Bank of S. Antler I m W. of ford Noon

Bar. 27.92

Ther. 72

Camp "Big Slew" 8 P.M.

27.89

58

Odometer at ford S. Antler 5400

Odometer at Elms End (Trackleaver Creek) 6925

Odometer at Big Slew Camp 9173

June 8. Morning with strong & very cold N. wind. Cloudy but gradually cleared up & turned out a fine afternoon & evening. Started early & arrived at Souris by 9.30 A.M. Examined old ford. Water rather deep & the approaches very bad being steep & now soft. Almost impracticable for ox train. Featherstone & Galway[sicl crossed by easing the wagons down one side with ropes & men & doubling up the other. Found that lower ford used by U. S. party last year much better so remainder of party went round to it & ox train crossed there also.

Found skeleton of old boat made by Crompton & scouts for crossing when river much higher. Camped on W. bank of river.

A scarped bank at a bend of the river near camp showed section of bottom of main valley about 20 ft deep. Whole bank consisted of fine alluvium distinctly & regularly stratified. The upper part very distinct, bands of yellowish shale alternating with blackish layers somewhat filled with vegetable matter. In the lower part of the bank the stratification though still apparent not marked in the same way, prevailing colour being yellowish. In a black layer about 4 inches thick & situated 6 (six) feet below the top of the bank found a layer of chipped quartzite or chert. Attention first called by finding chips evidently artificial strewed on front of bank & tracing them up seen to come from the layer mentioned. Many in situ & none in place anywhere else.

The chippin[gls extent [extend?] in the layer along the face of the bank for more than 30 yards & the layer itself can be traced distinctly & with the same magnitude & position some distance farther, in fact as far as the bank is exposed.

Buffalo bones are seen embedded in the bank both above & below the layer in question, but saw none far down.

The layer is 15 feet above the present level of the Souris which must still be over 2 feet above the summer level.

Curious that the actual banks of the Souris so much higher here