Monday, October 29

10E2619: Chester Grimes documentary 1971 PBS

A VTIFF archived version of a documentary shown by PBS in 1971 on Vermont logger Chester "Chet" Grimes who worked with horses almost exclusively.  Slow it down Monday...






Essential further reading;  Strickland, Ron. “Chester Chet Grimes Horse Logger and Storyteller.” Vermonters: Oral Histories from Down Country to the Northeast Kingdom. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1986. 58-64.
1985 interview with Vermonter Chet Grimes, former logger and teamster as he describes using horses for logging work, various other teamsters and their habits in the woods. At time of interview Grimes had no indoor plumbing but would still spend social security check on his two horses, knowingly dubbed "hayburners." Interview edited but generally left in the vernacular.

This monograph (fancy name for a book), Vermonters, by Ron Strickland is a pitch perfect collection of characters and amazingly available via google books; so read away. It features oral histories (not transcribed... cleaned up a bit) from Chet Grimes (horse team logger), Jay Craven (the interview is with a young Jay Craven, best remembered for Where the Rivers Flow North IMHO), and Fred Tuttle's father, Joseph Tuttle. Tons more... a must read for those interested in the vanishing ways of old timers. Worldcat tells me most library copies are in academic libraries, but you can read it as above or just go buy it.