Logging in the Keweenaw - Lesson Plan

Copper TRACES Online Learning Module

Lesson Plan Outline

Lesson Goals

Essential Questions:

• How was lumber harvested in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan?
• What was life like for lumberjacks?
• How did the logging industry impact the landscape? 

Enduring Understandings:

• Logging was a key industry in Upper Peninsula Michigan.
• Lumberjacks were employed throughout the year to accomplish various jobs.
• The logging industry altered the landscape of the Upper Peninsula and created communities and infrastructure.

Objectives: 

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe the logging industry of the late 19th and early 20th century of the Upper Peninsula. 
• Describe the impacts of the lumber industry on the economy, immigration and environment of Michigan. 
• Indetify the trees native to the Upper Peninsula relevant to the logging industry. 

Lesson Planning

Instructional Time

• 30 minutes to 1 hour

*Activities can be done at the instructor’s pace
*Activities can be completed in one sitting or across multiple days

Recommended Materials:

• Computers

• Projector/screen

• Worksheets

• Drawing and writing utensils

• Pine needle samples and/or deciduous leaf samples

*Note: Needed materials depend on activities chosen to complete

Preparation:

• Read through the lesson plan background

• Print sheets for students.

Learning Standards, Intelligences and Assessment

Learning Standards:

*Note: Standards depend on activities chosen to complete

Common Core Standards for English & Language Arts
SL.4.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL 4.4 - Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards
4 – H3.0.4 - Describe how the relationship between the location of natural resources and the location of industries (after 1837) affected and continue to affect the location and growth of Michigan cities.
4 – H3.0.5 - Use visual data and informational text or primary accounts to compare a major Michigan economic activity today with that same activity or a related activity in the past.

Michigan K-12 Geography Standards
4 – G2.0.1 - Locate and describe human and physical characteristics of major U.S. regions and compare them to the Great Lakes region
4 – G4.0.3 - Describe some of the movements of resources, goods, people, and information to, from, or within the United States, and explain the reasons for the movements.
4 – G5.0.1 - Assess the positive and negative consequences of human activities on the physical environment of the United States and identify the causes of those activities. 

Visual Art Standards
ART.VA.I.4.3 - Analyze and reflect on the elements of art and design to communicate ideas.
ART.VA.I.4.4 - Prepare, present, and collaboratively evaluate personal artwork.

Intelligences 

People learn in a variety of different ways and understanding these ways can help meet the needs of learners and contribute to a successful learning environment. Howard Gardner, an American psychologist, developed the idea behind people having a variety of intelligences impacting how they learn. This is referred to a Garner’s Multiple Intelligences. The activities in this lesson will focus on various intelligences as noted in each activity.

Assessment

Students should be able to describe elements of the lumber industry in Michigan from woods to mills and the work environment of early lumberjacks.  

 

 

The Chassell Heritage Center in Chassell, MI

NPS Photo

Logging in the Keweenaw with the Chassell Historical Organization

Introduction

The logging industry, like mining, shaped the Upper Peninsula. Lumber resources were used in almost every industry. This lesson works in tandem with the goals of the Chassell Heritage Center. The Chassell Heritage center preserves and interprets the history of Chassell and the lives of its people through preservation and exhibition of artifacts.
Learn about Keweenaw National Historical Park
Learn more about the Chassell Heritage Center

 

Background:

Timber Industry in the Upper Peninsula

Michigan's statehood in 1837 and treaties with Ojibwe peoples created a rush for resources in the Great Lakes region.
Business investors were especially interested as reports from surveyors detailed the natural resources, like minerals and timber.
Logging became a primary industry early in the development of the Upper Peninsula. The tall trunks of white pines were shipped around the world for their quality. Lumber companies also supplied the mining companies with materials to help build up their operations. These materials contributed to housing for employees, supports for shafts, charcoal for smelting operations and railroad infrastructure. The logging industry was important for shipping, building materials and shipbuilding throughout the country and the world.

 

Loggers cut a canal into Pike Bay from the Sturgeon River as seen on this 1912 nautical chart. The boom company sorted logs in the bay.

Image sourced from Keweenaw Time Traveler/Keweenaw Waterway Nautical Charts 1912

Chassell's beginnings

Chassell, founded on the shore of Pike Bay, formed as a township in 1888. Orrin W. Robinson started the Sturgeon River Lumber Company in Hancock in 1873. The timber rode the Sturgeon River into Portage Canal where Robinson had sawmills.
In 1887, Robinson moved the company to Pike Bay. The Sturgeon River Lumber Company had timber holdings south along the Sturgeon River. They used the water to float their logs to Pike Bay. Many other companies also had holdings along the river. Together the companies formed the Sturgeon River Boom Co.
The Boom Company made sure all logs made the journey down the river. They even built a canal in 1875. The Boom Co. made sure everyone's logs went to the right place. They used log marks to keep track of each company and loggers' product.
The village of Chassell grew around the lumber industry. The logging industries were the main employers of residents. Family farms sprouted up on the land cutover and sold by the logging companies.
In 1902 Orrin W. Robinson sold his company to C.H. Worcester who renamed the company "The Worcester Lumber. Co." The Worcester Lumber company operated until 1928 when it closed.

 

Logging Booms

Logging in the Upper Peninsula swept across the forests in phases. There are many different types of ecosystems in the Upper Peninsula, from swampy lowlands to sandy dry coastlines. These landscapes are home to many different kinds of trees. Different trees were important throughout history. Some different uses for tree products include: wood for barrels, building materials, charcoal, shingles, flooring, furniture, and chemicals.
The demand for these products determined the intensity of logging. Eventually an area would not be able to maintain the level of logging as the in-demand tree would be too scarce or unprofitable to cut.
Logging companies purchased areas of forest. They transported cut logs to sawmills that processed the wood into the final product.
They employed skilled loggers, known as lumberjacks to manage forest operations. Moving trees from forest to market lasted from winter to spring.

White Pine

The first phase of logging in the Upper Peninsula was focused on the Eastern White Pine and other conifers or softwoods. White pine was especially important for shipbuilding in the mid 1800s because it grew tall and straight, it was perfect for ship masts. Conifers or softwoods also include Northern White Cedar, Red Pine, Jack Pine and Hemlock.
These trees were important to the early logging because they floated on water. Rivers connected to the Great Lakes were the best way to get around the Upper Peninsula for many years.
Lumberjacks worked from fall to spring in the woods. Logs cut in the forest were transported by sleigh over ice road. They were left along riverbanks for the winter. When the snow melted in the spring the logs were carried downriver. Lumberjacks rode the logs downriver to direct them to sawmills.

Hardwoods

Logging companies cut softwoods until they could not make money off of them. Hardwoods or deciduous trees, like Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch and Basswood became profitable. They were good for building materials, chemicals and charcoal. Hardwoods do not float. The invention of the steam engine and train made hardwoods profitable. New demands and technologies made logging companies cut more wood faster.

Fire Woods

Logging moved through the Upper Peninsula faster than trees could grow. Forests were clear cut. The forests kept the ground damp. When an area was clear cut ground became dry and more likely to catch fire. Wildfires spread and destroyed whole towns. Fires scarred the landscape. Companies logged faster to stay ahead of fires, but it only made the problem worse.

Logging has limits

In 100 years the forests of the Upper Peninsula went through a lot of change. New technologies made industry efficient, but clear cutting created dangers. Heavy logging and fire risk put forests and communities at risk. Forestry professionals developed strategies for keeping forests healthy.
Not many towns still operate sawmills and most lumberjacks don't ride logs downriver. Today logging is still a profession in the Upper Peninsula. In Michigan the industry is worth $20 billion.

 

Terms to Learn

• Bucker: The person whose job is to cut the tree trunk into logs.
• Crosscut Saw: A saw designed to cut across the grain of wood; what lumberjacks used in the 1800s and early 1900s to saw trees down.
• Cruiser: The person who estimates the amount of wood in a forest before it is cut.
• Cutover: Land that has been logged. This term is often used as “the cutover,” which refers to northern Wisconsin after it was heavily logged during the period from the 1850s to the 1920s.
• Feller: The person who used a crosscut saw to saw a tree down.
• Fitter: The person who cuts a notch on one side of the tree in preparation for cutting it down.
• Hay Man on the Hill: The person who spreads hay on icy slopes to make it safe for the sleighs to travel.
• Logging: The removal of trees from the forest for lumber.
• Lumber: Boards sawed from logs.
• Lumberjack: A term used for individuals who work in the woods during a logging process.
• Marker: The person who pounds the lumber company’s stamp into the end of each log.
• Notch: A V-shaped gap made in a tree that is going to be cut down.
• River Pig: The person who floats the logs down the river to the lumber mill.
• Scaler: The person who measures each log and estimates how much wood is there.
• Skidder: The person who drags the logs out of the forest and loads them onto sleighs.
• Sky Bird: The person who stands on top of the logs on the sleigh and arranges them into a pile.
• Sleigh: A horse-drawn vehicle with runners instead of wheels that was used to haul cargo.
• Swamper: The person who cuts the branches off the tree after it has been cut down.
• Teamster: The person who brings the loaded sleighs down to the river with horses or oxen.

 

Activity #1: Logging Vocabulary Words Puzzle

Activity Objective
The point of this activity is for the students to learn about the words associated with logging activities and their definitions. After they finish this activity, the students will have an in-depth understanding of the different processes and roles involved with logging.

Resources:

• Puzzle Worksheet
• Definitions
• Vocab Words page 1
• Vocab Words page 2

Instructions:

• Have students pair up and each pair will receive one or two of the vocab definitions. Ensure that all 14 definitions are handed out, there can be duplicates.

• Set up the 14 words with hints around the room. Have the pairs of students go around the room to try to determine the correct word for their definition(s).

• Once they figure out their word(s), have them write down the words in the blank space on their puzzle worksheet.

• Then have the students exchange definitions with another group and repeat the process.

• The goal is to have every group “research” all 14 words. This may take a little bit of time. If time is limited, have the students completed two or three rounds and then bring the class together to share the words they learned and help the rest of the class fill out their puzzle sheet.

• Once all 14 words have been found, students can work with their pairs to complete the puzzle.

 

These are four common deciduous trees in the U.P. They all have different characteristics. Use the central space to draw a leaf you found. Label the different parts of your leaf.

NPS

Activity #2: Tree I.D.

Activity Objective:
Students identify different parts of leaves and use those features to identify species of trees.

Identifying trees is important for lumberjacks. Knowing the trees also tells us about the type of forest, the soil, wildlife and other trees nearby.
Deciduous or hardwood trees were several species of trees that were logged in the Upper Peninsula.

Resources:
Deciduous Tree Leaf I.D. Worksheet

Instructions:

1. Have students collect leaves from outside.
2. Use the worksheet to discuss the different parts of leaves.
3. Have students draw their leaf or create a rubbing by placing the leaf beneath the worksheet and using the flat edge of a crayon to create the image of the leaf in relief.
4. Label the parts of the leaf.
5. Students can use a tree i.d. website or reference book to identify their tree.

Leaf Vocabulary:
Margin - the outline of a leaf. The margin can be smooth, serrated like a saw blade or toothed.
Lobe - the "fingers of a leaf. Lobes are three sided and have a space between lobes.
Sinus - the space in between lobes
Stalk - Also called a petiole, this connects the leaf to the twig. The stalk can sometimes twist to make sure the leaf gets sunlight.
Leaf base - This is the part of the leaf that connects to the stalk. The base can be even or uneven.

 

An example of log marks used by the Tittabawassee Boom Company of the Saginaw area from 1890 to 1893.

"Michigan log marks, their function and use during the great Michigan pine harvest" by Works Projects Administration and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, sourced via hathitrust.org

Activity #3: Design Your Own Log Mark

Many lumber companies used the same river to transport their materials to mills. To avoid confusion about which logs belonged to companies, loggers created marks to identify their logs at the end of a log drive, these marks were recognized by Michigan law.
This activity source material is from the 1943 book “Michigan log marks, their function and use during the great Michigan pine harvest” which was compiled by the Works Projects Administration and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. This is available free online at www.hathitrust.org

Activity Objective:
For students to understand how logging companies used special symbols called log marks to show who owned each log. These marks were stamped into the center of the log.

Resources:
Make your own log mark worksheet

Instructions:

1. Show the example of log marks (seen at right).
2. Print worksheet and example directions for students.
3. Have students explain their individual log marks.

 

Additional Student Learning Opportunities

Field Trip – Visit Chassell Heritage Center
Learn more at: Chassell Historical Organization