GEORGE”S TALES OF THE WOODS
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GEORGE’S TALES OF THE WOODS
In January , 2008 I was surfing the web looking for information on a sawmill named Pino Grande located some forty miles east of Auburn, California in the Sierra Nevada. To my delight I found a story by a John Barnhill telling about looking for old railroad bridges in that area. I sent him an e-mail saying I had built bridges up there in the 1930s, and would enjoy writing some stories about working summers in a logging camp for The Michigan-California Lumber Company. He agreed to post these stories on a web site:
            http://www.trainweb.org/foothill/micalmain.html
If you are interested my stories of laying rail, building bridges, loading logs, and having a good time where we transported logs by narrow gauge rail, pulled by shay locomotives, and all this before chain saws, give this site a look.
George Parker
February 2010
Tags: Lumberjack
Good post, I’ve got twelve chainsaws myself, nothing quiet like feeling the power of one as you take down a forest!
Lina and I enjoyed reading your stories. Hope all is well with you two. Do you still have the convertible?
Love Your Stories George…I was Born and Raised around Placerville in 1952. My Grandmother Grew up in Camino, I lived at Blair’s Mill, above Pacific House, up until the yr before the Ice House Fire Burnt the Whole Country Up. We Lived at Cedar Grove, where I went to school at Pollock Pines in 59-61, Then Down to Union Ridge, till I graduated El Dorado High in 70..My Dad was the Millwright at Michigan Cal for a few yrs in the 60’s, and I use to have to walk down to the mill and catch a ride home, for getting in trouble…I, and a Bunch of People who Grew up, in and Around Placerville, have a Page on Face Book.” You Know You Grew Up in Placerville Ca AKA Hangtown Ca If …..” a Lot of Stories and Pictures have been Posted about Pino Grande. My Family had Friends who had Kids and Lived, and went to School at Pino, and Later Lived at Blairs Mill also, and went to school at Camino, and High School. I’ve been Planning to Model Pino Grande, and The Mill Area at Slab Crk. in N Scale. In Doing my Research for History and Pictures, I came accross a Picture of Your Speeder, sitting Next to Engine # 8 Shay, in Front of The Engine House…Reply and I will send you a Copy of it….it’s from the front at about a 45 deg angle, and you can see another one behind it…As a Child, in the Early 60’s, Our Family and The Hoosier’s went out, and spent the Day Crawd Dad Hunting on Slab Creek, at the Old Mill Site…The Valley was Open, with short brush around the Creek, with the White Wall of the Dry Kilns, The Only thing Standing Out, in the valley.. And had been out to South Cable Point in the Mid-70’s. I did get to ride on the tourist RR, that made a Go at Camino, and my Mother was a Girl Scout Leader, who had their meetings at the old Superintendents House, that sat at Hwy 50 and Larsen Rd.
Sadly, the Mill and Box Factory Have and Are, Being Torn Down, as reported by Friends still Living in Camino….
Thanks for your Stories, My History and Families History was tied to Lumber and Michigan Cal Lumber Co….Thanks Again
Lee Rogers
I’ll send ya the Photo, of your Speeder, when you reply….Laters…..