Lumberjacks
Felling giants with axes and brawn
Alex Q. Arbuckle
1892-1937
Before the advent of modern chainsaws and logging machinery, the hard work of the lumber industry was done by men known as lumberjacks.Working out of remote camps, lumberjacks developed a process and division of labor to transform a mighty tree into kindling by hand. “Fallers” did the actual job of felling a tree with axes and saws. Once felled and delimbed, a tree was either cut into logs by a “bucker,” or skidded or hauled to a railroad or river for transportation. Sometimes chutes with flowing water called log flumes were built to transport logs down mountainous terrain. The brawny culture and curious practices of lumberjacking captured the popular imagination: log flumes inspired amusement park rides, and log rolling — balancing atop a floating, rolling log — became a competitive sport.With the invention of motor vehicles, chainsaws and other machinery, the old culture faded. Modern workers in the lumber industry are known simply as loggers.
