41 
monly apparent throughout the park. Many muskegs are bordered abruptly 
by sand ridges, where there is no close relationship with the upland 
vegetation. 
Figure 4 is a map of a bit of country a few miles east of Moose (Eight) 
lake, showing the general arrangement of the vegetation in the marginal part 
of Moose Lake basin. The relatively large areas covered by wet meadow 
and muskeg shrubs, as well as the large amount of surface water, indicate 
the character of the topography. The diagonal strips of jackpine timber are 
on sandy morainic ridges which appear to be superposed upon an older 
topography consisting of low, broad elevations and depressions that have a 
trend to the west-northwest. This latter trend is in the direction thought to 
have been followed by the Pleistocene ice in its movement westward, whereas 
the sand ridges are most probably parts of the great lobate morainic system 
that converges to form the Ninishith hills to the northward. Many of the 
smaller lakes show evidences of lowering water levels, and one of the most 
interesting features of the region is the presence of low sand-plains that 
have been but recently exposed by this gradual drainage. They have a 
nearly pure stand of jackpine on them. Plate VI, A, B, shows muskegs in 
shrubby and partly timbered conditions. 
SEMI-OPEN PRAIRIE 1 VEGETATION 
Open areas in the forest, with herbaceous vegetation consisting largely 
of prairie grasses and other herbs common to open ground, have been 
described by several travellers who have visited parts of the upland* west 
of Slave river. Many early explorers, traders, and casual travellers ascended 
Salt river to the springs at the base of Salt mountain, but very few have 
contributed anything other than a general description. Camsell in 1902 (13) 
and Seton in 1907 (65) visited the upland prairies southwest of Fort Smith 
and made excellent notes on their extent and condition, and Seibert’s 
map (63) (1922) shows clearly the outline of the semi-open area that lies 
between Grassy slough and Flatgrass lake. The writer has found no pub- 
lished accounts of the prairies north of Peace river at the base of Caiibou 
mountains. 
The wood buffalo have used the prairies as summer feeding grounds 
from time immemorial (54). Their deep-worn migration trails near Pine 
lake converge upon the Grassy Slough-Flatgrass Lake openings, where the 
animals make their appearance in spring as soon as the new green shoots of 
the prairie grasses start growing. The open places, as well as the neigh- 
bouring ridges, are dotted with the saucer-like depressions of their wal- 
lows. No buffalo were seen at the base of Caribou mountains, nor was there 
any indication of their presence there for many years, but long-abandoned 
wallow holes show that they must have lived there before their range was 
restricted to the area just west of Slave river. 
The Roman Catholic Mission at Fort Smith for many years maintained 
a farm at Salt river, in the Salt Plain country. Oats, barley, hardy vege- 
tables, and some wheat were raised successfully, and a herd of cattle sup- 
i The term " prairie ” is here used in a broad sense, to include all grassland vegetation in the uplands. 
