Moody, Dietz and Nelson Sawmill

In the late 19th century, popular magazines often celebrated the promise of industry. This engraving shows a somewhat glorified view of the Moodyville mill, based on a photograph. The picture would have come across to the public as a vision of progress rather than as a document of the rape of the forest, as we might interpret it today. At the time, Canadian society held imperialistic, colonial attitudes. Making the most of natural resources in the motherland’s far-flung territories was the proper thing to do. Today’s attitudes and environmental consciousness are, of course, very different. This image shows mill details, such as the flume bringing water down the mountain to the boilers to run the mill’s steam-driven saws (zoom in on the checkered-like line, two thirds of the way up on the left). You can also see how raw logs floated to the site were pulled up a chute and into the mill.

Unlock history! Scroll down and click on thumbnails.