River Timbers

During the first quarter of the 20th century, large Douglas fir timbers were harvested from British Columbia and shipped via railroad across Canada.

Chained together end to end, many of these timbers were used as floating “sidewalks” that ran the length of great rivers. As smaller pulp logs were shipped down river to sawmills, the sidewalks kept the logs in the main current and allowed men access to free any jams. The river timbers have a driftwood quality that has been a highlight in various BT projects.

All told, BT purchased hundreds of truckloads of river timber, specifically from the Ottawa and Gatineau rivers, and we still have a few that would make great mantels.