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Merrill & Ring Logging Camp, 1926

Merrill & Ring Logging Camp (1926) in the Valleycliffe area.

Merrill and Ring, an American company bought their claim in 1888 for 25 cents per acre. This went from Valleycliffe through the foothills to Brohm Lake. They did not set up in the valley until October 1926. The operation had come from Duncan Bay, before that they had been at Camp O near Alert Bay. Their first camp is where Valleycliffe is located now. They employed 200 people. The hiring was done by Loggers' Agencies in Vancouver. They would fall the trees with cross cut saws then haul the logs with a steam donkey to the train. They used a steam axe to split the wood as machines used only wood fuel at the time.

A lot of Merrill and Ring timber was burnt in a Norton McKinnon fire in 1927. The McKinnon's engine was given as payment. Aloysius McNalley and John Broomquist collected it. The same year, Arthur Edwards assisted in the building of the Merrill & Ring camp at Edith Lake.

In 1929, Merrill and Ring moved their operation across the Mamquam valley to Edith Lake east of Alice Lake. A settlement of 225 men was set up there. Railway track covered the mountainside from Cheekye River southward.

Merrill and Ring closed in 1930 due to the low price of logs during the Depression. Logs were selling from 5 to 6 dollars per thousand. At this time, the logs were hauled by train to the dump at the mouth of the Stawamus River. Merill and Ring started back up in 1932.

Merrill and Ring shut down 3 times in 1937: after New Years due to snow, due to fire season, and in the fall when a bridge over the Cheekye River was washed out. Merrill and Ring left Squamish in 1940.

Cleveland Avenue

Left to right: Stan Clarke's first gas station, harding's barbershop (Stan Harding lived above), PGE Houses, fire hall (with smoke stack), post office.

Cleveland Avenue, Squamish's main street is named after E.A. Cleveland, the BC land surveyor who drew up the plan of the subdivision of Squamish in 1912. All subsequent surveys have been based on this.

Yapp's Camp, 1907

Located at present BC Hydro site.
Photo by: Magee.

In 1907, Allan Newton Barbour and his brother Charles came to Squamish and logged using 6 yoke of oxen and took out six 24' logs a "turn" (load). The area logged was near the PGE Shops (by Castle's Crossing), across the river rom the shops, on the Burnt Ground near the cemetery, at Paradise Valley, and about five miles north of Cheekye. 2 to 20 men were employed. It was customary to log close to the river so the logs just had to be dragged into the river and floated to the Howe Sound where they were picked up by the Powell River company tugs and taken up to their mills. Log jams were broken up by men in canoes. Mr McComb was the first to tow logs down the river in a boat. The Barbours would later sell out to Mr Yapp. Mr Yapp's Squamish Timber Company was incorporated on March 21, 1907. In 1910, the Yapp Company cleared the Cheekye area. A steam donkey would haul the logs 400 feet and then an 8 horse team hauled them 1/2 mile on a skid road. Another donkey, called a roader, took the logs to the river. Here the logs followed a log trough. Instead of chokers, logging dogs were used. When the Howe Sound Northern Railway came into Cheakamus, the Yapp company used the train to transport logs to the booming grounds at Squamish. In 1911, a company owned by Mr Lamb took over the Yapp stand of timber.

Research compiled by Eric Andersen, 2011: This photo, apparently taken by one of the Magee brothers, shows the construction phase of the flume project. The location is at the west side of the Squamish Timber Company camp, just above the bank of the Brohm River, which is to the left from this scene. It is difficult to tell from the photograph whether the water for the flume is being led from the Brohm River (in the back and to the left of of the photo) or the Cheekye River (around to the right). Either is possible. The Squamish Timber Co. camp and the beginning of the flume lies between the Brohm River and the Cheekye River. Water for the flume might be more easily taken from the Brohm (closer), but the Cheekye has the steeper gradient. The larger the logs to be flumed, and the steeper the grade, the more water is required.

Paula the clown

Paula the clown (Paul MacKenzie) at Loggers Sports.

In 1967, Paul Mackenzie dressed as a clown and performed as the "World Champion Logger". Later he would be known as "Paula the Clown", the only Loggers Sports clown in Canada.

Pat Brennan at Squamish Mills

Squamish Mills was incorporated by Pat Brennan and John Drenka in 1951. They bought the former PGE site and building located on the east bank of the Mamquam Channel. They planned to build a shingle mill but logging was more feasible economically. In 1956, approximately 3 local men were employed and the company started logging in Upper Squamish on Crown loand with a timber quota of 7 million foot board measure (f.b.m.) per year. Equipment consisted of 1010 Laurence donkey for yarding and a Fordson donkey for loading. Pat Brennan was the president.

Cabinet of BC meet in Squamish

The Cabinet of British Columbia met in Squamish on June 23, 1960.

Left to right: Honourable L.R. Peterson, Minister of Education; Honourable W.K. Kiernan, Minister of Mines and Petroleum Development; S.R. Bishop, Chairman of the Village Council; Ed Antosh, Commissioner; Honourable N.P. Steacy, Minister of Agriculture; Honourable E.C.F. Martin, Minister of Health Services & Hospital Insurance; Don Robinson, MLA (SC Lillooet); Honourable W.A.C. Bennett, Premier; President of Council, Minister of Finance; L.C. Kindree, Commissioner; Honourable Lyle Wicks, Minister of Labour.

Newport Timber Co.

Newton Timber Co. (Norton & McKinnon Logging) in 1911, Garibaldi Highlands.

In 1911, McKinnon and Norton of the Newport Timber Company were logging in Squamish in the area known as the base camp road, near Curly Lews' place. They had donkeys, a large shay engine, and a weird whistle. Mr McKinnon was a bartender and Mr Norton was a logger. Amedy Levesque and George Laviolette worked as brakemen on the locomotive. The camp was run by Mr Fuller.

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