John Q. Foster and Milo Moody
Courtesy of Philip Griffin
John Q. Foster, second from right ;Milo Moody, second from left,
c. 1900, taken at a hunting camp on the Saranac River.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 13, 1999 Born: August 25, 1857
Died: February 23, 1924
Married:Alvira M Stanton
Children: Moses E. Foster, May L. Foster Phillips, Etheline Cynthia Foster Gill, Infant Son Foster, Earnest Eugene Foster, Herbert Almond Foster
John Quincey Foster was a lumberman and a guide.
A GLANCE AT A TYPICAL SARANAC LAKE LUMBER CAMP
By Philip Griffin (aka "Bunk")
Logging was important from the very beginning of Saranac Lake's history, in fact it was a necessity. Land had to be cleared for the farms and homes required by the families now settling here. At first simple log cabins were constructed from the trees that were felled but soon local sawmills were set up to convert the logs to lumber and soon frame houses became a common sight. Lumber was also used for building wagons, barns, and other day to day items. Wood was necessary for cooking and for heating homes during the long brutal Adirondack winters.
With the vast quantities of trees readily available and a growing demand for building materials and fuel, logging became an important industry for the Adirondacks and this industry needed a hard working and tough breed of men. Lumbering required men who could work long hours under the worst of conditions. Hot summers and black flies found the men wielding their axes from sunup to sundown. Floating the logs down river often involved dangerous log jams which had to be manually broken. Cold, harsh winters involved skidding logs during early morning, before the sun softened the skid track. There was constant danger from falling trees, log jams, runaway loads on icy hills, frostbite, fires and disease. It was a stressful occupation and a moment of carelessness, more often than not, resulted in loss of life or limb. The men had to trust each other's abilities fully and those who violated that trust were not long on the team.
As you can imagine, fifteen or so men, mostly young and of diverse nationalities and opinions, living under the same roof often created a volatile situation. This is where the lumber job boss could make the difference between chaos or affinity among the men. He had to be physically able to handle any situation and accomplish this feat with wisdom and in a manner that would gain him respect not contempt. If he could do this while maintaining a sense of humor it was a big plus for him and the men. A good lumber boss was the foundation of a hard working and faithful team of lumberjacks.
Some of the lumber bosses had their wives and sometimes children working with them as cooks and helpers. A woman's touch made conditions more livable and homelike. My great grandfather, John Q "Old Spike" Foster was one such boss. My great grandmother, Alvira, kept the chow coming and kept order in the dining area while my grandmother, Mae, at thirteen, waited on table and helped keep the eating area neat and tidy. The phrase "eating like a lumberjack" was no exaggeration. Mae had left her schooling to help with the care of her younger siblings and help out at the lumber camp.
I was fortunate recently to receive a poem that Mae had written, most likely under the light of a kerosene lamp one winter night after her chores were completed. It was written in 1898, so the paper it was written on was yellow and brittle but still easily readable. The poem is interesting not only because of the fact that, in spite of the lack of modern conveniences in 1898, a thirteen year old could complete a day of housework and still find time to be creative but because of the humor that shows through. It's also interesting because she mentions the name of every lumberjack at the camp.
A couple of footnotes:
Charley, the chore boy, was Charles Phillips, my grandfather. Mae married him three years later at the ripe old age of sixteen. He was eighteen.
The Jolly Old Elf, Mr. Colbath was "Hose" Colbath. He was, along with George E. Colon, Dr. Trudeau's guide and had once arranged a shooting match between Dr. Trudeau, Mace Colburn and "Adirondack" Murray. He bet on the old Doc and won a bundle.
