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- Aug 2, 2014
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I found a great looking book on display at a gas station. It is entitled "Workin' in the Woods: Toil for Timber in Early New Brunswick" by Gerry Parker. I have not had a lot of chance to read through it yet, so these are just initial impressions, but it looks excellent. There are pictures and drawings on most pages, including advertisements for various logging tools and footwear even. Anyone who has researched Canadian, let alone Maritime, axemen and sawyers knows that there is little information to be found online compared to what American information is available. This makes the book noteworthy for the rest of Canada considering the amount of research that went into the book.
The book may also interest others - especially Maine axe and saw enthusiasts, given the similarity of the forests - as the forest industry was largely dominated by the search for masts for British ships. This meant that monarch white pines were often felled by masting crews and then hewed 3-6' mast-sticks. Not a lot compared to Douglas Firs, but compared to much of the pine available today it is exceptional (very few over 3').
There does not appear to be a lot of information on axes themselves, but some interesting information regarding supplies and costs. In this section there are images of various ads from companies supplying the lumber camps, including unshrinkable Nova Scotia wool underwear and watertight leather larrigans (I find this stuff interesting because clothes have changed so much, and I appreciate these clothes much more). I suspect some information on axes and saws is scattered throughout the book.
As I look closer at the book I will note that some of the images are from Quebec, Ottawa, Michigan, and BC, so the images are not exclusively from this region. An image search suggests some of the photos are available online:
It would be nice if the images were notated as to their region in each case as Personal Collection could mean anything. Nonetheless, it is an excellent looking book with plenty of historical information. Page-size is similar to "The Ax Book" by Dudley Cook, and it is 284 pages. Given that it is "Early New Brunswick" it is not a complete history of forestry in the region and appears to focus more on the shift from mastwood to pulpwood.
If anyone is interested I will try and share a few more thoughts after I read more of the book.
The book may also interest others - especially Maine axe and saw enthusiasts, given the similarity of the forests - as the forest industry was largely dominated by the search for masts for British ships. This meant that monarch white pines were often felled by masting crews and then hewed 3-6' mast-sticks. Not a lot compared to Douglas Firs, but compared to much of the pine available today it is exceptional (very few over 3').
There does not appear to be a lot of information on axes themselves, but some interesting information regarding supplies and costs. In this section there are images of various ads from companies supplying the lumber camps, including unshrinkable Nova Scotia wool underwear and watertight leather larrigans (I find this stuff interesting because clothes have changed so much, and I appreciate these clothes much more). I suspect some information on axes and saws is scattered throughout the book.
As I look closer at the book I will note that some of the images are from Quebec, Ottawa, Michigan, and BC, so the images are not exclusively from this region. An image search suggests some of the photos are available online:
It would be nice if the images were notated as to their region in each case as Personal Collection could mean anything. Nonetheless, it is an excellent looking book with plenty of historical information. Page-size is similar to "The Ax Book" by Dudley Cook, and it is 284 pages. Given that it is "Early New Brunswick" it is not a complete history of forestry in the region and appears to focus more on the shift from mastwood to pulpwood.
If anyone is interested I will try and share a few more thoughts after I read more of the book.