North Country History with Rob Burg
Your podcast on the Forest History of the Great Lakes Region. The forests of the Great Lakes have been home to people for centuries and have provided great resources and wealth, shelter, food, and recreation for many. But in the wake of these uses, the region has been environmentally damaged from deforestation, fire, and erosion, and are still recovering to this day. I will be your guide for exploring the forests and sharing stories of the forests and the people who have called them home.
About Rob Burg: Hi! I'm an environmental historian specializing on the forest history of the Great Lakes Region. I am a mostly lifelong Michigan resident and studied at Eastern Michigan University for both my undergraduate degree in History and graduate studies in Historic Preservation. My 35-year professional life has mostly been in history museums, including the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, the Michigan History Museum, and the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. I began my environmental history career with managing both the Hartwick Pines Logging Museum and the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum for the Michigan History Museum system, directing the Lovells Museum of Trout Fishing History, archivist for the Devereaux Memorial Library in Grayling, Michigan, and as the Interpretive Resources Coordinator for the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island, Nebraska. I am proud that the first person to ever call me an environmental historian was none other than Dr. William Cronon, the dean of American Environmental History.
North Country History with Rob Burg
Introducing Season 2 & Recapping Season 1
This episodes marks the beginning of Season 2 of the North Country History with Rob Burg podcast. We look at what will be coming up on Season 2 airing from June through August, 2025. But first we recap Season 1 as a refresher and also an introduction for new listeners.
Season 2 will bring new guests to the podcast, take a look at the origins of the lumber industry in the United States in the Northeastern states of Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania, explore some new topics in forest history and to also revisit the lumber industry discussing technological changes, and the labor force of the lumber industry.
You can support the podcast by clicking on the "Support" button on the right (Desktop version) or the $ symbol at the top (Mobile version).
https://northcountryhistorywithrobburg.buzzsprout.com/
Season 2 Schedule:
June 2 S02.E02: Introducing Season 2 & Recapping Season 1.
June 9 S02.E03: The Civilian Conservation Corps Part 1: The New Deal's Outdoors Restoration Program. With guest Phil Naud.
June 16 S02.E03: The Civilian Conservation Corps Part 2: The Life of a CCC Boy. With guest Bill Jamerson.
June 23 S02.E04: Logging in the Northeast, Part 1: Maine-The Birth of an Industry.
June 30 S02.E05: Logging in the Northeast, Part 2: The Adirondacks.
July 7 S02.E06: Logging in the Northeast, Part 3: Penn's Woods.
July 14 S02.E07: Fire Follows the Axe: Lumber, Wildfires, and Climate Change.
July 21 S02.E08: The Passenger Pigeon. With guest Kyle Bagnall.
July 28 S02.E09: Lumber, Lakes & Lighthouses. With guest Bruce Lynn.
August 4 S02.E10: Railroad Logging.
August 11 S02.E.11: Sawmill Technology.
August 18 S02.E12: The Labor of Logging, Part 1: Timber Cruisers, Shanty Boys, and River Hogs.
August 25 S02.E13: The Labor of Logging, Part 2: The Men and Women of the Lumber Towns.
2025 North Country History Podcast Tour: N. Lower Peninsula/Upper Peninsula of Michigan, N. Wisconsin, and N. Minnesota. July 31-August 16, 2025.
- Frederic MI: "Deward: The Last of Michigan's Lumber Boomtowns."
- Pigeon River Country State Forest
- Mackinac State Historic Parks
- Peshtigo Fire Musem
- Nicolet National Forest
- Cathedral Pines Natural Area
- Lumberjack Steram Train & Camp Five Museum
- Rhinelander WI
- St. Croix River National Scenic River
- Snake River Fur Trading Post
- Hinckley Fire Museum
- Forest History Center
- Ely MN
- Superior National Forest
- Grand Portage National Monument
- Gooseberry Falls State Park
- Chequamegon National Forest
- Ottawa National Forest
How to Connect with North Country History
Email: Rob.NorthCountryHistory@gmail.com
Website: The North Country History with Rob Burg Podcast https://northcountryhistorywithrobburg.buzzsprout.com/
YouTube: North Country History with Rob Burg https://www.youtube.com/@NorthCountryHistory
Facebook: Rob Burg-Environmental Historian
https://www.facebook.com/RobBurgEnviroHistorian
Instagram: North Country History https: