Osaquan

History

The community of Osaquan came into being in 1909 when David Low Mather transferred his lumber mill from Gull River to Camp Lake. A few years earlier, Mather had left his father’s business to start the Indian Lake Lumber Company.

The firm built a planning mill, a bunk house, cook house, mill office, blacksmith shop, and company store. They also constructed a neatly planned residential area, nearby the lake, with numerous homes for their employees. To transport the lumber, they built a half-mile spur line that connected to the main Canadian Pacific Railway line.

The mill operations ran smoothly until the First World War. The company took great pride in their employees’ war contributions. By 1916 they reported that 43 of their 46 employees had enlisted. Only three remained and 11 were reported wounded.

On a more, sour note, Indian Lumber Co. suffered a number of setbacks. The first was the planning mill that burnt down in 1911. Two years later, the main dam burst, flooding some areas and damaging other dams. Logs remained trapped in muddy creek beds, with no place to go. If that wasn’t enough, the tie mill also caught fire and burned to the ground in 1915.

With the exception of the small narrow gauge railway and alligators, the mill was largely dependent on manual tools and power. Axes, horses, and saws were the norm. Jobbers walked to their camps. However by the mid 1920’s a modernization program effectively upgraded and enhanced mill productivity and efficiency. The company replaced the horses with Lin Hauler tractors that could pull ten times more timber than a team of horses. They also operated three alligators, the Mudhen, Matilda and the Osaquan. A dam system was in place to raise the water levels of the lakes and adjoining streams to effectively float the lumber down to Camp Lake and feed the mill.

At peak times during the mill’s history three to four lumber camps were actively cutting timber for the mill. The cookhouse would usually feed 150 men every morning. They charged the jobbers $30 a month for room and board. There was no transportation. Jobbers still had the luxury of walking to the camps, however bringing a rifle for their own protection was forbidden.

The mill’s self-sufficiency was one of the more positive aspects of its operation. The company store “imported” all provisions that weren’t available locally. The store, which included a post office, had a wide selection of items generally not found in most company stores. However management seriously frowned on most outside orders or “unnecessary” purchases from outside the store, especially if the item was available at the store.

On a local level, the company established a vegetable garden, raised pigs and even operated a commercial fishery. They obtained a fishery licence to fish on Lake Mamegwessi and the catch helped supply the void created by war time meat rationing. They caught and prepared over 1,000 pounds of fish daily, which certainly would have kept the cook busy. The firm maintained a dock, boathouse, stables, icehouse, and sheds. Local Natives supplied wild game and a variety of picked fruits, the most popular being blueberries. During the summer months, they sent off 250 baskets of blueberries every day by rail from the Osaquan station, all destined for export.

At its inception they established the Osaquan properties under Ignace’s tax roll. As a result Mather received two separate allocations in 1910 and again the following year totalling the modest sum of 150 dollars for road improvements between Camp Lake and the station. The main street, known as Sawdust Alley, remained the only road link to Ignace. The Government commented on the road’s roughness in 1916. In 1922, even after road improvements, the five mile ride to Ignace still took over forty minutes to travel.

Since Osaquan was isolated, attendance at the Ignace Consolidated school wasn’t realistic. Finally they built a schoolhouse in Osaquan in 1921. Edwin Bradwin became an educational figurehead in the community. He was a Frontier College teacher who laboured in the mill and helped anyone who wanted a little more education at night.

The summer of 1930 was particularly dry and numerous bush fires popped up around the settlement. Conditions deteriorated and the fires combined to form a devastating inferno that threatened the settlement. They evacuated the women and children, sending them to Ignace. They men stayed behind to fight the fires. Although the fire spared the community, the mill was not so fortunate. Mather was already in a bad financial situation. He was already the victim of depleted limits and the fire-damaged timber was of no use to anything. Nevertheless, he rebuilt the mill. Although Mather did the right thing for the community, it cost him everything in the end. His mill closed in 1931.

The community itself was entirely dependent on lumber. By the time the mill burnt in 1930, time was already running short for Mather. Unfortunately he was far too over-extended by the expenses from his ‘modernization’ program of a few years earlier. The depression hindered all lumber operations throughout Ontario resulting in the survival of the fittest. Mather’s operation became a victim of the times.

Even though there were strong memories and tremendous community spirit, most residents left immediately, with the exception of a few who remained hoping the mill would reopen. By 1936, it was evident there would be no reprieve when they sold the mill and carted it away. The post office closed a year earlier. The remaining families left, and Osaquan lay deserted. The remaining buildings were either salvaged or burnt on the spot.