It has seldom been our privilege to present a more comprehensive word picture of the everyday life of a lumberjack and river driver on the Upper Ottawa a half century ago, than that which comes to us today from the pen of Mr. James Annable of Carleton Place. Born on the banks of the Mississippi at Carleton Place, in the days when lumbering on that important tributary of the Ottawa was at its height, Mr. Annable at an early age threw in his lot with the bronzed giants of the forest and river. His experiences during that first season are not only interesting but highly informative.
Mr. Joseph Halpenny remembered a time when his father William and his uncle John Halpenny kept a hotel in Pembroke from the 1860s to the early 1870s when the hauling of supplies to the lumber shanties was in full swing. The Halpenny hotel at that period was headquarters for the teamsters from Lanark and Renfrew counties as they passed through Pembroke. Pembroke was an overnight stop. Though Mr. Halpenny was only a boy of about six in 1871 he has a vivW recollection of how at that time his father’s hotel would be crowded with teamsters. Every bed in the house would be occupied and every square foot of room would be occupied by men lying rolled up in their blankets on the floor. Mr. Halpenny recalls these teamsters as being big powerful men to whom the lifting of a barrel of pork was a mere trifle.
Most of the teamsters ate their meals in the Halpenny dining room, but on the other hand, many of them carried their own grub with them in boxes, and ate their meals wherever they could around the hotel. Mr. Halpenny’s greatest delight at that period of his life was to eat with the teamsters out of their boxes and to share their home-made bread, their cold fat pork, and the dainties which their wives had packed in the boxes for them.
Mr. Halpenny recalls an elderly teamster whom he called “Uncle” Robert Livingston, whose box meal he usually shared. “Uncle” Livingston always had doughnuts in his box and these he shared liberally with the boy. Mr. Halpenny says that as many as 150 teamsters have been in his father’s hotel over night. His father had two large sheds and they could accommodate some 50 teams under cover.
Prior to opening the hotel in Pembroke, Willaim Halpenny had kept a “stopping place” two miles from Forester’s Falls in Ross township. The stop of the shanty teams there was a noon stop, Grandfather John Halpenny had gone into Ross township as a farmer in the pioneer days back in the late 1840s.
William Halpenny did not live long after moving to Pembroke, In 1865. He died in 1871, the result of a cold sustained in 1869, when Prince Arthur visited Pembroke. After the death of Mr. Halpenny the Halpenny hotel was sold and became the Munroe House
Pembroke was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1971. It was named seat for Renfrew County in 1861. This set the stage for construction shortly thereafter on the Renfrew County Courthouse, which finished in 1867, and the arrival of many civil servants, much wealth and much construction. In the 20-year period following 1861, Pembroke basically became the city it is today in terms of layout and buildings, although many homes and other structures have been lost to time. A fire in 1918 destroyed much of Pembroke’s downtown.
Other historic buildings that survive in Pembroke include a historic synagogue, two original hospitals, the Dunlop mansion (Grey Gables Manor Bed & Breakfast), the ‘Munroe Block’ downtown, and two houses belonging to the White family. A fire in 1918 downtown destroyed many buildings, including the Pembroke Opera House
As shown by the quotation below, which is perhaps equal parts promotion and fact, the economic atmosphere of Pembroke during the period when our fashions graced its streets and hotels, attracted many people to set up residence here.
“Both for business purposes and residential purposes Pembroke is a most desirable town. Because of its advantageous surroundings, its commercial facilities, its advantages as a shipping and distributing point, its excellent sanitary conditions, and the thousand and one things that make the town a desirable place in which to live, it has attracted, during the past few years, capitalists and business men from afar.
The district surrounding Pembroke is one of the richest agricultural districts in Eastern Canada. The farmers are all well-to-do, while many of them have accumulated fortunes.
How I came to have 15,000 logs at the time the bridge at Almonte was swept away is easily explained. I left Fall River with less than 10,000 logs but the firm of Young, Winn and Company of Ottawa purchased all of John Hall’s logs, 6,000 or more and I had agreed to drive them to the mouth of the Mississippi along with my logs. Hall’s Mills had burned down that spring. A steam saw mill and a long haul of the lumber to the market could not pay expenses so Hall sold his logs and went back to the square timber trade again. For the timber trade paid sometimes, the sawed lumber did not at least according to Hall.
Near Old Sly’s 1830
A steam saw mill in those days could not compete with a mill run by water power. There were nearly a dozen of water rover mills nearer to market then Hall’s was. His mill was on the north side of the river just above the bridge of the Perth and Lanark Road. Some 90 years ago a lad named Cameron ran a ferry at this place—they called him the bare foot ferry boy. But years after he was elected to parliament from the United Counties of Lanark and Renfrew and became Hon. Malcolm Cameron. I found the firm of Young, Winn and Company to be a staunch friend, honest and upright and liberal in every particular. They were from the state of Maine. Capt. Young was the practical man of the firm. An old river driver as well as a sailor and had been owner and captain of a lumber vessel part of the time.
Log Jam 1883
Captain Young was with me from the time I left the mouth of the Mississippi until we got the logs separated into booms; mine for Pontiac Mills and his for Ottawa. He and all the men except for Pat Green and I were at work clearing out what was called the blind soy but at that time we were forced to use it to get the logs past the Shaw rapids. The soy in times past had been the outlet of the river but got choked up with drift wood, felled trees, etc. At one time it had been quite a stream and came out in Fitzroy Harbor quite distinct from the Shaw Rapids.
The high water in the Ottawa River backed up higher than in the smaller one and sent nearly all the logs down the soy and it was a much better route for the logs in every way. Green and I were getting a few scattered logs off the bank on the other side of the river; he had got the last one afloat and was polling it out of he current. I was getting a flatted boom out of the crotch of a tree where it had floated during the freshet. I heard some splashing but had been so busy with the boom stick that I paid no attention to Green until then. I looked around and saw Green’s hat floating on the other side of the log. I shouted for a canoe and swam to the hat. I noticed air bubbles coming up and I dived down for Green. He was standing straight up with 15 feet of water above him. I got him up and onto the log before the canoe got to us. He was filled with water but if his last breathing had not given me a clue to where he was he would have been past recovery before we got to him. It took twenty or thirty minutes before he drew a long breath and thirty of us wee using our best skill on him.
Early in the summer of 1852 I was running the Shaw Rapids with a raft of timber and had gotten half the raft over in one trip as the water was high. We landed at the head of the slide and started back for the other half when down came half a raft of Dunlop’s. Away out of the channel was a high wind from the southwest. They were headed for the horse shoe falls. Nothing could save the timber from going over. My canoe a three and a half fathom bark could save the men. I landed my men, fifteen of them, on the nearest point and I pulled for the raft in haste and not a moment too soon either for the poor fellows were rowing side oars up stream for their lives. I tell you, when I got along side the canoe 14 men never embarked in a canoe any quicker in ten seconds.
I heard the timber crashing over the falls of thirty feet or more. I had hardly got them landed when another raft of thirty cribs and fifteen men came down the rapids but were blown out of the channel by the wind which was by this time almost a hurricane. I had started to take my men off the point of land when I saw this raft in as great a danger as that of Dunlop’s men so we turned to the rescue but the pilot, a French Canadian thought he could save his raft and bring it to the slide but very soon he had to give up that idea and he and his men jumped for the canoe and listened to the timber crashing over the falls. The reason for their trying to run at the time was on account of the high wind. They were afraid the anchors would not hold the whole raft against the wind and strong current. Well, I saved the lives of 29 men that day and only one man Mr. Dunlop returned thanks and he was not one of those rescued either but thanked me for his men’s lives.
Photo–No information is known about this photo other than these men were on Dalhousie Lake, Lanark County.–Can you provide names, corrections or other information? Please email Charlie Dobie.
Logging was difficult and often dangerous work during the first half of the 20th century, yet workers received some of the lowest wages in our area. From sunrise until sunset, loggers felled trees, hauled logs, and helped bring the wood to the mill site. In the evenings, they returned to dirty, drafty, and overcrowded bunkhouses. Many men spent between five and nine months in these camps, separated from their families. Although the food was plentiful, it was monotonous and many loggers became malnourished.
Work-related injuries were also not uncommon because of the physical nature of logging work. Chainsaws, trucks, and other mechanized equipment did not become widespread in the backwoods until the 1950s. Until then, loggers manually harvested lumber with axes and bucksaws, and hauled heavy logs out of the woods with horse-drawn sleds. Although logging was much more physically demanding than most other jobs, woods workers did not earn wages for any time off due to injury or exhaustion.
There would be a couple of men who would cut the trees down with a cross cut saw; no gasoline powered chain saws then. They would also cut the logs to length so they could be skidded to the mill using a team of mules handled by another worker.There was also an axe man that trimmed the limbs off before the skidding took place.
Arboriculture is now the practice of trimming trees and shrubs to protect roadways, power lines, and sidewalks. It involves the use of specialized climbing and rigging techniques, as well as power equipment.
Arborists use and maintain a variety of equipment on a daily basis, including trucks, tractors, chippers, power saws, sprayers, and other tools. They hoist the equipment up to where it’s needed, then cut away low-hanging, dead, or obstructive tree limbs. They then dispose of the cuttings by lowering them down with ropes or block and tackle, feeding them into chippers and hauling them away. They often need to climb trees with ladders or other equipment to reach work areas. Arborists also fertilize and spray trees.
Arborists help keep things running smoothly in our cities and towns. Without them, our roads, sidewalks, and power lines would become dangerous. They also help improve tree health. Planting and caring for trees can help absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, from the atmosphere. Trees stabilize slopes, prevent erosion, and help absorb stormwater runoff. They can even help counteract the “heat island effect” of urban areas, and help keep things a bit cooler in the summer.
I was amazed watching Justin Hanet at work taking down some of my trees last week- I realized–being at arborist is a science now- no doubt about it.
1914
I am so thrilled I was able to watch science in motion last week, and I would also like to mention that if you want to listen to storytelling about wood- please come to the Carleton Place Farmers market and talk to Spalted Bob. He is one of a kind and we are glad to have him at the market.
Photo seen at a local auction last week. The final destination to Ottawa down the Ottawa River logs-no date
Back History of the Canada Lumber Company
1887 – Peter McLaren sold his lumber mill properties at Carleton Place and upper Mississippi timber limits at a price reported as $900,000. The buyers, the McLarens of Buckingham and Edwards of Rockland, formed the Canada Lumber Company. It doubled the mills capacity, with Alexander H. Edwards (1848-1933) as manager here. Peter McLaren three years later was appointed to the Senate, and died at age 88 at Perth in 1919.
Rafts of logs down the Mississippi to Mills at Carleton Place. Photo-Perth Remembered
Almonte Gazette 1899— From a Herald Extra dated 18th inst., we learn the particulars of a fatal accident that happened at Carleton Place to a man named William Horricks of the Township of Drummond where his wife was at that time visiting. The deceased was a married man about 35 yeas of age.
The Extra says: “About 11:00 this morning (Tuesday) a terrible accident occurred in the lumber yard of the Canada Lumber Co. in Carleton Place whereby William Horricks, an employee of the company, lost he life. The particulars are as follows: two lorries heavily laden with lumber were running downgrade of the yard. Horricks was in between the piles and wanted to cross the tracks and as soon as the first car passed he rushed out not knowing a second car was coming. When on the track the second car struck him knocking him down and passed over him causing such serious injury that the unfortunate fellow only lived a short time.”
Site of Canada Lumber Co in 1910 in Carleton Place
Almonte Gazette–1925 A drive of logs is being brought down the Mississippi River from its headwaters. The logs are being taken to Arklan, about a mile below Carleton Place. Mr. Baker is in charge of the drive, he having recently purchased the water power at Arklan from Mr. C. A. Burgess of Carleton Place. The logs are causing some temporary inconvenience to residents of the town who have pleasure craft on the river.
![MIKAN 3372563 Log jam July, 1883. [132 KB, 760 X 605]](https://i0.wp.com/data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a008931.jpg)
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