Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-07-16
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM A. DECKER

TO see the Canadian n OrthWeSt
would require weeks instead of days,
on all sides the prairie runs to the
horizon. In a trip from St. Paul to
Portland it is well worth the nine
hundred miles extra travel in going
over the Canadian Pacific. Not all
the scenery through Canada is grand,
not all the land is fertile, not all the
towns are prospecting, but Northwes-
tern Canada has some unusually
thrifty little cities. Regina the CAPT
tai of Saskatchewan is very attractive,
with a splendid park. This city is
the headquarters of the Royal North
west Mounted police, said to be the
most efficient body of men in the
world. They number $40 and are
stationed over the Northwest to look
after the Indians and preserve order
generally. Near the city is the
Lieutenant Governors residence, the
Exhibition buildings, which are quite
extensive and the unpretentious build
ings of the territorial Government.
Medicine Hat is another good town.
There are several coal mines here and
natural gas is used in the city. The
lights on the street burn night and
day. We crossed the mighty Sas-
katchewan River here. 1t resembles
the Mississippi in size and the Mis-
souri, for being muddy. and is navig-
able for 900 miles.
WesG of this city we saw many coy
otes, deer and Indian villages with
many wigwams.
Moose Jaw is another model town i'm
almost every respect. The street
walks, business and public buildings
are well nigh perfect. And the coun-
try adjoining is the cream of the
wheat belt. Yet the last years crop
was more or less failure on account
of frost. The weather is decidedly
chilly, snow fell freely on the 9th of
June. All the ball games are played
here after supper. They are called at
6:45 and have no trouble to play till
10 p. m. There are many improved
farms for sale around this thrifty city,
at from $500 to $500 per lacre.
Wheat is the prevailing crop although
some oats and barley are grown. The
oats are looking splendid and yield
sixty bushels per acre. They are con-
Sumed on the farm and not shipped
There is excellent quality and of great
abundance, accounts largely for the
very best horses l ever saw in any
country. Some barley is grown and
shipped but it cannot be used for malt
ing purpose as the dew through July
and August which amounts to nearly
a rain beaches the kernel and spoils
it for this purpose. The wheat belt
is four hundred miles long and pro-
duceS two hundred million bushels of
wheat a year, yet not one-twentieth
of the land is occupied. Most of the
farmers are, provided with telephones,
but there is no free rural delivery.
Calgary has 500 population and is
one of the best and incest laid out
towns on the line. 1t is charmingly
situated on a rise of grounds over
looked by the white peaks of the
Rocky Mountains, and is the center of
trade of the great ranching country
and one of the sources of supplies to
the mining districts in the~mountains
beyond.
The irrigation system of the Cana
dian Pacific taking water from the
Bowl river is the largest in America
as it will irrigate three million acres
Edmonton town two hundred
miles to the north is the center of the
fur industry. At this point 5000, 900
worth of furs were brought in from the
north, 'mostly by half breeds. And
were purchased by the Hudson Bay
Fur Company. The seasons at this
point are very short. 1t is only the
extreme length of the days that en-
ables the crop to mature in the short
space of about ninety days allowed it.
From this. point to Vancouver the
scenery is just simply grand. Banff
and the Hot Springs are well worth
visiting. The hunting and fishing is
excellent and the climate everything
that could be desired, for a mountain
region. We stopped for breakfast at
Glacier which is located at the foot of
column of ice $500 feet high.
We followed the Frazier river and
its tributaries for twenty-four hours