TIP #304 - LOG ROLLERS Log rolling was one of the foremost activities of the Kentucky pioneer. When I moved to Kentucky in 1989, I was awestruck by the amount of trees - tall trees! Coming from Illinois and it's million of acres of golden fields of wheat, oats, soybeans and corn; later in Texas and then to the cactus strewn deserts of Arizona; I had almost forgotten what tall trees looked like! But from all indications, what we enjoy so much now with all the changing of the guards at summer rolls into fall in glowing shades, and the bare limbs sprouting with new life in the spring - this is nothing in comparison to how it "used to be." In reading the old books about the early days in Kentucky, one thing stands out above all others. The richness of the land here in Kentucky and the tall trees. When visitors early came to the state they were in awe of the variety of our trees and their height and spun many a yarn about them when they returned home. Some wrote letters back home which spoke of trees so dense and tall that a man could barely crowd his way between them. Untouched by human axe, the trees reached it seemed to the heavens. One must remember that in the early settlement days of Kentucky, Virginia's land was wearing out. Over-planted and not as fertile as it had been, their hills were called "scrawny" by many. The tales of the richness of Kentucky sparked a fire in the breast of many a weary Virginia settler and nearby states and they decided right then and there to head for this new wilderness where everything grew twice as big and twice as fast. Kentucky lands (still in the early days a part of Virginia) seemed like every man's answer to prayer. When the influx of settlers started coming into what was to become the Commonwealth of Kentucky, they found they had more than sufficient lumber to build their cabins, build their furniture, warm themselves by at the hearth; and still have plenty to spare. The wild grasses grew to great heights, the game was more than adequate to feed the settler's family and much of the land had not been trod by any man. The Indians, silent in their steps through the undergrowth, merely passed through many areas with little evidence of damage except in the burning of some of the wild grasses to encourage growth and to hunt the buffalo. They protected the land. When the white man came it must have appeared as if they were stepping in the Garden of Eden. Though not always as careful with the land as the Indians, they were soon carving out their own homesteads. Red and white elms, white sycamores, lofty elms, tulip trees, oaks, chestnut, black and blue ash, walnut, holly, blackgum, maple, cherry, linden, beech, red haw, buckeye, pawpaw, pine, spicewood, sumac, swamp alder, dogwood, cedar .... the varieties allowed the settler to pick and choose as to which tree would make the best table, or cabin, or container. Back in Frankfort about 1830 or so, mill owners bought a few rafts which would be run down by local mountainmen. This was to become the beginning of a huge business. These hardened mountain men, toughened many times by their service in the Revolutionary War, built log booms and splash dams along the creeks in the area. The rafts they now built might contain upward of 3000 logs. Along with experience and not a few accidents, the loggers learned how to drift chains of logs across streams so that they rose and fell with the tides. Once they reached fast water, the rafts (also called raves) could be 100 to 120 feet in length and 10-16 poles wide. Oak poles were fastened fore and aft to guide the rafts; steersmen and pikers were employed to guide the rafts on their way; many times 5-6 men per raft. Equipment that the loggers carried were well known. They needed a "peavy" which is a six-foot cable, a frying pan, an ax, about 6 linchpins, and 2 forty-fours tied to their outfits. No logger could afford to lose his weapons so they were securely fastened to his "britches" in case of Indian attack or some white renegade wanting their rafts. In the Blue Grass area of Kentucky were often "rock throwing hoodlums." To hire on to be a log roller or log runner was a dangerous job and many young men relished the chance for adventure. They were taking their logs south, many to the New Orleans markets to make a "wad of money." But, they earned their money well and many lost their lives in the process. The log roller, the experienced ones, soon learned every bend and crook of the streams and what creek ran into which river. They learned, often the hard way, of the dangerous rocky sides of the beds, the hidden shoals. The local citizens became quite well acquainted with these brave men and the rollers themselves became experts on the lay of the land. They also learned the friendly folk along the way and where it would be safe to disembark and spend a night with other settlers at a nearby cabin. Sometimes the locals could be downright unfriendly too and refuse them shelter or food; but most welcomed these hardy men and put them up in barns or some nearby shelter; providing them with hot coffee and many times full meals. Sometimes as many as 30 log rollers would descend on a farmer at the same time, all piled that night in a barn, snoring amidst the cattle. The raft runners could only run the rivers five out the 12 months of the year. Their schedules depended on weather and tides. There is a strong November tide and the "summer logs" were run then. February, March, April and May marked the spring tides - here they were fighting the terrible unrelentless cold and rains. April was the favorite month to roll the logs. Those trying to make the run in the colder months often froze to death, or lost their footing on the ice covered logs and drowned. The loggers also "read" the weather well. They knew that if they'd had a mild winter and covered the coves with fogs that the Kentucky river would flood. They were said to be able to predict the tide within a few hours - they had to know, their lives depended on it. Sometimes the men were faced with a "wild log" - one that wanted to go its own way. If the log was oak, beech, hemlock or hickory, the results could be fatal. Timber thieves liked to steal the poplar, chestnut, walnut, buckeye and basswood. They would lie in wait out of side along the river banks and attack the men on the rafts as they approached. Not all the men who rode the rafts were decent settlers and their sons. Sometimes they were "rowdies" who would rather fight and drink than anything. But the majority it appears were just men trying to make a living. If they reached their destination with their lives, they sold their precious logs and then walked all the way home. So the pioneer woman at home would likely not be seeing her man or son for quite some time! Thomas Clark, in his book "The Kentucky" lists a few names of the most famous of the old-time log rollers. Most will remain unknown to us today. William Nathan Decipitation Tyro Jefferson Heser Ceser Honeysuckle Noble - known as Honeysucker Noble. Dan Parker, "Turtleneck" Eversole, Blowey Jim Bishop, "Blowey" Jim Bishop, Old Bill Peters - most of these appear to have been from eastern Kentucky. Their names as colorful as their lives. (c) Copyright 17 August 2000, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved. sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Col. Sandi Gorin, 205 Clements, Glasgow, KY 42141 (270) 651-9114 Member: Glasgow-Barren Co Chamber of Commerce Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/ TIPS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Tips KYBIOS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Bios SCKY ARCHIVES: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl Surname Registry: http://sckyregistry.homestead.com/SCKYHome.html Merged Surname Registry all counties in South Central KY: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/files/surnames/surnames.txt