W. J. Young

Who was W. J. Young?

William John Young was the founder of the W.J. Young Company. He revolutionized the slow system of rafting logs by floatage with the current of the river in 1865 by a successful experiment of pushing log rafts ahead of a steam boat, independent of the river currents, and this with his introduction of the system of brail rafting, facilitated the movement of log stock while greatly lessening the expense of delivering them from the booms at Reef Slough and other points, to the mills at various points on the lower river; but for these advantages, the work of the mills would never have reached the vast volume to which they soon attained. Mr. Young was one of the original members of the Mississippi River Logging Company, his interest in which he sold in 1893, after being for many years one of the most active and influential members of the company.