Lumberjack Life: Days of Yore

An account of the men and women who worked in the logging industry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, from the late 19th century to modern times. (2003)
I do not own the rights to this footage, and it is intended for educational and historical learning.
#logging
#lumberjacking
#lumberjack
#lumber
#wood
#woodsplitting
#choppingwood
#logger
#woodsman
#vintage

[@davidnewland2556]

I was cutting small trees on a fence row, they were maybe one foot diameter, I dropped one and a dead branch from the topof one dropped squarely on the hard hat I'd been smart enough to wear that day that drove me to my knees, the suspension on the hard hat broke if I hadn't worn that hat that day, no doubt they would have found my body with a smashed skull after that I wore hard hats whenever I was cutting wood, which I used to do often, I live in the northwest portion of michigan's lower peninsula I used to heat my house with wood, no longer now because I remain paralyzed on my left from a stroke I had in 2018

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

@davidnewland2556 That's a very interesting story, and thank God you came out okay. So many have done similar things and never even knew what hit them before they lost their lives. Thank you for sharing 🙏God bless

[@greenbeld]

This was great. I’m from the upper penninsula. My Dads family came from jolliette Quebec. To the Keweenaw penninsula. My grand father was born in lake linden. For unknown reason they moved back to the eastern part and became farmers .

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I really liked it too. Sounds like you have some very interesting family history 👍🙏

[@greenbeld]

Thanks Bud. Pretty common amongst the people of up there.

[@michaelwhiteoldtimer7648]

Thanks Dillon for putting this on for us to watch

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

@michaelwhiteoldtimer7648 It's my pleasure, Michael! I'm glad you all enjoy it as well 👍🙏

[@joeyrector1015]

That's when men really worked cutting trees. That's why I really appreciate lumberjacks. If it wasn't for lumberjacks. People wouldn't have homes, paper and other things that comes from wood

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

They really did a lot indeed! I believe so many people today, including myself at times, take things for granted. They really had to work hard for a living back then!

[@joeyrector1015]

@@bluegrassoutdoors right. That's why when I see a logger. Or any one that works at a sawmill. I respect. I use to work at a sawmill for a long time. And done logging. Nether one is easy.

[@riverraisin1]

Fantastic! I thrive on logging history. This is one of the best videos I've seen on KZbin and it's from right here in my home state!

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! It is a very interesting look into another time and a very rough and respected labor.

[@garry9296]

Great video DILLON. MAKES YOU APPRECIATE A GOOD CUTTING CHAIN SAW. WATCHING THIS MAKES CUTTING FIREWOOD SEEM LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK.

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

@garry9296 I'm glad you enjoyed it, Garry! I thought you would if you saw it. I really liked it too. You are very right! Those men worked hard! It's so much easier nowadays, thankfully. But it's very interesting to see how they did it then. It's good to hear from you, my friend, and I hope you have been well 🙏

[@fasx56]

Interesting and Valuable History of early logging life that gives many of the current generation that have never seen or held an axe or ran a chainsaw. Logging was very dangerous in the 1930s - the 1950s using no chainsaws and still is dangerous with modern logging methods.

[@nevertoopoortotour.3033]

Thanks for sharing

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

@@nevertoopoortotour.3033 It's my pleasure 🙏

[@gunterbecker8528]

Absolutely brilliant men , those were men back then,unlike the wimps today with warm handlebars on their saws, 35hr. Week n lazy attitudes 😌

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

@gunterbecker8528 They were very hard workers indeed! It's very interesting to hear the old stories about them 🙏

[@urbanlumberjack]

Great video!

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

I'm glad you liked it! I thought it was very interesting to see how they did it back then!

[@floydwilliams3321]

❤❤❤

[@rawbacon]

You're not getting by on a couple thousand calories a day doing that kind of work.

[@floored3078]

Did you leave xpress, or are you still with them? Haven’t seen many updates about them in the last few months I’m looking at going into that account, I have 3 years of food service delivery humping 45,000lbs on average 4 days a week, and I’m seeing the pay at US average 1700-2350/wk so thinking about coming.

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

I never got anywhere near $2350, but the minimum is $1700, as long as you are on time. I'm no longer with them. The home time is what made me leave. You never have a set schedule there. I enjoyed the job and the pay, though.

[@floored3078]

@@bluegrassoutdoors I totally understand that, home just for a reset is tough and basically takes your entire life away. My wife’s a nurse thank god and earns $2,000/wk, so together we’d be at about $3,700 or $7,400 bi-weekly. Might do it for a run

[@floored3078]

@@bluegrassoutdoors was it hard to keep the $1700 top up pay? If you lose it how much is the real average pay per week?

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

@floored3078 no, you get the $1700 minimum as long as you are on time. I got it every check as far as I remember. I loved the job and pay but the schedule is what didn't work for me.

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

Yeah, you're right. And when the home time is random it makes it that much worse. I like to be able to tell my family when we can do things and with that account it wasn't a sure thing.