Logger and turn of logs on skid road, James Stewart camp — circa 1899 — #6202_1
| Showing 15 of 1293 |
Photograph Copyright Anderson & Middleton Company
United States — Washington (State)
James Stewart Logging Co.
Photo by E. A. Smith. James Stewart Camp was 2 miles east of Aberdeen.
Thanks to Sam Talley who adds: "James Stewart was born in 1840 in Scotland. He arrived in Grays Harbor in 1875 and stayed with Sam Benn along with his Scottish wife Jean. She is credited with convincing Mr. Benn into naming the area "Aberdeen" meaning in Scottish 'confluence of two rivers', those being the Chehalis and the Wishkah. Stewart settled a couple miles up the Wishkah River near the end of the present B St. He logged the north Aberdeen and Bear Gulch areas. Stewart Street, Stewart Creek, and Stewart Field are named after him."
Mr. Talley also notes: "A skid road was a narrow path through the woods on which freshly cut logs were skidded to railcars or streams (landings). The skid road was lined with small, short logs laid cross-wise about 5' to 10' apart on which the logs slid. Also some were placed parallel in the path. The log ends were 'sniped', or rounded off slightly so the edges wouldn't get hung up. These skid roads were used when animals and donkey engines pulled the logs through the woods in the days before the logs were raised with skidders."
