"Skidrow" Doesn't Exist!

by ROLF D. GTERUM West Coost lumbermen's Associotion

DROFESSOR Walter F. McCulloch, eminent Dean of the r Oregon State University School of Forestry, wrote a book a couple of years back entitled "Woods Words." This fascinating compilation of loggers' lingo makes highly-entertaining reading for anyone, and especially those engaged in the forest products industry.

"Alabama wool" means long underwear, for instance, and a "barked" man is one who is bald. A "big blue butt' describes a particularly large log, something handled on a "skyline," which is a heavy steel cable stretched between the head tree at the landing and the tail tree back in the logging area.

"High lead (pronounced 'leed') logging" utilizes a spar tree carrying a main line and haulback cables high above the ground. The logs are attached to the line by a choker, and one end is raised off the ground for the trip to the yarding area.

"Lumberjack," according to Dean 1\{cCulloch, is a genteel term used by fiction writers who should have said "logger" if they meant a man working in the western woods. By same token, "lumbering" is a term used to mean "logging" by people who don't know any better.

When a man is big, strong, kind but not too bright, he is known to have "a size 17 collar and a size 2 hat." A "North Sea piano" is a concertina played in the bunkhouse by a Scandinavian logger, rvaiting to pick up his "monthly insult," or paycheck.

A thin man is described as one who "has to stand in the sun ten minutes to make a shadow," or "could use a doublebarrel shotgun for a pair of pants. The camp cook is known as a "biscuit shooter," "cookie pusher," "belly robber," or "stew builder."

Few of these colorful terms and phrases are heard outside of logging camps today, but the most notable exception by far is the word "skidroad." Often mispronounced and misspelled as "skidrow," the term has its origin in the western logging camps of the 19th Century. No one can say it better than Dean McCulloch himself, so let's hear it in his own (Woods)words:

SKIDROAD- (.) A road on which logs are skidded. At first they were dragged by bulls or horses across small skids laid on the road. Now the logs are skidded by donkey (engine) or cat (crawler-type tractor), the skids have disappeared, and the term is usually shortened to road. The skid- road was the heart of the old logging show and many words still in use date from the days of skidroad logging; "hooktender," for example. sawmills keep their log by means of air released Air forces warmer water feg'1on in winter bottom.

(b) A street in the tougher parts of West Coast towns where loggers hang out. Careless reporters with dirt in their ears have written skidrow or skid row so often that this miserable, phony term is accepted by the ignorant. There's no such damn thing as skidrow and there never was. The streets of saloons, card rooms, flop houses, sporting houses, etc. is the skidroad. The present day use came from famous skidroad built by Heny Yesler to skid logs from the woods to his mill on the Seattle waterfront in 1852. After it was no longer used for skidding this became just a road, and stores, saloons and other establishments grew up alongside. Much of the old road remains today, but it is known by the more genteel name of Yesler Way.

Let's hear no more about "skidrow."

Many Western Pine ponds from freezing up from pipes at the pond at bottom to rise.

Dimension and Timbers

Clevelond Edgeil Joins WCLA

G. Cleveland Edgett, 41, of Vancouver, B. C., has been named assistant to the vice president of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, according to announcement by Wm. R. Garnett, president.

Edgett will be assistant to Executive Vice President H. V. Simpson, and assumes his new duties in Portland headquarters of WCLA on September l.

For the past two years, Edgett has been closely connected with the National Wood Pron.rotion program as a representative on the National Wood Council. He was largely responsible for setting up a parallel organi- zation in Canada and served as executive director of the Canadian Wood Develooment Council from its fornration in 1959 until recently.

The Canadian lumberman spent three years abroad investigating and developing markets for west coast forest products. He was stationed in England and traveled extensively in Europe and South Africa. He served lrrior to this assignment as promotion director of British Columbia Lumber Manufacturers Association in Vancouver.

Edgett graduated from the University of Washington in 1948 where he majored in industrial and public relations. He and Mrs. Edgett and their four children, Sharon, Randy, Marty and Kerry, have just moved into their new home in Portland.

Olympic Inlroduces Cedqrcrest

Cedarcrest, a bevel siding with a resawn texture to bring out the natural grain of the cedar wood, is now being introduced by Olympic Stained Products Co., Seattle.

It is a completely pre-finished, tl"xl}" siding, prestained at the factory including back priming and edges. Thus it differs markedly from pre-primed sidings in that Cedarcrest needs no on-the-job staining. Even the colored nails to match the siding are furnished.

In order to completely protect Cedarcrest from the elements and shipping damage between the factory and the job site, the pre-finished siding is packaged in Polycoated weather proof paper.

Cedarcrest is manufactured from Western Red Cedar, all clear, kiln dried, full length bundling with no nested shorts. It is packaged six pieces to the bundle in random lengths, 6-20 feet.

Because Cedarcrest is a completely prefinished product requiring no on-the-job staining, it is one of the most competitive quality sidings now on the nrarket, according to the manufacturer.

Mr. Southern Colifornicr Reroil Lumber Deoler:

Recognizing the problem represented by bad check losses to the industry, So-Cal Building Materials Co., Inc., Los Angeles, is providing a mobile training program for the industry consisting of "Check and Double Check" 10-minute color/sound training film.

Dick Freeman, So-Cal Vice-President, announced tl-re program this week by pointing out that American business loses over $600,000,000 annually via bad check losses, and this industry sustains its share of these losses.

Recognizing the importance of visual presentation reinforced by sound, Mr. Freeman said his organization was proud to offer this kind of service to the industry.

Though only available a short time, "Check and Double Check" is in use throughout the country. Typical users include Union Oil Company, Denver Retail Merchants Association, Thrifty Drugs, Ralphs lVlarkets, Von's NIarkets. American National Bank of New Orleans, and Citizens and Southern Bank of Georgia.

In just l0-minutes, the film, using the cartoon technique, covers what one retail security official said would take him an hour to tell to oersonnel who handle checks.

The film warns against counter checks, omitted dates, non-matching numbers, alterations, illegible signatures, unidentified endorsements. It recommends that checks be limited to the amount of purchase, that the customer be known or identified by credentials.

The film has a distinct advantage over human presentation, according to the film's distributors, Harris-Tuch- man Sales Aids Company, Hollywood, California. The film always retains its original enthusiasm, no matter how often it repeats its message to new groups. It isn't affected by indigestion, worries, boredom, or a fight with the spouse.

Call or write So-Cal Building Materials Company, Inc., for further details. Phone: MAdison 7-5304. Address: 1220 Prodttce St., Los Angeles. Oh, yes; no charge to the dealer on this; another So-Cal contribution of service to the retail lumber dealer.

Colorful, Low Gost Lumber Literolure Offered Refoilers For Home Shows

Colorful, low cost lumber-selling literature for use by retail yards at Home Shows, in direct mail promotions and other mass distribution uses is available from the Western Pine Association for fall and winter consumer promotional programs.

Three special items have been published to fill a void existing in lumber literature where great quantities are needed at the letail level, according to the group's promotion director, Leo W. Beckstrom.

"These are available for one-half cent each for use during the heavy Home Show season due the rest of this year," he said.

One piece, "Home Icleas Literature," offers 17 publications free from the Association, ranging from a 16-page vacation homes book to folders on a,pplying finishes to paneling. Retail yard customers can mail their requests direct to the Association.

The "Lumber Buying Guide" is a handsize manual to better understanding of lumber by the consumer. "Ideas in Lumber" is a pocket version of Western Pine's wellknown "idea book" series.

In addition, a special imprint rate of $2.00 per thousand gives users of this literature the added advantage of having their own firm names carried in provided space on each piece distributed, if desired.

All three publications are of envelope en- closure size, sparkle colorfully from show room display racks or counters, and may be obtained from the Western Pine Association. 510 Yeon Building, Portland 4, Oregon.

Georgio Pocifi c Establishes Operctions In New Mexico

Georgia-Pacific Corporation has announced establishment of marketing operations in Roswell, New Mexico with the purchase of Lumberman's Supply Company, a wholesale building rnaterials outlet. The modern 12,000 square foot facility becomes number 69 in the nationwide distribution system of the big forest products firm.

Resident supervisor of the new Roswell operation will be J. L. "Doc" Williams, longtime employee of the previous owner. Georgia-Pacific reports that the other warehouse and sales personnel will also be retained. Roswell will be operated as a sub-warehouse under the already-established El Paso, Texas, facility.

According to Stewart W. White, G-P vice-president, "This is our first venture into the State of New Mexico with a distribution warehouse. The Roswell market is small but active, and we look forward to further expansion of this distribution operation."

Delivering carrier for the new distribution warehouse is the Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF).

Medford Corporction Quolifies For DFPA Membership

IVIedford Corporation, Medford, Oregon, has qualified for membership in the Douglas Fir Plywood Association and its application has been accepted by the trade group's board of trustees.

The plant is producing both sanded and unsancled lines. Interior and exterior panels meet D,FPA's rigid quality control standards and bear the associations's grade-trademarks.

Mill capacity is about 5 million sq. ft. per month, can be expanded later to 10 million. according to President Alger Chaney.

Medford will market 75 per cent of its production through U. S. Plywood Corp.