Near Sandstone in Pine County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Lumbering in Minnesota
The industry grew quickly, however, and in 1840, lumbermen supplied the growing nation with 5 million board feet of lumber. Ten years later, 90 million board feet was harvested from the new Minnesota territory.
By the 1880s, the industry boomed with an influx of new wealth from lumbermen who had made fortunes in Michigan and Wisconsin and the new markets in the West. Sawmills powered by steam engines ripped through millions of logs annually as lumberjacks spilled into the forests of the north. Logging camps swelled to an average of 70 men, and horses replaced oxen. It wasn't long, however, before horses were replaced by steam-powered equipment. In 1900, the peak year of the pine log harvest, the state produced over one billion board feet of logs--enough timber to build a nine-foot-wide boardwalk around the earth at the equator.
Production began to decline after 1905, as pine timber was depleted and timber companies shifted their interest towards new pine stands in the Pacific Northwest and the South. By 1930, the pine sawmill industry died with the closing of the last sawmill near Virginia, Minnesota. After 100 years of logging most of the pine was gone.
Minnesota's timber industry was rekindled in the 1970s; over a dozen new forest product plants were built or expanded, producing paper, composite board, laminates and other items. Harvest of all forest products in the state in the 1990s matched harvest levels of 1900. Today the products of Minnesota's forests are marketed throughout the world and are found in your home, your car and even in the ice cream you eat.
Erected 1997 by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Minnesota Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1840.
Location. 46° 12.674′ N, 92° 50.244′ W. Marker is near Sandstone, Minnesota, in Pine County. Marker can be reached from Interstate 35 at milepost 198,, 2.3 miles north of State Highway 23, on the right when traveling north. Marker is at the northbound Kettle River Rest Area, 5 miles north of Sandstone. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sandstone MN 55072, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A Railroad Industry (approx. 3˝ miles away); Crushing Stone (approx. 3˝ miles away); Power (approx. 3.6 miles away); Sawing Slabs (approx. 3.7 miles away); Forming Blocks (approx. 3.8 miles away); Sandstone Area Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.7 miles away); Christopher C. Andrews, Conservation Pioneer (approx. 10.2 miles away); The Hinckley Fire (approx. 14.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandstone.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on February 2, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,457 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 2, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.