1911-12 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, FORESTS AND MINES. 71 



Appendix No. SO. 

 Algonquin National Park of Ontario. 



Algonquin Park, 31st December, 1912. 



Honourable Sir, — I beg to hand you my fifteenth annual report on Algon- 

 quin Park, of which I have the honour of being Superintendent, and trust it 

 will meet with your approval. 



Our staff for the past year has consisted of twenty-six men, a housekeeper 

 and superintendent. During the trapping season — from the first of September 

 to the first of June — the time of the staff is taken up patrolling the sections 

 over which they have charge, to prevent illegal trappting and other breaches of 

 thie Park laws. Our men travel in pairs. The area of each section is governed 

 by the water stretches and the ease with which it can be covered; some men 

 cover more ground than others, owing to the fact that a great part of it is 

 accessible by water. I feel that the staff have done good work. Illegal trapping 

 is certainly on the decrease. We had only two cases during the past year; in 

 each the offender was fined $50.00 and costs, the fine being paid in both cases. 



Our men also took out a quantity of fur during; the trapping season, it 

 having become so abundant that a large quantity can now be taken annually. 



During the remainder of the year the time of the men is taken up in building 

 new shelter houses, cutting portages, cleaning out streams, making ' improvements 

 at headquarters, etc. We have built three new shelter houses during the past 

 year, one on South River, one on Long Lake, and one on Tim's Lake. These 

 are all substantial buildings. Sjome of the old shelters have been repaired, and 

 at headquarters the boat house has been rebuilt, x\n acetylene gas plant has also 

 been installed with a capacity of 50 lights. The slash along the Madawaska River 

 has been cleaned up, adding very much to the appearance of the river, and also 

 to the safety from fire. 



Our men at all times act as fire rangers, and their duties as such take pre- 

 cedence over everything else. By acting in conjunction with the regular fire 

 rangers a good work has been done, and I am glad to inform you the year has 

 plassed without any serious damage being done by fire in the Park, We have 

 hundreds of canoeists on our lakes and rivers during the summer and fall, but 

 very few fires are traceable to them. We find most of our fires originate either 

 from the railway or lightning, generally the former. 



The Canadian Northern Railway Company has been at work on construction 

 ever since last January through the townships of Deacon, Boyd, and Pentland. 

 Some hundreds of men are employed, and the work has been pushed ahead rapidly. 

 I am glad to report very little trouble with fires, and less with their men breaking 

 the law. Four special men were put on to act as fire rangers; these with the 

 help of our regular men have kept a close supervision over the work, and I feel 

 I have done well. This railway, skirting as it does all our best lakes and rivers, 

 will become a very popular tourist route, and will necessitate more men on that 

 section. Game of all kinds has very much increased in the Park and the surround- 

 ing sections. Last spring 480 beaver, 12 otter, 11 marten, 5 fisher, 71 musk rate, 

 8 ermine and 89 mink skins were sold, also several beaver and otter for mounting 

 specimens. In addition 21 live beaver were sold at $50.00 a pair f.o.b here. 

 Of these two went to Kentucky, two to Philadelphia, nine to New York, two to 



