Washington's Toothpicks 1995 Pillow

Initial logging enterprises in mid-1800s Washington State existed to supply timber to California’s Gold Rush and the population growth it precipitated. But when the Northern Pacific railroad opened a direct rail link over the Cascades to Tacoma in 1887, and with Wisconsin and Minnesota already grossly depleted by deforestation, Washington and the Pacific Northwest quickly assumed the role of primary timber supplier to the nation, ensuring the region’s rapid development as it entered the 20th century and 'Washington's toothpicks' became an increasingly common sight as loggers hauled them down the highways and byways.