250 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



vicinity of the valley of the Athabaska. With this as basis the loca- 

 tion of several of the older named mountains can be made. The name 

 Folding mountain is here found for the first time indicating a ridge 

 between Drystone creek and Prairie creek. 



Mr. Geikie south of Miette river is also a new name. 



Yellowhead mountain is on the north side of Yellowhead lake. 



Selwyn range is applied to the mountains southwest of Moose 

 lake. 



The explorations of the upper waters of the Athabaska of which 

 there are published records begin with two journeys by Professor 

 Coleman during the summer seasons of 1892-93, and published in the 

 Geographical Journal, Vol. V, 1895. Two eastern branches of Sun 

 Wapta were traversed from the head waters of Brazeau river Poboktan 

 (Owl) creek, and Jonas creek, those reaching a larger eastern branch of 

 the Athabaska which he named Sun Wapta. Fortress lake situated 

 on the divide in a pass to the south of Athabaska pass was discovered 

 during the summer of 1892, and named for a prominent rock or moun- 

 tain at its northern corner. 



The Athabaska is described as being divided into two nearly 

 equal branches above the mouth of the Sun Wapta. The smaller 

 western branch which passes near the eastern end of Fortress lake was 

 named Chaba river (Beaver) after Samson Beaver, the Indian guide. 

 The course of the upper part of Sun Wapta was explored by W. D. 

 Wilcox in 1896. The Pass as its head leading to Saskatchewan 

 waters was called Wilcox Pass and the northerly flowing stream in 

 error Whirlpool river. Since the revival of travel in this direction 

 by the construction of railroads through the Yellowhead pass (the 

 completion of the first line through the pass will probably be that of 

 the G.T.P. in 1912) many travellers have been traversing the valleys, 

 and corrections and additions to existing maps will shortly follow. 



Bibliography. 



Thompson, D. MSS Journals, Edited by J. B. Tyrrell. Champlain 



Soc. 

 Tyrrell, J. B. David Thompson, the pioneer Geographer of the 



Northwest. Proc. Can. Inst., Vol. VI, 1887-88. 

 Masson, L. R. Les Bourgeois de La Compagnie du Nord-ouest, 



1889. 

 Franchere, Gabriel. Narrative ol a voyage to the Northwest of 



America. Translated by J. V. Huntington. New York, 



1854. 



