by Agnes M. Larson
foreword by Bradley J. Gills
University of Minnesota Press, 2007
Paper: 978-0-8166-5149-8
Library of Congress Classification SD397.P65L3 2007
Dewey Decimal Classification 338.4767409776

ABOUT THIS BOOK | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK


“From the first logging operation to the closing of the last mill this book is so thorough, so comprehensive, so well organized, and so useful that it must take its place with the outstanding monographs of economic and western history.” —Journal of Economic History


The old-growth forests of Minnesota, at one time covering 70 percent of the state, played a major role in the development of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Telling the complete history of the white pine industry, Agnes Larson brings us back to a time when Minnesota’s lumber business was thriving. Larson recounts the development of the region with a wealth of information, including the building of the railroads and bustling mill towns; the daily lives of lumberjacks, loggers, river-drivers, and jam-breakers; and the final devastation of the forests.


“An excellent contribution to the regional history and historical geography of the Upper Great Lakes area and the upper Mississippi Valley.” —Geographical Review


Agnes M. Larson (1892–1967) was professor of history at St. Olaf College.


Bradley J. Gills is adjunct professor of history at Grand Valley State University.