Forr Fraser Diviston. 35

poplar and pine, with patches of thick willow. The soil is sandy loam with occasional
ridges of gravel. The south-west shore of the lake is steep and covered with a heavy
growth of spruce and balsam. In the spring and early summer there are numerous
small streams running into Middle River and Takla Lake, but they are nearly all
dry in the late summer.

FLars oN PINCHI LAKE.

There are several small flats on Pinchi Lake (see Pre-emptors’ Map 3c, Stuart
Lake Sheet), but these are very limited in extent. Except at the eastern end and
the outlet of Pinchi River, this lake is surrounded with low rocky hills, and there
is not much land of value. On the north side several small flats, limited in extent,
exist. The land at the eastern end of the lake is very good, the Ocock River running
through a large meadow for several miles to where it enters the lake. There is also
a considerable amount of good land at the outlet.

East oF TAKLA LAKE.

The east shore of Takla Lake, running back four miles in places to the mountains,
is rolling brule country, but the soil is sandy and the land consequently of little value.
Five miles up the North Arm the mountains run to the water abruptly as far up as
the end of the range near the east landing. From here the country flattens, the
undulating country running easterly to the upper end of Tsayta Lake. Towards
Tsayta Lake the soil is very good, the valley averaging two miles in width and
containing large beaver meadows. Fifteen or twenty sections could easily be
Obtained here. The Driftwood River Valley, which is in Hazelton Land District,
also contains much good land, although the lower portion is too heavily timbered to
be available for settlement. No land is found between the two arms of Takla Lake,
a high mountain range running up nearly to the west landing. Above the west
landing undulating country, recently burnt over, runs back some ten or fifteen miles,
but the soil over most of this is inclined to be rocky. The North-west Arm is
mountainous on both sides, the western slope being densely timbered from the water's
edge, no fire having touched this section as yet. The timber, balsam and spruce,
% does not run very large, however. Behind the high ridge bordering the lake the
f country is flat to hilly, forming a large basin containing several large lakes.
Although numerous meadows were noted and some poplar country, still the land
generally is too heavily timbered, and would make an ideal forest reserve. At the
head of this arm lie two or three sections of excellent bottom land, having a rich
loam soil Behind this some ten or twelve sections of fair land are obtainable, very
easily cleared and with occasional small meadow-ringed lakes.

Sruarr AND NECOSLIE VALLEYS.

It is misleading to separate in a description the valleys of these two rivers—
the Stuart and Necoslie—since this whole expanse of country is, properly, the valley
of the Stuart River, the latter being but a shallow depression therein. There is little
or no height of land between the two streams, as may be better realized when it is
understood that both are slow-running streams, the Stuart flowing east and the
Necoslie west, with an average distance apart of five miles, which is diminished to
two miles after flowing in parallel courses for over twenty-five miles.

J. H. Gray, who surveyed about 30,000 acres of land in a tract bounded on the
west by the Necoslie River and extending two or four miles east from it, the most
northerly point being ten miles down-stream from the south end of Stuart Lake on
| Stuart River, and extending about twenty-five miles below the lake, says this tract
| of land is undulating, at no point more than 800 feet above Stuart River, or a general

maximum elevation of 2,500 feet above sea-level. The soil is, as usual, of diversified

character, running from heavy silt to light sandy loam. There is not much gravel,

and the classification shows a high percentage of first-class land. (See Pre-emptors’
a Map 8c, Stuart Lake Sheet.)

ST Le hE eee