The Lumber Era On The Susquehanna River

 

An Index Of Stories, History, & Photos pertaining to the Lumbering Era, 

particularly  along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River

The Lumbering  Era - An Overview

There were four  steps to this early logging business:

• The Felling Of The Trees - Beginning In August.  "for fall is the best to fell trees, as every lumberman knows"
• The Skidding Of The Trees - In the winter, the trees would be drug on skids or sleds, and often sent down steep hills in chutes.  This was easiest to do in the winter snows.
• The Log Drives - The logs were then floated, often one after another, down smaller streams to larger streams, lakes, or ponds, where they would be bound and built into rafts
• Rafting The River

Woodhicks & Lumber Camp Life	The Susquehanna Boom Co
The Lumber Boom in Williamsport -  An Overview	Rafting The River

LEGENDS, LORE, & PERSONAL MEMOIRS

The Legend Of Cherry Tree Joe	Personal Reminisces of Gilbert Antes
Bailey's Perilous Unplanned Float from Jersey Shore To Milton, 1832	Stories From The Muncy Dam

The Libby Prison Timbers

HISTORICAL EVENTS

The Raftsman's Riot of 1857	The 1889 Flood
1938 Last Raft Re-enactment

MARKERS & SIGNS & OTHER REMINDERS

The Wood Hick Statue along the Williamsport Riverwalk
Peter Herdic Owner, lumber mills, and president, Susquehanna Boom. A key player in making this city the “lumber capital of the world.” He invented the “herdic,” a rear-entry carriage, and erected many buildings here on Millionaire's Row. His 1854 home is No. 407. 41° 14.4′ N, 77° 0.54′ W	Susquehanna Log Boom Six-mile series of piers, built by a company incorporated in 1846; used to collect and store logs during the spring log drives down the West Branch. Helped make Williamsport the world's lumber capital prior to 1900. Badly damaged in 1889 flood, the boom declined thereafter. 41° 13.666′ N, 76° 59.119′ W

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum is located at

5660 US Route 6 W, Ulysses, PA, United States, Pennsylvania

Find them on facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/PALumberMuseum

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