Logging, the Cutover, and Conservation

While previous sections of course focused more on southern Wisconsin, this five-part lecture by Prof. Joe Mason tells the story of how the geography of northern Wisconsin has been shaped by logging, settlement of the “Cutover” lands left by logging, a new emphasis on conservation in the 1930s, and the growth of tourism.

Part 1 – The Arrival of Logging & the Lumber Barons

Part 2 – Logging Camps, Shipping, Sawmills, and the End of the Logging Era

Part 3 – The “Cutover”

Part 4 – Conservation & the Cutover in the 1930s

Part 5 – Logging’s Legacy: Public Land and Forest Composition in Northern Wisconsin