Just a few generations ago, firewood was a major energy source for heat and cooking in most American homes. Nearly 40% of the world’s population still rely on wood. From summer on, stacking and storing firewood to survive the cold fall, winter, and spring seasons were necessary chores for keeping the family warm. George Savicke, a Black Diamond coal miner amusingly adapted a quote by Henry Ford, “Firewood warms you twice, first when you cut it and then when you burn it.”
In late September 1934, three men were photographed loading a truck with wood cut to firewood lengths. H. “Red” Coppack, left is supervising the work. Taking a page from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program during the Great Depression, A.B. Comfort, the head of Pierce County Relief originated a plan in June 1933. Unemployed men were offered the opportunity to cut wood to heat their homes. The Relief agency provided transportation and tools while unemployed men supplied their labor. Each man was expected to cut and load three cords of wood – two for use by his own family and one for distribution to widows, the aged, and handicapped. The firewood was cut from forests around Silver Lake near Eatonville on SR 7.
A Tacoma Times article from Oct. 1, 1934 included a series of photos illustrating the cutting, splitting, and loading under reporting by Bill Hipple, a legendary journalist. “These hearty men do not sit at home and wait for charity. No, sir! They’re out to help themselves and families with their own hands and to aid still others who are physically incapable.” More than 23,000 cords of wood had already been cut and approximately 8,000 men had participated when the story was published. The workingmen were described as a diverse bunch consisting of “former bankers, brokers, department store executives, engineers, and mechanics, to mention only a cross-section” of the crew.
This Richards Studio photo #819-1, plus information from the Tacoma Times news article comes courtesy of the Northwest Room at the Tacoma Public Library.
