# Passing of Finley Hays



## Cedarkerf (Dec 29, 2008)

He passed away December 3rd. First article I always read in loggers world he was a real hoot to read. He could even make a story about a riggen shack amusing.


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## slowp (Dec 29, 2008)

I liked reading his column also. He just quit writing in October. They're all going away....it is sad. 

I thought about typing out the rerun of his first column on here where he describes the rigging shack.


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## Gologit (Dec 29, 2008)

Finley Hayes was one of a kind. Without him and his stories a lot of logging history would be lost forever. He wrote just like the old timers talked...I always enjoyed that.


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## deeker (Dec 29, 2008)

I enjoyed his writings, I wonder if we could publish some of them here. They would be enjoyed by all. He had a commonsense style of writing.

He will be missed.

Kevin


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## Gologit (Dec 29, 2008)

deeker said:


> I enjoyed his writings, I wonder if we could publish some of them here. They would be enjoyed by all. He had a commonsense style of writing.
> 
> He will be missed.
> 
> Kevin



Yup. I wonder if LW could put together a collection of his stories and columns? I'd buy a copy. Or two.


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## Cedarkerf (Dec 29, 2008)

Gologit said:


> Yup. I wonder if LW could put together a collection of his stories and columns? I'd buy a copy. Or two.


If enough of us wrote mite make it happen


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## Jacob J. (Dec 30, 2008)

Whenever an experienced person passes on, it is said that a library is lost. That was certainly true of Mr. Hays. Men from that generation had to make due with less and had to take longer strides to achieve the same goals we take for granted today. I enjoyed the heck out his stories, his humor, and his realistic observations.


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## GASoline71 (Dec 30, 2008)

Gologit said:


> He wrote just like the old timers talked...I always enjoyed that.



"The Riggin' Shack"... He made it all seem real. Even for those of us who were out of the woods for a spell... He reminded me of My Grandpa... the same man who taught me to be smart in the woods. Don't put up with any BS, but be humble enough to know when a man is biting off more than he can chew.

R.I.P. Mr. Hays... Loggers World will never be the same without ya... 

Gary


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## smokechase II (Dec 30, 2008)

*Two Books*

Amazon lists two books by Finley Hays.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/s...-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Finley Hays

---------------------------

Unfortunately, "Finley's Rigging Shack" (Paperback - Collection of Finley Hay's columns from 1966 thru 1979.) is going for over $27 with shipping.

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Forward from the book:

_"When we started our 'word processor' was a manual desk model Olympic typewriter. The cost was about $140.00 for this machine. We graduated from there to IBM electric models and from there to a Macintosh Computer that cost over three grand. Same man, same words but more expense. I write about logging and loggers. That is what I know the most about and that ain't much. I don't know as much as I think I do because things change rapidly and what you knew last year may be, and often is, obsolete this year . . . and therefore worthless. 

I have found a way around this by declaring myself a "Logging Historian". This is an enviable position. Many of the men I've worked with have gone to that Heaven specially prepared for Loggers. Thus when I write about those 'miserable old days' there are not too many who can dispute my memory or writings. This allows a freedom to writers in their eighties. I am often asked to give speeches about Logging and how it used to be.

The more I learn about the old days the more I distrust Historians generally. They are always talking about a slice of time that is incorrectly remembered, falsely documented and wrongly guessed at. If you take this to mean I'm not to be trusted you made a shrewd guess. But then I'm the best you've got. Me and men like me. Our memories are true although they are often in conflict with each other. We tend to get the names wrong, to remember ourselves as heroes and mighty men of the woods. The truth often is that we couldn't find a good job and had to go to the woods. There are some of us who selected logging as a career. Most of us got there because that's where we got our first job. During the following years many of us were always looking for a safer and more comfortable occupation. Some of us became machine operators, saw filers, mechanics and such so we could get out of the blistering sun and the freezing wet weather to protect our bones and our attitudes. Most loggers of long duration did try other work from time to time.

Many of us had our careers interrupted for several years by one of the several wars we've lived through."_


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## Gologit (Dec 30, 2008)

smokechase II said:


> Amazon lists two books by Finley Hays.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/s...-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Finley Hays
> 
> ...



I picked a copy of Rigging Shack 66 to 79 when RR2 and I made our raid on the Collier Logging Museum last year. It was worth every penny. 

There's no such thing as paying too much for a book.


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## smokechase II (Dec 30, 2008)

*Appreciation*

Golo:
Good to see and thanks for your no limits on great writting.

All here on AS appreciate your transcribing one chapter a week.

Your the MAN!


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## Gologit (Dec 30, 2008)

smokechase II said:


> Golo:
> Good to see and thanks for your no limits on great writting.
> 
> All here on AS appreciate your transcribing one chapter a week.
> ...



 The way I type, two fingers and the occasional thumb, it would be more like one chapter a year. 

Just buy the book, ya cheapskate. C,mon....have you ever been sorry when you bought something that good? We're talking books here...not flashy women or smooth whiskey.


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## Meadow Beaver (Dec 30, 2008)

That's sad I always looked forward to reading his stories in the "Rigging Shack" every month and reading about logging back in the day, always good stories, Farwell Finley.


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## 2dogs (Dec 30, 2008)

Riggin Shack was always my first stop. The stories put a smile on me. RIP Finley.


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## Cedarkerf (Dec 30, 2008)

GASoline71 said:


> "The Riggin' Shack"... He made it all seem real. Even for those of us who were out of the woods for a spell... He reminded me of My Grandpa... the same man who taught me to be smart in the woods. Don't put up with any BS, but be humble enough to know when a man is biting off more than he can chew.
> 
> R.I.P. Mr. Hays... Loggers World will never be the same without ya...
> 
> Gary


Yup sounded just like my Grandpa fortunately have an old timer across the street that sounds a lot like both(Granpa and Finley) hes 75 still haulin logs he figures when he quits hell sit down and die so he just keeps on truckin.


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