Whipsaws to Chainsaws: History of Logging and Timber in Washington County
The Washington County Historical Society and Museum welcomes you to visit our latest exhibit on the development of the logging industry in Washington County, Oregon. Surround yourself with photographs, artifacts, and stories of local logging throughout the past 150 years.
Discover what it was like to live in a lumber camp, or imagine yourself working as a river rat. Learn about local timber communities, the Tillamook Burn, and the importance of the forests to our future. Compare old logging methods and tools with modern techniques. See how local Native Americans utilized trees for tools, weapons, building materials, baskets, and even clothing.
And be sure to step inside our permanent exhibit feature: the fully restored original Washington County log jail, built in 1853.
Lumberjack Life
Logging was dangerous, difficult work. Loggers had to work for ten or twelve hours a day, six days a week in rain, mud, snow, and heat.
Early camps were located in remote areas and consisted of several bunkhouses, a building for the timekeeper, a blacksmith's shop, a cookhouse, and a shed for animals. Sometimes these buildings could be loaded onto railroad cars and moved to the next camp.
