British Columbia Forest Products Ltd.

Rob Norman Collection , picture taken by Gordy Goodlad BCFP Caycuse Div. Gordy Goodlad on Caycuse Prince and Calvin Ketch on Renfrew Prince towing #16-8 an American 7220 Log Loader from Honeymoon Bay to Caycuse Camp on a Spruce Raft used to move Logging Equipment around Cowichan Lake to areas not accessible by roads . On a snowy winter day .

Rob Norman Collection , pictures taken by Gordy Goodlad BCFP Caycuse Div. Loader Operator Wally Carlson unloading Division's new Loader #16-8 American 7220 off Spruce Raft on to beach at Caycuse Camp .

Rob Norman Collection , pictures taken by Gordy Goodlad BCFP Caycuse Div. The 109 Log Dump at Head of Lake Cowichan Late 1960's These logs are from BCFP's holding's around Nitnate Lake , Lower Caycuse River and Haddon Creek areas . This Parbuckle Log Dump was used before the road between the Head of Lake Cowichan and Caycuse Camp was passable for loaded logging trucks . Looks like they have what we use to reefer to as "A Jack Pot" of logs piled up there .

Rob Norman Collection , pictures taken by Gordy Goodlad BCFP Caycuse Div. The Cowichan Prince Tug . It towed Booms from various locations on Cowichan Lake to the Youbou Saw Mill . It was built in 1948 by John Manly Shipyards New Westminster , British Columbia .

Rob Norman Collection , pictures taken by Gord Goodlad BCFP Caycuse Div . 1987 Lifting the Caycuse Prince out of the Lake with 2 Chapman log loaders for the last time . Gord Goodlad said it went to BCFP Narrows Inlet Camp , where he thinks it sank .

Rob Norman Collection , pictures taken by Gord Goodlad Tow Boat Operator , BCFP Caycuse Div. 1987 The Shaw Prince replaced the Caycuse Prince . It was built by the John Manly Shipyard New Westminster B.C. A little history on Gord Goodlad , he started at Caycuse in 1959 working on the "Booms" and spent his entire Logging career there . Gord started as a Deckhand then Operated the Renfrew Prince until 1968 followed by the Caycuse Prince , then the Shaw Prince . After Fletcher Challenge took over BCFP , and became Timberwest , Gord move to the Honeymoon Bay DLS Booming Grounds following the closure of the Caycuse DLS . Retiring when Timberwest shut down the Youbou Sawmill in 2001 and his position was eliminated .

Super little cabin on that boom boat

Rob Norman Collection , BCFP Caycuse Div. An aerial view of Caycuse Camp 1951 with rail road tracks still in place . Camp buildings have been moved off floats on to land . New family quarters are located at top right .

Rob Norman Collection BCFP Caycuse Div. A member of a logging camp crew we don't hear to much about in our time , but was a key employee up to the 1960's was a good Blacksmith . I don't know when Rudy Ratzinger started at Caycuse , but Rob tells me he retired in 1989 . I never met him , but his work was legendary . For many years he made all the soft hammers , shackles , loading tongs , babit chokers and logging rigging , a true craftsman . These pictures are of Rudy's Blacksmith Shop before it was donated and moved to the B.C. Forest Discovery Center at Duncan B.C 1st picture is Rudy's Forge , 2nd picture is Rudy's Anvil , 3rd picture is his templates for Loading Tongs , 4th picture is is his work bench . ( Rudy's Work Bench never looked messy like this , This picture was taken after he had retired )

Rudy, was a barrel chested happy man, when ever we were looking for a place to hide as apprentices, we would sneak over to the blacksmith's shop on dayshift, to watch Rudy at work, he was as big as the country around him, both in spirit and intent, tireless with his hammer on the anvil, if you took time to engage him, he would go on about the use of water and fish oil in his tanks to temper his steel. Many an apprentice stole away his marlin spikes for punches, they were the best. A true tradesman for sure

Rob Norman Collection This picture of a Climax Loci outside of the Caycuse Loci Shop . This picture was taken in the 1930's when the Caycuse Camp was part of the ITM (Industrial Timber Mills) holding around Lake Cowichan before it was bought up by B.C. Forest Products in the late 1940's .

Rob Norman Collection A Steam Donkey rigged up on shore of Cowichan Lake situated between location of todays Caycuse Camp and Caycuse Camp site . Probably in the time of Industrial Timber Mills era . Not sure of type yarding style Skidder , Slackline , North Bend or Highlead . The crew was probably from the Matt Hemmingson Camp located near the former Caycuse Dryland Sort . The Wardroper valley is seen across the Lake on the North Shore .

Rob Norman Collection Caycuse Area . A Steam Donkey "Coldecker" being moved down hill . Art Wilson was a long time yarder operator in the Port Renfrew area , his oldest son Don Wilson also ran yarders before he switched to driving Logging trucks . Don told me that quite often when it came time to move a "Coldecker" at Harris Creek , the regular operator wouldn't feel comfortable doing the move , so Art or Don would be recruited to make the move . Don told me of one move he made that it was up a steep side hill and that he was "tied" in so he could stand at the controls . When going up the steepest part of the move a loose Plank in the running boards came loose and hit him in the ribs . As he couldn't move out of the way . Another time he was moving a coldecker up a steep side hill , every time he was breaking over the edge of a ledge he was heading for , the Cummins diesel engine would stall . Then he would let the coldecker slide back down the hill and take another run at the hill . On one attempt , he was just getting to the critical point , when the Cummins engine got a a gulp of air and ran away . It then had the power to pull its self up on the ledge and stalled sitting on the landing .

Great history story.

camptramp said:

Rob Norman Collection , pictures taken by Gord Goodlad BCFP Caycuse Div . 1987 View attachment 236392 Lifting the Caycuse Prince out of the Lake with 2 Chapman log loaders for the last time . Gord Goodlad said it went to BCFP Narrows Inlet Camp , where he thinks it sank .

Click to expand...

Howdy AI
I remember running that tug or its twin in Narrows Inlet in the 80's and 90's it didn't have a name on it so I'm not a 100% sure if it's the same one but sure looks familiar

Rob Norman Collection The following pictures are of a Float Camp on Cowichan Lake from which Matt Hemmingsen operated around the 1920's . Logging for either the Empire lumber Company or Industrial Timber Mills . The Float Camp was moved along the Lake Shore to which ever Block of timber Hemmingsen was logging . The first picture was taken along the South West side of Lake Cowichan in Hemmingsen Bay located between the "Rock Cuts" part way along the Lake from Caycuse toward the head of the Lake . The 2nd picture was taken around the former site of the Caycuse Dryland Sort .

Rob Norman Collection Rob has found some Winter pictures of BC Forest Products Harris Creek Camp . I'm not sure what year these pictures were taken , but I do not see any sign of Truck Roads or Truck Shop . But I do see the Family Houses , and I think they were placed in the Harris Cr. Camp after BC Forest Products took over the Camp from Hemingsen Cameron Co. in 1946 . So these pictures are possibly taken in the late 1940's . First picture is taken from a ridge on the North Eastern side , up stream of Camp . Port Renfrew is over the ridge to the right in the San Juan Valley .

Rob Norman Collection Two pictures put together showing a Winter scene . Photo taken from a North west ridge over looking BC Forest Products Harris Creek Camp

Rob Norman Collection A winter look at a row of houses at Harris Creek Camp . I'm not sure what year , but I'm fairly certain these house's were put in place by BC Forest Products after the operation was purchased in 1946 . These houses were built in two halves in Vancouver , barged to Port Renfrew and brought to Harris Creek Camp on the Rail Road .

Rob Norman Collection A Winter scene of Harris Creek Camp looking up stream Harris Cr. is behind houses . A string of empty logging (Skeleton) cars on the main line track through Harris Creek Camp . Family homes on the right , Bunk Houses and Cook House on left