Other than Indians, the present population is scanty,
traders, trappers, and a few pioneer pre-emptors, pros-
pectors, and miners. The Indians move about much,
mainly by water, and some have motor-boats on the lake.
Fort Babine is largest village, with two churches and two
stores. White population consists of storekeepers and
families, schoolmaster, and fishery officials from hatcheries
on Morrison Lake. Another village is at Old Fort, near
which a number of houses are scattered along the lake,

mainly for first 6 miles west. There are also some houses .

at Tachek, mouth of Fulton River, at Donald Landing,
and a mining camp operating on Silver Island.

Transport is by flat-bottomed scows propelled by out-
board motors in summer and by sleighs in winter. Strong
winds hinder these craft at times, but would not interfere
with steam-vessels. Active competition for trade has
developed at Burns Lake, from which the road was built
by a land company interested in areas on Babine Lake,
but development did not follow and the road was aban-
doned until mining developments required communication.
It is not well located in places, broken by Pinkut Lake,
which is skirted by a horse-trail, and a scow with motor-
craft is used on the lake. The break in continuity is
awkward and when the lake commences to freeze com-
munication is difficult until the ice is strong enough to
bear a team, but despite difficulties the road serves and
will be improved with increased development. Teamsters
may be hired at Burns Lake, who will see travellers
through to Babine. When the road is passable and lake
navigation opens varies, but is usually not later than May
15th. At fork of the road before Pinkut Lake a mining
company operates a store.

Chief resources awaiting development are minerals,
land, and timber. Chief known mineral deposits are
silver-bearing minerals with copper, lead, and zinc also
present in considerable quantities, usually in narrow and
comparatively short quartz veins in Babine Mountains.
Some are on the slopes toward Babine Lake, which would
be best route for transporting ore; silver-lead-zinc-copper
minerals on Anderson Creek, 3 miles south of Babine
Lake; high-grade silver minerals on Silver Island; copper
ores on Copper Island, one of a group at mouth of Hagan
Arm; pyrite, chalcopyrite, and zinc-blende, carrying gold,
silver, copper, also much zinc in places, on Newman
Peninsula; and traces of asbestos are found in serpentine
of Middle Range and a considerable body of coal reported
on Fulton River.

There is not much large timber, but patches of spruce
of fair size are found. As a whole the Babine Lake basin
has been remarkably little burnt over in comparison with
Middle River District, so that balsam, spruce, pine, and
poplar of moderate size are common. Successful use of
jack-pine for pulp, combined with long shore-line and falls

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