Our area was originally known for the largest white pine mill in the world.
In the winter of 1911-1912 our hunting area was logged. Our cabin actually sits on the grounds of the old logging camp: our cabin is on the very spot of the blacksmith shop. Blacksmith died in a fire that consumed his shop/living quarters. We've had "visits" but that's another story.
Anyhow the logs were skidded by horses onto the lake for loading onto a small train to be shipped out 5 miles to the major railway. Apparently it was a very early thaw and they ended up leaving 100,000 board feet of logs on the ice which ended up in the lake. Loggers moved on and left the remainder floating. Many sank and there are still several dozen "deadheads" partially floating.
Fast forward to the early 30's. a sawmill company set up operation and began retrieving logs and sawing into lumber. One problem. The logs had a type of rot that made the lumber very brittle (I'm told you could break a 2x4 over your knee). So after retrieving 10,000 board feet the rest was left in the lake.
One of these ended up on my boat landing so I pulled it out, bucked, and split. Next year I shall enjoy a sauna burning virgin wood that's been preserved on the lake bottom for a century. Wood is still solid although basically completely void of any smell.
In the first picture you can see the notch as this must have been the first length from this tree.
Second picture shows what came out of the 100" log.
This stuff would have been worth a fortune if it was solid and not affected by rot!
In the winter of 1911-1912 our hunting area was logged. Our cabin actually sits on the grounds of the old logging camp: our cabin is on the very spot of the blacksmith shop. Blacksmith died in a fire that consumed his shop/living quarters. We've had "visits" but that's another story.
Anyhow the logs were skidded by horses onto the lake for loading onto a small train to be shipped out 5 miles to the major railway. Apparently it was a very early thaw and they ended up leaving 100,000 board feet of logs on the ice which ended up in the lake. Loggers moved on and left the remainder floating. Many sank and there are still several dozen "deadheads" partially floating.
Fast forward to the early 30's. a sawmill company set up operation and began retrieving logs and sawing into lumber. One problem. The logs had a type of rot that made the lumber very brittle (I'm told you could break a 2x4 over your knee). So after retrieving 10,000 board feet the rest was left in the lake.
One of these ended up on my boat landing so I pulled it out, bucked, and split. Next year I shall enjoy a sauna burning virgin wood that's been preserved on the lake bottom for a century. Wood is still solid although basically completely void of any smell.
In the first picture you can see the notch as this must have been the first length from this tree.
Second picture shows what came out of the 100" log.
This stuff would have been worth a fortune if it was solid and not affected by rot!