30 c 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



Inlet. 



Outlet. 



Vermilion 

 Lake. 



Knife River. 



Surrounding 

 country. 



High shore. 

 Burnt timber. 



Clear water. 



Large trout. 



Origin of the 

 name of the 

 lake. 



Route from 

 Oxford to 

 Island Lake. 



Portages. 



which flows into the latter. The river from Island Lake enters the 

 south-western extremity of God's Lake, and here the Long Rapid or 

 Kinoutchewan is encountered. God's Lake does not discharge into 

 Knee Lake, as hitherto represented on sketch-maps, but by God's 

 River, a lai'ge and rapid stream, which, on uniting with the Little 

 Severn from the south, forms the Shamattawa River. The outlet of 

 the lake is on the north side, about mid-way between Swampy Portage 

 and its north-east extremity. Yermilion Lake lies not far to the 

 north-east of the foot of God's Lake and sends its water into God's 

 River, some distance below the lake of the same name. Knife River, 

 about the same size as Touchwood River, enters the south-east side of 

 the lake twenty miles from its north-east extremity. 



God's Lake, being comparatively free from islands, presents to the 

 eye a greater expanse of water than any other in this part of the 

 country, but Island Lake is about one third larger. The region 

 around God's Lake, as far as can be judged from its appearance from 

 the lake, is rocky but mainly level, and the surface of the water lies, 

 apparently, only about fifty feet, or less, below the general surface of 

 the land immediately surrounding the lake. Between Knife River 

 and Manitouwapa, a distance of eight miles, the bank is higher than 

 usual, the rocks in some places rising as much as 200 feet above the 

 level of the lake. The timber has been burnt at different times over 

 more than half of the tract visible from the lake, and the same con- 

 ditions are said to extend far into the interior all around. The water, 

 which is clear, is said to be deep throughout most of the lake, and it 

 abounds in fine fish, the more valuable of which are the whitefish and 

 grey trout. Specimens of the latter are occasionally caught of great 

 size. This circumstance has given origin to the fables told by the 

 Indians of the mythical trout of huge proportions represented as 

 inhabiting these waters. The present name of the lake has in some 

 way grown out of the legends connected with this supernatural fish. 



Having completed his exploration of God's Lake, Mr. Cochrane 

 returned to Oxford House for a new outfit, and then proceeded to 

 Island Lake by way of the route which leaves the eastern extremity 

 of Oxford Lake and passes through the south-western division of God's 

 Lake. Betwen these two sheets of water the route traverses Rat, 

 Clearwater, and Touchwood Lake. In order to go from Rat Lake to 

 Clearwater Lake, three portages required to be made (the intervening 

 space being broken by two ponds), namely, the Long Portage, 3759 

 yards; Ant Portage, 873 yards; and High-hill Portage, 1538 yards. 

 The country between Oxford Lake and the south-western part of God's 

 Lake along this route is not quite so rocky, nor is the timber so much 

 burnt as it is around the latter lake. 



