From Stump to Ship

This is the story of Log Drivers and Chopper Boys. Filmed in 1918 in northern Michigan, this silent film stands as the only motion-picture record of the spring log drives. It reveals a 19th-century technology that required far more human labor than most people realize. It’s an insight into the 19th-century lumbering business, which operated much like it did in the 18th century, and a memorial to the courage and hardship endured by men who worked in a dangerous trade.