My son is a logger, (Don’t worry, no clear cutting is involved), and he’s a voracious reader. He, at times, takes a small camper to a job site and he always has a supply of books at hand. These areas are not close to civilization or cell service so unless he wants to start talking to the bears, he reads and learns of life in ancient times, of the events that brought democracy to where it is now. He reads the classics and the writings and reflections of humorists who were keen observers of the human condition.
On a trip to Montana to visit our son, we made a stop at the Missoula historical museum and made what was for me, a fascinating discovery. A train car had been rescued and preserved and it wasn’t just any train car. It was a library car! It had been created to take books out to areas where loggers could access it. I imagine its scheduled arrival was eagerly anticipated and a welcome sight when it rolled down the tracks to a camp. Some of the images below tell its story.






