In this robust, informal book, Robert E. Pike tells the colorful story of logging and log-driving in New England.
The New England loggers and river drivers were a unique breed of men. Working with their axes and peaveys through Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, they contributed mightily to the development of the United States. The daily life of the loggers was hard — working in deep icy water fourteen hours a day, sleeping in wet blankets, eating coarse food, and constantly risking their lives. Their pay was very low, yet they were proud to call themselves loggers. When they came out of the woods after the spring drives, they ebulliently spent their pay carousing in the staid New England towns. Robert E. Pike, who as a youth worked in the woods and on the rivers, writes affectionately and knowingly, with humorous anecdotes, of every detail of lumbering. He describes the daily life of the logging camps, giving a picture of the different specialist jobs: the camp boss, the choppers, the sawyers and filers, the scaler, the teamsters, the river men, the railroaders, and the lumber kings. His descriptions bring the reader vividly into the woods, smelling the tangy, newly cut timber, hearing the boom of the falling trees. "The author's lively prose matches the temper of his subject. . . . This is basic history, geography, psychology, economics, and folklore all rolled into one top-quality volume." — R. S. Monahan, New York Times Book Review Illustrated with many rare photographs
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The author's lively prose matches the temper of his subject. . . . This is basic history, geography, psychology, economics, and folklore all rolled into one top-quality volume. -- New York Times Book Review, R. S. Monahan
About the Author
Robert E. Pike died in 1997.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A colorful trip back in time,
By Len LaFlam (Central NH United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tall Trees, Tough Men: A Vivid, Anecdotal History of Logging and Log-Driving in New England (Paperback)
After visiting the Great North woods of New Hampshire for the last 12 years, and learning of my ancestors involvement in the logging industry, I decided to purchase this book and was greatly impressed by the varied stories of life in the lumber camp and on the drives. Though the different jobs were skimmed over in description, it gave a good look into the past. Oh to be a fly in the woods in those days. Very enjoyable reading.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lumber Jack Stories,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tall Trees, Tough Men: A Vivid, Anecdotal History of Logging and Log-Driving in New England (Paperback)
This was a great little book packed with history of the lumber business in America. The content was easy to read and educational. The stories of hardship and true grit of the early pioneers of New England was very entertaining. A good read for those interested the outdoors, early America and the lumber industry.
4.0 out of 5 stars
fun read,
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This review is from: Tall Trees, Tough Men: A Vivid, Anecdotal History of Logging and Log-Driving in New England (Paperback)
I got this book because I'm a fan of the Ax Men show and wanted to read a bit more about the industry. This book covers the early industry and workers and is filled with a lot of great stories. It doesn't seem like it would be a fun topic or history, but Mr. Pike's writing style is lively and the characters that logged the New England woods are even livelier. I was pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend the book.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
ONE OF the great dramas in the development of the United States is the history of lumbering. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bucking board, driving dam, barn boss, camp boss, mast trade, camp clerk, mast pines, head chopper, woods boss, stranded logs, lumber king, spiked boots, depot camp, spruce gum, cutting crews, logging railroad, long logs, log drive, spruce logs, spring drive Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Hampshire, New England, Van Dyke, Brown Company, East Branch, North Stratford, Great Northern, United States, New York, West Branch, Hoboes of Maine, Indian Stream, Bellows Falls, Fifteen-Mile Falls, Dan Bosse, John Ross, New Brunswick, Jim Robertson, Vern Davison, West Stewartstown, Bangor Tigers, International Paper Company, Moosehead Lake, Nash Stream, Turners Falls New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
ONE OF the great dramas in the development of the United States is the history of lumbering. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bucking board, driving dam, barn boss, camp boss, mast trade, camp clerk, mast pines, head chopper, woods boss, stranded logs, lumber king, spiked boots, depot camp, spruce gum, cutting crews, logging railroad, long logs, log drive, spruce logs, spring drive Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Hampshire, New England, Van Dyke, Brown Company, East Branch, North Stratford, Great Northern, United States, New York, West Branch, Hoboes of Maine, Indian Stream, Bellows Falls, Fifteen-Mile Falls, Dan Bosse, John Ross, New Brunswick, Jim Robertson, Vern Davison, West Stewartstown, Bangor Tigers, International Paper Company, Moosehead Lake, Nash Stream, Turners Falls New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 8
books:
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14
books
cite this book:
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- Penobscot Man (Short Story Index Reprint Series) by Fannie Eckstorm in Front Matter, and page 221
- Prince Edward Island by Sherman Hines on page 22
- The Horse of the Desert (Documenta Hippologica) by William Robinson Brown on page 90
- Travels in New England and New York (John Harvard Library) by Timothy Dwight on page 20
- Larry Gorman: The Man Who Made the Songs by Edward Ives on page 155
See all 8 books this book cites
- Serious Pig: An American Cook in Search of His Roots by John Thorne on page 48, page 108, and Back Matter
- Industrialized Nature: Brute Force Technology and the Transformation of the Natural World by Paul Josephson in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Pattern in the Material Folk Culture of the Eastern United States (Publications of the American Folklore Society) by Henry Glassie on page 166, and Back Matter
- Logging and Lumbering in Maine (ME) (Images of America) by Donald A. Wilson in Back Matter
- Timberrr!: A History Of Logging In New England by Mary Morton Cowan in Back Matter
See all 14 books citing this book
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