Vintage 8x10 black-and-white photograph titled “Crib at La Push, around 1927.” This print comes from the collection of Seattle tugboat captain and maritime documentarian Mark Freeman (reverse stamped with his office address). This is a later Freeman-issued print from his archive, not an original 1927 photograph.
In early Pacific Northwest logging, a crib was a manmade anchor point—often logs weighted with stone—used to hold massive timber rafts in place. These rafts, sometimes miles long, were floated down rivers and staged in coastal waters. La Push, located at the mouth of the Quillayute River on Washington’s rugged Olympic Peninsula, was a vital point where inland logging operations met the Pacific. Its protected waters and natural harbor made it ideal for assembling and towing log booms.
The photograph shows working vessels alongside timber rafts. Notably, the historic schooner Equator (built 1888) was active in Puget Sound and Washington waters during this period, later converted to tug service hauling log booms. In 1923 she famously grounded on the Quillayute Bar near La Push—linking her story to the very setting of this photograph. While we cannot confirm definitively that she appears in this image, the timing and location make the association significant for maritime historians and collectors.
Mark Freeman (1934–2017) was a Seattle tugboat operator, historian, and founder of Fremont Tugboat Co. His passion for maritime history led him to document tugboats, log rafts, and working vessels throughout Puget Sound and Alaska. Freeman sold photographs directly from his office at 1059 N. Northlake Way, Seattle, WA—a location stamped on the reverse of this print. His extensive photo collection remains an invaluable record of Pacific Northwest working waterways.
Ships in an acid-free magazine bag and board, carefully packed inside a 13” × 13” × 1” protective mailer box designed for vinyl records to ensure safe and secure delivery. Multiple photographs can be added to the same box at no additional shipping charge.
✔️ Rare log rafting and tugboat history photo from the Olympic Peninsula
✔️ Directly tied to the Mark Freeman maritime photo archive
✔️ Ideal for Pacific Northwest history collectors and nautical researchers
✔️ Tugboat and working vessel enthusiasts
✔️ Nautical photographers and modelers
✔️ Pacific Northwest maritime history collectors
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