Growing Up Around a Steam Powered Sawmill

to saw, but I know in his later years he would make comments hoping
that one or all three of us would someday be a sawyer. Dad passed
away three years ago; he had a rough time with cancer the last two
years of his life.

He was really sharp with repairing steam engines or tuning up a
sawmill something always drove Dad to trading engines or sell his
and buy another one. I remember he was trading his Advance Rumely,
22 HP to a guy who lived about four miles from our place. There was
an old iron bridge he had to cross, because in those days you
didn’t haul an engine, you fired it up and ran it to its new
home.

When Dad got to the bridge which was about two miles from home,
there was quite a crowd ready to watch the big Advance Rumely go
through the bridge instead of across it. My twin brother and I were
riding in the wood boxes. Now I guess Mom wasn’t too sure of
Dad getting across either, because she made us get off the engine,
and it didn’t matter how much we cried, we just couldn’t
ride. Well, when we saw Dad take off the governor belt, I guess we
knew why. I can’t remember how old we were, but I can still see
Dad opening that throttle and going across that bridge so fast that
half the people on the other side almost jumped in the lake just to
get out of the way. I don’t believe they ever saw a steam
engine move that fast. Mom and Dad used to laugh about it, because
Dad said, ‘Heck, I wasn’t going half as fast as those
dummies who thought I was going to fall through the
bridge.’

I always thought Dad was disappointed when he returned with the
other engine because there were only a few people there to watch
him cross.

The other engine was a 20 HP Baker. I don’t know how long
Dad used it on the sawmill. I think after that he got a 20 HP
Minneapolis, he said that was the only engine he sawed with for
five years and never had to adjust the crosshead. He liked the
Minnie because it had the double fire door, and sometimes Dad
wanted to get rid of some old tires so he would bend them in half,
wire them together, and put them in the old engine. By the time he
gave Mom orders on keeping the water level right, and then walking
to the head sawer stick to adjust the carriage, the tire was
burning good, and boy, I tell ya, that carriage did not sit
still!

I don’t suggest that other people try this, because the
engines are another forty or so years older now. Plus, Dad was well
versed on the condition and operation of the engines and you
can’t realize the heat, smoke and fire that a tire can put
out.

Dad had a 1939 1 ton G.M.C. truck he bought to haul logs. One
time a guy wanted some 24 foot logs sawed. Dad said yes, he would
saw them if the guy would haul them. But Mom knew if she and Dad
hauled them, they would make more money. Dad said, ‘you
can’t haul a 24 foot log on a 12 foot bed.’ Mom said,
‘we’ll put the 8 and 10 footers on top of the long ones to
keep them from tipping off the bed.’ So, they put the butt end
on first and that kept them in place until they put the other
shorter ones on top. The ’39 G.M.C. was pretty light on the
front driving home, but they made it.

Now that they were home, there was still the question of getting
up the hill to the sawmill. Dad said he would get the F-20 Farmall
and help hold the front end down with a chain, while Mom drove up
the hill. But, if you know Mom like I know Mom, when Dad got back
with the tractor, there was no truck, just log tracks in the sand
and Mom was long gone. Well, they got the job done, got the lumber
home and all was well.

Maybe I can write about a few more good times I remember at a
later date. I know we had several, and I hope all of you young and
old don’t mind my sharing my memories of life on a sawmill and
steam engine with you.