Near Valparaiso in Porter County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Logging
Great Lakes States 1890
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, February 21, 2026
1. Logging Marker
Railroads devoured woodfor bridges, cars, fuel and cross-ties. They also carried lumber to growing markets nation-wide. Thousands of people worked in the logging business, which cut vast acres of northern forests in just 50 years.
Rivers To Rails
In the first decades of logging, cut trees were floated downstream to be sold. Before long, the forests near rivers and lakes were gone. Railroads helped the logging industry expand into more isolated regions. Trains could carry logs anywhere and at any time of year.
This map shows the logging railroads in a 25-mile square of northern Wisconsin between 1887 and 1930. Railroad companies built special spur lines off their main lines into remote forests. When those trees were gone, the tracks could be literally picked up and moved to another region.
Can you follow a log's journey from the forest to the saw mill to the city?
Erected 2011 by Taltree Arboretum & Gardens.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.
Location. 41° 26.707′ N, 87° 8.963′ W. Marker is near Valparaiso, Indiana, in Porter County. It can be reached from West 100 North west
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: City Center (a few steps from this marker); Civil War (a few steps from this marker); Lincoln's Funeral Train (a few steps from this marker); Coal Mine (a few steps from this marker); Building the Railroad (a few steps from this marker); Limestone Quarry (within shouting distance of this marker); A Changing Land (within shouting distance of this marker); Small Town Life (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Valparaiso.
More about this marker. Taltree Arboretum was renamed Gabis Arboretum after it was acquired by Purdue University Northwest in 2018.
Also see . . . Railway Garden. Gabis Arboretum Details about Gabis Arboretum's Railway Garden
The Railway Garden spans two full acres and tells amazing stories of American railroads in the context of a large display garden using G-gauge miniature trains.(Submitted on February 24, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, February 21, 2026
2. Logging Marker in context
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 31 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 24, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
