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Life in a Logging Camp
A 20th Century Lumber Camp; Delta County, Michigan
Did you ever wonder about life in an old-time lumber camp? The image above provides a peak into that venue. Handwriting on the photo’s reverse side identifies the location as “Delta County, Upper Peninsula.” No date is provided. Note, however, that the men have a phonograph for playing vinyl records. This suggests an early twentieth century time frame.
Michigan’s Lumber Boom
In the 1840s, Eastern states were beginning to exhaust their timber resources, and information about Michigan pine began to spread. Lumbermen began flocking to the Great Lakes State. According to George S. May’s revised edition of Willis Dunbar’s Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State, Michigan’s lumber boom peaked around 1880. Dunbar and May also note that lower peninsula forests were “virtually all cutover” by 1900 and that Upper Peninsula lumber production began to decline a few years after that. Conservation techniques and selective cutting increased productivity later in the twentieth century. By then, however, the “hey day” of the lumber industry was unquestionably over.
The Nature of a Logging Camp
For much of its history, logging was a winter activity. In winter, logs could be easily transported to river banks via bob sleds (or, in later years, by railroad.). In spring, when the ice melted, logs were floated down the river to saw mills. Log marks (the logging equivalent of “cattle brands”) determined ownership. Due to the seasonal nature of the business, logging camps tended to be temporary (Note that the men in the photo above are wearing winter clothing.).
In “Michigan’s White Pine Era, 1840-1900” (Michigan History vol. 43, December 1959), Rolland H. Maybee describes a typical Michigan lumber camp, circa 1875-1900. Many camps of this era accommodated sixty to one hundred men. Typically, there would be five or six main buildings, all made of logs. A bunkhouse, a cookshanty, a barn, a blacksmith shop, and a camp office and store would be among the buildings. The camp office and store typically included living quarters for the foreman and log scaler.
A Man Sounding the Dinner Bell at the L.B. Curtis Lumber Camp; Midland County, Michigan (Photo not dated)
The Lumberjack’s Life
William and Edith Overlease interviewed Michigan lumberjack Ralph Hooker a few months before his death in 1965. Hooker was seventy-nine years old at the time. An excerpt of the interview appears in the May/June 1994 issue of Michigan History magazine. Hooker recalled working sixty hours each week, with Sunday being the sole day of rest. From Monday through Saturday, he noted, the men were awoken at 5:00 a.m. and went to bed at 9:00 every night. Hooker mentioned large breakfasts, consisting of buckwheat pancakes, fresh meat, fresh meat grease, sauces, cookies and hash. “Hash was legal tender in them days,” he said, adding that, “After the second helping of hash, I could cut logs ‘till noon.” Hooker described long days of hard work, and evenings filled with storytelling and card games. “I stayed out of poker games,” he said, “But I’d swap lies with any of them.” On the work as the whole, he said, “I worked like the dickens, but I didn’t think anything of it.”
Timber Harvest
Timber Harvest from Seeking Michigan on Vimeo.
The video above depicts activities at a 1950s lumber camp. The original movie – filmed by the Michigan Department of Conservation – is stored within the Archives of Michigan collections. For more Archives of Michigan videos, visit the Seeking Michigan Vimeo site.
My grandfather and two great uncles worked in the lumbercamps in Oscoda, MI just prior to 1900. I tried to obtain employment records for them (as genealogical records) but all records had been destroyed in fires there.
Loved this article. My grandparents bought and lived in an lumberjack log cabin here in Montcalm County. My g-g-g-great grandfather was a sawyer. It’s nice to have more information on what it was like for him. Thank you for love of history, and its preservation. Is it possible to get hard copies of these articles?
Laurie
The articles are published online, and no original hard copies exist. Readers can print them through their Web browsers if they wish.
Bob,
There is another great article from an early Michigan History issue (March 1952, Volume 36, No. 1) that we use at the Hartwick Pines Logging Museum. It is “In an Upper Michigan Logging Camp” by John J. Heilala. Mr. Heilala recounts his experience at Ferguson’s Camp 33 near the Peshekee River north of Lake Michigamme in Marquette County in 1904 when he was 16 years old. It is very descriptive on camp life and several of the jobs in the logging camps.
–Rob Burg, Site Historian
Hartwick Pines Logging Museum
My grandfather Fred Babb Pike worked as a cook in logging camps aound 1898-1901. All I have to go on was that he was in the central or northern Michigan area. He would have been in his early 20s at the time. He later worked as a steward for ships going on the Great Lakes. I was just curious about life in logging camps. Thanks for any info or guidance I might receive.
Sunnie,
If you’re looking for information on late 19th/early 20th century logging camps, then you can likely find some books through your local library. I searched the MELCAT (The Michigan E-Library Catalog) with the terms “logging camp Michigan” and retrieved these results: http://bit.ly/9zbbOT Many of these items can be obtained through interlibrary loan.
Also: In my article above, I mentioned an article from the May/June 1994 issue of MICHIGAN HISTORY magazine. In the comment above yours, my colleague, Rob Burg, mentions a similar article in the March 1952 issue of MICHIGAN HISTORY. Copies of these articles can likely be obtained through interlibrary loan.
I would like to know about merchant rd logging camp in cheboygan mi. Can anyone help me?
My great-grandfather John Gray was a foreman at a lumber mill located at Shingle Lake, north of Freesoil. If anyone has any information about either him or the mill, I’d love to hear from you.
Some of my ancesters were loggers and mill owners. Can anyone tell me if there is a registry or record of Log Marks? I’m seeking information on the Lupton Bros. Mill in Lupton , Ogemaw county ,Mich . Time frame 1870 to about 1910.
Log marks were registered at county courthouses. I suggest contacting the Ogemaw County clerk:
Ogemaw County Clerk
806 W Houghton Ave
West Branch, MI 48661
Phone: 517-345-0215
Fax: 345-7223
E-mail: ogemawcoclerk@journey.com
(Some Counties have transferred their log mark registries to the Archives of Michigan. Ogemaw is not among the counties that have done this, however, so the records should still be at the county clerk’s office.)
I found a 16 foot 8 inch log in front of my cottage and pulled it on shore, it has a log mark on it and I would like to know more information about how to find out about the markings. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Ms. DeVries,
As I noted in my post above, Michigan log marks were registered at county court houses. To research a log mark, you would first have to identify the county in which it was registered.
Some counties – but not all of them – have transferred their log mark registers to the Archives of Michigan. Others have kept the registers, and to research them, you would have to contact the county clerk.
There are two ways to see if a certain county’s log mark registers might be in the Archives of Michigan:
1. Scan this circular, which lists lumbering records: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mhc_sa_circular28_49999_7.pdf
2. Search the ANSWER catalog for “[county name] log marks.” Here’s the link to the ANSWER catalog: http://35.8.7.98/search~S37
If the Archives of Michigan does not hold log mark registers for the county in question, then you can contact that county’s clerk. Here is the Michigan County Clerk directory, which contains contact information: http://bit.ly/beRG9b
I love looking at really old pictures but am having a really hard time accessing them. No special date in history or subject.
My Grandfather was a Smithy and my Grandmother was a cook for a logging camp when they came from Canada around 1922 in Seattle, Wash. They ended their migration in Mich. Your photos brought back a lot. Thank You
@ William H. Weston July 8th, 2010
@ Luann DeVries July 12th, 2010
You might try to find a copy of the 1991 book by Neil Thorton “Log Marks” published by thorton, East Tawas, MI.
Available at local Libraries and the Lumberman’s Monument in Oscoda, MI.
Have you heard of Olisanders Camp, Newberry. My G Uncle passed away (1943) at the state hospital and his death certificate stated this camp “usual residence of deceased”.
I am the great granddaughter of lumbermen in several MI counties as well as the Saginaw River Valley in addition to Frederic, MI where my grandparents first child died at birth. One camp was named Smith-Davenport in the mid-1885′s located in Pontiac verified by a pencil drawing which I have framed and hung in my home. The last I know of positively was in or near Ogemaw Co. near West Branch, Deep River where my great grandmother died of consumption. (TB). I’m working on an extensive genealogy and family social history and would appreciate any information of the families of SMITH-BARTHOLOMEW-DAVENPORT-SABIN. They lived in several counties of the lower peninsula including Hillsdale, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Montcalm, Mecosta, Van Buren, Kent, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Ogemaw, Arenac, Newaygo, etc and etc. Pleaase help. I am willing to share any original material I have to Michigan legetimitate libaries or historicals that I may possess after completion of my task. Sincerely, Mrs. Stephen Taritas
I’d like to know more about the death of my great grandfather, Thomas O’Connor, in a logging accident. He was born in 1863 and was a first-generation Irish-American. As the story goes, my gradfather, then a small boy, was out with the loggers when the accident happened and stayed in the wagon with his father’s body until the end of the logging day.
Pamela Gemin – my best suggestion would be to search for contemporary newspaper accounts. The Library of Michigan has a large collection of Michigan newspapers. For more information, click here: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-54504_50206_18643—,00.html
During the early 1960′s, I worked in the UP at an old logging “town” converted to tourist cabins on St Charles Bay off Lake Huron close to the Carp River. I worked there cleaning the houses, mowing the lawn, whatever needed to be done. The owners at that time were Leslie and Beatrice Johnson. I remember seeing a panoramic picture of one side of the “town” in the office cabin. Where can I find more info about the town of Charles? The vimeo and history was very interesting.
iam writing a book on some of the early life in loging camps and iam interested in the old logging town of Deward michigan northeast of grayling by fredrick.
lookin for storys and picture to share. thank you
Thanks to Bob Garrett for the suggestion!
I wonder if you might help me. I stumbled upon this website tonight, and I’m trying to research my grandfather’s history. He had always told us he grew up in a logging camp. His parent’s were from Ontario, Canada, but my grandfather’s place of birth (according to his US Army discharge paper) is Frederick, Mich. Was there a logging camp in or near Frederick in 1916?
I haven’t had a chance to look into the books you’ve listed, yet.
Thank you,
Tim Glass
Is there lumber camp rosters for each of the camps? My GGrand father Alex McCullough, born in Scotland, was a lumberman in the 1900 census but I can’t find him before that. He lived in Duncan City (Cheyboygan) where he was married in 1886. My Grandfather was known for his horses that helped the loggers. He also helped in the building of the Cass River Bridge. We have a lot of history in the lower north part of MI and in the upper Michigan (Escanaba). Any information regarding camps will be appreciated.
Thank you for the “seeking Michigan” site, it’s great!
My dad, Lyle Hammer, had a gypo logging business here in Eureka, Ca. My mom ran the office. My brothers and sometimes their friends worked for him. His brother drove logging trucks. My mom’s dad, Clint Church, worked in Washington and Oregon logging camps. Gramps family came from Michigan loggers. My husband worked over 20 years in local mills before they were shut down. Logging is in my blood. I miss the smell of diesel and fresh fallen trees and the sound of dad working on his equipment.
In reply to: Pat Styles Taritas, Stormin Normin, Tim Glass
I to am searching for a camp my grandfather worked at, he lived in West Branch and then moved to Frederic, Mi to raise his family. The camp he work for was Smiths thats all I know early 1900′s. I think maybe it was near West Branch, I beleive all the loggers were gone by the time he moved to Frederic in abt 1932. Deward is on the northwest side of Frederic, it is close to my grandfathers first home. If you have any questions you may contact me at kanberry@charter.net
Pat, I am wondering if Smith Davenport Lumbercamp is who my grandfather worked for.
I have a photo of him and another lumberjack that says “Smiths Woodcutters”
Hello:
This picture personifies the history of the logging camp! Would you happen to know the year this picture was taken. My dad worked for a logging camp in Michigan…I don’t know where but the man with the pipe looks very much like my dad! I could be wishful thinking!
Ms. Stepniak,
We know that the photo above was taken in Delta County, in the Upper Peninsula. There is no date on the photo. The wax cylinder phonograph in the foreground (It’s on the table) suggests that it was probably taken in the 1910s or 1920s, but it could be a little older or younger than that.
My great grandfather worked at a logging town in Upper Michigan called Interior, MI. It only existed for a few years from about 1890-1898 (about) and was only accessible via a train. The closest town is now Watersmeet, MI. The town burned down a few years after it was abandoned. Does anyone have any information or photos of Interior?
my family had a lot of lumberjacks. a great uncle, john donnelly died in an accident at a camp in delta co. in1894. a tree top that was supposed to fall away from the tree, fell straight down the tree and killed him. i have not been able to get more info. about the camp.
Does any one have any information of the Deneen River Company Logging of the late 1800? Not sure of the location in Michigan but could be near Evart or Oscola area in Michigan. Thanks,Maxine
My Great Grandfather, William “Guillaume” Dumont, Built Lumber Camps in Michigan. At one time there was one located in Wolverine, Michigan which he built and his nephew, Louis J. Dumont, owned and ran. I love reading about them.
We own a property in Nester Twp., in Roscommon County. On the property is a private lake called Clear Lake. This property was used as a lumber camp. I was wondering if anyone had information about this lumber camp?
My grandmather lived as a little girl in logging camps. Her mother Alice Vanberg was a camp cook and father George and Uncle William were loggers. I would like to know of any information about camps they may have been. I think they would have primarily been located along the Muskegom River.
Thanks.
Family lore relates that my g-g-grandfather spent winters away from the Carsonville farm to log, allegedly with his wife’s uncle (last name Shirley). Centenarian cousin recently mentioned that gggf trained draft horses, then loaded them to take to the logging camp, where he used a team to ice the roads used to haul logs to the bluffs, to be rolled into the rivers for spring floating to the mills.
Can anyone give me any leads on the Shirley lumber business?
My 3X great grandfather owned E.B. Nugent Lumber Company is Grand Rapids Michigan. His named was Major Edward B.Nugent and was also in the 3rd Michigan Calvary Co.M during the Civil War from 1861-1865. I am trying to locate any information on his lumber company or him. He died in 1911 in Bay City Michigan. Any information woould be a great help. Thank you!
My grandfather (John Mauhar) and my great grandfather (Bartol Stemac) had a lumber camp in Shingleton, Alger, Michigan around 1911-1918 called Star Siding. They then bought farm land in Ensign Township, Delta county, Michigan. On the 1920 census my grandfather is listed as a farmer but, his brother (Antone Mauhar), his brother-in-law (Steve Merle) and maybe another relative (Frank Stemack) who are boarding with him are listed as lumber camp laborers. would love any additional information and be happy to share what I have.