48 



RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION, 



tion of abrupt sand-cliffs already noticed, which come upon 

 the river and seem to form the termination of ridges, 

 traversing the valley at nearly right angles to the course 

 of the stream. 



These ridges of sand are probably of very ancient date, 

 and point to the period when the waters of Dog Lake 

 were many feet higher than at present. The wearing 

 away of the barrier at the mouth of Little Dog Eiver 

 would be sufficient to account for the former higher 

 elevation. Kecent water marks showed a rise of 5 feet 

 within three miles of the mouth of the river. Fur- * 

 ther up the stream a rise of 6 feet was indicated. Its 

 average breadth is about 80 feet in ordinary seasons ; 

 its general depth at this period of the year cannot 

 be above 2 or 3 feet, indeed we were informed by 

 our steersman, that he has often known canoes to be 

 constantly impeded by shallows and sand bars when the 

 level was probably much lower than during the present 

 extraordinary season. The banks showed alder bushes, 

 willows, dogwood, and tamarack. 



The average height of the banks rises from 4 feet, a 

 short distance from the mouth of the river, to 10 feet, 

 14 miles further up. At nearly every turn, newly formed 

 oval and elongated ridges of sand protrude and show a 

 general elevation of 5 feet above the present level. Low 

 hills of granite begin to narrow the valley after passing a 

 small stream coming from the north, and said to lead to 

 a communication with the Mpigon. 



From the summit of a low granite hill, perhaps 200 

 feet above the river bed, the surrounding country was 

 distinctly mapped at our feet. The valley of the river 

 appeared to have a breadth of a mile at our point of 

 view, widening out in the direction of Dog Lake, and 

 contracting towards the Height of Land between low 



