Lumberjacks From California

Dramatic photos show the measure of a man in contrast to the enormity of nature.

A series of photos from the Humboldt State University Library capture lumberjacks working among the redwoods in Humboldt County, California.

The photos are part of the Ericson Collection, a series of pictures from northwest California from the 1880s through the 1920s by Swedish photographer A.W. Ericson.

Pictures from the 1915-era display the work of loggers in the densely forested northern California area, that accounts for twenty per cent of the state's total forest production.

Humboldt County has nearly 1,500,000 acres in public and private forests, including the Redwood National and State Parks.