THE FORKS OF THE MAcMILLAN RIVER 89 



two hundred and eighty-five miles. A hundred and fifty 

 miles up it forks into two well-defined branches. Its 

 width is from three hundred to five hundred feet; its 

 current sluggish, not exceeding three miles an hour in 

 the lower reaches and usually less than that of the Pelly, 

 while above it is more accelerated from three to five 

 miles in places- Its volume is not quite equal to that 

 of the Pelly River, and its water is much more turgid. 

 Up to the Forks it traverses a timbered valley from one 

 to six miles wide, interspersed with swamps and meadows, 

 and containing numerous small lakes. High clay banks 

 are common along its course, and wide gravel bars occur 

 in a manner similar to those along the Pelly. 



The character of the country is mountainous. The 

 MacMillan ranges come close to the river on the north 

 side, the peaks varying from three thousand to five thou- 

 sand eight hundred feet above sea level. Continuing on 

 the same side is the Kalzas range with Kalzas Peak six 

 thousand one hundred feet high, close to the river. 

 Farther up the river is Plateau Mountain, which continues 

 in high ranges beyond the Forks to the western edge of 

 the main Rockies, designated by McConnell as the Selwyn 

 range. Opposite the MacMillan range, on the south 

 side, are plateau-shaped masses nearly three thousand feet 

 high, broken by wide valleys as far as Dromedary Moun- 

 tain, where big, massive mountains continue irregularly 

 up the South Fork to the Selwyn range. The river winds 

 back and forth from one side of the valley to the other in 

 a succession of curves. 



Surrounded by impressive mountain scenery, pro- 



