Mystery photo from N.Y. Public Library

I am sorry for the long hiatus from Blog writing, but it cannot be helped. I work seven days a week at my business, and have done for years now. The only way for me to find time for new writing projects is simply to stop work on others, such as this history Blog. Though living on the opposite coast I can put more reliable content online than some others who lack a work ethic ... they who sit on public collections but spend their days counting N.B. government pension points... so I guess I needn't apologize too profusely. That said, I have longer term projects in process which will interest the Saint John history crowd, and I will share details toward the end of the year.

Today's brief topic, let's call it a mystery photo, is not "Lost Valley" material, as such, but it does relate to work I've done on some Portland, New Brunswick families who out-migrated to Australia and New Zealand.

Photo of timber ships at anchor off the Straight Shore, Portland N.B. c.1870. The "X" marks

the smokestack of a steam sawmill, possibly the historic Otty-Crookshank sawmill of 1822.

A few Lost Valley readers will recognize this great photo. I added it to my own research file in 2004 when the N.Y. Public Library put it on the web, and I've watched a couple of history buffs add it to their websites. The N.Y.P.L. copy has no other attribution than the penned identification: "First Steam Saw-Mill in New Brunswick, 1822." It would be wonderful to have Saint John photographs as old as that, but no such thing! The steam sawmill referred to was the Otty-Crookshank mill, which began production in 1822 but I assume was sold to other interests within a decade or two. Here is an extract from the Lawrence book, published in Saint John in 1883.

Now I cannot pinpoint the Otty-Crookshank mill site on Straight Shore with maps on hand, and we have very few clear images of Straight Shore prior to the 1890s. Can anyone identify the three story building dead centre, between the vessels? I would welcome any comments or thoughts on the photograph.

I used to think the photograph was made around 1860, but I have had other thoughts. For example, a Boston photographer, Charles E. Cook, visited St. John in 1874 on assignment to the Jewett Brothers and photographed five saw mills in the St. John area which the Jewett's managed. (See G. Schuyler p. 58, for one of Cook's photos, which are now in the Public Domain. NBM has a copy print.) It stands to reason that Cook might have made other photos when he toured the city, especially if someone pointed to the site of the first steam sawmill in the old colony of New Brunswick.

AND STRICTLY FOR FUN ... because I assume history buffs cannot live on a diet of Lost Valley alone - here are three images which were sold a few hours ago on EBAY by a dealer registered in New Hampshire. Each photo is 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches, or slightly smaller than they appear on your PC monitor. The trio of prints went for US $21.53 (or Cdn $26.53) , which is fair because they are scuffed and mildewed. I must assume the men out on a skirmishing exercise are St. John Fusiliers, although I haven't yet checked my files.