Editorially speaking…
A little known Youbou geographical feature is in the news these days, most recently because CVRD directors have voted to support changing the name of Coonskin Creek.
This, because of its, in the words of the BC Geographical Names Office, “potential harms from derogatory language in geographical names”.
As numerous other news reports indicate, the BCGNO has undertaken a review of the 10s of 1000s of geographical place names on provincial maps and nautical charts to determine those which are or are viewed to be offensive or potentially offensive.
In the case of Coonskin Creek there’s the obvious—coon, skin for raccoon skin or, as Youbou Meade Creek director Karen Deck, who doesn’t accept the more innocuous meaning bluntly puts it, “This is probably the most derogatory racist and offensive name you could call an African-Canadian or African-American.”
In short, she’s “fully in favour of the government changing it and I hope they think about using a name that’s a traditional name for a creek in this neighbourhood, and have consultations with the Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation about what that name might be.”
I mention this here because maps are another form of the historical record. We can’t—shouldn’t—change history but we can change, are changing, geographical place names. My point is, this should be done carefully and judiciously.
So what if Joe Blow Point is changed to Jack Black Point, one might ask, accepting that for whatever reason Joe Blow fails today’s morals code? I’m not against names changes on principle—just urging the powers that be do it with care and circumspection. Historical provenance should be given due consideration.
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At the risk of repeating myself (again), I used to think of Facebook as a waste of time.
In some respects, I still see it as a time waster unless it’s used to purpose. Then it becomes another great online learning and research tool. Hardly a day passes that I don’t receive at least one Facebook post of historical interest that’s worthy of archiving.
One day when I have the time I’ll share with readers some of the best sites that I’ve subscribed to.
They’re not only free but a treasure trove of information and photos. As I said, used to purpose, Facebook—and some of the other social media platforms—can be real assets. Their downside, of course, is that they can fill your mailbox and then suck up time to sort through, so it’s a matter of keeping control by setting one’s priorities.
Here’s a recent example of what I mean. As I’ve also said before (there I go, I’m repeating myself again), although a tree hugger, logging history fascinates me and I’ve long collected smaller logging memorabilia. Among the items on display in my mud room is a peavey, the long-handled ‘crowbar’ the lumberjacks of old, even loggers today, have used to man-handle cut logs, as shown in this photo.
At least these logs are small and on land; think what it would be like to try to dismantle a jam such as this of really big logs on water. When the Cowichan River was used to drive logs downstream to Genoa Bay, it was common for them to jam in Marie Canyon and require lumberjacks to do just what these men are doing. At least once with fatal results. —Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania
I doubt it ever occurred to me to question the origin of the peavey or its name but, thanks to a Facebook post in my box this week, I now have the answer to both.
So, on the assumption that I’m not the only Chronicles reader to be intrigued by logging history, I offer you THE HISTORY OF THE PEAVEY, courtesy of the aforesaid Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania website. It includes a crash course in logging hand tools before mechanization took over:
“While it may not look like much, the “peavey” revolutionized river driving. The spike at the end steadied the log, unlike earlier tools, which would swing erratically and often pitch men into the perilous river.
WHO INVENTED THE PEAVEY?
Joseph Peavey of Stillwater, Maine, invented the peavey in 1858. Usually used on river drives, the peavey was a multi-purpose tool that could also help load and unload logs at the skidways. The example pictured is from the New Brunswick Museum and dates to the early 1900s.
HOW WAS THE PEAVEY USED?
A peavey was crafted using a wood handle ranging from 30 to 50 inches (0.76 to 1.27 metres) long. A metal spike protrud[ed] from the end. This spike was rammed into a log, then a hook (located at the end of an arm attached to a pivot a short distance up the handle) would grab the log at a second location.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
The lumberjacks who worked in the Outaouais and Ottawa region often had a rotation of seven (7) must-have tools. These included a bevy of poles, hooks and saws. Thank you to the Outaouais’ Forest History team for this excellent overview:
The hand-hook: A steel hook with a three-foot long (one metre) handle used to handle the unbarked logs.
The pike-pole: A 10 to 14-foot long pole (three to four metres) to the end of which is fastened one or two steel hooks. It is used to prod and steer wood in water, squared timbers, saw-logs or four-foot long (1,25 metre) pulp wood bolts.
The cant-hook or cant-dog and the peavey: These two hand levers have a stout steel sharp-toothed curved hook that bites into the side of the log, making the rolling of logs easier. The cant-hook differs from the peavey in that it has a blunt toe with corrugations that bite into the log whereas the peavey has a spiked toe.
The handle lengths also differ, the cant-hook’s handle is four and a half feet long; the peavey’s five and a half feet. The cant-hook is mostly used on skidways; the peavey on log-drives...
The loading hooks: Short curved steel hooks with steel ringed handles used in the loading and handling of logs.
The cross-cut saw also called whipsaw or two-handed saw: This long saw has a wide blade, generally thicker in the centre, with handles at both ends. It is used for cutting down trees and for cross-cutting tree trunks.
The adze: This axe-like tool has an arched blade which is at right angles and perpendicular to the handle. It is used to cut away the rounded and barked surface of logs, the result being a well-dressed, smooth and plane wood surface. The adze is also used to make notches and to lop off tree branches.”
The use of dynamite to break up log-jams was a game-changer—“the foolhardy log-driver’s worst nightmare!”
“The use of dynamite charges to break log-jams began with the advent of the pulp and paper industry, whose demand for pulp wood bolts knew no limits. Since the pulp-wood was destined to be turned into ground wood pulp in the mechanical pulp mills or into wood chips used in the sulphite pulp manufacturing process, it was of little consequence to blow up pulp-wood log-jams.
But the same did not apply for saw-logs. They had to be floated down to the mills in perfect condition. The dynamite charge is made up of five or six paraffin-coated sticks or cartridges of dynamite tied to the end of an eight-foot alder pole. The detonator or percussion cap is pushed into one of the dynamite cartridges and the joint is waterproofed with soap. The cap is then connected to a coil fuse.
It’s the fuse length that determines the amount of time that’s left to run to safety! One foot of fuse lasts one minute. If the fuse is too short or if our dare-devil friend is unlucky and slips on a loose log [while beating his retreat], he might just capsize into Eternity!”
—Article by Aug 15, 2018 | Historic Wood Flooring, Wood Facts
Visit https://www.logsend.com/category/historic-wood-flooring/
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