Orser's Head Choppers, photograph by Isaac W. Simpson, Babcock Brook, Aroostook County, Maine, 1915-1916. Maine State Museum. Gift of Jim Thompson, 2017.24.207.
Orser's Head Choppers, photograph by Isaac W. Simpson, Babcock Brook, Aroostook County, Maine, 1915-1916. Maine State Museum. Gift of Jim Thompson, 2017.24.207.
"Choppers" on logging crews cut trees with axes and two-man saws. Although called "head choppers," the boys pictured here were likely barkers. Barkers removed branches and bark from fallen trees in preparation for hauling the logs out of the woods. Owners of small logging operations sometimes brought their wives and children to camp for the winter. The women served as cooks, and the children helped when and where possible.
There were no laws restricting the age of boys working in logging camps, but laboring as choppers was heavy and dangerous work. It would be unsuitable for the typical boy younger than 15.