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33-537: Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism activities, second; hydroelectricity, third. The surface of the Péribonka River is usually frozen from the end of November to the beginning of April, but it is generally safe to drive on the ice from mid-December to the end of March. The Peribonka River springs a short distance west of the Otish Mountains in a swampy area on

66-445: A logging camp . In the winter when things froze, a larger crew moved into the camp and proceeded to cut trees, cutting the trunks into 5-metre (16 ft) lengths, and hauling the logs with oxen or horses over iced trails to the riverbank. There the logs were decked onto "rollways." In spring when snow thawed and water levels rose, the logs were rolled into the river, and the drive commenced. To ensure that logs drifted freely along

99-433: A partial dam which could raise the water level. Millions of board feet of lumber could back up for miles upriver, requiring weeks to break up, with some timber lost if it was shoved far enough into the shallows. When the jam crew saw a jam begin, they rushed to it and tried to break it up, using peaveys and possibly dynamite . This job required some understanding of physics, strong muscles, and extreme agility. The jam crew

132-584: A range of tall hills in the geographic centre of Quebec , Canada , north of Lac Mistassini and Manicouagan Reservoir . Within the tall hills is the Réserve faunique des Lacs-Albanel-Mistassini-et-Waconichi . This article related to a mountain, mountain range, or peak in Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Quebec location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Log driving Log driving

165-500: Is a means of moving logs (sawn tree trunks ) from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America . When the first sawmills were established, they were usually small water-powered facilities located near the source of timber, which might be converted to grist mills after farming became established when

198-636: The Proposed Lake Onistagane Biodiversity Reserve . Intermediate course of the Péribonka river downstream of Péribonka lake (segment of 53.0 km (32.9 mi)) Intermediate course of the Péribonka river, downstream of the Manouane River (segment of 76.7 km (47.7 mi)) Lower course of the Péribonka river (segment of 66.6 km (41.4 mi)) From the mouth of Tchitogama Lake ,

231-658: The zec des Passes up the Alex river valley, ie the valley to the West the Péribonka River; while the forest road R0253 serves the eastern part of this valley. There are 4 hydroelectric power stations on the Peribonka River, 3 of which privately belong to Alcan aluminum smelter: The fourth, the Peribonka Power Station, built and operated by Hydro-Québec , is directly upstream from the confluence with

264-480: The 16th century, and 17th century in Finland ( tukinuitto ). The total length of timber-floating routes in Finland was 40,000km. The log drive was one step in a larger process of lumber-making in remote places. In a location with snowy winters, the yearly process typically began in autumn when a small team of men hauled tools upstream into the timbered area, chopped out a clearing, and constructed crude buildings for

297-415: The 17th and 18th century, the Péribonka sees arriving, in the 19th century, the colonists and the workers of the industry forest. One establishes building sites in its basin and one uses its course for the descent of the logs and, in 1887, the first inhabitants settle near its mouth. In 1928, the river emerged from its bed and flooded, with Lake Saint-Jean, several villages. However, this drama does not prevent

330-699: The Amerindians, who had to fish and hunt in the region, the Péribonka river was mentioned for the first time in an official document, the Mission Register, on April 16, 1679. On that day, "juxtà fluvium Perib8ka ad lacum Peok8agami ”(near the Péribonka river at Lac Saint-Jean), Father François de Crespieul baptizes two children. In October of the same year, after investigating the state of the English positions at Hudson Bay, Louis Jolliet returned to Quebec on this route. The famous Canadian explorer also drew

363-546: The Chute-des-Passes Dam was built at the south end of Lake Péribonka that became a vast reservoir. This was followed by two other dams were built downstream: the Chute-du-Diable from 1950 to 1952, and Chute-à-la-Savane from 1951 to 1953. The classic novel Maria Chapdelaine by French writer Louis Hémon is set on the shores of the Peribonka River. The route 169 gives access to the north bank of

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396-457: The Manouane River. It was completed on March 9, 2008, and has a capacity of 385 MW. The dam is 80 metres (260 ft) high and 700 metres (2,300 ft) long, creating a reservoir with an area of 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi). The name is derived from the Montagnais word pelipaukau , meaning "river digging through the sand" or "where there is moving sand". Certainly known to

429-546: The Peribonka in the 17th and 18th centuries, the river gained importance in the 19th century. Logging camps were established within its watershed and the river was used to drive logs downstream, and starting in 1887, the first colonizers settled near its mouth. In 1928, the Peribonka River overflowed its banks and flooded several villages. Major development came in the 1940s when Alcan , a leading aluminum producer, needed adequate hydro-electric power supply. From 1941 to 1943,

462-530: The Péribonka river several times in his novel Maria Chapdelaine, written shortly before his death and published in 1916. The Chapdelaine house is also located near the bank of this course of water. The toponym "Rivière Péribonka" was formalized on December 18, 1986, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec . Otish Mountains The Monts Otish (Otish Mountains) are

495-516: The US and Canada ended with changes in environmental legislation in the 1970s. Some places, like the Catalan Pyrenees , still retain the practice as a popular holiday celebration once a year. In Sweden legal exemptions for log driving were eliminated in 1983. "The last float in southern Sweden was in the 1960s, with the floating era in the rest of the country ending completely with the last of

528-466: The bank, pushing logs away with pike poles . Others worked with horses and oxen to pull in the logs that had strayed furthest out into the flats. Bateaux ferried log drivers using pike poles to dislodge stranded logs while maneuvering with the log drive. A wannigan was a kitchen built on a raft which followed the drivers down the river. The wannigan served four meals a day to fuel the men working in cold water. It also provided tents and blankets for

561-539: The course of Saguenay River on 155 km (96 mi) east to the height of Tadoussac where it merges with the St. Lawrence River . The major tributaries of the Peribonka are (in upstream order): Historically the Innu indigenous people lived in this area and traveled the river by canoe. By the second half of the 17th century, the river was used by Europeans as an access route to James Bay . The first official reference to

594-410: The course of the river descends on: The village of Péribonka is on the edge of this river, very close to Lac Saint-Jean . The Péribonka River flows onto the north shore of lac Saint-Jean at the end of Pointe Taillon; Île Bouliane blocks the mouth of the Péribonka River, at: From the mouth of the Péribonka River, the current crosses Lac Saint-Jean east on 29.3 km (18.2 mi), then follows

627-532: The forests had been cleared. Later, bigger circular sawmills were developed in the lower reaches of a river, with the logs floated down to them by log drivers. In the broader, slower stretches of a river, the logs might be bound together into timber rafts . In the smaller, wilder stretches of a river where rafts couldn't get through, masses of individual logs were driven down the river like huge herds of cattle. "Log floating" in Sweden ( timmerflottning ) had begun by

660-574: The granite and muskeg of the Canadian Shield . From there it flows south until Lamarche , forming the boundary between the Maria-Chapdelaine and Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional Counties. From Lamarche, it flows west to Lac Saint-Jean. Its basin of 28,200 square kilometres (10,900 sq mi) comprises about one-third of the entire Saguenay River basin. The Péribonka river takes its source from an unidentified small lake, on

693-451: The ideal river would have been straight and uniform, with sharp banks and a predictable flow of water. Wild rivers were not that, so men cut away the fallen trees that would snag logs, dynamited troublesome rocks, and built up the banks in places. To control the flow of water, they built "flash dams" or "driving dams" on smaller streams, so they could release water to push the logs down when they wanted. Each timber firm had its own mark which

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726-537: The lower reaches of the Péribonka river, between its mouth and the village of Sainte-Monique . The roads of 9th range, 10th range and 12th range serve the peninsula of Sainte-Monique , either opposite the mouth of the Alex River (Péribonka River) . Route Uniforêt and Chemin Price Brothers serve the area southeast of the mouth of Tchitogama Lake . The Chute-des Passes path (forest road R0250) gives access to

759-423: The most desirable pine timber, because it floated well. But hardwoods were more dense, and weren't buoyant enough to be easily driven, and some pines weren't near drivable streams. Log driving became increasingly unnecessary with the development of railroads and the use of trucks on logging roads . However, the practice survived in some remote locations where such infrastructure did not exist. Most log driving in

792-434: The night if no better accommodations were available. A commissary wagon carrying clothing, plug tobacco and patent medicines for purchase by the log drivers was also called a wangan. The logging company wangan train, called a Mary Anne , was a caravan of wagons pulled by four- or six-horse teams where roads followed the river to transport the tents, blankets, food, stoves, and tools needed by the log drivers. For log drives,

825-645: The outline on a handwritten map also dating from 1679. He then named the Périboca River. This designation remains on the map of Guillaume Delisle (1703), but turns into Periboaka on that of Father Laure (1731) and in Periboac on that of Nicolas Bellin (1755). In 1825, Pascal Taché identified the river by Peribonka. Thereafter, this name and the Péribonca variant will generally be used. Way of penetration relatively little frequented by trappers and merchants of

858-518: The region from thriving. Alcan, a major aluminum producer, is developing Péribonka to be more adequately supplied with hydroelectric power. From 1941 to 1943, the Chute-des-Passes dam was built at the southern end of Péribonka Lake which became a vast reservoir. Two other dams were erected downstream during the 1950s (Chute-du-Diable from 1950 to 1952 and Chute-à-la-Savane from 1951 to 1953). The French writer Louis Hémon (1880-1913) mentions

891-788: The river is from April 16, 1679, in the Register of missions, stating " juxtà fluvium Perib8ka ad lacum Peok8agami " (near the river Peribouka at Lake Peokouagami (old name of Lac Saint-Jean)) priest François de Crespieul baptized two children. In October of that year, after investigating the state of English positions on Hudson Bay , Louis Jolliet returned to Quebec City via this route and called it Périboca in his manuscript. The spelling changed to Periboaka on Laura's map of 1731 and Periboac on Nicolas Bellin's map of 1755. In 1825, Pascal Taché identified it as Péribonka and subsequently this name, together with Peribonca , came in general use. While trappers and traders made relatively little use of

924-432: The river, men called "log drivers" or "river pigs" were needed to guide the logs. The drivers typically divided into two groups. The more experienced and nimble men comprised the "jam" crew or "beat" crew. They watched the spots where logs were likely to jam, and when a jam started, tried to get to it quickly and dislodge the key logs before many logs stacked up. If they didn't, the river would keep piling on more logs, forming

957-411: The southwest side of the Otish Mountains . This source is located 49.4 km (30.7 mi) south of Naococane Lake , 10.3 km (6.4 mi) southeast of Lac Conflans, 12.1 km (7.5 mi) Southeast of Jules-Léger Lake, 224 km (139 mi) North of Péribonka Lake and 402.5 km (250.1 mi) North of the mouth of the Péribonka river. This source is located on the southern slope of

990-420: The various teams to keep logs moving past problem spots. Stalling a drive near a saloon often created a cascade of drunken personnel problems. A larger group of less experienced men brought up the rear, pushing along the straggler logs that were stuck on the banks and in trees. They spent more time wading in icy water than balancing on moving logs. They were called the "rear crew." Other men worked with them from

1023-432: The watershed; the other slopes of this line are: From its source, the course of the Péribonka river descends on 511.6 km (317.9 mi) entirely in forest zones, according to the following segments: Upper course of the Péribonka river (segment of 211.4 km (131.4 mi)) Upper course of the Péribonka River, downstream from Lake Onistagane (segment of 103.9 km (64.6 mi)) Note: This segment crosses

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1056-432: Was an exceedingly dangerous occupation, with the drivers standing on the moving logs and running from one to another. Many drivers lost their lives by falling and being crushed by the logs. Each crew was accompanied by an experienced boss often selected for his fighting skills to control the strong and reckless men of his team. The overall drive was controlled by the "walking boss" who moved from place to place to coordinate

1089-402: Was placed on the logs, called an "end mark". Obliterating or altering a timber mark was a crime. At the mill the logs were captured by a log boom , and the logs were sorted for ownership before being sawn. Log drives were often in conflict with navigation , as logs would sometimes fill the entire river and make boat travel dangerous or impossible. Floating logs down a river worked well for

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