Mr. Crean also says:—“Lac la Ronge district is claimed to have great possibilities as a mineral district. The Laurentian range of rock crops out here and is easily traced to the northwest. Whether this outcrop really contains mineral of economic value is still unsettled. Numerous claims have been staked at Nickel island in Lac la Ronge and on the mainland close by, also on Churchill river above Stanley. I had not time to prospect the country, but from casual observation I should think that it would repay a closer investigation. The vein on Nickel island is very distinct and about eighteen inches wide on the outcrop. Several small companies have been formed and development work in a limited way is progressing.” So far there has been very little systematic prospecting for economic minerals in the portion of the province of Saskatchewan north of the river of that name, but the people of Prince Albert and Battleford and the pioneers settled in the wilderness north of those towns, have for years believed that coal, iron and other minerals will be found in the vicinity; trappers, traders and Indians often return from the wilderness with stories of mineral discoveries. CHAPTER IX. NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. Game, Fur-Bearing Animals and Fish. “So Fine a Country for the Chase That It May Be Regarded as an Extensive Preserve.”—The Wood Buffalo Used To Roam Over It, but Do Not Now.—Moose and Caribou Plentiful.—The Indians Kill the Moose for Their Hides.—Fish of Various Kinds in Abundance.— Sturgeon That Weigh a Hundred Pounds.—One Indian Killed Eighteen Moose During One Season. As fish has always been the staple food of the inhabitants of that part of the province of Saskatchewan north of the river of that name, and the fur trade their only industry, it goes without saying that the country abounds in fish and game. A very few quotations from travellers and explorers is all that is required to give an idea of the species of fish and animals to be found in this region, and of their occurrence.