In Days Gone By: Wages varied greatly in early logging operations

In an article from Aug. 23, 2024, which you can read here, we explored what life was like in Pacific Northwest logging camps in the late 1800s. This article will examine various jobs within logging operations, in and out of camp, detailing what each job entailed and what the average monthly compensation was for those jobs in the late 1880s.

Jobs in the woods

Swampers: A swamper was a worker who performed various physical tasks, including clearing debris, brush, and undergrowth to create safe paths and work sites for other loggers. They often were the first to go into an area where they cleaned out the underbrush, building an initial pathway to a camp site or a logging area. They were also responsible for burning limbs and debris after the trees had fallen and their limbs removed. Other