Glory Days Of Logging

The reissue of this classic history allows us to once again journey into the past and rediscover for the first time the forgotten men and methods of logging history in the Northwest United States and Canada. This book contain the best photographs of a dozen famous collections: Davis and Benson rafts, river drives, hand logging spar topping big wheels in the pine, saw mills of 1890 to 1915, historical ox teams, tractors, blumes. In this chronicle of the Big Woods, bunk house ballads, humorous sketches and eyewitness accounts of work and life in the tall uncut as well as the rich photographs help the reader to actually feel the old logging atmosphere.

In this first-ever book of its kind for Montana, historian Darris Flanagan has compiled, in text and photograph, a detailed look at the early "glory days" of logging in Montana. From an historical overview to detailed looks at the major components of the state's logging history -- lumberjacks, river drives, tie hacks, horse logging, donkey engines, railroads, trucks, crosscut saws and chainsaws, as well as a lively chapter about the Wobblies and the Strike of 1917 -- he literally provides the reader with a close-up and personal view of this major industry and the rugged men who strode through its colorful history.

Grays Harbor reigned supreme as the "Logging Capital of the World" for 150 years. Homesteaders became loggers and hired local Indians, who had logged the area's massive trees since ancient times. Sailors, too, were hired to rig spar trees. They fearlessly plied lumber schooners across destructive waters and carried timber products to the East Coast, South America, and other foreign ports. Over time, power saws replaced crosscut saws, and logging methods evolved. Today, loggers in Grays Harbor have begun a new phase of producing timber products that is built on a heritage of strong families, good citizens, and hard work.

This highly illustrated book explains the business of logging railroads and provides examples of prototype operations. Photos of locomotives, equipment, and structures set the stage for modeling logging scenes and designing a logging layout.