BS: Seattle people

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 01:22 AM

In my Forest Service days I made quite a few shakes for various primative buildings we maintained around the district. We used blocks of cedar and a froe and mallet and cut straight shakes. Here's a brief description from online:

Originally, all shakes were split from blocks entirely by hand using a sharp blade called a froe, and a mallet. Some shakes are still manufactured this way, typically for special orders. This splitting technique may be done straight or at an angle, depending on the needs of the customer. Shakes which are split straight to create parallel sides, have sometimes been called "barn shakes". Tapersplit shakes are split at an angle, and are only made with hand tools.

Here's a froe (without a handle) from what looks like a tool catalog. Some of the other photos out there were of rusted out artifacts. A froe can be a high-carbon steel so that it can be sharpened or of a stainless steel (the photo looks like that) that would hold a sharp edge longer (but is harder to sharpen).
Ah ha! This is the best looking one I found an image of.

I am not going to go looking for images of mallets. But take my word for it, you need a heavy wooden object like the mallet to work the fro into the top bit of the cedar block, and once it has penetrated and cracked off a slice, you pound the protruding end or work it back and forth to pry the shake off of the block. It's kind of fun to do. The work goes fast, isn't real hard, and they're a quite durable siding or roofing material.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: GUEST,Ebbie
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 01:29 PM

Froe and Maul

"The froe had a couple of dozen other names as well, including "riving ax". It was used to split off pieces from a log. Depending on how large and long the log was, everything from withes to shakes and shingles were produced in the woods. By straining the bolt, held in a crotch, while twisting the froe with its handle, the river (as in user of a riving axe) could steer the split any way he wanted.

"The froe had an edge with a pretty obtuse angle, so that if a logger referred to his ax as "a froe", it was understood that his ax needed sharpening!

"The maul was used to drive the froe into the wood -- an iron maul couldn't be used without damaging the froe. The one shown here was quickly made from beech wood. Early loggers used similar mauls -- but about half again larger -- to drive their felling wedges.


More on the Froe

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Don Firth
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 02:52 PM

Stilly mentions Roslyn. It's a kick and a half to go to Roslyn (East of Seattle, just beyond Snoqualmie Pass and a little way off I-90) and look around. It's an old mining town, I think. Lots of people have been there vicariously, even if they've never been there physically. Remember Cicely, Alaska?

Roslyn was used as the setting for Northern Exposure. The Brick, Roslyn's Cafe, Maurice Minnifield's big log house. . . .   I've been in that house. Barbara and I know Jim and Marge Hathaway, the people who own it and who allowed them to film there. They're all there in Roslyn, Washington. Dunno about the moose, though.

Been there a few times visiting the Hathaways. Looked around, shook my head, and laughed a lot. Talk about déjà vu!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: mg
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 12:53 AM

remember those big cones all over the place? I think they were for burning sawdust. Kelso is the smelt capital of the world too...I always liked Kelso. Longview is a strange city...I grew up there..never could find my way around because it is built in this spoke pattern..it is a planned city with almost no history...it was planned and then the depression and war delayed populating it..so after WWII men came to work in the mills, including my father..but he ended up a postman. Excellent housing stock there, nice trees...you would never know you were on the Columbia River though..the mills owned all the waterfront...Longview was a bunch of drained swamps...

mg

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: mg
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 12:39 AM

I forgot to say thanks for the links...what is a fro? Do people know the CLe Elum girl song? Walt Robertson used to sing it.

Red and yellow blue and green
----this world treats a little girl mean...

or am I getting songs mixed up:

mg

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 10:57 PM

There are some other tough little towns in Washington with interesting histories. Darrington. Roslyn. Cle Elum.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: dianavan
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 09:59 PM

I was born in Longview but lived in Kelso. Half my family was from Kelso, the other half from Longview. I don't remember any prostitutes but I do remember the taverns. I actually remember returning in the car from Longview and as we passed the tavern under the bridge, my dad brought the car to a screeching hault and jumped out to assist his brother who was fighting on the sidewalk.

If the newspaper story above, is true, its no wonder the Longview family looked down their noses at the Kelso family.

The only hazy memory I have is that my great aunt Catherine (from Kelso) moved to Long Beach and lived in a beautiful old Victorian house near Oysterville. Her name was Catherine but everyone called her Kate. As a child I thought it looked like a museum with all of the oriental carpets and stained glass and ornate furniture. I knew something wasn't quite right because my parents would always skirt every question about her and her house and her lack of husband. The family inherited her house and used it in the summers and in the winters when we dug clams.

Kelso was the old town - Longview was the company town where most of the men worked in mills and had a steady pay check. The people of Kelso were mainly loggers and fisherman. I had another uncle that lived on a float house amidst the log booms. You had to walk the booms to get to his place. I don't know about shake bolts back then but nowadays, you cut them to length and then bust the shakes out of the bolt with a fro.

Yes, Kelso was a rough and tumble place back then. My dad moved us to Seattle in the 50's because as he said, "He wanted a little more for us kids and didn't want me to marry the son of the guy who owned the service station next to the hiway" - you know, the one with all the hubcaps.

Kelso is an odd little place but its my hometown and I remember it fondly. My grandmas little cedar shack is still there. My cousin lives in it.

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 09:57 PM

Mary-

You might check our a ballad that John Warner composed celebrating a lady of the night in a mining town in Australia. It's called "Kitty Kane" which has been discussed in the threads. It might make a nice model for a song for Kelso.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: mg
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 08:06 PM

I think that must be it...didn't check the date. I will read it again tonight. When I grew up Kelso was a town of many saloons...never knew about the other though..imagine sheer lingerie in the town right next door to you...Longview ladies I am sure had the white cotton from Sears. You just never know. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: mg
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 08:03 PM

You know, actually I feel one popping around in my head. I know nothing about it of course, but it is about the shingle bolt drivers who drove shingle bolts to Kelso, down the Lewis, Toutle, Kalama..maybe other rivers. I met Barb and Mark at the Kelso museum when I went to Rainycamp and I was just starting to notice some pictures of shingle bolt drivers when they arrived...I believe they are short chunks of cedar and used for shingles...and they really clogged things up in the rivers...not sure if they were the ends or were deliberately cut into the shingle bolts...anyone know?

mg

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 06:32 PM

You guys are good! Are you writing a song, Mary?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Don Firth
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 05:12 PM

Beat me by that —>||<—much!>

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: Don Firth
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 05:07 PM

Hi, Mary,

We don't take the P. I., but I googled my way to their website, ran a search for "Kelso," and came up with THIS. Is this what you're looking for?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Seattle people
From: artbrooks
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 05:06 PM

This one, Mary?

Subject: BS: Seattle people
From: mg
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 04:12 PM

I saw on Friday that there was an article in the Seattle PI I think about some of Kelso's history...could anyone retrieve it from their recycling and send me a copy? Thanks. mg