Green Prairie Township near Little Falls in Morrison County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Log Jams

Charles A. Lindbergh State Park

— Little Elk/Schoessling Unit —

Log Jams Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, September 26, 2013

1. Log Jams Marker

Inscription. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, these portions of the Mississippi and Little Elk Rivers were used to float logs to area sawmills, most notably Pine Tree Lumber Company in Little Falls.

Log jams were common and took large amounts of log drivers, or "River Pigs," to loosen them. These pileups could stretch from Little Falls to Belle Prairie, a distance of around five miles.

Some area Mississippi river islands were created by "sinkers" (sunken logs) and jams, which eventually acquired enough dirt and debris on top of them to meld with the river landscape.

Above and right: 1905 Little Falls Area Log Jam.
Photos by J.W. Jarboe, courtesy Morrison County Historical Society

Erected 2010 by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Environment • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 46° 0.654′ N, 94° 21.682′ W. Marker is near Little Falls, Minnesota, in Morrison County. It is in Green Prairie Township. It can be reached from Grouse Road. The marker is in the

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Little Elk unit of Charles A. Lindbergh State Park along the loop interpretive trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17443 Grouse Road, Little Falls MN 56345, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Minnesota.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pike and Nicollet's Visits (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ojibwe Presence (about 500 feet away); Area Settlement (about 600 feet away); Milling District (about 600 feet away); The French Fort (approx. 0.2 miles away); Institute for MN Archeology Site MO20 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Major Morrill's Road (approx. 0.3 miles away); Interesting Names (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map

Log Jams Marker on the trail parallel to the Mississippi River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, November 3, 2022

2. Log Jams Marker on the trail parallel to the Mississippi River

of all markers in Little Falls.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 439 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 9, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.