Winfield Scott Gerrish

Winfield Scott Gerrish (born 15 Feb 1849 in Lee, Maine—died 19 May 1882 in Evart, Michigan) is credited with revolutionizing lumbering in the U.S. state of Michigan by building a seven-mile-long logging railroad from Lake George to the Muskegon River in Clare County, Michigan in 1877.[1] Although not the first logging railroad in the state, Gerrish's railroad was very successful. Garrish adopted the idea of using a steam locomotive on steel rails after seeing a Porter Locomotive Company 0-4-0 rod engine at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.[2] The use of rail allowed year round transportation of any size tree to the sawmills where unpredictable rivers were previously used.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "The Forests of Michigan - page 143". University of Michigan Press, 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Michigan's White Pine Era, 1840-1900, by Rolland Harper Maybee, Michigan Historical Commission, 1960.
  3. ↑ Log Transportation in the Lake States Lumber Industry 1840-1918 by William Gerald Rector, 1953.
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