Carl, I have not done anything with Tie Hack camps before although in my readings on the railroad industry, a few trends seem to be relevant to your work. I assume you are referring to camps where railroad tie material was harvested? Very early in railroad history, the procurement of ties shifted from employing individuals or teams to harvest tie material to buying from specialized companies or suppliers or the formation of separate divisions within the company. In any case, as railroad companies reached corporate maturity, tie procurement became formalized, systematized, and large scale. For smaller, shortline railroads, sometimes locally produced ties were purchased from locals on a piece-rate basis in small quantities which may coincide with the physical remains you describe. However, these individuals were usually not directly employed by the railroads most of the time and operated as independent contractors. Typically, the era of rough/hand-hewn ties ended in the peri!
 od of ROW renewal following construction as hardwood/treated ties became desirable to increase longevity, durability, and axle loadings. On the Central Pacific, this period began as early as the 1870s following the flurry of construction activity and resulted in the creation of an entire system within the Southern Pacific for tie harvesting, treatment, and company-wide shipment. Either way, it was very big business considering the hundreds of thousands of ties required per year with a lifespan of barely 10 years depending on conditions. I hope these musings and observations are of some help! 
 
 Stathi
    ______________________________________________________
 
 Efstathios I. Pappas, MS
 Doctoral Student
 Department of Anthropology/096
 University of Nevada, Reno
 Reno, NV 89557
 (775) 323-5730   
 -----Original Message-----
 From: [log in to unmask]
 To: [log in to unmask]
 Sent: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 9:29 AM
 Subject: Re: Railroad/logging-Tie Hack Camps
 
  Stathi -



Have you had any experience with Tie Hack camps?



If so, what physical indicators were you seeing that indicated it that was

a tie hack camp?



For exmaple, was there large acerages of stumps at a uniform height nearby?



Carl Barna

Lakewood, CO









                                                                           

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A



Stathi







______________________________________________________



Efstathios I. Pappas, MS

Doctoral Student

Department of Anthropology/096

University of Nevada, Reno

Reno, NV 89557

(775) 323-5730

   
________________________________________________________________________
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