The Story of Rudy the Stave Lake Relic

On the shores of Stave Lake lies a piece of old logging equipment, abandoned some decades past and left to moulder amongst the elements. Dubbed Rudy because of the name painted on the side, it was once a yarder used in logging operations in the area. Now a landmark for boaters as well as a place to explore, much of its story has been lost to time, though a closer look reveals a few clues.

Repurposing WWII Equipment

Those who know their machinery will look at Rudy and notice that the base resembles a tank, which is a correct assumption. Though there is some debate about whether the base is a Sherman tank, tank retriever, or artillery tractor, it’s true that Rudy was made from old WWII machinery.

After WWII, excess military equipment was sold for repurposing, and the logging industry purchased many of these machines. In Rudy’s case, it was turned into a yarder or mobile spar. This machinery uses cables rigged to the pole to transport logs from a cutblock to an area where they can then be loaded onto trucks.

Madill Equipment (S. Madill Logging Equipment) was a company founded in Nanaimo in 1909 that built machinery for logging operations. After WWII, Madill purchased surplus military equipment, which was converted into yarders like Rudy.

Four Tank-Men and a Dog

Though it’s faded now, Rudy the abandoned yarder got its name because it was painted on the side, with the number 102 above. Four Tank-Men and a Dog was a 1960s Polish TV show that followed the adventures of a tank crew during WWII as they roamed the Eastern Front in their tank named Rudy, marked with the number 102.

That Rudy the yarder has the same name and number stamped on it in similar lettering, it’s unlikely to be a coincidence. Since the show was not well known in Canada, it’s likely that somewhere in Rudy’s operational history, someone involved in its operation was Polish and named it after the TV series.

Left Abandoned

Machinery that was no longer valuable enough to justify the expense of removal was left abandoned. In forests all over British Columbia (and even farther up Stave Lake at Foam Creek), old vehicles and machinery are left to the moss and mold, as the forests they once logged sprang up around them once more, erasing the marks they once left on the land. In some ways, it’s poetic, machinery having taken the forest, and the forest now taking the machinery.

Rudy lies prominently on the shore of Stave Lake, left there after logging operations in the area ceased in the 1960s. Due to its location on a peninsula with only water access, Rudy would have needed to be transported to and from the area by barge. Though the yarder was moved to the edge of the water, it was likely too costly to remove, and in turn, was left there, where it remains today.

How to see Rudy

Launch your powerboat at Stave Lake Boat Launch, or your kayak or canoe at Kearsley Creek or Rocky Point Rec Sites for a $10 day use fee. It’s directly across the lake from the Rocky Point Rec Site. You can’t miss it.