THIS article about loggers in the 1915 period in California blew me away. Lots of great old photos. Can you imagine those guys taking out those trees AND transporting them with no machinery or modern vehicles? It must have been a hard life. Yeah, you have to feel sorry for the majestic trees, but, it was a different time. I just found out how to take down a good sized tree with a pocket knife. I probably never will, but, it's just good to know I could. This article is worth looking at for the pictures alone. I wonder if there were any women who did this kind of work? Something tells me there were a few. I might have to look that up.
6 comments:
comment got interrupted by blimps in the distance!! :) still two in the akron area and they're flying in tandem circling downtown....hope they fly over north hill in a bit!!!
back on topic....i went to the article and i seriously had to SEARCH for a bit for the man in that one picture surrounded by the tree trunks!!!! and definitely a different time.....at that time, they were actually using the wood to build things, whereas now they seem to just chop down trees, grind 'em up and use the mulch or just dump the branches somewhere to rot and then build strip plazas where once there was forest.....
I was just thinking of the animals and the trees, 1st of all. Mostly, the trees. It was resource and way to make a living of course, but it looks like a bomb went off! Back then they weren't required to replant saplings either. I doubt they were even regulated, at all. It was/is a very dangerous job and there was no OSHA back then. If you have ever seen Ax Men on History Channel, you can see how unforgiving the land is. I also noticed all the chippings laying around the stumps and they didn't even realize what a resource that was I bet! Of course now they use it all. Maybe they did use it. Can u imagine how their campfires smelled! YUM! & the camps were ran by men, weren't they? If a woman came around a ax camp, it was probably to whore herself out. Those men hit the bars and saloons and whores when they went to town, I am guessing maybe some older women may have worked the camps,as cooks but those guys wanted the dance hall gals and whores when they got paid. It would have been a hard life for a woman back then. There would have been bear and cougar attacks all the time and just dangerous. Cool pictures tho. I enjoyed the article. It was different new century and a new world out west. Those trees are glorious tho. :(
rox
Yep, but, I'm sure there were a few lone women who bucked the system even back them. They had to. No man and no money, they'd do what they had to.
If there were women cutting down trees, they sure as hell better have been eating their share of steaks around the camp fire!
Beth
Yea, but the women in those camps were probably mean and ugly or looked like Ma Kettle, with no teeth! But could probably cook up a big mess for them. If they were out there they didn't have any other home to go to, you know thats the truth. Tough going. Probably worked till they died. Kinda like now!
rox
Hell yeah, Beth. Bet they did too and weren't ashamed of it. Work like a damn man and get fed like a damn bird..grumble.
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