A Brief History of Logging

Logging has been an essential part of America since the 1600’s. Shipbuilding fueled the need for lumber and the demand grew intensively with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution. By the early 1830s, Bangor, Maine, was the world's biggest shipping port for lumber, with over 8.7 trillion board feet moved out of the area between 1832 and 1888. In the mid-1800s, the process of making paper from wood pulp was established. William Rittenhouse founded America's first paper mill in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1690, but until the middle of the 19th century, paper was produced from rags and other materials. As America grew we headed out west in search of new land resources. The land that homesteaders settled was usually heavily wooded which required them to remove the forestry before they could build or farm. Early loggers and settlers cut timber near water and moved farther away as the wood supply on that land was depleted. The water made it easy to move timber to mills and overseas, but as loggers were forced farther inland, they needed to develop new methods of transporting their product. One popular technique for hauling lumber was to use horses and oxen to drag logs over skid roads and rough tracks through the woods. Loggers Customarily worked in all-male crews. Loggers also acquired their own vocabulary that is still used today. A “bucker” who cuts the trees into small pieces while the “faller” is the one who cuts them down. Loggers depended up axes, handsaws, and animals before the invention of steam engines and gas-powered vehicles. Now days they use heavy equipment and chainsaws. Even though logging has evolved it is still considered one of the most dangerous occupations. In 2005 there were 91 deaths in the American Logger Industry which had 106,000 employees. Loggers lived in remote camps near their work sites. Camps were often infested with lice and other diseases and it wasn't uncommon for loggers to wear the same clothes for months on end. These tough conditions inspired an image of loggers as men of immense strength and made them the epitome might. Over time, labor unions were adamant about getting better conditions for loggers and as things improved, wives and families moved to the camps, establishing schools and other community features.

http://www.history.com/shows/ax-men/articles/history-of-logging