Audio Transcript

The Timber Raft, circa 1868

Timber was cut in the bush during the winter and hauled to a river. In the spring, the timbers were made into rafts and floated to Québec, where they were dismantled and reloaded on ships that were bound mainly for England. Rafts could be enormous, some half a kilometre long. The "lumberers" lived on board the rafts during the trip, which usually lasted several weeks. This method of shipment was used throughout the 1800s.