North Country At Work

Exterior of the Fifth Lake water powered saw mill. Logs float in mill pond before being winched up the ramp into the sawmill. Note the barrels on the roof ridge. Circa 1890-1900. Inlet, NY.

Bert, Floyd, and Charles delivering wood on a bobsled. Circa 1910-1920s. De Kalb Junction, NY.

Warren Humes and an unidentified Humes family member making maple syrup in an outdoor sugar camp using open pans. They have pulled the finishing pan off the fire (where it sat next to the kettle) and Warren Humes is stirring the syrup. The woman is having a taste of the product. Full bottles of syrup […]

A two-horse treadmill powering a buzz saw, being used to cut firewood by a crew of five men, in late fall or winter. Brick structure (most likely a school or public building) in background. Written on the treadmill is: A. W. Gray’s Sons Horsepower, Patented and Manufactured By A. W. Gray’s Sons, Middletown Springs, Vermont. […]

Seneca Ray Stoddard photo of crew of lumbermen felling and limbing spruce trees with double-bitted axes in winter, circa 1880-1890. Essex County in NYS.

Moving winter firewood in Essex County, NY. Samuel Starbuck driving John Deere Model MC two-cylinder bulldozer, hauling logs for firewood in winter of 1978. A can of chainsaw gas on top of the firewood. Chestertown, NY. Photo taken by Curtis Pack. Donated by Caroline H. Fish, former town historian for Chestertown, NY.

Team of two white horses pulling a bobsled (with only one bob, or runner), piled with firewood. Circa 1890-1900. Keene Valley, NY in Essex County. (Unidentified men.)

Leslie Lawrence driving horse-drawn bobsled, with a load of logs. Circa 1890-1910. Wilmington, NY. Written on the back of the photo in Leslie’s hand (with original misspellings): To Harry from Leslie Lawrence. We diden’t have eny road to draw even this load. if we thought we would tip we put our cap on the other […]

Pete Liberty’s lumber camp; employees pose for a photo in the snow. Circa 1890-1900. Ausable Forks, NY. Donated by Mr. and Mrs. John Liberty, October 4, 1977. Photographer was named Cheeseman (other details about photographer unknown).

River drivers freeing caught logs after the main log drive on the Ausable River. Each holds a log pike, used to move logs during a drive. Circa 1890-1900. Jay, NY.