Loading logs

[Indiana Robinson]

I was looking for something else and ran across this picture of a sled load of logs about half way down this page. Scares me.  ;D
http://agrariannation.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-1854-1855-1856-1857-1868.html


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[Anderson]

That's a pretty wild picture!

I have been reading a few of Eric Sloane's book's and he make's reference to that pic in a few of them.
He claim's there was 16 cord's on that jack sled

[Indiana Robinson]

That's a pretty wild picture!

I have been reading a few of Eric Sloane's book's and he make's reference to that pic in a few of them.
He claim's there was 16 cord's on that jack sled

I have read some of his books. He paints great pictures with a pen. 

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[Magicman]

I wonder if any of the really wild pictures are actually staged for the camera  ???  I am not saying, just wondering.  That would be kinda 1868 "photo shopping".

[Onthesauk]

Staged or not, how did they ever get them up that high?

[leroy in kansas]

Staged or not, how did they ever get them up that high?

In the pic, it apears they are loading with rope. The log hanging on the left side looks like it has the ropes in place. Don't know where this log is going to go though. ??

[Anderson]

I wonder if any of the really wild pictures are actually staged for the camera  ???  I am not saying, just wondering.  That would be kinda 1868 "photo shopping".

It's interesting you say that..I did a little research into the picture Indiana posted and while I believe that the horses did move that load there was a competition amongst logging camps of that era to see who could deck the biggest load onto a single sleigh.
Here's the link.
http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/rosholt/wi-logging-book/wilogging/images/00000009.pdf
Some pretty amazing stuff in there.

I think the biggest load that was moved by horses was 31,480 board feet pulled by 4 horses for 1 mile.

[hardtailjohn]

Yah, they'd pull it. The horses will be sharp shod and are used to working... they know how to pull right and that sled is well shined up on the runner bottoms. Once it's moving, it's very easy to keep moving on a sled. Our old feed sled with about a ton and a half of hay on it, could be moved by one hand if the going was right.. . but like was said... stopping it is another story. I'd imagine there'd be a runner lock chain on every corner.

[bandmiller2]

That picture was staged,theirs no economy in a load like that,the time and finess to load it two or three normal loads could be hauled.One runner in a rut and you loose it all.Bet just out of sight was a stiff leg to load.It is impressive though and that photo will last forever. Frank C.

[Sixacresand]

I wonder how many sledding trip up the hill it took before they moved the mill to the bottom of the hill.  Just a thought.  Reminds me of the episode on Bonanza, where Hoss somehow acquired an elephant and used it to sled logs.  Before that Hoss pull the sled and Little Joe rode on the sled.

[5quarter]

I too thought those photos were all staged, as there are plenty of pictures of horses looking ready to pull those loads, but not so many actually doing it. It turns out though that there is a science to building and moving those large loads that made it very efficient for smaller mills when extracting prime timber from hard to reach areas. Loads larger than the one pictured were routine in some areas. Some time ago, I read a detailed, first-hand account of this type of logging which was a transcript of a 1930's or 40's oral interview currently in a state historical archive. I wish I could recall which state...maybe someone here has read the same transcript and can link to it.

[wdtik]

I've always been facinated by early day logging and the tales
from the men who were part of it.  I learned tree falling from
one such man known as "Frenchy" one heck of a great guy.  He was
from MI came west to log.. anyway this site has
some great pics of large loads of logs..

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/Buffalo/PB39.html

[shelbycharger400]

54 logs   look to be 18 to 24 in dia,  at least 10 ft

Yep, the animals were expendable ,  that load should have had atleast 2 more hay burners

somewhere around 50,000 lbs im guessing on the sled.     i dont think 2 horses should be pullin that.

[Magicman]

I enjoyed that link wdtik.   

[shinnlinger]

I can see loading that for a staged photo, but what about unloading it?  A guy up there with a peavy rolling logs is great until the whole pile goes.

[beenthere]

I suspect they use pike poles to get the top logs rolled off. But don't know that for sure. ;)

[Woodchuck53]

Years ago I had the oppurtunity to work 21 and 7 in The Land Of Lakes. The bucket truck was DOT so I had down time on the weekends. As it turns out I had found a replica of a logging camp mueseum and went and spent the day there one Saturday. The care taker explained that during the early winter they would take a sled up thru the logging area with heavy and wide runners. These cut the furrows for the water wagon. This sled was a tanker and they would build up the ice in these furrows during the winter harvest. They made those huge loads because it was easy for the teams to move them. They had another sled fixed up to carry hay and a crowd of young boys to walk along with the loads and put hay down as a type of brake when the areas were to steep. He said they would log all winter in bad areas that they couldn't get in during the spring and summer because of marshy terrain.

I found it interesting that the best built shelter in those camps were the barns for the animals. They had tighter living quarters than the wood cutters. The job depended on the animals to haul it out. A good team was more valuable than the cook and he was more so than the men he cooked for. The place had a collection of wicked looking axes and early power saws. They had hunters with them for the shooting of game and to keep the larger critters off the crews. I have a picture some where at home of my baseball cap setting inside of a bear trap with room to spare on all sides.

It was a good visit and he also explained that they would set poles against the load and use another team to roll the log up on the stack. It looked scary as heck to me. Hope this ramblin on shed so light on this post.

[thecfarm]

My Father use to haul out wood on a small scale with horses. He talked about the hay too. After so many trips the hay he would have to take the hay back to the top of the hill. Logging sure has changed. Pulp don't have to be peeled,can be 8 foot,tree lenght,don't have to be 4 foot. Trucks are not loaded by man or horse power.

[bandmiller2]

The giant redwoods were in no great danger until the advent of the steam donkey and later power saws. Frank C.

[Dave VH]

bionic horses? or do all of those dudes have to get behind it and push too?