about forty years ago, and probably there was another fire which occurred about five years ago, so there are no trees. Going down the Little Churchill there are no trees to be seen on the heights, except in the valleys of the river, where groves of spruce and poplar which escaped the fire are standing. These spruce and poplars which are in the valleys are sometimes twenty inches in diameter. The cottonwood grows to about fourteen inches. It is tall and very healthy looking. The spruce trees grow pretty long, and quite a number of sawlogs could be taken out of each tree. The soil is pretty good, but the area is small. After leaving Big lake, all the way down there is no timber at all. In the valleys of all the streams there is timber, consisting of bunches of spruce and tamarack. At the Big Churchill the clay hills are mostly covered with moss. It has been burned over, and there are good large spruce in the valleys of Little Churchill river away up to about eighteen or twenty inches in diameter, but they are very few. They are all very healthy looking trees.
In 1902, Mr. Alfred W. G. Wilson, of the Geological Survey, made a reconnaissance traverse across the southern part of the unexplored area lying to the north of Lac Seul and east of Trout lake, visiting Slate, Marsh, Gull, Smoothbrook, Cat and St. Joseph lakes. He states in his report:—“The forest growth is found chiefly around the lakes and streams. The sands, sandy gravels, or clays, usually of glacial origin, are generally forested, the trees varying with the character of the soil. There are large areas of nearly bare rock, where only a few stunted conifers or poplars grow in the crevices. Where the soil is sparse, and the country low-lying but yet fairly well drained, there is an open forest, chiefly black spruce, and the ground is covered with a dense mat of moss interlaced with fibrous roots. The soil covered, and the swampy areas, are usually thickly overgrown with small shrubs, mostly alder. In general the timber is rather small, in most parts of the district at present too small even for pulpwood or ties. Occasionally along streams the trees are larger, especially north of the east end of Lac Seul. Another area of good timber, chiefly black spruce and tamarack, occurs along Root river between Lac Seul and Lake St. Joseph.”
Mr. J. W. McLaggan, in the account of his trip in 1907 (See p. [58]), describes the country between The Pas and Clearwater lake as covered with small, mixed timber. On the north side of Cormorant lake, and along the creek which connects it with Lake Yawningstone, and on the south side of the latter lake, he saw from three to five million feet of good milling spruce timber. Along Cowan river the country is described as low and flat, with small quantities of good spruce timber in spots until within a few miles of Black Duck lake when bunches of good spruce, estimated at ten million feet, come into view. After crossing Black Duck lake the country continues low and marshy, with scattered bunches of spruce and tamarack of a size suitable for ties or pulpwood. As Mr. McLaggan approached Reed lake he passed through low and swampy country covered with scrubby timber. To the south of Reed lake about a million feet of medium sized spruce were sighted. The country back was found to have been burned over and now growing poplar, which, in a few years, will make good pulpwood. On the north side of Herb lake there are spruce and poplar fit for railway ties and pulpwood, and along the river to the rapids there are small bunches of jackpine and tamarack and of merchantable spruce, but back from the lake and river the country appeared all burned. Mr. McLaggan expresses the opinion that there must have been a good timber area bordering these waters, and that, if fire can be kept out,
Reforestation Will Soon Be Effected.
Along the shores of and on the islands in Setting lake there is, Mr. McLaggan estimates, about ten million feet of young, sound, clear spruce timber, averaging from twelve to fourteen inches in diameter. Between Setting and Paint lakes are two falls of thirty feet, where splendid power can be developed; the banks of the river become higher and there are small bunches of spruce and poplar, but back from the river has been burned over. On the south side of Paint lake there is a fairly good bunch of spruce, suitable for railway ties or pulpwood. Back from the lake the country has been burned over but is growing up again with poplar and other trees. On Methye lake Mr. McLaggan found the timber to be mainly jackpine and tamarack of small size, a limited portion of which would be fit for railway ties. Traversing File river, with the exception of a bunch of spruce of about half a million feet, averaging twelve to fourteen inches in diameter, there was seen nothing but small, scrubby mixed timber of but little value. The country back from the river has been burned over. Between Reed lake and Elbow lake he saw about two million feet of good spruce and poplar, averaging from twelve to fourteen inches in diameter. Towards the lower end of Cranberry lake there are bunches of good spruce. It is estimated that there are a million feet in all. The country continues rough and rocky, with patches of good land and some muskeg. In the country between Cranberry and Athapapuskow lakes there is a poor growth of scrubby timber. Some small bunches of spruce were seen along Athapapuskow lake near the portage, and by Goose river, but the country has all burned over, leaving only small clumps of spruce. Speaking generally of the timber in the area explored, Mr. McLaggan reported:—“The fires seem to have burned over nearly all the country and I was not able to walk far enough into the interior to find any land not burned, and from information gathered from Indians and trappers, would conclude that this burned land reached from Grass to Burntwood river, with the exception of small pieces along the lakes and rivers. There is a growth of young timber coming up, since the fire, which may be of value in time.”
W. Thibaudeau, C.E. (See p. [23]), states in his report that although there is no merchantable timber in the vicinity of Churchill, there is abundance of fine building stone and limestone to be found everywhere, and there is also an ample supply of timber for fuel purposes for many years along both banks of Churchill river and around Button bay. He continues:—“Between October 24, 1906, and November 9, 1906, I made an exploration of the country between North river and Churchill river for a distance south of Button bay, of about twenty miles. On the
East Side of Button Bay
I found a strip of good timber, consisting of spruce and tamarack six to ten inches in diameter, about half a mile wide and extending three to four miles in length on the east side, between the southern ridge of Churchill peninsula and the bay, and about three miles south of Churchill. At the head of Button bay (and parallel with it), there are a number of parallel ridges extending to North river. These ridges are timbered with spruce and tamarack four to ten inches in diameter. Close to North river there is a good spruce timber ten to thirty inches in diameter in small scattered bunches, covering a distance of about four miles. At the southern end of the south ridge of the western peninsula at Churchill, there is a strip of good spruce timber, six to twelve inches in diameter, extending about two miles by four miles; also on the east side of the same ridge about one and one-third miles south of Mosquito point, there is a strip of good timber for a distance of about four miles.
“Between December 7, 1906, and December 17, 1906, I made an exploration of the country between Churchill and Owl rivers. Four miles from Churchill river in a southerly direction I crossed a ridge, running in a northeast and southwest direction at about one and one-half miles from Hudson bay, extending opposite to Mosquito point. From the point of crossing to the bay, on the sunny side, the ridge is well timbered with spruce six to twelve inches in diameter. Twenty-five miles from the starting point, I crossed another sandy ridge with scrubby timber. Two miles west of this point there is a barren hill known as White mountain, three hundred feet in height by one mile in length. At the eastern woods there are a few square miles of spruce and tamarack averaging six to eight inches in diameter. Close to White Whale lake I crossed another gravel ridge having no timber. On each side of Salmon creek there are scrubs, willows and small spruce, with grassy meadows. At Broad river to the left of the place of crossing, for about four miles there is a strip of timber one-third of a mile in width, eight to fourteen inches in diameter, consisting of stunted black spruce.”
The section about Waskaiowaka lake is fairly level and dry, with some scrub timber. The banks are steep and covered with very thick mossy peat, probably ten feet thick. The timber consists of black spruce and white birch from five to sixteen inches in diameter. From the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post on Split lake to the mouth of Grass river, the country on the east side of the lake is undulating, and part of the banks and islands is fairly timbered with spruce. Part of the shore of Landing lake and the islands are well timbered with spruce six to ten inches in diameter. Travelling from Landing lake to the head of Sipiwesk lake, the country was found dry and well timbered with spruce from eight to fourteen inches in diameter. The islands of Sipiwesk lake are well timbered with spruce, some being thirty inches in diameter. On Reed lake, the islands are well timbered with spruce six to fourteen inches in diameter. From Reed lake to Station 616 the country is level, forty per cent. being swampy. There is some spruce and tamarack timber four to eight inches in diameter. On the north side of Cormorant lake, there is a strip of timber, four miles wide by ten miles long.