FOREST HISTORY SOCIETY:
An Inventory of Interviews with Pioneer Lumbermen
Manuscripts Collection
| | |
| Creator: |
Forest History Society, comp.
|
| Title: | Interviews with pioneer
lumbermen. |
| Dates: | 1953-1957. |
| Abstract: | Transcripts (typewritten carbon copies) of interviews
between pioneer lumbermen and relatives of lumbermen of the Upper Midwest and
members of the Forest History Society staff. The interviewees are: Paul Caplazi,
Leonard Costley, Walter Ernest Dexter, Maud Mullen Calgren, George W. Dulany, Herman
Heitman, Julius Joel, James Arthur Mathieu, Hope Garlick Mineau, Wirt Mineau, George
Neils, Walter Neils, L. J. Olson, Margaret Orr O'Neill, Hugo Schlenk, Orrin W.
Sinclair, and James Stevens. |
| Quantity: | 0.25 cubic feet (1 box containing 16
items). |
| Location: | P2385. |
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Forest
History Society, comp. Interviews with Pioneer Lumbermen. Minnesota Historical
Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 7797; 8358; 8382; 8420; 8526; 8620
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 09-00321743
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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| Location | |
| P2385 | | Caplazi, Paul. Interviewed by John Larson. Stillwater, Minnesota,
September 23, 1953. 4 leaves. |
| | | Information is given on the Caplazi family, who originally came from
Switzerland. Caplazi's father, Albert, lived first in Toledo, Ohio, and then
came to Stillwater in 1856. Albert Caplazi was a carpenter by trade and also
worked in lumber camps. Other data given in the interview include: Albert
Caplazi's Civil War experiences; his work as a contractor in Jefferson
Barracks, Missouri; early streets in Stillwater; William Holcombe's addition
to Stillwater; early settlers in Stillwater; and circuses. |
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| | Carlgren, Maud Mullan. SEE: Mineau, Hope Garlick. |
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| | Costley, Leonard. Interviewed by Bruce Harding. International Falls,
Minnesota, August 3, 1957. 20 leaves. |
| | | Reminiscences of a lumberjack. Costley worked for the Red River Lumber
Company (T. B. Walker interest) in Hubbard County, Minnesota, from
1903-1910. After that date he worked for the Congers & Wilson Company
and the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company until his retirement in 1943.
The manuscript gives details on life in a lumber camp, mentioning: food,
clothing, daily routine, accidents, wages, implements used, and lumberjack
stories and songs. |
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| | Dexter, Walter Ernest. Interviewed by John Larson. Libby, Montana and
Minneapolis, Minnesota, August and October, 1953. 10 leaves. |
| | | The paper contains data on Dexter's father's saw mill on the Sissibou River,
Nova Scotia; the migration of the family to Minnesota in 1884; and Dexter's
subsequent employment in the following lumber firms: Bray & Robinson and
Hall & Ducey, which was owned by the Shevlin interests. From 1907,
Dexter was employed by the Shevlin company in Cass Lake, Minnesota, Libby,
Montana, and Rainy River, Ontario. Dexter also discusses early mills in
Minneapolis and St. Anthony. |
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| | Dulany, George W. Interviewed by Elwood R. Maunder. La Jolla,
California, September 2, 1956. 37 leaves; and index, 1 leaf. |
| | | Detailed information on the logging enterprises of Dulany and his father in
Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin; on the many individuals connected
with the lumber industry such as the Lamb Brothers and the Weyerhaeusers; on
lumbermen's associations, particularly the National Lumbermen's Association;
anecdotes and stories of his experiences in the lumber industry; and his
political opinions. |
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| | Heitman, Herman. Interviewed by John Larson. Eureka, California,
March, 1953. 11 leaves. |
| | | Heitman was engaged in the construction and maintenance of lumber camp
railroads. He worked for the William O'Brien lumber interests in Minnesota
until 1903. After, he worked for a number of lumber firms on the West Coast,
including the Simpson Lumber Company and the Pacific Coast Construction
Company. From 1898-1900 he was in the U.S. Army, and took part in the
conflict at Leech Lake between the U.S. Army and the Ojibwe Indians and in
the Boxer Rebellion in China. The manuscript contains details on all these
activities. |
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| | Joel, Julius. Interviewed by John Larson. Minneapolis, Minnesota,
June 30, 1953. 6 leaves. |
| | | Reminiscences of life in the lumber camps in Canada and Michigan. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Mathieu, James Arthur. Interviewed by Bruce Harding. Fort Francis,
Ontario, August 4, 1957. 10 leaves. |
| | | Reminiscences of Mathieu's experiences as a log rafter in Alma, Wisconsin,
and the Beef Slough in the 1880s; his work as buyer of timber for the
Crookston Lumber Company, 1897-1902; and his removal to Canada in 1902. At
that time Mathieu organized the J.A. Mathieu, Ltd., mill firm at Rainy
River, Ontario. The paper gives information on logging methods, camp life,
wages paid to workers, lumber grading, union organizing among the workers,
differences between Canadian and American lumber operations, and the
Northern Pine Manufacturers Association. |
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| | Mineau, Hope Garlick (Mrs. Wirt Mineau) and Mrs. Maud Mullan
Carlgren. Interviewed by Helen M. White. Taylor's Falls, Minnesota,
September 14, 1955. 27 leaves. |
| | | Information is given on Mrs. Carlgren's uncle, Smith Ellison, a pioneer
lumberman. He was related to the Judd family of the Walker, Judd, and Veazie
Lumber Company. Information is given on the partnership of Walker, Judd and
Veazie and LaFloyd Bates; on the career of LaFloyd Bates; on the lumbering
activities of the company near Sunrise, Chisago County; on Samuel McClure
and Lucius K. Stannard; genealogical data on the Garlick family;
Indian-White relationships; James Mullen, an early settler and lumberman in
Taylors Falls; and on William H. C. Folsom's lumber operations. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Mineau, Wirt. Interviewed by Helen M. White. St. Croix Falls,
Wisconsin, October 1, 1955. 17 leaves. |
| | | Wirt Mineau's interview gives information on the C.E. Mullen Logging Company,
for whom Mineau worked; on the logging operations near Clam Falls and Nevers
Dam; and on Mineau's family background. The greater part of the interview
consists of descriptions of life in the logging camps, with information on
the clothing worn by the men, food, equipment used, and logging songs and
stories. |
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| | Neils, George. Interviewed by John Larson. Libby, Montana, August 19,
1953. 6 leaves. |
| | | Information is found on camp equipment and on the problems and progress made
in reforestation projects in the Western States. |
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| | Neils, Walter. Interviewed by John Larson. Libby, Montana, August 19,
1953. 9 leaves. |
| | | The manuscript gives information on the lumber firms operated by Neils and
his father. The first mills were located in Sauk Rapids and operated under
the name Thayer & Neils Company. In 1895 this partnership was dissolved,
and with Shevlin backing, Neils organized the J. Neils Lumber Company. At
that time, the firm moved to Cass Lake, Minnesota. In 1905 Neils and Shevlin
began purchasing timber in the Western States and in 1911 purchased the
Dawson Lumber Company of Libby, Montana. Neils also operated a box factory
at Klicktat, Washington. The manuscript also gives information on logging
methods, and on the use of hydroelectric power in the lumber industry. |
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| | Olson, L. J. Interviewed by John Larson. Libby, Montana, August 19,
1953. 4 leaves. |
| | | The paper contains more information on the J. Neils Lumber Company. Olson,
who came to Sauk Rapids around 1884, was employed by the company in 1902 as
an office clerk. In 1912 he was made office manager of the company's branch
firm in Libby, Montana. The manuscript gives information on log drives and
jams; prices received for logs; log markings; and methods of record keeping
used by the company. |
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| | O'Neill, Margaret Orr (Mrs. Charles O'Neill). Interviewed by Helen M.
White. St. Croix Falls, October 1, 1955. 18 leaves. |
| | | Reminiscences of Maggie Orr O'Neill, whose father owned logging camps on the
Tamarac River, Loon Lake and Sioux Portage, Wisconsin. During the winters of
1880, 1886, and 1887, Maggie and her sister cooked meals in the lumber
camps. Information is given on the types prepared; relations with the
Indians; incidents in the lumber camps; songs sung by the lumberjacks;
Indian clothes; nationality groups represented in the camps; and wages paid
the men. |
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| | Schlenk, Hugo. Interviewed by Helen M. White. Cloquet, Minnesota,
September 16, 1955. 5 leaves. |
| | | Reminiscences of Hugo Schlenk, who was born in Stillwater, Minnesota, and
was, in his early life, employed by the St. Croix Boom Corporation, the
Albert Scheffer banking concern, and finally, in 1903, by the Weyerhaeuser
interests. Mr. Schlenk was put in charge of the Weyerhaeuser company in
Cloquet in 1906. Information is given on the Northern Lumber Company of
Cloquet; the Cloquet fire of 1918; and early Stillwater and its sawmills.
|
| | | Attached to the interview are the following: |
| | | Letter: Hugo Schlenk to Robert Slaughter, August 13, 1955. 2
leaves. |
| | | | The letter gives information on the lumbering firm of Schulenburg and
Boeckeler. Mr. Schlenk's grandfather was a partner in the firm. The
firm's headquarters were in St. Louis with a branch in Stillwater. It
went out of business in 1904. |
| | | Letter: Hugo Schlenk to Robert Slaughter, November 14, 1955. 1
leaf. |
| | | | More information on the Schulenburg and Boeckeler Company. |
| | | Reminiscences. 5 leaves. |
| | | | Mr. Schlenk's reminiscences on the Charles N. Nelson Lumber Company.
Information is given on the early history of the First National Bank of
Stillwater and its organizer, Charles Scheffer; relationship between
Charles Scheffer and Charles Nelson; the Seymour Sabin lumber mill,
which was later absorbed by the Nelson company; Nelson's lumbering
activities in the Duluth-Cloquet area and their subsequent absorption by
the Weyerhaeuser company. |
| | | "Origins of the Lumber Industry at Cloquet," by Hugo Schlenk. 3
leaves. |
| | | | Information is given on the Charles N. Nelson's Lumber Company's Cloquet
mill which was built in 1880; on the operations of the Knife Falls
Lumber Company (1883); the absorption of this firm by the George Shaw
company of Davenport and by Frederick Weyerhaeuser (1883). This firm was
then called Renwick, Shaw and Crossett Company, and later the Cloquet
Lumber Company. Other companies organized were: Cloquet Water Power
Company (1882); Johnson-Wentworth Company (1894); Northwest Paper
Company (1898); Wood Conversion Company (1922); and the Northern Lumber
Company (1911), the latter three being Weyerhaeuser interests. The paper
ends with a description of the organization and early leaders of the
Knife Falls Boom Corporation, which was incorporated in 1871. |
| | | Letter: Fred D. Vibert to Hugo Schlenk, February 2, 1953. 2
leaves. |
| | | | Reminiscences of early Cloquet, the Cloquet Lumber Company, and the
Nelson Lumber Company by Vibert, who settled in Cloquet in 1886. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Sinclair, Orrin W. Interviewed by John Larson. Ellensburg,
Washington, 1954. 10 leaves. |
| | | The interview contains reminiscences of Sinclair's family background, their
early settlement in St. Paul in the 1850s, and his experiences in the
logging industry. Sinclair was a grandson of Daniel Hopkins, an early
settler in St. Paul and was also related to the David Tozer family. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Stevens, James. Interviewed by Elwood R. Maunder. Seattle,
Washington, November 12 and 13, 1957. 33 leaves. |
| | | Reminiscences of Stevens, who was the compiler of the Paul Bunyan stories.
The manuscript gives details on his family background; his school life in
Idaho and other Western states; his religious background; and his work in
construction camps in Idaho. The major portion of the interview deal with
Stevens' gathering of and publication of the Paul Bunyan stories and
reminiscences of literary personages of the 1920s and 1930s with whom he was
acquainted. |
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the
Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics,
persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Banks and banking -- Minnesota -- Stillwater.
- Bunyan, Paul (Legendary character).
- Folklore -- United States.
- Forests and forestry -- United States.
- Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.).
- Indians of North America.
- Lumber camps -- United States.
- Lumbering -- Minnesota.
- Lumbering -- Mississippi River.
- Lumbering -- Missouri.
- Lumbering -- Montana.
- Lumbering -- Ontario.
- Lumbering -- Oregon.
- Lumbering -- Saint Croix River Valley (Wis. and Minn.).
- Lumbering -- Washington (State).
- Lumbering -- Wisconsin.
- Ojibwa Indians -- Wars, 1898.
- Religion.
- Sawmills -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Wages.
- Places:
- Clam Falls (Wis.).
- Cloquet (Minn.).
- Leech Lake Indian Reservation (Minn.).
- Nevers Dam (Minnesota and Wis.).
- Stillwater (Minn.).
- Tamarac River (Wis.).
- Taylors Falls (Minn.).
- United States -- Emigration and immigration.
- United States -- Politics and government.
- Persons:
- Bates, LaFloyd.
- Caplazi, Paul, 1867-1956.
- Carlgren, Maud Mullan.
- Costley, Leonard, 1887-
- Dexter, Walter, Ernest, 1869-
- Dulany, George W. 1877-
- Ellison, Smith, 1823-1899.
- Folsom, William H. C. (William Henry Carman), 1817-1900.
- Gerlach family.
- Harding, Bruce, interviewer.
- Heitman, Herman, 1879-
- Holcombe, William, 1804-1870.
- Joel, Julius, 1876-
- Larson, John Walter, interviewer.
- Mathieu, James Arthur, 1869-
- Maunder, Elwood R., interviewer.
- McClure, Samuel, ca. 1832-ca. 1903.
- Mineau, Hope Garlick.
- Neils, George.
- Neils, Walter, 1888-
- O'Neill, Margaret Orr, 1872-
- Scheffer, Albert, 1844-1905.
- Scheffer, Charles, 1835-1875.
- Shaw, George.
- Shevlin, Thomas Henry, 1835-1875.
- Shlenk, Hugo, 1862-1962.
- Stannard, L. K. (Lucius Kingsbury), 1824-1914.
- Vibert, Fred Douglas, 1874-
- Walker, T. B. (Thomas Barlow), 1840-1928.
- Weyerhaeuser, Frederick, 1834-1914.
- White, Helen M. (Helen McCann), 1916- , interviewer.
- Organizations:
- C.E. Mullen Logging Company.
- Cloquet Water Power Company.
- C.N. Nelson Lumber Company (Cloquet, Minn.).
- Johnson-Wentworth Company (Cloquet, Minn.).
- Knife Falls Boom Corporation.
- Knife Falls Lumber Company.
- National Association of Lumbermen.
- Northern Lumber Company (Cloquet, Minn.).
- Northwest Paper Company (Cloquet, Minn.).
- Rewick, Shaw and Crossett Company.
- Schulenburg and Boeckeler Company.
- Seymour, Sabin & Co. (Stillwater, Minn.).
- St. Croix Boom Corporation.
- Walker, Judd & Veazie (Marine Mills, Minn.).
- Weyerhaeuser Timber Company.
- Wood Conversion Company.
- Types of Documents:
- Interviews.
- Occupations:
- Lumbermen.
- Pioneers.
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