REPORT BY GEORGE M. DAWSON, 24

Lake is about three miles in length, and has a rather prominent rocky
hill on its north bank.

About sixteen miles west-south-west of Uhi-ghak, the Salmon River is
first reached, the head-waters of the south-western sources of the Nechacco
being crossed in the intervening region. The country between Uhl-ghak
and Gatcho (more correctly Ilgatcheo) Lakes is broken and hilly, though
with no elevations of great height, the higher. parts of the surface being
remnants of basaltic and other rocks of the volcanic plateau, while
older beds appear in the lower ground. The surface of the uplands is
stony, dry and barren, alternating with mossy swamps, in which
Abies Engelmanni sometimes attains a diameter of three feet, with
dense forests of the western scrub pine, growing to a great height,
and reaching in many places a diameter of over eighteen inches. At
Gatcho Lake is another Indian house and some graves, the house being
the best built of any I have seen in the interior, and, though repaired
for a great potlatch this summer, bearing marks of very considerable
antiquity. I have little doubt that this is the house mentioned by
Mackenzie on p. 307, and that the “river” he crossed (p. 308) was the
Gatcho Lake stream, which flows to the Nechacco.

Between Gatcho Lake and the Salmon River the aspect of the country
is very similar, but in some places, where the dense forest of scrub pine
had been partly destroyed by fire, a rank growth of fine grass was noticed.
Some of the swamps are grassy, though most are covered with moss
and thickets of willows and dwarf birch.

Where the Salmon River is first seen, the Indian trail to the Salmon
House, and Bella Coola River crosses it, while a new trail made to
accompany the Railway Location Line continues down the stream on its
north bank. The former will be subsequently described.

The Salmon River is herea stream with only a moderately rapid current,
and not much depressed below the general level of the plateau, the surface
sloping down gently towards it. There are many moraine ridges and
mounds, some nearly parallel—while others are nearly transverse to
the direction of the valley, causing a multiplicity of small pools and
swamps. For more than ten miles down the north bank of the river,
trom this point, the woods have been almost entirely killed by fire, but
have not yet fallen. When a gale of wind visits this region it will cause
an almost impassable wind-fall. There are a few pretty meadows of
limited size along the river, and in some places many tall aspens were
observed growing among the coniferous trees, a sign of good soil and
more congenial climate. The flowering plants were also noticed to be

Gatcho Lake.

Indian house.

Salmon River.

Moraines.