Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Government of British ColumbiaChittenden, Newton H.
History
Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Government of British Columbia
Chittenden, Newton H.
Haida Indians; Queen Charlotte Islands (B.C.)
Besides these waters, there are several indentations, greater than
shown on the charts, and others not marked thereon, where small boats
may find shelter. Among the latter, Grand View Inlet, so named from
the magnificent scenery surrounding it, situated about eight miles
south of Tasso Harbor, is one of the securest retreats for small boats
I have ever seen. When opposite the entrance, the rocky shore seemed
to offer no landing place unless the storm should suddenly
abate. Unexpectedly my Indian guides turned directly toward land, and
ran through a narrow rock-bound passage into a little basin about
fifty rods square, surrounded by mountains rising very precipitously
from 1500 to 2500 feet in hight, down which were plunging ten
cataracts, where the smallest canoe could lie in safety at all
times. The west shore is much the boldest, presenting for considerable
distances, almost perpendicular-faced mountain walls from 1000 to 1500
feet in hight.
THE AGRICULTURAL LANDS
Embraced in these islands aggregate but a few hundred acres,
principally lying in small tracts at the heads of bays and inlets,
mouths of streams, and on small benches at the base of the
mountains. Most of the richest spots appear to have been cultivated at
some time by the Indians for raising potatoes. The largest bodies of
cleared arable land seen, contained not exceeding twenty acres. There
are several thousand acres of lightly timbered spruce and alder lands,
bordering the bays, inlets and streams, which might be cleared and
brought under profitable cultivation for dairying and the raising of
root crops, should the development of the other resources of the
islands attract a sufficient population to create a home market for
such products.
The most available and desirable of the lands of this character
noticed, are situated upon Skidegate Inlet, Copper Bay, Alder Creek,
four miles south, Gray Bay, along the central portions of the south
shore of Cumshewa Inlet, Hutton Inlet, Henry and Robson Inlets, and on
the narrows of Skidegate Channel.
GRAZING LANDS.
The level grazing country is also of small extent, a tract of about
400 acres situated on Sand Spit Point, south of the entrance to
Skidegate Inlet, being much the largest found. It bears a scattering
growth of coarse beach sand grass.
On the sides of the mountains, however, and in some places reaching up
to their summit, are several thousand acres suited for stock ranges,
producing a thicker growth of more nutritious grass, of the red-top
variety.
Of such pasture lands we found about 1,000 acres in crossing from
Hutton Inlet to Robson Inlet, surrounding a beautiful lake about a
mile in length, and about 500 acres in each of the following bays,
viz: Carpenter, Provost, Luxana, Henry and Robson, and also several
hundred acres on the northern slope of the mountains lying south of
Canoe Passage into Skidegate Channel.
TIMBER LANDS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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