The most important component to logging camps of yore was food. It could make or break a camp. After all, loggers worked long hours in a very labor intensive environment. Food was one item they looked forward. If it was not up to par, they quickly moved on to another logging camp. Breakfast and dinner were legendary. These meals were served in the logging camp dining hall.

What about lunch? It was not practical to bring the loggers back to camp to feed them lunch. Leonard Uhl, who worked at Fruit Growers Camp 10 in the 1940s,  provided insight as how lunch worked. Just off the end of the main dining hall there were tables loaded with packaged food. After breakfast each man would get up and grab a brown bag (or two or three) and build his lunch to suit himself Uhl said.

”One table had three different kinds of sandwiches which were always excellent (with the exception of the ones with thin sliced bologna but you didn’t need to take them if didn’t want to). Another table had all kinds of pastry. made fresh by the camp baker, who was an artist at his trade. There were two or three different kinds of pie, fresh baked glazed or sugar doughnuts and cookies, cake etc. On the third table were different kind of appetizers and knickknacks such as pickles, olives, pickled peppers, bananas, oranges, apples and whatever fruit might be in season. There sure was no way a logger could go to the woods with a lunch he didn’t like without blaming himself” according to Uhl.

Tim