Who Cut Where and When-The Magnitude and Rough Timeline of Logging Operations in Central Newfoundland.

*New information in red.

You can fly over parts of central or look out from a hill or mountain in Central and look out over a sea of green. Only interrupted by water and the lines of a few gravel roads. Despite what the forest may look like, there are very few places in the interior that are completely untouched by the hand of man.

As you would expect, pulp and paper mills have  a voracious appetite for pulpwood. In 1959 an average of 1160 cords of wood were consumed by the mill every day.

I am not going to venture a guess at how many logging camps there were in the timber limits supplying the Grand Falls mill over the years. I am sure somebody could come up with formula to get a rough estimate.  At any given time, between 1908 and 1965,  a rough guess for could be as many as high as  65 and as low as 30 (Although in 1912-13 there were a reported 67 camps in operation for the AND Co in just Badger and Millertown Divisions) . There were roughly 2500 men on the cutters payroll for AND in 1959. Assuming there was no time when there were 2500 men in the woods because of turnover and other factors and saying the average camp had about 50 men in it, the numbers would be in that 30-50 camp range. In earlier years there would have likely been even more camps because of difficulties in transportation and the lack of roads. A camp was generally located within walking distance of the wood, with cutting going on within an hour or less walk from the camp, so about a camp every four kilometers. Once wood that was within walking distance was cut the camp was moved or another built. As roads improved, camps became larger and more centralized and the men commuted or were bused to the work sites, but this was not the case until the late 1960’s.

When I started out there wasn’t much in the way of resources to research these things. Now the internet has made a few valuable things easily accessible. One of which is the scanned copies of the Corner Brook Western Star-which for a number of years in the 1940’s and 50’s carried a section of news from the AND Company woods divisions. This also happens to be the time period that I know the most about, due to the fact that I have talked to loggers from this time period extensively.

Andy Baker did a large number of interviews with old loggers in the late 1970’s and they were transcribed and compiled. They are a very valuable resource, the only place I know of them being available is at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies at Memorial University. Barker, luckily, was able to interview men who had worked in the woods in the 1920’s and earlier. Many of them noted the approximate locations and times some of the camps they were in were in operation.


According to one of the first foresters for the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company, J.D Gilmour,  the area between Grand Falls and the Golf course was cut for pine “in the ’90’s”, before it was burned over in 1903. This was likely between 1892 and 1894. Gilmour used the area for experimental plots to observe regeneration.

Pre-AND Company Pre-1905

Botwoodville logging camps at Bishop’s Falls 1892, as far as Twin Lakes by 1894. Portage road reportedly cut by them between Botwood and Badger in early 1890’s. This road is recorded in Howley. 

reported to have been a blacksmiths forge for logging operation out of Botwood or Norris Arm near present day High Street in 1895. 

A Mr. Seabright was had a camp 6 miles from Badger Brook in 1902. Other camps reported as far as 12 miles from Badger. Very likely that this is the man that Seabrights Brook and Seabrights Valley on the Northeastern side of South Twin Lakes is named. (Salvation Army War Cry 1902)

AND Company Cutting Pulpwood 1905-: 

In the fall of 1908,  1000 loggers went into the woods around Red Indian Lake to cut the first pulpwood for the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company. (http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/telegram19/id/64591/rec/89)

In 1908 the some of the first contracts for pulpwood for the AND Co were taken by Ben Tulk and O.G Johnson. Both men had been woods foremen for Lewis Miller. The wood was cut on the shores of Red Indian Lake. Both Tulk and Johnson later left the AND Company in the 1920’s to work with companies on the West coast. Johnson ended up working for Newfoundland Power and Paper and International Power and Paper, owners of the Corner Brook mill.

I seem to recall that Roland Goodyear might have had one of the early contracts in around 1908. By That point Goodyear had had 8 years working in the Millertown area, going back to the time of Lewis Miller.

loggers grand falls 1908
Some of the first AND Co loggers cutting pulpwood around Red Indian Lake 1908. The men cut logs with axes and crosscut saws and skidded out full length logs by horse. Within a few years these methods had fallen from fashion in favor of cutting short wood and winter hauling. Despite what is written on the photo, it is very unlikely they were anywhere near Grand Falls- The Anglo Newfoundland Development Company didn’t originally have the timber rights nearby!

Hugh Wilding Cole was contracting somewhere in the Badger area accessible by rail around 1909 according to pictures in the NL Archives. Originally from England, Cole was later the long time Badger Division superintendent.

The Newfoundland Pine and Pulp Company under Harry J. Crowe was reportedly the largest supplier of pulpwood to both the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company and the Reed Newfoundland Company in the period before the First World War. Crowe himself reported that they supplied somewhere in the vicinity of 100,000 cords per year, although this figure seems inflated due to the limited manufacturing capacity of both Grand Falls and Bishop’s Falls at that time. I read one account that Crowe had delivered 25,000 cords to the mill at Grand Falls one year.

1910 Crowe (either timber Estates of Pine Lands) cutting in “New Bay Waters” (New Bay Lake and tributaries) cutting pulpwood for A.N.D or Reed. 

1911-Sam Reid had a camp on Aspen Brook, in the Spring of 1912 the first drive of wood came down Aspen to the Exploits River. 

hugh cole lumber contract
Hugh Cole takes a lumber contract. Offloading supplies for a logging camp around 1908 somewhere around Badger or Millertown. (Provincial Archives of NL)

Langdon cutting birch at Cassandra Brook 1913.  There is a brook not far from here named after him, but his name was misspelled. There was activity in this area after WWI. The general area between the river and the railway is and likely was heavily forested and would have been cut out over a number of years.

IMG_1105
Birch wood stacked along the Casandra Tramway 1918-19. There is a commonly referenced description of a “Cassandra” pole tramway, which used carts run on logs as rails that operated around 1909. I am unsure of where the original reference to this came from. The above picture was clearly labelled as being at “Cassandra” and appears to depict men ballasting or building a siding for the birch cutting operation there. it should be noted that the in general area around Cassandra Brook, the area between the railway and the River is quite large.

According to Mr. Ben Tulk in the Winter of 1912-13 the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company had 67 camps in operation. In the same article in the Evening Telegram it was noted that one man was operating a camp with just four loggers and a contract for about 350 cords of wood. It can safely be assumed that in this 67 camps there would have been other small ones as well.

1912-13 Camps in operation on Harmsworth Steady, Victoria River and Harbour Round in the Red Indian Lake area. 

Kenneth Gaulton was cutting in Badger Division in 1914. Mr. Gaulton went on to become one of the oldest members of the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Contingent during the Second World War. He was one of the few contractors that lived in Grand Falls. Gaulton contracted into the 1930’s, but likely gave it up when he returned from overseas.

Badger and possibly Millertown Division Reported in the Evening Telegram April 1914

G.C Tulk

Jesse Ball

Edward Moore

Joseph Ball

Henry Ball

Daniel White

Joseph Hayden

Walter Strickland

Benjamin Eastman

Sam Farrell

Joe Goodyear

Nathaniel Webb

logging-crew-millertown-ches-wellon
Logging camp crew in the 1920’s. There are many of these photos of camp crews around. Unfortunately thy usually do not list the location. This is likely an AND Company camp from the early 1920’s as evident by the wooden framed bucksaw. One logger once said “The AND Company would take a man (so young) with a baby bottle in one hand and a bucksaw in the other”, note the baby on the left! All joking aside, the minimum age after the Newfoundland lumbermen’s association was formed was nominally 17. This was very rarely enforced and I have family members who went into the woods at 14 and 15. I am sure boys as young as 10 and 11 were taken into the woods by their fathers.

1916-Daniel White, 1 Mile East of Aspen Brook, Badger Division.

1917-First camp on North Twin Lake reported around this time.

Badger Camp Contractors 1917

Evening Telegram (St. John’s, N.L.), 1917-10-23: Imperial Red Cross Fund

Jerry Ball

Ford Ball

Harry Ball

Jasper Cooke

S. Farnell (Farrell?)

Elias Goudie

Kenneth Gaulton

Joseph Hayden

Joshua Lane

William Lush

Edward Moore

Elisha Milley

Arthur Pike

Edward Rideout

Dorman Rideout

Arch Sheppard

Walter Strickland

Charles Tulk

Caleb Langdon

Thomas Whiteway

Roland Goodyear

The Twin Lakes and Badger Lakes had been cut over for pine in the 1890’s. When the Halls Bay Road was pushed through this area in the 1920’s logging activity increased in this area and would continue for the next twenty five years or more. There was cutting going on around the Twin and Badger Lakes during this time period. The Halls Bay line which was ostensibly a government road was partially built with assistance from the AND Company and it was used for their operations.  Some of the first trucks used in the woods were used in this area, I believe they were Ford Model A’s.

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Interior of a Newfoundland logging camp cookhouse, circa 1920. Though the caption notes the sound of a donkey engine, I only aware of one skidding machine with a donkey engine ever being used in Newfoundland-near Kelly’s Pond in Millertown around 1920. Interestingly enough, you can see a camp in the background in one of the few existing photos of the skidder in operation, maybe it was this camp!

1921 Camps in operation in the Victoria River and Harpoon Brook areas. 

1920-22 New wagon road being built towards the dam on Harpoon Brook. (Barker 1979) 

1921 Camp on “Paddle Brook, Exploits River” no idea where this is.

There are reports of a “Black Duck Depot” on the Exploits River in Badger Division from the 1920’s. Likely where Black Duck Brook flows into the Exploits. “6 Miles above Badger.”

1921-22 William Evans was recorded as having a camp at “Black Duck” in Badger around 1921-22.

1922-Billy (William) Pope is reported to have a camp in operation at Black Duck. It is also reported that here two two-ton Holt tractors are used in hauling. Pope is also noted to have had a camp around Tom Joe around this time. 

1923-Camp somewhere on Tom Joe Brook, Badger Division.

1923-Terra Nova Woods Division opens in limits acquired with the Terra Nova Sulfite properties. headquarters at the village of Terra Nova. First superintendent is William Baird.

1924-Driving of wood on Pamehoc Brook, Badger Division.

Circa 1925-28 Foreman by the name of Wells had a camp near the mouth of Michael’s Brook on the Exploits River. First time 5 foot wood was cut. (Raymond Hewitt Interview, Andrew barker, 1979)

Area around Stony Brook was cut for pulpwood in the late 1920’s. The wood was brought to the Grand Falls mill pond via a small tramway. There was a dam for driving and booming of wood near Chico’s Landing. There was most likely some sort of jackladder here at the dam.

James Andrews of Point Leamington was cutting at Peter’s River and Peter’s Pond near Botwood. Some of the hauling was done with oxen and there are reports of a Jackladder being in place to load the logs on the Botwood Railway to be shipped to Grand Falls. Firewood for the Grand Falls mill was also reportedly cut here around 1916. Unless a spur was built, the Jackladder would have had to have been on Peter’s River near the Botwood Railway toward’s Peter’s Arm. 

Holt at badger 1938
Tractor hauling train of pulpwood sleds on an unknown lake in Badger Division Circa 1938. Tractor hauling never really affected the numbers of men needed in the woods and was almost always supplemented by horse hauling even into the early 1960’s. Surprisingly winter tractor hauling operations were phased out only a few (as few as 5) years after the last horses were used in the woods.
  • It is reported that logging operations around Red Indian Lake were “curtailed in 1927.” After this point wood was cut further and further into the country. This necessitated the utilization of more tractors and the building of the Harpoon Tramway.
HARPOONTRAMWAYLATE
AND Company staff in front of Harpoon Tramway engine circa 1950’s. The Harpoon Tramway was built after 1927 to service camps in the far reaches of Millertown Division. It’s interior terminus was Lake Ambrose Depot from which other camps in the area were supplied. Other Depots were located at various points in the different Divisions.

During the 1930’s there was intensive cutting in the Lake Ambrose and Harpoon Brook areas of Millertown as is evident from the below examples. this is also noted in a map found in “Restructuring the Boreal Forest and the Forest Structure in Newfoundland by Brian McLaren and Jason Pollard (http://pubs.cif-ifc.org/doi/pdf/10.5558/tfc85772-5). Also evident in this map is the expansion of logging operations into the Noel Paul Brook area in the 1940’s.

1937-Camp at Lost Pond, Millertown Division. Lost Pond is roughly between Lake Ambrose and Kelly’s Pond.

Mark Reccord, Lake Wilding, Millertown Division  1934

Douglas Reccord cook
Mr. Douglas Reccord of Victoria Cove, NDB. Cooking at the 26-Mile Depot sometime around 1961. I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Reccord over ten years ago about his experiences as a camp cook for over forty years. He started at his brothers camp on Lake Wilding in 1934 or 35 and finished up at Rocky Brook Camp in the 1970’s. Mr. Reccord worked for both Mark Reccord and Job Gill in Millertown Division in the 1930’s and 40’s.

Job Gill-in the Lake Ambrose, Lake Wilding area of Millertown, 1930’s. Both Job Gill Sr. and Job Gill Jr. were contractor foremen with the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company. Job Gill Jr. was still working with the Company in the late 1960’s.

20170606_213821
Map of timber the timber areas of the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company as they were in 1959. The area on the Northern peninsula ( I think) was called the Moody limits. I have yet to come across any information of Company operations up here. Wood from the Terra Nova Division in the East was brought in by train, but most of the wood in the Exploits watershed came to the mill by water. Which in the case of wood in the Lloyds and Victoria River areas of Millertown Division could be a very long distance.

Elias Goudie-Monica Lake-Badger Division-1934 (Decks Awash) *there were two foremen contractors named Elias Goudie, one was refereed to as “Swearin’ Lias'”

According to both published and anecdotal evidence Paradise Lake was site of a camp around 1934-35.

1941-Harvey Grant, Mary Ann Lake-Badger Division, (Barker) 

Sandy Motor Road is pushed in to Sandy Brook/Lake and is at least as far as the lake by 1944.

George White of Point Leamington had a camp on Hynes Lake 1945-1949 Bishop’s Falls Division.

John Earle of Point Leamington built many of the dams in Bishop’s Falls Division in the 1930’s and 40’s. Some of the names I remember being noted were Miguel Mountain (Likely a dam on Little Rattling) and Martin Lake which would have been built between 1946 and 1949.

Pierce Rideout had Camp Number 1 in Badger Division in 1945. This must not have been far from Badger. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99FF-CGGF?i=172&cc=2246699)

  • Patrick Wiggins had Camp Number 2 in Badger in 1945
  • James Wickens had Camp Number 3-Badger-1945
  • Thomas Whiteway-Camp Number 4-Badger 1945
  • Phil Davis-Camp Number 5-Badger 1945
  • Walter Fudge-Camp Number 6-Badger-1945 (In 1951 Camp 6 was on Badger Lake)

The next Camp on the 1945 Census after Camp number 6 was South Twin Lake Depot. Which seems to have being run by Leslie Manual who was a contractor foreman for AND. If the camps were listed running east to west it is likely that these camps were in the vicinity of Badger Lake. There is a separate listing for Sandy Road, which was across the river. The census occupation listing for this page is screwed up, as many for 1945 are.  John M. Jones and Wife Gladys is listed at the Depot, Jones was the cook and sometimes the cooks took their wives up in the woods to help them out.

1946 Jim Wickens at Lake Bond, camp for Winter delivery by rail to the mill. (Western Star) Interesting to note that there is a reference to two cutting instructors employed by the AND, and that many men were coming into the woods for the first time.

Two new tug boats were built for Twin Lakes in 1947 by Andrew Manuel. The Sir Vincent (for Sir Vincent Jones) and the Henry S. (Likely for Henry S. Crowe, long time woods superintendent for AND and Harry J. Crowe’s nephew). Mechanic who worked on it was Eldon Butt(Western Star). Frank Maye oversaw the operations towing with these boats. Boats were scrapped about 1956 and engines were taken to Millertown for storage.

Walter Fudge had a crew sacking Twin Lakes in July of 1947 (Western Star)

Bert Matthews was foreman in Springdale area 1947. AND Co had two sawmills at Springdale during that period and during the war. I believe it was used mainly to saw dunnage for shipping. Timber rights in this area were worked as part of Badger Division. Matthews had been on Twin Lakes previous to this.

Hayes truck marks lake ag
Haye’s Truck loading wood at Mark’s Lake, 1947. Hayes trucks were very similar to modern logging trucks. Bowater used them extensively in Western Newfoundland, the A.N.D Co used them on a limited basis hauling between Marks Lake and South Twin Lake in the late 1940’s. A fully loaded Hayes Truck could many cords of wood in bundles. Leslie Manuel was the foreman on this operation. (Atlantic Guardian February 1947)

Leslie Harris, Deer Lake, Terra Nova, 1947 (Western Star)

A. Perry, Hunt’s Brook (Gander Lake) 1947 (Western Star)

Contractors in Bishop’s Falls Division in the 1940’s but camps unknown:

  • James Rowsell
  • Joe Rowsell
  • George Rowsell
  • Les Rice
  • Amos Feener
  • Eli Stuckless
  • John Curlew
  • Pierce Penton
  • Arthur Whalen-building South Branch Road 1947
  • Dorman Miles-Neyles Brook Drive 1947
  • Clem McLaughlin
  • Theopilus Stuckless
  • Pat Lahey
  • Sidney King
  • Mac Peyton
  • There was a sawmill at Haynes Lake in 1947 under the supervision of Alfred Beaton

Badger 1948-49

  • Joe Lane had a camp on Paul’s Steady, Noel Paul-Millertown Div-1948.
  • William Pope was cutting on Sandy Lake or Brook, Badger Division 1948 (Same William Pope as had camp at Black Duck in 1922)
  • Thomas Whiteway-Seabrights Valley-Badger Division-July 1949
  • Phil Davis on Marks Lake
Pulpwood Twin lakes, AM Day Daily News 11 17 1956
Pulpwood on Badger Brook or Badger Lakes November 1956.

Dump trucks were so scare in 1949 that one article referred to “the dump truck” I am inclined to believe that there was one per division.

Ben Clarke, Levi Newhook, Murdock Matthews and Noah Lane had crews on the Noel Paul Drive-Millertown-1951 (http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/westernstar/id/24264/rec/15)

Allan Callahan cutting burned over wood on the Grand Falls to Badger Highroad, March 1949 (Western Star)

Walter Strickland, booming wood on Little Diversion Lake, March 1949 (Western Star March 4, 1949) Had camp in area.

Willis Bauld was main contractor and foreman on the Noel Paul log drive in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Later this job was taken over by his nephew Rex Bauld and later in 1982 by Rex’s son Dan.

img_1947
Building at Lake Ambrose Depot, 1950’s. Lake Ambrose was one of the largest and most remote of all the logging depots. The Lake Ambrose Depot was the terminus for the Harpoon Tramway and from here men and supplies were routed to camps even further inside of Millertown Division. I know of two other smaller depots in Millertown, 26-Mile and Pine Falls. Pine Falls was on Noel Paul’s Brook. 

1950’s-60’s

Gordon Churchill of Windsor (originally of Hillview),  North end of Aspen Lake 1950-51, Not a large contract but listed on forestry Map. Also likely this was burned over wood. 

William Pope drove on Coronation Brook, Sandy area-Badger Division 1951.

Mac Peyton had a camp at Jumper’s Brook-Bishop’s Falls Division-1955

Pat Lahey had a camp on Boney Lake in Bishop’s Falls Division, 1955. Several pictures of this camp exist, including one in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador.

A lot of wood was being cut and towed on Victoria Lake in 1955.

img_1943
Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company Office-Millertown, 1950’s.

Victoria Lake Motor road was being extended in 1955 (http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/dailynews/id/1291/rec/24)

Harold Dyke built a new camp in the “Great Sandy area” in August of 1955.(**)

Stewart Chatman-Seabright’s Valley-Twin Lakes-May 1956

Operations at Twin Lakes were curtailed in 1955-56 and the South Twin Depot was closed.

From about 1955-56 to 1966 there was no wood driven on Badger Brook. Wood was again delivered to Badger Brook in 66 or 67.

Jim Vincent cut around Caribou Lake-Badger Divison-1957-62. He later took over Jack Milley’s camp near Point-of-Woods

There were two or three camps on Caribou Pond during this time according to aerial photos from a few years later (1966)

Samual Bown was cutting between Caribou Lake and Noel Paul 1959-61

Jack Milley was cutting in the same area as above. Milley worked near Point of Woods Brook and drove most of his wood down this stream into Noel Paul. He would be hauling with horses, tractors and J-5’s. His camp was on the Road between Point-of-Woods and Island Pond.

George Hayden had a camp near Noel Paul Brook and Caribou Lake in the 1950s/

Clayton Holloway, Tobacco Pond and area, Noel Paul 1957-64. Summer truck hauling was successfully experimented with here in 1959. Holloway shifted his operations to New Bay Road after the end of the drive on Noel Paul.

Cabin Horses working
Hauling wood in the Sandy area  Badger Division Jan-March 1959.

Samuel Collins “Camp 6” Terra Nova Division (possibly Gambo area) 1958. Though numbered this was an AND CO camp. It appears the A.N.D camps in Terra Nova Division were numbered.

Hubert Matthews, Leonard’s Lake, Circa 1960

J. Goodyear and Sons pushed in New Bay Road, North East of Grand Falls for logging, circa 1959. Goodyears had many logging contracts in the Grand Falls area over the years and also contracted for IPP and Bowaters. There are a number of reports of Goodyears having camps or cutting on the Badger Road and in the “back” of Windsor.

Mac Peyton still on Jumper’s Brook in 1959-60 but I believe he was in a new camp at a different location to that in 1955. Peyton’s camp was a panel type camp with all of the most modern amenities. It was also easily reachable from Grand Falls by road. It was used frequently in Company public relations material and was the first camp to get television. 

In 1959 there were 65 woods camps in operation and 469 Miles of woods road had been built to that point. (Newfoundland Logger)

1960s

According to the St. John’s Daily News of Jan 16, 1960 there were 1306 loggers engaged in hauling operations for the AND Company. It was also noted that 1600 cords of wood had been delivered to Rushy Pond Brook in the previous week. I am not sure where this landing would have been, but Rushy Pond Brook is not very big,  most likely it might have been around where the additional 9 hole expansion of the Golf Course is.

The steel bridge behind the mill at Grand Falls was put in place in 1962. Wood could be hauled directly by truck from nearby sites in what were once the Badger and Bishop’s Falls Divisions. Scow still operated in Badger until 1965, because the road network was not connected until then. 

According to the Daily News In June of 1962 the Anglo-Newfoundland Development woods operations consisted of:

2029 Cutting

294 Driving

71 Hauling 

140 Engaged in other Work

Between 1951 and 1962 there was a jackladder at Neyle’s Bridge near Notre Dame Junction and Indian Arm Pond. Wood was driven on this system to the ladder, where it was loaded onto railcars for transport to Grand Falls. This operation ended in 1962 after a forest fire destroyed several dams and reduced the capacity of the water system for river driving. Over 120,000 cords of wood came from this area over the years it was in operation. Mac Freake was the main contractor here. 

Operations in the Terra Nova Woods Division were curtailed in 1963. No more wood would be taken from the Terra Nova watershed. Operations were still maintained at Gambo. Foreman Andrew Kelly continued on here.  Some Terra Nova foremen/contractors like Les Harris moved operations to Badger Division.

1965

Charlie Snook, Reg Wellon, Wallace Cooper, Eric Brison-South Side of Victoria Lake.

Bill Armstrong was cutting near Grand Falls 1966-67, very close in the vicinity of Sandy Brook where he had a camp. Armstrong was also the foreman on the Sandy Brook Drive. Harold Stanley later took over this camp. 

Bob Budgell was cutting on both sides of the Exploits near La Mottes and the Golf Course in 1965-66.

S. (Stuart, I believe)  Chatman was cutting near Point of the Woods Lake in 1965-66-Badger Division. He was cutting around Cripple Back Lake 1963-64. He built a new camp at Cripple Back around 1963. This camp was equipped with showers.

Eliakim Randell-Tote Brook 1965.

Sidney Northcott opened a new camp at Cornfield Lake near Badger in 1966. The previous year he had been operating on the North Branch of Great Rattling Brook.

G. (George) Hayden cut near Cripple Back Lake in 1967. In 1968 Hayden was foreman of the Camp on Pamehac. Likely that both this camp and Rocky Brook opened that year.

Slasher operating near Dowd Lake, Circa 1968. Mac Peyton and Mac Freake were operating in this area, and would be for the next few years.

Circa 1968, Rocky Brook Camp opens near Badger Lake.

1970’s-2000’s

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Logging camp circa 1979. This was the “Sandy-Badger” Camp on the woods road near Grand Falls, at the time Harold Stanley was the Forman. (Andy Barker photo)

In 1972 the following camps were in operation. Information based on Voters lists.

Star Brook

Roebucks

Harpoon

Valley Brook

Rocky Brook

Sandy Badger 1 (Batstone’s Brook) -William Armstong

Sandy Badger 2 (Pamehac)-George Hayden

New Bay Lake-Clayton Holloway

Jumper’s Brook-Mac Peyton

Harold Stanley was cutting from a camp near Pamehoc Lake in the early 1980s. Pamehoc camp is last used for cutting in 1987. This area had originally been cut in the 1920s and earlier. Driving on the brook had been done as far back as 1910. Les Harris had been cutting here in the early 1970’s. As noted above, George Hayden was most likely to have opened this camp. 

Stanleys Camps.JPG
Harold Stanley’s old camp near Pamehoc Brook. This camp operated in the 70’s and 80’s and was only demolished in the past decade. The last time the Pamehoc camp was used for cutting was in 1987. It was to be retained for future use but was looted by vandals around 1991.

Glenn Peyton brings in some of the first harvesters in 1976 in Bishop’s Falls Division. Machines prove to be less efficient than conventional logging.  

According to personal communications with Sean Kelly, who was with the Abitibi woods department during the 1980’s the following camps were in operation:

Rogerson Lake

Sunday Pond (George Freake )-Old Bishop’s Falls Division,

Miguel Lake (Glen Peyton)-Old Bishop’s Falls Division,

Roebucks (John Paul)-Millertown Area

Harpoon Steady (Gar Kinden)-Millertown

Star Lake ( Junior Burt possibly)_Millertown Division .

According to Mr. Kelly, Junior Burt ran Rocky Brook camp when it opened. Further investigations show that Mr. Ray Burt was second hand at Rocky Brook in 1972 but the Foreman was Elwood Mayne. Last going off the foreman at Rocky Brook was Victor Burt.

Rocky Brook Camp was in operation for a very long time. I am not sure if it consisted of the same buildings for the entire time. It looks like it first opened in 1968 and appears to have been operating until around 1994 or even later.

In 1992 the following camps were in operation for Grand Falls Mill:

Harpoon-Glenn Peyton

Rocky Brook-Victor Burt

Sunday Pond-George Freake

Northwest Gander-Winston Hollett

Northwest Gander camp was one of the later camps. Winston Hollett operated out of here and it was active in the 1980’s and up until the mid-1990’s. This camp was for operations in the old Bishop’s Falls Division area.

A.F Hollett and Son’s (Winston Hollett) were cutting in the Caribou Lake-Point of the Woods-Noel Paul-Cripple Back  area of the former Badger Division in the 1998-2008 period. Hollett’s Black Duck Camp was the last camp in operation for Grand Falls mill. Other contractors who cut in the area were the Elliott Brother’s, P and W (Francis Wilson and the Laverne Paul) and Glenn Peyton.

Some of the last areas cut in old Badger Division were in the same areas being harvested in the 1950’s and 60’s. Large areas cut out between Point of Woods and Caribou Lake. Mostly mechanically harvested wood that was trucked directly to the mill.

Glenn Peyton was the last contractor to deliver wood to the Grand Falls Mill. The last truck was driven by Bruce Lane and was scaled about February 12, 2009. Both Peyton’s father and grandfather ran camps and delivered wood to the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company.

Some of the Big Wigs in the Woods Divisions and Departments in the Old Days:

loggers camp badger
One of the few interior pictures of an early Logging camp. I do believe the picture may be captioned wrong as the man with the beard on the left appears to be Mr. William Scott, first mill manager. Vincent Jones and Hugh Cole are also listed as being in this picture.

Ben Tulk (Newfoundlander from near Ladle Cove/Carmenville) -was noted as woods superintendent with AND Company. He left in the early 1920’s to work with a company on the west coast of the island.

Andrew Porter-was a woods manager in badger Division circa 1910. I believe he came over from Timber Estates or Newfoundland Pine and Pulp. He took care of accounting at Badger I believe.

William Dorrity (Maine)-woods foreman in Badger circa 1911-1932. Dorrity came to Newfoundland from Maine at the request of the Harmsworths because of his expertise in dam building and log driving. Dorrity is reported to have introduced the “batteau” style boat to the log drive in Newfoundland. This type of boat was still in use up until the 1960’s. He also was in charge of building the coffer dams when the dam at Grand Falls was being constructed.

J.D Gilmour (Canadian) -Chief forester and Director of AND Co. Circa 1918-1926. Gilmour was innovative in his research and was quite renowned in forestry circles. Some of his work would be used for the Grand Falls mill for many years after. He continued to work for the Harmsworth family, going to Quebec City with Anglo-Canadian after he left Grand Falls.

William McCaw-was possibly woods manager between Gilmour and Crowe (Circa 1927-34) left Anglo-Newfoundland about 1948 and ended up heading Caterpillar Tractor’s logging equipment division. Was a forest engineer. Was associated with early woods road building projects. 

Hugh Wilding Cole (English)-Superintendent of Badger Division until 1946. Joined the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company in the very early years. After retirement he went to work as a consultant for Newfoundland Tractor. He retired to St. John’s and died in 1960 at the age of 77. Article

Harry S. Crowe (nephew of Harry J. Crowe-Nova Scotia) -Came to Newfoundland with Newfoundland Timber Estates. Manged operations for Timber Estates and Newfoundland Pine and Pulp out of Badger until circa 1910. Superintendent of Millertown until 1934, later Woods Manager in Grand Falls.

(C.H) Ches Batstone– Divisional Superintendent at Millertown after Brian Potts.

William Whitehorn-from Twillingate born 1906, joined AND Company as a logger in 1926, climbed to position of Superintendent of Millertown. Was killed in a car accident during the 1969 Christmas season.

J. Kennedy-Superintendent of Bishop’s Falls Division 1930’s and 40’s.

W.D Alcock-Superintendent of Bishop’s Falls Division, 1950s.

Brian Potts (born in England, Educated in Canada)-Superintendent of Millertown and later General woods superintendent, retired 1959 or 60. Potts came to Millertown around 1914 as a scaler and rose though the ranks of the woods department. Took over as Divisional Superintendent at Millertown in the mid 1930’s. At the time of his retirement he was given a novelty cheque from the “Bank of the Exploits River” which entitled him to a television and two easy chairs.

Frank Hayward-(Newfoundlander, grew up in Grand Falls) – Educated as a forester at the University of Toronto. Terra Nova Superintendent 1935-1946, Briefly Badger Superintendent,  later chief forester for Company. Very active in the Newfoundland Forest Protection Association.

13 comments

  1. Very Interesting Bryan. I expect this is a chapter still in the works as there are quite a lot of details that can be added on what you have here. I see a quick mention of Job Gill and Joe Lane from Millertown and their cuts but there were a few others from there, that ran camp not mentioned, such Roy Wellon, Reg Wellon, Elwood Mayne, Joe Bursey, to name a few off of the top of my head.

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  2. Very interesting,a lot of locations are fimilar to me, I worked with Reg Wellon on Long Lake years ago a wonder full country, We had hunting lodges at Pine falls, 5 mile camp, and Snowshoe in the 50’s and 60’s. I have a lot of wonderful memories.
    Sam Perrier

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  3. Very interesting read! I currently have a cabin at Lake Ambrose and you can still see the base of the wooden dam on Harpoon Brook as well as the rock pillars that once supported a bridge that crossed it for the old railway. I took a canoe trip on Harpoon Brook this spring and saw the old rock walls that were built to guide the logs down the brook. Certainly great to know this history!

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    • I’d love to do something like that. Harpoon was one of the earliest and last streams that was driven on. I’d sayy there are still a lot of old “wings” on many brooks in Centrsl.

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  4. Very nice publication Bryan and fairly accurate. It might prove very beneficial for you to catch up with people like Glenn Peyton. As he has an amazing memory and history with the company. Great research and effort put into this. Kudos to you.

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    • Thanks! You must be Ron’s son. I have been in contact with Glen a number of times, he’s certainly very knowledgeable. You wouldn’t happen to have any old pictures of woods operations?

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  5. My father, Adam Oldford worked as a A.N.D contractor in Millertown in the 1950’s and 1960’s. I am disappointed not to see his name mentioned among all the persons listed. I wonder why he isn’t listed? Thanks. Don Oldford

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    • I’ve seen his name but no location. Actually I believe his name is on some of my lists and databases that might not be published. Did he run camps in the 30s and 40s too? Or was that his father.

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  6. Adam Oldford had a camp with 120 men in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Does anyone know much about that camp at Victoria Lake? I am Adam’s son and looking for information.

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  7. Hi Bryan, I am hoping to connect with you directly by email. I have a few questions about sawmills in Newfoundland in the early 1900s and was hoping you might be able to enlighten me a bit.

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