The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-17


paper read last Monday before
the State Historical society by
z. w. Durant, of Saltwater, upon
The Lumber Industry of the st. CroiX
Valley"
The magnitude of the lumber indus
try of the st. Croix valley as it once
flourished IS almost beyond the COM
prehension of anyone who has not APP
piled himself to a thorough study of
the subject from every standpoint.
Even the primitive logger of pioneer
days had only a poor idea of the al
most limitless timber resources of the
district.
But now, except in small tracts,
little remains of these gigantic for
ests. The wOOdman's ak and sweep
ing fires have devastated them, thou
sands upon thousands of acres of land,
formerly covered with a thick growth
of timber, have been transformed into
beautiful farms.
The lumber district of the st. CroiX
valley extends from town % north to
town 40 north, and from range west
to range % west. The south line be-
gins near Hudson Wis, and extends
north to the line of the Northern Pa
cific railway. The east and west line
begins at range 5 west, near Lake
NamekagOn, and runs west to range
IS west, to the tributaries of Snake
river. The shape of the district is
that of huge fan. The district covers
$500 square miles, comprising $40,
GOO acres, the major portion of which
was originally covered with a heavy
growth of white and Norway pine
timber.
Beyond any question the lumber dis
trict of the St. Croix possessed ad-
Vantages unknown in any other lum-
bering locality for the lake and river
st CrOiX is for many miles the divid-
ing line beween the states of Mime
sofa and Wisconsin, and the River st.
Croix is great artery fed by numer-
Gus tributaries taking rise in each
state
The state boundary line crosses the
St CrOiX in town AZ, range 16. The log
supply of the whole district was about
equally divided between the states of
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
First Steps Toward Development
The first logs were cut by ]. R.
Brown on the Taylors Falls flat in
the winter of 1885 and 1887. The first
regular outfit was that of John Boyes,
who came with a mackinaw boat from
st. Louis with eleven men and six
oxen, late in the fall of 1887. He 10
Gated camp at the outlet of the Kama
bee river
In the spring Of 1898, the year that
st. Paul was founded, Franklin Steele
formed copartnership with Messrs
Fitch, of Muscatine, Iowa; Libby, Of
Alton, Ill: Hungerford and Living
stOn, of st. Louis, Mo-, and Hill and
Holcomb, of Quincy, Ill. This company
chartered the steamer Palmyra, load
ed the boat with saWmill machinery.
secured corps of mechanics and began
operations toward building a sawmi1f
at the falls of the ST. Croix river. in
the state Of Wisconsin. The plans
ana ana operations Of this company were
beset by many difficulties, yet they
opened the lumber trade of the ST.
Croix valley and for a number of years
supplied the building material to the
inhabitants of the states of Wiscon-
sin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, border
Ing on the Mississippi river between
the st. Croix river and st. Louis.
The first RATS of lumber and logs
taken from the st. Croix lumber dis
trlct were owned and sent to market
by the st. CrOix Falls Lumber COM
pany. Up to the spring of 1843 the
shipments of this company consisted
solely Of sawed lumber, Iath and Shin
gIeS. But the high water of that spring
caused the cOmpany's boom to give wav
and the entire stock of logs was car
ried down the st. Croix river. The men
who had worked in the woods followed
the logs to Saltwater.
Four Mammoth Rats
John McKusick, placed in charge Of
the logs, collected enough to make
four RATS of 100000 each. Two of
Ihese rafts We're placed in care of
stephen B. Hanks, who can Justly Law
claim to being the first man to pilot a
st. Louis ~
The breaking Of a log boom at the
tme mentioned was a serious drawback
TO the lumber interest of the ST. Croix
valley yet it was the beginning of a
commerce aggregating many millions
OF dollars. 1t marked a new era. The
1lrSt four RATS that passed down the
St. Croix and Mississippi were the ad-
vance guard Of many thousand that
nave followed them during two-thirds
OF century since the industry was
1naugurated
After disposing of his share Of the
logs above mentioned John McKusicK
puIcndsed with the proceeds a full
outht of machinery for an overshot
water Wheel mill to be erected at
site which is now the city of Still
water. On his return from ST. Iouis
he associated himself with Elias Nc
Kean, Elan Greeley, Jacob Fisher and
calvin 5. Leach. They formed a CO.
partnership and proceeded TO build q
sawmill. The mill began saving I1m-
Der April 8, 1874. 1t was managed
successfully for twenty years. when
the two up and down saws, "the fiddler
and the dancing MASTER" gave way to
more improved methods and machinery.
Inc site OF this mill is now one thou
i1aIo
way.
Marine Lumber Company.
The first st. Croix sawmfll was built
and put in operation in 1888 at Marine.