William Sherwin

William Sherwin. "Woodsaw Bill". , In the early days of Fairbanks, wood was the only fuel source available here in the Tanana Valley. It was used to generate power, for heating, cooking and construction. William "Woodsaw Bill" Sherwin was one of many men employed in the woodcutting industry. Bill, however, had a rather unusual set-up. His saws, loaded on the back of his truck, had a driveline that made it possible to disconnect the drive chain and use the truck engine to power the saw. His saw turned faster and cut better than the others that used auxiliary engines., When the cutters arrived at a job, they might find two or three cords of 16-foot pole-wood, that was not more than five inches in diameter, stacked for cutting. A team of three men could set to work, feeding the saw. If all went well, they could cut a cord in 10 or 15 minutes. This spruce pole-wood was cut by loggers and delivered for about $10 a cord. Sherwin earned about $2 a cord for his efforts., All the years that Bill cut wood, he worked hard and in the coldest of temperatures. In the dead of winter, he could be seen working the saws, icicles hanging from his nose, or from his black handlebar moustache., Bill also had a passion for bicycling. It was said that he had won many trophies as a champion cyclist in Canada. He continued to ride his bicycle into his seventies., Today you can see Bill's unique "saw-wagon" on display at the Pioneer Museum in Pioneer Park. His house is there too, which today is an ice-cream parlor in Goldrush Town., Story provided by the Fairbanks Igloos of the Pioneers of Alaska.