THE BARREN LANDS, OR “ARCTIC PRAIRIE.”
Game, Fur-bearing Animals and Fish.
Where Millions of Caribou Roam at Large.—Actual Value of These Immense Herds Very Great.—Can they Become Domesticated or Replaced by the Lapland Reindeer?—The Home of the Musk-Ox and Many Fur-Bearing Animals.—The Polar Bear.—Where the Wild Geese Nest.—Lakes, Rivers and Sea Coasts Teeming With Fish.—The Arctic Salmon, Trout, White Fish and Grayling.
The fish and game resources of the Barren Lands have hitherto been the sole support of the small human population, and unquestionably they could support an infinitely larger number of people than have hitherto resided in the far northern wilderness. As every explorer of the region from Hearne until the present date has had to depend primarily practically wholly upon fish and game for sustenance while in the interior, we know much more about the resources of the country in those respects than any of the others. The occurrence of fish and game has been a matter of life or death to the explorers, and naturally they have all dwelt upon the matter in the narratives of their trips. That so many adventurous and lengthy trips through the country have succeeded testifies to the abundance of fish and game even in the far north of this vast region.
The chief source of the food supply of the natives and of explorers in the Barren Lands is the Barren Lands caribou, Rangifer arcticus (Richardson). Mr. E. A. Preble of the United States Biological Survey, in his report so often quoted in the preceding pages, says:—“This famous animal, usually in the north called ‘deer,’ and often mentioned in the narratives of Arctic travel, occurs more or less abundantly on the barren grounds of the region treated of, and on the large islands to the northward. It is the caribou, more than any other animal, which renders human residence in this desolate region possible.
“Within this great area it is probable that there are two or more races, perhaps distinct species, since the animals are separated by the physiographic conditions of the country into different herds, or aggregations of herds, which never associate with each other at any time of the year, and which have somewhat different habits. A series of skins and skulls will be necessary to a decision as to the number of recognizable forms. For the present, however, all the caribou of this region, excepting the woodland species, may without violence be
Considered as One Species,
for which the name arcticus, applied by Richardson to the animal inhabiting the main area of the Barren Grounds between Great Bear lake and Hudson bay, may be used. It is reasonably certain that within this latter area but one species is represented.”
One of the recent explorers, Mr. J. B. Tyrrell, and his brother, Mr. J. W. Tyrrell, give us perhaps the most complete first-hand information as to the caribou. In notes of the fauna of the country lying between the eastern part of Athabaska lake and Churchill river, explored in the summer of 1892, J. B. Tyrrell says:—“The Barren Grounds caribou. . . . . . comes south in winter to the south end of Reindeer lake and the upper portion of Mudjatik and Foster rivers. It travels north in spring to the Barren Grounds, but a very few animals are occasionally left behind, one having been shot in July near the north end of Cree lake.”
Fort Fond du Lac (east end of Lake Athabaska) is stated by Mr. Tyrrell in the same report to be “on one of the principal lines of travel of the Barren Ground caribou, in their regular migrations north and south.”
In the report of his expedition down the Dubawnt valley and Chesterfield inlet in 1893, Mr. Tyrrell mentions that his party first saw caribou (he calls them Rangifer Grœnlandicus) on July 28 on Barlow lake, “and on July 29, we met a vast herd of Barren Ground caribou collected on a good feeding ground on the eastern shore of Carey lake.”
Mr. Tyrrell gives the following details:—“Four miles below Barlow lake, the river Dubawnt enters the south end of Carey lake, so called in honour of the Reverend Doctor Carey of St. John, N.B. After paddling up the lake for five miles, directing our course towards a high point with a large boulder on its summit, afterwards called Cairn point, we saw
An Immense Herd of Caribou
(Rangifer Grœnlandicus) moving along the east shore. We at once paddled towards the land, and found the deer standing on low wet grassy land near the water, at the foot of a long stony slope.
“The following extract from my daily journal, with the photographs in the front of the report, will give a fairly clear idea of the number of deer seen:—
“July 30.—Yesterday was the first clear warm day that we have had for a long time, but to day is also clear and warm, with a gentle breeze blowing from the west. We spent the day skinning and cutting up the fattest of the bucks we killed yesterday. Our camp is a hundred yards from the lake, near the edge of a bog, with a scattered grove of larch and black spruce just behind us. All day the caribou have been around us in vast numbers, many thousands being collected together in single herds. One herd collected in the hill behind our camp, and another remained for hours in the wet bog on the point in front of us. The little fawns were running about everywhere, often coming up to within a yard or two of us, uttering their sharp grunts as they stood and looked up at us, or as they turned and ran back to the does. About noon a large herd had collected on the sides and summit of the hill behind us. Taking the small hand camera with which we were supplied, we walked quietly among them. As we approached to within a few yards of the dense herd, it opened to let us in, and then formed a circle round us, so that we were able to stand for a couple of hours and watch the deer as they stood in the light breeze or rubbed slowly past each other to keep off the black flies. The bucks, with their beautiful branching antlers, kept well in the background. We obtained a number of photographs, which show the animals in many positions; later in the afternoon a herd of bucks trotted up to us, and stood at about forty yards distance. This was a most beautiful sight, for their horns are now full grown, though still soft at the tips, but unfortunately we had not the camera with us. We did not shoot any to-day.”
In his paper before the British Association in 1897 Mr. Tyrrell said that this herd at Carey lake must have contained between one and
Two Hundred Thousand Head of Caribou.
They were migrating southward towards the edge of the woods, where they would spend the winter.
An Indian Dance Lodge.
Mr. J. W. Tyrrell, who was with his brother upon this occasion, in his book “Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada”, speaks of the caribou seen at Carey lake as forming “many great bands literally covering the country over wide areas. The valleys and hillsides for miles appeared to be moving masses of caribou. To estimate their numbers would be impossible. They could only be reckoned in acres or square miles. We walked to and fro through the herd of caribou, causing little more alarm than one would by walking through a herd of cattle in the field.”
Near the head of Dubawnt lake the Tyrrells, in August, noticed scattered bands of deer, also two or three wolves and a wolverine.
In 1894, when Mr. J. B. Tyrrell’s party was descending Kazan river, they first fell in with the Barren Lands caribou on the west side of Ennadai lake about latitude 61°, on August 14. Mr. Tyrrell in his report says the deer were travelling southward in large numbers. The country was open and treeless, and the deer were rather difficult to approach, but twelve were shot and cut up, and their meat was spread out to dry in the sun and wind.”
Mr. J. W. Tyrrell mentions seeing some caribou and many signs of them during his exploration of Hanbury and Thelon rivers in 1900. “While descending Hanbury river, to the eastward of Great Slave lake, during the early part of July, only an occasional straggling caribou was met. On July 23, however, on the Thelon, he observed a large band moving southward. In his report Mr. Tyrrell states:—“The Thelon was evidently frequented on both sides by numbers of caribou, as their tracks were everywhere to be seen, though few of the deer were met with, until the lower stretches of the river were reached, their migration having preceded us.”
Back relates that on July 15, 1834, while his party was descending Backs river, at Beechey lake the swampy prairies, “which near the cascades might be called plains,” were “all thickly inhabited by deer.” Back calls the caribou “Cervus tarandus” (Linn).
Mr. David T. Hanbury found large bands of caribou, comprising adults of both sexes and their young, proceeding southward along Hanbury river about the last of July.
Migration of the Caribou.
Writing of the migratory habits of the caribou, Mr. Hanbury states:—“There is no doubt that caribou migrate. They go south in large herds in autumn, and north in spring. They cross the country east of Great Slave lake, round Artillery lake, and some distance east of it. They do not appear on the main Ark-i-linik river, but between Aberdeen and Schultz lakes they pass with some regularity. The migration takes place on such a large scale, and over such a wide tract of country, that it has been assumed that all caribou migrate; the fact seems to be that the majority of animals remain in the north throughout the year. I have myself shot caribou in winter along the west coast of Hudson bay, and inland from the bay; along the north and south coasts of Chesterfield inlet; in the country north of the head of the inlet as far as Garry lake on Backs river, and along Backs river. I have also killed them to the north and south of Baker, Aberdeen and Schultz lakes in winter, and I know others who have killed them in winter in the country about Wager river and Repulse bay. On the Arctic coast, at White Bear point, and on Kent peninsula, and at other places which will be mentioned later, caribou are always to be found during the winter. Thus, I think it may be held as proved that very great numbers of caribou do not migrate.”
Mr. Hanbury, in another part of his book, mentions that on October 26, 1901, he hunted caribou near Baker lake, west of Chesterfield inlet. He writes:—“On looking out I could see deer in thousands away to the west. They seemed like small black stones in the distance, but with the glass their movements could be distinctly seen.”
Mr. Hanbury announces that he was informed by the Eskimo of Ogden bay that caribou are found on Kent peninsula, at Cape Barrow, and near the coast of Victoria Land, throughout the winter, but that none remained during that season between Cape Barrow and the Coppermine or near Ogden bay.
Mr. Warburton Pike (See p. [19]) in his book “The Barren Grounds of Northern Canada” makes frequent and interesting references to the caribou. He mentions that during his journey northward into the Barren Grounds from the eastern part of Great Slave lake, in the autumn of 1889, caribou were first met with on Lake Camsell, about seventy miles north of Great Slave lake, on September 15. The animals were then on their way south, and many were seen during the remainder of September as the party travelled northward.
Description of a Migration.
Mr. Pike encamped for the winter on the south shore of Mackay lake and while there witnessed the migration southward, which he thus describes:—“Scattered bands of caribou were almost always in sight from the top of the ridge behind the camp, and increased in numbers until the morning of October 20, when little Baptiste, who had gone for firewood, woke us up before daylight with the cry of ‘La Foule! La Foule!’ and even on the ledge we could hear the curious clatter made by a band of travelling caribou. La Foule had really come and during its passage of six days I was able to realize what an extraordinary number of these animals still roam in the Barren Ground. From the ridge we had a splendid view of the migration; all the south side of Mackay lake was alive with moving beasts, while the ice seemed to be dotted all over with black islands, and still away on the north shore, with the aid of the glasses, we could see them coming like regiments on the march. In every direction we could hear the grunting noise that the caribou always make when travelling; the snow was broken into broad roads, and I found it useless to try to estimate the number that passed within a few miles of our encampment. We were just on the western edge of their passage, and afterwards heard that a band of Dogribs, hunting some forty miles to the west, were at this very time in the last straits of starvation, only saving their lives by a hasty retreat into the woods, where they were lucky enough to kill sufficient meat to stave off disaster. . . . . The caribou, as is usually the case when they are in large numbers, were very tame, and on several occasions I found myself right in the middle of a band with a splendid chance to pick out any that seemed in good condition. . . . . This passage of the caribou is the most remarkable thing that I have ever seen in the course of many expeditions among the big game of America. The buffalo were for the most part killed out before my time, but, notwithstanding all the tall stories that are told of their numbers, I cannot believe that the herds on the prairie ever surpassed in size ‘La Foule’ of the caribou.”
No Danger of Starvation.
On his way north, the following spring, Mr. Pike first fell in with the caribou in June. In his book, “The Barren Grounds of Northern Canada”, referring to this event, Mr. Pike states:—“From this time, all through the summer, till we again reached Great Slave lake late in August, we had no difficulty about provisions; although there was many a time when we could not say where we might find our next meal, something always turned up, and we were never a single day without eating during the whole day. I really believe it is a mistake to try to carry enough food for a summer’s work in the Barren Grounds, as the difficulty of transport is so great, and after the caribou are once found there is no danger of starvation.
“We were now travelling with the bull caribou, which had just left the thick woods, and made easy marches from lake to lake in a northeast direction; the weather became cold again for the last time, and June 7 was like a bad winter’s day with a strong north wind and snowstorms. Then the summer came suddenly, and on June 11 we were obliged to camp on a high gravel ridge to await le grand dégel, which rendered travelling impossible, till the deep water had run off the ice.”
When descending Lockhart river on his way from Artillery lake to Great Slave lake, on his way back to civilization, Mr. Pike remarked “caribou walking the ridges and swimming the lakes in every direction.”
A Migration Near Artillery Lake.
Inspector Pelletier, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, in the report of his patrol from Great Slave lake to Hudson bay, makes special reference to the numbers of caribou, then migrating southward, seen during the passage of his party from the eastern end of Great Slave lake, to Thelon river. He writes:—“As we were approaching the portage from Burr to Toura lake we sighted a large herd of deer coming out behind the grove of trees. This was the first we had seen. They were mostly does, but a few young bulls were scattered amongst them. We killed a small one which proved a great addition to our larder. They were not much frightened by us although they kept at a distance. They were in sight all the while we were portaging. From Burr lake to Artillery lake we were practically surrounded by deer. We camped for the night of July 21 at the fifteen yards portage north of Toura lake and during the night deer kept passing to and fro close to our tents in large numbers. On July 22 near the foot of Artillery lake we saw thousands and thousands of deer, mostly bulls, coming over the ridge behind our camp, making for the water and crossing where it was no more than half a mile wide. Gradually the ridges on each shore and the traverse itself were alive with them. It was a wonderful sight seen late at night.
“At the south end of Artillery lake countless deer were seen; the bucks and does seemed to belong to separate herds. They were crossing and recrossing at that point where the lake is quite narrow, ranging from a quarter mile to one and a half miles in width. For a distance of about two or three miles the hills were covered with them and the water was bridged in two or three different places at a time. This might appear to be exaggerated; I would never have believed there were so many deer in the north, only now that I have seen them, I must. The natives we met at that place told us what we had seen was not the main herd but part of it, that the main body was a few miles up the lake on the west shore; they had just been there in their canoes the previous day. If what we had seen was not the main herd I wondered how large the main herd could be.
Caribou Along the Thelon.
“Deer were seen in good numbers along Sifton lake, near Timber rapids, and at Timber rapids; they also were sighted in other places. At the high sand ridge, about twelve miles below Sifton lake, a large herd was feeding on an island. At the lower end of Timber rapids the stream scatters and gets shallow, full of boulders, and while winding around little channels a herd of deer was crossing, we could not possibly stop without getting into some mix up. Luckily the deer sighted us and heard us (we were making all the noise we could to frighten them). They rushed through, leaving our little channel open. We could have touched them with the paddle, they were so near. We grazed one rock, and that was due to our attention being diverted by the deer.
“No game was seen on the Hanbury but a deer or two at the upper end. Innumerable paths beaten by them were very distinct all the way, but we saw no fresh tracks denoting recent passage.”
Writing of Thelon river itself, the Inspector states in his report:—“At the lower end deer are very numerous at certain times of the year. At their favourite traverses or crossings the ground is netted with deep, well-defined deer trails. We saw only one deer on the whole of the Thelon. I am told by natives that deer in the fall and spring are seen by the thousands on their migrations north and south.”
West of Chesterfield Inlet.
As to the series of lakes through which the waters of the Thelon and Dubawnt are discharged into Chesterfield inlet, Inspector Pelletier reports:—“From Beverly lake down to Hudson bay deer were met almost daily, but not in large herds. Most were seen along the lower end of Schultz lake, Schultz river rapids and along Baker lake. At Beverly lake we met a camp of Eskimos, a few men and women. They were well provided with everything in the line of arms, ammunition, clothing and necessaries of life. At the foot of Baker lake is another camp of natives, numbering about twenty-five. They were well stocked with everything, killing a good number of deer, and laying in a stock of meat and deerskin for the winter.”
A few notes from journals or reports of other travellers as to the distribution and migration of this remarkable animal are instructive. During Anderson and Stewart’s journey down Backs river in the summer of 1855 caribou were found to be numerous about Clinton-Colden and Aylmer lakes, and the species was observed on Adelaide peninsula in the far north.
In the summer and autumn of 1879 the party of Frederick Schwatka, searching for relics of Sir John Franklin, found large numbers of caribou on King William island and on the lower part of Backs river.
Fourteen Days in Passing.
Frank Russell, who passed the winter of 1893-94 at Fort Rae on the north arm of Great Slave lake, says, concerning the Barren Ground caribou:—“A few years ago they were often killed from the buildings and throughout the winter might be found near the post. In 1877 an unbroken line of caribou crossed the frozen lake near the fort. They were fourteen days in passing and in such a mass that in the words of an eye witness ‘daylight could not be seen through the column’. They were now seldom seen within several miles of Rae.” During the winter he spent there only one small band crossed the lake towards the west.
Mr. W. J. McLean states that in 1899 the caribou arrived in the neighbourhood of old Fort Reliance, at the extreme east end of Great Slave lake, on August 12.
Doctor J. M. Bell states that on his trip eastward along the north shore of Great Bear lake, in 1900, he first met with caribou sixty miles west of Fort Confidence late in July, and later found them fairly numerous between Fort Confidence and the lower Coppermine.
Actual Value of the Caribou.
As to the actual value of the caribou to the country, Mr. J. B. Tyrrell stated in his paper before the British Association:—“Their flesh is excellent eating, and the animals will doubtless furnish an important food-supply for explorers and pioneers in that country. Whether they can be tamed, and thus brought permanently into the service of man or whether they must disappear like most of the other denizens of the wilderness, remains to be seen; but even if they should be doomed to disappear, it seems quite possible that they might be replaced by tame reindeer from Lapland who would feed in summer on the vast grassy plains, and in winter would take kindly to a diet of Canadian lichens.”
Mr. J. W. Tyrrell considers the Barren Ground caribou “is the same as the reindeer of Lapland.” He states in his book “Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada”:—“As a source of venison it cannot be excelled, especially in the autumn season, when it is in prime condition. During September and October the males are rolling fat, and as food their flesh is then equal to the finest beef. Of all the meats I have ever tasted certainly reindeer tongues takes the first place for daintiness and delicacy of flavour.”
Captain Back, writing in 1835, stated of the reindeer or caribou:—“It furnishes food and clothing to the Dogrib and Copper Indians, the Chipewyans, the Swamp or Coast Crees, and to the Esquimaux, but none of the American tribes have domesticated it like the Laplanders. Every part of the animal is eaten, even to the contents of its stomach, and the half-dried tongue when roasted is perhaps the greatest delicacy that the fur countries afford. Reindeer meat, when in the best condition, is not only superior to that of the moose deer and bison, but, in my opinion, it surpasses the best mutton or English-fed venison.”
Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton, lecturing on his trip to the Barren Lands in 1906, stated while in the region of perpetual day or night, his party had a caribou at hand whenever they wanted one for a meal. When they pitched tents near trail, the shaggy animals loped along during the night and tripped over the guy-ropes.
“Cutting in half the estimates of explorers who went before me, and making a most conservative estimate there are not less than
Thirty Millions of These Caribou
letting the wind blow through their whiskers in that northern country,” said the lecturer. “There is absolutely no destructive war on them, and no possibility of their destruction. When the great northland is opened up, it will be for Canadians to decide what is to be done with those animals, and how is that beautiful country to be opened up? Some say that the reindeer will be the medium, but I hold that it will be the yak, which roams through the north of China. This animal is strong and sturdy, can bear the heaviest burdens, and can stand any extreme of climate.”
The Experiment in Alaska.
In view of the suggestions that have been made as to the domestication of the Barren Lands caribou, and recalling the fact that through the agency of Doctor Grenfell of Labrador, Lapland reindeer have been recently (1912) sent out to the Athabaska region as an experiment, the following paragraph from the “Christian Herald” of a recent date is interesting: “It is only a few years since the United States Government, as an experiment which it was hoped would help the Eskimos and Indians of northern Alaska, imported a few score reindeer from Norway, with a number of Lapps skilled in their care. Subsequently other reindeer were brought from the opposite coast of Asia, and although it was known that the particular form of moss or lichen on which these animals live, and which flourishes under the snow, was abundant within the American Arctic circle, the attempt to introduce reindeer was regarded by a majority of our citizens as being quite as wild and visionary as was the purchase of Alaska by Secretary Seward in 1867.
“The few score reindeer have grown to twenty-seven thousand three hundred and twenty five distributed in forty-two herds. More than one-half, or fourteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-three, is owned by natives who before the advent of the reindeer were in a state of the most wretched poverty. Of the remainder three thousand seven hundred and thirty are owned by the United States, four thousand one hundred and ninety-four by missions and four thousand four hundred and seven by Lapps. The total income of the Eskimos from the reindeer industry during the last year reported was twenty-four thousand six hundred and thirty-six dollars.”
Future Supply of Cheese, Meat and Leather.
A newspaper despatch is authority for the statements that the first shipment of reindeer meat has been shipped from Alaska to Seattle, and that the gentleman in charge of the reindeer in Alaska for the United States government says that in a quarter of a century there will be three million beef reindeer in Alaska, and that they will thrive and multiply and fatten on the Arctic vegetation where even a goat could not live. Their flesh, he asserts, is more palatable than either beef or mutton.
In view of the success of this experiment in Alaska it is predicted that in the far north of America, as in the far north of Europe, the reindeer will be the principal domestic animal, supplying the people not only of the northland itself, but of more southerly latitudes, with cheese, and meat, and leather.
The Musk-Ox.
Mr. J. B. Tyrrell is authority for the statement that besides the caribou, musk-oxen (Ovibos moschatus) are the only other large herbivorous animals that live in the open plains of the north, and they scorn the shelter of the forest even in winter, their long shaggy coat of hair furnishing sufficient protection against the severest gales. Mr. Tyrrell in his report of his explorations along Dubawnt and Kazan rivers states that the habitat of the musk-ox seems to be confined to that country north of the portion of Dubawnt river between Dubawnt lake and Hudson bay. None were seen in the course of either of the two expeditions mentioned, but Eskimos met with at the head of Chesterfield inlet had a number of fresh skins. The Eskimos on Kazan river reported to Mr. Tyrrell that there were no musk-oxen in their neighbourhood.
Mr. E. A. Preble states in his report:—“This famous ruminant within historic times ranged over the entire extent of the Barren Grounds, from the mouth of the Mackenzie to Churchill. It has now become extirpated over large areas at the eastern and western extremities of this range, but still exists in great numbers in the less accessible parts of its habitat.”
Captain Back records on July 13, 1834, while descending the river which now bears his name, he noticed two or three hundred deer, and, apart from them, herds of musk-oxen were either grazing or sleeping on its western banks, which there (above Beechey lake) looked green and swampy, and were all more or less cloven by inconsiderable ravines, with a clayey surface. Back mentions that his party killed a musk-ox on Montreal island, off the mouth of Backs river, August 3, 1834. While ascending that river on his return trip, on September 1, Back near Lake Pelly noticed a herd of musk-oxen and a few straggling deer quietly feeding on the sand-hills, “and many of the white, brown, and laughing geese were flying about, and seemed to be collecting for their southerly migration.”
The Meat of the Musk-Ox.
Back states that the musk-ox “feeds, like the reindeer, chiefly on lichens, and the meat of a well-fed cow is agreeably tasty and juicy, but that of a lean cow and of the bull is strongly impregnated with a disagreeable musky flavour, so as to be palatable only to a very hungry man.”
In his evidence before the select committee of the Senate in 1888, Hon. William Christie, formerly Inspecting Chief Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, stated that the company at that time got a few—a very few—musk-ox hides at Churchill and Fort Rae. This animal kept pretty well in the open country along the Arctic coast. Witness was four years at Churchill, and was asked by a friend to get a musk-ox robe for him, and was two or three years before he obtained it.
Hon. Frank Oliver informed the same committee that Mr. Murdoch McLeod, a retired Hudson’s Bay Company’s official, told him that a musk-ox bull which he helped to kill weighed fourteen hundred pounds, dressed, and the robe measured fifteen feet from nose to rump. The musk-oxen were found generally in bands of ten to forty. Some winters they were more scarce than others, which could not be explained.
Mr. D. T. Hanbury, writing of the original exploration by him of Thelon and Hanbury rivers, states:—“After ascending the main Ark-i-linik (Thelon) river for about thirty-five miles, musk-ox tracks commenced to get very numerous. The muddy shores in places were so ploughed up with their tracks as to give the idea that a drove of cattle had passed along.” In this vicinity the explorer saw several herds of musk-oxen.
A Musk-Ox Preserve.
In another place in his book “Sport and Travel in the Northland of Canada”, Mr. Hanbury writes:—“On the main Ark-i-linik (Thelon) river there is a stretch of country about eighty miles in length into which no human being enters. The Eskimos do not hunt so far west, and Yellow Knives and Dog Ribs from Slave lake do not go so far east. To penetrate this country in the dead of winter would be simply to court starvation. Then the deer have all departed, and to depend on finding musk-oxen at the end of the journey would be risky indeed. Thus there remains the spot in this Great Barren Northland which is sacred to the musk-ox. Here the animals remain in their primeval state, exhibiting no fear, only curiosity. I approached several herds within thirty yards, photographed them at my leisure, moving them round as I wished, and then retired, leaving them still stupidly staring at me as if in wonder. When the deer were not procurable a musk-ox was killed. The height of a large bull which I killed in 1896 at a spot about fifty miles farther north was fifty-five inches; horns twenty-seven inches.”
A Midnight Musk-Ox Hunt.
In the official report of his exploratory trip from Great Slave lake to Chesterfield inlet via Thelon river in 1900 Mr. J. W. Tyrrell states that his party first encountered musk-oxen among the lakes in the vicinity of the height of land between the basin of Great Slave lake, and that of the Thelon. He thus refers to this event:—“Whilst sailing northward into Sifton lake we encountered a gale, which drove us ashore at the focus of the four arms. Thus finding a little leisure time thrust upon us, Mr. Fairchild and I, providing ourselves with compasses and field glasses, made an exploratory tramp of a few miles. The season had now advanced to June 27, and at such time in our latitude (63° 44′), we had no darkness, although the sun dipped below the horizon for a short time. The hours of night were, therefore, as suitable for travel as those of day, and hence it was ten p.m. when, scanning the valleys and hillsides with my powerful stereoscopic field glasses, I observed a band of musk-oxen feeding a mile or two to the northward. Fifteen of them were counted in all, and this with genuine surprise, as we had not expected to see any of these animals for some time to come. They were none the less welcome, for our camp was much in need of fresh meat, and stimulated by this knowledge we procured two rifles from camp and set off in one of the canoes with two Indians, on a midnight hunt. The lake had now become quite calm, and the northern sky a glow of lurid light, making the scene a most enchanting picture, such as can only be seen within the shadow of the Arctic. For three miles our light canoe glided over the glassy surface of the lake in perfect silence, excepting for the faint rippling of the water against its sides, until when near the shore there suddenly appeared over the adjoining ridge the huge black forms of nine musk-oxen.”
Musk-Oxen in Thelon Valley.
The following paragraph from Mr. Tyrrell’s report is also interesting under this head:—“As we glided quickly and quietly down Thelon river, one of the most interesting features met with was the occurrence of numerous bands of musk-oxen feeding upon the luxuriant grass or sleeping on the river bank. Attempts were made to obtain photographs of some of these noble brutes, but such were not very successful for two reasons; first, because of the wariness of the animals, and second, because of the weariness of the photographers.
“It was observed that when bands of cows with their young were met with, they were usually very timid and fled at first approach of danger, but in the case of straggling bulls, which were frequently seen, they were much more fearless and allowed us to approach as closely as prudence and their defiant attitudes would permit. On one occasion, when Mr. Fairchild climbed the river bank in order to photograph a fine specimen, he had no sooner snapped his camera and turned his back, than the brute charged and followed him to the bank. He was at once covered by our rifles, but as Fairchild stepped safely into the canoe, no shots were fired. Indeed day after day we passed numbers of musk-oxen, without molesting them in any way except by trying to photograph them. A notable fact in regard to the musk-oxen was that every one seen was on the north side of the Thelon, or on islands on the river. On one occasion when three musk-oxen were met with on an island they immediately plunged into the water and swam rapidly to the north shore, after gaining which they could be seen galloping across the plains for miles.”
In his report Mr. J. W. Tyrrell classes the herds of musk-oxen as among the resources of the country “which are of great value to Canada.” He adds:—“For the preservation of the musk-oxen—which may be so easily slaughtered—and are already rapidly diminishing in numbers, I would suggest that the territory between Thelon and Backs rivers, be set apart by the Government as a game preserve.”
Appearance of the Musk-Ox.
In his interesting volume “Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada,” Mr. Tyrrell writes:—
“The musk-oxen are claimed as relatives both by the sheep and ox families, though they perhaps more properly represent a distinct family by themselves.
“In general appearance they may be said to somewhat resemble a huge brown, horned sheep, but in size and weight they much more nearly resemble the ox, or better still, the buffalo, the monarch of the prairies a generation ago.
“Like the buffalo, the musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus) is gregarious in its habits, but where the former existed in thousands the latter is found only in tens—a band of twenty or thirty being as many as are commonly found together. The above comparison of numbers may also be taken as approximately representing the whole existing musk-ox family as compared with that of the buffalo in his palmy days.
“In prehistoric times, as shown by the exhumed remains, the musk-ox occupied a very wide area of the earth’s surface, both in Europe, Asia and America, but now his range is limited to the northern parts of Canada and Greenland. From personal observation I have found the southern boundary of the musk-ox habitat to-day to be Hudson strait and bay, Chesterfield inlet, Thelon river, Clinton-Colden and Aylmer lakes; whereas in the time of Samuel Hearne, one hundred and fifty years ago, we have his assertion that musk-oxen frequented the vicinity of Churchill, four hundred miles south of their present haunts.
“It is no doubt a fact, not only have the musk-oxen been driven farther and farther from the haunts of men, but that their numbers have been correspondingly reduced from year to year by natives who have long pursued a policy of systematic slaughter in quest of the princely robes so much in demand by the fur-traders.”
Musk-Ox Robes Stacked Like Hay.
“The musk-ox is one of the noblest and most valuable animals of the northern shore of Hudson bay and adjacent territory. It is found in very considerable numbers and affords most luxurious robes. I have seen musk-ox robes stacked by the Eskimos like hay-cocks, along the shore of Chesterfield inlet, awaiting the opportunity to market them.”
On Thelon river, from the junction of the Hanbury down for over half its length or about one hundred and fifty miles, Inspector Pelletier, during his long patrol already several times referred to, saw innumerable tracks of musk-ox, some fairly fresh and on both banks. In his official report the Inspector states:—
“On August 9 (the day after the descent of Thelon river was begun), we sighted our first musk-ox. He was on a small island, lying down asleep, and looked very much like a large overturned sod until suddenly he rose and we were astonished at his size. I had always heard a musk-ox was not a large animal. This one we saw was a large bull of not very great height—perhaps, I would judge, about thirteen hands, but of immense size and weight; he would have scaled very close to fifteen hundred pounds. The long hair was coming down nearly to the ground, and when he decided to run away the fur on him was of such thickness and length that it waved up and down at every gallop as the wings of a bird flying. A few miles farther down about noon we sighted another musk-ox. He was on the north shore, sleeping on the top of a grassy bank. We made much noise to attract his attention. He suddenly rose, and looked straight at us. While doing so I took a snapshot of him. I was hurrying another exposure in place when all at once he turned right about and disappeared over the bank. He was a large animal, but not so large as the first one. We were on the lookout for more, but saw none that day. We sighted one musk-ox on the morning of August 10. It was the third and last we saw. We saw innumerable tracks though, and at certain times of the year large herds must frequent the shores of this river.”
The Moose and Fur-bearing Animals.
The moose (Alces Americanus) being a woodland animal, is not found in the interior of the Barren Lands, but it is found in places in the sparsely timbered margins of the country and in the narrow wooded strips and points which extend from the forested areas along the rivers and lakes well into the treeless plains. Mr. J. W. Tyrrell states that during his party’s exploration of the upper Thelon in the summer of 1900, on two occasions moose antlers were found embedded in the sand of the river banks. Hanbury states that moose are found in Thelon river, below its junction with the Hanbury, and mentions seeing numerous fresh tracks and places where the animals had browsed on the willows. In August, 1902, while descending Dease river, northeast of Great Bear lake, he found tracks along its banks.
Inspector Pelletier, speaking in his official report of the game along the Hanbury and Thelon, states:—“There is good fur to be had in winter besides musk-ox, such as foxes, wolves, wolverines, brown bears, and perhaps mink and marten. . . . Many wolves were seen at the foot of Ford falls (on the Hanbury). Five were in a pack.”
Mr. J. B. Tyrrell in his paper before the British Association at Toronto stated:—“The white wolf and the wolverine are the two most common predatory animals in the interior, while the white bear and white fox are common in places along the coast.”
Mr. J. W. Tyrrell (“Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada”) states:—“Black and red as well as white foxes are also commonly found in the country north of the timber line. I have seen and handled a single black foxskin which realized for its owner the sum of one thousand six hundred dollars.”
The Polar Bear.
As to the polar bear, which is found all along the shores of Hudson bay, and the northern coast, Mr. Tyrrell (“Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada”) states:—“In the animal world the polar bear is admittedly the monarch of the north. He is the bear of bears, being described by all Arctic travellers as possessing enormous strength and great voracity. Of the score of polars whose more or less intimate acquaintance I have had occasion to make, I have seen at least two whose tracks in the snow measured fifteen by eighteen inches, whose length measures over nine feet, and whose slain carcases tipped the steelyard at from fifteen to sixteen hundred pounds.”
In the same volume Mr. Tyrrell states:—“Of feathered game there is a great abundance, particularly of waterfowl, the most important of which are:—Brant, Hutchins and snowy geese; northern, American and king eiders; squaw ducks, swans, loons, nurres, guillemots and many other sea fowls. In many places I have seen geese in such numbers that they could be killed by hundreds with sticks. Ptarmigan, also, are found in great numbers in many places in the open country. They are commonly caught by the natives with nets, and form a staple article of food.”
Where the Wild Geese Nest.
Mr. J. W. Tyrrell mentions that two young broods of geese were seen on Dubawnt lake on August 15, 1893. He adds:—“It is commonly said that the breeding place of the wild goose has never been discovered, but here, at any rate, was the breeding place of these.”
In the official report of his trip in 1900, Mr. Tyrrell states:—“Many broods of geese were observed on the low grassy banks of the Thelon. They were of a small grey species, with black necks and heads and white bands around the latter. Later in the season great numbers of moulting geese were met with, and thirty or forty of them were knocked over with sticks for supplying our kettles.
“Ducks and ptarmigan were also met with, though not in great numbers, whilst the spruce woods were enlivened by the songs of singing birds, notably American robins.”
Hearne (p. 170) thus refers to the feathered game in Coppermine river region:—“When at the sea-side (at the mouth of Coppermine river), besides seeing many seals on the ice, I also observed several flocks of sea-fowl flying about the shores, such as gulls, blackheads, loons, old wives, ha-ha-wies, geese, Arctic gulls, and willicks. In the adjacent ponds also were some swans and geese in a moulting state, and in the marshes some curlews and plover; plenty of hawkes-eyes (i.e., the green plover), and some yellow-legs; also several other small birds that visit these northern parts in the spring to breed and moult, and which doubtless return southward as the fall advances. My reason for this conjecture is founded on a certain knowledge that all these birds migrate in Hudson bay, and it is but reasonable to think that they are less capable of withstanding the rigour of such a long and cold winter as they must necessarily experience in a country which is so many degrees within the Arctic circle, as that is where I now (July 1771) saw them.”
Flight of the Waterfowl.
Back mentions the fact that while at Artillery lake on September 5, 1833, “impending storms were threatened by the cackling of hundreds of geese, which at an immense height were winging their flight to the southward. Ranged according to their families, the grey, or bustard, the white and the laughing geese came past in quick succession, vying in swiftness, as if anxious to escape from the wintry horrors of the north.”
Speaking of his exploration of Thelon and Hanbury rivers, Mr. Hanbury (“Sport and Travel in the Northland of Canada”), referring to feathered game along the route, states:—“Ptarmigan are very numerous in the willow beds all along the river. Excellent sport might be had by any one with time and ammunition to spare. On a journey small game is not interfered with unless other meat and fish give out. The ptarmigan were very handsome at this time of year (summer). But for a few white feathers in the wings, they might easily have been mistaken for grouse, the colour, flight and call (both in the early morning and when flushed) exactly resembling that of the red grouse. The young birds were strong on the wing, fully forward as grouse in the north of Scotland about the middle of August.”
Inspector Pelletier states that when he descended the Thelon waterfowl were seen only on Baker lake, and then only a few, while on the other lakes and rivers none were seen. Ptarmigan were fairly plentiful in places all along the lower stretch from Schultz lake down.
Inexhaustible Supplies of Fish.
The resources of the Barren Lands in the way of fish are tremendous. We know that the salt, tidal waters which lave the eastern and northern shores of this huge area teem with fish and that the same can be truthfully said of the lakes and rivers which have been explored and are indicated on the map. We also know that the country is dotted with innumerable lakes and drained by many rivers and streams which have never been visited by white men, and which consequently find no places on any map. And these too contain fish.
Hearne’s journal contains many references to the fish supply of the region he travelled through in 1771 between Churchill, the mouth of the Coppermine, Great Slave lake, and Lake Athabaska. One of the pioneer explorer’s fish stories is particularly interesting. At pages 158, 159 and 160 of his book he relates that his party, in retreating up the Coppermine after the brutal massacre by his Indians of the Eskimos at Bloody falls (as he called the spot after the massacre), saw an old woman, almost blind, “sitting by the side of the water, killing salmon, which lay at the foot of the fall as thick as a shoal of herrings.” Hearne proceeds:—“It may appear strange, that a person supposed to be almost blind should be employed in the business of fishing, and particularly with any degree of success, but when the multitude of fish is taken into account the wonder will cease. Indeed they were so numerous at the foot of the fall, that when a light pole, armed with a few spikes, which was the instrument which the old woman used, was put under water, and hauled up with a jerk, it was scarcely possible to miss them. Some of my Indians tried the method, for curiosity, with the old woman’s staff, and seldom got less than two at a jerk, sometimes three or four. Those fish, though very fine, and beautifully red, are but small, seldom weighing more (as near as I could judge) than six or seven pounds, and in general much less. Their numbers at this place were almost incredible, perhaps equal to any thing that is related of the salmon in Kamschatka, or any other part of the world. It does not appear that the Eskimos have any other method of catching the fish unless it be by spears and darts, for no appearance of nets was discovered either at their tents, or on any part of the shore. This is the case with all the Eskimos on the west side of Hudson bay; spearing in summer and angling in winter are the only methods they have yet devised to catch fish, though at times their whole dependence for support is on that article.”
Captain Back mentions having observed grayling rising to flies at the outlet of Pelly lake on Backs river, July 15, 1834. Back also mentions that while descending Backs river in July, 1883, his party met a party of Eskimos who were camped at the foot of a fall below Pelly lake, where they had come to get a supply of fish. Thousands of whitefish and small trout, caught in the eddy below the fall, lay about, split, and exposed to dry on the rocks.
Back’s party caught an inconnu (which he calls Salmo Mackenzii) with a number of other fish in the eastern arm of Great Slave lake August 14, 1833.
The Arctic Salmon.
Before the Senate committee of 1888, Mr. Christie, Chief Inspector of the Hudson’s Bay Company, stated that salmon were found in large numbers on the Churchill, as soon as the ice cleared out of the river, about the middle of July. They entered the river and went out of it with the tide. They did not run up the river to spawn. He thought these salmon quite as large as those he had seen in Scotland.
Mr. A. P. Low, Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, examined before the Senate committee of 1907, stated that in the far northern waters there are no true salmon, but there is the Arctic salmon, which is found along the east side of Hudson bay from Cape Jones, and on the west side, north of the mouth of Churchill river. These are in many places very abundant and are caught freely in the summer time when they are out in the sea. They go into the sea about July and return to the rivers and lakes again some time in September. They are only out there about two months. This Arctic salmon is an excellent fish, beautifully coloured, a very fine salmon colour, and it is not so rich a fish as the Atlantic salmon. It resembles the western salmon more than it does the eastern or Atlantic salmon. The salmon fishery on Hudson bay would no doubt have commercial value were there an outlet to a market. The whitefish of Hudson bay is a very fine flavoured fish.
The portion of Hudson bay in the vicinity of Southampton island is where the whale fishing is done. Formerly it extended to Marble island.
In reply to various questions, Mr. Low said he had no knowledge of herring or mackerel going into Hudson bay, but there are some cod there. He had taken them up near Cape Fullerton and along that coast, but they have not been found very plentiful yet.
In the report of his explorations in 1893 and 1894, Mr. J. B. Tyrrell says:—“It is probable that some of the true salmon ascend the inlets and streams west of the northern part of Hudson bay, but the fact was not definitely determined.” Before the select committee of the Senate in 1907 he stated he did not know what fish there are along the shores of Hudson bay. “The Eskimos report that there are salmon and other fish there, but I did not see them myself.”
Plenty of Salmon Running.
Mr. Hanbury, speaking of his trip across country from Chesterfield inlet to the Arctic, reported “plenty of salmon running” in the northern rivers in June.
Mr. J. W. Tyrrell (“Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada”) states:—“Salmon of the very finest quality are found in abundance both in Hudson bay and strait. I have several times procured them from Eskimos and can testify as to their superior quality.” Mr. Tyrrell does not state whether any of these salmon were caught on the west side of the bay.
We find the following interesting paragraphs as to the fish along the Arctic coast in “Sport and Travel in Northern Canada” (Hanbury):—“On May 29, after travelling about ten miles, I obtained an observation for latitude which gave 68° 25′ north. Three miles more brought us to the east coast of Kent peninsula, or rather to a small inlet of the coast, where several Huskies were fishing with their copper fish-hooks through holes in the ice. In the evening they brought me seven of the fish they had caught, which proved to be codling, the same in appearance and size as those we have found around the coast of Great Britain. I was surprised to see these fish, for the Hudson bay Huskies had always denied the existence of any sort of cod in Hudson bay. The Arctic Husky name for these codling was u-wuk, and they were reported to be very plentiful along the coast at this time of year.”
According to Doctor Richardson:—“Trout of various kinds and of large size inhabit the rivers that fall into Arctic sea, and on the coast near the mouth of Coppermine river, a species closely resembling the sea-trout of England was abundant in the shallows.”
Fish in the Dubawnt and The Kazan.
Mr. J. B. Tyrrell in the report of his exploratory trips down Dubawnt and Kazan rivers in 1893 and 1894 states:—“Fish seemed to be everywhere abundant in the lakes and streams though very few were caught. The lake trout (Cristivomer namaycush) and whitefish (Coregonus clupeiformis) appeared to be the most abundant and valuable food fishes, the latter being especially abundant in Dubawnt lake. Pike (Esox lucius) and one or more species of suckers were also seen.
Mr. Tyrrell states in his evidence before the Senate committee of 1907 that as far north as Dubawnt lake (63° north latitude) the whitefish and trout were plentiful in all the streams. Mr. Tyrrell caught them in Dubawnt lake. Farther northwards he did not catch any. There are great quantities of fish. The fact is there are all the fish the lakes will hold—they are as full as the water can supply food for them.
While Mr. Tyrrell’s party was descending Dubawnt river in August, 1894, they made a big haul of trout and whitefish below Markham lake; according to Mr. J. B. Tyrrell (“Through the Sub-Arctics of Canada”):—“The whitefish ranged from six to ten pounds in weight; the trout went up to twenty-five pounds.”
In his paper before the British Association Mr. J. W. Tyrrell stated:—“Whitefish and lake trout are plentiful in the lakes and streams; but as yet very little is known about the character and distribution of the denizens of most of the water stretches.”
Fish Plentiful in the Thelon.
Mr. Hanbury in describing his exploration of the Ark-i-linik (Thelon and Hanbury rivers) states:—“Fish were plentiful all along the Ark-i-linik; in fact, I never saw such a grand river for fish. Trout, whitefish, and toolabies (very similar to whitefish) abound, and large numbers can be taken with nets of from three to four and one-half inch mesh. There are few rivers equal to the Ark-i-linik for food fishes.”
All travellers agree that there are large numbers of fish in the eastern arm of Great Slave lake and in the lakes between that sheet of water and the Thelon. Mr. J. W. Tyrrell in the report of his trip in 1900 states:—“The resources of Artillery lake and vicinity, outside of any mineral wealth it may possess, lie in its fisheries, its furs and meat supplies. In regard to the fisheries, I can testify that its deep, cold waters abound with the finest specimens of lake trout as well as whitefish, pike and carp. At one place in about fifteen minutes, with a single spoon hook, one of my men pulled out eighteen fine trout, some of which were brought to camp, strung on a pole and photographed by me. Some of these fish were from sixteen to twenty pounds in weight. In regard to the fish of Artillery lake, I was told
A Most Astonishing Story
by the Indian “Pierre Fort Smith” and his companion. They affirm that they have frequently seen fish of from twenty to thirty feet long in the water, and described them as being of black colour, with long slender horns or feelers. They say they have never killed one of them—being afraid of them—but that they are frequently seen in the deep waters when crossing the lake. When I smiled at their story with some expression of doubt, they became very indignant and with one accord stoutly declared every word of it to be true. I offered them ‘one hundred skins’ if they would capture or kill one of these fish for me, but they only said they could not do so; they were too big, and they were afraid of them.”
In the report of his patrol from Great Slave lake to Chesterfield inlet, Inspector Pelletier gives us the following notes on fish and game along his route:—“We saw no game along the lake (Great Slave lake) such as deer, bears, etc., no water fowls, partridges or ptarmigan. Fish, on the contrary, are very plentiful. Large lake trout weighing up to twenty-five pounds take well to the troll, but this trout is not a game fish, and is very coarse food. The smaller trout are better in every way. Whitefish is abundant, and of splendid quality. We saw no ‘Inconnus’, the season being too early.”
Artillery Lake Teems With Trout.
Artillery lake teems with trout, some of large size, and at the foot of the rapids on “Kasba river trout are taken by the troll, some weighing eighteen and twenty pounds. There must be larger ones but we did not secure any.
“At the foot of every rapid on upper Hanbury river trout and grayling can be caught. Some trout are very large, over twenty-five pounds. The best eating are the small ones about two pounds, the flesh of which is very red. They do not rise to the fly, but catch the spoon very well. The ordinary maskinonge pattern proved the most successful.”
As to Thelon river, the Inspector states:—“Fish are abundant. Anywhere where nets are set whitefish of splendid quality are caught.” As to the long reach of lakes above Chesterfield inlet he says:—“Fish are plentiful in all the lakes. On Baker lake we saw some very large trout jumping near the mouth of a small river emptying into the lake.”
The Indians and the few white travellers who have been there report a plentiful supply of fine fish in all the large lakes north of Great Slave lake and about the headwaters of Backs river, which used to be known as Great Fish river on account of the large fish caught in its waters. Mr. Warburton Pike was at Aylmer lake in June 1890 and writes in his book (“The Barren Grounds of Northern Canada”):—“At the head of every bay a stream ran into the lake, and the open water at its mouth was always a sure find for trout; forty or fifty large fish were often caught in a day with a hook and line at these places, and, as we could always kill caribou, even the dogs were getting fat in this land of plenty.”
We have this testimony from Hanbury (“Sport and Travel in the Northland of Canada”) as to the fish life of the lakes still farther north and on the height of land dividing the Coppermine watershed from that of Great Bear lake:—“We all regretted leaving Teshi-er-pi or Dismal lake. It certainly did not appear ‘dismal’ to us, but quite the reverse. I do not remember ever having come across a lake where fish were so numerous. Large trout, some of which ran up to twenty-five pounds, could be seen swimming in the clear water as we paddled along. The tollabies we caught averaged nearer five pounds than four, and as before remarked, were most excellent eating. Arctic trout were numberless.”