NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN.
Agriculture and Arable Land.
An Early Scientific Explorer’s Enthusiastic Description of Part of
the Country.—“Capable of Any Extent of Cultivation.”—An Old
Hudson’s Bay Company’s Official Who Considered it “A Splendid
Country to Settle in.”—Mr. Crean Reports That “It is no
Experiment” to Raise Wheat in North Saskatchewan.—Missionary
Farmers and Their Accomplishments.—Capable of Supporting “A
Dense, Thriving Population.”—“A Splendid Ranching Country.”—
Heaviest Rains Just When they are Needed.
To obtain a correct idea of the resources of that part of the province
of Saskatchewan north of North Saskatchewan river, one has to consider
that great extent of territory as consisting of two very distinct areas,
one to the south, the other to the north of Churchill river. While the
area to the south of the Churchill is a well-wooded, park-like country,
with great agricultural possibilities, the soil of the region north of
that river, so far as explorations up to this time have shown, is mainly
sandy and sterile.
Thanks to its being crossed by the old fur traders’ portage routes from
Cumberland House, Fort à la Corne and Fort Carlton, on the Saskatchewan,
to Frog portage on the upper Churchill and Methye portage on the
Clearwater, the southern part of the region immediately under review has
been known and written about for many years, but there is very little
indeed in the ancient writings worthy of notice in this chapter. The
first white travellers over the long and toilsome water routes of this
beautiful country of swift-running rivers and isle-studded lakes were
the enterprising fur traders from Montreal, who in course of time
combined to form the Northwest Company. Their interests were all centred
in the fur trade, and while travelling through the country, business,
time and the exigencies of the commissariat combined to
PREVENT THEM FROM EXPLORING
the country with a view to investigating its natural resources, even if
they had any inclination to do so, which is doubtful. At any rate such
of these pioneer travellers through this country as ventured to write
about their travels devoted their literary efforts to describing their
adventures en route, their camps, the methods and habits of the
voyageurs and Indians, the Indian camping places, and the rivers, lakes
and overland trails traversed. Generally very minute details were given
in these old books of travel as to the geographical features of the
country, distances, bearings, the direction and currents of the rivers,
the size, shapes and relative situation of the lakes, etc., but one
reads over page after page, and book after book, without finding a
single reference to the soil, or to the possibilities of the country
from an agricultural point of view. In the course of time the opening up
to the fur trade of the farther northwest on the banks of Athabaska and
Mackenzie rivers resulted in a greatly increased amount of travel over
the old canoe routes, but it did not attract attention to the natural
wealth of this region, and until recent years the attractions this
country offers to the agricultural settler have remained unrecognized.
Sir Alexander Mackenzie, in his book (1801), states that “no part of
this country has ever been cultivated by natives or Europeans, except a
small garden at Ile à la Crosse, which well repaid the labour bestowed
upon it.”
Examined before the British parliamentary committee of 1857, Richard
King, M.D., surgeon and naturalist to the expedition in 1833 in search
of Sir J. Ross, was asked:—“Are you under the impression that there is
any portion of the territory which you then saw that would be available
for the purpose of settlement?” He replied:—“Yes, I found a very large
country, as it appeared to me at that date. I hold in my hand one of
Arrowsmith’s very best and recent maps, he being the great authority
upon that country, and the square piece of country which I always looked
upon as a very fertile valley is there distinctly shown. It is bounded
on the south by Cumberland House, on the Saskatchewan. It is an enormous
tract of country. Cumberland territory is, according to Sir J.
Richardson, I find, several thousand square miles. Then it is bounded by
Athabaska lake on the north. I am not now exactly giving it north and
south. I may state that I passed through a great portion of that
country, but of course what I am saying as to the larger portion that I
am now speaking of, is not only from my own personal observation upon
it, but from an inquiry upon the spot, seeing the nature and extent of
that country. This large portion which I have described as within this
area I looked upon as the
MOST FERTILE PORTION WHICH I SAW.
“On this map it is very clear. You will see the country entirely
surrounded by water.”
Asked if he meant to express an opinion that the whole of that territory
was suitable, as regards soil and climate, for the purpose of
cultivation, Doctor King replied that he was told by the traders there
generally that it was precisely the same land as that which he passed
through, namely, a rich soil, interspersed with well-wooded country,
there being growth of every kind, and the whole vegetable kingdom alive.
Doctor King impressed upon the committee the fact that in going through
that country his position was that of a naturalist; he “came away
certainly with the impression that it was a very magnificent country in
many parts of it; of course there were barren portions, but upon the
whole, up to Athabaska lake, it appeared to me to be capable of any
extent of cultivation.”
Doctor King said that some time previous to his visit to that locality
there had been some agricultural activity at the Hudson’s Bay Company’s
post at Cumberland House due to the enterprise of Governor Williams.
Doctor King found capacious barns, and implements in fields which had
evidently been placed under culture. On approaching Cumberland House, he
had found a little new colony of thirty persons established, a Canadian,
an Englishman, and half-breeds. They had their fields divided out into
farms, and other things. It was described to him that they had formed a
little colony at Cumberland House but had been
ORDERED FROM THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY
by the Hudson’s Bay Company. The settlers told Doctor King that “at the
time they were ordered off, the Company would not allow them to go on
cultivating; that it was against the Company, and that therefore the
thing was to be broken up, etc., etc.”
As to the little new settlement, Doctor King stated that it appeared to
him, in going over the colonists’ farms, that they were very highly
cultivated. There was corn, wheat, and barley growing. He bought a calf
from them; he gave seven shillings for it. A fat bullock sold for twelve
shillings.
[Illustration: Haying near Green lake.]
Doctor King testified that when he went on to Cumberland House, he found
that the settlers were really borne out in what they had stated, for he
found that the barns and implements were in the fields, and that the
cows, oxen, and horses had all gone wild. He enquired the reason of it
and was told that Governor Williams had a penchant for farming and that
the Company had ordered him off somewhere else.
Hon. William Christie, formerly Inspecting Chief Factor of the Hudson’s
Bay Company, before the Senate committee of 1888, explained that there
was a vast extent of splendid country from Prince Albert on the whole
north side of the Saskatchewan, going away up until the traveller came
near Fort Pitt, keeping a little to the north. Then, when he would come
to the route of Green lake, there was two days’ journey through a
magnificent country, beautifully timbered, well watered and supplied
with abundance of fish. As he once travelled through it, he remarked to
one of his men,—
“WHAT A SPLENDID COUNTRY TO SETTLE IN.”
Green lake, witness explained, is north of Carlton, about eighty miles.
One crosses at Carlton and for two days can travel through a prairie
country with bluffs here and there, and lakes; it is a splendid country.
Then he would travel for two days through a forest to Green lake.
Professor John Macoun, in the Dominion Government Canadian Pacific
Railway Report of 1877-8, says:—“I was at Ile à la Crosse (almost due
north of Battleford) on September 22, 1875, and saw potatoes still green
as they were in July. I was told by Mr. Cummins that these potatoes
hardly ever were killed by frost in September. Here there was a flour
mill driven by horse-power and I am told that all kinds of grain ripen
successfully.”
Professor Macoun in his book “Manitoba and the Great Northwest,”
published in 1882, made the following reference to the northern portion
of Saskatchewan as an agricultural country:—“About fifty miles north of
Carlton the ‘Star Mission,’ in connection with the Church of England, is
situated. This Mission was established in 1874, and placed in charge of
the Rev. Mr. Hinds, who, besides being a minister, was a practical
farmer. He at once commenced to teach the old men farming and the
children English, and in less than one year had a number of small farms
commenced, and the children well advanced in the knowledge of English.
Since then he has been very successful, and in 1879 Mr. O’Keeffe,
D.L.S., writes of the Mission: ‘At Sandy lake the Indians under the
supervision of the Rev. Mr. Hinds, Church of England Missionary, were
cultivating successfully fine fields of grain and raising vegetables.’
Of the country in this vicinity the same writer says: ‘No finer country
could be desired than the section above described. The water is pure and
abundant, and the land extremely rich. Pea vine, vetches, grasses, and,
in fact, all herbaceous plants were luxuriant.’”
In the report of his explorations during the years 1893 and 1894, Mr. J.
Burr Tyrrell gives the following general description of this area:—“The
country between Saskatchewan and Churchill rivers is very different from
that north of the latter stream. From Prince Albert, situated on the
banks of the North Saskatchewan, at an elevation of one thousand four
hundred feet above the sea, the surface rises with a gentle slope
northward to a heavy stony moraine ridge, the highest point of which, on
Green lake trail, was found to have an elevation of about two thousand
two hundred and twenty feet. From this high ridge the country slopes
gradually northward, at first with a gentle rolling, and afterwards with
a more even surface, to the chain of lakes and extensive swamps that lie
along the edge of the district directly underlain by Archaean rocks.
This country has very much the general appearance of that portion of
northwestern Manitoba to the west of lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis,
including Duck and Riding mountains, previously described by the
writer.”
Between Churchill and Saskatchewan rivers two lines were examined by Mr.
Tyrrell, one from Prince Albert northwestward by Green lake to Ile à la
Crosse, and the other from Stanley Mission southwestward by Montreal
lake to Prince Albert.
Writing of some of the more noticeable geographical features of this
area Mr. Tyrrell says:—“Churchill river from its northern source at
Methye portage, following its windings, has a length of four hundred and
eighty miles to the mouth of Reindeer river. It is a long series of very
irregular lakes filled with clear blue water, connected by short and
usually rapid reaches. Some of the rapids are produced by rocky
barriers, while others are over boulders and between banks of till, such
as is underlying much of the surrounding country.
“The largest tributaries flowing into the Churchill from the south are
Beaver, Sandy and Rapid rivers.
[Illustration: Flowers at Ile à La Crosse.]
“Beaver river rises on the Cretaceous plateau, not far from Lac la
Biche, and, flowing, first eastward for two hundred and fifty miles, and
then northward for a hundred miles, empties into the south end of Ile à
la Crosse lake. Its course northward was alone surveyed. Here it is a
rapid stream from one hundred to two hundred feet wide, flowing between
low clay banks, beautifully wooded with spruce and poplar. Much of the
land along the course appeared to be well adapted for agricultural
purposes, and the rank vegetation gave
PROMISE OF ABUNDANT HARVESTS.”
The Venerable Archdeacon J. McKay, one of the best known Church of
England Missionaries of the Canadian west, was examined before the
Senate committee of 1907. He stated that he was born on the eastern
shore of James bay, near Rupert’s House. His father was a Hudson’s Bay
Company’s officer. Witness had his education in Manitoba in the early
days. He had been more in the old country than in eastern Canada. He
lived at Moose Factory until he was eighteen.
Archdeacon McKay explained that he had been forty-five years in the
west, in charge of missions of the Church of England, and was ten years
at a place on Churchill river, a little north of Lac la Ronge. The
nearest point to Lac la Ronge on the map is where the Anglican mission
is situated, about ten miles north of Lac la Ronge, on Churchill river.
This is about due north from Prince Albert, and in a straight line it
would be considerably over two hundred miles from Prince Albert. He had
been for some time superintendent of the Anglican missions. For the two
years preceding his examination he had been at Lac la Ronge. He had been
as far north in this country as Lake Cariboo. In fact he had been away
to the north end of Reindeer lake. It is very poor country up there, and
the trees are not very large. From the Churchill he had been down to
Hudson bay, and he had been as far west as Ile à la Crosse lake and on
to Methye lake, which is not many miles south of Clearwater river and in
an east-southeasterly direction from McMurray.
The land between Lac la Ronge and Prince Albert in some places is very
good. It is all forest practically until to about thirty miles from
Prince Albert, or perhaps twenty or thirty. Then the open country begins
where it is not heavily timbered. To the west of Lac la Ronge the
country is very much the same. It is not rocky, some muskeg and some
pretty good land, but all timbered—in some places heavy timber. There
is spruce and poplar. The spruce is good enough for lumber, and of
course it would do for pulpwood. The witness had travelled the country
about Lac la Ronge pretty thoroughly, and if it were cleared of timber
it would, in his opinion, be generally
FAIR AGRICULTURAL LAND.
The rocky country is north of that.
So far as agriculture at Lac la Ronge is concerned, Archdeacon McKay
said he had raised good wheat at his former mission on Churchill river
for seven years in succession without having it frosted. The climate is
good. It is a rocky country, and there is not a great deal of good land;
but so far as the climate is concerned it is all right for raising
anything that can be raised in Saskatchewan generally. Potatoes grow
splendidly.
[Illustration: Potatoes at Anglican Mission, Lac la Ronge.]
He could not describe what the grasses are, but they are grasses that
grow mostly in moist land, something like slough hay, grasses that grow
on the margins of lakes, and along the rivers. There was not much stock
there, but he had stock when he lived on the mission on Churchill river,
fifteen head of cattle and two horses. That is a little north of Lac la
Ronge, and is practically the same country. As to the Lake Ile à la
Crosse country, he considered it fairly good. It is not rocky and there
is plenty of timber and plenty of hay as a rule—some prairie hay and
some swamp hay, and the soil is fairly good—better than Lac la Ronge.
It gets better as you go west. It is certainly better about Ile à la
Crosse than at Lac la Ronge, and there is no rock country about Ile à la
Crosse. The hay is long. It is very much the same as the natural hay in
Manitoba. The only whites in the country he had described north of the
Saskatchewan were the Hudson’s Bay Company’s officials and traders.
There is no agricultural settlement at Lac la Ronge. There are only
Indians there, and they have not gone into anything in the direction of
agriculture more than raising a few potatoes.
Archdeacon McKay stated that it is a peculiarity of that part of the
country around Lac la Ronge that the frosts are very late. On a small
island in the lake Archdeacon McKay has seen potatoes in the beginning
of October with the
VINES UNTOUCHED BY FROSTS
at that late season. That was of course on account of the large body of
water that equalized the temperature. On the mainland that would
probably not be the case, but two years ago he was at Lac la Ronge when
Mr. Chisholm, the Indian Inspector, came out to make treaty payments
towards the end of August, probably August 20, and the potato vines were
not touched at all either on the mainland or on the islands. The
snowfall is not very heavy. It is generally a little heavier than in
Prince Albert section of the country, but not always so. Three feet on
the level would be considered deep snow. As a rule the first frosts come
some time in September. In 1906 the potatoes were touched with frost
about September 15, but not seriously. In the spring one can put in
grain from May 5 as a rule. He used to sow wheat May 5 generally, and
plant potatoes from May 20 on. The lowest temperature in winter, judging
from his own sensations, was about the same as Prince Albert. In the
summer time it is quite as hot at Lac la Ronge as at Prince Albert. It
is farther north and the days are longer.
The weather at Lac la Ronge is moderately dry. Generally there is
sufficient rainfall for the crops. In the summer of 1906 there was quite
a long spell of dry weather, which affected the wild fruits. It was an
exceptional spell of dry weather, but generally there is a good
rainfall. The rainy season would be quite equal to Manitoba.
Richard S. Cook, Esq., Mayor of the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan,
was examined before the Senate committee of 1907. He stated that he had
at the date of his examination by the committee been engaged in farming
at Prince Albert for fifteen years. He had a large stock and dairy farm,
operated it successfully, and had made it pay every year. Mr. Cook
stated that he had travelled considerably over the country about Prince
Albert, particularly to the north and northwest of that city. He had
gone north from Battleford and down Beaver river. Little is known of
that country. It has always been travelled by canoe. Stanley Mission was
the farthest north he had been, two hundred and fifty miles north of
Prince Albert, and about the same distance north of Battleford. The
country in that northern district is fit to be an empire in itself, and
a wealthy one. People knew little of it yet, but it was going to prove
an excellent country for agriculture. It was such an immense country it
was hard to grasp the possibilities of it. One might travel over it for
years and know very little about it. There is very little open country
there, except where the fire has gone, but about seventy-five per cent.
of the soil in that country is good, capable of being cleared up and
becoming good agricultural land. The area must be at the least about two
hundred and fifty miles by two hundred and fifty miles. In travelling
about the country, he had examined the region about Fort Pitt, Beaver
lake, Moose lake and Cold lake. For a considerable distance immediately
back from Saskatchewan river the soil is light; not a very good country.
The country immediately behind Fort Pitt, however,
IS FIT FOR RAISING GRAIN.
[Illustration: Oat field at Anglican Mission, Lac la Ronge.]
The further north one goes in that country the better it is. The
altitude is gradually getting less, and on Chipewyan reserve, south of
Cold lake, there is as fine land as he had ever seen in his life. The
grass is four and one half feet long, and people had been known to grow
one hundred tons of hay the first season. Mr. Cook doubted whether wheat
would grow the first year.
Around Cold lake the fires had been very destructive. There had been
timber there, and where it had been burnt over the grass was good. The
soil was all right and the pea vine growing, and good rich grass, so
that he thought the country down the Beaver would be a fairly good
agricultural country. This district is one hundred and fifty miles north
of the Saskatchewan. It would be northwest of Battleford about one
hundred and fifty miles. At Stanley and Churchill, two hundred and fifty
miles north of Prince Albert, they were raising all kinds of stuff.
There was a sheaf of wheat in the Board of Trade in Prince Albert which
was brought from there, and it was certainly a very fine specimen. Mr.
Cook thought that in the area he had visited in the north there was a
country that would be settled up and sustain a large population. The
fires had been very destructive in parts of the Stanley country. The
soil throughout at one time was a good soil, but where the fires were
very heavy and hot it burnt the top of the soil. He would judge that
seventy-three per cent. of that country would have good agricultural
soil as soon as it was cleaned out.
Settlements had been started twenty miles north of Prince Albert, and
some years ago an American went in there and he now has a beautiful
farm. The witness brought in a collection of vegetables from that
country, and he never saw a better lot of farmers’ produce in his life.
This original American pioneer was growing Turner raspberries, and
anyone will tell you that where you can grow Turner raspberries, fall
wheat will grow, and where fall wheat will grow the climate is fit for
anything. The settler in question got the Turner raspberries from Mr.
Cook in Prince Albert. It takes a certain climate to grow that
raspberry, and they claim the same climate will grow fall wheat. It is
not the wild raspberry of the country, but a variety sent out from the
experimental farm in Ottawa. Wild raspberries grow all through that
country. That one man starting out demonstrated that the climate was all
right, and others followed suit, and there are now one hundred and fifty
or two hundred settlers in that country, which was considered a few
years ago as no good. The same remarks apply to the country clean out to
Candle lake. That country is fairly clear and open, and there is some
hazel brush, and where hazel brush will grow the land is considered
good, and where poplar will grow it is also considered good soil.
Mayor Cook expressed the opinion that
LACK OF MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
was all that kept the tide of settlement from flowing into that northern
country. He went on to explain that the people out on the Saskatchewan
and north of it anticipate being able to ship by the Hudson bay route.
They are all expecting it. They consider that there is not a question of
doubt but that it will be successful. They expect an open route via
Hudson bay for half of July, all of August, September, October, November
and part of December. Witness was speaking from the information received
from people who spent their lives on Hudson bay. Many of the Hudson’s
Bay Company’s officials came in to Prince Albert district to settle,
after they had been superannuated. From information obtained from these
old Hudson’s Bay Company’s men, his honest opinion was that it was a
perfectly feasible route for the months he had given:—half of July, all
of August, September, October, November and a part of December.
Mr. Cook, concluding, remarked: “When you are shipping out your cattle,
you are sending them by the short route, and the shrinkage will be
light. One feed, and probably none at all, would last to Churchill. The
short route would also make it possible to ship out at least one-third
of the crop before the frost sets in, which would be a great relief to
the settlers.”
W. F. Bredin, Esq., member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, for
the Division of Athabaska, and residing at Lesser Slave lake, was
examined before the Senate committee of 1907 and stated that at the date
of his examination he had resided ten years in the country north of
Edmonton. He had been from Edmonton north to Fort Wrigley, and he had
been on Peace river from Fort St. John, thirty miles inside the British
Columbia line, to about five hundred miles down the Peace—from that
point. Ten years previous to his examination he went down the Athabaska
to the Mackenzie in boats.
Mr. Bredin referred briefly to a trip he made east from Athabaska
district during the summer of 1906, when he travelled from McMurray up
Clearwater river and thence across to Prince Albert. The land on
Clearwater river for one hundred miles, in the bottoms, is very good. It
appeared to him, from the river, however, to be very sandy back on the
high rocks. He should think there would be a good deal of rock and
muskeg. From where he left Clearwater river in to Prince Albert, on the
North Saskatchewan, the country was more or less of a sandy nature.
There were beautiful lakes all the way, filled with good whitefish and
trout. The whole northern country is that way.
In his evidence before the Senate committee of 1907, Mr. H. A. Conroy
remarked:—“There is some good country along the Clearwater—very nice
country from an agricultural point of view.”
THE CREAN REPORTS.
A great amount of invaluable information as to the natural resources of
the region south of Churchill and Clearwater rivers is contained in the
report by Frank J. P. Crean, C.E., of his explorations (See p. 25) in
1908 and 1909. It is interesting to note that this work of exploration
was the first ever undertaken in a systematic way to ascertain the
agricultural possibilities of Canada’s northland.
The late Mr. R. E. Young, Superintendent of the Railway Lands Branch of
the Department of the Interior, under whose direction, and at whose
instance, these explorations were conducted, in forwarding Mr. Crean’s
first report, wrote:—“Mr. Crean’s report gives a great deal of useful
information about the district, and the results of his observations
appear to shew that mixed farming may confidently be expected to prove
successful over a large area. When the country is made accessible by
roads a considerable settlement of agriculturists may, I think, be
looked for. The country is also shewn by his report to be rich in
natural resources.”
In forwarding Mr. Crean’s second report to the minister, Mr. Young
wrote:—“The exploration in the year 1909 shows results even more
satisfactory as to the possibilities of the country for settlement than
the exploration of the previous year. A very considerable proportion of
the area explored is shewn by Mr. Crean’s observations to be well
adapted for mixed farming and to have natural resources of timber, hay,
fish and game which will be of much value to incoming settlers. Results
of actual operations in cattle raising are of a most encouraging nature.
At and in the vicinity of Meadow lake over one hundred miles north of
Battleford, there are herds of cattle aggregating over three hundred,
and over fifty horses, all of which are described as in a thriving
condition. At Cowpar and Winefred lakes towards the western part of the
track explored and in Clearwater valley to the north, conditions seem
also most promising for stock-raising. It may be of interest to note
here that recent reports of investigations in Siberia, Mongolia and
northern Manchuria by the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of
Agriculture of the United States, give accounts of the discovery of
three varieties of yellow-flowered alfalfa which are found growing and
thriving in a wild state under conditions of climate much more severe,
both as to cold in winter and snowfall, than are to be found in any part
of northwestern Canada as far north as there are any claims made as to
possibilities of settlement. It may therefore be considered reasonably
probable that whatever advantages alfalfa has over our native grasses as
fodder are assured for all habitable parts of our north country.”
As to the district about Lac la Ronge, Mr. Crean says in his report of
1908:—“Besides the mineral wealth supposed to be available there is
also considerable land to be found capable of being tilled.
IT IS NO EXPERIMENT
to endeavor to raise wheat in this section. It has already been done.
Stanley, or as it is sometimes called Stanley Mission, is worthy of
special description. It appears that Stanley is one of the best known
spots in the north. The village or settlement is situated on a most
picturesque point jutting into Churchill river. The country surrounding
it is rolling, and this adds considerably to the beauty of the locality.
From an agricultural standpoint the land is good. The soil is a rich
loam and the subsoil is sandy clay. The loam, however, attains a great
depth. I put one hole down almost four feet and had not then struck a
subsoil. This, however, was exceptional. Stanley’s fame rests altogether
on the energy and initiative of Reverend Mr. Hunt, a Church of England
clergyman, and the founder of a Church of England Mission there about
1851. Mr. Hunt, as far as I could ascertain, not only built the
celebrated and beautiful church, but also planted some wheat and barley.
This he found would grow successfully, and he established a small mill
to grind the wheat. At first he used a hand mill, which is still
standing at the Mission House. Later on, however, he built a small water
power mill and for a number of years this was in operation, used not
only by the Mission but also by the Hudson’s Bay Company.”
WHAT A MISSIONARY IS DOING.
On the north shore of the bay at the southwest end of the lake, the
Church of England Mission have a large school not yet completed, and
also an open air saw mill. The Reverend Mr. Brown is in charge of the
Mission and is endeavouring to establish a farm in order to teach the
natives to work. He has some cattle, pigs, and poultry. Reverend Mr.
Brown has a good garden, nothing in it suffering from frost. At Little
Hills, just at the mouth of Montreal river, wheat has been grown
successfully and Mr. Brown intends putting in a crop this year. I might
here be permitted to say that the Reverend Mr. Brown, who is materially
assisted by his wife in his Mission work, is deserving of the most
unstinted praise for his zeal and industry in the building up of the
Mission. Under somewhat disadvantageous circumstances he fills the
several positions of minister of the gospel, farm instructor and
mechanic to his flock, cheerfully and with good effect. The Hudson’s Bay
Company had a good garden last year, but most of the ground here is
stony. Revillon Frères have a post here and they, too, raise all the
vegetables they require.
Mr. Crean reports that on Deer lake (Montreal lake section) “just east
of the narrows a white man lives and he has a first class garden. Around
Deer lake the land is good and I see no difficulty in its development.
The soil at Deer lake is a good light loam inclined to be sandy, with a
blue clay subsoil. Muskegs occur, but they are generally small. There is
ample hay everywhere. I fancy this country might profitably be surveyed
and opened for settlement. I did not travel to the east of Montreal
lake, but from information obtained there is not any great difference in
the country from the west side.”
Mr. Crean goes on to say that there has been no attempt at agriculture
in Snake lake and Sandy river section. “The height of land dividing the
water sheds of Ile à la Crosse and Sandy river is not very high but is
clearly marked by a clay ridge. This ridge has been burnt off in recent
years and is covered with fallen timber and brulé. A poplar growth is
springing up now. This part of the section should make good agricultural
country. There is, however, a vast area of swamp in this section; I
cannot say if it could be drained. Sandy river flows through vast hay
meadows. These are not too wet and are by no means swamps. Of course
most of the meadows would be improved by clearing of scrub bush.”
[Illustration: Oat field at La Plonge.]
Mr. Crean reports having seen wheat and oats growing at the Roman
Catholic mission at the junction of Beaver and La Plonge rivers on
September 4, 1908. Mr. Crean says in his report:—“The wheat was a first
attempt, but will be tried on a much larger scale this year. The small
patch sown last year must have been put in late in the spring. It
appeared well matured but frosted; this I fancy was due to its being
planted close to the river. The priest has cleared a good sized patch,
perhaps about ten acres, which he intends sowing in wheat. The oats were
splendid and grew to a great height. The vegetables were especially
good. The variety astonished me. Almost every vegetable was represented
and appeared to thrive. Potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, lima beans,
green peas, carrots, turnips, onions, lettuce, beets, parsnips, and
tomatoes all growing splendidly.
I NEVER SAW A BETTER GARDEN,
and indeed I don’t remember seeing as good in the west. This garden is
indicative of what can be done. The land around the mission is all good
and easily cleared as it is covered with poplar.
Mr. Crean reports that in 1908 the priests at Ile à la Crosse had about
three acres in use as a garden. The Hudson’s Bay Company’s post had
about thirty-five acres ploughed and five acres in oats, which sell at
that point at a dollar per bushel. “The Hudson’s Bay Company grows
potatoes for sale, but the native, being almost entirely a flesh eater,
looks on vegetables with contempt.”
Mr. Crean stated that there were some good gardens at Canoe lake. One
Chipewyan grew some barley but cut it too soon. At the southwest of
Canoe lake the country rises considerably, and the soil is good. There
is no settlement but the country is adapted to farming.
[Illustration: Potatoes at Buffalo river.]
“At Buffalo river there is quite a large settlement of Chipewyans. They
grow quite a little barley and some oats. The Chipewyans and some
half-breeds seem not to care for flour when left alone and so they grow
barley in preference to any other grain. It is easier to cook, being
just thrown in soup. The land on the northerly side of Buffalo lake is
good but there are no people living there. The Chipewyans at Buffalo
river told me that they never heard of the crop of barley being a
failure for the past fifty years.”
At Methye lake, according to Mr. Crean’s report, there is a Roman
Catholic Mission near the east end, and a priest, Father Pinard, is in
charge. He has a small garden and had a little patch of barley. Both did
well. At the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post, ten miles away, on the west
side of the lake, there is a garden of about an acre. It looked
splendidly on September 17. The potato tops were not touched by frost.
The swamp through which Methye river flows, though very wet, produces
A LARGE QUANTITY OF HAY.
The winter supply of feed for the cattle on Methye portage in its palmy
days was grown at Methye Post and at Buffalo lake at the mouth of Methye
river (hence called Bull’s House), but now there is no necessity for
raising grain or fodder, the Hudson’s Bay Company having abandoned this
route to the Mackenzie about the time of the Riel Rebellion in 1885. Mr.
Crean says:—“From conversation with the natives, the priest and the
Hudson’s Bay Company’s manager, I feel sure that the climate here would
be quite favourable to wheat raising. I am informed by the residents
that this section is not affected by early frosts, and the gardens which
I saw certainly bear out their statements.
“Pigs will, I firmly believe, thrive well in the north, and sheep will
at any rate not suffer from the raids of the coyote.
“Although the north may never seriously compete with the more southerly
latitudes in the wheat market, still, by judicious mixed farming, it
will eventually be equally productive and
SUPPORT A DENSE, THRIVING POPULATION.
Mr. Crean thus described Clearwater river and valley:—“The Clearwater
is a stream varying from one hundred to three hundred feet wide. It is
fairly rapid, and generally about four feet deep. At several points
along the river there is a considerable fall where a substantial amount
of power might be developed. The valley is from half a mile to three
miles wide, and generally contains magnificent soil. In the upper region
the timber is large and almost completely covers the valley. On the
slopes of the valley, which are from two hundred to six hundred feet
long and rather steep, the timber still continues, poplar and some
spruce, but once the bench land is reached there are some large
openings, and hay meadows to be found. When the railway reaches
McMurray, there is no doubt that a large agricultural settlement will
take possession of this beautiful valley.”
Mr. Crean writes in his report:—“The valley of Clearwater river would,
in my opinion, be a magnificent cattle range, and should be a farming
country. There are large open prairies, and the grass is splendid. Vetch
and pea-vine grow everywhere. I was greatly impressed with Clearwater
valley; it is quite similar to North Saskatchewan valley. The soil is a
good loam with a sandy clay subsoil. I had ample opportunity to observe
it carefully as the whole place in the vicinity of the portage is pitted
with prospect holes. The loam would be about a foot deep on an average.”
As to natural pasturage and hay in the area explored by him in 1908, Mr.
Crean states:—“Along Big river in the southern portion of the tract is
A SPLENDID RANCHING COUNTRY.
Hay abounds, and water and shelter is easily obtained. The country is
principally open, dotted with bluffs of poplar, and hay is to be had
everywhere. The grass cures here and the rolling hills would be blown
clear of snow which would afford a winter range for stock almost equal
to the Porcupine hills in southern Alberta. Farther north, however, the
country is too flat until Methye portage is reached. The valley of
Clearwater river below Methye portage would furnish a cattle range that
to my thinking would be hard to beat. I am informed that there is even a
better cattle range in the valley of Pembina river, southwest of Methye
portage, but I did not see it. Generally speaking, in my opinion mixed
farming would be the industry best adapted to the entire tract explored.
Everywhere I travelled there was an abundance of hay and along the main
routes hay was stacked in quantities in many places but always with an
eye to proximity to the trail. Sometimes the meadows would be small but
always numerous. At Green lake there were particularly fine meadows, and
I am told to the west of it is even better.”
Mr. Crean, in the report covering Green lake, Ile à la Crosse, Methye
portage, Snake lake and Lac la Ronge sections, writes:—“It may be said
that the whole tract though not exactly fitted for agricultural
settlement throughout in its present state, is still capable of
producing large quantities of cereals and farm produce and supporting a
large population. The over abundance of water and lack of natural
drainage, causing large swamps and muskegs, might in my opinion be
easily remedied by clearing out some of the rapids on Churchill river
and providing outlets for the surplus water where natural outlets are
lacking.”
Mr. Crean has the following general remarks to make as to the soil of
the district covered by his explorations in 1908:—“The soil throughout
the district varies so much that a general report of it would be
inadequate. In the southeasterly portion the soil is good, being a light
loam, with a blue clay subsoil; towards the west the soil is light loam
with sandy clay subsoil. North of Montreal lake the soil is still good
but large stones occur more frequently till at Lac la Ronge rock outcrop
is met with. There are of course fertile spots where the soil attains a
considerable depth, but no large compact areas of land occur in the
northeastern part of the tract explored, except at Stanley, where
perhaps three thousand acres of arable lands may be found in one block.
To the west of Lac la Ronge though rock outcrop continues; fertile spots
occur more frequently, till at Trout lake there is no sign of rock. The
soil around Trout lake is light and rather sandy. Muskegs occur
frequently until Snake lake is reached. Sandy river flows through a
large hay meadow, bounded on the west by a muskeg or peat bog, extending
westerly to Ile à la Crosse lake. This hay meadow varies in width from
one quarter of a mile to three miles. Abundance of good hay might be cut
along this river. This whole country between Snake lake and Ile à la
Crosse lake,
NEEDS DRAINAGE
and there are few high spots in it except along the shore of the lakes
or rivers. On the west side of Ile à la Crosse settlement there is
practically no land fit at present for cultivation, the country being
all low and almost a muskeg. I explored this side pretty thoroughly for
a distance of about sixty miles and found it to be practically all the
same, and almost the same level as the lake. Along what is termed Deep
river, connecting Ile à la Crosse lake and Little Buffalo lake, the
banks are higher and the land good, but this is only a fringe along the
river, seldom extending more than half a mile inland. These muskegs
could, of course, be easily drained. The soil around Buffalo lake is
light, but appears to be fertile. It is generally a light loam rather
inclined to be sandy, with a sandy subsoil. In some places the soil is
much heavier and is very fertile. Methye river flows through an immense
swamp, which extends for miles on each side, no ridges being even in
sight. At Methye lake the soil is very much better, being a heavy loam
varying from eighteen inches to almost any depth. Once the height of
land at Methye portage is crossed on the portage, the whole country
towards the west takes on a far better aspect, and the soil appears to
be as good as could be desired.”
With special reference to climatic conditions, Mr. Crean, in the report
of his explorations in 1908, says:—“The climate seems well adapted for
raising any cereal. In fact, wherever wheat has been tried it has grown
successfully. At Methye portage, which is considerably north (Latitude
56° 35′ 11′′), oats and barley have been grown. Wheat was not tried, but
I feel sure it would grow successfully, notwithstanding the relatively
high altitude. Methye portage has an altitude of about one thousand six
hundred and seventy-seven feet as compared with one thousand three
hundred and ninety-eight feet at Prince Albert. It is very much above
the general level of the country to the south and east.”
LOW ALTITUDE AND LONG SUMMER DAY.
Mr. Crean quotes Professor John Macoun’s remark that “in considering the
possibilities of agricultural development of all this modern country,
one fact to be kept steadily in mind is the advantage of the low
altitude and the long day, which are fixed conditions and will always
remain the same,” and gives a table verified by Doctor W. F. King, Chief
Astronomer of the Department of the Interior, to compare the hours of
sunshine on specified days during the summer at Ottawa, Prince Albert,
and Methye portage. On May 1 the length of the day between sunrise and
sunset at Ottawa (45 north latitude) is 14 hours, 4 minutes; at Prince
Albert (53 north latitude) 14 hours, 46 minutes; at Methye portage
(56.36 north latitude) 15 hours, 12 minutes. June 20, the hours of
sunshine are as follows:—Ottawa, 15 hours, 26 minutes; Prince Albert,
16 hours, 42 minutes; Methye portage 17 hours, 30 minutes. For August 20
the figures are:—Ottawa, 13 hours, 42 minutes; Prince Albert, 14 hours,
17 minutes; Methye portage, 14 hours, 36 minutes.
Mr. Crean states that in 1908 “The first frost registered by my
thermometer was on October 2, when the thermometer fell to 24 degrees
Fahr. I was at Methye portage on September 17, and the potato tops were
not frozen in the least. The garden was also quite untouched. Nor had I
seen any frozen vegetables on the way up. . . . . . . The lakes began to
freeze on October 20, but remained open for perhaps two weeks, the
weather turning quite mild again. There was not sufficient snow to
travel with dogs until November 20, and the snow was not deep until
December 15. The rainfall in this district is ample, though not
excessive, and its uniformity from year to year is a valuable feature.
As far as I could learn the heaviest rains occur in the early summer
JUST WHEN RAIN IS MOST NEEDED
for agricultural operations. The snow fall is not generally heavy,
seldom exceeding eighteen inches, and, as with the rainfall, is
uniform.”
[Illustration: Green Lake settlement.]
As to agriculture, actual and possible, in Green lake district, Mr.
Crean reports:—“At and around the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post on the
north end of Green lake there is a considerable settlement of
half-breeds. A Roman Catholic mission is established here. Revillon
Frères have also a post. The priest has a good garden having all kinds
of vegetables, and also a small fruit garden growing currants,
gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries. These all thrive and mature.
Green lake is important as a stopping place for freighters in winter and
consequently large quantities of hay are stacked. Some oats and barley
are grown but no real effort has been made to farm. Father Teston of the
mission says that he has grown oats and barley for fifteen years in
succession and so far has not had a failure. I interviewed a native
named Morin, who said that he had grown potatoes, oats and barley in
small quantities for thirty-five years and could not recall having ever
had a failure. He has never kept a record of when he sowed or when he
harvested, neither has the Reverend Father. Morin owns thirty-five head
of cattle and twelve head of horses. He has sown wheat on six or seven
occasions and it always ripened. In his opinion there is no doubt that
wheat could be raised anywhere in the locality. The ice in Green lake
goes out early and it is generally very late before it freezes. The
summers are always warm and there is ample rain. The gardens, which I
saw here, were certainly fine although they were not cared for as they
should have been. Weeds were allowed to grow in profusion.”
In his report of his explorations in 1909 along the west side of Green
lake, Mr. Crean wrote:—“The crops were not very far advanced when I was
there, nor indeed did any resident sow grain to any extent. There was a
small field of oats, a small field of barley and the usual gardens. The
gardens, as is customary in the fur country, are neglected; but yet the
vegetables seem to grow in profusion. Lettuce and radishes in fourteen
days grow from the seed to a size fit for table use. On Sunday, July 14,
I saw some radishes one and one-half inches in diameter, fourteen days’
growth.”
MEADOW LAKE DISTRICT.
[Illustration: Oat field at Meadow lake.]
Mr. Crean reports most favourably on Meadow lake district, west of Green
lake. He says:—“This section of the country is practically prairie and
contains, in my opinion, some of the very finest farm land in Canada.
The soil is exceedingly rich, there being in some portions twenty-four
inches black loam, with clay subsoil. The open prairie country is
perhaps twelve miles wide, and extends from Meadow lake almost to the
fourth meridian. At the Indian Farm Instructor’s house there was a plot
of about five acres of the finest of banner oats. I could not obtain any
data as to when these oats had been planted, but saw it on August 1,
when it looked very well with good promise of ripening in plenty of time
before the frosts. A settler named Evans is situated on the northern
boundary of the Indian Reserve. In his garden I saw beans, tomatoes,
peas, cauliflower, onions, carrots and parsnips, all doing very well.
Mr. Evans came into this country last winter, at least just before the
spring, broke this land, harrowing it as well as possible, and planted a
garden on the sod on June 12. At Meadow lake there are two or three
large herds of cattle which are thriving well. The grass at Meadow lake
grows perfectly, and is of the very finest quality for feed. The snow
may be deep here, but hay is so easily procured that I am of the opinion
that it would balance the scarcity of winter range. There was
considerable disagreement amongst the people living in this country as
to whether the grass really ripened. I satisfied myself later on (in
October) that it really does ripen. The few settlers agree that two
loads of hay will winter one animal, that is, two loads for each head of
stock, whether yearling or full grown. Hay grows in such profusion that
two loads to the animal could easily be obtained for even a large herd
of cattle. There is little doubt that cattle fed and finished make
better beef than range cattle, and the opportunity of procuring
finishing food (ensilage) is always present in the northern latitudes.
Hay here is by no means slough grass, but it is the
FINEST OF NORTHERN UPLAND HAY.”
Professor John Macoun speaks in the highest terms of the nutriment
contained in this kind of hay. That there is ample of it is a certainty.
An old settler in this country is Cyprian Morin, who is a fine specimen
of the old half-breed or native; born at Methye portage in 1834, he is
now as active as a man of thirty. Morin’s mother died four years ago at
the age of one hundred and nine years. She was at that time quite
capable of doing a good deal of work; in fact, I am told, attended to
all the baking. Morin who runs a trading post and has raised barley and
garden vegetables every year for twenty years, has also eighty head of
cattle and some thirty five horses; he has never tried wheat. He says
that the grass must ripen in this country (and it does), as the horses
remain fat all winter. About eight miles to the west of Morin, a man
named Fiddler has located, who has one hundred and fifty head of cattle
and sixteen horses. Last winter his losses were extremely heavy. He told
me that he lost seventy head of cattle, but said that it was because the
cattle had not recovered from their travelling over the trail from
Battleford. William LaRonde who also lives in this locality, his place
being situated on Meadow lake, has fifty head of cattle, all doing well.
Reverend Father Cochin has lately opened a mission here, and has a
rather nice little church, which is not yet finished. He has a good
garden this year.”
With reference generally, to the whole area of country explored by him
in 1909, Mr. Crean stated in his report:—“In estimating the area of
land available in its present state for agriculture, I do not wish it to
be understood that it is one large tract, but that ten million acres of
land in large and small tracts out of the total is capable of producing
crops, which will enable settlers to make a comfortable livelihood. The
land is almost entirely covered by a growth of small poplar. There are
some open places and a good deal of swamp. I will, however, refer to
this when dealing in detail with the tract. The climatic conditions
prevailing throughout offer no obstacle to farming, and wherever
experiments in agriculture have been attempted they have always been
successful.”
WHITEFISH LAKE DISTRICT.
Mr. Crean has this to say of Whitefish lake district (southwest of
Methye lake), which he explored in 1909:—“This section lies almost upon
the height of land between Arctic ocean and Hudson bay. The land is
drier and of a better quality than that to be found at or around Buffalo
lake; still, as is often the case in this north country, one finds
muskegs, almost impassable, either on top of, or very often half way up
a considerable hill. There are a great number of muskegs between Methye
portage and Whitefish lake, the country being flat and in need of
draining. Whitefish lake is two hundred and forty feet higher than
Methye lake, that portage which leads from it to Gypsy lake (eight miles
in length) crossing the actual height of land. From Gypsy lake the water
empties into the Clearwater, thence to the Athabaska and Arctic ocean.
The natives at Whitefish lake grow turnips, carrots, parsnips and
potatoes, but lack seed of any other kind. The potatoes are completely
worn out and change of seed is certainly necessary. Going southwest from
Whitefish lake towards Pembina river, the land improves, some very fine
semi-open country being encountered. The Indians at Whitefish lake, who
travel a great deal, use horses rather than canoes. The horses which I
saw were not noticeable either for their condition or their breeding,
the former being extremely poor, and the latter being absent,—Indian
cayuses of the common type.”
WATERHEN LAKE DISTRICT.
As to Waterhen lake district north of and across Beaver river from
Meadow lake district, Mr. Crean, in his 1909 report, states:—“The
country surrounding Waterhen lake is for the most part good, especially
that portion which lies to the west of the lake, where there is some
very fine land. Hay grows everywhere, and though the country can
generally be considered wooded there are large openings. The land around
Island river and Island lake (Lac des Isles) is included in this tract.
From Island lake to Beaver river there is a portage of twelve miles,
which passes through the finest semi-open country. Pea vine and vetch
are found in abundance. This good land extends to the fourth meridian,
perhaps beyond, but I did not go any farther. No crops are grown.
Indians there depend entirely on game, fish and fur for a somewhat
precarious living. Waterhen river passes through a very large hay swamp
shortly after flowing out of Waterhen lake. As it approaches Beaver
river, however, the land becomes more of a muskeg, and although there
are ridges containing arable land, the whole country may be taken to be
sorely in need of drainage.”
Mr. Crean did not go into the region north of Clearwater river, but he
made enquiries regarding it, and has the following to say about it in
his report:—“The country to the north of the Clearwater has not been
explored even by fur-traders or Indians. Occasionally one meets a
half-breed who has travelled through it, and the rumour current amongst
the fur-traders is that the country contains nothing but small lakes,
jackpine and rock outcrop. Still, the Indians who trap in this country
kill nothing but beaver, which, it is well known, live upon poplar;
therefore I concluded the country must be a poplar country and of some
promise agriculturally.”
NORTH OF THE CHURCHILL.
Most of the information we possess as to the most northern portion of
the region under review, namely the country north of Churchill river, is
contained in the report by Mr. J. B. Tyrrell of the exploration
conducted by him in 1892. This report covers an area of about sixty
thousand square miles, bounded on the south by Churchill and Clearwater
rivers; on the west by the lower portion of Athabaska river; on the
north by Athabaska lake, Stone river, with its expansions, Black and
Hatchet lakes, Wollaston lake and Cochrane or Ice river; on the east by
the lower part of Cochrane river, Reindeer lake and Reindeer river. It
lies between north latitudes 55° 20′ and 59° 37′, and east longtitude
101° and 111° 30′.
Mr. Tyrrell, in his report, gives some interesting information as to the
great lakes and the rivers which are such conspicuous topographical
features of this area.
Reindeer lake, from which Reindeer river flows, has an area of about two
thousand two hundred square miles, and an elevation above the sea of one
thousand one hundred and fifty feet. Its water is very pure and clear.
Wollaston lake is a large body of beautifully clear transparent water
lying in a general north-and-south direction, with a greatest length of
about fifty-five miles and an approximate area of eight hundred square
miles. Though smaller than Reindeer lake, it is very similar to it in
general character. Very many rocky islands rise abruptly out of its
clear blue water. Wollaston lake is the dividing line between the waters
flowing to Churchill river and those flowing to the Mackenzie, for it is
not only drained by Cochrane river, toward the Churchill, but Stone
river flows from its northwestern side, towards Lake Athabaska.
Lake Athabaska lies in a general east-northeasterly and
west-southwesterly direction, its southwestern end being in northern
Alberta. This lake has a greatest length of one hundred and ninety-five
miles, a greatest width of thirty-five miles, a shore-line of four
hundred and twenty-five miles and a total area of two thousand eight
hundred and fifty square miles. Its depth has not yet been determined.
Cree lake is a large elongated body of pure transparent water lying in a
general northeast and southwest direction, with a greatest length of
forty-nine miles and a width as yet undetermined. Cree river discharges
its waters towards Lake Athabaska.
Geikie river is, as far as is known, the principal tributary of
Wollaston lake. It rises in some small lakes near the source of Foster
river, and flows northeastward through a thickly drift-covered country.
For long stretches it is straight and without current, giving the
appearance of a wide, quiet river, or a chain of long narrow lakes.
The principal tributaries of the Churchill river on the north are
Mudjatik, Haultain, Foster and Reindeer rivers. Mudjatik river is a
swift, winding stream about eighty miles in length, generally flowing in
a shallow channel through a sandy plain, in the bottom of a wide
depression between ridges of granite. It is obstructed by comparatively
few rapids, and these are for the most part over ridges of boulders.
Mr. Tyrrell, and his assistant, Mr. Dowling, considered the whole of the
far northern part of this region as
ABSOLUTELY UNSUITABLE FOR AGRICULTURE.
It is mentioned, in the report, that, under the trees at White Spruce
rapid, on Geikie river, pembina berries, raspberries, etc., were growing
in profusion in July, but no areas of arable land were found. All
references to the soil are unfavourable, these for instance:—“There is
no soil of any value for agricultural purposes along Mudjatik river.”
“The country surrounding Cree river is sandy and very barren.”