Anoka in Anoka County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Lumberjack Vocabulary
Photographed by McGhiever, June 4, 2023
1. Lumberjack Vocabulary Marker
Lumberjack Vocabulary Words:
A board foot - 1 inch thick by 12 inches wide by 12 inches long
Blackjack - coffee
Cookee - cook's helper
Logging berries - stewed prunes
Shoepack pie - pie made from vinegar, cornstarch, sugar and lemon or vanilla extract if they had it
Boiling-up shack - a rarely used place to bathe and do laundry
Pencil pusher - camp clerk and accountant
Wood butcher - carpenter in the camp
Misery whip - two man crosscut saw
Sawyers - pairs of loggers who worked together with two-man saws to fell trees
Top loaders - highly paid and skilled men in charge of loading the hauling sleds
Water-tank crew - men who used a sled-mounted water tank to ice up the roads
Road monkeys - crews that took care of road maintenance including shoveling "road apples" (horse manure)
Notchers - men who cut a wedge in the tree to help direct which way it would fall when cut
Iron burner - blacksmith
Dentist - the man who filed the saws to keep them sharp
Slash - the stumps, pine tops and branches left behind when an area is clear cut
River pigs - men who kept the logs floating
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Turkey sack - the seamless gunny sack in which loggers carried their personal gear
Swamper - an all around unskilled helper who cut off the branches and brush after a tree was cut
Lumber Camp Rules:
No talking during meals unless you asked for something to be passed to you. This made the meals go faster and prevented complaints.
No fist fights allowed, but if there was a serious disagreement, the camp manager might allow a wrestling match.
No traveler was ever turned away after 4:00 p.m. because the hazards of traveling on a winter night were too great. Travelers had to be provided with a place to sleep and a meal.
Photos and historical information courtesy of the Anoka County Historical Society
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Industry & Commerce.
Location. 45° 12.047′ N, 93° 23.416′ W. Marker is in Anoka, Minnesota, in Anoka County. It can be reached from 2nd Avenue north of Van Buren Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is in Riverfront Memorial Park, on the north
Photographed by McGhiever, June 4, 2023
2. Lumberjack Vocabulary Marker overlooking the Rum River in Riverfront Memorial Park
Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. 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 Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Log Stamps (a few steps from this marker); Anoka Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Freeburg Companies (within shouting distance of this marker); Washburn Saw Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Rum River Dam (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Washburn Saw Mill Chimney / Pease Printery (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Rum River Dam (about 700 feet away); Lincoln Flour Mill (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anoka.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 313 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 15, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
