424 THE GLACIAL LAKE AGASSIZ. 



feet, or 10 feet cabove Nelson. Continuing- northward, it crosses the north- 

 east quarter of section 6, township 5, range G, a. mile west of Miami. 



The course of these shore-lines was not traced across the Assiniboine 

 delta, but their elevation shows that they lie on its eastward slope, where 

 they are intersected by numerous ravines, and are doubtless obscured in 

 many places among- its dunes. On the Canadian Pacific Railway profile 

 three massive beach ridges, the two higher referable to the iipper Campbell 

 stage and the third to the lower Campbell stage of the lake, are shown 3 

 miles to 2 J miles west of Austin, their crests being, respectively, 1,087, 

 1,081, and 1,066 feet above the sea. These beaches are each about 30 rods 

 wide, with descents of 10 to 20 feet from their crests to their east bases and 

 half as much to the west. 



On the Manitoba and Northwestern Railway the upjier Campl^ell l^each 

 is a very massive rounded ridge, 30 to 50 rods wide, along whose eastern 

 slope the railwa)" runs about 3 miles, from the south side of section 6, • 

 township 15, range 13, north-northwest to Arden. Before the railway was 

 built, the old trail from Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan River passed along 

 the top of this ridge the same distance and to a point about a mile north of 

 Arden, there leaving it and turning to the west. This portion <^)f the trail 

 was a good dry road throughout the year, being tluis remarkably contrasted 

 with the deep mud along most of its extent during rainy seasons, Becaiise 

 of this character o{ the road and the beauty of the smooth beach, which is 

 jirairie, without tree or bush, l)ut is liordered on each side by groves, this 

 avenue-like tract received its widelj" known name, the Beautiful Plain. It 

 is not flat, however, as the name seems to imply, for the crest of the beach 

 ridge, at Arden, 1,090 feet above the sea, and not varying more than a few 

 feet above or below this elevation in its course tlu'ough several miles south 

 and north, is 15 to 25 feet above the nearly straight margin of the woods 

 an eighth to a quarter of a. mile east, and 7 to 10 feet al)ove the more irreg- 

 ular margin of bushes and Avoods on the west, commonly 10 to 30 rods 

 distant. The bai-rier of this beach ridge was sufficient to turn the White 

 Mud River southward 3 miles along its west side. In a section cut 6 feet 

 deep close north of Arden, for the passage of the railway and in excavation 

 of ballast, the material of this beach is mainly fine gravel, with pebbles 



