How old is Log Drivers Waltz?
The Log Driver’s Waltz is a Canadian folk song, written by Wade Hemsworth. The Log Driver’s Waltz is also a Canadian animated film from the National Film Board, released in 1979 as part of its Canada Vignettes series.
When was the Log Drivers Waltz written?
The song was written by Hemsworth in the 1950s after he spent time as a surveyor in Northern Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, living in logging camps. Wade Hemsworth’s great nephew, who also goes by the same name, is now the guardian of his great uncle’s music. The songwriter died in 2002.
Do log drivers still exist?
The occupation of log driving eventually died out with the advent of railroads and the use of trucks on logging roads.
Are log drivers still a thing?
Most log driving in 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.
Are logs still moved by river?
Log driving 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 did Lumberjacks exist?
While the practice of felling trees has been taking place for thousands of years — beginning with Aboriginal people and continuing with the arrival of the first Europeans — the professional lumberjack was born around the turn of the 18th century.
Why do mills put logs in water?
Storage of logs in water has the additional advantages of minimizing fire risks, washing away dirt which could dull saws, and preventing splitting of logs which might otherwise dry prior to milling. Cargo mills typically used a system of floating log booms to contain stored logs from delivery until milling.
Why are sunken logs worth so much?
The logs can command thousands of dollars for their intricately beautiful grains and long, straight cuts. Across the coast of the Southeastern U.S., pine and cypress were harvested into the late 1800s. Most logs were lashed together with metal “spike dogs” and floated or towed downstream to mills.
What is a Canadian lumberjack?
Lumberjacks hold a permanent place in Canadian history. The practice of felling trees began thousands of years ago with Indigenous Peoples who used stone axes and fire and girdled the trees, and continued with the arrival of the first Europeans.