By the mid-1820's the great timber trade of the Maritimes was well established. This engraving shows "John Robertson's Steam Mill and Deal Wharf at Saint John, N.B." The date is probably around 1840. John Robertson was a timber merchant and ship owner from the 1820's to around the 1850's. While Robertson's timber yard was a very large operation, this scene, on a smaller scale would have been very common throughout the Maritime Provinces.
This fine drawing shows clearly an assortment of ships, barques and brigs of this period. Note the small paddle steamer next to the wharf and the men working on the logs in the foreground.
