18 . The Peace River District

during the winter. Further investigations may, however, reveal the possibility
of storing and conserving the flood waters on many of these streams. In such
an event, these streams will be capable of producing sufficient power to operate
small mills, and in some cases supply the power demands of a small municipality.

The inherent disadvantages of the Peace river and its tributaries as a source
of power at the present time are irregularity of flow, high cost of development,
and absence of market. These disadvantages may, however, be overcome by
the creation of storage reservoirs to regulate the flow, and by settlement of the
district. As the district becomes thickly populated and towns spring up,
transportation facilities will be greatly improved and a market created for the
power.

Transportation

The Peace River district is now connected by rail with Edmonton, the
capital of Alberta, and may be reached in comfort and despatch by modern
means of travel. Peace River, Spirit River, and Grande Prairie are served by the
railway. In addition, those districts adjacent to the river have the benefit of a
steamboat service during the months of navigation.

The Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia railway runs northerly
from Edmonton to Smith, the first divisional point, where the Athabaska river
is crossed. Swinging westerly, it follows the Lesser Slave river and skirts
the southern shore of Lesser Slave lake, famous for its yields of whitefish. High
Prairie is on the line of steel at the westerly end of this lake, and marks the
approximate divide between the Athabaska and Peace watersheds. The rail-
way then runs more northerly to the next divisional point, McLennan. From
McLennan, the Central Canada railway runs northerly to Peace River, reaching
the edge of the valley at a point overlooking the junction of the Peace and Smoky
rivers and affording the traveller an excellent bird’s-eye view of the town nestling
in the valley several hundred feet below. A long descent on a side-hill grade
brings one into the valley and to the edge of the waters of the Peace itself.

During 1921, the line was extended westerly from Peace River to Berwyn, a
distance of twenty-three and a half miles. Freight and passenger service has
now been inaugurated on this extension and further construction is contem-
plated for the present year.

From McLennan, the main line of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British
Columbia extends westerly, crossing the Smoky river and continuing to Spirit
River settlement. Location has been carried still further west as far as Pouce
Coupé, and it is only a matter of time until the steel will be laid across this
prairie and thence through the mountain passes to give an outlet to the Pacific
coast.

From Spirit River, a branch runs southerly to Grande Prairie, a new town
which has sprung up in the heart of the great prairie whose name it bears, and
which has been settled so rapidly in recent years. It is expected the line will be
extended westerly from Grande Prairie in the near future.