photo #9144558

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest sometime in the early 1900s, a group of lumberjacks proudly posed with their greatest achievement — a truly gigantic fallen redwood or Douglas fir log. The massive tree trunk is so enormous that more than two dozen men are standing on top of it like it’s a wooden stage. Several long ladders lean against its side as some workers climb up or pose midway. On the ground below, more men in typical early 20th-century work clothes and hats stand beside a team of strong horses harnessed to heavy logging wagons. The sheer scale is breathtaking — this single log is wider than most modern rooms and longer than a house. These were the days when logging was done with axes, saws, horses, and raw human strength. Cutting down ancient giants like this was back-breaking, dangerous work, but it also brought a strong sense of pride and camaraderie among the crews. This powerful historic photograph captures both the incredible size of America’s old-growth forests and the tough men who worked them.