The logging industry was huge in northeast Iowa several decades ago and that heritage is being celebrated this weekend. John Sutter, spokesman for the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, says the Dubuque facility is hosting its third annual “Log Jam” which features some special attractions.
Lumberjack athletes, as seen on ESPN and FOX Sports, are putting on a show complete with hot-sawing, cross-cutting, log rolling in a big pool and pole climbing — where the competitors climb up a pole, racing against each other, chop something off the top and then climb back down.
Sutter says modern times have seen a shift in the lumber industry as most of the trees that are cut down now are processed nearer to the forest. He says the logging industry has changed in Iowa.
It used to be the logs were cut in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota and floated down the Mississippi River to Dubuque but there are still some companies in the area that make door sashes and windows with wood that’s being cut at local lumber mills. For more information on the Log Jam, call 800-226-3369 or surf to “rivermuseum.com”.
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