The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-02-08

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Crop Prospects and Climate About
Edmonton, N. w. T.
Interesting letter from Mrs. S. A. Brig
ham, late Of Mason City.l
Editor Mason City Republican.
Ross Creek, Alberta, N. W. T.,
Canada, Aug. 2, 1893.
Dear Sir:
We are located in the Beaver Hills,
80 miles from Ft. Saskatchewan and
so miles from Edmonton. To the east
of these is an immense e of bot
tom lands, which furnishes abundance
of hay for the settlers. It is dotted
with small lakes, the largest of which
is called Beaver Lake, 16 miles in
length.
There is shelter for the cattle and
horses now feeding there.
The Beaver Hills are covered with
small green willows which are easily
gotten rid of before breaking up the
land. Here and there poplar, birch
and tamarack trees abound. Small
meadows are numerous. The soil in
these hills is much richer than the bot
tom lands, being a kind of black leaf
mould. There is no tough sod to
break and it is very productive. Wheat,
oats and barley do finely, and vege-.
tables are the finest hat can be
grown. Potatoes especially are large
and solid, easily producing from 200
to 300 bushels per acre, and best of
all never a "taty bug to wrestle with.
Wild fruit-strawberries, gooseberries,
saskatoons Tor pine berries), raspber-
ries and cranberries-are found in the
hills. Small tame fruit does finely; the
red and white currants in my garden
are as large again as common sized
ones.
We have long days during the
months offJune and July, n can see
to read many evenings until 10 o'clock
in the twilight. Some nights less
than 8 hours of darkness and the
birds are singing at 2 o'clock. Then
again, it rains SO easily. You look to-
ward the west and see a little cloud
coming up, a gentle shower follows,
the sun shines forth again, and in a
little while you forget it has rained.
Cyclones are unknown here and the
thunder and lightning is very light.
We had two storms this summer &C.
companied with wind and hail, but
nothing to lodge the grain. The av-
eragc heat is about rs degrees. We
had three or four days in July at 80.
The nights are always cool.
The winter season is one of great
activity. All the fencing is gotten
out then and logs for the farm build
ings. By paying rs cents you are
granted a permit at the land office to
cut logs upon vacant lands. The roads
are good and smooth, for the snow
never drifts, not even around the
buildings, and this is a great saving
of time to the farmer. Hay is hauled
from the bottom lands all winter long,
and a man can work outside every
day as far as the weather is con-
cerned. There are cold snaps when it
reaches 40 and 4s below zero, but the
lack of wind prevents one realizing it
and the mountains $50 miles west of
us are a great protection.
Our neighbors are mostly Canadian,
Scotch, Swede, and we have o nice
sprinkling of people from the States.
The creeks abound in small fish.
We are now in the midst of hay
making (Aug. THY. Wheat will not be
cut until early September, this being
a little later season than common, but
the crop will be immense. I send you
a sample of wheat and barley-its
height is almost even with my shout
ders, average so inches. Newcomers
lacking binders can hire their grain
cut for rs cents per acre. Prairie
chickens are here by the thousands.
The water is good. We have a fine
well IS feet deep. In the creeks the
water is soft and Of a yellowish colour.
Then again we are surrounded with
bachelors; we have no less than 10
single men in this neighbourhood, on
matrimony bent. When a feminine
gender of any age between IA and 40
visits these hills we pity her, so great
is the demand for her company.
In conclusion, if the remainder of
cur loved ones were here with us, we
should better enjoy life on Ross Creek,
and unless the unexpected develops,
consider this will be a pretty fair
Place to end our days.
MRS, 8, A, BRIGHAM.