Log flume

A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations preferred flumes whenever a reliable source of water was available. Flumes were cheaper to build and operate than logging railroads. They could span long distances across chasms with more lightweight trestles.

Flumes remained in widespread use through the early 20th century. The logging truck replaced both the logging railroad and the flume after WWII. Today, log flumes remain in the popular imagination as amusement park rides.^[1]

^ Bryant, Ralph Clement (1913). Logging: The Principles and General Methods of Operation in the United States (First ed.). New York: Wiley and Sons. p. 399.

[Logging_Principles-1] Bryant, Ralph Clement (1913). Logging: The Principles and General Methods of Operation in the United States (First ed.). New York: Wiley and Sons. p. 399.

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