CALL NUMBER: T0772:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-03-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Drinkwater recounts his parents' arrival in Langley Prairie, and later Surrey, in the 1890s. He describes schooling; early life; childhood experiences; incident with a bear; New Westminster fire of [1898]; potlatches at Semiahmoo; Indian encampments; family life; farm chores; fishing. TRACK 2: Mr. Drinkwater continues with a discussion about fishing; winter; logging in Surrey; sawmills; Ross McLaren Mill; Yale Road; traveling store, Kidds and Isaac; sounds common at the turn of the century; a cougar incident; railways.

CALL NUMBER: T0772:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-03-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Drinkwater continues with his discussion about logging; logging methods; equipment; working horses; teamsters; oxen teams; selection of timber; loggers; the scaler; skid roads; transportation of logs. TRACK 2: Mr. Drinkwater continues with his discussion about logging; life in the logging camps; skid roads and donkey engines. He talks about Surrey Centre; early residents; Reverend; Bell.

CALL NUMBER: T0772:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-03-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Drinkwater continues with his recollections of early residents of Tynehead; the Bell family; Halls Prairie settlers; the MacKenzie family; the Robertson family; incidents; the Brown family; Johnny Wise and the Clarendon Hotel; riverboats. TRACK 2: Mr. Drinkwater talks about the Yale Road; dredging and dyking, methods, procedures and equipment; Sumas Prairie dyking; constructing the; route for BC Electric; logging.

The item is a video copy of film footage. Consists of inorganized black and white footage of logging and sawmilling, especially of Western Red Cedar -- apparently by the Capilano Timber Company in North Vancouver and vicinity, ca. early 1930s. Includes footage of: hand logging, felling of large trees, a high-rigger climbing and topping a spar tree, a steam donkey engine at work, yarding of logs, a logging railroad, log booming, sawmill operations, cutting of cedar shakes, sorting and stacking of lumber, sawmill yard vehicles, and the loading of logs and timbers onto a Japanese freighter on the (North Vancouver?) waterfront. Many of the shots show the presence of snow, and appear quite "contrasty".

CALL NUMBER: T1858:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Allen H. De Wolf : logger and engineer (part 1) PERIOD COVERED: 1887-1935 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-01-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Born in 1887 in Minnesota. Started timber cruising with his father about 1900. Old cruising methods. Becomes B.C. Land Surveyor in 1913. Worked as logging superintendent near Yahk, 1918-19. Building flumes. Became mill superintendent at Merritt. Building and operating a logging railroad in Nicola area. TRACK 2: More anecdotes about logging railroads. Saw demonstration of early crawler tractors, 1920. Economic conditions in the sawmill business. Business slump of 1920s. Economic problems of the town of Merritt.; CALL NUMBER: T1858:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Allen H. De Wolf : logger and engineer (part 2) PERIOD COVERED: 1900-1958 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1958-01-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Financial problems of the forest industry and the town of Merritt, 1930s. Comments on the costs of transporting logs by various methods. De Wolf becomes an engineering contractor. Anecdote about raising money during the Depression. De Wolf's involvement in the eastern forest industry. More on business and finance. Worked for A.S. Nicholson. De Wolf's early experiences in the woods in Minnesota after 1900. Woods working conditions. Logging camp conditions. TRACK 2: Anecdotes about the forest industry in the East Kootenays, ca. 1910. Union activities, especially IWW in the East Kootenays, 1920s. Mills in the East Kootenays, 1910.

CALL NUMBER: T0963:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-08-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Allan Robertson describes his family history leading up to their arrival on Cortes Island between 1889 and 1905. He describes his education with John Manson's family; how eggs were the ;main industry; the first settlers of Cortes from 1870 to 1890; Whaletown; Mansons Landing; the growth of Cortes, including the fluctuations and flow of settlers from 1908 to 1920; the climate on the island; more on the development of Cortes; a description of John and Mike Manson; and Allan describes his early life, supporting his family and beginning to log. TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson describes his ;mother as a midwife; and the hospitals of Powell River and Vancouver and Campbell River. He then describes the conditions; clothes; steamship travel; and drinking in logging camps. He then discusses; the Columbia Coast Mission and ministers Alan Greene and John Antle.

CALL NUMBER: T0963:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1968 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Robertson talks about logging: horse logging; skid roads; steam donkey logging between 1905 and 1910; judging and preparing logs for riding skid roads; getting logs into the water; Gilchrist Jack; hand logging; the employment of oxen and horses; more on steam donkeys; log booms; the use of tow boats; the type of person a logger back then was; cork boots and typical logging clothes. ;TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson continues with more on logging: food in the logging camps; the Union Steamships; logging jargon; origin of "haywire"; different axes; more logging terms; his first job at a log;ging camp in 1911; his early years on Cortes Island and his introduction to logging; the authority of a camp foreman; wages; risks taken and compared to present; and an anecdote about drinking.

CALL NUMBER: T0963:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1968 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Robertson discusses growing up on Cortes Island; beginning his career as a logger at the age of thirteen; his experience enlisting in WWI; and his various occupations between the World Wars, including his work for the Crown Zellerbach Company. Mr. Robertson then recalls the history of the pulp and paper industry through the history of the Crown Zellerbach, including the reason for t;he odor produced by pulp mills; and he describes the process of paper making. TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson continues with more on the paper making process: the effects of waste on the environment; and reforestation. Then Mr. Robertson discusses commercial and sport salmon fishing; the origins of the name Cortes Island; more on growing up there including a description of the area; canneries on Blind Channel; his own education; and a comparison between kids yesterday and today.

Footage. Amateur footage depicting logging operation at Cumshewa Inlet.

Footage. Amateur footage depicting logging operation at Cumshewa Inlet.

Footage. Amateur footage depicting logging operation at Cumshewa Inlet.

PERIOD COVERED: ;1946;-;[no date] RECORDED: [location unknown], 1980-07-20 SUMMARY: [No content summary available for this interview.];

CALL NUMBER: T0542:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Production Superintendent for Canadian Forest Products PERIOD COVERED: 1930-1975 RECORDED: Beaver Cove (B.C.), 1974-07-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Art Newman discusses: techniques and skills in hand falling, 1930; predominance of Scandinavians in falling, 1930s; importance of Scandinavians in organizing the IWA; responsibility of the bull buckers in setting prices and contract rates, 1930-1964; the process of setting contract rates and production priorities; becomes a bull bucker, 1946. Talks about problems of the bull bucker: quality, accident prevention, costs and production. Dealing with men. Qualities of a good faller. Differences in falling small and large timber. The faller's "mistake book". Type and frequency of accidents. Coming to Nimpkish, 1946. Accepting responsibilities in the logging industry. The making of a supervisor. TRACK 2: Art Newman discusses: his move to Woss camp, 1946; logging sites surrounding Woss camp 1946-47; life in Nimpkish camp, 1946-60; getting assistance to the camps in emergencies; family life in Nimpkish; recreation and community activities; problems with alcohol; logging methods during late 1940s; sizes of settings, 1940-70s; transition from hand falling to power saw falling, 1935-50; changes in amounts of timber cut per man per day, 1930-75. Talks about his acquisition of logging knowledge. CALL NUMBER: T0542:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Production Superintendent for Canadian Forest Products PERIOD COVERED: 1930-1974 RECORDED: Beaver Cove (B.C.), 1974-07-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Reasons for changeover to railway/truck logging from strictly railway logging. Description of Russell Mills. Membership in the IWA, 1942-46. Changes in the IWA union, 1946-74. Communist influence of IWA, 1945-50. [TRACK 2: blank.; end of interview.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-04 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Ben Fellows discusses his life and experiences in logging and other fields. Logging work and logging camps at Duncan, Cowichan, and Elk River. Ran a pack train at Upper Campbell Lake. Work on the Prairies, including coal mining in Saskatchewan. Travelling to B.C. Local characters. TRACK 2: Gold River. Changes in logging equipment and machinery. Logging camp conditions. Breaking horses. His philosophy.

Industrial film. Scenes of visiting officials, logging area, logging railway, steam locomotive and donkey, presumably at Bloedel, B.C. Company bridge at Campbell River, and footage of Campbell River Falls. Visitors tour dam at Great Central Lake. Also logging scenes and log booming area.

Footage. Early gasoline-powered reciprocating cross-cut saw, cutting firewood chunks; splitting the chunks; chunking wood with belt-driven circular saw; view of fire-killed snag area (Cowichan Valley?); stacked fire wood.

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.

Footage. Includes shots of: skiing; moving logs by truck and by horse; tool cache at Aleza Lake Ranger Station; railway speeder; Diamond Head ski lodge in Garibaldi Park [?]; skyline yarding; steam donkey loading logs; unloading a trainload of logs into the sea with a "jill-poke"; two men falling tree with axes and a crosscut saw.

Footage. The launch "B.C. Forester"; logging camp; fishing boat; Skidegate Narrows [?]; timber cruiser crew in small boat; bringing in big log with cat and arch; floating logging camp; big sample lift from ancient log; amphibious plane (CF-AZN) gassing up at float and taxiing.

Footage. "Cletrac" demonstration with caterpillar tractors and Isaacson bulldozers; small cat and plow building trail or fire line; bulldozer building road in slash; yarding out obstructions with a winch.

Footage. End of log with rings counted (more than 200 years old). Using horses to load logs onto truck. Pocket boom on lake. Horse skidding logs. Falling and bucking. Camp buildings. Skid way made of spruce logs. Dumping truckload of logs with hand peaveys. Sawmill. High-rigger climbs and tops tree. Yarding from cold deck. Crew building a Davis raft. Steam donkey building raft and loading logs onto a hulk. Cat and arch moving gas donkey. Yarding with a skyline. Steam donkey yarding logs to railway siding.

Footage. B.C. Interior scenes: loading logs onto truck. A portable tie mill on a sled. Truckload of sawn ties. Moving the mill. Men unloading logs from truck with peaveys. Skidding logs with a team of horses. Unloading logs into water. Falling and bucking. Horses yarding. Truckload of logs on plank road. B.C. coast scenes: logging camp. Steam donkey and A-frame on float. Building a Davis raft. Locomotive. Trestle with locomotive and long train of logs.

Footage. Trestle at shoreline. Big spruce stump. Bucking hemlock. Loading logs on railway cars. Logging truck on turntable, and being loaded by steam donkey. Empty truck on turntable. Skidding logs to shore. Loading lumber. Steam donkey. Big timber. Yarding with cat and arch. High-rigger clearing braches. Logs in water. Falling a big Douglas fir.

Footage. Jack ladder at mill. Dumping pulp billets into flume. Logs in flat rafts and Davis rafts. Treating poles with preservative. Cleaning, trimming and loading poles. Cat and arch yarding logs to water. Steam donkey. Selective logging for poles. Empty truck on "fore and aft" logging road. Views of logged land.

Footage. Logged land with several spar trees. After the slash burn. Cat and arch hauling logs. Truckload of logs on road. Falling interior yellow pine with crosscut saw. Loading logs. Logged land. Logs in water [Okanagan Lake?]. Team of horses yarding logs in forest. Dumping truckload of logs. Marking trees for cutting.

Footage. Mountains. Lookout. Two men falling a Douglas fir with axes, springboards, and crosscut saw. Steam donkey and spar tree. Log boom. Steamboat towing lumber. Second growth. Green Timbers Nursery: seed beds, transplant beds. Planting. Fire. Bucked timber. Snag and fire. Slash burning. Falling snags. Snagged land. New growth. Jack ladder at mill. Loading lumber on boat.

Documentary. Shows how the early forest pioneers used strength, courage and ingenuity to harvest giant trees, as compared to modern tree harvesting methods.

RECORDED: Cooper Creek (B.C.), 1980-06-10 SUMMARY: [No content summary available for this interview.];

Documentary. "The Columbia Coast Mission boat making its rounds near Alert Bay, Vancouver Island. A number of small settlements, with fishboats, are seen in the distance. They are visited, then left. Bones Bay is visited. Shots of fishermen working on wharf outside Bones Bay Cannery. Village Island is visited, as is Mrs. Kathleen O'Brien, M.B.E., who lives on the Reserve and works for the Anglican Church. Shots of the church and the main street. Logging show with steam donkey. Scenes of logs being felled, yarded with a spar tree and donkey, and loaded onto rail cars pulled by small diesel locomotive. Logs being delivered to a long pier and dumped into salt-chuck. Ship, the 'Venture', at the end of the wharf, and leaving. Burial at sea, performed on the Mission boat with flag at half-mast and with red ensign covering body. Families up the coast living on floats in sheltered bays while the men are away logging. Kids going to school on motor launch. A long caption details how accidents are reported to the hospital ship 'Columbia' from an isolated logging camp via the Dominion Government Radio Station at Alert Bay, and how the boat is despatched immediately to lend assistance. The exact story concerns a picnic during which a young boy hurts his foot badly. Probably the whole episode was dramatized, but only the opening sequences remain: the wounded boy in a launch with his family, a man running along rails to a logging camp where he makes use of the radio telephone, a man in Alert Bay on the other end sending an alert out to the 'Columbia'." (Colin Browne)

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)

Documentary. The "glory days" of logging in B.C. are evoked through dramatized sequences, archival footage and photographs, oral history interviews with old-time loggers, and historical re-creations filmed at the Cowichan Valley Forest Museum. The latter scenes feature vintage equipment, including a steam locomotive and steam donkey. The nature of the pioneer logger's life, and the impact of technological change upon that way of life, are also discussed. In one sequence, an old-time high-rigger climbs and tops a spar tree.

The item is an audio recording of an interview with Donald J. Smith of Wenatchee, Washington. In it, he discusses the development of portable chain saws in the forest industry.

Stock shots. Shows a group of school children touring the Cowichan Valley Forest Museum. Includes classroom scenes, the museum's railroad, and shots of old logging machinery.

CALL NUMBER: T0976:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1968 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Duncan Robertson comments on the people who live on Cortes Island today. Then he tells a story about an islander named August Schnaar, before discussing taxes and management of the island. He then discusses his own refusal to be tied to a clock, working in a logging camp, the price structure of timber, big business versus the little man, and logging 'arches'. TRACK 2: Mr. Roberts;on continues his talk about logging arches and then discusses the early years of his life in Vancouver and on Cortes, more on logging, characters including John Manson and Ellingston Jacks and his brother Gilchrist Jacks, an account of a 1966 flood, climate in the area of Bute Inlet, and general subsistence on the island.

CALL NUMBER: T0976:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1968 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Robertson continues with anecdotes about eccentric settlers: and an Italian settler and an ice skating party, an onion crop, wolves, university men, and a story about a man and a yacht. ; Then he discusses the lure of the island for settlers, the peak period for settlers from 1912 to 1914, changes since WWII, Ed Dolby stories. and Shoal Bay is described. TRACK 2: Mr. Robertson offer;s anecdotes from August Schnaar concerning: kidnapping the Kaiser, a Luger pistol, raccoons, and wolves. Then he recalls growing up on the island including hunting, swimming, fishing and chores. Then he recalls his working life including work on the railroad and sounds of the woods.