A River Full of Logs
Until 80 years ago, the best way to get logs from the North Country to sawmills and paper mills in Connecticut and Massachusetts was to float them down the Connecticut River. Bringing the logs to market- in much the same spirit that cowboys herded cattle across the Great Plains- were the river drivers, a breed every bit as rugged as the cowboy. All winter, loggers would haul logs to the edges of lakes and streams. When the ice went out, the full length logs (all softwood because hardwoods don’t float well) would be pushed into the water and the drive would commence. With good flow, logs and drivers would reach the Connecticut Valley Lumber Company’s mill at Mt. Tom, Massachusetts by August; in a dry year it could take until well into autumn.
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