Farm Lanps AnD Naturau Resources. 15

The easterly portion of this basin—east from Deka Lake, north to
Canim Lake—has valleys sunk about 500 feet below the foot-hills, reaching
westward from the mountain range west of North Thompson River. In
some places there are rocky rims, but not too steep for range, and there
are many strips of bottom land and benches with loam soil and meadows
up to 40 acres in extent.

Around Exeter and on to Lac la Hache.

Roads from Exeter and 100-Mile and 105-Mile, with branch road from
108-Mile, follow down Bridge Creek to Canim Lake and from r1oo-Mile up
Bridge Creek to Roe Lake and Lac des Roches. Forest Grove Post-office
and School, 16 miles from roo-Mile, is credited by directories with a farming
population of over fifty persons. Canim Lake, 23 miles distant, has a post-
office serving eight or ten active ranchers and settlers. Here the post-office
and store is located on the McNeill Ranch, a well-cultivated farm adjoining
the Indian reserve. Branch roads radiate from this point to Buffalo Creek
and to Drewry and Deka Lakes.

Much good arable land with many meadows is found in the Bridge
Creek neighbourhood, and there is rolling country, with many stretches
practically level and almost park-like, still farther south. All through
Bridge Creek Valley settlers’ homes are springing up, and fields of grain
are replacing the poplar and pine, comfortable houses and roomy barns
have been built, and a healthy prosperous community established. Many
of the new settlers have excellent truck-gardens and show a fine variety
of products.

All the Government surveys here and pre-emptors’ maps indicate arable
land suitable for settlement. Jim Creek, coursing through a canyon between
the mountains, has good land on the benches and an alluvial plain at its
mouth, where excellent garden vegetables, including tomatoes, are grown
and where young apple-trees are doing well. Close by and adjacent to
Canim Lake there is about 2,000 acres of timbered land, which, if cleared,
would be adapted for a small settlement or colony. To the north and west
of Canim Lake surveys are made of available land in Canim Lake and
Bradley Creek Valleys, and there are a few pre-emptors established with
small cultivations.

A limited area of agricultural land and meadow extends for some
distance up Little Bridge Creek. The railway crosses the valley some 3
miles up and, continuing eastward, crosses a narrow ridge to traverse a
park-like area with numerous lakes where considerable land is taken up by
ranchers. From this lake region, the centre of stock-raising activity, the
railway follows the west side of Lac la Hache, the Cariboo Road paralleling
it on the opposite side.

Vicinity of Lac la Hache—San Jose Valley Country.

In the vicinity of Lac la Hache there is a thriving settlement with post-
office at 115-Mile on the Cariboo Road. A number of old and very valuable
farms adjoin the lake on the east, the owners principally engaged in stock-