190S.] 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY PEACE RIVER VALLEY. 



23 



ably not before June. The lake usually closes at Fort Chipewyan 

 sonic time in November. 



The following table illustrates the temperature conditions at Fort 

 Chipewvan. Athabaska Lake : 



Summaries of temperatures taken at Fort Chipewyan during the year 1900. 



January- 

 February— 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



I ictober 



November. 

 Deeember__. 



Year. 



Monti). 



Mean daily Mean daily 

 maximum, minimum. 



- 5.4 



- 7.7 

 13.9 

 49.4 

 61.8 

 68.1 

 70.0 

 68.3 

 55.5 

 43.4 

 16.7 

 12. S 



- 5.6 

 29.6 

 U.9 



48.5 

 51.0 



17.7 

 37.6 



28.0 

 1.7 



- 2.7 



Extremes. 



Maximum. Minimum 



12.5 



7.0 

 ll.d 

 66.0 

 70.0 

 81.0 

 79.0 

 83.0 

 68.0 

 58.0 

 40.0 

 29.0 



83.0 



Monthly 

 mean. 



The following table has been compiled from records taken at Fort 

 Chipewvan. Athabaska Lake, probably by R. MacFarlane. 



Dates of seasonal events at Fort Chipewyan, Athabaska Lake. 



Seasonal event. 



Snow bunting first noteii 



Canada goose lirst noted 



Crow lirst noted 



Frogs first note 1 



Robin lirst noted 



Snow goose first noted 



Snow bunting arrived from north. 

 Ptarmigan arrived from north 



Oct. 12 



Oct. 11 



Apr. 9 

 Apr. 16 



May 8 

 ...do... 



Oct. it 

 Oct. 18 



Mar. 22 

 Apr. 13 

 Apr. 21 

 Apr. 30 



May 

 Oct . 



Mar. 29 

 Apr. n 

 Apr. 12 

 May 8 

 Apr. 23 

 ....d i — 

 Oct. 9 



Apr. 5 

 Apr. II 

 Mar. 2:. 

 May 2 

 Apr. 26 

 Apr. 28 



Oct. 28 



THE PEACE RIVER VALLEY. 



Peace River is the largest of the affluents of the A.thabaska-Mac- 

 kenzie system, and being in fact much larger than the Athabaska, 

 may be considered the main river. Il rises on the western side of the 

 Rocky Mountains and is already a good-sized stream when it breaks 

 through that range. Its principal feeders west of the range are the 

 Finlay and the Parsnip. The former river rises near the headwaters 

 of the Skeena and flows southeasterly. The Parsnip rises close to some 

 of the head feeders of the Fraser. at an altitude of aboul 2,500 feet, 

 and Hows northward, uniting with the Finlay in latitude 56 . Here 

 the river turns eastward through the mountains, the pass being about 

 1,600 feet above sea level, and the mountains on each side rising 

 some 1.. '><>() feel higher. The tree limit on these mountains occurs at 

 about 4.000 1'eet. 



