REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 83 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



which flows the St. Mary's river. The length of the main canal is 61 miles, of the 

 Lethbridge branch 32 miles, and of the Stirling branch 22 miles, making the entire 

 length of this canal system, 115 miles. Water is now available for the irrigation of 

 about 200,000 acres of land lying between the intake on the St. Mary's river — about 

 five miles from the Montana boundary — to the town of Lethbridge. This great engi- 

 neering work is likely to transform this section of country from one of comparative 

 barrenness (for lack of necessary moisture) to one of great fertility. 



Through the kindness of Mr. A. T. Gait, and of the manager of the Irrigation 

 Works, Mr. C. A. Magrath, I was given facilities for seeing this remarkable work. Nine 

 years ago I drove across a portion of this country it was then almost uninhabited, a 

 few bands of cattle only, then ranged the plains, and the only settlement of any size 

 was Cardston. This was a Mormon settlement, numbering then about 400. Since 

 that time the population of the district has increased to fully 4,000 people, and the 

 increase has been most striking during the past two years. About Lethbridge the 

 settlement is of the usual character, and consists of a mixture of nationalities, but 

 that lying south-east of what are known as' the ' Rolling Hills ' and extending to the 

 Montana boundary is almost entirely Mormon. 



GROWTH OF THE MORMON SETTLEMENT. 



In addition to the thriving town of Cardston, which now has a population of 1,200, 

 there are two other rapidly growing towns, Magrath and Stirling, both of which were 

 started in 1899. Magrath has now about GOO people, and Stirling 550. At each of 

 these new settlements there were about 2,000 acres under crop this year. At each 

 place eight sections of land containing in all 5,120 acres, are inclosed with a common 

 fence and within this all the crops of the community are protected from the inroads 

 cf stock. The houses of the settlers are well built, most of them being neat and com- 

 fortable with pleasant surroundings. The streets are wide, and each house has about 

 an acre of land which in most instances is well cultivated with garden vegetables, 

 flowers and small fruits. Evidences of industry and frugality were everywhere seen. 

 The vice of drunkenness is scarcely known among the Mormons, a very large propor- 

 tion of them being total abstainers. Further, a considerable number of them drink 

 neither tea nor coffee, using only milk or water as they believe this practice to be 

 healthier and find it also more economical. 



Polygamy which is usually associated with Mormonism in the minds of most peo- 

 ple, seems to be practically dead. It is said to be no longer a doctrine of the church, 

 and as far as could be learned there was not the slightest evidence of such practice 

 existing anywhere among the Mormons in Canada. They seem to be a law-abiding and 

 industrious community, and their methods of co-operation are very helpful to the 

 rapid progress of their settlements and the contentment of their people. In each set- 

 tlement the head of each family is visited once a month by two of the leading men of 

 the community, the wife also being visited at similar intervals by two of the leading 

 women. During these friendly visits inquiries are made as to the health of the family 

 and as to whether its supplies of food are sufficient, and when cases of suffering or 

 want are discovered efforts are at once made to relieve them. 



One of the funds available in the community for relief purposes is known as the 

 • Fast Fund.' Every family is said to have a fast day once a month, and on that day 

 only one meal is eaten. The value of the other two meals is estimated and an equi- 

 valent sum given to the fast fund. This practice, it is alleged, does the fasters no 

 harm, and provides a fund to which all contribute from which supplies can be drawn 

 for the relief of the needy. By such methods much is done to bind each family to the 

 community by bonds of sympathy and common interest. 



10— CJ 



