[parks] presidential ADDRESS 11 



Confederation which practically corresponds with the beginning of 

 the period we are considering. Omitting all references to Pre-Cam- 

 brian geology, to which a large measure of the Survey's efforts was 

 directed, we find at once a renewal, or perhaps the real beginning, of 

 geological activity in the west. It seems advisable to consider 

 separately the region of the great plains and of the cordillera. 



The Region of the Great Plains 



The prairie country was practically unknown geologically in 

 1870: we have already reviewed the sparse literature available. On 

 assuming the office of Director, one of Dr. Selwyn's first explorations 

 consisted of a trip to Fort Garry and thence to the Rockies. Dr. 

 G. M. Dawson traversed practically the same country as botanist 

 and geologist to the North American Boundary Commission in 1873. 

 His report, "The Geology and Resources of the 49th Parallel," was 

 published in 1875 and contains the first recognition in Canada of 

 Meek and Hayden's classification. He uses the term "Lignitic 

 Tertiary Formations" for the northward extension of the Fort Union. 

 In Dr. Dawson's report on the Region of the Bow and Belly Rivers, 

 contained in the Annual Report of the Geological Survey for 1882-84, 

 the following stratigraphie column appears: — • 



DR. Dawson's table of western" strata 



( Porcupine Hill beds 

 Laramie : j Willow Creek beds 

 I St. Mary River beds 



Fox Hill 

 Pierre 

 Belly River 

 Lower Dark shales 



In 1874 Dr. Robert Bell traversed a section of country farther 

 north — ^from Fort Garry to Fort Pelly — and brought back evidence 

 of the occurrence of Niobrara strata. He also noted Devonian on 

 Lake Winnipeg and Cretaceous at other points. 



At about the same time that Dawson applied the Meek and 

 Hayden classification to the rocks of southern Alberta, McConnell 

 was in the Cypress hills of southern Saskatchewan and records the 

 first definite subdivision of Tertiary strata as shown in the following 

 table : 



Cretaceous : 



