Hi AskHistorian subreddit, I just found out you existed!
I'm unable to find any information pertaining to specific logging methods. I'm writing a book and I've reached a bit of a snag. The town I'm building is a logging town and the technology I've established in the story matches the time period 1700's - 1900's, probably more apt to say ~1850 America. I've tried to find specific information about logging practices at that time but I've been unable to find much.
For instance; I know that one of the more popular methods involved using water-ways to transport timber. The on-site loggers would divide into teams and watch the logs go down the river to ensure they wouldn't get stuck. To increase flow of water, they'd build "flash" dams from higher level water sources to increase river flow to lower level water-ways. This is the primary method by which the town I built collects the timber they need.
I can find this type of information, even how the lumber was processed/treated, but I can't find much about the specific methods as they cut the logs. For instance, how did they get a cut log into the water, or did they just cut nearby and hope for the best? Were there pulley systems in place or did they bring more equipment with them on site than I predicted? Did the men just tug the logs into the water through brute strength? That seems inefficient and impractical.
However I have no clue. If you do, please let me know and discuss at your leisure. I can't find much online in terms of information but hopefully you fine people can give me some moderate clues into how our forefathers did it. :)
Apologies as well if this is against the rules in any form. I read the side-bar and couldn't find any prohibitions on historical context questions. If there were a logging subreddit, I'd be all over it.
Thank you in advance!
Edit It looks like they used a primitive log bridge to move it across the ground when moving it towards a river. I managed to find a picture of the event but surely this wasn't the only way to go about it? No wonder so many people died.
Logging technology changed quite a bit between the 1700s and 1900s in North America. Initially logs were skidded down hill towards the water, some times assisted by oxen pulling them over skid log roads. Block and tackle were used to provide mechanical advantage. The introduction of small, narrow gage, logging railroads in the 1850s allowed logging operations to move away from the water and the need for gravity to assist moving fallen timber. Rivers remained important and many of the railways terminated at rivers or other bodies of water though some went directly to mills. On large lakes and salt water logs were formed into rafts or booms and pulled by steam powered boats too mills. Toward the end of the 19th century, several decades after your 1850 story period "steam donkeys" were introduced. Donkeys were smallish steam engines that operated winch systems and could be moved as needed. Source: Thomas Cox, Mills and Markets, A History of the Pacific Coast Lumber Industry to 1900.