The
Beavers had also an enemy in their congeners, the Chipewyans, the
three nations seemingly dividing the great river between them. But
neither succeeded in giving a permanent name to it. The U?„jigah, its
majestic and proper name, or the Tsa-hoo-dene-desay--"The Beaver
Indian River"--or the Amiskoo e?«innu Sepe of the Crees, which has
the same meaning, has not taken root in our maps. The traditional
peace made between its warring tribes gave it its name, the Rivi??re
la Paix of the French, which we have adopted, and by this name the
river will doubtless be known when the Indians, whose home it has
been for ages, have disappeared.
On the 24th our work here was completed, and we took to our boats,
which were to float us down to Vermilion and Athabasca Lake.
During our stay, however, I had noted all the information that
could be gained respecting the Upper Peace as an agricultural
region, some of which I have already given. The knowledge obtainable
about the fertile areas of the hinterlands of a vast unsurveyed
country like this, though not very ample, was no doubt trustworthy
as far as it went.
Trappers and traders are confined to the water, as a rule, and see
little land away from the shores of streams and lakes. The only
people who, through their employments, knew the interior well were
the Indians and half-breed hunters. It was the statements of these,
therefore, and of the few prosperous farmers and stockmen scattered
here and there, which afforded us our only reliable knowledge.
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