NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN.
Economic Minerals.
A Large Amount of Iron Ore in the Northeastern Corner of the
Region, on the North East Side of Lake Athabaska.—Indications
Favourable for the Discovery of Coal.—Nickel and Traces of
Cobalt on Reindeer lake.—Medicinal Waters.—Bituminous Springs
and Pit Coal on Cree river.—Tar Sands Near Buffalo lake.
In the report of his explorations in 1892 and 1893, Mr. J. B. Tyrrell
notes the occurrence of several areas of Huronian quartzite along the
northeast side of Lake Athabaska. In one case, he states:—“At a
distance of a mile and a half from this island (four miles and a half
east of Beaver Lodge island) in a direction north 66° east, a
conspicuous red hill rises one hundred and twenty-five feet above the
water, its abrupt red cliff standing out boldly towards the southwest.
On its northeastern side, at its base, it is composed of thinly fissile
quartzose schist, very much reddened, striking north 30° west, and
dipping south 60° west, at an angle of 10°. Farther up the side of the
hill the rock is a quartzite, interbedded with layers of hematite, which
in some places forms the larger part of the mass. The summit of the
hill, several hundred yards in length, is composed of a highly hematitic
quartzite, mingled with a large quantity of limonite, especially on the
higher points. In places the rock is a conglomerate, with quartz
pebbles, and a matrix of limonite. Other similar red hills can be seen
in the distance on the strike of the rocks, and the total amount of iron
here and in the vicinity is doubtless very large.”
Mr. J. B. Tyrrell, before the Senate committee of 1907, stated that from
a line at Cumberland House, on Saskatchewan river, northwestward to
Churchill river, and westward along Churchill river, the country to the
south is underlaid by the more recent clay rocks of the plains, and the
mineral wealth that is to be looked for there is
COAL AND IRON.
He had considerable confidence in both those most useful products being
found in that country. Coal is found on Saskatchewan river at Edmonton,
and on Pembina river, west of Edmonton, and there are several more
outcroppings of coal down Saskatchewan river as far as Prince Albert.
Most of the country north of Saskatchewan river had not been explored
for coal. It is a country of gentle slopes covered with grass and wood,
and the coal outcropping in such a country is certain to be covered.
There is no possibility of seeing it as a natural outcrop. It has to be
looked for, but it has not been looked for in that country sufficiently
to find it, so he was perfectly confident that the same seams that
outcrop on the Saskatchewan, in the west at all events, would be traced
much further north.
Writing in his report of his survey of the west shore of Reindeer lake,
Mr. Dowling states:—“From Priest’s point (proceeding southward), the
lake gradually narrows from a minimum width of four miles, to a narrow
inlet less than a mile wide at the outlet, and the course of this part
lies very nearly southwest and northeast following in a general way the
strike of the rocks. A band of dark mica-schists is crossed, reaching
from near Priest’s point to twenty miles southwest, and along the course
followed through the islands many small dykes of a quartzose
fine-grained granite were found, in which iron pyrites is freely
developed. The beds of fine-grained gneiss on Camping island, ten miles
south from Priest’s point, are also found with many veins of pyrites and
on the hill in the centre of the island many of the beds are very much
rusted and decomposed. The pyrites are found to contain a small
percentage of
NICKEL AND TRACES OF COBALT.
At the north side of a small creek on the west shore, southwest from
Camping island, the Indians report a soft soapstone or serpentinous rock
from which they make pipes, but a visit to the locality did not result
in finding this rock, which was then said to be obtained in small pieces
from the shore and generally under the water. The rock there was,
however, a light green sericite-schist, and it is possible that
unfoliated or less cleavable portions of this might be soft enough for
the purpose named. The stratigraphical relations of this band with the
surrounding gneisses, could not in the time at the disposal of the party
be made out, so that it is problematical whether this may be a small
area of highly altered Huronian beds or not. The next rock occurring to
the south is a dark garnetiferous gneiss, followed by reddish granitic
gneiss to the outlet of the lake.”
Mr. Dowling mentions that in descending Reindeer river his attention was
attracted by the red colouring of a hill near the river, below the mouth
of Stump river. He states:—“On a nearer view, this red colouring is
found to be due to the debris of a decomposed band occupying the crest
of the ridge. The rock has been very highly charged with iron oxides and
pyrites. The strike of the beds is south 10° east, with dip eastward at
angles varying from 60° to 80°. Several large seams of red granite cut
into the hill and break up the beds somewhat.
“A section of the hill shows a light, coarse gneiss near the bottom,
with a dark mica-schist, followed by a bed of light, rusty coloured
gneiss having a thickness of about five feet. This in some places seems
to have been very rich in pyrites and is weathered out to a reddish
ochre. The outcrop is just below the crest of the ridge, and from it the
ochre falling down, stains the whole face of the hill. Above, on the
summit, the rock is mostly a dark-red gneiss.”
Archbishop Clut, examined before the Senate committee of 1888, stated
that he had seen sulphur springs on Clearwater river. Asked if he had
ever heard of the existence of valuable minerals in any part of the
country northeast of Lake Athabaska, Bishop Clut explained that he had
seen a man named McCarthy, at Fond du Lac, Lake Athabaska, who told him
that he had discovered gold, but as he was not an educated man, the
bishop did not know whether he was mistaken or not. The man said he
would not show it to anybody, but that he was almost sure that he had
found a gold mine. Nobody had brought to him specimens of gold, silver
or anything of that kind from that region.
BITUMINOUS SPRINGS AND PIT COAL.
Chief Factor A. McDonald chronicles in his journal having passed
bituminous springs on Cree river, south of Lake Athabaska, just above
the junction of the Pierre au Calumet or Pipestone river (McLeod’s
“Peace River”). He also reports having passed, the same day, “Large
strata of pit coal all along either side of the river.”
Mr. Alfred Von Hamerstein informed the Senate committee of 1907 that “on
Clearwater river there are first class medicinal springs. The natives
have been using the water right along, and it acts very well on the
bowels. It is like the well known Hunyadi mineral water. It is a very
nice, picturesque country, and the natives go up there and doctor
themselves.”
In the course of his examination before the Senate committee of 1907,
Mayor Cook, of Prince Albert, explained that nobody in the region north
of the Saskatchewan bothers about the coal. Coal had been discovered at
Lac La Ronge—there was no doubt about that. Good samples had been
brought in, but nobody bothered with it yet because wood was so
plentiful.
W. F. Bredin, M.L.A., stated before the Senate committee of 1907, that
on his way from McMurray to Prince Albert, he found that the tar sands
appeared on Buffalo lake, which is on the Churchill system of water, and
that, in his opinion, showed that the tar sands are both on the
Mackenzie water system and on the Churchill system, on both sides of the
divide there.
Mr. Crean in his 1908 report says:—“At the narrows between Little
Buffalo lake and Buffalo lake, there is a tar sand outcrop. The Indians
use it to pitch their canoes.”
Mr. Crean also says:—“Lac la Ronge district is claimed to have great
possibilities as a mineral district. The Laurentian range of rock crops
out here and is easily traced to the northwest. Whether this outcrop
really contains mineral of economic value is still unsettled. Numerous
claims have been staked at Nickel island in Lac la Ronge and on the
mainland close by, also on Churchill river above Stanley. I had not time
to prospect the country, but from casual observation I should think that
it would repay a closer investigation. The vein on Nickel island is very
distinct and about eighteen inches wide on the outcrop. Several small
companies have been formed and development work in a limited way is
progressing.”
So far there has been very little systematic prospecting for economic
minerals in the portion of the province of Saskatchewan north of the
river of that name, but the people of Prince Albert and Battleford and
the pioneers settled in the wilderness north of those towns, have for
years believed that coal, iron and other minerals will be found in the
vicinity; trappers, traders and Indians often return from the wilderness
with stories of mineral discoveries.