Working Waterfront

Working Waterfront. . , For more than 100 years, West Bay was a busy industrial district. Wood products from that era built cities and towns around the world and employed generations of workers., Many of the West Side industries were family operations, often continuing for several generations. The site of West Bay Park was owned by Olympia Harbor Lumber Company from the 1920's to the 1950's. Directly south of here, the Capitol Boom Company ran from 1939 until the 1960's. Logs were transported on rail cars, dumped into the water, rafted and towed to various Puget Sound mills., I remember my days in the mill... that noisy, dark room, the smell of freshly cut fir mixing with diesel fumes. I'll never forget that smell. Today, millwork seems easy compared to my time. It's all automatic now. Just sit up there behind the glass and push buttons...don't even get a speck of sawdust on you! But one thing hasn't changed...what you need to be a sawmill worker...a strong body and an alert mind. That you still need., Hey kids! Can you guess what "wigwam burners" were used for? Sawmills used to have them. They were made of steel and were as big as a house. Imagine running a sawmill in the old days. Day after day, huge logs were sawed into lumber. What waste product do you think went into the burner at the end of the day? , Need a hint? It rhymes with "jaw-rust"., In those days when that wigwam fired up, smoke and ashes would drift up the hill and settle down where my laundry was hanging outside. I didn't mind! Those ashes meant there was work for the men...back then, that was worth a few spots on the linen., From reminiscences of the Smyth Family, third and fourth generation West Bay industry owners.,