Not much is known about this early logging machine except for the fact that it was
called a “Galloping Goose” and manufactured by Pacific Car & Foundry in 1923. However,
quite a bit is evident. It was an early “skidder” or tractor used to pull logs out
of the woods. A large log hangs from the belly of the machine while the huge rear
wheels had prominent tracks or spikes to help propel a heavy tractor through the
muddy forest floor. The man standing beside the rear wheel gives an indication of
its size. The engine is on top with an operator seated behind. Pacific Car & Foundry,
now known as PACCAR, was founded in Seattle in 1901 by William Piggott. Operations
moved to Renton in 1907 when a 120-acre site was acquired and a new and more modern
factory built. Much of the company’s initial business came from the logging and
railroad industries, but eventually Pacific Car manufactured coal cars as well.
Logging and timber harvests were an important part of the underground coal industry
as the mines needed to be supported with wooden props and lagging due to the mining
methods employed in Washington State. A slogan from a 1925 issue of Pacific Coast
Coal Company’s Bulletin illustrates this connection: “Safety First should apply
in the forest as well as in the mine”. This photo number 41.2848 come courtesy of
the Renton History Museum located at 235 Mill Street and open from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.