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1922-23 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 73 



North of the 90th mile on the meridian and more particularly as the Albany 

 river is approached, forest fires seem to be of an ever-recurring nature and as 

 the country is very seldom traversed during the summer months by any person 

 save the Indians from the reserves on Lake St. Joseph, it would seem that they 

 are responsible. The waterways are not patrolled by forest rangers north of 

 Lake Savant. One very serious fire was started some distance south of our 

 base line and this burned for nearly two weeks during the latter part of June. 

 It covered an area roughly estimated at forty miles in length and ten miles in 

 width and destroyed a great amount of good timber. 



On the first twenty-four miles of our meridian only a few balsam trees were 

 noticed and there was nowhere any great number of this species. Cedar was 

 also very scarce. Spruce and jack pine in about equal amounts would pre- 

 dominate for miles at a stretch. It is doubtful if the northern jack pine is as 

 good timber as that farther south as the larger trees seem to have developed a 

 great deal of rot. 



We had expected to see large areas of open swamp and muskeg as we pro- 

 ceeded north but nearly all the swamps and lowlands were well timbered. 



Routes, etc. 



Our first and second camps were on the Allanwater River. We then 

 moved along the line to the portage going into Flint Lake just north of the 

 69th mile post. The Allanwater route was found to be properly mapped. 

 We used Flint Lake and Flint River, with its various expansions, to the 80th 

 mile. From here our supply men went east by way of the north branch of 

 the Flint River and returned to the line at the lake in the 83rd and 84th mile. 

 This route w^as rather a difficult one as it was found that between the first and 

 second lakes east of the line there was a drop of more than one hundred feet, 

 the river flowing rapidly between straight rocky banks. Better time would 

 have been made by following the line. From the 84th to 100th mile there 

 was no route found to parallel the line that was of any benefit to us. Explora- 

 tions were made on each side of the line but any lakes found were too far distant 

 to be of any benefit. There is a well used route coming into the lake in the 

 96th mile. Most of the travel over it seems to be from the east and most likely 

 connects with the lake in the 104th mile. This lake is used as a camping ground 

 for many families of Indians during the rice season. 



Supplies for the northerly end of the meridian and for the base line were 

 brought in from Bucke Station over the route shown on your maps going into 

 the south end of Lake Savant. This route continues north to Lake St. Joseph 

 and is used by the Hudson's Bay Company as its all year mail route and for 

 light freight during the winter months. In all there is less than four miles of 

 portage from the railway to Osnaburgh Post on Lake St. Joseph. This route 

 is shown approximately on our plan. Eagle Lake and Pine Lake (local names) 

 are possibly much larger bodies of water than we have shown them to be. There 

 is a direct river route from Eagle Lake to the meridian. This crosses in the 

 lake in the 100th mile. This was not used as it was found to be full of stones. 

 It is used for light travel about as much as the lake route to the west of it. Our 

 supplies were taken over the lake route to the 104th mile. From here to the 

 end of the meridian the supply men remained with the party and we made all 

 moves by canoe. 



On the base line the route mapped by the Grand Trunk Pacific survey 

 was used for transport and camping and was found correct. It will be noticed 

 that Long Lake does not extend nearly as far north as shown on your maps. 



