Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1906-02-23
TIMBER VALUE RISING
MICHIGAN HARD WOODS ONCE
DISCARDED NOW ESTEEMED.
Gradual and Steady Increase of Prices
During the Past Twenty Years
Shown by Figures-Elm aud
Bass Once Worthless.

Menominee, Mich.-The high prices
white pine and hard wood stumpage
is commanding throughout the north
western timber-growing states call oIt
some interesting figures showing
gradual and steady increase in prices
during the last 20 years In the lower
peninsula of Michigan in 1870 white
pine lands sold readily at from $l.25
to $3.50 an acre for the choicest tracts
located within easy hauling distance
of navigabe streams. In Minnesota,
Wisconsin and the upper peninsula
pine lands sold on a different basis,
the ruling prices being from % cents
10 as cents a thousand feet. To-day
white pine sells from $40 to $25 a
thousand feet in Michigan and from So
to SIS thousand in Minnesota and
Wisconsin.
In the early days OF pine numbering
in both the upper and lower peninsu-
las of Michigan hard woods of all
kinds, excepting oak and cherry, were
regarded as worthless. Cherry lumber
was sold in Buffalo and Chicago mar
kets at fair price to the furniture
manufacturers and the best grades of
at the lake shipyards. where it was
used as planking in the building of
lake schooners and steam vessels.
Elm and bass wood. now the most
sought woods of the Michigan timber
belt, were practically worthless as
merchandise and were left by the
early lumbermen as not being worth
the price of telling the trees and haul
Ing them to mill. The advent of the
bicycle is said to be responsible for
bringing elm into general use as
merchantable wood The rims for BIZ
cycle wheels were made of rock elm
and proved to be a most valuable tim
Der for this purpose. From this mod
est beginning woodworking concerns
in all parts OF the country gradually
became acquainted with the timber.
Fifteen years ago Michigan was the
largest exporter OF square timber in
the United States. Millions of feet OF
rock elm and white pine were cut in
the forests here and shipped by boat
TO the St Lawrence river, where II
was RATED through to Montreal and
loaded on ocean freighters for the
Clyde and Liverpool, there to be used
in shipbuilOing. This foreign trade is
now a thing OF the past and where
there were over so nrms in this state
10 years ago engaged in the export
timber business there remains to-day
but one man who still sends Michigan
timber to England.
Thomas Denton, of Saginaw, who
was one OF the pioneers IN the foreign
ic 81 - - Of oil
TO English ports. However, it is with
considerable difficulty that he is abe
each year to secure enough timber TO
supply even small portion OF his
trade. and his operations now cover
the entire state, where a few years
ago he secured most of the timber on
the Cass and Saginaw rivers.
Experienced lunbcrmel say that
tracts of pure white pine are hard 10
get nowadays at any price. Timber
bought at $3.50 an acre ten years ago
can not be bought now for $40, and
even the most optimistic lumberman
in the early days would not have ven
tured prediction OF such an increase in
value. The hardwood or mixed tim
bers considered as possessing little
value a few years ago have since 1897
increased in value over 800 per cent.
Maple, birch. ash and even beech are
eagerly sought and since the introduc-
ton of ash, oak and maple in the
manufacture of furniture there has
been a steady market for these woods.
The manufacture of maple flooring has
also caused a large demand for this
class OF timber.