Homesteading 



It is, however, the fur-traders' starting place 

 for the wilderness, the real jumping-off place, 

 and there is in winter a big trade of fishing carried 

 on in the various lakes from Isle le Croix, Churchill 

 River, Dore Lake, Lake la Plonge, and Stony 

 Lake, called Lake la Ronde. Also the other route 

 by Green Lake, there are at least some fifty teams 

 freighting fish all winter, and every pound of 

 it goes through Big River. There is a train 

 each way to and from Prince Albert three times 

 a week, and there is a mail delivery twice a week, 

 as here, both at Big River and also away up as 

 far as Green Lake at the north end. The land is 

 not surveyed for homesteading for more than six 

 miles or so north of the town. It is a land 

 so broken up by lakes, rivers, muskegs, etc., 

 also in part so covered with heavy timber, 

 that it is not suited to homesteading; for 

 instance, men do not raise grain to any 

 extent where they travel by dog train in the 

 winter and by canoe in the summer. Now, 

 amongst this land, rough as it is, there are con- 

 siderable stretches of country that would be 

 suitable for ranchers, having the essential points 

 we were looking for — practically an island wiiii 

 a considerable amount of low, bushy country 

 for summer grazing and miles of hay along the 

 shores of streams. Here the living is very cheap, 



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