The Galford Lumber Documentary
A B.J. Gudmundsson - Doug Chadwick Film
Best Event Documentary 2002 - WV Filmmakers Film Festival
On September 21, 1938, one of the most destructive hurricanes in American history plowed its way up the East Coast and wreaked havoc on New England. In addition to claiming a startling 682 lives, the storm’s casualties included more that a billion trees with an aggregate value of nearly 100 million dollars.
When the Federal Government summoned lumbermen from across the country to assist in a massive timber salvage effort, The Galford Lumber Company of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, was but one of many companies who responded to the call.
A tale of imagination, ingenuity and plain hard work, this film documents the odyssey of approximately forty loggers who left their homes in the southern West Virginia mountains to join the rural community of Northfield, Massachusetts, for up to two years. Seeking little more that an honest day’s pay, some would find wives as well as wages, and all would experience the adventure of a lifetime.
Running time: 60 minutes
