Logging Job And Its Foundation

By George Dodson


Logging is a good job which started in the Americas in the 1600s. For North America economy lumber was essential when the settlers came in Jamestown in 1607. Lumber was a necessary material for ship building and its demand amplified with the start of Industrial Revolution. Wood pulp is used to make paper and it started in the 1800s.

Americans looked for new land and natural resources and for this purpose they move to the west all over the 19th century. According to the Homestead Act in 1862 the settlers needed at least 160 acres land per family so, the move to the west for it. Before using the land it was essential to clean the land because, those lands were deeply forested.

The selection of working place was water based in the past. The loggers usually left the place after collecting the trees. It was easy to transport the logs through water. When they started working in more local area they need something new transportation method. The most popular method of that time was pulling timbers. This method included the horses and oxen to haul logs over rough roads or skid tracks. It was more convenient for the log drivers to drive logs to their desired places when the log workers used to work near a stream. People use other systems. This system included a simple railway made by lumbers to transport the logs. The logs were sorted according to their use when the log cam to the main waterway with the aid of different transportation system. After then they sent the logs to mills.

It is an interesting fact that, loggers used their own vocabulary and it was mandatory being a male for this job. The word faller used for the men who chopped the tree while bucker used for the men who processed the trees. Finally, the men who carry those processed logs to the uploading area called whistle punk. The equipments of logging job were only the axes, hand saws and animals prior to the invention of engine.

In 19th and 20thcentury the loggers liked to live around their working area. The loggers had to work hard all the day long and they used to live in an unhygienic place. They affected by different diseases and parasites and used to wear the same cloth for many days. They believed that, a true brave man can face all the adverse conditions.




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