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Getting them Out: Logging Transportation Through The Years

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Over the years, the method of moving timber in the woods and from the woods has evolved from using oxen, horses, and trains to 'donkeys' and logging trucks. This story shows some of the stages in this evolution in the Mission area.

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Horse, 'Sandy driven by Roy Harper', pulling logs
1920
Mission, British Columbia

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Between 1860 and 1890 oxen were usually used to move the felled trees in the woods. Around the 1890's oxen were replaced by horses, which were found to be faster and smarter. In the Mission area horses pulled the felled timber to the main logging road and...

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Sleigh loaded and starting for the mill
1928
Hatzic, Mission, British Columbia

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then another team would pull them on a "sleigh" or on a wagon to the mill.

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Map of rail logging lines in Haney, Ruskin, and Mission area.
1920
Haney, Ruskin, and Mission

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By the early 20th century, logging had developed into a booming industry.
Smaller operations still worked by hand, using oxen and horses, but the larger operators, who were able to afford the newer options were moving to steam power operations in conjunction with the railroads.
By the 1900s, there were four major logging railroads that operated in the Mission and Haney areas (see map). In the Mission area, Abernethy logging (the largest logging operation in the province, at the time) and Heaps Timber ran two main lines. At about this time the invention of the Steam Donkey enabled logging companies to use steam, rather than horses to skid logs from the woods to the railway. The Steam Donkey also allowed them to use steam power to load logs onto railcars.

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Folke Lindell and Pete Lowe. With truck used to carry railroad ties.
1927
Keystone Road, Mission, BC

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With the invention of the gasoline engine, trucks were soon available to haul the logs to the mill. The first trucks, such as the one in this picture, had hard, or solid rubber tires.

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Albert Thomas with load of railroad ties
1928
Hatzic, Mission, British Columbia

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These were soon followed by trucks with pneumatic (air filled) tires.

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Truck with load of logs.
1948
Hatzic, Mission, British Columbia

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The next step in the evolution of the truck was trucks that were capable of hauling large numbers of logs over rough as well as even terrain. Compared to the trucks used to-day (2003) the load on this one (1948) is quite small.