The Strange Story of Lumberjack Baseball Cards
Deep in the remote woods of northern Maine and Canada’s Maritime provinces, lumberjacks have long lived a rough life of dangerous manual labor in harsh conditions. Felling towering pine trees and dealing with unpredictable saws, axes, and logging machinery was backbreaking work that had to be done regardless of the weather. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these rugged woodsmen spent months at a time living in remote logging camps isolated from mainstream society.
To help pass the time during evenings off from work and long winter months stuck inside, lumberjacks developed a variety of traditions and pastimes. Cards were a popular leisure activity that could be enjoyed together around a fire in the communal bunkhouse. Standard playing card decks soon grew worn out from constant shuffling and dealing. Inspired by the emerging popularity of baseball cards sold in cigarette packs and gum wrappers elsewhere in North America, some enterprising lumber camp suppliers came up with a novel promotional idea – lumberjack baseball cards.
Featuring photos of famous regional lumberjacks alongside stats and brief biographies, the cards served as collectibles and tokens of pride for the mighty tree-fellers featured. Subjects were usually champions in lumberjack sports like rolling log competitions, chopping contests, or tree-climbing races held at various logging camps. Cards helped lumberjacks to learn about their peers working at other camps while providing a unique memento from their tough yet rewarding career deep in the forests.
The first documented set of lumberjack baseball cards was produced around 1905 by McNaughton Trading Post, a supplier that delivered goods to logging outposts throughout northern Maine. Existing cards show photogravure portraits on thin cardboard stock similar to early baseball issues. Information included stats like height, weight, records held, and hometown. While names have faded with time, one legible card profiled Henri “Tree” Levesque of St. Celestin, Quebec who was champion at the 1901 Provincial Tree Scaling Competition in Riviere-du-Loup.
Word spread quickly among lumberjacks and the cards became a collectors’ curiosity. Other trading outfits realized the marketing potential and began issuing their own sets featuring top woodsmen throughout New Brunswick, Quebec, Maine and beyond. Series were often region-specific depending on the territory serviced. Cards added human interest by mentioning hobbies, remarkable feats, or personality quirks alongside competitive achievements. One 1909 issue from Daigle Supplies in Edmundston profiled Pierre “Strong Like Ox” Lamothe who could fell 30 trees in a single day.
The cards were never mass-produced like baseball issues but circulated heavily within logging community circles. Sets numbered around 25-50 cards depending on size of target region. While not intended as a children’s pastime, some lumberjacks passed collections to sons who maintained family traditions of working in the camps. Many historic sets survived in attics of logging families for decades before later being discovered. Throughout the industry’s peak early 20th century heyday, the unique lumberjack baseball cards helped build camaraderie and pride among the close-knit fraternity of tough woods workers.
As logging methods became increasingly mechanized after World War II, many small family-run camps closed and the era of independent lumberjacks drew to a close. With fewer woodsmen spending long winter months isolated in bunkhouses, demand dried up for the specialty card issues. The last known series was a 1950 offering from Croteau General Store servicing operations in Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula.
In later years, the old logging culture and its associated relics like rare complete lumberjack baseball card sets gradually took on nostalgic fascination. With the industry now a shadow of its former self, sets provide a window into the uniquely proud yet perilous working lives of early North American lumberjacks. While not as internationally storied as standard sports card releases, the niche lumberjack issues retain cult status among logging history aficionados and maritime Canada memorabilia collectors. Original McNaughton and Daigle sets in collectible grades have been known to sell at auction for upwards of $5,000 USD depending on completeness and condition of the fragile early paper issues.
For a brief time over a century ago, the unusual lumberjack baseball cards aptly captured the camaraderie, competitive spirit and proud rugged culture of the remote logging camps that were once a mainstay of Canada’s Maritime provinces and northern New England. Even today, the nostalgic allure of these obscure specialty sets continues to fascinate and pay tribute to the mighty woodsmen who once plied their dangerous trade deep in the North American wilderness. Their lasting legacy endures through the intriguing surprise survival of these uncommon promotional cards from a bygone era.