A Raft pilot's Log cont. Output of Logs from different Streams into the Mississippi, compiled from records in the office of the Surveyor-general of Logs and Lumber of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and from the Archives of the State Historical Society of Minnesota and Wisconsin 289 From Saint croix river into the lake, 1837- 1903.......................................11,285,835,720 feet Brought in by railroad into the lake,1837- 1903........................................158,446,000 feet By rail and river(estimated) into the lake, 1904-1915............................... 1,000,000,000 feet _________________ Total in rafts from Lake Saint Croix,1837- 1915.......................................12,444,261,720 feet From the Mississippi above the falls(estimate), 1850-1870.................................150,000,000 feet From The Mississippi above the falls(estimate) 1888-1916................................1,559,062,520 feet _________________ Total through the Saint Paul boom,1850- 1916........................................1,709,062,520 feet From the Chippwa river: Through the Beef Slough boom, 1867- 1889........................................5,301,019,170 feet Through west Newton Slough boom, 1889-1896..................................3,064,856,760 feet Through west Newton Slough boom, (estimate), 1897-1905......................3,000,000,000 feet __________________ Total logs from the Chippewa, 1867-1905 11,365,875,030 feet 290 Total lumber from the Chippewa (estimate) 1830-1901........................14,000,000,000 feet _________________ Grand total from the Chippewa,1830- 1905.....................................24,365,875,930 feet From Black river through Onalaska boom, 1855-1897...............................4,920,811,340 feet Estimate for logs before and after recording..250,000,000 feet ________________ Total logs from Black river................5,170,000,000 fee Total logs and lumber from Wisconsin river 2,285,000,000 feet Recapitulation From the Saint Croix river and lake.......12,444,281,720 feet From the Mississippi above the falls.......1,709,062,520 feet From the Chippewa river..................25,365,875,930 feet From the Black river.......................5,170,000,000 feet From the Wisconsin river..................2,285,000,000 feet _________________ Grand total rafted down river..........46,974,220,170 feet Value at $15.00 per thousand feet.......$704,613,300.00 One cannot contemplate this vast amount of building material so admirably suited for houses, barns and fences, in the prairiestates, without recognizing the wisdom of the Great Creator in providing the extensive forestsat the headwater of the Mississippi and its northern tributaries on whose waters it could be floated down at so little expense. The logs were brought down the Chippwa loose for seventy-five cents per thousand feet and the usual price for towing them in rafts from Beef Slough or West Newton to Davenport or Rock Island was one dollar and ten cents per thousand feet, or about one dollar per ton on the lumber cut from them for the entire trip from the woods in northern Wisconsin to the mill or yard in the tri-cities. Cheap transportation on the great commodity that was so essential in development of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, and last 291 until we learned to make and use cement and could afford to buy more espensivelumber from the southor northwest on which the rail charges are higher than the cost of the lumber on the cars. Logging out of the Wisconsin river ended about 1876. Logging out of the Black river ended in 1897. Logging out of the Chippewa river ended in 1905. Logging out of the Saint Croix river ended in 1905. Logging out of the Saint Paul boom ended in 1916.