Saskatoon. 



355 

 ANNOTATED GUIDE. 



MUNSON TO DAUPHIN VIA SASKATOON. 



Miles and The route traversed between Munson, Alberta, 



Kilometres. . -_ . . . ' ' 



from and Dauphin, Manitoba, is over hilly and 

 rolling prairie underlain by Cretaceous rocks. 

 The first section between Munson and Saska- 

 toon is mostly prairie, while the country to the 

 east of Saskatoon as far as Grandview is fairly 

 well wooded. Just west of Dauphin the railway 

 cuts through the first prairie escarpment between 

 the Riding and Duck mountains. 



The country is underlain by the Edmonton 

 series [3 and 4] as far east as Richdale, then 

 succeeded in descending order by the Fort 

 Pierre shales which extend east to Grandview. 

 From this point nearly to Dauphin, the country 

 is underlain by the Niobrara shales and marls 

 succeeded at Dauphin by the Dakota series. 



Munson — Altitude 2,600 ft. (780 m.). Just 

 west of the station a cutting in a coulee shows 

 about six feet (i-8 m.) of stratified sand which 

 is not consolidated to a consistent stone. 

 Overlying it is a hard band of sandstone exceed- 

 ingly rich in fossils (Ostrea). This band is 

 about eight inches (20 cm.) in thickness, and 

 probably owes its consistency to the presence of 

 cementing material from the shells which form 

 the greater proportion of the bed. 



From mile posts 166-167 to the river, both 

 sides are denuded to show typical exposures of 

 the Edmonton formation, and the railroad 

 enters the lower river flats at mile post 170-5. 



Munson Junction — Altitude 2,604 ft. 

 (781 m.). The Hand hills to the east rise about 

 1,000 feet (303 m.) above the general level of the 

 prairie and form the most marked physio- 

 graphic feature of this region. They have 

 received their name from the resemblance which 

 their outline bears to an outstretched hand, 

 four or five ridges or "fingers" to the south 

 radiating from a broader elevation, "the palm", 

 to the north. The Indian name Michichi 

 35069— 6b 



