138 THROUGH CANADA 



During its short existence, its wealth and population 

 have made rapid strides, and it is an example of 

 young Canada growing with the advantages of the 

 training of the Mother Country, and applying the 

 experience to the new opportunity which the province 

 affords. 



Alberta contains over 160,000,000 acres of land, 

 100,000,000 of which are available for settlement. 

 In 1909 only one per cent, was under cultivation. It 

 is a vast undulating tableland, gently inclining 

 towards east and north, and picturesquely set out 

 with forest, hills and streams. Everywhere there are 

 lovely lakes, yielding an abundant revenue of white 

 fish. It was once the feeding-ground of the countless 

 herds of buffalo, which were attracted to that region 

 by the rich pastures. Alberta is well watered by great 

 rivers. The Saskatchewan, with eleven tributaries 

 which form two branches, one irrigating the south, 

 the other the north and central plains. The Peace 

 River and the Athabasca, two huge watercourses of 

 the Mackenzie basin, drain between them an area of 

 1,000,000 square miles. The Hay River forms the 

 quartette of this combined watershed. 



The climate has been depreciated, especially in 

 English literature, by an erroneous notion that a rich 

 fur trade was associated with Arctic conditions, and 

 that Alberta, lying so far north, must be a region of 

 ice and snow. When the Canadian Government 

 dispatched its explorers they discovered that the 



