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British Columbia. Forest Branch Sawmills--British Columbia
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William Byers interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Interview with William Byers RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1961-08-11 SUMMARY: In an interview with C.D. Orchard, William Byers discusses his life in the forest industry: his background - Scotland, England, Canada; first job at a logging camp -- time keeper at a camp in northern; Ontario; life at early logging camps -- weather conditions, diet, living conditions; his duties as time keepers; anecdote about ruining his moccasins; events at beginning and end of camp; hauling logs; two spare teams; moving logs across lakes -- 'Alligator' barges. Came out to B.C. in fall of 1905: went to Nelson to pile lumber at a sawmill, but did not last long there. Next he went to town of Phoenix and drove a team for a livery barn. Working in a mine as a mucker. Mining experiences in B.C. and Montana. Mining accident, develops rheumatism. Squamish camp -- bull teams. Became shift boss at Britannia Mine, then foreman, then superintendent. Some prospecting in Barkerville. Stopped working in mines in 1912 after major strike. Joined Rocky Mountain Rangers for WW I. Went to UBC in 1919 for a course in forestry -- became a ranger (in Sechelt, Comox, Port Alice, Victoria). Moved to Vancouver in 1928 as Supervisor of Scaling until he retired in 1947. Describes scalers. Opinion on unions. Anecdotes about his job as Supervisor of Scaling. (End of interview)

[British Columbia Forest Branch / Forest Service collection, reel 16]

Footage. Snow, mountains (Seymour watershed); crew clearing ski runs and loading cordwood. Sawmill on coast. Men working on bush road and protection access road. Converting old railway grade to access road. Crew camp. Clearing land (or road right-of-way) with fire. Clearing a building trail. UBC demonstration forest. Elk Falls Park.

L. Sawyer Hope interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): L.S. Hope : the B.C. Forest Branch, 1920-1923 PERIOD COVERED: 1920-1923 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1961-01-19 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Came to work for the B.C. Forest Branch from the University of Toronto, 1920. Timber cruising in the Ocean Falls area. The Victoria office of the Forest Branch. Timber cruising conditions in Prince George area, winter of 1921. Idea of a pulp mill in Prince George. TRACK 2: More on the pulp wood cruise in the Prince George area. Married in the summer of 1921. Became Assistant District Forester in Nelson Forest District, 1922. The rangers in the Nelson District. Hope's work as Assistant District Forester. Sawmills in the Nelson District. The cutting of poles, posts and ties. Match block manufacturing in Nelson. Fire fighting equipment in the Nelson District. (End of interview)

C.S. Cowan interview

CALL NUMBER: T1867:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : the B.C. Forest Branch and its Chief Forester, 1914-1937 PERIOD COVERED: 1914-1937 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Joined B.C. Forest Branch, 1914. Was Forest Assistant in Vancouver District. Anecdote about trespassers. George McKay, first District Forester in Vancouver District. W.J. Van Dusen, the next District Forester in Vancouver. Anecdote about meeting H.R. MacMillan by coincidence in London. Had worked for Canadian Commission of Conservation prior to 1914. Early impressions of H.R. MacMillan. Reconnaissance surveys of timbered land for the Commission of Conservation and the Forest Branch. Anecdotes about woods work. Anecdotes about Martin A. Grainger. TRACK 2: More anecdotes about Grainger as Chief Forester, 1916-20. Administration in the early Forest Branch. Setting the stumpage and royalty levels. More comments on Grainger. Grainger quits Forest Branch to represent timber owners. Peter Z. Caverhill, Chief Forester, 1920-37. CALL NUMBER: T1867:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : the B.C. Forest Branch, CFP (Nimpkish) and Weyerhauser, 1920s PERIOD COVERED: 1920-1930 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Peter Z. Caverhill, Chief Forester from 1920 to 1937 [1935]. Cowan was District Forester in Vancouver until 1926. Problems of fire control and slash control. Fire prevention. Development of fire fighting equipment. TRACK 2: More on fire fighting equipment. Left Forest Branch in 1926 and went to work for Canadian Forest Products at Beaver Cove. Problems with establishing pulp and saw mills at Beaver Cove. How the directors of International Harvester became the owners of the Nimpkish Valley timber. Cowan plans a logging development for Cyrus McCormack in the Nimpkish Valley. Went to Washington to work for Weyerhauser in 1927. Forest fire protection in Washington State. New fire fighting equipment. CALL NUMBER: T1867:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : forest fire protection PERIOD COVERED: 1927-1940 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Cowan talks about the development of new fire fighting equipment in Washington State. Changes in loggers attitudes towards fire. Developing fire protection practices. Orchard comments that B.C. generally follows developments in the U.S.A. More on fire fighting. TRACK 2: Anecdotes about the Canadian Armed forces. Stories about M.A. Grainger. Logging practices and changes. Logging and loading system. Application of tractors and early moving equipment to logging. Early logging trucks. CALL NUMBER: T1867:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Charles S. Cowan : logging methods PERIOD COVERED: 1880-1930 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1959-12-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Evolution of logging methods, equipment and technology. (End of interview)

[British Columbia Forest Branch / Forest Service collection, reel 12]

Footage. A mixture of interior and coast footage, including shots of an open-air sawmill; creosote treatment of poles and posts; lake and mountain scenery; young timber; coastal scenery, timber and logged area; falling and bucking timber; spar trees; slash; A-frames; floating logging camp; tractor skidder.

J.M. Gibson interview

CALL NUMBER: T1875:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dr. J.M. Gibson : the B.C. Forest Branch, 1920-1927 PERIOD COVERED: 1920-1927 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960-10-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Dr. J.M. Gibson joined the B.C. Forest Branch, 1920. Gibson works for the Nelson Forest District. Rangers in the Nelson District. Getting around the Nelson District. Problems of fighting forest fires. Preliminary cruising in the West Kootenay region. Moved to East Kootenay region, 1921. Rangers in the East Kootenay area. Timber cruising. TRACK 2: Sawmilling operations in the East Kootenays, 1921. Cruising in the extreme southeast. Building timber flumes. Tenure of various timber lands in the East Kootenay area. Gibson becomes District Forester in Prince George, 1923. Rangers and mills in the central Interior region, 1925. CALL NUMBER: T1875:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Dr. J.M. Gibson : the B.C. Forest Branch, 1920-1929 PERIOD COVERED: 1920-1929 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1960-10-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Continuation of a discussion of the sawmills in the central Interior region, 1925. Comments on union organization in the Cranbrook area. More on sawmills in the central Interior area, especially east of Prince George. Detailed discussion of the Winton interests in the sawmill at Giscome. More on the mills east of Prince George. Problems of a District Forester: forest fires and collecting stumpage and royalty. Small water-powered sawmill operating at Fort St. James, 1924. TRACK 2: Story of Sir John Pitca, a knighted Estonian who settled near Fort St. James. Gibson becomes Assistant Forester in charge of forest protection, 1927-29. Returned to New Brunswick to teach at UNB in 1929. (End of interview)