North Country At Work

Helicopter  black fly “fogging,” or spraying insecticide over bodies of water in the town of Webb to control the black fly population. Circa 1940s. Town of Webb, NY.

Helicopter outfitted for black fly spraying. On the left,  Dr. Glasglow, Director of the NYS Department of Entomology; on the right, unknown helicopter pilot from Bell Aircraft. Circa 1940s. Old Forge, NY.

The Oswegatchie River filled to its banks with four foot pulp logs (used for making paper) from a log drive, winding through the center of Harrisville. Circa 1890-1900. Harrisville, NY.

The Oswegatchie River filled with logs from a log drive, winding through the center of Harrisville. The Riverside Hotel, its livery, and the main bridge are also in the picture, as well as three men, two boys, and a dog on a large boulder in the river. Circa 1890-1900. Harrisville, NY.

Two bark structures with inhabitants posing outside. Building on left was temporary housing, structure on right possibly for storage. These structures were built of large sheets of bark and were used to house loggers in the late spring/early summer, when loggers would be stripping trees of their bark. Circa 1880-1890. Town of Diana, NY. This […]

Lumber yard outside of Tupper Lake. C: Stacks of lumber on either side of railroad tracks in a lumber yard on the Raquette Pond on Raquette River, near Tupper Lake. The pond is full of logs, and the sawmill is in the background on the left. Photo caption says: Raquette Pond, on Raquette River. Near […]

Workers are measuring the diameter of logs and marking the logs with owner’s log mark, using a metal hammer  to press the mark into the logs. This was done to identify logs once they had been sent down river and were retrieved by a mill or factory. Each logging company had their own individual mark, […]

Pulp logs falling from flume into the Ausable River. Circa 1890-1900. Essex County. Photographer was F.A. Van Sant. Originally in History of the lumber industry in the state of New York, by William H. Fox Forest, Fish & Game Commission report, 1900.

Original caption says: Frank Peterson’s drive on the Boquet River. Loggers holding pikes posing with logs during the spring river drive. 1903. Essex County.

Camp of Adirondack log drivers holding logging tools, with tents and kitchen wagon in the background. Caption under photo reads: Camp of Adirondack River Drivers. Traveling kitchen, or cook-shanty in background. Circa 1890-1900. In the Adirondacks. F.A. Van Sant was the photographer. Originally in History of the lumber industry in the state of New York, […]