General History

Since 1919 there were 10 sawmills at various locations along the CNR between Gogama and Foleyet, the largest of these, the CNR mill, R.B. Heron's mill, and W.H. and M.J. Poupore's mill (south of CNR) at Gogama, the latter two and others provided sawn ties (and axe-ties) for the CNR under contract to the Harris Tie & Timber Co.

At Tionaga from 1919 the mill was known as the Returned Soldier's mill. In 1922 this was organized as Tionaga Lumber Co. with Major R. B. Heron, of Toronto; Capt. J. P. Gillies, of Blind River; and Col. L. T. Martin, of Ottawa. The latter is a name I associate with the T&NO Railway. Before the war, Heron was a bridge builder for Northern Construction and after the sale of the Tionaga mill, he went to work supervising trestle construction for the Welland Canal construction.

Pineland had in 1932, acquired a mill at Gogama (north of CNR) this was formerly Louis Laforest and Wilbur Cochrane's mill, but I don't think it ever operated at this location after that. Wilbur was the second son of Frank Cochrane, founder of Cochrane Dunlop hardware.