Timber pirate
Encyclopedia
A timber pirate is a term used in the United States
to describe a type of pirate engaged in the illegal logging industry.
's government owned supplies of lumber. When the government responded by confiscating loads of wood their owners and the so called timber pirates revolted. The pirates assembled and burned a group of boats loaded with the stolen wood in the most serious incident of the conflict. Following that a series of naval operations by the United States Navy
warship USS Michigan
led to the capture of many rebels and that successfully put an end to the revolt. Timber pirates continued to thrive in the Great Lakes for several years afterward though and at the same time there were pirates on the northern Mississippi River
. The American navy also launched another separate operation against timber pirates in the Calcasieu River
of Louisiana
.
In the early 1900s those who engaged the New Mexico
's illegal logging industry were called timber pirates.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to describe a type of pirate engaged in the illegal logging industry.
History
The term probably originated during Timber Rebellion in 1853 when criminals, mainly from the western Great Lakes region, preyed on MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
's government owned supplies of lumber. When the government responded by confiscating loads of wood their owners and the so called timber pirates revolted. The pirates assembled and burned a group of boats loaded with the stolen wood in the most serious incident of the conflict. Following that a series of naval operations by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
warship USS Michigan
USS Michigan (1843)
|USS Michigan was the United States Navy's first iron-hulled warship and served during the American Civil War. She was renamed USS Wolverine in 1905.-Early career:...
led to the capture of many rebels and that successfully put an end to the revolt. Timber pirates continued to thrive in the Great Lakes for several years afterward though and at the same time there were pirates on the northern Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The American navy also launched another separate operation against timber pirates in the Calcasieu River
Calcasieu River
The Calcasieu River is a river on the Gulf Coast of southwestern Louisiana, U.S.A.. Approximately long, it drains a largely rural area of forests and bayou country, meandering southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The name "Calcasieu" comes from the Native American Atakapa language katkosh, for...
of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
In the early 1900s those who engaged the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's illegal logging industry were called timber pirates.