Not many left

[JohnSR]

When I was growing up, every town had a few of these. Just don't see many anymore out here in the west. The first photo was taken outside of Dorris California. The second is outside of Eatonville, Washington. Our last windstorm finally destroyed it. Glad I got a photo of it before it was gone.

[Corley5]

Not many of those old Massey Harris Challengers around either  ;D 8)

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Wow John, 2 beautiful pictures,,,,,especially the one with the old tractor.  8)

The tractor looks like it has truck tires on the back.  say_what

[JohnSR]

Behind me in the first photo is a graveyard for old farm equipment. It covers a couple acres. Some of the stuff dates back to the the early 20's. A fun place to wander around in. Think the City of Dorris is planning a museum at this spot some day. ( Seen a sign everytime  I drive through Dorris announcing it for the past twenty years :D).

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

No you don't see to many of the ole Tepee Burners anymore you could tell the town that had Sawmills in them before you got to town there where also alot bult out of brick to an Australian design too

They where also used for burning garbage alot in the States from what I know  :P

Regards Chris

[beenthere]

Don't think they were used for garbage, as the stink would be so much more unpleasant than the smell of wood smoke. Not sure where you are getting that info.

[Meadows Miller]

Beenthere Ovaltine Burners ran alot of advertizing and write ups here in Australia in the 70s 80s and 90s with that info on them They reckoned they would burn anything w/o any real smell as they burn hot dont know what type of waste they where running through them exactly or seperating out wood waste to reduce landfill requirements or burning in conjunction with wood waste Mate

I think most just used them for sawdust and slabs solid wood waste but the Sawdust and Chip/Mulch markets have made burners defunct apart from areas where it is to far to transport it to the market 

Regards Chris

[LAZERDAN]

I had know idea about the history of the wood burner and the impact it had on history, I also  ended up reading the book .                                                             http://www.noahbeil.com/blog/648/wood-burners-and-inspiration-in-photography

[Chuck White]

There were a couple of them along the highway between Rapid City and Sturgis South Dakota when I was stationed out there in the Air Force.

They were adjacent to sawmills and the slabwood would get bucked up and sent up the elevator and into the burner.

I guess not to many people were interested in maybe getting some of the slabwood, so it was just burned.

[Meadows Miller]

Sawdust and chip markets did not really kick in here till the mid 80s when I was a kid at my grandfathers mill they looked like they where building their own bloody mountain out the back corner of the mill yard they would push the sawdust up every few months then in the 90s they had a fella come in run it all through a trommel and he was there for a good two or three years with an excavator and semi tippper  ;)

there are also alot of miners holes,shafts and washouts filled in with pine sawdust out the bush too  ;)

[WH_Conley]

A mill a few miles away from just shoved the sawdust in a big old pile. One time it caught on fire and they took a skidder and just kept shoving. One day the pile caved in, the operator got off and the skidder went down. I don't know how many years that piles burned. Needless to say not much left of the skidder.

[Autocar]

I wonder if theres any sinker logs in that mill pond  ?

[justallan1]

Wow! I haven't even thought of one of those in awhile. I know of at least two in the county where I grew up in Northern California.
Thanks for the pictures.
Allan

[m wood]

Hey John,  I spent a good portion of my middle years from Graham WA to Eatonville.  For some odd reason I just cant place that stack.  Funny how they become a part of the landscape...then many years later you understand the value of their history and presence.  Great pics!!  And Autocar, I guarantee there are sinkers in that pond.  Lake Kapowsin is a few miles from that pond and it was used for many-a-year for log storage.  I heard about 10-15 yrs ago a contract was awarded to haul those lurking beast up outa there.  Were talking old growth-turn of the century stuff.
thanks for memories John, (even if I forget that particular stack ;D) 

[rmack]

Beenthere Ovaltine Burners ran alot of advertizing and write ups here in Australia in the 70s 80s and 90s with that info on them They reckoned they would burn anything w/o any real smell as they burn hot dont know what type of waste they where running through them exactly or seperating out wood waste to reduce landfill requirements or burning in conjunction with wood waste Mate

there's an olivine burner not far from my place, hasn't been lit in years. nowhere near as old as the beehives, but every bit as defunct.

[Howdy]

Growing up my family worked the lumber mills around the Oregon-California boarder and we often lived within sight of a wigwam burner. 

My adult brain is sad to think about the waste of so much material we now know to be a valuable resource today.  I will always remember the conveyor belt carrying a seemingly endless quantity of wood scraps 24-7 to the burner and the eternal glow of the screen on top.

Slowly the burners disappeared until most folks have never seen one and wouldn't know what they were anyway.   

Life then was good for a pre-school kid.  We never had to worry about employment, my step-dad's drinking, or keeping a family together.  Mom worked whatever job was available and the night our home burned to the ground we slept on the bar's pool tables, an memory that stays with ya for sure. 

[slider]

In 1968 one of my first non farming jobs was helping to build one of these.My interview went like this ,You scared of heights ,no, then get on that crane ball your hired.I made 1.25 bucks an hour boy i was happy.I think farm help was about 6 bucks a day.