Cranbrook Cartage

CRANBROOK CARTAGE PLAYS A KEY ROLE.

                A company which has played a key role in development of the East Kootenay area is the Cranbrook Cartage and Transfer Co. Ltd.

            In 1931, Oscar Jostad and Charles Nelson moved to Cranbrook from Bull River and bought the business of Towriss and Roberts, a coal, wood and transfer business.  At Bull River Mr. Jostad had operated a store, and Mr. Nelson ran a tie mill, cutting ties for the C.P.R.

            They continued with a tie mill at Cranbrook, cutting on various limits close to the city.

            Eventually they built a camp some 20 miles out on the Gold Creek road, from which they operated two, and sometimes three mills, cutting ties and also cutting lumber for the prairie trade and the U.S. market.

            About 1951, the two men moved to a new camp from which they ran one outfit, and they acquired timber on what is known as the watershed, putting in a mill some 12 miles from Cranbrook.

            In 1955 the company bought the A.H. Moore business in Fort Steele and, by agreement with Crestbrook Timber Ltd., cut timber in what is known as the east fork, about 12 miles from Fort Steele.

            As markets increased, operations expanded until, at the present with three portable mills – two of them with gang saws – they are producing about 50m per day, hauled by truck to the planning mill in Cranbrook.

            Mr. Jostad died in 1954 and his son was elected president, carrying on in the dual role of president and sales manager.

            Mr. Nelson still carries on as vice-president, and comes into the office each day, but does not go into the woods very often because, he says, “that is for the younger men.”

            They do not have a camp now, but transport the men by crew bus to the various operations.  The planing mill, just past the Rod & Gun Club Hall, employs about 25 men, including the yard piling crew, and the green chain crew, who sort the lumber that comes in from the various mills.

            Mr. Jostad and Mr. Nelson purchased the mill at Galloway from Mike Dumont some years back, and this mill has been under the management of Mr. Henry Nelson since that time.

            They also purchased, in 1962, the business of Graf Bros., at Wardner and have since cut out the timber left on the Graf limits.