Chapter I: Front Matter

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--Tawutináow 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 service in the wilderness--Returning Klondikers--The rapids; poling--Accident to Peokus--Celebration of Père Lacombe's fiftieth year of missionary labors--Arrival of half-breed trackers from Lesser Slave Lake--Great hay meadows on the Lesser Slave River--The island in Lesser Slave Lake--Trackers' gambling games--Swan River--A dangerous squall--Chief Factor Shaw--A free-traders' village.

Chapter III
Treaty At Lesser Slave Lake

The Treaty point at last--Our camp at Lesser Slave Lake--The Treaty ground and assembly--"Civilized" Indians--Keenooshayo and Moostoos--The Treaty proceedings--The Treaty Commissioners separate--Vermilion and Fort Chipewyan treaties--Indian chief asks for a railway--Wahpoośkow Treaty--McKenna and Ross set out for Home--Commission issued to J. A. Macrae--Numbers of Indians treated with.

Chapter IV
The Half-Breed Scrip Commission

The half-breeds collect at Lesser Slave Lake--They decide upon cash, scrip or nothing--Honesty of the half-breeds and Indians--Ease of parturition amongst their women--Cree family names and their significance--Catherine Bisson--Native traits--The mongrel dog--Gambling and dancing--The "Red River jig".

Chapter V
Resources Of Lesser Slave Lake Region

Indian lunatics: The Weeghteko--Treatment of lunatics in old Upper Canada--Lesser Slave Lake fisheries--Stock-raising at the lake--Prairies of the region--The region once a buffalo country--Quality of the soil--Wheat and roots and vegetables--Unwise to settle in large numbers in the country at present--The "blind pig"--A native row.

Chapter VI
On The Trail To Peace River

On the trail to Peace River--The South Heart River--Good farming lands--The Little Prairie--Peace River Crossing--The vast banks of the Peace a country in themselves--Wild fruits--Prospectors from the Selwyn Mountains--The Poker Flat Mining Camp--Buffalo paths and wallows--Magnificent prairies between Peace River Landing and Fort Dunvegan--Fort Dunvegan--Sir George Simpson and Colin Fraser--Some townships blocked here--The Roman Catholic Mission--Baffled miners returning--The natives of Dunvegan--Relics of the old régime--Large families the rule--The Church missions--Back to Peace River Crossing--Tepees, tents and trading stores--Mr. Alexander Mackenzie--The sites of old fur posts--Indian names of the Peace River--Description of the agricultural and other resources of the Upper Peace River--The Chinook winds--Grand Prairie--Rainfall scanty on prairies throughout the River--Lack of waggon roads and trail facilities.

Chapter VII
Down The Peace River

The descent of the Peace River--Wolverine Point--A good farming country--Paddle River and Keg of Rum River prairies--Heavy spruce forests here--Vermilion settlement--The Lawrence family and farm--Extensive wheat fields--Cattle and hog raising--Locusts--Symptoms of volcanic action--Old Lizotte and old King Beaulieu--The Chutes of Peace River--The Red River; its rich soil and prairies--Peace Point--A wild goose chase--The Gargantuan feasts of Peace River--The Quatre Fourches--Athabasca Lake.

Chapter VIII
Fort Chipewyan To Fort McMurray

Fort Chipewyan and Athabasca Lake--Colin Fraser's trading-post--The Barren Ground reindeer--Feathered land game--The Indians of Fond du Lac--Mineral resources--First companies formed to prospect the Great Slave Lake minerals--The Helpman party--The Yukon Valley Prospecting and Mining Company--Assays of copper ore--A great mineral country--A railway required from Chesterfield Inlet to develop it--Moss of the Banner Lands--Lake Athabasca the rallying place of the Déné race--Meaning of Indian generic names--"Mackenzie's country"--Its first traders--The North-West Company--The original Indians--The mastodon believed by the natives to exist--Return of Klondikers from Mackenzie River--Their bad conduct--By steamer _Grahame_ to Fort McMurray--Killing a moose--Fort McMurray.

Chapter IX
The Athabasca River Region

The tar-banks--Characteristic features of the river--The rapids of the Athabasca--The cut-banks--A freshet--A fine camp--The "Indian lop-stick"--The natural gas springs--Grand Rapids--Coal abundant--Good farming country--The Point at House River--The Joli Fou Rapid--Bad tracking--Pelican Portage--Spouting gas well--Matcheese, the Indian runner.