Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

Log drives - When Clare’s first lumberjacks felled trees, log drives were one of the means they used to bring their logs to sawmills. Log drives are an important part of our history.

Back then, lumberjacks moved away from their families during the winter and went into the backcountry to go logging. Logs were then hauled to the shores of lakes and rivers. The places where these logs were stored were called "brows". They often bore the name of the forestry company that owned the land (i.e. Howe’s brow). During spring thaw, when the water level of lakes and rivers peaked, the logs were launched into the water and the log drive commenced! The logs were often gathered together in "booms", i.e. structures used to confine sets of logs. The booms were then directed to the mills by the log drivers.

The loggers used rivers that were not always well-suited to log driving, being at times winding or turbulent and presenting unavoidable challenges. Only the most agile lumberjacks would participate in log driving, a task requiring lots of dexterity. The most skilled log drivers could even ride on logs over great distances.

When log jams occurred, the lumberjacks' ingenuity came into play. The tools most frequently employed were "peaveys", used for turning logs, and "pike poles", a wooden gaff. Sometimes, the use of dynamite was required to clear the trapped logs. After considerable effort, the logs would finally arrive at the mill, ready to be sawn and made into lumber. They were often loaded on ships, as shown in this photo, to be exported, principally to Europe, the United States and the West Indies. to destinations all over the world.

Topic: Commercial Enterprises and other livelihoods

Date: [ca. 1950]

Reference: John Collier Collection Centre Acadien 

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