Item 36604 - Log Drive, Saco River, ca. 1894

Item 36604 - Log Drive, Saco River, ca. 1894
Contributed by McArthur Public Library
Item 36604
Log Drive, Saco River, ca. 1894
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Image Info

Logs being driven down the Saco River towards the lumber yards of Biddeford/Saco, circa 1894. In the spring began the log drive and the dangerous log jams on icy rivers as the logs are moved from the forest to the mills. Working on the river was a precarious profession for the loggers using peaveys to keep the logs moving.

A peavey had a long handle with a pincer to hook onto a log, grab it, and move it. This tool was the only thing they had at that time to help break up the log jams. The river drivers were the most highly skilled, and the most highly respected men in the logging camps. Notice the logs stacked into small islands on the river. Three church spires of Biddeford can be seen in the distant background.

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