9-15AP
British Columbia Bull Whacker Art Print
The city of Vancouver, B.C. is built on land that once was fine timberland. This scene took place in what was called the Thurlow Island Landing. The present streets in Vancouver bear little relation to the early skidroads, except Kingsway, which generally follows the old False Creek Trail.
The Bull Whacker (also called a bull puncher) was a raucous, bombastic individual who you knew was in the vicinity by his loud voice and usually his smell. If the oxen slacked off, the whacker, with his sharp-pointed goad, would let the animals know he was comin' after them by uttering a string of cuss words and yelling, "Lean to it, Duke! #@&!!, I'm comin' after you!" The oxen were usually slow, but powerful, weighing from 1,500 to 2,100 pounds and up in working condition. Men working with oxen played an important part in the early days of logging in the forests of North America.
|
