The logging business was what got Eatonville up and running. Here are five fabulous shots of logging in the early days and the use of the steam donkey. It looks primitive today, but it was a huge step up from using horses and cattle to drag the logs.
These pictures are loaded with details. Click on any of them to take a closer look.
I’m not sure where in the wood these photos were shot, or the men in them. So, if you recognize anyone please let me know.
Photos courtesy of the Kjelstad family.
Click on images to enlarge.
Eatonville To Rainier 
4 responses to “Logging in the Early Days (Pictorial)”
Maybe this was just a front for a big moonshine operation !! (LOL)
There is an old steam powered sawmill that still works in Brooks, Oregon.(about 10 miles north of Salem, just off I-5) There is an annual “Steam-Up” every summer, there are a bunch of steam powered tractors also. Check out their website: http://www.antiquepowerland.com
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Cool. I’ll check it out. You see pieces of these out in the woods every now and then. At least now I know what I’m seeing. 🙂
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The donkey in the first photo is a “Tacoma” compound geared yarder was built by Puget Sound Iron & Steel Works as is the donkey in the third photo. the other three donkeys were built by Washington Iron Works. If I knew what company they belonged to I might be able to tell exactly what machine they were.
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Thank you for that! I’ll see if I can find out the comapny.
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