Steam Donkeys of Tuolumne County

Compiled by John Taubeneck jtaub@juno.com.

Standard Lumber Company (to Pickering Lbr. Co. 1921, to Pickering Lbr. Corp. 1937)

Willamette Iron & Steel Works Portland, OR.
Engine # Cylinders Type Shipped Boiler # Notes
744 11X13 Roader 7135
1030 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 04-12-13 9197 (1,8) To West Side Lbr. Co. 1930. Not at Tuolumne 12-07.
1036 11X13 " 04-23-13 9224
1039 11X13 " 04-12-13 9192
1080 7¼X10 Chapman Unloader 03-26-13 9117 10
1643 11X13 Roader 04-26-19 10180
1647 11X13 Humboldt Yarder 05-06-19 10183
1768 12X14 " 03-22-20 10288 3, 9
1769 12X14 " 04-24-20 10340
1847 12X14 " 2speed 04-11-22 10543 2, 8
1858 12X14 " " 04-15-22 10544 3, 8
1966 9¼X10 3 Drum Loader 03-12-21 10516
1967 9¼X10 " 03-12-21 10518
1968 9¼X10 " 03-12-21 10519
1970 9¼X10 " 03-31-23 10733
1971 9¼X10 " 03-31-23 10734
1976 12X14 Humboldt 2speed 04-22-22 10547
2143 12X14 " " 03-08-23 10641 15
2144 12X14 " " 03-10-23 10642
2227 10X11 " 05-31-23 10731 to West Side Lbr. Co. 1930
2243 10X11 Roader 07-03-23 10801 to West Side Lbr. Co. 1930
Puget Sound Iron & Steel Works Tacoma, WA.
1236 10X13 Roader 1, 8, 18 to West Side Lbr. Co. 1930
Clyde Iron Works Duluth, MN.
1955 9X10 McGiffert Loader #1040 04-28-13

Donkeys in Use
1908 11
1910 15
1919 20
1920 20
1922 25
1924 34
1928 18 Tractors 5
1931 30 Tractors 5

West Side Flume & Lumber Company
(to West Side Lbr. Co. 1903, to Pickering Lbr. Co. 1925, to West Side Lbr. Co. 1934, to Pickering Lbr. Corp. 1958)
Engine # Cylinders Type Shipped Boiler # Notes
Willamette Iron & Steel Works Portland, OR.
356 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 01-18-13 9133 1
360 10X13 " 06-24-07 10513
399 6¼X10 1 Drum Loader 06-24-07
400 6¼X10 " 09-23-07
462 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 02-25-11 3037 4
501 10X13 " 03-18-08
596 14X14 Roader 04-14-09
873 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 05-14-11 8043 1, 8
878 7¼X10 Loader 02-25-11 7037
903 6¼X10 Gypsy Engine 04-28-11 6034
1233 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 04-29-16 9414 7, 8
1234 7¼X10 3 Drum Loader 04-29-16 9360
1301 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 06-23-16 9441 1
1345 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 12-23-16 9483 1, 8, 13
1347 7¼X10 3 Drum Loader 01-22-17 9512
1355 12X14 Roader 01-22-17 9481
1762 7¼X10 3 Drum Loader 03-24-20 10515
1763 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 03-24-20 10289
1876 12X14 " 03-04-22 10527 5, 8
2013 9¼X10 3 Drum Loader 03-04-22 10517
2136 75 HP elec. Loader 2speed
2138 9¼X10 3 Drum Loader 02-20-23 10575
2139 9¼X10 " 02-20-23 10576 13, 16
2140 12X14 Humboldt Yarder 02-21-23 10640
2266 12X14 " 08-22-23 10837
2339 9¼X10 3 Drum Loader 02-29-24 10895
Puget Sound Iron & Steel Tacoma, WA.
1000 10X12 Compound Geared Yarder 1907 6, 12
1027 10X12 " " 1907 F&CI CO 9742 6, 8, 11
1076 10X12 " " 1907 6
1077 10X12 " " 1908 F&CI CO 9258 1, 6, 8
I have been told that Glen Bell used the machinery from a Tacoma donkey to build a steamboat to run on the millpond.
Moore & Scott Iron Works San Francisco, CA.
10X12 "Bull Donkey" (here 1908) 17
10X12 " " 17
Hawkins & Cantrell.
6X12 1 drum 1 cylinder (pre 1879) 14
Besides the above there are two 3 Drum Loaders converted to GM diesel, one 6¼X10 2 Drum Loader (boiler #6016), and a replacement boiler (#10513) for Humboldt yarder #360, all Willamette. As well as Tacoma boilers (state # 7608-18) from yarder #1000 and F&CI CO 10447 (state #6142-19) All stored at the West Side mill site, owned by Loveless & Cox, Tuolumne, CA 1995, to the Hix Brothers by 1997.

Donkeys In Use
1908 8
1910 8
1917 18
1919 10
1920 10
1922 12
1924 14
1928 30
1931 34

The November 1908 issue of The Locomotive World, published by Lima Locomotive Co., contained this list of West Side donkeys:

4 10X12 Tacoma yarders with 10' X 60" boilers
2 19X13 (sic) Willamette yarders with 10' X 68" boilers

   Weight 38 tons each without water or wire rope.

1 10X13 Willamette Bull donkey with 10' X 68" boiler
2 10X12 Moore and Scott Bull donkeys

NOTES
1. Stored at the West Side Lumber Co. mill site Tuolumne, CA owned by Loveless & Cox 1995, the Hix Brothers by 1997, the Me-Wuk Indian Tribe by 2004. 2. On display at the Tuolumne County Library Sonora, CA, cylinders missing.
3. Reported to be in woods near Beardsly Dam by David Davis 1995.
4. Boiler # most likely 8037.
5. On display at the Tuolumne, CA fire station 1995.
6. The 1908 inventory states that these four PSI&S 10X12 Compound Geared Yarders were here then. A letter from the Empire Mine State Park states that West Side Lumber Company bought them used in 1924 or 1925 for $2500 each from an unknown source. Two of these donkeys are stored at the West Side mill site at Tuolumne, CA owned by the Me-Wuk Tribe (one of these has boiler from PSI&S #1236), one is in the woods on Niagara Creek east of Tuolumne (per photos by David Davis), and one is on display at the Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley, CA 1995.
7. Sierra Nevada Logging Museum Arnold, CA as of 12-01-97. Formerly stored at the Sierra Pacific Industries (ex-Fibreboard Corp.) mill at Standard, CA as of 11-11-95 said to have come from the area of West Side Camp #37.
8. Equipped with Bruce spark arrester.
9. Equipped with an Adams spark arrester.
10. Still in use May 1963.
11. Glen Bell (West Side & Cherry Valley RR) Tuolumne, CA 1975?
Matt Grebe Rancho Cordova, CA 1986
Robinson Tbr. Co. Nevada City, CA March 1988
Empire Mine State Park Grass Valley, CA May 1988
12. boiler only, located same as note one
13. to Chris Baldo Willits, CA 12-97 from the Hix Brothers Tuolumne, CA
14. to Lou Chiaramonte Campbell, CA (here 1995) One report is that this was not a West Side machine but was brought in from another location by Glen "Taco" Bell's crews.
15. Boiler and drums at Soap Creek 08-07.
16. Last West Side steam donkey in use. Last used at Camp 45 reload in 1958.
Sometimes ran as display for WS&CV RR. Looks to be mounted on sled from diesel conversion donkey used at Buffalo reload. See Last of The Three Foot Loggers pages 42, 43 & 51. Now operated at Roots of Motive Power, Willits, CA.
17. On May 15, 1905 Marshutz & Cantrell sold their National Iron Works to Robert S. Moore and John T. Scott forming the Moore & Scott Iron Works.
18. What is most likely the boiler from this donkey (stamped F&CICo 10447) is at the next to the car shop as of 11-07) It is also stamped SLC 19 (Standard Lumber Co.?).

In 1944 Washington Iron Works sold Pickering Lbr. Corp. a 150 HP Cummins diesel conversion kit for an 11X13 Humboldt yarder.

Both companies had several Dolbeer donkeys built by Marshutz & Cantrell and may have had other donkeys not listed. The West Side Dolbeers were off of the inventory by 1908. Pickering still had one Dolbeer at Camp Strawberry #2 in 1930.

California State Boiler Numbers & Locations Abandoned
Moore & Scott
? L6-7600-18
? L9-7605-18
Puget Sound Iron & Steel
1000 S4-7608-18 Niagara Cookhouse (boiler only)
1027 S7-6130-19 Niagara
1076 S2-7602-18 Niagara
1077 S3-7603-18 Camp 38
1236 S1-7594-18 Bear Creek Canyon
Willamette Iron & Steel Works
356 Y3-7506 or 7596-18
399 L7-7601-20 Camp 38
596 I9-6142-19
873 Bear Creek
878 L4-7599-18
1030 Y4-6144-19 Camp 38
1233 Y2-? Ridge above Bear Creek near Cherry Lake
1301 Y5-6127-19 Niagara
1345 Y6-6128-19 Bear Creek (overturned)
1355 Y7-6135-19
1763 5467-26
1826 Y11-428
2013 5466-26 Niagara Shower (boiler only)
2139 5402 or 5204-26
2227 5654-25
2243 5643-25