The Enduring Cutover
Contributions to the History of Wisconsin's Northern Region
Lars Erik Larson
with Barbara Larson
Whitewater, Wisconsin 2016
Click here to view the full text of the book (.pdf, 23.5MB)
From the post-Civil War years to about 1910 the northern regions of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan were systematically plundered (clear cut) of economically valuable timber by large lumber companies. When the timber was exhausted, the companies abandoned their land, leaving a wasteland of stumps, brush, and infertile soil, referred to as the “cutover.”
The loss of this resource had a lasting impact on the history of Wisconsin, and especially on Wisconsin's northern region.
The Enduring Cutover, 440 pages, digital, includes maps, statistics, biographies, and an extensive bibliography. For more information contact Lars Larson.