The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1910-06-17
LOGGING IN WISCONSIN.
Experience Of an Eastern KentuGkina
in Northern Lumber Camps.

woods, but with the passing Of the
Old time "lumberiack' and the
coming Of the modern woodsman,
the myths are rapidly being lost
Being OF a rowing disposition, |
fortunately stumbled onto Paul
Bunyan's famous logging camp dur
ing some Of my travels in the
north. Scientific lumberjacks be-
ing in great demand l easily found
employment in his camp, and It is
from actual experience that an
going TO present to you a complete
history Of Paul Bunyan's famous
logging camp.
II was during this winter that
we had the great blue snow, being
on an average depth Of 40 feet,
throughout the northern part Of
Wisconsin. The old stories told
around many a roaring log stove
are likely to be forgotten unless
an effort is mode TO preserve them
in print The old lumberjacks were
French Canadians, Maine men, men
from the big woods of Michigan, spe
cialists in their line. They were
big. red blooded, courageous men.
who followed the woods as a pro-
fession, and an interesting danger
Gus profession it vas. They were
men of nerve, imagination. and
great physical strength. The men
who worked in our camp" in
northern Wisconsin, were men whu
had logged in Maine, ridden the
rapids Of the Ottawa, helped strip
Michigan Of her forests, and who
are now beating down the last
stand Of the white pine in the
| north. These are the men who
can tell you abou; Paul Bunyan
and his famous camps, for nearly
ali Of the lumberjacks myths cen,
ter about Paul Bunyan, and the
Side Hill Fauger, the Hide Behind
the Swamp Bogger, the Snow Snake
and the Ho-DOg. The stories Of
Paul Bunyan are innumeTable This
famous hero of lumbrriack mythol
Ugy is the center Of almost every
tale told in the camps today. lIis
exploits are related in every tie
camp, every cedar camp and every
white pine logging camp in north
ern Wisconsin. Each camp has II!
own set of stories and the men il
travelling from camp to camp fol
the lumberjack is i rover -swaPpeC
these yarns in the long winter eve
nIngs, when the steaming socks
we're hung over the roaring sheeI
iron stove. In September Pau
Bunyan set up mis- famous logging
camp at the forks of Pine ant
BrPle rivers II was the biggest
lumber camp ever built, and Pau
ruled with an iron hand over the
1000 men under him. Hr was
feet tall and weighed 500 lbs H,
had a voice like bull roaring, anC
every man in his employ jumped
Nnen he spoke Wlen he yelier
the noise broke the bran"acs Of
the trees. 1t seems that Paul wa'
a powerful heavy smoker. HI
had pipe with a bowl that helC
about bushel of Io5lrro. and h.
kept one cookie busy shovelinS 10
bacco into it. He always smoked
Peerless, the test of the rea
IumberjaCk.
During the winter Of the "blu'
snow" which reached a depth 0
10 feet, We had u cut the pint
'ree3 from 10 feet abnve the ground
When spring ca la W. had fore5
Of sIumps 40 fec. hrgh rut tn
pine was so big at that time tina
It cen: mike mu:l dIfTvreu;- II
the size of the logs. The Cookini
arrangements in Paul Bunyan's ia
nous camp were unique. Cooking
for 5000 men was no easy task
They had a cook stove so lOni
that a man could not throw
stone from one end to the other
The cook had two little "nigger
boys and he would strap slices o
fat pork to their feet. They wOul,
skate up and down the stove, an,
the cook would follow on role
skates pouring out the pancake bat
ter as he went. After him cam
the cookie, Tapping the pancake:
and the second cookie followe
throwing the cakes off into bask
cts carried by helpers. T hat win
ter the camp run out of beans, oN
ing to the long spell of cold weath
er A huge blue OK hauled al
the wood and water for the camp
This OK measured eight ax-handle