Timber!
How much do you know about logging in Maine? Take our pop quiz and find out whether you have what it takes to be a lumberjack or lumberjill.
Maine is the Pine Tree State for a good reason. We have trees, lots of trees. Not only are we the most forested state in the nation; we're also the birthplace of modern American logging. But how much do you really know about Maine's signature industry? Can you tell the difference between a cant dog and a chainsaw? How about naming the year when the last river drive took place on the Kennebec? To test your woodsmarts we've nailed together the following quiz. Chop your way through these twenty questions and see how you score. You'll find the answers on page 47.1) What is the preferred term in Maine for a person employed to cut wood in the forest?
a. Logger
b. Lumberjack
c. Whiskeyjack
d. Tin Woodsman
2) The last log drive in Maine occurred in what year:
a. 1936 b. 1956
c. 1976 d. 1996
3) The general all-purpose tool used by Maine loggers during river drives was what?
a. A beem b. A peavey
c. A textor d. A diamon
4) Paul Bunyan's legendary birthplace was:
a. Lewiston
b. Millinocket
c. Bar Harbor
d. Bangor
5) True or false, the term "skid row" is derived from the way logs were "skidded" out of the woods on dirt roads. One such street in Seattle was named Skid Road. This street later became frequented by people down on their luck, giving rise to the modern term.
a. True
b. False
6) Some early chainsaws were so heavy they:
a. Were pulled by teams of horses
b. Had wheels
c. Could only be operated by Paul Bunyan
d. Needed to be taken apart to be transported
7) Which species of tree was never logged in Maine:
a. Redwood
b. Douglas fir
c. Longleaf pine
d. All of the above
8) Logging museums are located in which Maine communities:
a. Patten
b. Bradley
c. Rangeley
d. All of the above
9) "Timber" Tina Scheer, owner of the Great Maine Lumberjack Show in Ellsworth, appeared on which reality TV show:
a. Survivor
b. The Amazing Race
c. The Bachelor
d. The Real World
10) Which timber company is currently the largest land owner in Maine:
a. Plum Creek
b. Irving
c. Baskahegan
d. Timberland
11) The Grave of the Unknown River Driver is located on which river:
a. The Androscoggin
b. The Kennebec
c. The Penobscot
d. The Seine
12) When a logger is "twitching," what is he doing?
a. Shivering from the cold
b. Cutting a log
c. Lifting a log
d. Hauling logs
13) Timber companies once had to guarantee a hearty supply of what sort of beans before a logger would sign up for a winter's work (talk about gas-powered!):
a. Wild goose beans
b. String beans
c. Lima beans
d. Refried beans
14) The seedy district in Bangor frequented by loggers in the 1800s was known as:
a. Little Canada
b. The Devil's Half Acre
c. The Red Light District
d. Hell's Cabin
15) Which pests pose dangers to Maine's commercial timberlands:
a. Spruce budworm
b. White-pine weevil
c. Tree huggers
d. All of the above
16) True or false, in the 1890s Maine led the nation in the production of pulp for papermaking, producing nearly one-fourth of the national output:
a. True b. False
17) What is a log boom?
a. A barrier placed in a river during a log drive
b. An influx of loggers into an area
c. A crane used to lift logs
d. None of the above
18) Which of these Maine paper companies is still in business here:
a. International Paper
b. Scott Paper
c. Great Northern Paper
d. Sand Paper
19) The name of the machine pictured above is what:
a. A skidder
b. A Lombard steam hauler
c. A feller-buncher
d. A thingamajobber
20) According to Monty Python, what makes a lumberjack okay:
a. Picking widlfowers
b. Wearing women's clothing
c. Hanging around in bars
d. All of the above.
Answers:
1. a
2. c
3. b
4. d
5. a
6. b
7. d
8. d
9. a
10. b
11. c
12. d
13. a
14. b
15. d
16. a
17. a
18. a
19. b
20. d
