136 EEPORT OF THE No. 3 



continued througiiout the season. The main work consisted in tlie building of 

 roads running iiortli and south from the main trunk road between Fort Frances 

 and the mouth of Eainy River, and the re-gravelling of parts of trunk roads. This 

 was found necessary owing to the increase of traffic of former years. The main 

 trunk road is now joined up by way of Beaudette, where the Canadian Northern 

 liailway crosses Rainy River into Minnesota. There is a ferry across the river 

 connecting the roads in Ontario with the State roads in Minnesota, which State 

 roads extend westward and connect with the main trunk road running south from 

 Winnipeg. It is now possible to reach Winnipeg by automobile from Fort Frances, 

 and also reach several of the larger towns in the northern part of Minnesota. The 

 extra amount of traffic caused by the opening up of these roads has necessitated the 

 building of a better class of trunk roads throughout the Rainy River Valley. 

 Tourists from the central part of Minnesota cross the International Boundary at 

 Fort Frances and travel westward along the Fort Frances and Rainy River trunk 

 road, re-crossing the river at Beaudette by ferry into Minnesota and proceed west 

 and north to Winnipeg. The branch trunk roads running north and south from 

 the main trunk road constructed during the last five years have been gravelled, and 

 have opened up large sections of the best agricultural land in the valley. 



Two creameries, one cheese factory, and one grist mill were opened up this 

 season at Devlin, Lavallee and Emo, and notwithstanding the scarcity of farm 

 labour throughout the district good progress is being made in clearing up new 

 sections of land. A good class of settlers have come into the district within the 

 last few years; in travelling through the district there is seen every indication of 

 satisfactory progress and prosperity. There are still required, however, new roads 

 to meet the wants of new settlements in the townships distant from the railroad 

 and from Rainy River, townships where settlers have been located for several years 

 with roads only passable during the dry seasons of the year. It will take at least 

 two or three seasons yet to construct sufficient roads to meet the necessary require- 

 ments of the new settlers now located. There are few sections in the newer parts of 

 Ontario where there is a better future, from an agricultural standpoint, than in 

 the Rainy River Valley. The settlers find a ready market for their farm produce 

 in the lumber camps and at the pulp and paper mills at Fort Frances, and logging 

 camps on the shores of Rainy Lake. 



Hereafter is a summary of the work performed this season: 



Township of Ativood: 



Re-graded trunk road across river lots 17 to S5 ; I/2 mile. 



Township of Curran : 



Gravelled road east of Sees. 4 and 9 ; 2 miles. 



Township of Blue: 



Road cleared, grubbed and single ditch west of Sees. 6, 7 and 18; 3 miles. 

 Road cleared, grubbed and single ditch north of Sees. 7 and 8; 1 mile, 1,150 ft. 

 This road gives an outlet to settlers who have been in that part for years without 

 a summer road, and also drains the land adjoining. 



