Erik Andreas Persson (upper left) posing for a photograph on a newly finished railroad bridge. (1903-4)
Soon after Erik Andreas Persson landed in the Northwest he became employed with the building and maintenance of railroads, transporting timber and lumber to nearby mills. This post begins with a photograph of him perched high on a massive bridge construction made of old growth Douglas Fir logs. Resourceful and perhaps practical for it's time, this engineering monstrosity is linked together with enough board feet to make a modern lumber tycoon big money.
Below, features snapshots of an everyday working mans life in the Northwest timber industry. In the latter photograph we see Erik Andreas as a person of seemingly unstoppable power, while in another we see him cuddling two small kittens in front of his home. It was an extraordinary time for manual labor, looking closely at the Heisler locomotive climbing the grade (pictured below), one can pick out dozens of white shirts catching a lift up the hill to work a long day.
A Heisler steam locomotive climbs with several teams of workers on its back.
Erik Andreas shares a softer side with two kittens.
Without the shade of an ancient canopy, these two workers bake while shaping hand hewn ties.