Hats off to the Loggers of old...

[islandlogger]

There are day's when after a 12 hour day of hard core loggin the I think "man that was back breaking!" Ha! I always try and remember the old timers that paved the way for this industry. Those men and boys who stood endless hours on a spring board pushing and pulling the old misery whip and chipping away with the double bits on trees the size we can only dream about. It makes me smile the next day when I pull the cord on my saw and leave the misery whip hanging above the fire place, next to it is the double bit, and both belonged to my Great Grandfather to whom this thread is dedicated to. He ended his days at Camp Grisdale based in the Olympic Mountains of WA State. It was the very last of the logging camps, shut down in 85. While this thread is dedicated to my own Geat Grandfather who's sweat is still stained into the handles of that Misery Whip I invite all the rest of you to take your hats off to the old timers who's blood sweat and tears pave the skid roads of our forests. I hope they are all up there, thumbs hooked in their suspenders, Copenhagen bulge in the lip, felt hat low on the brow, shaking their heads at us with all our new fangled saws and equipment.....


Ladies and Gents, heres to The Loggers Of Old!!   

islandlogger

[timberfaller390]

HERE HERE

[Magicman]

I've heard my Grand Dad tell about never seeing their home in the daylight except on Sundays.  Hats off to them all....

[Sprucegum]

My Father spent a few winters as a cook in a logging camp. He said "them boys could eat!" 

[wwsjr]

My Dad and his cousin paid their way through high school in the late 1930's pulling a crosscut for his uncle who had a mill he moved to the timber. Times were tough in those days according to my dad, but timber was big and almost every small farm had a supply of timber. I still have his crosscut saw. Money was scarce and hard to make a living with the old mill he had. My Dad told me one time that the motor blew up on the mill and to keep sawing my uncle took the motor out of the only car he had, an old Dodge and sawed with it until he could afford a replacement motor. Had to drive the log truck to town and to church on Sunday. Hard times that I have never known.

[Magicman]

My Dad and his cousin paid their way through high school in the late 1930's pulling a crosscut

Willie, You make me feel old.  My late brother and I did that in the 50's.....cutting Black Locust fence post.....

[pineywoods]

I Dang near qualify. My dad gave my brother and I a half acre of sweetgum thicket. We used a buck saw (the metal-frame kind) to cut enough pulpwood to buy or first bicycle. 1949

[ford62783]

i remember my grandfather saying i was born way to late to cut wood cause the days where going out but i still luved rideing that old 225 with him from sun up to sun down he tryed hard to keep me out of the woods for my best interest but u cant keep the saw dust out of ur blood once its in there he gave me the love of the woods and i know he is looking down smileing and nodding saying i wish i had a saw that didnt weight 20 pounds when i was younger

they where a diffrent breed of man tough to the bone and hard as a stone but we all loved them and there stories i hope they all are cutting there way thrugh heaven god bless them le boys

[pasbuild]

I remember the picture of my late uncle at the family hunting camp, Its a picture of him as a young man standing next to 2½-3 cord of mine poles that he cut and hauled road side on his shoulder, his son said he would do this in a long day   He had his shirt off in the picture and he would have made Arnold Schworsneger  (sp)  look like a sissy.