Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 July 1898 — WONDERS OF HUDSON BAY. [ARTICLE]

WONDERS OF HUDSON BAY.

It Drains Three Million Square Miles of Territory. Hudson’s bay, the Mediterranean of Canada, is the most striking geographical feature of North America. Hudson bay is half as large as tbe Mediterranean sea—it drains a vast territory, 8,000,000 square miles •in area—vast rivers flow into it from the south, east, and west; flowing from places as distant as the plains of Minnesota and Dakota. In its water live undisturbed fish and oil-bearing mammals, along its shores are fine harbors, in the country surrounding it are rich mineral deposits and fine farming lands. But it is a portion destitute of human habitation. White whales, walruses, big as elephants, and fur-bearing seals disport themselves undisturbed in the water. On land there is wealth, with no one to take it away. “But all this is the arctic regions,” you say. “Not a bit of it,” says Dr. Bell, director of the geological survey. Moose bay is in a latitude further south than London, and the more northern portion of Hudson bay is at about the same latitude as the north of Scotland. The climate also compares very favorably with that of the same latitude in other portions of the globe. The bay does not freeze across in winter—the winter conditions there being similar to those of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and navigation is possible during four or possibly five months of the year. The Hudson bay route would bring the great Northwest as near to Europe as the city of Quebec, It offers perhaps the best route to the Yukon district, and is the national route to the great oil fields of the Northwest. Gold is there—specimens of gold-bearing quartz have been brought into the Hudson bay .stations—pyrites containing gold have been found by the geological survey party, and alluvial gold has been found, according to Mr. William Ogilvie, in the valleys. Gypsum, iron, copper, silver, and lead are abundantly indicated in many places. Were the country within the arctic circle the quality of the soil would be of no consequence. But there are scores of millions of acres upon which profitable stock-raising and farming may be carried on, and It is important to note that the soil observed is rich and productive. In the district south of James bay, in a district as large as all England, the total population at present is one Scotchman and thirty or forty families of Indians.—Montreal (Canada) Witness.