"This was Logging!"

by Ralph W. Andrews, Darius Kinsey (Photographer)

The day would come when the Pacific Northwest's Big Woods would be only a fog-blurred memory. With the superb work of timber photographer Darius Kinsey, comprising more than 200 views, the author dramatically recalls lumbering's great days.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

157 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jan Brattain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very timely for me as I had recently finished Deep River by Karl Marlantes, a novel that dealt with what the photos in this book dealt with, which is the early days of logging in the Pacific Northwest, USA. It grieves me that all those trees are gone, but still a fascinating pictorial of those days.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was originally published in 1954, and it is ageless. It is truly a gem. The photos are amazing & cover the early days of logging, the equipment, animals used, the men & their environment. The text is minimal but more than adequate to teach you things you never knew about the logging industry in the NW. The photographer's story is told, and let's the reader know what kind of equipment was used (this was at the beginning of photography) & the difficulties he went through to get these wonderful captures of history. A great book!

[Howard Frisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The historical photographs in this book are simply amazing, not just because of the photographs of the trees, equipment, and railroads that enables the Pacific Northwest to develop a major forestry industry. The photographs are amazing because they portray the people who risked their lives in the logging industry. Their serious expressions, their tattered clothes and worn-out boots make you want to sympathize with them on a deep level. It was extremely hard work, often in awful weather conditions and dangerous circumstances. My grandfather was a logger in western Washington where he worked until he was killed when a tree fell on him.

The photographs were taken by Darius Kinsey from 1890 to 1925 using the wet plate celluloid with huge 11" x 14" negatives. Sometimes he used his 20" x 24" camera that weighed 100 pounds that he had to lug into the forest on horseback or on a wagon.

Author Ralph Andrews curated the photographs to be included in the book.