The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Loggers, truck drivers and operators will gather on Saturday, January 25 at the Appelo Archives Center to celebrate the Center’s 4th Annual Old Time Loggers Reunion. Held annually, the Reunion is intended to bring together timber industry workers of all ages and their families as well as other community members who want to honor the industry’s significance in the region.

As is their tradition the Center will honor two locals, Ed Wirkkala and Martin Nygaard. Each has a long history of working in the woods.

Martin Nygaard grew up working on the Skipanon River log boom owned by his father and uncle. Martin busied himself on the boom through his college years. In 1958 he began logging for himself and in the mid-1960’s, after the completion of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, began working on the north shore. In the mid-1970’s Nygaard sold his equipment to Dant and Russell and became the logging manager and was on the board of directors. When Dant and Russell went broke in the early 1980’s, he purchased the equipment back and resumed logging on his own. In the meantime his sons, David and John, had started Nygaard Brothers Logging. In 1989 the family consolidated its holdings and formed Warrenton Fiber Company and set to work on an expansive sorting yard and log chipping facility in Warrenton, Ore., along with their logging and road building operations.

Ed “Eddie” Wirkkala went to work for Brix Logging one week before graduating high school in 1942. In 1943, Eddie went into the service and was in Europe for three years. When he came home, he worked for Wirkkala Brothers in Grays River on the cutting crew. In his career he was primarily cutting for the gyppo loggers on contract. In 1966, he went back to Weyerhaeuser to finish his logging career and stayed with Weyerhaeuser until they closed in 1983. Eddie then finished his working career at the Naselle School District mowing lawns.

Anyone who knows or has worked with either Ed or Martin is invited to stop in on the 25th, to help honor them and all they have done for the industry.

The event will be held at the Appelo Archives Center at 1056 State Route 4, Naselle. It is expected to run from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with coffee and refreshments provided. The Archives Café will also be open for lunch.

For more information contact Samantha Hollo at 360-484-7103 or by email at info@appeloarchives.org.