Wisconsin Logging Museum

The First Buildings 1931- 1936

In 1931 Dr. Roy E. Mitchell and Dr. E.C. Murphy sought to preserve the legacy of the Chippewa Valley's logging industry.  In 1934, using lumber donated from Dr. Mitchell's land and the help of men who had worked in the lumber camps, the Kiwanis Club of Eau Claire built a replica cook's shanty and bunkhouse in Carson Park where the Chippewa Valley Railroad is now located. The Paul Bunyan Logging Camp opened to the public in 1935. 

Dr. Roy E. Mitchell and Dr. E.C. Murphy

• Growing & Moving 1937-1986

  The camp continued growing and a tool shed (1939), barn (1947), a blacksmith shop (1947), and machine shed (1982) were all added to the original campus. In 1982, four local Kiwanis clubs raised $130,000 and moved the entire logging camp in 1983 to its current location at 1110 Half Moon Drive. The move made it possible to repair and modernize the 46-year-old logging camp buildings.

  
  Postcard image of early camp in Carson Park
• Paul and Babe 1988-2009

  In 1988 the museum added a visitor center and exhibit space as well as a fiberglass Paul and Babe. The original Paul has since been replaced and moved in front of the Wisconsin Logging Museum.

  
  Original Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox statues
• Chainsaw Championships Come to the Camp 2010

  The museum hosted its first US Open Chainsaw Carving Championship in 2010. During the four days of competition, thousands of guests come to watch as carvers from around the globe turn 8-foot logs into one-of-a-kind works of art while competing for cash prizes. During each competiton over 150 chainsaw sculptures are made on-site and auctioned to raise funds for the museum. 

  
  Chris Wood and sculpture at the 2019 competition
  
• The Wisconsin Logging Museum 2019-2022

  By 2019,  the original Paul Bunyan Logging Camp had grown from two buildings to a campus of four historic buildings, machine shed, and interpretive center. That year, the organization changed its name to Wisconsin Logging Museum to better reflect the broad focus of the museum. Funding from the Kiwanis Club of Eau Claire helped to renovate the Machine Shed and turn it into a gallery space. The Machine Shed re-opened in 2022 and features large logging camp equipment and a display about the jobs performed in logging camps throughout Wisconsin.

  
  Wisconsin Logging Museum Logo
  
• Neighbors Become One Museum 2023
  In 2022 the Boards of Directors from Wisconsin Logging Museum and Chippewa Valley Museum voted in favor of bringing the two museums together to more effectively engage our community in the history and culture of the region. The merger brought together the two museums in a single, continuous campus that includes the Wisconsin Logging Museum Exhibit Center, 1890s Logging Camp, Machine Shed Gallery, 1867 Anderson Log House, Sunnyview School, and the Chippewa Valley Museum.