The Peace River Land Recording Division extends from the 55th parallel north-
ward, its highest point reaching the 58th parallel, and between the 120th meridian
—the eastern boundary of the Province—and the 127th meridian. On the eastern
side is a block of 3,500,000 acres held by the Dominion Government. Applications
for land in the remainder of the division must be made to the office of the Govern-
ment Agent at Fort George, the Commissioner for the Peace River Division. In the
Peace River Block homesteads are secured from the Dominion Government’s land
offices. ‘The office for filing on the land north of the Peace River in the block is at
Grouard, Alberta, and for the land south of the Peace River in the block at Grande
Prairie, Alberta.

That in the years to come this division will support a large population is evident.
The Province of Vologda, European Russia, with similar conditions, but not so
favourably situated as regards climate and latitude, being between the 58th and
65th meridians, supports about 1,500,000 people. It exports oats, barley, rye, hemp,
and flax; its minerals are salt, copper, iron, marble, pitch, and turpentine. Horses
and cattle are raised and exported. The Peace River Division can raise everything
grown in other parts of British Columbia to advantage, and is also rich in minerals.

COALFIELDS OF THE PEACE.

With the development of the division coal-seams will be opened up. At Hudson
Hope samples of both bituminous and anthracite coal can be seen, some of the
anthracite samples having higher heat units than any previously assayed at the
Montreal Assay Office.

A large portion of the country is covered by the Cretaceous formation, which is
the formation in which, both in Alberta and British Columbia, the commercial coal
has been found. These formations in the Peace River country have been known for
years to contain in parts deposits of coal of exceedingly goed quality, which, until
the probability of a railroad within a reasonable time was assured, did not offer
much inducement to development. With the provision of railroad communication,
however, these coal-deposits will be of great importance to the development of the
district. OC. F. J. Galloway, a mining engineer and coal manager who made a report
on the coal region of the Peace River, said: ‘The high quality of the coal will
enable it to compete far afield for railway consumption, to say nothing of the steam
navigation on the Peace, Athabaska, and other great rivers of the Mackenzie basin.”

From a few miles west of the Carbon River to the east of Hudson Hope the
coalfields exist, and good measures are found at and near the Rocky Mountain
Canyon, where the dark shales show in the sandstone. On the upper part of the
Peace the coal formation extends for about forty miles in an east-and-west direction
from just below Parle Pas Rapids to the vicinity of Hudson Hope. The full extent
of the field will not be known until further explorations take place. Beyond the
mouth of the North Pine River east to Dunvegan the coal-bearing shale is noted.
Coal has for many years been known on the South Pine River, and locations have
been staked for coal-prospecting licences between the neighbourhood of Pine River
Pass and the Dominion Block. Dr. Dawson reported the discovery of coal on this
river as far east as the forks in 1875. Coal-measures are also reported on the North
Pine River outside of the Dominion Block, so that, if the measures are continuous
between these points, the field would seemingly have an extension north and south —
of at least seventy-five miles without the limit being established in either direction.
On Gething Creek, which flows into the Rocky Mountain Canyon, and on Johnson,
Moose Bar, and Wight-mile Creeks deposits have been found.

Analysis made of samples of the coal from the Peace River fields show the
coal to be of high grade. While not comparable with the best Welsh Admiralty
steam-coal, it is equal to a high grade of steam-coal from the Welsh fields and
compares favourably with the best West Virginia coals, being altogether of an
exceptional high quality for western America. The regularity of the measures
and their freedom from disturbance is remarkable, and the low ash-content in
most of the samples, taken as they were from outcrops, shows the exceptional clean
nature of the seams. As the Rocky Mountain Canyon bars navigation beyond a

2