Professor Macoun in his book “Manitoba and the Great Northwest,” published in 1882, made the following reference to the northern portion of Saskatchewan as an agricultural country:—“About fifty miles north of Carlton the ‘Star Mission,’ in connection with the Church of England, is situated. This Mission was established in 1874, and placed in charge of the Rev. Mr. Hinds, who, besides being a minister, was a practical farmer. He at once commenced to teach the old men farming and the children English, and in less than one year had a number of small farms commenced, and the children well advanced in the knowledge of English. Since then he has been very successful, and in 1879 Mr. O’Keeffe, D.L.S., writes of the Mission: ‘At Sandy lake the Indians under the supervision of the Rev. Mr. Hinds, Church of England Missionary, were cultivating successfully fine fields of grain and raising vegetables.’ Of the country in this vicinity the same writer says: ‘No finer country could be desired than the section above described. The water is pure and abundant, and the land extremely rich. Pea vine, vetches, grasses, and, in fact, all herbaceous plants were luxuriant.’” In the report of his explorations during the years 1893 and 1894, Mr. J. Burr Tyrrell gives the following general description of this area:—“The country between Saskatchewan and Churchill rivers is very different from that north of the latter stream. From Prince Albert, situated on the banks of the North Saskatchewan, at an elevation of one thousand four hundred feet above the sea, the surface rises with a gentle slope northward to a heavy stony moraine ridge, the highest point of which, on Green lake trail, was found to have an elevation of about two thousand two hundred and twenty feet. From this high ridge the country slopes gradually northward, at first with a gentle rolling, and afterwards with a more even surface, to the chain of lakes and extensive swamps that lie along the edge of the district directly underlain by Archaean rocks. This country has very much the general appearance of that portion of northwestern Manitoba to the west of lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis, including Duck and Riding mountains, previously described by the writer.” Between Churchill and Saskatchewan rivers two lines were examined by Mr. Tyrrell, one from Prince Albert northwestward by Green lake to Ile à la Crosse, and the other from Stanley Mission southwestward by Montreal lake to Prince Albert.