The Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway is not just a fantastic place full of lakes and landscapes -- it is also rich in logging history, complete with real-life lumberjacks. Come visit the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where men put their lives on the line and labored through the day to build and reshape the American landscape.
The Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota is full of treats and treasures for the history lover or the adventure seeker. Take a guided tour of a historical twentieth-century logging camp while you watch men and women in authentic period costumes demonstrate log rolling, sleigh loading, and outdoor cooking. (Just make sure you're ready to join the fun, because the tour guide may ask you to lend a hand!) Interact with lumberjacks, cooks, blacksmiths, and other men and women of the North Woods as they entertain you with tall tales and music.
Learn about the early twentieth-century lifestyle as you browse the exhibits or hitch a ride on the moored river "wanigan" (a barge-like boat used to carry the logs and men downstream to the mills). Around the turn of the 20th Century, the most economical way to move logs along the Mississippi River to the sawmills was to float them downriver using these “wanigan” rigs.
After you’ve discovered the logging uses of the Mississippi headwaters, take a moment to explore dry land with a walk on one of the center’s nature trails that zigzag through a tranquil forest. Breathe in the sweet aroma of the White Pine, pack a picnic lunch, and enjoy the incredible views of Minnesota’s beautiful woodlands and rivers.
Come see an authentic “jammer,” or what we’d know as a horse-powered crane. “Jammers” were used to help load logging sleighs by lifting the logs up onto the sleigh rather than rolling them up as you would when "cross haul" loading. The typical load was around 20 logs, and while using a “jammer” was quicker and safer than the old cross-haul loading method, it was still extremely dangerous. Of the many specialized jobs in a logging crew, the "top-loader" (the man in charge of loading the sleighs) required a great amount of skill and was one of the most perilous positions.
For more information about the Forest History Center visit their website. Experience real forest history, learn about the forests of today, and imagine how the logging industry will shape the forests of tomorrow at the Forest History Center near the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway.
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