Lake Chippewa Flowage Vacation

Bruno Vinette’s logging camp on the Chippewa in Birch Creek. The logger’s life was arduous and dangerous. Nonetheless, it attracted men in search of work. Many were farmers or their sons who left their homes for winter logging to earn cash to lift the mortgage on their farm. —The Chippewa County Chronicle

There were rules everybody lived by. No talking was allowed when eating, except to say “pass the meat” or “shoot the beans.” The rule was to keep the food moving fast enough so everybody got all they wanted and to eat fast so the crew could get to work in a hurry. —The Lumberjack Frontier, Walker D. Wyman

In the mid 1800’s the Vinette Camp – Birch Lake crew ate beans, biscuits and salt pork and drank tea. Over time, the food improved in variety and taste. It was discovered that good food increased production, cut illness, improved morale and ensured being able to hire and keep a strong, hardworking crew. — Lumbermen on the Chippewa, Malcom Rosholt
CONTRIBUTED, Chippewa Area History Center