North Country At Work

Olavi Hirvonen grooming nordic ski trails at the Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center. Photograph by Paul Zahray. 2015. Benson, NY. Check out our story on the ski center here.

Ed LaVine of Potsdam drove this rig that carried “the largest load of pulp wood ever drawn out of the woods by a single team of horses.” The 12-cord load of 4-foot logs was 10 feet wide, 10 feet high, and 18 feet long. The load was hauled 10 miles to the Racquette River, where […]

Before the invention of modern refrigeration, ice was stored in warehouses along the Raquette River for use through the year. This crew from Cornell & Son watched for the weather conditions to be just right, toward the end of January, when the ice would snap and crack with a loud boom. Then, working night and […]

A man runs alongside railroad flat cars stacked with logs, being taken out of the woods by train. Circa 1920. Cranberry Lake, NY.

Men pose with four teams of horses pulling four bobsleds of logs in winter. March of 1932. On Emporium Forestry Company land in Brandy Brook in the Edgar Tract, Cranberry Lake, NY.

Man leads a team of horses pulling a bobsled of cut logs. Winter. March of 1932. On Emporium Forestry Company land in Brandy Brook in the Edgar Tract, Cranberry Lake, NY.

A slightly overhead view of the Emporium Forestry Company lumber yard in Cranberry Lake, under a light layer of snow. Circa 1930s. Cranberry Lake, NY.

Emporium Forestry Company Linn #4 equipped with half tracks and skis taking logs to the railroad. 1930. Brandy Brook area, Cranberry Lake, NY.

DeCosse’s logging camp up at Brandy Brook in winter. A group of loggers moving logs onto a truck. Circa 1920. Cranberry Lake, NY.

Exterior of Scruton’s Store in the winter. A woman and man stand in front of the store, the man posing with a sled on runners, which might be for sale. Circa 1900. Oswegatchie, NY.