Lionel Youst

Sawdust in the Western Woods Lionel Youst

This is a history of the small "gyppo" sawmill (defined as producing less than 50,000 board feet of lumber per day) in the Douglas fir region. It relies on tape recorded interviews with the author's father, George Youst (1899-1975). His experience covered most of period during which the small "gyppo" sawmill phenomenon existed. Between 1926 and 1956 he had built and operated ten sawmills in three states, giving him enormous authority on the subject. It is supplemented by personal experience of the author and supported by various archival and other sources. The book contains an original essay on the Gyppo Sawmill, its history and significance. It follows that with a lightly edited and highly annotated oral history of the beginning of the modern tie-mills in Southwestern Washington during the 1920's and 30's. The third section is primarily George Youst's oral history of his experience with his sawmills in Southwestern Oregon during and after World War II. There are scores of photos from the author's family album, it is fully indexed with bibliography, maps, and sketches. This is probably the first book to focus on the logger who was also a sawmiller, adding value to his logs by manufacturing them into lumber, in situ.