A Massive Log Raft Heads to South Bend
A major timber shipment from the Nackel River underscores the scale of the region's early logging operations.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Four million feet of logs have been towed up to the Southwestern Lumber Company's mill at South Bend this week from the Nackel river. There are 10,000,000 feet remaining in the boom on that river, most of which will also probably be sold to the same mill. They are the property of the Shoalwater Bay Mill Company, of which I. M. Colman, of Seattle, is a heavy stockholder, this company's mill at Nahcotta being closed down.
“Four million feet of logs have been towed up to the Southwestern Lumber Company's mill.”
The massive timber extraction of the late 19th century was the bedrock of Seattle's early economy, with local magnates like I.M. Colman controlling vast swaths of Washington's natural resources. Today, South Bend is better known for its oyster industry, but the scars and legacy of the clear-cutting era remain a permanent part of the landscape.
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