"The poplar timber days" were the best Harlan County ever had, an old timer remarked the other day. "We had more and spent less," he added. Most all of the food consumed was grown in their own gardens.

The early residents only went to town to to buy coal-oil and a few trinkets, they rendered their own lard, ground corn and molasses and almost every family owned a cow and a hog or two.

Since Harlan County was rich in poplar timber, logging became the important industry. The logs shown here were cut on Pine Mountain many years ago. Bob Creech standing on the train in front of the logs lived at Pineville. He is the father of Ted Creech, Harlan.

In 1891 "Uncle Bob" Creech came to Harlan to engage in the logging business as many other loggers did. His brother-in-law, T.J. Asher sent him to Harlan to buy timber for his saw mill at Wasiota, near Pineville.

"Uncle Bob" rode horse back from Pineville as he made weekly trips to Harlan. He rented a room at the Sam Howard Hotel and kept it 26 years. On weekends he went back to Pineville to visit his family.

Travelled Over County

Every day he rode his horse to Pine Mountain. He had many men working for him. He wanted his men to earn money and wouldn't give them a contract unless he was sure they were going to make money for themselves.

"Uncle Bob" went over the county buying timber. Sometimes he bought it standing and sometimes he bought it after it had been cut, measured and placed at the river ready to float.

In addition to the vast amount of timber on Pine Mountain, he logged at Looney Creek for two or three years and at Yokum's Creek for several years. In 1892 he hired John Lewis and John Carter to inventory the logs in the Clover Fork River.

Sometimes when the tide was low logs drifted to the bank and stayed there. Every so often an inventory had to be taken. Carter and Lewis started out on their mission. After walking from Harlan to Closplint they were ready for a good night sleep.

Begin Branding Logs

Stopping at the home of Dave Creech, Highsplint, the young workers spent the night. The next morning they went down to the river with their brushes and bucket of white paint.....

Whenever they found a log stranded on the bank it was promptly branded T.J.A. and measured. The job was long and tiresome but the pay was considered good. Each received a dollar a day and board.

Every person who worked for Creech found him to be honest. One of his helpers said "Bob Creech" was the fairest man who ever branded a log. Sometimes men might be tempted to cheat as they branded their timber, but not"Uncle Bob."

Others associated with him said he was "an extra fine man." For many years "logging" was the chief livlihood in Harlan County and "Uncle Bob" stayed in the business until most of the timber ran out.

He leased land from Judge W.F. Hall and opened the Tway mine, one of the first in the county. Probably the real reason "Uncle Bob" prospered so well in the logging industry was because he always tried to help his fellow-men make a few dollars for themselves.

T-I-M-B-E-R...Timber, timber, echoed through the hills of Harlan County 65 and 70 years ago. Riding across the rich timberland of Pine Mountain on a tram was W.W. Lewis, I.G.Leabow. Mrs. Ollie Lewis, Mrs. W.W. Choate and Bob Creech standing in front of the logs. Many thousands of feet of fine poplar timber have been cut in the hills and loaded on a "tram" to be taken down the mountain side to the river. In addition to being rich timberland, it was a haven for Indians before the white settlers moved in.

Sunday May 3, 1953

Volume 52 Number 103

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