34 
BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
the distance being, as he remembers, not much over one-third 
of a mile. He also says that in those days a part of the 
old portage path was in use as a regular route to the lake, 
to which the residents of Canaan went each year to gather 
cranberries. Ascending the North Fork either by lumber 
road or canoe, they would take an old logging road that 
left the Forks and ran between Lake and East Branch as 
shown by our map, and would follow this to the crossing 
of the Indian trail, when they would take the latter to the 
Lake. He adds furthermore than an Indian, known as 
Governor Francis, once described the old trail to him as 
situated in this position, while James Paul himself once, on 
the spot, actually pointed out this path as the old Indian trail. 
Mr. McDonald thinks that the path can still be traced, 
and that it is kept open in part by game. As to its exact 
position, he can give .no more definite information than is 
contained on the accompanying map, which unfortunately 
is no more than a crude sketch so far as the East Branch is 
contained. I descended this branch from the railroad in 
a canoe, intending to make a survey to the Forks, but found 
the navigation of the upper part so difficult, because of the 
alders, that it required all of our energies simply to escape 
from them. Evidently the portage did not start in or above 
this part. Below, however, the stream, though winding, is 
comparatively easy of navigation. Unfortunately at that 
time I had not the knowledge of this portage, supposing that 
it started from the Forks, so that I did not examine the 
localities with care, and the starting point may not be accur- 
ately located on my map. 
In view of the very definite and detailed character of 
Mr. McDonald’s information, in conjunction with the known 
accuracy of the abundant other data he has sent me, I have 
no question that he is correct, and that the ancient Indian 
portage had the general position indicated by his description 
and on the map. As to the apparently different testimony 
of James Paul, 1 believe that is very easily explained by the 
supposition that, after the cutting of the logging road from 
the Forks, the Indians made use of it as a direct easy carry in- 
stead of taking the much longer course of the small and winding 
stream; and this I take to be the portage direct from the 
Forks that he means. As to the new portage road, shown on 
the map from survey, that is known to be recent, having 
been made by Mr. Rider some twenty years ago. 
