Vintage B.C. Logging

[Jeff]

Quite awhile back Paul H sent me a vhs tape that was created from some 8mm home movies belonging to Conway Logging. Things came together today where I was finally able to get them digitized and uploaded to youtube. The quality starts poor but gets better, but thats the way the tape looked too.  There is lots of interesting footage on what came out to be 6 separate clips due to youtube individual time retrains.  The music in the background is original to the vhs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M92SzBufRbU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRHs-uAswkY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z-rK9jjGms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UlNBydfRZo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GeussaW5io

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTFMi14F79g

[TexasTimbers]

Man this is going to be cool. I started watching the first one but won't have time to finsih until later.

That was a lot of work I bet. Pree shate it.

[logwalker]

What years were these films made?  The music is beautiful. Thanks, Joe

[Paul_H]

Around 1959-63 was my guess because of the age of the two kids in the film,now 50 and 47.

[SwampDonkey]

You broad banders have all the fun.  ;) I'd certainly appreciate those clips, but you know the drill. :D

[VT]

BC As in British Columbia Gents ?

The shot of the bulldozers Allis chambers type , one is on the Farm with trees growing out of it, And the log arch is a marker still today on the forestry road as we call it , But most now say Timber-West road , about 5 clicks away.

Very good work. I must ask on how the digitized was done ? sent away or has someone got a machine ??

Thanks VT

[Paul_H]

Yep,it's BC
The film was taken when Pat worked on the island for CFP Englewood,either as super or head rigger,I can't remember anymore and he has passed on.

Back in the late 1980's in Squamish,a few of us were trying to gather up old logging films and pics to have converted to VHS.Pat had always flatly refused,no matter who asked.
A couple years later,he had a timber sale in Furry Creek and he phoned me to borrow our fall block to do some skylining and I told him I'd swap for the right to convert his movies.

He laughed and told me that he didn't want them public because the logging was mixed with a lot of family footage and that was something he guarded.I asked if I could see if the tech could seperate them and he agreed so there were two seperate videos produced.
One was the Conway family's memories and each member was given one and the rest were the logging videos which were passed around.

[VT]

Kewl
Thanks Paul H . Im just across the pond.
I myself have done 8mm -VHS , poor now after ~~~ years , can't remember anymore. Now im doing 8mm to digital and it's on computers. I paid for 2 small 50 foot reels , Way too much. So i use a DVR that go's right to the computer and record the projected image from the screen , Its not bad , add some music , as yours is , and theres 3 months of night fun. ..I had the camera that wound up to take the films years ago, man i was thin then.

VT

[Jeff]

I must ask on how the digitized was done ? sent away or has someone got a machine ??

Thanks VT

Just a vcr hooked to a video capture card on the P.C. You just need a lot of ram, which I am lacking, but finally gotter done.    I told Paul I was going to over dub that music, and I think he was glad that I didn't. Its not that I don't like it, but It puts me to sleep as soon as I start working with it. That's why it took me 6 years to finally get it finished.  :D

[Paul_H]

Jeff,
when Pat first watched the video,he commented on how much he liked the music  ;)

VT,

some of the film had been damaged over the years and Kevin at PBS in Vancouver cleaned it up a lot but he never kept the masters,which annoyed me pretty good when I called for more copys.I notice the deteriation of the VHS logging films we did 20 + years ago.
The good news is the Harnell family in Squamish are working on getting those same 8mm films digitized with some narration added.

Are you familiar with the Skyhook?

[VT]

As in Chinook helicopter or Sikorsky S-64  Skycrane ??

VT = AME-RW

I would buy a machine to do that 8mm films digitized, but after mine ,what do i use it for.. i can't see spending thousands, i did buy a slide and photo units , there good for the price 3 beans .
One thing i have lots of is computers , always..

So was i correct on the Bait ?

VT

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20080710/boeing-skyhook-is-retro-futuristic-and-awesome/

Nope ,  google skyhook  and found this, Turn around time must be to next coffee break  :D

[Paul_H]

This skyhook,





It was originally from the island but was brought over to Squamish in the 1950's by John Drenka of Squamish Mills.There were two slightly different versions and one of them is in front of a pub on the island somewhere.

It ran on two 2" skylines and was driven by dual 7/8" traction lines.

[SwampDonkey]

I hope that guy has a soft landing if a cable breaks.  :-\

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Thanks for going to the trouble of saving and converting these clips Paul H and Jeff  ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) Its good that people will have access to them now and see how things once where   ;) ;D
Alas im on dialup so ill be looking them up and watching them Later on  ;) ;D 8)

Thats a pretty Wild looking bit of gear in the pick above  ;) :D ;D

Reguards Chris

[VT]

Now Paul , That sounds like a good mission ..
Pub searching for a skyhook ..

I'm guessing here , but i believe i saw that (on the ground) in Duncan BC.

I will now keep my eyes and brain aware if i see it again.
As with the Fling wings, I have some clips of the 64 plucking up behind me and the egg beater vertically climbing with a stick chasing it.
There on some DVR cassette around here. in feb i should be back and be able to find.

And my coment about "bait" , skyhook and bait ,, Nawwww,

It must , you hear that again :-)

VT

[Jeff]

This skyhook,

Is that a new version of that photo? It seems to be much better quality then when I saw it before.

[Norm]

That was a lot of fun to watch. Thank you Jeff and Paul for going to the trouble. 

[Kodiakmac]

Neat stuff.  Thanks gents for getting this to us. 

I started logging in central BC about 10 years after these movies were taken, and what is interesting is that dozers and skidding-arches had been pretty well replaced by skidders by that time.  You could find the odd homesteader/rancher using one, but arches had disappeared from the commercial logging scene.

[Paul_H]

Jeff,

I uploaded that pic with your new setup and it did all the rest 

Kodiakmac,

where in BC did you live?

[Kodiakmac]

Paul_H

McBride B.C.  Upper Fraser Valley, 135 miles east of Prince George and about 90 miles west of Jasper Alberta.  Beautiful spot - Rockies on one side of the Valley and Caribou Range on the other.  Think I'll go back there to croak.