And we're still not done!

Uff Da I say!!  So busy, so much going on!

So we left off talking about the logs.  They've been cut down, limbs cut off, cut into more manageable size and moved out to the road.  But, believe it or not, we're still not done!  The logs have to get from the road to the river where they'll hang out until spring.

The men in charge of getting the logs onto the sleigh were called send up men.  They used chains to hook up to the logs and then to the harnesses on the horses, who were waiting on the other side of the sleigh.  There were ramps that would be placed along side the sleigh and once everything was hooked up the men would lead the horses forward pulling the log up the ramps and onto the sleigh.  

NOW we're done right??

Nope!  The logs couldn't all stay helter skelter on the sleigh so a Top Loader was needed.  

The top loader would use a cant hook like many of the other logging men, and he would position the logs so they could fit as many as possible on the sleigh so they wouldn't have to make as many trips to the river.  

Once the logs were brought to the river they were left on the banks until spring when the ice went out on the river and the logs could be sent down to the mill.  

Now there were many logging companies using the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers as log highways.  It was important for each camp to know whose logs were whose so they could take a hammer like tool and hit the ends of the logs and it would leave an imprint of the logging company's symbol at the end.  This way when the logs got to the mill they could tell which log belonged to who.  It was kind of like when people out west brand their cows to tell who owns it.  

So at this point the logs hang out on the bank until the warmth of spring comes.  It's journey is far from over however.  It still have people that help move it down river once spring finally does come!

Once the weather started to warm up the majority of the men would return home to their families after a long winter's worth of very hard, very dangerous work.  There were some men however, whose jobs were just beginning.  

Once the ice went out on the river the piles of logs were all released into the river to float downstream to the mill which on the St. Croix was located in Stillwater, Minnesota.  There were other mills on the St Croix but this was the largest and the one that lasted the longest.

We'll finish up our logging talk next time, but for now, it's FINALLY WARM!!  So in light of Mother's Day, Take it outside today, and bring your mom with you!