Historic Hood River
Sawing Firewood
7-27-2023
Notes
We haven’t looked at an Anne Lang glass negative for a while. I think this is Doug Langille sawing some firewood, though I can’t see enough of his face to be sure. It looks like a skiff of unseasonable snow has fallen. I believe Anne and her sister Bess were school teachers, so their regular visits to Cloud Cap Inn were in the summertime. My best guess for date is 1890s.
That’s an interesting handsaw. It has a turnbuckle and wire to tension the blade. It looks like a relative of the modern bow saw, with a thin blade and aggressive teeth for cutting green wood.
L.E.
Definitely fresh snow with some wind.
My grandma and grandpa used a saw just like that. They put the small logs in a cross log holder and sawed their winter wood for the cook stove.
Arlen L Sheldrake
My memory of taking pictures with film, not glass, was that I was pretty darn selective of my subjects. With glass negatives, I wonder why one would choose to take a picture of the back of a person cutting wood in the snow. In other words, why is this scene worth the photographer’s efforts?
L.E.
Good question Arlen. I think there is more to this story than cutting firewood.
Is there a roof under that log? What is the cable for?
Pat A
I have this saw, it works well.
It’s weight and girth are an advantage if used with skill.
BethH
This could definitely be at Cloud Cap- maybe they got caught there with an early snow. The Inn and the small cabins that sat out front, all had cables over the roofs anchoring them to the ground- the winds can be wild there. There are no longer cables over the Inn- and if you’re up there during a storm now you begin to wonder if the roof could be torn off…
Arthur Babitz
(note: more likely Will Langille)