Extra Credit XXXIII “Pigeon River Lumber, Part I” 

Thanks and you're welcome. Fortunately there are tons of subjects to make videos of; unfortunately there are more than I have time!

It was a lot they took from both Pigeon River and Gunflint.I have a lot of the stats, it's quite staggering. Sadly there is little white pine left in the area.

Yes, I remember reading about it when I was researching for my book. The Arpin family had a huge impact in that area at the time.

I don't think Scott has any connection to Scotties Tissues. After the PRLC he opened his own company, the Scott Lumber Company which he ran until his passing in 1939. It's funny that you mention Ardbeg. I know that place as the #2 locomotive for the Gunflint & Lake Superior (the PRLC's logging line), which was Shay #683, ended up there in the 1920s. I always post links to my website where you can find more info on whatever the subject is in the description of the video. Here are the ones to the PRLC & G&LS: padwrr.com/logging/pigeon-river-lumber/ padwrr.com/logging/gunflint-lake-superior-rr/

Ardbeg of all places!! I got interested when I was out railfanning with a friend. We had stopped in a little restaurant up #124. They had several huge pictures of a logging operation with a rail component. Wait what? Logging with rail in Ontario, I thought we were all river drives! I asked about the pictures and they put me onto some books written by a retired former field guy from the old Ontario Dept. of Lands & Forests. So I bought those and went from there. Actually went camping there. There were some rough sites on Maple Lake, that we got to portaging from Wahwashkesh lake to Mud lake (all 100M). From Maple L, it was a quick 100' or so to the old logging RofW. Towards Wahwashkesh L., it was marshy so didn't attempt that. But that end of it was easy to find as the it marked the the portage (above) with two railway cars that never got moved out and the one was in the water and there had been a dock or pier or some such. Apparently part of the operation involved a barge or carfloat across Wahwashkesh to around Duck Bay or the one to the west of it. Never tried looking for the ROW over there, but did find some iron eyebolts the shanks of which were about 2" in dia. that were still embedded into the Shield. At the Maple L., RofW we went left towards Ardbeg, roughly 3 miles or so. This had been built with quality. All granite ballast. So good that (at time 35 years ago) it was still near perfect. Very little growth and you tell where every tie had been as every indentation was still as crisp as the day they had either been removed or rotted in place. Oh ya I had little memory flicker. The line was only in operation for 6-7 years stopping in 1924, I think. I believe there were two locomotives and they were both scrapped on site, again I think. The rail stayed for sometime as I heard that some residents and cottagers rigged up there own things. May have been removed for the war effort?

That sounds really interesting. Sort of reminds of the Gunflint & Lake Superior. Have you seen this video? I'm glad I was able to see this and that I brought the video camera with me as it no longer exists. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nHhwDx3yLWw.htmlsi=jzoS3OPB1x48ai0Z