NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



133 



British Columbia which faunally and 

 florally resembles the ^lackenzie Basin, 

 but which naturally has derived many 

 of its species from the Pacific slope and 

 the Rock}- Mountains. Northwest- 

 wardly this area extends to include the 

 valley of the Upper Yukon, whose upper 

 branches interlock with those of the 

 Liard. 



The valleys of the Parsnip and the 

 Finla}-, which unite to form the Peace, 

 lie in the valley referred to in another 

 account as the Rocky Mountain Trench, 

 which extends in a general north-north- 

 west direction from near the northern 

 boundary of the United States to Yukon 

 Territory. This great vallej' was 

 plainly formed at a time when the 

 drainage of the region was very different 

 from the present system. The various 

 northward and southward flowing 

 streams which now occupy it are long 

 and comparatively slow-flowing, so that 

 one may travel from latitude 49° north- 

 ward to the Yukon without encountering 

 any extraordinarj' difl'erences in alti- 

 tude. Most of the side tributaries of 

 these streams, however, are compara- 

 tively short and swift. Farther north 

 the ancient valley holds tributaries of 

 the Liard and the Yukon. 



To the west of these rivers lies an 

 elevated region which besides forming 

 a nursery for these eastward-flowing 

 rivers, gives rise to several others enter- 

 ing the Pacific. The mountains of this 

 area comprise many single mountain 

 masses and short ranges disposed in 

 irregular systems, and the numerous 

 streams which drain them flow in all 

 directions. The principal ones on the 

 upper courses occupy broad valleys 

 through which they meander over shal- 

 low gravelly beds, but lower down they 

 cut canyons as they approach the main 

 rivers, which occupy deep valleys, some- 

 times gorge-like in character. This 

 region, lying between the Rocky Moun- 

 tains and the coast ranges, is considered 

 by Dawson i^lSOl) to be an ancient 

 plateau which has been dissected by 

 glacial action into a region traversed 

 by broad level valleys flanked by moun- 



tains which arc often steep and craggy. 

 It is evident to the most casual observer 

 that these wide flat valleys must have 

 been excavated by some more formidable 

 forces than the comparatively small 

 and shallow streams which now meander 

 through them. 



The trees and shrubs of this region are 

 largely those common to the great 

 transcontinental conifer forest, enumer- 

 ated on earlier pages. The lodge-pole 

 pine here replaces the Banksian pine, 

 however, and certain other trees and 

 shrubs characteristic of the coast region 

 or of the Rocky Mountains are present. 

 Some of these will be noted in the de- 

 scriptions of the various topographic 

 features. These may best be considered 

 under the several river valleys. 



Stikine River Valley: The Stikine 

 River rises in a large irregular mountain 

 mass in about latitude S?*^ from which 

 flow also head tributaries of the Finlay, 

 flowing to Peace River and the Arctic, 

 and the Skeena, flowing to the Pacific. 

 Disregarding its smaller head feeders, 

 the Stikine maj* be considered as rising 

 from a string of three lakes, from which 

 it flows eastward, or directly away from 

 its final destination. Traversing valleys 

 flanked bj- high mountains it is soon 

 joined by numbers of small branches, 

 and in the first one hundred miles of its 

 course has attained a considerable size, 

 has turned a half-circle northward and 

 westward, and is now started fairly 

 toward its final goal. Here it joins 

 the Ispatseeza which has risen near 

 the same place and has flowed north- 

 ward and eastward. These streams are 

 of about equal size and divide honors as 

 the head tributary. From their junc- 

 tion the combined river turns to the 

 westward, and receives in succession 

 the Ketatsil or Pitman from the east, 

 the Kilicho from the north, the Klappan 

 from the south, the Tanzilla from the 

 north, and the Klastline or Second 

 South Fork and the Mestua, or First 

 South Fork, from the south. The north- 

 erly streams mentioned take their rise 

 close to tributaries of the Liard, while 

 those from the south rise in ranges which 



