DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1931 91 



creeks and rivers and around some of the larger lakes, indicating that wherever 

 there is any drainage, the timber is much larger in size. From miles 112 

 to 117^, also from miles 119 to 122 and from mile 122^ to mile 125, 

 there are a series of spruce and cedar swamps, broken by tamarac swamps. 

 The spruce varies in size from three to ten inches and the cedar is stunted and 

 averages about ten to twelve inches. Along the west boundary of the Township 

 of Mahony and along the base line from mile 125 to mile 140, the country has 

 been burnt over. There are occasional patches of spruce, two to eight inches, 

 that escaped the fire. Small spruce is growing up in the burnt muskegs and 

 poplar to six inches along the banks of the creeks and rivers. In the ravines 

 along the numerous creeks, there are scattered patches of white spruce and 

 poplar six to eighteen inches that have escaped the fires. Along the west 

 boundary of the Township of Rapley and along the base line from mile 140 

 to mile 153, at the east boundary of Rapley, the country is low and wet and .the 

 timber is small and stunted, mostly tamarac to four inches. From mile 153 to 

 mile 155, there is a cedar and spruce swamp, trees are from three to twelve inches 

 in diameter. At mile 158, the line runs into brule from the fires along the 

 Mattagami River. Between the Mattagami and Abitibi rivers are muskegs 

 of spruce and tamarac, parts of which have been burned over. From the 

 Abitibi River east to mile 187, the country is mostly covered with muskegs of 

 spruce and tamarac. There are borders of spruce and poplar, six to sixteen 

 inches, along the banks of the numerous creeks. There is also some fair sized 

 spruce and jack pine on the high rocky hills rising out of the muskegs. From 

 mile 175, east, there is jack pine, six to sixteen inches, along the creeks. Fire 

 has followed the banks of creek, near mile 187, since the meridian was run by 

 O.L.S. Niven. It was noted that a thick growth of young tamarac to two 

 inches has grown up in the muskegs replacing the old growth that had been 

 killed since the east boundary of the Township of Rapley was run in 1911. 

 There were no fires in the immediate district this season. 



Minerals 

 There were no indications of minerals in this district. 



Streams and Lakes 



The line crossed several small lakes between miles 93 to 110. The country 

 here is low and flat and the lakes were shallow with soft bottoms and marshy 

 or swampy shores. The Ridge River, which touched the line at mile 63, followed 

 to the south of the line, from Ridge Lake, which is about two miles south of 

 mile 89. This lake is about one mile east and west, and about three : quarters of 

 a mile north and south. The Rabbit River which crossed the line near 132 miles 

 is about eighty feet wide, and from the Indians we learned this river is navigable 

 for about fifty miles in high water. The Missinaibi, Mattagami and Abitibi 

 rivers were also crossed. These rivers have been traversed and a full report 

 has been made on them. The French River was crossed near our 186 mile post. 

 When we crossed it was very shallow, but indications are that it is navigable in 

 the high water in the spring. It is shallow and has numerous stretches of small 

 rapids. 



Canoe Routes 



As mentioned before we used the Pagwa, English and Ridge rivers to our 

 starting point. We were able to use the Ridge River east from our start, up to 



