The sub-series contains extensive textual documentation on developing all of these areas, but most specifically Baie Comeau. The timber rights and limits were the basic planning documents upon which the company based future development. Acquisition of hydro-electricity rights was the first step towards the actual building of the paper mill and town. Development began with the construction of a power dam on Outardes River in 1926. This was followed by negotiations with the federal government toward the building of a wharf at Baie Comeau in 1929 by the government. Arthur Schmon handled relations with all of the Quebec and federal politicians (and their respective government departments) involved in the development of the Lower North Shore. The onset of the Depression, however, halted this work. By 1934, the North American economy had recovered to the point where The Tribune Company's newspapers were beginning to require more paper than the Thorold mill could deliver or the company could purchase at advantageous rates. Planning for the development of Baie Comeau was restarted in 1935. Because it was located in the wilderness of the Lower North Shore, the company had to build a complete town. (Baie Comeau was not the first town built by the company, after the First World War it had established Shelter Bay, later Port Cartier, to service its timber limits on the Rivière-aux-Rochers). All aspects of home construction were considered, from heating the houses to financing ownership, the cost of housing, and house designs; considerable effort was put into planning the types of homes to be built and public facilities. The series reveals that because of Baie Comeau's isolation, the company also provided facilities for medical care including the building of a small hospital. Special attention was also devoted to the construction and furnishing of a grand manor house for Colonel McCormick and a "staff house" to serve as a private hotel for visiting company officials. It also documents the company's relations with the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy for the construction of a church and the establishment of new diocese in Hauterive, five miles west of Baie Comeau.
The photographs in this sub-series relate to the construction and development of mills and towns by the Quebec and Ontario Paper Company. They depict the daily life at the beginning and evolution of these new communities on the Quebec Lower North Shore and in Ontario. There are also images of the workers attracted to the region by employment in the pulp and paper industry. Aerial photographs showing the region are also present. The images are fully described in the finding aid.
These photographs (3,300 b&w prints and 300 b&w negatives) illustrating the Baie-Comeau areas include prime examples of industrial photography. They can be used to show the developments in the pulp and paper industry from the 1930s through the 1980s. The early photographs contrast with the later ones taken at the end of the 1980s. In addition to machinery and conditions of life in the woods, the company has kept prints of employees at work and organized them by name, which enables the researcher to know with a fair amount of detail the name and position of the individual in the photograph. Because of this specific identification the photographs are also useful to social historians. As many photographs were used in the Company's magazine, The Observation Post, most have a caption on the reverse. Paul Provencher and a host of Professional photographers took the images including: Business and Industrial, Editorial Associates Limited, John Pope, Studio Yvon, Dominion Engineering Works Ltd, Jean-Jacques Lavoie, George Hunter, Malak, Kaufmann and Fabry Co. Commercial Photographers, Gilbert A Milne, Herbert Nott, Photo Baie Comeau, Photo artistique Enr. Photographs in this sub-series are predominantly black and white, from the 1920s to the 1990s.
The photographs (2,000 b&w prints) depict also the company's activities at Shelter Bay, Franquelin and include the Lac Ste-Anne region. They begin with images of the timber cruises followed by photographs of the development of the villages of Shelter Bay and Franquelin. The daily life of the labour force is depicted both in the bush and in the town. The gradual mechanisation of all facets of logging and transportation is evident from the photographs. Virtually every aspect of the Company's activities from cutting the pulpwood to its eventual loading onto ships for transport to Thorold is documented. There are prints of the following actions: pulpwood cutting (using axes, bucksaws, chainsaws ) and piling of pulpwood, hauling pulpwood (using horses, vehicles) from cutting area to the river landing, through the river drive to the wood flume, and the wharf. Finally loading the wood into the Company's ships is documented. Included are images of woods camp buildings, kitchens and other service facilities, woodcutters off-duty, maintenance of equipment and facilities, construction of buildings, dams, etc. There are also aerial photographs showing the region. As many photographs were used in The Observation Post, most have a caption attached to the reverse of the photograph. The images were taken by Paul Provencher and by professional photographers including Business and Industrial and Editorial Associates Limited.
Many photographs in this sub-series are related to Ontario regions (1,200 b&w prints) pertain to the development of the Thorold mill and the ever continuing expansion of the plant. There are only few photographs showing the early days of the mill including the first aerial view of the mill in 1928, but little survives from before 1930. Unlike the photographs in other series these concentrate on the mill and its own workers. They do not document the company's forestry activities. Featured are images of mill construction and operation, development of the alcohol and vanillin plants, and the growth of the neighbouring community. The Company kept prints of employees at work and organized them by name, which enables the researcher to know with a fair amount of detail the name and position of the individual on the photograph. Special events are documented including anniversaries and visits by dignitaries. Aerials showing the region are also present. The images in this sub-series are significant examples of industrial photography. As in Quebec, many photographs from this sub-series were used in The Observation Post, and most have a caption attached to the reverse of the photograph. They were taken by professional photographers including: Legg Brothers Limited, Business and Industrial, W. E. Shore, Suparler Engravers Ltd, Don Sinclair, Castagne Communications, Ron Sinclair and Jean-Jacques Lavoie, from 1912 to 1996.
There are also photographic records in this sub-series documenting the Company's northern Ontario timber limits at Heron Bay, Manitoulin Island, Manitouwadge and Black River. These images are particularly useful for environmental studies illustrating as they do the exploitation of the virgin forest. They depict the daily life of the workers and the equipment used in harvesting and transporting the pulpwood. Their families and recreational activities are also documented. The Company also took photographs of the reforestation experiments they conducted such as the RC17 project at Heron Bay. Safety and fire prevention training programs are documented. Aerial photographs of the Company's timber limits are included in this sub-series. Taken together these images compliment the photographs of the Lower North Shore in the rest of this Series. Many of these photographs have captions on their reverse. They were taken by professional photographers including W. E. Shore from the1930s to the 1980s. The photographs are more fully described in the finding aid.
The cartographic records, technical and architectural drawings complement the correspondence produced by Arthur Schmon. Arthur Schmon's correspondence deals with all subjects associated with the early development of the company, the timber limits, properties, construction of mills and towns on the Quebec North Shore and in Thorold. Some records were extracted from textual records files for preservation purpose. The provenance of each records is written on the large folder.
