production of pine lumber in the Lake states doubled and redoubled; from a mere two and three-quarters billion board feet in 1869 it leaped to five billion feet in 1879 and then to almost seven billion board feet in 1889. Between 1869 and 1899 the three Lake states were the primary source of lumber supply in the nation. And, to conclude upon this trend, he further goes on to say that lumbering became big business as the industry began its decline. Each of the Lake states had already achieved their peak production period and quickly went into decline. Due to this forest depletion, many of the lumbermen and businessmen soon began to depart from the regions in question for the South and West parts of the United States. Furthermore, Rector provides some astonishing statistics to show the swift rise and fall of the lumber industry. He states that in 1899, the volume of lumber produced in the Lake states was around six billion board feet. By 1909, the figure dropped to near two billion feet and in 1921 to only a half billion board feet. In addition, while in 1890 the area produced approximately 36.3% of the nations lumber, by 1914 this figure declined to 10.5%. Clearly, the drive to meet consumer demand caused the lumber industry of Wisconsin and its neighbors to engage in highly destructive practices. Perhaps the true scope and magnitude of the “rape” of Wisconsin’s forests was not truly appreciated until it became apparent that many of the regions were unfit for farm cultivation. Some regions, such as the southern areas where the best grade of pine lumber were located, agricultural efforts on cutover lands proved successful. However, in the “north, in the swamps, the sand hills, and the jack pine barrens, many settlers became tired, disillusioned and poverty stricken.” The reason for the failure in agricultural attempts, according to The Northwest Magazine, proved to be that once the...
