ON THE EAST SIDE
1837 - Levi Bigelow & Sons operated sawmills.
1850 - Lawrence G. Bigelow, son of Levi, operated sawmills, and failed in business on Jan.
5, 1850. He retired to Burlington, Vermont, transferring the property to David Davidson,
trustee, for the benefit of his creditors.
1853 - Davidson, as trustee, deeded property to Hamilton Brothers, of Hawkesbury, and
John Thomson, of Quebec, who traded under the name of Thomson & Co.
1869 - Thomson & Co. sold to Lemoine Gibb & Co., which firm consisted of Thomas Gibb
Ross, James Maclaren, and James Gibb Jr. The last named sold his interest to MacPherson
Lemoine.
1873 - Lemoine Gibb & Co. sold to John and Frank Ross, trading under the name of Ross
Brothers.
1901 - Frank Ross et al. sold to The James Maclaren Company Limited.
ON THE WEST SIDE
1837 - Baxter Bowman operated mills on the west side of river.
1864 - George Washington Eaton, of the Township of Nepean, County of Carleton - and
Charles Bishoff, of London, England, surviving trustees of the Estate of the late Baxter
Bowman, deed property to James Maclaren & Co.
1900 - Estate of the late James Maclaren sold property to The James Maclaren Company
Limited.
HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY AT THE UPPER FALLS
June 26, 1886 - James Maclaren sold to Buckingham Pulp Company Limited certain
tract of land, and water power at Upper Falls.
- In 1890 this Company went into liquidation, and on June 17, 1891
- the Liquidator sold this property to one Robert Cowans,
August 1, 1891 - Cowans sold to John MacDougall and others, and they on
August 9, 1891 - sold to John Dyer and Alexander Cooper, trustees for the
Buckingham Manufacturing Co. Ltd., who in turn, on
Oct. 12 1891 - sold and delivered said property and water power to the Buckingham
Manufacturing Co. Ltd.,; in turn on
July 14, 1896 - they sold to Walter A. Williams, who later on
Nov. 23, 1902 - sold to the Electric Redustion Co. Ltd., with head offices in England.
In 1906 - - - - - The James Maclaren Company Limited sold the Electric Reduction
Company more land and additional water power.
Each of the two sawmills in Buckingham, in the early days before 1906, had a water slide
in which the sawn lumber - all White Pine - was carried in a 3' trough bu water from the
sawmill to the piling grounds at the Basin (now Masson). From this piling ground the
lumber was shipped, largely on scows which were towed down the Ottawa River to
Montreal, or farther to New York points.
In 1906, a new piling ground was established at Buckingham, south of the R.C. cemetery,
and along the Buckingham-Masson highway, from which point all shipments were made by
railway cars.
The sawmill on the west side of the River was demolished shortly before 1922, when a new
Head-works and pulpwood cutting-up plant was built on the site.
The sawmill on the east side operated until the end of 1932, and a few years later was
demolished.
DEVELOPMENT BY THE JAMES MACLAREN COMPANY LIMITED
1901/2 A pulp mill was built on the west side of the river.
1929/30 This pulp mill was rebuitl and enlarged at Buckingham. At Masson, a
sulphite plant, and a Newsprint Paper Mill, were built, with a capacity of 350 tons of
newsprint dry goods, groceries, supplies and alcoholic beverages, and is conveniently divided into sections keeping separate each class of product. Established by his father 35 years ago, it is one of the oldest businesses in Buckingham. Following in his father’s steps, he was able to continue his profits with the help of some improvements and his good judgment. The people here appreciate his efforts to please them by offering them the best quality possible at the lowest possible price.
1929 A hydro-electric power station and dam was built at High Falls, 30 miles
north of Buckingham, with transmission lines to Masson.
1931/3 Another hydro-electric power station and dam was built at Masson.
These two plants develop over 200,000 H.P. of electrical power.
HISTORY OF MACLAREN INTERESTS ON THE LIæVRE RIVER
1864 James Maclaren purchased from Estate of Baxter Bowman the sawmills on west side
of River at Buckingham, other properties, and the timber limits up river.
1892 James Maclaren died - Executors and Trustees carried on.
1900 The James Maclaren Company, Limited - incorporating the five sons of James
Maclaren (David, Alexander, John, James Barnet and Albert) as shareholders - bought
from Estate of the late James Maclaren the sawmills, real estate, and timber limits.
1901 The James Maclaren Company, Limited bought the sawmills on the east side of the
river at Buckingham, real estate, and timber limits, formerly owned by Frank Ross et al.
1902 Ground-wood Pulp Mill of 60 tons daily capacity built on west side by The James
Maclaren Company, Limited.
1903 Company purchased Water Privileges down stream from Buckingham, near Masson,
belonging to Sir Edward Andrew Stuart.
1911 Company purchased River du Lièvre Telephone Company, and have since improved
it, increased number of telephone users, so it serves the whole Lièvre Balley from
Buckingham to far above Mont Laurier - with over 240 subscribers.
1913 Company bought Sharples limits on Lièvre River, 100 sq. miles.
1913 Company built new dam and log slide at High Falls.
The James Maclaren Company Limited
New Salsher Mill at Poupore Locks,
Quebec, on the Lièvre River.
The new slash mill was built in 1958/59 and began operations in June of 1959. It was
designed for a 100 cord/hr rate and is consistently averaging better than this. Wood is
hoisted @ 80 FPM into the mill via a "helter skelter" (wood not aligned) 18' wide
jackladder. The 4 ft drops out at the head of the jackladder into a 3 chain conveyor @ 150
FPM and the balance of 8, 12 and 16 ft logs cross the 4 ft fallout gap and onto live speed
up rolls which straighten them and deposit them onto 3 rubber transger belts running at
80 FPM and at right angles to the direction of the jackladder and speed up rolls. From the
transfer belts the logs drop onto butt aligning rolls (to gauge the logs) and these deliver
them in turn onto the saw deck running @ 80 FPM and equipped with 3 - 72" diameter
saws that cut slightly over 4' long lelts. Bolts from the saw deck drop into a 3 chain
conveyor @ 125 FPM which empties into the same conveyor that accepts the 4 ft at the
jackladder fallout. The wood is elevated until it discharges onto a 5' belt @ 125 FPM drum
feed conveyor from which it is ploughed into 2 - Ingersol Rand 12' x 45' "Weldrum"
debarking drums turning at 6 RPM. The drum discharge is onto another 5' belt @ 125
FPM that delivers accepted wood into a chute that leads back into the river. From this
same belt wood that requires more barking is sorted and dumped into the same chain
conveyor that handles the output of the sawdeck. Oversize wood is pulled from the belt and
put through a Carthage hydraulic splitter that quarters the bolts and discharges directly
to the chute to the river.
All waste - bark, sawdust, etc., is flumed to a 5' diameter x 15' long dewatering screen and
after water has been separated is elevated to a storage area for refuse with the separated
water being returned to the river.
The layout was enfineered by The James Maclaren Company in conjunction with Forani
who supplied all the jackladder dry goods, groceries, supplies and alcoholic beverages, and is conveniently divided into sections keeping separate each class of product. Established by his father 35 years ago, it is one of the oldest businesses in Buckingham. Following in his father’s steps, he was able to continue his profits with the help of some improvements and his good judgment. The people here appreciate his efforts to please them by offering them the best quality possible at the lowest possible price.
Tourist attraction, sawdeck and conveying equipment. The general contractor
was Pentagon Construction and equipment installation by Cribb Construction
Company.
/jw O.R. Woermke