Stuart and Babine Lake
Districts.

North of the Canadian National Railway, which traverses
the Endako and Nechako Valleys in Fort Fraser Land Re-
cording District, is an extensive lacustrine basin with con-
nective lake systems, Stuart, Trembleur, Takla, Pinchi,
Tezzeron, and other lakes draining through Stuart River
to the Nechako and Fraser, while Babine, Tatalpin, and
others drain to Skeena River. Surveys made in different
parts of this region are shown on pre-emptors’ maps,
Nechako, Stuart, and Bulkley sheets. Vacant and unre-
served surveyed Crown lands may be pre-empted and
recorded, also applications made for purchase and lease of
lands, at office of Government Agent, Fort Fraser.

This northerly portion of Fort Fraser District is described
in this bulletin. That part near the railway is dealt with
in one entitled ‘‘ Nechako and Endako Valleys,” and the
lake region south of the railway in another entitled
“* Francois-Ootsa Lake District.”” It is reached principally
from Vanderhoof, a well equipped town, 69 miles west
from Prince George, 398 miles from Prince Rupert, on the
Canadian National Railway. A good motor-road, 41 miles,
reaches Fort St. James, foot of Stuart Lake, whence travel
northward is by the water route or trails. From Burns
Lake, 82 miles west of Vanderhoof on the railway, a road,
24 miles, traversible by wagon, but broken at Pinkut Lake,
where scow-ferry is used, reaches Donald Landing on
Babine Lake. Fort St. James is a trading-post with Hud-
son’s Bay Company’s and two other stores and small
sawmill. Motor-boats and canoes, pack-horses and guides
can be obtained. A tourist resort, Douglas Lodge, is
operated on an island a short distance away on Stuart
Lake. “

Social, political, and business life of the Stuart Lake
District centres in Fort St. James, an historic and interest-
ing trading-post, established in 1806 for the Northwest
Fur Company by Simon Fraser on what he took then to be
headwaters of Columbia River. Excepting Fort McLeod,
it is the oldest of fur-traders’ posts. It was supplied from
Eastern Canada originally as distributing centre of many
interior posts, then from Fort Vancouver, and later from
Fort Victoria, via Fort Kamloops and overland trails.
A still later route of access was from the seaboard via
steamships on Skeena to Hazelton, pack-trail to Fort
Babine, scows on Babine Lake, connecting by wagons on
a portage-road with scows plying on Stuart Lake to Fort
St. James. With the building of the Canadian National
Railway and the motor-road to Fort St. James, Vanderhoof
was used as the railway connection and goods taken by

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