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Photo: Puhllc Archives Log drive on the Bonnechere by Harry Hlnchley At one time great log drives used to come down the Hon nechere every year. At Rentrew there were slides to take these drives past the rapids and falls. Some of the town's Citizens still remember how the drive gangs used to camp along the river while the logs were being put through the slides. Alexander Murray, Provincial Geologist, who explored up the Bonnechere in 1853 reported that at that time the country was still generally devoted to lumbering. But even then he found that a great part of the timber was gone, Besides that which had been taken out by lumbermen great quantities had been destroyed by fire. Nevertheless there was still much remaining. He wrote in his report' “On our way up the stream we repeatedly found it almost entirely blocked up with squared timber, sometlmes for miles together " By w..i. Smith as told to Harry Hlnchlev To find out about this operation it was only necessary to turn over the print and read the information all the back Some time when memory was lresh some person had written the details on the back. And to make matters even better. this had been so noted on the front. The photograph was taken in 19152 The sawmill stood on the Bonnechere River lnSlde the town of Renlrew. it was at the river not far from where the dressing rooms for the swim< ming beach are now located. The late WA, Smith was the owner and operator of the sawmill. He is shown standing toward the right near the saw but unlortunatelv The Bonnt-ehere was known it}; a “quiet river" because unlike 50 many others that flowed into the Ottawa it had few dangerous rapids or falls. For lhis reason it was more suitable for bringing squared timliur. Sumt- huge “sticks” were cut as much as .'l ft-et square and over in it'i‘l long. The last big drive of logs came down the Bonnechere about 1907.'1‘lie story is lolrl lhzit when this; drive came down itjam- mod nt‘lll‘ the pumphouse of the liilnlrew waterworks. To get the logs moving again the fort-mun of the drive wanted to use dynamite to blast them free. The town authorities would not agree to this because there was risk of damage it) the i:.lu.. nf th waterworks. Butduring the night [or some reason the jllm broke. The logs began moving again and early next morning they were going through the slides and on dowr the river, hl' is :ilmml hiddt'l’l htfhll’lli the bit: lug. At the other i-nd «if thi: lug, \tunding beside the stake, is the late Hurry Wziinmzin. The in); come lriim a huge pine tree that grew on the farm of .I.M. McMnhnn on the hanks of the Bunnccherc downstream from the Sugar Loal't This tree yielded six saw logs of which the third measured 32 inches inside the bark. We do not know how much bigger the first one was but certainly the tree could properly be called a "Big Pine“. Smith's sawmill must have been the last to operate on the Bonnechere at chirewt Further down. below the Highway Bridge, Martin Russell for many years ran a sawmill but in 1910 it was torn down to make room for the municipal power house which was built at the same place and which still stands.