Timber!

Timber!. . , Loggers cutting a large white pine., From the St. Croix and its tributaries, the Kettle, Snake, Rum, Clam, Trade, and Yellow Rivers, thousands of pine logs were sent downstream. Nearly 100 logging camps upstream supplies logs for sawmills in Stillwater, Marine, and Osceola., During the winter millions of logs were cut in the northern forests. Each spring the logs were rolled into fast-moving streams and floated down the St. Croix past where you are standing. Narrow bends or low water levels often caused logs to jam in place and pile up., Huge log jams occurred at Angle Rock near Taylors Falls in 1865, 1877, 1883, and 1886. If logs did not get to mills, the milling companies lost thousands of dollars in profits. Jams also cost many lumberjacks their lives as they worked in fast-moving water to free immense piles of logs., Prevention, After the 1886 jam, to avoid more losses, logging companies began plans for a dam to hold back logs in the river so they could be released a few at a time., Hauling white pine logs to the river with a logging sled and oxen., Sawmill in Stillwater., 1886 log jam at Taylors Falls. Enough wood to build 15,000 homes was stuck for six weeks.