Oswego didn’t just lumber around in the 19th century

Oswego County News Now
November 22, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: United States, US East

Oswego, New York — In its 1858 review of trade and commerce in Oswego, the Oswego Commercial Times reported on March 11, 1859: A remarkable feature in this branch of business is the fact Canadian lumber has been ‘dressed’ in this city, and sent back to the Province, where it has been used for various purposes. The sales here are chiefly for city use. …Wharfage facilities, in spite of their vastness, lagged shipments. In 1868 lumber merchants were obliged to suspend shipments from Canada for that reason. However, it improved in subsequent years. Of the nearly 300 million board feet of lumber imported in 1873, 23 million feet were white pine. At that time Oswego was one of the largest white pine lumber markets in the United States. …In 1900, lumber received by water in Oswego totaled only 35,211,000 board feet. Once considered inexhaustible, the forests of Canada were cut away adjacent to the lake.

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