Listen: How lumberjacks harnessed an 'ocean of pine' to build Minnesota

The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses the logistics behind Minnesota's booming 19th century logging industry.

June 6, 2022 at 3:02PM
Four horses prepared to pull a load of logs piled 21 feet high in Kanabec County in 1892. (KANABEC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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Minnesota's flour milling prowess is a well-known part of the state's history. But the area's milling legacy began with sawmills that turned the state's white pine trees into lumber.

By 1905, Minneapolis was the top lumber market in the world. Transporting these logs to mills was no easy task. The Star Tribune's Christa Lawler joins host Eric Roper on the Curious Minnesota podcast to discuss the logistics of how this booming industry worked.

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about the writer

about the writer

Eric Roper

Curious Minnesota Editor

Eric Roper oversees Curious Minnesota, the Minnesota Star Tribune's community reporting project fueled by great reader questions. He also hosts the Curious Minnesota podcast.

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