CHAPTER XIV.

The Land of the Wood Buffalo.—Where the Last Remnant of American Bison Living in a Wild State Roam.—A Splendid Moose Country.—The Home of Numerous Fur-bearing Animals.—The Prolific Fisheries of Lake Athabaska and Other Waters.

As the northernmost portion of northern Alberta includes a considerable part of the range of the herds of wood buffalo (Bison athabascae), which are the sole remnant, living in a natural state, of the countless millions of American bison which existed when the northwest was first opened up, it is a country of especial interest to the naturalist and sportsman. It seems to be agreed that the wood buffalo is exactly the same species as the buffalo of the plains, being descended from herds or individuals which drifted into the wooded country to the north for pasturage or protection, and finding conditions congenial remained there. Within the memory of living men the wood buffalo of northern Alberta and beyond were immeasurably more numerous than they are to-day, and they would probably have suffered extermination before this had the Dominion government not stepped in and enacted laws to protect closely the remaining herds.

The wood bison formerly ranged over immense areas north to Great Slave lake and Liard river, but it is now restricted to a few small herds inhabiting the region north of Peace river.

The bison was first recorded from this region by Samuel Hearne, the first traveller to penetrate its unknown wilds. After crossing Great Slave lake (his Athapapuskow lake) from the north, in January, 1772, he entered the level country to the eastward of Slave river, and there “found buffaloes very plentiful.” He travelled southward for some days and then left Slave river and proceeded to the eastward, still finding the animals abundant until he reached a point near the longitude of the eastern end of Great Slave lake. (Preble.)

Hon. William Christie, ex-member of the Northwest Council, and late Inspecting Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, examined before the Senate committee of 1888 stated that at that date the wood buffalo roamed over the Athabaska country, chiefly in the woods; but in the summer they came down to lick the salt at the salt springs in the valley of Salt river, which flows into Great Slave lake. He understood that these wood buffalo were in small bands of four or five. Mr. Christie considered the wood buffalo to be identical with the plains buffalo. Long ago the latter species was found as far north as Peace river in great numbers, and the plains Indians, the Sarcees and others, were then in Peace river country. There is a place called Battle river in Peace river valley, where these plains Indians had a tremendous battle, and it is called Battle riverfrom that circumstance. The plains buffalo were in that country then in thousands, just the same as they were in the plains. As they got hunted by the Indians, they moved out, and the Indians moved out of Peace river country also after this great battle and went into the plains. The battle in question was fought perhaps one hundred years previously. A number of the plains buffalo got into the woods and bred and remained there and were still living in the woods there.

They Had Grown Larger

in some way, but they were just the same as the plains buffalo. Those who had killed some of them said they had increased in size in the woods, possibly from not being disturbed so much and not having to move about as the plains buffalo had to do. The wood buffalo lived in the woods, on the grasses that they found. The buffalo does not scrape; he breaks the snow with his nose and eats that way. Unless the grass was pretty long he could not get his living there in the winter. About four or five hundred pounds would be the weight of a wood buffalo. A buffalo cow in the plains, after being dressed, would weigh about three hundred pounds; one of these wood buffalo would weigh about three hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds dressed.

Mr. Christie, speaking of the possibility of using the wood buffalo for hybridization purposes, explained that as far back as 1842, the Hudson’s Bay Company had at Edmonton a herd of buffalo. They began by taking some calves, and from these the herd increased until they had some thirty altogether. These used to herd out with the other cattle and come in with them. All at once the buffalo came near Edmonton and this herd went off with the others. It was the impression then, from their mixing with the other cattle, that they would not cross, because there were not any signs of it.

Mr. H. J. Moberly, another Chief Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, submitted a statement in writing to the Senate committee of 1887 in which he stated that as to wood buffalo there was a band, probably about two hundred, between the Saskatchewan and the Athabaska. They kept on the mountains between Lac la Biche and McMurray, and another band, probably about three hundred strong, was between Athabaska and Peace rivers on Thickwood and Birch mountains. A third band, probably seven hundred strong, was scattered through the mountains between Liard and Peace rivers, and from Salt river to the foot of Rocky mountains.

A Tale of Slaughter.

Mr. William Ogilvie, in his report of 1888 wrote:—“The wood buffalo which formerly roamed around all the upper waters, is now nearly a thing of the past. A few still remain scattered over a wide district. Could some means be devised to protect them for some years they would probably soon multiply and become a source of food supply and revenue to the natives. Mr. McDougall (of the Hudson’s Bay Company), who has for some years past been gathering information concerning the number of these animals and their locality, has kindly given me the following notes:—In the winter of 1887-88, on the head waters of Hay river, which flows intopoint:—“Rumours that the wolves were destroying the buffalo were current everywhere. Some went so far as to say that these wolves were a new and larger race come in from the barren grounds, to prey on them. Such rumours were repeated at every point in much the same words, without details. This aroused my suspicions.”

At Smith Landing, where the party arrived June 7, the Inspector met Pierre Squirrel, chief of the Chipewyans, and arranged for a meeting of the chiefs and hunters who knew the buffalo country near there. At the meeting next day, Mr. Jarvis told them he had come to investigate the buffalo question, and if necessary, to take steps for the destruction of the wolves; that he must go in person to the buffalo country, and if possible see the buffalo and the wolves. Countless objections were raised to his plans. The whole country was under from one to five feet of water, according to one statement. The party would not get a dry spot to sleep on, according to another. They would be devoured by flies; would die of rheumatic fever; it was impossible to find the buffalo; they might be hundreds of miles off at that moment.

Royal Northwest Mounted Police Barracks at Smith Landing.

On the thirteenth, Inspector Jarvis left Smith Landing and after a long day’s march in a west-southwest direction reached Salt river. None of the swamps so much talked of proved very serious, and it was evident that all were dry in late summer. At one point only was a true bog seen and it extended for only half a mile. The following day, following the course of Salt river downward, the first buffalo were sighted. Inspector Jarvis writes in his report:—“The trails, wallows and chips of buffalo became noticeable, but as they were old we gave them only passing note. But when two perfectly fresh ones appeared, we dismounted to follow them on foot. I took charge of the horses as the flies were very thick.Great Slave lake, and west of Battle river, a tributary of the Peace, the Indians saw three bands containing seventeen, ten, and four, respectively; they killed five, but Mr. McDougall did not ascertain whether or not these were in addition to the above numbers. The same winter three bands were seen between Salt river and Peace point on Peace river, numbering fifty, twenty-five, and about twenty-five, respectively. None of these are reported to have been killed. During the winter of 1886-87, between the north end of Birch and the south end of Thickwood mountains, distant about one day or thirty miles from McMurray on Athabaska river, one band of about thirteen was seen. Since then five of this band have been killed. Below Red river, a tributary of the Athabaska, and between Birch mountains and Athabaska river, and ranging down to Poplar point on the Athabaska, another band said to contain about twenty was seen. Altogether we have only about one hundred and eighty head of wood buffalo in this vast extent of territory. The paucity of their number is, to some extent, a protection to them. If they escape epidemics and such a winter as almost exterminated them on the upper Peace some years ago, they may possibly increase. Whenever the Indians come across a band they try to exterminate them whether they need them for food or not. They try to drive them into a bog, if one be convenient, and, if they succeed in this their object is soon accomplished, for the poor brutes mire in the bog and are quickly killed. The Indian feels, after accomplishing a feat of this kind, as if he had won a battle, and never thinks of a reduction in his food supply.”

Since Mr. Ogilvie’s report was penned; and partly as a result of it, steps have been taken to protect the wood buffalo, and for years back, the few members of the gallant Northwest Mounted Police in Athabaska country have devoted considerable energy to enforcing the law which prohibits the hunting of the buffalo. The most authentic portion of the more recent information we have as to the present extent and condition of the herds of wood buffalo is obtained from the reports of officers and non-commissioned officers of the distinguished force mentioned.

Present Condition of Wood Buffalo.

In 1907 Inspector A. M. Jarvis, C.M.G., was specially despatched from headquarters at Regina to the Athabaska country[17]to ascertain the existing numbers and condition of the wood buffalo and to recommend means for their protection.

Inspector Jarvis, accompanied by the well known naturalist, Mr. E. Thompson Seton, left McMurray for the north on June 29. He wrote in his report at thisand sent Mr. Seton on with his camera. Beaulieu stalked them exactly as he would a moose, and in about an hour led Mr. Seton to an open glade where in plain view was

A Herd of Thirteen Buffalo,

two big bulls, one calf of this year, and the rest cows and yearlings. Their photograph was taken three times at sixty yards, before they became alarmed and ran off.

“Bear tracks abound everywhere, and that night Beaulieu shot an old bear and two cubs within fifty yards of our camp.”

The Inspector reports as follows as to the next day’s operations:—“Beaulieu and myself started out at 6:45 a.m. and travelled around the west side of Salt mountain until 10:40 p.m., following fresh tracks of two buffalo, until we came upon fresh tracks of what appeared to be a large herd. We tied our horses in the woods and followed along for about a mile through wet, swampy ground, until we came in sight of a bunch, all of which were lying down except three large bulls. They were on a large salt lick. We crawled up to within (which we afterwards measured) fifty paces of them, through the brush. I took out my glasses but owing to our position, could not get a correct count of them. After resting for a little while we both walked into the open. I took out my pocket book and wrote down as follows:—‘Four big bulls, one yearling, four little calves, three two-year-olds, and eight cows.’ They then saw us and got up one by one and stared at us, showing how easily they can be approached and killed. Beaulieu then shouted and they galloped into the woods. The bulls were magnificent looking animals. They had not yet shed all their winter coat, but the cows were sleek and fine looking. Before going into the open, Beaulieu, who had his rifle along, said, ‘Mon Dieu, major; let me kill him one cow.’ I explained to him that we would be fined five hundred dollars and that I would lose my position. He then said, ‘Let me kill him one for the Government.’ But I would not permit it. We returned to the camp where we had left Mr. Seton and that evening moved our camp to a spot where we thought these animals might pass. But we saw no more of them. As we

Had Seen Thirty-Three of These Animals,

and the fresh tracks of ten or twelve more, possibly bulls, in the woods, we concluded that we had seen all the buffalo in this particular district. And as there was no time to go to Peace point and rapid de Beaulieu, and keep our word with the guide, I decided to return, to go to Fort Smith and arrange if possible to see the band reported to be in the Caribou mountains, near Hay river. We looked everywhere for buffalo bones, but found only four very old skeletons, with nothing to tell how they had been killed. At all drinking places, muddy lakes, marshes and salt licks, we looked particularly for tracks of wolves and found very few. I got a glimpse of one small wolf, or possibly coyote, in the woods, and heard one coyote calling, just as we were leaving the mountain, he having smelt the bear we had killed. We found the skull of one wolf killed years ago, but I am forced to conclude that wolves are scarce here, and I found ample justification for my suspicionthat the constant cry of ‘wolf’ is a mere ruse to divert attention from the two-legged depredators, who are really doing the mischief.

Looking across Slave river from Fort Smith.

“Other game abounded. Bear tracks were seen on every side. Caribou are said to be plentiful in winter. Moose are common. I saw one without doing any hunting. This is important for the buffalo, as several well known hunters claim this region as their hunting and trapping grounds. They go in ostensibly to kill moose and come out abundantly supplied with pemmican, but bring out very few moose skins. I am informed by the traders here, that a few years ago these hunters begged sale for moose skins, but of late years scarcely any have been brought out. This is very suspicious, to say the least of it. These men did all they could to prevent my going in, and I consider it no longer doubtful what is destroying the buffalo.

“The following morning the guide announced that his time was nearly up and he wanted to return to Smith Landing, which we did, arriving there at 4 p.m. on the afternoon of June 16. It will be seen by the map, that we barely entered the buffalo country, so were fortunate in seeing so many head.

“In case it were desired to capture some calves for the purpose of infusing fresh blood into other national herds, it could, I think, be easily done, as in the early summer, when the calves are young, they could be run down and roped. A fresh cow could be taken out from Smith Landing or some other point, calves captured, and weaned on to the cow. I consider this feasible.

“To sum up I conclude:—

“(a) That it is impossible for me or any one else in this country to give you an intelligent report as to the numbers of the buffalo, without first making a thoroughpatrol of the country, which would take from two to three months with a complete pack outfit.

“(b) That the buffalo are in danger of extermination not by wolves, but by poachers;

“(c) These poachers are all known and live at the village of Smith Landing in the summer time;

“(d) They could easily be controlled by a local police patrol;

“(e) Without some protection the buffalo will not last five years longer. Therefore I strongly recommend, as I did some ten years ago, that, if it is the wish of the Government to protect the buffalo, resident guardians be placed on the grounds.”

Wolves Not The Destroyers.

Inspector Jarvis started from Fort Smith for his second trip on June 24. The party proceeded in a westerly direction for about nine miles through a level, dry country, covered with jackpine and poplar, following nearly the course of Slave river to Gravel point, where they turned southwesterly to Salt river, which they reached in another nine miles. The party proceeded as far west as Little Buffalo river which flows into Great Slave lake west of Slave river, but saw no signs of buffalo beyond some old trails and wallows.

Reporting on this trip Major Jarvis wrote:—“Although we found no fresh buffalo signs, we learned a great deal about the range and were glad to hear that the main herd is the one we expect to reach by Canoe river. We saw no signs of wolves, not even a trail, and I am confirmed in my suspicion that the wolves are not the destroyers of the buffalo. In conclusion I would point out that the range of the buffalo herds is very limited; that it has certain natural boundaries; that the buffalo do not attempt to leave this area; that it is removed from any village or permanent habitation; and that, finally, it would be an efficient and easy measure of protection if the whole area in question were at once turned into a National Park. Animal life was not abundant. We saw no big game whatever, and but few signs of moose or bear. Mr. Preble was fortunate to find the nest and eggs of a very rare bird, the Bohemian Waxwing, but we saw no game birds in the woods, and only a few ducks on the ponds.”

The Little Buffalo Country.

Major Jarvis, accompanied by Mr. Thompson Seton and Mr. E. A. Preble, naturalists, made a third trip by canoe into the buffalo country from a point on Slave river below Fort Smith. A water and portage route of five and a half miles took them to the Little Buffalo, down which they paddled to its mouth. On this trip fresh signs of buffalo were seen, but no buffalo.

The Inspector writes in his report of this trip:—“We saw three bear, three beaver, and some duck along this part of the river, and all along we saw numerous signs, and fresh, of beaver, rat and mink. We also saw an exposure of limestone on the left bank during the afternoon. We found the river abounding with jackfish, Mr. Preble catching four with a troll in a very short time. During the nightBuffalo river seemed to be alive with mink swimming forwards and backwards across it.”

As a result of Major Jarvis’s report more stringent regulations regarding the protection of the buffalo were put into force. A system of occasional patrols by selected non-commissioned officers and men of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police into the buffalo country was inaugurated, and some resident hunters were engaged as special constables.

A Band of Seventy-Five.

Corporal Mellor, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, on a patrol into the buffalo country southwest of Smith Landing in 1909, found buffalo tracks very numerous at Beaver lake and also on the “Big Salt prairie” at Hay lake and about Peace point. In the district last named Corporal Mellor was able to get within five yards of a band of about seventy-five buffalo, and obtained a good look at them. He says in his report:—“Owing to the fact that many of them were hidden from view in the bush, I was unable to count them correctly. Those nearest to view were nine large bulls, all splendid animals and rolling fat. I saw only four calves in the band, although there may have been more in the bush, but the guide, after examining the tracks, told me that there were no more. We tried to get around to see them all, but something alarmed them and off they went. This band was evidently composed of the different small bands whose tracks we had been following at times.”

In the summer of 1910 Sergeant Mellor, accompanied by Constable Johnson, ascended Big Buffalo river from Sulphur point on Great Slave lake to Buffalo lake. The main object was to determine as far as possible the northern boundary of the wood bison habitat. As a result of his exploration Sergeant Mellor concludes that the wood bison never range as far as Buffalo lake, nor across the Caribou hills, neither do they reach Great Slave lake at any point; on the other hand, they come close to Slave river from a point about fifty miles below Fort Smith right up to Peace river, and also reach Peace river, at any rate, as far as Jackfish river. Their habitat would therefore appear, he says, to be bounded on the west by Caribou mountains, on the south by Peace river, on the east by Slave river, and on the north by an imaginary line drawn from Caribou mountains on the west to Slave river on the east, touching the latter at about Point Ennuyeuse, and the former about fifty miles south of Buffalo lake. The buffalo have, as far as he could make out from careful inquiry, never been seen for many years north of these two points.

A Tremendous Animal.

Mr. H. A. Conroy of the Indian Department, in his evidence before the Senate committee of 1907, said that he believed that there were then approximately three hundred and fifty wood buffalo still roaming wild at that date. He obtained a specimen for the Department of Agriculture in 1906 to be mounted. The Indians got it for him. This herd are the only wild buffalo on the continent, he believed. They are very large, much largerthan the plains buffalo. One old Indian told the witness that years ago they found a herd of buffalo between Liard and Hay rivers, and one time they got a herd of them at Fort Providence, and they slaughtered all that were in there. There had since been a close season for buffalo for a good many years. The skin of the buffalo that the witness procured for the department was a tremendous size, and he would say that the animal must have weighed fourteen or fifteen hundred pounds. Mr. Conroy in his evidence said:—“You do not require to enforce the law to protect the buffalo. The Indians will not kill them. They want to preserve them as much as any one else. They are the Wood Cree Indians in the country north, as far as the 60th parallel, and the Chipewyans north of latitude 60 degrees, until you come to the Aleutians or Esquimaux. The Indians think if the buffalo are gone they will have nothing left. The Wood Crees are benefiting by the errors of the Indians south of the Saskatchewan. They know that the buffalo are all gone, south of them, and they want to protect the wood buffalo.”

Sergeant R. W. Macleod, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, in the report of his long patrol across country in December 1910 from Fort Vermilion to the mouth of Hay river on Great Slave lake, corroborates the final statement of Mr. Conroy. The sergeant states:—“The Indians I met were familiar with the regulations for the protection of the buffalo and protested strongly against a white man being permitted to kill any. The Indians told me the extreme western range of the buffalo is thirty-five or forty miles east of Buffalo lake, and there is certainly no feed for them in any part of the country I passed over.”

During the summer of 1911 the special supervision of the wood buffalo was taken out of the hands of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, and transferred to a government agent who is stationed at Smith Landing.

Other Game and Fish.

Some interesting evidence as to the general fish and game resources of the whole north, and more particularly northern Alberta, was submitted in writing to the Senate committee of 1887 by Mr. H. J. Moberly, a chief trader in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s service. This gentleman, through long residence and frequent travels therein, was quite familiar with this country. According to his statement lake trout is found in almost all the large lakes all over the country, and river trout in Athabaska and Peace rivers and other streams close to Rocky mountains. Speckled trout and mountain trout are found in waters on the east and west slope of Rocky mountains; whitefish, all over the country from the Saskatchewan north, in lakes and most rivers; pickerel, in most lakes; jackfish or pike in most lakes; suckers, in all waters; gold-eye, Athabaska river, Peace river and their tributaries; a peculiar kind of salmon (doubtless the inconnu), in Mackenzie river as far up as Salt river rapids, above Great Slave lake.

Ducks are found all over the country and geese and swans along the Athabaska, the Peace, and the Mackenzie and the shores of Hudson bay; cranes, along the Athabaska, the Peace and the Mackenzie; prairie chickens, Athabaska and Peace river countries; ruffled grouse and spruce partridge all over the NorthwestTerritories; ptarmigan, Athabaska, Peace river, Hudson bay; plover and snipe, all over the Northwest Territories.

According to Mr. Moberly, moose run all over the wooded country north of the prairies and east of Rocky mountains.

The distribution of other game and fur animals in far northwestern Canada was given by Mr. Moberly as follows:—Reindeer (cariboo), large, all over the wood countries from Saskatchewan, to the barren grounds in the north; reindeer, small, all over the barren grounds in the north, and come south in winter as far as Lac la Brochet, Athabaska lake and Peace river, close to Rocky mountains; red deer, Athabaska and Peace river valleys; black tail deer, jumping deer and chevreux, same country as the red deer; black and brown bears, all over the wooded country and Rocky mountains; grizzly bears, Rocky mountains, valley of the Peace, Athabaska, Liard, and Fraser, but seldom farther than two hundred and fifty miles from the foot of the Rockies; beaver, Athabaska, Peace river, and in fact all over the wooded country,

Back’s Grayling.

Professor John Macoun, before the Senate committee of 1888, said he had caught Back’s grayling in the tributaries of Peace river, in Rocky mountains. It is both an Arctic and a mountain fish, and delights in clear water. It is very gamesome and takes all kinds of bait. When it took the bait it would jump clear out of the water, many times a couple of feet or so, and of course, the beautiful colours (more beautiful than those of the mackerel even), glistening in the sun, made the anglers thrill with excitement. They are a white fleshed fish, and not anything like as hard as the trout.

Writing of the immense quantities of fish caught in Lake Athabaska, Mr. Wm. Ogilvie states in his report:—“At Chipewyan, the Hudson’s Bay Company required, in the fall of 1888, thirty-six thousand fish for the use of the post; the Roman Catholic mission, twelve thousand; and the rest of the population at least thirty thousand more. Most of these were caught in three weeks, while I was there. Sometimes they are numerous in one place and sometimes in another, so that long journeys are often necessary from the place where they are caught to the place where they are to be used. This necessitates a large number of dogs to haul them home, which is a very poor method, though it is the only one in use. To overcome this inconvenience, Mr. McDougall, at Chipewyan, has built an ice-boat, but has so far met with indifferent success, as the ice has been unusually rough during both of the last two falls.”

As to the fish and game in the district explored by him in 1909, Mr. Frank Crean reports that the principal fish to be found in the north is the whitefish. The chief use made at present of this valuable fish is for dog feed, large numbers being caught for this purpose in the annual “fall fisheries,” as they are termed. Beside the whitefish, the jackfish is also found in most of the lakes, and indeed in that country which lies to the west of the height of land and on the watershed of Athabaska river this is the principal fish. Although extremely good food in these cold northern waters they are, of course, not to be compared with thewhitefish. The perch, or as the natives sometimes call them, the doré, are found in most of the rivers and lakes. During the summer months they form the staple diet, as the whitefish apparently go into the deep holes in the lakes and are not caught by the natives, who rarely fish in deep water.

Roman Catholic Mission at Chipewyan.

Describing an ascent by him of Big Buffalo river, in 1909 Sergeant Mellor states:—“The cutbanks are riddled with sulphur springs (the odour of which overhangs the whole river), interspersed in peculiarly intimate proximity with streams of beautifully fresh water. The river was literally alive with ‘coneys,’ a species of fish somewhat resembling a salmon, and which attains a large size; the name is a corruption of the French name for the fish ‘poisson inconnu,’—‘the unknown fish.’ They were apparently ascending the river for spawning purposes; it was quite unnecessary to use a net or line to catch them, as it was a simple matter to throw them on land with a paddle or stick. For the next twenty miles the river, while still running with great velocity, has not so many rapids to encounter, and the going is considerably better. The banks are lower, and in many places were clothed in berry bushes of all kinds, and simply riddled with bear tracks. We did not have the good fortune to kill one of these latter, although we saw them several times.”

A Moose Country.

Sergeant R. W. Macleod, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, in a report of a patrol in 1909 from Fort Vermilion to Hay river, states that while descending Hay river on January 27 one of his men shot a two-year old bull moose about one hundred yards from the river bank. After the patrol got almost one hundred miles down the river from the Horse track they saw moose tracks all the wayas far as within twenty miles of Great Slave lake, and they saw three moose, but did not shoot, as they did not need the meat. They did not see a snow-shoe track in the whole distance of two hundred and thirty-eight miles, which accounts for the moose being so plentiful. One fox track was all the indication of fur to be seen.

Between December 2 and 24, 1910, Sergeant Macleod made a patrol from Fort Vermilion across country to the post at the mouth of Hay river on Great Slave lake, a distance of five hundred miles. Sergeant Macleod took advantage of some Indians travelling through to make the trip, which was a very hard one, particularly on the dogs, as the snow was deep. No white man is known to have made this journey before, and it was twenty years since Indians had attempted it. The country is quite unexplored. The width of Cariboo mountains is about one hundred miles and the country is mainly moss-covered muskeg and lakes. Sergeant Macleod made enquiries regarding a large unmapped lake he saw the previous year and found that it is called Fish lake by the Indians. It is as large as Lesser Slave lake and is in Cariboo mountains. This is believed to be the lake which a Mr. Radford, an American naturalist, claimed he discovered and reported to the Department of the Interior as Lady Grey lake.

Sergeant Macleod reported that all the lakes he passed during this long trip seemed to be deep for their size, and in the sergeant’s opinion they no doubt contain whitefish and lake trout. In Fish lake there is good fishing. There were three half-breed families belonging to Fort Vermilion and two Chipewyan Indian families living on Deer Mountain creek four miles southeast of Buffalo lake, it being a good place for fall fishing. Caribou were plentiful on the mountain. Moose were plentiful on the north side, and there were considerable fur tracks on the north side of the mountain. Sergeant Macleod’s party “tracked” four wolves.

The latest data available as to fish and game in the region immediately under discussion appear in the annual report for 1911 of Superintendent G. E. Sanders, D.S.O., commanding “N” Division, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, with headquarters at Athabaska. In his report Superintendent Sanders writes:—“The fur catch during the past season has improved; lynx were plentiful in the far north; they have been very scarce for some years and are now reappearing with the rabbits. The value of the fur which passed through Athabaska this year on its way out of the country is estimated at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Moose were scarce in some parts where they are generally plentiful and appeared in large numbers at points where they are not usually seen; this is accounted for by the wolves moving them about. Wolves are reported thick in all directions and at Peace River Landing a small pack chased a moose through the settlement. Chicken and partridge are numerous in the southern portion of the district. This year the chief game guardian of the provincial government has notified that the close season for beaver will remain in force. Hitherto it has been the custom to open the season during the winter for a short time. The effort to preserve the beaver by having a close season in this country fails entirely, and I would repeat what I said last year in regard to this subject about which I made careful inquiries. ‘I am strongly of opinion there should be an open season for beaver. I found during my travels that Indians kill more beaver whenthere is no open season than when there is. When they do not kill for the fur, and there is no reason in their minds to preserve the animals, they exterminate whole families for food, whereas if they have an open season, and the fur is thereby more valuable, they are careful not to destroy certain colonies, but leave some to breed. They kill only when the fur is prime. The majority of the hunters and trappers whom I consulted agreed that between October 15 and December 15 would be the most suitable time for an open season.’ ”

Corporal S. G. Clay, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, made a patrol through Grande prairie country in August, 1911, and in his report states:—“Indians in this locality are in fairly good shape, moose and bear being plentiful, and consequently there has been practically no destitution amongst the Indians.”

[17]A considerable portion of the wood buffalo range lies immediately beyond the northern boundary of Alberta and is consequently within the limits of the region particularly treated of in the later chapters especially devoted to the “Mackenzie country.” On reference to the map (and the map must necessarily be consulted frequently by the reader of these pages) it will be noticed, also, that much of the data quoted here really refers to those sections of the wood buffalo range within what is arbitrarily defined in this volume as the Mackenzie country; but as the southern part of the range is in northern Alberta, and as the wood buffalo, probably on account of its scientific designation, is associated in most people’s minds with the Athabaska region, it was considered advisable to treat the question of the wood buffalo, as a whole, in the present chapter. E. J. C.

[17]

A considerable portion of the wood buffalo range lies immediately beyond the northern boundary of Alberta and is consequently within the limits of the region particularly treated of in the later chapters especially devoted to the “Mackenzie country.” On reference to the map (and the map must necessarily be consulted frequently by the reader of these pages) it will be noticed, also, that much of the data quoted here really refers to those sections of the wood buffalo range within what is arbitrarily defined in this volume as the Mackenzie country; but as the southern part of the range is in northern Alberta, and as the wood buffalo, probably on account of its scientific designation, is associated in most people’s minds with the Athabaska region, it was considered advisable to treat the question of the wood buffalo, as a whole, in the present chapter. E. J. C.

THE MACKENZIE RIVER REGION

CHAPTER XV.

Mackenzie River a King of Northern Waters.—Over Three Thousand Miles of Waterway.—Domestic Cattle have Succeeded.—Barley Always Ripens at Fort Simpson.—Potatoes and Other Vegetables have for Many Years Been Grown at Fort Good Hope, a few Miles from the Arctic Circle.—Wheat and Barley Grown at Liard for Many Years.—Interesting Comparison With the Russian Province of Tobolsk.—A Large Town as Far North as Fort Wrigley.—Why Better Results in Grain Growing May be Expected in the Future.

Northern Alberta, including the Athabaska and Peace countries treated of in the chapters immediately preceding, is generally considered, and properly, as forming part of the Great Mackenzie Basin, and that it has been in this volume considered as separate from the immense region on both sides of the Mackenzie, surrounding Great Slave lake, and on both sides of Slave river from Fort Smith to its mouth at the lake in question, is due to the purpose, previously expressed, of treating as separate geographical units regions possessing particular characteristics either of location, soil, climate or natural resources.

The region discussed in the present and immediately succeeding chapters as “The Mackenzie River Region” includes the country north of the Alberta and British Columbia boundary line (the 60th parallel of north latitude) extending as far north as Beaufort sea. To the westward it is bounded by the Yukon territory boundary line, and to the eastward by the height of land east of Slave river, the height of land between the valley of Coppermine river and the lake and river system extending from the north arm of Great Slave lake to Great Bear lake, and a line in prolongation thereof northward to the sea.

There might be some question as to the advisability of considering the country north, south and east of Great Bear lake as part of the country lying more immediately adjacent to the great river of the north. It is true that the slight knowledge of the country north, south and immediately east of Great Bear lake tends to show that it is a region far less inviting than the immediate valley of the Mackenzie, and that it practically forms part of the so-called “Barren Lands” which extend as far eastward as Hudson bay. But this unfavourable evidence is not quite conclusive, and after all, the whole of the country within the limits decided upon is in the Mackenzie watershed, and has been considered in a broad sense as part of the Mackenzie region by the explorers, missionaries, traders, and travellers who have written of the country. So the adoption of the limits decided upon should simplify the geographical situation for the reader, and that is an important thing in considering a territory so vast as that immediately under review.

A King of Northern Waters.

Mackenzie river is one of the longest and broadest streams in the world. According to Mr. R. G. McConnell, of the Geological Survey, one of the first to attempt a scientific survey of the river, the Mackenzie “drains an area of six hundred and seventy-seven thousand, four hundred square miles, and has an approximate discharge at a medium stage of the water, according to some rough measurements made by the writer, of five hundred thousand cubic feet per second. Its basin is traversed for nearly one thousand three hundred miles by Rocky mountains, and the Mackenzie is probably unique among the rivers of the world in the fact of having a large proportion of its basin situated on the farther side of a great mountain chain. Two of its principal tributaries, Liard and Peace rivers, pierce Rocky mountains and drain large areas beyond, while the third, the Athabaska, originates in the heart of the same range, and is confined entirely to the eastern slope. The country from which the Mackenzie draws its supplies is of the most varied description and includes part of the broken plateau region west of Rocky mountains, Rocky mountains themselves through fifteen degrees of latitude, the northern part of the prairie district and the wooded and moss-covered country which succeeds it towards Arctic ocean, while tribute is also drawn from a wide belt of rough Laurentian country on the east, and from portion of the “Barren Lands.” From Great Slave lake to the sea the Mackenzie is an imposing stream, averaging about a mile in width with occasional expansions for long distances to twice this size. It is characterized by the comparative purity of its water, by its long straight reaches and by the absence of sudden bends. Its valley, usually shallow, follows closely all the sinuosities of the stream without the intervention of large flats. Clusters of islands obstruct its channel in a number of places, and are met with at intervals all the way down, while ranges of lofty mountains run parallel with it for part of its course, and form a fitting background to this king of northern waters.”

Silent Sweep of a Mighty River.

“Opposite Fort Simpson,” according to Mr. McConnell, “the main channel of the Mackenzie is almost exactly a mile wide, and it maintains and often exceeds this width for many miles below. Its course, as far as the Great Bend, a distance of seventy miles, is north-northwest, and its current in average stages of the water has a velocity of about four miles an hour. The banks of the valley appear low owing to the great size of the river, but in reality have often a height of two hundred feet or over. The appearance of this part of the Mackenzie and of the unending spruce forests which border it is monotonous and uninteresting, and is only relieved by the majesty inseparable from the silent sweep of a river of its magnitude.”

Slave river, which discharges the water of Lake Athabaska and Peace river into Great Slave lake, is practically an upper reach of the Mackenzie, its course being in the same general direction but the name “Mackenzie” is given only to that long stretch of navigable water from Great Slave lake to the sea.

As Mackenzie river itself is the outstanding geographical feature of the country, as it is the main channel of communication, and as all the settlementsare situated upon its banks or those of its tributaries, a table of distances along this gigantic waterway may prove to be a useful guide to those readers of these pages, who are not familiar with the geography of the country. The table is compiled from the report by Wm. Ogilvie, D.L.S., of his survey, and the figures cover the route from Fort Smith, on Slave river, practically on the Alberta boundary line, to Fort McPherson on the delta of the Mackenzie:—

The Dominion census of 1911 gives us the following figures of the population of these places, and of one or two other posts which will be referred to later:—Fort Good Hope, 434; Fort Liard, 136; Fort McPherson, 387; Fort Norman, 315; Fort Providence, 473; Fort Rea, 774; Fort Resolution, 766; Fort Simpson, 375; Fort Smith, 50; Fort Wrigley, 79; Hay river, 146.

These figures do not represent only the local population at the posts, but in addition the inhabitants, white and red, of the surrounding districts.

Mackenzie Navigation.

For many years the Hudson’s Bay Company have maintained steam communication on the Mackenzie from Fort Smith to Fort McPherson by means of steamers. The pioneer steamer “Wrigley” is one of the historical associations of the country. According to Mr. William Ogilvie, the “Wrigley’s” log shows the following average between Fort Smith, the most southerly part of her run, and Fort McPherson, the most northerly, the distance between these points being about one thousand two hundred and seventy miles. From Fort Smith to Fort Resolution, nearly all on Great Slave river, average running time, about eighteen hours; between Resolution and Providence about seventeen hours, of which twelve and a half are in Great Slave lake; between Providence and Simpson about fourteen hours; Simpson to Wrigley about ten and a half;Wrigley to Norman, about fourteen hours; Norman to Good Hope, about thirteen hours; Good Hope to McPherson, about twenty-four and a half hours. The total running time is one hundred and twenty-three and one-half hours, somewhat over ten and a quarter miles an hour.

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