Capt. Blakiston’s Explorations in the Rocky Mountains, 321 
Thickwood Cree Indian “James,” whom I had engaged as 
hunter to the party. I had ten horses, five of which were used 
for riding, and the rest carried the packs, containing a quantit 
of ball and powder, tobacco, a few knives, and other articles of 
small value for Indian trade; also some dried meat and pemmi- 
can, with tea, sugar and salt, as well as two boxes containing 
my instruments, books, &c. 
Soon after leaving Bow River, we crossed one of its tributa- 
ties, the Kananaskasis or Lake River, a rapid stream coming out 
of the mountains from the southwest; here we saw the remains 
of many wooden carts, which had been abandoned by a party 
of emigrants from Red River Settlement, under the late Mr. 
James Sinclair, on their way to the Columbia, in 1854, who had 
found it impossible to drag them farther into the mountains. 
This pass, 1 believe, follows the course of the river to its source, 
and is the one by which Sir George Simpson governor of the 
territories of the Hudson’s Bay Company, as well as another 
party of emigrants crossed the Rocky Mountains in 1841. In 
the past season it was travelled by Capt. Palliser. — 
The forest consists of spruce (Adzies alba), a small pine (P. Bank- 
charact 
The following day, our course still tending a good deal to the 
eastward, carried us farther and farther from the mountains, but 
We passed within twelve miles of a marked outlier, which from 
Xs peculiar form, I called “‘The Family.” After this as we 
travelled along through a partially wooded country, and rece- 
ding from the near hills which: obstructed the view, a sharp peak 
Omenon was caused by the aqueous vapor of the warm Pacific 
