During the 1850’s, two expeditions were organized, one ordered by the British Colonial Office, funded by the HBC and the other ordered by Canadian expansionists, funded by the Province of Canada. The interest in Canada had shifted from the fur trade to expansion and the accumulation of land. Originally, people expected that the western interior was useless for farming, due to the climate. However, as more people immigrated to Canada and farmland was slowly being claimed and used, the need for fertile land grew along with the population. The two explorations both began in 1857, the Palliser expedition and the Hind expedition.
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The Palliser Expedition was funded by a part of the British government, as well as by the Hudson's Bay Company. Britain hoped to gain further knowledge about the westward land, and see whether or not it was of any value. The team studied three regions of western North America: the land between Lake Superior and the Red River, the land between the Red River and the Rockies, and the mountains. Using the Red River, Palliser and his team travelled across the bare prairies, evaluating the geographic worth. He wrote about the places that he thought would provide fertile soil for potential immigrants. He then travelled into the Rocky Mountains, observing the vegetation, soil conditions, creatures, and the weather patterns to predict its value for agriculture. The whole expedition came to an end in 1859.
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His final report highlighted the geological findings, determining that there was plenty of fertile soil for agriculture as he travelled westward. His report was presented to the British Colonial Office in 1863, who were thrilled to hear of the value of the western land.
The most important discovery from Palliser's expedition was the "Palliser Triangle." In the prairies, there is an extremely dry area, from southwest Manitoba to south Alberta. John Palliser noticed this region, and in his report outlined that this area would be poor for the use of soil. This did not mean that the region would be useless - in fact, that area produces a large portion of Canada's produce today. However, despite Palliser's warnings against using the land as a place for immigrants to build new lives, his cautions were ignored. The government placed many new settlers in that region, and hardly any farming was successful. This increased the difficulty of the lives of new immigrants. The Palliser Triangle was extremely important to recognize, and by accepting it the new Canada could grow and adapt to the land that became theirs.
The most important discovery from Palliser's expedition was the "Palliser Triangle." In the prairies, there is an extremely dry area, from southwest Manitoba to south Alberta. John Palliser noticed this region, and in his report outlined that this area would be poor for the use of soil. This did not mean that the region would be useless - in fact, that area produces a large portion of Canada's produce today. However, despite Palliser's warnings against using the land as a place for immigrants to build new lives, his cautions were ignored. The government placed many new settlers in that region, and hardly any farming was successful. This increased the difficulty of the lives of new immigrants. The Palliser Triangle was extremely important to recognize, and by accepting it the new Canada could grow and adapt to the land that became theirs.
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At the same time as the Palliser expedition, the Hind expedition took place. This expedition was begun not by the British, but rather by Canadian expansionists. The Province of Canada funded this exploration, which set out from Toronto in 1857. Henry Youle Hind lead three other men, though he had little background in geological studies, being a chemistry professor. The Hind expedition was fairly civilian, and for that reason the quality of the results were far lower than Palliser's. The group explored the land from Lake Superior to Fort Garry, and frequently took note and began to map the area. They then explored further into today's Manitoba and Saskatchewan areas, noting certain minerals and other details about the soil.
Due to Hind's lack of training and skill in geology, his results proved a large discrepancy from John Palliser's: The fertile land belt within western Canada was much larger, concluding that a larger percentage of Canada's prairies could support vegetation and agriculture. This contradicted with what Palliser outlined, and yet the government seemed to appreciate Hind's research more in that aspect, as they wanted as much fertile land as they could attain. This proved to cause difficulty for the immigrants who were placed in that dry land, expected to farm a livelihood.
Due to Hind's lack of training and skill in geology, his results proved a large discrepancy from John Palliser's: The fertile land belt within western Canada was much larger, concluding that a larger percentage of Canada's prairies could support vegetation and agriculture. This contradicted with what Palliser outlined, and yet the government seemed to appreciate Hind's research more in that aspect, as they wanted as much fertile land as they could attain. This proved to cause difficulty for the immigrants who were placed in that dry land, expected to farm a livelihood.
Thanks to the westward expeditions that took place, the Province of Canada and the British government gained a better understanding about the land accessible to them. Had those expeditions not taken place, Canada would be clueless to the fertile soil and quality of life that they could take advantage of. These explorations helped accumulate much more knowledge, and with it the possibility of expanding westward. The western provinces are extremely important to Canada today, adding to the diverse land, cultures, and agriculture success. Without those expeditions, Canada might not have been able to "claim" the land that would eventually become a large part of the country that it is today.