The Lumber-loving Leaner: Wisconsin's Towering Tribute to Timber

Perched on the east side of the Chippewa River, tilting at 45 degrees, and reachin' 175 feet high, with a base once stretchin' 36 feet wide, this rusty relic - the Cornell Pulpwood Stacker - may make you think of a crooked, metal Eiffel Tower on steroids, if the Eiffel Tower had a 10-foot-wide peak and was built for devourin' 130-foot-tall trees with a single gulp. The Stacker, ya see, was part of one of the world's largest logging operations, specifically the Cornell Wood Products Mill.

That Mill, an industrial titan, ruled much of Wisconsin's paper and pulp game in the 19th century. Think of the Stacker as a precursor to today's giant, mechanical tree-chompers, a machine that was feastin' on those massive trees in one gulp, crushin' 'em up into sizeable logs, then hoistin' 'em up, pile-drivin' 'em out, and flingin' 'em into the Chippewa river to be sent downstream. All that work? Done in minutes. The Stacker replaced the laborious, hand-stackin' method that was too slow to keep up with the Industrial Revolution.

Built in 1912, it's been standing tall and slightly lopsided ever since. Unfortunately, the Stacker met its match in 1971, when it was carried away by the winds of progress towards more modern, efficient ways of cuttin', stackin', and transportin' logs. A fire swept through the mill lands in 1971, leavin' mostly ash. But it spared the lean, hefty, hulking mass of the Stacker. Now a listed landmark, the Stacker stands in Millyard Park, and though, as of 2016, it was in need of a $23,000 repair, the city's long-term goal is to raise $500,000 for a complete renovation.

If you're curious about the Stacker's history, the timber industry, or just want to pay a visit, the Cornell Pulpwood Stacker is the place to be.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons