112
THE WEST SHORE.
ATHABASCA AND TRIBUTARIES.
T
I'MIE country immediately to the north and north-
weal o( frlmonton is al limn t unknown, save Along
the few trails extending from linrn toward the
nvmntn'ru. TLobo largo riveu, taking thoir t'tm
in the foothills and firat rango of mountains, are the
most southerly branches of tho groat Mackenzie River.
Irving Edmonton for Jasor House, tho first river of
thin system passed is the Pembina, a stream about eight
chain wide, carrying a large volume of water in the
spring and miny season, but not subject to rushes of
high water from tho mountains, as it does not head far
enough in the mountains to fool tho effects of the molt
ing snow and glaciers. Tho banks are high and tim
Uired with a fair growth of joplar, balm of Giload, and
in somo place, of spruoo. The river winds ita tortuous
course in a general northoiwtern direction. Coal in
quantities is found on its banks, and somo seams are
known to have Ixten burning for years. The watershed
which divide the waters flowing to tlie north from those
which flow to the Saskatchewan is, in some places, very
narrow, the Indians say only a day's travel; in othor
words aUmt fifUsm or twenty miles. Largo quantities
of timUir are to be found in tho valleys at the head of
this stream.
Tho McIjoikI River is tho noxt stream of im)ortanco
Iwyond tho Pembina. It also flows between high lands
clothed with jsiplar and some sprune, and is very wind
ing in lU course. Us head well into the first range,
and is subject to sudden and great floods during the hot
weather of tho summer, bnt dwindles to a small body of
water in the fall, with a wi.lo stretch of gravelly beach
on cither side. In high water this stream will have a
width of alsmt six chains. Its current is very rapid,
rendering it totally unfit for steamiest navigation. In
the lower forty miles of the river is a succession of falls
and Imsius. They are about a mile apart, over archy
rapids from two to three ft in height In tho autumn
the basins are very deo, with no perceptible current,
while on the rapids there is hardly enough water to
flsit a canoe. In the summer, with a high stago of
water, the rapids are hid, and the steady fall of two or
three feet to the milo give a current of tremendous to
loeity. Oold in quantities sufllcient to pay fr working
if aecees onnld I had with provisions, i to he found
and will in time be worked, no doubt. The country
along the river has, at on time, been very heavily tim.
In-red, but fire have done their work there a well M
further south, and any timber which still exist will l
found to be surrounded by a network of muskegs and
creek Coal i also to lw found, but i not likely to bo
come of any ecmomio value for some generation.
8an.U.ne U the only rock oe0 in U,i place, while the
drift U of the kind usually found in the bars of some of
our western river.
The AUialswr. called by Uie Indians the "bur
river, take. iU head far in the mountain, its western
and southern branohe rising close to the Fraeer and
Columbia rivers, respectively, and flows east to the junc
tion of the McLeod. The Jasper Pass, through which
the Government route of the Canadian Pacifio Railroad
was located, is the head of the river. The Indians of
the Jasper country are descendents of the Iroqnnin, 0f
Quelrac, and still speak that language, as well as Cree
which they have learned from their neighbors. Leather
from the east side of the mountains, years ago was taken
by boat to Jasper, then transferred by horses to the boat
encampment on tho Columbia River, and taken thence
to the coast for sale to the Indians of British Columbia.
The banks of the Athabasca are high and are covered
with brulo and second-growth poplar, spruce and pitch
pine, the result of tho ravages of fire willfully or care
lessly sot out years ago, when no value was set on the
primoval forests. Coal is to bo seen, but not in such
quantities as on the Pembina or Saskatchewan. Gold
can nlso be found from the head of the river to the
Landing, but whether in paying quantities remains to
bo demonstrated.
Tho river is about twelve chains wide at the mouth
of tho McLeod, with a strong current, and could, un
doubtodly, b navigated by steamer as far as the Ghost
Rapids, some distance above that point. The awful cur
rent lasts to Old Fort Assiuiboine, where the river takes
a bond to the north, and becomes wider, with more bars.
Nothing now remains to mark the site of Fort Assiui
boino, save tho heaps cnused by tho fallen chimneys
and half-filled cellars. It was situated on a prairie of
about two hundred acres, on tho north side of the river,
and about forty foot above it It was the connecting
link betweon Edmonton and Lesser Slave Lake, and a
pack trail extending to the north and a cart trail to the
south. The goods were forwarded by water via the
Athabasca and Little Slave River and Lake, to the Hud
son's Hay PoHt, on the west end of the lake. The Up
per Athabasca has very little flat land along it, tho high
liauks, in many places, rising straight from the river.
A number of fine streams come in from the north, some
of them rising in close proximity to the Smoky River;
notably the Baptiste, Big Hawk, Burnt, Halfbreed and
Little Slave rivers. These are from two to five chains
wide and drain a largo extent of country. They are
high in the spriug, but'as they do not rise in the moun
tains they add little to the volume of water that pours
down the Athabasca during June, July and August
After oavmg the mouth of Little Slave River the Atha
basca bonds to the south with a somewhat swifter cur
reut than for the previous eighty miles, till the Landing
is reached, thence after ita somewhat erratio course ft
Beems to make up ita mind and strikes away northward
to join ita waters with those of the great Mackenzie.
JIuon good land though timbered, can be found in
iae regions traversod by these rivers, and much that is
.TO?d r'Ltb ? 8raH'1 RuJ Btuntl growth t PPlar.
pares , and pitch pina Much of it by thorough burning,
could be made good grazing land. The snow-fall is not
extensive, and good water is plentiful. But, altogether,
is not a country that will be sought by settlers until
the i vast ( prairies both to the south, on the Saskatchewan,
.r U'. mr$?liho Peace River, have been settled.
Edmonton Bulletin.