The New York herald., 1921-05-15

If you have 6ver crossed Canada with
Baedeker you may remember a long
fine print paragraph which told you that
If you started IN June you might in the
course OF flve or six weeks get to the
Arctic Circle and beyond and be back
again in civilization before the snow
fell. The route was overland from Ed
monton. then a comparatively remote
town In central Alberta, to Athabasca
Landing. ninety-ffve miles north on the
Athabasca River; thence by q steamer
Of the Hudson Bay Company. with sew
eral portages. via the Athabasca River.
Lake Athabasca and Slave River to Fort
Smith, and from there via Great Slave
Lake and the Mackenzie River to Fort
Mcpherson. zoo miles or so beyond the
Arctic Circle.
The journey as far as Fort Smith
could be made more than once in a
season. but beyond Fort Smith there
was only the annual steamer Of the
Fl. B. c.. as everybody in the north calls
the company, taking in mail and sup
plies for the trading posts and the sta
tions Of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police and bringing out the winter
accumulation Of furs. Baedeker was not
for those who love the wild and proba-
bly, few who did not have to 60 made
the trip. but those who did found it
the one great adventure In the Canadian
wilderness. one which could be carried
through without danger and with less
roughing 1t than a fishing trip in On
tario or Maine might easily involve.
Both Edmonton and the Arctic are
nearer now than they were in 1907,
when the last edition of Baedeker's
Canada" was published. Two Of Cam.
ada's great transcontinental railway
lines converge at Edmonton, and the
Canadian Pacific has come in from Win
nipeg and from Calgary. The unkempt
settlement Of Athabasca Landing has be-
come the fiourishing town of Athabasca
and railway connects 1t with Edmon-
ton. while on either side new lines of
railway are pushing toward the north
and the northwest. Now comes the an
nouncement of the opening. with the
present season e.,,, C. regular transporta..
W. service by rail. automobile and
steamer from Edmonton to Fort Nc
Pherson. passing through the Fort Prov
idence and Fort Norman oil fields. on
which for year the eyes of fortune
hunters have been set. You may buy
ticket now for the Arctic Circle.
The natural gateway to the Mackenzie
River country Is Fort Smith, on the
Slave River. at the northern boundary
OF Alberta There are two routes from
Edmonton to Fort Smith. One Is via
the Alberta and Great Waterways Rail-
way, east of Athabasca. to Linton, six
teen miles from Fort McMurray. Through
trains will probably be running this
summer to Fort McMurray but at the
moment Linton Is the end of steel. At
Fort MdMurray. which is reached from
Linton by automobile. steamer OF the
Alberta and Arctic Transportation Com
pany runs down the Athabasca River,
across the end OF Lake Athabasca and
down the Slave River to Fort Fitzgerald.
distance of 296 miles. Here a portage
OF sixteen miles carries you to Fort
Smith.
The other route Is by way of the Ed
monton. Dunvegan and British Columbia
Railway, west and north OF Athabasca,
to the town OF Peace River. or. the Peace
River 312 miles from Edmonton thence
by steamer down the Peace River 330
miles to the upper end OF vermilion
Chutes. a Eve mile carry by automobile
around tho Chutes. and on by another
steamer to Fort Fitzgerald, a total dis
tance from Edmonton of SCI miles. Thi,
route is the better OF the two. partly be-
cause 1t Is moro varied and Interesting
ard partly because the service is at the
present time rather moro regular than
the service by rail to Linton. Tho run
ming time from Edmonton by either route
Is from three to four days, depending
chiefly upon the amount OF freight that
has to be handled.
To tho traders of the north Fort Smith
Is well within the bounds of ciy,lIza-
ton; one enters tho wilds when one
sets out from Fort Smith for the Arctic.
Beyond tho sixteen mile Smith Porta re
there are no more carries and one trav-
els by steamer. The route follows the
Slave River to Fort Resolution. on the
southeast shore of Great Slave Lake.
21o miles from Smith Portage; thence
across the lake ITO miles to Fort Provi
dence. near the first important oil well.
We have now entered the Mackenzie
River. the great waterway of the Ca
madam Northwest Territories, connect
Ing Great Slave Lake with the Arctic
Ocean. At Fort Simpson. IT'S miles
from Fort Providence. we arc at the
mouth OF the Lizard River. which flows
into tho Mackenzie from the southwest.
and up which a steamer OF tho Alberta
and Arctic Transportation Company
plies 275 miles to Fort Lizard and 525
miles to Fort Nelson. an important Hud-