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 British 
 Columbia 
 
 1901 
 
 LIBRARY OF C0NQftE88, 
 
 JUL 2 6 1901 
 
 DIVIIION OF MCUMENTt. 
 

 £J 
 
BRITISH COLUMBIA 
 
 Tbe Most Westerly Province of Canada. 
 
 ITS Position 
 Advantages 
 Resources 
 AND Climate 
 
 NEW FIELDS FOR 
 
 Mining, Farming, Fruit Growing 
 and Ranching , ,, 
 
 ALONG THE LINES OF 
 The Canadian Pacific Railway 
 
 INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTORS, MINERS AND 
 INTENDING SETTLERS. 
 
 1901 
 
INDEX TO CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Introduction 3 
 
 Coast and Harbours 4 
 
 Rivers and Lakes 5 
 
 The Kootenay District 7 
 
 East Kootenay 7 
 
 West Kootenay 13 
 
 Yale District 20 
 
 Boundary Country 21 
 
 Okanagan Valley 22 
 
 Nicola Valley 24 
 
 Thompson Valley 25 
 
 Lillooet District 30 
 
 Cariboo District 30 
 
 Cassiar District 32 
 
 Omineca District 33 
 
 Atlin Lake 34 
 
 Porcupine District ; 35 
 
 Ti^^todostej- DisVrjc^;; .*••.* 36 
 
 'Vahcdii^eflslanTf.:.:.. •...*. — 40 
 
 •Minerals of.^rjtish.Cplumbia 44 
 
 Sy'n«iJsi5*of«'B.,f'. MiMi3g.*Laws 47 
 
 Timber 49 
 
 Fisheries 51 
 
 Lands 52 
 
 Climate 57 
 
 Trade 61 
 
 Education 61 
 
 Sport 63 
 
 How to Beach British Columbia ,.....,...,.. 64 
 
 U- 
 
BRITISH COLUMBIA 
 
 Canada's Prosperous Province 
 on the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 British Columibia, one of the richest and most resourceful pro- 
 vlmcea of thie Dominion of Canada, occupies a large portion of the 
 western part of the continent of Nonth Ameiiica. It lies ImraedJajtely 
 to the north of the Ameincan States of Wasihdngton, Idaho, and part 
 of Montana, the 491h north parallel forming fhe international bound- 
 ary, and with the summit of the Rocky Mountains separating it from 
 the distiiot of Alberta in the Nonth-West Territories on the east. 
 The province extends northerly to the 60° of north latitude. Beitweien 
 latitude 54° and 60° it occupies the whole country between the sea 
 coast and 120° latitude, witli the exception of a narrow strip along 
 the coast that belongs to Alaska. Included within its limits are Van- 
 couver Island and Queen Charldtte Islands and a large po<rtion of the 
 ardhipelago of the Pacific. The province has a length of about 900 
 miles, with an average width of 450, embracing an esitimated area of 
 abouit 400,000 square miles. 
 
 BritJslh Columbia is Canada's great western outlet to Japan, 
 China and the other counitries of the Orient, to Hawaii, New Zealand 
 ajnd Australia, to the whoUe North Pacific Coast and to the famed 
 gold basin of the Yukon which lies directly to the north of It. Its 
 trade is yearly increasing by leaps and bounds, and, through Its 
 excellent means of communication with all parts of the globe, has 
 already reached asitonisihing dimensions. The high commercial and 
 political importance the province has attained is permanently 
 assured by its commanding geograpihical position which bears a 
 samewbat similar relaiticn to a large portion of the North American 
 continent that Great Britain does to Euroipe for the trade of the 
 world. The wealth of its mines, forests, waters and soil is iwactically 
 allimltablie, each succeeding year demonstrating tbe mai-vellous rich- 
 ness of its varied resources. 
 
 Speaking generally, British Coilumbia is a highly mineralized 
 mountainous country with intervening valleys of splendid arable and 
 pasture Jands, magnificent forests and incomparable waterways. Its 
 timber is unequalled in quality, quantity and variety; its numerouB 
 gold, capper, silver-lead and coal miimes already working and under 
 process of development, and the wide extent of partly unexplored 
 temitory denote vast area* of mineral wealth; ita fertile valleys 
 
BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 indioate womderful agrScailturail, ihorfciculituiraJl and fruit growing possi- 
 bilities; ajnid its watens contain untol'd quantities of the most yaJLuable 
 fish. These, coonbined, give Bnitish Coiuimbia a weSith, the vastil^sB of 
 which is alimost beyond human comprehension. "WTiiie large t'i-aicts, 
 especdiaiUy in .the northerin part, are pa-actically unexiplored, the ~ 
 soutihern, central, and coast portions of the province are entering 
 upon a new and prosiperoiuis era through the rapid dev&lopiment of their 
 bounidiLess resources wihiich is now rendered easily possiible by the in- 
 creased transiportation facilities afforded for land and water ti-avel by 
 the Canadian Pacific Railiway Coonpany. No other country has shown 
 greater progress during recent years than Dri,tish Coiliim.bia, and it 
 is mow offering unsurpassed iinldiu cements to the settler in search of a 
 farm, the stockman seeking a ranch, the fruit-grower in want of an 
 orchard, the miner in quest of gold, siilver or other preoious metals, 
 the lumberman, the fisherman, the business miam, or the capitallist, 
 whether large or simaM, who seeks investment for his money. It is a 
 magnficent country oif great possdbiiities and certainties to the perse- 
 vering, frugal and industrious, and one which offers countless opipor- 
 tunities for all. 
 
 A perusal of this pamipMet will give the reader soich information 
 regarding the province that, should he determine upon visiiting it with 
 the intention of remaining, he will be materially aided in the ©elec- 
 tion of his new field of operations without loss of time or money. 
 
 Coast and Harbours 
 
 Britisih Columbia has a magnificent ocean frontage of over 1,000 
 mines; its coast line on both island and mainland being sinuous and 
 indented to a remarkable degree. It has many fine harbours, the 
 principal of which is located at the entrance of Burrard Inlet, a few 
 miles north of the mouth of the Fi-aser River, on which is Vancouver, 
 the western terminus O'f the Canadian Pacific Railway, w^^hich tra- 
 verses the Dominion from Atlantic tidewater. 
 
 Victoria, on Vancouver Island, possesses an outer harbour at 
 w<hich all thie ocean liners dock, and an inner harbour for vessels 
 drawing up to eighteen feet. 
 
 Three miles from Victoria is Esquimau harbour, whidh is about 
 three miles long and something under two miles broad in the widest 
 part : iit has an average depth of six to eight fathoms, and affords 
 excellent holding ground, the bottom being a tenacious blue clay. The 
 Canadian Government has built a dry-dock at E-squimalt with a 
 length of 450 feet, and width of 90 feet at the entrance, to accommo- 
 date vessels of larger size. 
 
 Nanaimo, at the coal mines, has also a commodious and well 
 sheltered harbour, from which large shipmeijilts Qf coal are Tnade to 
 Pan^^iafi and United States poij^ts, 
 
RIVERS AND. LAKES. 
 
 Rivers and Lakes 
 
 No country has more magniflcenit waterways than British 
 Columbia, and in several seotions they form the principal means of 
 coimimuniication. 
 
 Of the rivers of British Columbia the principal are the Fraser, the 
 Columbia, the Thompson, the Kootenay, the Skeena, the Stikine, the 
 Liard, and 'the Peace. The Praser is thie great watefroourse of the 
 province. It rises in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains, runs 
 for about 200 miles in two branches in a westerly direction, and then 
 in one stream runs due south for nearly 400 miles before turning to 
 rush through the gorges of the Coast range to the Strait of Georgia. 
 Its totail length is about 740 miles. On i'ts way it receives the waters 
 at the Thompson, the Chilicoten, thie Liliooet, the Nicola, the Harrison, 
 the Pitt, and numerous oither streams. For 'the last 80 miles of its 
 course it flows through a wide alluvial plain, which has mainly been 
 deposited from its own silt. It is navigable for vessels drawing 
 twenty feet to New Westminster, about fifteen miles from its mouth, 
 and for light draught river boats to Yale, a small town 110 miles from 
 the mouth, and a.gain for simaller craft for about 60 miles of its ceurse 
 through the northern interior, from Quesnelle Mouth to Soda Creek 
 in Cariboo. 
 
 The Columibia is a large river rising in the sorutlh-eastern part of 
 the province, in thie neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, near 
 Kootenay ijake. It runs north beyond the 52nd degree of latitude, 
 when it takes a sudden turn and runs due south into the State of 
 Washington. It is this loop made by thie abrupt turn of the river 
 that is known as the " Big Bend of the Columbia." The Columibia 
 drains a total of 195,000 square miiles. 
 
 The Kootenay rises near the head waters of the CO'lumbia and 
 flows south through East Kootenay into the States of Montana and 
 Idaho, and returning to British Coluimibia, empties into Kootenay 
 Lake, its waters again being discharged through the Lower Kootenay 
 River into the retairning branch of the Columbia some distance south 
 of the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
 
 The Peace River rises some distance north of the north bend of 
 the Fraser, and flows eastwardly through the Rocky Mountains, 
 draining the plains on the other side. Gold discoveries at its head 
 waters have been reported in recent years, but the river more properly 
 belongs to the dtetriot east of the mountains that bears its name. 
 
 The Thomipson River has two branches, known as the North 
 Thoimpson and the South Thomipson, the former rising in small lakes 
 in the Cariboo District, and the other in the Shuswap Lakes in the 
 Yale District. They join at Kamloops and flow east out of Kam- 
 loops Lake into the Fraser River at Lytton. 
 
THE KOOTENAY COUNTRY. 
 
 The Stikine, Tvthidh flowB Imto the Pacific Ocean through a a(hioirt 
 
 stretch of Alaskan tearitory, fonma the main artery of commumikaa- 
 tion for a large portion of the province north of latitude 57 degs., and 
 for yeans has been regularay navigated. The Cassiar mining dliStriot 
 is reached by It. It is navigable for river steamlboats for abooit 130 
 miles to GWenora and Tielegrapfh Creek. 
 
 The prinicipal lakes are the Kootenay, SHooan, Arrow (Upper 
 and Lower), Okanagan, Shiuswap and Harrison in SouChern British 
 Columbia and Quesnelle in Northern. They are all naviigable, and on 
 tihe four first named, an unexcelled steamlboat service has been estab- 
 lished by 'the Canadian Pacific Railway Co., which connects with its 
 extensive system of branch railrways that griidlrons the country, and 
 affords a convenient and luxurious means of commundoatlon through- 
 out the entire year in that portion of tihe province. A system of car 
 ferries is also in operation 'by which freight cars are taken througfh to 
 their destination from the place of ahiptment without breaking bulk, 
 thus enabling the handHing of goods, etc., at comparatively lo<w 
 charges. 
 
 Local Districts 
 
 The i)rovince is divided into the Kootenay, Tale, Lillooet, Wiest- 
 mlnister, Oaiuboo and C5assiar districts on the mainland, and the 
 Coctnax (whidh includes .the northern half of Vancouver Island and a 
 portion of the opposite mainland), Albernl, Nanaimo, Cowlchan and 
 Eisquimalt DiLstrdcts on Vancouver Island. These districts are suTj- 
 dlivlded for local purposes, and in the mineral ibearing regions min- 
 ing divisions are formed, their Idmits being usually the surrounding 
 watersheds. 
 
 The Kootenay District 
 
 The Kootenay district, comiprising an area of over 15,000,000 acnes, 
 extends north and soutlh from the international boundary to the Big 
 Bend of the Columibia. It is divided by the Purcell range of the 
 Selkirks into East and West Kootenay. Almost the entire district is 
 drained by the ColumJbia river whdich flows north through East 
 Kootenay and south through West Kootenay. 
 
 East Kootenay 
 
 East Kootenay, lying between Alberta on the east, from which it 
 Is separated by tIhe Rocky Mountains, and West Kootenay on the 
 west, comprises the larger part of the famous Kootenay region of 
 Brdtlsih Oduimlbia. The country practically contains every variety 
 of mineral wealth that is known to exist In North America, and which 
 la found in every f onm — singly and in combination. The great wealth 
 of the region has been known for years, and in the early days of 
 piaeer mining: It yleldied mllMoais, b\it the lack of means of oommmnl- 
 
ft BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 —^ -— — 
 
 cation and Ihe heavy cost of transportation of supplies and machin- 
 ery,, eom'bin^d with the ,ricih discoveries in other parts ^ of the pro- 
 i^'injce which were more easy of access, maturatLly retarded -mining 
 pperatiotms :seriously and prevented the work of d-eveiopment reaching 
 those immense proportions which, under more favorable conditions, 
 would have been attained. The recent comipletion and operation of 
 the Crow's Nest Pass Railway, which traverses one of the richest 
 parts of the district, have removed these impending obstacles and are 
 giving a marvellous impulse to the .work of development. .By this 
 new avenue of commiunicatdon, access is now readily g-ained to this 
 region, and a new mining empire is being opened to the world. The 
 magnitude of the latent riches of this imimense tract can scarcely be 
 estimated yet, nor will the full extent of its- mineral deposits be 
 known for some time, for although the work of prospecting has been 
 viigOTOusdy prosecuted, with most gratifying results, there is still a 
 large area to be explored. The existence of immense bodies of ore 
 has already been established, but how wide their distribution is can 
 only be deteiTnined by actual seaix;h. Prospectors find here magni- 
 ficent opportunities for discovery, and practical mining men and 
 capitalists an unsurpassed field for investment. Notwithstanding 
 tihe disadvantages under which East Kootenay labored prior to 1898, 
 mining operations were carried on suocessfiulily and on a compara- 
 tively large scale in some locaJlities, and with the adequate trans- 
 portation facilities now .afforded the work of development is- rapidly 
 increasimg. 
 
 Besides goiM, copper and silver-lead, East Kootenay also possesses 
 what are believed to be the greatest coal deposits in the world, which 
 already have a wide reputation, both on account of the quality and 
 the quantity of coal extracted. These coal fields, which are without 
 doubt the best and most extensive undeveloped on the continent, are 
 situated in the south-east part of the district, and are traversed by 
 the Crow's Nest Pass Railway. The first or eastern deposits are not 
 far from the west end of the Crow's Nest Pass through the Rocky 
 Mountains, and consist of tw^enty seams of coal, one above another, 
 clearly visible along the mountain ridges and stretching to the sum- 
 mits. Fourteen of these seams are cannel coal, but the lower ones 
 are anthracite in their nature. Three of the seams are respectively 
 fifteen, twenty and thirty feet wide. Another great series of seams 
 is that in the Elk River Valley, where they extend for a distance of 
 forty miles; they range froom three to thirty feet in thickness — eleven 
 seams In all, making a total of 148 feet in thickness of coal exiposed. 
 An analysis and test of these coals have been made, and the results 
 as shown in the Government reports prove that thtey compare favor- 
 ably with the best coals of the same variety in Pennsylvania. Of 
 coking coal there is an abundance which is proving of great import- 
 ance to the smelters of British Ooluimlbia, It being indispensable for 
 
ilAST KOOTENAY. d 
 
 the treatment of refractory ot&s. The devieloipment of these coal 
 measures has already commenced, and not only is coal supplied east 
 and west, but over 300 coke ovens are already in operation and their 
 number wilil be largely augmented as the demand for coke increases. 
 In oLher portions of southern East Kootenay are deposits of coal 
 which are now being prospected, and there is every reason to believe 
 that before long a number of thriving towns will spring up in the 
 region. 
 
 One of the various resources of East Kootenay that is now await- 
 ing development is located in the southern part of this district, and 
 in a section of country of which but little has hitherto been known, 
 where there are extensive oil fields which were discovered a fiew 
 years ago. Over a large area there are indications of the presence of 
 oil, and the work of development wiLl be commenced during this year. 
 
 The lumber industry is a great and a growing one. TJnere are 
 large saw-milis located throughout the district, and the output finds 
 a ready market. 
 
 The resources of East Kootenay. however, unlike those of mining 
 regions generally, are no't confined to minerals. The district is, 
 speaking generally, also a good agricuLtural and pasture country. It 
 contains a valley nearly 300 miles long, from the international bound- 
 ary line to the apex of the Kootenay triangle of the Big Bend of the 
 Columbia, witih an average width of eight to ten miles, in the centre 
 of which is enclosed the mother lakes of the Columbia, 2,850 feet 
 above sea leveL '* It is," says Judge Sproat's report, " one of the pret- 
 tiest and most favored valleys in the province, having good grass and 
 soil, a fine climate, established mines and promisdng mines, excellent 
 waterways and an easy surface for road-making." Nearly the whole 
 of the area of the valley described is a buncfli-grass country, affoi'd- 
 ing excellent grazing. The grass country is 250 miles long, of an 
 average width of five miles, besides a number of lateral valleys of 
 more limited extent. It is safe to say that the whole of the valley is 
 fertile. The atmosphere is clear and dry, and the snowfall in winter 
 light, but in a district so extended climatic conditions vary consiider- 
 ably from local causes. 
 
 The Canadian Pacific Railway Company has recently published 
 for free distribution a map showing the lands controlled by it in the 
 Kootenay and Columbia Valleys. Farmers who are desirous of farm- 
 ing in the West, where they can raise fruit, should enquire about 
 these lands. The mining districts of Windermere, Cranbrook, Kim- 
 beiTiLey, Fort Steele, Elko and Fernie have now a large population of 
 men emiployed in the development of the mines. A market for farm 
 and garden products is thus to be had in the immediate vicinity of 
 these lands, and the rapid development of the West Kootenay Dis- 
 trict also furnishes a desirable market. There is also an unlimited 
 demand for fruit in the prairie districts of Manitoba and the North- 
 
10 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 West Ternltories. Tliese lands ane sold by the Company at prac- 
 • tioally the same low prices and on the same easy terms as are asked 
 for ithe prairie lands in Manitoba. Throughout the district are scat- 
 tered farms and ranches, but as yet little attention has been griven 
 to the cultivation of cereals, with the exception of oats. Of these 
 magnificent crops are grown annually. The nutritious grasses of the 
 foot-hills on both sides of the valley afford ample food supply for 
 horses, cattle and sheep. Abundance of good water, a light snow fall 
 and a moderate climate in winter make this an ideal country for 
 stock raising. The bottom lands are generally prairie and hay 
 meadows requiring little or no clearing. The grassy bench lands are 
 dotted over with pines. The aibsence of undergrowtlh permits an 
 uninterrupted view in every direction and allows the herder to ride 
 without obstruction in rounding up his cattle. 
 
 Apples, strawberries, raspberries., pluims, etc., grow luxuriantly 
 and with very Uttle attention. Mr. N. Hanson, of Wasa, twelve 
 miles north of Fort Steele, grows excellent crops of apples, boith 
 table and crab, anmually. At McKay's ranch, near Windermere, 
 Mrs. McKay obtained over 3,000 pounds of fine strawberries in 1897, 
 and as many In 1896 from an acre of ground. At the Roman OathoUc 
 mission near Oranbrook fruits of all kinds are successfully and abun- 
 dantly grown. 
 
 The bottom lands require no irrigation, receiving their supply 
 of water by seepage from the river. Wherever irrigation is required 
 it can be provided from some of the mountain streams wlhlch aboimd 
 in the district. 
 
 The country is in places far more thinly wooded than the Weat 
 Kootenay district, and affords great facilities for flsihing and hunt- 
 ing: big game, trout and salmon abounding. 
 
 The soutiiem and central parts of East Kootenay are more readily 
 reached from the East by the Crow's Nest Pass Railway which 
 branches off the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway at Medi- 
 cine Hat in the Canadian Northwest, and runs through the great 
 ranching district of Southern Alberta, the mining and agricultural 
 districts of East Kootenay, and forms a link in the short line to the 
 entire mining regions of southern British Columbia. They can also 
 be reached from Calgary by branch line of the Canadian Pacific to 
 Macleod, in Alberta, on the Crow's Nest Pass Railway. The ex- 
 treme northern portion of the district is reached by the Canadian 
 Pacific main line to Golden, and up the Columbia River during the 
 season of navigation by steamer, and in winter by stage. 
 
 CHIEF TOWaSTiS. 
 
 Field is at the base of Mount Stephen, on the main line of the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway, wlieire there are several stores and hotels 
 — the principal being the Mt. Stephen House, operated by the C.P.R. 
 da., a ipleasant resort for itooirista. 
 
EAST KOOTENAY. 11 
 
 Golden, In the Valley of the Upper Columbia River, at Ita Junc- 
 tion with the Kicking Horse River, the headquarters oif navigation 
 on the Upper Columbia and the supply point for tihe mineral region 
 of which it is the centre. Steamers leave for Windei-mere Tuesdays 
 and Fridays during navigation. In winter there is a weekly stage 
 to Windermere, 84 miles. The local government, judicial and mining 
 otfl<3€S are located at Golden. 
 
 Donald, on the Columbia as it flows northward, is 17 milea west 
 of Golden, on the main line of the C. P. R. 
 
 Fernib is a new town at the mouth of Coal Creek near the 
 great Crow's Nest coal mines, on the Crow's Nest Pass Railway. It 
 only sprang into existence in 1898, and is making wonderful progress. 
 It has fine hotels, good stores and a large number of comfortable 
 residences. Already a large nuimber of coke ovens are in operation, 
 and as tihe supply of coal is inexihaustible, these will be increased as 
 thie demands for coke by 'the smelters of the province become greater. 
 
 Elko, at the crossing of the Elk River, 12 miles west of Femle, 
 will be the market town for the Tobacco Plains and the farming 
 settlements to the South. The utilization of thie water power of the 
 Elk at this point should make this town one of great imporanoe. 
 
 Wardner, at the crossing of the Kootenay River, 23 miles weat of 
 Elko, is a small town with stores, hoitel, ©tc. 
 
 Fort Steele is the present judicial centre of East Kootenay. It 
 is situated on Kootenay River, and is about seven miles from Fort 
 Steele Junction, a station on the Crow's Nest Pass Railway. It hias 
 numerous hotels, stores, churches, etc. 
 
 Cranbrook (population ],5()(i) is the principal town on the line of 
 the Crow's Nest Pass Railway. It is most delightfully located on a 
 fertile stretch of prairie in the valley between the Rocky and Selkirk 
 mountains, and has already become a centre of great importance. 
 It ia the chief divisional point on the Crow's Nest Pass Road, and 
 has, besides the shops of the railway, a numlber of well-stocked 
 stores, chartered banks, hotels, churches^ schools, etc. It is the 
 principal lumber manufacturing point in Bast Kootenay, having four 
 saw-mills operating within its limits. The town is lighted by elec- 
 tricity. As a residential town it has no superior in British Columbia. 
 A branch line of railway connects the North Star Mines and Klmber- 
 ley with Cranbrook. 
 
 MoTELLB and Motie are towns at the south end of Moyie Lake. 
 Tihe St. Eugene, Lake Shore and other high grade silver-lead mines 
 are near these mines and contribute their principal support. 
 
 Creston, in tihe midst of a good farming and grazing district, is 
 a growing town. 
 
 T7INDERMBRB Is tihe slt© of the mining record offloe tor tihe Wln- 
 diermere division, and Is sdtuajted on Windesunere LAike. 
 
1'2 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 Canterbury, at the nontli end of tine ilake; Athalmer, at its 
 outlet, and" Peterboro', three miiles niointhweisit lof A^tihialmer, on tihe 
 CtolumiMa river, are new mriming townis with stoireis, Tioitels, post- 
 offices, etc. 
 
 KiMBERLET is the terminius of tihie North Star iDranch, and is in 
 close proximity to many mining properties which are being- developed. 
 It is 18 miles from Cranbrook. 
 
 There 'are otiher towns sipringimg up along the lane, notaJbly 
 Kitchener 'a/nd Kootenay Dandling, the present terminuis of tlhe rail- 
 way Mne. There are aliso ofther pdiaces wihiere iprosipeotors, miners 
 arid sportsmen can supp'ly their requilreimemts, such as Thunder Hill 
 Landing on Upp'er Columtola Lake. 
 
 MINING LOCALITIES. 
 
 Along th'e line of 'tlhe Canadian Pacific Railway, not far from 
 Giolden, Donald and other stations, mining operations are being prose- 
 ouited. A large amount of work has been done in the mines of 
 Jubilee anid Spillimjacheen Mountains, 45 miles above Golden, fine 
 bodies of lead and siilVier 'having been opened up on the liaitter arid 
 several copper mines on the foirmer. Back of Spillimacheen, on 'the 
 several branches of the river of that name, in ithe reigion known as 
 tlhe McMurd'o disitrict, a number 'Of promlsiing claims have been 
 located and worked to a conis'idenable extemt. Soime of 'the.m are 
 large gold quartz lodes, an'd ort'hers are is.mailil hiigh-grade silver -lead 
 \ieiins. On Bugaboo Creek, a few miles souitlh of Spiillimacheen, a 
 large noiimiber of n'©w d'iseoveries have toe'en miade. On Toby and 
 Boulder Creeks, opposite Windermere, 'tihere are nuimerous quartz 
 lo'cajtions, am'd also benches of hydraulic gnoiund; and back of Win- 
 dermere silver -le'ad an'd copper propertiies have been opened uip and 
 S'Oinae hdgih-grade carbonates shipped, new claims 'haviing been worked 
 extensively dun^inig 1900. At tlhe head of Upper Columibia Lake are 
 great parallel gold -b earn ng quartz lodes formimg a ridge from 250 to 
 500 feet abO'Ve the adjacent counitry, carrying gioild in varying quian- 
 tiities. Large low-grade lead and salver and gold quartz lodes have 
 been found up Findley Cree'k and on the South Fork. There are also 
 high benidhes of hydraulic ground for miiles along ei'ther sl'de of 
 Findley Creek. In the Southern Davd'Sion are 'the North Star and 
 S'uMivan groups, 'Seventeen miles fro.m C'riambrook, with wlhich there 
 is railway conne'ction. Tihe former is a large lode, fifteen to thirty 
 feet wide, carrying immense quantities of argemtiiferous galena and 
 carbonates; and the shipment of ores to simeliter points is paying 
 large profi'ts. Its value averages $60 per ton. The Sullivan mines, 
 which are of a similar character, are being workeid extensively. In 
 fact, this whale country is developing with amazing rapidity. At 
 Wild Horse, a few miles b'ack of Fort Steele, hydraulic mindn'g is 
 
WEST KOOTENAY. 13 
 
 being carried on, and several good quartz claims are more or less 
 opened up. In early days this section was a rival of Cariboo in the 
 marvellous output of its placer mines, the value reaching u}) into ihe 
 millions. On Tracy Creek, 14 miles north of Fort Steele, is a camp 
 which is developing silver-lead and ' some copper properties, ^till 
 farther south on :Moyie Lake are large silver-lead lodes, as at the St. 
 Eugene -mines, from which a considerable quantity of ore is annually 
 extracted. Shipments to Chili are being sought for on account of the 
 extraordinary jiurity of the output, it being free from zinc and other 
 chemical iminirities that render it valuable for smelting purposes. The 
 large ore bodies on the shores of IMoyie Lake run 50 oz. of silver and 
 60 p.c. lead, but are more cheaply worked than those of the Slocan, 
 and are said to be larger deposits. Shipments are now made from 
 four mines on Moyie lake and from two at Kimberley, and a num- 
 ber of other properties will be shippers shortly. There are also rich 
 gold and copper mines on St. IMary's River, and a number of pro- 
 perties are being developed. Perry Creek, 12 miles west of Cranbrook, 
 shows a series of gold-bearing quartz veins for an unusual distance on 
 the surface, but so far only one property has been developed to the 
 mining stage. 
 
 West Kootenay 
 
 West Kootenay is ahiefly reonarkable for its gveait mineral wealth. 
 Marvellously rioh deposits have been disioovered in dlfCeren/t seotioais, 
 and new finds are frequently made. There Is still a consaderable are<a 
 not yet prospected, wthich uTill doubtless yield even more phenonienal 
 returns of preoioius ores. It is a country of IMii'mitable possibilities, 
 buit only few parts of it, when the vast area of hidden wealth is con- 
 8iid'e«red, have passed beyond the early stages of development. Great 
 strides, however, have already been made, notably in the Trail Creek, 
 Nelson, Kaslo-Slocan and Ainsworth districts, where many properties 
 are cooripletely equipped with oositly modern plant for mininig opera- 
 tioms. In the Lardo, Big Bend and other po^rtions of this rich 
 region, mining is also being profitably carried on, and as capital is 
 acquired, through the working of the properties, or is brought in, 
 the output of ore will be immensely increased. 
 
 Wesit Kootenay contributes over 75 per cent, oif the product of the 
 lode mines, the sihipments ot ore from the Rossiand mines, in the 
 Trail Creek disitriot, especially shorsving a muah greater output than 
 ever befoire. Capitalists and practical miners have sihiown their un- 
 bounded confidence in West Kootenay by investimg millions of dollans 
 in developing properties, equipping mines, erecting simeLters, build- 
 ing tramways, constructing roads, etc. The past three years saw 
 the addition of a large nvwnber to the population, and witnessecj 
 
WEST KOOTENAY. 15 
 
 tihe permanent eatabUslhment of mining camps ■which have astondslhed 
 the "w^orld wilth tlhedr phenomenial growitfli and continued prosperity. 
 So rapid hais been itihe recent deveaopment of this disitrlot and encooir- 
 agrlng itihe prospects for even greoiter expansion that an eminent 
 American mining authorlity speaks of it as " the coming mlndng 
 empire of the North-West." 
 
 The increased outpnit of ore, combined witlh the siopply of cheap 
 coke, has led ito the -wondefrful expansion of the smelting Indusitry, 
 Slmeltera are already erected at TraAl and Nelson, and there Is every 
 prospect that there ■will he others In operation in tIhe Immeddate 
 future. At Trail, where over $300,000 was recently spent by the 
 Canadian Smelting Works Co. in modernizing its extensive plant, the 
 capacity of tl-a smelter ie over 800 tons daily. The cost of treatment 
 has already been largely reduced, the aim being to further reduce 
 costs and smelting charges and to materially increase the quantity 
 of ore shipped and make possible the mining of the low grade ores 
 of which there is a large quantity in the contiguous country. The 
 treatment charges are lower on ores than prevail in the great smelting 
 centre* of the United States where there is the keenest competition. 
 The Trail smelter is absolutely modern in every respect for the treat- 
 ment of lead, silver, copper and gold ores, and being located at a 
 central point for the East Kootenay, Wesit Kootenay and Boundary 
 Country will probably be the principal of a series of smelters 
 scattered through the minteral region. At Nelson, the smelter with 
 a capacity of 370 tons per day, is also a thoroughly equipped 
 Institution, and gives employment to a large number of men. 
 
 There are valuable timber limits In different parte of the country, 
 and numerous sawmiiUls are In operation. 
 
 West Kootenay Is a fine field for the sportsman— the angler and 
 the hunter — ^game and fish aboundiing In nearly every section. Its 
 rivers and lakes give easy means of communication, and the Cana- 
 dian Pacific Railway Co. has established a magnificent steamboat 
 service on them, besides constructing and operating numerous branch 
 lines of railway which make all parts of the country easily acces- 
 sible through out the entire year. 
 
 The mining regions are reached from the East by the Crow's Nest 
 Pass Railway, which branches off from the main line of the Cana- 
 dian Pacific at Medicine Hat, on the prairies east of the RocMes, 
 through East Kootenay to Kootenay L/anding at the head of Koote- 
 nay Dake, and thence (for the present) by steamer to Nelson, from 
 which there is Todlway and steamboat connection with all parts of 
 the country. Steamers ply daily to all the towns on Kootenay L«ake 
 — ^Ainsworth, Pilot Bay, Kaslo, Kootenay Landing, etc., and weekly 
 to Lardo, in the Lardo country, from wthlch rail communication is 
 being estabUshjed with the Columbia River at Arrowhead. The 
 
16 BRITISH COIJTMRt A 
 
 Slocan miniing region oan also toe reaahed by rail and steaanboat oa 
 Slocan Lake daily. Rosisiand, 'the centre of ithe Trail Greek district, 
 i.s connected with Nelson by the Canadian Pacific Kailway system, 
 which lias also been extended into the Boundary Counny to the 
 west, oin wihich there is a daily service. 
 
 From the West these regions are most easily reached from Revol- 
 stoike on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, about mid- 
 way beitween the eastern sioipe Off the Rockies and the Paoific Coast. 
 From this point a brancii line runs south twenty- eigiht miles to 
 Arrowhead, at the head of Upper Arrow Lake, from whicih the fine 
 steamiers of the Canadian Pacdfic Railway Coimipany run to Nakusp, 
 near the foot oif the Lake, froim wliicih there is rail coimimuni cation 
 with tiha to'wns of the Sloioan, the prinoiipal of whicih are New 
 Denver and Sandon, the centre of a rich mining region, and to 
 Robson, near the mouth of the Lower Kootenay River, where the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway's branches reach to Trail and Rossland, 
 to Nelson, and to the Boundary Country. Froni Arrowhead, ^he 
 Trout Lake disitrict is reached by small steamer. 
 
 OHIBF TOWNS. 
 
 Revelstokb, on the Canadian Pacific Railway, at the junotion 
 with the Arrowliead branch, is one of the chief towns of West 
 Kootenay, and has shown gr. at progress during the past three 
 years, when a large number of buildings were erected. It is a mining 
 town between the Gold and Selkirk ranges,, and is the chief source of 
 supply for the Big Bend country to the noirth. Population about 2,500. 
 
 Arrowhead, at the head of Upper Arrow Lake, where transfer 
 is made from rail to steamer by those intending to visit the West 
 Kootenay camps, is a simali town containing hotels, stores, etc. 
 
 Ferguson and Trout Lake City are new towns in the Trout 
 Lake district, reached by siteamer and stage from Arrowhead, and 
 in their brief existence have shown considerable growth. 
 
 Halcyon Hot Springs, on Upper Arrow Lake, twelve miles from 
 Arrowhead, is a favorite health resort, the waters of the springs 
 having peculiar curative properties. A fine hotel and cottages for 
 visitors are erected here. 
 
 Nakusp, near the foot oif Upper Arrow Lake, is the initial point 
 of the Nakusp & Slocan branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
 It is prettily situated, and has a shipyard, at which the fine steamers 
 plying on the Columhia River and Arrow Lakes are constructed. 
 
 New Denver, on the east side of Slocan Lake, at the mouth of 
 Carpenter's Creek, is a growing town, with a population of 400 or 
 500. It is the seat of government of the Slocan district. There is 
 (^aily steamboat cormuiunication between New Denver, Rosebery, Sil- 
 
WEST KOOTENAY. 1 
 
 verton, Stocan Oily, and other points on ^locan Dake, and the l^/wn 
 has excellent hotel accommodation, etc. 
 
 RosEBERY is a distributing point lon the N. & S. Railway, at the 
 head of Siocan Lake, and the starting point for steamers on Slocan 
 Lake. 
 
 SiLVERTON, four mdles soutih of New Deinver, on S'locan Lake, is 
 a growing town (with a population of 500), from wliioh large ship- 
 ments 'Of ore aire made. 
 
 -Slogan Citt is situated at the foot of Slocan Lake, near which 
 are some rich mining properties. 
 
 Three Forks is situated at the confluence of Seaton Creek and 
 the niorth and south (branches O'f Carpen/ter's Creek, on the Nakusp 
 & i&lo'can Railway. Large concenitrating works are exeeted near tihe 
 town, 'With a daily capacity of 100 tons. A number of very rich 
 mines are being operated within a sihort distance of Three Forks. 
 
 Sandon, the terminus of the Nakusp &, Slocan Railway, and 
 from which Kaslo is also reached by railway, is a new mining town, 
 ai-iound which are several groups of 'the most valuable silver-lead 
 mines. It is 'the centre of what is known as the wet ore belt of the 
 Slo'can, the ore being cihiiefly galena and carbonates. It has water- 
 works, electric ligiht system, ohurcihes, schoo'ls, etc. It has a poipu- 
 latio'n of 2,000, and ^possesses all the adjuncts of m'Odern towns. 
 
 Cody is one 'mile above Sandon, and is in the centre of a group of 
 very rich silver-dead ajid galena mines. 
 
 Whitewater, between Kaslo and Sandon, is a base of supplies 
 for a number of mines in process of deved'O-pment to wihich an exten- 
 sion of the Nakusp & Slocan branch of the Canadiain Pacific Railway 
 is projected. 
 
 Nelson, with a po'pulalion O'f about b.OOO, is situated on the west 
 arm of Kootenay Lake wihere the Lower Kootenay River begins, 
 .twenty-eigiht miles east of Ro'bson, and from it points on the lake 
 are reached daily by steamer. It is on the direct route of the Crow's 
 Nest Pass Raidway. A smedter with a daily capacity of 370 tons is 
 erected here, and an aerial tramway connects it with the celebrated 
 Hall mines, four and a half imiles distant. Nelson is the judicial 
 centre for Southern Kootenay •where the offices ot the Gold Co'mmis- 
 sioner and G-overnment agent, customs, etc., are located. It is an 
 important 'business town, with Tiospital, chartered banks, well- 
 stocked stores, electric street railway, and is unsiurpas'se'd as a resi- 
 dentiad p'lace. During the past few years it has made wonderful 
 progress, and building operations 'are being extensively carried on 
 and its trade gre'atly extended. 
 
 Lardo, at 'the ihead of winter navigation, an'd tihe eastern tenmi- 
 nus of the Arrowhe'ad & Kootenay branch of the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway now under construction, as a new tov^n with about 300 
 populati'O^, 
 
18 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 Duncan City, 12 miles up tlhe Lardo-Duncan River, has a popu- 
 lation of about 500. 
 
 Kaslo, on tihe west side O'f Kooitenay Lake, is one of the bases of 
 supplies for mines on the eastern slope of the Slocan district. Popu- 
 lation 2,500. Every branch of business is represented in Kaslo, 
 which has also ore sampling works, public offices, sawmills, planing 
 factory, banks, brewery, ©leotric Ligiht works, waterworks, schools, 
 hospital, etc. 
 
 AiNswoRTH, on Kootenay Lake, is the centre of the Hot Springs 
 mining district, from whicih considerable ore is annually shipped to 
 the smelters. Hot sulphur springs are in the imime'diate locality. 
 
 Pilot Bay, also on Kootenay Lake, is the siite of smelting works 
 which have a capacity of 150 tons daily, and in which $500,000 have 
 been Invested. 
 
 Tmir is a flourishing mining town in the Salmon Riiver country 
 which sprang into existence recently. 
 
 Trail, on the Columbia River, a town without an existence in 
 1894, has the most extensive simelting works in Canada, and the town 
 boasts of first-class hotels, newspapers, breweries, general stores, 
 etc. It is an important station on the Rossland branch of the Cana- 
 dian Pacific Railway, and has a population of 1,500. 
 
 Rossland is one of the largest towns in the West Kootenay, its 
 growth having (been phenoimenal. From a small mining camp in 
 1894 it has grown to the proportions of a thrivirug bustling city with 
 a population of 8,000, which is increasing rapidly. At Rossland are 
 the celebrated Le Roi, War Eagle, Centre Star, and other mines, 
 whose illimitable richness broug^ht this region into prominence. The 
 city, whicih is eight miles from the United States boundary line, has 
 excellent hotels, well-furnished stores, pubMc and private schools, 
 hospitals, several chartered banks, churches, theatre, breweries, is 
 ligihted by electricity and has a systeim of waterrworks. Some of the- 
 mines are operated and lighted by electricity, from power derived 
 from the falls of the Kootenay River, near Nelson. 
 
 MINING LOCALITIES. 
 
 There are numerous mines at work in diffierent sections of tlhe 
 disitrict, chiefly in the Lower Kootenay country, in the north of 
 which are the Kaslo-Siocan mines; in the centre, those around Nelson 
 and Ainsworth, and in the south, 'those of the Goat River and TraH 
 Creek districts. There are no rioher gold fields than those of the 
 latter-mentioned district, of which Rossland is the centre. Several 
 mines are already operated extensively and are paying large monthly 
 dividends, while new discoveries indicate that the full richness of 
 this region cannot yet be even apwproximately estiimated. The Ross- 
 land Board of Trade report of 14th July. 1900, say® : "The miines of 
 
WEST KOOTENAY. 
 
 19 
 
 Rossland at the present time «we giving employment to about 1,200 
 men (eigiht hour shifts) at an average wage of nearly $100 per month 
 and the shdpiments of ore are averaging over 4,500 tons per weelc, of 
 an average value of $16.50 per ton, at an average profit, clear of all 
 expenses, including developonenit, of $8.50 per ton." The output for 
 1899 was 172,665 tons, valued a;t $3,229,086, the principal sWppers being 
 Le Roi, War Eagle, Centre Star and other widely known mines. 
 With increased hoane smelting facilities the output of the camp is 
 being immeniSely increased, that of 1900 being a great deal larger tlian 
 that of any previous year. The imost notaMe silver-lead mines are 
 in the famed Slocan district, from which large ©hiponents of ore have 
 
 BONNINCTUN FAl.l.S, I.OWKK KOOTENAY KIVKH, B.C. 
 
 been and are being made. The general character of the ore is high 
 grade galena, often carrying 600 ounces of silver to the ton, and 
 averaging 100 ounces and over, and 60 per cent. lead. The Slocan is 
 admitted to be tihe riohest silver-lead mining region in America to- 
 day, and has the advantage of excellent transportation facilities. 
 It has a large number of shipping manes, and several regular divi- 
 dend payers. On the east side of Slocan Lalce and river are valu- 
 able sdlver-'lead properties and goLd -bearing propositions undergoing 
 development. On Kootenay I>aHe are the weM-known Ainiawortib 
 
20 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 group, which are large shippers of ore. The Toad Mountain district 
 around Nelson, and south o>f it, has a distiinict gold, silver and copper 
 belt, the ore being of that character known as borni'te. There are 
 a number of rich mining [properties in this section, amongst others 
 the Salver King, purchased for $1,5G0,C00 by an Englisih company, 
 whdch has oonstruoted an aerial tramway to connect the mines with 
 its own simolter at Neison, which is said to have one of the largest 
 copper furnaces in Aimerica. A numher of free milling gold claims, 
 equipped with stamp milils, are now being profitably operated near 
 Nelson, amongst them being the Poonman, Fern, and Athabasca.- 
 etc. Hydraulicing is also carried on at Forty-Nine Creek with 
 profitable results. Some rich discoverues have heen found near Ymir 
 in the Salmon River country, beitween the Lower Kootenay River 
 and the international boundary. In the north, in the Illicilliwaet, 
 Fish Creek and Trout Lake diistricts are rich properties which are 
 being worked, and around Lardeau some valuable placer gold mines 
 and extensive deposits of galena are being developed. Between the 
 Gold Range and the Selkirbs is the west side of the Big Bend of the 
 Columbia River, that extends north to the 52nd parallel. This hend 
 drains a gold region yet awaiting complete exploraUon, but which 
 has every indication of great mineral richnesis. Throughout the 
 whole Kootenay country new discoveries are made every year, so 
 that which is the richest claim of a district during one season may 
 be surpassed by a dozen others in the foii owing year. 
 
 The ,,ages paid labourers are from $2.50 to $3.00 per day; $3.00 to 
 $3.50 for miners; $3.00 to $4.00 for mechanics. Board is from $6.00 to 
 $7.00 oer week at mine boarding houses; from $6.00 to $10.00 at private 
 boarding houses, and transient rates at hotels are $2.00 to $3 00 per 
 day. 
 
 Yale District 
 
 This district lies to the wesit of the Kootenays from which it is 
 separated by the Gold Range, and to *he south and east of Lillooet 
 district, and east of Westiminster district, extending soutwards to the 
 international boundary line. Yale, which has am area of 15 850 square 
 miles, -lies entirely within the dry beit of the province, although it 
 has, naturally, from its extent, a variety of soil and climate Within 
 its limits are great stretches of mining, pastoral, agricultural and 
 forested iands, which afford excellent openings for th,e miner rancher 
 fai-mer and lumherman, and particularly in the portions now on the 
 eve of development, unequalled chances for investment by capitalists 
 This development is made possible by the construction of railways 
 by the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. in the south-eastern part which 
 furnish adequate facilities for transport, the lack of which has 
 hotherto hinaered that merited progress which its boundless resource? 
 
THE liOL'NDARY DISTRICT. 21 
 
 render 'pO'^sJble. Yale contains the valleys of the Kettle River and 
 Boundary Creek — now spoken of toget'her as the Boundary Country 
 from the proximity to the international boundary line — the Okana- 
 gan, the Nicola and the Tihomipson valleys. 
 
 The Boundary District 
 
 T'his region, which is 'becoming one of itihe wealthiest portions 
 of the province, forms the south-ea&tern part of what has hitherto 
 been known as itihe Yale district. In it are fo'ur distinct mineral 
 basins — 'that around the Ohristina Lake on the east; that adjacent 
 to the nortih fork of the Kettle River; of the Boundary Creek; and 
 that of -the main Kettle River with Rock Creek, West Fork, Canon 
 Creek and other tributaries. 
 
 The whoie area covers a distance of about 40 miles east and west, 
 and extends about 50 miles northwards. There have been numerous 
 finds of ore in all these basins, but a good deal of unexplored terri- 
 tory is still open to the prospector, while further north is a reg'ion 
 that is practically a virg-in field for the gold-seeker. Tihe ore bodies 
 In the Boundary District are very iarge and carry good values in 
 gold and copper or gold and silver. A good deal of development 
 work has been done on numerous claims, and on some properties 
 costly plants have been placed. The output O'f ore is ibecoming in- 
 cxeasing-ly large owing- to the extension of the Canadian Pacific 
 sys'tem throug>h this region. Not only does a ffreat trunk line 
 traverse the entire district, but the railway company has also built 
 short branch lines 'to the principal imining camps to facilitate the 
 shipment of ore, an unprecedented departure from the usual course 
 pursued by railway companies. One smelter is now in operation at 
 Grand Forks and two are in course of erection near Greenwood for 
 the treatment of ores of the district. 
 
 The Boundary District possesses other resources besides Its 
 latent mineral wealth. It 'has fertile valieys with great caipabilities 
 for grain growing, and grassy hillsides whioh afford S'piendid rang- 
 ing §;round for stock. Fruit growing has shown splendid results, the 
 apples of the Kettle River Valley being as fine as grown anywhere. 
 Pears, cherries, plums and prunes can also be grown in abundance, 
 the trees in the valley being said to be twice as productive as those 
 of California and other States of the Union; and small fruits of 
 different varieties are plentiful. For all these fruits there is a 
 steady ho'me market at good prices. Vegetables are also a prolific 
 crop, potatos yielding fro<m 10 to 12 tons per acre, and garden truck 
 generally ar.d roots, for which there is a constant demand, bring 
 large returns to the producer. Wheat of a fine quality is said to 
 yield as high as 50 bui^ihels to the acre, and oats as high as 100 
 
22 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 bushels, while hay, wfhloli averages from two to tiwo-and-a-lialf 
 tons to the acre, like oats, always commands a lucrative price. 
 Spring work comimences in April and there ds generally no fros't 
 until the middle of October. The land can be cleared at a very 
 small cost, and it is calculated that a fanm of 20 acres in fruit will 
 return the owner $2,000 per annum on a ooniservative estimate. 
 Divided up into smaller sections, as it is bound to be, say, of from 5 
 to 10 acres, the valley would prove equal to sustaining a population 
 of from 15,000 to 20,000 people. Irrigation works in some sections 
 have already been inaugurated, and with the enlargeiment of the 
 system a large area will be brought under cultivation, the products 
 of which will find a ready market at home. 
 
 All over the district there is an umlimited supply of fine timber 
 coimprising pine, fir and tamarack, stretching right up the North 
 Fork. For building, mining and other industrial purposes, the 
 value of this timber bounty will be very evident. Tihere are already 
 several mdlls in the district working at their utmost capacity, and a 
 large business will be done now that railway facilities are afforded. 
 ThP lumiber can b,e econoimically handled, as it has the advantage 
 of water carriage right from the logging camps down to the mill. 
 There are besides first-class olay beds for brick-miakinig, besides 
 lime and building stone quarries. 
 
 The climate of this section is miild, extremes of heat or cold 
 being seldom felt, and the rainfall is light. 
 
 No part of British Columhia has brighter prospects than the 
 Boundary District, and at no time will there be greater opportuni- 
 ties offering the poor man than during the present year. 
 
 The Okanagan Valley 
 
 West and North of the Boundary Country and south of the main 
 line of the Canadian Pacific Railway is one of the finesit sections in 
 the whole province for agricultural and stock-raising pursuits. In 
 this part are to be found the most extensive farms in the province, 
 as well as the largest cattle ranges. Many can count their herds 
 by the thousande of head, and their broad fields by thousanids of 
 acres. The district is an extensive one and within its borders are to 
 be found large lakes, the prinoipal one being Okanagan, whilst such 
 streams as the Spallumoheen and other large rivers flow through the 
 district. 
 
 Okanagan is famous as a grain-growing country. From three- 
 quarters to a ton of wheat is grown per acre, the best quality fetch- 
 ing $28 per ton. Wheat sometimes runs 68 lbs. to the bushel (there 
 being 33 1-3 bushels to the ton), and a field near Enderby averaged 
 72 bushels to the acre, although this was em exoeptionial yieW. 
 
THE:0KANAGAN:V ALLEY. 
 
 23 
 
 Samples of wheat raised in Okanagan, sent to tlhe Vienna Exposi- 
 tion, were awarded the hig-hest premiums and bronze medals'. One 
 of the best flouring mills in the Dominion is now in operation at 
 Enderby, twenty-four miles south of Slcamous, and connected with 
 it by rail. The flour manufactured at these mills from Onkanagan- 
 grown wheat is equal to any other to be found on the continent. 
 There is another mill at Vernon and one at Armsitrong managed by 
 the farmers of the vicinity. Though Okanagan is an excellent 
 wheat-producing country, considerable attention is now being given 
 to the various kinds of fruit culture, and an important movement 
 is on foot looking to the conversion of the grain fields into orchards 
 
 APPLE ORCHARD, VERNON, B.C. 
 
 and hop fields. Attention has been more particularly turned to the 
 pro'duction of Kentish hops, and during several years past hops 
 from this section have brought the highest prices in the English 
 market, competing successfully with the English, the continental, 
 and those grown in other parts of America. The Earl of Aberdeen, 
 formerly Governor-General of Canada, has over 13,000 acres near 
 Vernon, in the Colds>tream Valley, where general farming, hop- 
 growing, and fruit-raising are carried on. His orchard of about 200 
 acres is the point of attraction for visitors to Vernon, bedng one of 
 
'24 BtllTlSM COLUMBIA. 
 
 the larg-es't orcihards in the Dominion. He has also a dairy farm 
 near Kelowna, on the east side of tTie lake. An excellent quality of 
 tobacco Is grown about Kelowna, where a ci^ar factory has been 
 established. The cultivation of this plant is as yet only on a small 
 scale, but there are indications that it will become an important 
 source of wealth to the country. 
 
 There are still to be taken up large stretches of good land, which 
 are but lightly timibered and easily brought under cultivation. Water 
 is abundant in many sections, whilst in some it is scarce, rendering 
 irrigatdon by artesian wells a necessity. 
 
 Okanagan is also a very rich mineral district, and in different 
 parts valuable gold, silver, platinuim, copper and iron deposits have 
 been discovered, and are being developed. 
 
 The iShuswap & Okanagan Railway to Vertnon, the chief town of 
 the district, froim Sicamo'us on the main line of the Canadian Pacific, 
 a distance of forty-isix miles, has proved an imimense impetus to this 
 splendid section of the country. There are magnificent grazing 
 lands, and the valleys that intersect them are of tbe most fertile 
 character. The Coldstream or Wihite Valley Is one of these, the 
 Siimilkameen is another, and the country round about Kelowna is 
 a rich and valuable section. Crops grow luxuriantly, but the dry 
 climate necessitates irrigation. From Okanagan Landing, near 
 Vernon, a fine steamer, the Aberdeen, owned by the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway Company, plies to Kelowna (formerly called the Mission), 
 to Peaahland, a new and thriving town on the west shore of tbe 
 lake, which is tihe landing place for so^me valuable mines a few 
 miles in the interior, and to Penticton, at t!he south emd of th.e lake 
 (which is seventy miles in length), and the Provincial Government 
 has constructed roads to the 'mining country south of it, and to the 
 Similkameen Valley, the latter a famous hunting ground for sheep 
 and goat. The Okanagan Valley, in fact, is one of the best hunting 
 grounds known to the world — ■caribou, deer, bear, mountain sheep 
 and goat being plentiful in many sections. 
 
 The country tributary to Lake Okanagan is pre-eminently suit- 
 able for settlement and will shortly become thickly populated. 
 
 The climate of the Okanagan country is mild and dry. There is 
 only a slight snowfall in winter, and the summers are warm and 
 pleasant. 
 
 The Nicola Valley 
 
 in the western part of the Yale district, while specially adapted to 
 pastoral pursuits, is well fitted for agricultuire and the growth of all 
 classes of cereals. The crops already grown are excellent in quality 
 and the yield exceptionally large. There is greater tendency now to 
 mixed farming than in the past, and the Nicola Valley is becoming 
 as famous for its grain, roots, vegetables and fruits of all kinds as 
 
TOWNS IX YALK. 
 
 it has been lor its bunch-grass-fed ca,ttle. For climate, see page 57, 
 southern zone. 
 
 The valley is also rich in its mineral deposits. The principal 
 mines for the precious metals are in the Similkameen section, where 
 hydraulic companies are operating. There is a large area of bitu- 
 minous and good coking coal at Coldwater, where magnetic irun 
 ore is likewise found. The richest platinum mines on the continent 
 have been discovered on Tulameen and Slate Creeks. A railway is 
 projected from Spence's Bridge, which, when completed, will largely 
 aid in the development of the mines in this valley. 
 
 The Thompson Valleys 
 
 To the north of these valleys are the valleys of the North and 
 South Thoimpson, where there are extensive grazing and fertile agri- 
 cultural areas. The cattle ranges around and about Kamloops g-ive 
 pasturage from year to year to about 40,000 head of cattle. Agii- 
 culture in the immediate vicinity of the town, and around Ashcroft, 
 47 miles further west, is carried on by irrigation, with the result 
 that fine crops of grain, hops, fruit, vegetables, etc., are raised wihioh 
 realize good prices to the growers. Valuable mining properties — 
 iron, gold, silver, lead and copper and large deposits of mica — from 
 whicii shipments of ore have been made, are in tihis locality. Here 
 also Is a large deposit of cinnabar, said to be the omly one in the 
 British Eimpire. 
 
 CHIEF TOWNS. 
 
 Kamloops is 224 milles east of Vancouver, and is situated at the 
 confluence of the North and South Thompson rivers, tootih of which 
 are navigable for a great distance. It is a railway divisional point, 
 and a thriving town of 2,000 population, doing a good trade with the 
 farmers, ranchmen and miners of the district. Steamboats ply on 
 Kamloops Lake, and there are sawmills in constant operation. The 
 town is suppilied by waterworks and lighted by electricity. It was 
 originailly merely a Hudson's Bay Company's trading post, but has 
 now become a town of some size and importance, and is destined to 
 be one of the great health resorts of the West on account of the 
 dryness and equability of its climate and Its possession of all the 
 conditions necessary for the cure of lung troubles. Placer mining 
 has been successfully carried on north of Kamloops for twenty- 
 flve years, and rich mineral dlscoveriee have been made within a 
 few mil«s of the town, carrying gold and copper, and some being 
 free milling. 
 
 AsHCROPT, on the Thompson River, Is 204 miles east of Van- 
 couver. It is the sitarting point of the stage line for Clinton, 
 Lillooet, 150-Mile House, Horsefly, Quesnelle Forks, Quesnelle 
 Mouth, Stanley, Soda Creek, Barkerville, and other points in the 
 
TOWNS IN YALE. 27 
 
 Ldllooet and Cariboo districts. It is a busy place, where consider- 
 able freighting biisiness is done, and wihere suppdiea of all kinds 
 can be obtained. Excellent crops are raised here on irrigated land. 
 
 Yale is at the head of navigation on the Fraser River — 103 miles 
 east of Vancouver, and is the eastern gateway to the famed Fraser 
 River Valley. 
 
 Vernon is a well-<built town of 1,200 population. There are 
 stores of all kinds, good hotels, flour and sawmills and two banks. 
 Having a flrst-rate farming and ranching country in its immediate 
 vicinity, besides vast tracts of valuable timber, a large and flourish- 
 ing business is done at this centre. 
 
 Enderbt and Armstrong are smaller, but risinsr towns, wihere 
 there are good hotel accoimimodation and a variety of stores and 
 other business estaJblishments, and each having a large grist and 
 sawmill. 
 
 Okanagan Landing, at the foot of Okanagan Lake, has a store, 
 sawimill, church, school and hotel. 
 
 Kelowna, on Okanagan Lake, thirty-three miles south of 
 Vernon, is a prosperous village, to which is tributary the trade of 
 the greater part of the Mission Valley and the Sunnyside district. 
 It has a hotel, good stores, saw and planing mill, cigar factory, and 
 the Kelowna Shippers' Union has erected a large warehouse for 
 storage of fruit and vegetables for shipment to Kootenay, and as 
 far east as Oalgary in Alberta. 
 
 Peachland is a new town, 17 miles from Kelowna, where the co- 
 operative system is being successfully worked. It is the port of 
 landing for the mines of the Canadian-Amerioan Mining Co. at Glen 
 Robdnson, 16 miles distant. 
 
 Penticton is at the southern extremity of Lake Okanagan, with 
 a wharf, warehouses, good hotel and store. It Is the point of depar- 
 ture for the stages to Fairview, Camp McKinrey, and other mining 
 camips. 
 
 Okanagan Falls is a small but favourably located village, 14 
 miles south of Penticton, where there is a spendid water power, 
 there being a drop of 21 feet in a quarter of a mile. In the village 
 are a hotel, general store and school. 
 
 Fairview is a mining camp 28 miles soulth of Penticton, where 
 several mines are operated. 
 
 Camp MoKinnet, 50 miles south-east of Penticton, is one of the 
 most prosperous gold mining camp's in British Columbia. The Cari- 
 boo mine is located here, and other properties which are being 
 developed, indicate equal richness. 
 
 Rock Creek, 17% miles east of Camp MdKinney, is the centre of 
 the mining district in which operations are largely carried on along 
 Meyers Creek. 
 
28 13R1TISM COLUMBIA. 
 
 Midway is a well-situated towh on the boundiairy line. It is ttie 
 present terminus of the Cana'dian Pacific Railway through the 
 Bounidary Disitrict. 
 
 Greenwood is one of the most flourishlmg towns in the Boundaiy 
 District, with a population of ajbout 3,000, which is rapidly increas- 
 ing. It is located in a broad valley, and from it lead roads to the 
 principal mines in the 'locality. In has superior hotels, stores, banks, 
 hospital, and neairly every line of business is represented. It is on 
 tihe liH'B of railway constructed iby the C. P. R. Co. ajid. the smelter 
 of the B. C Copper Co. of New York, is located here. The Provincial 
 Government office for the Kettle River Division is in this town. 
 Adjoining Greenwood is Anaconda. 
 
 Deadwood is a -mew town two oniles from Greenwood in the Dead- 
 wood Camp, and it is surrounded by several important mining proper- 
 ties under development, notably the Mother Lode, Sunset, Buckhorn, 
 Marguerite, Ah There, and Greyhound. 
 
 West Fork, on the Kettle River, is thirty miles from Rock Creek 
 and is reached by a new road following the line oif the West Fork of 
 the Kettle River. Beaverton, the name of the town, is likely to 
 become a place of comsideraible size, as it is in the centre of a very 
 important mining district, rich in copper, silver and gold, and popu- 
 lation is toeing attracted thither rapidly. 
 
 Canyon City, by the main fork of the Kettle River, is springing 
 into prominence. The richness of the mineral resources here also 
 insure a large development in the future. A tramway isi being built 
 from West Fork to connect it with Canyon City with the proposed 
 extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway at that town. 
 
 Phcenix, aibout five miles east of Greenwood, is a flourishing town 
 on a branch line from Eholt, with hotels, stores, etc. At and near 
 Phoenix are several important mines, two of which are at present 
 the largest shippers of ore of any in the Boundary. The town has a 
 population of ahout 1,500, and has a prospect of an early considerable 
 increase. 
 
 Summit City is a small town situate between Phcenix and Eholt, 
 with several mines around it. 
 
 Eholt is at the summit of Eholt Pass, between the north fork 
 of the Kettle River and Bo'undary Creek, and in close proximity to 
 some rich mining properties. It is the point of departure for the 
 Long Lake, Phoenix, Wellington, Central and Summit camps. 
 
 Grand Forks, twenty miles east of Greenwood, is another 
 nourishing town. It is located at the junction of the North Fork and 
 Main Kettle rivers, and has a large and rich mining country tribu- 
 tary to it. It is the site of the Graniby smelter, which has a daily 
 capacity of over 600 tons. The town has good hotels, stores, banks, 
 waterworks, tAvo saw-mills, planing factory, brewery, schools, 
 churches, etc. 
 
THE YALE DISTRICT. 29 
 
 Columbia is an important point on the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way, 1^/^ miles west of the town of Grand Forks, and from either 
 town the Republic Mines in the State of "Washinffton are easily 
 reached. 
 
 Cascade City is situated near the international boundary, and 
 occupies one of the most attractive and advan'tageously-located town 
 sites imaginable. It has a dozen hotels, stores, several sawmiHs, etc. 
 It is a natural market for the meiw mining country around Christina 
 Lake, from whose waters it is but a mile distant, and is an important 
 railway point. 
 
 Kbremeos is the name of a townsite in the Similkameen country 
 on the Keremeos River where American capitalists are developing 
 properties. 
 
 Princeton, on the forks of the Similkameen River, near Copper 
 Mountain, where so many large discoveries have been made, is the 
 centre of a large mining and raniching district. Railway surveys have 
 been made from Princeton to Hope and to Spence's Bridge on the 
 main line of the C.P.R., with which it is con-nected by waggon roads. 
 
 Allison, a new townsite, is one and a half miles fro.m Princeton, 
 and proimises to becoime a rival town. 
 
 MINING LOOALITIEIS. 
 
 Although the southern portion of Yale is only commencing to 
 show any great development, it has been known for some years that 
 immense quantities of ore existed. It is claimed by some that the 
 ores in the Boundary Country are low grade, but practical miners 
 of experience assert that they show as rich values as those of Trail 
 Creek, while the ore bodieis are much largeor. The -whole country 
 almost from Arrow Lake on the east to beyond Camp McKinney 
 on the west, in this southern belt, is largely mineralized. East of 
 Christina Lake is tihe Burnt Basin, in which are some rich gold- 
 bearing properties, a.nd on the sihores of the Lake other properties 
 are being developed. In tlie country north of Grand Forks are 
 numerous groups of claims — Brown's camp, Knight's camip, Summit 
 camp, and Pass Creek camp. West of the latter is Long Lake camp. 
 Between Grand Forks and Greenwood are the Wellington and 
 Phcenix camps, west of which are the Providence and Skylark camps, 
 and, near the boundary line, the Central camp. North of Greenwood 
 is the Kimberley camp, and immediately w'est of the town the Dead- 
 wood camp, west of which again is the Copper oamp. Smith's camp 
 lying to the south-west. West of Midway is Graham's camp. At 
 some of the mines in these camps, costly plants have been installed, 
 and the work of development is proceeding steadily, the results of 
 which will shortly be apparent. At Rook Creek, there are several 
 good plajmg, aod at Camp McKinney inhere is free mUling- gold. The 
 
30 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 Cariboo mine has paid about $500,000 in dividends in four years, 
 working with a ten-stajmip mill, which is now increased to twenty 
 stamps, and is to be further increased to forty stamp)® during the 
 year. The ore averages $20 to the ton. Other propea-ties are now 
 being develoT>ed in the vicinity, and five incorporated comipanies are 
 working with large capital. Further west, and directly south of 
 Okanagan Lake, is Fairview, where there are a numlber of properties 
 under development, and a twenty staimp mill in operation. West of 
 Lake Okanagan is the Similkameen mining section, at Which con- 
 siderable progress has been made. The mines at Glen Robinson, and 
 in the country further west on Granite and other creeks, as well as 
 around Kamloops to the north, are properties which are said to 
 contain large deposits. 
 
 In a country so vast, and of such recemit discovery, there are 
 grand opportunities for prospecting and for inveistment in developing 
 mines. New discoveries are always possi'ble, for .there is a large 
 tract which is as yet unexplored, and the possibilities of the mines 
 now commencing operations can scarcely be estimated. 
 
 Lillooet District 
 
 LdUooet, lying ibetween Tale on the south and Cariboo on the 
 north, is bisected by the Fraser River, and is traversed by the famed 
 Cariboo iroad. The country is as yet only sparsely settled, the prin- 
 ciipail settlements being in the vicinity of the Fraser River, though 
 there are other settlements at Clinton, Lillooet and elsewhere, which, 
 when the projected Cariboo Railway is built, will rapidly become 
 of more importance. ConsideraJble free millinig gold is found near the 
 towji of Lillooet, where a number of mines are being operated. 
 Several promising quartz-hearing locations are being developed In 
 this district, and as machinery cajpable of treating the refractory 
 ores are of the most improved methods, the results already attained 
 are attracting miners and mining men in numlbers. There Is a large 
 area of the finest grazing land in this district, and cattle thrive well. 
 The district is well adapted for dairying, and by Irrigation farming 
 can be carried on profitably. The valleys are wonderfully rich, and 
 fruit of an excellent quality, chiefly apples, is grown; peaches, pears, 
 and plums are also cultivated, and smaller fruits grow in profusion. 
 See page 59, middle zone, for climate. 
 
 Cariboo District 
 
 This district lies between Cassiar on the west and the Canadian 
 Northwest on the east, the southerji boundary being the 52nd parallel. 
 The famed Cariboo mines, from which sixty millions of dollars of 
 gold have been taken, are in this district. This is still a promlaing 
 field tor the ml^er, the imimense outpiut of the placer diggings belnr 
 
CARIBOO DISTRICT. 
 
 31 
 
 the result of explorations and operations necessarily confined to the 
 surface, the enormous cost and almost insuperable difficulties of 
 transporting heavy machinery necessitating the enuployment of the 
 most primitive appliances in mining. These obstacles to the full 
 development of the marvellously rich gold fields of Cariboo have 
 been largely overcome by the construction of the Canadian Pacific, 
 and the Improvement of the great highway from that railway to 
 northern British Columbia, with the result that the work of develop- 
 ment has recently been vigorously and extensively prosecuted. 
 During the past few years several costly hydraulic plants have been 
 Introduced by different wealthy mining companies -which are now 
 operating well-known claims with the most gratifying results, and 
 there is every prospect of a second golden harvest which in its Im- 
 mensity and value will completely overshadow that which made Cari- 
 hoofamous forty years ago. Among the numerous Cariboo enter- 
 
 GRANBV[SMELTliK ANU^OlUCtS, t.«A>D , ]< 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 prises is the Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Co., with a capital of $4,000,- 
 000, actively prosecuting work on its claims on the south fork of the 
 Quesnelle River, on extensive ground exceptionally rich in gold 
 deposits, the company, for its hydraulic purposes, conveying water 
 \)y thirty-two miles of ditching, which supplies a capacity of 3,000 
 miner's inches over a course of two feet deep, with a top width of 
 eleven feet, and a bottom of seven, feeding four hydraulic " giants," 
 or monitors, carrying a 300 feet head of hydraulic pressure. This 
 Company's returns last year amounted to $350,000 for a portion of 
 the working season. The Montreal Hydraulic Gold Mining Company 
 is developing its claims rapidly and with excellent results. At Slough 
 Creek, Willow River, Antler, Cunningham, Big Valley, Lightning, 
 and other creeks, and at Barkervllle, on the Williams, the richest of 
 
32 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 all known creeks in the world, from which $25,000,000 were taken, in 
 two miles' distance in early days (and now being at enormous ex- 
 pense oipened up to work by the Cariboo Gold Fields Company, with 
 a hydraulic elevator), the results speak well for the future prosperity 
 of Cariboo. 
 
 In addition to the properties of these companies, there are 
 numerous other Large gravel deposits, many of which are now being 
 prepared for working iby coimpanies with ample capital, and which 
 only require properly directed exertions to insure large returns. 
 Amongst these are the Miocene Gold Mining Co., of Horsefly, and 
 the Lightning Creek Gold, Gravels and Drainage Co., who are running 
 a tunnel to drain the old workings of Lightning Creek which pro- 
 duced $14,000,000 in the early days. Dredging operations are also 
 carried on with varying success in the upper waters of the Friser 
 and Quesnelle. The development work for the past four seasons 
 served to materially advance the interests of the district, and the 
 coming season will doubtless witness even greater activity. 
 Many hundreds of men found employment last year in this 
 region, and none who really desired work at a fair wage 
 failed to secure it. Capitalists will here find advantages 
 which no other part of the world offers for investments. 
 The quartz mines have not as yet been exploited only in a very 
 superficial way, but the rich surface showing on Burns, Island and 
 Bald Mountains all tend to prove that further research and fair use 
 of capital will make the quartz mines of the Cariboo district among 
 the great producers and dividend payers of the world. Gold abounds 
 in every valley and in e,very stream that empties into it, and there 
 is no estimating the unusual activity in the Cariboo mining circles, 
 some of the richest places merely awaiting the advent of capital for 
 that development which the new condition of affairs has rendered 
 easily possible. Cariboo is not without agricultural resources, and 
 there is a limited area in scattered localities in which farming 'and 
 ranching are carried on; but this region will always prove more 
 attractive to the miner than to the settler. The early construction 
 of a railway from a point on the main line of the Canadian Pacific, 
 through the district, which is now proposed, when completed will 
 open up many desirable locations and largely assist in developing 
 the immense mineral wealth already known to exist. At present 
 communication is by semi-weekly stage line from Ashcroft (with 
 steamer from iSoda Creek to Quesnelle during navigation), but on 
 npplicatinn in advance, arrangements can be made at any time for 
 the transportation of large or small parties by special conveyances. 
 The roads are excellent, the stopping places convenient, and the trip 
 is not an uncomfortable one. The chief places en route are Clinton, 
 Lac la Hache, 150-Mile House. Soda Creek. Quesnelle Mouth, Horsefly, 
 Quesnelle Forks, Stanley and Barkerville. This district covers such 
 a large area that it contains more than one climate, which subject, 
 however, is dealt with on page 59, middle zone. 
 
 Cassiar District 
 
 occupies the whole western portion of the province morth of the 
 Westminster district and west of Cariboo, including Atlin. In 
 former years, old Cassiar was the seene of mining excitement, and 
 about $5,000,000 were taken from its mines. In latter years, however, 
 it has lain practically dormant, but recently interest in the country 
 \\^s revived, and during the past year a large number of prospectors 
 
OMINECA DISTRICT. 33 
 
 explored cai'ts of the district and located ffood claims. Tlhe district 
 contains so'me of the richest mines yet discovered in the province, 
 but its distance from a base of supplies, with want of roads, has 
 greatly retarded its progress. As the wealth of Cassiar is becoming 
 more widely known, however, it is anticipated that it will share in 
 the development which is noticeable throughout every part of Britisih 
 Columbia. The country is generally wooded and mountainous, and 
 difficult to travel througih. Dease Lake is the central point of the 
 district and about it mining operations are cari'ied on. 
 
 Omineca District 
 
 The Omineca District comprises such portions of the drainage area 
 of the Peace River an"d its tributaries as may lie within the Province 
 of British Columbia, the drainage areas of the Stuart and Nechaco 
 Rivers above their junction and the drainage area of the Salmon 
 River above its junction with the Fraeer River. 
 
 In 1871 this district was first discovered and prospected by miners 
 who pushed north from Cariboo by way of the old telegraph line to 
 the Nechacko River and from there by way of Stuart Lake to Vital 
 Creek. Within the following two or three years Germanson, Manson, 
 Slate and Lost Creeks were discovered and found to he rich in placer 
 gold. Consi-derable work was done during the next few years until 
 the discovery of placer diggings in Cassiar in 1876, when the greater 
 number of the miners left to try their luck farther north which is the 
 custom of placer miners, and from that -time until 1895 the 
 Omineca gradually became deserted until at the last mentioned 
 date there were only about 10 or 12 white men and a few 
 Chinese left scattered through the district. In the spring of 1895 an 
 Ottawa company was formed and a party sent out to prospect and 
 locate ground for hydraulic mining and a number of claims were 
 taken up on Manson, Slate and Kildare Creeks. The following year 
 developmenit wias commence'd on a large scale, other companies soon 
 followed and the district once more became the scene of busy 
 mining operations. Trails have now been opened and improved, 
 bridges built, and a Gold Commissioner and Mining Recorders ap- 
 pointed by the Government, so that the Omineca now promises to 
 become a permanent mining district. Nearly all the streams so far 
 discovered and prospected show gold and a number of them have 
 proved to be exceedingly rich. 
 
 Quartz (free milling) which is said to be very rich has been dis- 
 covered in the vicinity of Mount Selwyn. Immense quantities of 
 low grade galena some fifty feet in width have been found on Boulder 
 Creek near Manson, traceable for miles. 
 
 Although a very large amount of development wbrk has been done 
 in the district it has been confined to a very limited area. The 
 Omineca being such a large district and lying in the Gold Belt has 
 a number of rivers and streams which should prove equally rich 
 when properly prospected as those streams already mentioned. 
 Owing to the distance from the base of supplies in the past and the 
 difficulty of travel in that portion of the Province the Omineca 
 District hag practically remained unexplored and offers a virgin field 
 to the prospector and capitalist. 
 
 At the present time the cost of transport has been greatly reduced 
 nnd provisions and supplies of all kinds are now plentiful so that 
 without doubt in the near future Omineca will receive the attention 
 from 'both prospectors and capitalists and take her plaoo among the 
 greatest mining centres of Canada. 
 
34 
 
 BRITISH COLUMBIA, 
 
 There is at present a choice of routes into the district. First 
 by way of Ashcroft on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 
 thence to Queenelle by the Cariboo waggon road, a distance of 220 
 miles, and from Quesnelle to Manson via the Old Telegraph line (now 
 the Government Telegraph line to Atlin) as far as the Nechacko River, 
 thence to Stuart Lake, and from there on to Manson, 335 miles from 
 Quesnelle by trail. There is abundant feed for animals, camping 
 grounds are good and water plentiful all along the line. The other 
 route is by steamer up the coast from Vancouver or Victoria to 
 Essington at the mouth of the Skeena River, by steamers plying 
 every week, from Essington by river steamer to -Hazleton at the 
 forks of the Skeena and from Hazleton by trail 180 miles to Manson. 
 
 STREET IN VANCOUVER. 
 
 Atlin Lake District 
 
 This newly formed district, which embraces the Atlin and Bennett 
 Lake mining divisions, is in the extreane north-western part of the 
 province, just within the boundary line which separates British 
 Columbia fro^m the Yukon Territory. Although the first discoveries 
 of placer gold were only made in the summer of 1898, a great deal oif 
 developiment work has been done, and the richness and extent ot 
 the gold-bearing area has been confirmed. The Atlin district board 
 of trade's official report states : — " The ususal characteristics of a 
 gold-bearing country are present in a marked degree. There are 
 zones of contact between granite, syenite of gneiss and stratified 
 rock; and dykes of eruptive rock — diorite or diabase, in which are 
 veins showing free gold — prevail. There is everywhere evidence of 
 recent glacial action. Many good prospects of sulphide ore* carry- 
 
THE PORCUPINE DISTRICT. 35 
 
 ing gold, silver, and lead Ihave been discovered and also aome very 
 promising ledges of copper ore. The prospects for successful hydrau- 
 lic mining could hardly be better. There are unquestionably enorm- 
 ous quantities of rich gold-bearing gravel most favorably situated 
 for profitable working and large return® may be expected from the 
 hydraulic mining industry that will sLortly be developed." 
 
 The country has well-marked physical features. Long, deep lakes 
 indicating easy communication by water and high snow-olad moun- 
 tains insuring an ample summer flow to the many large streams .that 
 drain their slopes. Again quoting the official report :— 
 
 " The scenery of this region, which has been aptly described as 
 the Switzerland of Canada, is superb; and in keeping with its natural 
 beauties is the magnificent climate with which it is blest. The sum- 
 mer lasts from the 1st of June to the 1st of October, and in this inter- 
 val there is but little rain-fall. A succession of warm, bright days 
 marks the season: a novelty to the visitor is the constant day-light 
 that prevails for a part of the time. The transition from summer to 
 winter is a quick one, and by the beginning of January the lakes are 
 frozen and journeyings over the ice begins. The snow-fall has been 
 light in the two winters already experienced— not more than four 
 feet of snow has fallen on the lower levels— and the spells of fine, 
 sunny weather even at this time of year are long and continuous. 
 Thre is complete immunity from blizzards. The minimum tempara- 
 tures registered— and these but rarely— have ranged betweea 40 and 
 48 degrees. By the end of May the snow on all but the higher levels 
 has disappeared, the ice on the lakes breaks up, and the lakes are 
 open to navigation at the beginning of June. When compared with 
 that of lower British Columbia and Washington the growth of tim- 
 ber is not large, but sipruce and jack-pine are to be had in sufficient 
 quantities to meet the requirements of the camp without going far 
 afield. The grazing is good from May to October: ' bunoh grass ' is 
 found over considerable areas. The profusion and variety of wild 
 flowers and fruits is remarkable. Trout, grayling and white-fish are 
 to be found in all the lakes and in the streams: the market Is aJlways 
 well stocked with fish. Grouse, ptarmigan, snipe and wild duck are 
 common In season. Moose, mountain sheep and cariboo are to be 
 had in winter." 
 
 The two principal towns are Atlin City and Pine City (also 
 known as Discovery City), which are six miles apart. Both are 
 thriving, with good hotels, stores, banks, churches, etc. At the for- 
 mer are the offices of the Gold Commissioner and Government officials, 
 and there are three sawmills, with an aggregate capacity of 20.000 
 feet per day. These towns are reached from Victoria and Vancouver 
 by steamer to Skagway, and rail to Bennett (39 miles), thence by a 
 night's sail by steamer (95 miles) to Taku, where a two mile por- 
 tage, covered by tramway, leads to Atlin Lrake, across which, five 
 miles distant, is Atlin dty. In winter the route Is from Log Cabin, 
 a station on the White Pass Railway, near Bennett, from which 
 there is a Government road via Otter Lake and Taku, some 60 mllee; 
 there are stopping places en route. 
 
 The Porcupine District 
 
 The territory recently added to the Province of British Columbia 
 by the modus vlvendl entered into between Great Britain and the 
 United States, is situated in what was previously South East Alaska, 
 and Is known as the Porcupine District of the Bennett Lake Mining 
 
BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 Division. Placer mining is extensively carried on in the ced?d 
 district and the returns have been very satisfactory. Recent dis- 
 coveries on Bear an'd neighbouring creeks whioh flow into the river 
 Chilkat, which waters a part of the new country, are of a most 
 promising character and many claims have been already taken up. 
 The British Columbia Government has established a recording office 
 with the necessary officials on the spot for the convenience of miners. 
 A post of the North West Mounted Police is also in the district. A 
 large influx of gold seekers is expected in the spring of 1901 and to 
 accommodate this, various projecits are on foot. A charter for a 
 railway to follow the route of the L-'alton Trail along the Klihini 
 River has been applied for, and local capital will probably provide 
 steamboat accommodation up the Chilkat, which is navigable for 
 light draught stern wheelers. 
 
 The district is reached at present from Haines Mission on the 
 Lynn Canal, by following the Chilkajt Inlet either by canoe or on the 
 banks by the Dalton Trail ; those going to the southern portion of 
 the district continuing on ithe Trail, the Klihini River being too swift 
 to be aecen-ded in canoes ; or the Chlkat River to the new gold fields. 
 
 The entire district is mountainous, but is not difficult to traverse 
 during the late spring and summer months. There ie plenty of 
 wood and water ; game of .all sorts abounds and settlements either 
 of white men or Indians are only a few miles apart. "Very little land 
 is under cultivation, but there are evidences that the forest once 
 cleared, the valleys would well repay the settler. The climate is 
 bracing in summer and not excessive in winter, the snow-fall being 
 average and the air dry. 
 
 Westminster District 
 
 extends fro'm the international iboundary line on the south, to 50 degs. 
 15 mins. on the north. Its eastern boundary is the 122 deg. longitude, 
 and its western the 124 deg., where it strikes the head of Jarvis Inlet 
 and the Straits of Georgia. In this district there is a good deal of 
 excellent farming land, particularly in the Fraser River Valley and 
 in its delta. The soil is rich and strong, the climate mild, but in the 
 winter months of the year there is considerable rain, which comes 
 instead of snow, in those parts of the district nearest the coast. Live 
 stock are often allowed to sihift for themselves the year around. 
 Heavy yields of grain are obtained without much labour. Very large 
 returns of wheat have (been got from lantJ in this locality, as much 
 as 62 bushels from a measured acre, 110 bushels of oats per acre, and 
 hay that yielded three and a half to five tons the acre, and fre- 
 quently two crops, totalling six tons. Fruit growing is extensively 
 carried on, with the most satisfactory results — apples, plums, pears, 
 cherries, almonds, prunes, and all the S'maller fruits being gro'wn in 
 profusion, and at the Experimental Farm at Agassiz, figs in small 
 quantities have been successfully produced. This part is fairly well 
 settled, but there is still ample room for new comers. Those having 
 a little money to use, and desirous of obtaining a ready-made farm, 
 may find many to Choose from. These settlements are not all on the 
 Fraser; soime are at a distance from it on other streams. There is 
 considerable good timber in the western and south-western portions. 
 The Canadian Pacific Railway crosses the southern portion of 
 this distriot to Vancouver, and rail communication is established with 
 the cities situated on Puget Sound with Portland, Oregon, San Frail' 
 Cisco and tihe American railway system genera-Uy. 
 
VVESTMINST 1-:U DISTRICT. 
 
 CHIEF TOWNS. 
 
 VAiNcouvKK. — On a peninsula having Burrard Inlet on the east, 
 one of the finest harbours in the world, and English Bay on the west, 
 is the marvellous young- city of Vancouver. It is surrounded by a 
 country of rare beauty, and the eivmate is milder and less varying 
 than that of Devonshire, and more pleasant than that of Delaware. 
 Backed in the far distance by the Olympian range, sheltered on the 
 north by the mountains of the coast, and sheltered from the ocean 
 by the highlands of Vancouver Island, it is protected on every side, 
 while enjoying the sea breeze from the Straits of Georgia, whose 
 tranquil waters bound .the city on two sides. The inlet affords unlim- 
 ited space for sea-going ships, the land falls gradually to the sea, 
 rendering drainage easy, and the situation permits of indefinite 
 expansion of the city in two directions. It has a splendid and inex- 
 haustible Tvater supply, brought across the inlet from a river in a 
 ravine of one of the neighbouring heights. The Canadian Pacific 
 Ra,ilway was completed to Vancouver in May, 1SS7, when the first 
 through train arrived in that city froon Montreal, Port Moody having 
 been the western terminus from July of .the preceding year. In 
 1887 also the Canadian Pacific Railway Company put a line of steam- 
 Sihips on the route between Vancouver and Japan and China, and 
 In 1893 an excellent service was established between Vancouver and 
 Victoria and Australia. These three important projects have given 
 an impetus to the growth of the city, by placing its advantages 
 entirely beyond the realm of speculation, and the advancement made 
 is truly marvellous. 
 
 In addition to the great transportation lines of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway and the steamship lines to Japan and China, the 
 Hawaiian Islands, and Ausitralia, the city has connection with all 
 important points along the Pacific coast and with the interior. The 
 boats employed in the mail service between Vancouver and Japan 
 and Ohina are three magnificent steel twin-screw steamships, speci- 
 ally designed for that trade — the Empress of India, the Empress of 
 Japan, and the Empress of China— which are the finest ships afioat 
 on the Pacific, and make the fastest time across the ocean. The 
 Canadian-Australian Line gives a service to Australia via Honolulu, 
 H.I., every four weeks. There are regular and frequent sailings to 
 SkagTvay, Alaska, by which the Klondike gold fields are reached, and 
 to St. Michaels, In Behring Sea, and up the Yukon. Steamers ply 
 between Vancouver and Victoria and Nanaimo daily, and connec- 
 tion is also made at Victnria fur all Alaskan and Pugct Sound ports 
 and San Francisco. The Seattle & International 'Rq.ilw.ay gives close 
 railway connection, via Mission Junction, 43 miles east of Vancouver, 
 with the different cities and towns of Washington, Oregon and 
 California. 
 
 A great conflagration in June, 18S6, wiped the young wooden city 
 out of existence, leaving but one solitary building, but before the 
 emibers died, material for rebuilding were on their way, and where 
 small wooden structures were before, there arose grand edifices of 
 stone, brick and iron. Under the influence of the large transporta- 
 tion interests, which were established there the next year, the build- 
 ing of the city progressed rapidly, and now it is not only a great 
 trade and outfitting centre for the interior mining regions of British 
 Columbia and the Klondike, and for the shipping, fishing and lum- 
 bering districts, but has several extensive industries — the British 
 Columibia Iron Works, sugar refinery, cement works, canneries, soap 
 
WESTMINSTER DISTRICT. 39 
 
 works, cigar factories, paint works, breweries, steel pipe works, 
 evaporating establishment, ship yard, marine railway, etc. The 
 city is the centre of the lumber trade of the province, and within its 
 limits are several large sawmills. The population is over 25,0000, 
 and the assessed value of property is about $17,000,000. Electric cars 
 run on the principal streets, which are paved with asphalt, and 
 there is a service of electric cars to and from New Westminster, on 
 the Fraser River, a distance of about twelve miles. The C. P. R. 
 Co.'s Hotel, tbe Vancouver, recently enlarged to meet increasing 
 wants, in comfort, luxury and refinement of seiw^ice is equal to any 
 hotel on the continent, and in the vicinity of this hotel is an opera 
 house admitted to be unsurpassed in elegance by any outside of New 
 York. The new C.P.R. station is a magnificent building on the water 
 front. The city is laid out on a magnificent scale, and it is being 
 built up in a style fully in accord with the plan. Its private resi- 
 dences, business blocks, hotels, clubs, and public buildings of all 
 classes, several of which were erected in 1899 and 1900, would be 
 creditable to any city, and Stanley Park is a dream of beauty to all 
 tourlsits. It is unsurpassed by any other in the world. 
 
 The following table of distances will be useful for reference : 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Vancouver to Montreal 2,906 
 
 Vancouver to New York, via Brockville 3,163 
 
 Vancouver to Boston, via Montreal 3,248 
 
 Vancouver to Liverpool, via Montreal 5,713 
 
 San Francisco to New York 3,266 
 
 San Francisco to Boston 3,370 
 
 Yokohama, Japan, to Liverpool, via San Francisco.. 11,281 
 
 Yokohama, Japan, to Liverpool, via Vancouver 10,047 
 
 Sydney to Liverpool, via Vancouver ..% 12,673 
 
 Sydney to Liverpool, via San Francisco 13,032 
 
 Liverpool to Hong Kong, vi Vancouver 11,649 
 
 Liverpool to Hong Kong, via San Francisco 12,883 
 
 Vancouver to Yokohama 4,283 
 
 Vancouver to Hong Kong 5,936 
 
 Vancouver to Calcutta 8,987 
 
 Vancouver to London, via Suez Canal 15,735 
 
 Vancouver to Honolulu, H.I '. 2,410 
 
 Vancouver to Sydney, N. S. W 6,960 
 
 New Westminster. — ^This city, founded by Colonel Moody during 
 the Fraser River gold excitement in 1858, is situated on the north 
 bank of the Fraser River, sixteen miles from its mouth, is accessible 
 for deep water shipping, and lies in the centre of a tract of country 
 of rich and varied resources. It is connected with the main line of 
 the Canadian Pacific Railway by a branch line from Westminster 
 Junction, and with Vancouver by an electric railway. New West- 
 minster is chiefly known abroad for its salmon trade and its lumber 
 business, but the agricultural interests of the district are now coming 
 into prominence, and giving the city additional stability, particularly 
 as it ia the market town of the Fraser River Valley and the delta. 
 There are five large salmon canneries within the city's limits, and 
 cold storage establishments, this being one of the most important 
 industries of the region, and has led to the establishment of an auto- 
 matic can factory, whidh manufactures over nine ■millions of cans 
 
40 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 annually. Lumbering operations* are also extensive and profitable, 
 the three mills in the city alone cutting about 40,000,000 feet annu- 
 ally, besides turning out salmon and other cases, and large quantities 
 of sihingles. There are also an oatmeal mill, condensed milk factory, 
 sash and door factories, machine shops, etc. There is a magnificent 
 system of waterworks. At the New Westminster Royal Park an 
 annual exhibition is held, which is amongst the best in Canada. The 
 Provincial Penitentiary, Asylum for the Insane, and other public 
 buildings are located here. The city has two colleges, high school, 
 three public schools, three hospitals, and fourteen churches. 
 
 iSteveston. — A town at the mouth of the Fraser where a number 
 of large fish canneries are located. 
 
 Ladner's, a rising town on the delta of the Fraser, has several 
 fish canneries, sawmill, creamery, etc., and is surrounded iby a prairie 
 region of great fertility, a considerable area having been reclaimed 
 by dyking. 
 
 Chilliwack, an important town, with a population of 700, is in 
 the centre of a large agricultural and fruit-growing district, known 
 as tlie garden of British Columbia. The valley has about 3,700 inhaJbi- 
 tants. It has a fruit cannery, cheese factories, creameries, several 
 saw and shingle mills, grist mill, lime kiln, brick yard, etc. Steamers 
 run daily between Ohilliwack and New Westminster. 
 
 Mission City is a C. P. R. junction point, with its Mission branch 
 connecting with the American system. It is 43 miles fro^m Vancouver, 
 on the north side of the Fraser, and has a large area of farming 
 lands tributary to it which are well adapted for fruit growing. The 
 Pitt Meadows, which include 40,000 acres of bottom lands ibeing re- 
 claimed by dyking, are contiguous to the town. 
 
 Agassiz, on the main dine of the C. P. R., 71 miles east of Van- 
 couver, is the site of the Dominion Government Experimental Farm, 
 whicl^ has proved of great benefit to the farmers and fruit growers 
 of the province. Besides all kinds of cereals, roots, fodder and plants 
 that are under test, very many varieties of apples, pears, plums, 
 cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, and all varieties of 
 smaller fruits are under cultivation. Alnionds, walnuts, filberts and 
 chestnuts are also grown. Attention is paid to the raising of live 
 stock at the farTn, and in the district hop growing is extensively 
 carried on. This industry is being rapidly developed, the average 
 crop being 1,100 lbs. tb the acre. 
 
 Harrison Hot Springs, a noted health resort for people on the 
 coast from Southern California to Alaska, is five miles distant on 
 Harrison Lake, and is reached from Agassiz by stage daily. 
 
 Vancouver Island 
 
 Vancouver Island is separated from the mainland by the Straits 
 of Georgia. It is the largest on the west coast of America, being 
 about three hundred miles long, and with an average breadth of 
 about fifty miles, and contains an estimated area of about 15,000 
 square miles. The coast line, more particularly on the west side, is 
 broken by numerous inlets of the sea, some of which run up to the 
 interior of the island for many miles between precipitous cliffs, backed 
 by high and rugged mountains, which are clothed in flr, hemlock 
 and cedar. At some points are sheltered bays which receive small 
 streams, watering an open gladed country, having a growth of wild 
 flowers and grasses— the white clover, sweet grass, cowslip, wild 
 
Vancouver IslaJ^d. 4l 
 
 timothy, and a profusion of berries. The two ends of Vancouver 
 Island are, comparatively speaking, flat, but there are mountains in 
 the interior ranging from 6,000 to 8,000 feet on the highest ridges. 
 The interior of the island, still unsettled at any distance from the 
 sea coast, is largely interspersed with lakes and small streams. The 
 sui-face is beautifully diversified by mountains, hills and rich valleys, 
 and on the east coast the soil is so good that great encouragement is 
 offered to agricultural settlement and fruit growing. 
 
 In other parts the soil is light and of little depth, but it is heavily 
 wooded. In the inland lakes and in the indeniations of the coast 
 there is a plentiful supply of fish, and a fair variety of game on shore. 
 The scenery is picturesque and varied. 
 
 The island is rich in mineral wealth, besides the great coal mines 
 of Nanaimo, whose output amounts to over 1,000,000 tons, annually, 
 there being discoveries of gold and other valuable metals in several 
 districts. The region about Alberni has recently come into promin- 
 ence owing to the rich "finds," and it is expected that this district 
 will rank high among the gold-producing centres of the north, as de- 
 velopment, already well under way, progresses. Some of the rocks 
 of the island furnish excellent building material, the gray granite 
 being equal to the Scotch and English granites. 
 
 The principal harbour is that at Esquimalt, which has long been 
 the rendezvous of the British squadron in the North Pacific. It is 
 situated at the south end of the island, on the eastern side. There 
 are, however, numerous good harbours both on the east and west 
 coasts of the Island, notably Nanaimo and Departure Bay on the 
 former, and Alberni Canal and Quatsimo Sound on the latter. 
 
 Victoria (pop. over 25,000), is the capital of British Columbia, and 
 the chief city of Vancouver Island. It was formerly a stockaded post 
 otf the Hudson's Bay Company, and was then called Fort Victoria. 
 It is delightfully situated on a small arm of the sea commanding a 
 superb view of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, the Olympian range 
 in Washington, the mountains of the mainland, and snow-capped 
 Mount Baker in the distance. The city's age may date from 1858, 
 when the discovery of gold on the mainland brougiht a rush of miners 
 from the south. It is now a wealthy, well-built and a very English 
 city, with 'business and shipping interests ot great importance. Vic- 
 toria is pre-emiinently a place to delight tourists, and has ample 
 accommodation for a large floating population, having several com- 
 fortable hotels, one or two of which are noted for the excellence of 
 their tables. Beacon Park, Oak Bay, and other resorts are interest- 
 ing places. Various public buildings are also worthy of more than 
 passing notice, the new Government buildings, costing about $1,000,000, 
 and covering over an acre of ground, especially being an imposing 
 structure. Many of the manufacturing and commercial interests of 
 the province are centred at Victoria, which is one of the great out- 
 fitting points on the coast for mining parties destined for the Klon- 
 dike, Cassiar, and other mining regions. It has one oif the largest 
 iron works on the Pacific coast outside of San Francisco, and several 
 smaller foundries and machine shops, and many factories. The city 
 is amply provided with ediucational facilities, both public and private. 
 
 Victoria has the advantage of being a port of call of the Cana- 
 dian Pacific Railway Company's Royal Mall Steamship I^ine of 
 steamers to and from Japan and China; the Canadian-Australian 
 R. M. Line to Honolulu, H.I., and Brisbane, and Sydney, Australia, 
 and several other lines. Steamers run daily between Victoria and 
 Vancouver, and the trip from city to city through the clustered isles 
 
42 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 of tlhe Straits of Georgia is very pleasant. Boats ply to all impor- 
 tant Puget Sound ports, and to points northward on the island and 
 mainland, and all regular San Francisco and Alaska steamers call 
 at Victoria. 
 
 The country for some miles about the city supports a scattered 
 farming population, and furnishes a portion of the supplies of the 
 city, but it is particularly adapted to fruit culture. Here every 
 variety of fruit grown in a temperate climate attains peculiar excel- 
 lence, and fruit culture promises to become a leading industry in the 
 near future. 
 
 EsQUiMALT. — ^There is a small town at the northern comer of the 
 hartbour of Esquimau. The nucleus of it is some British Govern- 
 ment buildings, consisting of a naval hospital, an arsenal and other 
 dockyard buildings. In the immediate vicinity of these the town has 
 arisen. There are two churches, a public school, hotels or inns, and 
 a number of residences and business buildings. Esquimau is only 
 three and a half miles from Victoria by land, and is connected with 
 it by an excellent macadamized road and an electric car service. 
 
 Nanaimo. — ^Situated on rising ground and overlooking a fine har- 
 bour on the east coast of Vancouver Island is the thriving city of 
 Nanaimo, with a population of 5,000, but taking in the mining dis- 
 tricts immediately tributary to it the population would probably be 
 between 9,000 and 10,000. Nanaimo ranks next to Victoria in impor- 
 tance. It is seventy miles north of Victoria, and depends chiefly 
 on its coaling interest and shipping business for support. Nanaimo 
 har*bour is connected by a deep channel with Departure Bay, where 
 the largest craft find safe anchorage. Vancouver Island bituminous 
 coal is now acknowledged to be superior for all practical purposes to 
 any coal on the Pacific coast. Four companies operate the mines in 
 the vicinity of Nanaimo. Large quantities are sent to San Francisco, 
 to the Hawaiian Islands and China, being shipped from either Nan- 
 aimo or Departure Bay. Nanaimo is also the coaling station for 
 the British squadron in the Pacific. A large numlber of men find em- 
 ployment in the mines and about the docks, and the town, for its 
 size, is well supplied with the requirements of a growing population. 
 It has churches, schools, hotels, waterworks, telephone, and several 
 manufacturing industries, and daily and semi-weekly newspapers. 
 Much of the land is excellent for agricultural purposes. There is a 
 weeik-day railway train service between Nanaimo and Victoria, and 
 connections by steamer with Vancouver. 
 
 Ladysmith is a new town, and is the point of export for the 
 Extension Mines, which will soon be one of the largest coal pro- 
 ducers in America. It will also be the residence of the miners. 
 Extensive coal bunkers have been erected. 
 
 Chemainus, six miles from Ladysmith, is situated on the harbour 
 of Chemainus, one of the best on the coast. Here the Ohemainus 
 Saw Mills Company has the largest sawmills in the province doing 
 solely an export business. It is also the terminus of a short line of 
 railway built into the logging camps. Several miles from Chemainus 
 are situated the Mount Sicker and Mount Brenton mines. The 
 Lenora is already a large shipper of gold and copper ores, and the 
 Tyhee is being extensively developed by British capital. On Mount 
 Brenton a very extensive deposit of rich iron ore has been discovered 
 and is being developed on a large scale. There is, too, consideraible 
 farming lands In the immediate vicinity. 
 
TANCOUVER ISLAND. 
 
 « 
 
 Tiie three places, Victoria, Nanaimo, and Esqtilmalt, all on the 
 south-eastern corner of Vancouver Island, are the principal centres. 
 There are smaller communities on the island, mainly on the south- 
 east corner, and at no great distances from the three principal places 
 already spoken of. Such is Cowichan, a settlement on the east coast, 
 about midway between Victoria and Nanaimo, where the quality of 
 the soil permits farming to be carried on to great advantage. 
 Saanich is another farming settlement at the extreme south-east ; 
 Maple Bay, Chemainus, Somenos, all in the neighborhood of Cowi- 
 chan; Comox, some sixty miles north of Nanaimo, in the vicinity of 
 which are some of the principal logging camps; Union, where large 
 coke ovens are in constant operation, and Sooke, a short distance 
 
 NEW CANADIAN PACIFIC STATION, VAJVCOUVER, B.C. 
 
 south-west of Esquimalt. Albemi, on the west coast, where gold In 
 quantities has recently been discovered, is attracting attention and 
 promises to become a great mining region, with one or two towns 
 of importance. 
 
 The foil of Vancouver Island 
 
 The soil of Vancouver Island varies considerably. In some parts 
 are deposits of clay, sand and gravel, sometimes partially mixed, 
 and frequently with a thick topsoil of vegetable mould of varying 
 depth. At other places towards the north of the island, on the east- 
 em shore, are some rich loams, immediately available for cultivation. 
 The mixed soil, with proper treatment, bears heavy crops of wheat; 
 the sand and gravelly loams do well for oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, 
 
BRtTlSli COLUMBIA. 
 
 roots, etc., and W'liere the soil is a deep loamy one, fruit grows well. 
 The following average of the yield of a properly cultivated farm in 
 the Comox district is given by a member of the Canadian Geological 
 Survey; this is from the best land in Comox, but there are other 
 parts of the island not much inferior : 
 
 Wheat, from 30 to 45 bushels per acre; barley, 30 to 35 bushels; 
 oats, 50 to 60 bushels; peas, 40 to 45 bushels; potatoes, 150 to 200 
 bushels; turnips, 20 to 25 tons per acre. 
 
 riinerals of British Columbia 
 
 It would be difficult to indicate any defined section of Britisli 
 Columibia in which gold or silver has not been or will not be found. 
 The first inines discovered were on the Thompson River; then on the 
 Fraser and Hope, and continued up the Fraser to the Cariboo district. 
 
 Gold has been found on the eastern slope of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, on Queen Charlotte Islands at the extreme west,, and on every 
 range of mountains that intervenes between these two extreme points. 
 Until a comparaitvely recent date, the work has been practically 
 placer mining, a mere scratching of the surface, yet over fifty mil- 
 lions of dollars have been scraped out of the rivers and creeks. Bars 
 have been washed out and abandoned, without sufficient effort being 
 made to discover the quartz vein from which the streams received 
 their gold. Abandoned diggings have been visited after a lapse of 
 years, and new discoveries have been made in the neighborhood. 
 
 The railway now pierces the auriferous ranges; men and material 
 can be carried into the heart of the mountains, and with each suc- 
 ceeding season fresh gold deposits are found, or the old ones traced 
 to the quartz rock, and capital and adequate machinery brought to 
 bear upon them. In no section is this more strongly demonstrated 
 than in the famed Cariboo region, where during the past few years 
 hydraulic mining has been carried on on a large scale, and improved 
 plant to the value of nearly a million dollars inti'oduced. Already 
 the results have been most satisfactory, and there is every indication 
 of a yield of the precious metal that will astonish the world and 
 revolutionize mining in northern British Columbia, which had 
 hitherto been conducted in a somewhat crude fashion. The recog- 
 nized and greatest authority on mineralogy in Canada, Dr. G. M. 
 Dawson, F.R.G.S., who for fifteen years was engaged in exploring 
 British Columbia, says: "The explorations of the Geological Survey 
 of Canada have already resulted in placing on record the occurrence 
 of rich ores of gold and silver in various places scattered along the 
 entire length of the Cordilleran (Rocky Mountain) region in Canada. 
 . . . Because a mountainous country, and till of late a very remote 
 one, the development of the resources of British Columlbia has here- 
 tofore been slow, but the preliminary difficulties having been over- 
 come, it is now, there is every reason to believe, on the verge of an 
 era of prosperity and expansion of which it is yet difficult to forsee 
 the amount or the end. . . . Everything which has been ascer- 
 tained of the geological character of the province, as a whole, tends 
 to the belief that so soon as means of travel and transport shall be 
 extended to what are still the more inaccessible districts, these also 
 will be discovered to be equally rich in minerals, particularly in 
 precious metals, gold and silver." 
 
 In giving evidence before a committee of the House of Commons, 
 a im ember of the Government Geological Survey, said: "After having 
 travelled over 1,000 miles through British Columbia, I can say with 
 
ITS MINERALS. 45 
 
 safety that there will yet be taken out of her mines wealth enough 
 to build the Pacific Railway." This means many millions. Another 
 gentleman in the same service said that, " It may soon take its place 
 as second to no other country in North America.' ' 
 
 There are large areas still open to the poor prospector, and there 
 are numerous openings for the capitalist. To the agricultural settler 
 the existence of gold is of double significance. He is certain of a mar- 
 ket for his produce, he is not debarred from mining a little on his 
 own account, and he is never deprived of the hope that he will one 
 day become the fortunate discoverer of a bonanza. 
 
 The total output of gold since its first di&coverey in British 
 Coluimibia, even before new mineral districts were opened up by the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway, was estimated at $60,000,000. It is now 
 about $75,000,000. In 1899, the gold .production reached $4,202,473, of 
 which $1,344,900 was from placers. The yield of copper during the 
 same year was valued at $1,351,453; and the past year (for which the 
 official returns have not yet been received) will show much larger 
 figures. During the coming year, with present facilities for pros- 
 pecting, even much heavier returns are expected, for the era of 
 scientific mining in British Columbia has only commenced. 
 
 In British Columbia a belt of rocks, probably corresponding to 
 the gold rocks of California, has already been proved to be richly 
 auriferous. Geological explorations go to show a general resemb- 
 lance of the rocks to those O'f the typical sections of California and 
 the Western States. 
 
 Silver has been discovered in several places, and its further dis- 
 covery will probably show that it follows the same rules as in Nevada 
 and Colorado. The best known argentiferous localities are in East 
 and West Kootenay, from whose mines shipments of ore are largely 
 increasing yearly. Railroads in these sections have opened up the 
 country, and a magnificent steamboat service on the lakes and rivers 
 affords every required means of transportation. Several smelters 
 have been erected and are in operation, smelting the ore in close 
 proximity to the mines, while the establishment of others at favour- 
 able points is an assured fact. There can be no doubt that the out- 
 put will be largely on the increase, as development work shows more 
 ore in sight every day, and the conditions for mining cheaply have 
 largely improved. 
 
 Great iron deposits exist in Texada Island, and copper deposits 
 have been found at several points on the coast of the imainland, Howe 
 Sound, Jarvis Inlet, the Queon Charlotte Islands and other points. 
 Cinnabar and platinum liave been found in small quantities during 
 the process of washing gold. 
 
 A ledge of cinnabar, found on Kamloops Lake, is operated by the 
 Cinnabar Mining Co. The true vein is reported as being fourteen 
 inches thick, and there g-ppears to be a large scattered quantity 
 besides. Assays give a high percentage of mercury. 
 
 In Alberni district on the west coast qt Vancouver Island, a con- 
 siderable amount of work is in progress. Numerous quartz veins 
 have been discovered and are being opened up; a mill run from one 
 oif these claims gave a yield of $30.00 per ton. 
 
 Bituminous coal has been extensively worked for many years 
 past at Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, at which place there are 
 large deposits, and indications of coal have been found at several 
 other places on that Island. 
 
 Several seams of bituminous coal have been discovered on the 
 mainland in the New .Westminster and Nicola districts, and other 
 
SYNOPSIS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA MINING LAWS. 47 
 
 indications of coal have been found In many parts. The same forma- 
 tion exists on the mainland as on the Island, and the New Westmin- 
 ster and Nicola coal beds are probably small portions only of a large 
 area. 
 
 The coal fields of the Crow's Nest Pass In Bast Kootenay, said 
 to be the largest in the world in extent, are already referred to in 
 previous pages. There are other vast coal deposits known to exist 
 in other portions of south-east Kootenay which will have a remark- 
 aible value now that the Crow's Nest Pass Railway is completed to 
 West Kootenay. 
 
 Anthracite coal Is now being extensively mined at " Anthracite," 
 on the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, just outside British 
 Columbia, and some comparing favorably with that of Pennsylvania 
 has been found in seams of six feet and three feet in Queen Charlotte 
 Island. Fragments of anthracite have been picked up on several 
 parts of Vancouver Island, and this would seem to indicate that the 
 seams found in Queen Charlotte Island will be traced to Vancouver. 
 The toal output of coal in 1899 was 1,306,324 tons, valued at $3,918,972; 
 and the aggregate production to 1st January, 1900, was 14,523,876 tons, 
 valued at $43,953,152. 
 
 The exploration of the province, says a mining authority, has 
 proved that great opportunities exist for those who may wish to mine 
 the baser metals and rarer minerals used in the arts, sciences and 
 ordinary commerce. There exist in abundance magnificent iron ores. 
 Then there are known to be substances as tin, plumbago, slate, 
 gypsum, antimony, aluminum, pumice stone and other abrasives, 
 manganese, mercury, cement, alum, asphaltum, borax, magnesium, 
 sodium kaolin, arsenic, marble, barytes, chalk, and the like. Again 
 there are the rare elennents, such as barium, cobalt, germanium, 
 thallium, palladium, zirconium and the high-priced minerals. 
 
 Synopsis of British Columbia Hining Laws 
 
 (Subject to alteration, and not applicaible to the Yukon.) 
 Every British subject over eighteen years of age, and every joint 
 stock company shall be entitled to all the privileges of a free miner, 
 on taking out a free miner's certificate, the cost of which is $5 a year 
 far an individual, and from $50 to $100 a year for a company, accord- 
 ing to capital, and is procurable from any Gold Commissioner or any 
 Mining Recorder. A free miner can locate and hold mineral and 
 placer claims under the mining laws in force at the time, during the 
 continuance of his certificate, but no longer. 
 
 A mineral claim must not exceed 1,500 feet long by 1,500 feet wide, 
 and must be marked by two legal posts, numbered 1 and 2, placed as 
 nearly as possible on the line of the lode or vein, and not more than 
 1,500 feet apart. The line from 1 to 2 is the location line, and the 
 claim may extend any number of feet to the right and to the left of 
 said location line, provided the total distance on both sides does not 
 exceed 1,500 feet. 
 
 A legal post marked "Discovery Post" must also be placed on the 
 lode where It was discovered. On No. 1 post must be written : 
 " Initial Post," the name of the claim, the name of the locator, date 
 of location, approximate bearing of No. 2 post, length and breadth of 
 claim, and number of feet to the right and number of feet to the left 
 of location line. On No. 2 post: Name of claim, name of locator, and 
 date of location. The line from 1 to 2 must be distinctly marked by 
 blazing trees, cutting underbrush, or planting posts, 
 
48 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 All records must 'be made at the Mining Recorder's office of the 
 mining division in which the claim is situated, with affidavit that 
 mineral has been found on the claim. A mineral claim 'must be re- 
 corded within fifteen days after location, if within ten miles of the 
 office of the Mining Recorder. One additional day is allowed for 
 every additional ten miles. The locator must furnish the Mining 
 Recorder with the following particulars, in addition to the affidavit 
 above mentioned, at the same time the claim is recorded, paying a fee 
 of $2.50 for recording claim and 25 cents for filing affidavit: Name of 
 clairh, name of locator, number of location, number of Free Miner's 
 certificate, where the mine is situated, direction of bearing of location 
 line, length and breadth of claim, number of feet to the right and 
 number of feet to the left of location line, and date of location. 
 
 To hold a mineral claim, work to the value of $100 must be done 
 on the claim each year from date of record, to the total value of $500. 
 An affidavit made by the holder, or his agent, giving a detailed state- 
 ment of the work done, must be filed with the Gold Commissioner or 
 Mining Recorder, and a certificate of work obtained from the Gold 
 Commissioner or Mining Recorder, and recorded (fee $2.50) before 
 the expiration of each year from the date of record. The holder of 
 adjoining mineral claims may, subject, to filing a notice of his inten- 
 tion with the Gold Commissioner or Mining Recorder, pei-form on any 
 one or more of such claims all the work required to entitle him to a 
 certificate of work for each claim. Any money or labour expended 
 in constructing a tunnel to develop a vein or lode will be deemed to 
 have been expended on such vein or lode. In lieu of the above 
 annual work the holder of a mineral claim may pay to the Mining 
 Recorder $100, get a receipt and record the same, each year for five 
 years from date of record. ' 
 
 To obtain a certificate of improvements to a ^mineral claim the 
 holder must have done work on his claim to the value of $500; had the 
 claim surveyeid and marked out by a provincial land surveyor, whose 
 field notes and plan must be immediately forwarded to the Lands and 
 Works Department; posted notice on claim and in Mining Recorder's 
 office for sixty days ; filed copy of surveyor's field notes and plan 
 with Mining Recorder ; inserted copy of notice in " British Columbia 
 Gazette" and in some 'provincial newspaper circulated in the district 
 for sixty days after posting notice on claim; and filed with Mining 
 Recorder affidavit of himself, or his agent, in the required form and 
 to the effect that the above conditions have been complied with. 
 
 Applications for Crown grants must be made to Gold Commis- 
 sioner within three months froin date of certificate of improvements. 
 The holder of a certificate of improvements, on making application 
 for Crown grant, must enclose certificate of improvements and the 
 Crown grant fee of $25. The holder of a certificate of improvements, 
 which has been duly recorded in respect of a mineral claim outside 
 the railway belt, is entitled to a Crown grant of such claim on pay- 
 ment of Crown grant fee ($25), and making application as above; but 
 in respect of a claim within the railway ibelt, a further payment of 
 $1 an acre is required. Or, any lawful holder of a imineral claim can 
 obtain a Crown grant by paying to the Government of British 
 Columbia $500 in lieu of expenditure on claim, after having complied 
 with all the provisions relating to certificates of improvements, except 
 such as have respect solely to work required to be done on the claim. 
 
 The following clauses are given in full: — 
 
 112. (1896, c. 35, s. 5.) It shall be lawful for the Gold Commis- 
 sioner, with the sanction of the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Coyncil, to 
 
TIMBER, ETC. . 49 
 
 grant a lease of iany unoccupied and unreserved Crown land for placer 
 niining-p^rf>eses-or for- precious stone diggings for any term not ex- 
 ceeding twenty years, on such terms and conditions as he shall think 
 fit; and any free miner desiring to obtain a lease of any placer min- 
 ing ground shall inark out such ground by placing a legal post at 
 each corner, and shall post a notice on the post nearest to the placer 
 mining claims then being worked in the immediate locality, and also 
 on the office of. 'the Mining Recorder, which notice shall set out — 
 
 (1) The name of each applicant: 
 
 (2) The locality of the ground to be acquired: 
 
 (3) The quantity of ground: 
 
 (4) The term tor which such lease is to be applied for. 
 
 116. (1896, c. 33, s. 9.) Applications shall not be for greater than 
 the following areas or distances: — 
 
 In creek diggings on abandoned or unworked creeks, half a mile 
 in length: 
 
 Any other placer mining ground, eighty acres; but in no case 
 shall any lease extend along any creek or river more than five hun- 
 dred yards; creek diggings excepted: 
 
 Precious stone diggings, ten acres; but the right to mine for 
 precious stones shall not include the right to mine for gold or other 
 precious metals, unless the ground be held also for that purpos* 
 separately, under the provisions of this Act: 
 
 Provided, always, that nothing in this Act shall be deemed to 
 affect the right of any bolder of a lease of placer mining ground to 
 a renewal thereof, if such holder has substantially made an-j per- 
 formed upon the ground the labour, work, and expenditure repuired 
 by such lease as a condition of renewal thereof. 
 
 Provincial flining Bureau 
 
 By the establishment of a nnining bureau in British Columibia by 
 the Provincial Government, under the superintendency of Mr. W. T. 
 Robertson, M.E., valuable information regarding mineral formations 
 and deposits and mining properties is authentically disseminated 
 throughout the country by means of official reports made after actual 
 personal inspection. Reports, bulletins, etc., or any information 
 obtained by the Bureau will be promptly sent on application. In the 
 new Provincial Government buildings at Victoria, a large collection 
 of ores, minerals, etc., from the different mines is arranged in the 
 mineralogical museum. 
 
 Timber 
 
 No other province of Canada, no country in Europe, and no state 
 in North America, compares' with British Columbia in respect to its 
 timber. 
 
 There are prairies here and there, valleys free from wood, and 
 many openings in the thickest country, which in the aggregate make 
 many hundred thousand acres of land on which no clearing is re- 
 quired, but near each open spot is a luxuriant growth of wood. The 
 wooded area covers thousands of square miles, and includes forty 
 kinds of timber; and even with a large number of sawmills with a 
 great daily capacity there is little danger of the depletion of the 
 forest lands to any appreciable extent. 
 
 The finest growth is on the coast and Vancouver Island, and in 
 the Gold and Selkirk ranges. Millions on millions of feet of timiber 
 .locked for centuries past, have now become ava.ila.ble for commerce, 
 
FISHERIES. 51 
 
 There are 73 saw and sihlngle mills, one with a daily capacity of 
 220,000 feet. During the year ending 30th June, 1900, the exports of 
 sawn timber were 196,000,000 feet, and the total cut in the province 
 254,000,000 feet. The Canadian Pacific Railway passes through a part 
 of this timbered area, and crosses streams that will bring untold 
 quantities to the mllla and railway •tatioOM. The Government Depart- 
 ment of Agriculture has published a catalogue and authoritative 
 description of the trees of British Columbia, including: 
 
 Douglas Spruce (otherwise called " Douglas Fir," " Doun«rlas 
 Pine," and commercially "Oregon Pine"). A well-known tree. It 
 is straight, though coarse-grained, exceedingly tough, rigid, and 
 bears great transverse strain. For lumber of all sizes and planks. It 
 is in great demand. Few woods equal it for frames, bridges, ties, 
 and strong work generally, and for slhipbuilding, its length, straigiht- 
 ness and strength specially fit it for masts and spars. 
 
 The White Pine, resembling the White Pine of the Eastern Pro- 
 vinces, making the most valuable lumiber in their markets; the Black 
 Pine, the Bull Pine, the Yellow Cypress (commonly called the Yellow 
 Cedar), the Western Larch (sometimes called Tamarack), Engleman's 
 Spruce, Manzie's Spruce, the Great Silver Fir, Balsam Spruce, besides 
 Oak, Elm, Maple, Aspen, and other deciduous trees. These several 
 growths are found more or less througliout the province, both on the 
 mainland and the adjacent islands. The Douglas Spruce, the largest 
 and most valuable, attains Its greatest size in the neighborhood of 
 the Coast, but is found elsewhere. Owing to the variety of climates 
 In British Columbia the several classes of trees named are to some 
 extent localized.' 
 
 Fisheries 
 
 An important part of the trade of British Columbia is the wealth 
 of fish in the waters of her coast. Of these the most valuable at 
 present is the salmon. They literally teem in the Eraser and Colum- 
 bia Rivers, and frequently passengers on the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way are astounded during the spawning season by the sight of broad 
 expanses of river, or deep pools, packed almost solid with wriggling 
 masses of splendid fish making their way to the spawning grounds, 
 their motions being distinctly visible from the platforms or car win- 
 dows, as the trains pass by. The salmon make their way for great 
 distances up the rivers. The salmon of the Columlbia fill the streams 
 of the Kootenay; those of the Eraser are found six hundred miles in 
 the interior. There are five different kinds of this fish: the spring or 
 tyhee, sockeye, cohoe, dog and humpback, the latter one being of no 
 commercial value, and they arrive from the sea at different times. 
 There are seventy-two canneries in the province, employing 21,000 
 men during the season. This is exclusive of those employed in sealing 
 and deep-sea fishing. Each cannery costs from $30,000 to $40,000 
 equipped, the amount invested in this enterprise being about $3,000,000. 
 Of these, forty-eight are on the Eraser, and twenty-four on the rivers 
 and streams north of that great waterway. The value of the fish 
 catch has increased enormously, largely owing to the establishment 
 of fish hatcheries. Since the beginning of this industry in 1876 the 
 annual salmon pack has largely increased, and, owing to the fish 
 hatcheries established by the Government, there is no danger of the 
 rivers being depleted, one authority stating that the greater the 
 catch the larger the number of fish to be caught. The value of the 
 salmon canned annually now amounts to about $2,500,000; and in 
 •ddltlon a very large quantity of frozen salmon, and salmon put up 
 
52 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 in ice, is shipped to Australia, Great Britain and the United States, 
 there being two extensive estajblishments in the city of New West- 
 minster for freezing fish. Bsides this the fish consumed yearly in 
 the province and exported fresh amounts to $250,000. During the 
 sixteen years, 1S83 to 1900, inclusive, the value of the salmon caught 
 was over $38,000,000, and to this should be added the catch of halibut, 
 sturgeon, herring, oolachan, trout, cod, etc., the grand aggregate to 
 date oif the value of the fishery product of British Columbia, including 
 fur seals, largely exceeding $50,000,000. 
 
 Besides the salmon are the oolachan, which come in great num- 
 bers, and supply a valuable oil largely used by the natives. The 
 black cod, a superior food fish, abounds from Cape Flattery north- 
 ward. Cod, similar to the eastern variety, are taken on the banks 
 off the coast of Alaska. Halibut of fine quality and large size are 
 plentiful in the inner waters, on the banks off the west coast of 
 Vancouver Island, and further north. The halibut fisheries are just 
 being developed, and during the past four years large quantities were 
 exported. The waters of the north seem to be alive with this fish, 
 and there is apparently no limit to the quantity that could be taken. 
 Sturgeon of very heavy weight, and occasionally up to 1,000 pounds, 
 are numerous in the Fraser and large rivers; 1893 and 1894 were the 
 first years for exporting this fish, and higher prices were secured than 
 for sturgeon caught elsewhere. There is a great future for this indus- 
 try, especially in the manufacture of caviare, which Prof. Prince, 
 Dominion Fishery Commissioner, has pronounced equal to the Rus- 
 sian article. The surf smelt and common smelt and anchovy are 
 aJbundant, and valued for the table. Herring is plentiful and appears 
 to improve both in quantity and quality every year. Shad, with 
 which the Sacramento River was stocked some years ago, are mak- 
 ing their appearance in the Fraser River, and are equal to the best 
 New Brunswick species. Trout abound in the lakes, rivers and 
 streams of the whole province. Oysters, mussels, crabs, etc., are 
 plentiful. 
 
 There are scores of men in the fishing trade of England and Scot- 
 land who struggle year after year for an uncertain percentage, who, 
 in British Columbia, would find competency in a few years' working, 
 and hundreds who are no richer at the end of December than they 
 were at the beginning of January who would experience a very 
 different condition of life on the coast of British Columbia. 
 
 These coasts afford wide fields for occupation, and dispense re- 
 ward with less niggard hand than in the older home, where every 
 loaf has many claimants. There is no rent to pay, no leave to ask 
 to run a boat ashore — the land is his who occupies it. A man who In 
 other seas toils year in and year out for others, may here own his 
 own hotae, his piece of land and his boat by no man's favour. 
 
 Lands 
 
 As indicated in the descriptions of the several districts forming 
 the mainland portion of British Columbia, the land varies in quality 
 in different sections. There is almost every description and quality 
 of land, from the rich river bottom land, such as that in the Fraser 
 delta, to the light covering of moss and sand at high altitude on the 
 mountains. Between Tale and the coast, in the New Westminster 
 district, where the rainfall is regular, the land of the valleys is rich 
 and heavy; east of Tale, where the rainfall is slight and irregular, 
 there is a Gonsiderajble quantity of good land, very productive uncler 
 
PKOViNClAL GOVERNMENT LANDS. oi 
 
 irrigation. In. the Nicola and Okanagan valleys of the Yale -district, 
 and in both the Kootenays, there is a quantity of very fertile land, 
 in some parts, as in the Okanagan section, requiring irrigation, and 
 in other places sufficiently cared for hy the rainfall. On the higher 
 lands, the bunch grass grows freely, and affords the best pasturage 
 for cattle. Where water is convenient for irrigating purposes, grains 
 end vegetables succeed well in those sections otherwise used only for 
 grazing. Along the Fraser valley fruit ripens well. A great number 
 of varieties have been tried at the experimntal farm at Agassiz, and 
 the more delicate fruits have been successfully cultivated. Still 
 greater success has been achieved in the Okanagan valley, a con- 
 siderable distance east of Agassiz, so that in all parts of British 
 Columbia south of the Canadian Pacific Railway the land, when 
 vrorked as circumstances require, is found to be of the first quality 
 for agricultural purposes. North of the railway line, in the district 
 of Lillooet and Cariboo, there is a considerable quantity of land 
 adapted to farming, and still larger tracts admirably suited for 
 cattle raising. 
 
 Provincial Government Lands 
 
 Crown lands in British Columbia are classified as either surveyed 
 or unsurveyed lands, and may be acquired by entry at the Govern- 
 ment Lands Office, pre-emption or purchase. 
 
 The following persons may pre-empt Crown lands : Any person 
 being the head of a family, a widow-, or a single man over eighteen 
 years of age, being a British subject, may record surveyed or un- 
 surveyed Crown lands, which are unoccupied, or unreserved, and 
 unrecorded (that is unreserved for Indians or others, or unrecorded 
 in the name of any other applicant). 
 
 Aliens may also record such surveyed or unsurveyed land on 
 making a declaration of intention to become a British subject. 
 
 The quantity of land that may be recorded or pre-empted is not 
 to exceed 320 acres northward and eastward of the Cascade or Coast 
 Mountains, or 160 acres in the rest of the province. 
 
 No person can hold more than one pre-emption claim at a time. 
 Prior record or pre-emption of one claim, and all rights under it, are 
 forfeited by subsequent record or pre-emption of another claim. 
 
 Land recorded or pre-empted cannot be transferred or conveyed 
 till after a Crown grant has been issued. 
 
 Such land, until the Crown grant is issued, is held by occupation. 
 Such occupation must be a bona fide personal residence of the settler 
 or his family. 
 
 The settler must enter into occupation of the land within thirty 
 days after recording, and must continue to occupy it. 
 
 Continuous absence for a longer period than two months con- 
 secutively of the settler or family is deemed cessation of occupation; 
 but leave of absence may be granted not exceeding six months in 
 any one year, inclusive of two months' absence. 
 
 Land is considered abandoned if unoccupied for more than two 
 months consecutively. 
 
 If so abandoned the land becomen waste lands of the Crown. 
 
 The fee on recording is two dollars (8s.) 
 
 The settler shall have the land surveyed at his own instance 
 Cpubject to the rectification of the boundaries) within five years 
 from date of record. 
 
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT LANDS. 55 
 
 After survey has been made, upon proof. In declaration in •writ- 
 ing of himself and two other persons, of occupation far two years 
 from date of pre-emption, and of having made permaent Improve- 
 ment on the land to the value of two dollars and fifty cents per acre, 
 the settler on producing the pre-emption certificate, obtains a certi- 
 ficate of improvement upon payment of a fee of $2. 
 
 After obtaining the certificate of improvement and paying for 
 the land the settler is entitled to a Crown grant in fee simple. He 
 pays five dollars therefor. 
 
 The price of Crown lands, pre-empted, is one dollar (four shillings) 
 per acre, which must be paid in four equal instalments, as follows: 
 
 First instalment two years from uate of record or pre-emption, 
 and yearly thereafter, but the last instalment is not payable till after 
 the survey, if the land is unsurveyed. 
 
 Two, three or four settlers may enter into partnership with pre- 
 emptions of 160 acres each, and reside on one homestead. Improve- 
 ments amounting to $2.50 per acre made on some portion thereof will 
 secure Crown grant for the whole, conditions of payment being same 
 as above. 
 
 The Crown grant reserves to the Crown a royalty of five cents 
 per ton on every ton of merchantable coal raised or gotten from the 
 land, not including dross or fine slack, and fifty cents per M. on tim- 
 ber. Coal and petroleum lands do not pass under grant of lands 
 acquired since passage of Land Act Amendment of 1899. 
 
 No Crown grant can be issued to an alien who may have recorded 
 or pre-empted by virtue of his declaring his intention to become a 
 British subject, unless he has become naturalized. 
 
 The heirs of devisees of the settler are entitled to the Crown 
 grant on his decease. 
 
 Crown lands may be purchased to the extent of 640 acres. Mini- 
 mum price of 1st class land, $5 per acre; 2nd class, $2.50 per acre; 
 3rd class, $1 per acre. No settlement duties are required on such 
 land unless a second purchase is contemplated. In such a case the 
 first purchase must be improved to the extent of $5 per acre for 1st 
 class; $2.50, 2nd class; and $1.00, 3rd class. 
 
 Leases of Crown lands in lots not exceeding 20 acres may be 
 obtained; and if requisite improvements are made and conditions of 
 the lease fulfilled at the expiration of lease. Crown grants are issued. 
 
 Leases are also granted for hay lands for terms not exceeding 
 ten years, and for any purpose whatsoever, except cutting hay, for a 
 term not exceeding 21 years. 
 
 Twenty-one years' timber leases are now subject to public com- 
 petition, and the highest cash bonus is accepted, subject to the 50 
 cents per M. royalty above mentioned and an annual rental, in 
 advance, of 15 cents per acre. The holder must put up a sawmill 
 capable of cutting not less than 1,000 feet of lumber per day of 12 
 hours for every 400 acres of land in such lease; and sudh mill shall 
 be kept running for at least six months in every year. 
 
 For further information application should be made to the Chief 
 Commissioner of Lands and Works, Victoria, B.C. 
 
 Homestead Act 
 
 The farm and buildings, when registered, cannot be taken for 
 deibt incurred after registration; and it Is free from seizure up to 
 a value not greater than $2,500 (£500 English); goods and chattels are 
 also free up to $500 (£100 English); cattle " farmedi on Jiharea " are 
 also protected by an Exemption Act. 
 
«5 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 Dominion Government Lands 
 
 All the lands in British Columbia within twenty miles on each 
 side of the Canadian Pacific Railway main line are the property of 
 Canada, with all the timber and minerals they contain (except the 
 precious metals). This tract of land, with its timber, hay, water- 
 powers, coal and stone, is now administered by the Department of 
 the Interior of Canada, practically according to the same laws and 
 regulations as are the public lands in Manitoba and the North-west 
 Territories, except that the homesteads must not only be resided 
 upon and cultivated for not less than six months in each of the three 
 years after entry, but they must also be paid for at the rate of one 
 dollar per acre. "Dominion lands in the province may also be 
 acquired by purchase, free from settlement conditions. Agencies for 
 the disposial of these lands have been established at Kamloops, in the 
 mountains, and New Westminster, on the coast. The minerals in this 
 tract; other than coal and stone, are auministered toy the British 
 Columbia Government. 
 
 Canadian Pacific Railway Lands 
 
 The Canadian Pacific Railway Company controls a large area of 
 the choicest farming and ranching lands in the Kootenay District. 
 The prices range from $1.00 (four shillings) an acre to $5.00 (twenty 
 sihillings) an acre, the Latter 'being for first-class agricultural lands. 
 These lands are now readily accessible by the Crow's Nest Pass 
 Railway, which has recently been constructed through the district. 
 
 For the convenience of purchasers, the Company has adopted the 
 following terms of payment: 
 
 The aggregate amount of principal and interest is divided into 
 ten instalments as shown in the table below; the first to be paid at 
 the time of purchase, the remainder annually thereafter. 
 
 The following table shows the amount of the annual instalments 
 on 160 acres at different prices under the above conditions: 
 
 160 acres at $3.00 per acre, 1st instalment $71.90 and nine equal instalments at $60.00 
 
 " 3.50 " " 83 90 " •' ■' 70.00 
 
 " 4.00 " " 90.85 " " " 80.00 
 
 " i.rifi " " HIT. 8.') " " ■' 91). 00 
 
 " 5.00 " " 119.85 " " " lllll.OO 
 
 Discount for Cash. If the land is paid for in full at time of 
 purchase, a reduction from price will be allowed equal to ten per 
 cent, on the amount paid in excess of the usual cash instalment. 
 
 Interest at six per cent, will be charged on overdue instalments. 
 
 The Company has also lots for sale in the following town sites: 
 Fernie, Elko, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Swansea, Moyelle, Kitchener, 
 Creston, in East Kootenay; Nelson, Proctor, Robson, Trail, Nakusp, 
 Lemonton, Arrowhead and Revelstoke in West Kootenay; Gladstone, 
 Cascade City, Columbia, Eholt, Greenwood, Milway and Kamloops 
 in Tale District, and at Vancouver on the coast. 
 
 The terms of payment are one-third cash, and the balance in six 
 and twelve months. 
 
 iMaps showing the Company's lands can be secured on applica- 
 tion to F. T. Griffin, C.P.R. L.and Commissioner, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 
 or to the Agents of tlie Land Department at Cranbrook and Nelson. 
 
THE CLIMATE. ^1 
 
 Climate. 
 
 No general description will serve the purpose in speaking of the 
 climate of British Columbia. On the coast it varies considerably, 
 while in the interior the variations are yet more plainly marked. It 
 may be divided into the southern, middle, and northern zones, in the 
 interior, and the coast climate. 
 
 The Southern Zone 
 
 This area, including that between the international boundary, 49 
 and 51 degrees N. lat., comprises several distinct districts — the East 
 Kootenay, the West Kootenay, and the Okanagan and Kamlc^ops 
 country, or that lying between the Gold range and the Coast range. 
 
 The East Kootenay, to the west of the Crow's Nest Pass, is now 
 being opened to the world by the Canadian Pacific Railway to Rpss- 
 land and West Kootenay. The climate is so mild that " hops can be 
 successfully cultivated and fruits give a fair yield, considering that 
 the little orchards were only planted a few years ago." 
 
 The West Kootenay lies between the Purcell range and the Gold 
 range proper, and includes the beautiful Arrowhead lakes, leading 
 down from Revelstoke by the Columbia river to Rossland. This, 
 while a great mining country, has, as the agricultural report already 
 quoted states, areas from 50 to 1,000 acres in extent, here and there, 
 available for agriculture. " About Revelstoke the red clover and 
 vegetable and root crops grow luxuriantly." Fruit trees, when 
 planted, have done well. The small tracts which have been cultivated 
 about Nelson and Kaslo have produced splendid small fruits. On the 
 shores of Kootenay Lake apple, pear, plum, cherry, and fruit trees are 
 all found doing well on a ranch, with fruit of excellent quality. Large 
 reclamation works are going on on lands in the Kootenay River, 
 where 40,000 acres of bottom lands have been dyked. The manager 
 of the works states, " We have found the soil and climate of the 
 Lower Kootenay meadows almost phenomenally favorable for cereals, 
 root crops, garden vegetables, and small fruits. The climate is both 
 healthful and pleasant." 
 
 The Okanagan valley, from Kettle River, on the boundary, to 
 the Thompson, " is the great country of the Okanagan," says Dr. 
 Bryce in the "Climates of Canada," "consisting of lower valleys and 
 undulating plains and bench lands westward to the slopes of the 
 Coast range, which, of all British Columbia, has that climate which 
 will go far to give it claims as the great Canadian sanatorium. Of 
 a width of 100 miles or more and 150 from north to south, this 
 country has running northward to the Thompson the series of river 
 and lake expansions known as the Okanagan Lakes. The general 
 level of the bench lands lies between 1,000 and 2,000 feet, "Vernon 
 being 1,200. To descrihe it would be to follow up an endless series of 
 valleys, as of the Kettle River, of the Similkameen River and Osoyoos 
 Lake, having the lowest average temperature in January, only 22.6 
 degrees, and highest average, 75 degrees in July; of the Princeton 
 and Granite Creek valleys, extending to Nicola, near the railway, 
 lying to the northward, and having a rainfall in 1890 of 5.4 inches and 
 very limited snowfall, not exceeding five inches as rain; of the Pentic- ' 
 ton and Trout Creek valley, at an altitude of 1,100 feet, with the 
 bottoms for hay-cutting and the ranges for cattle, rising hundreds 
 of feet as bench lands. Hillsides here are of a rich sandy loam, and 
 clothed in many places with pine and the Douglas fir, with cotton- 
 wood, birch and willows along the river bottoms, as in the country 
 surrounding the Okanagan Lake, from the Mission to Vernon, some 
 
? 
 
 — WMBfc. ^fi 
 
 i''^i 
 
 
 t 
 
 'i 
 
 i 
 
MIDDLE ZONE. 59 
 
 forty miles apart. Here tihe total annual ralnCall does not exceed ten 
 inches, with the highest average temperature in August of 64 degrreea 
 and the lowest in February of 21 degrees. About Vernon are the 
 Okanagan Valley proper, the White Valley, Creighton Valley, and 
 the country of Mabel and Sugar I<akea, all with a climate much the 
 same as at the Okanagan Mission, the altitude being 1,200 feet. Near 
 Kelowna, some thirty miles from Vernon, is the estate of the Earl of 
 AJberdeen, on which the largest horticultural development of the 
 province has taken place. Hundreds of acres have been planted in 
 orchard. Every fruit of the temperate climate grows, the tobacco 
 plant and hop flourish, and even cotton has been grown as a curiosity. 
 The apple, plum — prunes reach perfection here — and all small fruit 
 flourish, grapes ripen nicely, and roses may be seen in full l>loom in 
 the end of October as far north as Kamloops. From iSpallumcheen 
 to Salmon Hiver eastward, and to Kamloops westward on the Thomp- 
 son, both along the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Is a simi- 
 lar country, the climate all being practically the same as that of 
 Kamloops, with the lowest average temperature in February of 13 
 degrees F." 
 
 niddle Zone 
 
 This comprises the region t>etween 51 and 53 degs. north latitude 
 and contains much of the mountainous parts of the province, includ- 
 ing the Cariboo Mountains, the locality of the most 'celebrated gold- 
 fields yet discovered in British Columbia. The rainfall is heavier 
 there than in the southern zone, and the forest growth, therefore, 
 becomes more dense. The altitude of the settlements in this division 
 varies from 1,900 to 2,500 feet above the level of the sea; 3,000 feet 
 being about the maximum height for Wheat, though other grains 
 ripen at a greater altitude. From longitude 122 degs. the land falls 
 towards the valley of the Fraser, the climate Ijecomes milder than in 
 the mountains, and bunch-grass grows in the valleys and on the 
 bendhes. Quoting from the " Climates of Canada " : 
 
 " Northward from the Thompson for a hundred miles is another 
 region of rolling bench lands, a similar country, growing somewhat 
 colder with the latitude, but in a surprising manner maintaining a 
 dryness far north into the Chilllcoten rolling prairie country west of 
 tIhe Fraser ; while at one hundred miles north of Kamloops such a 
 moderate temperature exists that cattle maintain themselves all 
 winter on the ranches in latitude 52 degs. Beyond this the rainfall 
 increases till in the northern part of the plateau the forest has 
 become more dense, and has the characteristics of the great forest 
 areas of Eastern Canada." 
 
 Regarding the climates of all this inland country, Dr. G. M. 
 Dawson, of the Geological Survey, says: "The climate of the interior 
 Is in marked contrast to that of the coast. Though the mean annual 
 temperature differs but little in the two, a great difference is observed 
 between the mean summer and mean winter temperatures, and a 
 stil greater contrast between the extremes of heat and cold, as exem- 
 plified by Spence's Bridge and Esquimau compared. At Spence's 
 Bridge the total rainfall is 11.3 inches, making an open or lightly tim- 
 bered country for ranching, while Esqulmalt has a rainfall of 40. 
 
fto BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 The Northern Zone 
 
 The attention of the world is now drawn to this region. A vast 
 gold area of illimitable wealth is being exploited, though present 
 operaLions are almost confined to tributaries of the Yukon. Although 
 little is known fronm meteorological observations regarding the inland 
 plateau northward beyond the 54th parallel, it may, in a general 
 way, be stated that the country consists of rolling plateaus of 
 gradually lessening height towards the north, free from excessive 
 moisture owing to the precipitation of the vapours from the Pacific 
 on the west side of the Coast range, and while, of course, having 
 severe cold in winter, has in other respects the peculiar lightness and 
 dryness characteristic of the whole country within the Coast range 
 from the international boundary northwards. In fact, it may be 
 said, it is only the gradually increasing north latitude which affects 
 the length of the day, by which the winters are lengthened and the 
 summers shortened. The long summer days make vegetation so 
 rapid that cattle-grazing on the bunch grass is possible up to Octoiber, 
 and even later in some seasons. 
 
 The Pacific Coast Climate 
 
 Mr. Stupart, director of the Dominion Meteorological Observatory 
 at Toronto, says : " The annual rainfall along the exposed western 
 coast of the Island (Vancouver Island), and thence northward to 
 Alaska, is very great, generally exceeding 100 inches. In the south- 
 eastern part of the Island, between Victoria and Nanaimo, the clim- 
 ate does not differ greatly from that found in the North of England; 
 not only does the annual mean te'mperature agree very closely with 
 that of parts of England, -but the mean average of corresponding 
 months is nearly the same." 
 
 Dr. Bryce, in " The Climates and Health Resorts of Canada," 
 again says : "Extremes of temperature, and especially of daily ex- 
 tremes — the lowest temperature in two years being 8 degs. F., the 
 fewest monthly average being 20 dgs. F., and the highest in sum- 
 mer being 82 degs. F. — to that as above Aiberni on the west coast, to 
 Queen Charlotte Island, even to the 54th parallel. In all this coun- 
 try the fruits of temperate climates grow well and farm animals live 
 outdoors the year round. The rich bottoms of the Fraser delta have 
 long been famous for their great hay crops and pasture lands; but 
 here the extreme of rainfall is met, the mean for six years being 
 59.66 inches at New Westminster. The climate of the great Island 
 of Vancouver, running northwest across two degrees of longitude 
 and two degrees of latitude, presents every variety from that at 
 the sea coast, with, as at Esquimalt, a very low daily range, and no 
 annual extremes — the lowest temperature in two years being 8 degs. 
 F., the lowest monthly average being 20 dgs. F., and the highest in 
 summer being 82 degs. F. — to that as above Aiberni on the west 
 coast, where the Vancouver range rises first into a piateau to 4,000 
 feet and even to 7,500 feet in Victoria Peak." 
 
 Apart from the mineral wealth of the island, its climate, with 
 every variation possible, becomes most attractive. Its sea-shore 
 climate is milder than many parts of England, with less rain and 
 less seasonal variations. The west slope of the Coast range has a 
 rank vegetation, owing to the excessive rainfalls, and the lower 
 grounds, if mild, have, as a climate for residence, attractions rather 
 for tlie pursuit of agriculture than as health resorts for the invalid. 
 
TRADE AND EDUCATION. 61 
 
 Trade 
 
 The trade of British Columibia, if still unimportant when com- 
 pared with the extent, resources and immense future possibilities of 
 the province, has improved and developed wonderfully during the 
 past few years, showing an increase in the last decade that speaks 
 volumes for the progress and enterprise of the people. It is now the 
 largest in the world per head of population except Holland. In 1871, 
 the imports were $1,789,283, and the exports $1,858,050, which increased 
 Prominent exports are fish, coal, gold, silver-lead, timber, masts and 
 spars, furs and skins, fish, oil and hops. A large portion of the sal- 
 mon, canned and pickled, goes to Great Britain, Eastern Canada, the 
 United States and Australia; the States and Hawaiian Islands con- 
 sume a large share of the exported coal, and great quantities of tim- 
 ber are shipped to Great Britain, South Africa, China, Japan, India, 
 Australia and ports in South America. To Great Britain and the 
 United States are sent the valuable furs and peltries of land animals 
 and the much prized seal and otter, etc. China also receives a con- 
 siderable amount of lumber, timber and furs. Valuable shipments of 
 fish oil, principally o'btained from dog-fish at the Queen Charlotte 
 Islands, are .consigned to the United States annually, and also to the 
 Hawaiian Islands. Gold and silver-ore, valued in the millions, has 
 been shipped annually to the smelters in the United States, but with 
 the establishment of numerous smelters within the province these 
 shipments are decreasing, and the ore is being treated within the 
 province. These industries, though already of considerable impor- 
 tance, are destined to become very large as well as very profitable 
 enterprises in the near future. A large inter-provincial trade with 
 Eastern Canada, Manitoiba, and the Northwest Territories is rapidly 
 developing. With the shipping facilities offered by the Canadian 
 Pacific .Railway and the magnificent steamship lines to Japan, China, 
 Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands, backed by her natural advan- 
 tages of climate and geographical position, and immense resources 
 in timber and minerals, British Columbia is gradually obtaining her 
 proper share of the commerce of the world. There is no other coun- 
 try on the globe more richly endowed with varied resources of 
 wealth, as fisheries, timber, minerals, pasture and arable lands, etc., 
 and all are open to those who choose to avail themselves of these 
 new and attractive fields of enterprise. 
 
 Education 
 
 British Columbia's school system is free and non-sectarian, and is 
 equally as efficient as that of any other province in the Dominion. 
 The Government's expenditure for educational purposes amounts to 
 over $336,000 annually. It builds a school-house, makes a grant for 
 incidental expenses, and pays a teacher in every district where 
 twenty children between the ages of six and sixteen can be brought 
 together. High schools are also established in cities, where classics 
 and higher mathematics are taught. Several British Columbia cities 
 also now have charge of their own public and high schools, and 
 these receive a very liberal per capita grant in aid from the Pro- 
 vincial Government. The minimum salary paid to teachers is $50.00 
 per month in rural districts, up to $135.00 in city and high schools. 
 Attendance in public schools is compulsory. The Education Depart- 
 ment is presided over by a minister of the Crown. There are also a 
 superintendent and three inspectors in the province, also boards Of 
 
SPORT, ETC. 63 
 
 tnistees In each district. Aooordinig to the last educational report 
 there are 280 schools in operation, of which 4 are high, 32 graded, 
 and 244 common. The nximber of pupils enrolled are 19,185, an in- 
 crease of 1,537 over the previous year. 
 
 Sport 
 
 In addition to Its many advantages already referred to, British 
 Columbia offers great attractions to the lover of sport, both on the 
 mainland and on Vancouver Island, some of the districts, like the 
 Okanagan and Valley of the Kootenay, having a world-wide reputa- 
 tion for the excellent sport they afford. Of game, large and small, 
 there is a great variety, grizzly, black and brown hears, panthers, 
 lynx, caribou, deer, mountain sheep and goat, heads and skins of 
 which are the finest trophies of a sportman's rifle. Water fowl, 
 geese, duck, etc., are very abundant on the larger lakes, and these 
 and several varieties of grouse are the principal feathered game, and 
 can always be found in season. In the lakes and rivers are to be 
 found a great variety of fish. 
 
 How to Send Money to British Columbia 
 
 The colonist from Great Britain is recommended not to take 
 English coin to British Columbia. In Great Britain he should pay 
 that portion of his money not wanted on the passage to the Dominion 
 Express Company's oflUces in London, Liverpool or G-lasgow, and get 
 a money order for it payable in Vancouver or Victoria, or at any 
 other point in British Columlbia, this system furnishing purchasers 
 a receipt, giving absolute security in case orders are lost or destroyed; 
 or he may pay his money either to any banik In London having an 
 agency in British ColumJbla, such as the Bank of Montreal, Bank of 
 British Columbia, Bank of British North America, Imperial Bank, 
 etc. This will avoid risk from loss on the way. 
 
 United 'States currency is taken at par in husiness circles. 
 
 On Arriving in British Columbia 
 
 It is sometimes better for an intending farmer of moderate means 
 to place his money on first arrival in the Government Savings Bank 
 (which allows interest), to take lodgings and to work for wages for 
 some time in order to gain a knowledge of colonial life and modes of 
 management. 
 
 The Government or Canadian Pacific Railway agent at point of 
 arrival will furnish information as to lands open for settlement in 
 the respective districts, farms for sale, demand for labour, rates of 
 wages, routes of travel, distances, expenses of conveyances, etc. 
 
 The colonist should be careful of his cash capital, and not put It 
 into Investments hastily. There are Canadian Government Savings 
 Banks in the province. 
 
 Price of Board and Lodgfng 
 
 Very erroneous Ideas prevail in some quarters as to the actual 
 expense of living in the province. In old days, during the mining 
 boom and prior to the opening of the Canadian Pacific Railway, rates 
 were undeniably hig'h. But at present the Increased shipping facili- 
 ties and livelier competition have lowered prices all round, and 
 ncessaries of life cost no more than In the adjacent United State* 
 territory, and can be iwrchaaed at a. rea«onabl« adranoe won raUnc 
 
64 BRITISI^ COLUMBIA. 
 
 prices in Ontario and the provinces of Eastern Canada. Good board 
 and lodg-ingr at boarding houses costs from about $5.00 to $6.50 per 
 week, or 20s. to 26s. sterling, and upwards, and at hotels from $1.50 
 (.6s.) to $4.00 (16s.) per day. Single meals can be obtained at 25 cents 
 and 50 cents (Is. and 2s.), and lodging at 25 cents, 50 cents and $1.00 
 (4s.), according to accommodation. 
 
 How to Reach British Columbia 
 
 From Europe. — ^The Canadian transatlantic steamers from Eur- 
 ope, from about 20th November to 1st May, land their passengers at 
 Halifax, N.S., or St. John, N.B., the Canadian winter ports. From 
 both places passengers are carried direct to Montreal and thence 
 west in the Canadian Pacific's cars. During the summer and autumn 
 months (about 1st May to 12th November) steamers land passengers 
 at Quebec, and thence the continent is crossed to Vancouver via the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway. When landed at New York the route 
 thence is via Montreal. 
 
 The Atlantic passage usually takes from eight to ten days, and 
 the railway trip from Montreal four days. A passenger can usually 
 go through to British Columbia from England in less than a fort- 
 night by crossing the continent on the Canadian Pacific Line. 
 
 It is advisable to book through to » ancouver or Victoria, the 
 tickets being exchanged at the port of landing — ^Halifax, St. John, 
 Quebec, Boston, or New York. Efforts may be made to induce pas- 
 sengers to purchase tickets by round-about routes through the 
 United States, which oftentimes necessitate expensive stoppages, 
 troublesome customs inspections, and inconvenient tranfers on the 
 way. A passenger should insist on having a ticket by the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, which is the only direct and continuous route. 
 
 While passing through Eastern Canada or Winnipeg, colonists 
 for British Columbia should apply, in case of Vxeed, to the local immi- 
 gration officers of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, or of the 
 Government of the Dominion of Canada, who will give honest advice 
 and information. 
 
 Intending pasengers can obtain tickets through to all points in 
 British Columbia, together with the fullest information relative to 
 the most desirable places of location for farming, cattle raising, fruit 
 growing, mining and trading, by applying to agents of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway in London, Liverpool and Glasgow. 
 
 From the United States. — From Oregon, Washington, Nevada, 
 and California, via Sumas, at the international boundary. Nelson, 
 Rossland, or Vancouver. 
 
 From the Dakotas, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, 
 and Missouri, via the Soo-Pacific line, entering Canada at Portal, in 
 the Canadian Northwest, and connecting with the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway. 
 
 From Eastern States, via Montreal, P.Q., or Prescott, Ontario, or 
 via Niagara Palls, Hamilton and Toronto and North Bay. 
 
 From Eastern Canada. — By Canadian Pacific Railway from 
 Halifax, St. John, N.B., Quebec, Montreal, or Ottaw^a, and iby rail 
 from Toronto and other points in Central and Western Ontario to 
 North Bay, on Lake Nipissing, where connection is made with the 
 transcontinental trains of the Canadian Pacific. 
 
 During the season of navigation there is an alternative lake route 
 through Lakes Huron and Superior, via Owen Sound, on Georgian 
 Bay, to Fort William, at the western extremity of Lake Superior, {(.QCl 
 thence by the Canadian Pacific maip Un?. 
 
^AMAHIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY CO.'S 
 
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY CO.'S 
 
 ROYAL MAIL STEAMSHIP LINE 
 
 TO 
 
 Japan 1 China 
 
 CONSISTING OF THE. MAGNIFICCNT 
 
 TWIN-SCREW 
 
 STEAMSHIPS 
 
 "Empress of India" "Empress of Japan" "Empress of China" 
 
 Sailing: every four weeks in winter and every three weeks in summer between Vancouver 
 and Victoria, B.C., anrt Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki. Japan, Shanghai. China, and Hong 
 Kong. These steamships are of 6,000 tons register, with a speed of 19 knots, and are the 
 only twin-screw vessels on the Pacific. The shortest and smoothest route across the North 
 Pacific IS followed, and with the superior speed of the Empresses enables the voyages to be 
 made in quicker time than by other routes. 
 
 "^ 
 
 
 ''\'.''^ 
 
 r': 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 tSs^"^ 
 
 CANADIAN-AUSTRALIAN ROYAL MAIL S. S. LINE 
 
 The Royal Mail Steamships WARRIMOO. MIOWERA and AORANGI give a 
 service every four weeks between Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., and Sydney, N.S.W., via 
 Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, and Brisbane 
 
 Passengers booked from London or Liverpool, New York. Boston, Montreal, 
 Toronto, or any o< the principal cities of Canada and the United States. 
 
 These vessels carry an experienced medical man and a stewardess on each voyage, and 
 are in every respect superior to any other ships that have as yet sailed the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 For passage, handbooks of information or Trans-Pacific or Japanese Guide, apply to 
 Archer Baker, 67 and 6S King William St , E.C., and 30 Cockspur St., S.W., London, 
 Kng. ; 9 James St., Liverpool ; 67 St. Vincent St., Glasgow. 
 
 H.J. CoLviN, District Passenger Agent 197 Washington St. , Boston 
 
 E. V. Skinner, General Eastern Agent . 353 Broadway, New York 
 
 A. E. Edmonds, City Passenger Agent 7 Fort St. West, Detroit, Mich 
 
 A. c:. Shaw, acting General Agent, Passenger Dept 22S South Clark St., Chicago, 111. 
 
 M. M. Stern. District Passenger Agent Palace Hotel Building, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 W. R. Callaway. General Passenger Agent, Soo Line Minneapolis, Minn . 
 
 W. S. Thorn, Asst. General P:issenger Agent. Soo Line St. Paul. Minn. 
 
 J. H. Thompson, Freight and Passenirer Agent 129 E Baltimore St . Baltimore 
 
 H McMuRTRiK, Freight and Passenger Agent , 629-631 Chestnut St., Philadelphia 
 
 W. W, Merklr, City Agent 1229 Pennsylvania Ave.. Washington 
 
 G. W. HiBBARD, General Passenger Agent, D.S.S. A A. Line Marquette, Mich. 
 
 A. H. NoTMAN. Asst General Passenger Agent i King St. East, Toronto 
 
 E. J. CoYLE, Assl. General Passenger Agent Vancouver. B.C. 
 
 A. J. Heath. District Passenger Agent St. John, N.B. 
 
 D. E. Brown, General Agent Hong Kong 
 
 C. E. E. USSHER, C. E McPHERSON, ROBT. KERR, 
 
 Gen. Passenger Agent. Gen^ Passenger Agent, _ Passr, Traffic Manager, 
 
 Lines East of Lake Superior, 
 Montreal. 
 
 Lines West of Lake Superior, 
 Winnipeg. 
 
 Montreal, 
 
A SENSIBLE ROA J '" '" "* ' 
 
 CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY 
 
 OPERATING ITS OWN 0"" 
 
 STEAMSHIP, HOTEL, SLEEPER, TELEGRAPH, 
 EXPRESS AND NEWS SERVICES 
 
 Is the Most Substantial and Perfectly Built Railway on the Continent 
 of America, and is superbly equipped with the finest rolling stock modern 
 skill can produce. Coaches, Dining and Sleeping Cars are triumphs 
 of luxurious elegance, and excel in Stability and Beauty of Finish any 
 other in the world 
 
 TOURISTS 
 
 Will find the New Route through Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
 unapproached for magnificence and variety of scenery by any other line of 
 travel. The rugged wilderness of the North Shore of Lake Superior, the 
 picturesque Lake of the Woods region, the Billowy Prairies of the Can- 
 adian North- West, the stately grandeur of the Rockies, the marvels of the 
 Selkirks and Gold Range, the wondrous beauty of the Pacific Coast are 
 traversed by the The Great Dustless Route. Being entirely controlled 
 and managed by one Company, the Canadian Pacific Railway offers 
 special advantages to transcontinental travellers that cannot be granted 
 by any other line. It is the Best, the Safest, the Fastest and the Only 
 Continuous Route from Ocean to Ocean. The Company has spared no ex- 
 pense in providing for the wants and comfort of its patrons, as its line of 
 Dining Cars and Mountain Hotels will at all times testify, being supplied 
 with all that the most fastidious can desire. 
 
 TRANSCONTIN ENTAL SLEEPING CARS 
 
 ■ r~ 
 
 Are provided with Sofa Sections, Smoking Compartments, etc., and offer 
 all the comfort and convenience of First-class Hotels. They are specially 
 constructed to admit of the Scenery being viewed in all directions. 
 
 Through Tickets from Halifax, St. John, N.B., Quebec, Montreal, 
 Ottawa, Prescott, Brockville, Toronto, Hamilton, Liondon and all 
 points in Eastern Canada ; also from New York, Boston, Chicago, St. 
 Paul, Minneapolis and all the principal points in the United States, to 
 Vancouver, Victoria, and all points in British Columbia, and to Port- 
 land. Ore., Puget Sound Ports, New Whatcom, Seattle, Tacoma, 
 San Francisco, etc., and also to points in Alaska, this being the short- 
 est and best route to the Yukon and Atlin Lake Gold Fields. 
 
 Insist on getting your tickets via the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
 
 Colonists receive special attention by this route. Free Colonist Sleeping 
 Cars being supplied for their accommodation. 
 
 Freight Shippers can have their goods transported without the vex- 
 atious delays and damage incidental to the frequent transfers necessary by 
 other routes, and without the expense and annoyance of custom require-