Why I Love Pine Trees

I am working on a heritage scrapbook and was recently going through some old family photos. I came across these lumber camps photos and it brought back many memories of a landmark in my home town.
 

This postcard date 1912 of men who worked in the lumber camps

My grandparents during the logging days

I grew up in northern Michigan in a small town sixty miles south of the Mackinac Bridge. The population was about 4,000 people who knew each other and knew about each other. 

I didn't know for several years that one of the attraction to my little hometown was Hartwick Pines, the last remaining stand of virgin white pines in lower Michigan. I did know that spring and summer was not complete without several trips to to the pines for picnic lunches. Throughout the years of living there I went there with my family, school classmates, friends, and anyone that visited us from other parts of the country. 

There was just something special about that park. I loved the history of the lumbering days, the rustic wooded foot trails, and the peaceful quiet. I also love the majestic trees and how they towered over you and gave you a sheltered and secure feeling.

My mother on the left , me in the middle, both brothers, and a girlfriend

I researched some of the history of the park and here is what I discovered. Hartwick Pines State Park is 9,672 acres of old growth forest of white pines and red pines that resembles the appearance of all of Northern Michigan prior to the logging era. 

The Hartwick Pines are a 49 acres old-growth remnant of a pine grove that was withdrawn from logging by a local timbering firm in 1927. At that time, very little old-growth pine remained in northern Michigan. One of the heirs of the firm's original owners, Karen Michelson Hardwick, donated the grove, which was then 85 acres in size, and 8,000 surrounding acres of cutover land to the state of Michigan as a memorial to the logging industry.

The state accepted the gift and worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to build the Hartwick Pines Logging Museum adjacent to the grove. The museum was erected in 1934-1935. It contains recreated exhibit rooms, photographs and artifacts of the lumber boom years ago in northern Michigan. The museum is located in two replicate logging camp buildings and also contains outdoor exhibits of logging equipment and enclosed steam-powered sawmill that is operated during summer special events. 

The Old Growth Forest is an even-aged stand for pines estimated to be between 350-375 years old. The tallest trees are between 150-160 feet tall, and have a girth of more than four feet. These Eastern White Pines are some of the largest trees in the eastern United States.

There are two lakes in the park Bright Lake and Glory Lake. There is a campground and day use area. There are two foot trails. The wooded AuSable River foot trail is approximately three miles in length. The Mertz Grade Trail winds through forest and field for approximately two miles and was named after the early logging railroad spur it shares for a portion of its distance. 

This park is like returning to the state's 19th century logging era when thousands of men cut millions of board feet of lumber as Michigan led the nation in sawed lumber production. 

Here are a few pictures of this beautiful State Park and thank you for walking down this memory lane with me!