I was able to find the distant cousin who has a few copies of his dad’s book on genealogy (paternal line) and ordered a copy. Here are some early logging days in Oregon with a few of my ancestors in the mix! Logging is the number one most dangerous job in the world, consistently. But despite harvesting the materials for building homes and other structures, printer paper, toilet paper, furniture, fuel, and all of the other things everyone on the planet has come to rely on - there aren’t medals of honor for fallen loggers, in fact, they are often under attack because logging is so distasteful to many people. I understand the sentiment. As I child the sight of clear cut forest really depressed me. I got into political arguments with my dad about logging all the time. It’s very sad to cut down forests, especially the more we learn about the intelligence of trees / forests, and the world is really coming to terms with the environmental dangers of deforestation. The more I read about it, the more layered and interesting the story of logging gets. Even the old timey loggers who took down the old growth trees often deeply loved the wildernesses they were destroying - and it often destroyed them right back. But the money was comparatively good, as long as their bodies worked - many suffered lifelong occupational health problems. It was complicated then, and even more complicated now. Even more than man vs nature, the issue of bosses vs workers is wrapped up in the history of logging. Year by the year they grew to earn less and less, with more and more risk as the trees they were cutting became smaller and more likely to shatter. Changes with the industry and the companies they worked for led to more contract workers who weren’t always so well-trained. It’s a fascinating history and I’m feeling gratitude this morning for making this discovery, and feeling my connection to the #history of #Oregon. #ancestry #familyhistory #logging #horselogging (at Willamette Valley, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/COLIqIMnQJK/?igshid=mrti51xd664w
