Michigan White Pine Logging: Human & Horse Power, Part 4

Think for a moment about modern logging. At Duberville Logging, we use modern equipment that enables us to complete jobs efficiently, safely, and with minimum land impact. Now rewind 200 years - almost everything back then was done with human power and horse power, using simple tools such as the axe and long cross-cut saws, with sleds and carts - and rivers - as the transportation.

In the 1800s, logging in Michigan was primarily a winter activity, primarily because transporting logs without machinery was much easier in winter. The roads could be flooded with water that turned to ice, making it possible to pull sleds loaded with logs on that icy road. The logs would then be stacked (using a ramp to roll the logs up the stack) by a river to await the spring thaw. This is where the connecting networks of Michigan rivers and streams becomes a huge part of the story - when the spring thaw came, the logs would be pushed into the river and floated downstream to the nearest sawmill - most of which were conveniently situated on rivers. There are accounts of rivers being so full of logs that a man could cross the river stepping from log to log!

Not all logging was done in winter, of course. When sleds could not be used, the "big wheel" carts (like the one pictured) made transporting logs easier. It's tremendous to think of the kind of ingenuity that made logging possible in the days before modern machinery! Though at Duberville Logging, we're super thankful for the machinery that's improved both our lives and the land we log.

Written By Courtney Sexton