Arriving Above the Peace River, Alberta
May 14, 1900 

Up at 3:30 am and on the road again without breakfast. Drove over bad and good roads till 7 am. Camped at a pretty spot for breakfast – left at 9:15 and after 8 miles good driving passed through about 7 miles of the worst kind of roads, deep slough and clayey soil and ruts deep and full of water. At 1:15 we came out of the bush and camped and, heart-felt praise be rendered, we are told that the bad driving is all over and we are only 6 miles from the Peace River and a good road. We made a long rest and towards evening moved down to the long looked for Peace River arriving there at 7 pm. Pitched camp on the top of the high bank looking up the river on a most beautiful spot. We have many miles yet to travel but I question whether the view from my tent door will again be equaled or the exquisite beauty of the night's camp be surpassed. We are much higher than the mountain at Montreal and looking west the great Peace River is seen extending far west between its high guardian banks.

A smaller river called the Smoky has its confluence with the Peace about 3 miles above our camp and is also well seen as it extends west and a little south. 3 beautiful well wooded islands stand one above the other at this point where these two rivers join. Mr. Macrae and O'Donnell had left us early in the afternoon and had gone down to the H.B. post at the Peace River bank to arrange for our crossing. The feed on the top of the hill is better for the horses and that is why we in the larger camp are staying for the night at the top of the hill.

After supper I invited the men and our escort to sit at the door of my tent and enjoy the magnificent view. When at Lesser Slave Lake, Mr. Bredin, a large hearted trader there, presented me with a box of cigars. I now passed these round and we celebrated the 2 events, our ending of a most difficult and often painfully uncomfortable journey from Edmonton to this point and secondly the enjoyment of this most magnificent Peace River view – this indeed was one of the nights to be thankful for.

May 15, 1900

After breakfast at 7 am and enjoying again to the full the grand view on a bright beautiful morning we drove down a long incline having a number of windings and reached the riverbank.