With Spring's arrival has come the long anticipated snow melt and unexpected downpours. The rise in the Delaware river is reminiscent of freshets which helped support the transportation of logs downriver to Easton, Philadelphia and Trenton in the olden days.
All along the Delaware and far up along it's branches,
men engaged in logging hemlock, pine, maple and oak. These would be brought to local sawmills and the logs would await the seasonal rise of the river. They would be lashed into rafts and floated downstream. This industry was maintained until canals, aqueducts and bridges impaired the rafts easy passage on the river. During the journey, the men steering the rafts would tie up at locations along the river, to be able to stop for meals or to rest.
