Valleys. The trail from Takla Lake to Manson Creek was crossed by Mr. Swannell, but no good land was found, excepting large meadows on the summit between Takla Lake and Tom Creek and along the head of Kwanika Creek, which, though too high for general agriculture, about 3,900 feet, might be useful for grazing or raising hay. On the old trail from Takla Lake via Fall River to Old Hogem, on Omineca River, are some small areas of good land and one large meadow on the Takla slope. The lower part of Fall River traverses some good land, now largely flooded by beaver-dams backing up small tributary streams. Old Hogem, now only a name on the map, was a mining camp of the sixties. Germansen, discoverer of the Germansen Creek placers, was known as Old Hogem, because he charged $45 for a sack of flour ground at Williams Lake from frozen wheat and for other goods in proportion. When Germansen left a new storekeeper established himself at New Hogem, and the camp shifted there, farther down-stream near Duck Creek. From Old Hogem to about 10 miles below Germansen Landing the valley of the Omineca is wide and flat, soil excellent, and numerous meadow-like expanses occur, approximately 80,000 acres being available here for agricultural settlement. ‘The river is navigable and in the early seventies boats carried supplies on this part of the river to Germansen Landing, at the mouth of Germansen River, which drains from Germansen Lake, westward to about 5 miles from Manson Creek, thence north to Omineca River. The site of the old mining town of Germansen is about 3 miles up from the Omineca. A sawmill was operated at the canyon about 3 miles below Germansen Lake. There were also saw- mills near Manson Creek. Placer-mining began on Vital Creek, a tributary of Silver Creek, by miners who went overland from Cariboo and by the trail from Hazelton. When R. G. McConnell, Canadian Geological Survey, explored Omineca and Finlay River Districts in 1893, Mr. Vital and a couple of men were still at work there. Little prospecting was done in the beginning and three years elapsed before a Hazelton Indian found gold on Tom Creek. About $100,000 was taken from it. During the next few years Germansen, Manson, Slate, and Lost Creek diggings were found and became scenes of busy mining camps. Holloway’s Bar on Germansen Creek, the Golden Hill, and other claims are still pointed out as large producers. On Manson, Discovery, and Mosquito Bars the Kenny and Brown claims paid big dividends. Lost and Slate Creeks had three rich claims and about 2,000 miners were scattered about the creeks. Germansen and Manson Creek were the “towns,” with bar- rooms, gambling-saloons, dance-houses, etc., stores and sawmills in the vicinity, and one winter Manson Creek had a theatrical troupe, despite the isolation. A large number wintered in the district, drifting, getting out timbers, trapping, etc. Pack-trains brought in supplies in the fall, and for a time pack-trains connected at Old Hogem with boats which ran down Omineca River to Germansen Landing. The work was carried on busily for three years, and one March an Indian appeared at a saloon Twenty-two.