FROM RED LAKE TO RAINY RIVER 



551 



FOREST PATROLMAN SMITH WHO KNOWS THE UPPER LAKE COUNTRY. 



Red Lake has no muscallonge but is 

 well supplied with white fish, pike and 

 other food fishes. The fishing industry 

 has not been developed. Perhaps this 

 is well since it will now be possible 

 owing to an interest in conservation, 

 to provide for proper supervision of the 

 fisheries when they are developed to 

 see that favorable conditions are main- 

 tained for the reproduction of the fish 

 and continuance of the industry. It 

 would be much more sensible for the 

 government to encourage a conservative 

 development of the fisheries of Red 

 Lake and thus lead the 1,200 Indians 

 living on its shores to become self- 

 supporting through a line of work for 

 which they are suited than to spend 

 untold sums trying to make farmers 

 of them. 



The fish of Red Lake are worth far 

 more to the Indians, if the government 

 only thought so, than all the pine on 

 the reservation and all the land which 

 may ever be allotted to them. The 

 present Reservation includes the coun- 



try on the south and west sides of the 

 lake, together with the pine covered 

 peninsular and embraces about 400,000 

 acres. 



At the time we were "mushing" 

 across the broad expanse of the upper 

 lake the snow-shoe rabbit was migrat- 

 ing, and hundreds of the little creatures 

 were out on the crusted snow of the 

 lake. Evidently during these migra- 

 tions they are not in the habit of turn- 

 ing aside for lakes even if, as in this 

 case, they could not possibly see the 

 farther shore. 



The distance across was more than 

 one night's march for rabbits and they 

 were accordingly compelled to squat 

 on the snow and makes themselves as 

 inconspicuous as the ^r.tiitions per- 

 mitted with nothing to hide behind. 

 Owls of various kinds were abundant 

 along the north shore of the lake and 

 there were numerous evidences of 

 where they had made meals of the un- 

 fortunate rabbits. No doubt that shore 

 is an excellent hunting ground for owls 



