Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-03-12

ket town of rich and prosperous dis
trict, and one of the principal grail
markets in the Province. After passing
through bushy district with frequen
ponds and streams, containing man,
stock farms, for which it is peculiarl,
adapted, the railroad rises along a SANDY
slope to plateau, near the center o.
which is situated Carberry, an import
ant grain market, with population o.
200, then descends again to the valley Of
the Assiniboin, and a few miles beyond
the river is crossed by an iron bridge
and Brandan is reached. This city, with
population of 5,400, is the largest
grain market in Manitoba, and the dis
tributing market for an extensive and
well-settled country. The town is beau
tifully situated on high ground. The
standard time changes here to noun
tain, one hour slower. A few miles east
of Fleming the Province of Assiniboia
is entered. Broadview is prettily situa-
ted at the head of Weed Lake-a reserv-
alton occupied by Cree Indians, is not
far away. Westward the line follows a
gradually rising prairie, bounded by
low wooded hills at the south, and by
the Qu' Appelle River on the north
Here, again, for long distance, specu-
lators holding most of the land near the
Railway, have kept the cultivated farms
a mile or two away The next place of
interest we came to is the celebrated
''Bell Farm" embracing one hundred
square miles. The furrowS on this farm
are usually plowed four miles long, and
to plow one furrow outward and an
other returning, is half days work for
man and team. A short distance
beyond this the great Regina plain is
entered. This plain extends westward
as far as the Dirt Hills, distance of
600 miles. 1t is broad, treeless ex-
panse Of finest agricultural land. with
little change until we reach Regina, the
capital of the Province of Assiniboin,
with population of 2,200. The Exec
utive Council of the Northwest Terrific
ries, embracing the Province of Assini-
boin. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Atha-
basia, meets here, and the Jurisdiction
of the Lieutenant Governor, whose resi-
dence is here, extends over all these
provinces. A little beyond the station
the Governors residence may be seen,
and also the headquartersof the North
west Mounted Police. The barracks,
officers quarters, storerooms and the i'm
posing drill hall, together make hand
some village. The Mounted Police is
military organization, numbering 1000
men, who are stationed at intervals over
the Northwest. to look after the Indians
and to preserve order generally As
these were the first we saw of them,
they were great objects of curiosity to
us, with their bright British uniforms,
yellow knee -breeches, red coats, and a
little blue skull-cap on top of their heads,
held in place by steel strap under the |
chin, and with very high laced boots,
large spurs and whips; they presented a |
very striking land as we thought self
importantly appearance as they patrolled |
the platform of the station as the train |
came in.
The prairies about and beyond Old
Wives Lake extensive bodies of water
having no outlet are marked in all di-
rections by old buffalo trails, and scared |
and pitted by their "wallows" At Rush |
Lake the railway passes through the first |
of the large farms of Sir John Lister
Kane, now controlled by an English |
company. These farms are ten in num-
Der, and each contains an area of 10000 |
acres. From here to Medicine Hat"
over 900 miles, the line skirts the north
ern base of the Cypress Hills, which
gradually rise toward the west, until
they reach an altitude of $500 feet, and
in many places are covered with valua-
BILE timber. Medicine Hat is an import
ant little town of about 1000 in
habitants, and a station of the mounted
police is established here. From here
the railway rises to the high prairie plat
eau, which extends, gradually rising, to
the base of the mountains. At Gleich-
en-, distance of about 100 miles, when
the Rockies come into full view-a
line of snowy peaks extend
ing far along the southern and western
horizon. A few miles beyond, the river
is crossed by an iron bridge, and the foot
hills are reached at Calgary, with an al
titude of 1888 feet, and population of
:, 400, the most important as well as
town between Brandan and
Vancouver. 1t is charmingly situated,
overlooked by the white peaks of the
Rockies. By the time Cochrane is reach
ed we are at the top of the first terrace,
where the foothills rise in successive
tiers of sculptured heights to the snowy
range behind them. BY and by the wide
valleys change into broken ravines, and
10, through an opening in the mist, made
rosy with the early sunlight, We see, far
away, the delicate, pearly tip of a single
snow peak of the
ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
KananaskiS the mountains
suddenly appear close at hand, and SEEM
ingly an impenetrable barrier; their bas-
es are deeply tinted in purple, while high
above, dimly outlined in the mist, are
distant snowy peaks. The Kananaskis
River is here crossed by a high iron
bridge; and the roar of the great falls of
the Bow River is almost deafening. The
now rise abruptly in great ..
masses, streaked and capped with snow
and ice, and just beyond small station !
a bend in the line brings the train be-
tween two almost vertical walls of dizzy !
heights. This is the gap by which the
Rocky Mountains are entered. Through !
this gateway the Bow River issues from !
the hills; beyond it the track turns
northward and ascends the long val /,
ley between the Fairholm range on
the right and the Kananaskis range op- /.
posite. Grandeur and beauty crowd
upon our attention without ceasing, as
the train speeds through gorge and over
until CanmOre is reached at ..
an altitude of 1920 feet; from here the
striking profile of the Three Sisters is
seen. On either side of the beautiful
valley, the mountains rise in solid mass
es westward until the great bulk of Cas- ..
cade Mountain closes the view. Here
the pass we are travelling through has
suddenly narrowed to four miles, and ,,
we see great masses of SCARED rock ris-