Deep River
Logging Camp

This is the story of the men, women and children of Deep River logging camp and in particular, my great-grandfather Helge Peterson who worked at the camp, his wife Kate and their children Leslie and Doris who were born there.

From my grandfather Leslie, I inherited Helge's family photo album. This website contains photos from that album and provides a glimpse into a unique period of history.

This website has three parts. The first is large format photos from the Camp that appear to have been taken by a photographer named Ford. I presume he came to the camp to document their work and then offered the photos for sale. My great-grandfather appears in many of them.

The second part contains a short story about my family at the camp and some accompanying photos. The third part is an index to many of the smaller photos in the album some of which were taken outside the camp.

Deep River Camp has always held a special place in my heart and mind as part of my family's origin story in America; born out of immigration, hard work and difficult conditions where death was a frequent occurrence. To have these photos that include my great-grandfather and others at the camp that so vividly show the conditions in which they worked and the results of their labor is really quite special.    

They were the men who went into the woods and helped build America. Scroll down to see their story.

Note: The photos in the album were in black and white, and I have colorized them for this website, which is best viewed in a browser - not your phone.

If you are looking to know more about Deep River Camp, the Appelo Archives in Naselle, Washington is a great source, as is the well written fictional book “Deep River” by Karl Marlantes. The book “Astoria” by Peter Stark is also a great read.

Hope you enjoy what I have built. If you would like to get in touch - feel free to do so. brad@verbier.ch

Brothers: Edward Peterson (left) and Helge Peterson (right) at Deep River Camp sometime in the 1920s

My connection to Deep River Camp is through my grandfather Leslie Peterson who was born at the camp to parents Helge Peterson and Kate Warra. Helge was born Helge Persson in 1889 in Sunne, Sweden, and like a great many others, left a difficult life for new opportunities in America. He was 17 when he set off alone on his adventure and arrived in America at Ellis Island.  During the immigration registration process, his family name became Americanized to Peterson. He did not stay long in New York and soon made his way to San Fransico, only to arrive the day after the city was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Helge then decided to head north to Washington State, where he heard there was work to be had in the woods. He joined many others from Nordic Countries who became the loggers and fishermen in the Pacific Northwest.

Helge soon found himself at Deep River Camp where he worked for many years as a breakman on a logging train. He was eventually joined by his brother Edward.  It was while at Deep River that he met his wife Kate Warra. Kate was born in Washington State to Finnish parents, who had arrived not long before. Like Helge, her name had become Americanized from the Finnish Autovaara. Her parents were from the Kussamo area of Finland.

Helge and Kate lived in the Deep River Camp, and they had two children, my grandfather Leslie, and my great aunt Doris. In one of these pictures, you can see the whole family on a handcar used to travel on the rail from the camp down to the river. The only way in and out of camp for many years.  

Here we see Leslie and Doris with the family dog, offering a glimpse of Deep River Camp as it appeared during their childhood. In the 1990s, I had a conversation with my grandfather about his early years at the camp, and he described a simple, spartan, though happy life. He recalled seeing a light bulb for the first time while there, and not long after his first car during a weekend trip to Astoria. At the time of our conversation, I was working for an "internet" company and had brought a computer so my grandparents could "email" photos. I was amazed then - and still amazed at the amount of technological change that can happen in one lifetime.  

Hunting was an important activity at the camp - both for food (deer) and for cash (fur). This picture of Helge with his Winchester, bobcat cat and hunting dog is one of my favorites. On one of his hunts, he injured a bear that subsequently grabbed his dog. Not wanting to accidentally shoot his dog, Helge whacked the bear with the butt of his rifle until the dog was released. The bear grabbed the butt of the gun and left some impressive teeth marks.

My grandfather Leslie inherited the gun that he used for his own hunting. This is a great picture of him - also in the Deep River area with the same gun - a gun that I now own.

There is an additional thread that ties me to Deep River Camp and that time in history. The supply boat the Goodwill. The Goodwill was built in the 1920s in Astoria, Oregon to serve the small towns and logging camps from the city of Astoria. For many, it was the only way in or out of town. In the opening picture of this website you can see the Goodwill tied up to the dock. This boat was many years later bought by my maternal step-grandfather George League and converted into a fishing boat. The boat was fished by George out of Nachatta (where my mother was born) and then passed down to my Uncle Jack Carnahan, who fished the boat out to Ilwaco until 2005, when he gave the boat to me. After a restoration, you can see what the boat looks like today.

My father, James Peterson, and his sister Gayle, grew up in the nearby towns of Long Beach and Ilwaco. He had a successful international business career in medical devices. I was born in Germany, and raised in Switzerland with my sisters Kate (named after Kate Warra) and Jill.  I now live in the town of Natick, in the Boston metro area with my wife Christen and daughters Charlotte and Blair.

So that is some of my story and connection to Deep River Camp. For much of my life, every year,  I would visit my grandparents in Ilwaco and other relatives in the Nahcotta area and I feel a strong connection to that part of the Pacific Northwest.

To close, here is a picture of my Dad and me on our last visit to the area, taken at what remains of Deep River Camp. Enjoy the rest of the photos below.

Brothers: Edward Peterson (left) and Helge Peterson (right) at Deep River Camp sometime in the 1920s

My connection to Deep River Camp is through my grandfather Leslie Peterson who was born at the camp to parents Helge Peterson and Kate Warra. Helge was born Helge Persson in 1889 in Sunne, Sweden, and like a great many others, left a difficult life for new opportunities in America. He was 17 when he set off alone on his adventure and arrived in America at Ellis Island.  During the immigration registration process, his family name became Americanized to Peterson. He did not stay long in New York and soon made his way to San Fransico, only to arrive the day after the city was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Helge then decided to head north to Washington State, where he heard there was work to be had in the woods. He joined many others from Nordic Countries who became the loggers and fishermen in the Pacific Northwest.

Helge soon found himself at Deep River Camp where he worked for many years as a brakeman on a logging train. He was eventually joined by his brother Edward.  It was while at Deep River that he met his wife Kate Warra. Kate was born in Washington State to Finnish parents, who had arrived not long before. Like Helge, her name had become Americanized from the Finnish Autovaara. Her parents were from the Kussamo area of Finland.

Helge and Kate lived in the Deep River Camp, and they had two children, my grandfather Leslie, and my great aunt Doris. In one of these pictures, you can see the whole family on a handcar used to travel on the rail from the camp down to the river. The only way in and out of camp for many years.  

Here we see Leslie and Doris with the family dog, offering a glimpse of Deep River Camp as it appeared during their childhood. In the 1990s, I had a conversation with my grandfather about his early years at the camp, and he described a simple, spartan, though happy life. He recalled seeing a light bulb for the first time while there, and not long after his first car during a weekend trip to Astoria. At the time of our conversation, I was working for an "internet" company and had brought a computer so my grandparents could "email" photos. I was amazed then - and still amazed at the amount of technological change that can happen in one lifetime.   

Hunting was an important activity at the camp - both for food (deer) and for cash (fur). This picture of Helge with his Winchester, bobcat cat and hunting dog is one of my favorites. On one of his hunts, he injured a bear that subsequently grabbed his dog. Not wanting to accidentally shoot his dog, Helge whacked the bear with the butt of his rifle until the dog was released. The bear grabbed the butt of the gun and left some impressive teeth marks. My grandfather Leslie inherited the gun that he used for his own hunting. This is a great picture of him - also in the Deep River area with the same gun - a gun that I now own.

There is an additional thread that ties me to Deep River Camp and that time in history. The supply boat the Goodwill. The Goodwill was built in the 1920s in Astoria, Oregon to serve the small towns and logging camps from the city of Astoria. For many, it was the only way in or out of town. In the opening picture of this website you can see the Goodwill tied up to the dock. This boat was many years later bought by my maternal step-grandfather George League and converted into a fishing boat. The boat was fished by George out of Nachatta (where my mother was born) and then passed down to my Uncle Jack Carnahan, who fished the boat out to Ilwaco until 2005, when he gave the boat to me. After a restoration, you can see what the boat looks like today.

My father, James Peterson, and his sister Gayle, grew up in the nearby towns of Long Beach and Ilwaco. He had a successful international business career in medical devices. I was born in Germany, and raised in Switzerland with my sisters Kate (named after Kate Warra) and Jill.  I now live in the town of Natick, in the Boston metro area with my wife Christen and daughters Charlotte and Blair.

So that is some of my story and connection to Deep River Camp. For much of my life, every year,  I would visit my grandparents in Ilwaco and other relatives in the Nahcotta area and feel a strong connection to that part of the Pacific Northwest.

To close, here is a picture of my Dad and me on our last visit to the area, taken at what remains of Deep River Camp. Enjoy the rest of the photos below.