Joseph Govednik 128 pages softcover
Admirers of the power of trains and process of logging will
revel in the images included in Southwest Washington Railroads, which
features the progress of railways in the northwest and the developments
made by this prolific era.
Southwest Washington was famous for its old-growth trees and rich
timber resources during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The
logging railroad marks the era between logs being dragged out with
horses or oxen and the introduction of truck and road transport. These
railroads provided logging companies with greater opportunity to reach
inland areas and access larger timber resources. Logging companies such
as Ostrander, B.F. Brock, Doty Lumber and Shingle, and Polson Logging
Company required railroads to transport harvested timber to mills or to
rivers, where logs would float to mills downstream. Railroads carried
the labor, equipment, and camp materials to work locations. Though most
of these logging businesses are gone, many roads and place names are
attributed to these companies. Over time, the farmed tree and logging
truck took over. Today, stacks of these smaller farmed trees are seen
near the Western Washington ports of Longview and Kalama, replacing the
giant trees of the past. Images of America: Logging Railroads of Southwest Washington is filled with images of the timber harvesting past and the golden age of railroad logging.
