26

From Peace River Crossing to Fort Vermilion the course of ‘the river is
northward, the valley is deep and picturesque, and the current has a uniform
rate of 3 to 4 miles per hour. In the lower part of this stretch the valley widens,
islands become more numerous, and the shores and bars gradually change from
gravel to sand or mud.

Wabiskaw river enters from the south about 20 miles below Fort Vermilion
and is the most important tributary below Smoky river. McConnell! considers
that this stream might possibly be navigated as far as Grand rapids, 9 miles
above Panny creek, by powerful steamers with the aid of a line, but with the
exception of a few miles of still] water above its mouth it can hardly be con-
sidered a navigable stream.

, At Vermilion chutes a rapid and fall with a total drop of 25 feet obstruct
the course of navigation and make a portage of 5 miles on the south bank neces-
sary. The chutes are caused by a ledge of limestone projecting across the river
and though the rapid at the head is navigable, with difficulty, by a canoe, the
falls below have a direct drop of 15 feet and cannot be run by any sort of boat.

Mikkwa river, which joins the Peace immediately below the chutes, is about
240 miles in length, but is a swift and shallow stream broken by numerous rapids
and navigable only by canoes during high water.

Below Vermilion chutes, Peace river increases in width and its valley almost
disappears. In the 220 miles to Slave river it falls about 110 feet, or 6 inches
to the mile. Its current is consequently more gentle, and only at one point, a
few miles below the mouth of Jackfish river, does it break into a rapid, which,
however, is not a serious hindrance to navigation by shallow-draft steamboats.
t this point and for 20 miles down, the stream is confined by cliffs of gypsum
from 20 to 80 feet in height, but at no other points are the banks composed of
anything except sand or clay.

Jackfish river is a stream 50 yards in width at its mouth, entering Peace

In ordinary stages of water Peace river discharges all its water directly into
Slave river, but in flood time much of it flows by way of Quatre Fourches river
into the western end of lake Athabaska and thence by Rocher river into the Slave.
During these periods of flood the Peace becomes heavily laden with sediment. It
has formed a great delta plain which has been gradually built out into the western
end of Athabaska lake and has thus cut off a large body of water, lake Claire,

Slave River

Slave river connects Peace river and Athabaska lake with Great Slave lake.
A short portion of it, about 30 miles long, connecting Athabaska lake with Peace
river, is known locally as Rocher river, but the name seems unnecessary. The
total length of the river is about 300 miles. .

1 Geol. Surv., Can., vol. V, 1890-91, p. 13 D.
2 Camsell, C., Geol. Surv., Can., vol. XV, 1902-03, p. 164 A et seq.

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