Timber Rafts on the River

Timber Rafts on the River. . The St. Lawrence River was the major transportation route for natural and manufactured goods of all kinds in the 1800s. Many large rafts of hewn logs were assembled on the rivers of Upper Canada near where they were cut down. Oak timber, like the one near this plaque and in these photographs, was needed for ship construction in Great Britain. The rafts were floated downstream, made their way to the port of Quebec, and were loaded on ocean-going ships. Raftsmen lived aboard each raft. They had to steer using poles and to control their passage through the treacherous rapids east of Prescott. On July 4, 1994 a team of local scuba divers, led by Don Martin and assisted by others, included his son, Stacy Martin, brought this 40 foot oak timber up from the bottom of the river off the Brockville Rowing Club. After a period of slow moisture acclimatization in the Brockville Railway Tunnel and chemical consolidation, it was set up here at the museum as an outdoor display., These two early photographs offer a glimpse of life on board a raft of square timbers. Living quarters and meal facilities were provided for the raftsmen, whose job was to ensure the safe passage of each raft to its destination downstream. Sails might have assisted the current when necessary.