Steam donkeys were the wood-fired steam engines used to yard timber for the first few decades of the 1900's. Capable of pulling massive amounts of weight, steam donkeys were crewed by engineers who kept the engine burning and the cables moving. It was a hot, dirty job and a good way to lose a finger—but the entire logging operation depended on it.
Once the donkey pulled timber to the landing, it could be loaded onto trains or trucks, or rolled into the river to go downstream. The operators of this donkey engine built up quite a pile of cut timber, probably for a log drive down the river. Also note the manufactured A-frame spar to the right of the donkey and the spar tree to the left.
Another advantage of the donkey engine was that it literally moved under its own steam. You could run out the cable and anchor it, and then let the donkey wind the cable back up, pulling itself along in the process.
