CHAPTER XIII.
NORTHERN ALBERTA.
Economic Minerals.
Travellers, Explorers and Prospectors Describe the Country as a Veritable Store House of Mineral Wealth.—Gold Found in the Bars in Peace river.—Indications of Plentiful Supply of Iron.—Lignite Found in Abundance.—Historic Deposits of Salt.—The Famous Athabaska Tar Sands.—Their Commercial Value.—Indications of Petroleum.—Boring Experiments.—Natural Gas Under a Wide Area.—Travellers Use Natural Gas Jets to Boil their Camp Kettles.
Northern Alberta, according to the reports of travellers, geological explorers and prospectors, is a veritable storehouse of mineral wealth, its natural richness in this respect including gold, iron, coal, gypsum, salt, sulphur, galena, natural gas, petroleum, tar sands or asphaltum, etc.
In his report of 1888, Mr. R. G. McConnell of the Geological Survey (See p. [18]) states:—“Gold was found in many of the bars in Peace river, and in several places in sufficient quantities to deserve attention. Three miles above the mouth of Battle river, a large bar nearly a mile long on the left bank was examined, from which we obtained fifteen to twenty colours of fine gold, by washing a few handfuls of the mixed gravel and sand in an ordinary frying pan. We tried the bar at several points, and always with the same result. A small stream descends from the plateau on the opposite side of the river, and by leading its waters across the river, which is here about one thousand feet wide, the bar might be easily and inexpensively worked on a large scale. Twelve miles farther up the river, another bar was examined, which yielded from twenty to forty colours when washed in the same way. Numerous other bars occur in this portion of the river, which would probably give as good results as those examined.
“The presence of fine gold in some quantities in the bars above the mouth of Battle river is probably due to the diminution in the strength of the Peace river current which takes place here, and its consequent loss of transporting power. The same fact is shown in the gradual substitution of sand bars for gravel bars which occur at the same point.
“Besides the gold on Peace river, two colours were also washed out of a bar on Loon river, an eastern tributary of the Peace.”
Mr. Alfred von Hamerstein, a German gentleman who has lived in the Athabaska country for many years, latterly devoting his attention wholly to prospecting for petroleum, was examined before the Senate committee of 1907 and explained that before beginning boring operations for oil, he had been engaged in gold mining in Athabaska and Peace river districts. He had inspected McLeod river at a place called Assiniboia. A half-breed took out one hundred and fifty dollars from a bar there. He himself