Around 1870, the first settlers arrived in Becker County and found vast groves of pine timber growing along the Otter Tail River. The pines were so immense that nothing would grow beneath them. Even during mid-day hours, a person standing under them could not see the sun through the thick canopy of branches.

From Wilderness to Harvest

The area now known as Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge was a wilderness until 1872, when the logging era began. Companies pushed their way up the Otter Tail River building roads and camps. By 1919, the large red and white pines had been harvested, the pine timber had been exhausted and the mill at Frazee closed.

Floating the Logs

In the spring, the logs were “driven” down the Otter Tail River to saw mills in Frazee and Fergus Falls. Dams were constructed in the river to raise the water enough to float the logs. Once the water was raised to the proper level, the dam was released, rushing the logs downstream.  Records in 1884 claim that a log drive occurred from Becker County to Winnipeg via the Red River.  The drive began on April 28 and reached its destination on July 26, covering an estimated 1760 miles.

Loading the Timber

During the summer, skid roads were constructed. In winter, logs were hauled out of the woods by horse or ox-drawn sleights to the nearest lake or river. Loading the sleighs was a difficult job. Logs were rolled into place using horses. An average load consisted of 60-150 logs. Once a load was complete, each log was branded or stamped with a symbol identifying which company’s logs were being sawed into lumber.

The Forests Today

Today the forests in Becker County consist mainly of deciduous (broadleaf) trees. The large pine trees that exist now were too small and not valuable when the logging movement occurred and survived the lumberman’s saws. Red and white pine reproduce solely from seed. Since all the large seed producing trees were harvested, the expansive groves that were here in the late 1800s are now only images in old photographs.