More Reading Material!

The weekend is almost here, but in some evenings during the week, I go through some of my historical stuff or do some reading.  Speaking of reading, the OFO News came earlier this week and my short article on the Rondeau Big Day Birding was included.  It was just something I thought of almost a year ago, but was too late to get it in last year ahead of the May birding time.  Allen Woodliffe provided several photos to go with the article, so I thank him for that.

On another completely different topic, I came across the story of the New Brunswick wreck in Lake Erie.  This three-masted barque sank in a storm 26 August 1858 off Port Alma.  Its cargo was comprised of huge timbers of Black Walnut and White Oak from the Wallaceburg area.  Those were the days when virgin trees were being harvested, so the timber was very large and of high quality.  Wallaceburg got its start in the lumber industry as it was surrounded by dense forests.  Ships could come right into Wallaceburg via the Chenel Ecarte and Sydenham River.

The wreck was located in 1980 by Mike Dilts of Saugeen Exploration and Salvage Company after extensive research and investigation.  The cargo was salvaged and artifacts from the ship went to museums.

The newspaper article I saved from July 29, 1980 contained much information on the wreck and salvage efforts.  Part of the cargo was 16 Black Walnut Timbers up to 52 feet long and 18 inches square.  They were almost perfectly preserved.
I remember going to a presentation by Mike Dilts in Chatham about this story.

The New Brunswick was built in St. Catharines in 1847 at 128 feet in length.  Of significance, this vessel previously was noted for a cargo of wheat it shipped from Chicago to Liverpool.  This was the first clearance of its kind ever made from the Great Lakes for a European port.

Example of a sailing vessel with lumber in Wallaceburg, late 1800's.