CHAPTER XXIII.

Minerals of the North-West.

Boundary of the Laurentian Series-Lower Silurian Rock-Limestone at the Stone Fort near Winnipeg-Building Stone of Winnipeg-Devonian Series along Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegoosis-Salt Deposits in these Rocks-Pure Salt Collected in 1881-Description of the Manufacture of Salt on Lake Winnipegoosis-Devonian Rocks on Peace River-Gypsum, Salt, and Petroleum-Gypsum on Peace RiverSalt Springs of Salt River-Tar Springs on the Athabasca-Cretaceous Series-Its Extension-Limestone and other Boulders-Gravel and Sand-Niobrara LimestoneSouris Coal Field-Coal in the Peace River Country-Lignite Tertiary-Its Probable Extension-Coal Deposits of Immense Extent-Pure Hematite in connection with the Coal-In the Saskatchewan Country-At Edmonton-Along Peace River-Its Probable Value-Gold on the Saskatchewan-On Peace River-Gold Washing Seldom Remunerative-Brick Clays-Their Great Value and Probable Extent-Concluding

Remarks.

GEOLOGICAL Formations represented in the North-West are very few, and a glance at a map will suffice to explain fully the following notes. On the east side of Lake Winnipeg, the Laurentian series extend from the shore line, for the greater part of the length of the lake. Striking northwesterly from the head of the Lake they appear at the western end of Lake Athabasca as a series of glaciated rocks, glistening in the sunlight like polished silver. Along the northwest shore of Lake Winnipeg, the rock exposures are Lower Silurian and those at the stone Fort are described as the Hudson River Group of the same series. On Pine Island Lake near Cumberland House, and at the Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan are many fine exposures of the Silurian series.

The rocks of the Hudson River Group furnish the building stone for the "Stone Fort," Fort Garry, all the old churches in the vicinity of Winnipeg, and all the stone for the foundations of the massive structures which have been and are now being erected in Winnipeg. Stoney Mountain will be a mine of wealth to future speculators, from which

lime, stone, and gravel will be procured for the wants of the city.

Lying farther south and possibly underlying the greater part of the western side of the Manitoba Plain are the Devonian Series. These rocks are known to be largely developed on both sides of Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegoosis. Numerous salt springs are found in connection with them, and during the last summer the writer saw salt springs and brooks of strong brine flowing from them in various localities at the head of Lake Winnipegoosis. The subjoined list of salt springs known to occur on Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegoosis may tend to excite interest in these extensive deposits:

1. Crane River, Lake Manitoba.

2. Water Hen River, Dickson's Landing.

3. Salt Point, east side of Lake Winnipegoosis.
4. Salt Springs,

5. Pine River,

6. Rivers near Duck Bay,

Winnipegoosis.

7. Turtle River, Lake Dauphin.

8. Swan or Shoal, two localities.

9. Salt River flowing into Dawson's Bay.

10. Numerous salt springs and bare saturated tracts of many acres in extent on Red Deer River, which flows into the head of Dawson Bay, Lake Winnipegoosis. For ten miles up this river salt springs are quite frequent, and excellent salt was collected in three places where it formed a crust on the surface of the ground. Some springs were examined where a respectable rivulet of strong brine issued from them clear as crystal and evidently quite pure. All the springs and marshes seen were bordered with seaside plants, and one of them, which has never been found from the sea coast before in America, was found in abundance. The plant referred to is Sea Side Plantam (Plantago Maritima.)

From time immemorial, salt has been manufactured along the west sides of Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegoosis, and at Salt Springs the manufacture was carried on by John Monkman, in 1859, when the works were visited by Professor Henry Y. Hind. The manufacture had been carried on for forty years prior to that time by Jas. Monkman, his father. Professor Hind thus describes the springs and the manufacture of salt at the time of his visit :

:

"The soil at the Salt Springs is a very retentive yellowish-white clay, containing small limestone boulders and pebbles, with boulders of the unfossiliferous rocks. The wells, for obtaining a supply of brine, are sunk wherever a small bubbling spring is observed to issue from this retentive clay. The springs are constantly changing their position, and as the wells become exhausted from time to time, a fresh excavation is made where a new spring is observed to issue. No doubt boring, or deeper wells, would prevent these changes, and not only secure a larger flow of brine, but insure its permanency. The wells at present are twenty-five in number; but some of them appear to have been lately abandoned, and others have long since ceased to yield brine. They are situated four hundred yards from the lake shore, and were first worked forty years since, by James Monkman. He has made salt at both Swan and Duck Rivers. The manufacture is now carried on with profit for the Hudson's Bay Company, at Swan River, and at Winnipegoosis Lake by Monkman's sons.

"At the Works' there are two small log-houses and three evaporating furnaces. The kettles of English construction, are well-made rectangular vessels of iron, five feet long, two feet broad, and one foot deep. They are laid upon two rough stone walls, about twenty inches apart, which form the furnace. At one extremity is a low chimney. The whole construction is of the rudest description; and at the close of the season the kettles are removed,

turned over, and the furnace permitted to go to ruin, to be rebuilt the following spring.

"The process of making salt is as follows. When a pring is found a well five feet broad and five feet deep is excavated, and near this an evaporating furnace is erected. The brine from the wells is ladled into the kettles, and the salt scooped out as it forms, and allowed to remain for a short time to drain, before it is packed in birch bark roggins for transportation to Red River, where it commands twelve shillings sterling a bushel, or one hundred weight of flour, or a corresponding quantity of fish, pemican, or buffalo meat, according to circumstances."

While on the subject of salt I cannot do better than speak of that which is obtained on Salt River, an affluent of Slave River. Salt obtained here is used throughout the north. In September, 1875, during my visit to Fort Chipweyan at the western end of Lake Athabasca, a boat load of excellent salt was brought up from Salt River. It differed from common coarse salt in consisting of large cubical crystals, which were very hard when placed under the teeth.

Sir John Richardson, in his narrative of the Arctic Searching Expedition under his command, thus speaks of the salt deposits on Salt River:-"In 1820, I ascended the very tortuous Salt River, for twenty miles, for the purpose of visiting the salt springs, which give it its name. Seven or eight copious springs issue from the base of a long even ridge, some hundreds of feet high, and, spreading their waters over a clayey plain, deposit much pure common salt in large cubical crystals. The mother water, flowing off in small rivulets into the Salt River, communicates to it a very bitter taste; but before the united streams join the Slave River, the accession of various fresh-water rivulets dilutes the water so much that it remains only slightly brackish. A few slabs of greyish compact gypsum protrude

from the side of the ridge above mentioned, and a pure white gypsum is said to be found at Peace Point on Peace River, distant about sixty or seventy miles in a southwest direction, whence we may conjecture that these springs may belong to the Onondago salt group of the Helderberg division of the New York system. The Athabasca and Mackenzie River districts are supplied from hence with abundance of good salt. We obtained some bags of this useful article from Beaulieu, who was guide and hunter to Sir John Franklin on his second overland journey, and who has built a house at the mouth of Salt River. This is a well chosen locality for his residence. His sons procure abundance of deer and bison meat on the salt plains, which these animals frequent in numbers, from their predilection for that mineral; and Slave River yields plenty of good fish at certain seasons."

The Devonian rocks crop out on Peace River, below Fort Vermillion, and show very fine sections at the falls on Peace River near Little Red River, and at other points. All the rock at the falls is a blueish limestone, which, when fully exposed to the influence of the weather, breaks up into thin layers. On the right bank, immediately below the falls, it forms cliffs from twenty to thirty feet high. The River at this point is nearly a mile wide, and presents a series of little falls all the way across. The many small rocky islands and isolated rocks that rise out of the river, and on the brink of the fall, all the way to the other side, form a beautiful panorama of rushing and falling water, with wooded or rocky islets, succeeded below the falls by placid river and sylvan scene. At present (August 15) the fall is about fifteen feet, but at high water it cannot be half as much. A couple of fossils were obtained here, which were identical with others collected from a different locality. The islands in the river below the falls are rocky; rocks are also exposed on the right bank for about two miles, and are then