13

In 1917, the Edmonton Dunvegen and British
Columbia Kailwey completea and operated its branch
line to Grande Prairie. The main line to Spirit River
was completed the previous season. The grade was con
structea westerly from Spirit River te s point on the
Alterte ani British Columbia boundary in the eastern
part of the Pouce Coupe settlement. Owing to the war
and other reasons the eteel was never laid.

With the séyent of the reilway the trensporta-
tion problem of a large part of the Peace River country
appeared solved. The subsequent experience of the agri-
cultural settlers ané merchants of the éistrict, who
heve seen a new road be@ through lack of ballast and
attention, reduced to run trains at any but the slovest
speeis, show that although the Edmonton Dunvegan and
British Columbia railway hed done much for the country
much was still to be done. In the spring of 19°20 owing ~
to the unusually heavy rainfall the traffic bdecame con-
pletely disorganized. Late in the summer of the same
yeer it was announced that the Canadian Pacifie Reilway
hed teken over the Edmonton Dunvegen and British Columbia
ruilwey cn a five year lease with option to purchase at
the end of that period. At once gangs of men were started
to work redigging the drains and renewing the roacbed.
Consid@erable progress wes made that fall and the improve-
ments were continued during the past summer. The service
has been noticeably improved and it is confidently expect-
ea by the settlers in the country that at last they will
have the advantages of a reilway which will give them
service proportional to the needs of a large rapidly de-
veloping agricultural district. But even with a more
adequate service, the district dealt with in this report
will still, owing to its distance from this railway, be
seriously handieappeds Pouce Coupe post office is some
one hundred miles from Grande Prairie and about 70 miles
from Spirit River, The road to the latter place is im-
passable for summer freighting. The settlement in range
12 slong the Redwillow and Beaverlodge rivers is situsted
some fifty miles from the nearest railway station. In
eécition to the shorter haul this district is favoured
in having well improved connected roads.

Eavyigsetion

fhe Peace river else afforés a means of reach=
ing the Pouce Coupe district. The river is nevige ble
upstreem from the town of Peace River, the teminus of
the Central Canada railway, to Hudson Hope some 2<0 miles
by river. The Pouce Coupe landing, from which Place there
ere connecting roads to the settlement, is situated about
160 miles from Peace River. Boats ply the river regular-
ly from the lst of June to the 15th of October, the
navigable season. The merchants and settlers of the
Pouce Coupe district avail themselves of this means of
transportation and during the summer months have consider-
able of their supplies brought up by the boats.