1907 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 133 



land being covered with wild hay and the high with a thick growth of wild 

 pea vine that all stock thrive upon and prefer to any grass. There are a 

 number of small lakes all through the township as the map shows, there 

 being over thirty in all. Corn, Talbot and Kramer being the largest, in 

 many of the lakes, especially Talbot, the water is very clear and pure, and 

 no doubt pickerel, pike, and white ;fish will be found in them. Talbot and 

 Beach Lakes have some lovely sand beaches, and are well suited for summer 

 resort purposes. 



Indications of moose, cariboo and red deer are abundant. This town- 

 ship lying l/ctween the valleys of the Black Sturgeon, and Black or McFar- 

 lane E-iver (which is composed of a chain of lakes and connection streams), 

 commencing at the Winnipeg River, and joined by a river which is navi- 

 gable for canoes in high water with a few short portages to Bluff Lake, being 

 the next lake northeasterly from Grindstone Lake, the water sheds both 

 ways to the south into Black Sturgeon Lake, and to the north into the 

 McFarlane River, through the valley of which the Transcontinental Rail- 

 way runs, winding its way around the lakes to keep in the low-land of this 

 valley. 



The right of way is now all cut out through here and rock work and 

 grading is being pushed as fast as possible. 



The principal route of transportation to this part of the Transconti- 

 nental from Kenora and Keewatin is via the Winnipeg River in summer, and 

 via the Melick and Jaffray Colonization Road to all that part of the Trans- 

 continental through Redditt and two miles west of Redditt, to the crossing 

 of the Winnipeg River, and all contiguous parts east and west is from 

 Keewatin across locations S. 406, Middle Lake S. 407, S. 408 and lot 5 in 

 the fourth, fifth, and sixth concessions in Pellatt via Skiff Lake to Locke 

 Bay, Winnipeg River, across the bay and thence to the crossing, and as a 

 divisional point will probably be located in Redditt, the Colonization Road 

 and its extension north to the Transcontinental will be of special import- 

 ance as a connecting link and as a means of opening up all the arable land 

 for colonization, already two squatters are located in the northwest part, 

 close to the railway, namely, Adam Blondin on the south half of lot twelve, 

 in the sixth concession, Paul Lavoie on the north half of lot twelve, in the 

 fifth concession, and others are enquiring regarding the requirements and 

 terms of settlement. The two settlers mentioned have each a small cabin 

 built, and a couple of acres brushed and partly chopped round their cabins. 

 On the north side of Corn Lake, in the sixth concession, while there are 

 some large ranges of rock, there are several hundred acres of good land, 

 and as it slopes to the south, the soil is warm and loose and should grow 

 almost any kind of crap, and the new railway will furnish an excellent 

 market. While the winters are long, the snow is seldom over two feet 

 deep, this being an exceptional winter. From my observations and know- 

 ledge of the township of Melick, adjoining, which will practically be the 

 same, the settlers are raising all kinds of vegetables, hay, oats, fall wheat, 

 etc., successfully, and with the advent of competition of the new railway and 

 a little more permanent road-making, every foot of arable land will be taken 

 up in the near future. 



I found no mineral of economical value, the rock over the whole town- 

 ship being granatiid gneiss. 



The western portion of the township will average about fifty per cent, 

 of good land, while the eastern portion will not exceed twenty five per cent. 

 About the middle of the work, I was taken ill with congestion and had to 

 quit work for two weeks, and about the 1st of November, I was attacked by 



