Logging

So a little bit more modern.

So it kind of carried over, right? Lumberjacks were the first ones to describe it because the logging industry had already started then.

And they were one of the first ones swearing that they had seen this creature.

So there were tracks there up in that area, you know, out in the wilderness.

Now one particular, uh, one of the most particular aspects of the Gumbaroo legend is that the claim, it claims that the creature's hide is impervious to weapons.

Lumberjacks would allegedly shoot at it, only to watch in amazement as their bullets bounce harmlessly off of its thick, rubbery type skin.

Even more strangely, it is said that the smoke from the burning Gumbaroo will turn the innards of anyone who inhales it into rubber, causing a gruesome fate.

Now while the Gumbaroo is clearly a creature of folklore and tall tales, some researchers have proposed that the legend may have originated from sightings of real-world animals, like bears, who are suffering from severe mange or some other type of skin condition that gave them a hairless, leathery appearance.

name.

Lumberjacks used paths called skid roads where teams of oxen dragged heavy logs downhills to sawmills.

These paths were made of greased wooden logs or slats to help the timber slide easily.

And then over time, the phrase skid road shifted to describe the rundown areas that grew up around The edges of lumber camps were transient workers, loggers, and vagrants gathered.

Filling so many trees required a lot of help.

Loggers came from far and wide hoping to work for Weyerhaeuser's company.

The town was rebuilt and the surplus of trees were sold to paper mills.

About the same time the lumber business was taking off, the Yakima Railroad finished an extension of track running from Battleground to Yakult.