Spruce Squadrons, 1918

Soldiers in camp with their horses. One fellow appears to be smoking a cigar. Taken in or near Raymond, Washington, in 1918. This is an area of First World War history that is not well-known. There were soldiers working in the Pacific Northwest, helping get the spruce logged and processed to make airplanes, primarily in 1918. www.swansongrp.com/spruce.html Image generously lent by a collector and processed with GIMP.

This is a detail of a larger photo I recently saw of the soldiers of the 57th Spruce Squadron. This detail shows some of the men in the front row, as well as the writing added by the professional photographer. Note that they are wearing their work clothes, rather than dress uniforms. You can also see the amount of mud on the ground, a common feature of Washington state. Many of the soldiers are wearing the typical work clothes of loggers, rather than Army outfits. This unit was located in 1918 at the Palix River, Washington, cutting and processing spruce logs. More info at: swansongrp.com/spruce.html Image lent by a family member. Processed with GIMP.

This is an image of the photo I recently saw of the soldiers of the 57th Spruce Squadron. The image is not complete, and you can see the broken glass of the frame, along with some water damage. This kind of damage is unfortunately common in pictures from the 1918 era. (images of Spruce Soldiers are rare) The photo is remarkable in the detail we can see of the soldiers' clothing. They are not in their dress uniforms, but rather in their work clothes. Many Spruce Soldiers wore regular logging clothes, rather than uniforms. The writing indicate that they were at Palix River, Washington, cutting and processing spruce logs. Image lent by a family member. More information at: swansongrp.com/spruce.html Image processed with GIMP. Processed with GIMP.

Purchased real-photo picture postcard of some Spruce Soldiers on a logging truck. The huge log being carried is a spruce tree. The wood was used to make airplane wings and parts in 1918 during the First World War. Note the license place indicates "Signal Corps", the Army department that oversaw airplanes. Some of the men appear to be civilians, but it turns out that the soldiers often wore logging work clothes, rather than military uniforms. The spruce stands were very isolated, and part of the Army men's job was to build the roads needed to access the tree stands. This is probably one of their roads. Other soldiers built railroads to gain access to the stands of trees. See: swansongrp.com/spruce.html

This is a snapshot from a collection that was generously shared with me. The photos were taken in Agate Beach, Oregon in 1918, when this fellow was in the Army. He was a "Spruce Soldier", the workers who logged the spruce lumber in the Pacific Northwest for the War effort. To get to the spruce stands, these soldiers created roads and railroads, usually by hand. See: swansongrp.com/spruce Image processed with GIMP.