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| Long ago in a high mountain meadow. |
Monday, 6 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
HORSES VS MACHINES
Camp 51 documented the takeover of the machines in the logging industry . The Nipigon Museum Photo Archives was used to show a few examples.
K.C. ..." My earliest memories of Nipigon are very brief, I think it was 1948 but it might have been 1949 when I came here and I just had a brief visit to Nipigon then because my grandfather was a large scale farmer in Southern Ontario. He used to have about more than twelve teams of horses on his farm so in the winter time he didn't need all of the horses and it wasn't good for them just to stand in the barn not working. So, anyway, he used to bring them north to work in the bush camps so he always liked his horses and he looked after them good. He wouldn't just ship them up to anyone so he'd accompany them by train. I accompanied him one time up here and he delivered them to the contractor and his name was Sam Hughes. He knew him enough to know that he would look after his horses well. I can remember it was across from the present day Petro Canada, there was a place that was kind of like a large farm there and I think it used to be like a horse exchange. Those places used to be all over the place back then when logging was done by horses. Horses didn't last very long in the bush other than the best contractor's who looked after them. Many of them died in the harvest which was why my grandfather came up with his horses."
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| Truck hauling sleighs of wood |
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| Who you gonna call? |
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| Horses Rule Trying to cross Lake Helen |
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| When the lakes and rivers were frozen, no problem. |
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| The caption on this photo had read "Out to Lunch" |
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| At one time Tansley had 14 bull-dozer operators. |
K.C. ..." My earliest memories of Nipigon are very brief, I think it was 1948 but it might have been 1949 when I came here and I just had a brief visit to Nipigon then because my grandfather was a large scale farmer in Southern Ontario. He used to have about more than twelve teams of horses on his farm so in the winter time he didn't need all of the horses and it wasn't good for them just to stand in the barn not working. So, anyway, he used to bring them north to work in the bush camps so he always liked his horses and he looked after them good. He wouldn't just ship them up to anyone so he'd accompany them by train. I accompanied him one time up here and he delivered them to the contractor and his name was Sam Hughes. He knew him enough to know that he would look after his horses well. I can remember it was across from the present day Petro Canada, there was a place that was kind of like a large farm there and I think it used to be like a horse exchange. Those places used to be all over the place back then when logging was done by horses. Horses didn't last very long in the bush other than the best contractor's who looked after them. Many of them died in the harvest which was why my grandfather came up with his horses."
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
1,000,000 th CORD
CAMP 51
Domtar Woodlands Limited, Nipigon, Ontario October 31, 1968 - one millionth Cord was cut by Camp 51
About Camp 51
While the early history of Camp 51 is sketchy, it is known that the original buildings were erected on this site in 1944 by Northern Forest Products Limited. This was a one year pole cutting operation, but no record of the quantity that was cut is available.
In 1945, local contractors, Rask and Sundstrum, moved their wives and 14 children onto the site and spent the entire winter producing 320 cords which were hauled to, and shipped from Jellicoe.
On April 9, 1946, Roy L. Tansley & Sons Limited, represented by Son T.E. "Tom" Tansley and W. E. "Bill" Sinclair, moved onto Brompton Pulp and Paper Company Limited limits to salvage 7,000 cords of blow-down at Camp 51 and produce lumber and pulpwood. This was a great boost for the nearby community of Jellicoe which had almost become a ghost town since the wartime closing of near-by mines. 1946 production of 10,670 cords was a very respectable operation at the time.
Although the "Bull of the Woods" era was past, camp buildings were constructed of rough lumber in those days and insulation and indoor plumbing was still in the distant future. Kerosene and pressurized gas lanterns provided the illumination, but even then, the horse barn enjoyed electricity produced with a gasoline powered generator. Horses were in one part of the barn and pigs in the other. It was rather common practice for a camp to raise its own pork.
The first night the generator was installed, it seems that one teamster who was slightly under the weather, went to the barn to check on his horse. The story goes that he thought all the unexpected brilliance was caused by demons. As he tried to escape, he fell over a low partition into the pig pen, passed out, and spent the night with the pigs.
The 1947 season produced 17,777 cords of forest products, the greater part of which was pulpwood. Horses, of course, played a major part in moving the logs to the river banks and skidways. Mechanical equipment was in very short supply during the early post-war years. Power saws were not here yet, and the tubular steel bow saw frame and narrow raker tooth blade was used exclusively to fell and buck. Although the turnover of workers was high, as men searched for greener pastures, some did stay, and left camp in the spring with well-stuffed wallets.
Fellers like Ken and Rocky Anderson hand loaded 40 cords of eight foot pulpwood a day, and one day set a record of loading 65 cords. When it is considered that a cord of pulpwood weighs about 3,500 pounds, it isn't too hard to determine the effort put into a feat of this kind.
It was about this time that a Miss Barbara Bradbury, a comely Montreal Miss, riding a pony to Vancouver, stopped over at Camp for a short rest. She stayed on as a cookee and worked a year. Later, Miss Bradbury published a book of her experience - much of her story was about Camp 51.
1948 introduced a new era in logging when the first power saw arrived at camp. A cumbersome man killer, weighing all of 45 pounds, it heralded the move of the forest industry towards more mechanization and the end of the old 'Bucksaw".
Men were scarce, and the first displaced persons were now arriving from Europe. These people had lost all their worldly possessions during the war, and had chosen Canada in which to make their new home. Camp 51 received its share of the 400 which Brompton undertook to employ.
Living conditions in camp again showed a marked improvement. Eight brand new 8 - man sectional bunkhouses were constructed on the hill overlooking the river. Centrally located washrooms were built, to make living away from home just a little easier.
It was also in 1948 that a new cookery to accommodate 100 men, was constructed. Here again, this seemed to be a matter of dire necessity. A family of skunks had established residence under the old cookhouse. It appeared to be easier to build a new one than to move the skunks.
And, this was the year the first portable Nesco Slasher arrived on the limits - the cost, $7,260.72. Probably on the market before its time, this piece of equipment did not prove to be economical and was seldom used again. However, it did prove that an evolution was taking place and the horse era would soon be a thing of the past.
Art Steinke, Neil Arthur, Connie Ropret, Paul Lewicki, were already well up on the seniority ladder. Connie eventually established the longest run for any cook - 19 years.
1949 was a slack year. Limit production ground to a halt, and had it not been for the sawmill operation, Camp 51 would have closed its doors. However, mine timber and lumber was in demand, and 2,730 cords of forest products were produced for conversion to building materials.
Although production picked up in 1950, it was slightly below the 1948 figure. These were the years of the "Jammer" loading operations, and winter horse hauls where men could still pride themselves with having the best team in the camp.
A great deal of affection existed between horse and man then. Today, of course, you don't give your Wheeled Skidder a friendly pat, or cover it over with a blanket to protect it from rain and snow. Jammers were the noon day meeting places, and lunches - often hot - were served around a roaring fire. However, the Jammer's day was also numbered. In 1951, a mechanical giant made its first appearance. Referred to as a "Bundle Yarder" or "Cable Yarder", this self-propelled leviathan, literally dragged one cord bundles of pulpwood off the strips, for distances of up to 700 feet and loaded the wood on the decks of waiting trucks.
The use of these machines resulted in radical changes in logging methods and introduced parallel all-weather roads and increased summer pulpwood delivery. Gradually the need for horses was diminishing. Fortunately so, because the western farmers were rapidly moving toward total mechanization and horses were in short supply. However, it would be some time yet until Dobbin disappeared.
1952 introduced more improvements in the bundle yarding techniques, and more sophisticated 'Drott" front end loaders started to make their appearance. The move towards total mechanization was becoming more rapid. St. Lawrence Corporation Limited had purchased Brompton assets the year previous, and the influence of the larger Company was becoming evident.
1953 saw production increasing and facilities expanding. New wash and dry rooms were constructed that year, and flush toilets appeared for the first time. Goodbye at last to the outdoor biffies. Another era had passed. This was the year when the sawmill went up in flames, but Tansley and Company gamely started new construction on the same site.
During 1954, production remained constant, but the lumber market was giving very little return for the investment. In 1955, the sawmill closed its doors, never to re-open. However, demand for pulpwood was stronger than ever, and Camp 51 produced 61,810 cords - an amount far in excess of any previous year.
1956 and 1957 were normal operating years, with production slightly lower. This was the last year for the truck owner-driver. In 1958, a new fleet of tandem trucks was purchased to provide for bigger pay load and more efficient operation. During 1959, 73,235 cords of forest products were produced, surpassing by far any previous cut. This equalled the production of ten or more camps in the early days and was certainly a new record for our limits.
1960 may best be described for the great fire hazard. The largest fire in standing timber ever to occur on Company limits, broke out at Camp 51 this year, and raged uncontrolled through 60,000 cords of potentially merchantable pulpwood. At one time, over 500 fire fighters were on the 51 blaze. Perhaps one of the greatest salvage operations ever, followed all the devastation and 30 to 40,000 cords of fire-killed timber was picked up.
1961 was truly the end of the horse and buggy days. The last horse was retired at Camp 51. While horses were still used elsewhere on the limits, Camp 51 was now completely mechanized. The "Tree Farmer" had finally taken over.
The years just past, will probably be remembered with more nostalgia than any other period. It seems so hard to have any affection for the wheeled monsters we see now.
A modern two-story centrally located bunkhouse now appeared on the hill above the cookery. Two men to a room offered more privacy that the former eight-bed plan. Some liked the change - others preferred the old life. But, we can't stand in the way of progress.
Late in 1962, it became evident that St. Lawrence Corporation was to be purchased by Dominion Tar and Chemical Company Limited. Officially, the change took place on October 1, 1962.
July 12, 1963, was celebrated as "Domtar Day", and Camp 51 was honoured by a visit from Mr. W. N. Hall, President of Dominion Tar and Chemical.
The next few years were quite uneventful as the Camp continued to produce its share of limit wood. The old garage had burned down, and had been replaced by a new one. The last of the Yarders was scrapped and new trucks and Skidders were replacing the older types. Production was becoming more efficient, power saws and machines were improving continually.
In 1965, a new modern cafeteria style Cookery was erected across the road from the old one - same"good grub" but better surroundings. Staff quarters were constructed on the hill to make the Foreman's lot a little easier, also.
It was 1966 when the first portable lunch shacks appeared on skidding sites. Workmen could use these shelters in case of rain.
1967 saw the completion of another two-storey bunkhouse, to accommodate 88 men. The old eight-man bunkhouses are scrapped, abandoned, but certainly not forgotten by many of the workmen. But what was considered modern 20 years ago, certainly looks obsolete now. So times change.
This year, a new "Nesco" Slashmobile made its appearance. Remember the old ones that cost $7 -8,000? The new machine is worth ten times that amount, but what a difference in performance!
Tom Tansley, who has worked much too hard, has decided that this is his last year as a Contractor. There is nobody quite like Tom. We say "Goodbye" to a fine gentleman.
1968. The old eight-man bunkhouses are burned. Camp 51 has produced its 1,000,000th cord. (October 31, 1968) And, so ends another era.
We are not sure that the production of 1,000,000 cords from one camp, is a record. But, for us it represents many things. Over the years, workmen have come and gone, but many lasting friendships have developed.
For a camp that was opened to salvage blowdown, it has been operating for a long, long time. Best of all, these are still several hundred thousand cords to produce from this location, so it is likely this Camp will go on for a few years more.
To the newcomers, you may never see the 2,000,000th cord produced , but we hope your stay with us is a happy one. But, what will the next decade bring?
The Nipigon Historical Museum wishes to thank the author of this piece.
DID YOU KNOW?
1,000,000 Cords piled 4' high and 4' wide, would stretch for a distance of 1,515 miles, or from Camp 51 west to Banff, Alberta. Or, following Highway 11 to the East through Montreal, it would stretch from Camp 51 to Moncton, New Brunswick.
The individual sticks to make up 1,000,000 Cords, if laid end to end, would reach 90,910 miles, or FOUR times around the earth at its circumference.
1,000,000 Cords of Pulpwood would produce 1,818,182,000 pound of Newsprint.
This is equal to 4,675,325,142 issues of a 28 page Newspaper, which is the average size of a weekday issue of the News Chronicle or Times Journal (these are Port Arthur and Fort William - now Thunder Bay- newspapers).
And it would keep the newsprint machine at Red Rock in production for 13 years.
The Newsprint produced from 1,000,000 Cords, if laid flat, would cover 3,912,960 acres, or 6,114 square miles.
Domtar Woodlands Limited, Nipigon, Ontario October 31, 1968 - one millionth Cord was cut by Camp 51
About Camp 51
While the early history of Camp 51 is sketchy, it is known that the original buildings were erected on this site in 1944 by Northern Forest Products Limited. This was a one year pole cutting operation, but no record of the quantity that was cut is available.
In 1945, local contractors, Rask and Sundstrum, moved their wives and 14 children onto the site and spent the entire winter producing 320 cords which were hauled to, and shipped from Jellicoe.
On April 9, 1946, Roy L. Tansley & Sons Limited, represented by Son T.E. "Tom" Tansley and W. E. "Bill" Sinclair, moved onto Brompton Pulp and Paper Company Limited limits to salvage 7,000 cords of blow-down at Camp 51 and produce lumber and pulpwood. This was a great boost for the nearby community of Jellicoe which had almost become a ghost town since the wartime closing of near-by mines. 1946 production of 10,670 cords was a very respectable operation at the time.
Although the "Bull of the Woods" era was past, camp buildings were constructed of rough lumber in those days and insulation and indoor plumbing was still in the distant future. Kerosene and pressurized gas lanterns provided the illumination, but even then, the horse barn enjoyed electricity produced with a gasoline powered generator. Horses were in one part of the barn and pigs in the other. It was rather common practice for a camp to raise its own pork.
The first night the generator was installed, it seems that one teamster who was slightly under the weather, went to the barn to check on his horse. The story goes that he thought all the unexpected brilliance was caused by demons. As he tried to escape, he fell over a low partition into the pig pen, passed out, and spent the night with the pigs.
The 1947 season produced 17,777 cords of forest products, the greater part of which was pulpwood. Horses, of course, played a major part in moving the logs to the river banks and skidways. Mechanical equipment was in very short supply during the early post-war years. Power saws were not here yet, and the tubular steel bow saw frame and narrow raker tooth blade was used exclusively to fell and buck. Although the turnover of workers was high, as men searched for greener pastures, some did stay, and left camp in the spring with well-stuffed wallets.
Fellers like Ken and Rocky Anderson hand loaded 40 cords of eight foot pulpwood a day, and one day set a record of loading 65 cords. When it is considered that a cord of pulpwood weighs about 3,500 pounds, it isn't too hard to determine the effort put into a feat of this kind.
It was about this time that a Miss Barbara Bradbury, a comely Montreal Miss, riding a pony to Vancouver, stopped over at Camp for a short rest. She stayed on as a cookee and worked a year. Later, Miss Bradbury published a book of her experience - much of her story was about Camp 51.
1948 introduced a new era in logging when the first power saw arrived at camp. A cumbersome man killer, weighing all of 45 pounds, it heralded the move of the forest industry towards more mechanization and the end of the old 'Bucksaw".
Men were scarce, and the first displaced persons were now arriving from Europe. These people had lost all their worldly possessions during the war, and had chosen Canada in which to make their new home. Camp 51 received its share of the 400 which Brompton undertook to employ.
Living conditions in camp again showed a marked improvement. Eight brand new 8 - man sectional bunkhouses were constructed on the hill overlooking the river. Centrally located washrooms were built, to make living away from home just a little easier.
It was also in 1948 that a new cookery to accommodate 100 men, was constructed. Here again, this seemed to be a matter of dire necessity. A family of skunks had established residence under the old cookhouse. It appeared to be easier to build a new one than to move the skunks.
And, this was the year the first portable Nesco Slasher arrived on the limits - the cost, $7,260.72. Probably on the market before its time, this piece of equipment did not prove to be economical and was seldom used again. However, it did prove that an evolution was taking place and the horse era would soon be a thing of the past.
Art Steinke, Neil Arthur, Connie Ropret, Paul Lewicki, were already well up on the seniority ladder. Connie eventually established the longest run for any cook - 19 years.
1949 was a slack year. Limit production ground to a halt, and had it not been for the sawmill operation, Camp 51 would have closed its doors. However, mine timber and lumber was in demand, and 2,730 cords of forest products were produced for conversion to building materials.
Although production picked up in 1950, it was slightly below the 1948 figure. These were the years of the "Jammer" loading operations, and winter horse hauls where men could still pride themselves with having the best team in the camp.
 |
| Nipigon Historical Museum photo |
A great deal of affection existed between horse and man then. Today, of course, you don't give your Wheeled Skidder a friendly pat, or cover it over with a blanket to protect it from rain and snow. Jammers were the noon day meeting places, and lunches - often hot - were served around a roaring fire. However, the Jammer's day was also numbered. In 1951, a mechanical giant made its first appearance. Referred to as a "Bundle Yarder" or "Cable Yarder", this self-propelled leviathan, literally dragged one cord bundles of pulpwood off the strips, for distances of up to 700 feet and loaded the wood on the decks of waiting trucks.
The use of these machines resulted in radical changes in logging methods and introduced parallel all-weather roads and increased summer pulpwood delivery. Gradually the need for horses was diminishing. Fortunately so, because the western farmers were rapidly moving toward total mechanization and horses were in short supply. However, it would be some time yet until Dobbin disappeared.
1952 introduced more improvements in the bundle yarding techniques, and more sophisticated 'Drott" front end loaders started to make their appearance. The move towards total mechanization was becoming more rapid. St. Lawrence Corporation Limited had purchased Brompton assets the year previous, and the influence of the larger Company was becoming evident.
1953 saw production increasing and facilities expanding. New wash and dry rooms were constructed that year, and flush toilets appeared for the first time. Goodbye at last to the outdoor biffies. Another era had passed. This was the year when the sawmill went up in flames, but Tansley and Company gamely started new construction on the same site.
During 1954, production remained constant, but the lumber market was giving very little return for the investment. In 1955, the sawmill closed its doors, never to re-open. However, demand for pulpwood was stronger than ever, and Camp 51 produced 61,810 cords - an amount far in excess of any previous year.
1956 and 1957 were normal operating years, with production slightly lower. This was the last year for the truck owner-driver. In 1958, a new fleet of tandem trucks was purchased to provide for bigger pay load and more efficient operation. During 1959, 73,235 cords of forest products were produced, surpassing by far any previous cut. This equalled the production of ten or more camps in the early days and was certainly a new record for our limits.
1960 may best be described for the great fire hazard. The largest fire in standing timber ever to occur on Company limits, broke out at Camp 51 this year, and raged uncontrolled through 60,000 cords of potentially merchantable pulpwood. At one time, over 500 fire fighters were on the 51 blaze. Perhaps one of the greatest salvage operations ever, followed all the devastation and 30 to 40,000 cords of fire-killed timber was picked up.
1961 was truly the end of the horse and buggy days. The last horse was retired at Camp 51. While horses were still used elsewhere on the limits, Camp 51 was now completely mechanized. The "Tree Farmer" had finally taken over.
The years just past, will probably be remembered with more nostalgia than any other period. It seems so hard to have any affection for the wheeled monsters we see now.
A modern two-story centrally located bunkhouse now appeared on the hill above the cookery. Two men to a room offered more privacy that the former eight-bed plan. Some liked the change - others preferred the old life. But, we can't stand in the way of progress.
Late in 1962, it became evident that St. Lawrence Corporation was to be purchased by Dominion Tar and Chemical Company Limited. Officially, the change took place on October 1, 1962.
July 12, 1963, was celebrated as "Domtar Day", and Camp 51 was honoured by a visit from Mr. W. N. Hall, President of Dominion Tar and Chemical.
The next few years were quite uneventful as the Camp continued to produce its share of limit wood. The old garage had burned down, and had been replaced by a new one. The last of the Yarders was scrapped and new trucks and Skidders were replacing the older types. Production was becoming more efficient, power saws and machines were improving continually.
In 1965, a new modern cafeteria style Cookery was erected across the road from the old one - same"good grub" but better surroundings. Staff quarters were constructed on the hill to make the Foreman's lot a little easier, also.
It was 1966 when the first portable lunch shacks appeared on skidding sites. Workmen could use these shelters in case of rain.
1967 saw the completion of another two-storey bunkhouse, to accommodate 88 men. The old eight-man bunkhouses are scrapped, abandoned, but certainly not forgotten by many of the workmen. But what was considered modern 20 years ago, certainly looks obsolete now. So times change.
This year, a new "Nesco" Slashmobile made its appearance. Remember the old ones that cost $7 -8,000? The new machine is worth ten times that amount, but what a difference in performance!
Tom Tansley, who has worked much too hard, has decided that this is his last year as a Contractor. There is nobody quite like Tom. We say "Goodbye" to a fine gentleman.
1968. The old eight-man bunkhouses are burned. Camp 51 has produced its 1,000,000th cord. (October 31, 1968) And, so ends another era.
We are not sure that the production of 1,000,000 cords from one camp, is a record. But, for us it represents many things. Over the years, workmen have come and gone, but many lasting friendships have developed.
For a camp that was opened to salvage blowdown, it has been operating for a long, long time. Best of all, these are still several hundred thousand cords to produce from this location, so it is likely this Camp will go on for a few years more.
To the newcomers, you may never see the 2,000,000th cord produced , but we hope your stay with us is a happy one. But, what will the next decade bring?
The Nipigon Historical Museum wishes to thank the author of this piece.
DID YOU KNOW?
1,000,000 Cords piled 4' high and 4' wide, would stretch for a distance of 1,515 miles, or from Camp 51 west to Banff, Alberta. Or, following Highway 11 to the East through Montreal, it would stretch from Camp 51 to Moncton, New Brunswick.
The individual sticks to make up 1,000,000 Cords, if laid end to end, would reach 90,910 miles, or FOUR times around the earth at its circumference.
1,000,000 Cords of Pulpwood would produce 1,818,182,000 pound of Newsprint.
This is equal to 4,675,325,142 issues of a 28 page Newspaper, which is the average size of a weekday issue of the News Chronicle or Times Journal (these are Port Arthur and Fort William - now Thunder Bay- newspapers).
And it would keep the newsprint machine at Red Rock in production for 13 years.
The Newsprint produced from 1,000,000 Cords, if laid flat, would cover 3,912,960 acres, or 6,114 square miles.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
The GLORY OF THE NIPIGON
"Unless it is cherished, the glory of the Nipigon may fade and the story of its marvelous attractions may become a tradition of the past"
This cry of alarm came from an American Fisherman named McDonough in 1888.
Yup, if you check out PEW's "Forest of Blue" document wherein they discovered all our wonderful water in the Canadian Boreal Forest, you will see they have relegated Lake Nipigon to a reservoir and our river barely discernible!!
Our Living Heritage, the Glory of the Nipigon, the book, shows how that call was and still is being answered.
The Nipigon Bay Remedial Action Plan Public Advisory Committee had this book put together by John M. Kelso and James W. Demers in 1993. It shows that throughout the past century ..."there was ample evidence that the glory of the Nipigon and its abundant life were cherished by those who lived near her, those who put the great river to the service of man and those who found her sporting charms irresistible."
" This is a success story. The story of a people, of industry, of science, of government who have answered the call to be guardians of one of the world's richest treasures. It tells of our first people, reflects the birth and growth of a nation, and offers the world a model of man and nature serving and affecting on another."
And PEW calls us a reservoir!
We have three power dams on the Nipigon River. They do use the water from Lake Nipigon. The Ogoki Diversion dam sends water to Lake Nipigon that would have gone to Hudson's Bay.
The Nipigon River System
"The Nipigon River drains Lake Nipigon, with its large tertiary watershed; 32,129 square kilometres of land and water surface including the Ogoki Diversion." (1943).
" The River flows south for about 51 kilometres (32 miles) from Lake Nipigon to Lake Superior, through a gorge that follows a geological fault. Along its course the river drops 75 meters (250 feet) in elevation, cutting through Precambrian red sandstones, with their flat caps of volcanic diabase, in its precipitous descent."
"At one time falls and rapids punctuated 16 kilometres (10 miles) of its route. The river is now characterized by lakes that alternate with turbulent stretches. The largest of the lakes, Lake Helen, differs in that it is not formed (or re-formed) by a dam. The river flows through only the southern corner of the lake, which extends northward as a cul-de-sac."
'The Nipigon River is the largest tributary, in terms of discharge, of Lake Superior. Along with the lake's other major tributaries, the shallow nearshore areas, which in this case are in Nipigon Bay, and the mouth of the river play important roles in the lake's ecosystem. These areas are biologically productive, support a different complex of species than the deeper, colder waters of the open lake, provide important sources of nutrients, and are essential nursery and spawning habitat for a range of fish species. "
"The river has been noted for its abundant fishing as far back as we can trace. This abundance is more properly attributed to seasonal concentrations of spawning or migrating fish than to the intrinsic productivity of the river. The number of species that made up the early (pre-1890) fish communities of the Nipigon River would have been fewer than today, and they would have been determined by two major factors: post-glacial colonization and habitat suitability."
"Descriptions from the late 1800's focus on brook trout and their favourite food, teh cockatouch (commonly called sculpins today); they also refer to lake trout, whitefish, and northern pike in all the major sections of the river" - Hewitt, E.R. 1948 A trout and salmon fisherman for seventy-five years. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York , 33pp
"By 1902 walleye (or pickerel) and suckers, in additon to northern pike were being removed as nuisance fish." - Fourth Annual Report of the Fisheries Branch of the Province of Ontario for 1902
"Other species are known to have occurred in the system below Alexander Falls. THese include burbot and lake sturgeon, which were common in Steamboat Bay (Lake Helen) untilthe 1920's and tullibee and "blue pickerel" (probably sauger)." - Wilson, L. 1991 Nipigon Walleye Historical Review.
That was the timeline of Hate turning to Love.
Today , 2012, the Nipigon Bay RAP,PAC is busy rehabilitating spawning grounds threatened by fluctuating water levels and putting the meander back in some streams straightened by the CPR and or CNR.
This cry of alarm came from an American Fisherman named McDonough in 1888.
Yup, if you check out PEW's "Forest of Blue" document wherein they discovered all our wonderful water in the Canadian Boreal Forest, you will see they have relegated Lake Nipigon to a reservoir and our river barely discernible!!
Our Living Heritage, the Glory of the Nipigon, the book, shows how that call was and still is being answered.
The Nipigon Bay Remedial Action Plan Public Advisory Committee had this book put together by John M. Kelso and James W. Demers in 1993. It shows that throughout the past century ..."there was ample evidence that the glory of the Nipigon and its abundant life were cherished by those who lived near her, those who put the great river to the service of man and those who found her sporting charms irresistible."
" This is a success story. The story of a people, of industry, of science, of government who have answered the call to be guardians of one of the world's richest treasures. It tells of our first people, reflects the birth and growth of a nation, and offers the world a model of man and nature serving and affecting on another."
And PEW calls us a reservoir!
We have three power dams on the Nipigon River. They do use the water from Lake Nipigon. The Ogoki Diversion dam sends water to Lake Nipigon that would have gone to Hudson's Bay.
The Nipigon River System
"The Nipigon River drains Lake Nipigon, with its large tertiary watershed; 32,129 square kilometres of land and water surface including the Ogoki Diversion." (1943).
" The River flows south for about 51 kilometres (32 miles) from Lake Nipigon to Lake Superior, through a gorge that follows a geological fault. Along its course the river drops 75 meters (250 feet) in elevation, cutting through Precambrian red sandstones, with their flat caps of volcanic diabase, in its precipitous descent."
"At one time falls and rapids punctuated 16 kilometres (10 miles) of its route. The river is now characterized by lakes that alternate with turbulent stretches. The largest of the lakes, Lake Helen, differs in that it is not formed (or re-formed) by a dam. The river flows through only the southern corner of the lake, which extends northward as a cul-de-sac."
'The Nipigon River is the largest tributary, in terms of discharge, of Lake Superior. Along with the lake's other major tributaries, the shallow nearshore areas, which in this case are in Nipigon Bay, and the mouth of the river play important roles in the lake's ecosystem. These areas are biologically productive, support a different complex of species than the deeper, colder waters of the open lake, provide important sources of nutrients, and are essential nursery and spawning habitat for a range of fish species. "
"The river has been noted for its abundant fishing as far back as we can trace. This abundance is more properly attributed to seasonal concentrations of spawning or migrating fish than to the intrinsic productivity of the river. The number of species that made up the early (pre-1890) fish communities of the Nipigon River would have been fewer than today, and they would have been determined by two major factors: post-glacial colonization and habitat suitability."
"Descriptions from the late 1800's focus on brook trout and their favourite food, teh cockatouch (commonly called sculpins today); they also refer to lake trout, whitefish, and northern pike in all the major sections of the river" - Hewitt, E.R. 1948 A trout and salmon fisherman for seventy-five years. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York , 33pp
"By 1902 walleye (or pickerel) and suckers, in additon to northern pike were being removed as nuisance fish." - Fourth Annual Report of the Fisheries Branch of the Province of Ontario for 1902
"Other species are known to have occurred in the system below Alexander Falls. THese include burbot and lake sturgeon, which were common in Steamboat Bay (Lake Helen) untilthe 1920's and tullibee and "blue pickerel" (probably sauger)." - Wilson, L. 1991 Nipigon Walleye Historical Review.
- 1930 Walleye = the most abundant fish on the river
- 1950 Local residents report excellent walleye fishing
- 1956 Thousands of walleye noted in the lower Nipigon during May; 1000 tagged
- 1957 Estimated walleye population in the Nipigon River spring spawning run to be 22,000 individuals; fall estimate in Nipigon Bay was 41,000.
- 1958 During 1955 - 1958, 2200 walleye were tagged with 397 recaptured indicating the possible migration routes and spawning locations.
- 1959 Walleye were common but not abundant enough to provide numbers for tagging.
- 1961 Walleye were scarce on the Nipigon River spawning grounds.
- 1965 Crash of Black Bay Walleye population.
- 1975 Compared with peak years the commercial walleye catch in Lake Superior is down 88 -100% (Schneider and Leach, 1977)
- 1978 An attempt to re-introduce walleye began with the deposition of walleye eggs into the Jackfish River.
- 1984 Commercial fishing of walleye was closed in Nipigon Bay.
- 1986 Adult walleye stocking program began in Nipigon Bay.
- 1989 The Nipigon Bay, the Nipigon River, and the Jackfish River were closed to wlaleye angling year round to assist rehabilitiation efforts.
That was the timeline of Hate turning to Love.
Today , 2012, the Nipigon Bay RAP,PAC is busy rehabilitating spawning grounds threatened by fluctuating water levels and putting the meander back in some streams straightened by the CPR and or CNR.
Monday, 16 January 2012
PULP PINOEERS OF RED ROCK, 1936 - 1974
Written by L.M. (Buzz) Lein February 25, 1974
Thirty-eight years ago (1936) a bleached kraft mill took shape and substance on the northwest shore of Nipigon Bay on Lake Superior. Closed down by financial problems before it could get rolling in 1938, it just sat there until the Brompton Pulp and Paper Company acquired the property in 1942, and started to turn out kraft paper on a converted newsprint machine some two years later.
During the early 1950's, the St. Lawrence Corporation became the operating company and so remained for about ten years.
In 1961, St. Lawrence Corporation merged with Dominion Tar & Chemical and Domtar Limited began its career on the north shore of Lake Superior.
From its start-up early in 1944 and through 1951, statistics are (un)fortunately scarce, but during this period the mill was producing about 250 tons of brown paper per day, six days a week. All the wood required was delivered in log form, nearly all by water during spring and summer. Some 130,000 cords of softwood were consumed yearly. The softwood was about 70% spruce and 30% jackpine.
During 1952 - 53, there was a milestone expansion. A new kraft paper machine was installed and the old one put back into newsprint service. In addition, facilities were added that would permit, for the first time, the use of poplar to make a pulp.
1953 also saw the arrival of the first consignment of wood chips. These were purchased from Great Lakes Lumber & Shipping in Thunder Bay and amounted to about 4,800 tons for the year. 1953 was the year for another first - 6 cords of poplar purchased from John Dampier of Nipigon and water delivered to the mill at Red Rock.
When the new kraft machine went into action in 1954 and with the newsprint machine running, production of paper jumped from 87,000 tons to 153,000 tons in 1955. The big increase was in newsprint where from start-up production of 11,000 tons in 1954 it ballooned to 50,000 tons in 1955. The delivery of wood to Red Rock followed the paper production pattern, From 115,000 cords in 1954, the jump was to 163,000 cords in 1955.
By this time the paper production pattern and wood delivery program was wet. Over the following six years, not much change was evident. Kraft paper production was about 100,000 tons a year, newsprint 56,000 tons while into this was going about 224,000 cords a year of spruce, balsam, jackpine and poplar. Spruce and balsam still made up 70% of the material with jackpine forming nearly all of the rest. The percent of poplar was quite small in relation.
In 1962, Domtar's mill began operating on a seven-day week and is still doing this in 1974. This immediately created more jobs, provided increased security for a paper based economy and increased yearly production by about 18,000 tons of paper. By year end 1963, annual paper production was now 195,000 tons per year.
More was to come. In 1964, the capacity of the sulphate mill was increased and major changes were made in the paper machines. Production of paper was up again by 15,000 tons to 210,000 tons yearly.
Why sawmills and paper mills need each other
A change is noticed in the type of material from which the paper was being made. From a timid beginning with 4,800 tons of chips in 1954, ten years later in 1964, the tonnage of chips had worked its way up to 80,000 tons. At this period, softwood chips were sawmill residue and it is to Domtar's credit that their people were willing and able to pioneer a process then regarded as daring in wood fibre use. The beneficial economic affect on the distant saw mill producers of chips may well have been incalculable because chips were their cash crop at a time when cash was scarce.
A major mill improvement program was again announced in 1969. This time, the emphasis was on pollution abatement with many in-plant improvements.
1969 saw the hesitant beginning of a new process to use another type of sawmill residue in the making of pulp. 133 oven dry tons of sawdust were purchased. This was in addition to the 165,000 tons of chips, 197,000 O.D.T. of limit wood and 7,800 O.D.T. of poplar chips that were used to produce 253,000 tons of paper.
By 1970, with the construction program on the go, millions were spent on a primary effluent treatment plant, revised wood handling facilities to eliminate the river drive of pulpwood to the mill, and to set up facilities to utilize some 100,000 tons of sawdust per year.
The effect of the 1970-72 improvements were best evident by the production for the year 1973 when kraft paper production was up to 210,000 tons; newsprint to 68,000 tons for a total of 278,000, the most paper Domtar's mill at Red Rock has ever produced.
And, to do this, it required 146,000 O.D.T. of roundwood ( 8 foot logs from Domtar limits), 195,000 O.D.T. of chips from out-lying sawmills, 94,000 O.D.T. of sawdust from far away sawmills, and 21,500 O.D.T. of poplar chips from two area plywood mills.
What stability of community looked like.
In the manufacture of paper, one does not progress by maintaining the status quo. Already plans are being made for increased production that will go along with more efficient use of available fibre, mill operations that will be in harmony with the environment and processes that will foster the stability that has been in the area ever since that first mill started up on the shores of Nipigon Bay some thirty odd years ago.
Today we do not have stability
(2012 the mill sits dormant., gutted by salvage, but Red Rock still has hope.)
( The news today, January 16, 2012, is Terrace Bay's mill is up for sale)
Thirty-eight years ago (1936) a bleached kraft mill took shape and substance on the northwest shore of Nipigon Bay on Lake Superior. Closed down by financial problems before it could get rolling in 1938, it just sat there until the Brompton Pulp and Paper Company acquired the property in 1942, and started to turn out kraft paper on a converted newsprint machine some two years later.
During the early 1950's, the St. Lawrence Corporation became the operating company and so remained for about ten years.
In 1961, St. Lawrence Corporation merged with Dominion Tar & Chemical and Domtar Limited began its career on the north shore of Lake Superior.
From its start-up early in 1944 and through 1951, statistics are (un)fortunately scarce, but during this period the mill was producing about 250 tons of brown paper per day, six days a week. All the wood required was delivered in log form, nearly all by water during spring and summer. Some 130,000 cords of softwood were consumed yearly. The softwood was about 70% spruce and 30% jackpine.
During 1952 - 53, there was a milestone expansion. A new kraft paper machine was installed and the old one put back into newsprint service. In addition, facilities were added that would permit, for the first time, the use of poplar to make a pulp.
1953 also saw the arrival of the first consignment of wood chips. These were purchased from Great Lakes Lumber & Shipping in Thunder Bay and amounted to about 4,800 tons for the year. 1953 was the year for another first - 6 cords of poplar purchased from John Dampier of Nipigon and water delivered to the mill at Red Rock.
When the new kraft machine went into action in 1954 and with the newsprint machine running, production of paper jumped from 87,000 tons to 153,000 tons in 1955. The big increase was in newsprint where from start-up production of 11,000 tons in 1954 it ballooned to 50,000 tons in 1955. The delivery of wood to Red Rock followed the paper production pattern, From 115,000 cords in 1954, the jump was to 163,000 cords in 1955.
By this time the paper production pattern and wood delivery program was wet. Over the following six years, not much change was evident. Kraft paper production was about 100,000 tons a year, newsprint 56,000 tons while into this was going about 224,000 cords a year of spruce, balsam, jackpine and poplar. Spruce and balsam still made up 70% of the material with jackpine forming nearly all of the rest. The percent of poplar was quite small in relation.
In 1962, Domtar's mill began operating on a seven-day week and is still doing this in 1974. This immediately created more jobs, provided increased security for a paper based economy and increased yearly production by about 18,000 tons of paper. By year end 1963, annual paper production was now 195,000 tons per year.
More was to come. In 1964, the capacity of the sulphate mill was increased and major changes were made in the paper machines. Production of paper was up again by 15,000 tons to 210,000 tons yearly.
Why sawmills and paper mills need each other
A change is noticed in the type of material from which the paper was being made. From a timid beginning with 4,800 tons of chips in 1954, ten years later in 1964, the tonnage of chips had worked its way up to 80,000 tons. At this period, softwood chips were sawmill residue and it is to Domtar's credit that their people were willing and able to pioneer a process then regarded as daring in wood fibre use. The beneficial economic affect on the distant saw mill producers of chips may well have been incalculable because chips were their cash crop at a time when cash was scarce.
A major mill improvement program was again announced in 1969. This time, the emphasis was on pollution abatement with many in-plant improvements.
1969 saw the hesitant beginning of a new process to use another type of sawmill residue in the making of pulp. 133 oven dry tons of sawdust were purchased. This was in addition to the 165,000 tons of chips, 197,000 O.D.T. of limit wood and 7,800 O.D.T. of poplar chips that were used to produce 253,000 tons of paper.
By 1970, with the construction program on the go, millions were spent on a primary effluent treatment plant, revised wood handling facilities to eliminate the river drive of pulpwood to the mill, and to set up facilities to utilize some 100,000 tons of sawdust per year.
The effect of the 1970-72 improvements were best evident by the production for the year 1973 when kraft paper production was up to 210,000 tons; newsprint to 68,000 tons for a total of 278,000, the most paper Domtar's mill at Red Rock has ever produced.
And, to do this, it required 146,000 O.D.T. of roundwood ( 8 foot logs from Domtar limits), 195,000 O.D.T. of chips from out-lying sawmills, 94,000 O.D.T. of sawdust from far away sawmills, and 21,500 O.D.T. of poplar chips from two area plywood mills.
What stability of community looked like.
In the manufacture of paper, one does not progress by maintaining the status quo. Already plans are being made for increased production that will go along with more efficient use of available fibre, mill operations that will be in harmony with the environment and processes that will foster the stability that has been in the area ever since that first mill started up on the shores of Nipigon Bay some thirty odd years ago.
Today we do not have stability
(2012 the mill sits dormant., gutted by salvage, but Red Rock still has hope.)
( The news today, January 16, 2012, is Terrace Bay's mill is up for sale)
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Three Cheers for Joe Oliver
An Open Letter from the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, on Canada's commitment to diversify our energy markets and the need to further streamline the regulatory process in order to advance Canada's national economic interest.
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/media-room/news-release/2012/1/3520
Short excerpt:
."... Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth. No forestry. No mining. No oil. No gas. No more hydro-electric dams."
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/media-room/news-release/2012/1/3520
Short excerpt:
."... Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth. No forestry. No mining. No oil. No gas. No more hydro-electric dams."
Monday, 9 January 2012
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