FOREST AND STREAM 
1177 
to disappear beneath the water. At La Loutre 
rapids the government is building a great dam 
to harness the “white coal” that runs the mills 
on the lower St. Maurice. By 1918 where now 
are clustered lakes linked by silver rapids will 
be an inland sea with unnumbered crooked 
arms. The clean-wooded lake and river shores 
will be fringed with unsightly deadwood, and 
the rapids will be no more. 
The N. T. R. has given; the N. T. R. has 
taken away; blessed be the N. T. R. that has 
opened up some thousand other cruising para¬ 
dises. 
DATA FOR HEADWATERS OF ST. MAURICE 
RIVER, QUEBEC. 
The following data, made up of notes taken 
during the trip, may be of assistance to sports¬ 
men who contemplate making a similar journey: 
Guides: Very difficult to procure at La Tuque, 
the nearest town of any size—3,000-4,000 inhabi¬ 
tants—few if any of residents have been over 
ground, nor had my guide, Paul Mercier of 
La Tuque. Perhaps Mr. Alphide Tremblay, of 
La Tuque, or Midlige and Edwardson, of Escal- 
ana, would furnish guides and canoes if applied 
to in advance. 
Canoes: Found none for rent in La Tuque 
and only one for sale. 
Provisions, etc.: Easily obtainable in La 
Tuque, and there are small stores at Escalana 
and Manouan; but tents, dunnage, bags and 
blankets had better be brought along. 
MapS: The only available ones are those 
gotten up by the Commission du Regime des 
Eaux Courantes de Quebec in connection with 
the La Loutre dam project. On small scale, but 
very accurate and show distances, portages, 
rapids, elevations; with compass can be easily 
followed. 
Railroad: Take National Transcontinental 
(consult “Canadian Gov’t Rys.” folder) via 
Quebec or Cochrane to Escalana (called “Osca- 
lanea” by Ry. time-table). Start can be made 
instead at Manouan, but that would mean up¬ 
stream paddling. Through train Quebec to 
Cochrane has been running since middle June; 
Quebec to Escalana in 12% hours; 3 days a 
week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 
Canoe route: Describes a rough semi-circle 
north of steel, beginning at Escalana and end¬ 
ing at Manouan; total distance 165 miles. Num¬ 
berless side trips could be taken. First 100 
miles through following lakes, varying from 5 
to 20 miles long and on an average 2 to 4 
miles wide, all at nearly the same elevation above 
sea level, namely about 1,300 feet, and connected 
by short bits of stream or rapid, with portages 
never over a quarter mile: Escalana, Grand 
Lac du Sud, Lac du Nord, Obidjuan, Onigamis, 
Aux Sables, Traverse or Asewawasenan, Cou- 
The Long Summer Days in Northern Canada. 
tidiwasten; short cut if desired from Onigamis 
to Traverse via Lac a la Perchaude. Last 65 
miles down St. Maurice River proper; as far 
as La Loutre dam, no rapids, mostly dead water 
or slight current; below dam are following 
rapids, none safe to run: La Loutre, portage R; 
Cypres, Bouleau, La Montagne, portages L; 
Petit Rocher, Wendigo, portages R; Chaudiere, 
portage L; Chaudiere portage about half mile, 
others average about quarter mile; watch bad 
draw above some of rapids, especially Chaudiere; 
about halfway between Chaudiere and Manouan 
is Nine-mile Rapid—can be easily run—and 
several miles of swift current, not dangerous 
if you watch the eddies well. 
Topography: Country is well east of the 
clay belt. Rolling ground; hills never over 
500-600 feet high. 
Trees: Heavily wooded throughout, chiefly 
with canoe birch, aspen, Banksian or Jack pine, 
spruce; no red or white pine; a few tamarack, 
and down river some balsam fir and maple. 
Much of country badly burnt about fifty years 
ago; very little recent brule. Timber has never 
been cut at all along route, but some pulpwood 
has been taken from eastern section back in 
country. 
Fish: No strikes in any of rapids we tried. 
Trolling: pike and dore; former abundant; wire 
leader for troll advisable. Trout to be found 
perhaps in some of smaller waters off main 
route, as is case around La Tuque. 
Game: Caribou and deer: none apparently. 
Moose: only one seen, and tracks seen only once 
or twice: Grouse: only one drummer heard, 
that on river. Moose reported by best and dis¬ 
interested authorities to be abundant around La 
Tuque and Vermilion River. 
Mosquitoes and black flies: Not so bad on 
lakes; quite bad at some points on river; active 
from May to September. 
Inhabitants: None but Indians of Tetes de 
Boule tribe—related closely to Montagnais and 
eastern Ojibwa—chiefly at Obidjuan Lake where 
there is a newly-acquired reservation and a 
Hudson Bay Co. post, factor Mr. Chas. Mac¬ 
kenzie. The Obidjuan Tetes de Boule do not, 
with rare exceptions, speak French or English 
at all. 
La Loutre dam: About 45 miles up river 
fisom Manouan, and a little above La Loutre 
rapids; when finished will raise water level 37 
feet at dam site, and will drown shores and 
low country as far back as Escalana Lake; an 
enormous project, to be finished in 1918; con¬ 
struction company, superintendent, Mr. J. J. 
McCarthy, runs steamer and launches from 
Manouan to Chaudiere and railway from Chau¬ 
diere to La Loutre, and has telephone from 
Manouan to La Loutre. 
