of the suggested line in Ranges 9, 10, 11, and 12
is reported to be high and not very good agricultural
land. Hence, connection with Dawson Creek line
should be on the summit as mentioned above.

6. This is a connection from the projected Monkman
Pass route to the Dawson Creek line that will
undoubtedly be required if Monkman Pass should
be chosen as the coast outlet. It is considered to
be the most westerly practical connection from the
Pouce Coupé country for this route. The country
on the west side of the interprovincial boundary is
at a much higher elevation and is reported, for the
Most part, as poor and not well suited to agriculture.
However, a connection on the British Columbia
side is physically possible.

7. Wembley westward. This would be a part of the
main line if the Monkman Pass route should be
adopted as the coast route. The suggested line
traverses good agricultural country and is likely

ultimately to be built regardless of whatever coast
outlet is adopted.

8. Loop line flanking the valleys of the Smoky and
Little Smoky Rivers south of their junction. This
territory generally has good soil but is very heavily
wooded with fine stands of poplar reported in some
of the valleys. The prospect of increased utilization
of the timber of this locality in combination with
good soil makes for economic balance and suggests
the probability that pressure of population on
economic land will necessitate the ultimate con-
struction of this loop.

9. Aggie to Sturgeon Lake. This would be part of the
main line of the suggested Obed Cut-off should it
be adopted for the coast outlet. Should another
outlet be adopted this line, with No. 10 below,
which then might be regarded as its extension, will
be required to serve the Sturgeon Lake country
and westward to Grande Prairie.

10. Connection from Grande Prairie to the suggested
Obed Cut-off at Sturgeon Lake. This line would be
required not only to serve the territory west of
Sturgeon Lake but would bring in to the Obed
gateway the entire western network—present and
potential—of the Northern Alberta Railways. It
will be noted, that, similarly, No. 9 will be the
gateway for the northern network of the Northern
Alberta Railways. However, whether or not the
Obed Cut-off is adopted, the advantage of an
ultimate line from Aggie to Grande Prairie through
the Sturgeon Lake country with a northerly loop
(extension No. 8) is indicated.

It is thought that all these branches will in time be
required and their general location—with the possible
exception of Numbers 6 and 7, which might be changed

[ 126 }

somewhat if the Monkman Pass route is not adopted—will
be pretty much the same, regardless of which route is
ultimately chosen as a coast outlet.

Probably the most important is the extension north of
the Peace River from Hines Creek to the westward, looking
to its ultimate projection into the Beatton River Valley and
south to Fort St. John. This would open up a large territory
with a substantial proportion of good land and appears to
offer the only practical means of reaching Fort St. John by
rail.

It should be appreciated that the construction of these
lines will depend on the manner in which the various
settlements develop in the post-war years. Such growth will
depend substantially on the national policy on immigration.

Consideration of possible coast outlets from the Peace
River country should not neglect mention of the much
discussed Peace River-Finlay Forks route, the advantage
of which, as a link in the future system of transportation
for the development of the North Pacific Region, would be
considerable, joining as it would the Peace River trans-
portation grid with the transcontinental system via Finlay
Forks and the Parsnip Valley and supplying, incidentally,
the first section (Prince George to Finlay Forks) of the
possible future Trench route line to northern British
Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska. Of particular significance in
considering this route are the extent and quality of the coal
deposits in the Peace River Canyon and Carbon River
localities, the hydro-electric power potentialities of the
Upper Péace River and the mineralized sections of the
Ingenika and other valleys tributary to the lower Finlay
which would be brought closer to rail transportation.

The physical difficulties of this route are considerable
and it was the conclusion of the late Mr. E. M. M. Hill,
Chief Engineer. of the Western Region of the Canadian
National Railways, who probably spent more time on this
problem than any other engineer, that a railway outlet
from any part of the Peace River country through the Peace
River Canyon to Finlay Forks is impracticable for a trunk
line. His further view was that the Monkman Pass is
better than the Pine Pass, the latter route presenting par-
ticular difficulty between Hudson Hope and the Pass.
He said, however, that economic analysis indicated that for
the traffic in sight the Obed route is superior to any other
for a Peace River outlet, although he thought this might
change if “developments of any kind for other purposes
were made along the Pine Pass Route”.

In connection with rail extensions to the north, Mr.
Hill suggested the ultimate advantage of a rail line running
north from Grimshaw along the west side of the Peace
River for about 200 miles. This corresponds with Item
No. 3 of the extensions recommended above.

A project to extend the Northern Alberta Railways
northward from McMurray down the Athabaska and on to
the outlet of Great Slave Lake was considered by a committee
of engineers in 1937 and was found not to be justified by
the traffic in sight.