Some old and new pictures of the falls and a discussion can be found on the westcoastpaddler website
I came across an image of the Bridal Veil falls in this document: Summer handbook and official programme of the second annual British Colunmbia Conference Coast Summer School, including the Conference Epworth League and Sunday School Convention, held at Columbian Methodist College, New Westminster, B.C., commencing 2 p.m. July 3rd, including 10 p.m. July 8th, 1906 [microform] (1906)
Though it is of a poor quality, it matches the image on the postcard, below where the photograph is attributed to: New Westminster photographer W.T. Cooksley. with a view of three people at Bridal Veil Falls, Pitt Lake (circa 1905-1907)
1942 map
1988 map
photo by: Richard Teszka 2007
Abandoned on the west shore of Pitt Lake just north of Defrauder Creek.
This is a logging donkey relic from the logging of TB 290, it was built by the Washington Iron Works, Seattle, Washington C/N 1502 and is a 2 drum [duplex] yarding setup. It was originally further up onshore, but a tugboat company in New Westminster attempted to recover the unit, and gave up after pulling it along the shore, and the log skids crumbled, and it was caught up in the rocks.Washington Iron Works was a company in Seattle, Washington, founded by John M. Frink, (1855-1914) that built these steam skidders. The company was active from 1882 until the 1980s when its various divisions – manufacturing cranes, logging equipment, and presses – were gradually sold off. The Works closed in 1986.
Washington Iron Works engines revolutionized steam logging in the 1920s and 1930s.
Washington Iron Works built these machines in three sizes, 9x10¼, 10½x10¼ and
12x12. Demand for these yarders remained strong until about 1915 then fell off as more
sophisticated logging methods came into use. Washington built their last compound geared
yarder in July 1923 with only a handful sold in the previous five year.
The Pitt Lake unit is one of only six remaining, and should truly be in a museum.
A road leads up from where the donkey engine is and an old camp from the 1940-50's? is to be found above the falls, a small gypo sawmill is there, huge pile of waste, and collapsed buildings. There is also a crib dam in Defrauder Creek, filled with rubble, which was used to generate power at one time.
At one time there was also a cabin at the foot of the falls, and a relative of a friend of mine lived some of his last days there, until health concerns brought him out to "civilization" and shortly after the cabin was vandalized and burned, which sadly seems to be a typical fate for many buildings along Pitt Lake.
This area today is all inside Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, and continues to be popular with recreationists, as it has for many generations.
It has always been Bridal Veil Falls to me.
