More Ashland Murals - The Lumberjacks

The following post is part of a series of murals we viewed in August of 2014 in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Ashland's mural finds are endlesss, and the Lumberjack Mural does not disappoint, especially in size.  Those were the days, when work started at 4:00 a.m. and went until dark, from first freeze to first thaw.

An average day's work for a sawyer was 100 pine logs, all for $1.00 per day.  In 1893, 10,000 lumberjacks worked in the logging camps to supply Ashland's 10 sawmills.  Hard to imagine now.

I know Sherry's heart is breaking looking at all those trees.  This is an area of the country where man took greedily, not just lumber but mining as well.  Hopefully we're learning a little about how precious the earth's resources are and hopefully it's not too late!

The word lumberjack comes from Canada originally, other terms for the occupation include woodcutter, and the colloquial term woodhick . The term "lumberjill" has been known for a woman who does this work, like the lone lady pictured in the mural.

Here's a laugh to go with the tears - Monty Python's Lumberjack Song.  I cracked up!