Mr. Frank Crean, in his 1909 report, gives the following information regarding the country west of Methye and Buffalo lakes and south of Clearwater river:—“Along Pembina river there are fine hay meadows which should enable anybody who desired to keep cattle to procure ample feed for the winter. To the west of Cowpar lake there is a large prairie which would certainly afford magnificent summer range, though I am informed that in winter the snow is too deep for cattle to range out.” Northwest of Cowpar lake Mr. Crean saw some horses grazing in December. Their owner had made no arrangement to winter them, and Mr. Crean was told that the horses thrived.
Cowpar lake lies just south of latitude 56°. It is a small lake, and of itself of no great importance. The surrounding country, however, is exceptionally good farming land, and to the east and south at about ten miles distance is found the commencement of a large prairie about forty miles long and varying from twelve to fifteen miles in width. This prairie is in its present state fitted for agriculture. The Indians from Cowpar lake go there in the spring and plant gardens, leaving them until the fall when they bring the produce to their homes at Cowpar lake.
Mr. Crean continues:—“Pembina river flows through the south end of this prairie, and several small lakes touch it. The prairie is watered by small creeks draining into these lakes, and altogether it is
An Ideal Spot for the Pioneer,
as hay, water, wood and fish are to be found in abundance throughout its extent. The land adjoining Cowpar lake on the east and south is all arable, being open and rolling. To the northeast, towards Whitefish lake, the land is also good. It is easy to predict that Cowpar lake will some day be a centre of a considerable settlement, although at present the only occupants are about four families of Chipewyans.”
Winefred lake, according to Mr. Crean, is a large body of water amply stocked with fine whitefish, and Indians both from the south and north come to Winefred lake to catch fish in the fall. The country surrounding the lake is mostly swampy hay land, but might, he thought, be easily drained. A good deal of muskeg is found in this vicinity, indeed, more than anywhere else that Mr. Crean travelled on the watershed of the Athabaska.
About Heart lake the land is all good though somewhat rolling and inclined to be broken. There is no more obstacle to farming around this lake than there is anywhere else between it and Edmonton. The country is identical with that passed through en route to Edmonton. In fact the country is almost prairie, some bluffs of poplar being the only pretence of woods.
With reference to the northern portion of the area explored by him in 1909, Mr. Crean states:—“In the matter of attempts at agriculture the fact that there is no demand for agricultural produce in the north prevents people who live there from carrying on even experimental work. Wheat has been grown successfully at McMurray, which was about the most northerly point touched by me. Here, too, all the ordinary vegetables grown in the more southerly portions of the province are grown with the greatest success.” Mixed farming would appear to be an industry which most readily adapts itself to northern conditions. Wheat can be grown in almost any part of the north which I have explored. It is undeniable that northern latitudes increase the likelihood of summer frosts. If, however, live stock is kept, the larger yield of grain to the acre, even if slightly frosted, will pay quite as well converted into beef or pork as a smaller yield of the better quality grain in more southern latitudes.”
The officers of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police have contributed considerable valuable information regarding the northern section of the country under review in this chapter.
In his 1909 report, Inspector D. M. Howard, of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, referring to the northern section, wrote:—“In the northern part of the district, Chipewyan and Smith Landing, very little grain is grown. The Roman Catholic mission at Fort Smith have put in a small crop of about fifteen acres under oats and barley this year as an experiment. There are about thirty-five head of cattle all told in Chipewyan sub-district, but the stock is not very good, being too much inbred. The Hudson’s Bay Company brought in ten head of horses this year from Edmonton and the Roman Catholic mission brought four from Vermilion; this, with the three police horses, makes a total of about forty head.”