Anyone here work for Roy Filla,Portway,Hadaller,Osborne and Birley or Coleman brothers...?? Anyone here remember Ron Hall (My dad),Gary Sjoblom,Jeff Shortridge,Jimmy Joe White (The ARK),Gene-o Reynolds,Hugh Herron....???? Those are all guys that I grew up around and worshipping for their talents. I would love to hear your stories of them and any other notable men or "Heros" of yours from that era.
I was pretty young back then, but I sure remember Roy Filla's trucks. Seemed like they were everywhere. Wasn't F. G. Peterson pretty big as well?
With 64+ trucks Roy was the biggest Gyppo on the west coast and maybe the nation. He moved 400-500+ loads per day via 19 tower sides and numerous cat sides.
Nobody has anything to share...??? There has to be some old growth loggers on here from SW Washington.......
If only the great Finley Hays had lived to see this forum. He could sure contribute to this thread.
Finley and my dad were good friends. He was always a great wealth of knowledge. Was he on this site...???
No, he died two Decembers ago, I believe. I only met him once, in April of 2002. I spent the afternoon with him at his place, by his invitation. We talked for hours about the old days, religion, etc. When we parted ways, we made plans to take up our conversation in the next life. I will never forget that afternoon, and I'm grateful. I sold a few copies of his book on Saginaw Timber for him, and in the process, hooked him up with Mr. Mark Morley, a modern-day descendent of Mr. A. J. Morley, one of the founders of Saginaw Timber. I even camped at Camp Delezene as a boy a few times. That was the site of Saginaw's original headquarters, off the Melbourne mainline, deep in Weyco country. There's a fella on here with the handle Contract Logger whom you may very well know. He stated that he grew up with Finley Hays.
CL and I are very close in the circles we both grew up and worked in. His brother and I went to school together. I spent more time at the Filla and Portway shops as a kid than I did at home. When my dad got the new Tyee for Filla he had the chaser carve me a chair out of an old growth fir and it was packed landing to landing as "My spot" when I wasn't in the yarder,shovel or with dad in the tail end. Those were the days and I miss them dearly.
And yes, Finley died in December 08. The same month the issue of Loggers World came out stating he would no longer be writing "Rigging shack". He was a great man who had seen more than I could imaging. He was liked by all and is deeply missed. "Lies,Logs and Loggers" should be standard fare in every high school.
I'll bet you've been to the Brooklyn Tavern a time or two, eh? I could tell you one good story. I used to fish Fall River with my dad, right down the road. My father spent several years with Weyco at Twin Harbors. He surveyed a lot of their land to verify the original BLM surveys. They say his name is still on a lot of paper in Cosi. He eventually went on to be Superintendent of Vail, after Carl Weiks, who, incidentally, owned a LOT of stock in Yard Birds. Oh, how I miss Yard Birds in Centralia, and Sea Mart in Oly. I still have a Spanish Mauser I bought from Sea Mart at about age 13. But the height of my career was a few years back, when I traded a couple of emails with the great J. P. Patches himself. Yes, Julius Pierpont Patches.
I have spent many of days/nights at the Brooklyn in years past. I live about 10 minutes from Yardbirds and when I was growing up in Morton it was a big deal to go "Out town" to yardbirds. My grandfather retired as a faller from Weyco Vail in 85.
Chances are, your grandfather and my father knew each other. Did he tell you about the time they dropped a 14 foot diameter Sitka Spruce? MY favorite place at the camp was the Saw Shop. Gene Sherwood was the saw mechanic. One of his sone died in the woods while we were there. My dad was the one who was ordered to level the town of Vail in 1969. Carl Weiks' father was the one that Weikswood was named after. Ever hear of a legendary logger named Ira Blackwell who retired from Grisdale? We lived right behind him in Central Park. You probably recall his father, Cy Blackwell. Quite a colorful man, from what I have heard and read. I still have a brand new 6-foot misery whip with handles that my dad bought from Shaeffer Bros. when they went out of business. Other names you might recall from vail: Bill Loeffler, a scaler, who used to take me trapping as a kid. I saw him again in 1995, and enjoyed the reunion. Also, Ken Hart and Phil Messenger. They used to work for my dad as well. I saw them again in 1995 also. I spent a good deal of time fishing the Skookumchuck, from where it empties into the reservoir, upstream to where the trestle used to cross.
I almost got myself in a serious fist fight at the Brooklyn, because i forgot that the character Crazy Donkey was on Brakeman Bill. A faller about my age was just about ready to resort to fisticuffs over that one. So, I rang the bell, and bought a round of beer. All was well.
I know Phil and Ken. I also have a 6' single handle bucking saw from the saw shop at vail that is brand new. I got the new general bars from there too when grandpa retired. They let him keep his tools and he gave me them when I started my cutting career. Nothing like an 056 mag II to break in with!!
Please tell Phil and Ken Charlie Pike is still alive and kicking. That's my dad. I heard Jim Barrett passed. Is Ernie Kell the old lokie engineer at Vail, still alive? And what about Art Smythe, the one who ran the reload at Vail all those years? I'm sure he's gone by now. I recall Bob Chatwood, who used to drive truck off-highway. And Milt Emerick. How about Ken Jones, the old Fire Warden? Did you know him? He passed many years ago. I spent a lot of time with him. I also spent a lot of time with Ed Castle, the Blacksmith. How about Bernie Kowalski and Art Nye, the dispatchers? Floyd Canfield and Jay Lynch, the shop foremen? Henry Roberts, Claude Masten, Wardith French, Bob Smith, Ford Bentley, Carl fagerness?
The lokie Is done to my knowledge and I knew of Carl Fagerness as his sons owned a cutting compani I believe and he worked with my Grandpa. Most of the old timers from the heydays at vail are gone but not forgotten. I knew alot of the men by face but couldn't remember names as I would go with grandpa on the weekends when they were cutting by pleasant valley for years.
Do you know about the Don McCune library? You might remember him as Captain Puget. http://donmccunelibrary.com/catalog.cfm?aId=93FE86E3-C29B-57E0-856557EA2DFE76A2 The first film is about Vail, the second was filmed around Morton, and includes the 1971 Loggers' Jubilee. Do you remember the reload at Vail, between the Mulqueen Junction and the shop? There is quite a story behind that. They left the fruit trees when they leveled the town, and I picked a lot of apples, plums, etc. there in the summers. I would give my eye teeth to be able to take my dad back to the Chuck, and fish it one more time. I loved that river.
I will have to check that out!! I have hung many a skyline across the 'chuck and will be fishing it again in a month or so. I never saw the reload but heard alot about it. How about the St.Regis camp outside morton and Ladd mountain with the wooden spar still rigged as it caught fire and the guylines were supposedly crystalized by the heat so the siderod said leave it stand and do not derig it. It was still there in the mid 80's.
There is some footage on St. Regis in Morton on the McCune documentary of Morton. One scene shows them finishing up on loading a brand new Kenworth 848. I found a complete roster of all the Vail/Pe Ell lokies somewhere. I'll post the link here when time permits. There is a lot of footage on the Vail documentary of Jim Barrett on Engine 776, a GP38. My dad had 493 while we were there, but I heard the engineer on 684 over in Pe Ell on the radio quite often. I still recall the radio repeater codes for Vail and Pe Ell. Vail was KOA424, PE Ell was KOB393.
More on the Chehalis Western lokies. You'll like this: http://www.trainweb.org/cwwr/cw-roster.html I believe 684 survived, and is now on display at a museum in Fife. The Lidgerwood skidder at the Camp 6 musuem came from Vail. Carl McGinnis, aka Skinny McGinnis, worked on that beast as a young lad. That skidder spent many years on display at Longview before it was moved to Point Defiance.
Looks like Weyco is still FCC licensed with those two at KO Peak and BawFaw Peak. But I disgress, cool history!
Yeah, for now, until the MBAs at Weinerhoser find a way to screw it up.
Engine 684 in her golden years at the Fife museum: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=329588&nseq=1
Mr. Filla's obituary: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...=610&gbv=2&tbm=isch&ei=qBryTe60FsnZgAf2qpSzDQ I still recall his trucks, with his name in cursive writing on the door.
It '77 or '78 my dad got a whole new side when he worked for Roy. New tyee,link belt shovel,tail cat and even landing push cat. Roy gave him a blank check to go get a crewbus and it had to be a chevy according to Mr. Filla. Dad and I went to Gootee Chevrolet in chehalis and bought a new full load black crewcab 4x4. The only thing Roy complained about was that the bus was black and not "Filla issue" colors......lol He was a hell of a man for sure.
Sounds like Mr. Filla broke the mold in that regard. Most of the Gyppo sides I recall ran older equipment. I get the feeling that Mr. Filla knew the importance of motivation and morale. Too bad he was not able to refine his taste in pickups and go the Ford route.
Hey Hallback: Remember that GREAT big pair of blue jeans hanging on the wall in the work clothes department at Yard Birds? Remember the radio station KIXI, 96 FM? When everyone else my age was listening to rock & roll, I was listening to KIXI, because that was what my dad and I listened to in his company pickup. I loved it at Vail, with all my heart. I spent every day I possibly could there with my dad. And now, when he is old and frail and living in a rest home, I do my best to pick him up every Saturday, and take him riding in my pickup. To this day, my dad is still my hero, and he knows it. There is something else you might have seen ay Vail, Hallback. Do you recall seeing a large mount Stihl rollernose bar about 8 feet long, that was welded together in pieces? When they cut that 14 foot diameter Sitka Spruce in about 1971, they had to cut the back off of one 16" rollernose bar and the tip off another, and weld both long sections together to come up with a bar long enough to fall the tree. They dropped the tree with an 090G, and loaded it with the tower onto off-highway trucks.
I do remember that bar well. I was trying to get it when the sawshop closed but it was gone already. I remember the overalls well at Yardbirds also..."If you can fit 'em you can have 'em"...... I wish I could turn back the clock to the early/mid 70's and be a cutter/logger then but it wasn't meant to be for me and I will have to continue to do it now and enjoy the memories. I have an 075 I am restoring right now that will hang above my fireplace. It is with that saw that I fell my first trees when I was 9-10 and hooked for life.
I too wish I could have turned back the clock and logged in the PNW in the Sixties and Seventies, but I came close enough. I still got to see it as a young whippersnapper. I believe the saw shop you recall was on the side of the gravel toward the Vail Cutoff. That was my dad's Superintendent's Shack when we were there. Back then, Gene Sherwood had his saw shop out in the middle of the lot, out in front of my dad's office. They also had a fuel island out there. I bought my first saw at age 12, from Ford Bentley, the Cutting Crew Supervisor. It was a Homelite 5-30N in mint condition, with two 34" bars that came with it. I bought an 041 from Weyco about a year later. The 050s/051s were just hitting the market when we came to Vail, and they made quite a splash. Nobody wanted to touch those heavy, slow 090Gs, and they ended up selling off a bunch of them, for $25.00 each. I used to just about drool when I was in that saw shop. I liked the 051s, but my all-time favorite saw back then was the Homelite 850 and 870, which were basically the same saw. And in the morning, when we left the shop and headed for the woods, on a clear day, you could see Mount Rainier out ahead in all its splendor. So now you know where that long bar came from. Small world, eh?
Very small world yet very damn good. I loved the days going out with my grandpa when they were falling old growth in the 70's and 80's. I will never forget those days.
Just a litle more trivia: When we were there, thye still used a couple of antique, hand-crank telephones for an intercom system between the Superintendent's Shack and the Shop. I believe it was when they built the new office building out front that they took that old system out. This was some time after we moved down South. Mr. Ken Schaeffer got the phone out of the Super's office because he was one of the big chiefs, and my dad got the phone out of the shop office. When I moved my folks into a rest home a few years ago, my dad gave me that phone. It's one of my prized possessions. That, and the hard hat that I wore as a kid at Vail. Yep, I still have that too. The last time I was out there, in 2002, of course I had to stop at Stewart's Meat Shop in McKenna. Ms. Dorothy was still alive then, at about age 90, and she still remembered my dad. Evelyn's Restaurant in Yelm was under a new name, but still there as well. And now, after this epic hijack, we return you to our regularly scheduled discussion about Roy Filla.
No Hijack here Vigilant....This is all SW washington based logging and history and right here is where it belongs!! Keep on sharing as I am learning/remembering alot and I thank you!!
I thank you as well, amigo. This has been great.
Yes it has....Oh, I also have my grandfathers hard hat from his tenure at vail. I have worn it when bidding jobs and always feel as if the knowledge comes from the hat.
I'm thinking the name of the mountain was Clam Mountain, but maybe I'm wrong.... anyway, they used to have a repeater tower pretty high up on a certain hill. That place was lousy with wild blueberries. There was actually a stench in the air of overripe berries in the summer heat. We didn't spend much time picking berries, because the bears were pretty territorial when it came to blueberry patches. Did you know that you can go to Mapquest and see satellite photos of the whole camp? You can use Google Earth as well. Unfortunately, the old reload does not show up. It has finally grown back over. I have shared this story here before, but since you seem interested, I will pass it on again. The Vail reload was not set up like an A frame, as are most reloads I have seen. They stood two spars straight up and ran a 'crotch line' as my dad called it between them. Art Smythe, the veteran reload operator, kept a string of rail cars at the reload, and pulled the string forward one car length with a straw line every time he was ready for another empty car. Pretty much the same way as they did with the Lidgerwood tower skidders, except Smythe's donk did not straddle the tracks. He spend every day picking up one off-highway load after another, and transferring them onto rail cars. The donk was a 1925 Washington loading donkey. They used it in the woods for two years, and then set up the reload in 1927, the same year as they built that majestic old shop building that the bastards tore down in recent years. I loved that shop. The reload donk started out powered by wood-fired steam, then went to Diesel fired, and then at some point they began to power it with old truck engines. When we were there, it was running on an old natural Cummins, probably a 280. About once a month, Mr. Smythe would call Jay Lynch, the Shop foreman, on the radio and say basically the same thing: "We're gonna work on the reload this Saturday. I need a box of rags, a case of grease, and a bucket of spare nuts and bolts". Jay Lynch's answer was always the same; "Yes sir, Mr. Smythe". Jay Lynch moved down to Plymouth, NC with Weyco shortly after we moved there in 1972. He didn't stay long. He resigned, and went to work for Cascade Loggers' Supply in Centralia. I used to cut a lot of firewood out of chunks at the reload, and Mr. Smythe always had a few nice chunks stashed here and there. He was a grouchy old picklepuss by nature, but that man had a heart of gold, as did the vast majority of the fine loggers I knew back then. God bless you, Mr. Smythe. Each morning, Ernie Kell, the lokie engineer, and his brakeman, the late and famous Jim Barrett, bald-faced a string of empty log cars out in front of the lokie before daylight, to spot them at the reload before they hooked to yesterday's production for their daily trip to either the port, or Mill B in Everett. Well, one morning, a certain new foreman whose name I shall not mention, although his nickname was Hippy Harry, was running late. He saw the lokie's headlight back down the tracks, dropped a gear in the pickup and nailed it, in an effort to beat the train across the tracks.... and it was too late when he discovered what the term 'bald-facing' meant. He totaled that brand new F-250, and he was not too popular around there for a while. Dad bought Mr. Smythe a brand new stacker in about 1971, partly to give the old man a break and make him comfortable, since he refused to retire. Mr. Smythe would have no part of it. he wanted to be back on his reload, and he found one thing after another wrong with that stacker, so he could go back to that loud, rough, aggravating old machine. I have heard from reliable sources that Mr. Smythe was the first operator to run that reload in 1927, and stayed on it until they finally tore that contraption down. Can you imagine that kind of dedication, not to mention job security? Back then, Weyerhaeuser took care of their people, and their people showed them the same consideration. Such a shame to see them in their current shape. But life goes on. And on and on..... And somehow on and on I go...... I keep on rollin' with the flow.
I remember riding from the beach to my Grandmas place outside of Kelso with dad in his crummy. He would either have the radio tuned to some talk radio show or a ball game. The traction tires howled very loud at 70 MPH. We often stopped in Chehalis at the A&W for a burger and root beer. Girls on roller skates brought the food out. Also stopped in Oakville/Rochester at the burger joints there. Plenty of deer hunting up the Coweeman.
Actually unit 776 was a EMD GP7. This loco was bought from Morrison Knudsen in 1977. Hence the reason the ### starts with 77. The 38s were 817, 818, 819, & 810. They were bought new in 1981 hence the reason the ### start with 81. Best Regards Ryan modeling the Chehalis Western in N scale
I know a story about Mulqueen gate. Those of you may remember that the Mulqueen gate crossed not only the road going to the reload but also the RR tracks too. Well one morning, one of my grandads (Elmer Cook) truck drivers was trying to be the first one to the reload. Well turns out he was a little too early as the Mulqueen gate was still closed. The driver didn't see it until it was too late. He opened the gate that morning with my grandads KW log truck and put it on its side. Needless to say my grandad was NOT happy. I am surprised that he didnt can the driver that day as he was a schmuck anyways.
We may be talking about two different places with the same name. The Mulqueen Junction is past the old reload, about a mile or two (IIRC) further into the claim, and away from the shop/old town. If you went straight, you were on the '10 road', headed for the DesChutes watershed, and also the Nisqually. Facing away from Vail, if you turned right at Mulqueen, you were headed up into the Skookumchuck watershed. Was this 'Mulqueen Gate' right at the reload, or are you talking about the MulQueen Junction I just described? When did your Grandfather run trucks at Vail? Nice to see this thread resurrected.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
I worked for Roy Filla from September 1973 to spring of 1977. Was on Jim Sabin's side. Also worked for Osborne and Burley for about 6 months 79-80. Did a brief stint with Portway as well and Elmer Cook. I do remember the name of Ron Hall.
Jim Sabin was a good hooktender also.
Bobby Rushton was my slinger. When Sabin went to become side rod I became Hook Tender on that side.
Did you stay in the woods after O&B?
Yes. Went to Elmer Cook on Toledo for a short stint, then to Weyerhauser for 8 months. Then to North Fork timber for a year+. Then Hooked for Osborne n Birley outta Mossyrock. March 1980 went to Alaska logging camps for 6 years. Then worked for Bill Lattimer for 1.5 years. Went back to college, got BA and became an Accountant for 30 years
Sounds like a dang wise choice Wayne, I wish I would have done that when I was in my '20s or early 30s.
Not to take anything away from accounting, but... logging makes for better stories.
Unless there's good advice on how to save on taxes.
I can’t picture that.
Ya, it's hard for me to also.