How logging shaped Appalachia  

Support this channel by clicking the JOIN button or with a SUPER THANKS T-shirt, stickers, magnets, and more at www.theappalachianstoryteller.com Like, Comment, and Share to support this channel Got a story you want us to tell? Email us at theappalachianstoryteller@gmail.com Business inquiries The Appalachian Storyteller PO Box 6022 Oak Ridge, TN 37831

I am 65yrs old and I have lived almost my whole life here in Scott County Tennessee. At one time we was called the jewel of the Appalachian. We succeeded from Tennessee because of the Civil War. It was only in 1989 was We officially rejoined to Tennessee. I can remember tall trees here as a boy growing up. Times was hard I suppose but mom and dad always told me that I had clothes to wear even if they were second handed. And I had plenty to eat because we always had a big garden. And daddy always raised a hog for meat. Plus we hunted squirrel, rabbit and deer. I carried water from my aunts well when the springs and branches dried up. We heated with wood and coal. Mom cooked on a Meal master cook stove. I was about 6 years old when we got electric and only then because I was starting school. Sorry for such a long comment but watching this channel brings me back to a simpler way of life. A good life where you could trust people and if you didn't work for it or growed it, raised it or hunted it. Then you done without it.

Another good one JD. Grandfather and Great Grandfather and Great Uncles ran a sawmill in East TN and he worked at till in his 80's. Great grandfather preferred Belgian Horses over mules with their big clydesdale hoofs and was well know to heal horses around turn of the century. Would have loved to have seen East TN with virgin forest and talked to him. He passed at 95 in early 1970's when i was 6. He would have seen the mountains as a young main in late 1800's. Sometimes wish i was born in their time period.

I never realized that trees got that big in Appalachia . So sad how they ruined the landscape and the echo systems . Also the Chestnut blight was such a tragedy

My Pawpaw was a logger in his younger years, I'd say in his twenties. It was back in the 1920's. As soon as he married Mawmaw, He went to work in a sawmill. It was Bernhardt and Seagle. He worked there for 45 years. He said logging was the hardest job he ever did.

I've heard at one time some mountains in the smokeys was completely bald no tree in sight...mountain folks have always had people taking advantage of them...

Seeing the old growth humungous trees on trucks is sad indeed. Interesting to see all the pictures. The men, the machines, the tools, the trees. Another great video. Cheers from your northern neighbour 🇨🇦❤🇺🇸

In combination with the devastation of the chestnut blight the unregulated logging industry changed the Southern and Central Appalachian forest forever. You can still find the remnant of old logging sites here in my home county in southwestern Virginia. In the likes of old cables, chains, and other old equipment used in the logging industry there. You can also see the stumps of old hardwood trees and the bench roads used to access the timber. Every time the New River floods you can find old growth logs on the banks from the old logging sites plus the timber used to build bridges and other structures such as the sawmill and logging camps. I remember reading that Champion Paper was one of the worst companies for the over logging of areas in Southern Appalachia. I really appreciate you highlighting the history of Southern Appalachia the you do thank you. I don't know if you have done a video about the chestnut blight but could you please mention how this event truly reshaped Appalachia as a whole. With not only environmental damage but the economic and social devastation it wrought on the families of both central and southern Appalachia.

My grandfather used a team of mules to drag logs out of the forest in the Appalachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky. I still remember my uncles telling me stories of my grandpa and his team doing things right after other men had told him, "Preston them mules ain't gonna do that. You can't do that with mules." But he knew his mules and he could always get their best out of them.

Fantastic video....👍🎸

Yet another way the Appalachian people where taken advantage of. Thanks for the video. God bless you & your's.

Thanks Donnie, there will never be any more trees like those, and I can't imagine how hard that work was and driving those loaded trucks and wagons in the mountains. They did what they had to do to survive.

I have watched many docs on the common man and woman (called lumber jill) working in the logging industry. Much of it is very sad to think how hard they had to work just to struggle by with the company stores taking further advantage. Your pics were absolutely fascinating and your narration flawless as always. Thank you. :)

My dad’s family logged for years. They sawed mostly lumber to build homes and barns. Logging is a very dangerous job. I can still smell the fresh cut wood. He built me a very fine playhouse when I was small.

Strong and Intelligent!

Thanks AST my kin in tennessee used to have a logging company Orr family now called Orr mountain❤️

You sure have a great channel! So interested in a place I’ve never seen.

This was one of the very best. What we don't know because no one has taught us. Much appreciated.

I never get tired of your stories.

Forever one of my favorite channels. Thank you for another great one!

Awesome video. Thank you for all you do Brother 🙏🇺🇸🙏

Another great story.

Thank you for that bit of history. ❤

HUGE trees in these mountains! 🌲

Seems like I even heard of a later Paul Bunyan book where he and Babe became conservationists. Even back when I was a kid some 7 decades ago, most of us had no idea what was coming.

I always enjoy a good logging flick. Thank you 🐾

Wow you definitely do the Appalachian Country and people Proudly! The way you tell stories can put you (me) right in that time and space. The deforestation is heartbreaking! Getting those photos must have been difficult due to you inserting the gigantic Redwood trees! Nonetheless all the photos were a joy to see thank you! I really love this channel. Do you know any stories of regional candies? Love to hear em

Logging was big here, in southern Georgia, also. The long leaf pines grew vast, from what I was told. Long leafs are native here and grow to 100 feet tall.

You should do a video on the battle of Blair mountain here in WV where the coal company brought in belt fed 1919 browning machine guns to kill the striking miners. While you're looking it up, check out the hawks nest tunnel fiasco and how many men Union Carbide killed

I just love learning about the mountains I now call home

My opinion JD is the most amazing photo shared is the tall timber carried by two clever truckers high up on that trestle! 😳WhoooWeeeee😃

Great story. So gave they saved the moutains and wildlife is living in them once again❤

As a certifiable tree-hugger, the destruction brings tears, but, I also am amazed that anyone could fell trees such as these giants with the simple tools available. The pictures of the trucks that moved the logs defy all perceived notions of maximum load restrictions and prove that determination can stay disaster. Desperation and determination are forces to wonder at. Thank you for bringing this kind of history alive for us to marvel at.

Your West Michigan fan here. Grew up in the 30s,40s N.Michigan. My father just after leaving Clay County Kentucky with my siblings,,, 1st job was logging,,,thru the WPA. Our state too. Shaped by the logging industry. From pre the Big Chicago Fire clear Thru the Big Depression. That stripped N.Michigan n other large swaths of Michigan of its Old Lumber. Built us n yet also did long term damage.

Keep the stories coming, love hearing about our land!

Great video J.D.! So Thankfull for the still great,pure drinking water here in Carter County Tn.Lake Watauga/Wilbur Dam which is 15 minutes up the road.....that feeds down your way and Oh yea them ol logging jobs is still around here on the ol timers that still do it...but not as bad,Very Dangerous work...but good money nowandays.

Enjoyed, companies had no heart❤ for the working man

My great grandpa ran a sawmill/grist mill in the early to mid 1900's. I still have some of the old equipment.

Awesome video, sitting here wishing for time traveling 😊❤

I cut timber for probably 25 years or more we had one job where two logs loaded the log truck. I would like to seen one log on a truck wow.

Thanks for sharing this great story.

Another great video jd!!!! Thanks!!

Great video

How interesting is this! Im here in Canada my brother lives in Kentucky and he knows none this history. Im going to visit and were heading to the blue Ridge Mts. he lives in a valley under them. Thank you again!!!

Wow those trees were so BIG

My Great Grandfather had the lumber yard in Huntington WVA. It burned down around 1933? Having no insurance to rebuild he moved west to Phoenix AZ where he was one of the first to build on Camel Back Mountain. He and his wife had 13 children. 11 survive. One being my Grandmother. She was married and my Mom was 12 when they finally moved out west also

My great uncle was born in 1909. I knew him as Pawpaw because his brother, my real grandfather lived in Oregon when I was born. He did come back to WV but was soon killed in a horrific car-train accident in 1966 when I was 7 1/2 so I never really knew him. Pawpaw had worked at everything from punch mining to logging and it seemed he could do anything. Carpentry, forging, electrical, you name it. A World War Two navy vet. He had chainsaws in his basement that two of us big boys couldn't pick up! They don't make em like him anymore. And I, for one sure miss those 100% men! And I still have a 6 foot crosscut saw that my Dad had hanging on his outbuilding. I don't know how old it is.

Very nice... It's one of your best ones yet. I await every new episode. Thank you.

How am I missing this one and the 2 part video? I thought I went down the entire list? Anyway it gives me joy to have some to listen to bc of waiting ( not too long) for your next uploads. I appreciate what you do.

Amazing 😊

Self sufficiency, though hard, with the protection of your lands is far more important than working with those outsiders who come to pillage.....and abuse the land and you

This is very interesting history of logging. Reminds me when I visited Blue Heron Mining Community up in Kentucky. It's an abandoned mining community that's a museum in the mountains

Almost missed this video 🥴 It's amazing how big the trees were here... thanks for another outstanding story 🤗❤️

Love your voice!

I cut a lot of timber in NC mountains years ago

It would be interesting to hear the story of the loss of the chestnut tree.

My daddy and uncles logged back on South Holston Mountain probley back in 60s. Used mules to pull logs. Hauled them from Bristol/ Bluff City area to Kingsport Tenn. I think it was a paper mill called Meads, if I'm remembering right. Is kids used to climb all over and play on daddys logging truck. Mom has pictures of us on the hood and bed of it.

They had to work or starve but the people that owned the companies cared nothing about what they were doing to our precious mountains

I can't finish this video, broke down into tears realizing no one will ever see trees like that again. The west coast would be the same if it wasn't for the Bohemian Grove. The secret billionaire world manipulation group of men. This world hurt my soul.

Helen, Georgia was founded as a logging & sawmill town.

I was horrified and heartbroken to see the deforestation of such incredible specimens of trees. Gone forever. Had they remained, the government would have turned it into a national park and protect those forests. Sad.

Don't forget Chestnut trees and they were wiped out by a Chestnut blight in the 30's.

7:37 huge tree.

How long did a typical logging town last before it was abandoned.

Hey Storyteller

Very interesting, but there's more to this. The companies were vilified, but they also did lots of good. They provided lots of jobs, for decades, in areas that had been very poor and had hardly any jobs. And, now that those companies are gone, how many of those areas went back to being poor and having hardly any jobs, to this day? The clear-cut areas grew back, and the trees provided affordable lumber to build countless houses.

When I see these big Trees cut down, I could cry, never will come this forest back again. I just wondering are there still some real big trees with a diameter of 2+ meter left. PS: The biggest Tree Trunk in USA is Devils Tower, he is petrified, this is the reason, that he still exist. Some lores tell, that these trees could be 2 - 3 km tall. I think it true.

Logging,,,,in the beginning, the logs belonged to the people owning the land,,,, and the people owning the company cheated them out of their trees,,, this still goes on today,,,, your trees are worth more staying in the earth, where God put them.

Tenneesse Ernie ford 16 tons song.

Hey storyteller im not sure why this video made me think of this but im sure youve heard the term redneck (maybe you have already done video on it) the origin the word redneck might be good topic for a video i cant recall all the details but the word redneck Doesnt have anything to do With being southern northern skin color But actually has to do with disgruntled railroad workers taking up arms against a railroad company again im sorry that i cant remember All the details

Sounds like the coal companies owned the logging industry

I walk thru a 'National Forest' and most are anything but natural. My own relatives for the most part have no idea... I will leave out naming good and bad guys of the past and here we are. I am not sure where to start but a suggestion is, mixed forests same as originally here (not forests for production of wood, source of water and minerals - No Touch... NO). Provide therapy to people of the Wildlife service(s) who think the only way to keep their job is... 'not to care.?' What are we doing as a society... family. ????

That coin is now worth $20!

These pictures of huge trees are from the West Coast. I have seen virgin, never cut stands of oak in the Appalachians and they are not even close to West Coast fir trees.

What species are the big logs?

Emory river logging company in wartburg Tennessee honey 20s an30s big mill rail road big back then payed in script. Gobey

Yet another example of corporate exploitation with total disregard for the environmental impact and human suffering.

Why? When wva,is the olny state that is all Appalachia are there no stories about us