{"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.14288\/1.0061275":{"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#identifierAIP":[{"value":"7f62700f-3b6a-4862-b61c-f1c5e466410f","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/dataProvider":[{"value":"CONTENTdm","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/alternative":[{"value":"REPORT ON THE KOOTENAY COUNTRY.","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/isReferencedBy":[{"value":"http:\/\/resolve.library.ubc.ca\/cgi-bin\/catsearch?bid=1198198","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/isPartOf":[{"value":"Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/creator":[{"value":"British Columbia. Legislative Assembly","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued":[{"value":"2016-06-24","type":"literal","lang":"en"},{"value":"[1884]","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/aggregatedCHO":[{"value":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/collections\/bcsessional\/items\/1.0061275\/source.json","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/elements\/1.1\/format":[{"value":"application\/pdf","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2009\/08\/skos-reference\/skos.html#note":[{"value":" 47 Vic. Report on the Kootenay Country. 809\nRETURN\nTo an Order of the House for a copy of instructions to Messrs. Farwell and Sproat,\nbefore leaving for Kootenay, and a copy of their report on the Mining,\nAgricultural and Timber resources of that district. \u25a0\nMO. RO-BSO-N\",\nProvincial Secretary's Office, Provincial Secretary.\n15th January, 1884-\nThe Honourable Provincial Secretary to Mr. G. M. Sproat.\nVictoria, B. O, 12th July, 1883.\nSir,\u2014You are instructed to proceed at once to Kootenay, in company with Mr. Parwell,\nfor the purpose of examining and reporting upon that territory, or as much thereof as may be\npossible within the necessarily brief period at your disposal.\nThe primary object of the expedition is to obtain such a descriptive report upon the areas\ncovered by the Ainsworth scheme, and the Baillie-Grohman reclamation scheme, as will enable\nthe Government to form correct conclusions respecting the value of the country for farming,\ngrazing, mining, and other economic purposes ; but you will, at the same time, give as extended\na description of the country drained by the Kootenay and Upper Columbia Rivers, lying\nwithin the Province, as may be compatible with the time and means at your disposal.\nIn addition to such a general description of the country, and its advantages as a field for\nsettlement and the employment of capital in mining and other industrial pursuits, you will\nalso report upon the Indian population, and indicate approximately what lands (if any) may\nbe required for the purpose of Indian reserves.\nIn point of time, your first duty will be to report upon the Kootenay River lands intended\nto be leased for reclamation purposes, in order that the Government may be in a position, at\nthe earliest possible date, to complete the lease.\nIt will scarcely be necessary for me to enjoin upon you the utmost economy in time and\nexpenses, as the Government have only a very limited sum at their disposal for the exploration.\nI have, he,\n(Signed) Jno. Robson,\nProvincial Secretary.\nThe Honourable Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works to Mr. A. S. Farwell,\nLands and Works Department,\nVictoria, B. C, 14th July, 1883.\nSir,\u2014That the Government may be possessed of full information in regard to certain\nlands in Kootenay District, situated on the Kootenay River, and lying between the International\nBoundary and Kootenay Lake, I have the honour to instruct you to proceed, with all convenient\ndispatch, to the place in question. You will there make such surveys as may be necessary to\nenable you to report upon the extent and character of the valley on each side of the river,\nthe approximate area of the lands subject to overflow, and the average depth of flood water,\nand upon the nature and magnitude of the operations necessary to reclaim the submerged\nlands, together with any information bearing on the subject which you may gather.\nYou will also report particularly upon the number of Indians (if any ?) who, by usage,\nmay have claims for grazing or other purposes, upon the lands proposed to be reclaimed, and\ngenerally upon Indian requirements in the locality.\nG. M. Sproat, Esq., who will accompany you to Kootenay, charged with a separate service,\nwill render you such assistance as may be in his power. 310 Report on the Kootenay Country. ,     1884\nA cheque for $250 is herewith enclosed as an advance, to be repaid by voucher. The\nremuneration for your services will be at the rate of $150 per month, together with travelling\nand living expenses, represented by voucher. It will be necessary that you exercise the\nstrictest economy in the matter of your expenses, and that, at the earliest date practicable,\nyou return to Victoria with your report upon the reclamation scheme.\nI have, <fec,\n(Signed)        Wm. Smithe,\nChief Commissioner of Lands and Works.\nMR.   SPROAT'S   REPORT  ON   KOOTENAY.\nTo the Honourable\nThe Provincial Secretary.\nMemorandum.\nSurface of the District of Kootenay.\nThe surface of the district of Kootenay differs in some respects from that of the mainland\nof our Province, lying west of the Columbia River. There is not a wide plateau between the\nmountain systems of Kootenay, namely, the Rockies and Selkirks, as there is, between the\nmountain systems of Yale district. The Rockies, and the Selkirks, almost inosculate about the\ntop of the Big Bend, but, as the trend of the Rockies is south-easterly while the Selkirks have a\ngeneral north and south direction, with less of a character of a range, the two systems become\nsomewhat detached and leave between them, in the southern part of the district, a country\ncomparatively lower, but not of the nature of a plateau.\nThe Rockies form the eastern wall of the Kootenay district. Though presenting an axial\nrange, no doubt from a bird's-eye view, they are composed of several ranges, differing in height\nand appearance, and running transversely in parts, but generally lying close together with a\nparallelism north-west and south-east.\nIt is the Selkirks that give character to the district of Kootenay. They are less entitled\nthan the Rockies to the appellation of a range, except from the top of the Bend to the head of\nUpper Arrow Lake, which area sheds water pretty regularly, east and west. Nor are the\nSelkirks a broad mass filling the whole region with Alpine elevations. Their greatest elevation, or at any rate the largest collection of lofty mountains in the whole Selkirk system, is in\nthe above-mentioned area towards the northern part of the Bend. Many fine snow-peaks exist\nthere. Going southerly, there is a wide depression with southerly flowing streams. In the\nlowest parts of this depression lie the Upper Kootenay Lake and the great Platbow or\nKootenay Lake. This depression has rather a high eastern rim, diminishing southerly, which\nforces the Columbia River to a northerly, and the Kootenay River to a southerly, course. On\nthe western side of this depression, particularly between the great Kootenay Lake and Slocan\nLake, or the Columbia River, the mountains form a broad mass, rising, in parts, high, with\nsome snow-peaks, and shedding water in all directions.\nThe configuration of Kootenay district, thus, is an isosceles triangle, with its base on the\n49th parallel (United States boundary) and its summit at the head of the Big Bend, or, more\nfamiliarly, it may be likened to a pointed horseshoe enclosing a smaller one\u2014the latter rimming the central Elatbow or Kootenay Lake depression above-mentioned.\nMountains and Hills.\nThe whole surface of the district is mountainous or hilly, without any extensive plains,\nlevel uplands or undulating plateaus.\nThe heights visible from the valleys and great water-ways are less than the traveller\nexpects from the general mountainous character of the surface. The snow-peaks, as a rule, are\nhidden behind hills except in the northern parts of the Bend. Some of these peaks probably\nreach a height of 7,000 to 10,000 feet, but the hills that commonly meet the eye are from\n1,000 to 2,500 feet above the surface.\nMost of the snow-peaks are sharp, regular cones, though some have flatfish summits with\nbroad shoulders.    Some stand out like great square castles, while others resemble gigantic 47 Vic. Report on the Kootenay Country. 311\nchimneys.    Bare, high serrated sections are not uncommon in the peeps one gets of the main\nRocky range.\nThe hills are of all shapes, with pleasing diversities of form. Their outline generally, is\nsoft, and vegetation, such as it is, covers them. I have seen more sternness and wildness in a\nten days' excursion in the Scotch Highlands than during my whole visit to Kootenay.\nLakes.\nThe lakes in general, when not great riverine expansions, are the familiar British Columbian mountain lakes, running north and south, and very long in proportion to their width,\nclosely bordered by hill-sides from which much of the soil has been washed down, and with\nswamp-grass patches at the mouths of the larger incoming streams. The want of islands somewhat mars their beauty.\nValleys.\nThe Eastern valley of Kootenay is the principal valley in the district. It is a portion of\none of the most remarkable topographical features in North America, namely, the deep sunk\nvalley or great trough which runs in a nearly straight N. W. and S. E. course, for more than\n400 miles, edging, for the most part, the foot-hills of the Rockies.\nWithin the district of Kootenay, the Upper Columbia and middle Kootenay Rivers lie in\nthis valley.    It stretches beyond the international boundary line.\nThe ordinary valleys of the mountain streams, as a rule, are narrow, many of them being\ngorges. Their beds, often, are V-shaped, for long distances, and their expansions are ended by\nbluffs, projecting into the stream. A common feature, is a canon or rocky obstruction near\ntheir mouths, above which there are long stretches of canoe navigation, almost invariably,\nhowever, ended by falls or rapids that make portages necessary.\nThrough the country near the railway line, great cracks or fissures in the mountains are\nhere and there seen.\nEagle Pass (partly in Yale and partly in Kootenay Districts, and the natural entrance to\nKootenay District from the west), is one of these, and the expectancy that this \"crack\"\nstretched eastward thence through the Selkirks beyond the region explored by Mr. Moberly in\n1865, enabled Major Rogers to find the pass, or depression, for the railway route, with which\nhis name will be associated.\nNatural Direction of Traffic-ways.\nThe above-mentioned northerly and southerly trend of the Rockies, and the genera\nirregular parallelism of the Selkirks, give, necessarily, a corresponding character and course to\nthe valleys and rivers. The surface is corrugated, pressed together easterly and westerly, like\nthe narrow part of a fan. Instead of opening westerly towards the ocean, the valleys are\nshut off by several mountain ranges. The open part of the Kootenay topographical horseshoe\nis to the south, where, as above said, the mountain systems of the district separate somewhat.\nThe natural facilities of intercourse, both by land and water, are therefore greater in a north\nand south direction than from east to west.\nInternally, for purposes of traffic intercourse, the district is composed of three dissevered\nareas:\u2014\n(1.) The western leg of the Columbia, shut from the Kootenay Lake region by mountains,\nexcept through one rugged cut or depression, and severed from the Upper Columbia by unnavigable stretches of water.\n(2.) The Kootenay Lake region, a \"pocket\" with its body in our territory and its mouth\nopening into the United States\u2014a place by itself\u2014an inner horseshoe, as, elsewhere, I have called it, with a crack on its west side.\n(3.) The Eastern Valley of Kootenay, severed from the western leg of the Columbia by\nmountains and unnavigable stretches of water, and reachable from Kootenay Lake\nregion only by a long pack trail, with bad feed, through a country where a waggon\nroad is not likely to be required.\nConfusion arises when these areas are lumped under one word \"Kootenay,\" in discussing\nsome matters appertaining to the district.     The question, always, is, which of these three\nsevered areas of Kootenay are you speaking of?\nFor instance, on a strictly topographic view, it foFows from what is said above as to the\nnatural formation of Kootenay Lake region, that the only possible way in which Canada can try to get at the trade of that region, if ever there will be trade, is by the proposed \" Ainsworth\nrailway,\" which breaks through one of the rugged sides of the \"horseshoe\" at its only crack.\nWithout a road, or railway, through the cut or depression stretching west from Kootenay\nLake to the Columbia, all the trade of Kootenay Lake region must be with the United States.\nNature has shut argument on this question by mountain walls and unnavigable water.\nAccessibleness of the District.\nWith the exception of Vancouver Island, Kootenay, as to most of it, is in fact, naturally,\nthe most accessible region in the Province through water-ways and passes.\nThe Fort Shepherd trail appears to have been a mistake. The natural entrance to\nKootenay district from the west is, as already said, through Eagle Pass. The region of the\nmother lakes of the Columbia is the real centre of the whole district. You can go north and\nsouth from that region by open natural ways, into, and through, a far larger mining, arable,\nand grazing area than from any other point.\nNavigableness of the Columbia.\nThe Columbia River, which runs 440 miles within British territory, is, except when closed\nby ice, navigable in our Province for long distances by suitable steamboats.\nThe longest stretch is from the United States boundary up to Death Rapids, a distance of\nabout 229 miles, divisible as follows:\u2014\nThe distance by the Columbia River from the boundary to the mouth of the Kootenay\nRiver, is about 31 miles; thence to north end of Lower Arrow Lake, 75 miles; thence through\nthe river to south end of Upper Arrow Lake, 17 miles; thence to north end of Upper Arrow\nLake (not including Nin-com-ap-a-lux, its north-easterly arm, which is about 7 miles) 40 miles;\nthence to Eagle Pass, 29 miles; approximate distance, by.river, from the boundary to Eagle\nPass, 192 miles; ditto, mouth of Kootenay River to Eagle Pass, 161 miles; Eagle Pass to\nDeath Rapids, about 37 miles. Total mileage, of navigation on the Columbia River, from the\nboundary to Death Rapids, 229 miles.\nIt is perhaps, not absolutely impossible to take a steamboat through Death Rapids.\nIn the opinion of some, a steamboat intended for service on up-river stretches, might be\ntaken through these rapids at a suitable season by an expert captain, who watched chances,\nbut their navigation by steamboat, in the ordinary sense of the word, is impossible.\nOf the above 229 miles, about 115 miles are slack water, chiefly in the Arrow Lakes.\nThe current of the remainder is in many parts as strong as between Yale and Hope on\nthe Fraser.\nThe Indians in canoes do not try, as a rule, to breast the current; they keep along the\nthe bank, taking advantage of eddies ; and they often use poles or ropes. Steamboats for\nthis river should be powerful stern-wheel boats, and they would require liberal permission in\nthe use of steam. Screw propellers would be useful on the Arrow Lakes only. The rapids of\nthe Columbia, called the \" Kootenay rapids,\" from their occurring in the Columbia immediately\nabove the mouth of the Kootenay River, are troublesome, owing to the crookedness of the\nchannel. In the event of trade springing up three or four big boulders in these rapids should\nbe removed.\nThe \" Little Dalles,\" by which I mean the British \" Little Dalles,\" two miles above Eagle\nPass, are not always navigable for steamboats. During the June floods, a steamboat might\nhave to wait a few days at the Little Dalles for a chance to go through these rapids. They\ncould be improved by blasting.\nThere might be a railway portage link at Death Rapids if traffic on the Upper River justified\nits construction. From Death Rapids to Boat Encampment there is a navigable stretch of\nabout 20 miles. Thence to the foot of the riverine expansion usually called Kinbasket Lake,\nsay about 25 miles, the Columbia River could be made navigable only by costly improvements.\nThat lake is about 9 miles long, and, through it, and for about 25 miles farther, there is good\nnavigation.\nThe next 25 miles, up to about the proposed railway crossing, is not good. The river,\nthence to the mother lakes, a distance of abont 110 miles, is navigable. There are not many\nrocks in the latter stretch, but, as in the Oregon River Willamette, low-water islets, gravel\nbars and shoots. The salmon spawning beds somewhat obstruct the entrance to the lower of\nthe two mother lakes, at low water, and the bit of river between these two lakes, may need\nsome improvement, but not much. 47 Vio. Report on the Kootenay Country. S18\n\u2022 I ought here perhaps to mention that the Columbia River is open at the boundary and\nfor 17 miles southerly beyond it. The Little Dalles (American) there occur, which steamboats\ncannot pass except at low stages of water.\nThe portage is about a mile, on ground suitable for a railway. A waggon road leads up\nfrom the south to these Little Dalles. About 27 miles below the Little Dalles, and of course\nalso in United States territory, the impassable Kettle Falls occur. Both these obstructions to\ntraffic could be overcome by portage links, were the game worth the candle. The Northern\nPacific trunk line is distant. Spokane Falls City, the nearest station of the Northern Pacific\nrailway, is about 130 miles by waggon road from the boundary where the Columbia crosses it.\nThat city is about 100 miles from White's Landing (Boundary Commission old barracks). It\nis supposed that to the neighbourhood of this latter a railway feeder of the North Pacific may\nby and by be constructed to tap the United States Colville District, but no survey of such a\nline has been made yet.\nNavigableness of Kootenay River and Lake.\nThe Kootenay River is navigable at certain seasons by light stern-wheel steamboats, for\nnearly 100 miles, between Tobacco Plains, at the United States boundary, and the junction of\nthe river, with Findlay Creek, which comes in from the west, near the mother lakes of the\nColumbia; but this navigation is somewhat impeded in parts by drifts and shallows, and,\neconomically, is unimportant.\nFrom Bonner's Ferry, 60 miles down the Kootenay River, to the British boundary, and\nthence fa ther down the river, 33 miles, to Kootenay Lake, the navigation is good for any sized\nvessel. The river winds much. It is 500 to 600 feet wide, 30 to 60 feet deep; with few snags\nand a gentle current. The low, soft banks are favourable for steamboat landings almost everywhere.\nKootenay Lake, in its whole length of about 65 miles, is deep and clear of rocks.\nThe lower course of Kootenay River, namely, from the outlet of Kootenay Lake to the\nColumbia River, is not navigable for steamboats, owing to falls and rapids. Light boats and\nbirch bark canoes can be used on it, but from five to seven portages have to be made, according\nto the stage of water.\nIt is unnecessary to mention inferior water-ways in this report. The Yahk and Mooyie,\nwhich cross the boundary in their southerly course, are not navigable.\nClimate.\nThe climate of the whole district of Kootenay is healthful, and less severe than its mountainous surface and surroundings would lead one to expect. On a broad general comparison, it more resembles that of the region from Clinton southerly, than of any other region in\nthe Province. The difference is caused mainly by the different surface of Kootenay, which, as\nalready said, has not a wide plateau like that of Yale district, but is more mountainous and\nhas, at least in its interior, narrow valleys that lie higher above the sea. On the other hand,\nKootenay has greater water areas in its rivers and lakes, and is opener than Yale district to\nthe south, whence warm'air is indrawn. The three valleys opening to the south and extending\nfar into United States territory, namely, (1) the Eastern Valley lying along the Rocky\nMountains; (2) The valley of the Kootenay, leading to the central depression in which the\nKootenay lake lies; and (3) the valley of the Columbia, have an important influence on the\ngeneral climate of the district, particularly as they all are water-beds and water-courses, and as\ntwo of them, the eastern, and western valleys, meeting at Boat Encampment, really form a\nsingle valley that encircles two-thirds of the district\u2014a conduit of warmth among the mountains.\nThe irregular surface cf the country, extending, as it does, over more than three degrees\nof latitude, of course causes local variations of climate. Unfortunately, no meteorological, or\neven temperature, observations have been made systematically in Kootenay.\nSnow-Fall.\nThe most notable difference in the climatic subdivisions of the district would appear to be\nin the snow-fall, by which I do not mean the total precipitation, but the average depth that\nlies seasonally on the ground.\nTbe aiea of the heaviest snow-fall in Kootenay with a minimum on low ground of four\nfeet, or thereabouts, is above a line drawn rather north of east from about the head of Upper 314 Report on the Kootenay Country. 1884\nArrow Lake. The average farther down the Columbia, and also on the bottoms south of\nKootenay Lake, is less than this by eighteen inches or two feet. The area of smallest snowfall, say with a maximum of about two feet, lessening to a foot or under a foot, in certain\nlocalities, is in the eastern valley along the Rocky Mountains, for about 150 miles up from the\nUnited States boundary. Northward the snow lies deeper, the average on low ground\nabout Kicking Horse River being from three and a half to four feet.\nRain-Fall.\nThe whole district is characterized by the light rain-fall of the extensive comparatively dry\nregion immediately west of the Rocky Mountains, both north and south of the United States\nboundary, of which region Kootenay naturally is a part. 1883 was a very dry year. I remember only a single wet day, and two or three showers, during my stay in Kootenay, from the\n23rd July to the 2nd November. The weather, however, as a rule, breaks and becomes more\nor less rainy, or showery rather than rainy, over the whole country, about the middle of October.\nThe eastern valley, from the boundary far up towards the first railway crossing of the Columbia, has the light summer rain-fall of the Thompson valley, but probably a hygrometer would\nshow more moisture in the atmosphere. The same may be said of the Kootenav Bottoms, south\nof Kootenay Lake, except that more clouds\u2014rain-like clouds\u2014pass high overhead. There is\nmore rain-fall on Kootenay Lake than on the bottoms, but not much.\nThe rain-fall on the Columbia, from the boundary up to Arrow Lake, also, is light, though\nsomewhat heavier than in the eastern valley above-mentioned. On the Upper Arrow Lake,\njudging by the vegetation, there is more rain-fall than in the Lower Arrow Lake. This increase\nis maintained northerly, but there is no locality, so far as I could learn, that has a wet summer.\nIn the regions of comparatively heavy rain-fall, the augmentation is caused by heavier spring\nand fall rains, and more showers in summer.\nThe very moist appearance of many localities in Kootenay is not caused by excessive rainfall, so much as by stream-floods, slow melting of snow heaps in fissures, ravines, or nooks, and\nby woods that obstruct sunlight and perpetuate dampness.\nDew-Deposit.\nThere is a very copious dew-deposit on the bottom lands of the Lower Kootenay\u2014much\ngreater than on the eastern valley of the district, or in the valley of the Lower Columbia. The\ntrue effect of dew-deposit in agriculture is an interesting little-known subject, which I have not\nspace to discuss.\nTemperature.\nIn the absence of systematic observations, it is difficult to do more than indicate the range\nof temperatures, without attempting to state the mean, on which, during certain months,\nripening of crops depends. There was so much smoke this year, in the important months of\nJuly and August, that I could gaze at the sun every day without winking. But this is an\nunusual circumstance. The summer heat, in the valleys, is great, probably varying from 80\u00b0 to\nover 100\u00b0\u2014sometimes a good bit over 100\u00b0 for a few days\u2014but the great bodies of water and\noccasional breezes, modify its effect in the larger valleys. The side valleys are more sultry. In\nwinter the temperature varies much, and suddenly, every season, and in different years, more\nparticularly in the areas of the greatest influence of the south winds, which extends northward\nfar up the valleys. In the southern area generally the mean winter temperature probably will\nbe found to be somewhere about 15\u00b0, say nearer to that of Clinton than to that of Spence's\nBridge. Occasionally, there are short intervals of very cold weather, 30\u00b0 or 40\u00b0 below zero,\nchanging surprisingly almost to mildness in a short time. Towards the north of the district\nthe climate has similar characteristics with a lower temperature.\nSystematic meteorological observations should be made at Galbraith's Ferry, the Mother\nLakes of the Columbia, Eagle Pass, and the Kootenay Bottoms.\nScenery.\nIn a young country like ours, the question of scenery takes an inferior place, unlike its\nposition in crowded England, where, lately, a House of Commons Committee rejected Bills for\n\" Railway and Mineral Developement,\" on the expressed ground that \" serious injury would\n\"have been done to the beauty of scenery in the Cumberland Lake District,\"   But the ques- tion, for simply utilitarian considerations, is not without interest to us, now that a railway is\nopening our country. The scenery in Kootenay, though much of it was not seen by me, owing\nto the prevalence of smoke, and I did not visit the grander parts of the district, may confidently\nbe said to be fine. It is of a character to attract tourists, and the possible contributions of\ntourists to the business of the Switzerland of America should not be overlooked.\nWhat has already been said of the general surface of the country, must, to a great extent,\nhave anticipated what can be said of its scenery. The district, as a whole, has the two main\nelements of beauty\u2014variety of outline and variety of colour\u2014and the features of many localities that I remember are grouped so as to form impressive combinations.\nEastern   Valley.\nThe eastern valley of Kootenay, forming part of the extraordinary long valley already\nmentioned as stretching along the base of the Rockies far north and south of Kootenay\ndistrict, is about 294 miles long from the boundary to Boat Encampment, and for the most part\nhas an average width of 8 or 10 miles, narrowing towards the north. The mother lakes of the\nColumbia, 2,850 feet above, sea level, lie about the centre of the most valuable part of the\nvalley. It is one of the prettiest and most favoured valleys in the Province, having good grass\nand soil, a fine climate, established gold mines and promising gold and silver mines, excellent\nwater-ways, and an easy surface for road-making. Its chief navigable water-way leads to a\nstation of the Canadian Pacific Railway. At present the valley is as much out of the way as\nOmineca, but in two years its people will have the newspapers of the world, nearly a couple of\ndays before the people of Victoria get them.\nEastern  Valley\u2014Grass.\nThe valley for about 150 miles of it forms a first class bunch-grass grazing area, well\nwatered for stock. The general appearance of much of the valley is not unlike that of the South\nThompson above Kamloops\u2014grassy terraces, slopes and knolls, but with a wider river bed.\nSome of the lateral valleys afford excellent summer grazing. The upper course of the\nKootenay until it enters the eastern valley near the mother lakes, and also the Elk River\nValley, are timbered pine-grass, not bunch-grass, regions.\nMosquitoes and gnats are troublesome everywhere, but not so troublesome as they are\neast of the Rockies.    They are about as vigorous as they are in Kamloops district.\nThe total number of cattle in Kootenay at present, probably does not exceed 500\u2014the\nlarger portion being owned by the Indians.\nBunch-grass and pine-grass are the two commonest native small grasses in Kootenay. I\nnoticed also blue-grass, wool-grass and sheep-grass, then there are the various kinds of swamp-\ngrass in considerable abundance, red-top and blue-joint sparingly, also a good deal of wild rye\nin the salty earths. Wild sage is common, and wild timothy can be traced across the Rockies.\nOn the bottom lands there is a considerable quantity of browsing trees and shrubs. None of\nthese grasses, except the bunch, pine and swamp grasses, occur in large areas.\nEastern  Valley\u2014 Winterage.\nOver the whole valley up to half-way between\"the mother lakes and the railway \"first\ncrossing\" of the Columbia, the snow-fall may be said to average 18 inches to 2 feet, the\nlatter of which depths, of course, covers bunch-grass that has been much eaten. But in\nseveral localities the average is only one-half of this fall, and the snow seldom lies long at even\nthese depths; the warm wind comes, perhaps half or more of the snow melts, then another\nfall and so on. Towards spring there may be only '9 inches in parts. It thus happens often,\nthat cattle need not be fed. The Canadian Pacific Railway survey pack-horses wintered out\nlast winter on the east of the lower mother lake and were \"hog-fat\" in spring. The Indians\nmake no provision for their stock. Nevertheless, here, as elsewhere, winter provision is\ndesirable. There was a fatal winter in 1879, owing to the snow crusting hard suddenly, in\nFebruary, but the Indians do not remember a similar season. From \"Steamboat Landing\"\nnorthward the snow-fall is deeper, by a foot or more, but winter thaws occur there too. I do\nnot think, however, that cattle could winter out there. Some say the country is deficient in\nwild hay, but I am not satisfied that this is the case. I saw some good meadows, and think\nthat the swamp-grasses on the river beds, particularly on the Kootenay, may be utilised. The\naquatic trees there afford browsing and shelter. 316 Report on the Kootenay Country. 1884\nEastern   Valley\u2014Soil.\nThe soil of the eastern valley is undoubtedly fertile, but its qualities have not been fully\ntested, as very little farming has been undertaken as yet. I think that both the soil and\nclimate are suitable for agriculture for at least 150 miles up the valley from the frontier.\nThe soil will yield wheat and whatever else is grown in Kamloops or Okanagan, though the\ngreater elevation and the differing nature of the soil will require more care in Kootenay than\nin these districts. There may be in parts a little more danger from summer frosts. I saw\nripe beans (climbers) in the highest part of the valley, back from the water-way.\nThere are 20,000 to 25,000 acres of bottom lands on the middle Kootenay River (between\nthe mother lakes of the Columbia and the boundary) which probably would be made available\nfor arable purpose if the Upper Kootenay were turned into the above lakes. These bottom\nlands have very fertile soil, and lie for the most part along the base of bunch-grass slopes and\nhills.    Their great value if reclaimed would justify the necessary works of irrigation.\nI am inclined to think that the advantages of turning the upper course of the Kootenay\ninto the Columbia would outweigh the disadvantage of lessening or even destroying the navigableness of the stretch of the Kootenay down the eastern valley to the boundary. The navigation is inferior and comparatively unimportant in relation to locality and traffic. Anyhow, a\nwaggon road is required for half the way, and can be cheaply made. We have to balance\nconsiderations. The bringing in of a large, valuable area of arable land would seem to be\nthe paramount consideration. Notwithstanding the turning away of the upper course of the\nKootenay, the affluents of the middle Kootenay and its own lakelet expansions would still\nmake it a considerable stream.\nEastern  Valley\u2014Timber.\nThe whole valley is more or less wooded, but of course thinly wooded in the extensive\nareas of bunch-grass\u2014a grass that will not grow well in shade. The portion of the valley\nexamined by me will not afford much timber for export. The prevailing tree in the eastern\nvalley from the boundary up to the mother lakes is the yellow pine (pinus p.) mixed with\nblack pine, Douglas fir, tamarac, etc.--tamarac prevailing on the foot-hills of the Rockies.\nOn the river bottoms there is a small but healthy growth of cottonwood, aspens, birch, &o.\nEastern   Valley\u2014Mining.\nThe eastern valley has mineral, as well as arable and grazing resources. The true coal\nformation of the Bow River District crosses for a short distance into the south-east angle of\nKootenay, but is there, however, so far from easy means of transport, that the coal can only\nhave a prospective value. \u25a0 A vein of coal is reported in the Kicking Horse district, but my\ninformant could not describe its nature.\nAt the old-established gold mines of VTild Horse Creek more than 100 men are still\nworking. Perry Creek, Weaver Creek, the head waters of the Mooyie and Bull River gold\nregions, are all in the southern part of the valley. Little doubt exists that Findlay Creek and\nother streams in the neighbourhood of the mother lakes of the Columbia also are gold-bearing\nand will yet yield a harvest to miners, when the prices of supplies and prospecting conditions\nare favourable. Gold was found in 1883 in a creek on the west side of the Columbia near\nKicking Horse river. Good miners confidently expect to find gold quartz ledges towards the\nhead of the valley at the upper part, of the Big Bend. Nor is the eastern valley without its\ngalena silver-bearing deposits. There is on the Spallumcheen river a silver-bearing galena\ndeposit\u2014a large cropping, the top of which one can follow without a break for the length\nof the claim. It runs north-east ar d scuth-wcst, with a very slight dip. The prcbsil ility is that\nthere is more of it. The specimens from this cropping that I saw were remarkable in their\nvariety. Assays have shown that the ore carries silver, but no sufficient assay has been made\nas yet. In its general character, this prrspect seems to resemble the silver-bearing galena\nore lately discovered, near the railway line about the summit of the Rockies, which some\nthink is in British Columbia and not in Alberta. This is a question that should be determined\nwithout delay, as from all accounts there is an extensive silver-yielding region in that quarter.\nLower Kootenay Bottom Lands.\nThe valley, in which the bottom lands lie, seems to be the southern half of Kootenay\nLake, made into land by material brought down by the Kootenay River, which still continues\nits land-forming work, aided by the effect of the annual inundation of the whole bottom lands 47 Via Report on the Kootenay Country. 817\nfrom the lake to Bonner's Ferry. Probably the elevating of the land is due jointly to deposits\nfrom the water and the gradually diminishing rise of the water at the period of overflow.\nThere is evidence around the lake of a higher rise of water formerly. The bottoms also are\nhardening slowly.\nThe side-hills of the valley are low, say from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the surface.\nThose on the west side are steepish with granitic rocks frequently exposed, soil scanty and\nvery little grass\u2014pine grass. Scrubby larches (tamarac) and Douglas fir seem to prevail,\ngrowing more or less thinly up to the summits. These hills do not afford any important area\neither for agriculture or pasture.\nThe hills on the east side of the valley are lower and less regular. They have an easier\nslope and do not retire to high mountains.\nWithin our territory, on the east side of the valley, the hills are somewhat higher than\non the same side in American territory, and show precipitous bluffs in parts, without, however,\nlosing the general character of a rolling upland, until merged in the eastern flankers of\nKootenay Lake.\nDown the valley thus formed and bordered, the river meanders into Kootenay Lake\u2014a\nfine navigable stream with low soft banks. On each bank there is a belt, chiefly of cottonwood,\nfrom three to five chains in width, which of course crosses the view with the windings of the\nriver, as one looks up or down the valley. Scarcely a tree is visible between that riverine belt\nand the hills. The treeless, grassy surface reminded me of Matsqui or Sumass\u2014large green\nareas of swamp grass surrounding russet intervals, showing the presence of rushes and goose\ngrass on the wetter portions. One looks with expectation, for bands of large, fat cattle and the\nsmoke of rich homesteads, but these have yet to come.\nA nearer view and a tramp over the surface of the bottoms are somewhat disappointing.\nMuch of the surface under the long green grass is soft and mucky in August, though one can\nslowly walk over it, at the cost of wet feet, without sinking or sticking. The tule areas of\ncourse are wetter, and often lumpy from the effects of the winter frosts. As a rule near the\nriver banks and the banks of large sloughs, the ground is higher and therefore drier with some\nred-top grass in consequence, but not much blue-joint. The ground in many parts is slightly\nlower towards the side-hills than near the banks of the river\u2014 an unevenness, common on overflowed lands, owing to the quick subsidence of the heavier particles as soon as the current\nloses its velocity by leaving the banks of the rivers or sloughs.\nBottom lands\u2014Soil.\nThe whitish silty soil of these bottom lands is unquestionably very fertile. It is of great\ndepth, no subsoil being visible. But owing to the periodic inundation, agriculture is, at present, impossible except on little patches raised here and there above the ordinary overflow. The\nhigh water would kill cereals, timothy and the cultivated grasses.\nIn their present state, the bottoms however, have certain winterage capabilities if the grass\nis cut and stacked in time. The shelter and winter browsing in parts are good. Being however remote from.good summerage, and the snow-fall being deepish, with occasionally hard winters, the lands in their present state might not sell readily for the sake of such winterage as\nthey afford. They may therefore, perhaps, be considered as unavailable property of the Government in their present condition.\nIf reclaimed every acre of these fertile lands would be at once applied for by the best class\nof settlers, as all the cereals and the ordinary root crops and vegetables would grow well and\nripen, if early sown or planted.\nSome have expressed a doubt as to whether complete reclamation would not make irrigation\nnecessary, having regard to the dry climate during most, if not during all, years, but the general opinion is that it would not be necessary.\nSide-hills\u2014Soil.\nThe characteristic soil on the side-hills generally, is a heavy clay, sometimes arenaceous,\nand chonjing to a lighter sandy loam in parts. It appears to be generally fertile, but the\nava lable agricultural areas are limited. On the west side-hills I have said there are none.\nOn the east side-hills which are more rolling, detached portions not, however, aggregating any\nimportant acreage, might be cultivated for local markets as long as the bottoms are unavailable. 818 Report on the Kootenay Country. 1884\nSide-hills\u2014Grazing.\nThere is hardly any pasture on the west side-hills. On the east side-hills, especially south\nof the boundary line, there is in the open sunny parts of the valley-slopes a species of bunch\ngrass, less stout and bunchy than the Kamloops grass : elsewhere, pine grass prevails. The\nlatter is the common grass between the boundary line and Kootenay Lake; there is very little\nbunch grass ; probably it would grow if the timber were burned off. There are two or three\ngood meadows on the Goat River trail. I would class these wooded pine grass east side-hills\nwithin our territory, as a third class summer stock-range, for moderate bands; they do not\npossess naturally, winter food and shelter for any number of stock.\nPatches of saline clay, occurring generally as biuks or small ridges, are distributed along\nthe side-hills. There is a sufficiency of water for stock and many living springs chiefly along\nthe base of the hills near the bottoms, which do not freeze in winter.\nI do not think there are any richer lands in the Province than these bottom lands of the\nLower Kootenay.    It is to be hoped they may be soon reclaimed and covered with homesteads.\nIt may be remarked here that if the lessee of these Lower Kootenay bottom lands near\nKootenay Lake turn the upper course of the Kootenay into the mother lakes of the Columbia\nas part of his scheme of reclaiming the Lower Kootenay bottoms, the effect will be to reclaim,\nor largely reclaim (whether the Lower Kootenay bottoms are reclaimed successfully or not), about\n20,000 acres of very fertile bottom lands along the upper or what we may call the middle Kootenay River namely, that portion of its course between the mother lakes and the international\nboundary at the 49th parallel. This large area of reclaimed land would belong to the Government and not to the lessee.\nKootenay Lake,\nThe granitic hill sides round Kootenay Lake are steep and are backed by mountains. Long\nnarrow sandy beaches, and low rocky, generally rounded, promontories, like those on the inner\nside of Vancouver Island, are common on the lake margin. A torrent flows in at almost all\nthe beaches, having in fact helped to form them. Not many even small agricultural areas can\nbe found.\nA few low-lying areas nearthe water, also small bowls or basins and narrow beaver-dam bottoms among the hills, may perhaps be cultivated some day as gardens or farm patches. Near\nthe mouth of the Lardo at the north end of the lake, there are about 1,500 acres of overflowed bottom land that probably could be cultivated if reclaimed, but the extent might not\njustify the cost of reclamation.\nThe soil round the lake is scanty; much of it has been washed down into the lake. I am inclined to think that as soil, it is not sterile, but the region is of very small value either for agriculture or grazing.    Its value is in its minerals.\nTimber on Kootenay Lake.\nThe steepish rocky hills appear to be everywhere covered with trees, but extensive areas\nhave been burned.\nThe trees are in great variety\u2014Douglas fir, western larch (tamarac), white, black, and yellow pines, balsam firs, birch, maple, cedar, hemlock, yew, cottonwood, ike, resembling in this varied\ncharacter the forestry of the Cascades rather than the Rockies. But the lie of the land, the\nscantiness of the soil and the effect of recurring fires have prevented the superior tree-growth\nwhich the climate favours. The trees in general are small; where not scrubby they are rather\ntall in proportion to their thickness. There are few places where one can speak of a body of\ncommercial timber and the surface is not well adapted generally for team logging. Probably\nDouglas fir is the prevailing tree, then tamarac and cedars. Black pine is abundant on the\nelevations, and balsam firs towards the mountain summits. The yellow pines are scattered\namong the other trees towards the lower end of the lake, and the white pines, some of them\ngood trees, occur also dispersedly.\nI do not consider that the timber of Kootenay Lake is of any considerable value at present.\nIt is an inferior body of timber in itself, and is hardly available, owing to its location, for the\nsupply of Canadian markets east of the Rockies. There are better timber tracts yet untouched\nin the United States territory immediately to the southward\u2014in Pack River Pass for instance,\nalso Snake River, etc. 47 Vic. Report on the Kootenay Country. 319\nKootenay Lake Mining.\nVery little is known of the mineral resources of Kootenay Lake. It looks like a mining\nregion, and prospectors for paying gold diggings are sanguine that they will be struck. The\nold galena ledge on the east side, which contains silver, has again attracted attention, owing to\nthe approach of railways to the district, and, perhaps, more largely owing to improvements in\nthe process of separating the silver from the lead, which create hopes that such low grade ore\nmay now be handled profitably. Other ledges, which, it is said, contain more silver in the ore,\nwere discovered last year on the west side of the lake. Several practical men who were sent in 18 83 to\nexamine the region generally and spent several months in exploring, were, I am informed, satisfied with its promising character. It is probable, therefore, that the region is a good silver\nmining region. A single paying mine on Kootenay Lake, or the erection of smelting works,\nwould open a new mineral industry that would be of great importance to the Province. Silver-\nbearing galena mining especially requires capital, experience, and economical management.\nImmediately behind the Big Ledge en the east side of Koctenay Lake there is a narrow basin\nof fine clay which seemed to me to be a fine earthenware clay, possibly kaolin, orporcelain clay,\nfor we here have the felspar. Mr. Sproule mentioned having seen some of the fertiliser called\napatite (native phosphate of lime) at the head of the lake. The rocks generally being largely\nmicaceous it is possible that mica may be found of sufficient size to giveitcommercialvalue, for\nstove doors, etc. On the west side of the lake there are hot springs, and Mr. McLoughlin remembers that white miners in the old days, told him that they had seen sulphur springs a considerable distance back from the water, on the east side of the lake.\nThe rocks round the lake that I saw seemed generally of too loose structure for good building\nstone. Mr. Hall told us that he saw compact marble on the banks of the east branch of the\nLardo, a few miles up from the head of Kootenay Lake.\nAlong the Kootenay between Kootenay Lake and the Cohimbia.\nI will now mention the strip along the Kootenay River from the outlet of Kootenay Lake to\nthe Columbia River. The river has a southerly trend in crossing. Its outlet from the lake is\ndescribed by Mr. Farwell. The line of the proposed Ainsworth Railway is longitudinally\nthrough the above strip, but on approaching the Columbia, it may perhaps be made to turn\nnortherly and come in less a couple of miles above the mouth of the Kootenay River. This\nwould avoid the \"Kootenay\" rapids of the Columbia which are immediately above the mouth\nof the Kootenay River. Whether that northerly turn would improve the railway route is not\nknown, as only a reconnaissance of the locality has been made as yet.\nThe width of the Kootenay varies in this portion of its course, but probably averages about\n400 feet. The number of portages depends as I have said, somewhat on the stage of water.\nAt high water, canoes can run the first rapids at the outlet. Speaking of the river in August,\nthe whole stream, a mile and a half down from the above rapids, falls sheer about 12 feet.\nThe rapids immediately above this fall and those immediately below it, together with the fall,\nprobably cause a total fall at this place of about 20 feet in quarter of a mile. After 3 or 4\nmiles farther of rapid water, navigable by canoes, another 10 feet fall is reached, beyond which\na similar stretch brings the traveller to the big falls. These consist of two falls separated by\nrapids, each fall about 25 feet, but estimates vary much. The portage is 2| miles. An expansion below the falls, with islands in it at some stage of the water, affords fine scenery. Onward\nfor 10 miles the water generally is rapid and very rough in parts, leading to a bad rapid where\na portage of If miles is necessary. A mile of comparatively easy water thence reaches the\nColumbia.\nIt is unnecessary to say that such a stream is useless as a commercial water-way.\nLand.\nThe land on both sides is rough, as might be expected in a narrow break through the hills.\nThe margin of the river is not terraced, but is struck by low spurs of the hills that make\nnumerous ravines. There are no \"box\" canons or formidable rocky bluffs that cannot be for\nthe most part avoided by a road or railway. The rock chiefly is loose granite. It is neither\nan easy place, nor is it, I am told from an engineering point of view, a very difficult place for\na railway.\nThere is no agricultural or grazing land worth a description within this portion of the reserve.\nThe timber is inferior and scanty, and has suffered much from fires.    The Indians say there is 320 Report on the Kootenay Country. 1884\na quantity of white pine on Slocan Lake, but that is a long way beyond the 6-mile reserve, the\nSlocan River itself being about 30 miles in length.\nMinerals.\nIt is known that gold existed, and probably may still be found, in this section, from the\nexperience of miners who, in the old days, got considerable quantities of gold on the southern\ntributary of the Kootenay, in this part of its course, known as \" Forty Nine \" creek. I could\nnot hear anything of other minerals in this strip.\nColumbia River from the Boundary to Eagle Pass.\nThe soil all the way up from the boundary to Eagle Pass may be described as a light sandy\nsoil, hardly a loam. I should expect it to be fertile, but easily exhausted. There are some\nlocalities where the soil is rather clayey, and these, altogether, however a moderate area, might\nbe cultivated to supply lumbering, or other industries in the neighbourhood. I cannot class\nthis region as of much agricultural value. Owing to the contour of the country generally along\nthe river, and also along the lakes, there seem to be comparatively few areas where settlers could\nfind locations, good as regards soil and facilities of irrigation.\nAs far as I can ascertain, much of what is said above applies also to the portion of the\nreserve up towards Death Rapids, which, as above said, I have not personally examined. It\nis known from experience, in the old mining days of Big Bend, that the soil and climate, as far\nup at least as Gold Creek, will permit the growth of ordinary garden produce in suitable\nlocalities.\nGrazing within the Ainsworth Reserve on the Columbia.\nAs regards grazing on the western leg of the Columbia, there is a bunch grass country for\nover 30 miles above Colville in the U. S. Territory, and bunch grass grows more or less up to\nnear the boundary, and raggedly on a few low sunny benches for some distance within British\nTerritory (along the Pend d'Oreille there is a not inconsiderable area of fair bunch grass), but\nthere is no natural pasture properly speaking that I saw, available for bands of cattle along the\nColumbia from the boundary to Eagle Pass. There may be summer browsing in parts, and a\npicking of pine grass for a few head. Hay land, also, is deficient both on the water-way and\nthe bordering streams. There is more wild hay land further north\u2014in the area of the Big\nBend of the Columbia, but it occurs dispersedly.\nThe trees from the boundary well up Lower Arrow Lake, for the most part, are small and\nscrubby, creeping in gradations according to their nature, to the summits of the low hills visible\nfrom the river, wherever they can find soil on their rocky slopes. They consist of yellow pine\n(pinus ponderosa,) black pine (bull or western scrub), western larch (tamarac), Douglas firs\netc. An inferior growth of yellow pine is found scattered on the benches and sunny lower\nslopes, chiefly on the left bank of the Columbia, a long way up from the boundary towards the\nmouth of Kootenay River, and it appears in considerable abundance, and often of good size, in\nLower Arrow Lake ceasing, however, in the wetter Upper Arrow Lake region.\nTrees.\nThe Douglas fir or spruce generally occurs in a mass towards the head of Lower Arrow Lake\nand on Upper Arrow Lake, and on the water-way above the latter lake, chiefly on the hill-sides.\nI did not find it as large as that upon the ccast. Most of the trees are young, not big enough\nfor general purposes, but they would make good tie timber.\nThe western larch or tamarac, which is not found west of Shuswap Lake, probably is the\ncommonest tree in Kootenay.\nI had a good opportunity of observing the prevalence of the tamaracin Kootenay from the\nyellow autumnal hue that decorated the prospect. It constitutes about one-third of the forests\non the Lower Columbia and Arrow Lakes, but appears to cease between Upper Arrow Lake,\nand Eagle Pass. Its general appearance is that of the Scotch larch with a redder bark. It\ngrows larger but is said not to have the same excellent timber qualities. It is a very heavy\nwood, lasts well under ground, and is gocd for rails and next to cedar for easy splitting. Some\nsay it does not hold nails well, and therefore is not suitable for ties, but against this is the\nfact that it is used for ties, at least in the Pcnd d'Oreille division cf the Northern Pacific Railway. I believe that two varieties of this tree, the western, and the Lyell larch, existin Kootenay,\nbut I had not time to satisfy myself on this point.    In some parts it grows large; those I saw 47 Vic. Report on the Kootenay Country. 821\non the Arrow Lake were of small growth. In commercial value the tamarac probably would\nabout rank with the heavy yellow pine.\nThe western hemlock which is like the eastern hemlock, but larger, is found first in any\nquantity, in ascending the Columbia, towards the head of Lower Arrow Lake, indicating the\noccurrence of an increased rain-fall there and upwards from that point. It is abundant in\nUpper Arrow Lake ; and higher up on the Columbia, and through Eagle Pass. It is probably\nthe best grown tree in the region ; the big trees are generally on the uplands. Unfortunately\nthe wood, unless it differs from the hemlocks of the coast, which is improbable, is of less\neconomical value than that of any of these trees above mentioned.\nThe mountain pine (white pine) is very generally distributed among the other trees, as individuals or at the most, in groves rather than masses. Though supposed commonly to love\nelevations, it is found in various parts of Kootenay, growing to a goodly stature, on low ground\namong cedars. I did not see any area into which it would pay to put a logging team for the\nsale of white pine alone, such as are now said to exist on the upper Spallmucheen River, in\nYale district, but there may be such places.\nThere is a considerable quantity of cottonwood of good growth on the flats of the Columbia,\nbut I cannot form an opinion as to its probable value without further examination. I am\ninclined to think it differs from the coast cottonwood, which is suitable for various purposes, for\ninstance\u2014sugar barrel staves.\nThe last important tree to be mentioned is the western cedar (giant or red cedar.) This is\ncommon along streams, and on flats, and grows occasionally to a great size, but most of the trees\nare from 15 to 20 feet in diameter at a third from the butt. The quantity of cedars is very considerable on and above Upper Arrow Lake. There, as elsewhere in the Province, the large trees\nare generally hollow, but this does not prevent them from furnishing a large proportion of\navailable timber. A test with the axe shewed that, in some places, about a third of the small\ncedar trees (15 to 20 inches at a third from the butt) were decayed at the heart for 10 or 15\nfeet up ; in other localities the proportion of sound trees was greater. A stumpage tax on these\nsmaller trees might check trade in them. The durableness and easy splitting of the cedar, and\nthe cheapness with which it can be \"logged\" on many parts of the Columbia, may create a\ndemand for it east of the Rockies.\nQuantity of Timber.\nI have said that one goes pretty well up the Columbia from the boundary towards the head\nof Lower Arrow Lake, without being impressed with the sense of being in much of a timber\ncountry, commercially viewed. It does not follow that from thence upwards, there is continuously available timber. The timber appears to be in belts and patches, here and there on\nbenches, in the alluvial flats of streams, and back up their courses, and on low ground where the\nhills bend back from the water. The areas barren of available timber stretching as far as the\neye can reach, greatly exceed those on which such timber now grows. Probably great recurring\nfires have destroyed much of the timber, and also of the soil, a supposition strengthened by\nthe prevalence of a small growth of timber The best timber tract I saw is from the Upper\nArrow Lake to Eagle Pass, but that is, not within the Ainsworth Reserve. Some think the\nbest timber on the whole western leg may prove to be between Eagle Pass and Boat\nEncampment.\nThough the general nature of the timber region is as above stated, yet, having regard to\nthe waterway and the railway, its value is very considerable. I can well understand that one\nfamiliar with the excellent timber areas of portions of our sea coast may undervalue timber on\nthe Columbia, while, on the other hand, men from the timberless regions of the United States\nimmediately to the southward may overvalue it; still, making every allowance and deduction,\nthere is a large body of available timber in scattered patches on the western leg of the Columbia\nand on the Upper Arrow Lake and on the upper portion of Lower Arrow Lake.\nI need not mention here the logging and sawmilling facts that affect the value of these\ntracts.\nThe construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway must immediately raise their value by\nconnecting them with the extensive treeles-; region east of the Rocky Mountains that cannot be\nvery well supplied with timber f om distant Ke watin, or from the northern timbered region\nof the Canadian North-\\\\ est territories. Probably all kinds of timber will be in demand, and\nthe smaliness of the trees will not be to 0r.at a defect for th.it eastern market, as it would be\nfor sawmilling on our coast, 322 Report on the Kootenay Country. 1884\nThere is an extensive treeless region also in the United States Territory to the southward,\nwhich gradually is becoming settled on the Lower Columbia.\nMinerals on the Lower Columbia.\nWith respect to minerals on the western leg of the Columbia from the boundary to Eagle\nPass, I cannot pretend to say anything as the result of a rapid canoe trip up the river on the\neve of winter. A few Chinamen were mining for gold on the banks below the boundary, and\nI noticed some worked-out diggings further up the river within our territory, but no one\nappeared to know whether the tributaries of the Columbia and the Arrow Lakes had been\nprospected thoroughly. In the early mining days, men passed on up to the Big Bend region.\nThe impression is that gold probably exists but in small paying quantities at the present prices\nof commodities. I was told that iron ore had been seen, but the particular locality was unknown\nto my informant. The only systematic exploration of this section for minerals in general is\nthat of the \"Kootenay Bill\" grantees last summer. A gentleman employed by them, accompanied by two Indians, spent three months on the Columbia, the Arrow Lakes and uj) the\nIlle-cille-waet river, and took away samples with him in the middle of October. I, of course, have\nno information as to where these were found, what they were, or the results of their assay.\nThe Government could only get similar information by a similarly complete, leisurely method\nof exploring.\nTrade of Kootenay\u2014Past and Present.\nThe district of Kootenay has been supplied of late years entirely from the United States.\nThe goods have been brought in by pack routes. Kootenay has not reached the humble level\nof a bull-team country. One pack route is from Missoula, Montana, through Tobacco Plains\nand northerly along the east side of the Kootenay River to Wild Horse Creek.\nThe other route, and the one hitherto most used, is that by which goods were brought from\nWalla Walla and other places by teams or trains to Sand Point (on Lake Pend d'Oreille in\nIdaho), and thence 165 miles by pack-train up the Mooyie Valley to Joseph's Prairie, or Wild\nHorse Creek, as centres of distribution. The Northern Pacific Railway now comes to Sand\nPoint.\nThe long pack-train transport on these routes has made goods high priced in Kootenay, and\nthe tendency of the present Canadian Tariff has been to raise prices. This fact largely accounts\nfor the slow progress of the district.\nConsider the price that ironwork must reach under such circumstances ! Flour, now, is\n$22 a barrel at the Upper Columbia Lakes.\nThe approach of the Northern Pacific Railway to the district has somewhat tended to\ncheapen transport, but the Canadian Pacific Railway will make the most important change in\nthis respect and in the direction of trade. The district will be mainly supplied direct from the east.\nOur seaboard cities will have to make considerable effort to secure a share of the Kootenay\ntrade. Kicking Horse and Eagle Pass stations will be the natural points of distribution, but,\nperhaps, a railway town, somewhere between Spallmucheen and Savona's Ferry, may succeed in\npreventing the growth of a village at the latter place. Much will depend on the traffic arrangements of the railway.\nGood flour from the east will be delivered next spring at Kicking Horse Pass at $13.50\na barrel.\nImpending temporary increase of Population.\nIt does not fall within my instructions to advert to the great change which tbe introduction\nof 7,000 or 8,000men this year to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway and on other works and in\nprospecting, will make in the district, and more particularly in its eastern valley.\nFish and game.\nSalmon ascend the Columbia to its headwaters, but, probably, after their long swim from\nthe sea, are not good enough to be cured for export. Sturgeon perhaps, and some of the fine\nlake trout, which e specially are large and numerous in Kootenay Lake, maybe exported. There\nare many angling streams throughout the district. The ordinary varieties of grouse are in fair\nabundance, while those who love'hard sport can find mountain gorits, mountain sheep, cariboo,\ngrizzly and black bears, and de.r,    Elk formerly were numerous on the Upper Columbia, but 47 Vic. Report on the Kootenay Country. 323\nseem to have retired, or been killed out.    The ordinary fur-bearing  animals in this zone form\none of the resources of Kootenay, but the district has never been a prime fur region.\nMain Requirements.\nNothing is more needful now, to the development of Kootenay, than suitable means of\ncommunication down the whole eastern valley from the Canadian Pacific Railway to the\nboundary at the 49th parallel. All applications for expenditure or communications within the\ndistrict should, now, be considered in their relation to the necessity.\nIndian Land Question.\nIt is to be regretted that the abnormal trade which it was expected would be created for a\ncouple of years or so, by the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway within the district\nof Kootenay, will not benefit the district much. This might have been useful to Kootenay,\nparticularly to the eastern valley, in giving that start which, to young districts, as to young\nmen is so important.\nBut Kootenay was not ready for the trade, and on trying to get ready this year, the continued\nneglect in adjusting the Indian Land Question repulsed incoming capital and settlers, and\ncrushed her hopes. The adjustment of this vital question in 1884, will only enable beginnings\nto be made in 1885, and 1885 will pretty well see the end of railway construction expenditure,\nnot only in Kootenay but in the Province.\nIn the absence of any one in Kootenay to represent the Dominion Government in Indian\nland matters, I did not think it prudent to make the inquiries respecting reserves which I was\ninstructed to make, if circumstances permitted.\nConclusion.\nIt is evident from the foregoing brief account, that the district of Kootenay has considerable\nresources. To develope these needs some care on the part of the Government and the cheapening of commodities by improved means of access and transit.\nIt is likely to be a productive mineral country over nearly its whole extent. The placer\ndiggings and quartz ledges of the Big Bend will yield rich returns. Kootenay Lake district\n.may be another W'ashoe, and the Lower Kootenay bottoms a thriving agricultural settlement\nif the reclamation works succeed. There will be large sawmills on the western leg of the\nColumbia, with plenty of work for both the team-logger and the hand-logger. The tourist, the\nsportsman and the Alpine climber will spend freely among us their money and their muscle, if\nwe properly advertise Kootenay. In the eastern valley there will be a mixed stock-raising and\nfarming community of several hundred persons, arcl many more than that, if the 20,000 acres\nof fine bottom lands on the middle Kootenay are reclaimed. That section also will be the scene\nof increased mining prosperity as regards both gold and silver.\nI have the honour to be,\nSir,\nYour obedient servant,\nGILBERT MALCOLM SPROAT.\n7th January. 1884-\n[For Mr. Farwell's Report on the Kootenay Reclamation Scheme, see Public Works Report,\npage 225, Sessional Papers.]\nVICTORIA: Touted by Richard Wolpendex, Coverr.rr.ent Printer,\nat the Government Rrinting Omee. James' Bay.","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/hasType":[{"value":"Legislative proceedings","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/identifier":[{"value":"J110.L5 S7","type":"literal","lang":"en"},{"value":"1884_27_309_323","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/isShownAt":[{"value":"10.14288\/1.0061275","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/language":[{"value":"English","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/provider":[{"value":"Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/publisher":[{"value":"Victoria, BC : Government Printer","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/rights":[{"value":"Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/source":[{"value":"Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/title":[{"value":"RETURN  To an Order of the House for a copy of instructions to Messrs. Farwell and Sproat, before leaving for Kootenay, and a copy of their report on the Mining, Agricultural and Timber resources of that district.","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/type":[{"value":"Text","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/description":[{"value":"","type":"literal","lang":"en"}]}}