NOTES OF M EGGIXG EXPEDITION TO SHOAL LAKE, WEST OF LAKE 



WINNIPEG. 



Made ujjdee the direction of the Smithsonian Institution in 18G7, 

 BY Donald Gunn, Red River settlement. 



On the 6tli of June, 1867, I had all things ready for commencing' my hunting 

 excursion to the lake ; but, to my chagrin, the rain fell in torrents on the 7tli 

 8th, and 9th, which prevented our setting out till the morning of the lOtli, when 

 the rain had moderated ; and about 7 o'clock a. ni. I left home, accompanied by 

 two men, two oxen in two carts, carrying a birch-bark canoe and our baggage. 

 "VVe plodded on through ''mud and mire,"' travelling very slowly a distance of 

 15 miles on the public road to the Frog plain, where we turned off to the plains, 

 taking the road leading to Shoal lake, in a northwest direction. Soon after we 

 entered on the plain we halted to allow our animals to feed and to refresh our- 

 selves. While here we were joined l)y an Indian, his squaw, and their son. 

 These people had been to the settlement with their spring trade. T'heyhad two 

 carts, and Avere taking back, in exchange for their furs, fiour, clothing, and ammu- 

 nition. This Indian resides in a house at Oak Point, and is reputed the best 

 hunter in that district, which fact accounts satisfactorily for his comparative 

 wealth. After a short stay we resumed our jomiiey, which was continued until 

 dark, making a distance of six miles from the settlement. We camped on the 

 plain, and, after the usual preliminaries of cooking and supping, laid down to rest 

 under a cloudless sky, and slept soundl}" until sunrise of a clear day. 



The unburnt portions of our last night's fuel Avere quickly gathered together 

 and ignited, water drawn from the nearest pool, boiled, a liberal quantity of tea 

 thrown into it, l)oiled again for a few minutes, then allowed a short time to cool, 

 when we all sat down and despatched our morning meal with great zest ; attached 

 our cattle to the carts, and were on oin- journey before the sun Avas a span high. 

 'I'he road led us over a beautiful, dry, level plain, a distance of six or seven miles, 

 at the end of Avhich we came to a ridge of elevated land composed of limestone, 

 gravel, and granite boulders. This ridge is Avell Avooded Avith poplars, and is a 

 continuation of the Grand Coteau at Long lake. Back of the Assiniboine its 

 course is from northeast to southwest. It appears to have been the border of, 

 or an elevation in, some ancient lake in ages long gone by. Lake Winnipeg 

 might have flowed round it or Avashed its southeastern face. It extends eight or 

 10 miles in breadth. The declivity on the northwest side is gradual l)ut per- 

 ceptible, and ends at Avhat is called the Big swamp, Avhere Ave anived at noon. 

 Here A\-e overtook our companions of last night, and a heroic dame from Oak 

 Point, AA-ho left her home a few days before for Red river, and was noAV on her 

 Avay Itack with two cart loads of pine ])oards and phinks. She has a consider- 

 able portion of white blood, yet exhibits all the hardihood of the squaw, and 

 can, Avith Avonderful dexterity, avail herself of all the resources of the forest and 

 the lake. Here she made a few snares, chased the rabbits into them, and in a 

 very short space of time had a number of them boiling and roasting, and after 

 hunting, cooking, and eating her dinner, Avas ready to start as soon as any of us. 



After a stay of tAvo hours Ave proceeded on the road leading over a flat, rich soil, 

 composed of black, vegetable mold on a sub-soil of clay, and Avinding through 

 hundreds of young poplars, tall and slender, but, so far as Ave could see, uutit 



