Michigan’s population more than doubled during the 1860s. This was largely due to the ‘”green gold”. That is what the loggers called the trees. Michigan had a “green gold” rush and California had a gold rush. Michigan out produced all the other states in lumber during the last three decades of the 1800s. The white pine trees were majestic. Many were over 100 feet tall but some were 200 feet and five to seven feet in diameter.

Logging was easiest in the winter because logs were piled on horse or ox drawn sleds. That changed later as better ways of transporting were developed. Workers ate enormous breakfasts before daylight in silence. Of course, the meals were prepared on wood burning stoves. The noon meals were carried out to them in the woods. They worked as late as possible. Then the cooks would blow a long tin horn or “gabriel” to summon workers to supper. After they ate, they would dry out their clothes, check for livestock (body lice), and retire early to start all over again the following day unless it was Saturday. Then they could relax and celebrate because Sunday was their day off. They would wash clothes, get a shave, and a hair cut.

Rivers played a large part in the logging industry. The main ones were Muskegon, Manistee, Au Sable, Tittabawassee, Menominee, Escanaba, and Manistique. The Saginaw River Valley was the first main lumbering region. There were 112 sawmills between Saginaw and Bay City. The second largest area was along the Muskegon River. The first sawmills were powered by water and later by steam engines. The large circular saw blades were fifty inches across. The sawmills ran around the clock. While the west had cattle rustlers, Michigan had log rustlers. The log mark was a unique registered mark hammered into the log to show ownership. The rustlers would cut off the ends, mark it with their mark, collect their pay at the saw mill, and cheat the rightful owner out of his due.

Lumber company owners were known as lumber barons. Five of them went on to govern Michigan. During the 1880s there were forty lumber millionaires living in Muskegon. Traverse City was another booming lumber town. Many barons owned business related to timber. For example, they made shingles, matches, and toothpicks. From 1865 to 1900 the lumber industry dominated Michigan’s economy.

Many loggers were immigrants. Some of them were buckers and cut trees into logs. Some of them were fellers and cut down trees. Others were swampers and cleared brush away from the trees. Perhaps they were landlookers hired to find good land to log. Maybe they were scalers and measured logs to decide how many board feet each contained. River hogs were shanty boys who took logs down river. Teamsters were wagon drivers. Whatever their work was, they were part of the lumber industry that played a vital part in Michigan‘s economy.

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