Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-01-07
Michigan,s Lumber industry.

The pamphlet entitled michigan and
its Resources recently issued by author
ity of the state by Frederick Morley,
Commissioner of Immigration, contains
vast amount of valuable information
showing the magnitude and Importance
of the several industries of our state
and its great resources. We propose
from time to time giving extracts from
this important work and this week give
give the following in relation to the
lumber industry.
Before the ak of the lumberman COM
menced It's work on the forests of Mich
igan, the northern part of its lower pen
Ursula surpassed any known region of
the same area in the richness of its
stock of timber. Interspersed with the
best varieties of pine were extensive
grOwths of oak, maple, beech, ash, wal
nut, cherry, whitewOOd, hickory and elm,
while the less valuable cedar, hemlOck,
Eastwood and tamrack grew, in some
sections, in equal abundance. In the
upper peninsula pine existed also in
large quantities.
Much of the timber product OF the
state has been of an exceedingly superior
quality. It's cork pine ranks among the
best of the soft woods, and commands
the highest market price. It's common
grades of white and Norway pine are of
standard value, while its harder
woods are in demand in the shipyards,
factories and cabinet shops of this and
the European continent. TwO-thirds of
the best lumber sold in the markets of
New York, Philadelphia and Boston, goes
from its mills, which also supply the
heavy building demands of this and
neighbOring states, especially the prai-
RE states, and its exports annually to
foreign countries large shipments of
hewn oak and pine timber, slaves and
veneering stock.
THE CHIEF MANUFACTURING INTEREST OF
THE STATE.
For more than score of years lum-
bering has been the chief manufacturing
interest of Michigan, and no Ameri-
can state equals it at the present time
in the extent and value OF its lumber
product. The state has never collected
and compiled the annual statistics of
this industry, and the most trustworthy
sources of information upon the subject
are the elaborate publications of jour
nalists connected with papers represent
ing that interest, or issued at the CEN
tiers OF the manufacture. But since 1863
the statistics of the manufacture of pine
into lumber, lath and shingles have been
gathered with intelligence and thorough
ness.
THE GROWTH AND MAGNITUDE.
The history of this great industry
covers period of only about 30 years.
In 1854 the Hon. VIM. l.. Webber, of
East Saginaw, made the first estimate of
the operations of Michigan lumbermen,
whose activity was then chiefly confined
to the valley Of the Saginaw river. He
reported the existence of 81 mills, many
of them using water-pOwer, and placed
their entire annual product at but 1885,
100000 feet. Eighteen years later in
1872, it was estimated that the lumber
product of Michigan for IL months in
cluded 2,560,O00 feet of oak timber, H.
100000 slaves, 3OO,O00,OO0 lath, 100000
600 shingles, and 2,500O00O0O feet Of
sawed pine. The number Of saw mills
in the state at that time was about 800,
employing more than 10000 persons, and
representing $25,000,OO0 of capital. There
were also 200 single mills and so stave
and hoop factories with an annual pro-
duct Of 100000 in value. In 1879 the
total amount sawed i'm this state reach
ed 3,100,000,O00 feet, and Governor Je-
rome in his inaugural message estimat-
ed the value of the entire timber product
of that year at $60,O0O,O00. The product
Of 1880 is placed on good authority at g.
8O0,OOO,OO0 feet of sawed lumber and g.
425,0OO,OO0 shingles, besides lath, slaves
and long timber. An ingenious calcu-
lation shows that the work of the Michi-
gan mills during that year ia sawed lum-
Der would load train of cars 1915 mile s