Plow Point:
Used in building Union Pacific Railroad. Found in Benton Wyoming. See Zane Grays UP Trail
Double Bitted Ax:
Found in forest near Townsend, Wisconsin, in 1933, by JA MacPherson of Brea, Calif. and donated by him to Western Trails Museum in 1966. He was working at a CCC camp at the time.
This ax was hand made of fine steel by a local blacksmith named "kelly" it rings like a bell. Axes of all types had a lot to do in pioneer times in cutting logs for cabins.
Pole Ax:
Found at Pacific Springs at South Pass Wyoming.
This is just west of the Continental Divide in Wyoming.
This was a favorite camping place on the old Oregon Trail because of the water.
South Pass was discovered by Jim Bridger, a famous plainsman and frontiersman and founder of Fort Wyoming where he had a trading post.
This ax cut wood for many camp fires along the old trail. It is around these old camp sites where items of this kind may be found.
Who knows thoughts of the one who used this ax.
Pole Ax:
Used by Mexicans on lands of Red River Valley Cattle Company in Eastern New Mexico. This was bottom land along the Canadian River that flowed through the ranch. It was hard job to clear land of mesquite and rocks.
This work was done in 1888 and 1889.
George Speer, father of Marion A. Speer had charge of 6o Mexicans doing the work.
Alfalfa was to be grown on the land. This ranch has always been known as the "Bell Ranch" with headquarters at Bell Ranch, New Mexico, which is the post office.
Pole Ax:
Found at a cutters camp at South Pass City, Wyoming, in Fall of 1917 by Marion Speer while on an elk hunt. Wood cutters and haulers were busy in the dyas of mining at South Pass City. They had a camp in timber north of the city.
Log Cabins were built with stone fire places. Logs have rotted away. Stone chimneys are still standing there in this of 1962. South Pass is where women's suffrage had its birth. Nothing there today.
Broad Ax
Found by Roy Johnson of Orange, Calif. In Oregon, many of these were used by Pioneer Log Cabin Builders.
