Russel Brothers Limited OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO Steelcraft Boat Builders
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| Unidentified Russel Boats
West Lake, Newfoundland
Sometime after the Second World War the Anglo Newfoundland Development Company looked to the mainland for boats. One of the most prolific suppliers of boats for the logging industry was Russel Brothers of Owen Sound, Ontario. They built durable and powerful steel hulled winch boats. These were sold under the trademark Steelcraft. These Russel boats were small enough that they could be hauled from lake to lake. From what I can gather there are probably three or four of these boats abandoned in the woods of Central Newfoundland. Anglo-Newfoundland also acquired a 42 foot steel tug from Russell Brothers in the mid-fifties which was christened the Fleetway II and was used, like her namesake, on Red Indian Lake. Another large tug owned and used by A.N.D Co was the Lady Northcott. At one point she was used on Gander Lake in connection to A.N.D’s small collection of timber limits there. When she was finished there she was loaded on the back of a truck and transferred to another lake further west (if memory serves me correctly it may have been Victoria Lake).[viii]
Another Russell appears to have been used to tend the boom at Grand Falls. I have seen a picture of this boat and she appears to be a steel tug with the name Exploits. Other smaller boats would have been also used to tend the boom in Grand Falls, if I recall correctly in later years there were a couple of tiny boats of the type known as boom boats. These were like tiny waterborne bulldozers that pushed the booms and logs at the mill. Once trucking took over completely in the mid to early 1990’s there was little need for any boats in the woods.
Interior Flotilla - Logging Boats on the Inland Waters of Central Newfoundland
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West Lake, Newfoundland. Abandoned Russel Brothers “Steelcraft” winch boat. These boats were used to tow booms of pulpwood during the log drive (Photo courtesy of Glen Fewer).
West Lake, Newfoundland. (Photo courtesy of Rick Michelle Lane via facebook). Rick Lane has just confirmed (Jan. 31, 2019) that the two photos below are the same boat. West Lake, Newfoundland, near Grand Falls.
“We had tractor up to repair a few roads a few years ago and decided to pull the boat out of the woods and paint it...I can remember as a young boy fishing off this same boat while it was moored off shore. We would take one of the companies river boats out to it.. It was still in operation at that time.. Maybe late 60s." Bryan Marsh comments (Feb. 2019): "It makes sense for this to be the same boat. Leonard's Lake is connected to West Lake. This was part of what they called the West Branch Sandy drive. Wood was driven from the Cripple Back area up to Sandy Brook via the lakes and streams that fed into West Lake and Sandy Brook."
Leonard Lake is in the same watershed and not far from West Lake, NL. Caption reads: "It is difficult to get a good picture of a Russel Boat in action, so we would like to thank the reader who sent this picture along to us. The Russel boat was photographed towing wood on Leonard's Lake in Badger Division. Readers are invited to send along such pictures to the NEWS-LOG, and we will return them after printing. Correspondence or pictures should be addressed to Mr. W. T. Howell, Superintendent Community Relations and Publicity, Anglo-Newfoundland Development Co. Ltd., Grand Falls." c. early 1960s. Clipping posted by Bryan Marsh, Nov. 2018, on the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company facebook group (ANDCOLTD).
For more Russel exhibits visit Owen Sound Marine & Rail Museum 1165 1st Ave West, Owen Sound, ON N4K 4K8
(519) 371-3333  http://marinerail.com |
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