Underwater Logging

            The logging industry in the Upper Midwest at the turn of the 20th century has become legendary, with an almost mystical history, in which the likes of Paul Bunyan were born. Pictures of the era depict a booming industry in the North Woods. Lumberjacks are shown clearing the huge virgin, old growth forests with simply an ax and the sweat of their brow. Many of us are drawn into this mystique when we see pictures of these proud men standing onto of towering fortresses of logs. These memories of the North Wood's glory days have been revisited recently by the discovery and salvaging of submerged ancient logs from Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay. These huge timbers became waterlogged and sank, while being floated to the sawmills. My interest in learning more about this unique logging operation comes from my family's logging activities on our property in northern Wisconsin. I hope to shed some light on the operations of this new, relatively obscure industry that hopes to recover the lost treasures of the past, and finally reward many of the lumberjacks for their hard work.
             Many people are surprised and intrigued by the fact that there are thousands of submerged logs in the large Wisconsin bay. These large timbers, which were being floated to the sawmills from the Apostle Islands and other areas around Lake Superior, became waterlogged and sank due to a number of reasons. The "sinker" logs, which weighed more than 62.4 lbs per cubic foot, sank mainly from the weight of other logs pushing them down, being caught in concave areas of the riverbanks, and from the excessive weight of their sap density. The majority of the logs, most averaging about 16 feet long, can be found in 30-40 foot of water. The overall makeup of the timbers is white and red pine, sugar maple, yellow birch, hemlock, oak, and elm. All of the wood is from the virgin, slow-grown forests that have been well preserved by the cold, fresh water and low oxygen content of the bay.