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At places, it is certain, that they would have to detour from the River, because of its rapids, cascades and falls, and this would inevitably impede their progress. From Central New Annan up, even the main River is so small and so obstructed with falls and rapids that they must have followed the portage, such as it was, or cut a new trail through the forests. That they were somewhere near Farm Lake also is consistent with Beaujeu’s estimation that the distance from Bacouel by portage to their destination which was the modern Fort Belcher, was twenty-five miles. Scaled on a modern map the distance, as a crow flies, from Farm Lake to the mouth of the Isgonish is about nineteen miles, which roughly corresponds to twenty-five miles by portage. There were, however, at least two other routes available to them. They could have followed the Mill Brook, crossed by the Debert Mountain and then swung East to pick up one of the streams running into the Isgonish . But this route would have taken them far West and miles out of their way. Only if the portage that way were a superior one, can this route be considered. The third possible route was the one by the West branch of the French River, which joins the main River above Porteous’, and is almost if not so large as the main River and now has more of intervale and open country. From what is now West New Annan, the Johnson Brook could have been followed to its Lake and then by swinging to the East, the main branch of the Isgonish flowing South from Farm Lake easily reached. This route would be only slightly longer than the one via Clear and Farm Lakes and if the portage were in better shape or the country, at that time more open, might well have been followed. There is however no known tradition of a French settlement along its way. It, however, is not without significance as we have already seen, that when in 1842, a new road from Isgonish to New Annan was laid out, its course was by Johnson Lake, and down stream by the Johnson Brook till it joined the French River. Back |
