Logging with Truck and Horses - Elma, WA
N 47° 00.279 W 123° 24.168
10T E 469379 N 5205759
This is one of James Abbott's numerous murals in Elma, Washington.
Waymark Code: WMH46G
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/19/2013
Views: 5
Logging with truck and horses:
302 West Main Street (corner of 3rd & Main) is the location of 2 logging murals. The one on the left features a scene with primitive direct-drive log truck, which ran over a road that was fashioned from split log boards that enabled the truck's rubber-covered steel wheels to negotiate the mud. The mural to the right features the Valentine Brothers logging with horses, a tribute to the Valentine Logging Company which still operates in the Elma area.
About Elma:
Elma was named for Elma Austin, whose family settled in the area prior to 1860. The town of Elma was a trading center for the homesteaders who arrived and settled in the Chehalis River Valley, on land donated by pioneer families of Joseph Young and James Long Waldrip. These families had arrived by wagon train in May of 1860. (Waldrip was married to Young's daughter). The city was incorportated in 1888, and by the 2000 census, there were 3,049 residents.
The visitor information for Elma boasts 22 historic murals, all of which were painted in the 1990’s.
Elma Murals: The information about this mural was provided from the "Elma Washington Visitor Guide" written by Luke Bailey of the store Chocolates Made Easy.
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visit link)
About the Artist:
Artist James Abbott begain painting walls while just 9 years old, and still in school, when his teacher allowed him to decorate the school blackboards with holiday themed art (Thanksgiving turkeys, Santa Claus for Christmas). As a adult he painted murals on walls in California, Oregon and Washington (about 100 in all). In the Grays Harbor area, his logging themed murals have been seen by thousands, with some becoming rather faded. He painted about 16 murals in the small town of Elma. Abbott painted his murals with the thought that they would be viewed most often from a speeding car, and left out much detail for that reason. Abbott graduated from Sierra College. He also served in the Army for 17 years and the Air Force for 3, retiring after 20 years in communicatoins. He began painting professionally in 1958.