How Much Wood is 40,000 to 50,000 Logs?

Photo of a house under construction.

M. H. Reynolds residence, 2145 Knapp Street, under construction, St. Paul ca. 1900. 
Minnesota Historical Society Photograph Collection, MR2.9 SP3.2k p10

In 1900 a two-story house would use about 12,000 board feet of lumber. Mr. DeLaittre tells us that this one camp cut about 5,000,000 board feet in this year. Do the math…. that equals more than 400 big houses.

Between 1839 and 1932, Minnesota's forests were turned into 67,500,000,000 (67 ½ billion) feet of lumber. That's 5 ½ million two-story houses.