Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-12
The Winnipeg Country-Ifs Great For
ests, Rivers and Lakes.

The Winnipeg C0utry-Ifs Great For
ests. Rivers and Lakes.
| The valley of Loumahara, of Athabagca
and of all the adjacent country are rich in
minerals. North, near the Arctic Ocean.
copper is more plentiful than, tits believed,
IN any other part of the world, and iron is
also found IN abundance. The fisheries of
Hudson's Bay could be made valuable, and
an agricultural, Christian population OF
hundreds of thousands find good homes on
its shores.
Swan River region is a glorious stretch of
country, teeming with lakes and rivers
Winnipeg Lake is situated between latitude
5O degrees and 81 north, and longitude So
degrees and 100 degrees west; it has a
length OF 264 miles and an average width
OF thirty-five miles; area 9, 900 square miles;
altitude above the sea 628 feet. By canoe
route 1t is GIG miles from Lake Superior.
70 the southwest of Lake Winnipeg, and
connected with it by a navigable channel, is
Lake Manitoba. North of tn s lake. and
due west of Lake Winnipeg, lies Lake Winni-
pe8ros, between which and Lake Manitoba
there is a navigable connection Thus is
completed the connection between the
three lakes, all Of which have general di-
rectIon from north to south Their united
area, probably equals that of lakes Ontario
and Erie combined. In the summer Of the
year the scenery around the lakes is excee-
dinghy lovely, The clear and s. arlzling wa
ters reflect the foliage of the Forest trees,
that lift their high and hoary trunks high
above the margin of the waters, Over the
surface Of Lake Winnipeg several islands
are scattered. An area of 400 900 square
miles is drained by its tributaries, most of
which for hundreds of miles are used as
canoe or boat routes. OF these the Winffi-
peg river. 400 miles long, and connecting
with the lake OF the woods is the widest to
the south and to the north the continua
ti0n of Nelson's river which empties itself
into Hudson Bay, forms the main high
way of the company into their Territory.
But the largest tributary of Lake Winni-
peg is the Saskatchewan, which, taking it's
rise IN the Rocky Mountains, courses for
some l 900 miles along formation Offering
few distinctions, and through which it has
cut clear course IN its entire length In
many places it consists almost wholly Of a
series of lakes, some of which are fifteen
miles wide. It is studded with myriads of
islands, and IN thegolden summer evenings
presents the most gorgeous landscapes il
is possible to see. Running through q
primitive formation for considerable dis
tance from its mouth, the hard crystalline
rocks appear to have forced it to take re-
fuge IN the most abrupt and fantastic sinu-
oSties.
Red River, which gives its name to the
country WHICH is now struggling to achieve
its independence of Dominion authority,
enters lake Winnipeg by four different
channels, and extending down to about
latitude 1orty-six oyerlaps the upper
branches Of the Missouri and Mississippi,
md VIII Il G
nature itself
The whole country as far as Athabasca
lake and Peace river IS calculated to be-
come an earthly paradise if it were in the
hands of Americans. There is a fine
| black alluvial soil on limestone forma-
ton, producing in the wooded portions
beech, birch and maple in profusion, and
being eninently ittedfor cultivation. The
whole Of the Great Fish down to the Polar
Sea is the finest grazing country in the
world. In 1856 the population of the Red
River colony comprised 316 natives or half
breeds, 116 Scotch, ninety-two Canadians,
forty English, thirteen Irish, two
Swiss and one Norwegian As the
foreign element is withdrawn the
population is said to decline III
civilization. Convenience to the United
Sta es had drawn off young men from the
! settlements year after year, and thus the
population is kept at a standstiII The
settlements are scattered along the river
banks for distance of about sixty miles
upon narrow strips of farms which have
depth of about one-eighth of mile. The
houses are generally placed on the edge of
the table land, close to the channel Of the
river At one point, however, the oleva-
tion isnot sufficient to protect them against
floods when the water rises thirty feet
above its ordinary level. Where farming
is we'll conducted fifty-six bushels of wheat
have been grown to the acre, and forty on
new land is common. Potatoes grow to 8
reached as high as seventy pounds. =
Indian corn succeeds much better than in
Canada. It is usually planted about May %,
and hardly ever fails to ripen. Onions
reach extreme dimensions. Melons grow
well in ths open air. At present the great
difficulty in the way of extended cultivation
is the want Of a market. Tomatoes, which
are extremely sensitive to frost, can be
grown IL the open air in sheltered posi-
tiOns. The prairies for hundreds Of miles
produce excellent crops of hay. Timber
comprises elm, oak, maple aud poplar.
The agricultural implements in use are
English and American The region tbro'
which the Red River and the Assimboin
run, and between them and Lake Winni-
peg. presents singular and important COM
bination of prairie aud wood land. The iso-
lated groves Of trees on the rolling prairie
look in many places like the results of
careful culture.