The Saw That Conquered the Snohomish Timber Frontier
Before high-tech machinery, local loggers relied on the 'Silver Steel' saw, a tool marketed as the most efficient way to fell the giants of Washington Territory.
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.
The Silver Steel Diamond Cross-Cut Saw is the cheapest saw in the world, because it is manufactured out of edge tool steel, and has the best cutting principle yet applied to saws. Every saw is warranted to cut from 25 to 50 cords of wood without filing. It is the easiest kept in order. It will require no gumming for a long time. Time is money, and in the same number of hours you can produce great results with less labor. Send for a sample and it will make you our friend. Price, including gauge and handle—six ft. $9; six and a half, $9.75; seven ft. $10.50. Orders promptly filled by D. B. PERRY, Agent, Snohomish City, W. T.
“Time is money, and in the same number of hours you can produce great results with less labor.”
In the 1870s, labor in Snohomish was defined by the manual intensity of timber extraction, where the efficiency of a single hand-tool was a primary economic concern. Today, while the industry has evolved from saws to automated mills, the region's historical identity remains tethered to the same landscape that these saws once transformed.
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