The work was incredibly dangerous, especially before unions fought for better protections. The main recurring theme throughout the book is disregard for the health and stability of the local community in the pursuit of short-term profit. And because Coos Bay is rather isolated (wasn't connected to interior cities by rail until 1916) it relied heavily on shipping products by boat to San Francisco and Japan. Fluctuations in far-away markets controlled the local economy. The story of Coos Bay is a familiar one to those who have lived in communities dependent on the extraction of one particular resource. With its huge stands of Douglas Fir, this area was once referred to as the lumber capital of the world. This book describes the history the timber industry in the communities around Coos Bay, on the Southwest coast of Oregon. I've been interested in the history of the Pacific Northwest for some time now, especially its noteworthy history of labor radicalism.
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