SW Washington loggers from the 70's/early 80's............Filla,Portway,ect....

[cwwrman]

Just had a conversation with the last Mayor of Vail (my Dad). He does not recall your Grandfather. We were there from 1968 to 1972. I believe the gate you mentioned is the one that's just inside the tree farm from the paved road that runs between Ranier and Yelm. Last time I was there, back in 2002, that gate was still there, although probably in a different form than in the old days.

My grandad had trucks hauling out of Vail from the late 70s up until the Vail sort yard closed in the mid 90s. My grandad is Elmer Cook. My uncle, Ernie Cook also hauled out of the Vail area as well as my Dad Jim Aust, (aka Pineapple). I have many childhood memories of going to Vail and seeing the trucks getting loaded, the trains getting loaded, and watching the slamanders coming into the reload from the mailines with tree length logs on them.

The Mulqueen gate which I was referring to was on the mainline road from Camp Vail to the reload and it was located at the first RR crossing. If you continued on the main road following the RR tracks you would go to the Vail sort yard reload. If you took a right once you crossed the tracks, you went up the Skookumchuck mainline.

 

[Vigilant]

My grandad had trucks hauling out of Vail from the late 70s up until the Vail sort yard closed in the mid 90s. My grandad is Elmer Cook. My uncle, Ernie Cook also hauled out of the Vail area as well as my Dad Jim Aust, (aka Pineapple). I have many childhood memories of going to Vail and seeing the trucks getting loaded, the trains getting loaded, and watching the slamanders coming into the reload from the mailines with tree length logs on them.

The Mulqueen gate which I was referring to was on the mainline road from Camp Vail to the reload and it was located at the first RR crossing. If you continued on the main road following the RR tracks you would go to the Vail sort yard reload. If you took a right once you crossed the tracks, you went up the Skookumchuck mainline.

Were you there when they were still reloading with the old donkey, or were they using the stacker? My dad was the one who bought the first stacker for the reload.

Salamanders must have come after we left. There were a bunch of off-highway trucks there, but they all ran as a single truck/trailer unit back then. Fortunately, I didn't see the introduction of the Mack DM800 series either. I say, Mack screwed the pooch on that series. Back then, the off-highway trucks were mostly KW 848s, with a few B and L series Macks mixed in. Yes, when we left in 1972, they were still running a few off-highway L series Macks. At some point after we left, they also picked up a few Petes (from Snoqualmie, perhaps?). They had a few 'modern' R Models, with a straight 5-speed, for the highway only.

 

[John C.]

Vigilant,
Did you know a fellow named Pat Nelson back in those days? At that time he would have been driving truck out of Vale. Later on he ran stacker in the reload.

 

[Vigilant]

I don't recall the name. I didn't know all the drivers back then, unfortunately. I was just a teenager tagging along with my Dad. I'll ask him tomorrow and get back with you. The only stacker operator I knew was Art Smyth, and he operated it reluctantly. He preferred his donkey. I do recall Bob Chatwood, Glenn Pettit, and Jim Green, aka The Old Log Hauler. He didn't run balls to the wall; he just worked steady. And he ran rings around those young whipper snappers. Drove a nice KW.

 

[Vigilant]

Well, I asked the last Mayor of Vail if he remembered Pat Nelson, shortly before he died this evening. He asked if he was a faller, but did not recall for sure. Dad received his Last Rites, and died peacefully a few minutes ago.

My GOD, how I hurt.

 

[John C.]

Sorry to hear of your loss.

No doubt a world full on information on logging and Pacific Northwest history has gone on to new challenges.

My condolences to you and your family.

John C.

 

[Vigilant]

Thanks so much, John. Sounds like you're a wealth of knowledge as well, as was Mr. Finley Hays.

When I left him at the hospital, thinking I would be back later with a few more of his things, I thanked him for all that he did for me, and for our family, and I told him I loved him. Something just told me to go to the church, even though it had already closed. I found one of the Priests and told him what was going on, and he went to my dad immediately and gave him his Last Rites, aka The Annointing of the Sick. I have no doubt that the Good Lord had a hand in the Priest coming so soon before Dad passed. I haven't been the best son at times years ago, but when he really needed me.... I came through in spades. He left this life loaded for bear.

Godspeed, Dad.

 

[Ridgerunner9857]

I worked for Roy Filla in 1976. I started driving #59 a Kenworth with a Detroit 350 in it. Then I drove # 42 which was one of the old Internationals that he had converted from a cement truck to a log truck. In fact Roy Filla and Roy Ulfers were the first people to give me a start driving log trucks after I got out of the Navy. He was down sizing pretty much when I worked there so my job only lasted about 6-8 months. With great sadness I watched ol # 59 go to auction at Filla's Morton yard in early 1979 I think. That yard later became Ralph Warner's Yard when he was logging and hauling out of Indian Hole west of there off Hiway 508. He also had 4 of Filla's old trucks, then he bought three more from Portways auction. Last I heard Ralph was in Alaska working at Kake. I also worked for Dennis Hadaller in 1978 to early 1980 driving #6. I drove for Willard Garrett of Onalaska before then. In late 1980 I went to work for the Forest Service.

 

[gypodog]

my dad died at morton hospital he was a chaser for walch logging did you know debs walch and pat and tim and mike there use to be an old outlaw name abbey pitrich that workd for them i remember driving tim up to grizzdale he missd the crummy