DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS FOR 1930 93 



The river is fairly well confined to one channel excepting for these large 

 islands for the greater part of its course from Marten Falls down, but about 

 twenty-two miles above Fort Albany the river widens out to a width of over 

 three miles in places and there are a great many islands of all sizes. The current 

 becomes swifter, and there are small rapids in many places. The last of these 

 rapids is about three miles above Fort Albany and is sometimes flooded by a 

 high tide. On the north side of the Albany River in this stretch there is an Indian 

 Reserve and a tie was made to the south-west corner. 



The Albany River below Marten Falls is subject to a very heavy freshet 

 every spring. The water rises to a great height and the swift current has washed 

 away the soil and consolidated the stones and boulders so that after the freshet 

 recedes the banks are clear for some distance back from the average summer 

 level of the water and the consolidated stones and boulders resemble a rough 

 pavement. There is good walking along the banks after the freshet has receded 

 for practically the whole distance from Marten Falls to James Bay. This feature 

 was a very great advantage in the old days when supplies for the inland posts 

 of the Hudson's Bay Company had to be tracked up-stream in York boats. 



The timber resources of the territory adjacent to the Albany River appear 

 to be of considerable importance, although the country has suffered from disas- 

 trous fires of very large extent in the past, and much second growth timber of 

 varying ages is in evidence along the banks. Much of this second growth is 

 now of considerable size. The prevailing timber is spruce and poplar. In the 

 territory around Makokobarter and Washi Lakes where there is much sand and 

 gravel in the soil there is considerable jack pine, balsam, and white birch, but 

 these varieties are not nearly so plentiful farther down stream, and in fact the 

 jack pine almost disappears on the clay areas. It is difficult to get a proper 

 idea of what the timber resources of the country really amount to from an inspec- 

 tion from the river. A short distance back from the top of the bank the country 

 becomes very wet and the timber is much smaller than near the river where 

 the drainage is better. This condition appears to prevail over very large areas 

 tributary to the lower Albany River. 



From a few miles above Marten Falls to James Bay the soil is clay and 

 appears to be of good quality. If it can be drained there appears to be no reason 

 why it should not produce abundant crops of whatever agricultural products 

 the climate will permit. The only attempt at farming in this section of the 

 country is at Fort Albany where there is a considerable clearing at the mission 

 conducted by the Roman Catholic Church. From an agricultural standpoint 

 the results have not been very successful, due to the fact that the land at the 

 mission is flooded every year notwithstanding that it is at a considerable elevation 

 above the river. In the spring of 1928 the flood was of exceptional severity and 

 the water rose to such a height that the floor of the church and other mission 

 buildings was about six feet under water. In order to secure a location which 

 would not be exposed to such a flood risk, a new site has been chosen about 

 four miles up-stream on the south side of the river and several acres have been 

 cleared and temporary buildings erected. A saw-mill was brought down the 

 river from Pagwa a year or more ago to cut lumber for the erection of permanent 

 buildings, but unfortunately it was destroyed by fire shortly after sawing opera- 

 tions were commenced. It is the intention to proceed with the erection of 

 permanent buildings and to conduct an industrial farm for the education of the 

 Indians in agricultural methods. The traverse of the Albany River was continued 

 behind some islands on the south side of the river so as to include the site of the 

 proposed industrial farm, and it is shown on the plan of the survey. 



