BIG hooker in the woods + Springfield CW butt plate cleaned up

ModernMiner · Feb 7, 2011

After work today I was able to get a few hours in at one of my CW wooded spots before it rained.
Nothing exciting, but hauling this giant tree hooker picker upper thingy was quite a challenge. Of course I had to find it WAY out in the woods rather than close to my truck. :BangHead:

I dug it right next to a large tree. I think the tree won. Looks old, but who knows? :dontknow:

I found a "Treble Colour" flat button, and a few what's its too. No CW lead unfortunately.

One piece I am intrigued by it the small flat copper piece. I thought it was just junk until I got home and flattened it back out. There are some letters, numbers, and a design on it. The piece looks very old but I have no idea what it is. :icon_scratch:

Any help on unlocking this mystery would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for looking at this ho-hum post. :tongue3:

-MM-

Daedalus · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

You must have found an old Ice house where they stored the Ice from winter. The second photo up from the bottom is a Ice hook that was used to move the Ice. It held from the own weight of the ice.
I know this as my Grand Father had the Ice hook from the old Ice house in the town I grew up in.
They are called a few other things and were used to lift bails of Cotton that were hundreds of pounds.

Anyway that is what I was told they were ,but someone else might know them by another name.

ModernMiner · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Daedalus said:
You must have found an old Ice house where they stored the Ice from winter. The second photo up from the bottom is a Ice hook that was used to move the Ice. It held from the own weight of the ice.
I know this as my Grand Father had the Ice hook from the old Ice house in the town I grew up in.
They are called a few other things and were used to lift bails of Cotton that were hundreds of pounds.

Anyway that is what I was told they were ,but someone else might know them by another name.

Daedalus,
Thanks for the info on the ice hook. I thought it was for lifting logs.

It weighs about 30 lbs.

-MM-

Nana40 · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

No comment on the hooker. :angel12:

So on to the copper piece... in the middle line..are those letters or just decorations? This is going to be fun to figure out. And the button would have made my day! :wink:

Nana

Al Czervik · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Hey LISH ... :-*

Clean that Ice Hooker up ....

I bet you could semi restore that ...

Super way cool ~ No pun intended ...

~ Al

Al Czervik · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

OK WAIT ...

What's the SPREAD on that HOOKER ...

Perhaps it did handle logs ...

~ Al

VOL1266-X · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Very Cool MM!! That may be a hay hook used to hoist hay into the loft of a barn. The ones I have seen (and we had one) were attached to a thick rope that had pulleys that ran on a track under the "V" of the barn roof. Ours was set up with forks that opened and would handle several pounds of loose hay. One guy would lead a mule on the opposite end of the barn than where the hay wagon wass located. The guy on the wagon woukld position the forks, yell for the guy on the other end of the barn to lead the mule. This would pull the shock of hay up and along the track until it got into where the hay was to be dropped. An extra rope on the forks was tripped and the hay fell where it was to be stored on the loft floor. If your hook is not for logging, it would be to lift a singler bale of hay into the barn. Notice old barns with large openings near the top on both ends before? They were that way because of the hay transfer system. Got it? Q.

ModernMiner · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Nana40 said:
No comment on the hooker. So on to the copper piece... in the middle line..are those letters or just decorations? This is going to be fun to figure out. And the button would have made my day!

Nana

First off Nana, I love your avatar! Great button. :thumbsup:

I think it's just a design in the middle. :icon_scratch:

-Dug-

ModernMiner · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

VOL1266-X said:
Very Cool MM!! That may be a hay hook used to hoist hay into the loft of a barn. The ones I have seen (and we had one) were attached to a thick rope that had pulleys that ran on a track under the "V" of the barn roof. Ours was set up with forks that opened and would handle several pounds of loose hay. One guy would lead a mule on the opposite end of the barn than where the hay wagon wass located. The guy on the wagon woukld position the forks, yell for the guy on the other end of the barn to lead the mule. This would pull the shock of hay up and along the track until it got into where the hay was to be dropped. An extra rope on the forks was tripped and the hay fell where it was to be stored on the loft floor. If your hook is not for logging, it would be to lift a singler bale of hay into the barn. Notice old barns with large openings near the top on both ends before? They were that way because of the hay transfer system. Got it? Q.

Thanks Q. That's TWO things I learned from you today you wise old owl.

There is still an old barn like that on this property. It's about to fall over too. I wonder why these were way out in the woods? :dontknow:

-Dug-

ModernMiner · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Al Czervik said:
OK WAIT ...

What's the SPREAD on that HOOKER ...

Perhaps it did handle logs ...

~ Al

Al,
The spread on the hooker......... Ah, never mind. :tongue3:

-MM-

ANTIQUARIAN · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Great finds there Dug!

I think your "ice hook" is actually something called logging tongs. I worked up in
Algonquin Park in Northern Ontario for a few summers as an assistant Park Ranger
back in my younger days, I've seen quite a few of these over the years.

The "copper lid", looks like it might have come from a 1/2 pint stein. Of course,
from the perspective of your photo, it might be a bit small for that. :icon_scratch:

Dave

goldguru · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Yes those Are a set of Logging tongs 1 that size easliy Handle a 2ft dia log 40ft long If what is attached to has Enough Backdone to do the Job..Nice find...

next time u find somthing that Big .rebury it .ask a buddy to go MD'N with ya so he can find/haul it back lol...

VOL1266-X · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

ModernMiner said:
VOL1266-X said:

Very Cool MM!! That may be a hay hook used to hoist hay into the loft of a barn. The ones I have seen (and we had one) were attached to a thick rope that had pulleys that ran on a track under the "V" of the barn roof. Ours was set up with forks that opened and would handle several pounds of loose hay. One guy would lead a mule on the opposite end of the barn than where the hay wagon wass located. The guy on the wagon woukld position the forks, yell for the guy on the other end of the barn to lead the mule. This would pull the shock of hay up and along the track until it got into where the hay was to be dropped. An extra rope on the forks was tripped and the hay fell where it was to be stored on the loft floor. If your hook is not for logging, it would be to lift a singler bale of hay into the barn. Notice old barns with large openings near the top on both ends before? They were that way because of the hay transfer system. Got it? Q.

Click to expand...

Thanks Q. That's TWO things I learned from you today you wise old owl.
There is still an old barn like that on this property. It's about to fall over too. I wonder why these were way out in the woods?
-Dug-

If it was used for logging, DUH?? If it was used for moving bales of hay, maybe the mule ran off with everything-LOL. Q.

Woodland Detectors · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

That's some more cool finds Doug. I envy you guys getting out lately. It's move time for us. I'm done for 3 weeks it looks like now. :'(

mobile miner · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Daedalus is correct. Ice tongs. My grand father had an ice house on badger lake near Whiting Ia. back in the 20`s & 30`s and there were a couple of ice tongs left on the old farm.My mother got hooked threw the calf of her leg when she was a small child and carried the scars the rest of her life.

Tnmountains · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

They are for logging. We called them "dogs" and used them on the rail road for moving bridge timbers also. I have an old set of ice tongs and they have a handle with a chain on them.
Very nice finds. :thumbsup:

You think the what is it could be from a pocket watch?

nuggetnoggin · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

ModernMiner said:
After work today I was able to get a few hours in at one of my CW wooded spots before it rained.
Nothing exciting, but hauling this giant tree hooker picker upper thingy was quite a challenge. Of course I had to find it WAY out in the woods rather than close to my truck. I dug it right next to a large tree. I think the tree won. Looks old, but who knows?

I found a "Treble Colour" flat button, and a few what's its too. No CW lead unfortunately.

One piece I am intrigued by it the small flat copper piece. I thought it was just junk until I got home and flattened it back out. There are some letters, numbers, and a design on it. The piece looks very old but I have no idea what it is.
Any help on unlocking this mystery would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for looking at this ho-hum post.
-MM-

nice relics, thats a buttplate probably CS because they were poor, looks like a poor one, but i dont know.

clovis97 · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

Those tongs could have been used for ice, but probably for logging. They are general purpose tongs, for use with anything.

They are not hay hooks for a barn trolley system. Hay tongs are much larger, but generally made of much thinner steel material.

ynpto804 · Feb 7, 2011

Re: I found a BIG hooker in the woods + more!

They are for sure log skids or dogs. Way to big for ice. So go do some logging.

Here's some history
Logging dogs- http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/rosholt/wi-logging-book/wilogging/images/00000018.pdf
This is a cool article and looks like the ones you have
Ice tongs- http://icetoolcollections.com/13icetongs.htm