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Opening of the NorthNorth Bay has often been referred to as the "Gateway of the North" and has participated in an integral part of the opening of Northern Ontario to the lumber and mining industries.
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Lumbermen1900
Ontario, Canada
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One industry that assisted with the opening of the north was the lumber industry. Northern Ontario is a vast area that is dominated by forest.Once this was realized it did not take long for several lumberbarons to purchase timber limits in the area.
However one of the main issues surrounding harvesting in the area was lack of access. The main transportation route was by water (the route used for hundreds of years by fur trader and voyageurs).
Most of the harvesting was completed by horse and the logs were transported to the waterways where boat or men could lead them.
Several lumber companies also started their own railways to transport their logs from location to location.
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J.R. Booth and Family1860
Ontario, Canada
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J.R. Booth Lumber CompanyLegendary lumberman John Rudolphus Booth began his career in Ottawa in 1858 and operated in the Lake Nipissing area from 1886 to 1907.
J.R. Booth purchased a large pine timber limit in the areas surrounding Lake Nipissing for logging purposes. These Pine Timber Limits were purchased at government auctions as well as from other lumbermen. This was a risky move since there were no railroads here at the time and the logs had to be shipped to Ottawa.
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Log Lift at Wasi Falls1900
Ontario, Canada
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In order to move the logs from the Lake Nipissing watershed into the Ottawa River, a jack-ladder was used to lift the logs up the Wasi falls and onto a railway that ferried the wood to Lake Nosbonsing.From there the logs were then floated to the Ottawa River via Kaibuskong and Mattawa Rivers.
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Nipissing and Nosbonsing Railway1900
Ontario, Canada
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Booth steam paddleboat1910
Ontario, Canada
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Log Pile1890
Ontario, Canada
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Around the turn of the century Booth's timber limits covered over 4,000 square miles in Ontario and Quebec. Making him the largest timber limit owner in the British Empire.12
Frank's Bay on Lake Nipissing1915
Ontario, Canada
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J.B. Smith Lumber CompanyIn 1851 John B. Smith began in the lumber business in southern Ontario and expanded into the Lake Nipissing area when he purchased a sawmill at Angus. This operation was later moved to Frank's Bay and then Callander.
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J.B. Smith Order Book, 1886 to 18881886
Ontario, Canada
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