Iroquois Falls in Cochrane District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Historic Gibbens and Davis Boats
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022
1. The Historic Gibbens and Davis Boats Marker
The Trueman Gibbens and the Clark Davis Boats were transported from Owen Sound by train and were assembled and launched in Lowbush in 1947 and 1951 respectively. Specifically designed for work in the shallow waters of Lake Abitibi of depths less than 10 feet the Boats used their 3000 pound Anchors to move large tows exceeding 7000 cunits of wood. These Boats had an all steel construction, were 85 feet in length, 18 feet across the beam, and had a crew of ten men. They had drafts of only 3 feet 6 inches. Their Anchors were attached to 5000 feet of 1 1/8 inch cable. The Boats would sail to an area selected by the Captains, drop anchor, hook their tows and then winch the log booms to their Anchors. These gigantic log booms would then journey by water to the paper mill for pulp and paper production. The final year of service for the Boats was 1972, when a change in the Company's cutting methods meant that wood for the mill be transported by land instead of waterways.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1947.
Location. 48° 46.087′ N, 80° 40.592′ W. Marker is in Iroquois Falls, Ontario, in Cochrane District. Marker is on Park Street just west of Cambridge Avenue, on the left when
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 11 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Frank Harris Anson Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Historic Shay 70 Locomotive (within shouting distance of this marker); Iroquois Falls Public School (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); Iroquois Falls (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); The Founding of Iroquois Falls / La fondation d'Iroquois Falls (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Sergeant Aubrey Cosens, V.C. (approx. 11.1 kilometers away).
Also see . . .
1. Logging on Lake Abitibi.
(includes numerous photos) Russel Brothers supplied several logging tugs to the Abitibi Power & Paper Company Limited, the largest were the T. Gibbens (1946) and the Clark B. Davis (1951).(Submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. "T. Gibbens" and "Clark B. Davis" Boats. Excerpt:
(includes numerous photos) Up in Northern Ontario where the newsprint is made... and about 350 miles due north of Toronto, the launching of a powerful logging tug took place on June 18, 1951. Christened the "Clark B. Davis"(Submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)after Abitibi's Vice-President of Woodlands, she has many unusual features... all designed for the log towing job in hand.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 20222. The Historic Gibbens and Davis Boats MarkerLooking northeast through Anson Park; Park Street is in the background.These special logging tugs were not built completely...then cut into sections for shipment...but designed and constructed so that each section would fit onto a flatcar, and when final assembly was completed at launching site there would be no loss of strength. The assembly point for these sections was at Lowbush River, Ontario, a C.N.R. siding about one mile up the Lowbush River from Lake Abitibi. A crew of 19 experienced men, aided by two cranes and a tractor, unloaded each section onto the ways where final assembly and launching took place. From the time the sections arrived to the actual launching took 53 days.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022
3. Historic Gibbens and Davis Boat Anchors
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022
4. Historic Gibbens and Davis Boat Anchor
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022
5. Historic Gibbens and Davis Boat Anchor
Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 51 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
