{"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.14288\/1.0226004":{"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#identifierAIP":[{"value":"e4533aca-890c-43b0-8556-f2235437670d","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/dataProvider":[{"value":"CONTENTdm","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/alternative":[{"value":"PACIFIC GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY. ","type":"literal","lang":"en"},{"value":" EXAMINATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES.","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":"2016-02-19","type":"literal","lang":"en"},{"value":"[1921]","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/aggregatedCHO":[{"value":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/collections\/bcsessional\/items\/1.0226004\/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":" REPORT\nON   THE\nEXAMINATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES\ntributary to the line op the\nPACIFIC GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY\nBY\nJOHN STOUGHTON DENNIS\nTHE G0VHD1MENT OF\nTHE PROVINCE OK BRITISH COUHBH.\nVICTORIA, B.C.:\nPrinted by William H.  Cullin, Printer to tbe King's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1922.  Natural Resources Tributary to Pacific Great Eastern\nRailway.\nBy John Stoughton Dennis.\nMontreal, Que., June 19th, 1922.\nThe Hon. John Oliver,\nPremier, Victoria, B.C.\nSib,\u2014In compliance with your request, I have completed an examination of the natural\nresources tributary to the line of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, and beg to submit the\nfollowing report with reference thereto :\u2014\nLeaving North Vancouver, I proceeded to the end of the short branch of the line at Whiteville\n(13 miles) ; thence by motor-boat 27 miles to Squamish, the present terminus of the railway-line.\nFrom the latter point I covered the whole of the line by gasolene track-motor to Quesnel (34S.5\nmiles), and made side-trips by automobile up the Lillooet River in the Pemberton \"Valley, south\nfrom Lillooet in the Fraser Valley, and east from Exeter Station to Canim Lake, these trips\ncomprising 92 miles in all.\nI made the return journey from Quesnel by automobile and crossed to the west side of the\nFraser River at. Williams Lake, making an extended'trip through the Chilcotin District via Riske\nCreek, Hanceville, and the Gang Ranch, reaching the Canadian Pacific Railway at Asheroft, a\ntotal auto trip of 298 miles.\nFor convenience of reference in reporting on the natural resources tributary to the railway-\nline and the possibility of creating additional traffic as a result of their further development,\nI have divided the line into four sections, as follows:\u2014\n(1.)  That portion from the terminus at Squamish to Lillooet (120.3 miles).\n(2.) That portion from Lillooet to Williams Lake (157.5 miles).\n(3.) That portion from Williams Lake to Quesnel (70.7 miles).\n(4.)  The unfinished portion of the line from Quesnel to Prince George (81.5 miles).\nIn reporting on each of the above sections it is proposed to deal with the natural resources\ntributary thereto under the special headings of:\u2014\nAgricultural Land. Water-powers.\nTimber Resources. Tourist Resorts.\nMineral Resources. Traffic Possibilities.\nSECTION 1.\u2014SQUAMISH TO LILLOOET.\nAgricultural Land.\nBeginning at Squamish, the line for some distance follows the valley of the Squamish, within\nwhich, adjacent to Squamish Village and further to the north and north-west, there are a few\nsmall farms. There is room for a number of additional settlers within this valley when additional\nland is cleared, and the soil and climate are suitable for all kinds of grain, fodder-crops, and\nsmall fruits. The district, however, is limited in extent, and, in any case, the grain, fruit, or\ncattle products will not provide any particular railway traffic, as what is not consumed locally\nwill naturally be shipped from Squamish by water to Vancouver.\nLeaving the Squamish Valley, the line ascends the Cheakamus River to the summit at Alta\nLake, and thence following the waters flowing to the north to its intersection with the Lillooet\nRiver. Throughout this section there is practically no land available for agricultural development. The mountains are high, with steep slopes, and the country is heavily timbered with a\nvery fine stand of merchantable timber, which is more particularly referred to hereafter under\nthe heading of \" Timber Resources,\" tributary to this section of the line. The Lillooet River\nis reached at Pemberton, and west and north-west of that point in the valley, including the\nPemberton Meadows, for a distance of some 20 miles, an opportunity is afforded for considerable\nagricultural, stock-raising, dairying, and small-fruit production. There are a number of settlers\nalready located in this valley, including a few returned soldiers located under the provisions of\nthe Assisted Settlement Acts, and the existing evidences of soil, crops, and live stock justify the S 4 Pacific Great Eastern Railway. 1922\nstatement that the present number could be at least doubled and the productiveness of the valley\nmaterially increased if certain colonization and development assistance were provided by the\nGovernment.\nI motored up this valley from Pemberton, a distance of some 15 miles, and it is evident that\nthe first and most pressing need is a good road and some permanent protection against the\neroding banks of the river. The success of the present settlers and the chance of further\nagricultural development would be materially aided by the establishment of a creamery and\na small jam-factory at Pemberton, and, in addition, some assistance should be given towards\nclearing land in the valley, both on existing farms and in many areas suitable for additional\ncolonization. The timber on the bottom lands in the valley is not heavy and the cost per acre\nof clearing should not be prohibitive. It is quite clear from the evidence available on existing\nfarms that clearing could be carried on within reasonable limits of expense and the resulting\ncleared areas would be highly suitable for settlement.\nLeaving Pemberton at the crossing of the Lillooet River, the line ascends the Birkenhead\nRiver to the summit of the Cascade Mountains, and thence following certain tributary streams\nand lakes to the Fraser Valley at Lillooet. Between Pemberton and Birken Station at the\nsummit of the Cascades the country is heavily timbered with a fine stand of merchantable timber,\nreferred to in detail later on, and there are no tributary areas of agricultural land, except a few\nvery small scattered areas already occupied, which can be further developed. From the summit\nof the Cascades, proceeding east and north, a district of semi-aridity is reached, within which the\nproduction of crops is only possible with the .aid of irrigation, and there are no large agricultural\nareas adjacent to this portion of the land, with the exception of some small tracts at the south\nend of Anderson Lake, between Anderson and Seton Lakes, and at the eastern extremity of the\nlatter. These small areas are now occupied and developed through the medium of small irrigation systems, and there does not seem to be any possibility of adding thereto, the slopes of the\nmountains being abrupt, and only in the bottoms of\" the narrow valleys is there any land which\nwould justify clearing for occupancy.\nAt Lillooet the first large area of land suitable for agricultural development is met with.\nThe district, which is practically all devoid of timber, covers the bottom lands and the first\nbenches of the Fraser Valley for some distance north and south of Lillooet. An automobile\ntrip was made for some 15 miles south from Lillooet for the purpose of inspecting the existing\nranches, and while cultivation in this district is, of course, only possible with the aid of irrigation,\nthe character of the soil and climate are such that where water is available most luxuriant crops\nof grain, fodder, roots, and fruit can be produced. It is evident from the inspection made and\nthe information obtained that practically all the land suitable for cultivation in this district is\nnow being occupied, the area, of course, being limited by the water-supply available. It is possible\nthat this area might be materially extended by the construction of more extensive systems for\nwater-delivery, and possibly further development may justify the construction of these more\nexpensive irrigation systems, but until they are undertaken it would seem that there is little\nhope of more extended settlement or cultivation in the district.\nThe Lillooet District, owing to its elevation, climate, and soil, with irrigation is suitable for\nthe production of practically all crops, including high-priced fruits, and many of the so-called\nlarger ranches are very attractive in appearance. I ascertained, however, that a very considerable portion of the land under cultivation was being devoted to the continuous production of\npotatoes, and that, as was to be expected, continuous cropping with one character of crop has very\nmaterially reduced the output, and I am of opinion that unless steps are taken to introduce on\nthese areas a proper crop-rotation system, particularly in the early introduction of the growth of\nalfalfa, clover, or some other leguminous crop, many of the most productive areas will be\ndestroyed. I also understand that the condition referred to is largely due to the renting of\nlarge ranches to Chinese tenants, who persist in producing continuous crops of potatoes, and\nI fear that a continuance of this system will materially reduce the value of the land and crop\nproductiveness of the district.\nIn view of the suitability of the district for a more intensive class of agriculture, it seems\ncertain that the district would benefit materially in having the larger ranches cut up into smaller\nholdings, which could be devoted to the production of a higher-class product, including fruit and\nearly vegetables, and the introduction of such a system would, without doubt, be of great material\nbenefit to the general prosperity of the district. 12 Geo. 5 Examination of Natural Resources. S 5\nTimber Resources.\nOn that portion of Section 1 of the line between Squamish and Pemberton the line passes\nthrough a continuous area of fine merchantable timber. Much of this timber is tributary to\ntide-water at Howe Sound and will, without doubt, be moved over the railway-line to mills at\ntide-water. There is also in this district a large quantity of timber suitable for pulp which\nshould also move to present pulp and paper factories on Howe Sound.\nBetween the Lillooet River and the summit of the Cascade Range at Birken Station there\nis also a considerable body of merchantable timber which is tributary to the Lillooet River and\nHarrison Lake, and, within the latter district, also a considerable area of timber suitable for\npulp which could be delivered by the railway-line for water carriage at the Lillooet River. The\ntimber in both of the areas described is more or less difficult to log owing to the steep mountain-\nslopes, and it would seem that a very considerable proportion of it could be better manufactured\nthrough the medium of small mills on the railway-line than to haul over the railway-line as logs\nto tide-water or to the Lillooet River. There are already a few small mills operating locally on\nthis section of the line and their number could be increased with advantage both to the timber-\nowner and the railway company.\nMineral Resources.\nA careful study of all the reports and information available relative to the mineral deposits\nindicate that there is no immediate probability of the development of any extensive mineral\nresources tributary to Section 1 of the line. In the vicinity of Alta Lake, near the summit of\nthe Coast Range, it is claimed that some copper properties have been located, but so far no\nextensive development is being carried on or ore taken out. In this vicinity there are also\ncertain deposits of iron ore which were worked to a limited extent and some ore shipped out,\nbut the workings are not at present being operated. It is understood that in the Lillooet Valley\nin the vicinity of Pemberton Meadows certain mineral claims have been located, but no further\ndevelopment carried on. On the west slope of the Cascade Range in the Birkenhead River Valley\nand tributaries it is understood that there are some promising copper properties adjacent to the\nrailway-line, but no development-work has yet been undertaken. On Anderson Lake a large\ndeposit of talc has been located, from which certain shipments have been made, but this mine\nis inoperative at the present time. At McGillivray Creek, emptying in Anderson Lake, some\ngold-mining has been carried on and a stamp-mill erected, but this mill is inoperative at the\npresent time. From this point a trail runs over the summit to Cadwallader Creek, where some\ngold-mines are in operation.\nThere are other mineral prospects, as indicated by reports and information available, adjacent\nto different points on this section, but, as stated, there seems to be no prospect of immediate\ndevelopment which would create traffic.\nWater-powers.\nThe streams flowing both ways from the summit of the Coast Range adjacent to the railway-\nline afford opportunities for small hydro-electric development, and there is the possibility of a\nconsiderable development on the Cheakamus River at Bear Mountain Canyon, where it is claimed\nthat 40,000 horse-power is available. On the east slope of the Cascade Mountains a large power-\ndevelopment is receiving consideration by diverting the water of Ridge River, and certain\npreliminary surveys and development in connection therewith have been undertaken.\nTourist Resorts.\nOn Section 1 of the railway-line opportunities are offered for the erection of very attractive\ntourist resorts at several points. At Daisy Lake, Mons Station, at the summit of the Coast\nRange, there is already a small tourist chalet, and the possibility of developing a very attractive\nresort at this point, which, owing to its proximity to the Coast cities, affords an opportunity for\nmaterial development. At Anderson and Seton Lakes, on the east side of the Cascade Range,\nthere are also opportunities for tourist resorts, both of these lakes being of an extremely attractive\ncharacter, but, unfortunately, possessing very precipitous banks on each side, and thus limiting\nthe. area for summer houses, except at the south end of Anderson Lake, on the flat between\nAnderson and Setoii Lakes, and at the east end of the latter lake, where there is already a tourist\nchalet largely patronized by tourists on account of the attractiveness of the lakes and the\ncharacter of the fishing.\ns S 6 Pacific Great Eastern Railway. 1922\nTraffic Possibilities.\nThe information given above relative to the resources tributary to Section 1 of the line does\nnot justify any immediate expectation of an increase in traffic. It seems clear that the present\nhaulage of logs from the timber areas to tide-water and, possibly, later, to small local sawmills\nwill increase, and we are justified in anticipating that there will be haulage of pulp-wood over\nthis section of the line at some future date to the pulp and paper mills at Howe Sound. In\nconsidering traffic of this character it must, however, be remembered that it is not of a permanent\ncharacter, and that in time the timber resources will be entirely exhausted and that the district\nfrom which the timber is removed is not, as a whole, capable of being converted into other traffic-\nproducing areas.\nThe additional development, as indicated above, of the agricultural areas tributary to this\nsection in the Pemberton Valley and at Lillooet will, without doubt, stimulate the shipment of\nadditional agricultural products and improve the one-way movement of merchandise, but the\nareas at both points are too limited in extent to justify the expectation of intensive traffic\nresulting therefrom.\nThe mineral resources tributary to this section might in time produce traffic, but this development is problematic, and it may be expected that it will be some years before these resources,\neven under the most favourable conditions, can be looked to to develop any considerable amount\nof railway traffic.\nAs has been pointed out, there exists the possibility of developing some very attractive\ntourist resorts at points on the lakes on this section of the line, and their development would be\nfollowed up by an increased local traffic. This traffic, however, can only be depended upon during\na short summer season.\nA careful consideration of all the natural resources tributary to Section 1 of the line justifies\nthe statement that there is no immediate prospect of their development upon a basis which will\ncreate traffic sufficient to take care of the heavy fixed charges and operating expenses on this\nsection of the railway.\nSECTION 2.\u2014LILLOOET TO WILLIAMS LAKE.\nAgricultural Land. '\nThe agricultural areas in the Lillooet District at the southern end of this section have already\nbeen dealt with and are properly tributary to Section 1.\nCrossing the Fraser River at Lillooet and proceeding north along the Fraser River, there are\nsome small irrigated areas tributary to the line that have been developed as far as justified by\nthe available water-supply for irrigation. On these areas, where water is available, good fodder\nand root crops are being raised, but the remarks given above relative to continuous cropping\non land in the Lillooet District with potatoes are applicable also to many of the areas between\nLillooet and Pavilion.\nAt Pavilion and in the valley of the Pavilion Creek there are some small areas of high\nproductiveness, and in this district there are some large ranches, particularly the Carson Ranch,\nwhere large areas are devoted to the production of fodder in connection with stock-raising\nactivities. Pavilion Valley, however, is limited in extent, and the summit is soon reached to\nthe eastward, the agricultural areas east of that point being, of course, tributary to the Cariboo\nRoad and the markets at Clinton and Asheroft.\nFrom Pavilion to Kelly Creek, where the railway-line leaves the valley of the Fraser, there\nis no possibility of any additional agricultural development adjacent to the line, which here\nfollows the steep side-slopes of the Fraser Valley.\nIn certain of the bottom lands and also to the westward of the river some agricultural\ndevelopment is being carried on, but the latter areas are separated from the railway-line by\nthe deep valley of the Fraser.\nLeaving the Fraser River at the mouth of Kelly Creek, the line follows up the latter stream\nto the summit and thence north-easterly to Clinton. -Along this route there are some small areas\nof agricultural land, but no possibility of any largely increased development.\nAt Clinton the line meets the Cariboo Road coming in from the south at Asheroft.\nAlong this road for some distance south and in the valley east and west from Clinton there\nis some agricultural development where water for irrigation is available, but the bench and 12 Geo. 5 Examination of Natural Resources. S 7\nhigher lands are suitable only for a limited amount of grazing and no opportunities offer for\nextended settlement.\nFrom Clinton to Exeter the line crosses a high plateau of poor soil, with scattered bull-pine\nand brush, with many alkali ponds and lakes, suited only for a limited amount of summer grazing.\nTo the east of the line, in the vicinity of Green Lake, there is some scattered settlement, but\nthe district does not lend itself to any marked extension of settlement or development.\nFrom Exeter Station an automobile trip was made east to Canim Lake, following the valley\nof Bridge Creek. In this valley there are some forty-seven settlers and to the east some fourteen\nalong the shores of Canim Lake. This valley was one of the most attractive visited. Irrigation\nis not necessary and fine crops are raised. Information obtained indicated that land can be\ncleared and made ready for cultivation at a cost of about $40 per acre, and there is the opportunity of locating 150 additional settlers in the .district, provided they are given encouragement\nand assistance, their present greatest need being a good roacl through the valley and its extension\nto the east along the south shore of Canim Lake, and the establishment of a creamery at\nExeter Station.\nFrom Exeter to Williams Lake the line closely parallels the Cariboo Road through a district\nparticularly adapted for ranching. Several large ranches are met with, particularly those in\nthe vicinity of 100-Mile House and Lac la Hache, and the high quality of the cattle seen was\nnoticeable in this as well as in all the other ranching districts visited. This section is not suitable\nfor agriculture without irrigation and further development is limited by the water-supply. Cattle\nmust be fed during the winter season, which, of course, imposes a limitation upon ranching\ndevelopment. A very fine ranch with extensive irrigated areas is located at the St. Joseph\nMission near Williams Lake, but, in my opinion, further agricultural development in this district\nis dependent upon subdivision of the large ranch areas and their utilization upon a more intensive\nsystem of production.\nThere is a large area of country tributary to this section of the line lying to the east and\nnorth-east of AVilliams Lake, in the Horsefly District. In this district, near Rose Lake, Harpers\nCamp, and at other points along the road from Williams Lake to Horsefly Lake, there is considerable settlement, and'the possibility of extending this settlement if a first-class road is provided\nand some assistance given in clearing land and bringing it under cultivation.\nAlso tributary to this section of the line is the extensive ranching area in the Chilcotin\nDistrict lying to the west of the Fraser River. An extensive automobile trip of some 100 miles\nwas made through this district, whose marketing centres are on the railway-line at Williams\nLake, Chasm Station, and Clinton.\nThe Chilcotin District is a high plateau with large areas of open prairie country and\nscattered timbered areas of jack-pine and poplar. The growth, of bunch-grass is sparse, indicating the semi-aridity of the district, but it is specially adapted for summer grazing of cattle, sheep,\nand horses, which have to be fed during the winter months. In the valleys or at points where\nwater is obtainable for irrigation bountiful crops of fodder are raised, but these areas are somewhat limited in extent and the fodder for winter feeding wfliich can be raised is, of course, a\nlimiting factor upon the total of stock production. The district contains several large ranches,\nand again the high quality of the cattle seen grazing at large was noted. The annual shipment\nof beef cattle from this district amounts to some 3,000 head, and it seems probable that the\ndistrict is now carrying about as many cattle as can be taken care of, and that unless extensive\nadditional areas can he brought under irrigation for production of fodder-crops the number of\nexport cattle is not likely to be largely increased in the near future. The Chilcotin District is\nsuitable only for ranching, outside of the small areas which can be irrigated, but development\nin the district can be materially aided by improving the main roads to the marketing centres\non the railway-line.\nTimber Resources.\nThere are not large areas of merchantable timber immediately tributary to this section of\nthe line. The timber adjacent to the line is largely bull^pine, jack-pine, and some poplar, and,\nas a fact, many districts would be improved for ranching and settlement purposes if this timber\nwas burned off.\nNorth-east from Williams Lake, in the Horsefly Lake District, there are some large areas\nof fine timber and also of pulp-wood, but this timber is tributary to Section 3, via Quesnel Lake\nand River, and is more particularly dealt with later on. S 8 Pacific Great Eastern Railway. 1922\nMineral Resources.\nThere are no indications of mineral resources of special value immediately tributary to this\nsection of the line.\nIn the vicinity of Clinton deposits of carbonate of soda, sulphate of soda (Glauber salts),\nand magnesium sulphate have been located and some shipments made, but these deposits are\nnot likely to be largely developed or result in heavy shipments for some time. The only other\nmineral deposits heard of were some claims to the east of Lac la Hache which are undeveloped.\nThe new placer-gold discoveries in the Horsefly and Quesnel Lake Districts are tributary to\nthe line, with Williams Lake as shipping-point, and if these diggings prove of value, both freight\nand passenger traffic to that point will be stimulated. Placer-gold mining, however, is not of a\ncharacter to induce permanent development and cannot be counted upon to produce an increasing\nand permanent character of traffic.\nReports were received of the location of a seam of good coal near the east end of Canim\nLake, but this is too remote to be of value except for local consumption by settlers in the\nvicinity.\nWater-powees.\nSome small hydro-electric development projects are noted as being possible in this district\non the Bonaparte, Mahood, Clearwater, Horsefly, and Chilcotin Rivers, but none of these are of\nsufficient size to attract special notice or capable of supplying anything but local needs when\nincreased settlement and development in the district creates a demand.\nTourist Resorts.\nLac la Hache, the south shore of which is followed for some 10 miles by this section of the\nline, is a very beautiful lake of good water and offers exceptional facilities for summer houses\nand a delightful tourist resort. Lake Canim, on account of the good Ashing obtainable and the\nbeauty of the surroundings, also offers attractions for the tourist. The remoteness, however, of\nthese lakes prevents the probability of their attractiveness being utilized to any marked extent\nin the near future.\nTraffic Possibilities.\nThere is nothing to indicate that any marked increase in traffic on this section of the line\ncan be looked for in the near future. The further colonization and development of land in the\nBridge Creek Valley, Canim Lake, and Horsefly Districts will provide additional traffic of a\npermanent character, but the progress of this development will be entirely dependent upon the\nconstruction of good roads and the colonization assistance given the settlers.\nThe total inward and outbound traffic of the large Chilcotin District is tributary to this\nsection of the line, but, as has been pointed out above, the district is one suitable for and devoted\nentirely to ranching, and there is nothing to justify the expectation of increased development\nwithin the district or traffic therefrom in the near future. These remarks also apply to those\ndistricts tributary to the line in the Lac la Hache and Williams Lake Districts, which are devoted\nto ranching.\nSECTION 3.\u2014WILLIAMS LAKE TO QUESNEL.\nAgricultural Development.\nLeaving Williams Lake the line follows the valley of Williams Lake Creek westerly to the\nvalley of the Fraser, and thence north along the Fraser until Quesnel is reached at the mouth\nof the Quesnel River, and for the greater portion of this distance the railway-line closely parallels\nthe Cariboo Road.\nPractically all the river-bottoms of the Fraser Valley on this section are occupied and many\nfine farms are noted, particularly the Moffat Ranch, the Australian Ranch, and that of Vorston\nBros. These bottom lands are irrigated from small streams, tributaries of the Fraser, and very\nluxuriant grain and fodder crops are produced. There are also some considerable areas of cleared\nand cultivated areas on the first benches above the river, and also farther back from the river\non the higher benches. Inspection of the district indicates that there are large areas tributary\nto the line on this section that offer splendid opportunity for additional settlers, the soil being\ngood, the timber fairly light, and, as one approaches Quesnel, the need for irrigation less marked. 12 Geo. 5\nExamination of Natural Resources.\nS 9\nIt is safe to assume that adjacent to the line between Soda Creek and Quesnel the present\nnumber of settlers could at least be doubled, as the district produces good crops, is specially\nadapted for dairy-farming, and the clearing of timber is not too burdensome. A special effort\nshould be made to colonize these additional areas and make them productive.\nThere is also a large area of bottom and bench land of a similar character tributary to this\nsection of the line on the west side of the Fraser River, across to the railway-line being provided\nby ferries across the river at Castle Rock and Quesnel. The section of the line from Soda Creek\nto Quesnel (including the land on the west side of the Fraser River), and also a large area\ntributary to the town of Quesnel, certainly offer greater prospects of agricultural development\nand resulting traffic than any other portions on Sections 1 and 2.\nA creamery has now been established at Quesnel, and if some more frequent facilities are\nafforded for moving cream on the railway-line, and some encouragement and assistance given\nto new settlers in the district in clearing the land and establishing homes, I would look forward\nto its becoming a well-settled and successful agricultural area, with several hundred additional\nsettlers. To aid in this I suggest a small cold-storage plant, jam-factory, and an egg section as\nadjuncts to the creamery at Quesnel, which would materially assist in the development of the\ndistrict.\nIt is also desirable that the east and west roads on the west side of the Fraser, giving access\nto the railway-line via the ferries at Castle Rock and Quesnel, and also those reaching stations\non the railway-line from adjacent territory on the east side of the river, should be put in first-\nclass condition and maintained as main marketing highways in the district.\nTimber Resources.\nThere is no large area of merchantable timber immediately tributary to this section of the\nline. There is sufficient timber for local use and its quality improves as you proceed north, but\nnone which would justify extensive lumbering operations or manufacturing on the line, except\nfor local demands.\nReports have been examined regarding very large areas of fine timber and a large supply of\npulp-wood situated on Quesuel and Horsefly Lakes and tributary waters. This timber is all\ntributary to the railway-line at Quesnel via the Quesnel River, and will no doubt be ultimately\nbrought to that point for manufacture. It is stated that comparatively small expenditures will\nrender the Quesnel a safe driving stream for logs, and the railway transportation offered at\nQuesnel, together with the fact that a good mill-site is available there, and that nearer railway\nfacilities are not at all probable, justify the expectation that these valuable timbered areas will\nsooner or later be developed and afford traffic for the line at Quesnel.\nMineral Resources.\nThe world-famous Cariboo placer-gold mining district is tributary to this section, and the\nnew discoveries made in the southern portion of that district tributary to Quesnel and Horsefly\nLakes may result in a renewal of the activity which first attracted attention to the district.\nThe. small amount of prospecting for other minerals carried on in the district prior to railway\nconnection being provided has resulted in production of samples of free gold, silver, copper, lead,\nand other mineral deposits, and there is every reason to expect that continuous prospecting will\nlocate valuable mines in this highly mineralized district. Placer-mining will, of course, be carried\non for many years, and attention is now being directed to large areas tributary to the Quesnel\nand Cottonwood Rivers which promise satisfactory return in gold and platinum though dredging\noperations.\nIn the immediate vicinity of Quesnel extensive deposits of diatomaceous earth have been\nlocated, which may prove of commercial value later on.\nSouth of Quesnel some small outcroppings of lignite coal occur, and on Australia Creek a\nseam of this coal is being worked which provides a fairly good domestic fuel, but is valueless\nfor industrial purposes on account of its high ash content and low fixed carbon.\nSpeaking generally of the mineral resources tributary to this section, it may be said that the\ninformation available justifies the expectation that more detailed geological examination and\ncareful prospecting will locate valuable mineral deposits and result in extensive development. S 10 Pacific Great Eastern Railway. 1922\nWater-powers.\nThis district, in common with all those adjoining the line, offers many opportunities for the\ndevelopment of small hydro-electric development, andl on the Quesnel River at two points somewhat extensive power plants could be developed. However, there will be no justification for the\ndevelopment of power or electric energy at any of these points until settlement becomes much\nmore widely extended in the district and active development of the timber and mineral resources\nundertaken.\nTourist Resorts.\nThere are no points immediately adjacent to this section of the line which offer opportunity\nfor the development of tourist resorts.\nThe town of Quesnel is a very attractive site for summer homes and may in time attract\npeople who wish to spend the holiday season in an attractive district of Northern British\nColumbia, and the large lakes to the east (Quesnel and Horsefly) will continue to attract\nsportsmen owing to the excellent fishing and big-game shooting, but these districts are too\nremote from the railway-line to attract ordinary tourists.\nTraffic Possibilities.\nThat portion in this section of the line in the Fraser Valley from Soda Creek north to\nQuesnel affords an opportunity for largely increased traffic resulting from extended agricultural\ndevelopment. The district in question is, as has been explained above, capable of supporting a\nlarge number of additional settlers, and if actively developed should provide a more intensive\nlocal traffic than any other portion of the line to the south.\nUltimately, traffic will no doubt result from the manufacture of lumber and, possibly, pulp\nat Quesnel, resulting from the development of the large timbered areas at Quesnel and Horsefly\nLakes and tributary streams, but expenditures must be made in improving the Quesnel River\nfor driving purposes before traffic will result therefrom.\nThe information available also indicates the probability of future development of mining\nareas in the district tributary to this section of the line, resulting, of course, in traffic consequent\nupon the movement of machinery and supplies, but for the immediate future I cannot see any\nprospect of increased traffic resulting from development of resources tributary to the line, except\nthat resulting from further development of the agricultural areas in the Fraser Valley as\noutlined above.\nSECTION 4.\u2014QUESNEL TO PRINCE GEORGE.\nThe uncompleted portion of the line from Quesnel to Prince George was not personally\nexamined. I had previously inspected the district for some 20 miles south and west from Prince\nGeorge, and the only means of transportation from Quesnel to Prince George was by small motor-\nboat on the Fraser, which would afford no opportunity of inspecting the country adjacent to the\nlocated railway-line.\nI have carefully perused all available reports on this district, and especially that submitted\nby R. J. Work, Right-of-way Agent of the company, under date October 3rd, 1921.\nThe information disclosed by these reports indicates that this unfinished portion of the line\nintersects districts suitable for further agricultural development, this being especially the case\nin the vicinity of Stone Creek, Strathnaver, Meadow Creek, and 10-Mile Lake.\nThe soil in these districts appears to be good, irrigation not necessary, and the timber easy\nto remove, but these reports also make it clear that there are no other special resources of timber\nor minerals tributary to this section; and while it may be assumed that the completion of the\nline would stimulate the agricultural development, it seems very doubtful whether sufficient\ntraffic to meet operating expenses would result, particularly as that portion of the district for\n20 miles south and south-west of Prince George is naturally tributary to the Grand Trunk Pacific\nline at that point.\nIt is also to be noted that several of the districts tributary to this section, which are suitable\nfor agricultural development, as explained above> are comprised of large holdings in private\nhands, and it seems quite clear that in this instance, as well as at other points on the railway-\nline previously referred to, some steps must be taken to subdivide these large holdings and\nintroduce an active colonization policy before the somewhat limited agricultural areas tributary\nto the line can be brought to a full measure of productiveness. 12 Geo. 5 Examination of Natural Resources. S 11\nGENERAL REMARKS.\nIn completing the general inspection of the natural resources tributary to the Pacific Great\nEastern Railway and reporting thereon as outlined above, I have, of course, devoted no consideration to the location and construction of the railway-line from an engineering standpoint,\nas that did not come within the scope of the duty delegated to me. I venture, however, as an\nengineer, to express my surprise regarding the character of the location of portions of the line,\nparticularly that north from Lillooet along the steep slopes of the eastern bank of the Fraser\nValley.\nI was agreeably surprised with the character of construction and physical condition of the\nrailway-line, but realize the high cost of construction and of future maintenance, and refer to\nthese facts only because the fixed charges resulting from construction and operating cost can\nonly be met by intensive traffic resulting from development of natural resources tributary to the\nline. It would seem clear that the Pacific Great Eastern Railway must be looked upon purely\nas a colonization line and cannot in any sense be expected to fulfil any function of through\ntraffic, and, as a consequence, considering the fact that the line is now owned by the Province,\nI venture to point out that it will be necessary to undertake certain activities and large expenditures by the Government in aiding the early development of the natural resources tributary to\nthe line, which they would not be called upon to undertake if the road was the property of a\nprivate corporation, and with this in mind 1 respectfully submit the following:\u2014\nRECOMMENDATIONS.\n(1.) Steps should be immediately taken to create a Colonization and Development Department of the railway's service. This Department should be headed by an official with the title\nof \" Development Agent,\" whose duties would include all right-of-way, townsite, and industrial\nmatters, and whose first activity should be the preparation of a carefully prepared report,\ngraphically illustrated by a map, showing the location and character of all agricultural, timber,\nmineral, water-power, and other resources tributary to the line.\nHaving prepared this report and map, he should submit recommendations relative to the\nassistance to be granted by the Government in developing such resources, and such recommendations should include:\u2014\n(a.) The selection of certain agricultural areas tributary to the line within which\nincreased agricultural development must be expedited by Government assistance\nin clearing of land, establishment of creameries, jam-factories,  cold-storage and\negg-collecting plants.\n(6.)  The location of the main marketing roads to the east and west from the railway-\nline and their immediate improvement to afford more ready access in the delivery\nof agricultural products to shipping-points.\n(c.)  The preparation of the necessary literature and maps for general distribution to\nindicate areas which offer opportunity for further agricultural development, and\nthe establishment by the railway company of colonist passenger and freight rates\nto induce settlement of these areas.\n(d.)  The consideration of,  and the recommendation  of,  a policy under which large\nholdings in private hands tributary to the line can be subdivided and colonized so\nas to permit of more intensive settlement and cultivation.\n(e.)  The preparation in condensed form, for issue as a pamphlet, of the most reliable\ninformation obtainable relative to mineral resources tributary to the line, and,\npossibly, before this is done, a more thorough investigation by the Mineralogist\nof the Government service, so that when this pamphlet is issued for the guidance\nof prospectors the information contained therein may be of the most complete and\nreliable character.\n(\/.) A further study and inspection of the timber resources tributary to the line,\ntogether with information as to methods of getting this timber to the line, including improvement of streams for driving purposes and the encouragement, as far\nas possible, of the location of small lumber-mills at different points on the line to\nhandle the smaller areas of timber immediately adjacent to the line. S 12\nPacific Great Eastern Railway.\n1922\n(fir.) A careful study of the industrial and business-opportunities at points on the line\nand the completing of reliable data relative thereto, including water or other\npower development, so that any and all inquiries regarding industrial and business\nopenings can be promptly replied to.\n(2.)  From Clinton to Quesnel the Pacific Great Eastern Railway practically parallels the\nCariboo Road.    This road, which is a main trunk highway, and which is being kept in first-class\ncondition is, and always will be, a serious competitor with the railway-line in the movement of\nlocal traffic.\nIt would seem evident that the Province cannot undertake to maintain both this trunk\nhighway and the parallel railway-line, particularly in view of the fact that the portion of the\ndistrict served by the railway-line north of Clinton has the present more urgent need of a better\nsystem of marketing highways from east and west of the railway-line. It is respectfully suggested that if small sections of the Cariboo Road necessary for use by existing settlers to reach\ntheir marketing centres were maintained as public highways, the other large sections of this\nroad now operated in competition with the railway-line might properly be put upon a toll basis\nand the receipts resulting therefrom devoted to the improvement of the east and w-est marketing\nroads so urgently needed to aid in further development of agricultural, ranching, timber, and\nmineral areas.\nCONCLUSION.\nFrom a careful and detailed inspection of the natural resources tributary to the Pacific\nGreat Eastern Railway, and a careful study of all the available reports relative thereto, I am\nforced to the conclusion that, while there is the possibility of materially extending the present\ndevelopment of the agricultural, timber, and mineral resources, through the medium of Government assistance, as outlined above, there is no prospect that traffic can be created as a result\nof such development, at least for many years to come, sufficient to provide for the heavy fixed\ncharges resulting from the construction, maintenance, and operation of this railway-line.\nI am, Sir,\nYour obedient servant,\nJ. S. DENNIS.\nVICTORIA, B.C.:\nPrinted by William H.  Cullin, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1922.","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":"1921_V04_12_S1_S12","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/isShownAt":[{"value":"10.14288\/1.0226004","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":"REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES TRIBUTARY TO THE LINE OF THE PACIFIC GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY BY JOHN STOUGHTON DENNIS","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"}]}}