Western Canada and its Great Resources
The Testimony of Settlers, farmer Delegates and high Authorities

AND ITS GREAT RESOURCES. 15 Extracts from Report of Delegates from Spink County, South Dakota, from Aberdeen Station, November 18th, 1891. • We left Aberdeen on 14th September, arriving in Winnipeg next day. We saw wheat at Portage la Prairie averaging 35 to 50 bushels per acre, and thousands of acres of it. We went to Prince Albert. We found this to be a magnificent grazing country along the line of road. At Saskatoon we saw four car loads of three-year-old steers for which the buyer paid .$40 each. We arrived at Prince Albert on the night of the 19th September and found they had as yet no frost. Tomatoes and all vegetables green. Their first frost occurred on the 24th September, over a month later than in Spink county. On the following Monday we got teams for the purpose of looking over the Prince Albert country. We went onto Carrot River and camped for dinner. Here some of our party took up land, as we found it excellent for mixed farming. After dinner we started on for Stony Creek, arriving at 5 p.m. We camped here over night, and next day made a selection of a township of land to which we intend to go in the spring, and can only add that it contains living water, plenty of timber, first-class soil and good hay, with room enough for all who wish to join us, and we conclude by saying that we have seen Mr. Child’s letter in the Star, together with the letters of other parties from time to time, and we heartily endorse all that they contain, and add that the story has not been half told of the hidden wealth of the Canadian North-west. (Signed) W. J. Turner. W. H. Holcomb. C. C. Elliott. T. Jones. Melette, Spink County, South Dakota. [The above mentioned gentlemen spent over a month in the Canadian North-west, are the most influential men of their neighbourhood, and have selected their future homes in the Prince Albert district.] ‘ ------ I A Letter from Three Settlers. Prince Albert, N.W.T., 9th November, 1891. My Dear Sirs,—You no doubt would be glad to hear from us in our new home, but as we are among the late and new arrivals, this being only our fourth week here, you cannot expect much of a report of the country from us at this date. The climate here, so far, is delightful : we have no winds, as we used to understand them in Dakota; we have had some decided frosts, with a flurry or two of snow, but the ground is perfectly bare now, and is likely to be for a month yet to come, our neigh- bour’s cattle taking care of themselves. Crops of last season exceed the most sanguine expectations, the yield of wheat averaging around on all sides of 40 bushels an acre, oats 75 to 100 bushels, and barley 50 bushels an acre; whilst cabbage, potatoes and other garden products are simply immense, potatoes yielding at the rate of 7 hills to the bushel, and oh ! what beauties • they would put Ireland to the blush. Wood here, for fuel, is very plentiful and cheap; we are now getting all we need for the taking. Though the crops grown here are surpassingly excellent, yet, judging from the number and quality of the horses, cattle and sheep we see around us, we are forced to the conclusion that this is the stockman's paradise, here being found the very best of pasturage and meadows, the best of water, and natural shelter without limit • whilst other shelter, such as barns, sheds, die., can be put up as cheaply as in any part of the world.