Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
CANADA'S NEW STATE
Saskatchewan, Carved From
the Wheat Belt.
REGINA THE CAPITAL CITY
Enormous Extent of the New
Province.
MUNICIPAL WNERS HIP
Decidedly Favored in the New Ca
madam Towns-Hotels and the
Pretty Mattresses.

SpeCidI correspondence OIL Inc star.
REGINA. Saskatchewan.
Regina is the capital of the brand new
province of Saskatchewan. Until last Sep
teinber all the land between Manitoba and
British Columbia, a distance of thousand
miles and between the boundary of the
United States and the Arctic ocean, be-
ionged to the northwest territory 1t had
minor subdivisions, but the country as a
whole was governed by territorial officials
who lived here at Regina. AS the flood of
immigrants began to spread over the coun-
try the people of the wheat belt concluded
they wanted more than a territorial gov
eminent. They agltated the matter, brought
1t before the Canadian parliament and the
result Is the two new provinces of Sas-
katchewan and Alberta. Provinces here
mean the same as states in our country
There were seven provinces in Canada up
10 last September. There are now nine and
the two latest additions promise to be the
most populCuS of the whole.
Canada's New States.
Saskatchewan and Alberta begin on the
edge of the United States and run north
ward SIX or seven hundred miles. They are
about as. long as from New York to Will
mingtoH, and are wider than from Phila-
Gelphia to Pittsburg. They are about the
same size. Saskatchewan lacks only a few
thousand miles of being as big as Texas.
1t is more than four times the size of Mas
sachusetts, twenty times as big as Mary
land, more than six times as big as Ohio
and bigger than any country of Europe
with the exceptions OF Russia and Austria
Hungary. The upper part of IT is covered
with timber but 1t has 100. 600 square miles
Of prairie adapted to ranching and farming
1t has some of the best of the wheat belt,
which Will grow the hard, finty grain so
priced by milers the world over, and
known as mo. l hard"
Saskatchewan Lands.
l have talked with many of the citizans
as to the character Of Saskatchewan Mr..
John A. Reid, one of the provincial officials,
who has travelled all over It, tells me that
the country is fat. For miles north of the
American boundary 1t is a great plain with.
no hills to be seen in any direction. Far
ther north the country Is rolling and stil
farther north are patches of forest which
finally end in a strip of dense woods run
nlng across the province from one side to
the other
The province is well watered except at
the southwest. The Saskatchewan river.
which has many branches, runs through it
and the soil is such that water can be got
ten almost anywhere in It. In the far
north, Saskatchewan Is made up of a series
of lakes, surrounded by timber, and there
are lakes in the central and southern
portions.
The country has one strip of semi-arid
land. This is a bite, beginning with the
boundary of the United States and run
ming northWard in an irregular curve which
includes the most of southern Alberta. This
land is now used for ranchng.~ There are
scores of American cattle owners there and
ca tile are often driven across the boundary
fl ON Montana and other states. Some are
brought from Texas to be fattened, and
there is large ranchtng industry in that
region, the greater part of which belongs to
Americans.
The Wheat Belt of Saskatchewan.
Right here at Regina are some of the best
wheat lands of Canada. All the country
southwark to North Dakota and east to
Manitoba is taken up by wheat farmers,
ajority of the lands belonging to United
States citizens. That section is cut up by
many railroads and 1t is about as wen set
tied as Dakota itself. Running northward
from Regina, the wheat country extends
for hundreds of miles. Almost directly
north is Prince Albert, which is now
reached by two railroads, with settlements
all along the way. The distance between
the two places, as the crow flies. Is over
two hundred miles, Prince Albert being
about three hundred miles directly north or
the American boundary More than hun
bred miles east of that line is Battleford,
on the Saskatchewan river, town which
is now reached by the Canadian Northern
railroad and through which the Grand
Trunk Pacific is to go. This Is another
wheat center.
In fact the great growers are set
ting here and there all over the CEN
trail and the eastern parts Of the prov
ince. The land about Regina is black
loan from ten TO twenty feet deep in
places. In other parts of the province
1t varies so that there is much choice In
locations. The surveyor general OF Cam
ada, who has made a careful study of the
province. estimates that Saskatchewan con-
tains something like ffty-five million acres
of wheat lands. and that there Is also
region about as big as Indiana which might
be irrigated. The wheat lands are more
than twice the size of the state of Ohio.
A Provincial Capital
l wish could show you this new capital
of Saskatchewan. Regina IS a ragged town
of ragged houses, situated on a ragged
| plain, spotted with wheat fields which now
look decidedly ragged. The town has unr
calmly houses and wide streets with board
sidewalks. which run far out into the coun-
try. One of the streets Is two miles long,
extending to the mounted police barracks
| and sLhe government house. The enthusiast
| tic Reginans speak of those places as a