KOOTENAY RIVER AND DISTRICT 3276 



KORAN 



and running north unites with the North Arm, 

 then turning west empties into the Columbia 

 River about twenty-five miles north of the in- 

 ternational boundary. Navigation of the river 

 is practically impossible because of its rapid 

 flow, many sharp turns and numerous rapids. 



Kootenay District. The Kootenay District, 

 or Kootenay County, as it is often called, is a 

 triangular section in the southeast corner of 

 British Columbia. It comprises all of British 

 Columbia south and east of the Big Bend of 

 the Columbia River, thus including about 

 7,500 square miles of the Columbia's drainage 

 basin and 15,000 square miles practically the 

 whole of the Kootenay's basin. 



Both in East and West Kootenay are large 

 areas of arable lands. Numerous lakes and 

 streams provide water for irrigation wherever 

 it is necessary, and also furnish cheap transpor- 

 tation during the open season for navigation. 

 Transportation is also provided by the Kettle 

 Valley Railway and by the main line and the 

 Crow's Nest Pass branch of the Canadian 

 Pacific. Fruit-growing, dairying and mixed 

 farming are all carried on with profit. Much 

 of the land is well-timbered, and lumbering is 

 second among the industries. The chief in- 

 dustry, and the one for which the Kootenay 

 is most famous, is mining. Gold, silver, lead, 

 zinc and copper are plentiful in the mountains, 

 and coal and petroleum are found in the val- 

 leys and passes. The development of the coal 

 fields in the Crow's Nest Pass and the Nicola 

 Valley and of the metal mines in several sec- 

 tions is chiefly responsible for the district's 

 remarkable increase in population since the 

 beginning of the twentieth century. The chief 

 cities in the Kootenay District are Fernie, 

 Nelson, Revelstoke, Rossland and Trail, each 

 of which is described in alphabetical order in 

 these volumes. 



One of the most beautiful stretches of coun- 

 try in North America, one of the richest in 

 mineral and timber wealth and in fertility of 

 the soil, is the long valley extending from the 

 Big Bend of the Columbia River southward 

 'into the United States, the valley in which 

 rise both the Columbia and the Kootenay. At 

 the Canal Flats, near the source of the Colum- 

 bia, the two rivers flow within a few hundred 

 yards of each other, one to the north, the 

 other to the south. At this place a canal was 

 made uniting the two rivers, but as it was 

 found to be changing the flow of water, only 

 one boat was taken through, and the canal was 

 abandoned. West of the Purcell Range is an- 



other splendid valley in which lie the Koote- 

 nay Lakes, and still further west, beyond the 

 Selkirk Mountains, is the valley"of the Arrow 

 Lakes. This region of alternate mountains 

 and valleys is still inhabited by wild game of 

 many kinds, and is a favorite resort for hunt- 

 ers and lovers of magnificent scenery. W.B. 



KORAN, ko rahn' , the sacred scripture of the 

 Mohammedans, accepted by the faithful as 

 the revelation of Allah (God) to Mohammed. 

 They overlook its fables, and profess the be- 

 lief that in the beginning it was written in 

 golden rays on a great tablet in Heaven, and 

 was then communicated to Mohammed by the 

 angel Gabriel. The Koran explicitly states 

 that it was written by piecemeal and sent 

 down, or revealed, during a period that covers 

 Mohammed's entire prophetic career, from 

 A. D. 610 to 632, the first parts being dictated 

 while he was at Mecca, and the remainder after 

 his flight to Medina. 



At the time of the first revelations Mo- 

 hammed named the book The Koran, meaning 

 that which is to be read, and after his death 

 its fragments were ordered to be collected by 

 Abubekr, Mohammed's father-in-law. Its au- 

 thorized text was produced under Caliph Oth- 

 man in A. D. 652. 



Size and Divisions. The Koran is about the 

 size of the New Testament, and is divided 

 into 114 Suras, or chapters, which vary in 

 length from many verses to only a few lines. 

 It is written in pure Arabic without connect- 

 ing narrative or story. 



Its Doctrines. The leading doctrine of the 

 Koran is the Oneness of God, clearly laid 

 down by the statement, "God is God and 

 Mohammed is His Prophet." It dwells on the 

 Resurrection, prescribes fasting, the pilgrim- 

 age to Mecca, and the giving of alms, which 

 is made obligatory. Prayer is called the key 

 to paradise, and it is prescribed five times a 

 day, with the suppliant's face turned toward 

 Mecca. It follows the Mosaic law concerning 

 inheritance, divorce and polygamy, and its 

 moral precepts would enforce the virtues of 

 humility, temperance, courage and justice. 

 Death in the cause of religion is extolled; it 

 is promised that the faithful who die in battle 

 against "infidels" shall have greatest future 

 glory, and this adds a frenzy to ordinary zeal 

 in all "holy" wars. 



Influence of the Koran. The Koran controls 

 the lives of at least 148,000,000 of the human 

 race, and Mohammedan children use it almost 

 as their only schoolbook. The doctrine that 





