The region discussed in the present and immediately succeeding chapters as “The Mackenzie River Region” includes the country north of the Alberta and British Columbia boundary line (the 60th parallel of north latitude) extending as far north as Beaufort sea. To the westward it is bounded by the Yukon territory boundary line, and to the eastward by the height of land east of Slave river, the height of land between the valley of Coppermine river and the lake and river system extending from the north arm of Great Slave lake to Great Bear lake, and a line in prolongation thereof northward to the sea.
There might be some question as to the advisability of considering the country north, south and east of Great Bear lake as part of the country lying more immediately adjacent to the great river of the north. It is true that the slight knowledge of the country north, south and immediately east of Great Bear lake tends to show that it is a region far less inviting than the immediate valley of the Mackenzie, and that it practically forms part of the so-called “Barren Lands” which extend as far eastward as Hudson bay. But this unfavourable evidence is not quite conclusive, and after all, the whole of the country within the limits decided upon is in the Mackenzie watershed, and has been considered in a broad sense as part of the Mackenzie region by the explorers, missionaries, traders, and travellers who have written of the country. So the adoption of the limits decided upon should simplify the geographical situation for the reader, and that is an important thing in considering a territory so vast as that immediately under review.
A King of Northern Waters.
Mackenzie river is one of the longest and broadest streams in the world. According to Mr. R. G. McConnell, of the Geological Survey, one of the first to attempt a scientific survey of the river, the Mackenzie “drains an area of six hundred and seventy-seven thousand, four hundred square miles, and has an approximate discharge at a medium stage of the water, according to some rough measurements made by the writer, of five hundred thousand cubic feet per second. Its basin is traversed for nearly one thousand three hundred miles by Rocky mountains, and the Mackenzie is probably unique among the rivers of the world in the fact of having a large proportion of its basin situated on the farther side of a great mountain chain. Two of its principal tributaries, Liard and Peace rivers, pierce Rocky mountains and drain large areas beyond, while the third, the Athabaska, originates in the heart of the same range, and is confined entirely to the eastern slope. The country from which the Mackenzie draws its supplies is of the most varied description and includes part of the broken plateau region west of Rocky mountains, Rocky mountains themselves through fifteen degrees of latitude, the northern part of the prairie district and the wooded and moss-covered country which succeeds it towards Arctic ocean, while tribute is also drawn from a wide belt of rough Laurentian country on the east, and from portion of the “Barren Lands.” From Great Slave lake to the sea the Mackenzie is an imposing stream, averaging about a mile in width with occasional expansions for long distances to twice this size. It is characterized by the comparative purity of its water, by its long straight reaches and by the absence of sudden bends. Its valley, usually shallow, follows closely all the sinuosities of the stream without the intervention of large flats. Clusters of islands obstruct its channel in a number of places, and are met with at intervals all the way down, while ranges of lofty mountains run parallel with it for part of its course, and form a fitting background to this king of northern waters.”
Silent Sweep of a Mighty River.
“Opposite Fort Simpson,” according to Mr. McConnell, “the main channel of the Mackenzie is almost exactly a mile wide, and it maintains and often exceeds this width for many miles below. Its course, as far as the Great Bend, a distance of seventy miles, is north-northwest, and its current in average stages of the water has a velocity of about four miles an hour. The banks of the valley appear low owing to the great size of the river, but in reality have often a height of two hundred feet or over. The appearance of this part of the Mackenzie and of the unending spruce forests which border it is monotonous and uninteresting, and is only relieved by the majesty inseparable from the silent sweep of a river of its magnitude.”
Slave river, which discharges the water of Lake Athabaska and Peace river into Great Slave lake, is practically an upper reach of the Mackenzie, its course being in the same general direction but the name “Mackenzie” is given only to that long stretch of navigable water from Great Slave lake to the sea.
As Mackenzie river itself is the outstanding geographical feature of the country, as it is the main channel of communication, and as all the settlements are situated upon its banks or those of its tributaries, a table of distances along this gigantic waterway may prove to be a useful guide to those readers of these pages, who are not familiar with the geography of the country. The table is compiled from the report by Wm. Ogilvie, D.L.S., of his survey, and the figures cover the route from Fort Smith, on Slave river, practically on the Alberta boundary line, to Fort McPherson on the delta of the Mackenzie:—
| MILES. | |
| Fort Smith | 0 |
| Fort Resolution | 190·5 |
| Buffalo creek | 202·5 |
| Buffalo river | 249·5 |
| Hay river | 276·5 |
| Great Slave lake | 311·5 |
| Fort Providence (lat. 61·4°) | 357·5 |
| Little lake | 381·5 |
| Yellowknife river | 417·9 |
| Head of Line | 444·0 |
| Fort Simpson (lat. 61·8°) | 515·0 |
| Nahanni river | 590·2 |
| Willow lake river | 606·5 |
| River between Two Mountains | 645·5 |
| Fort Wrigley (lat. 63°) | 649·0 |
| Le Vieux Grand Lac river | 723·0 |
| Gravel river | 764·2 |
| Fort Norman (lat. about 65°) | 829·3 |
| Great Bear river | 829·5 |
| Carcajou river | 945·5 |
| Mountain river | 950·2 |
| Sans Sault rapids | 950·8 |
| Beaver river | 987·8 |
| Ramparts | 989·9 |
| Fort Good Hope (lat. 66·16°) | 998·8 |
| Hare Indian river | 1001·1 |
| Loon river | 1022·7 |
| Large river entering on east side, | |
| name unknown | 1153·0 |
| Red river | 1213·4 |
| Delta of Mackenzie | 1241·4 |
| Fort McPherson (lat. 67·26°) | 1273·5 |
The Dominion census of 1911 gives us the following figures of the population of these places, and of one or two other posts which will be referred to later:—Fort Good Hope, 434; Fort Liard, 136; Fort McPherson, 387; Fort Norman, 315; Fort Providence, 473; Fort Rea, 774; Fort Resolution, 766; Fort Simpson, 375; Fort Smith, 50; Fort Wrigley, 79; Hay river, 146.