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Title: Through the Mackenzie Basin
A Narrative of the Athabasca and Peace River Treaty Expedition of 1899

Author: Charles Mair

Release Date: June 9, 2004 [EBook #12569]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THROUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN ***

Prepared by Arthur Wendover and Andrew Sly.

Through the Mackenzie Basin

A Narrative of the Athabasca and Peace River Treaty Expedition of 1899

By Charles Mair

To the Hon. David Laird
Leader of the Treaty Expedition of 1899
This Record is Cordially Inscribed
By His Old Friend the Author

CONTENTS

Introduction

Important events of the year 1857--The _Nor'-Wester_ newspaper--The
Duke of Newcastle and the Hudson's Bay Co.'s Charter--The
"Anglo-International Financial Association"--The New Hudson's Bay
Company--Offers of American capitalists to purchase the Company's
interests--Bill providing for purchase of the same introduced into
the United States Congress--Senator Sumner's memorandum to Secretary
Fish--Various efforts to arouse public interest in the Hudson's Bay
Territories--Former Treaties with the Indians--Motives for treating
with the Indians of Athabasca--Rush of miners and prospectors into
the district--The Indian Treaty and Half-breed Commission--The Royal
North-West Mounted Police Contingent--Special stipulations with the
Indians provided for.

Chapter I
From Edmonton To Lesser Slave Lake

Arrival of Treaty and Half-breed Commissions at Edmonton--Departure
for Athabasca Landing--Tawutinaow peat beds, etc.--Arrival at the
Landing--The gas well there--Boats and trackers--Mr. d'Eschambault
and Pierre Cyr--Non-arrival of trackers--Police contingent volunteers
to track a boat to Lesser Slave Lake--Nature of country, burnt
forests, muskegs, etc.--Tracking; its difficulties--The old Indian
tracker Peokus--Forest and river scenery--Placer mining--Absence of
life along the river--Fertile soil.

Chapter II
Lesser Slave River And Lesser Slave Lake

Lesser Slave River--Its proper name--Migration of the great Algic
race--Bishop Grouard's servic