Delta County Historical archive photo Lumberjacks working the river with cant hooks at spring break up time somewhere in Delta County.

ESCANABA — A rivulet of open water.

Ice jams, log jams, mud and soggy boots and socks.

Sweat, horse manure and calloused hands, and then finally… spring break up.

River-hogs armed with cant hooks and peaveys help the logs (a huge accumulation of an entire winter’s work) float down the swollen streams to the mills.

Spring break up in Upper Michigan meant “Alleluia.”

The work was done.

It was pay day. It was time to leave the logging camps and head for home. Alleluia.

Long-johns, flannel shirts and woolen britches that were almost lived in for nearly five months, hit the floor. Spring break up in the U.P. meant it was bath time. Alleluia.

Many gallons of water were heated in reservoirs on the woodstove to fill the tub. A big old bar of homemade soap perfumed the air.

A shave and delousing came next. A long cold, winter spent in the snowy woods and in the bunkhouse with dozens of other hardworking men made for some less than fresh situations.

Even though the camp cook, the most important employee at any camp, provided good grub like beans, salt pork, venison, bacon, flapjacks, and lots of strong coffee, a home cooked meal really hit the spot.

For some lumberjacks back in the olden days, the muddy road lead into town. Barber shops, bath houses, taverns and saloons roared with laughter and back slapping re-acquainting howdy-dos.

“I see you made some sawdust and survived another winter” was a common spring break up greeting.

The smart wives of many a logger were wise enough to stash away some of the winters earnings before too much liquor flowed.

Most of the men coming back in from the lumber camps went home to their families on the homesteads and farms. Chores like fixing fences, milking cows, tapping maple trees, and chopping firewood soon began. The cross-cut saw and the axe were replaced with a pitchfork and a plow.

And yes, nine months later populations grew throughout many northern Michigan towns. Alleluia.

The first sawmill in Delta County was built in 1838 on the Escanaba River. In the years to come most rivers in the county sent pine and other virgin timbers down to mills with the high water of the spring runoff.

Folks came to the U.P. to work for the lumber companies. Most of our pioneering families have members who worked in the woods all winter.

Spring break up, when the men came safely home and the harvest was on its way to the sawmill, was a time to kick up your heels and dance. Alleluia.

The logging industry is still very important in Upper Michigan. But today harvester machines, forwarders, skidders and trucks move the logs to the markets.

It is spring break up time right now. The road weight restrictions are on, so it’s time to take a break and watch the rivers open up and thee snow melt. Alleluia.

——

Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.