They had to use what to cut down trees?!?!?

So in the last post I talked about why the loggers did their jobs in the winter and which trees they preferred but didn't discuss HOW they went about getting those giants down and to the river...
There were many different jobs to be had in the logging camp but it was essential that all of those jobs worked together for the larger goal. 
Around the turn of the century, like most careers at the time, a logging career started for most at a very young age.  Some of the workers were as young as 9-10 years old.  They started at the bottom as Bull Cooks.  These hard working kids had a tough job.  They were expected to get up before the rest of camp, along with the cook, and make the gigantic breakfasts the rest of camp needed to get through their day.  Now keep in mind that the rest of camp usually woke up around 4:00 - 4:30.  The Bull Cooks were in the kitchen with the cook and had to do the grunt work like peeling potatoes.  (think of how many potatoes a group of 30-40 loggers could eat in a day!!)

Then after breakfast was ready, the bull cooks would have the task of waking the rest of camp up.  They would have to yell "daylight in the swamp!!"  It was like the loggers version of an alarm clock.  Why don't we all see if we could be bull cooks by yelling "daylight in the swamp!" 

I'll wait...

Did you do it? 

Good!

So after these kids made breakfast, and woke up the rest of camp, they had to make sure all of the food was stocked on the table so the loggers could eat quickly and get out to work.  After breakfast was done, the Bull Cooks would clean the dishes and start making lunch.  This meal was a little more tricky because most of the time the loggers were far enough away from camp that they wouldn't come in for lunch which means the Bull Cooks would have to bring it out to them.  In the cold, and snow, without spilling the food.  And don't forget they were as young as 9 years old!

So after they brought lunch out to the loggers, they would have to come back in, clean the dishes and start dinner.  After dinner, they would clean the dishes, and get what little sleep they could before the next morning and they would start all over again!  So these youngsters were up before the loggers, all the while the loggers were awake, and AFTER the loggers had gone to bed!  Those are long days!

Oh and I forgot to mention that they only got paid around 25 cents a day. 

Wow!

Another entry level job in the logging camp was the position of Road Monkey.  While these weren't 9-10 year olds, they were still young; around 14 most of the time.  Their job was hard, and dangerous.  They were to go out during the night and make sure the roads were iced up well enough for the sleigh to slide on top of them.  Doesn't sound that tough or dangerous right? 

Well keep in mind that it was often -40 or colder at night,  

They had a giant wooden tank of water that they would have to let run into the grooves of the road, staying dry was likely not an option,

There were predators out in the woods at night, surely the horses could have been spooked, and

The majority of logs in this area were sent down a river to the mill, and we all know where there's a large river there's bound to be a hill with snow and ice!

All of this, and they were 14!

There were many more jobs in the logging camp but they'll have to wait until next time!

I know it's muddy but it's finally nice outside so remember to Take It Outside Today!

Great account of logging life here:
http://www.cameraontheroad.com/family/my-first-job-working-logging-camps-in-wisconsin/


Log Cabin Coloring Page:  http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://coloring.thecolor.com/color/images/Lincolns-Log-Cabin.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.thecolor.com/Category/Coloring/President%27s%2520Day.aspx&usg=__oxlFoyJEr9j0XN1bjrZUpR98KQk=&h=565&w=552&sz=9&hl=en&start=32&zoom=1&tbnid=IV8qkscDI7judM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=122&ei=f8CHTY6_GIiErQHJpuSzBg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLogging%2Bcoloring%2Bpage%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1C1PRFA_enUS422%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D709%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1000&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=566&vpy=131&dur=330&hovh=141&hovw=138&tx=49&ty=117&oei=bsCHTbeXK8mHrgHXivm0Bg&page=2&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:29,s:32&biw=1280&bih=709
Silly Logging Coloring Page: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.supercoloring.com/wp-content/main/2010_04/sawing-log-coloring-page.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/sawing-log/&usg=__QaEjsjz6OvX9EEPxHxOJ5MRKPuc=&h=350&w=458&sz=51&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=nCydJHUDxeCw6M:&tbnh=132&tbnw=173&ei=bsCHTbeXK8mHrgHXivm0Bg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLogging%2Bcoloring%2Bpage%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1C1PRFA_enUS422%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D709%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=394&vpy=91&dur=2370&hovh=196&hovw=257&tx=109&ty=117&oei=bsCHTbeXK8mHrgHXivm0Bg&page=1&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0








Swamp Photo: http://joeroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/daylight-in-the-swamp.jpg
Quarter photo: http://www.brunswick.k12.me.us/lon/lonlinks/grade1/money/images/us-quarter.gif
Camp photo: http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/Buffalo/images/pf010264.jpg



Sawing Logs!

Sorry for the lapse in postings!  We just spent a week in the Caribbean soaking up the sun!!  And might I add, it was quite hard to return to the cold and snow that Wisconsin brings this time of year! 


So the winter time often leads people to spend more time indoors than out.  Frigid temperatures and deep snow could have something to do with it I think.  What I can't imagine however, is men leaving their families for months at a time to work in these conditions! BBRRR!!
That is exactly what men in the 1880's and through the turn of the century did along the St Croix River Valley.  Many men would leave their families and flock to the river valley for the cold winter months to work for a logging company.  Their job may seem like an easy one but in fact there were a lot of steps and A LOT of danger involved in their jobs.
  So everyone close your eyes and picture a lumberjack...do you have a picture? 
                                             Does it look like this man?

Massive, burly, and wielding an axe.  Paul Bunyan.  That's what most people think of when they think of a lumberjack, and to be honest, that's not too far from what I've seen in photos.  Maybe they weren't all giants that had a blue ox named Babe as a pet but they were burly, many of them bearded, and most of all, hard workers. 

Why in the world would loggers choose the harshest time of year to do their jobs?  Well there's a couple reasons. 

1.  Even though it was MUCH colder then in the winter than it is now, can you imagine logging in the summer time with the heat, humidity, and all those bugs?  No way!  Even though it was so cold out (many mornings plunging below -40) these men still worked up a sweat doing their jobs!

2. With winter, like we've talked about, comes snow.  Just like the temps were colder then, there was much more snow on average than there is now.  Moving and transporting the logs in the winter on top of the snow and ice was much easier than in the summer on top of the grasses and other plants. 

The next natural question is, "Did the take all of the trees or just some?"  The majority of the trees were taken but the loggers came to this area in particular for the large quantities of white pine.    Why white pine?  Well they took these for two reasons.  First they were giants in those days, standing well over 100 feet tall. 

Secondly, these trees floated well which was essential since they would be sent down river to the mills to be cut to size.

The White Pine was not the only tree taken, many places were completely stripped of all trees which later was inhabited by farmers who would remove the stumps and farm the ground. 

So these men would work hard throughout the winter logging this area and cutting down giant trees in the coldest of weather in the most dangerous of conditions. 

But this begs the question, how?

That's what we'll talk about next time!

In the mean time, remember to Take It Outside!

Great Paul Bunyan stories:  http://www.americanfolklore.net/folklore/paul-bunyan/

Paul Bunyan coloring Page: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/early_childhood/color/paul.gif

Tree coloring page:  http://www.supercoloring.com/wp-content/main/2009_05/pine-tree-in-winter-coloring-page.jpg

Paul Bunyan Photo: http://www.kingoftheroadmusic.com/images/paulbunyan.jpg
Ice Photo:  http://media02.hongkiat.com/christmas_wallpapers_01/ice-firs-wallpapers_7717_1280x800.jpg
Photo of River: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/91938014_87f2bfc146.jpg?v=0
Sun Photo: http://www.worthingtonpools.com/files/6312/6150/3450/yellow-sun.gif

We're Havin A Heat Wave!!

        
         So this weekend is set to be warm!!  FINALLY a break from the sub zero arctic temps!  In continuation of the winter time critter watch I thought we could focus on some on the animals that we may not think about because we don't see them regularly in the winter!
         Winter is a great time to talk about camoflage.  If you're a small animal that is preyed on, it is definately to your advantage to blend in with the white of the snow, where there is some!
         A fantastic example of an animal that changes its appearance every six months are the three types of weasels we have in our area. 

Wisconsin DNR photo

We have three species of weasel in our area: Least Weasel, Short Tailed Weasel and Long Tailed Weasel.          

     All of these little creatures are pretty rare to see when you're outside exploring for a number of reasons.  First of all, they're pretty tiny.  The largest of them, the Long Tailed Weasel, is a maximum of 16 inches and the smallest, the Least Weasel, is a maximum of 8-9 inches.  No wonder we don't see them, something this small is pretty easy to hide!  If you add that with the fact that every fall they lose their brown summer coat and don a pretty white winter coat, they're even harder to see!  I've lived in this area my whole life (26 years) and have yet to see one of these little critters in the winter. 

Long Tailed Weasel

              

         If you think you might see one of these animals there's a few things to look for.  First and foremost, the size.  Like I said before the largest of these critters are about 16 inches, next thing to look for would be the color of course, white in the winter; and the last thing and possibly the most tell tale sign is the black tip in the end of their tail!

Another animal that blends in well in the winter snow is the aptly named snowy owl.  These large beautiful birds a truly a sight to behold. 

Snowy Owl

        While the snowy owl is a somewhat rare sight in this area, if you're lucky you'll get to see one.  They aren't usually seen perching in places that seem natural where they'd be hidden, like in trees.  When they are seen, they're on top of hay bales, sitting in a field or even just hanging out on the ice.  You can see from the photo above that they easily blend in with the snowy areas in which they live.  They don't breed here so when they are seen it's only for a brief amount of time and then they'll move back north for the breeding season.

       These haunting critters are also carnivores, meaning they like to eat meat.  Their favorite meals include weasels, rodents, rabbits, and even waterfowl.  They aren't a small bird either, which may help with their food habits.  Their height ranges anywhere from 21-28 inches and can weigh up to 6.5 pounds. 

These are just a couple of the animals that change their appearance for the winter season.  Go outside today and see if you can find any other animals that have changed appearance for the winter!

Here's some more coloring pages too!!

http://www.supercoloring.com/pages/weasel-1/

http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues02/Co05042002/Art/Weasel_bw.gif

http://www.coloring-pages-kids.com/coloring-pages/animal-coloring-pages/owls-coloring-pages/owls-coloring-pages-images/owl-coloring-page-21.gif

http://www.coloring-pages-kids.com/coloring-pages/animal-coloring-pages/owls-coloring-pages/owls-coloring-pages-images/owl-coloring-page-20.gif

Here's a great way to get involved with an ongoing scientific study!

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/?utm_source=aab&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=CrossPromoteAAB_PFW_20100201

 Sources:
http://icwdm.org/handbook/carnivor/ca_c119.pdf
Long tailed weasel photo:  http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/animals/images/weasel1.jpg
Snowy Owl Photo:  https://bcsengage.wikispaces.com/file/view/Snowy_Owl_Pic.jpg/52102825/Snowy_Owl_Pic.jpg
 http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/lifehistory

Palm Tree Photo
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/19/5b/f6/palm-tree-on-beach.jpg

More Snow?!?!?

So, it's snowing...again!  Where I live in Northern Wisconsin, people get pretty sick of snow and cold by this time of year.  That's why I have chosen winter as my first topic.  I know that technically it's not an ecosystem, but in a way it is!  Both plants and animals behave and live differently in the winter than they do at any other time of the year, and where there is snow, it definitely creates a habitat of it's own. 
Even though it's winter, it's still a great time to go outside and explore the world! 
Go outside, take a hike where there's some wildlife, trees, or any evidence of winter and ask how these species may have had to prepare for winter. 
I often tell students that animals aren't like us, they can't put on a hat, mittens, snow pants and coats.  They have to rely on a variety of other adaptations to stay warm in the winter.  Some get thick warm coats, some rely on fat resources, some decide to take a winter long snooze, and some just leave!
Over the next couple of days I'll talk about a variety of animals along with plants and how they prepare for the long cold months that winter often brings.

Beavers are a perfect example of a critter that makes sure it can make it through the winter effectively. 

NPS Photo

These cute critters are the largest rodent in North America and make their homes across much of the continent.  They are strict vegetarians that love to nibble on aspen and birch trees.  But wait!  They live in the water, right?  And in the winter, at least around here, the water freezes!  There are a few things that our local beavers do to survive these frigid months.  All beavers live in lodges of some sort.  Either they build them like little domes in the water from sticks and mud, or, in a large river setting, they will make what looks like and extension of the shore out of the same materials.  Either way, their homes are giant piles of sticks and mud.  So in a setting where the water freezes over completely they spend much of the fall storing sticks and branches underwater in a cache that can add up to around 100 pounds.  Many lakes and rivers, although mostly frozen, contain openings periodically which are usually around inlets or outlets and beaver will often take advantage of these and use them to get food if needed.    Beaver will also store fat on their bodies to help them make it through the winter.
Living in the water in the winter would logically cause some issues with warmth.  Beaver have a number of adaptations to help them with this issue as well.  First and foremost they have a very thick coat that helps them to stay warm.  This is a coat common among furbearing species.  It contains two layers, the long layer is thick  but it's the shorter under layer that keeps them warm.  It is very very thick and very soft.  It helps to act as insulation for the animal.  It's not only built in winter clothes but it helps to keep the frigid water away from their skin.  This under coat is also the cause of their near extinction.  The undercoat was made into felt, and then into hats and vests which were popular attire in the 1800's.
One last adaptation that beavers have is one that is produced by their oil gland and is called castoreum and they rub this oil all over their bodies and it's like a waterproofing coat to keep the water away from their skin just like the thick underfur!
 
 There are so many critters that are adapted to living and surviving winter months!  In the coming days I'll share some of these animals and some activities to help think of winter in a different way!

In the mean time, here's a couple links to great beaver coloring pages!
http://www.bradfordonizedfederalcu.org/Portals/3/beaver2.jpg
http://www.kids-n-fun.com/kleurplaten/ijstijd/thumbs/ijstijd_09.gif
http://www.edupics.com/coloring-page-beaver-nest-i9448.html  (great picture of a lodge to color!)

Sharing The Love!!

I have many big loves in my life but two of the biggest are the outdoors and education so I figured why not marry them?!?!  My goal for this blog is to share my knowledge and love of the outdoors to those who want to take their children outside and see the vast world we have around us!  Whether it's somewhere exotic or a grand adventure in our own back yard! 
I'll focus on one ecosystem at a time and post facts about the ecosystem, ideas for activities to do,  and useful links that I come across along the way!  Check back frequently to see what great adventure we're going on next, and remember to TAKE IT OUTSIDE!