Tie drives

Everett remembers the tie drives of the 1930's. Ties hewn for the railroad were launched into the Big Laramie River during the rising water in May, both at Woods Landing and at points above, and floated down to Laramie.

He particularly remembers the thudding, bumping sounds of the ties as they moved down the river and the problems of keeping them in the channel and moving along. Agile "tie hacks" wearing wool clothing patrolled the river, loosening jams, climbing on to the lodged logs and working them loose with their pike poles, a cold, wet, dangerous job. Occasionally they had to resort to using dynamite to dislodge a particularly stubborn jam. However, tie drives were discontinued when the available, suitable timber accessible to the Laramie River had been harvested and shipment by rail and truck became feasible. Tie drives were hard on both the banks and the channel of the river but at that, time, using the river was the logical way of transporting them to Laramie.

Continue >>