Alaskan Logging Equipment, Left to Rust

I would bet the guy that took the leap to AK made millions. If you worked and put your time in you made huge $$$ as a contractor up there in the heyday.

Sidney43 said:

I guess this is as good a thread as any to make my first post on. My Dad was a logger in NW Oregon and looked at a job in SW Alaska for Ketchikan Pulp, but it was too far out of his experience level, so he moved to the Klamath River country in N. Calif to start logging there. That was in 1954 and he said later that the guy who took the Alaska job became a millionaire, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. One of his friends did go to Alaska and logged with his own small sawmill, name was Earl Brown. Now if I could just remember which island or inlet he was located on?

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Thank you for these pics.i operated almost all of those rock trucks in the whitestone yard back in the early 90's.broter inlaws dad and one other person were the owners of whitestone .shame to see all those memories rusting away.living and working in hoonah was one of the best times in my life.i was recently told i have lymphoma.i would sure like to go visit the old yard/camp.thanks again travis

It was very informative article to me...
Thanks for your sharing. Thank u so much....

Pizza Equipment

hey thank's again for the whitestone pics.as i said before operated alot of that iron.did not realize it at the time but that was the best days in my life.thank again.travis

does anyone know if whitestone is operating anywhere in ak?

Hey "Contract Logger",any chance af posting some more pics of the gear in Alaska?,we find this absolutly amazing and would love to come on up and do a tour one day.Quite sure I could raise a bunch of Kiwi Logger's that would be keen to do a tour if at all possible?

to see all that gear go to waste............what a shame, governments just dont get it , all that money sitting there rotting away when it should be all workin......

NZ Logger said:

Hey "Contract Logger",any chance af posting some more pics of the gear in Alaska?,we find this absolutly amazing and would love to come on up and do a tour one day.Quite sure I could raise a bunch of Kiwi Logger's that would be keen to do a tour if at all possible?

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www.rustygrapple.com
Go there for all your alaskan pics. There are thousand.

Just checked it out, many thanks Hallback,really amazing stuff.

NZ Logger said:

Just checked it out, many thanks Hallback,really amazing stuff.

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Don't thank me NZ, My friend is the one who put that site together and has approx 30.000 photos and flyers that are logging related. His favorites are large towers and big wood logging. Keep watching as more and more are added all the time. It truly is a blessing and wonder that he has done that for us all to enjoy,reminice and learn from.

Hi !

I think it is very pathetic to see all this iron sit for rotting instead of being reuse !!
I know it is expensive to recover but I guess it depends on which method we use to recover
those !!! I'm sure our freinds from China wood drool on recovering all this iron !!!!

I couldn't agree with you more. I've had to stop watching three or four times. I've got property at Nauakti, Alaska and have seen some of this first hand.
I may have met "Contract Logger" one time at the Nauakti Connection store in 2001 or 2003.(He had a 18/20 foot aluminum boat, kinda like an Alumaweld)
No matter one way or the other, these are some of the most outstanding pictures I've ever seen. I suppose when you've worked in the industry that you "feel" it more than an outsider.
The pictures of the 739's brought back memories of Hog Mountain's 739 burning to the ground up the Winchuck River, on the Southern Oregon coast. From the time you saw the first licks of flame come over the yum pile, to when flames were going clear over the 110 foot tower(it could have been a 90' tower, I don't remember) was about a minute and a half!
The other thing that stands out in my mind is all the jobs, direct and indirect, that aren't there any more.
Thank you very much for posting this stuff.

I must comment on Skadill's post. You guys need to checkout his website, it's outstanding. Skadill is the guy that turned me on to you guys. You can hear it in his voice how he feels about logging/loggers and the construction industry. It's that "feeling" you get when you're surrounded by your peers. Working folks that when they give their word, it's gold.
I must say that "Contract Logger's" links are every bit as good.

Familiar names

I remember Sue and Almandinger even though I was a youngster. I remember when the FMC skidder was new there on Afognak and Sue saved my dad from being run over when someone was learning to operate it. It came out of the shop quick and Sue tackled my dad out of the way and it stopped where he was standing.
I believe my dad even worked on the Sygnet for a while. I've been looking for pictures of it.

All, I've spent hrs. going thru these pages. I fully agree w/the sentiment of lost jobs, destroyed commerce and a displaced work force. I worked at Thorne Bay, the summer season in 1970. An 18 yr old kid, first time away from home, first time on a jet (Seattle to Annette Island), first time in a float plane and above all, first time working in a camp. At that time KPC was hiring load of guys, many coming and going. Guys like truck driver Nathan (Tiny) Thompson, from Coos Bay, OR. and Keith (Snooks) Underwood, west coast tribe, don't remember which, who showed be the ropes and kept for getting killed more than once. A bunch of Canadian Indian cowboy/loggers......great to work with, always joking, and NO mean stuff. In the mid 70's Greg Martin was our hook, at Green River...great guy, quick temper, but fair!
I hate to see equipment just rust, a common sentiment of all of you...Here in WA, people have forgotten that the Timber Taxes, paid by the logging industry sustained our school system.
In the late 80's and into the 90's I was an Ag inspector for a regional bank...Timber company auctions were everywhere, equipment going for next to nothing. Even RB wasn't moving the iron, I used to go to their auctions for valuations but finally gave up...not enough would sell (or the bank couldn't/wouldn't use the low values. My wife and I won property close to Cle Elum, 25 yrs ago, logging trucks, crummies and rigging was all over...now, nothing!

Are there any opportunities in Alaska for a 60yr old guy, who can do a lot, with not much? The lower 48 have just gotten to crazy!!! Best to you all, like being in the Military, one can't tell someone else what its like, but once having experienced it you never forget! Be Safe and stay the hell out of the BITE!!!!!! BG.

Barney Huddleston (sp?), whatever happened to him. in 1970 he was the side rod for KPC @ Thorne Bay. Quite a guy! Rode a guy wire down from a spar pole with a strap.........would've fired us if we'd had tried that....but was great to see!!!

Gus Okerlund (sp?), KPC's rep in Mt Vernon, WA, in 1970...............hired me to go North.

Bagswa51, I think Keith 'snooks' Underwood was from Taholah on the Quinault Indian Reservation. I might have known some of those Canadian loggers you worked with. We hired some from time to time. Ronnie Johns and Claude Priest are 2 I can think of right off. I worked for Valentine at Coffman Cove in 75. Lived in Aloha Wa. before that so camp life wasn't new, but the flights in the 'flying boat' were a new experience.
Keep posting your experiences. It's great to get some reminders of what it was like 'back then.'

What's up, Mister Smoke?

Been running that KW up and down the road. Grabbed a snow hauling contract. Moving material out of the pit. Plus got that visitor headed north thanks to you, Buddy. 18 days till we meet F2F. You been a matchmaker long?

Don't thank me yet, amigo. Time will tell.