got entangled in the meshes of the gill net, and before we could land him he succeeded in breaking away and car- rpng a portion of the net with him. Signs of Sioux Indians in the neighbom-hood led to our keeping watch during the night ; and on the morning of the 25th we proceeded cautiously up the vaUey of the Souris, keeping a sharp look out. On the left bank the Blue Hills of the Souris are visible ten miles from the mouth of the stream, and towards the west, the Moose Head Mountain is seen to approach the Grand Eapids of the Assinniboine. The first rock exposure in the valley was observed about fifteen miles from the mouth of the Souris. It consisted of a very fissile, dark-blue argil- laceous shale, holdino- numerous concretions containinsj a large percentage of ii'on, partly in the state of carbonate and partly as the peroxide. Some very obscure fossils were fomid, with fragments of a large inoceramus. The shale weathers ash white. It is exposed in a cliiT about ninety feet high ; the upper portion of the chfF consists of yellow sand, superimposed by sandy loam hokhng hme- stone boidders and pebbles ; the exposure of shale is seventy feet thick, in horizontal layers. The country west of the Souris, so far, is an open, treeless, and un- didating prairie. On the east side, the Blue Hills are very picturesque, their flanks and summits are wooded with aspen. Eain as usual, the day closing with a thmiderstorm. On the 26th we arrived at the westerly bend of the VOL. I. u 290 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. Soiiris in the midst of a very lovely, undulating country ; the river is here fifty feet broad, and in its passage through tlie Blue Hills it has excavated a valley fully four hundred and fifty feet deep. Eock exposures are of frequent occurrence, the dip being 3° south. Fragments and perfect forms, but very fragile, of a large inoceramus are common. The ferruginous concretions continue dis- posed in regular layers, and appear to be a characteristic Valley of the SourLs, looking towards thf Blue Hills of the Som-is. feature of the cretaceous rocks in this valley. A con- tinuation of the valley of the Souris extends in a direction nearly south-east towards Pembina Eiver, with which it is said by the half-breeds to interlock. Three lakes visible from our camp were stated to be the sources of Pembina Eiver ; a httle stream issuing from the most westerly of these is called Backfat rivulet, it flows into the Souris. Southwards, Turtle Mountain shows with a faint blue outhne on the horizon. Deer are very numerous at this beautiful bend of the rRAIRIE FIRES. 291 river ; it appears to be a fovoiirite watering-place. The half-breeds of St. Joseph often make it their crossing- place when on a hnnting expedition to the Grand Coteau. It is not improbable that it will become a point of import- ance if ever an emigrant route should be established from Miimesota to the Pacific, via the south branch of the Saskatchewan ; and from the great distance saved by going through St. Joseph instead of Fort Garry, it is not im- probable that this may yet be the case. Valley of the Souris, opposite the Valley of the Baekiiit Lakes. On the 27th we succeeded in passing the Blue Hills, and enjoyed on the evening of the same day one of the most sublime and grand spectacles of its kind which it is possible to witness. Before leaving the last ridge of the Blue Hills, we came suddenly upon the borders of a bound- less level prairie on the opposite side of the river, one hundred and fifty feet below us, of a rich, dark-green co- lom% without a tree or shrub to vary its uniform level and yet with one conical hill apparently in its centre. Here we expected to find buffalo, but not a sign of any living V 2 292 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. creature could be detected with the aid of a good glass, The prairie had been biu-nt last autumn, and the Buffalo had not arrived from the south or west to people this beautiful level waste. What a magnificent spectacle this vast prairie must have furnished when the fire ran over it before the strong west wind ! From beyond the South Branch of the Saskatchewan to Eed Eiver all the prairies w^ere burned last autumn, a vast conflaixration extended for one thousand miles in leno;tli and several hundreds in breadth. The dry season had so withered the grass that the wdiole country of the Saskat- chewan was in flames. The Eev. Henry Budd, a native missionary at the Nepowewin, on the Xorth Branch of the Saskatchew^an, told me that in whatever direction be turned in September last, the country seemed to be in a blaze ; we traced the fire from the 49th parallel to the 53rd, and from the 98th to the 108th degree of longitude. It ex- tended, no doubt, to the Eocky Mountams. A few miles west of the Blue Hills, being anxious to ascertain the dip of a very remarkable exposure of shale with bands of ferruginous concretions, Mr. Dickinson leveled ^vith the utmost care an exposiure facing the south, and found it to be horizontal. At the base of the expo- sm-e, and on a level mth the water's edge we succeeded m finding a layer of rock full of gigantic moceramus. One specunen measm^ed 8:^ inches in diameter, it was very fragile but the pecuhar prismatic structure was remarkably well preserved. On attempting to raise it, it separated mto thousands of minute prisms so characteristic of this shell. Vast numbers of pigeons were flying in a north-westerly direction, and our friends the grasshoppers were every- where abundant. From the Blue Hills to the south bend of the river, rock exposm'cs possessing the characteristics already noticed, occmTed at every bend. The first speci- 1 ^•- AXCIEXT LIGXITE BEACHES OX THE SOURIS. '293 men of lignite was seen near the mouth of Pknn Creek, where we camped on the 29th; it was a water- worn rounded boulder. After leaving the Blue Hills no trees or shrubs of any description were seen until we arrived at Plum Creek. On low points in the Souris valley some fme oak, elm, balsam poplar, and aspen are found for the first twenty miles. The guelder rose is common on the ravines, wild prairie roses abimdant, snowberiy and two varieties of cherry of fi-equent occirrrence, as well as woodbine, wild convolvulus, and hop, but for a distance of twelve miles west of the Blue HiUs the country is treeless on both sides of the river, and the drift of small depth. A little beyond Plum or Snake Creek we found nume- rous pebbles and boulders of lignite; and with a view to ascertain whether the hgnite existed ^V^ situ^ an excavation was made in the bank of the river and the stratification for a depth of twenty-five feet exposed. The last outcrop of the cretaceous shales was observed about three miles east of the bank where this trial was made. A few hours' laboiu* revealed five old beaches, probably of a former lake. These beaches were composed of sand and boulders of hmiite from the size of a hen's ejzs; to one foot in diameter. No fi'aijment of limite was found which did not possess a rounded or spheroidal form and a roughly pohshed or worn svu^face. An abimdant supply was easily obtained for a fire which was soon made on the bank ; a strong sulphurous odour was emitted from the iron pyrites in the lignite, and some boulders Avhen broken open ex- hibited streaks and small particles of a resinous substance like amber. The excavation exposed the section which is shown in the woodcut on the next page. The low hills about Plum Creek aic sand dunes, and on u 3 294 ASSINXIBOINE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. \ a. \ their sides an opuntia is very common. The prairie on the west of the Souris as well as on the east is treeless, but the banks of Plum Creek support a thin belt of small forest trees, such as oak and ash, with a few ash-leaved maple. The annual fires prevent the willows and aspens from covering the country, which they would undoubtedly do until replaced by other species, if not de- stroyed to wdthin a few inches of the root every time the fire sweeps over them. The banks of the Souris here are not more than 40 feet high, with level prairies on either hand, a few miles beyond the Snake Hills. Within fom- miles of the mouth of Plum Creek, Oak Lake, several miles in diameter, attracted the hunting portion of our party ; they brought back some peh- cans and a score of duck. Thunder storms as usual to day and yesterday. On the 1st July we arrived at the Souris Sand Hills, and made a section of the river bank where a land slip had produced a fine exposure to the water's edge. The formation con- sisted of five feet of blue clay above the level of the river, supporting four feet of ferruginous sand and gravel, on which reposed twelve feet of sandy loam and sand to the prairie level. The blue clay, capped by the ferru- Section on theLittie Souris, pinous saud, was traccd for a distance show-ing ancient Beaches ,. o i •^ - i (6, c, d, f, g) 01 zi miles, and showed a dip to tlie %\ith Lignite Boulders, goutli of two fcct in the mile, the THE SOURIS SAXD HILLS. 295 clay disappearing beneath the water. No organic remains of any description were found, although a careful search was made, but boulders of lignite from 6 to 9 inches in diameter, were frequently seen in the bed of the river. The eggs of the nighthawk {Chordeiles Virginianus) were several times found on the bare ground, among the Sand Hills, mth no approach to a nest for the helpless young. The parent birds endeavoured to draw us away from their eggs, fluttering as if wounded a short distance from them and uttering cries of distress. The Hudson's Bay Company have a post on the river among the Sand Hills, which is maintained only in winter, during the absence of the Sioux : these savage barbarians being altogether opposed to the approach of civihzation near to their hunting-grounds, and entertaining besides a feehng of deadly hostility to the Eed Eiver half-breeds. Near the Company's house we found on the river bank an extensive deposit of bog iron ore, capped by shell marl, and above the marl diifted sand. The banks of the river are here not more than 25 feet high, and on the east side there is a narrow fringe of fine timber. The Bois de Yache (diied buffiilo dung) is distributed very abundantly in the prairie and through the Sand Hills and near to the company's post. In fact the buffalo were very numerous during the whole of the winter of 1856 and spring of 1857 on the banks of the Souris, but the great fires diu-ing the autumn of last year, have didven them south and north-west, and between the two branches of the Saskatchewan. The country becomes very low after passing the last sand-hills, and over a large extent of prairie south of them, drift timber is distributed, showing the extraordinary rise in the waters of the river during the floods of 1852. V 4 296 A*SINNIBOINE AlfD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. On the low banks which are constantly wearing away, and reveahng fresh surfaces at points or bends, some well stratified layers of a brown-coloured deposit, two feet thick, appear about four feet from the present prairie level. They resemble stratified bands of certain varieties of bog iron ore, but a very shght examination is sufficient to show that they are of vegetable origin. They consist of a series of accumulations of buffalo dung, collected doubtless by rams and floods from a considerable area, and deposited in the low part of the Souris valley, which hes to the south of the Sand Hills. A geological for- mation composed of bois de vache is a novelty not hkely to be met with anywhere but on the continent of North America. On the 2nd of July we observed the grasshoppers in full flight towards the north, the air as far as the eye coidd penetrate appeared to be filled with them. They commenced their flight about nine in the morning, and continued until half-past tlu^ee or four o'clock in the afternoon. About that hour they settled around us in countless multitudes, and immediately clung to the leaves of grass and rested after theu- journey. On subsequent days, w^hen crossing the great prairie from Eed Deer's Head Eiver to Fort Ellice, the hosts of grasshoppers were beyond all calculation ; they appeared to be hifinite in number. Early in the morning they fed upon the prairie grass, being always found most numerous in low, wet places where the grass was long. As soon as the smi had evaporated the dew, they took short flights, and as the hour of nine approached, cloud after cloud would rise from the praiiie and pursue their flight in the direction of the wind, which was generally S.S.W. The number in the air seemed to be greatest about noon, and at times they appeared in such infinite swarms as to lessen per- INFINITE NUMBER OF GRASSHOPPERS. 297 ceptibly the light of the sun. The wliole horizon wore an unearthly ashen hue from the hght reflected by their transparent wmgs. The air was filled as with flakes of snow, and time after time clouds of these insects forming a dense body casting a glimmering silvery hght, flew s^viftly towards the north-north-east, at altitudes varpng from 500 to 1000 feet and upwards. Some idea of the height of the flight of these insects may be gathered from the opportunity enjoyed by Mi\ E. James, who, when standing upon the summit of a peak of the Eocky Mountains, 8500 feet above the level of the Plains in Nebraska territory (14,500 above the sea), saw them above his head as far as their size would render them visible."* Lpng on my back and looking upwards as near to the sun as the hght would permit, I saw the sky continually changing coloiu: from blue to silver white, ash grey and lead colour, according to the numbers in the passing clouds of insects. Opposite to the sun the prevaihng hue was a silver white, perceptibly flashing. On one occasion the whole heavens towards the south-east and west appeared to radiate a soft grey tinted hght with a quiver- ing motion, and the day being calm, the hum produced by the vibration of so many milhons of wings was quite indescribable, and more resembled the noise popularly termed " a ringing in one's ears," than any other sound. The aspect of the heavens during the greatest flight we observed was singularly striking. It produced a feeling of uneasiness, amazement, and awe in om- minds, as if some terrible, unforeseen calamity were about to happen. It recalled more \ividly than words could express the * Explorations iu Nebraska and Dakotali. I'reliminary Eeport of Lieut. G. K. Warren, Top. Eng. U. S. Army, 1858. 298 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. devastating ravages of the Egj^tian scourges, as it seemed to bring us face to face with one of the most striking and wonderful exhibitions of Almighty power in the creation and sustenance of this infinite army of insects. In the evening, when the grasshoppers were resting from their long journeys, or in the morning, when feed- ing on the grass leaves, they rose in clouds around us as we marched through the prairie ; if a strong wind blew they became very troublesome, Hying with force against our faces, in the nostrils and eyes of the horses, and filhng every crevice in the carts. But fortunately, com- paratively few flew on a windy day, otherwise it would have been almost impossible to have made headway against such an infinite host in rapid motion before the wind, although composed individually of such insignifi- cant members. Those portions of the prairie which had been visited by the grasshoppers wore a curious appearance ; the grass was cut uniformly to one inch from the ground, and the whole surface Avas covered with the small, round, green exuviae of these destructive invaders. The valley of the Souris, along Avhich we travelled during the day, varies from one quarter to one mile broad ; the river is not more than twenty-five feet across, and very shallow. It flows through a rich open meadow, twenty to thirty-five feet below the general level of the prairie, which on either hand is undulating, treeless, covered with short stunted grass, and showing abundance of last year's bois de vache. The first fresh buffalo tracks were seen to-day, and while taking observations for latitude, tracks of a different character and greater significance were discovered by one of the half-breeds ; the fresh print of horses' feet, pronounced to be a few AXIMAL LIFE OX THE SOURIS. 299 hours old, denoting the presence of Sioux or Assinniboines in our neighbourhood. Before reaclung the 49 th parallel, the Soims meanders for several miles through a treeless valley, about a mile broad and sixty feet below the prairie level. Turtle Momitaiu on the east rises nobly from the great plain, the boundary hne between British and American ter- ritory cuttmg it. The country west of the Souris is a treeless desert, in dry seasons destitute of water, and without a shrub or bush thicker than a willow twiff. We ascertained the breadth of this arid, woodless tract to be at least sixty miles north of the Eed Deer's Head Eiver on the 49th parallel. Near the boundary hne the Souris expands mto a series of large ponds and marshes which are called the Souris Lakes. During periods of high water they form a contmuous lake of imposing magnitude, extending many miles south of the 49th parallel, consequently far within the United States ter- ritory. A vast number of gneissoid and hmestone boulders are strewed over the hill bank of the Somis, near the 49th parallel, and on a point between a small brook and the river we found a number of conical mounds, and the remains of an intrenchment. Our half-breeds said it was an old Mandan village ; the Indians of that tribe having formerly hunted and lived in this jjart of the Great Frames. We endeavoured to make an opening into one of the mounds, and penetrated six feet without finding anything to indicate that the mounds Avere the remains of Mandan lodges. There is a Mandan village near Fort Clark on the Missouri, and in the country di'ained by the Yellowstone the remains of this once luimerous and powerful tribe are now to be found. The mouth of Eed Deer's Head Eiver is within a few 300 ASSINXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. yards of the 49th parallel, Mr. Hime took a photograph of the ^•alley while others of the party made an excursion to the Souris Lakes, within the United States territory, in the hope of finding biifialo to replenish our stores ; but although fresh tracks w-ere seen, and skulls and bones in large numbers, the remains of last year's " run," yet no hving animal but a " cabri," or prong-horned antelope {Antilocapra Americana), was visible. Turkey buzzards {Cathartes aura) w^ere observed hover- ing at a great height above us, and two young burds were shot in the valley of the Souris. The great scarcity of animal hfe near the Soims Lakes appeared remarkable, but it might be caused by the desert character of the surrounding country, which was so baiTcn and arid as to be incapable of supporting a scanty growth of herbage on the sandy soil of the prairie. Having reached the 49 th parallel and traced the Souris in search of hgiiite in position for a distance of a liundi^ed miles, we altered our course to a good camping-ground on Ked Deer's Head Eiver, and made preparations for crossing a treeless prairie, at least sixty miles broad, in a direction nearly due north. The Little Souris or Mouse Eiver rises in British ter- ritory, on the flanks of the Grand Coteau de IMissoim, near the 105th meridian.* Its valley was reported to us by the Crees of the Sandy Hills on the Qu'appeUe to inosculate with Elbow Bone Creek, or the Souris Forks, as this stream is also termed, which flows into the Qu'ap- peUe a few miles w^est of Long Lake. Captain Palliser indicates f its connexion with the Moose Jaws Forks, also an affluent of the Qu'appeUe. It is not in the least degree * See Capt. Palliser's Map, published iu the Blue Book, 1859. t Ibid. LITTLE SOURIS OR MOUSE RIVER. 301 improbable that connexions exist between both rivers. The Soiiris crosses the boundary hue near the 102ud meridian, and flows at the base of the Grand Coteau, nearly as far south as the 48th paraUel, when suddenly turning northward, it re-enters British territory near the 101st meridian. South of the Souris Lakes it flows m a valley 200 feet below the level of the prairie, with a wooded bottom from one half to two miles ^\ade. The nearest serviceable timber east of the Souris, in the direction of the proposed Pacific raihroad near the 47th parallel, is in the valley of Eed Eiver, 200 miles distant, and with the exception of cotton wood there is no timber west of the Souris for 400 mHes.* • Governor Stevens's Explorations and Surveys. 302 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. CHAP. xiy. FROM THE BOUNDARY LINE TO THE QU'APPELLE LAKES Vld FORT ELLICE. Indian Signs — Smell of Fire. — The Sioux. — Precautions. — '^ Something." — Red Deer's Head River. — The Great Prairie, Character of. — Mirage. — Birds. — Grasshoppers. — Limit of Burnt Land. — Pipestone Creek. — Standing Stone. — Country changed. —Forest disappeared. — Approach to the Assin- niboiae. — Cretaceous Rocks. — Buffalo Bull. — Fort Ellice. — McKay. — Crees. — Himters. — Provision Trading Posts. — Pemmican. — Dried Meat. — Thunder Storms.— Mammoth Bones. — Ojibway Hunter. — Half-breeds. — En Route for the Qu'appelie Mission. — Grasshoppers. — Thunder Stonn. — Trail. — Weed Ridge. — Kinni-Ivinnik. — Mode of Manufacturing. — Boulders. — "VNTiite Crane. — Mag-pies. — Birds. — Dew. — Ariditj^ of Great Praii-ie. — Charles Pratt. — Chalk Hills. — Indian Turnip. — Qu'appelie Lakes. — Fresh Arrangements. — Descent and Ascent of the Qu'appelie. — Qu'app elle Mission. — Dimensions of Valley. — Character of Lakes. — AVhite Fish. — Rev. James Settee. — Garden of Mission. — Grasshoppers. — Christian Worship. — Baptism. — " Praying Father" and " Prajang Man." — Rimi. — Indian Wishes. — Objection to Native Missionaries. — Difficulties arising from the Prejudice of Tribes. — Plain Crees passing away. — En Route. While en2;aged in takins; observations for latitude at Do O the mouth of Eed Deer's Head Eiver, on the night of the 2nd July, John McKay, a Scotch half-breed, observed what he thought to be a wolf, approach the brow of a hill about two hundred j^ards from us, and after apparently gaz- ing at the encampment for a few minutes it retired beyond view. The night was clear, and our tents being placed in the valley of the river close to its junction with tliat of the Souris, surrounded by steep hills about one hundred and fifty feet high, an object appearing on the brow of those in our rear could be seen projected against the sky. THE SIOUX. 303 McKay took no further notice of the strange visitor than to mention that he saw it and thought it was a wolf; but before we retired to oin^ tents at 2 a.m. we noticed another figure, which he declared to be an Indian, appear near the same spot. Two of the party cautiously ap- proached the foot of the hill, but before they reached it the figure crouched and slowly retked. The horses were gathered near the carts and a watch set, but daylight dawned without the re-appearance of the object of our suspicion. In the morning we endeavom^ed to discover tracks at the spot where it had appeared, but the hill being composed of gravel, the soil had received no im- pression which our most sharp-sighted half-breeds could detect. Having verified our observations on Polaris by a solar observation at noon, we started for a new camping- ground about twelve miles up Eed Deer's Head Elver, where we proposed to take in a supply of wood for fuel, before crossing the great praiiie to Fort Ellice. On our way thither the old hunter who had joined us at Prairie Portage said he smelt fire ; we all strained our olfactories to the utmost, but without detecting any odour which might be supposed to proceed from a burning substance ; nevertheless the old hunter persisted in the statement that he had '' smelt it." We camped at sunset close to the river, and while at supper some of the party distinctly heard the distant neigh of a horse ; this of itself would have been considered sufficient warning, but when taken in connexion witli the appearance of the object on the hiU in tlie rear of our camp the night before, it was held to be conclusive evidence that we were watched by the Sioux, and that an attempt would be made in the night to steal our horses. Om" camp fires were put out immediately, the carts were placed close together, and a watch organized ; tlie half- 304 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. breeds did not anticipate an attack until the approach of dawn, but the sudden galloping towards the carts soon after ten o'clock of several horses, who were feeding in the valley about one hundred yards from us, proved that Indians were near us. On hearing the horses approach, the men started up and ran to stop them, which they suc- ceeded in doing before they passed the carts. Each horse was now tethered to a cart or stake, and the half-breeds crawling through the long grass arranged themselves in a half-circle about seventy yards from the carts, each with his gun loaded with buckshot. The night was dark, and perfect silence was maintained in the camp ; towards mornmg one man came in to report : he stated that he had heard " something " cross the river and crawl through the grass within a few yards of him ; he waited a few minutes for more to foUow before he fired or gave the alarm, and then cautiously crawled through the long grass in track of the " something " wdiich had passed near to him. The track led him to within thirty yards of our tents, and then turned towards the river, and evidently crossed it. Morning soon dawned, and the watchers came in ; w^e examined the tracks described by the half- breed who had first heard the intruders, and they were pronounced to be those of an Lidian. Further examina- tion in full dayhght showed that we had been surrounded by a band, w^ho, however, perceiving we were on the alert, and that the horses were tethered, made no attempt to steal them. Had it not been for the old hunter's ex- cellent nose, there is little doubt that we should have lost our horses durmg the night. On the morning of the 4th, having loaded the carts with wood and taken a supply of water from Eed Deer's Head Eiver, which is here a rapid, clear stream, twelve feet broad, we started on a nearly due north THE GREAT PRAIRIE. 305 com-se to cross the Great Praiiie. The Avatermarks on the banks of Eed Deer's Head Eiver show tliat it rises fifteen feet during spring fi'eshets, ahnost filhng the low, narrow valley in which it flows. The banks are fringed with small balsam-poplar and aspen ; patches of elm and oak occur on the points. The prah'ie for many miles north of this river appears to be perfectly horizontal ; in passing through it we always seemed to be ui the centre of a very shallow depression, ^vith a uniform and well-defined horizon in all directions. Early in the morning the distant outline meetmg the clear sky was best defined ; as the day wore on refraction magnified the tufts of grass and small willows into bushes and trees, destroying the continuity of the fine horizontal line where sky and earth seemed to meet. Occasionally the efiects of mirage were very delusive, beautiful tranquil lakes suddenly appeared in the dis- tance, and as quickly faded from our view. Fortunately the almost daily thunderstorms which had occurred re- plenished the marshes and small ponds, and gave us an abundant supply of water, but in some seasons the buffalo- hunters sufier much from the want of that necessary of life in crossing this vast treeless desert. On the afternoon of the 5th we arrived at the northern linut of the bm^nt prakie, as far as we could judge ; south of our point of view, the aspect of the vast level tract was of a dark green hue, with short grass of this year's growth ; northwards the colour of the prairie was brown, from the old grass of last year which had not been con- sumed by the fires. Wlienever we approached the old and shallow beds of brooks, boulders became numerous. Some of the httle valleys contained ponds, occupying the shallow bed, all of which would probably be united, and form a river in the spring of tlie vear. VOL. I. X 306 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. Among tlie birds noticed during this monotonous joia^ney were turkey buzzards, ravens, barking crows and black terns ; on the borders of several shallow ponds or marshes, which are often dry in the autumn, ducks were plentiful, and afforded us a grateful supply of fresh food. We saw some herds of cabri, and McKay succeeded in kilhng a female after a long chase. The grasshoppers were very numerous, and dming fom- days fiUed the air like flakes of snow ; they rose simultaneously when about to take their flight, from areas of two to twenty acres m extent, first per- pendicularly to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, theu in a slanting direction, until they had attauied an elevation of from two to three hundred feet, after which they pur- sued a horizontal course before the wind. In a hglit breeze, the noise produced by their wings was hke a ffentle Avind stirring; the leaves of a forest. Om^ half-breeds informed us that this great prairie west of the Souris contumes treeless and arid for a distance of sixty miles, it is then crossed by a river, probably the Moose Mountain Creek, shown on Capt. PaUiser's map ; beyond this river the prairie continues for eighty miles further with- out tree or shrub ; and as this was the utmost westerly hmit to which any of them had journeyed in their buffalo- hunting expeditions, they could afford us no fiulher information respecting its extent. They were most of them famihar with the comitry south of the Great Prairie, the Grand Coteau de Missomi, where the buffalo range durino; the summer in vast herds. On the 6th July we arrived at Pipestone Creek, and found the country swarming with a young brood of grass- hoppers, with wings about a quarter of an inch long, showing that their progenitors had arrived in the pre- ceding autumn in time to deposit their eggs in the soil. Innumerable hosts of these insects passed overhead during " STANDING STOXE." 307 the day, and on looking up through an excellent marine glass, I could see them flying hke scud at an immense height. Had it not been for the thunderstorms which daily refreshed and invigorated the herbage, it is probable that om^ cattle would have suffered seriously from the devastations of these insects. Pipestone Creek is 20 feet broad at our crossing-place, with a swift current, and a depth of water varpng from 1 J to 3 feet. The valley is narrow, but rich and beautiful in comparison with the desolate prairie lying to the south. Among the trees fringing its banks the ash-leaved maple is most numerous, and the hop, together with the fi'ost grape, is abundant on the edge of the stream. On the hills in its neighbourhood boulders are uniformly dis- tributed, but on the liighest a considerable number have been collected together by the Assinniboine Indians, and a rude monument erected in commemoration of a battle fought at a remote period. The level character of the country disappears after passing Pipestone Creek ; the prairie is either undulating and sandy, or varied with low hills of drift, on which boulders are scattered. On the evening of the 6 th we camped at Boss Hill Creek, which flows into the Assinni- boine through a broad valley among low hills and gentle slopes. From a conical eminence near om* camp. Boss Hill, Standing Stone Mountain, and the woods fringing Oak Lake are visible. The " Standing Stone " is probably the same familiar object in these regions as mentioned by the Eev. John West, who traveled during the winter of 1821 to Bran- don House and the mouth of the Qu'appelle on a missionary journey. Mr. West relates that he stopped to breakfast at the Standing Stone, where the Indians had deposited bits of tobacco, small pieces of cloth, and other 308 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAX EXPEDITION. trifles, in superstitious expectation tliat it would influence their Manitou to give them buffaloes and a good hunt. During Mr. West's journey, now forty years since, buffalo were veiy numerous in the winter months on this part of the Assinniboine, and many bands of the race of Indians bearing that name made this part of the country their winter quarters. Mr. West saw an Indian corpse staged about ten feet from the ground, at a short distance from Brandon House, a provision post now abandoned by the Hudson's Bay Company. We arrived at the Assinniboine about ten miles south- east of the Two' Creeks, after passing through a rolling prairie of Hght sandy soil, and in many places covered with boulders. Small " hummocks "* of aspens, and clumps of partially burnt willows, were the only remahiing re- presentatives of an extensive aspen forest which formerly covered the country between Boss Creek and the Assinni- boine. So great had been the change during twenty years in the general aspect of this region that oiu" old hunter, who had undertaken to gmde us in a straight hue across the prairie fi'om Eed Deer's Head Eiver, confessed that he did not " know the country" when within ten miles of the Assinniboine ; he nevertheless declared his conviction that we should strike the river at the point to which he had promised to lead us. He had not visited it for twenty years, and during that interval the timber, wlrich formerly consisted of aspens and willows, had nearly all disappeared. The old man was correct ; the face of the country had changed, the aspen forest had been biu'nt, and no vestige, beyond the scattered hummocks and burnt willow clumps, remained ; his " instinct," as he termed it, and that singular facility which practised prairie wanderers possess, * A liiilf-bretd exprossiou. APPROACH TO THE ASSINXIBOINE. 309 of journeying from point to point at great distances apart in a direct line, served him in lieu of memory or compass, for we struck the Assinniboine within two or three miles of the spot to which he had been directed to lead us. The approach to tliis river is made by descending a steep slope, which forms the boundary oftheprametwo or three miles from its present excavated valley. The plateau thus formed is covered with erratics, consisting of granite, gneiss, hmestone, &c. The broad subordinate excavation hi which the river flows is about one mile across, and from 200 to 250 feet deep. The narrow plateau covered with boulders points to a former condition of the Assinni- boine valley, when a much larger river flowed in a wider and shallower valley 200 feet above its present level. The same remark applies to many other rivers in Eupert's Land, which, although now insignificant streams, yet flow through deep subordinate excavations in a broad but generally shallow and well defined trough with steep margins, erratics being dispersed over both margin and plateau. These records of former physical structure ap- pear to indicate that the water once conveyed by these channels, must have been very largely in excess of the present supply. On tlic morning of the 8tli we passed through a good grazing country on the high prairie level, but being com- pelled to descend to the first plateau of the Asshmiboine valley for water, we found our progress obstructed by a large number of erratics, Avhich endangered the wheels of the carts. Here, however, we saw the first Ijuflalo bidl, and after a chase of half an hour's duration, succeeded in kiUing him. Although very tough and rather strong flavoured, he was an acceptable addition to onr larder. On arriving at the second of tlie Two Creeks, cretnceons rocks were again recognised. They had the same litlio- X 3 310 ASSIXXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. logical aspect as those of the Soiiris ; organic remains were scarce, but in sufficient numbers and variety to estabhsh their position. A band of soft yellowish-green substance, resembhng some varieties of soap-stone, was observed forming a characteristic feature in the exposure of the shales at this place. An analysis of the material composing the green band is introduced in the Chapter on the Cretaceous Series, Vol. 11. In the low valley of the As- Fort EUiee, Beaver Creek. sinniboine, to which I descended, similar exposures arising from land-slips were also seen. The section exposed was capped by about ten feet of coarse gravelly drift on the brink of the deep and broad excavation which now forms the valley proper of the river. The shales resemble those on the Souiis, but contain fewer fossils, and are perhaps more fissile and less impregnated with oxide of iron. Three more bulls were seen on the following morn- ing, but being anxious to reach Fort Ellice, and already FORT ELLICE. 311 provided with meat, tliey were permitted to pass us mimolested. The country in tlie neigliboiu'hood of Beaver Creek is undulating and attractive, but the soil is sandy, capable only of supporting a short stunted herbage. We arrived at the Fort on the morning of the 10 th, and took up our camping-ground on the banks of Beaver Creek, close to the broad and deep valley of the Assimiiboine. Fort EUice was at one period a post of considerable importance, being the depot of supphes for the Swan Eiver District, now removed to Fort Pelly. The buildings are of wood, surrounded by a high picket enclosure. ]\ii'. McKay, one of the sub-officers, was in charge at the time of our arrival. Some twenty years ago, before the small- pox and constant wars had reduced the Plain Crees to a sixth or eighth of their former numbers, this post was often the scene of exciting Indian chsplay. Formerly Fort Elhce used to be visited by the Crees alone, now it num- bers many Ojibways among the Indians trathng with it. The Ojibways have been driven from the woods by the scarcity of game, the large animals, such as moose deer and bear, having greatly diminished in numbers. Many of the wood Indians now keep horses, and enjoy the advantage of making the prairie and the forest tributary to their wants. On the 11 til July, a number of hunters attached to Fort EUice came in with provisions, sucli as peminican and dried buffalo meat, which they had prepared in the prairies a few days before, about thirty miles from the post, where the buffalo were numerous. Fort Ellice, tlie Qu'appelle post, and the establishment on the Touchwood Hills being- situated on the borders of the great Buffalo Plains, are ]H'ovision trachng posts. The Hudson's Bay Company obtain from the Plain Crees, the Assinniboines, and the Ojibways, pemmican and dried meat to supply tlie brigades X 4 312 ASSINNIBOTNE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. of boats in their expeditions to York Factoiy on Hudson's Bay, and tlirougkout the northern interior. Pemmican is made by pounding or choppmg bufialo meat into small pieces and then mixing it with an equal quantity of fat. It is packed in bags made of the hide of the animal, in quantities of about ninety pounds each. Dried meat is the flesh of the buffalo cut into long, broad, and tliin pieces about two feet by fifteen inches, which are smoked over a slow fire for a few minutes and then packed into a bale of about sixty poimds. We had many opportunities of seeing the Cree women on the Qu'appelle, cut, pre- pare, and pack dried meat. At Fort EUice (longitude 101° 48^ latitude 50° 24' 32", Captain Palhser) the thimder storms were as violent as on the Souris ; not a day passed without hghtning, thunder, and generally violent rain of half an hoiu-'s duration. The grasshoppers at this post had destroyed the crops last year, and, at the time of our visit, the young brood were weU advanced, their wings being about one-third of an inch long. FuU grown insects from the south were fljdng overhead or ahghting in clouds around us, so that all hopes of obtaining a crop from the garden or potato fields were abandoned for this year. Pro\dsions were very scarce at the post, and liad it not been for the fortu- nate arrival of the hmiters with some pemmican and dried meat, we shoidd have been compelled to hunt or kill the ox. From Mr. McKay I received a particular account of the " Great Bones " on SheU Creek, which had long been a source of wonder and awe to the Indians hunting on the left bank of the Assinniboine, and whose magnificent descriptions led me to suppose they might belong to a cetacean, and were worth a day's journey out of our track to ^'isit and examine. They were seen many years ago OJIBWAY HUKTER. 313 protruding from the bank of Shell Creek, 20 feet below the prairie's level. Mr. McKay instructed some of the hunters attached to the post to bring them to him, but no Indians would touch them, and the half-breeds only- brought a tooth and collar bone, which were stated by a medical gentleman to whom they were shown to have formerly belonged to a mammoth. Mr. Christie, of Fort Pelly, we were told, went to Shell Creek, with a view to collect more specimens ; he obtained some ribs, but in a state of crumbhng decay ; they were sent to Eed Eiver Settlement. The Indians had long regarded these ancient rehcs as the bones of a Manitou and worthy objects of veneration. An old Indian on Dauphin Lake, to whom reference will be made hereafter, described similar bones in the banks of Valley Eiver leading to Dauphin Lake ; but the season was too late when exploring that part of the country to permit of an examination. On Monday, the 12th, preparations for continuing our journey westward were completed, by engaging an Inchan to assist in paddhng Mi\ Dickinson down the Qu'appelle or Calling Eiver from the Mission to its junction witli the Assinniboine. The half of his wages he stipulated to have in advance. Mr. McKay told me he was a bad Indian and not to be trusted, but we could not succeed in getting another. When on the point of starting, a young Ojibway, painted and adorned with feathers, gal- loped up to the post, entered the room, drew from beneath liis moose skin robe two moose tongues and a mouffle, which he quietly 1 landed to Mr. McKay, and, squatting on the floor without speaking a word, lit his pipe. After a few minutes, he informed us that he and his father had killed two moose, thirty miles off, and desired McKay to send for them. Two half-breed hunters also arrived at this moment, in sad phght, hungry and tired, with worn 314 A.SSINXIBOINE AND SASKATCH?:WA\ EXPEDITION. horses and torn clothes. They had come from Fort Union, on the Missomi, having been hunting on the Grand • Coteau, where they met a war party of sixty Blackfeet. They fled to the fort, the Blackfeet pnrsuing them and insistmg that the Fort Union people shonld give them up, a request wliich was promptly refused. Diuing the night, the Fort Union people furnished them with a small supply of provisions, and leading them out to the prairies, told them to run for it; they did so, and arrived in safety at Fort Elhce after a harassing joiuiiey. At 4 P.M. on the 12tli July, we left Fort Ellice and traveled due west through a pretty country near the banks of the Qu'appelle or Calhng Eiver. After break- fast on the following day we arrived at the Cross Woods, which, according to our half-breeds, extend as far as Pipe- stone Creek ; they consist of aspen, with a splendid under- growth. Here we observed dming the morning the grass- hoppers descending from a great height perpendicularly, hke hail — a sign, our half-breeds stated, of approaching rain. Our route lay through a rolling country, the soil consisting of sandy loam with much vegetable matter in the valleys. Aspen groves are numerous, and many little lakes margined with reeds afford quiet breeding-places for duck. The road is good in summer, but wet and soft in the spring. The grasshoppers were excellent prognosticators : a vio- lent thunder storm in the afternoon commenced in the east (all preceding storms had come from the west), and was accompanied by exceedingly heavy rain and a very bois- terous wind. The storm continued several hours. At 9 in the evening, the air was calm and the hea\'ens clear and brisht : at 10, the storm returned from the west, and a more terrific and sublime exhibition of elemental warfare none of us had ever before witnessed. Three times the KINXI-KINXIK. 315 lightning struck the earth so close to us that there was no perceptible interval between the flash and the shock. It was distinctly heard to hiss through the air, and, instead of penetrating the ground at once, it seemed to leap from bush to bush for a distance of 60 or 70 yards. So close did one flash approach that Avhen we had recovered from the shock, and our eyes liad regained their power, several of us met each other, groping from cart to cart, to see if any of the party had been struck. It is remarkable that although the wind was blowing violently before and after the two flashes just described occurred, yet, between them, an interval of about tlu^ee-quarters of a minute, there was a dead calm, and a calm of short duration succeeded each flash in our immediate vicinity. The trail on the 14th continued through good land for nine miles, with aspen groves on the crown of e^ch undu- lation, and willow bushes in the hollows, it was succeeded by a prairie three miles across, but of much greater extent longitudinally. Ponds were numerous, abounding with ducks and ducklings. Another rain and thunderstorm on the evening of this day lasted for about an hour. On the following morning we entered a treeless prairie marked at its western extremity by a sandy ridge running N.W. by S.E., known among the Indians as the Weed Eidge. It was covered with the bear-berry from which kinni- kinnik is made. This was the first time we saw this weed since leaving the Sandy Hills of the Assimiiboine. The Indians of the prairies generally use the inner bark of the Cornus sericea, the red-barked willow as they term it. We also saw them smoke the inner bark of the dog- wood, Cornus alternifolia. The mode in which these barks are prepared is very simple. A few branches about three-quarters of an inch thick and four or five feet long are procured, and the 316 xVSSINXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEAVAN EXPEDITION. outer bark scraped off after having been warmed over a fire ; a knife is then pressed against tlie inner bark and drawn upwards, for a space of six or eight inches, until the whole of the inner bark is gathered in curly clusters round the stick, it is then thrust in the ground over the embers and roasted until quite dry, when, mixed with tobacco in equal proportions, it forms the favourite kinni- kinnik of the North- West Indians. I often saw them smoke bark or the leaves of the bear-berry alone, Avhen their supply of tobacco was exliausted. The Indian who accompanied us from Fort EUice to the Qu'appelle Mission, complained of weakness and pain in the chest, he suffered much from cough, and was evi- dently consumptive ; he was treacherous and indolent, and, as will be shown hereafter, soon left us in the lurch. Beyond the Weed Eidge the country is very undulating ; boulders of Siliu"ian hmestone and o-neiss were strewed on the flanks and summits of the hills. The white or Avhoop- ing crane (Grus Americana) was first seen to-day. This beautiful bird is common in the Qu'appeUe Valley and in the Touchwood Hill range. It is a dangerous antagonist when wounded, striking with unerring aim and great force with its powerful bill. Wlien the bu'd is wounded, the best way to avoid its attacks is to present the muzzle of the gun as it approaches, it Avill fix its biU in the barrel and may then be destroyed without danger. Instances have been known of this bird driving his bill deep into tlie bowels of a hunter when not successful in warding off its blow. Magpies are numerous on the Weed Eidge, and the cat bird is heard in every little wooded dell. On the 15th we passed two streamlets flowing into the Qu'appelle. Their banks were fringed with small timber, and quite lively with birds, which are far more abundant here than on the Souris. On the borders of all the wooded CHARLES PRATT. 317 brooks we saw magpies, cat bii-ds, crows, and, occasionally, the solitary thrush ; in the wet prames, the ^ice bird, black tern, plover, the golden-legged and common, the yellow-headed blackbird, common meadow lark, chipping sparrow, and grackle ; on ponds and in marshes, ducks of many species, bittern [Ardea lentiginosa), and cranes. Li the morning, after a clear night, we always observed heavy dew ; this phenomenon was not so frequently noticed on the Souris under similar circumstances. There can be httle doubt that the sterihty of the Great Prairie between the Qu'appelle and the 4:9th parallel is owing to the small quantity of dew and rain, and the occm'rence of &es. North of the Qu'appelle, the country seemed to be far more humid, and the vegetation far richer and more abundant in many locahties than south of that great valley. Another prame eight miles broad, bounded by ridges havuig a K W. and S. E. direction, succeeded to the one last described, and introduced us on the 16th to a hilly country ; the range is called the Indian Head Hills ; it contains many beautiful lakes, is well wooded, and forms one of the northern spurs of the Moose Mountain, whose position is given on Captain PaUiser's map. The northern slope of the Indian Head Hills is very abrupt, the southern, gentle and undulating. Here we met with Charles Pratt and party going to Eed Eiver. Charles Pratt is a half- breed catechist of the Church ^Missionary Society, well ac- quainted with the habits of Indians and of buifalo, but apparently scarcely sensible of the importance of his du- ties and the responsibility of liis charge. He gave me a good deal of valuable information respecting the country, and, with characteristic generosity, if not Christian sym- pathy, told John McKay to take a young lieifer belonging to him when we arrived at the Mission and kill it in 31h ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. lionoiu' of our arrival. Pratt showed me some specimens of lignite ^vliich he had taken from a bed two feet thick at the Wood Hills, about eighty miles south-west of the Hud- son's Bay Company's post. He described the hill or range of hills as an island in the prame, which, hke the Stony Mountain near Eed Eiver, had escaped denudation, or, it may have been La Eoche Percee, visited by Mr. F. W. Lander in 1853*, and by Dr. Hector in 1858.f An old Lidian accompanying Charles Pratt, born in this part of the country, told us that he remembered the time when the whole of the prairie through which we had passed since leaving Fort Elhce was one continuous forest, broken only by two or three narrow intervals of barren ground. They told us that the Plain Crees and the Black- feet were at war with one another, and that the Crees were hurriedly "pitching east " in order to avoid the Black- feet. This intelhgence had considerable effect upon our old hunter ; he made his will and gave it to Charles Pratt to give to Archdeacon Cochrane of Prame Portage. The \4ew from the Lidian Head range is exceedingly beautiful ; it embraces an extensive area of level prairie to the north, bounded by the Aspen Woods on the borders of the Qu'appelle Valley. A portion of the old forest alluded to by the Indian still exists on tliis range. It consists of aspen of large growth and very thickly set. A few cabri (prong-horned antelope) were seen in the Indian Head range ; they used to aboinid in the country drained by the Qu'appelle. On Saturday the 1 7th we entered a very beautiful and fertile prairie at the foot of the Indian Head range, our course leading us in a northerly direction to the Qu'ap- pelle Mission. The common yarrow was very abundant, * Pacific Ii ail way Explorations. t Blue Book. C'apt. Palli.«er's Explovatious. THE " BIG GRASS ROOT. -319 and. with the hare-bell . reiniudcd us of other scenes far away. Six miles from the liills we arrived at a subordi- nate, shallow, and broad valley, parallel to that of the Qu'appelle. The aspect of its boundary suggested the shore of a lake or bank of a large river. The lower prairie consisted of a sandy loam, in which the Indian turnip was very abundant. We soon came up vdth. a group of squaws and childien from the Qu'appelle Lakes who were gathering and drying this root, which the Crees call the Mis'tas-coos-se-ne-na or big grass root. The French half-breeds call it the pomme de prairie ; the Sioux Tip-si-na. It is an important article of food in these regions. * The botanical name is Psoralea esculenta. Many bushels had been collected by the squaws and children, and when we came to their tents they were employed in peeling the roots, cutting them into shreds and drying them in the sun. I saw many roots as large as the egg of a goose, and among those brought with me to Canada are some of even larger dimensions. The Crees consume this important vegetable in various ways ; they eat it uncooked, or they boil it, or roast it in the embers, or diy it, and crush it to powder and make soup of it. Large quantities are stored in buffalo sldn bags for ^Wnter use. A sort of pudding made of the flour of the root and the mcsaskato- niina berry is very palatable, and a favourite dish among the Plain Crees. We reached the Qu'appelle Lakes at G p. m., after pass- ing through a magnificent prairie the whole day ; in fact the country north of the Lidian Head and Chalk Hill ranges is truly beautiful, and wiU one day become a very important tract. The Chalk Hills are a continuation of the Indian Head range. In the language of the Indians they contain bands of " soft white earth or mud." The half- breeds call them " Chalk Hills." It is a matter of regret 320 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. that the time at our disposal did not permit us to make an excursion to them, notwithstanding that no indications of rocks in position were seen on the Indian Head range ; they were recorded as composed of drift which may or may not conceal rocks in position above the general level of the prairie north of them. Great was our astonishment on arriving at the Qu'ap- pelle Lakes to find that they were narrow bodies of wa- ter, occupying an excavated valley about one mile broad, 250 feet deep, and differing in no important particular from the same valley at its junction with the Assinniboine — 120 miles distant by the river, or 134 by the trail. The importance of the Qu'appelle valley began to deve- lope itself when the Crees at the Lakes informed us that it continued through to the Saskatchewan without losmg its breadth, and maintained, except for a short distance, a great depth below the prairie level. I determined, there- fore, to explore the whole valley from the South Branch of the Saskatchewan to the Assinniboine, and to ascertain the relation it bore to those rivers. With this \dew the canoes were put in order, the party and supphes divided, and the arrangements detailed in the following paragraph completed. Mr. Dickinson, with a French Canadian and a Cree half- breed, was instructed to descend the Qu'appelle Eiver from the first Fishing Lake to its mouth. Mr. Fleming and myself were to ascend it from the same starting place to its somxe, and follow up the valley to the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. Mr. Hime was to explore Long Lake and meet Mr. Dicldnson at Fort Pelly. I intended, upon reaching the South Branch, to descend that magni- ficent river in canoe to the Grand Forks, and then by the main Saskatchewan to Lake Winnipeg and Eed Eiver, a distance of al)out 1000 miles canoe navigation. THE QUAPPELLE MISSION. 321 Tlie QuVippelle Mission is situated between tlie second and third Fishing Lakes. The situation is beautiful, and the country on all sides of a very novel and pecuhar cha- racter. Here the Qu'appelle valley is 1^ niiles broad and 250 feet deep. On the south a vast level prairie extends to the Indian Head Hills, fertile, inviting, but treeless ; towards the north the country is studded with groves of aspen over a light and sometimes gravelly soil. Most beautifid and attractive, however, are the lakes, four in number, which from the rich store of fish they contain, are well named the Fishing Lakes. A belt of timber frinws their sides at the foot of the steep hills they wash, for they fill the entire breadth of the valley. Ancient elm trees ^vitli long and drooping branches bend over their waters ; the ash-leaved maple acquires dimensions not seen smce leaving the Eed Eiver, and the Me-sas-ka-to-mi-na (la Pou^e) (Amelanchier Canadensis) is no longer a bush, but a tree eighteen to twenty feet high, and loaded with the most luscious fi'uit. The Qu'appelle Mission was estabhshed last year (1858). For some time past, however, Charles Pratt, the catechist, has resided where the Mission is situated, and lias con- structed a comfortable log-house, fenced in a garden, and now possesses six or seven cows and calves. An old half- breed, whose name is obhterated in my note-book, took up his residence with Pratt ; he had been engaged for the better part of his life at different fishing stations belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company throughout Eupert's Land, and he declared that in all his experience he had never seen tlie white fish {Coregonus albus) so large, numerous, and Avell flavoured as in the Qu'appelle Fishing Lakes. Tlie Eev. James Settee, the missionary, a native of Swampy Cree origin, occupied Pratt's house ; he arrived at the ]\Iission last autumn. In the garden where we VOL. I. Y 3-22 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. found liim, Lidiaii corn was grooving, as well as potatoes, tiu-nips, beans, and other culinary vegetables. The grass- hoppers had not yet visited the Mission, but vast flights had passed over it. They were seen passing the Com- pany's post, twenty miles south, on the 8th of the month ; they Avere then flying to the east. They had passed the Mission in 1857, for they visited the Touchwood Hills forty to fifty miles north of it, depositing their eggs in the ground, and during the present summer the young brood, as I learned a few weeks afterwards, destroyed all garden crops at the Touchwood Hills, and on the 28th July took their flio'ht to the south-east. On Sunday we attended service in Pratt's house ; the Eev. IVIr. Settee read the prayers in Enghsli with great ease and correctness ; he preached in Ojibway, and a hymn was sung in the Cree language. Before the sermon the missionary surprised us by waking up a di^owsy Indian, who was enjojdng a quiet nap in a corner of the room, and leadmg him to tlie temporary reading desk, com- menced the ceremony of pubhc baptism. My astonish- ment was not diminished when the reverend gentleman turning to me, without any prehminary notice, said ab- ruptly, " Name this man ! " After a moment's reflection I said " John," and without any unnecessary loss of time or words, "John" walked to his bench, and was soon appa- rently lost, in noisy slumber, to all consciousness of the pri- vileges and blessings of which adult Christian baptism, didy received, had made him the inheritor. When the Eev. James Settee arrived at the Mission last autumn, the Crees of the Sandy Hills having received intelhgence that the bishop had sent a " praying man" to teach them the truths of Christianity, directed mes- sengers to inquire whether " the great praying father had sent plenty of rum ; if so, they would soon become THE REV. JAMES SETTEE. 323 followers of the wliite man's Maiiitou." The messengers retmiied with the intelhgence that the great prapno- father had not only omitted to send rum, but he hoped that the Plain Crees woidd soon abandon the practice of demanding rum m exchange for their pemmican and robes. The messengers Avere dkected to return to the missionary with the announcement, that " if the great praying father did not intend to send any rum, the sooner he took his prajdng man away from the Qu'appelle Lakes tlie better for him." Encampment in tlie Qii'appt^lc Valloy. There are very few tents about the Mission at ])resent, the Indians being in the plains engaged in hunting the buffalo. Mr. Settee speaks Enghsh very fluently, tlie field for his labour is extensive, but not at present pro- mising. . When conversing with the Crees of the Sandy Hills, many of them expressed a wish to have their children tauglit by white men, but they did not appear T 2 3-24 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. to like the idea of tlieir being taught by a native of a different origin. This is an important point to be observed in the selection of native missionaries. The school, however, appears here, as elsewhere among In- dian ti'ibes, to be the only sure ground for estabhshing the true faith among them. " Teach my children for two or three years, but let me follow the ways of my fathers," said the son of the chief of the Sandy Hills to me. Many expressed a wish that their httle ones should know the white man's cunning, and learn to cultivate the soil, but they would stipulate to remain themselves still the wild prairie Indians, hunting the buffalo, and occa- sionally tasting the savage excitement of war. It is a wrong pohcy to send a Swampy Cree among the Plain Crees, or an Ojibway amongst the Crees, as a teacher and minister of religion. These highly sensitive and jealous people do not wilhngly accept gifts or favours which involve any recognition of mental superiority in the donor from one not of their own kindred, lano-uase, and blood ; although he may be of their own race. An Ojibway remains always an Ojibway, and a Swampy Cree a Swampy Cree, in the eyes of the haughty and indepen- dent children of the prairies, and they wiU never acknow- ledge or respect them as teachers of the " white man's rehgion." Several of my half-breeds appeared to think that Mr. Settee would have troublesome times, and that he would not be able to make much impression among the Plain Crees. What has to be done must be done soon, the time is short and the race is fast passing away ; in another generation we shall probably lament the dis- appearance of a tribe which twenty years ago could muster one thousand mounted warriors, and Avho, in all the pride and barbarous pomp of Indian display, were THE l'L.\liV CREES. 325 accustomed to approach the Hudson's Bay Company's posts singing their Ili-he-uh, Hi-he-ah, or war song, in savage unison. On the 20th July tlie canoes were launched on the Tliird Fishing Lake, and having seen Mr. Hime en route for Long Lake, my carts and horses on the way to the Grand Forks of the Qu'appelle, and Mr. Dickinson started for the mouth of the river, I embarked with Mr. Fleming, an Ojibway, and a Cree half-breed, and paddled up stream with a view to trace out the valley to its junction with the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. The succeeding Chapter contains a narrative of this ex- ploration, which is followed by Mr. Dickinson's descrip- tion of his canoe voyage to the Assinniboine. We arranged to meet at Fort EUice forty-three days after our simultaneous departure from the Third Fishing Lake. 326 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. CHAP. XV. THE QU'aPPELLE VALLEY. — FROM THE MISSION TO SAND HILL LAKE. Depth of tlie Fishing Lakes. — Crosa-Sectioiis. — Confervpe. — Lower Lakes 66 Feet deep. — Birds. — Vegetation. — Water-mark. — Third and Fourth Fish- ing Lakes. — Fisli. — Soundings in Fourtli Lake. — Fishing Lakes probably once united. — Geese . — Pelicans. — Fom-th Lake. — Water-mark. — Aspect of Valley in 1852. — Qu'appelle River. — Prairie. — Depth of Valley. — WTiite Cranes. — Section of Alluvial Flats. — Temperature. — Character of Prairie. — Birds. — Shrubs. — Antelope. — Hare. — Roses. — Grand Forks. — Plain Crees. — Temperature of River. — Ice Marks. — Buffalo Tracks. — Character of Stream. — ^^Villow Bushes. — Fetid Air. — Drift Clay. — Er- ratics. — Freemen's Houses. — Prairie. — Want of Timber. — Thunder Stonns. — Touchwood Hills. — Indians. — Tolls. — Diplomacy. — Indian Re- solve. — The Grand Forks. — Long Lake. — Souris Forks. — Souris of Qu'ap- pelle and Assiuniboine. — Dimensions of Valley. — The Grand Coteau. — Prairie Fires. — Indian Signs. — A Prairie on Fire.— Bufl'alo. — Consequence of Prairie Fires. — Reclamation of sterile Areas. — IndLan Telegraph. — Scarcity of Wood. — Ancient Indian Encampment. — The Plain Crees. — Cree Tents. — Provisions. — Bufialo Pound Hill Lake. — Indians. — Aspect of Country. — Coteau de Missouri. — Last ]Momitain. — Treeless Plam. — The Grand Coteau. — Buffalo. — Birds. — Plain Crees, Camp of. — The Qu'appelle Valley. — Marrow. — Precautions. — Sand Hill Lake. — Crees. — ^Bois de Vache. — Salt Lake. — Dimensions of Valley. — Erratics. — Cross the Qu'appelle Valley. — Camp at Sand Hill Lake. Three quarters of a mile from the moutli of tlie little stream joining the second and third Fishing Lakes, the lead showed 44 feet of water. This great depth sur- prised us, as we had been paddling, smce leaving the Mission, in shallows not exceeding four and five feet in depth. Cross sections subsequently made, showed that the lakes were generally deep on the noi'tli and shallow DEPTH OF THE QU'APPELLE LAKES. 327 on the south side. An abundant growth of green con- fervse covered the surface, which, in its aggregations and general distribution, reminded me of a simihir profusion on the Lake of Woods during August, in 1857. The hill sides of the valley are deeply ravined and wooded, but the hills they separate are bare ; we soon noticed too that the north side began to show far less timber than the south, and of more stunted growth. The snowberry was seen in eveiy hollow. Ash-leaved maple and elm were numerous on the south side of the lake, together with the mesaskatomina. Two excellent photographs, taken near the ]\iission, of the lakes and hills, display the chief characteristic of the valley with the fidehty wdiich can only be attained by that wonderful art. Soundino's near the middle of the lake showed 5G feet, wdiich when added to 249 feet, the depth of the valley below the prairie as ascertained by trigonometrical mea- surement, make the total excavation 305 feet. Another sounding 200 yards from the N.W. point, gave 57 feet of water. This was the greatest depth w^e obtained, but Mi\ Dickmson found the lower lakes to be GG feet deep. The shores of gravel are strewed with blocks of drift limestone and the unfossiliferous rocks. Gulls are numerous about these remote lakes, and a pak of eagles have had their eyrie for many years in a fine elm tree, near the west end of the Thii'd Fishing Lake. The hop grows very luxuriantly in the thui belt of woods on the south side, and the frost grape hangs in beautiful festoons from the droopmg branches of the elm. The water mark shows that this lake rises from six to seven feet above its present level. A low plateau, inundated every spring, separates the Thu\l from tlie Fourth Lake. It is the delta of two ravines y 4 328 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. which in the spring and autumn, bring down a large quantity of water £i"om the prairie above. Third Eishmg Lake is connected with Fouilh Fishing Lake by a rapid stream flowing tlu'ough the plateau, about 100 feet broad. At its mouth we saw a large number of fish rising at the grasshoppers, which dropped from flights of these insects passing over at the time. In the same stream were many large fish, and among them several indi\aduals of a species to which finlher reference will be made. Soundhigs m the Fourth Lake showed 54 feet ; this depth was main- tamed for a long distance with great regularity. Li fact, these lakes appear to be nearly miiformly deep, and point to an excavating force, or pecuharity of rock forma- tion deserving of fm'ther inquuy. Tlie deltas at the mouth of the ravines, coming in from the prairie at right angles to the general com^se of the valley, give a clue to the mode in which the lakes were separated one from the other. It is very probable that they were once all united. Geese appeared in large numbers in the Fourth Lake, and at its western end we saw a splendid flock of peli- cans containing thirty-five mdividuals ; as we approached they sailed majestically round and round, but took flight before we arrived Avithin gunshot. Magpies are very numerous in the thin woods fiinmno- the lakes ; so also are grackles, the cat bird, and many smaller birds. The Fourth Lake is verj^ shallow at its western extremity, six feet being the greatest dei)th recorded. The hills on the north side are ' quite bare, and trees on the south side are found only in the ra^dnes. The lake is fiiU of weeds and its water emits a very disagreeable od(3ur, but tlie watermarks show, that dining spring fi'eshets, its level is eia'ht feet higher than in the summer season. This is an important fact when taken in connection with the alleged Itoli km^.aviiir llTM MIS-TICK-OOS OR " SIIORTSTICK." 359 A dreadful scene of confusion and slaughter then begins, tlie oldest and strongest animals crush and toss the weaker ; the shouts and screams of tlie excited Indians rise above the roarmg of the bulls, the bellomng of the cows, and the piteous moaning of the calves. The dying struggles of so many huge and powerful animals crowded together, create a revoltmg and terrible scene, dreadfid from the excess of its cruelty and waste of life, but with occasional displays of wonderfid brute strength and rage ; wliile man m his savage, untutored, and heathen state shows both in deed and expression how Httle he is superior to the noble beasts he so wantonly and cruelly destroys. Ms-tick-oos, or " Shortstick," is about fifty years old, of low stature, but very powerfully built. His arms and breast were deeply marked with scars and gashes, records of grief and moiu-ning for departed friends. His son's body was painted with blue bars across the chest and arms. The only clothmg they wore consisted of a robe of dressed elk or buffalo hide, and the breech cloth ; the robe was often cast off* the shoidders and drawn over the knees when in a sitting posture ; they wore no covering on the head, their long liair was plaited or tied in knots, or hung loose over thek shoulders and back. The forms of some of the young men were faultless, of the middle-aged men bony and wiry, and of the aged men, hi one mstance at least, a hving skeleton. I inquh^ed the age of an ex- tremely old fellow who asked me for medicine to cure a pain in his chest; he rephed he was a strong man when the two Companies (the Hudson's Bay and the North West) were trading with his tribe very many sum- mers ago. He remembers the time " when his people "were as numerous as the bufflilo are now, and the buffalo A A 4 360 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. thick as trees in the forest." The half-breeds thought he was more than 100 years old. When Mis-tick-oos was ready to receive me, I pro- ceeded to the spot where he was sitting surroimded by the elders of liis tribe, and as a preliminary, rarely known to fail in its good effect upon Indians, I instructed one of my men to hand him a basm of tea and a dish of pre- served vegetables, biscuit, and fresh buffalo steaks. He had not eaten since an early hour in the morning, and evidently enjoyed his dinner. Hunger, that great enemy to charity and comfort, being appeased, I presented him with a pipe and a canister of tobacco, begging him to help himself and hand the remamcler to the Indians around us. The presents were then brought and laid at his feet. They consisted of tea, tobacco, bidlets, powder, and blankets, all which he examined and accepted vdth marked satis- faction. After a while he expressed a wish to know the object of oiu- visit ; and having at my request adjoimied the meeting to my tent m order to avoid sitting in the hot sun, we held a " talk," dming which Mis-tick-oos expressed himself freely on various subjects, and hstened with the utmost attention and apparent respect to the speeches of the Lidians he had summoned to attend the " Council." All speakers objected strongly to the half-breeds' hunt- ing buffalo dmdng the winter in the Plain Cree country. They had no objection to trade with them or with white people, but they insisted that all strangers should purchase dried meat or pemmican, and not hunt for themselves. They m^ged strong objections agamst the Hudson's Bay Company encroaching upon the prairies and driving away the buffalo. They would be glad to see them establish as many posts as they chose on the edge of the prairie Goimtry, but they did not hke to see the prairies and plains invaded. Diuring the existence of the two com- A ^' TALK " WITH THE PLAIN CREES. 361 panies, all went well with the Lidians, they obtained excellent pay, and could always sell their meat, skins, robes, and pemmican. Since the union of the companies they had not fared half so well, had received bad pay for theu" provisions, and were growing poorer, weaker, and more miserable year by year. The buffalo were fast dis- appearing before the encroachments of white men, and although they acknowledged the value of fire-arms, they thought they were better off in olden times, when they had only bows and spears, and wild animals were numerous. They generally commenced with the creation, giving a short history of that event in most general terms, and after a few flom^ishes about equahty of origin, descended suddenly to bufialo, half-breeds, the Hudson's Bay com- pany, tobacco, and rum. I asked Mis-tick-oos to name the articles he would wish me to bring if I came into his country again. He asked for tea, a horse of Enghsli breed, a cart, a gun, a supply of powder and ball, knives, tobacco, a medal with a chain, a flag, a suit of fine clothes, and rum. The " talk " lasted between six and seven hours, the greater portion of the time being taken up in interpreting sentence by sentence, the speeches of each man in turn. Diu-ing the whole time we were engaged m" Council" the pipe was passed fi^om mouth to mouth, each man taking a few whiffs and then handino- it to his neighbour. It was a black stone pipe, which ]\iis-tick-oos had received as a pre- sent from a chief of the Blackfeet at the Eaaie Hills a few weeks before.* When the pipe came round to me I usually replenished it, and taking a box of " vespers " from my pocket, lit it mth a match. This operation was observed with a subdued curiosity, eacli Indian watching me with- * See Chapter on Indian customs, superstitions, &c., Vol. II. 362 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXrEDITION. out moving his head, turning only his eyes in the direction of the pipe. No outward sign of wonder or curiosity escaped them during the " talk." On one occasion the pipe was out when passed to the Lidian sitting next to me; without turning his head he gently touched my arm, imitated the action of hghting the match by friction against the bottom of the box, and pointed with one finger to the pipe. They generally sat with their eyes fixed on the grovmd when one of them was speaking, giving every outward sign of respectftil attention, and occasionally expressing their approval by a low gurghng sound. When the talk was over, I went with Mis-tick- oos to his tent; he then asked me to reproduce the match-box, and show its wonders to his four wives. One of them was evidently sceptical, and did not tliink it was " real fire " until she had ignited some chips of wood from the lighted match I presented to her. I gave a bundle to IVIis-tick-oos, who wrapped them carefrdly in a piece of deerskin, and said he shoidd keep them safely, — tliey were " good medicine." I made his \vives happy and merry by distributing about a pound of tea amongst them, and their liilarity knew no bounds when the inci- dent narrated in the second volume* took place. Mis-tick-oos apologised for the smalluess of liis tent, remarking that he had collected twenty skins for a new one, and when he had obtained two more he should get his wives to make them up. I asked how it was that a chief Avith four -wives should have a smaller tent than many of his young men around us. No reply was given to this question, and the half-breed interpreter said that there was a mystery attached to the tent formerly possessed by Mis-tick-oos, which he would endeavour to solve, but * Chapter ou Indian customs and suporBtitious, &:c., Vol. II. A GRIEF OFFERING. 3G3 none of the people present would talk about it, so lie sur- mised that there might be some disappointment, or perhaps the death of a relative connected with it. From mforma- tion afterwards obtamed, and verified at the Hudson's Bay Company's post at the Touchwood Hills, it appears that a favourite son of Mis-tick-oos was killed while hunting for the post some months before, and that in accordance with the customs of the Crees, Mis-tick-oos had presented the officer in charge of the post with his tent of twenty-two skins as a " grief offering." Early on the morning of the 30th I retraced my steps to examine an exposure of cretaceous rock formuig part of the bank at the summit level of the Qu'appelle valley, while Mr. Fleming continued taking the levels to the South Branch. The rock is a sandstone, dipping very shghtly to the south-west. The length of the exposure, east and west, is about fifty yards ; it is covered with drifting sand. Near the summit the layers are highly fossihferous, and almost wholly composed of Avicula Lin- guceformis (Evans and Shumard) ; above and below the fossihferous portion there is a coarse greenish-coloured sand, interstratified with brown ferruginous layers. The thickness visible is about twelve feet. The rock occurs near the bend of the valley at its summit level ; the exposure is perpendicular, and about sixty feet above the bottom of the vallej^ Some of the beds, those which are unfossih- ferous are very soft and fiiable, easily disintegrating, and may, farther west, be the origin of some of the sand dunes distributed over so wide an area in this part of the countiy. In descending the slope ft'om the sunnnit level to the Saskatchewan, the boulders on the ridges in the valley were found to be generally deposited upon the west side. The inclination of the boulders was towards the east, those forming the upper stratum were inclined 364 ASSINNIBOIXE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. against or superimposed upon the west side of those be- neath, leading to the inference that the cuiTent which directed the course of the ice which bore them, came here, as on the other side of the summit level in the valley, /?'6>m the west Flan - - ?<,t-»:«:^%:;: , ..^.....^.|»iS|^«^^ mde View. Eidges, with Boulders, on the East and West side of the height of hind iu the Qu'appelle Valley. About fourteen miles from the South Branch there is a gigantic erratic of unfossihferous rock on the south side of the valley. It is seventy-nine feet in horizontal cu-cum- ference, three feet from the ground ; and a tape stretched across the exposed portion, from side to side over the highest point, measured forty-six feet. The Indians place on it offerings to Manitou, and at the time of our visit it contained beads, bits of tobacco, fragments of cloth, and other trifles. At noon I bade farewell to Mis-tick-oos, and joining the carts we wended our way by tlie side of " the Eiver that Turns," occupying the continuation of the Qu'appelle valley, to the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. The carts were accompanied by several Lidians, who watched with much curiosity the progress of taking the levels, and w^ere very anxious to know what " medicine" I was PREPARATIONS FOR THE NIGHT. 365 searching for when sketching the position of the erratics in the valley. Now and then a fine buillilo bull would appear at the brow of the hill forming the boundary of the prairie, gaze at us for a few muiutes and gallop off. The buffalo were crossmg the South Branch a few miles below us in gixat numbers, and at night, by putting the ear to the gromid, we could hear them bellowing. Towards evening we all arrived at the South Branch, built a fire, gummed the canoe, Avhich had been sadly damaged by a journey of 700 miles across the prairies, and hastened to make a dis- tribution of the supphes for a canoe voyage down that splendid river. We were not anxious to camp at the mouth of " the Eiver that Tmiis," in consequence of a war party of Blackfeet who were said to be m tlie neighbour- hood of the Cree camp, watching for an opportunity to steal horses, and if possible to "Hft a scalp." The Indians who had accompanied us hastened to join their friends as soon as they saw we were ready to em- bark, and just as the sun set, the canoe containing Mr. Fleming and myself, with two half-breeds, pushed off from the shore ; the remainder of the party m charge of the old hunter, retired from the river with the carts and horses to camp in the open prairie, where they would be able to guard agamst a sm^^rise by the Blackfeet, or the thieving propensities of treacherous Crees. Great precautions were undoubtedly necessary, as sure signs had been ob- served within three miles of the Sandy Hills, proving that a war party of Blackfeet were skulking about. The Crees, always accustomed when on the South Branch to their attacks, merely adopted the precaution of postmg watchers on the highest dunes, about a mile from their camp, but in accordance with the friendly advice of Mis- tick-oos, we embarked at this late horn- in the evening 3G6 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. with a view to avoid surprise and mislead any watchful eyes that might have taken note of our movements. We diifted a mile or two down the river until we came to a precipitous clilF showing a fine exposure of rock, which proved a temptation too great to be resisted, so we drew the canoe on the bank and camped for the night on the east side of the river, making arrangements to watch in turns. The first view of the South Branch of the Saskatche- wan, fully 600 miles from the point where tlie main river disembogues into Lake Winnipeg, filled me with astonishment and admiration. We stood on the banks of a river of the first class, nearly half a mile broad, and flowing with a swift current, not more than 350 miles from the Eocky Mountains, where it takes its rise. We had reached this river by tracing for a distance of 270 miles, a narrow deep excavation continuous from the valley of one great river to that of another, and exliibiting in many features evidences of an excavating force far greater than the little Qu'appelle which mean- ders through it, was at the first blush, thought capable of creating. How were the deep lakes hollowed out ? lakes filling the breadth of the valley, but during the lapse of ages not having increased its breadth, preserving too, for many miles, such remarkable depths, and although in some instances far removed from one another, yet maintaining those depths with striking uniformity. What could be the nature of the eroding force which dug out nar- row basins 54 to 66 feet deep at the bottom of a valley already 300 feet below the slightly undulating prairies, and rarely exceeduig one mile m breadth ? It was easy to understand how a small river hke the Qu'appelle could gradually excavate a valley a mile broad and 300 feet deep. The vast prairies of the north- ORIGIN OF THE QU'APPELLE LAKES. 367 west offer many such instances ; the Little Soiiris Eiver, for example, in passing through the Blue Hills ; the Assinniboine, for a 150 miles, flows through a broad deep valley, evidently excavated by its waters ; the rivers in western Canada often flow in deep eroded valleys; but in no instance to my knowledge are deep and long lakes known to occupy a river valley, where nearly horizontal and very soft rocks preclude the assumption that they may have been occasioned by falls, without bearing some traces of the force which excavated their basins. They seem to point to the former existence of a much deeper valley now broken mto detached lakes by the partial filling up of intervening distances. It was certauily with mmgled feelmgs of anxiety and pleasurable anticipation that we embarked on the broad Saskatchewan, hoping during our long journey down its swift stream to find some clue to the origin of the ciurious inoscidatmg valley of the Qu'appelle we had traced ft-om one water-shed to another. 368 ASSINNIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. CHAP. xvn. FEOM THE QU'APPELLE HUSSION TO FORT ELLICE, DOWN THE Qlf APPELLE EIYER. The Second Fishing Lake — Depth of. — Indian Map. — Origin of name Qu'appelle, or " T\Tio calls River. " — The First Lake, or Pakitawiwin. — Great Depth of First Lake. — Fish. — Confervas. — Depth of Valley. — Width of River. — High-water Mark. — Valley flooded. — Affluents. — Depth of Valley. — Crooked Lake, or Ka-wa-wa-ki-ka-niac — Dimensions of. — Effects of Fires. — Trees in Valley. — Boulders. — Character of the Counti-y. — Indian Surprise. — Indians. — Summer Beny Creek. — Dimen- sions of Valley. — Valley and Prairie Scene. — Camp Scene. — Character of Valley. — Ka-wah-wi-ya-ka-mac, or Round Lake — Dimensions of. — Stony Basin. — Granite Boulders. — Little Cut-Ai'm Creek. — The Scissors Creek. — Rock Exposiu'e. — Grasshoppers. — Big Cut- Arm Creek. — Di- mensions of Qu'appelle. — Flooding of Valley, — Timber. — Undergrowth — Birds. — Minks. — Deer. — Uniformity of Qu'appelle Valley. — Table showing the dimensions of the Qu'appeUe Valley and Qu'appelle Lakes. MR. Dickinson's narratfte. Dear Sir, — Soon after parting from you on the morn- ing of July 20 til, at the Cliurch of England IVIission in the Qu'appelle VaUey, my instruments for sm^veying, with watch, a magnetic compass, a log line and sounding hue, all arranged for ready use, and a cargo of kettles, pans, pemmican and blankets stowed away, our little canoe com- menced its voyage down the river. In half an hour we reached the lake, which is generally called the second of the Fishing Lakes. Before ventm^ing to go down it we were obhged to stop for the purpose of gumming the canoe, as it was leaking more than was desirable. To save time we took breakfast here. The distance between this lake and the one at the IMission is a mile and a half, while FIRST OF THE FISHING LAKES. 369 tlie actual length of the river is upwards of two miles. Its width averages eighty feet, and its depth tliree feet ; the rate of current, which is nearly uniform throughout its length, is one mile per hour. The difference of level be- tween these two lakes, obtained instrumentally on a pre- vious day, is 1"50 feet. These measiurements, not valuable in themselves, are taken for the purposes explained in the " Eiiles for conducting the Exploring Siurvey," namely, as the means for calculating approximately the total fall hi the river. I may mention, that at every opportunity similar measurements and observations were made, with the assistance of Mr. John Fleming, from which we were able to deduce some general rules for guiding us in estimating the fall in rivers, and also, that the log hue was found to be most invaluable in ascertairdng the rate of the canoe on the rivers as well as on the lakes, being a much more accurate way than that of estimating it by the eye. The canoebeing now declared to be sea- worthy, we started on oiu: way agam. The lake is three miles and a quarter long and three-quarters of a mile in breadth, extending between the slopes of the valley, and aj^pearing to be merely an expansion of the river, but on trial found to be something more than that. For some distance out from the mouth of the river it is only from three to four feet deep, l^ut on trjTQg it, when we were about half a mile distant, with a sounding hue thirty feet long, to my great surprise, I could find no bottom ; having added more line, the depth proved to be forty-two feet. About the middle of the lake the depth is forty-eight feet. A stream a quarter of a mile m length, flowing sluggishly through a marsh, connects tliis lake with the next, the first of the Fishing Lakes, or as it is in Cree, Pakitawiwin. All the Lidian names of the lakes and tributaries of the VOL. I. B B 370 ASSI>'XIBOIXE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. Qu'appelle I got afterwards on my arrival at Fort Ellice, from an old Lidian seventy years of age, who had been once upon a time a great hunter and warrior, now in peace and comfort spending his remaining days at the hospitable Fort. With a piece of charred wood he drew on the floor a map of the Qu'appelle Valley from the Fishing Lakes to the Assinniboine, shomng every httle creek so accurately that I easily recognised them. ]VIi\ McKay, who was then in charge of the Fort, kindly acted as interpreter on the occasion. The Cree name of the Qu'appelle river is Katapaywie sepe, and this is the origui of the name as told me by the Lidian : — A sohtary Lidian was coming down the river in his canoe many summers ago, when one day he heard a loud voice calhng to liim ; he stopped and hstened and again heard the same voice as before. He shouted in reply, but there was no answer. He searched everywhere around, but could not find the tracks of any one. So from that time forth it was named the"WhoCaUsEiver." Pakitawkoin is six miles long and half a mile wide, and is most w^onderfully deep. Li one place, by means of put- ting together various pieces of cord, sashes, &c., the sound- ing line bemg too short, the depth was found to be about sixty-six feet. The mean of several depths is fifty-two feet. L is famous for the quantity and quality of its fish. For three miles we passed through a dense decapng mass of confervte, w^hicli an east wind had driven to the upper parts of the lake. The smell of it w^as most unpleasant ; the men pushed through it as hard as they could, no easy matter, as it impeded the progress of the canoe consider- ably. The valley here is about tlie same depth as it is at the Mission, but the slopes are not so precipitous ; one of them, that on the south side, has been the whole way covered with a dense growtli of young aspens, and tlic THE CROOKED L.VKE. 371 other has been bare of trees except in some of its many hollows and ravmes. Leaving the lake we now descend the river at an aver- age speed of four miles an hour, the rate of current being generally about one mile and a quarter per hour. Pad- dhng was easy work, but the steering by no means so, for the bends of the river are innumerable and very sharp, and the waters sweep round them with great velocity ; oftentimes, but for the strong and dexterous arm of the steersman, the canoe would have been dashed against the bank ; as it was he coidd not avoid sometimes getting en- tangled among the overhanging branches of the willows. The width varies from one cham to one and a half, and the depth from foiu- and a half to two feet. The bed, for the most part, consists of soft mud, and is qmte free from boulders, as is the case the whole way to the mouth, ex- cepting in one place to be mentioned hereafter. The high water mark, very apparent on the willows growing along the banks, was eight feet over the present level of the water ; the whole bottom of the valley, I Avas told, is often flooded to a depth of three feet. Nmeteen small creeks flow into this portion of the river, two only of them having names, the first and second Pheasant Creeks, called m Cree Akiskoowi sepesis ; named after a hill which hes to the north some miles away, from near which they both take their rise. I took a cross section of the valley here, and found it to be 320 feet deep and seventy-eight chains Avide ; it is, I tliink, the deepest part of it. At noon, on July 23, we reached Crooked Lake, called in Cree Kawawak-kamac, the most pictur- esque of the Qu'appelle Lakes. Several streams draining the prairies on both sides have excavated deep and wide gorges opening into the main valley, which here sweeps 372 ASSINNIBOINE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. in graceful curves, so that Crooked Lake seems to be em- bosomed amongst hills, and thus differs from the others wliich have very much the appearance of a gigantic canal. It is a Httle more than six miles in length, and its mean width is three-quarters of a mile. The greatest depth I found was thirty-six feet, and the mean of several sound- ings was thirty-one feet. The south slope, as before, is clothed mth a dense fohage of yoimg aspens, willows, and dogwood ; a great contrast to the opposite side, on which only grows short and scanty grass, leaving the granite boidders which lie scattered over it, exposed to view ; only in the ravines and the deep hollows are seen patches of young aspens and straggling oaks which have escaped the devastatmg fires. For some time I could not understand why one side should be covered with trees and the other quite bare, the soil on both being exactly similar, until I discovered unmistakeable evidences of fire, which may be the cause of it. On inquuy afterwards I found that Indians often travel along the valley on the north of the river, wliich accounts for the fires being on that side. Between the gravelly beach and the first of the slopes a fringe of willows runs all roimd the lake, and several points of low land jut out on both sides, on which grow oak, elm, and ash; not very large trees certainly, but healthy and thriving looking, and giving additional beauty to the landscape. I ascended a bluff on the north side by a well-worn deer path, on which there were many foot-marks quite fresh, for the purpose of taking some observations con- nected with the siu-vey and seeing the natm^e of the sur- rounding country. A gently undulating prairie, dotted with clumps of small poplars and willows stretched away on every side, and as far as I could see, the soil was a A SUEPKISE. 373 light sandy and gravelly loam, and in many parts strewed with boulders. I rather tlihik that such is the character of a considerable extent of tliis section of the country. As I stood upon the summit of the bluff, looking down upon the ghttering lake 300 feet below, and across the boundless plains, no hving thing in view, no sound of hfe anywhere, I thought of the time to come when will be seen passing swiftly along the distant horizon the white cloud of the locomotive on its way fi'om the Atlantic to the Pacific, and when the valley will resound with the meriy voices of those who have come irom the busy city on the banks of Eed Kiver to see the beautiful lakes of the Qu'appelle. The view down the valley, where the river, after issuing from the lake, commences again its strange contortions, was doubtless very pretty, but it showed too the trouble that was before me, that there would be no rest for eye or finger, such as I had when taking long straight courses on the lake. Again re-seated in the canoe we soon passed out of the lake into the river, the ciu-rent of which for some distance is very strong and rapid, about two and a half miles per hour according to the log-hne, and the width averages 70 feet, and the depth 3 ft. 6 m. A httle way doAvn it, as we swiftly and noiselessly gUded round a sudden bend, we were borne by the current very close mdeed to a group of Lidian women who were enjoying the pleasures of a kath, quite as much to our astonishment as to theu^s. Fu-st a loud chorus of screams arose, and then there was a rushing about for blankets and other apparel, which they adjusted Avith most wonderftil rapidity, and then away they scampered to thek wigwams laughing heartily as they went. Presently men and boys came trooping do\vn to us simply arrayed in blankets, some worn in rather a neglige fashion, for the day was very hot. The B B 3 374 ASSINXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. chief man of the party, wliich consisted of six famihes, invited me in the most poUte and hospitable manner to go to Ms lodge and have something to eat ; but I had to dechne as he had told me previously, in answer to a ques- tion as to how many days' journey it was to Fort EUice, that we would have to sleep four or five times before we reached it, and tliis was now our fourth day fi^om the Mission ; and, moreover, I thought that the mterior of a ■wigwam would not be a very agreeable place on such a hot day. While we were speaking, the yomig ladies, whom we had so unintentionally distm^bed, came down one by one to see us. Although their toilets were quite completed, so very modest were they that they remained behind the bushes and peeped at us through the branches. Having given the men some tobacco, and received in return a large supply of Pembina berries (High-bush cranberries), we wished them good-bye and resumed our jomiiey. We went at the average rate of four miles an hour for two hom's and a half, and camped before sunset at the foot of a bluff on the south side of the valley, of which I had taken a bearing from the end of the lake, and close to a creek about ten feet \vide called Nipimenan sepesis, or Summer Berry Creek. The valley is here of the same breadth as heretofore, that is, about one mile, and its depth is from 250 to 300 feet. The bottom is covered mth willows mterspersed with young sugar maples, with here and there an open patch of long luxuriant grass. With some difficulty I made my way to the level of the prairie through a dense and tangled mass of aspens and underwood of willows, dog-wood, and rose trees ; but the beauty of the glorious sunset, and the cool refreshing breeze that came across the plains, more than repaid the trouble. I need not try THE ROUND LAKE. 375 to describe the exceeding beauty of the scene, for I could not ; I will merely state what the components of the pictm-e were. The sun just merged from behind a bank of crimson clouds reflected in the waters of Crooked Lake ; part of the valley in deep shade and part brightly illumi- nated. The vi\dd green of the young poplars on one side, and on the other large granite boulders lying on the bare and rugged surface of the slope. The blue smoke of the wigwams rising up high and straight from the bottom of the vaUey. The river, with its comphcated coils, glidintr among: the willow bushes. To the south the great prairie, ocean-hke, with its many islands of aspens and single trees, looking in the distance, and by twiliglit, like becalmed ships. As this view just dissolves away, another rises very pleasant to see, — our camp fire is now burning brightly below, and over it swmgs a kettle, and passing round and about it are my two men, one busily engaged in preparing supper, the other in spreading out the blankets on the ground between the fire and the canoe. Next morning (24th) we started as soon as it was day- light, glad to escape from oui msatiated tormentors the mosqmtoes and black flies, that would not let us rest or sleep all night. While at breakfast at eight o'clock a great thunder-storm fi-om the south-west came upon us. Having tlirown an end of the tarpaulin over the canoe, and resting the other end on the paddles stuck into the groimd, we got beneath it and very soon fell fast asleep, and slept till one o'clock, when I was awoke by the sudden calm, for the storm had apparently only just then ceased. The valley and river still retain their old character and dimensions till we come to the lowest of the lakes, called Ka-wa-wi-ga-kamac, or Eound Lake, which varies from one mile to half a mile in width, and is nearly five miles long. T? B 4 376 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEAVAN EXPEDITION. The name is by no means an appropriate one, as it is far from being round. The mean of some soundings I took was twenty-eight feet, the greatest being thirty feet. On the sand banks which are at the head of the lake were my- riads of duck, and large numbers of geese were swimming about in every direction, and a few great northern divers or loons. We camped at a place about two and a half miles down the river, called the Stony Barrier, the Cree of wliich is Asin7ii-picMgakan. For about 100 yards in length the river is fiill of large and small granite boulders, rendering it quite impassable for the smallest canoe when the water is low ; at this time the water yas just high enough to admit of us passing over it. Two miles down the river from this spot a little stream brings in its gatherings from the prairies on the south, re- joicing in the name Isquawistequannak Kaastaki, which means, " where the heads of the women lie." A long time ago two women, one a Cree and the other an Ojib- way, were killed by the Mandans on the banks of this stream ; their bodies were left unbiuried, and their skulls are still lying there, from which circumstance the stream derives its name. This was all my informant at Fort El- Hce knew of the story. The next creek which is dignified with a name is the "• Little Cut-arm," or Kishipittonawe sepesis, the origin of which I could not find out ; it flows in from the north. A few miles further do^vn, another creek, ten feet wide and very rapid, joins the Qu'appelle on the other side; its name is Pesquanamawe sepesis, which may be rendered into English " the Scissors Creek ; " it is not a very hteral translation, but is the best that can be given. The incident to which it owes its name exhibits a pecuhar habit of the Indian, but is one that cannot be told. Near this spot there is an exposure of rock BIG CUT-ARM CREEK, 377 on the north slope of the valley, which on examination proved to be a shale sunilar to that on the Little Souris, but so decomposed that the amount or dkection of its dip could not be ascertained. There are several exten- sive patches where the siurface of the rock has been re- converted into soft mud, very much cracked, and on which no grass grows. On digging into it I found the mud to be three inches thick, then fragments very small and soft, and gradually increasing in size and hardness to a depth of about two feet, where the rock is perfectly hard but veiy much shattered. About fifteen miles to the east of this the rock is again to be seen on the south slope of the valley, also much broken. On the 26th vast clouds of grasshoppers, flying towards the east, passed liigh over our heads, without intermission, for nearly two lioiu"s. It was the last large flight I saw. Big Cut-arm Creek, or KicheMskapettonano sepesis, the last to be noted, joins the Qu'appelle about twenty miles from its mouth, and is the largest of its aflSuents. It is twenty-five feet wide and three feet deep where it issues from a wide ravine on the north side. The Qu'appeUe thence to its mouth is from eight to twelve feet deep, and varies in width fr^om seventy to ninety feet, and the rate of current is a mile and a half per hour. There is much good land in the valley from the Fishing lakes to the Assinniboine, but as it is flooded every spring, it is questionable whether it will ever be of much import- ance. For ten miles up it there is an abundance of tim- ber, consisting of aspens, balsam-poplars, ehn, black ash, oak, birch, and sugar maple ; none, however, exceeding one foot six inches in diameter, and few so large. The underwood is chiefly composed of dog-wood, roses, cherries, and pembinas, intertwined with convolvuli and vetches. Li this wooded part the birds are innu- 378 ASSIXNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. merable. Kingfishers, blue jays, and Canada jays, cat- birds, and American magpies, flitted from tree to tree uttering tlieir discordant notes. Cherry-birds and pigeons were cahnly and hstlessly perched on the dense trees, having eaten plentifully of their favourite fruits, while the tyrant flycatcher, when alone or with some companions, chased and worried the crows, ravens, hawks, and eagles, who tried in vain to escape from them. The beautiful white-belHed swallow swiftly skimming the surface of the river, helped in addition to enhven the valley. Ducks and geese crowded the river for several miles ; there were enough of them, I should thuik, to supply all the markets in Canada. Minks were perpetually crossing and re-crossing the river in front of tlie canoe. I was told that deer are sometimes very numerous in the valley, but I was only fortunate enough to see two jumping deer who were coming down to the river to drink, but the moment they got a ghmpse of us away they bounded up the slope. The only other animal we saw was a httle prairie wolf, Togany, as he is called by the Indians, that was standing by the edge of the river, and who was so much astonished at our sudden appearance that he never thought of run- ning away, but stood staring at us incapable of motion. The wonderful uniformity of the valley, or that part of it which I have described, necessarily causes a great deal of repetition in the description of it ; so similar is its character throughout, that my two men, half-breeds, well accustomed to mark any peculiarities in the featiu-es of a country, said, that though they might pass up and down it several times, they thought they would often be at a loss to know in what part of it they were. The length of the valley from the second Fishing Lakes to its junction with the valley of the Assinniboine is 110 miles, while the river itself is about 270 miles long, which will give an CHARACTER OF THE LOWER QU APPELLE. 379 idea of its tortuous course. We arrived at its termination on the evening of July 27tli, and having hauled up the canoe on the bank, walked across to Fort EUice, distant about three miles, where I was kindly received by Mr. McKay. Very truly yours, J. A. DICKINSON. II. Y. Hind, Esq., etc. &c. &c. 380 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. CHAP. xvin. FROM THE ELBOW OF THE SOUTH BRAXCH OF THE SASKAT- CHEWAN TO THE NEPOWEWIN MISSION ON THE MAIN SASKATCHEWAN. Rocks on the South Branch. — Cretaceous. — Altitude of Exposm-e. — Cha- racter of. — Selenite. — Fossils. — Concretions. — Mesaskatomia Berry. — Character of River. — Drift. — Rock Exposures. — Fibrous Lignite. — Tree- less Prairie. — Cree Camp. — Mud Flats. — Rock Exposure. — Concretions. — Treeless Banks and Prau'ie. — Low Country. — Driftwood. — Ripple Marks. — Dimensions of the South Branch. — The Moose Woods. — Water and Ice Marks. — Forest Timber. — Character of River. — Treeless Prairie. — Boulders. — Soundings. — Buffalo. — "The Woods." — Rate of Current. — Boulders, Ari'angement of. — Artificial Pavement. — Tiers of Boidders. — Temperature. — Balsam Spruce. — Former Aspen Forest. — Good Country. — Water Marks. — Soimdings. — Stratified Mud. — Fall of River. — Cha- racter of River. — Colour and Temperatiu'e of North and South Branch. — The North Branch. — Absence of Indians. — Absence of Animal Life. — Grizzly Bear. — Aridity of Country through which the South Branch flows. — Cm-rent of North Branch. — Coals Falls. — Boulders. — Trees. — The Grand Forks. — The Main Saskatchewan. — Fort a la Come. — The Rev. Heniy Budd. — The Nepowewin Mission. — Cubic Feet of Water in North and South Branch and Main Saskatchewan^ or Ki-sis-kah-che-wun. — Opening and Closing of the River. The first rock in position on the South Branch below the Qu'appelle valley is a cretaceous sandstone, exposed on the river bank, for some miles. The altitude of the highest part of the exposure is sixty feet above the level of the water. It is capped by about seven feet of drift (a), which rests on twenty feet of soft and easily dismtegrated sandstone of a pale yellowish-grey colour (b), containing a large number of small, pale yellow, spheroidal bodies, varying from one-tenth of an inch to one inch and a SECTION OX THE SOUTH BRANCH. 381 half in diameter, and composed of sand. Below this soft stratum there occm's a layer of sandstone (c) about three feet six inches thick, which is broken into an irregular pro- jectmg outhne by the protrusion of a series of immense concretions of a flat spheroidal form, hke that of a lemon shghtly compressed parallel to its longest diameter. The concretions vary from three feet to six feet in horizontal dimensions. They are very hard in the centre, and show concentric rings- for at least six inches from their outer casmg, which is a sliell of gypsum, often passing into selenite. Selenite is found in this and lower strata in Section on the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, showing hiyers holding Avicida Linguseformis and Avicula Nehrascana. veins and fragments. Some of the concretions tlirust out their rounded forms from the face of the chfF, others have been broken off and show their internal structure. A grey sandstone (d) with a slight tinge of green, soft and friable, then occurs for a space of four feet ; it is suc- ceeded by five feet of hard sandstone (e) containing a vast number of cylindrical forms, slightly conical, and showing 382 AS3I>3IB0IXE AXD SASK^iTCIIEW.iN EXrEDITIOX. traces of organisation. Below this stratum a layer of sand- stone six feet thick occurs (/), holdmg spheroidal forms, which vary in size from six inches to two feet in diameter ; they are formed of yellow sand containing a hard central calcareous nucleus often four inches to one foot in thick- ness, and composed almost altogether of an aggregation of Avicula Nehrascana (Evans and Shumai\l). The stratum in wliich they are embedded holds Avicula Linguceformis (Evans and Shumard). A second layer [g) of large concretions follows, similar in external aspect to those akeady described. Below them there is a persistent layer of hard calcareous sandstone about fom^ feet thick (A), containing Avicula Linguceformis. The lowest stratum exposed is a soft sandstone (i) about six feet above the river, and passing beneath its level. This rock is worn into caves by the action of water. The formation is nearly horizontal, vdtli a shght north-westerly dip. For several miles this upper cretaceous* rock con- tmues to form the river bank. The concretionary masses are persistent, bold, and prominent, and about three miles in a north-westerly direction from the point where they were first obseiwed, those of the lower stratum are nearly on the same level as the water, thus showing a north- westerly dip of about three feet in the mile. The banks of the river slope gently firom the prairie on the south-west side to an altitude of about 250 feet above it, they then assume the form of steep declivities. On the north-west side the sandstone chfT rises abruptly from the river to a height varyhig from thirty to sixty feet, when it meets the foot of an undidating slope which extends to the prairie level. Trees, consisting chiefly of aspen and the mesaskatomina, are found in patches on both sides. The river continues for many miles about 700 yards * See Chapter ou the Cretaceous Series, Vol. II. CHARACTER OF TIIE DRIFT. 383 broad, witli numerous sand-bars and low alluvial islands. The drift aljove the sandstone is gravelly, and many small sand dunes occur on the hill bank slophig to the prairie, into which they have progressed to a considerable dis- tance. A treeless prauie, boundless and gi'cen, except where tlie patches of drifting sand occur, is visible on either hand from the top of the bank ; below, the river ghdes with a strong current, two, and two and a half miles an hour, filhng the broad trench it has eroded. The mesaskatomina is very abundant ; shrubs or trees eighteen to twenty feet high, loaded with fruit perfectly ripe and of excellent flavour are numerous in every grove, the berries being of the size of large black currants, and very juicy, sweet, and wholesome. During the moniing of the 31st three Crees from a camp on the east bank came to the river ; they shouted to us, asking us to land, an in\'itation we declined. They were "pitching eastward" to avoid the Blackfeet. About twelve miles below the Qu'appelle the river becomes nar- rower, being not more than a quarter of a mile l:)road, but full of mud flats and shoals. The banks are more sloping, and frequently broken into two terraces, the upper one being the prairie. The lower terrace is studded with small groves, the intervals consisting of pretty grassy areas, smooth as a lawn. About fifteen miles from the Qu'appelle Valley the drift is occasionally exposed in chfTs, which disclose its structure twenty to thirty feet above the river. It con- sists of coarse sand stratified in curves, and often containing beds of gravel ; it is also frequently capped by the same material enclosing small boulders. The dip of the rocks to the north-west, and the aspect of the drift, appear to indicate a depression, which may have been the seat of a large lake during earlier periods. 384 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKASCIIEWAN EXPEDITION. Some exposiu-es of sandstone are visible on the river at intervals lower down, and the drift above them is strati- fied, containing layers of boulders of the same character as the sandstone below, and so regularly placed as to lead, when viewed from a small distance, to the behef that they are part of rock in position. Thirty miles from the Qu'appelle the rock appears on the south-west side, and consists of a white sandstone, with impressions of frag- ments of leaves, and some brown, fibrous hgnite. A treeless prairie, with a few sand dunes forms the country on either side for a distance of thirty-eight miles, which comprised the extent of our voyage during the day. As evening began to close upon us we came to a camp of Crees just after they had crossed the river. They numbered nineteen tents, and in order to avoid them we drifted several miles further down, and built our fire close to the river at the mouth of a small gully leading from the prairie, 100 feet above us. Mud flats and sandbars continue as before, but the river is not more than a thhd of a mile broad. A narrative of a canoe voyage down a river flowing tlirough a prairie country must necessarily involve nume- rous descriptive repetitions, which will appear perhaps less tedious and more readable in the form in which they were registered at the time in my note book, than if I were to attempt a connected narrative. I shall therefore strictly follow the daily record of what we observed, at the risk of its being nothing more than a dry enumeration of not very interesting facts. August 1st. — Morning revealed a fine exposure of rock on the river bank where we camped last night. There is a change in the aspect of some of the strata, they occm^ massive, in rusty red and greenish-gray sandstone layers, with the concretionary bands as before described. A belt ROCKS ON THE SOUTH BRANCH. 385 of sandstone twelve feet from the river level is capped by brown and red argillaceous layers, forty feet thick in the aggregate. Drift sand, ten feet thick to the prairie level, succeeds. The upper portion of the drift is hard and reddish coloured ; as it approaches the clays below, it partakes of an argillaceous character. The upper stratum of the sandstone weathers reddish brown, with bands of deep red and purple. Below this a greenish-grey stratum occurs enveloping concretions of a reddish-brown colour. The concretions are hard and argillaceous. The greenish- grey matrix is soft when weathered, otherwise haixl, and may be spht without difficulty into thin layers. The con- cretions occur m the sandstone in forms easily detached, and often contain abundance of Avicula Linguceformis. If the clays above the sandstone are rock in position, the exposm'e has an altitude of about sixty feet. Fragments of fibrous hgnite, dark-brown and sometimes approaching to black in colom% occur in the sandstone. The attitude of the rocks is nearly horizontal, and the greenish-grey sand- stone is identical with tlie formation seen on the south bend of the Qu'appelle above Sand HiU Lake ; the red layers are similar htliologically to those observed at the height of land in the same valley, holding the same species of shells. Sometimes layers of grey sandstone occur which are easily spht ; they contain the impressions and remains of plants. The position of these rocks is about forty-five miles from the Qu'appelle valley. The river banks and the whole country is now mucli lower ; this subsidence began about four miles south of our camp. The banks at our second camp are not more than 100 feet in altitude, and are becoming lower as we proceed north. They are treeless areas, and so is the prairie on either side, with few detached exceptions. VOL. I. c c 386 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. The river is about half a mile broad, with a current in the lead fully two miles and a half an hour. Large drifted trees are sometimes seen on the beach, and one pine was noticed this morning. They have probably traveled from the flanks of the Eocky Mountains. About 60 miles from the Elbow, small forests of aspen begin to show themselves on the banks, after passing through a low country, which is an expansion of the river valley. Eipple marks are numerous on the fresh nuid, the furrows lying parallel to the course of the stream, they are quite recent and similar to those observed on Eed Elver in the spring. The ash-leaved maple begins to show itself, the aspen being still the prevailing tree, but the " woods are not continuous, and the prame on either side of the river remains bare ; it is fast regaining its former altitude. Sand hills are visible in the distance from the top of the bank, and on its side groves of the mesaskatomina are very abundant and the fruit fme flavoured. The exposed chffs consist of reddish loam, but rock in position is no longer seen below them. At a point fifty-three miles from the Elbow we made a careful section of the river, and found its breadth to be nearly one-third of a mile (28 chains) ; its greatest depth was ten feet on the east side, but on the west side there is another channel with nine feet of water. Approaching the Moose Woods w^e passed for several hours between a. series of low alluvial islands from ten to twelve feet above the w\ater. They sustain some fine elm, balsam-poplar, ash, ash-leaved maple, and a vast pro- fusion of the mesaskatomina. Tlie river valley is bounded by low hills leading to the prairie plateau four to eight miles back. The country here furnishes an excellent district for the estabhshment of a settlement. Tlie spot where we encamped for the night is an extensive, open, undulating meadow, witli long rich grass, and on the low THE MOOSE WOODS. 387 elevations rose-bushes in bloom grow in tlic greatest pro- fusion. It is only ten feet from the water, yet it does not appear to be flooded in the spring ; water-marks and ice- marks are nowhere seen above four feet from the present level of the broad river. August 2)1(1. — The region called the Moose Woods, which we entered last evening, is a dilatation of the Saskatchewan flowing through an extensive allu\4al flat six miles in breadth, and cut into numerous islands by the changing course of the stream. This flat is bounded by sand hills, some of which are nothing more than shiftmg dunes. The woods are in patches, and in the low land consist of balsam-poplar, white wood, and aspen. Small aspen clumps cover the hills, but no living timber of importance has been seen as yet, although many fine dead trunks are visible, probably destroyed by fire. The river continues to flow through a broad alluvial flat for about twenty-five miles. Its water is very turbid, like that of the Mississippi, holding mucli solid matter in meclianical suspension. Beyond the Moose Woods the banks close upon the river, and have an altitude not exceeding sixty feet. The breadth of the stream contracts to 250 yards, with a current fully three miles an hour. On the east bank the prairie is occasionally wooded witli clumps of aspen, on tlie west side it is treeless, and shows many sand hills. During the afternoon we landed frequently to survey the surrounding country. Nothing but a treeless, slightly un- dulating prairie was visible ; many large fragments of lime- stone not mucli water-worn lie on tlie hill banks of the ri\'er, which are about 100 feet in altitude. The river continues veiy swift, and maintains a breadth of 250 yards. Frequent soundings diu'ing tlie day showed a depth of ten to twelve feet, A little timber displays itself occasionally on tlie east bank l)elow the level of tlie c c 2 388 ASSINNIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. prairie. The dead bodies of buffiilo are seen floating down the stream, or lodged on sand-bars in shallow water. The banks expose occasionally yellow drift clay with numerous boidders ; the soil of the prairie appears to improve as we progress northwards, and the grass is no longer stunted and withered. Little rapids occur at the bends of the river, but there is always deep water on the other side. A heavy thunder-storm compelled us to camp two hours be- fore sunset, August ord. — The river at our camp is not more than 200 yards broad, but deep and swift; the volume of water it carries here, about eighty miles from the Grand Forks, is much less tlian at the Elbow, where it is half a mile broad. No doubt evaporation during its course through arid plains is competent to occasion a large diminution. Eecent water-marks show a rise of five and eight feet, but near the top of the lowest bank stranded timber occurs twenty-five feet above the present level of the river. On both sides a treeless prairie is alone visible. There is a remarkable absence of animal hfe, no deer or bear have been seen, the tracks of buffalo are everywhere, but they have already passed to the east. The nights are cold but fine, and dew is very abundant. The prairie level is not more than eighty feet above the river. At 8 A.M. Ave arrived at a part of the river where it show^ed an increase in breadth, it is now about a quarter of a mile broad, still flowing through a treeless prairie, in which oidy one low hill is visible. This character con- tinues for many miles, the hill banks then begin to increase in altitude, and are about 100 feet high, but the river still flows through a dreary prairie for thuty miles from our camp, after which " the Woods," as they are termed, begin ; they consist of a few clumps of aspen on the lull flanks of the deep valley. The face of the country is BOULDER TAVEMENT. 389 clianging fast, and is becoming more undulating, patches of aspens showing themselves on the prauie ; here and there, however, the remains of a hea\der growth are visible in clusters of blackened trunks ten to fourteen inches in diameter. During the afternoon we anchored to measm^e the rate of the current. The river is 200 yards broad, and it flows three miles and a half an hour ; its average depth is seven and a half feet. Some remarkable exposures of drift, consisting of clay, enclosing horizontal tiers of boulders, (c, /,) often occur after entering the wooded parts of the South Branch of the Saskatchewan. The chift is exposed in chfTs at the bends Horizontal tiers of Boulders in drift on the South Branch, w-ith polished Boulder Pavement at the edge of the River. of the river, from lifty or eighty feet in altitude. The fragments of shale, slabs of limestone, and small boulders imbedded in tlie clay (d) are not arranged according to the position they would assume if dropped by floating ice ; some of them stand in the drift with their longest axis vertical, others slanting, and some are placed as it were upon their edges. They have the same forced arrangement and position as the sliale, &c., in tlic blue ckiy at Toronto. c c 3 390 ASSIXXIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. lu many places close to the water's edge and rising from it in a slope for a space of twenty-five to thii'ty feet, the fallen boulders are packed hke stones in an artificial pave- *ment {g), and are often ground down to a uniform level b}^ the action of ice, exhibiting ice grooves and scratches in the direction of the current. This pavement is visible for many miles in aggregate length at the bends of the river. Sometimes it resembles fine mosaic w^ork, at other times it is rugged, as where granite boulders liave long resisted the wear of the ice and protected those of softer materials lying less exposed. ^levatio/i. Polished and Grooved Parenieut of Boulders on the South Braneli. Two tiers of boulders (c, /) separated by an interval of twenty feet, are visible in the clay chffs lower down the river. When first noticed they (/) were about fifteen feet above the water ; as we descended the stream they w^ere seen to rise above its level, preserving evidently a nearly horizontal position. The lower tier (/) consists of very lar^e fragments of water-worn limestone, granite, and gneissoid boulders; above them is an indurated sand containincr pebbles ; this is superimposed by an extremely line stratified clay (6'), breaking up into excessively thin layers, which envelope detached particles of sand, small pebbles, and aggregations of particles of sand. Above the fine stratified clay, yellow clay and unstratified sand occur. Tlie fine clay must have been deposited m very quiet water, a microscopic examination subsequently made, failed to re- POLISHED BOULDER PAVEMENT. 391 veal any diatomaceai. The polished pavement at the foot of the cliif was observed this afternoon inchned at a high angle, so much so indeed, that it was difficult to walk upon it. Towards evening tlie country began to improve, and the timber to include a few^ elm and h'wch. In the prau'ie are clumps of aspen ; on the flats, Avhich occin" regularly at the inside of each bend of the river opposite steep clay cliffs on the outside of the curve, fine aspens are common and the herbage is very luxuriant. Seventy- five miles from the Grand Forks we leveled the most rapid part of the river seen during the voyage thus far, and found the fall to be 2*85 feet per mile. August 4:th. — Temperature of air at 8 a.m. G1°, of the South Branch 67°. The l^alsam- spruce begins to appear in groves. . The river wdnds between high wooded banks, witli low points and wooded bottoms on one side, high chffs also w^ooded with aspen and spruce groves on tlie opposite bank. The flats are covered with a rich profusion of vetches, grasses, and rose bushes. There are traces everywhere of a former fine aspen forest, with clumps of elm and ash ; the dead trunks of these trees, eighteen inches in diameter, being frequently concealed by the undergrow^th, offer a rude and stubborn obstacle to progress on foot through the tangled mass of vegetation which covers the rich fiats. A view obtained from a low hifi coming down to the banks of the river, continues to show a deep valley about three-quarters of a mile broad, through w^hicli the liver winds from side to side in mag- nificent curves. The poUshed pavement on the banks was frequently seen during the day scarred wdth ice fur- rows and scratches. Durin<>: the whole afternoon we passed swiftly through a good country, well fitted for settlement, as far as Ave could judge from soil and vege- c c 4 392 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. tation. Low islands are numerous in the river, and extensive alluvial flats spread out in an expansion of the valley, but water-marks are well preserved seven and nine feet above the present level. The banks of loose clay, when not protected by the pavement before described, being slowly undermined, fall bit by bit into the river. A violent thunder-storm at 5 p.m. com- pelled us to camp. Soundings during the day showed ten to fourteen feet water in the channel ; the current maintaining its speed of three to three miles and a half an hour. August hth. — The early part of the morning was em- ployed in examining the surrounding country, which gave evidence of an excellent soil, and timber sufficient for the first purposes of settlers. Much of the timber, however, has been burnt, and the country is fast becoming an open prairie land. The stratified layers of fine mud [b, e) before described, were found this morning forty feet from the water's edge, above the horizontal layer of boulders (c, h) which has again made its appearance. The small aggregations of sand are still distributed between the thin layers of fine clay. A great change is coming over the character of the stream ; its fall, as ascertained by leveling, exceeds at some of the bends two feet in the mile, with a very rapid current, sometimes six miles an hour. Large boul- ders are numerous in the bed of the river, but there is always a passage from fifty to sixty yards broad, often, however, very tumultuous, and for a small heavily freighted canoe very rough, and at times hazardous. The hill banks are getting higher as we approach the JSTorth Branch, and the balsam-spruce appears in patches and strips. The river sweeps in grand curves at the foot of liigh blulls, in whic fine exposures of the drift may l)e THE GRAND FORKS. 393 seen, while on the opposite side are low alluvial points covered with aspens, thick and impenetrable. Six miles from the Grand Forks yellow clay cUffs, 120 feet high, appear at the outside curve of the bends, and where the adjoining flat begins, balsam-spruce two feet in diameter is not uncommon. At half-past two p.m. we arrived at the North Branch, coming upon it suddenly and finthng ourselves in its Avaters almost before we were aware of its proximity. The temperature of the South Branch was 67°, of the North Brancli 02° ; an important difference at this season of the year. It is perhaps a fan- standard by which to estimate the chmatic character of the regions of country through which these rivers flow. The water of the South Branch is yeUowish-brown in colour, and turbid ; of the North Brancli a shade hghter and clearer ; the one more resembled the waters of the JMississippi, the other those of the St. Lawrence. The South Brancli is the larger river of the two at the Grand Forks. Throughout the entire length of our voyage we have been surprised at the extraordinary absence of animal hfe. Of quadrupeds, we have seen half a dozen wolves, two or three badgers, several beaver, skunks, minks, foxes, and a num- ber of dead buffalo ; of birds, eagles, geese, a few ducks, kingfishers, cliff martins, pigeons, crows, cranes, plover, hawks, and a few of the smaller birds ; but no deer, or bear, or hve buffalo ; and if we had been compelled to depend altogether upon our guns for a supply of pro- visions, it is probable that our voyage of 250 miles down the South Branch would have been attended with some hiconvenience and delay. Early in spring and late in the autumn game is more abundant, but during the sum- mer season the smaller rivers in the })raiiies, the ponds and lakes which abound throughout the country north of 394 ASSIXXIBOIXE AND SASIsJlTCIIEWAX EXPEDITIOX. the Touchwood Hills, to be afterwards described, are the haunts of vast numbers of aquatic birds and of the lai'ger four-footed animals wliicli noAv form the small remnant of the earlier representatives of animal life in these wilds, before the fm- trade led to their destruction, either for the sake of their flesh or skins. With the exception of the Cree encampments passed during the first and second days of our voyage, we did not meet ^\'itll a single Indian or half-breed. Once or twice " smokes," which, from their being soon answered in another quarter, we presumed to be signals, and miglit be raised by Blackfeet in the distant prairies, appeared on the west side of the river. Once only were we disturbed in camp, and this may have been a false alarm. Both of our half-breeds came into the tent some time after we had retired to rest, and in a low tone whispered " a grizzly bear," at the same time seizing a rifle and a double-barrelled gun Avhich were purposely placed at the foot of the tent ready for any unwelcome intruder upon our repose. The night was dark and the fire nearly out. Our men declared they had seen a large animal within ten yards of us, and pronounced it to be a grizzly bear; the alarm they testified was the only proof of the presence of that ter- rible animal, for the patient watching of the whole party during the greater part of the night, and a careful search for tracks next morning failed to satisfy me that we had been chsturbed by this deservedly dreaded monster of the western plains. That the grizzly bear is sometimes found f^ir down the South Branch is a well known fact, and he is such a daring and formidable antagonist, that proper precautions are always advisable. A large camp fire often fails to deter this animal from making an attack, and wiien a THE GEIZZLY BEAR. 395 large fire miglit attract the attention of wandering parties of Blacldeet wliich were known to be following the Crees, who had crossed the river some distance above us, it would not have been wise to have availed ourselves of this doubtful security. Our camp was at the edge of a chfT, we therefore were sure of not being attacked in our rear, and the greater part of the night was passed in quietly watching the open space in front of us. It was the steady determination of the half-breeds to watch after a fatiguing day, that led me to suppose they had really seen a grizzly bear, for under ordinary cii^cum- stances no people are so unwilhng to deprive them- selves of sleep during the night in the prairies as those who have lived the gi'eater part of their hves in them, without they have the best reasons for keeping themselves awake. The very small number of tributaries received by the South Branch between the Elbow and the Grand Forks is a remarkable proof of the aridity of the region through which it flows. For nearly 200 miles the South Branch receives but one small affluent from the east, and on the west side, where the water-shed is of much greater breadth, but where we should expect to find a more arid chmate, it receives eight insignificant brooks. From the Lumpy Hill to the Grand Forks, a distance of about sixty miles by the course of the river valley, four streamlets cut its eastern bank. The water-shed on the east side has not an average breadth exceeding twelve miles, and two of the tributaries proceed from ponds in valleys cutting the low dividing ridge, which, like those of the Qu'ajipellc, are tributary to Long Lake or the main Saskatchewan, as described in the succeeding chapter. After resting for some time at the junction of these mighty rivers, the South Branch being about 180 yards. ,396 iVSSIXXIBOIXE AXD SASILA.TCIIEWAX EXPEDITIOX. the Nortli Branch 140 yards broad, their currents meet- ing- one another at the rate of three and a half miles an hour, we turned our canoe up stream, and attempted to stem the tide of the Forth Branch of the Saskatchewan in search of the " Coal Falls." Durino; the afternoon of the 6th and the morning^ of the 7th of August we occupied ourselves in di^agging the canoe up the North Branch. Paddhng was quite out of the question, the current being from six to seven miles an hour a few hundi^ed yards above the Forks, and continu- ing rapid for a distance of seven miles, that being the furthest limit of our exploration up the north Saskatche- wan. This rapid current is maintained for eighteen miles above the Grand Forks ; the valley of the river, as far as we saw it, resembles in almost all particulars the last ten miles of the South Branch ; but the river channel is much more obstructed by boulders, and the depth and volume of water considerably less. It is doubtful whether in its present condition a steamer draAving more than two feet of water could ascend it, and in diy seasons the boulders and rapids would probably present an insuperable ob- stacle. The river was liigh at the time of our visit, nevertheless in descending we had a few narrow escapes from striking against huge boulders just concealed by the water. If some of these were removed, the chief difh- CLilties during low summer levels to steamers of shallow draft and great power would vanish. The character of the Coal Falls, above the point we reached, is described by the people at Fort a la Corne to be similar to the part we saw. The hill banks expose drift in which large masses of cretaceous rock, containing fish scales, are imbedded. Fragments of lignite are numerous, but no rock Avas seen in position. The breadth of the valley is about half a mile, and 150 feet deep, through wliich the river winds from side to side like the Soutli THE KI-SIS-KAII-CIIE-WUX. 397 Branch. Tlie Ioav points are covered with aspen, the hill banks witli white sprnce, aspen, Banksian pine, and poplar. Jnst below the jnnction of the two branches, after they unite to form the main Saskatchewan at the Grand Forks, there is an extensive flat, on which the I'cmains of an old post of the Hudson's Bay Company is situated. The main Saskatchewan, or Ki-sis-kah-che-wun, as the natives call it, is a noble river, sweeping in magnificent curves through a valley about one mile broad, and from 150 to 200 feet deep. We paddled rapidly round eight points, making a distance of sixteen miles in three hours, and towards evening sighted Fort a la Corne, with the ISFepo- wewin IVIission on the opposite or nortli side of the river. As the description of the Saskatchewan and the valley in wliich it flows at Fort k la Corne apphes equally to the river between it and the Grand Forks, it is unnecessary to incur the risk of needless repetition by enumerating the featm'es of each of the eight points or bends we passed, and of the valley through which the river flows. At Fort a la Corne we made measurements of its leading dimen- sions, a section of the bed of the river, ascertained its rate of cm-rent, examined the chffs, points, and flats, which are so curiously reproduced at every bend, wliich will be am]^ly sufficient to illustrate tlie most interesting and important featm^es of this noble stream between the Grand Forks and a short distance below Fort k la Corne ; from that point the country begins to assume a diflerent aspect, and will require an independent notice. The Saskatchewan opposite Fort a la Corne is 320 j^ards broad, twenty feet deep in the channel, and flows at the rate of three miles an hour. The mean depth of the river is fomteen feet, but it is in the memory of tliose living at the fort, when it was crossed on horseback diu'ing a veiy dry season. 398 ASSINjS'IBOINE and SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. An approximate estimate of the number of cubic feet of Avater passing clown the South Branch, North Branch, and main Saskatcliewan, gives the following numbers : — Soiitli Branch North Branch Main Saskatchewan, at Fort a hx Corne Main Saskatchewan near Tearin"' River Cubic feet per hour. . 123,42.5,616 . 91,011,360 . 214,441,200 . 206,075^000 The following table will show the comparative mag- nitude of the Saskatchewan *: — Amazon .... Mississippi . . . St. Lawi-ence Niagara .... Ganges Main Saskatchewan South Branch . . Nile Ohio, at Wheeling . Thames .... Rhone Rhine Ottawa (Grenville) French River Area of drainage in square miles. Ss 2,400,000 4,000 1,226,000 4,400 565,000 2,600 237,300 I . . . 432,000 1,680 240,000 Discharge in cubic feet per second. 520,200 25,000 5,000 38,000 88,000 80,000 4,700 2,240 215 500 700 700 447,200 370,589 36,300 23,100 1,400 1,330 7,000 13,400 35,000 9,500 900,000 389,000 207.000 59,289 34,284 220,000 21,000 33,700 85,000 High water. 1,700.000 1,270,000 406,000 494,200 260,277 7,900 204,000 164,000 150,000 Subjoined is the period of opening and closing of the Saskatchewan for several years at Fort a la Come. River Closed. River Opened. 1851 November 6th. 1852 . April 12 th. 1852 „ 11th. 1853 „ 14th 1853 „ 13th. 1854 „ 14th 1856 „ 9th 1857 „ 16th 1858 „ 20th * This table, with tlie exception of the Main Saskatcliewan and the South Branch, is from the Report of the Ottawa Survev, by T. C. Clarke, Esq., C.E. THE REV. IIEXRY BUDD. 399 The ISTepowewin Mission is situated on the nortli l)ank of tlie Saskatchewan, opposite to Fort a la Corne. N'epo^vew^n Mission and Fort a la Corne. The Eev. Henry Budd, the native resident missionary, was ordained ])riest in 1853 at Cumberland Station, near tlie mouth of the Pasquia river. He had long laboured at this missionary outpost as a catechist. So early as 1840 he set out fi'om Eed Eiver Settlement to make prej)arations for erecting a church and establishing a station at the mouth of the Pasquia. In 1852 Mr. Budd started from Christchiu-ch, Cumberland station, for the Nepowewin, where he arrived on the 8tli of September, and on the 13th of the same month commenced to clear a small piece of ground on the river bank, opposite to Fort a la Corne, for the erection of missionary buildings. The name Nepowewin is derived from an Indian ex- pression signifying " the standing place," wliere tlie natives are accustomed to await the arrival of the Hudson's Bay Company's boats, as they are tracked up tlie north side of the river. Mr. Budd's house, garden, and httle farm is a 400 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. pattern of neatness, order, and comfort, yet it is difficult to say whether the prospects of this mission are favour- able or otherwise. I cannot resist the impression that the selection of a permanent missionary station should be determined more by the agricultural capabilities of the locality, than for any special advantages which it may possess as a fishing station, or as Ij'ing on a main hue of communication. Tlie area of fertile land at the Nepowewin is limited to the points of the river, and perhaps does not exceed 400 or 500 acres at each point, these areas being separated from one another by the river, or by a bend which sweeps the foot of the banks of the deep valley, and which involve the ascent and descent of the bank, perhaps 250 feet high, in order to effect a communication between those which lie on the same side. The valley of Long Creek, five miles south of the Nepowewin, appears to furnish a very large area of land of the best quality, and \vill probably yet become the seat of a thriving community, while the Nepowewin will remam a mere fishing station or landing-place. But when these events take place, the wild Indians will have passed away, and the white race occupy the soil, yet it is to be hoped that the descendants of some of those heathen wanderers who have here the opportunity of hearing of Clirist and His kingdom, may find a permanent home near the Nepowewin, so long distinguished for the medi- cine feasts which are celebrated in the pine woods crowning; the banks of the Saskatchewan, and whose remains in the form of painted idol posts, I saAv almost within sight of the mission station, on the opposite side of the swift flowing river. 401 CHAP. xrs. FKOM THE NEPOWEWIN MISSION ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO FORT ELLICE. Sandy Strip on the Saskatchewan. — Banksian Pine. — Indian Idols. — Medi- cine Feasts. — Eev. Henry Budd. — His Journal. — Fine Country. — Long Creek. — Old Forest. — Fires, Extent of. — Extension of the Prairies. — Former Extent of -wooded Country. — Effect of Fii-es. — Long Creek. — Hay Ground. — Moles. — Humidity of Climate. — A Bear. — Source of Long Creek. — The Birch Hills. — Flowers. — Aspect of Coimtry. — Carrot River. — The Lumpy Hill of the "Woods. — Lakes. — The wooded Coimtry. — Former Extent of. — Limits of good Laud. — Raspberries. — Mosquitoes. — ■ The Height of Land. — Continuation of the Eye-brow Hill Range. — Valley inosculating with the South Branch and Main Saskatchewan. — Grass- hoppers. — Character of the Countiy. — Birds. — Destruction of Forests. — The Big HiU. — Boidders. — Limit of wooded Coimtry. — Belts of Wood. — Great Prairie. — Character of the Coimtry. — Salt Lakes. — The Touch- wood Hills. — Beautiful Country. — Excellent Soil. — The Quill Lakes. — Flowers.— White Cranes.— The Heart Hill— The Last Moimtain.— The Little Touchwood Hills. — Lakes. — Touchwood Hill Fort. — Ka-ou-ta-at- tin-ak.— Touchwood Hills Range. — Long Lake. — Devil's Lake. — Garden at the Fort. — White-Fish in Long Lake. — Burnt Forest. — Grasshoppers. — Winter Forage for Horses. — Wliite-Fish. — Buffalo. — Climate of Touch- wood Hills — Humidity of. — Medicine Man. — "Wampum." — Trail to Fort EUice. — Marshes. — Little Touchwood Hills. — Character of Country Changes. — Depressions. — Pheasant Mountain. — File Hill. — Character of the Country. — Heavy Dews. — Cut-Ai'm Creek. — Willow Prairie. — Little Cut-Ai-m Creek. — Rolling Prairie. — Attractive Country. — Spy Hill. — Boulders. — Aspen Groves increasing. — Sand Hills. — The Assinniboine. The trail from Fort h la Corne to the old track leading from Fort Ellice to Carlton House ascends tlie hills form- ing the banks of the deep eroded valley of the Saskatche- wan in the rear of the fort. It passes tliroiigh a thick forest of small aspens until near the summit, when a sandy soil begins, covered with Banksian pine and a few small oak. VOL. I. D D 402 ASSINNIBOINE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXDEDITIOX. This sandy area occupies a narrow strip on the banks of the river, varying from lialf a mile to foiu- miles broad. South of the sandy strip the soil changes to a rich black mould distributed over a gently undulating country where the pine gives place to aspen and willows in groves, the aspens occupying the crest of the undulations, the willoAVs the lowest portion of the intervening valleys. On the slopes the grass is long and luxuriant, affording fine pas- turage. The general aspect of the country is highly favourable for agriculture, the soil deep and uniformly rich, rivahng the low prairies of Eed Eiver and the Assin- nibome. Our com^se lay along the banks of Long Creek, which flow^s in a small depression parallel to the South Branch of the Saskatchewan, and enters the mam river near Fort k la Corne. The large poles of a great medicine tent, erected in the spring to celebrate the annual goose dance, were standing on the top of the hill sides of the valley which the Saskatchewan has excavated. Four painted posts, about five feet high, remained, two on the outside and two on the inside of the ring of the medicine tent. These were the images of Manitou the Indians invoked during the celebration of important ceremonies. The fea- tures of a man were roughly carved on each post, and smeared with patches of vermiHon and green-coloured paint over the cheeks, nose, and eyebrows. Wlien de- corated with fresh paint, feathers, strips of leather, and a painted robe of elk, moose, or buffalo skin, these idols inspire the most superstitious awe among the untutored savaQ;es who carve and ornament them. But the awe of many becomes terror, and the superstition absolute idola- try, wdien illumined by fires at night, and invoked as the representatives of all-powerful Manitou, the whole assemblage jumping in time to the wild song and mono- ^lEDICIXE FEASTS OF THE CREES. 403 tonous drum of the conjurors, circle round their idols, and join in chants to the praises of the spu^its they re- present. The Eev. Henry Budd thus records in his jomiial the progress and continuances of these annual idolatrous ceremonies : — '■''March olst — The Thickwood Crees — so named to distinguish them from the Plain Crees — having formed a considerable party, are preparing to commence their spring feasts, &c. ; they have brought some of the best of their last winter's hunt for the purpose. They will be feasting and dancing for several days and nights together. '•''April \st — The Indians are busy this morning putting up a large tent, where they intend to keep their feast and dance. The first feast to be kept up is in honour of the God Pahkuk, for having preserved, as they beheve, the Indians the whole of last \vinter, and given them plenty of animals of all kinds to hve upon. I hear there is to be no Mita\\T.n kept up here this spring, for what reason I have not yet learnt. Wliether it is because we are here, I do not know, but it is the first spring for a long time that that ceremony is not to be kept up here. Old Mahnsuk has arrived to-day from his spring hunt : he has been away nearly one month ; but the river is so dangerous to cross now that Ave shall not be able to go and see him. The drum is going the whole of tlie evening in prepara- tion for to-morrow. ^'Ajyril 2nd. — The feast has commenced betimes this morning, and the drum has had no rest the whole of last night. The dance does not conmience until there have been some long speeches put forth, and the feast over. " April Srd : Lord's-day. — The Indians have been dancing and drumming the whole of yesterday and last night, and this very hkely wiU continue for some time yet. D D 2 404 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. " April Uh. — The Indians are still carrying on their dance and feasting : they are preparing some more places for dancing in Their great dance, the goose dance, is not yet commenced. This dance is repeated every spring and fall, in honour to the gods for preserving the Indians. " April Qth. — The Indians are now at the height of the cToose dance : that over, there will be several ceremonies of less importance to be performed, before the Indians are considered to be in a proper state for enjoying their summer. ''April Vlth. — We could see some of the Indian tents stripped of their covering, nothing but the bare poles stand- ing, which intimates that those are going away." During the whole of the afternoon of the 10th w^e passed through a good farming country. The remains of aspen forests, in which trees of large growtli are numer- ous, are still to be seen standing in groves, or with blackened trmiks lie hidden in the long luxuriant herbage mitil rudely encountered by the carts and horses as they push their way through the rank and tangled grass. Easpberries were abmidant hi patches but not yet ripe ; they were fully ripe a fortnight since on the Qu'appelle, 200 miles south. Borne of the small aspens had been nipped at the ex- tremities of the branches by frost when in full leaf ; the tops of many were black and drooping. About four miles from Long Creek, and perhaps ten from the South Branch, a low range of hills rimnhig north-east and south-west, are still covered with an aspen forest of the same age as the blackened poles which stand in clumps on all sides. These poles are from nine to twelve inches thick ; the young aspens are from foiu" to six inches in diameter. "The fire" was here last year. THE EXTENSION OF THE PRAIRIES. 405 and we have now traced the extent of that vast con- flao;ration from Eed Eiver to the South Branch, and over four degrees of latitude. • The Eev. Henry Budd states that m the autumn of 1857, north, south-east, and west of the Nepowemn IMission the country appeared to be ui a blaze. The immediate banks of Long Creek, with the exception of a narrow strip m the prauie soutli of the Qu'appelle, is the only part of the country in which we have not yet recognised traces of last year's fire. The annual extension of the prairie from this cause is very remarkable. The Hmits of the wooded country are becommg less year by year, and from the almost universal prevalence of small aspen woods it appears that in former times the wooded country extended beyond the Qu'- appelle, or three or foiu* degrees of latitude south of its present hmit. It must however be borne in mind that the term wooded country south of the Saskatchewan is applied to a region m which prafrie or grassy areas pre- dominate over the parts occupied by young aspen Avoods. The southern limit of the wooded country is some dis- tance north of the Touchwood Hills range, but there are areas north and south of the Qu'appelle where the re- mains of aspen forests of large dimensions exist, and young forests are in rapid process of formation perhaps soon to be destroyed by fire. This lamentable destruction of forests is a great draw- back to the country, and a serious obstacle to its future progress. It appears to be beyond human power to arrest the annual conflagrations as long as the Indians hold the prairies and plains as their hunting grounds. Their pretexts for " putting out fire" are so numerous, and their characteristic indifference to the results which may follow a conflagration in driving away or destroying the wild animals, so thoroughly a part of their natm'e, tliat the D D 3 4C6 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. annual burning of the prairie may be looked for as a matter of course as long as wild Indians live in the comitry. A fire Ht on the South Branch of the Saskatche- w^an may extend m a few weeks, or even days, to Eed Eiver, according to the season and the dkection and force of the wind. Long Creek maintains a breadth of six feet, flomng clear but sluggishly through a broad shallow depression, where wild hay is as abundant as if the whole valley were one continuous beaver meadow. The burrows of moles are very numerous, indeed wherever the soil is very rich these httle animals are to be found m large numbers ; they form excellent mdicators of the fertihty of a soil, being never seen where the land is poor and sterile. Ponds and lakes are abundant, this extensive distribution of water pointing to a much more humid climate than that of the country south of the Qu'appelle. Li the morning I killed a black bear wdiich was leisurely croppmg the willows on the banks of Long Creek. Our trail on the 11th lay through an equally fertile country. The biurows of foxes and badgers have only twice sho^\^l a light gravelly substratum on low ridges, othermse the black mould is everpvhere distributed. A chain of lakes, lying westerly from om^ course, give rise to Long Creek. The Lakes are from 200 yards to a third of a mile broad, and form a continuous series connected by a small rivulet for a distance of ten miles. A hm range, called the Birch HlQs, whose western flanks we turned, is said by Indians to extend to tlie rear of Fort Felly. The ButIi Hills form the dividing ridge between the water which flows into the main Saskatche- wan and the Assinniboine, or Eed Deer and Swan Eivers. The remarkable profusion of flowers gives extraordinary beauty to large open areas ; they generally occur in THE VALLEY OF LONG CREEK. 407 parterres of several acres in extent occupied by one species, here the yarrow, there the fire weed, then a field of a species of hehanthus, followed by Liatris scariosa. When viewed from an eminence, the countiy appeared to be clothed with pmk, white, yellow, and blue, m singular contrast to the uniform tint Avhich prevails on the great praiiies of the Little Souris. The valley of Long Creek offers by far the most attractive features for settlement of any part of the country tlirough which we have passed since leaving Frame Portage. Our course now followed the windings of a shallow brook which rims into the South Branch. It meanders tlirough a fine broad and rich valley with hills on its south-eastern side gently sloping towards it, and covered with the dead yet standing trunks of bm-nt aspens. The soil of this valley differs in no particular from that of Long Creek ; the flowers are equally numerous and showy, consisting of the same varieties, and distributed in large patches occupied by a smgle species. We passed near to the soiurce of a river which flows into the main Saskatchewan at the Pas, about 140 miles distant from us. It is called Carrot Eiver or Eoot Eiver, and rismg within twelve miles of the South Branch, drains an extensive area of wooded country, passing also in its course through numerous lakes. The head waters of Ptoot Eiver being within ten or twelve miles of the South Branch show that the height of land between the two water-sheds maintains the same distance as on the Qu'appeUe, and at the north fork of that valley near the Moose Woods. The valley througli which the smaU tributary of the South Branch flows, separates the Lumpy Hill of the Woods from the west flank of the Birch Hills ; it is rich in alluvial meadows, ponds and lakes. A view from the D D 4 408 ASSIXNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION". Lumpy Hill, which I ascended on the evening of the 11th IS very extensive. The altitude of this emmence is about 400 feet above the general level, and from its summit an undulating open country, dotted with lakes and flanked by the Birch Hills is visible towards the east ; south and south-west is a lake region, also north and north-east. These lakes are numerous and large, often three miles long and two broad. Seventeen large lakes can be counted from tlie Lumpy Hill ; low ranges of hills can also be discerned in several directions. The most im- portant of these are the Bloody Hills, the Woody Hills, far in the prauie west of the South Branch, and the chain of Bu'ch Hills running from the Lumpy Hill easterly. The view extends to the borders of the wooded land ; beyond is a treeless prauie. The so-called wooded land noY/ consists of Avidely separated groves of small aspens, with willows in the low places. The Cree Lidian guide we took fi^om the Lake of the Sand Hills states that formerly the woods extended in one unbroken range to the borders of the prauie, which may be twenty-five miles south-east of the Lumpy Hill. Much of the soil on the south and east of the Lumpy HiU is sandy and poor, in fact we have reached the limit of the good land, and are about to enter a comparatively sterile country. Low hills and long ridges running north-east by east, and south-west by south, diversify the general level character of the prauies, as seen from the Lumpy Hill. This eminence consists of diift sand and clay as far as my opportunities of observation enabled me to judge, with boulders on its summit ; the western side is. very steep, and partially covered with a burnt forest of birch. Easpberries of large size abound on the west side, but the mosquitoes start fi^om the bushes in such count- less myriads that it is next to impossible to hnger five THE LUMrV HILL OF THE WOODS. 409 minutes to pick the delicious fruit. I offered tlie Cree guide a piece of tobacco for a tin cup full of raspberries, lie tried to win it, but after a short struGfo-le with these terrible insects he rushed from the hill side and buried his face in the smoke of the fire we had ht in the hope of expeUing them from the neighbom^hood of om^ camp ; the horses became quite frantic under the attacks of their tormentors, holding their heads over the smoke, and crowding together m a vain endeavour to avoid the clouds of insatiable insects which surrounded us. Both man and beast passed a miserable, restless, and sleepless night. The early part of the morning of the 12th was spent on the summit of the Lumpy Hill. A strong breeze drove the mosquitoes away, and permitted me to enjoy a quiet view of the country, which lay mapped about 400 feet below. After breakfast the trail, taking a direction nearly due east, passed over a series of hills and through intervening valleys, constituting a height of land. This range may be from thirteen to fifteen miles from the South Branch ; it appears to be a continuation of the Eye-brow Hill range on the Qu'appelle, before described, receiving in its easterlj^ prolongation the name of the Birch Hills, wliich Hmit the valley of the north Saskatchewan, as far as the rear of Fort Pelly. As soon as we had passed the crest of this range and entered a small prauie east of the hills, a vaUey through the range became apparent to our right. From lakes in this shallow depression water passes during spring freshets, to the South Branch and also to the North Branch by a tributary of Carrot Eiver. Grasshoppers were seen during tlie day flyuig to the north-east. They are the first that have been observed since leaving the Fishing Lakes on the Qu'appelle. The vege- tation still continues luxuriant, lakes are numerous, aspen 410 ASSINNIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAX EXPEDITION. groves scattered here and there, and flowers abundant. Wild-fowl are found on all the lakes ; and brown and white cranes, together with smaller waders of many species in the marshes. As we approach the great prairie the country becomes more undulating, and the soil hght- coloured and poor ; the aspens, which cap some of the low hills, are still large, although many are nothmg more than dead trunks. The "wooded" country through which we passed durmg the day is only so called in remem- brance of former forest growth. If the devastatmg fires continue for a few more years it will become a treeless prauie to the Lumpy Hill, and the aspen and birch woods will then be hmited to the country between that emmence and the North and South Branches of the Saskatchewan. A yomag brood of grasshoppers has been seen to-day, showing that these destroyers readied tliis part of the country last autumn. After traversing a very undulating country, in which are low ranges of hills and conical mounds with limestone boulders on their summits, we arrived about noon on the 13th at the Big Hill, a point of some interest, for south and south-east of it hes a boundless, undulating prairie. The summit of the Big Hill is covered with huge granite or gneissoid and limestone boulders, indeed on all the hills which surround the Big Hill boulders are very gene- rally distributed. The limit of the so-called " wooded country," is about seventy miles from the North Branch in an air line, and thirty miles from the South Branch. From the summit of the Big Hill the " Buffalo Cart Plain," and " Lake where the moose died," are visible ; both noted locahties in the wild history of these regions. South-east of tlie Big Hill the trail winds tln'ough a dreary lab}Tinth of dome-shaped hills, many of them covered with boulders. One or two small streams flowing "BELTS OF WOOD." 411 into Ashes' Lake, a large sheet of water to the north of the trail, meander through this dreary prairie ; timber is only found in the form of small aspens, on low ridges or near ponds. The 14th brought us to a better country, still imdu- lating, yet containing many beautiful lakelets fringed with aspens. The soil is light and the herbage scanty, a fit introduction to the " Carry Wood Plain," which lies at the foot of the Touchwood Hills. From a low gravelly ridge forming the north-western boundary of the Carry Wood Plain, the Lidian guide pointed out a hill towards the south-west, which he said was close to Long or Last Mountain Lake, akeady stated m a former chapter to join with the Qu'appelle at the Grand Forks. August loth. — In journepng from the Lumpy Hill we crossed three " belts of woods," as the Lidian guide termed them, before arriving at the great praiiue west of the Touchwood Hills. These belts, which consist of groves of small aspen following a low gravelly ridge about a mile broad, and having a north-east and south-west di- rection, are separated by prakie valleys which sustain in then' lowest parts a good soil and fine pasturage. Each belt diminished to a point some ten or fifteen miles south- west of our track. The points or termuiation of these belts are visible from the summit of mounds on our trail, not more than fifty feet high ; beyond them is a treeless prairie, stretching away to the South Bmnch. The " belts of wood " become broader in a north-easterly direction until they merge into the wooded country be- tween the Birch Hills and the Saskatchewan. There are many dehghtful spots in the belts, the herbage is clean as a well shaven lawn, the clumps of aspen are neatly rounded as if by art, and, where little lakes alive with water-fowl abound, the scenery is very charming, and 412 ASSINXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. appears to be the result of taste and sldll, rather than the natm^al features of a wild and almost uninhabited country. In the prairie valleys, and often when surrounded by conical hills, the ponds are frmged with boulders, while water-marks show that during the spring a large area is flooded. This is particularly the case at the foot of the Touchwood EQUs. This great extent of pond and marsh affords food and shelter to vast numbers of aquatic birds. Grey geese were seen here for the first time ; tlie Canada goose is very abundant ; and duck, teal, cranes, and bittern are numerous. The lakes and marshes all contain salt or brackish water, which w^e found to our discomfort was not suitable for culinary purposes, or for slaking thirst. Tea made from it had a nauseous taste, and possessed the medicinal effect which might be sup- posed to result from preparing that beverage with a weak solution of Epsom Salts. The Touchwood Hills, as seen from this open " salt prairie," present a bold outhne gently rising from the vast level, and maintaming a course nearly due east and west for ten or twelve miles. In the afternoon we began the ascent of a gradual slope at the foot of the Touchwood Hills, following for some distance against the stream the course of a small brook which comes fi^om the summit of the range, bright, cool, rapid, and sweet. At 6 p.m. we reached the summit plateau, and then passed through a very beautiful undulating country, diversified with many pic- turesque lakes and aspen groves, possessing land of the best quahty, and covered with the most luxuriant herbage. From the west side of the summit plateau the Quill Lakes are seen to the north-w^est ; these bodies of water have long been celebrated for the large numbers of goose quills which were occasionally collected there by Indians TOUCHWOOD HILLS FOET. 413 and brought to the fort for exportation. There is no timber visible on the west side of the range, with tlie exception of small aspen and bm^nt willow bushes. All the wild flowers, so numerous and beautiful in the val- ley of Long Creek, are met Tvith on the summit plateau of the Touchwood Hills, of even larger growth and in greater profusion. Little prairie openings fringed with aspen occur here and there, through which the trail passes ; we then come suddenly on to the banks of a romantic lakelet, in which ducks with their young broods are sAvimming, and flocks of white cranes start from their secluded haunts at the unexpected intrusion. The breadth of this beautifid plateau is about fom- miles, its level above the " salt prairie " to the west may be about 500 feet. Our coiu'se lay diagonally across it, so that we had to pass through seven miles of this delightful coimtry. The Heart Hill, with others not seen before, come into view as we approach the eastern limit and begin a descent to Touchwood Hills Fort. The Last Mountain is visible in the west, but blue in the distance ; the Little Touchwood Hills he before us, the trail to Fort EUice stretching towards then- eastern flank. The country between the two ranges is dotted with lakes and groves of aspen. From a small hill near the fort I counted forty-seven lakes. Touchwood Bills Fort, August IGth. — Arrived at the fort after smiset last evenins^. It is situated on the south- east flank of the range near the foot of a hill from which an extensive view of the country is obtained. Heart Hill, or Ka-ou-ta-at-tin-ak, is about 700 feet above the general level of the plain, and seven miles m an air hue nearly due north (true) of the post. The general direction of. the range is N. 45° E. (true). It appears to consist of a series of drift hiUs, many of wliicli rise hi rounded 414 ASSINNIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. dome-shaped forms from the summit plateau. The Last Mountain bears S. 44° W., about twenty-five miles distant from the post, and the end of Long Lake, as it was pointed out to me by the guide, bears S. 70° W., distant from the fort a good day's journey, or about thirty miles. The Little Touchwood Ilills bear S. 27° E., and have a general direction parallel to the main range. At the foot of the Heart Hill and on its northern flank is a lake about five miles long, running east and west close to its foot, and is said to contain white fish. Devil's Lake, which is con- nected with Last Mountain Lake, hes about forty miles due west of the post. The guide who accompanied Mr. Hime to Long Lake from the Qu'appelle Mission* describes Long Lake to be broader at its northern extremity than elsewhere, but preserving throughout its length of forty to fifty miles a breadth of one mile on an averac^e. The garden, or rather the remains of a garden, in the rear of the fort, produces every variety of vegetable grown in Canada, but the efforts to cultivate it are almost aban- doned in consequence of the depredations comixdtted by Indians from the prairies, when they arrive in autumn with their provisions for trade, such as buffalo meat and pem- mican. A few of the lakes near the fort are known to con- tain fish, and it is probable that all of the large fr'csh water lakes in this beautiful region also abound in them. The officer in temporary charge of the post stated that the people here had only kno^\ii of the existence of white-fish in the Last Mountam Lake for three years ; they are now taken there in the fall, and it is probable that the fishery recently established will become of great importance to this part of the country. The Plain Crees are not fisher- * Pa^e 325. FISH IX LOXG LAKE. 415 men like tlie Ojibways, tliey did not know how to catch fish when the attention of tlie people at the Touchwood Hills Fort was first dii-ected to the treasures of Last Momi- tain Lake. ]\Ii'. Hoover, the officer in charge at the time of my \'isit, told me that he had first observed white-fish under the ice in Xovember of 1854, and since that period they have established a fisliery which pro\'ides the fort with an ample supply for winter consumption. Tlie white- fish weigh on an average 7 lbs., but 10 lbs. each is not uncommon. The timber on the Touchwood Hills is nearly all small and of recent growth, fires years ago having destroyed the valuable forest of aspen which once covered it. The re- mains of the forest are stiU seen m the forms of blackened poles, either standing erect or lying hidden in the rich cover- ing of herbage which is found everywhere on the south- west flank of the ransce. So luxuriant and abundant is the vegetation here, that horses remain in the open glades all the winter, and always find plenty of forage to keep them in good condition. The cows are supplied with hay, the horses are worked during the winter, either journeying to Fort Pelly or to the Last Mountain Lake to fetch fish. Buffalo sometimes congregate during the winter in the beautiful prauie south of the fort in vast numbers. On page 319 mention is made of a descent into a lower prairie before reaching the Qu'appelle Valley, whose boundary bore the aspect of a lake shore. On the north side of the Qu'appelle, and distant fi'om it about fifteen miles, Ml'. Hime saw a low ridge during the whole day's journey west from the Fishmg Lakes towards Last Mountain Lake, This ridge was traced parallel to the Qu'appelle VaUey for a distance of twenty miles in a westerly direction from the Fishing Lakes, how far east it extends is unknown. 416 ASSmXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. These opposite ridges seem to show that a former lake or arm of the sea, from thirty to forty miles broad, has left a record behind. Last year the grasshoppers visited the Touchwood Hills and deposited their eggs ; this year the new brood con- smned every green leaf in the garden, and made local ravages in the surrounding country. They took their flight on the 28tli July for the south-east, and during the period of my visit but few were to be seen. Snow falls on the Touchwood Hills to the depth of two feet and a half in the woods, and in the prairie where aspen groves are numerous it is not unfrequently found one foot and a half deep. In the great treeless prairie to the south where the herbage is short, the snow is drifted off by winds. The chmate of the Touchwood Hills is evi- dently very humid ; thunder storms appear to travel in the direction of this range and occasion a copious pre- cipitation as they pass over it. Not only are lakes very numerous and well supplied with water, but there are several hving streams flowing from the range. Indeed the whole country from the Touchwood Hills to the Eiding Mountain, including the country about the head waters of the Assinniboine is dotted with innumerable lakes, annually replenished by summer rains. The humidity of the climate of this part of British America contrasts in a remarkable manner with the variable character of that of the region under the same meridian lying six or seven degrees frrrther south, in the territory of the United States. When Lieutenant Warren reached Fort Pierre in lati- tude U° 24', longitude 100° 30', m 1855, he was informed that there had been no rain or suoav there for more than a year. The appearance of the vegetation confirmed the statement, as there was scarcely a green spot anywhere to HUMIDITY OF THE TOUCHWOOD HILLS. 417 be seen. In the summer of 1855 there was abundance of rain. At Fort Union in July, 1856, no ram had fallen during that year, and in many places there was a great scarcity of grass; after the 15th July rain was abmidant. Again, in 1856, very httle rain fell at Fort Pierre, so that on the 5th of October the grass had all dried up, although at the same period of the previous year it was everywhere green.* Durmg the two nights we remained at this post we were distiu-bed by a noted conjm^or who was performing his ceremonies over the suffering form of a complaining woman who lay in liis medicine tent near to the fort. His drum and song were heard nearly the whole of the night, and his incantations are described in another chap- ter as well as the remedy for the sickness of the poor squaw, which the conjuror suggested as infaUible. Wliile at the Touchwood Hills, and indeed whenever I thought there was a chance of obtaiiung a " speci- men," or information respectmg it, 1 made mquiries respectmg the celebrated "wampum." I was often told that a real Lidian wampum belt is now extremely rare in Eupert's Land, and no one with whom I con- versed on the subject had been fortunate enough even to see one. The name ^'■wampum'''' is appHed to httle cylinders made from sea-shells perforated through their longest diameter, and generally strmig upon leather or sinews. The shells, wliich the Lidians inhabiting the interior formerly obtained by traffic from the tribes on the Atlan- tic coast, were broken into fragments and ground by fi'iction into the necessary cyhndrical forai. The little cyhnders were strung into bracelets, belts, earrings, and * Explorations in Nebraska and Dakotah. VOL. I. E E 418 ASSINNIBOINE AIvD SASK.\TCHEWAX EXPEDITION. ornaments of different kinds, and they were also used as money, as tokens of peace and friendship, and as records of important transactions.* * " Les Colliers et les Bi-anches de pcn-celaine etaient un agent universel en usage de tout terns chez les sauvages dans presque toute I'Amerique. lis les employaient comme monnaie dans les transactions commerciales, comme ornement et parure dans les fetes, comnie annales pour rhistoire, comme gage et sanction dans les traites^ comme satisfaction dans la reparation d'lme injiu-e ou d'un crime. Les gi'ains qui les composaient et qui portaient bien improprement le nom de porcelaine, provenaient de certains coquillages marins connus sous dif- ferens noms. On les a appeles vignols, escargot de mer, concha venerea, et chez les ItaliensjDwceZfo. C'est de ce nom_, dit le P. Lafiteau (t. ii., p. 200), qu'on a fait iwrcelaine. Les sauvages les brisaient en morceaux, et en les frottaut siu* des pierres, lis lem- dounaient la forme de petits cylindres applatis ou allonges. On en trouvait de blancs et de violets ; ceux-ci etaient les plus estimes. Les sauvages les perjaient par I'axe du cylindre, et les enfilaient sur des la- nieres de cuir. Dans cet etat on les appelait Branches de porcelaine. Les Colliers, sous la foi-me d'une ceintiu-e de deux pieds de long envii'on, etaient composes de plusieurs branches, dont les gi-ains etaient lies entre eux comme dans un tissu, et disposes avec art, de telle sorte que le melange des coulem'S produisait des dessins varies. Les colliers ordinaires avaient douze raugs de 180 grains cbacim. Les sauvages en fesaient des ceiutiu-es, des bracelets, des pendants d'oreille, et quelquefois des plaques qu'ils suspen- daient sm* la poitrine et sm* le dos. (Sagard.) Les grains ainsi travailles recevaienl generalement le nom de Wainpum. Les coquillages se tiraient surtout des cotes de la Nouvelle-Angletei-re, et de la Virginie. Les Andastoes etaient celebres pom* ce genre de commerce. Cliamplain mentionne cette specialite dans sa carte. On en recueillait aussi beaucoup siu- la cote de Long-Island. Les Hol- landais, babitans de ces parages, se livraient a cette specidation. Yan Tienboven la presentait a ses compatriotes en 1650, comme im motif pour eux de A^enir coloniser ces rivages, dcrnt elle etait, dit-il, la richesse. On voit en eifet que jusqu'en 1673, il y avait peu de monnaie en circidation, meme parmi les colons bollandais. Six grains de Wampiun blanc, et trois noirs valaient deux sols. En 1683, le maiti-e d'ecole de Flutsbm-g recevait encore son traitement dans cette monnaie. Jacques Quartier, qui preceda Cbamplain de plus d'un demi-siecle sur les rives du St. Laurent, fut curieux de connaitre comment les peuples de ces contrees, qui paraissaient si peu developpes sous le rapport des arts, pouvaient se procurer cet oi-nemeut, a qui il douue le nom d'Usurffng et WAI^IPUM. 419 In reply to a speech delivered by Lieut. -Colonel Mackey to the Lidian tribes assembled at the island of St. Joseph, Lake Hm^on, in 1829, reference was fi^quently made by the speakers to "wampum." Minutes of the speeches were made at the time*, and the follomng extracts will show the different apphcation of this significant token. A Minominie chief: " I beg of our father to view this. Wampum as a pledge of our being faithful children." " With this Wampum we also make a road to his newly kindled fire." "This Wampum I expect to see next year" (dehvering the Wampum and pipe). A Chippeica chief: "The great Master of Life gave us pipes and Wampum for the purpose of conveyuig our ideas from man to man." "This Wampum reaches to Penetan- guishene" (delivermg the Wampum). A Chippewa chief quelquefois (^'Esurguy. " C'est leiir richesse/' dit-il, "et la chose qu'ils estiment etre la plus precieuse, comme uous faisons de I'or." (Troisieme Voj'ag-e, c. i.) II recueillit la tradition, et voici ce qu'il raconte de cette peche mer- veilleuse : "■ Quaud un honime a deseni la mort, ou qu'ils out pris aucim euuemi a la guerre, ils le tuent, puis I'incisent sur les cuisses et par les jambes, bras et epaules a grandes taiUades; puis es-lieux ou est le dit Esui'gui, avalent le dit corps au fond de I'eau, et le laissent 10 ou 12 heures, puis le retirent a mont et trouvent dedans les dites taillades et incisions les dits comibots, desquels ils font des patesnosh-es et de ce usent comme nous faisons d'or et d'argent, et le tiennent la plus pr(5cieuse chose du monde." (III*. Voy. c. vii.) On est tente de regarder cette histoire comme fabuleuse. Peut-etre les sauvages auront- ils voulu abuser de la cr^dulite d'un etranger, ou cacher leur secret, en lui racontaut cette peche ^ti-ange. C'est sur son autorite que beaucoup d'autres historiens ont adopte le meme r^cit sans nouvelle re- cherche. Cependant quand Lescarbot publia son Histoire de la Nouvelle- France, en 1609, cette peche ne se faisait plus dans le St. Laurent, et les peuples de la contr^e n'avaient plus ces coquillages. " Peut-etre," ajoute Les- carbot, '-'■ ils en avaient perdu le metier ; car ils se servent fort de Matachaiz (grains de rassade) qu'ou leur port e de France." — Relation abreyee de quel- ques Missiotis des Pbres de la Compaynie de Jesus dans la Nouvelle- France, par le R. P. F. J. Bressany, de la meme Compaynie. Traduite de Vltalien, par le R. P. F. Matiin, de la meme Compaynie. Montreal, 1852. * Sessional Papers. Legislative Council. Canada, 1847. E E 2 420 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWA^S' EXPEDITION. from Lake Superior : " With Wampum like tliis my an- cestors made a road to Montreal many years since ; one end of this string is tied to my village at Sha-qua-me-cong and the other I wish you to tie at Penetanguishene to your new fire" (dehvering the Wampum). An Ottawa chief: " As a proof of our determination we make a road with tliis Wampum, the end of whidi we expect to see to-morrow* (meaning next year) at Penetanguishene (where the presents were to be delivered), and trust it will continue clear for generations to come." On the 17th August we left the Touchwood Hills, and followed the trail leading to the lesser range bearing the same name. A chain of hills joins the Greater and Lesser Touch- wood Hills, having a coiu"se nearly north-west and south- east, or at right angles to those of the main ranges. Li this subordinate range there are many conical elevations, some of them well wooded up to their summits, but the forest trees are small. The trail to Fort Ellice ^\4nds romid the base of dome-shaped hills, past small lakes and aspen bluffs, through luxiu-iant herbage, and over an excellent soil. About nine miles from the Fort it begms to ascend the eastern flank of the Little Touchwood range, and gently wmding up it for several miles, it finally reaches an extensive marsh which occupies a portion of the summit plateau. The marsh is but the mtroduction to numerous lakes, which contmue to diversify the country in all directions. On the following day we entered a region differing in many points from the rich tract we had left. Gravelly hills and areas of coarse drift sand form the siurface of the country for a few miles, and apparently continue in * "To-day" signifies, this year; " to-nioirow," next year; ''niglit," winter; "morning," spring; "play," war; "milk," rum. In the minutes of the speeches the metaphorical allusions are cm-ious and interesting. COUNTRY E.VST OF LOXG LAKE. 421 a south-west direction to the Qu'appelle. They are suc- Geeded by a number of curious depressions or hollows, circular or oval ui form, and varying fi'om one quarter to one mile in diameter, often with a lake in the centre, but without visible outlet. The land is liilly m which they occm', and the elevations form a ridge rumihig nearly north-west and south-east, towards File Hill, hke the general direction of the liill ranges before described, but the country is so undulating that it is difficult to ascertam the true character of the surface until we arrive at the smnmit plateau. Here boulders are seen, the sand is coarse and mixed with a Httle clay, so as to resemble a gravelly loam on the ridges and hills, as well as on their flanks, but in the hollows and valleys the soil is exceUent, and the herbage veiy luxmiant. In retiu-nmg from Last Moimtain Lake, in an easterly direction, Mr. Hime crossed a ridge supporting clumps of poplar, and then struck into an open prame country, which soon became a series of liigh gravelly knoUs, with numerous bouldei^s on them. About fifteen miles east of Last Mountain Lake, he ascended a liigh range of gravelly knoUs, ruunmg from north to south, and then came to a valley 150 feet deep ; in the bottom of this valley was a small creek, expanding into a chain of ponds, each about one quarter of a mile long, and three chams broad. Ascenduig the opposite bank, another ridge of graveUy knolls was passed, and a descent made into the prauie, whicli continues roUing, and interspersed with willow and aspen clumps and gravelly ridges, until File Hill is approached, when a more humid tract begins, dotted with marshes and ponds, in which innumerable hosts of duck find shelter and breeding places. On nearing File Hill, the soil improves in character, and tlie country becomes very picturesque and attractive. E E 3 422 ASSIXXIBOIXE AAD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOlSr. August l^th. — The view this morning from the smnmit of a momid revealed a roUing, treeless prairie, stretching on all sides, and bomided only by the horizon. The wooded range of Pheasant Mountain appears low in the south-west, serving only to destroy the uniformity of the general outhne. Numerous lakes, ponds, and marshes, covered with wild fowl, are visible in every direction. The soil in low situations is good, supportmg long, grass wliich afforded fine pastm-age for our cattle. The ridges and mounds are gravelly, and a few boulders of the un- fossiliferous rocks are seen here and there. It is remark- able that east of the Touchwood Hills no Hmestone boulders have been yet noticed, but hmestone gravel is common. The Pheasant Mountain runs north-east and south-west, and may be from fifteen to twenty miles long. Like its western companion, File Hill, it is wooded with aspen, and frill of ponds and lakelets. At its foot the half-breeds report a lake ten to fifteen miles m length, on the south- east side, which we thought Ave could see fr'om our point of view. The Greater and Lesser Touchwood Hills, the Pheasant Hill, and the File Hill, all appear to be rich, humid tracts, wliich will become important centres when civihsation in conjunction with population reaches these sohtudes. North of the Carlton trail, and in the direction of Fort Pelly, the country is marshy, and abounds in ponds and wet places, which emit a very disagreeable odom^ when disturbed in passing through them. Beaver Mountain, a continuation of the Touchwood Hills, is seen from this wet prairie. The wet grass reminded me that the dews m the Touchwood Hills are very heavy and abundant at this season of the year. Last night dew was deposited a few minutes after the setting of the sun, although the sky was cloudy, and prevented direct radi- CUT ARM CREEK. 423 ation. This phenomenon has been noticed several times ; the setting of the sun appears to admit of the coohng of the air sufficiently to allow the dew point to be quickly- attained on the smface of vegetables, notmthstanding the screen of clouds which must necessarily obstruct radiation into space, but it wT)uld also appear to show that the temperature of the clouds must be very low. With the thermometer at 65° hi the ah*, ten mmutes after sunset, and mider a cloudy sky, I have three times observed dew form since lea\ing Fort a la Corne. On clear nights dew has always been deposited diu:mg the summer, often so copiously as to wet the tents. On the 20th we crossed a rapid stream with a swift cmTent, ten feet broad and one and a half deep, Howling towards the Qu'appelle. It was thought to be Cut Ai'm Creek ; it meanders through a prairie covered w^ith low willows, and named the Willow Prairie, wliich embraces an extensive area of excellent land, sustaining fine pas- turage. Limestone boulders were seen again to-day, but the country preserves a uniform and level character, with a few gravelly ridges and mounds ; neither lakes nor marshes are numerous, and wood for fuel is veiy scarce. Little Cut Arm Creek, which we crossed during the morning, flows in a ravine about 80 feet deep and 400 broad. The next day lakes began to appear again, the prauies to become more roUmg and intersected by ridges, which preserve a certain amount of paraUehsm, generally fi'om north-east to south-west. The aspen replaces the willow in small clumps, and after passing Big Cut Arm Creek, the country is decidedly undulating, attractive, and very well watered. Large hills appear near the Big Cut Arm, wliich flows in a valley 1200 feet broad and 180 feet deep, resembling that of the Qu'appelle, from which we are not now far distant. We camped in the £ £ 4 424 ASSIXXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. evening near to Spy Hill, called also Ka-pa-kam-a-ou, or "Some one knocked;" from a tragic incident which occmTed durhig the early history of the ftn" trade. A war party of Assinniboines were following a body of Crees, and had despatched a spy to ascertain the nature of their campuig ground. The spy placed liimself on the summit of " Spy Hill " during the night time, in order to examine the camp of the Crees at the early dawn. A Cree warrior started at nightfall to Spy Hill for the purpose of watching the Assinniboines. Wlien the morning dawned the Cree observed that he was lymg withm a few yards of the Assimiiboine spy ; he ap- proached him stealthily, and succeeded in deahng a fatal blow before his enemy was aware of his presence, hence the name Ka-pa-kam-a-ou, or " Some one knocked." Before reaching Spy Hill we saw a tent in the distance, prettily pitched on the banks of a small stream. Eiding thither with an interpreter, I foimd an Ojibway family, consisting of one man, two wives, and several cluldren. The Indian was a celebrated hunter, and showed me the produce of his summer hmit, which he wa^ taking for barter to Fort Elhce. It consisted of twenty-two dressed moose skins, some bimdles of sinews, and one or two red deer skins. He had killed the moose and deer on the west flanks of the Eiding and Duck Moun- tams, and appeared to be proud of his success, wliich was certainly extraordinary at the present day. The money value of the twenty-two moose skins would be about eleven pounds sterling at Fort Elhce, and the Indian would receive in trade articles not exceedmg in their aggregate value one-third of that sum. When one Indian durmo; the summer kills twenty-two large animals like the moose, which would be at least three times as much as he would requfre to feed his family, there can be no room for as- AN INDIAN HUNTER. 425 tonisliment that the uiflueiice of the fur trade has beeii mauily instrumental in reducing many parts of the country, once very thickly stocked with wild animals of the deer tribe, to a comparative desert, scarcely able to support the few wandermg savages who depend upon the chase for their subsistence. August llnd. — The Blue Hills across the Assinniboine are visible from Spy Hill, so also are those on the Qu'appelle. Spy Hi 11 is a gravelly eminence about 120 feet above the prairie ; near to it boulders of the un- fossihferous rocks are very numerous, and of large dimen- sions. One of gneiss measured thirteen feet in diameter. Our old hunter remarked that the aspen groves were much more numerous west of Spy Hill at the present time, than when he first remembered the country, forty- three years ago. After crossing a sandy prairie flanked on om: left by numerous bare sand hills, we reached the Assiimiboine at the mouth of the Qu'appelle early in the afternoon, and having forded that river in preference to the Qu'appelle, we had the pleasure on the following day of meeting Mr. Dickinson within a mile of the ferry, on his way to Fort Elhce, our place of rendezvous. The distance from Fort k la Corne to Fort Ellice by the route we followed is about 330 miles. 426 ASSL\jSriBOINE AND SASIL\TCHEW.\]\' EXPEDITIOX. CHAP. XX. THE QU'APPELLE VALLEY. FORT PELLY TO THE SETTLE- MENTS ON RED RIVER. The Qu'appelie Valley. — Leading Dimensions. — Character of the Great Plain it intersects. — Elevation above the South Branch. — Lakes in the Qu'appeUe Valley — Depths of. — Timber on. — A'alley flooded. — Efiects of a Dam across the South Branch. — Diversion of the Waters of the Saskatche- wan. — Table showing leading Dimensions of the Qu'appelie River, Lakes, and Valley. — The AssnsrjfiBOijrE. — The West Bank. — Fort Pelly. — ^Taite Sand River. — Manitou Lake. — Little TMiite Mud River. — Leech Lake. — Character of Country. — Crops at Fort Pelly. — Swan Rivq^'. — Snake Creek. — Fertility of Swan River. — Mr. Dawson's Description. — Thunder Moimtain. — Porcupine and Duck Mountains. — Dividing Ridge between the Swan and Assinniboine Rivers. — Miry Creek. — Riding Mountain. — Shell River. — River Ten-aces. — Indian Graves. — Little Saskatchewan. — Cre- taceous Shales on Birds-tail Creek. — On Rapid River. — Termination of Riding Moimtain. — "V^Tiite Mud River. — Ancient Beach. — Beauty of T\Tiite Mud River. — Rat River. — Prairie Portage. — The Settlements. THE QU'APPELLE VALLEY. The valley of the Qu'appelie Eiver joins tlie Assinniboine about five miles above Fort Ellice. It is 269 miles long, and appears to be a former continuation of the South Branch, in a cUrection nearly clue east, to the low regions now occupied by Lakes Manitobah and Winnipeg. Its western extremity issues from the South Branch at the Elbow, or the point where that river, from a south-east- erly com^se, suddenly takes and preserves for 250 miles a north-easterly course, until it joins with the North Branch. The narrowest breadth of the bottom of the Qu'ap- peUe valley is half a mile ; its greatest breadth about one mile and a half. Its shallowest part is about 120 feet THE QU'APPELLE VALLEV. 427 below the level of the prame, and its greatest depth is between 350 and 400 feet. It cuts a gently sloping plain extending fi.'om the South Branch to the Assinniboine. The surface of this plain is shghtly undulating, and in a few locahties broken by elevations which have a general dh'ection from the nortli-east to the south-west ; the north-western sides being abrupt and steep, the soutli- eastern descents gradual and undulating. The Touchwood Hills, Lumpy Hill, the Pheasant Mountain, the File Hill, &c., are among the most prominent of these elevations. So gradual is the general slope of tliis great plain, and so extensive is its surface that Elbow Bone Creek or the Souris Forks* inosculates Avith the Little Soiuis River, which after a course leading it sixty miles south of the boundary Hne, returns north and joins the Assinniboine about 115 miles in a south-easterly direction from Fort Ellice. The liighest part of the bottom of the Qu'appelle vaUey is only 85 feet above the South Branch at its summer level, and from 75 to 78 feet above it during the spring elevation of its waters. This occurs at a point distant 11^ miles from the junction, where a lake is found, which chscharges itself both into the Saskat- chewan and Assinniboine. Before connecting with the Assinniboine, it falls about 280 feet in 256 miles, or 1 ft. 1 in. per mile. The difference of level between the South Branch at one end of the Qu'appeUe vaUey and the Assinniboine at the other, does not exceed, according to our estimate, 200 feet. In its long, deep, and narrow course there are eight * On the map accompanying Captain Palliser's Reports, Moose Jaws Forks is shown by a dotted line to inosculate with the Little Souris, and Elbow Bone Creek is named "Many Bone Creek." This difference in names does not affect the remarkable fact of an inosculation of the Little Souris with the Qu'appelle. 428 ASSIXNIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. lakes, having an aggregate length of fifty-three miles. Most of these lakes abound in wliite-fish of great size and the finest qnahty. They are connected mtli Last Moun- tain Lake, occupymg another valley running north- westerly, a coimterpart of that of the Qu'appelle, inoscu- lating with it at the Grand Forks, and, as reported by Indians, with the South Branch some thirty miles north of the Elbow. Numerous soundings of the Qu'appelle Lakes, showed them to hold from forty to sixty-six feet of water, which depths are maintained mth great regularity. Timber ceases in the valley about 1G8 miles fi'om the Assin- niboine. It appears again at the Grand Forks and Moose Jaws Forks, 194 miles from the Assinniboine, and occurs also in small quantities at the Sandy Hills, near the heiglit of land. Moose Jaws Forks is well wooded for a consi- derable distance : it comes from the flanks of the Grand Coteau de Missoiuri, whose blue outhnes are distinctly visible fi^om tliis point of the Qu'appeUe vaUey. It is stated elsewhere, that we fi^equently fomid water- marks eight feet above the level of the Qu'appeUe Eiver m August, 1858. Wlien the snow melts in the spring there is a contmuous water commimication from Fort Garry to the Sandy Hills of the Qu'appeUe, dovm which large bateaux might drift without necessarUy touching land. According to the testimony of the Crees who hunt on this river, the whole vaUey fi'om the Sandy HUls to the Assinniboine was converted mto a lake in 1852, a year memorable in Eupert's Land for its extraordinary humidity. The construction of a dam 85 feet high and 800 yards long would send the waters of the South Branch do^vn the Qu'appeUe vaUey and the Assmniboine into Eed Eiver, thence past Fort Garry into Lake Whmipeg. The same result would be produced if a cuttmg were made through the height of land m the Qu'appeUe vaUey LEADING DIMENSIONS OF THE QU'APPELLE. 429 to the depth of forty or fifty feet, and a dam some tliuty or forty feet high thrown across the South Branch. A second low dam below the mouth of the Souris Forks would send these waters tlirough the valley of that river mto the Little Souris, thence mto Lake Winnipeg by the Assumi- boine and Eed Eiver. The time may yet arrive when the future popidation of Eupert's Land and Dakotah territoiy will find it advantageous to construct these or similar works, even if they should be for the purposes of irriga- tion or uiland navigation. * LEADING DIJLENSIONS OF THE aXj'APPELLE, OR CAXLING, EIVEE VALLEY, AND or THE LAKES "WHICH OCCUPY IT. Table showing the length, breadth and depth, of the Qii'appelle Valley at different points. Miles. Chains. Length of Valley from the South Branch of the Saskatchewan to the Assiimiboine ..... 269 Breadth of valley 70 miles from the Assinniboine Do. 120 do. Do. 177 do. Do. 239 do. Do. 263 do. Do. 258 do. 78t 21 30 5 70 73t At its junction with the Assinniboine its breadth exceeds one mile. At its jimction with the Saskatchewan its breadth exceeds one mile and a quarter. Depth of the valley 70 miles from the Assinniboine Do. 120 do. Do. 177 do. Do. 239 do. Do, 253 do. Do. 258 do. At its jimction with the Assinniboine the prairie slopes to the valley of that river, and its depth here is .... At its junction with the Saskatchewan the prairie also slopes to the valley of the Saskatchewan, and its depth was estimated to be . Feet. 320 265 250 220 140 110 240 140 * Vide " On the Qu'appelle or Calling River and the diversion of the waters of the South Branch of the Saskatchewan down its Tallcy, with a view to the consti-uction of a steamboat commmiicatiou from Fort Gany, Red River, to near the foot of the Rocky Mountains; " Report on the As- sinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition by the Author, t One mile less 44 yards. | One mile less 154 yards. 430 ASSIXNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. Table shoxoing the length, breadth, mean depth, greatest depth, and distance from the Assinniboine, of the Lakes in the Qii'appeUe Valley. Depth. Distance Name of Lake. Length. Breadth. from Mouth. Mean. Gr. ni. ch. Chains. Feet. Feet m. ch. Itound Lake, or Ka-wa-wi-ya-ka-mac 4 56 60 28 30 41 20 Crooked Lake, or Ka-wa-wa-ki-ka-mac 6 10 60 31 42 56 Fishing Lake^ No. 1, or Pa-ki-ta-wi-win 6 40 52 66 108 „ „ No. 2 3 25 40 32 48 114 20 V „ No.3 4 30 60 41 57 119 20 „ „ No. 4 8 50 60 37 54 124 12 Long Lake 60 as far as seen. 168 BnfFalo Pound-hill Lake .... 16 40 194 20 Sandhill Lake 4 50 45 • • 239 50 Total leng-th of the Lakes . . 53 61 Note. — The breadths and depths are the means of several measurements. The distances are taken along the centre of the valley. FORT PELLY TO EED RIVER. We spent two days iii the valley of the Assinnibome near Fort Ellice, being occupied in making a section of the valley. We found its breadth to be one mile and thirty chains, and its depth 240 feet below the level of the prairie on either hand. The river is 135 feet broad, with a greatest depth of 11*9 feet, a mean depth of eight feet, and a cuiTent flo^dng at the rate of one mile and three- quarters per hour. After drifting down the Qu'appelle from the Mission in canoe, Mr. Dickinson crossed the country to Fort Pelly, passmg for the first fifteen miles through a very sterile region, the soil being a hght sandy clay, and in many places consisting of pure sand, covered principally \vith a low growhig creeper, bearmg berries Hke the juniper ; the grass is very short and scanty, and the aspens, which are the only trees, are very small. North of Wolverine LITTLE WHITE MUD RIVER. 431 Creek the country improves very much as to its soil and vegetation, but it abounds in marshes, swamps, and ponds of various sizes, around which grow willows and young aspens, and this character continues for about sixty miles. Thence to Fort Felly the country is densely covered with aspens fi'om five to fifteen feet high, and with Avillows of different kinds, the trail winding through the Beaver Hills as far as White Sand River. There are open spaces to be seen now and then, where the luxu- riance of the vegetation is remarkable. Lakes and ponds are very numerous throughout, encircled with large aspens and balsam-poplars. Several rivers and creeks flow into the Assinnibome from the west, mto which many of the marshes and swamps might be easily cbained. Wliite Sand Eiver, which is the largest of them, is seventy feet wide, four feet deep, and very rapid. The Indians say that White Sand Eiver rises m a small lake in the Touchwood Hills, named " Manitou Lake;" so called, it is alleged, in consequence of a whirlpool it contains which carries the water of the lake round four times in twenty-fom^ hoiu-s. Durmg the winter season this whirhng motion is attended with noise and com- motion beneath the ice, wliich forms first round the edges of the lake, and then slowly narrowing the area of open water, finally closes it, the whMmg motion still con- tinuing below the surface. Little White Mud River reveals a curious feature in tlie topography of this region. It rises in Leech Lake, — a marshy sheet of w^ater, — hah" way between Round Lake, in the Qu'appelle valley, and Fort Felly. From tlie east end of Leech Lake, a tributary of Big Cut Arm Creek runs into the Qu'appelle, and from its west end Little White Mud River rises, which joins the Assinniboine through White Sand River, near Fort Felly. Near 432 ASSIXXIBOIXE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. Leech Lake, the Liclians who hunt m this part of the country (Ojibways and Swampy Crees) cultivate small patches of potatoes. The country drained by the lower portion of Wliite Sand Eiver is very low and wet ; swamps and bogs are numerous, together mth imiumerable small marshy lakes. At the crossing place, on the trail from the Qu'appelle ]\Iission to Fort Pelly, the bank is high and very steep, being about fifty feet above the water. The river runs at a speed of five miles an hour, and was about four and a half feet deep at the end of July, 1858. An exposm^e of shale ten feet thick occiu-s at the crossing ; it is capped by forty feet of yellow clay. The shale is probably cre- taceous, and of the same age as that on the Qu'appelle and the Eidhig Mountain, to be described in the proper place. On the north side of the river, which is low and alluvial, an abundance of Avhite sand has given a name to tliis tributary of the Assmniboine. Grasshoppers were numerous on the north side of the White Sand Eiver. The crops at Fort Pelly had been beautiful at the beginning of the season, but were all, excepting the potato, completely devoured by the grasshoppers in July. After a short stay at Fort Pelly, ]\ir. Dickinson visited Swan Eiver, by the valley of Snake Creek, with Mr. Macdonald, the gentleman in charge at Fort Pelly, and Mr. Hime. This beautiftil valley con tarns all the require- ments necessary for a settlement. The timber is very plentifid and of a good size ; the balsam-spruce is abun- dant, and averages two feet in diameter five feet from the ground. There is also some fine tamarack, varying fi^om 1 ft. 6 in. to 2 feet in diameter. The balsam and aspen- poplar grow to a large size, and are eveiywhere to be seen. The land, for the most part, is good sandy loam, and is watered by numerous streams. SW-AX LAKE AXD RIVER. 433 Snake Creek is about 13 feet wide, and 1 ft. 6 in. deep ; it pekls plenty of fish, so also do one or two small brooks running into it. Swan Kiver is from 90 to 100 feet wide, and 14 feet deep, its current is very rapid, being about three miles an hour. The valley, wliich is from 80 to 100 feet below the general level of the country, is most rich and fertile, but almost altogether filled up with trees, such as poplar, balsam-spruce, and willows. Mr. Dawson, who in the spring of 1858 ascended Swan Eiver in canoe, thus describes the comitry tlurough which he passed : — " From Winnipegoos Lake to Swan Lake the distance is about six miles. The stream which connects them, here appropriately enough called Shoal Eiver, varies in widtli from 150 to 300 feet. It is shallow, and has a very swift course. " About Swan Lake the country is highly interestino-. Numerous islands appear in the lake : to the north an apparently level and well wooded country extends to the base of the Porcupine Eange, while to the south the blue outline of the Duck Mountain is seen on the verge of the horizon. " Ascending from Swan Lake for two miles or so, the banks of Swan Eiver are rather low. In the succeedino- o ten miles they gradually become higher, until they attain a height of nearly 100 feet above the river. The current is here remarkably swift, and the channel mucli embar- rassed*by round boulders of granite mixed with fragments of hmestone, which latter is the rock proper to the country, although it does not crop out, so far as we could see, on any part of Swan Eiver. Landshps occur in many places where the banks are high, exposmg an VOL. I. F F 434 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. alluvial soil of great depth resting on drift clay or shale, of a slightly bituminous appearance. "About thirty miles above Swan Lake the prairie region fairly commences. There the river wmds about in a fine vaUey, the banks of which rise to the height of eighty or one hundred feet. Beyond these an apparently unbroken level extends on one side for a distance of fifteen or twenty miles to the Porcupine Hills, and for an equal distance on the other, to the high table-land called the Duck Mountain. From this south-westward to Thunder Mountain the country is the finest I have ever seen in a state of nature. The prospect is bounded by the blue outline of the hills just named, while, m the plain, alternate wood and prairie present an appearance more pleasing than if either entirely prevailed. " On the 10th of June, the time at which we passed, the trees were in full fohage, and the prairie openings presented a vast expanse of green sward. " On approaching Thunder Mountain, which seems to be a connecting link between the Porcupine range and the Duck Mountain, the country becomes more uneven. Some of the ridges on the shoulder of the Thunder Mountain even show sand, but there are wide vaUeys between them. " On leaving Swan Eiver to cross to Fort Pelly, the land rises rapidly to a plateau elevated about 250 feet above the level of the stream. Tlie road then foUows for some distance a tributary of Swan Eiver, which rmis in a beautiful valley, with alternate slopes of wood-land and prairie. Numbers of horses were quietly feeding on the rich pasture of this vaUey when we passed, and what with the clumps of trees on the rising grounds, and the stream winding among green meadows, it seemed as if it wanted but the presence of human habitations to give it LOW WATER-PARTIXGS. 435 tlie appearance of a liiglily cultivated country. The Hudson's Bay Company keep a guard liere to take care of the numerous horses attached to then- establishment of Fort Felly." A very low and narrow dividing ridge separates the waters of the Assinniboine from those of Swan Eiver, affording another mstance of the remarkable character of the water-partings and of the uniform inchnation of the great prairie-plains of Eupert's Land. IViiry Creek which flows into Snake Creek, an afiluent of Swan Eiver, is not more than three miles from the Assinnibome. The one river running far south along the edge of the escarpment which forms the abrupt north-eastern boundary of these table lands, the other brealdng through it at right angles and reaching the Wmnipeg by a course which curiously enough, has the same du-ection and turnings on the east side as its counterpart has on the west. A bateau or canoe may descentl the Assinniboine fi'om Fort Felly and reach Lake Winnipeg by Eed Eiver ; a bateau or canoe may also descend Miry Creek in the spring and passing down Swan Eiver reach Lake Wimiipeg by the Little Saskatchewan or Dauphin Eiver. On the 26th August we set out on om^ return to the settlements, taking the trail on the east bank of the Assin- niboine. Our route lay on the flanks of the Duck and Eiding Mountains, and through a country admirably adapted for farming purposes. On the mornhig of the 27 th the herbage was covered with hoar frost, but with- out any injury to vegetation. Fonds and lakes are very numerous on the flanks of the Eiding Mountain, but as far as om^ opportunities enabled us to judge, tlie whole comitry, with the exception of narrow ridges, possesses a, rich black fertile mould, supporting very hixmiant 436 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. herbage, and on the mountain an ample supply of timber, consisting chiefly of aspen of large dimensions. The Eiding and Duck Mountams consist of a succession of slopes and terraces on their south-western sides, the ascent being almost imperceptible to the tliick impene- trable forest which covers the highest plateau. On Birdstail Creek cretaceous shales identical with those on the Assin- niboine crop out in different places, but organic remains are scarce and indistinct. Shell Eiver separates the Duck from the Eiding Moun- tain, and its valley affords a very interesting illustration of river terraces. Between the present bed of the river and the prairie plateau it cuts near the crossing place, it discloses three distuict terraces, visible on both sides of the river, but more distinctly marked on the left bank than on the right. On tlie prairie banks of Shell Eiver are several gravelly ridges resembling in most particulars the Big Eidge ; the elevation is tliirty feet above the level on which they are formed. The length of the slope to the summit varies from 100 to 180 feet ; the course is nearly north and south, or nearly at right angles to the point where they touch the bank of the stream. The ridges die away in the general rise of the prairie as they recede from Shell Eiver. They are thickly covered with boulders. Although several landshps have revealed the structure of the banks of Shell Eiver, yet no rock in position was observed. The banks consist, according to ]\ii'. Dickinson, of clay, sand, and gravel mixed with a few boulders. Near the confluence of Shell Eiver, or A-se-sepee as it is termed by the natives, with the Assmniboine, some In- dian graves are placed on the edge of the bank, sad memorials not unfrequently met v/ith in travelling through these beautiftd wastes. BIRDS OX THE RIDIXG MOUXTAIN. 437 On Satiu^day, 28th August, we arrived at the Little Saskatchewan or Eapid Eiver, which ^Mr. Dickinson had explored for a distance of one hundred miles from its source. The valley of this river is extremely beautiful and fertile until \\dthin a few miles of its junction ^\dth the Assumiboine ; it offers probably the most attractive and deskable place for settlement in any part of the country west of Eed Eiver. The stream abounds in fish, the flats in the valley are covered with the richest herbage ; timber, consisting of aspen, poplar, and oak, is abundant; the prakies on either side are clothed with the greatest luxuriance of vegetation, the scenery is very attractive, and the river navigable down stream for canoes and bateaux to the Assinniboine. Where the Eapid Eiver enters the Eiding Mountain balsam and white spruce appear, and our explorations on the east flank of the range showed that large birch, spruce, poplar, and aspen floiurished on the summit plateau. Fires here as elsewhere have damaged the forest which once covered the country. Vast numbers of young oak and aspen are sprmging up in all directions on the prairie fringing the river near the trail. Birds are very numerous throughout this region, and every lake contained duck with their yomig. The aspen groves and willow clumps were ahve with grackle and yellow birds congregating in flocks. Humming-birds were also o1)served as well as the American cuckoo and the soHtary thrush. While in the marshes, herons, cranes, and bitterns were disturbed in groups as we cautiously approached in search of duck. In a brook emptpng into Eapid Eiver, I found an exposm-e of the cretaceous shales before described as occurring on the Assinniboine and the Little Souris. The rock was very fragile, and contained a few fossils in an imperfect state of preservation. F F 3 438 ASSINNIBOIXE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. On the 29th we reached the south-eastern termmatiou of the Eiding Mountam, and obtained a fine view of the successive steps of which it is composed. These were tliree in number, each step bemg separated by a gently- sloping terrace ; subsequent observation showed that we were encamped on a fomlh terrace which is continuous with Pembina Momitain. The entire mountain appeared, from our point of view, to be densely covered with forest trees, and efiectually resisted all attempts to reach the summit on the west side with horses on account of the fallen timber and thick growth of aspens. The country through wdiich we passed dming the day was very wet and swampy in many places, but on the ridges the soil is dry and gravelly ; we were in fact, descendhig the Pembina Mountam, which being here extended over a great breadth, is not easily recognised. In the after- noon we arrived at a beautifid ridge, running N. 12° W. and S. 12° E. One side of this ridge is partly excavated by the White Mud Eiver, and exhibits finely stratified gravel, consistmg almost altogether of small hmestone pebbles, w^ith a few belongmg to the unfossihferous rocks. The ridge is gently sloping tow^ards the east, and pre- cipitous towards the west, having on either hand a level country, higher on the west side than on the east. I have no doubt this rido;e is a continuation of a former lake boundaiy at a higher level than the Big Eidge of the Assinnibome. Some fine oak grows on the banks of Wliite Mud Eiver near the ridge, and ash-leaved maple begms to show itself again. Our course on the 30th lay through the prames drained by A^-liite Mud Eiver. This tract of country is second only in beauty and fertility to the valley of Eapid Eiver. Xot only is the herbage of sm-prising luxuriance, but the trees in the river bottoms are of very large dnnensions, WHITE MUD AND EAT RIVERS. 439 and consist of oak, elm, ash, maple, aspen, and poplar. Near the crossmg place there is a fish wek, where large quantities of pike, suckers, gold-eyes, and other species, are taken by the people of Prakie Portage, who have established a fishing station here, as well as one at Lake Maiiitobah, some miles fui'ther east. The woods fringing the river at the crossing place are very important. The oak and elm are of the largest size, being often found 2 ft. to 2 ft. 6 in. in diameter, with tall, clean trunks. The hop and vine twine around the under- brush, and give a very attractive appearance to the belt of woods which fringe White Mud Eiver Wishing to ascertain the character of this stream to its outlet, we gummed the canoe, and once more lamiched it for a short voyage down the White Mud Eiver, to the fishing station on Lake Manitobah. Mr. Dickinson pro- ceeded down the river, the carts, with Mr. Hime, jour- neyed on towards Prairie Portage, while I rode to the fishing station, m company with a half-breed who was famihar with the history and progress of the station since its commencement. We soon arrived at Eat Eiver, a stream of much interest in connection with the Hoods of the Assimiibohie. Down its valley the water of that river flows uito Lake Manitobah during freshets, and by making a very shallow cut, a permanent communication in time of high water, could always be mamtained. The fishing station at the mouth of White Mud Eiver consists of about half a dozen houses, which are only tenanted during the fishmg season. Very large quantities of white-fish are cauglit here, and no doubt when the demand requires it the station at the mouth of White Mud Eiver Avill become an important source of supply.' The Assinniboine prairies extend to the banks of Manitobah Lake, and their elevation as seen here and at r F 4 440 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. Oak Point is not twelve feet above the level of that ex- tensive but shallow sheet of water. We camped on the banks of Eat Eiver, and the follow- ing day made a nearly due south course through a rich but treeless prairie to Prairie Portage on the Assinnibome. In making this traverse we passed the shallow, winding, but dry bed of a brook several times, a tributary of Portage Eiver. In wet seasons this bed is occupied with di'ainage water from the Bad Woods, while Eat Eiver rises within three miles of the Assinniboine in the same loca- lity. The valley of Eat Eiver and of the dry water- course may yet become of vast importance if it should ever happen that the commercial inducements for effecting a communication with the South Branch by way of the Qu'appelle vaUey, should lead to the construction of works for that purpose. On the 31st of August we arrived at Prairie Portage, and reached the settlements at Eed Eiver on the 4th of September, after an absence of nearly three months. Our com^se ft^om Prairie Portage lay through the prairies akeady described. * * Chapter XIII. 441 CHAP. XXI. FROM FORT A LA CORNE, DOWN THE SASKATCHEWAN, TO THE GRAND RAPID AND L^VKE WINNIPEG. Departure from Fort a la Come. — Object of tlie Expedition. — Equipment. — " Bull-Boats." — Birch-bark Canoes. — General Direction, Current, and Breadth of the Saskatchewan. — Character of its Valley. — Countiy through which the River flows well adapted for Settlement. — Pem- mican Portage. — Cumberland House. — Description of Cvimberlaud. — The Saskatchewan and suiTOunding Coimtry between Cumberland and the Pas. — Indian Hunter. — Stm-geon. — The Pas. — Christ Church. — Gradual Depression of the Country bordering the River. — Alluvial Flats. — Marshes. — Delta. — Muddy Lake. — Rock Exposm-e. — Marshes and Mud Flats. — Cedar Lake : its Situation and Dimensions. — Siurounding Coun- try. — The Saskatchewan between Cedar Lake and Lake Winnipeg. — Cross Lake Rapid : its Dimensions. — Enter Cross Lake. — Meet a Brigade of Boats. — Cross Lake : its Dimensions and Altitude. — Surrounding Countiy. — The Saskatchewan east of Cross Lake. — Rapids : their Dimensions. — Smooth Reach. — Drift Clay Banks. — The Grand Rapid : Portage ; Rmming the Rapid ; its Dimensions ; Character of its Excavated Bed ; Magnificence of the L^pper Poi-tion of the Cataract ; Mode of Ascending it; Remarks in Relation to sumiounting this Barrier and making the Saskatchewan available for Steam Navigation. — Indian Encampment. — Lake Winnipeg. MR. Fleming's narrative. Dear Sir, — On die 9tli of August, 1858, we set out from Fort k la Corne to continue the canoe voyage down the main Saskatchewan to Lake Wmnipeg, thence to coast along the western shore of that lake to the Eed Eiver. The prmcipal object of tliis journey was to complete the track- survey and reconnaissance of the Saskatchewan, which had been began at the Elbow of the South Branch, and to survey and examine the west coast of Lake Winmpeg 44-2 ASSINNIBOIXE A\D SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. ■with a view to describe the topography and general character of the region bordering the hne of exploration. The birch-rind canoe in which we embarked was eighteen feet long, two feet six inches wide, with a round bottom, and drew about a foot of water, a depth some- times too great in places where tlie river abounds in mud- shallows and sand-bars. This small and lio-lit craft was one of those which we had hauled overland from Selkirk settle- ment, and although new at starting, it had become battered and worn diu'ing our summer's campaign on the prairies. The crew consisted of tw^o half-breeds, one of Ojibway and the other of Blackfoot origin. Their experience and skill in canoeing, "woodcraft," and hunting rendered them well adapted for the service to be performed. A canoe-voyage on these north-western waters is generally monotonous and not often accompanied by that excitement and adventiure wliich is still not unfrequently met with in journeying across the great prairie-plains of the North American Continent. A relation of incidents, and a description of objects to Avhich observation was directed, on this voyage of exploration, may therefore possess but httle interest compared wdtli a portrayal of prairie life and travel, buffalo hunts, and scenes among the savage and often hostile tribes distributed over the great plains of the far West. Bark canoes are not often seen so high upon the Saskatchewan, there being a scarcity of buxh-bark in the region through which the north and south forks flow. These great prakie-rivers are generally crossed and often descended in "^bull-boats" or "parchment canoes" by the Indians, for great distances. These bidl-boats are made of one or two buffalo skins, stretched on a hght frame, stitched together, and tlie seams covered with tallow and ashes. Hunters and trappers frequently set out from Fort a la Corne, on horseback or on foot, to the THE ]\IAIX SASIL\TCIIEWAX. 443 Moose Woods or the great prairies on the south Saskat- chewan, and return in bull-boats laden with dried-meat and skins, both craft and cargo behig the proceeds of their hunt. Bark canoes, although more durable than bull- boats, are nevertheless very fi^agile and requke to be handled with great care ; the seams and cracks in the bark require constant "gumming" and attention. Oiu- canoe being leaky, owing to injiuries it had sustained in crossmg the plains from Eed Eiver to the Elbow of the South Branch, was the som'ce of much trouble until we reached Cumberland House, where, through the comtesy of the gentleman in charge, we were enabled to procure a new canoe and some other necessaries. The o-eneral du-ection of the Saskatchewan from Fort a la Corne to Cumberland House is north-easterly. The cm-rent continues strong for a considerable chstance below Fort ii la Corne, where the average rate was found to be three miles an hour. In some places the mean velocity of the cm-rent exceeds this, as ascertained by repeated trials ; and at the points or alluvial promontories at the great bends a small rapid is frequently seen, generally caused by a submerged spit or reef of boulders and gravel protruding into the river ; but the water is turbulent in its passage over these shoals only, which are always on one side of the river : in the bay opposite them it is quite smooth and deep, averaging in the channel nmeteen feet. At Fort i\ la Corne the breadth of the Saskatchewan according to trigonometrical measurement is 965 feet, and its immediate banks are high ; the sides of the valley, wliich are much higher, bemg no great chstance from the river. The breadth of the river continues very uniform, but its banks become gradually lower, the hill sides of the valley at the same time diverging. About twenty miles below Fort k la Corne the banks of the river are low, and the general character of the adjacent country 444 ASSINNIBOINE AXD SASKATCHEWAN" EXPEDITION. considerably changed. The high chffs before seen at the great bends give place to rich alluvial flats, supporting a forest of fair-sized balsam-spruce and poplar, and the valley becomes so broad that the high banks are nowhere observed. Having been occupied some time near Fort a la Corne in makmi? a transverse section of the river, ascertaining: its fall by leveling, and measuring its rate of current by log- line (adopting the mean of a series of observations), it was at a late hour when we got fairly under-weigh, and we did not accompUsh more than twenty-three miles the first day. As the day began to wane we drew up our canoe on a low boulder-promontory of this fast-flow^ing river, and were soon reclining upon the pohshed and rounded pave- ment, beside the ruddy and cheerfLil blaze of a fire of driftwood. The stillness of night gradually crept on, until nothing was heard but the ripphng and surging of tlie water over the smooth boulder-stones at our feet. Tlie Saskatchewan or "the river that rims swift" is truly well named, for even upon the smoothest and deepest parts of the river, long lines of bubbles and foam, ever speeding swiftly but noiselessly by, serve to indicate the velocity with which this mighty artery courses miceasingly on- ward, swelhng as it goes, with the gatherings of its many wide-spreading tributaries, to mingle its restless and muddy waters in the Arctic seas. The second day of our journey (August 10th) we em- barked at 6 A.M., and passed durmg the day the " Big Birch Islands," and many others ; they are all alluvial deposits, and some of them are overflowed in sprmg. The banks of the river are now quite low, and the coun- try on either side is very flat ; but it still continues well adapted for agricultural pm^poses and settlement, the soil CHAEACTER OF THE MAIX SASKATCHEWAN. 445 beiiig a rich alluvial loam of a considerable depth, well watered and drained by many fine creeks, and clothed with abmidance of timber for fuel, fencing, and builduig. Li some places stony points, projecting into the river, contract it to a width of five or six chauis ; stretcliing out from these points there are shoals over which, as abeady observed, the cmi'ent is very strong and rough. Among the islands the river attauis a width of a quarter to half a mile, but where it is broad its depth is dimmished m many places by mud flats. We stopped to camp for the night about half-past six p.m., nearly fifty-three miles from where we started in the mornino;. August 11th. — We left our last niglit's restmg-place at daybreak this morning, and passed througli an excellent tract of country aU day ; the soil on both sides of the river consisting of a very rich allu\dal deposit, ten feet in thickness, above the smface of the water, well wooded with large poplar, balsam-spruce, and birch, some of the poplars measuring two and a half feet in diameter ; and, as far as I was enabled to ascertain, the land continues good for a great distance on either side, but more especially on the south side of tlie river. In many places tlie river is studded witli large alluvial islands supporting a most lux- uriant growth of poplar and willows. Among these islands the channel is sometimes intricate, being occa- sionally interrupted by sand-bars and snags. We en- camped about G P.M., having attained a distance of about forty-seven miles to-day. We passed a sleepless night ; a terrific thunder-storm coming on after dark, and having no tent to protect ourselves from the driving rain, we were drenched to the skin. Our constant tormentors, the mos- quitoes, were also excessively annoying. The general character of the country we passed during the next day is excellent, the soil being rich and the 446 ■ ASSIN.YIBOINE AND SASK2VTCIIEWAN EXPEDITION. timber of fair quality. The depth and breadth of the river is variable ; m one or two places it is impeded by mud-flats and shoals, sometimes holding snags and saw- yers. About noon -vye came to the mouth of a tributary stream 100 feet broad, flowing into the Saskatchewan from the north, which we supposed to lead to Cumberland, as it corresponded to the description given to us at the Nepo- wewin, but being desirous of keeping the main river, we went on until reacliing an old carrying place, called " Pem- mican Portage," leading to the fort, where we discharged and hauled up the canoe. I despatched the Blackfoot half-breed to the fort, and he returned in the evening reporting the road very wet and marshy. We came to-day nearly twenty-nine miles, so that the distance between Fort k la Corne and Cumberland House, by the windings of the river, is upwards of 150 miles. August l^th. — Owing to the thick growth of rushes and the shallowness of the water in many parts of the marsh between the Saskatchewan and Pine Island Lake, we had to go over to Cumberland this morning in the empty canoe, pushing it through the marsh until we reached a strip of dry ground, about half a mile mde behind the fort. Mr. Edward M'Gilhvi'aj^, the gentleman in charge pro tem.^ received us very hospitably. I ob- tained from him some pemmican and flour, and got him to procure for me a new canoe, for which I had to wait, as it Avas not quite finished. In the forenoon a brigade of boats from tlie McKenzie Eiver arrived and departed en route to York Factory. One of the boats contained Mi\ Anderson, chief fixctor, who was going direct to Eed Eiver and Canada. Although Mr. Ander- son left Cumberland three days before us, m a boat of four or five tons burthen, well manned and equipped, and mfinitely better adapted for encomitermg the boisterous CUMBERLAND HOUSE. 447 gales of Lake Wiimipeg, tliaii oiu- little canoe, we reached tlie mouth of Eed Eiver only twenty-four hours after liim. On Saturday the 14th August we were aroused at day- break, by the smging of the voyageurs of another brigade of boats just arriving. It proved to be a detachment from York Factory, bringing ]\Ii\ J. G. Stewart, chief trader, in charge of Cumberland. Our canoe was not finished till late m the afternoon, when I should have started had I been supplied with a guide for Cedar Lake and the Grand Eapid; but the only man that was competent and willing to go, beuig one of Mr. Stewart's boatmen, and they having received then- usual hohday allowance of rum on reaching their destination, no arrangement could be made with hmi. I was consequently compelled to remain till Monday. During the day, Mr. Stewart, from whom I received the most kind and hospitable attention, opened some packs and enabled me to get one or two articles of clothing, of which I stood greatly in need. Cumberland House, the chief depot or fort of the Cum- berland District of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company, is situated on the south shore of Cumberland or Pme-Island Lake ; in latitude 53° 57' N., and in longitude 102° 20' W. of Greenwich (according to Sir John Eichardson). It is about two miles in an air hue north of the Sas- katchewan, on the north side of what is called "Pine Island," a tract of land of considerable extent, between the Saskatchewan and Pine-Island Lake, isolated by two branch rivers connecting the lake with the Saskatcliewan. The stream we passed before reaching Pemmican Portage is the western connection, and bears the name of Big- Stone Eiver ; it is about six miles long by its windings, and about two chains wide. Wlien the water of the Sas- katchewan is high, it passes tlu'ough this channel or canal 448 ASSIXXIBOIXE AND SASK^VTCIIEWAX EXPEDITION". into Pine-Island Lake, and when low, the water from the lake flows into the Saskatchewan. At the time my sm^vey was made (16th August, 1858), Big-Stone Eiver was flowmg into the Saskatchewan, at the rate of one and a half miles an hour. The eastern connection is about the same size as Big-Stone Eiver, and joins the Saskatchewan some distance below Pemmican Portage ; it is called " Tear- ing Eiver," and is the route followed by the McKenzie Eiver boats. The Saskatchewan boats go by these rivers when they requii^e to call at Cumberland. The country around Cumberland is low and flat ; the soil in some places is a stifi" clay, but in general it consists of a gravelly loam a few feet in thickness, covermg a horizontal bed of white hmestone, and supporting a hght growth of poplar and bhch. Occasional gi^oves of spruce (the so-called pme of Eupert's Land, from wliich Pine Island derives its name) are seen here and there. The land being so httle raised above the lake and river, a great deal of it is submerged diu-ing the spring floods, and some portions upon wliich the water remains be- come marshes and swamps, but many of them could be dramed and improved mthout much difficulty. There are about ten acres of ground enclosed and under cultivation at Cumberland. I obser\'ed a field of barley, and another of potatoes, both looking well, mthin the fort pahngs ; and there is an excellent garden adjoining the chief factor's house ; the soil appeared rich and fertile, beaiing an exuberant growth of rhubarb, cabbage, peas, caiTots, and other vegetables. Cumberland House being at the junction of two great lines of water communication, one leading from the Pa- cific, and the other from the Arctic Seas to the Winnipeg basm, is a place of importance, and was formerly one of the Company's principal depots. Within the fort there CUMBERLAND HOUSE. 440 are a number of buildings, one of tlieni (tlie store-house) is a very large edilice, containing extensive machinery and appliances for pressing and packing fiu's, and making pemmican. Cumberland has been visited by several cele- brated Arctic explorers. In the garden there is a sun- dial which was brought fi'om England, and erected by Sir John Eichardson, and Su- John Frankhn remained here a portion of the winter of 1819, while on his first over- land expedition to the Polar Seas via the McKenzie Eiver. CumLcrliiml HoiiJ^e, Pino Island Lako. The weather was very fine during our short sojourn at Cumberland, and although enjoying the hospitality of the gentleman iii charge, I regretted the unavoidable delay as the season was akeady far advanced. Mr. Anderson very kindly offered me a passage in his boat to Eed Eiver, which of course I could not accept as his route lay along the east side of the lake. The gentlemen at the fort appeared astonished that a bark canoe had come such a distance down the south VOL. I. ti G 450 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. Saskatchewan, and that it had been dragged thither over the prairies from Eed Eiver ; they looked upon it as a novelty in traveling in the north-west. Messrs. Stewart and Anderson went in search of Sk John Frankhn in 1855, imder the auspices of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company. They descended Back's Great Eish Eiver to the Arctic Seas in bark canoes, and obtained some rehcs near Point Ogle ; they also met Esquimaux m the vicuiity of Montreal Island who had actually seen the whites, and who confirmed the account which had been previously given to Dr. Eae. Sunday^ August Ibth. — A beautiful day. Another brigade from Methy Portage came in and left about noon to-day ; bound for York Eactory under the pilotage of the veteran guide, L'Esperance. The guide's boat con- tained a gentleman in the Company's service, from the McKenzie Eiver district, who was proceeding to Montreal by the round-about way of York Eactory and England. August IQth. — We left Cumberland this morning in oiu- new craft, a three-fathom birch-bark canoe. Not being so deep nor of the same beam as the old one, om- load of baggage, instruments, and provisions, sank it to within a few inches of the gunwale, rendering it rather unsafe in a hea\y sea. I succeeded in getting an Lidian guide, through the loudness of Mr. Stewart, but could not prevail upon him to accompany us farther than the Grand Eapid, which ultimately proved fortunate for us, as, had he continued with our party, the pemmican, upon which we had now solely to depend till we reached Eed Eiver, would have been exliausted much sooner than it was. We returned to the Saskatchewan via Big Stone Eiver ; and passed the mouth of Tearing Eiver about fourteen miles further down. Between the mouths of these rivers, the Sas- katcliewan flows occasionallv amongf low alluvial islands. DIMEXSIONS OF THE SASKATCHEWAN. 451 wooded with small i)oplar and willows, and in many places its depth is lessened by mud-flats and sand-bars ; its banks are now low, alluvial Hats, only two to three feet above the water, covered with grey willows and sapling poplar. The current in this part of the river is slacker tlian before, the average rate, as measured by the log, bemg two miles an lioiu". We camped about a quarter to seven, p. if., and made a section of the river, which gradually hicreases in breadth and volume of water ; a number of soundings, taken at intervals across tlie river with the hand-lead, showed a mean depth of twenty feet ; the width of the river at this point being 980 feet. I leveled about three quarters of a mile along the bank of tlie river here, to ascertain its fiill. To-day we met an Indian hunter and his family in a small canoe, the first we had seen since w^e set out on oiu' journey; indeed the only signs of animal life yet observed in this solitary region were a young black fox, that came down to the brink of the river to slake fiis thirst, but scampered away as soon as a shot was fired at him, and a beaver in the vicinity of some trees, felled by these mdustrious animals. Tlie Indian had been cateliiiig stur- geon and diying them for future use. This excellent fish abounds in many parts of the Saskatchewan, and it is one of the chief articles of food in the coimtry. The Indians, as well as tliose in charge of the posts, have frequently nothuig else to live upon for months, and the failure of the sturgeon fishing is often the cause of much distress and starvation. Tlie sturgeon sounds are collected at the forts, and form an important article of export. August 17th. — We embarked at 4 a. m., and observed no material change in the general character of the river ;uid adjacent country during the dny. Tlic l.ianks of the O G 2 452 ASSINmBOIXR AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITIOX. river are similar to those already described, being low alluvial flats not exceeding two feet above the water, and covered with willows and patches of balsam-poplar. The tract of country back from the river is rather low and wet ; and the Indians make portages in one or two places from the river to small lakes north of it. The current is now much slacker than before, being only one to one and a half miles an hour. About thirteen miles below Tearing Eiver, Fishing- Weir Creek falls into the Saskatchewan ; by which, during high water, boats sometimes go to Cumberland. About fourteen miles farther down, at what is called the Big Bend, the- general direction of the Saskatchewan changes fi'om a north-easterly course, which it has maintained from the Grand Forks, to a south-easterly one. This Big Bend is the most northerly point on the river, being very near the 54th parallel of latitude. The Pas or Cumberland missionary station, where we arrived about sunset, is nearly twenty-two miles below the Big Bend. About three miles above, or west of the Pas, the Saskatchewan makes an abrupt semi-circular curve, (called by the Lidians " The Pound Turn,") causing eddies and whMpools, the river being at the same time diminished in width. The depth of the river was here found to be thirty-three feet, and its breadth about ten chains. Near the Pound Turn there is a wooded ridge, upwards of fifty feet high, about hah" a mile from the north bank of the river. About three- quarters of a mile above the Pas, Root Piver, a long affluent with a width at its mouth of two chains, empties into the Saskatchewan. The Pas, or Cumberland Station, is a missionary post of the Church of England, situated at the conlluence of the Saskatchewan and the Basquia Piver, a tributary about three chains wide at its mouth. CHRIST CHURCH ox THE SASKATCHEWAN. 453 Christ Church, as will be seen iii the sketch I made of tlie Pas, is a neat and rather imposing edifice ; and it seemed like getting back to civiHzation again, after all our wayfaring, Avhen, on rounding one of the majestic sweeps of the river, the pretty white church, surroimded by ftirmhouses and fields of waving grain, biu'st unex- pectedly upon our view. It was on a calm summer's evening, and the spire was mirrored in the gliding river, and gilt by the last rays of the setting sun. The Pas, or Cumberland ^lission. The church is situated on the right or south bank of the river ; near it is the parsonage, a large and commo- chous building, occupied by the Eev. E. A. Watkins, the present incumbent. Adjoining the chiu-ch there is a neat school-house with several dwelling houses ; and on the op- posite side of the river there are six or seven houses, but they seemed to be uninhabited and in a dilapidated con- dition ; the Lidians, for whom tliey were erected, disUking a settled life devoted solely to the [)ursuit of agriculture ; U G 3 454 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. and preferring the wandering and precarious life of a hunter in their native wilds. The river banks at the Pas are ten to twelve feet high, composed of hght-coloured drift clay holding boulders and pebbles of hmestone, and the surface soil is a dark gravelly mould, well adapted for cultivation ; but the surrounding country is said to be low and swampy with marshy lakes. Barley and other crops growing here looked Avell and were just ripening. Mr. Watkins' garden also looked well, and he kindly supphed us with some onions to make our pemmican more palatable. Mr. Watldns had just arrived from Eed Eiver in a freighter's boat. He had been twenty-five days on the route, having encountered much stormy weather on Lake Winnipeg. August I'^tli. — Having to make some observations this morning, and ]\Ii\ Watkins wishing to send some letters with me, we did not leave the Pas till about 9 a.m. From the Pas, the Saskatchewan flows in a north-easterly direction through a low iiat country, wooded with scrub poplar, and balsam-spruce, for about eight miles ; when again turnmg suddenly it resumes its south-easterly course, formuiir a o;reat bend or elbow. About a mile below the mission, a branch, three chains wide, leaves the Saskatche- wan, and cuttmg across the tongue of land embraced by this elbow, affords a navigable passage about three miles shorter than by the main river ; although it is the route generally followed by the boats, had I availed myself of it I must have left a considerable portion of the Saskatche- Avan proper unsurvcyed. It was with the greatest diffi- culty that our Indian guide coidd be prevented from taldng us by this short cut instead of the main river. When remonstrated with, and requested to return, after proceeding some distance down the smaller branch, he said, shaking his head, " you will find yet that the river forks off in many a branch." MOOSE LAKE. 455 About t^ix miles from wliere this branch or canal rejoins the Saskatchewan, another branch, leading from Moose Lake and House, falls in ; before uniting with the great river it separates into two branches forming a Y, the distance between the mouths being about half a mile. From the Pas to this point the character of the country bordering the river gradually deteriorates, the banks becoming lower and lower, and the timber more scrubby and scanty. The alluvial flats are in many places only one to trwo feet above the water, and they are at some pouits covered with drift wood, showing that they are flooded at certain seasons. We stopped to cook dinner opposite the Moose Lake branch, where, by ascending a tree, I succeeded in getting a view of the siu-rounding country. The banks are here three feet above the river, supporting a thin strip of grey willows along the water's edge ; and about half a chain back from the river there commences an extensive marsh or swamp w^ith rank reeds and rushes, interspersed with ponds of open water, and dotted w^ith clumps or islands of balsam-spruce and willows as far as the eye can reach. From Moose Lake Fork to where we camped, about sixteen miles further down, a slight improvement is observed on the immediate banks of the river ; occasional groves of yoimg ash, elm, and ash-leaved sugar maple are seen, but the flats behmd are generally very low, and covered only with grey willow^s and sapling ]ioplar. We started on Thursday, August 10th, at break of day, with wet baggage and blankets, a thunder-storm with heavy rain having come on during the night. About four miles below our camping place, one or two branches leave the main river and How to the north into a marshy expanse of water, about one mile broad and two to three miles long, called " Marshy Lake." Between this point G G 4 456 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. and Cedar Lake are seen all the cliaracteristics of a great alluvial delta. The Saskatchewan ramifies into many different channels, some of them return to the parent stream forming large islands, and several flow into Muddy- Lake and other expansions of the main river, before finally emptying into Cedar Lake. The country bordering the Saskatchewan from Marshy Lake towards Muddy Lake and Cedar Lake, consists of low mud-flats not exceeding eighteen mches above water, supporting along the river's edge a belt of wallows, alder, dogwood, and long rank grass ; in the rear is an exten- sive marsh wdth occasional islands of small poplar and spnice. These flats, being so little above w^ater, are flooded every spring after the ice breaks up, and no camp- ing place can then be found for a considerable distance up the river. A very rich mud is deposited during these floods, raising and extending the flats every year. Muddy Lake, near which we were compelled to remain for some time, owing to a boisterous head ^^^nd, is ap- parently a dilatation of the Saskatchewan in a northerly direction ; it is about two miles wide, and extends to the north for about four miles. We effected a landing on a point of the river fom^ to five feet above tlie level of the water, where w^e found an exposm-e of light-coloured limestone in horizontal beds along the water's edge, and several large detached masses adjacent. This was the first outcrop of rock i?i situ we met Avith on the main Saskatchewan, and I made a very carefid search for fossils, but, being unsuccessful, had to content myself with some specimens of the rock. On exanuning the point it w^as discovered to be an island eight chains long and four broad, with the river on one side, and on the other a vast reedy marsh interspersed with large ponds. This island is a favom'ite camping and fishing place of the Swampy CEDAR LAKE. 437 Crees, there being on it a clump of good sized poplar, the only timber fit for fuel for miles around ; and here they hold their great councils, dog feasts, and medicine dances. Its name in Swampy is Kash-ke-hn-jes-pu-qiia-ne-shing^ -signifying, " Tying the mouth of a drum." Between Muddy Lake and Cedar Lake the Saskatche- wan meanders through an immense marsh with tall reeds and rushes. It is now no longer an integral stream, but is divided into a maze of reticulating branches. Accord- ing to oiu- Lichan guide, land is being formed here very fast ; and Avliat is now marsh and mud-tiats was, within his recollection, open navigable water for a considerable distance back from where the Saskatchewan at present debouches into Cedar Lake through its numerous mouths. In one or two places we saw the trunks and branches of stranded trees sticking above water, where alluvial Hats or shoals of mud and drift timber are m com^se of for- mation. The Lidians informed me that beyond these extensive alluvial Hats and shallow marshes there is not to their knowdedge anything but ^' muskeg " or boggy swamps for a very great distance on either side. I could see no higli ground of any kind, and the character of the country bordering the Saskatchewan, as above described, may be said to continue back from the river for many miles. We entered Cedar Lake on the morning of the 20tli August, and coasted along the north shore till about noon, wlicn we ran into a fme little harbour to eat dinner, after making a long traverse. In the afternoon, while crossmg a w^ide and deep bay or sound stretching far to the north (the extremity being below the horizon), a stiff breeze sprang up, soon raising a very hea\y sea, in whicli our canoe became ahnost unmanageable, pitchhig tremen- dously and shipping a great deal of water. On the 21st 458 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. we breakfasted at the Eabbit Point, and entered the por- tion of the Saskatchewan issuing from the east end of the hike about noon. Cedar Lake (so called from the occasional groves of cedar — a tree rarely seen in Eupert's Land — growing on its shores, particularly at its western extremity) is an expanse of water of considerable extent, in which the tur- bid waters of the Saskatchewan are allowed to disseminate and settle before re-uniting mto one great ri\'er and rush- ing down the Grand Eapid into Lake Winnipeg. It is situated in about 53° 15' N. latitude, and 100° W. longi- tude ; and is nearly thirty miles long, with a breadth at its widest part of about twenty-five miles ; its coast hue embracing an area of w^ater of about 312 square miles. Cedar Lake being more than sixty feet higher than Lake Winnipeg, is consequently upwards of 688 feet above the sea level. The only tributary it has of any size, besides its principal feeder the Saskatchewan, is a branch leading from Moose Lake and House, which enters it from the north. I was unable to obtain soundings of the lake in consequence of the high winds and stormy weather that prevailed durmg our voyage through it, but so far as I could learn it has sufficient depth of w^ater for the largest craft, except at the west end, where the Saskatchewan is rapidly filling it up. The northern coast of Cedar Lake is deeply indented and very low, and the country continues flat for a long distance back. At some of the points and on many of the islands along the coast, there are exposures of hme- stone in horizontal beds, the top of the strata being a few feet above the surface of the lake. It is to be regretted that, owing to the stormy weather, and the rate at which w^e w^ere obhged to travel, no opportunity was afforded for collecting specimens. The mainland and islands bemg CEDAR LAKE AND LAKE WINNIPEGO-SIS. 459 well wooded with balsam-spruce, birch, po]3lar, tamarack, cedar, and Banksiaii pine, could furnish an abundant sup- ply of fuel ; thus offering, hl^e the Saskatchewan, facihties to steam navigation ; but a considerable portion of the land is reported to be swampy and unavailable for agri- cultural purposes. Cedar Lake is separated from Lake Winnipego-sis (the Little Winnipeg) on tlie south, by a low isthmus called the Mossy Portage, by which the Hudson's Bay Company formerly sent their supphes to the Swan Eiver district. (They are now sent via the Little Saskatchewan.) The dis- tance between the lakes at this point is about foin miles, and Lake 'Winnipego-sis is about four feet higher than Cedar Lake, according to ^ir. Dawson's measurements. The portion of the Saskatchewan between Cedar Lake and Lake Winnipeg is nearly twenty miles in lengtli, and its general direction is easterly. Through this chamiel, the great volume of water brought down for many hun- di'cd miles by the main river, and its north and south branches, togetlier with that collected by many tributaries through a wide extent of country, is disembogued by one grand mouth into Lake Winnipeg. \Miere the Saskatchewan issues fi'om Cedar Lake the bed of the river is divided for a short distance into two channels by an island. We entered the smaller or south channel, and found it only two or three chains wide, for a distance of about a quarter of a mile. At its narrowest part, near the beginning, the Lidians have a fishing sta- tion, and white fish and sturgeon are caught there in abundance. Along the side of this watercom^se there is an outcrop of horizontal limestone, three to fom- feet in thickness, above the water, covered with a thin coating of vegetable mould, supporting small poplar, willow, and dogwood. I brought away some specimens of the rock, 460 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXrEDITION. but could find no fossils. The current in this channel, as in most places where the river is narrower than usual, is strong, measuring two and a half to three miles an hour. About half a mile below Cedar Lake, on the right or west bank of the river, wdiich is now more than half a mile in width, is situated Cedar Lake House, a winter trading-post of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company, lately estabhshed with a view to compete with the " Freemen," who come annually fi^om Red Eiver to trade with the Indians m this locality. Between Cedar Lake and Cross-Lake Eapid, a little below which the Saskatchewan expands into Cross Lake, the river is very broad, and Avidens here and there into deep bays and funnel-shaped indentations. It grows nar- rower again a httle above the rapid, where a projecting point of Hmestone, obstructing the current, causes a small smooth rapid on the south side, with a fall of about eight inches. The Cross-Lake Rapid is occasioned by a band of hmestone intersecting the bed of the Saskatchewan nearly at right angles ; and this is the first interruption of any magnitude to the even flow of the river. The Saskat- chewan is let down by this rapid about five and a hah" feet in a short distance. There is a large island near the soutli side of the river, extendmg the length of the rapid, and dividino; it into two channels. The broadest or northern channel is that which came under my observation. It is about thirty chains wide, and is the route followed by the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company's boats. In order to ascend the rapid, the Company's boats of four to five tons burden have to be " tracked " or dragged up with half cargo, and the other half of their load has to be carried over the port- age, a distance of 230 yards. The fall from the west to the east end of the portage (obtained by levehng) is 4-08 feet, and from the east end of the portage to the quiet THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY'S BRIGADES. 461 water below, about one and a half feet, making a total fall of 5-58 feet. Loaded boats run the rapid without difficulty, and if the channel were cleared of boulders and improved, it might be ascended by a powerful steamer. Having s[)ent some time in maldng observations at Cross-Lake Eapid, it was late in the afternoon when we entered Cross Lake ; where our Indian guide left us, although he had agreed to pilot us down the Grand Eapid. He expressed himself anxious to return to his fiimily at Moose Lake, and could not be induced to go farther. During the return joiu-ney, upon which he set out in a little canoe that he picked up coming down the river, he would have several days' hard paddling against a swdft cmTcnt. His departure was not objectionable, however, inasmuch as, had he continued longer wdth us, om^ slender stock of pemmican must soon have given out. We could spare him but a handfid to cany him to his destination. At the east end of Cross Lake we met ]\ii\ Christie (a gentleman in tlie service of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company, who had recently been appointed to the charge of Edmonton House,) in command of a brigade of boats, 671 route from York Factory to Edmonton and the Eocky Mountain district. Mr. Christie's heavily laden boats (fourteen in number) were manned by a motley group of Indians, half-breeds, Orkney -men, Norwegians, and negroes ; they had just made the laborious ascent of the Grand Eapid, and thus far their progress had been very slow. Mr. Christie represented the many difficulties which had to be contended with in a boat voyage ; the detentions on the lakes by contrary winds ; the strong curi'ents and rapids that had to be encomitered in ascend- ing the rivers ; and the difficndty of procuring men suitable for the work ; (each boat requiring six to eight 462 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. experienced voyageurs ;) and he expressed a hope that the long .talked of steamers would soon make their appear- ance on Lake Winnipeg, to replace the present tedious, toilsome, and expensive mode of conveyance. In reply as to whether there would be sufficient business to warrant the placing of steam vessels on these north-western waters, (irrespective of the establishment of a continental route to the Pacific, through British terri- tory ;) I was informed that there would be plenty of freight to carry for the present requirements and traffic of Eupert's Land; as during the year (1858) no fewer than 167 freight boats of the largest class, (four to five tons each) belonging to private traders and merchants, as well as the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company, (many of them loaded with valuable frirs,) had passed Il^orway House, at the northern outlet of Lake Winnipeg, en route to York Factory ; and returned with heavy cargoes of merchan- dise brought by sea to York, consisting chiefly of the usual supphes for Selkirk settlement, ammunition, and a variety of goods for the prosecution of the Indian trade both by the Company and " Freemen." The aggregate quantity of freight transported by this fleet of boats from the seaboard to Lake Winnipeg, and thence distributed along its principal feeders would be upwards of 800 tons. It is well known that there are large quantities of goods imported by other hues of communication — chiefly through the United States territory at present ; and as the York Factory route is to be partially abandoned, a large portion of the importations of Eupert's Land will have henceforth to enter the Winnipeg Basin from the south, so that there will doubtless be sufficient commerce m view of the great water facilities afforded by the country, to encourage the initiation of steam navigation. After remaining at Mr. Christie's encampment about CROSS LAKE. 46-3 an hour, we set off again in the hope of reaching the Grand Eapid before dark. We soon entered a rapid by which we were lowered about two and a lialf feet in a distance of ten chains, followed, after an interval of smooth water, by another about a mile long, but mth an easy in- chnation, the descent in that distance not being above seven and a half feet ; it being nearly dark Avlien the foot of the latter was reached, we camped for the night (August 21). Cross Lake doubtless derives its name from its shape and the peculiar position it bears m relation to the Saskatchewan, of which it is evidently a dilatation. It is an oblong sheet of water, upwards of eight miles in length, having its longitudinal diameter at right angles to the general trend of the river; three miles is its greatest transverse diameter, and this breadth is about the distance between the termination and beginning of the bed of the river on either side of the lake. The altitude of Cross Lake hi relation to Cedar Lake and Lake Winnipeg, acquired by levehng the rapids and measm^ing the cur- rents in the river, would make its approximate elevation above the sea about 680 feet. It is reported to be deeper than Cedar Lake ; and its banks on the east and west side are more abrupt and rocky, but its northern and southern shores are very low. Along the coast there are some fine gi'oves of balsam-spruce, and aspen, but the land back from the lake is very flat and poorly wooded, a great portion of the original forest having been de- stroyed by fire ; large tracts of burnt and dead timber are seen here and there ; the blackened trunks of po])lar and spruce indicating the ridges or dry areas over which the conflagration extended, and the lifeless tamaracks reveal- ing the swamps or flooded land. The lake extends so far to the north, its extremity in that direction is not seen from tlie traverse line, being below tlie horizon of the 464 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. spectator. In the northern arm of tlie lake there are several wooded islands, bnt as they were some distance from our track I w^as miable to ascertain the nature of their formation. There being two rapids between Cross Lake and the Grand Eapid, the Saskatchewan may be said to descend by four distmct steps from Cedar Lake to Lake Winnipeg ; the first one east of Cross Lake, havino; a leno-th of about ten chains with an estimated'fall of two and a half feet, occurs half a mile below the recommencement of the channel of the river, and appears to be attributable to a low and nearly level belt of hmestone, through which the river has gradually excavated its way by tliree separate channels. The middle channel, by which we descended the rapid is only three to fom^ chains wide, and could apparently be ascended by a steamer without difficulty, as it is deep and appears to be free from boulders. The other channels might even be more favourable for steam navigation, being broader as far as could be observed, and containing a greater volume of water ; they are, however, a little out of the direct course, and for this reason are not followed by the boats. The smooth portions of the river are broad liere ; the width above the two islands formed by these three channels being more than half a mile, and below them upwards of three-quarters of a mile. About a mile below the foot of the first rapid the second one begins. Its length is fidly a mile, and its approximate fall is not more than seven and a half feet. It has a long crradual slope, W'ith a deep cliannel of rolhng, but comparatively unbroken water in the middle ; the water is more turbulent at the sides, where the current is interrupted by points of limestone rock, boulders, and debris. The exposures of limestone on the points, are four to six feet in tliickness above the water, with a horizontal stratification. Tlie ArrROACII TO Tin-: grand rapid. 465 loaded boats of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company descend this rapid easily, and as they are generally " tracked" up with the whole of their lachng, a hglitened steamer, with powerful engines, miglit siu-mount it by taking the best cliamiels and other precautions. It is about four miles from the foot of this last rapid to the beginning or summit of the Grand Eapid. In that distance the river is smooth and deep, but has a very swift cmTcnt, especially where its bed is contracted. Tlie width of the river in this mterval is much diminislied, varjdng from nine chains to a quarter of a mile, and the rate of ciu-rent is from three to three and a half miles an hour. There are one or two large l^oulders in the bed of the river here, over and around which the water boils and bubbles like a cauldron ; and now and then shoals on the north side of tlie channel arc mdicated by the rippling water and ground-swell occasioned by the cur- rent in passing over them. The land between Cross Lake and the Grand Eapid is generally low and flat, but thickly timbered with balsam-spruce, poplar, tamarack, and birch. At the second rapid, east of Cross Lake, the banks on the north side of the river are eight to ten feet alcove the surface of the water, and are composed of a liglit-coloured drift clay. These clay banks gradually increase in height towards the Grand Eapid, where they attain an elevation of upwards of twenty feet ; but it is probable that the surface of the countiy is nearly level, and that it is the descent in the river Avhich causes the apparent rise in its banks. Augu.^t 22nd. — This being Sunday we did not proceed on our journey till after breakfast (about 8 a.m.). How- ever desirable it might have been, under other cu-cum- stances, to liavc remained inactive on this day, in the position in wliicli we were placed, like a sliip at sea. witli VOL. I. 11 Ti 466 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. a limited supply of provisions, and a long and hazardous voyage before us, it would have been altogether out of the question ; indeed, the loss of a day or even an hour might have compromised the safety of the whole party. In about an horn' ^ve reached the begiiming or west end of the portage at the head of the Grand Eapid, where my various instrumental observations and mea- surements in relation to the rapid began. In order to commence operations we disembarked and made the port- age, which of coiu'se is never done by boats in descending the river. Yet, notwithstanding that boats invariably "run" the whole of the rapid, it would be extremely perilous to descend the upper portion of it in a small heavily laden canoe without a guide. So much having to be done with so few hands, om' httle party exhibited a scene of unusual activity and ex- ertion from the time we landed at the top of the rapid until we camped in the twilight on the coast of Lake Winnipeg. The first thing to be accomphshed was the transportation of the canoe and the heavier articles of luggage to tlie east end of the portage ; to effect this the united energies of the party were required, and o"\ving to the length of the portage it occupied some time. Whilst the Ojibway was carrying the remainder of the lading, I was engaged Avith the Blackfoot in makmg a smwey of the portage and rapid, chaining across in one du'ection and leveling back m another, and so forth. About 4 P.M. the various observations were completed, and everything had arrived at the east end of the portage. The different operations involved the crossing of the port- age (more than a mile in length) many times diu^ing the day. While dinner was preparmg I occupied myself in making a sketch of the cataract and examining the cha- racter of the perpendicular hmestone chffs-at its side. DESCENT OK THE GRAND RAPID. 467 After eating a hasty meal we re-embarked to rim the lower portion of the rapid.* The voyagem's wished me to walk tln-ough the woods to the foot of the rapid (pro- bably to lighten the canoe), but as the day was already far advanced, and behig anxious to reach Lake Wmnipeg, as well as for other reasons, I deemed it expedient to go doAvn " in canoe." In running the rapid ^ve followed as closely as possible the mstructions given to us by our old guide on the Plains (Jolm Spence), who had often piloted the old North-West Company's North canoes down its entke length. In attempthig, accordmg to his directions, to cross fi'om the north to the soutli side of the rapid in order to get into what was reported to be the best chan- nel for a small canoe, such was the fierceness of the cur- rent, and the turbulence of the great surges and breakers ill the middle, that we were nearly engulfed ; and altliough every nerve was strained we were swept down with impetuous velocity, and did not get near the other side till we were about three quarters of a mile below our starting point. We were then impelled mth astonishmg swiftness along the south side of the torrent, often in dan- gerous proximity to the rugged wall of rocks bounding the channel, and now and tlien whizzing past — almost grazmg — sharp rocky points jutting out into the river, against which the tliundering Avaters seethed and foamed in their fuiy. Dinging the descent the voyageurs exerted themselves to the utmost of their strength, and evinced an admirable degree of coolness and dexterity. The Grand Eapid is acknowledged by those who have witnessed it, and wlio liave had opportunities of traversing * The pai-t here designated as the lower portion, although tlie Grand Rapid is one continuous ton-ent from beginning to end, is that below tlie east end of the portage, and is more than one mile and a half in length. H H 2 468 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. the great river systems of the contment, to be unsurpassed (as a rapid) in magnificence and extent, as well as in volume of water. It is certainly a formidable barrier to the navio-ation of the Saskatchewan. The following are the dimensions of the leading fea- tures of the Grand Eapid : — 1. Its Length. — The portage path is nearly straight, with a magnetic course from the upper to the lower end, of S. 60° E. ; it is 87 chains 40 links in length ; the Tlie Grand Eapid of Saskatchewan. distance between its extremes by the river is a little more than this, as the river describes an arc of which the portage is the chord, but as the head of the rapid is a little below the west end of the portage, this distance may be adopted as the length of the upper or most pre- cipitous portion of the rapid. The distance from the east end of the portage to the foot of the rapid by our track is 129 chains. This would make the whole length of the rnpid 216 chains 40 links, or nearly 2f miles. 2. Its Descent — By levehng carefully along the por- DIMEXSIOXS OF THE GRAND RAPID. 469 tage patli, I ascertained the fall between the smooth water at the liead of the rapid to the general level of the water at the east end of the portage to be 28-58 feet ; and after observing instrumentally the descent in the lower portion of the rapid as far as the natiu-e of the country would allow, I closed my levels on a bench- mark at the surface of a pond of still water, fed by an eddy at the lower end of the portage. The fall in the lower portion of the rapid, acquired by levehng and by careful estimation, is about 15 feet ; this would give 43^ feet as the total descent of the rapid. 3. Its Breadth and Depth. — The width of the river, at the upper end of the portage, is about 20 chains; at the head of the rapid, about 7 chains fiullier down, where there is an island in the l)ed of the river, it is about 30 chains ; and at the lower end of the portage, where the rapid emerges from tlie highest Hmestone plateau, its width is about 10 chahis. From thence it gradually widens towards the foot of the rapid, where it attains a width of 25 cliains. I was unable to obtain soundmgs of the rapid, but, from the depth and volume of water above and below it, where the river is much broader, it is undoubtedly deep. The Grand Eapid, throughout almost its entire length, washes the bases of perpendicidar escarpments of rock. It passes through two ]:)lateaux of brittle buff-coloured limestone, with a horizontal stratification ; the top of the first, or upper plateau, being nearly on a level with the surface of the water at tlie head of the rapid, and under- ling a stratum of hght-coloured clay, twenty-tliree feet ui tliickness, in which are embedded boulders and pebbles of hmestone ; the whole overlaid by about eight inches of vegetable mould, and clothed by a forest of balsam- spruce, tamarack, ;md j^oplur. Tlie surface of tliis plateau II II 3 470 ASSINNIBOINK AND SASK.\TCnEWAN EXPEDITION. continues nearly le\el as far as the lower end of the portage, where the top of the rock is 25*36 feet above the surface of the water, and about the same height above the lower plateau. The lower plateau continues some distance fmther down, but is soon hidden by drift clay- banks, which, at the foot of the rapid, have an altitude of twenty to thirty feet above the water. It is not improbable that the Grand Eapid is the result of the eroding influence of the great body of water in the river, upon the rock through which it flows— the Hnie- stone being of a crumblhig and yielding natm^e. At a remote period, the water of the Saskatchewan was per- haps lowered fi^om the top of this rock formation, by a perpendicular cataract ; the precipitous leap most pro- bably began at the lower end of the portage, or at the eastern hmit of the highest hmestone plateau, from whence the river gradually wore away the rock, at the same time diminishing the height of the fall, until it became a foanung rapid from beginning to end. The upper portion of the Grand Eapid — of which I succeeded in getting a sketch — presents a scene that strikes the beholder with wonder and admu-ation. The great body of water that has been steahng along, swiftly but silently, for many miles, appears to be suddenly imbued with hfe — the ripphng of the river becoming gradually more turbulent, until the tumultuous siu-ges grow into huge, roUing billows, crested with foam, hke waves in a tempestuous sea. The great rollers and breakers seem, to the spectator, to be continually changing in shape and appearance, owing to the lines of surf and the pecuhar coloiu- of the water; but although the mighty cataract thus appears to be for ever changing, it really rolls on for ever the same. The ascent of the Grand Eapid is one of tlie most k ASCENT OF THE GRAND RAPID. 471 laborious duties that has to be performed on a boat voyage from Lake Winnipeg to the Saskatcliewan district. The Hon. Hudson's Bay Company's brigades surmount this fearful interruption to the upward navigation of the Saskatchewan in the folio vvmg way : On arriving at the foot of the rapid, every boat discharges one-half of its cargo of four to live tons. Thus lightened, they are then " tracked" (towed) up to the begimung of the portage — the whole of the crew of six or eight voyageurs, with the exception of the bowsman and steersman who remain in the boat, beino; enfjao'ed in the labour of trackinjx. Each "COD O man is attached to the tracking-hne by a leather belt, or portage-strap, passing round his body ; and harnessed in this manner they drag the boat along, running nnd scrambling barefooted over the slippeiy and jagged rocks at the sides of the cataract. When the lower end of the portage is reached, the boat is emptied, and " run" back again to the foot of the raj^id, and from thence haided up as before, with tlie remainder of its load. The whole of the lading is then carried over the portage, exclusive of fifteen pieces, or about 1,350 lbs., which is left in the boat. Witli this ballast, the boat is pulled across to tlie south side of the rapid, to be tracked u]:), as the towing- path is better there than on the north side. In con- sequence of the rapidity and violence with which the upper portion of the rapid flows, in ascending it, it is necessary to employ the "main line," — a much thicker and stronger rope than is generally used for tracking To this line the crews of one or two boats are lashed, and thus they run along the top of the cliffs of limestone, — there being no footing at the bottom of these walls of rock — hauhug the heavy craft up the surging cascades. The utmost strength of the bowsman, witli his pole, and the steersman, witli liis long sweep oar, is required, to 11 II 4 472 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. prevent the boat from being clashed to pieces among the rocks. Small brigades, feebly manned, often haul their boats over the portage. The portage road bears evidence of this, as it is deeply scored and furrowed by the keels of boats from beginning to end. The boats used by the Hudson's Bay Company are built at the principal posts of the various districts. They are heavy, and strongly built, but last only about three years, having to undergo such severe strains and hard usage in the rapids and on the portages on the routes followed. They are of the whale-boat build, about thirty feet long and six broad, sharp fore and aft, w^itli flat floors, which make them very leewardly. Although the Grand Eapid is the most serious obstacle that the Company's boats have to encounter, it is not the only difficulty they meet with on the Saskatchewan. The whole ascent of the river is one of labour and fatigue. The current is so swift — as the name of the river is well known to imply — that the voyageurs would track nearly all the way to the Eocky Mountains, if the banks of the river would allow" ; but where the river passes through marshes and swamps, they have no alternative but to pull against the current, however strong it may happen to be. Before finally determining upon any works or measures for overcoming the Grand Eapid, in order to render the whole of the Saskatchewan na\agable for steam vessels fi^om Lake Winnipeg, without interruption ; it would be necessary to make a more extensive and elaborate survey ; but probably sufficient information and data have been acquu^d during this reconnaissance from which schemes might be devised, and suggestions offered, for surmounting the difficulty. To navigate the Saskatchewan at ]:)resent, a steamer would evidently have either to be built above MODE OF IMPROVING THE GRAND RAPID. 473 the rapid, liauled over the portage, or " warped " up the rapid itself. Seeing that the Company's hirge bateaux are hauled up the rapid by manual labour, it does not seem impracticable for an empty steamboat, with engines of great power, to ascend it, by the aid of hawsers and guy-ropes stretched from the steamer to the land, using, along with capstans, the motive power of the steamer as far as available. But in any case, unless a canal Avere constructed, a transhipment of cargo bound upwards would have to take place, whether there were steamers plying above and below the rapid, or whether steamers were forced up the rapid ; so that it would be necessary to construct a good road or tramway on the present hne of portage. The featm^es of the country in the vicinity of the Grand Eapid are very favourable for a road, and even for a settlement, as the banks of the river are high, with a considerable depth of good soil, from the second rapid east of Cross Lake to near Lake Winnipeg. There is also abundance of timber for fuel and building. From the foot of the Grand Eapid, the Saskatchewan flows with a pretty strong current, in a northerly direction till it enters Lake Winnipeg. Its mouth has a mdth of about twenty-eight chains, and is a little over two miles below the lower end of the rapid. ( )]i the coast of Lake Winnipeg, immediately east of the mouth of the Saskat- chewan, there are several deep and narrow bays, or estuaries, marshy at their inner extremities, and separated by narrow points or spits of gravel, by which it seems not improbable the Saskatchewan entered the lake at some period of its existence, and that north-easterly gales and shoves of ice have driven up these barriers, and caused the river to excavate new outlets. We visited an Lidian encampment on the north bank of the river, n little below the foot of the ra})i(l, in the 474 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. expectation of procuring some sturgeon, but were unsuc- cessful — the fishery carried on here by the Indians ha\ing failed tliis year. This encampment of two lodges was the only one we saw on the main Saskatche- wan. It liad been a larger camp, but eight families had just left it, previous to our arrival, for their Avinter quarters at the Little Saskatchewan. They are Swampy Lidians, and generally mnter at Fairford, whence they proceed m summer to the Grand Eapid ; where, by assistmg in dragging the boats and portaging, they get a small recompence m the shape of tea, tobacco, or pemmican. They occupy the time between the arrivals of the different brigades of boats, hi catcliing and drying fish, and generally leave after the last fleet has passed up in the autumn. We entered Lake Winnipeg at sunset, and camj^ed not far from the mouth of tlie Saskatchewan, upon a narrow spit of gravel, separated from the wooded shores by a marsh. The night was clear and beautiful, and the lake wonderfully calm. From our bivouac, where we lay with cramped hmbs outstretched on the shingle-beach, could be seen the great headland " Kitchi-nashi," vanish- ing away to the south-east in the far distant liorizon. A view very extensive and beautiful, but which betokened many hours of paddhng and trackmg out of the direct com-se to Eed Eiver. To the east and north the only hmit to om- gaze was the dim horizon of the great lake Avhich lay tranquiUy outspread before us like an luu'uffled sea. 475 CHAP. XXII. FRCM THE GRAND RAriD OF THE SASKiVTCIIEWAX TO THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENTS vid THE WEST COAST OF LAKE WINNIPEG. Enter Lake Winnipeg. — Cape Kitclii-nashi. — Stonns. — Detained on an Island. — Windbound on the Mainland. — Tempest. — Repulsed by the Wind. — Character of the Coast : the Sand Beaches and Swamps. — War Path Kiyer. — ^\^rifying Eate of Canoe. — Indians. — Tracking. — Limestone Point. — Encountering a head Wind and Stonn. — Lightening Canoe.— Stai-v'ing Indians. — The Little Saskatchewan.— The Prominent Features of the Coast. — Formation of Cape Kitchi-nashi.— Limestone Exposures. — Tributaiy Streams. — General Character of the Countrj'. — Indians and Fishery at Little Saskatchewan. — Indian Chart. — Inaccuracy of the Maps of the Lake. — Depart from the Little Saskatchewan.— Windbound again for three Days. — Provisions exhausted. — Contrary Winds. — Driven back and stopped. — The Cat Head. — Windbound again by a Ilumcane. — Earner of Boulders. — Eagle. — Stopped by foul Winds again at the Wicked Pomt.— Pike Head and Eiver.— Indian Fishing- Weir.— Opportune Supply of Fish. — Wide Traverse to Grindstone Point. — Grassy Narrows. — Sandy Bar. — An-ive at the Settlements. — Conclusion. MR. FLEMING'S NARRATIVE (continued). It was on tlie evening of Sunday the 22nd August, 1858, that we ghdedfrom the mouth of the Saskatchewan mto Lake Winnipeg, but our voyage tlu'ougli this great inland sea was not fairly begun until the followuig niorn- mg, when we embarked at an early hour (4.20 a.m.) in our httle canoe. Being favoured with a light breeze for a few hours we reached the neck of the great promontory, Cape Kitchi-nashi, about noon. From the mouth of the Saskatchewan to this point the coast trends to the south- east, and is indented in a remarkable manner by a series of deep bays <)f every sliape and size. As il Avnuld re- 476 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. quire unlimited time and resoin-ces to penetrate into every sinuosity of the coast, we generally steered straight from point to point, altliough in doing so some long traverses had to be made. The northern coast-Hne of the promontory being nearly straight with fine sand-beaches, affording tolerably good footing, we tracked along the sliore for the remainder of the day; although this was hard enough work, the men were glad to avail themselves of it, as a change or reUef from paddling. By workmg fifteen liours to-day we were enabled to camp at the extreme point of the headland, where, tlie night beuig favourable, the magnetic variation of 15° E. was observed. Tlie Ojibways call this cape " Kitchi-nashi," and the Swampys " Missineo," both names signifying "Big Point." By some it is called "The Detour." August 24ith. — A fine morning, the lake quite calm. After doubhng the cape we overtook eight small canoes containing the band of Indians (Swampy Crees) who left the Grand Eapid on Sunday, 22nd. In a short time a hght breeze sprang up, and by hoisting a ]:)lanket we sailed at a pretty good rate for some hours. About 2 p. jr. the wind began to increase in strength and turned suddenly against us, so that we had to run in behind a low point of sand and gravel for slielter. Altliousjh the wind still continued Ifio-h we started again and made a traverse to a small sand island on which we were obliged to remam, being then over two miles from the main land, and the storm having increased in violence. A storm of wind soon raises a very lieavy sea on Lake Wmnipeg on account of its little depth of water. The island on whicli we were detamed is one of the Gull-egg group, which, with a point of sand protruding IVom tlie main land, forms a ])retty good harbour on the STORM ON LAKE WINNIPEG. 477 south side of the neck of the great promontory. The Indians were nearly destitute of provisions, and followed us to the island, where they fortunately got a plentiful supply of eggs and yoinig gulls ; but having httle ammu- nition, they brought down only a few old ones, although they hovered in countless numbers over the island, scream- ing at the wliolesale destruction of their young brood. August 2bth. — The storm raged all night, and tliis morning we foimd ourselves smTOunded by a foaming sea on a low island of sand about 100 yards in length, and so narrow that the spray from the breakers dashed completely over it. The gale blew hard from the east till about noon, when it began to subside ; I then deter- mined upon starting on our course, but, seeing a thunder- storm approaching, decided upon taking dinner before making the attempt. It Avas well that we did so, because just as we were hastily swallowing our meal of pemmican, the thimder-storm, accompanied by strong wind and heavy rain, burst upon us with great violence. Some of the Indians were endeavouring to reach the next island in the line of traverse, but had to abandon the attempt and drive before the gale to the main-land, three miles off. The storm soon abating again, avc crossed to the next island and thence to the main-shore ; and after coasting along for some miles, encamped on a sandy point, where we found a small clump of poplar and spruce. August 2()th. — Last night the Xorthern Lights or Aurora Boreahs were unusually brilliant, darting and playing about with extraordinary rapidity in all directions, sometimes extending to the zenith and sometimes to the south of it. The voyageurs said they portended a coming storm, and tlieir prognostications proved correct. The night was clear with a bright moon till about midnight, when a cold north-westerly wind nrosc, followed in a 478 ASSINNIBOIXH AND SASKATCHEWAN' EXPEDITIOX. very short time by a stormy sea. The gale soon veered round to the north increasing to a perfect hurricane, and during the day the hike was white in all directions with breakers and foam. A heavy surf breaking along the coast and tearing away large portions of the bank on which we were camped, warned us to move our canoe and lading back from the shore ; yet, notwithstanding every precaution, some of our paddles and poles were swept away dming the night. A large marsh being in our rear we could retire but a few yards from the raging lake to wait for the abatement of the storm. August 21th. — After midnight the wind began to decrease gradually, and by daybreak it had so far sub- sided as to permit us to continue our voyage. By break- fastmg at a point where we found an outcrop of lime- stone I was enabled to procure some fossils. This, tlie first rock exposure observed since leaving the Saskat- chewan, is apparently the termination of a ridge running at right angles to the coast-line, and bounded on either side by marsh and swamp. The top of the rock is ten feet above the surface of the lake, and is covered by a stratum of boulders and drift two feet in thickness, supporting- small poplar, tamarack, spruce, birch, and Banksian pine ; there are only six feet of the limestone exliibited, the remaining fom^ feet being concealed by a talus of boulders and debris. The high w^ater-mark of tlie lake reaches to the top of the talus. A contrary wind arising about noon detamed us four hours at the mouth of a creek, which we ascended a short distance. Tlie entrance, or where the creek cuts through the sand-beach enclosing a marsh, is one chain ivide ; witliui the sand-beach the creek expands into a deep pond thirty chains in diameter, surrounded by a marsh ; this pond is fed by the inner portion of the creek, a broad and WAR-PATH RIVER. 479 sluggish stream five feet deep, meandering tlirongli a tamarack swamp. It is reported by the Indians to have its source a lono; distance inland. As there is but one and a half to two feet of water over the bar this could only be used as a harbour for boats. It is about lialf-way between the Gidl Islands and War-Path Eiver. We set off again after the wind liad moderated a littk% but were compelled to camp in an hour and a half in the lee of a point, on the weather side of which an adverse wind was blowing hard, driving before it a heavy sea. Being thus repulsed again by the wind, I du^ected my attention to the character of the coast in tlie vicinity of our bivouac. Along the shore there extends a long straight sand-beach, sixty feet wide and arched hke a road- Avay ; on the inner side of tliis beach there is a tamarack and black spruce swamp, with a bottom of black nnick and moss two feet m thickness, covered with Avater. This " muskeg," is said to continue for a great distance back. By leveling I found the surfoce of the water in the swamp to be only eight inches liigher than the lake ; and as the crown of the sand beacli is only four and a half feet above the level of the water, and is covered with diift- wood, it is e\ddent that the lake washes into the marsh during high water. Leaving camp at 4.30 a.m., August 28th, w^e readied the mouth of War-Path Eiver at 1 p.m. Tlie Indians say this river rises in lakes, and draining a groat extent of swampy country, is very large in spring. There are three feet of water over the bar at its mouth ; the channel at the entrance is contracted hi summer by tlie sand to a widtli of forty feet, with an average depth of four feet ; within the entrance there is a basin thirty chains broad, forming a boat harbour of easy access. After tracking for several liours along straight sand- 480 ASSINMBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. beaches, which separate marshes from the lake, we camped nearly opposite Caribou Island, on a coast similar to that which we left in the morning. The Indians came up with us, and erected their lodges in our neighbourhood. They were now quite friendly, but at first their chief and prin- cipal men looked upon us with suspicion, especially while noting or making any observations. They seemed to be under the impression that there was something going on which would ultimately deprive them of their country. The failure of their summer fishery at the Grand Kapid had rendered them badly off for provisions, and the only food they could get on this inhospitable coast was an occasional gull. Whoever had the good fortune to obtain one of these sea-birds was soon surrounded l^y a group of Indian children, watching with anxious eyes for the intestines of the animal, which they threw upon a fire for a few^ minutes, and then ate apparently with great rehsh. Aiuiu.'^t 2Qth. — Eml)arking this morning at daylight, we reached Limestone Point about eleven o'clock, after making a traverse of tliree miles against a strong head ■wind. On this jioint there is a very fine exposure of light-coloured limestone, containing numerous fossils, some of Avhich I succeeded in procuring. The outcrop on the point is fourteen feet in thickness above the lake, in mas- sive horizontal layers, overlaid by two and a half feet of di^ift and fragments of limestone that have evidently been broken up by ice. This headland is the abrupt termi- nation of a narrow ridge, of limestone clothed with aspen, spruce, and bircli ; it is about two miles long, running nearly north and south. On the west side of it is Portage Bay, so called by the Indians, as they sometimes make a portage from the foot of it, across the neck of the point. INDIAN C.\NOES ON LAKE AVINNIPEG. 481 After remaiuiiig here about two hours we proceeded on oui^ joiu'uey. On rounding the point we found the whid on the east side of it blowing dh'ectly in our teeth, and it requu^ed the utmost exertions for two houi's to force the canoe against a high gale and stormy sea, until we got uito the lee of a small island, it being impossible to land on the main shore. The canoe leaked aiKl shipped so much water during this traverse, that m order to hgliten her we were compelled to throw overboard some of the hea\ier of our geological specimens. It was with great regret I saw one of them, a very large and fine orthoceratite, consigned to the deep. On the island we found part of the Indian band, but the greater portion were hurrying on to the Little Sas- katchewan to get fish, as they had nothing to eat. We saw them in the distance, batthng against the wind and sea, their httle canoes hke specks tossmg among the swells and breakers. The occupants of some of the canoes were only women and children ; one canoe was paddled by two Indian women and two little boys eight or mne years of age ; they, especially, would have hard work in reaching the mouth of the river. The Indians remauiing on the island were chiefly the more feeble of the 'party, and being ravenously hungry they were all in the marshes busily engaged hi pulling up and eating the roots of buh'ushes. The storm increased towards evemng, and we were obhged to camp on the island om^selves. August oOth. — Although the unfavourable wuid had diminished but httle this mornmg, we phed our paddles so well, and made such good headway agahist it, that we entered tlie mouth of the Little Saskatchewan or Daupliin Eiver about 11 a.m. We tracked up the river to the Indian encampment, about four miles from its mouth, for the purpose of procuring fish, and found the Indians at VOL. I. I I 482 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. the rapids scooping large numbers of excellent white-fish from the eddies. It would perhaps be as well to give here a short re- capitulation of the character and general topography of the west coast of the lake between the main Saskatche- wan and the Little Saskatchewan. The distance from the mouth of the Main to the mouth of the Little Saskatchewan, by oiu* track along the coast, or by the course that canoes or row-boats would be hkely to pursue is about 140 miles ; but the distance by the coast-hne embracing every sinuosity of the shore is much greater. The most prominent feature ia the hue of coast is the great headland, Cape Kitchi-nashi. This immense promon- tory begins to stretch out into the lake in a direction a few degrees north of east, about fifteen miles south of the Sas- katchewan. Its extreme point is about twenty-four miles in an ak fine from the general hne of the coast, and its width varies from three to six miles and upwards ; its neck is indented by several deep bays, some of which might be available as harbours or roadsteads. The for- mation of the cape is pecuhar ; it is very low and flat on the north side, while on its southern boundary the coast is comparatively high and abrupt. Its northern side con- sists of a series of marshes separated from the lake by a narrow sand-beach, and these marshes gradually blend into a tamarack and spruce swamp. Along the south side of the cape there is a contiauous escarpment of hght- coloured ' clay, twenty- five to forty feet high, yet even on the top of these high banks the character of the land is of the poorest description, being nothing but a " muskeg " or trembhng swamp, containuig a thin growth of very scrubby tamarack and spruce, covered with di'oopiug moss. a\rE KITCIII-XASIII. 483 The extremity or apex of the promontory is a very low and broad sand-beach covered witli water-worn boul- ders ; the lake is also dotted with boulders a long way out from the shore, there being a sand-bar or continuation of the point mider water, on which they rest. From the size and position of the cape, and the dangerous shoals extending out from it, if beacons or Hghthouses are ever required on the lake for the safety and convenience of shipping, no more suitable place could be selected for the erection of one than here. The coast north-west of the cape, as already stated, is very low, and much broken by deep and narrow bays. From Cape Kitchi-nashi to the Little Saskatchewan tlie coast trends generally to the south-east. Between these points limestone is exposed in six places. The exposiures are the precipitous extremities of ridges, forming points at intervals along the coast. The stratification in every instance is horizontal, but the escarpments vary in height above the lake ; they increase m altitude from fom^ to fourteen feet towards the south. These ridges are gene- rally wooded with aspen and other deciduous trees ; and the swamps mtervening are timbered with tamarack and spruce ; some of the spruce near the coast are pretty large. Between the ridges, low sand-beaches extend along the coast. These beaches separate ponds and open marshes, averaging from a quarter to one mile wide, from the lake ; m the rear of the marshes is the great tamarack and spruce swamp, or " muskeg." The tributary streams in this part of the coast are not numerous, and they are generally of no great size. The chief are the Gull-Egg Eivers or the Two Elvers, the War-Path River, Jumpmg Eiver, and one or two others without name ; they are not in themselves large, but their estuaries might be available as harbours for boats. I I 2 484 ASSINNIBOI^^E AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. The character of the countiy exhibited on the coast extends ahnost an unlimited distance back ; indeed the Indians report the whole of the country between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Winnipego-sis as one vast " muskeg " — tlie great moose hunting-grounds of the Swampys. Although the country here described is quite unfit for agricultm^al puqooses, it is not altogether valueless ; there are large areas of good timber along the coast, available for fuel, and the hmestone cropping out at the various pomts is well adapted for builduig. A person ascending or descending the Little Saskat- chewan would be greatly deceived in relation to the character of the country through which this rapid river flows, if he were to judge by the appearance of its banks without penetrating beyond. I made a section of the river and its excavated bed at the Lidian encampment, about three and a half miles from its mouth. At this place the river was 360 feet broad, foiu- and a half feet deep, and ran over a stony bottom. Its banks were from twenty-five to thirty-five feet high, composed of hght-colom^ed clay, holding boulders and pebbles of Hmestone. Along the margin of these banks there was a zone of taU poplars, extendimr about 300 feet back fi-om the face of the bank. This narrow strip of good timber and land soon blended into a great muskeg or tamarack and spruce swamp. This swamp consisted of dead and dwarfish tamaracks covered with pendant moss, and strugghng through several feet of wet and trembhng moss and black mould, through which a pole could be shoved for several feet. The Indians were catching very fine wliite-fish in large quantities at this point with httle trouble. The river seemed to be crowded with them. At various places along the brink of the stream, enclosures of stones were constructed, beside which an Indian stood with a large scoop-net attached to a pole, filling the stone enclosiU"e INDIAN HOSPITALITY. 485 from time to time as he scooped them from the eddies in his vicinity. The excellence and abnndance of these white-fish, and the proximity of this locahty to tlie salt reo-ion, together with the facilities for water communica- tion, may lead to the estabhslnnent of a fishery here on an extensive scale. The Indians were cming the fish without salt, by sphtthig them very tliin and drying them in the sun. We were in\^ted into one of the tents to partake of some fish whicli they had cooked for us. A large birch- bark dish of fish was set before us, the whole of which we had to eat, accoixling to Indian custom, not to give offence to our entertainers. As an extra mark of favour, an old feUow in a very dirty blanket strewed a few grains of black-lookin-g salt over my portion. This salt he carried beneath his belt in a piece of birch-bark. Being without a guide I got one of the Little Saskat- chewan Indians to draw me a map of the lake between Bushkega Islands and Grassy Narrows, showing tlie tra- verses and route to be taken between the islands in order to cross the great arms of the lake, Fisher Bay and Washow Bay. This Indian chart was of great service to us ; the best and most recent maps of the lake to which I had access being so incorrect : on them the general con- tour of the coast north of the Little Saskatchewan is tolerably well delineated, but to the coast north and south of the Dog's Head Straits they bear veiy httle resem blance ; tlie large islands are omitted altogether, and the Great Black Island is represented as forming the ex- tremity of a promontory on the mainland between two bays. From the bcguming, om' canoe was very weak, the bark bemg of the poorest description and Ixadly put together, and having now become quite frail I tried to barter witli I I 3 486 ASSINNIBOIXE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. one of the Lidians for a new and stronger one ; but, taking advantage of our situation, he placed upon it a much greater vahie than I felt inclined to give. Having made sections of the river, and examined the country bordering the Little Saskatchewan, we left it on the 31st of August, but were detained the greater part of the day on a point only a few miles from the mouth of the river, by unfavourable wind and in consequence of the sickness of Louis, our steersman, who, being a pretty old man, was disabled from over exertion in the storm on Sunday. On the 1st of September, while sailing with a side wind across the mouth of a deep bay, in which there was rather a heavy sea rolling, a large swell broke over us, throwing in a great deal of water, and from the evening of the 1st of September until the mornmg of the 5th we were windbound on a low marshy pomt on the north-east side of the great bay into which the Little Saskatchewan empties. The spot on which we were imprisoned is very much circumscribed, being a narrow sand-beach, about a chain in length, and bounded on three sides by an exten- sive marsh. During the three days that the storm lasted the wind blew a hurricane from the KN.W., raising a tremendous sea on the lake, and the surf beating along the shore, washed away several yards of the sand-beach on which we were encamped. The weather was clear the first day, but on the second and third days it rained almost incessantly, and it was then for tlie first time on our voyage that we really felt the want of a sufficiency of food, as our stock of provisions was reduced to a few pounds of rather mouldy pemmican, which I determined to eke out as long as possible, being still a great distance from Eed Eiver (upwards of 170 miles by the canoe route), and with that object in view we made it a rule to eat only one meal a day while we were windbound, unless we IXD1A^^ FISH PEMMICAX. 487 were fortunate enough to procure some additional food, in the shape of wild fowl or other animals. We suc- ceeded in getting a grey gull on the second day, on which we made an excellent repast. On the morning of the 5th, just before we started, an Indian and family from the Dog's Head came to us, they had been windbound seven days on an island not far from where we were, they said they never saw such a continu ous succession of winds and storms on the lake before, and uiformed us that a freeman's boat which passed dur- ing the night had been thirty days between Eed Eiver and the Saskatchewan, a distance that has been accom- phshed by a boat, with a favourable wind, in three days. After bartering with this Lidian for a small " rogan " of fish pemmican (diied fish pounded and mixed with stur- geon oil), we proceeded on our journey, glad to get away from the dreary spot. Although there was still a heavy retarding ground-swell on the lake, we paddled many miles before halting. On stopping to cook breakfast we were greatly disappointed to find that the fish pemmican which we were so thankful to get, was nearly all rotten, there being only a small portion on the top that could be eaten, the remainder had to be thro^\Ti away. A contrary ^vuld freshened up again about noon, but we continued struggling against it, until in attempting to round a point we were completely diiven back, and nar- rowly escaped foundering among the huge swells and breakers that dashed high over the boulders extending out from the beach ; we saved the canoe by jumping into the surf and throwing the lading rapidly ashore. As soon as we got everything out of tlie reach of the waves that were dashing their spray over the dripping shingle beach into the swamp behind, I sent the Ojibway off into the marshes to try to procure us some food. Not I 1 4 488 ASSINNIBOIXE AXD SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. making his appearance at night-fall I despatched the Blackfoot in search of him ; they both returned very late, having wandered many miles along the coast, but brought nothing with them. The Blackfoot half-breed (wlio had received missionary instruction at Eed Eiver) attributed the Ojibway's want of success to the fact of his hunting on Sunday. Embarking at daylight on the 6th we reached the Cat Head at 2 p.m., after a hard paddle against an adverse wind and rough sea. This bold headland consists of a perpendicular escarpment of buff-coloured limestone m The Cat Head, Lake Winnipeg. massive horizontal layers, the top strata overhanging the base ; the summit of the rock is thirty to thirty-five feet above the lake, and is covered with drift and boulders to the depth of three feet, on which grow scrubby poplar, spruce, and tamarack. The water is quite deep up to the foot of the chff, and as no landing can therefore be effected, I was unable to make a minute examination of the rock. There is a series of low, arched caverns in the base of the cliff, in which the wa\ es and swells washing to and fro make a singular hollow noise, and for tliis reason tlie Indians tliink it is the abode of a manitou. THE CAT HEAD, LAKE WINNIPEG. 489 Some of the Swampys say Cat Head is so named because an Indian hunter was killed there by faUing over the precipice while chasing a "\vild-cat or lynx. The pro- file of the upper, or overhanging portion of the cliff, bears a singular resemblance to the "cat-head" of a ship. The wdnd becoming more foul we were compelled to camp on a point about a mile and half south-east of the Cat Head, at the extremity of the north-western side of Ejnwow (Long) Bay. During the next day (7th September) the wind blew hard from the east, and the waves on the lake rolled mountains high, so that we could not venture out, having a long traverse before us. The narrow point or penin- sula upon which we were detained, is of a pecuHar cha- racter, consisting of a straight barrier or ridge of boulders about three-quarters of a mile long, running at right angles to the coast, and connecting it with a small area or island of Hmestone a few feet high ; this barrier re- sembles very much a railway embankment, or a rip-rap breakwater ; although it is twenty to twenty-five feet high, the waves w\ash over it during the great storms on the lake in the fall of the year. A spruce tree growing on this peninsula has been trimmed into a " lopstick," by Angus Macbeth, from which the locahty has derived the name of Macbeth's point. There are also two high cairns of stones on the point, but whether they were erected by the Indians, or by half-bre(?ds I did not ascertain. The mornincT of the 8th dawned, but there still seemed to be Uttle chance of our getting off, and our prospects now began to look cheerless enough ; we liad but a handful of pemmican and one charge of ammunition left ; while dehberating whether to eat the last remnant of oiu: food, a bald-headed eagle came wheeUng in great circles over us ; he poised himself for an instant as if about to descend 490 ASSINXIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. upon his prey, when he was fortunately brought down with our last cliarge of shot. He proved to be a large bird with magnificent plumage ; a Cree or Blackfoot would have given a good horse for his wings or tail. By eating nearly every portion of the animal, except his fea- thers, we managed to make him serve for two or three meals. The wind moderated sufficiently at last to permit us to resume our journey, but we had a fatiguing paddle for two hours in crossing Kinwow Bay. The extremity of this long arm of the lake was below our horizon, and the wind came sweeping out of it in great squalls. The wind veered round to the east and stopped us again about noon at the Wicked Point, where we spent the afternoon in drying our clothes and blankets, and gather- ing sand cherries. September 10th. — The wind fell and allowed us to reach Pike Head yesterday morning. We at once ascended the Pike or Jack-Fish Eiver to the "basket" or weir erected across it by the Indians, about half a mile from its mouth, for the piu-pose of procuring fish. The basket was much broken, and when we arrived, was covered with turkey-buzzards waiting to pounce on any fish that might get entangled in its meshes. By repairing the basket and watching it all night we caught an abun- dance of fish of four species, viz. gold-eyes, wall-eyed pike, suckers, and pike. It rained without intermission during the day, and as the wind continued unfavour- able we remained at the basket, gutting fish to take with us. We generally boiled our fish, making use of the liquor m which they were cooked as a substitute for tea ; and having succeeded in capturing a small badger, by pouring water into his burrow, we got sufficient fat or oil to enable us to have fried fish occasionally. FISH WEIRS AND TRAPS. 491 The Indians catch iish by means of these weirs or traps in large numbers, and this mode of capture is practised by most of the North American tribes ; the traps varying in construction according to tlie locahty or the ingenuity of those by whom they are erected. The one by Avhich we w^ere fortunately enabled to procure a supply of fish at the Pike Eiver consisted of a fence of poles, stretcliing from one side of the river to the other ; they were sloping in the direction of the current, like the inside of a mill-dam, and allowed the water to pass through but not the fish. Near the river bank, on one side, there was an opening in the weir about a yard in "vvidth to allow the fish descending the river to pass into a rectan- gidar box, with a grated bottom sloping upwards, through wliich the water flowed and left the fish diy. The fish very seldom entered this pound in dayhght, but during the night they poured m in great numbers. In order to secure aU that come into the trap when it is prepared for catching fish, an Indian sits beside it aU night with a wooden mallet in his hand, with which he strikes the larger fish on the head to prevent them jumpmg out. He is kept busily employed pitching them out on the bank, and in the mornmg there is a large heap for the women to clean and cut up. The fish came into the trap almost as fast as we could pitch them out, and we caught in a short time 111 gold eyes, 44 wall-eyed pike (caUed perch by the half-breeds), 16 sucking carp (or suckers), and 11 pike, makhig 182 altogether. The average width of the Pike Eiver is about a chain ^ and its depth about five feet, with a moderate current ; its banks half a mile from its mouth are of light-coloured clay five to ten feet high, and covered with a rich dark mould, supporting a thick growth of aspen, spruce, tama- rack, birch, and balsam. Near the basket there is an old log-house, formerly a missionary station, but now aban- 492 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN" EXPEDITION. donecl. Wlien tlie Indians come to fish here, they cut up the flooring and timber of this house for fuel, instead of avaihng themselves of its shelter. SeiJtemher ll^A.— Having stowed away as many fish as we could find room for in the canoe, we left the Jack- Fish Eiver in the morning, and bemg favoured with a fair wind, sailed without stopping till dark, when we camped on a small island in the entrance to Fisher Eay. On Sunday the 12 th we had to encounter a brisk contrary wind from the south, but, by working sixteen hours against it, and making some wide traverses between the islands, we succeeded in reaching the point opposite Dog's Head, at the beginning of the narrows, before niglit set in. By starting at daylight and saihng along the east coast of the lake on the* 13th we got in sight of the Grind- stone Pomt about 2 p.m., when we set out on a longer and more dangerous traverse than any we had yet accom- phshed. We had to cross from the east coast of the lake to the Grindstone Point on the west coast, a distance of about twelve miles. From the shape of the lake with its many deep and broad bays this great traverse is unavoid- able. Wlien we started from the east side of the lake, the high escarpment of rock forming the point seemed quite low and blue in the distance. By spreading a blanket we were assisted for a while by a side wind ; but the whid soon changed and fi'eshened, so that we had to lower sail and ply our paddles with all our strength until reaching the point, nearly four liours from the time we left the east shore. Taking advantage of a little moon- hght, which enabled us to coast along a straight shore after dark, we did not stop to camp till arriving at the Little Grindstone Point. The east coast of the lake from the Dog's Head to where we left it to cross to Grindstone Point, consists of a succession of knolls or low domes of granite and gneiss rising generally eight to ten feet above the EAST COAST OF LAKE WINNIPEG. 493 water, and clothed on their flanks with a scrubby growth of timber, chiefly Banksian pine, spruce, and a few aspen ; there are, generally, ponds and swamps between the granite knolls, and the coast hne is much broken by deep inlets and small well-sheltered bays, forming excel- lent harbom*s and coves for boats. The' east coast, north and south of the straits, is described as being similar to this ; abounding in harbours, and for this reason it is the route by which boats invariably go to York Factory, and generally to tlie Saskatchewan. Opposite the mouth of Great Washow (Deep) Bay there is an inlet or passage called Loon's Straits, formerly a canoe route of the old North- West Company. There is always more or less current through the narrows of the lake at the Dog's Head. This current is sometimes flowing north and sometimes south, the direction depending upon the pre- vailing du^ection of the wind. By making an early start on the 14th, and creeping along m the shelter of the land, we were enabled to dine at Grassy Narrows. Although oiu* fish had not improved any since leaving Pike Eiver, we always possessed keen appetites, and were now by no means fastidious. Saihng from Grassy Narrows across a bay into which Wliite-Mud Eiver empties, we arrived at the Sandy Bar a Httle after dark and camped. September loth. — The wind and weather bemg favour- able to-day, by working fifteen and a half hoiu-s, we reached the marsh near the mouth of Eed Eiver about dark. We found an Indian encamped on the sand-beach hunting; the ducks which are m comitless numbers in these marshes at this season. He had kiUed 100 "stock" ducks dm'ing the day, and generously gave us a liberal supply. We reached the Stone Fort about dark on the 16th September, where I succeeded in procming a horse, and 404 ASSINNIBOITTE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. left the men to track the canoe up the river. A ride of twelve miles brought me to the middle of Selkirk Settle- ment, and by 11 p.m. I was in oiu" old quarters, after a canoe voyage of forty-eight days in aU ; nine of which were occupied in descending from the Elbow of the South Branch of the Saskatchewan to Fort k la Corne, fourteen from thence to the mouth of the Saskatchewan, and twenty-five days in traversing Lake Winnipeg. The whole distance traveled and explored in canoe is over 940 miles ; 600 of which beuig down the Saskatche- wan, and 340 miles open lake navigation. In performing this latter part of the journey with a httle frail canoe, heavily laden, we were completely windbound for twelve days, and had to contend nearly all the time we were moving with boisterous head winds, foul weather, and a hand to mouth sustenance. This will, in some measure, account for the slow rate of progress we umvilhngly made through Lake Winnipeg. I must take this oppor- timity of bearing testimony to the unwearied labour, patient endurance, and unflinching devotion of my two voyageurs. Their conduct wliile they were my com- panions, for nearly two months was beyond aU praise ; and they sustained hardships and risks of no ordinary description without a murmur. Very truly yours, John Fleming. H. Y. Hind, Esq. &c. &c. &c. END OF THE FIKST VOLUME. LONDON PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AM) CO. NF.W-SinEET SQUARE. LIST OF BOOKS OF TRAVELS. OEVEN YEARS' RESIDENCE in the GREAT DESERTS ^^ of NORTH AMERICA. Bv the Abb(5 Domenech, Author of "Missionary Adventures in Texas and Mexico." In 2 vols! 8vo. with a Map, about 60 Woodcuts, and other Illustrations, jirice 36s. cloth. 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Paternoster Row. LIST WOEKS IN GENERAL LITERATURE PUBLISHED BY MESSRS. LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, AND ROBERTS 39 Patebnosteb Row, London. CLASSIFIED INDEX Agriculture and Rural Affairs . Bav.ao:; on V;iluin3 Rents, &c. - i ' •• Road I.egl^l;aion - 4 Caird's Prairie Faimmg - - B Cecil's Stud Farm - - - 6 Hoskyns's Talpa " " " " 12 Loudon's Agriculture - - - 13 Low's Elements of Agriculture - 1' Morion on Landed Proiierty - 16 Arts, Manufactures, and Architecture. Bourne's Cateclusm of tlic Ste.un Engine - - - - * Brande's Dictionary ofScience,&c. 4 " Organic Chemistry- - 4 Cresy's Civil Engineering - - 6 Fairhairn's Informa. for Engineers 7 Gwilt'B F.ncyclo. of Architecture - 8 Harford's Plates liom M. Angelo - 8 Humphrevs's ParabUii Illummated 1 1 Jameson's Saints and M.irttrs - 11 " Monastic Or.lers - - U " Legends of Madonna - 11 " Commonplace- Book - 11 Konig's Pictoial Life of Luther - 8 Loudon's Rural Architecture - 13 MacDougall's Campaigns of Han- nib; M.icDougall's Theory of War Moseley's Engineering - - - Piesse's Art of Perfumery Richardson's Art of Horsemanship Sooifirn on Projectiles, &c. - Steam-EnBine,by the Artisan Club L're's Dictiunarj of Arls,&c. Biograpby. Arago's Lives of Scientific Men - Baifl^e's Memoir of Bate Drialmont's Wellington Bunsen's Hippolytus - - - Bunting's (Dr.) Life - Crosse's (Andrew) Memorials Green's i'rincesses of England Harford's Life of Michael Angelo- Lardner's Cabinet Cycloptedia Life of Carey, r man, and tVard Marshman's Life < ey, Marsh- Maunder's Biographical Treasury- 15 Morris's Life of Becket - - 16 Mountain's (Col.) Memoirs - - 16 Parry's (Admiral) Memoirs - - 17 Bussell's Memoirs of Mode - - 16 (Dr.) Mezzofanti - - 19 SchimmelPenninck's (Mrs.) Life - 19 Southey's Life of Wesley - - 21 Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 21 Strickland's Queens of England - 21 Sydney Smith's Memoirs - - 20 Symond's (Admiral) Memoirs - 21 Taylor's Loyola - - - - 21 " -Wesley . - - - 21 Uwins's Memoirs - - - - 23 ■Waterton's .Autobiography & Essays 24 Books of General Utility. Acton's Bread-Eook - - - .3 Cookery - - - - 3 Black'sTreatise on Brewing - - 4 Cabinet Gazetteer - - - - 5 " Lawyer . - - - 6 Cust's Invalid's Own Book - - 7 Hints on Etiquette - - - 9 Hudson's Executor's Guide - - 10 " on Making Wills - - 10 Kesteven's Domestic Medicine - 12 Lardner'8 Cabinet Cyclopsdia - 12 Loudon's Lady's Country Compa- Maunder's Treasury of Knowledge l.i '* Biograpnical Treasury \h " Geographical Treasury 15 " Scientific Treasury - 14 " Treasury of History - 15 " Natural History - - 15 Piesse's Art of Perfumery - - 18 Pitt's How to Brew Good Beer - 18 Pocket and the Stud - - - 9 Pvcroft's English Reading - - 18 Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictionary 18 Richardson's Art of Horsemanship 18 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries - - 18 Roget's English Thesauius - - 19 Rowton's Debater - - - . 19 Short Whist '20 Simpson's Handbook of Dining - 20 Thomson's Interest Tables - - 23 Webster's Domestic Economy - 24 Willich's Popular Tables - - 24 Wilmot's Blackstone - - - 24 Botany and Gardening. Hassalls British Fii-sli«ater AlgK 9 Hooker's British Flora - . - 9 " Guide to Kew Gardens - 9 Lindley's Introduction to Botany 13 '* Synopsis of the British Flora - - - - 13 " Theory of Horticulture- 13 Loudon's Hortus Britannicus - 13 '* Amateur Gardener - 13 •' Trees and Shrubs - - 13 " Gardening - - - 13 " Plants - - - 13 Pereira's Materia Medica - - 17 River.s'a Rose-Amateur's Guide - 19 ■Watson's Cybele Britaunica - 24 Wilson's British Mosses - - 24 Chronology. Brewer's Historical Atlas - - 4 Bunsen's Ancient Egypt - - 5 Haydn's Beatson's Index - - 9 Jaquemet's Chronology - - 11 " Abridged Chronology- 11 Nicolas's Chronology of History - 12 Commerce and Mercantile Affairs. Gilbart's Logic of Banking - - 8 •' Treatise on Banking - b Lorimer's Young Master Mariner - 13 M'CuUoch's Commerce* Navigation 14 Thomson's Interest Tables - - 23 Tooke's History of Piices - - 23 Criticism, History, and Memoirs. Brewer's Historical Atlas - - . 4 Bunsen's Ancient Egypt - - 6 '* Hippolytus - - - 6 Chapman's Gustavus .\dolphu8 - 6 Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul 6 Connolly 's Sappers and Miners - G Crowe's History of France - - 6 Frazer's Letters during the Penin- sular and Waterloo Campaigns 8 Gleig's Essays - - - - 8 Gurney's Historical Sketches - 8 Hayward's Essays - - - - 9 Herscliel's Essays and Addresses - 9 Jeffrey's (Lord)'E8says - - II Kemble's Anglo-Saxons - - 11 Lardner'B Cabinet Cyclopeedia - 12 Macaulay'B Crit. uid Hist. Essays 13 " History of England - 13 ** Speeches - - - 13 Mackintosh's Miscellaneous Works 14 " History of England - 14 M'CuUoch'sGeographical Dictionary 14 Maunder's Treasury of History - 15 Merivale's History of Rome - - 15 " Roman Republic - - 15 Milner's Church HiRtorv - - 15 Moore's (Thomas) Memoirs.&c. - 16 Mure's Greek Literature - - 16 Normanbv's Year 01 Revolution - 17 Perry's Franks ... .17 Porter's Knights of Malta - . 18 Raikes's Journal - - . . 18 Riddle's Latin Lexicon - 18 Rogers's Essays from Edinb. Reviewl9 " (Sam.) Recollections . 19 Roget's English Thesaurus - - 19 SchimmelPennncl's Memoiis of Port Royal - - - 19 SchimmelPenninck's Principles of Beauty, &c. . - - 19 Schmitz's History of Greece - 19 Southey's Doctor - - - - 21 Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 21 " Lectures on French History 21 Sydney Smith's Works - - - 20 " Lectures - - 21 " Memoirs - - 20 Taylor's Loyola - - - - 21 " AVesley - - - - 21 Thirlwall's Historyof Greece - 23 Turner's Anglo Saxons - - 23 Uwins's Memoirs - -23 Vehse's Austrian Court - - 23 ■Wade's England's Greatness - 23 Young's Christ of History - - -^i Geography and Atlases. Brewer's Historical Atlas . . 4 Butler's Geography and Atlases - 5 Cabinet Gazetteer - - - - 5 Johnston's General Gazetteer - n M'Culloch'sGeograpliical Dictionary 14 Maunder's Treasury of Geography 15 Murray's Encyclo. of Geography - 16 Sharp's British Gazetteer - - 20 Juvenile Books. Amy Herbert - - - - 20 Cleve Hall 20 Earl's Daughter (The) - - - 20 Experience of Life - - - 20 Gertrude . _ . - - 20 Hewitt's Boy's Country Book - 10 " (Mary) Children's Year - 10 Ivors ------ 20 Katharine Ashton • - - - 20 Laneton Paisonage - - - 20 Marg.irct Percivil - - - - 20 Piesse's rhvmieal, Natural, and Physical Magic . - - - 18 Pycrofl's Collegian's Guide - - 18 Medicine, Surgery, &c. Brodie's Psychological Inquiries - 5 Bull's Hints to Mothers - . . 5 " Managementof Children - s ** on Blindness - - - 5 Copland's Dictionary of Medicine - 6 Cust's Inralid's Own Book - - 7 Holland's MenUl Physiologv . 9 " Medical Notes and feeflect. 9 Kesteven's Domestic Medicine - 12 Pereira's Materia Medica - - 17 Rich,xrdson'8 Cold- Water Cure - 18 Spencer's Psychology - - - 21 Todd's Cyclopedia of Anatomy and Physiology - - - - 2) CLASSIFIED INDEX TO GENEEAL CATALOGUE. Miscellaneous and General latter atnre. Ilacon'i 'Lnrd) Works - - - 3 Defence of £clipse of Faith - - ; Dfe Ponblanqueon Army Adminia tiation -..,-•; Eclipse of Faith ---_■; Fischer's Bacon and Realistic Pki- losophv ----- T Greathed's Letters from Delhi - f Greyson's Select Correspondence - 6 GurneT's Evening Recreations - ( HassdU'sAdulterations Detected,&c. S Havdn's Book of Dignities - - J Holland's Mental Physiology - £ Hooker's Kew Guide - - - 9 Hewitt's Rural Life of England - IC '* Visitsto RemarkablePlacCBlt Jameson's Common place -Book - 11 Last of the Old Squires - - 17 Letters of a Bi-trothed - - - 13 Macaulay's Speeches - - - 13 Mackintosh'sMiscellaneousWorhS 14 Martineau's Miscellanies - - 14 Pycroft'8 English Reading - - 18 Rich's Comp. to Latin Dictioaary 18 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries - - 18 Rowton's Debater - - - 19 Sir Roger DeCoverley ■ - - 20 Southey's Doctor, &c. - - - 21 Spencer's Essays - - - - 21 Stow's Training Svstem - - 21 Thomson's Laws of Thought - 23 Trevelvanon the Native Languages of India 23 Willich's Popular Tables - - 21 Yonee's Enalish-Greek Lexicon - 24 ** Latin Gradus - - 24 Zumpt's Latin Grammar - - 24 Natural History in general. Agassiz on Classification - - 3 Catlow's Popular Conchology - 6 Ephemera's Book of the Salmon - 7 Garratts Marvels of Instinct - 8 Gosse's Natural History of Jamaica 8 Kirby and Spence's Entomology - 12 Lee's Elements of Natural History 12 Maunder's Natural History - - 15 Morris's Anecdotes in Natural History - - - - - 16 Quatrefages' Naturalist's Rambles 18 Stonehense on the Dog - - 21 Turton'sShellsoftbeBritishlslands 23 Van der Hoeven's Zoology - - 23 Waterton'sEssaysonNaturalHist. 24 Youatt's Work on the Dog - - 24 Youatt's Work on the Horse - 24 l-Volume Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries. Blaine's Rural Sports - - - 4 Brande's Science, Literature, and Art 4 Copland's Dictionary of Medicine - 6 Cresy's Civil Engineering - - S Gwilt's Architecture - - - 8 Johnston's Geographical Dictionary 11 Loudon's Agriculture - - - 13 " Rural Architecture - 13 " Gardening - - - 13 " Plants - - . . 13 " Trees and Shrubs - - 13 M'Culloch'sGeographicalDictionary 14 " DicLionarvofCommerce 14 Murray's Encyclo. of Geography - 10 Sharp's Britisii Gaietteer . - 20 Ure's Dictionary of Arts, &c. - - 2? Webster's Domestic Economy - 24 Religious Ac Moral >Vorks. Afternoon of Life - - - . 3 Amy Herbert - - - - 20 Bloomfield'sGreekTestament - 4 Bunyan'« Pilgrim's Progress - 5 Calvert's Wife's Manual - . 6 Cat/, and Farlie's Moral Emblems 6 Cleve Hall Conybeare and Howson's St. Raur Cotton's Instructions in Christianity 6 Dale's Domestic Liturgy - - 7 Defence of nrlipsn nf Faith - - 7 Earl's Daughter (The) - - - 20 Eclipse of Faith - - . 7 Englishman's Greek Concord*nce 7 " Heb.&Child. Concord. 7 Experience (The) of Life - - 20 Gertrude 20 Harrison's Light of the Forge - 8 Home's Introduction to Scriptures 10 " Abridgment of ditto - 10 Hue's Christianity in China - - 10 Humphreys's Pariiii« Stud (The) - - - . . < Youatt's Work on the Dog - - 2 Youatt's Woik on t'ae Horse - 2i Voyages and Travels. Baker's Wanderings in Ceylon Earth's African Travels - - < Burton's East .Africa - - - j " Medina and Mecca - - • Domenech's Texas - - - ■; " Deserts of North America ■; FirstlmpressionsoftheNewWorld ■; Forester's Sardinia and Corsica. - i Hinchlilf s Travels in the Alps - S Howitt's Art-Student in Munich - li " (W.) 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