Clifford Leon Vandiver Written by his brother, Willis Vandiver

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Clifford and Merrill

Clifford and Merrill Work
as Partners in the Woods

In 1934 Clifford and Merrill started working for a lumber company sawing logs located on the Coeur d'Alene River. They were paid by the log. Each man carried certain tools because of the handiness to the work style. Clifford carried a bottle of oil in one pocket and a small wedge in the other. Merrill started carrying the hammer, the axe and a measuring stick as well as his wedge. He couldn't measure and carry the hammer at the same time so Clifford insisted on the hammer which proved to be a good idea since speed and efficiency was all important.

If they were in big timber, Merrill carried two wedges. The one was a heavy wedge, probably about four pounds. Normally they each carried only one small wedge. The 8 ft. 2 in. measuring stick was used to mark the logs so that they were the right length for 8 or 12 foot lumber and provide a means for figuring the payment for labor.

When they sawed a log to the point that the cut above the saw began to close up or pinch, the partner who sensed this first would call "wedge". Merrill would put the wedge in the cut and Cliff would hit it with the hammer. This maneuver with the wedge and hammer was all done with one motion because it increased speed and time was money. The men who could work faster and more efficiently could make a few pennies per day more and in those days of the Great Depression that was important.

After they learned how to saw, working as hard as they could, they made around $100.00 apiece per month less $1.35 per day for food, less the price of an axe per summer. It was considered good wages for manual labor at that time. They worked 5½ days per week at first until labor became organized and overtime pay would be in force for the extra half day. Then they worked only 5-day weeks. Merrill said that a two foot log could be cut in two within 60 seconds by a reasonably good sawing team. Only strong and ambitious men could make any money sawing logs.

On weekends, Merrill and Cliff would drive back to Post Falls, Idaho, where Merrill would stop with his family and Cliff would drive on down to Greenacres, Washington (about ten miles) to spend the weekend with Dad and me.

Cliff and Merrill worked together each summer in the woods from 1934 to 1938.

Clifford's Advice

During my senior year in High School, 1937-38, I was working mornings and evenings at Naser's Dairy milking cows, bottling and delivering milk. A friend of mine, Beverly Noble, and I were batching in a little boxy trailer house. (Even though his name was Beverly he was every bit a masculine male. His name led to a humorous but unfortunate misunderstanding some 40 years later when two of my children secretly read my diary of H.S. days about my living with Beverly.) Clifford visited me in my trailer house one Saturday that same year, and we shared a bachelor's lunch as we talked. He emphasized how important it was for me to go on to college. He explained how hard it had been for my older brothers to scratch out a living without the financial rewards that often came with a formal education. I remember well him saying, in effect, "Kid! Stay in school. Go on to college no matter how hard it is to find finances. If you ever get in a financial bind, you can call on me for help but don't drop out." When Cliff gave advice, which was seldom, usually people listened. I did.

Merrill had given me the same interest and encouragement to continue with my education. He and Cliff had talked about encouraging me and worked at it.

In 1939, Clifford moved his meager personal belongings consisting of his car, a 1937 Chevy coupe, his guns, fishing gear and the usual possessions to Los Angeles, California. He was met there by a cousin, Clyde Vandiver, where he stayed for a short time until he could find a place of his own. Clifford worked for a contractor but little is known about the specifics of his work.

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