A Danish community settled in 1872, location Trufant, Michigan, U.S.A.

The great white pines are native to this area.  In order for the Danish immigrants to settle the land it must be cleared of these beautiful, majestic trees. 

These trees averaged more than one-hundred years old and ranged from two to five feet in diameter, stretching with very little taper, 125 to 175 feet tall, the first 60 to 80 feet without a branch. 

These trees were also known as 'cork pines' because of their light weight they were easily floated down rivers to sawmills. 

     In 1854, the slaughter of the white pines begin.  Once the land was cleared, the stumps remained.  The stumps were so full of sap they would not burn or rot. 

The stumps were pulled so as homes could be built.  Stump extractors were used for this process.  Otherwise known as stump pullers.  Screw type, steel yard, and lever type were the style of pullers used.

Because there were so many stumps, the Danish settlers from Trufant, Michigan used them to fence in small fields which proved the right size for a semi-intensive dairy and potato type of general farming.

"The cutting of the white pine in Michigan was the largest, single, one crop harvest in the history of the world."

The root stumps were made into fencerows in 1867 and remained steadfast until 2020.  After 156 years they are degrading.  For no one to care for these "rotting away" piece of American history I was heart broken.

 

     The root stumps and I met unexpectedly.  As therapy for my post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, I would travel to "where the black top ended" to find peace and tranquility.  The root stumps fences, a few, remained on the out skirts of Trufant, Michigan.  That is when I fell in love with them.  All of them shaped different, yet all so unique, and fascinating. 

 

     It is now my destiny to keep the 'ROOT STUMPS' alive FOREVER!  

Stopped at a home and asked for their root stumps as a donation to me, to use them, as part of my therapy for my PTSD. 

The woman explained her husband was a Vietnam veteran, who was now an independent trucker, out on the road. 

She called him, he said, give Jim all the root stumps he wishes.

That spring and summer I trailered those root stumps from Trufant, Michigan one by one to my home in Kentwood, Michigan. 

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     The root stumps that were harvested will live on "FOREVER" as natural sculptures and also  as abstract modern sculptures.  My broken heart is now healed. 

     The root stumps that are now becoming works of art are 156 years old.  It is considered extreme disrespect to refer to my ROOT STUMPS as DRIFTWOOD.  Please refrain from doing so. 

     I would like to finish with...

FIND YOUR PASSION FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS PRESERVE NATURE.

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By,

James Michael Kristan

aka James Michael

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