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These 12 Rare Photos Show Oregon's Logging History Like Never Before

By Mikayla | Published September 17, 2017

The timber industry has played a vital role in Oregon’s legacy and growth as a state. These photos provide a unique peek at the Beaver State’s logging history and the rugged individuals who helped shape our great state into what it is today. Take a look:

Around the turn of the 20th century, the Pacific Northwest was at the forefront of the timber industry.

The men who worked in the industry typically lived in logging camps. There were usually bunkhouses for single men, and some camps had housing for families.

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Most logging camps had a cookhouse with a kitchen and dining hall. If a camp had a good cook, it was often able to attract and keep the best workers.

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While logging was normally an exclusively male profession, many women worked in the industry during WWII.

Lumberjacks often lived and worked in the forests 24/7.

These men of the forest harvested trees by cutting them down with axes and cross-cut saws. This was a physically demanding job and working conditions were often dangerous.

After the trees were cut down, the "buckers" were responsible for breaking the tree up into sections.

Logs were then loaded onto trestles for transport.

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Log flumes were used to transport lumber and logs over mountainous terrain.

Once the logs made it to the sawmill, they were cut into lumber.

Sawmills have long been considered a defining symbol of Oregon. In 1870, there were approximately 173 mills in the state.

The Brooks Scanlon Lumber Company was a major mill located near Bend, Oregon.

For more historic snapshots of Oregon’s past, be sure to check out our previous article: Here Are The Oldest Photos Ever Taken In Oregon And They’re Incredible.

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