Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-04-18
PLATTE RIVER ABANDONED.
No Log Drive There This Sea-
sonfor tho First Time IN 4.
Forty.three years
USEFULNESS TO LUIBERIEN BNDED.

AVAOA44AAASAv AANDSOo
First Timber Cut on That
Stream In 1853 and the
A. FIRST Driven 1885,
For the first time is fOrty-three
years there IL no log drive on Platte
River. and that old stream which
has made many and lost some for
tunes for lumhermen In the past 10
now practically abandoned by them.
Tbe reason for this is, Of course, q
very good one. and that is there is
no more timber on it's shores to be
cut and floated down it's tOrtuOus
channel to the saw mills at Mime
apolls and other points.
How much that stream and tim.
Der country through which it runs
has contributed to- the wealth OF
this state would he difficult to esti-
mate, but an idea Of 1t can be had
from the fact that since 1855 until
the pr sent year there has been log
drives on that stream with from five
to thirty million feet Of lumber In
them. For many years, before the
farming country became opened UP,
the logging on Platte river was the
main support of the residents OF this
city, then hut a village.
The fret logging operations in
Minnesota were, 0f course, not ON
Platte river but the lumber interests
VI the state were verv small when
that stream first figured in them.
The arst timber cut on Platte
river was cut by Frenchman In the
winter af 1888. fortysix years ago. SO
long ago in fact, that some OF those
who worked with him have forgot
ten bis name, though they remem-
Der bis nationality. The following
winter the firm of Daggett E Neck
son logged on that stream, and for
three seasons they cut and banked
logs before anv were taken out. It
was this firm, with man named
Axtel as iorman. that made the first
drive of about 1000, 100 feet In the
spriug and sum mer of 1855. Since
that time the driving of the stream
has been In many different hands.
E. G. Hill, John GOrst, W. T. Lam
bert, Gill Hanson. West Day, James
Muncy, Z. B. Buchanan, Chas. Gravel
and many, others have handled the
water of that stream to the best Of
their kno wlege In their. Efforts to get
their logs to the Mississippi. Some
were successful through favorable
seasons and good management,
Others were not, and in the language
of the sport, dropped their wad. "
In the winter of 1854 and 1876. J. C.
Burbank, who afterward noted as
the northwestern stage owner and
express man, worked in the camps Of
Daggett 4 Neckson as an axman.
and drove on the river In the spring.
Nor is Platte the only stream whose
suefulness to the lumbermen Ia a
thing of the past. Hilman and
Skunk brooks which lie south, but
are branches of it, and for many
years contributed their share to the
Industrial wealth and the upbuild-
ing of the state, are also abandoned.
and for the same reason that Platte.
Htlman brook takes it's name from a
man named Hilman, who first logged
on and drove that stream In 1859.
Ace Libby, prominent figure In
pioneer days, also Numbered on Hill.
man brook. hut logging operations
on Skimk did not begin until about
twenty years ago.
The statement that there IL no
more timber on these streams is
perhaps not the proper one to make.
There Is some more timber, but it IL
not in sufficient quantities to war.
rant it's owners to 60 to the expense
VI TtDQJlu& NuC anu uOtut6 OIuCS
necessary work on these streams
to drive it out. 1t ia estimated that
there are from 6,O00,O0O to 7,OOO. O'|O
feet on Plat, scattered timber, but
this is being cut and hauled longer
distance to Rum river. The remain
ing timber on Hilman end Skunk IN
also going over to Rum river, so it
can be seen that for the logger and
lumberman these streams bave.play-
ed their part, unless perhaps, when
this and succeeding generations have
passed away, and what is called the
second growth Of timber becomes
mature, they NAV again be called
into use. ~
We Call This a Clue.
1.,- D.o},lA nv,,o. Tho n<hnn