Lee Christensen Interview, February 14, 1988

Lee Christensen discusses his career as a hay derrick—also known as beaver slides or stackers—builder, which started in the 1920s when he apprenticed with another builder before striking out on his own. Christensen talks about building beaver slides throughout Montana, particularly in the Big Hole area, as well as in Idaho. He details how to construct a beaver slide, including where he found the timber, what size and type of timber used, how he hewed the logs, how he put everything together, and how much he charged per slide. Christensen discusses how a beaver slide is used to stack hay. He recalls one incident when one of the slides he made broke during the course of transporting it from one area to another. He also describes how the slides were moved from field to field using skids, and how typically the people who contracted him to build the slides typically owned big ranches and the slides provided a cheaper alternative to baling.