, 1883-03-10
KOOTJAY. B. C.
An Able and CO.. .,rehensive Arti-
Gle on the Resources OF that
Country, from the Pen Of JAS.
w Galbra:th.

EDITOR STATESMAN A bill has been
introduced in the Local House at Victoria
u incorporate AinsSorth & Co. and
others asa railway and steamboat COM
pany. with capital of 5000, 1000. 1t
authorizes them TO navigate kootnay
Lake and the Columbia River, and to
build 4 railway between the two sheets OF
water. - miles in length. In view of
this facr, possibly letter written by me
IN 1880 and never submitted vail be OF
interest to the many readers Of the
STATESMAN. will commence by saying
that none but tie old settlers Of this val
lev know Of or have even heard about
such a place as Kootnay, b {, yet 10
tie mining camps Of Koo.nay, Oro Fino,
Elk City aud Florence, Waiia Walia owes
its present advanced state Of prosperity.
The old camp Of Kootnay still holds Its
place as a g1ld-producer, and ! might say
has proved lts,lf better this year than toi
several years past. The large and eIten-
sive claims Nip and Tuck, Big Ditch Co,
Boyles Extension, and the large Chinese
company, Duck jim. Len lou and
Captain -- are all doing we'll. The
Duck Jim company, piping SIX weeks,
three men, cleaned mp 81 500; tie others
had not cleaned up. New claims have
been taken up along the hills opposite the
town Of Wild Horse Creek, and from
prospects obtained it is supposed will pay
well. 4 new ditch IS being brought in on
P.lmer's har BY RdIway e Co. The
lead on Weaver Creek has been struck.
and IS again being worked 10y the Ridg-
way company. There is plenty of ground
where small wages could be made, say
81 30 to 81 per day. The great want
felt IN the district is men who viii work,
i great many Of the strangers passing
through the country do not care for work
The old miners are fast passing away.
The cost Of freigh:inc and duties sill
keep goods m-h Goods from NaI'a
Walla TO Kootenay cost 10 cents Per
pound freight. and on wooden goods Sc
per cent duties. Tobacco duty % cents
SPECIFIC and l25 al valorem. Yet com
pairing the prices with those Of the valley
they are low Vegetables are cheap, the
Chinese mostly supplying tho camps.
The -four consumed is brought from MIS-
sonia. which Is the natural road into
Koo;nay. Flour delivered into hootnay
costs at the lowest figures IS % per c|t
The wheat raised in the district IS con
sumei 10y the Chinese and Indians. The
great drawback to the prosperity OF the
place IS the mail privileges. We have
mail every two moa:hs and sometimes
three Nal a letter III London for hoot-
nav and one to the most distant portion of
her Maiesty's dominions aud It would
reach tLa distant portion FIRST, wherever
!, may he. The farming country OF
Kontuay consists Of a belt along the
Kootnay riyer from the 49th parallel, 90
miles long and from TO 10 miles Wide,
rolling hills and bottom lands, h2ht-
sandy soil covered with bunch grass The
mighty Cslumbil rises from lakes one
h,lf m.le from the koptnsy river and 20
miles iron. Wild Horse Creek. Along
lake, for about 30 miles long and 10 miles
WIDE !s one Of the most beautiful portions
uf British C,lumh.a- rich land, good
grass. water and timber
For the past l. years, IN my personal
experience. cl-,ie and horses have win
tered here w.;h.u; Icing once led Last
winter was the oaly exception, when the
whites and Indians lost 700 or 800 head,
Mrs. Melby losing ohout 400. Wheat,
oats. potatoes. c.rn, 2nions and bears
have been grown here and are Of The finest
quality. T, his place the salmon IND
their way. overcoming every rapids ana
falls To sFagu and de IN millions along
lake shores, furnishing food for the cay
otes ana bears, which are very numerous
Quartz Greek. about 20 miles below this
nom. has mines which wall pay from IS
TO 81 per Itv. 4 tTaIl was opened ny
the government, but so late that men had
not time 70 get in, and the next season 1t
va, as bad as If no work had been done.
This is 4 desirable place for large num-
ber Of frmilies A few lndilns live here
small branch Of the Souix Swap tribe,
the ouietest and most civilized Indians in
the north The Indians Of the whole
distr;c. are friends 10 the white Inan.
They are selt-sGstaIning, farming little,
raising cattle and horses, II which theT
have quite Z rum>er. One man, the
government agent, Wm. Fernie, Esq, at
tends 20 the whole business OF the dis
tgi,t aul settles matters among the In
dians. They have only been once visited
by any Indian ageat, and received moth
ing from the government except one plow
little medicine and few garden seeds
In the winter they hunt The princ1pa
furs are the bear, fox, fisher, mink, mar
ten, beavar. lynx, otter. The mountains
abound with deer, elk, mountain sheer
and the white goat. In every stream yo'
can load yourself with the delicious noun
tain trout. and large salmon trout Il
also caught The sturgeon, OWING 20
large ialls. d. not ge, 50 lar up PERI,
Greek is aearly deserted, yet Ii is still be
lisved 10 be rich, bat its great depth Il
lis second channel has deferred men o
small capital from entering upon It's de
velopmeut-
We viii noS take leave OF the opel
country OF koutnsy and enter the timber
The tirst view We obtsin ia the beautiful
Moyra lake, a lovely shee; Of wste
abou, twenty miles long, Graded in th
81, - A-la-s,