St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1866-01-11
REPORT CT THE SASKATCHEWAN
AND LAKE WINNIPEG EXPLOR-
! ING PARTIES. = %.IIgt TfEE ~

The Hon. Hudson's Bay Company. !
GENTLEMEx.-I have the honor to suh-
init the following report of my ex exploration
of!Lake Winnipeg ian,l tile Suska, chewan
River as regards the pracsicability of nav
lgating the same.
The bar at the Delta of Red River and
the entrance to the Lake is from one quar-
Ter to one third OF u mile in width. The
channel is crooked, which would make it
necessary to place three buoys on the tar.
found four fe-t Of water on The shoalcst
place. The Lake appeared very much low
fr than usnal, but, i found by sounding,
from three TO five fatllu,ns of water between
the mouth OF, Red River and Big Island,
and good anchora g.. From this Island as
far as orpo tic the mouth of the Little Sas-
kat:hewan my cou' sc took me by a mum
fber !of smaller islands which. afford good
projections. gEss 1E: T.. zr:-r ~. a s4og-ts /
From the point opposite the mouth of
the Little Saskatchewan, a vessel would
have to depend upon steam and an anchor
III INC event VI storm, as far as the Sas-
kai cliewah River, distance should iudpe
to be scventy-hve or eighty miles. The
mouth OF the last named river is an excel.
lcnt harhor and good anchorage, vessels
can tie hauled over the Grand ,Rapitla. but
i Is my opinion that the labor it would re-
quIre and the expenses contingent there
with. together viii, the risk Of damages to
vessels would make it impraciicablc. Adore
The Grand Rapids there are also success
sion OF rapids and a strong current at in
tervab as far up. ssrihe Cedar Lake. /
would advise he sinking Of a pier atC ross
Lake to assist in getting vess els up. From
Cedar Lake the river is Ut urinterrupted ty
anything 70 inf cde The navigation az far
up as Tobcrn Falls, which arc about 100
miles above Cnmbcrh,nlr House. ty, Above
robern Falls for distance Of eight vr ten
miles, he river; is, wide and shual with in:
termrtlate rapids, and not nav:gable at ITS
resent low stage, Of water. Above there l
found rapids once or twice in a day s
tracking nn'il arrived at Coles Falls which
are a Succession Of rapids from one i,un-
drcd and fifty TO three hundred feet in
length each, and twenty-six in number with
comparative black water between each rap
i'd .: -r,..-. -. :
From tie lead ceies Fans The: = character
Of the river bottoms is sandy. and sand isl
and, Tie bed Of The river is very crooked
bat very good channel as? far as explor-
cd, which was to carlton House. In sum
ming up arrived at this conclusion Tia,
the Saskatchewan River is n good naviga-
BILE stream, for light draught Steamers, from
the head Of the Grand Rapids rs far up as
Tobern Falls with the siaglc improvement,
suggested ssboxe pier IL Cross Lake
From Tobern Falls TO Carlton House I did
not find a nasigable river But wus v; :iinforme,
by Mr: Pradeh at,the latter: Place, thatsth,
water in the river is three and. one half fee,
higher from the first Of 'Ju,,e until the mid.
dls 0f September than ri this season, Of tlle
year: with Mis- additional water l am ot
the opinion that light draft steamers could
be seen as far as ! explored it without any
1seri6ds ssfficuity. fountl ..thc river wei
wooded d affording an abundattes fof steam
purposes. The wooding points for steam.
er on the Lake would be at the Big island
Dogs Head, and mouth of the Saskatche-
wan river: .jfi .aa.&tf: ksa y~si=t1H -
1nidaI ,ai5,oi1 beg to fen,aia, ucn.lcmcn ct, :
- Your most obedent servant, o ]. !
a99i sEa se,an cap5 STEAMER MfnNN, fiSSn,s1 hs@ 1,,
FoRT GARRY, Dec.1, 1865. -
fullyconcur ia4he- above report.
e. r. HUTCHINSON /
;ea'; ,aia8g .esaal Pilot Steamer International