The Introduction of Lumbering In Lavant And Darling Townships

Abstract

The significance of the Canadian timber industry and its subsequent contributions to the economic structure of early Canada is well-documented. Discussions on the growth of the industry centre around the expanding American markets, British interest in Maritime forest resources and the shifting of interest to the resources of the Canadian Shield, culminating on the trade in the Ottawa Valley. The effects of water transportation routes and construction of the railway system on trade are also significant themes. Furthermore, historical sketches on various lumbering giants, and tales of myth-like lumberjacks and shanty towns add colourful sources of slightly more specific details of the lumbering era. The relationship between the settler and lumbermen comprises yet another area of relevant concern. Studies of settlement patterns and timber boom towns logically follow the discussions on the partnership between lumbermen and farmers.To fully appreciate the significance of the timber trade in Canada, and more specifically in Upper Canada, a clear appreciation of all the above data is necessary. One level of documentation, however, is curiously absent from the discussion on lumbering and that is the level of very specific detail. Very few attempts have been made to document the arrival of lumbering on the primary level of individual land licence application. This paper acknowledges this oversight and initiates a methodological, lot by concession lot, study of lumbering in a defined study area.