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Raftsmen on the River

Watercolour of a raft made of squared timber on a river with strong rapids. A number of men are rowing, directed by a man in charge.

Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1972-26-792, The First Raft on the Ottawa, 1806, circa 1930

More information about raftsmen can be found in popular histories than official documents. That’s not surprising, since their occupation existed before photography was even invented! This watercolour was produced around 1930 by Charles William Jefferys, a Canadian painter. It shows how hard these forestry workers laboured. The logs cut in the camps in the Abitibi region were floated down the Ottawa River and ended up at one of the province’s two main ports: Montreal or Quebec City.