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Old timers logging camp diets - interesting read

Started by chuckthompson, October 14, 2013, 08:33:11 PM

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chuckthompson

Came across this .pdf & thought it interesting.  These guys burned around 9000 calories.... A DAY.
Enjoy..

http://www.foresthistory.org/Publications/JofFH/Conlin.pdf

Mods - if this is in the wrong category, apologies in advance - please move as appropriate - THANKS!

Al_Smith

I have the Time-Life book entitled " The Loggers " which tells of the westward expansion of logging in the PNW .Most of those wiry little rascals only weighed about 170 pounds soaking wet and could eat as much as a family of 4 .

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

beenthere

Had the great experience of living for a week and getting "room and board" at a logging camp in NW California in early 60's. Could not believe the quantity of good food that just disappeared before my eyes when the loggers sat down to eat.
The cook warned ahead of time about no talking, don't pass a plate of food by and expect anything to be on it when it came back. Take it now and don't wait. Hardly got food on my plate before the rest were standing up and walking out the door.
After breakfast, the loggers picked up a box for lunch. About the size of a large shoe box, and had 4 sandwiches with 1/2" slices of meat, 1/4 pie, and don't recall what else was there. Maybe apple and orange. Couldn't begin to eat all that for lunch.
Anyway, interesting to read the Forest History article.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

barbender

When sitting in the cab of a forwarder, I'm afraid I'm lucky if I burn 9000 calories in a week :( I'm afraid I've gone soft :) Those guys knew what an honest days work was, and then some.
Too many irons in the fire

CCC4

Quote from: Al_Smith on October 14, 2013, 08:58:34 PM
I have the Time-Life book entitled " The Loggers " which tells of the westward expansion of logging in the PNW .Most of those wiry little rascals only weighed about 170 pounds soaking wet and could eat as much as a family of 4 .

170?? That's kinda phatt ain't it?? LOL! Just Joking, but I roll at 5'11 160#  8) Yesterday I cut for 10 hours straight in rough ground with my MS 660. It would have been 11 hours but my skidder OP left early and at th end of the day I had to jump on the skidder and pull a couple hitches for a couple late loads being loaded due to the rain coming. Us "wiry" dudes are hard to run behind! LOL!

Normal diet for me is (4) eggs and bacon for breakfast, sandwich at 10, sandwich at 12, PB&J when I get home and finally dinner...if there is a cake....look out cos I'm gonna eat half of it and a half gallon of milk! LOL!

This summer I got my jaw broke and diet became a very crucial part of my day. I went back to work after (4) days, the heat was near 100* at the time and puling 9 hr falling days (6) days a week. I have no fat stores so I had to drink mass quantities of "weight gainer" shakes, "Whey protein" shakes and lots and lots of soup. I made my version of a "Super Smoothie" which was jam packed with protein and calories. What ever I did worked...I lost zero weight and actually gained (1) pound!

"Super Logger Smoothie"

Any type of 100% pure fruit juice, 2 cups of frozen fruit chunks, 2 bananas, 2 cups of yogurt, 1 scoop of weight gainer, 1 scoop of whey protein, 6 multi vitamins, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of sugar.


CCC4

Quote from: chuckthompson on October 14, 2013, 08:33:11 PM
Came across this .pdf & thought it interesting.  These guys burned around 9000 calories.... A DAY.
Enjoy..

http://www.foresthistory.org/Publications/JofFH/Conlin.pdf

Mods - if this is in the wrong category, apologies in advance - please move as appropriate - THANKS!

VERY GOOD READ!!! Thanks for posting! I made my earlier post before reading the article...very informative!

luvmexfood

Thanks for posting this. I enjoy reading stuff like this.
Give me a new saw chain and I can find you a rock in a heartbeat.

lynde37avery

cool story, 4 sandwiches and a 1/4 pie? holy I don't eat all that in even 2 meals. I think id throw up. and I could not live on beans 3 times a day either. I would if its all there was of course. but not by choice lol.  tough crew of men back in those times. oh time to go my delivery Chinese food is here.
Detroit WHAT?

DDDfarmer

working outside cutting firewood all morning... I could eat that plus drink close to a gallon of liquids.  You don't eat that all at once, but here and there.

When I worked construction, we all had those mid sized coolers.  They were empty before we got home that night.  Present job downsized to the little-Oscar, some days that doesn't last 7 hours. But that's a nice easy job 8)
Treefarmer C5C with cancar 20 (gearmatic 119) winch, Husky 562xp 576xp chainsaws

thecfarm

My Father had a saying,Eat enough for 3 men cutting wood. If you was cutting wood the way they did,you could eat 4 sandwiches and a ¼ of a pie easy. And you would not get fat. Yes,they might of ate some foods that would turn us into 350 pounds of fat sitting in front of a TV each night. But those poor guys worked. Out in the cold too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

exSW

The cold part burns a lot of calories .You work outside in the winter 8-10 hours with out going inside 'cept maybe for lunch you burn a lot of calories.You also will be way tireder than you would be doing the same work in fair weather. 
"well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison"

Paul_H

I was 17 my first time in a logging camp and was awed by the amount of food layed out.My older brother was with me in the breakfast line and he had been in camp many times before me.
He said see that crabby looking old guy at the grill? Make sure you know how you want your eggs before he asks you or he'll fly off the handle.
I guess Don was humming and hawing his first time up to the counter and it was memorable :D
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

sawguy21

I worked on the fire lines the first summer out of high school, I was a skinny kid (certainly not anymore) and was awed by the amount of good food provided by one cook in an outdoor kitchen. After a few days I could fill my plate with the best of them. Some guys can't cut back on the food as they grow older and the metabolism slows down though, my wife is a DanG good cook so has to keep an eye on  me. :D
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

exSW

Quote from: sawguy21 on October 19, 2013, 12:32:49 PM
I worked on the fire lines the first summer out of high school, I was a skinny kid (certainly not anymore) and was awed by the amount of good food provided by one cook in an outdoor kitchen. After a few days I could fill my plate with the best of them. Some guys can't cut back on the food as they grow older and the metabolism slows down though, my wife is a DanG good cook so has to keep an eye on  me. :D
Man ain't that the truth.I was able to pack it a way well into my 40's(I was still burning the candle at both ends work wise)But the last few years I've had to watch.Sedentary regular job makes my farm and woods work as much an exercise plan as secondary income.
"well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison"

Al_Smith

I could mow it away as a youngster .Growing up in farm country a young man could always find work .It was physically  intensive about like those loggers mentioned .

In those days the farmers wives would really sit out a spread --feeding thrashers so to speak .

I'm lucky because in older years for reasons unknown my body regulates the amount I intake and I haven't varied much in weight in years .At 220 I'm certainly not skinny but there isn't much  fat .My wife is an excellant cook too .

In a few weeks when the frost is on the pumpkin and the geese start to gather up I have a little logging to do ,some firewood etc .During that time the old appetite will kick in for a short while I'm certain of that . ;D

SwampDonkey

Thinning brush for 8 hours a day will keep ya trim to. ;D :D

But, I've also been in those camps. Not all camps have the spread everyone talks about. Some camps have food that belongs in a hog trough. Hiring people and buying food that don't belong in a kitchen. But the best camp I was in was unionized. Better than any restaurant I ever ate in.  ;D :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

sawguy21

I hear ya SD. I have been in well run camps with a cook who knows what he/she is doing and runs a tight operation, they tend to hire and keep good people. Others were poorly managed and had a high turn over, they  attracted those who had worn out their welcome elsewhere.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

justallan1

I definitely remember the food from when I was in the woods, mills and on fires and learned early on that what you didn't eat right now, you took with you. You never knew exactly when you were getting off a mountain somewhere, especially on fires, and it could get miserable fast being hungry, tired and cold.
To this day I carry a lunchbox with granola bars, energy bars, snickers bars and candy any time I'm on the ranch, plus a bunch of water and Gatorade.

Allan

Full Chisel

Quote from: SwampDonkey on October 19, 2013, 06:33:31 PM
But the best camp I was in was unionized. Better than any restaurant I ever ate in.  ;D :)

I don't really like onions, but you'd be surprised what you'll eat when ya get hungry enough.
Jed: Jethro, how's come they ain't no ice in Kali Forni-a?

Jethro: Don't look at me Uncle Jed. I didn't take it.

HiTech

My Grandfather was an old time logger and stayed at the logging camps in the winter months. He may have weighed 150 lbs. I can remember him telling of the meals they ate. Soups, stews, coffee were made by the gallons. Meats were served on platters you could hardly pick up. Potatoes were bought by the ton. One thing I remember him saying was that loggers were not allowed in the kitchen. You sat at the table and everything was brought to you.

Mark Wentzell

I lost 20 pounds this summer from thinning, didn't think it was possible for me without losing an arm.

It's amazing how much those guys ate. Eating that amount of food would probably kill me, let alone the work they did. 

SwampDonkey

The bossman worked the pants off ya did he? :D I think that's what happened to me. I had to dig out some slimmer pants. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

ashes

After looking in the Food sub-forum I would say things haven't changed much except maybe the serving size.

I live very close to the Samoa Cookhouse and have to say that is a really cool place. I could only imagine it in its time. Even now it is long tables and you may have random folks sharing a meal with you because of how the seating is. It is still all you can eat, and they throw out some pretty good grub too. As like the old times though, you get what they are making.

There is a lot of really interesting old logging antiques in there as well.

kderby

Wow, I enjoyed that article.  Looking at the pay and conditions they faced at that time is very humbling. 

I thought about the No Talking during meals rule.  I wondered about the basis for such a custom.  I think it would be a good way to stop fights in the chow hall.  All those men in a tight space would be like caged animals.  It would not take much for a mouth to open and a fight to break out.  Then the meal is interrupted, chow lost and a big mess to clean up.  Better to file in sit down and eat in silence.

If you want a fight, or shoot off your mouth.....it is not gonna be in the mess hall.  :snowball:

Any other ideas why they had the mealtime silence as the rule?


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