Discover how Manistee Log Marks is sharing history through handcrafted products that honor Michigan’s storied past.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
The stories and legends of lumberjacks have enthralled us for generations with the romance and thrill of a Northwoods adventure.
From the 1840s until the early 1900s, logging companies turned to the Great Lakes region and its towering, untouched forests, cutting down trees to make way for farms and to produce lumber for buildings, ships and mines. It was dangerous work—men were often hurt or killed by falling trees—and it was exhausting; days began around 5 a.m. on frigid winter mornings and finished after dark.
Photo by Manistee Log Marks
An excerpt from the book Michigan Log Marks reads: “The typical Michigan lumberjack was indisputably rough and boastful, and his choice of words reflected a desire to be known as the toughest man alive. He roamed the state, working for one outfit after another. All for a dollar a day.”
Jim Vutech, co-founder of Manistee Log Marks, became fascinated by the history of logging in Michigan after reading a story in Traverse Northern Michigan magazine. As a “mantiques” dealer interested in tools, he was inspired to start collecting old log marks, too.
Photo by Manistee Log Marks
Log marks are exactly that—a mark on a log used to identify the company that owned it. Before roads were widespread, most companies used rivers to transport their logs; cutting trees during winter and moving them with oxen while the ground was frozen and then floating their logs to sawmills after the spring melt.
Vutech and his business partner, Craig Heckman, have taken these log marks and translated them into a series of bandanas and blankets that share the tales of the men who once used them.
“We feel our products help tell a story that needs to be told,” Vutech says. “The most gratifying (and surprising) part of our efforts is meeting many people who have no knowledge of log marks or their history.”
Where to Shop: Manistee Log Marks’ products can be found online and at these retail locations: The Outfitter, Harbor Springs; The Clothing Company, Charlevoix; Fortin Ironworks, Columbus; Samson Men’s Emporium, Columbus.