Did you know that Michigan’s lakes and waterways played a huge role in the early lumbering industry?

Join the Michigan Maritime Museum and environmental historian.
Rob Burg March 20th at 6:30 pm for the continuation of their Working Waterfront Lecture Series.
Burg will present his program Rivers, Lakes, and Lumber: Michigan’s White Pine Lumber
Industry and its Waterways at the museum.

The white pine lumber industry was Michigan's most important industry in the 19 th century. It
brought great wealth to the state, provided plentiful employment for a growing population, and
led to the growth of many communities. The numerous rivers that flowed to the Great Lakes and
the ports at the end of those rivers greatly contributed to the lumber boom. However, the boom
was followed by a bust and there was a downside to this—the forests were stripped of trees and
the rivers, lakes, and bays were environmentally degraded. Many of the communities also lost
their prosperity and fell on hard times or disappeared altogether. Burg will present this program
about Michigan’s lumber industry and its impact, focusing on the waterways that were used and
how they were ultimately changed.

“During the construction of our new Maritime Heritage Center, we used some of the raised and
milled sunken logs lost to the river and lake bottoms from this industry,” said Ashley Deming,
Director of Education and Programs. “We built history right into the walls. It will be wonderful
to learn more about how and why the material got there surrounded by that history.”
Rob Burg is an environmental historian who has worked in history and museums in Michigan,
Pennsylvania, and Nebraska for more than thirty years. He studied history and historic
preservation at Eastern Michigan University. Rob’s primary focus is on Michigan’s forest history,
specifically, the logging industry, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and reforestation and
conservation history. Burg has written numerous articles on Michigan’s environmental history
and has presented programs and developed exhibits on these subjects.

This lecture series is made possible thanks to the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike and Susan
Smith. Tickets are free for museum members and $10 for non-members. For more information
about the Museum’s events, please visit: https://www.michiganmaritimemuseum.org/events/.

Event Details
Rivers, Lakes, and Lumber: Michigan’s White Pine Lumber Industry and its Waterways
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Location: 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI 49090
Cost: Free to members/$10 non-members