In the early days, New Hampshire was full of a most-needed resource: wood. New Hampshire’s tall trees and rolling forests gave rise to a logging industry that supported the state through much of its early development. Logging wasn’t just an industry – it was a way of life for New Hampshire residents. These 11 historic New Hampshire photos will show the logging industry in a way you’ve never seen.

1. These men standing on a pile of logs in Keene in the nearly 1900s shows that hard work didn't stop once the logs were out of the woods.
Keene Public Library/flickr
2. You would never believe that this is a photo of Concord, back when the state capital was little more than a logging town.
Stuart Ratkin/flickr
3. Back in the day there were no massive logging trucks. Logs moved through Keene in a much slower fashion.
Keene Public Library/flickr
4. Rolling the logs onto a transport sled was a massive undertaking.
Forest History Society/flickr
5. Nothing like a little snow to complicate the work for these horses in Gillford in 1939.
Forest Society/flickr

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6. In 1954, horses were working hard to clear the land on Dartmouth College Grant in Coos County.
Forest History Society/flickr
7. Trains were an essential part of transporting lumber out of the Granite State.
David G. Hawkin/flickr
8. Driving logs down the river was dangerous work where men balanced on wood to keep it moving downstream.
Wikimedia/creative commons
9. Berlin was one of the largest logging meccas in the state.
tuckedDB/creative commons
10. Driving around New Hampshire today you still see plenty of logging, like this scene from Andover.
BEV Norton/flickr
11. Logging gets a bad reputation, but it can lead to some beautiful scenery.
mwms1916/flickr

Love New Hampshire history? Check out these 12 photos of New Hampshire in the 1960s!

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