Haslam Lake in Powell River has a short history, somewhat man made but still a Glacier dug lake, its not a deep lake but it certainly is narrow and long.
Many years of logging have gone on here, many companies have made floating camps, some also on the shores, stories are in an abundance but the truth to these stories is always finding the places the stories are about. Once I heard a story of a logging rail car sitting at the bottom of the lake, up near the head. A Railcar I thought? really, hmm, I personally know that there were railcars down at the foot of the lake, but the head, never heard of one there, so off I went, with my truck and the canoe and had a look around.
I went down to an old camp, not many come here, a few things still that tell you that logging went on here, and its a nice place to launch the canoe as well
The lake is a beautiful lake, Powell River’s current watershed lake, but some still come here and paddle around.
Up near the head of the lake I noticed an area I suspect is an old camp, the day was getting long so I didn’t land, but I paddled just up and around the corner and there she was, an old pier, and definitely a rail pier, large, heavy timbered.
These piers, dotted along the lake shores and coastal areas of BC, not always were for railcars driving in and out by locomotors, some were oxed driven, or Dozer, some even by Steam Donkey, this one, is hard to say, be interesting if it was from a Locomotor because it would be a new area to look.
So I paddled away and I will be coming back to look on the shores here, but as I did I spotted something on the opposite side of the bay, so over I went, it by all appearances looks likes the remains of a float, probably from a Cabin long since gone as there were a few on the lake years ago
One day I will get back here and search the bay underwater for this railcar, I always hate saying one day, but that’s life.
