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NEW YORK, AUGUST 13. 1892. 



THE CHIEF MOUNTAIN LAKES. 



BT GEOEGE BIRD GEINNELL. 



In Volume I., Pacific Railroad Reports, pp. 548-549, Mr. 

 James Doty speaks of visiting the Chief Mountain Lake, and 

 describes it and its companion sheet of water. The maps of 

 that survey and other more recent ones show lakes to which 

 this name is given, and references in some recent literature 

 apply to the lakes shown on those maps. 



The lakes so named are, however, not the ones mentioned 

 by Mr. Doty, but lie about 25 or .30 miles to the north and 

 west of those which he visited, and it would appear that 

 since Mr. Doty's time no geographer has recognized the lakes 

 which be saw and which he speaks of as "'the well-known 

 Chief Mountain Lake." Those called by this name on gov- 

 ernment maps and referred to in reports of the international 

 boundary survey, published in 1876, are locally known as 

 Kutenai Lakes, but, of course, are not to be confounded 

 with the true Kutenai lakes lying on the Pacific slope and 

 in the bend of the Columbia River. The so-called Kutenai, 

 or Little Kutenai, lakes are crossed by the international 

 boundary line and form the sources of the Little Kutenai or 

 Waterton River, and it is probable should be known as the 

 Waterton Lakes. Chief Mountain is a well-known land- 

 mark of north-western Montana, but the Chief Mountain 

 Lakes are unknown in that country, and the lakes mentioned 

 by Mr. Doty are locally known as the St. Mary's Lakes, 

 while the large river flowing from them is called St. Mary's 

 River. It is the most important stream meeting Belly 

 River from the south. The town of Lethbridge, in Alberta, 

 N. W. T., stands at the junction of these two rivers. 



Mr. Doty's description of his route, of the country, and of 

 Chief Mountain Lake is very clear, and anyone who is 

 familiar with the region traversed will at once recognize 

 that the lakes on St. Mary's River are Chief Mountain 

 Lakes. 



For a number of years I have been in the habit of visiting 

 the region in question, which has been practically unknown 

 even to hunters and trappers, and have explored a section 

 embracing perhaps 900 square miles. 



I quote from Mr. Doty's narrative of his journey from 

 Two Medicine Lodge Creek to the Chief Mountain Lakes. 

 Under date of May 27 he says : ' ' The country is considerably 

 broken by high hills and narrow valleys of spring brooks, 

 filled with thickets of poplar and willow and flooded by 

 beaver dams. In twelve miles came to a fine stream [now 

 known as Willow Creek] which is a branch of Cut Bank 

 River; and in sixteen miles reached the Cut Bank itself, the 

 most northerly fork of Marias River. It is a rapid stream, 

 fifty feet wide, and flows through a rich valley. . . . Abroad 

 lodge-trail leads up the valley indicating that the pass is 

 considerably used — ^ probably by the Pend d' Oreilles and 

 Kootenaies who come through to hijnt buffalo. Crossed at 

 a good ford; pushed on over a range of high hills and en- 

 camped on a small stream eight miles from Cut Bank River, 

 which is no doubt one of the sources of Milk River. . . . 



" May 28. Morning cold, and the hills are white with 

 snow. The country is quite flat and full of springs and 

 spring brooks, which are the sources of Milk River. On our 

 left is a heavy forest of pine timber fifteen miles in length 

 and extending into the plain eight miles from the base of 

 the mountains. Immediately after passing the point we 

 obtained a view of the chief (sic) of King Mountain, which 

 is a bare rocky peak of a square form, standing at a distance 

 of five or six miles from the main chain, and connected with 

 it by a high ridge wooded with pine. In seventeen miles 

 came to a broad valley, the sides of which are wooded with 

 pine and poplar; and in the bottom, five hundred feet below 

 us, we saw the blue water of a mountain lake. This is the 

 well-known Chief Mountain Lake. It takes its name from 

 Chief Mountain. . . . Descending into the valley, in four 

 miles, we reached the lake and encamped in a beautiful prairie 

 bordering it. 



"May 29. Moved up the lake three miles to its inlet and 

 encamped. In this cam]) we remained until June 5th. . . . 



" Chief Mountain Lake is seven miles long by one broad. 

 Its banks are low and shore gravelly; the water clear and 

 very deep. The valley of the lake is six miles in breadth, 

 and is rolling prairie interspersed with groves of cotton wood 

 and poplar, and in the low places the birch and willow. The 

 soil is a reddish loam and is fertile, as is indicated by the 

 luxurious vegetation. Pine of a fair size and thrifty growth 

 is abundant and can easily be obtained, and there are inex- 

 haustible quarries of good limestone. 



"Connected with Chief Mountain Lake is another three- 

 fourths of a mile wide and extending some nine miles into 

 the mountains in the form of a bow, and I therefore called 

 it 'Bow Lake.' It is shut in by mountains coming close 

 down to the water, and has no valley susceptible of cultiva- 

 tion. 



" The mean of observations for latitude gives as the lati- 

 tude of this, the south end, of Chief Mountain Lake 48° 43' 

 09", or 17 miles south of the boundary line. . . . 



Numerous little streams emptying into these lakes are 

 filled with beaver dams and beaver, this industrious ani- 

 mal having been left in quiet possession of this country 

 since the low price of its fur has rendered it unprofitable to 

 trap them. Elk, moose, and deer are abundant, and salmon 

 trout of large size are taken in the lakes. 



"June 5. Started due north along the lake-shore, and in 

 seven miles came to the outlet at the extreme northern end. 

 The outlet is called in the Blackfoot language Mo-ko un or 

 Belly River. It is a swift, deep stream where it comes from 

 the lake and about 80 feet wide, and its course for some miles 

 is due north. This is the most southerly of the head-waters 

 of the Saskatchewan River." 



This excellent description of the country makes it clear to 

 my mind that the name Chief Mountain Lakes belongs to 

 those lakes, in north-western Montana, which are locally 

 known as the St. Mary's Lakes. This name was given them 

 nearly fifty years ago by Hugh Munroe, an old Hudson's 

 Bay man, and Mr. Doty's companion on the occasion of his 

 visit to the lakes. 



It would seem from Mr. Doty's description that the stream 



