Emily and I went on a hike with Megan to visit Bobby at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center where he has been working over the summer. The hike in was a gentle three mile gravel road running alongside Opal Creek. The Ancient Forest Center is the site of a small company mining town. All of the buildings are either vintage or have been faithfully constructed to mimic the style.
Looking down at Opal Creek from the road/trail.
Crossing one of several bridges on the way to Jawbone Flats.
The whole Opal Creek watershed is populated with old growth timber. Even with sawmills operating along the creek they never cut down the trees.
The pools are all so very blue-green. Like opals!
A pretty waterfall along the trail.
Megan and Emily taking in the view.
Coming into Jawbone Flats.
Lots of old cars were abandoned in town.
Old mining equipment.
Bobby’s house. An old miner’s shack that he had all to himself.
Other miners shacks.
Main street.
Battle Axe Creek runs through the middle of town.
The powerhouse for the Ancient Forest Center.
Old mining equipment.
Fire truck.
The boneyard.
An old gravel processing operation.
Crossing over Opal Creek.
Opal Pool. Bobby measured the pool to be about 30 or so feet deep.
The bridge over the creek.
Walking up to the top of the bluff.
From the top of the bluff that overlooks the gravel operation.
Looking down river.
The inside of one of the trucks abandoned in the town. Looks like it last drove sometime in the early 80’s.
Another truck missing its floorboards.
This would be a painful ride.
The cluster of cabins where Bobby lives.
A very old car. Notice the rims.
Walking down through town back to the trail.
A big steam engine for driving sawmill equipment.
More steam-powered sawmill equipment.
The boiler for the old sawmill.
Hello Douglas, I was browsing the internet looking for more information about steam powered sawmills. I have a particualar interest in a large three underfired boiler steam powered sawmill that operated in a remote place called port Craig at the bottom of the South Island New Zealand , ILive in Invercargill. I am building a 1:50 scale model of it . There is virtually nothing left, it operated in the 1920s and was pulled down in the 1930s. I am particularly inerested in the photo you took of the brick boilerhouse at Opal Creek. This is the first photo I have seen of the boiler in place. Did you take any other photos of it by chance ? The previous photo is interesting too. This steam engine and winches are part of a log hauler that that had log skids and often a vertical boilerand was used to pull logs to the tramline for transport to the mill. regards David mollison
Hi David,
I think that’s the only photo of the boiler that I have. However I could go back and take more photos if it would help you. It would be a good excuse for me to go visit Opal Creek again.
Currently I’m in Sydney for some work and will actually be in New Zealand in another month or so for a holiday. By the end of September I could have some more photos of the boiler and other odds and ends around the old sawmill site. Let me know if they would still be useful then.
Regards,
Douglas