Northern Michigan logging camps: Material culture and worker adaptation on the industrial frontier

Abstract

Historical and archaeological data from the Hiawatha National Forest in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan are used to explore the research potential of Great Lakes logging camps. A primary goal is reconstruction of foodways and certain aspects of material culture related to preindustrial traditions. Detailed historical evidence indicates that the loggers preferred ceramic tableware and fresh domestic meats, although metal tableware was dominant and wild game and/or preserved meats were characteristic of early camps and later small-scale operations. A consideration of corporate characteristics, work force ethnicity, and labor supply provides a framework for analysis. Archaeological sites representing four major companies reveal differential accommodation of foodway preferences, as well as evidence of preindustrial worker culture, such as Finnish saunas and camps where families were permitted. Previous interpretation of these characteristics as simply reflecting varying levels of competition for labor seems inadequate. Instead, interaction between worker culture and the industrial environment is stressed, and mutual adaptation is seen as the result.