Martin Grip Hook No. 2—Trailblazing Logging Tool

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The lumber industry in East Texas boomed from the 1880s through the 1930s. The Lufkin Land and Lumber Company was established in the Angelina National Forest in 1905. One of their blacksmiths, Daniel Webster Martin, invented the grip hook, a device used to load logs onto a log truck. Martin established his own company to manufacture the hook, which he patented in 1907.

The Martin grip hook became an essential tool for mechanical log loading across the southern and western U.S. Unable to keep up with demand, Martin sold his hook patent in 1910 and started the Martin Wagon Company to produce his next patented success story, an eight-wheeled log wagon. In 1939, Martin's company was bought by the Lufkin Foundry & Machine Company, which is known today simply as Lufkin.