The Manly Profession of the Lumberjack Quiz

Answer: Calks

Calks were very sharp metal spikes used on a lumberjack's boot to help them climb up trees while the trees were still standing. They were also used to roll the logs down river to the lumber mills.

Answer: To cut off branches before cutting down the tree

A high-climber was a lumberjack that specialized in climbing vertically up the tree and cutting off all branches before the tree was felled. It was one of the most dangerous parts of the lumberjack's job because a fall meant almost certain death. Loggers today remove branches after the tree has been cut down.

Answer: Plaid shirt

Flannels were an alternate name for the heavy wool plaid shirts popular in Canada and the northern parts of the U.S. Although worn by many people with outdoor jobs, they have become part of the iconic image of the lumberjack, whose image is mostly folklore- and media-influenced. Flannels also came in a lighter weight version made from cotton.

Answer: Swedish fiddle

A Swedish fiddle was the very long cross cut saw that took two men to use. Singing while working was a very popular part of the lumberjack's culture. These songs were referred to as chanteys. The term Swedish is just a reference to the high number of Scandinavian men engaged in this old profession.

Answer: Railroad ties

Tie hackers specialized in choosing specific trees, usually those that were very straight, and cutting them into railroad ties. It was a specific skill that most lumberjacks never mastered. A tie hack used hand saws to cut down the chosen tree and then shape it on all four sides with a broad axe.

The making of railroad ties was vitally important to keeping the railroad industry growing and expanding.

Answer: Wisconsin

Many a lumberjack came from the Scandinavian stock that settled much of Wisconsin. Each year, the city of Hayward, in the northern part of the state, holds the world largest lumberjack championship. Complete with log cutting, log rolling and pancake eating, the festival lasts for three days in the summer.

Answer: Female lumberjack

A lumberjill was one of the very, very few females who worked in the field. It was a very difficult life, as there were few women in a lumberjack camp. Those who were there tended to be the wives of lumberjacks, who performed the jobs of cooking, cleaning and nursing.

There were very strict rules and a code of honor that forbade one lumberjack from any undue interest in another lumberjack's wife. A lumberjill did not have this protection and was expected to work at the same level as a man. They were usually not seen except in times of war or in Europe.

Answer: False

Lumberjacks of the 19th and early 20th centuries were paid very low salaries and usually lived in tented communities which moved seasonally. They were not held in high regard but were acknowledged as very masculine men engaged in very dangerous profession that required skill and bravery.

The reality of the job and what the media has made of it are very different. The job of the 19th century lumberjack and the 21st century logger are very different.

Answer: True

Rivers were vitally important to the lumberjack. It was the method used to transport the lumber out of the forest and bring necessities into camp. A wanigan was a supply boat that stayed near camp except for excursions into more populated areas to retrieve needed supplies. The sinking of a wanigan could spell disaster to a logging camp.

Answer: River rat

The skill of rolling logs down the river was done by a river rat. He was also nicknamed a river pig or river hog. This was a specialized skill that earned the lumberjack a few cents more than his pitiful wages. A good river rat could walk logs for miles down river each day.

They were also responsible for keeping log jams to a minimum. You can see the skill performed in some of the modern lumberjack festivals held around North America each year.