io6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



that must be cleared from the land anyway to make 

 room for towns, villages, highways, and farms, could 

 be utilized. In the process of clearing farms, if any of 

 the timber could be sold and shipped to the European 

 and seaboard markets or used for local improvements 

 it was a clear gain, profit accruing from a gratuitous 

 resource, like game from the woods or fish from the 

 waters. There was no thought that the trees would 

 in time acquire a distinct and appreciable value simply 

 because they had become scarce. 



Another reason why the early lumberman from his 

 own viewpoint saw no particular value in standing 

 timber was that he found it hard work to make a profit 

 when he had an unlimited privilege to cut all the 

 timber in sight. In the beginning of operations in the 

 three northwestern white pine states from 1830 to 

 about 1845 all the mill operators had to do to secure 

 logs for sawing was to obtain from the Indians the 

 privilege to cut timber, which permits were usually 

 sanctioned by the Government. A few goods given 

 to the Indians were sufficient to secure all the logs 

 necessary to supply any of the mills of that day. Tim- 

 ber that would run 60 per cent uppers could be secured 

 in exchange for whiskey that would run 90 per cent 

 adulteration. 



The early operators penetrated the deep woods far 

 from settlement, going along the lake shore and up the 

 rivers 100 or 200 miles from any considerable base of 

 supplies, and after great hardship and excessive labor, 

 and often loss by flood and fire, managed to saw a 

 little lumber in the primitive saw mills of that day and 

 raft it out to the market. It goes without saying that 

 these early operators had no thought for the preserva- 

 tion of the forests. They took the nearest and best 

 trees for their purpose, as they needs must if they were 

 to make any profit in their enterprise. 



