Mr. John Roberts" 8 Report. "^■'"^ 17 



has an unlimited supply of coal and good clay. No doubt with 

 these advantages some works will be developed before long. The 

 great drawback is the distance to a good market. It would be 

 better for the farmers to put their produce into as condensed a form 

 as possible, such as cheese, butter, Ac. A great acquisition to this 

 district would be an oatmeal mill, in addition to the corn mill they 

 already have ; a brewery or distillery, as the quality of the barley is 

 so good; a pork-packing factory, and a woollen factory. We were 

 struck with the condition of the cattle here — chey were all so fat, 

 although most of them had been wintered out, as we saw no accommo- 

 dation for them. During our stay at Edmonton we had some bad 

 weather, including frost and snow, but the day we left was bright, 

 warm, and sunny. Prices in this neighbourhood were as follows : — 

 Best quality hay, $5 a ton ; beef, 3 cents to 4| cents per lb., live 

 weight; mutton, veal, and lamb, 10 cents per lb., dead weight; 

 pigs, 7 to 8 cents per lb., dead weight. 



Leaving Edmonton on the 25th, we drove to Leduc, 

 Wetaslciwin. and from there to Wetaskiwin. This is a rising little 



village, surrounded by picturesque lakes that harbour a 

 large number of wild ducks. We w^nt to see the store, for the 

 purpose of getting the prices of different articles. It was the most 

 complete country store that I ever saw. Everything necessary for the 

 house could be procured there. Clothing made ui imported cloth is 

 dearer than in this country. Sugar was 4|d. and 5d. per lb. ; the other 

 groceries seemed to be about the same in price as in the Old Country. 

 Twelve months prior to our visit there was not a single house built 

 in this village; now it has several shops, a nice hotel of some 20 

 beds, a livery stable, an office of the Dominion land agent, and a 

 railway station. We were informed that there was some veiy good 

 land taken up some few miles out of the station. 



We stayed this night at our old quarters in Calgary, and 

 The Rocky the next morning — the 26th — we started to cross over the 

 Mountains. Eocky Mountains — no doubt the grandest journey in 



Canada. We could see tae " Eockies" from Calgary, and 

 their lofty peaks seemed to reach the clouds. On our way we passed 

 several large ranches, where the cowboys found plenty of employment. 

 A description of the journey over the Eocky Mountai'^ ' is not part 

 of my work, and I shall not attempt it. Sufficient to say that " its 

 grandeur is indescribable." It would be an impossibility to describe it 

 properly. It must be seen to be appreciated. From Banff — situated 

 in the Eocky Mountain Park, a natural reserve, where there are several 

 hot springs — we could see the Peechee, which is a mountain peak 

 10,000 feet high, or nearly as high as three Snowdons piled one above 

 the other. I could not help admiring the engineering skill exhibited in 

 the construction of the railway. Sometimes it climbs up the steepest 

 gradients, and soon after it descends into the very bottonl of the 

 mountains, till it can find a place to cross some mighty mountain 

 torrent. As we got through the Eockies we could no^' 

 difprence in the climate. It showed itsrl directly in the 

 in the herbage and the grass. 



