Michigan logging wheels

Last updated
Michigan logging wheels
Red logging wagon wheel.jpg
Classification Vehicle
Industry Logging
Application hauling
Fuel source Hay or fodder
Powered Labor animals (draft horses)
Self-propelledno
Wheels2
Axles1
Inventor Silas C. Overpack
Invented1875
Examples Gallery

Michigan logging wheels are a type of skidder that was introduced in the 19th-century United States logging industry as a state-of-the-art technology for transporting lumber and timber over rough terrain. They proved most valuable in the winter months as they could extend the logging season since they were not dependent upon good seasonal weather conditions. It enabled a set of domestic labor animals (i.e. horses, mules, oxen) to transport many heavy logs of various sizes over a long distance of uneven wet ground.

Contents

Silas C. Overpack invented the Michigan logging wheels in 1875. They were all made individually upon order request at first, but mass-produced later when the concept was accepted nationwide. They were painted red and came in various sizes, generally 10 feet (3.05 m) tall plus or minus six-inch (15 cm) increments ranging from nine to eleven feet (2.74 to 3.35 m) in overall height. Cost was considered high and was dependent upon the diameter size requested by the customer. Logging companies bought dozens at a time to save labor costs.

History and use

Lumbering scene near Cadillac, Michigan, in 1911 Cadillac lumbering 1911.jpg
Lumbering scene near Cadillac, Michigan, in 1911

Michigan logging wheels were most commonly referred to as "high wheels." [1] They were also known as big wheels, [2] logging wheels, dragging wheels, lumber harvesting wheels, log bummer carts, and nibs. [3] [4] They were a type of nineteenth century horse-drawn log hauling vehicle using a method of dragging or skidding. [5] They extended the timber extraction season for the logging industry in the North Woods of Michigan, by removing the need for frozen icy ground to traverse. The logging wheels were a set of oversized wooden wagon wheels that were specially designed to carry felled trees up to 100 feet (30.48 m) long, several at a time that otherwise could only be pulled out of the woods one at a time. [6]

Silas C. Overpack first built Michigan logging wheels in 1875, at the request of a farmer who had found they were useful for logging over softer terrain. [7] At the time Michigan was the leading producer in the United States of felled trees that was used to manufacture lumber. [8] He always painted his high wheels red. [9] Overpack's logging wheels could haul logs without the need for icy ground. They did not sink into mud in the wet terrain of the northern woods where ordinary wagon wheels would get mired in the spring thaw. The wheels enabled a team of horses or labor animals to pull several logs at once. [10]

Overpack was a wagon manufacturer in Manistee, Michigan, in 1875 that specialized making wooden wheels when he was asked to build a pair of unusually large 8 feet (2.44 m) wagon wheels to a local farmer. This same farmer later returned asking Overpack to construct an even larger pair of wheels. When Overpack asked the farmer the purpose of such large wheels, he answered that he was attaching horses to them to drag logs of felled trees out of his muddy woods. [5] From then on Overpack's big wheels were part of the Michigan logging history. Many northern states used them, and at least 65 different lumber companies in Michigan alone had them purchased by the dozens to save labor. [7] In the nineteenth century, Michigan's rough and wet forest terrain restricted logging to the winter. Loggers used frozen ground to skid the logs from the woods to the railheads of railways or to river banks for further transport. In the spring they would slide the logs from the banking grounds into the rivers for the log drive to the sawmills. Overpack's production of Michigan logging wheels at his Manistee wagon business made logging possible year round. [11]

When Overpack exhibited his Michigan logging wheels at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, they were of much interest and caught on in the national timber industry for advancing commercial logging. [12] They received a medal and a first premium award at this World's Fair. [13] Overpack contracted with the Redding Iron Works Company as a vendor of his specialized wheels to help overcome shipping issues and aid in supplying his product to the western United States. The company's location on the West Coast made them ideal for the western United States timber industry. It later became a builder of Overpack's Michigan logging wheels. [5] [14] Overpack began manufacturing on a large scale and ultimately made thousands of logging wheels, selling them worldwide and shipping them via railroad to other states and Canada. [15] The U.S. Army Forestry Department even took several to France during World War I. [7] The logging wheels were discontinued by 1937. [16]

Sizes

Overpack sold three sizes of big wheels: 9 feet (2.74 m), 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m), and 10 feet (3.05 m) in diameter; they cost $100 per diameter foot, a quite considerable investment for the time. [5] [17] Unlike a wagon which carries a load above its axle, these huge wheels carried logs suspended by chains beneath the axle. [15] The wheels could carry logs from 12 to 100 feet (3.7 to 30.5 m) long and enough logs to total 1,000 to 2,000 board feet (2.4 to 4.7  m3 ) of lumber in a single load. [18] The axles were made of hard maple, and the 16-foot (4.88 m) tongues were ironwood. The wheels were clad with outer iron rims to protect them from stumps, fallen trees, and rocks, while interior iron rings reinforced the wooden spokes. Horses, oxen, or mules pulled them in the nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century tractors were used for the power source to pull them. [19]

Locations containing logging wheels

Loggers moved west when they had taken down most of the trees in New England. This was considered the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. At the beginning of the 20th century Michigan determined they needed to conserve natural resources, including forests. That then caused logging to move even further west. [8]

The logging wheels can now be found as various museum pieces throughout the United States.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logging</span> Process of cutting, processing, and moving trees

Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used narrowly to describe the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard. In common usage, however, the term may cover a range of forestry or silviculture activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumberjack</span> Worker who performs the initial harvesting of trees

Lumberjacks are mostly North American workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to loggers in the era when trees were felled using hand tools and dragged by oxen to rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayling, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grayling is a city and the county seat of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the only incorporated community in Crawford County. The population was 1,884 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by Grayling Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Log flume</span> Type of flume used to float logs to a sawmill

A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations preferred flumes whenever a reliable source of water was available. Flumes were cheaper to build and operate than logging railroads. They could span long distances across chasms with more lightweight trestles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huron–Manistee National Forests</span> National forest in Michigan, United States

The Huron–Manistee National Forests are two separate national forests, the Huron National Forest and the Manistee National Forest, combined in 1945 for administration purposes and which comprise 978,906 acres (3,960 km2) of public lands, including 5,786 acres (23 km2) of wetlands, extending across the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. The Huron–Manistee National Forests provide recreation opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife, and resources for local industry. The headquarters for the forests is in Cadillac, Michigan.

<i>Pinus strobus</i> Species of conifer in the pine family Pinaceae

Pinus strobus, commonly called the eastern white pine, northern white pine, white pine, Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland, Canada west through the Great Lakes region to southeastern Manitoba and Minnesota, United States, and south along the Appalachian Mountains and upper Piedmont to northernmost Georgia and perhaps very rarely in some of the higher elevations in northeastern Alabama. It is considered rare in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manistee National Forest</span> National forest

The Manistee National Forest is a national forest located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It has a total area of 540,187 acres (2,190 km2). It was established in 1938, and combined with the Huron National Forest in 1945 for administrative purposes, creating the Huron-Manistee National Forests. However, they are two separate forest units, as they are not connected. The area is popular for hiking, fishing, camping, boating, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and hunting. The North Country Trail passes through it, and connects with the 11-mile Manistee River Trail to form a 23-mile loop. The highest point in the lower peninsula, Briar Hill (1,706 ft), is located here. The Manistee National Forest is not one continuous mass, but is a "mosaic" broken by private property and towns. The headquarters for the forest is in Cadillac, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skidder</span> Type of heavy vehicle used in logging operations to pull cut trees out of a forest

A skidder is any type of heavy vehicle used in a logging operation for pulling cut trees out of a forest in a process called "skidding", in which the logs are transported from the cutting site to a landing. There they are loaded onto trucks, and sent to the mill. One exception is that in the early days of logging, when distances from the timberline to the mill were shorter, the landing stage was omitted altogether, and the "skidder" would have been used as the main road vehicle, in place of the trucks, railroad, or flume. Modern forms of skidders can pull trees with a cable and winch, just like the old steam donkeys, or with a hydraulic grapple either on boom or on the back of the frame (clambunk skidder).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Log driving</span> Letting tree trunks float downriver

Log driving is a means of moving logs from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ox-wagon</span>

An ox-wagon or bullock wagon is a four-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen. It was a traditional form of transport, especially in Southern Africa but also in New Zealand and Australia. Ox-wagons were also used in the United States. The first recorded use of an ox-wagon was around 1670, but they continue to be used in some areas up to modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartwick Pines State Park</span> Park in Michigan, United States

Hartwick Pines State Park is a public recreation area covering 9,762 acres (3,951 ha) in Crawford County near Grayling and Interstate 75 on the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The state park contains an old-growth forest of white pines and red pines, known as the Hartwick Pines. It is claimed by the Michigan Department of Natural resources that this old growth area, along with the Red Pine Natural Area Preserve in Roscommon County resembles the appearance of all Northern Michigan prior to the logging era. These areas do, however, lack the reoccurring low intensity fires which once occurred throughout northern Michigan, impacting regeneration of red pine and eastern hemlock, as well as leading to an increased content of hardwood species such as sugar maple and beech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manistee River</span> River in Northwest lower Michigan

The Manistee River, seldom referred to as the Big Manistee River, runs 190 miles (310 km) through the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan; it now passes through the contemporary villages of Sharon, Smithville, and Mesick, entering Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east of the Rockies. The Manistee River is also being considered for restoration of Arctic grayling, which have been extirpated from the State of Michigan since 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumberman's Monument</span>

Lumberman's Monument is a monument dedicated to the workers of the early logging industry in Michigan. Standing at 14 feet, the bronze statue features a log surrounded by three figures: a timber cruiser holding a compass, a sawyer with his saw slung over his shoulder, and a river rat resting his peavey on the ground. The granite base of the statue is engraved with a memorial that reads "Erected to perpetuate the memory of the pioneer lumbermen of Michigan through whose labors was made possible the development of the prairie states." It is also inscribed with the names of the logging families who dedicated their time and efforts to the industry in the area. It was built in 1931, dedicated in 1932 and is managed by the USDA Forest Service. It is located in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan along the Au Sable River within Huron-Manistee National Forests. Access to the park is on River Road, which intersects M-65 west of Oscoda, Michigan. Monument Road, from East Tawas, also leads directly to the monument, which is in Oscoda Township in Iosco County. The monument is part of the River Road Scenic Byway, a 22-mile (35 km) drive between Oscoda and South Branch that runs parallel with the beautiful Au Sable River. It is a designated National Scenic Byway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest</span> State forest in California

Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest is a state forest in Lake County, California that covers the northwest of Boggs Mountain. It was founded in 1949, and came into operation in 1950 when most of the site had been clear cut. The purpose was to demonstrate good practices in restoring and managing a forest. The state forest was open for recreational use, including camping, hiking, mountain biking etc. The 2015 Valley Fire destroyed 80% of the trees. The state forest as of 2021 was replanting saplings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silas C. Overpack</span> American blacksmith, wheelwright, and businessman

Silas C. Overpack was a blacksmith, wheelwright, and businessman. He owned a shop in downtown Manistee, Michigan, at 87 Pine Street, called S.C. Overpack Wagon, Carriage and Blacksmith Shop and is associated with the invention of Michigan logging wheels. These unusually large wagon wheels were used in the timber industry for hauling logs in difficult terrain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest railway</span>

A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felled logs to sawmills or railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Texas forests</span>

The forests in the U.S. state of Texas have been an important resource since its earliest days and have played a major role in the state's history. The vast woodlands of the region, home to many varieties of wildlife before Europeans first showed up, provided economic opportunities for early settlers. They continue to play an important role economically and environmentally in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Creek Gorge</span> A gorge carved by Pine creek in Pennsylvania, United States

Pine Creek Gorge, sometimes called The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, is a 47-mile (76 km) gorge carved into the Allegheny Plateau by Pine Creek in north-central Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the lumber industry in the United States</span>

The history of the lumber industry in the united states spans from the precolonial period of British timber speculation, subsequent British colonization, and American development into the twenty-first century. Following the near eradication of domestic timber on the British Isles, the abundance of old-growth forests in the New World posed an attractive alternative to importing choice timber from the Baltic via the narrow straits and channels between Denmark and Sweden. The easily available timber proved an incredible resource to early settlers, with both domestic consumption and overseas trade fueling demand. The industry expanded rapidly as Americans logged their way across the country. In this pursuit, millions of indigenous peoples were murdered, displaced, and enslaved for the purpose of the timber industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manistee Harbor, South Breakwater</span> United States historic place

The Manistee Harbor, South Breakwater is a navigational structure located at the mouth of the Manistee River, in Manistee, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The breakwater is significant due to its construction, which represents a final stage in the United States Army Corps of Engineers's use of timber crib substructures in pier and breakwater construction.

References

  1. Whittle, Caroline (2007). "F.E.N.C.E. Barn Tour". The Carriage Journal. 45 (2): 99.
  2. Rosentreter 2014, p. 166.
  3. Blandford 1976, pp. 153–154.
  4. "Logging Big Wheels". Mendocino Coast Model Railroad & Historical Society. 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Wheels That Won The West® Featured Vehicle Out of the Woods". www.wheelsthatwonthewest.com. Weighing close to 3,500 pounds, this giant set of wheels sold for $350 a century ago. Today, it's valued near $30,000.
  6. Leavell 2001, p. 92.
  7. 1 2 3 "Big Wheels: A Michigan Innovation". Michigan State University. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Michigan Historical Museum System". Michigan Historical Center. Archived from the original on 2001-12-18.
  9. "Log Booms for loading the redwood lumber". www.mendorailhistory.org.
  10. Powers 1912, p. 707.
  11. "Silas Overpack". Michigan History. 69–70: 12. 1985.
  12. "Timber West Journal - The Backtracks of High Wheel Logging : Sept Oct 2003". www.forestnet.com.
  13. Cabot, James L., Images of America - Ludington 1830 - 1930, 2005, ISBN   0-7385-3951-1, P. 21
  14. "Big Wheels Resort". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05.
  15. 1 2 "Kids' education on logging industry" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-29.
  16. "Big Wheels First Built by Silas Overpack in 1870". The Rhinelander Daily News. September 17, 1953. p. 31. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  17. McCoy 1978, p. 21.
  18. Wright, C. S. (31 May 2017). Traverse City: In Vintage Postcards. Arcadia Publishing. p. 11. ISBN   9780738531823 via Google Books.
  19. Dickmann, Donald, The Forests of Michigan, pp 132-133, University of Michigan Press (2003), ISBN   0-472-06816-4
  20. "Logging Arch, Redding Big Wheels". Roots of Motive Power. 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  21. "Logging Wheels, Hartwick Pines State Park". CardCow. 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  22. "The Making of Big Wheels". Sanford Historical Society. 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  23. "Help keep NAU logging wheels a-rollin'". NAU Foundation. 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  24. "Hartwick Pines State Park, Visitors Center & Logging Museum". Michigan Economic Development Corporation. 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.

Sources