The Rafters of the Renaico River
by Leonardo Albornoz B. Teacher of History, Geography, and Civics
From 1920 to 1966, the logging industry greatly expanded in the Malleco National Reserve, due to land concessions granted by the state to companies that cut down highly valuable native tree species there, such as oak, coigüe, and raulí. The state received 30% of profits, while the companies kept 70%. This was big business, and it attracted families from all over the country to live and work in the logging industry.
Wood was transported by train out of the area around Collipulli and into the cities. The Malleco Reserve, where the wood was cut, was one of the more remote areas of the region. The roads were hard to navigate and conditions were often poor, especially during the winter. So loggers began to use the Renaico River to transport the lumber, using an intricate system of rafts.
The rafters transported the lumber along the Renaico River to different places, especially to the city of Concepción. Sometimes they went no further than the town of Renaico, where the lumber was loaded onto trains.
The rafting trips began when the rains came, in May of each year, until about September or October. The amount of lumber transported ranged from about 400 to 700 inches per trip, depending on each rafter’s skill level. The rafts traveled in caravans, and once they got to bigger rivers, like the Biobío, they would tie their rafts together, to make the trip to Concepción more stable and efficient.
The trips were between 12 and 15 days long, depending on the current and the amount of lumber being transported. When the weather was bad, the rafters had to take anchor on the riverbanks and wait out the rain or snow under improvised shelters made of boards laid across tree trunks, which they called ranchas. These ranchas were made from wood that the rafts were carrying.
It was a difficult job, and many people got hurt or were even drowned in the waters of the Renaico. Even people who didn’t know how to swim sometimes worked on the rafts, tying themselves to them with rope in case they were thrown off.
When they reached their destination, the lumber was weighed and counted, and they returned with their money—and the wire they used to build their rafts—by train back to Mulchén or Collipulli, and then from there back home on foot. They would then use the lumber they were transporting to build yet another raft, and begin the trip down the river once again.
The rafts went out of fashion once more modern trucks, with greater capacity, began to be used. Those who had once used rafts transitioned to working in the sawmills and other modern facilities, or they worked building roads and bridges.
