Book description
The Alligator was an amphibious machine designed and patented in
Canada in the late 1880s. This warping tug was capable of towing al og
boomk across a lake and then portaging itself to the next body of
water. Steam-powered and rugged, it was one of the pioneers in the
mechanization of the forest industry and for more than thirty years
was ubiquitous in northern Ontario until eclipsed by its worthy
successor the Russel tug. This long-overdue book on the Alligator
Warping Tug, designed and built by West & Peachey of Simcoe,
Ontario, is a welcome addition to the libraries of those intrigued by
Canada's story and particularly lumbering history." -- R. John
Corby, curator emeritus, Canada Science and Technology Museum
By enabling access to the upper reaches of the Ottawa River and its
many tributaries, the Alligator tug extended the social and economic
stability provided by the timber industry and supported the populating
of this vast region. Alligators of the North is a wonderful
touchstone for all who share this heritage." -- Mary Campbell,
mayor of McNab-Braeside Township, Renfrew County
Harry Barrett, a long-time resident of Norfolk County, is a noted
naturalist, conservationist, and historian. Harry was the founding
chair of the Long Point Foundation for Conservation, and is the author
of books on the local history of the Norfolk-Haldimand region of
Ontario. He lives in Port Dover, Ontario.
Clarence Coons, now deceased, was a well-known professional
forrester in Ontario. While growing up in Lakefield, Ontario, he heard
many stories about the white pine harvesting in the Trent Watershed
and the "Alligators "at work. Clarence did the original
research for this book, and Harry Barrett completed the work.
