Lumber

Local History of Lumber

Lumbering was as important to the development and prosperity of Sherbrooke as were the shipbuilding and gold mining industries. The timber trade began along the St. Mary's River in the early 1800's with the arrival of the Scottish settlers. Laths, pickets, staves lumber and timber were all exported to markets worldwide, (especially Great Britain and South America) and in return, goods such as cloth, china, hardware, oakum and salt were imported to Sherbrooke. An article in the Eastern Chronicle dated August 22, 1901, described the area as "land that is very thickly wooded with spruce and birch and it is said to be one of the best timber lands in Nova Scotia."

Men would go into the woods in the late fall, early winter all along the river from Trafalgar down, to begin their "winter exile." As many as fifty to sixty men could be staying in a lumber camp deep in the woods, cutting down trees and hauling them to the river banks where they would be dumped into the river in the spring for the log drive. The lumber camps were little more than wooden sheds with a few bunks for sleeping and a long table with benches for eating. Personal hygiene was often not a high priority.

The weather conditions had a large impact on the lumbering business. A lack of snow in the winter would prevent the men from hauling out the trees and the operation would be halted. In the spring, the success of the log drive depended on the amount of water in the river. If the river was low, the logs were more susceptible to jamming, or not moving at all. On the other hand, if the river was too high, the logs would come down the river with such a force that the booms intended for holding the logs would break and the logs would be lost to sea.

Many farmers living along the river would also contribute to the lumber trade. They would cut trees on their property during the winter and the lumber would be added to the log drive in the spring. The Eastern Chronicle reported on May 24, 1894 that ten million feet of lumber was being held in the booms in Sherbrooke. The run, which was one of the largest, lasted for twenty days. This was considered to be a very quick run. What a sight it must have been to see, the river alive with logs, smashing and rolling over each other as they made their way down the river. On the drives, two or three men would have the dangerous job of "riding the logs" down the river - dealing with log jams and other problems that may have arisen.

The lumber camps with the men and the bow saws have long since disappeared as the stands of timber were depleted and new innovations were developed. Saws were made that required fewer men and as well there was an improvement in transportation routes, allowing the wood to be moved by land instead of by water. Lumbermen no longer needed to stay in the woods for an extended period of time, instead they could travel from home to their work on a daily basis. The lumber trade continues to play an important role in Nova Scotian life today, suppling the foreign markets with wood and wood products.

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