68 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



There are no rapids in this section of the river and only a couple of places where 

 there is even a strong current. 



Wabigoon River enters the southeast bay of Ball Lake, and the survey 

 was carried up this river as far as the first falls which occurs a couple of miles 

 up stream. A post marked "P. No. 192" was planted in a mound of stones 

 on the north side of Wabigoon River to mark the end of the survey in this 

 direction. 



The general characteristics of the shores of the river and lake expansions 

 from Manitou Falls to Indian Lake are very much the same. The shores are 

 generally rocky and either high at the bank or rising a short distance back 

 from the river. In the upper stretches of this section occasional small areas 

 of clay similar to that seen farther up stream are seen, but as one goes down 

 stream these clay areas become less frequent. There are, however, many places 

 where the banks are quite low, these places occurring mostly where the small 

 streams enter the main river or its lake expansions and at the ends of the many 

 deep bays which often terminate in fairly extensive marshes. Some of these 

 areas are quite large and in case of power developments involving the raising of 

 the water levels, contouring would be necessary. Such areas are roughly 

 sketched on the plans which accompany this report, but no attempt was made 

 to determine the exact extent of these areas. 



The rock ridges on the whole are more prominent as one goes down stream. 

 The roughest country seen during the season is in the neighbourhood of Ball 

 Lake. Much of the Ball Lake country has been burnt over not many years 

 ago, and the fact that the rocks are more exposed than where the country is 

 covered with a heavy growth of timber, makes the hills stand out all the more 

 prominently. 



The prevailing timber is poplar, spruce, jack pine, birch and balsam, the 

 relative abundance of each being in the order named as far as could be judged 

 without detailed examination. The greater portion of the country as seen from 

 the water has escaped the ravages of recent fires and there are some large areas 

 where the timber is of fair size and good quality. The largest area burnt over 

 in recent years occurs to the west of Tide and Ball Lakes. 



There are a few scattered groves of red pine and occasionally a few white 

 pine but they are not frequent and considering the country as a whole are not 

 of great importance except for local building. At Oak Fall and on the portage 

 at Maynard Falls a few stunted oak trees were seen, and near transit station 

 No. 1595 on the large bay running east from Maynard Lake, a few wild plum 

 trees were found bearing fruit of excellent quality. 



This country should be much more popular with tourists than it appears 

 to be. Hardly any travellers were met with during the summer and most of 

 these were on business of some sort. There is no sign of occupation except 

 a few trappers and Indians' cabins at intervals along the river. And yet there 

 is here a country of great natural beauty, easy of access and where the con- 

 ditions for canoe travelling cannot be excelled. Long water stretches with 

 portages both few and short, good camping sites, and moose, deer and small 

 game in great abundance. The fishing is excellent and above all there is the 

 primeval forest dotted with lovely lakes in all their glorious beauty. 



The English River forms part of one of the oldest routes into northwestern 

 Ontario and has been used by some of our earliest explorers. On the north 

 shore of Tide Lake, about half a mile northwest of Maynard Falls, members of 

 the party discovered two old stone fireplaces marking the site of what had 

 once been a fairly large building. One of these fireplaces is intact but the 



