River in logging area with falls?

[JerrySmith]

Hello,

I apologize if this is not the right forum.

I have a question related to the setting of a scene in a novel I am writing:

Do you know, and if so, could you kindly mention several rivers in the US, located in mountain areas in which there has been/there is some logging? Ideally, the cut trees should be/should have been (perhaps in the past, not today) be transported down that river, at least part of the way. Thus, I guess it should be wide enough and carry enough water. Also, I need the river to have a falls of some respectable height :rolleyes2:

Arizona would be a very good place for other reasons, but I don't know too much about such rivers there. Michigan seems to have some too (The Taquahmenon River).

I would appreciate if you could indicate the name of the river, the area and a short description.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Wazzu]

Clearwater river in North Idaho was the real deal.

http://www.foresthistory.org/publications/FHT/FHTFall2000/mccollister.pdf

 

[northmanlogging]

The sauk (pronounced sock) is plenty big and has an impressive fall, Snohomish/skagit county Warshington, Bach when they used to let ya run logs down the river the Sauk was diffinatly one of em, Above the falls ??? possible but not likely, the skykomish and snoqualmie rivers as well

 

[JerrySmith]

Very much appreciated.

 

[JerrySmith]

Clearwater river in North Idaho was the real deal.

http://www.foresthistory.org/publications/FHT/FHTFall2000/mccollister.pdf

Charlie "Red" McCollister and his log drive seems to have been quite something. He died at 92 two years ago.

Thanks a lot.

 

[northmanlogging]

the Sauk is kind of a neat river, it mostly follows the mountian loop highway until Darrington where it meets the white chuck and gets a nice creamy white color like a glass that had milk in it and then was filled with water(on account of all the glacial run off). Flows from there around Concrete WA and then on down to the Skagit river where they both meet the Puget Sound by Mt Vernon, The sauk is one of those rivers that looks tame and slow until yer stuck in the middle and realize its moving along about 20-30 mph,

 

[JerrySmith]

the Sauk is kind of a neat river, it mostly follows the mountian loop highway until Darrington where it meets the white chuck and gets a nice creamy white color like a glass that had milk in it and then was filled with water(on account of all the glacial run off). Flows from there around Concrete WA and then on down to the Skagit river where they both meet the Puget Sound by Mt Vernon, The sauk is one of those rivers that looks tame and slow until yer stuck in the middle and realize its moving along about 20-30 mph,

Beautiful description.

I found, based on the names of the rivers provided here (thanks again), this very good site:

Welcome to the Northwest Waterfall Survey

All in the Northwest.

Only problem I have is logging must have been possible above that falls, and their description doesn't quite provide that.

Also, I need an area that is isolated, not full of tourists :rolleyes2:

Thanks.

 

[H 2 H]

the Sauk is kind of a neat river, it mostly follows the mountian loop highway until Darrington where it meets the white chuck and gets a nice creamy white color like a glass that had milk in it and then was filled with water(on account of all the glacial run off). Flows from there around Concrete WA and then on down to the Skagit river where they both meet the Puget Sound by Mt Vernon, The sauk is one of those rivers that looks tame and slow until yer stuck in the middle and realize its moving along about 20-30 mph,

Yeah the Sauk is one of the nicest rivers in this region; there is still the saw mill in Darrington also

Also check out Nooksack River USGS - Nooksack Basin - Real-time Sites

 

[JerrySmith]

The sauk (pronounced sock) is plenty big and has an impressive fall, Snohomish/skagit county Warshington, Bach when they used to let ya run logs down the river the Sauk was diffinatly one of em, Above the falls ??? possible but not likely, the skykomish and snoqualmie rivers as well

When did they really stop letting people run logs down the rivers?

 

[madhatte]

When did they really stop letting people run logs down the rivers?

There's two answers to that question. On the one hand, log booms are still common in some places as a static method of storage. On the other hand, the practice of booming and fluming ended in 1971 on the Clearwater. Maybe look toward Canada?

 

[q-tip jr]

Not being real sure of the era in which you are looking for here is a link to a vid on the Mirimichi in New Brunswick not all that long ago

Log Drive Miramichi 1930 - YouTube


In the late 1600's all through the 1700's and beyond all the rivers in Maine were used as forest product conduits, mainly starting as white pine for sailing ship masts , ending (and I can't exactly date- late 1970's) with the final drive on the Kennebec which was all 4' pulpwood - actually saw it during the winter on my way to Quebec winter carnival.

A man named Tate was one of the more prominent mast agents for the British crown and resided in Portland:

Tate House Museum - Home


There was something known as the " Kings Pine" white pine of such a size made it reserved for masts, any colonists found to have a front door made from a single slab were severely taxed.


These may not meet your mountainous requirement in your original post.

Worth noting this is where logging in North America was born

 

[northmanlogging]

not entirely sure but Buse mill in Everret might still use the boom method, If'n I remember correctly they had a yard in snohomish that bought the logs and then they sent them down the snohomish river through the sloughs to Buse and sometimes Foremark? still see booms out there but have not been through Ever-rot in a while, The Hampton mill in Darrington (formerly known as Summit timber or to locals as Skum-it) had a ramp that led to the Sauk but that hasn't been used except for boats since before I moved up there...

 

[hammerlogging]

also worth noting, it is still called the Clearwater. Don't tell the dozermen I said that.

 

[madhatte]

Then there's this one:

[video=youtube_share;upsZZ2s3xv8]http://youtu.be/upsZZ2s3xv8[/video]

 

[2dogs]

Watch last year's Ax Men on DVD. You'll see some real characters aqua logging the Suwanee River.

 

[JerrySmith]

Thanks a lot.

I am seriously looking at he McKenzie River in Oregon. It has the Sahalie and Koosah falls that look wide and beautiful.
Koosah Falls, Linn County, Oregon | Northwest Waterfall Survey

Now, would you know if there was (still is?) logging done above those falls at a time?
Are the areas around pretty isolated (another requirement; can't have tourists roaming around in my action)?