Lumberjack

logging · history · hard work · forest

Hand tool heroes. Before power saws existed, lumberjacks used axes and handsaws to fell enormous trees. It was exhausting, dangerous work that took real skill and strength.

Oxen power. Lumberjacks didn't have trucks or machines to move heavy logs. Instead, they hitched teams of oxen to drag the massive tree trunks through the forest to rivers.

River highways. Lumberjacks would float logs down rivers to mills where they'd be cut into lumber. The rivers acted like nature's transportation system before roads were built everywhere.

Camp life. Lumberjacks lived in rough camps deep in the forest during the work season. They'd spend months together cutting trees, eating hearty meals, and sleeping in bunkhouses.

Peak era. The golden age of lumberjacking in America was before 1945, when most logging was done by hand. After that, chainsaws and machines changed the work forever.