ALONG PEACE RIVER 



255 



or two moose hunts supplied a quantity 

 of more nourishing food, some of which 

 was put aside for winter. 



So the years passed until the empty 

 stomachs of Europe cried for more 

 wheat. When the easily plowed and 

 more accessible lands of Manitoba and 

 Saskatchewan had been sparsely settled 

 and pioneers had moved on to Grand 

 Prairie, south of Peace River, Edmonton 

 with its railroad became the commercial 

 center of a vast region and rapidly grew 

 from a trading post to a flourishing city. 

 At the present time the railroads follow- 

 ing the tracks of the old carts will soon 

 reach the Peace. 



It was with keen disappointment that 

 the windows of the real estate dealers 

 in Edmonton were viewed last summer. 

 According to them Dun vegan, one of the 

 earlier trading posts, had already become 

 a city with many streets and buildings ; 

 Peace River Crossing was a flourishing 

 town. All this brought visions of a 

 region crowded with incoming settlers. 



Gradually however, as the journey was 

 pursued, the feeling of disappointment 

 gave way. To be sure, the journey 

 from Edmonton to Athabasca Landing 

 was made on the train, but the slow 

 speed and long stops on the sidings gave 

 ample opportunity for observing the 

 country. The even- 

 ing of that day and 

 all the following day 

 were spent on what 

 seemed then a small 

 flat-bottomed river 

 steamer, heavily 

 loaded with freight. 

 We slowly and pain- 

 fully made our way 

 against a stiff cur- 

 rent up the Atha- 

 basca River between 

 its well-wooded 



banks, and saw no 



signs of civilization. The second night 

 brought us to the mouth of Lesser Slave 

 River where a town had just had its 

 birth. There were a few poolrooms, 

 half a dozen houses and many tents. 

 After a half-day of bad roads and un- 

 comfortable riding, we found a really 

 small river steamer waiting for us. 



The river was narrow and winding 

 with banks about level with the upper 

 deck. There was again no appearance 

 of civilization. Muskrats were seen 

 swimming in clear water and flowers 

 grew on the banks almost within reach. 

 There followed a day of rain on a wide 

 lake where land was not to be seen — on 

 such a day at least. That night when 

 we reached the new town of Grouard 

 came the first and almost the only blot 

 on our enjoyment of the trip. A long 

 sandy street was lined with new build- 

 ings. No doubt there were good- 

 hearted, normal human beings there, but 

 those in evidence were aggressive and 

 grasping. It was painful to learn that 

 the most disliked examples were 

 Americans who probably had moved on 

 to Grouard because they were not 

 wanted at home. 



Two and a half days spent on a wagon 

 seat watching drizzling rain and clouds 

 of mosquitoes, brought us through the 



Protection at night from mosquitoes in the North. Muslin is used at 

 the top to give strength, and cheese-cloth around the sides 



