Below you will find some of the museum staff's favorite historic and scientific resources. The list is curated to be up to date and easy to adapt. 

Historic Resources & Information

1. A perfect introduction on Iowa history can be found on Iowa Pathways. Iowa Pathways is full of concise articles and videos on lumber mills in Iowa. 
2. The history of Clinton's sawmills can't be told without the tale of Clinton vs Lyons. The two towns, now one in the same, had their fate decided by the railroads. Visit IAGW for a quick history on these two towns. 
3. There would be no Lumber Capital of the World without a place to provide enough logs to warrant such a distinction. Clinton's sawmill were built off the logs from Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is where the lumberjacks roamed. Minnesota Historical Society provides many great resources on lumberjacks and logging in the Northwoods. 
4. A colorful first hand account of life in a lumberjack camp.  

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Historic Lesson Plans & Activities 

1.  Your seemingly one stop lesson plan. This monster lesson plan provides all the needed information for a Life in a Logging Camp play. Good for up to 150 students and featuring over 50 jobs, this play is sure to get the kids excited. Even better, we have a Lumberjack Camp for the backdrop. 
2. A lesson plan for music teachers that features the songs of the Lumberjack Camp. 
3. Lumberjacks had to eat. This lesson plan provides a great opportunity to explore the hard work and calories needed to cut down logs. 
4. The museum has a Primary Source Guide available by clicking here. 
5. A resource guide on Clinton & Westward Expansion
6. A resource guide on Clinton & Immigration as seen through the lumber industry. 

Science, River, & Forestry Resources

​& Information

1.  A great student guide for Idaho forests. The museum hopes to create one for Iowa forests. 
2. A look at Iowa's State Parks. While more for tourists than education, it does offer some great insight into Iowa's forests. 
3. A great pamphlet for the museum, this little gem talks about 20 native trees of Iowa. Each tree is perfectly described in terms of its physical characteristics and its uniqueness.
4. The museum has the Our Mississippi River curriculum guide and associated lessons and resources. Click the link for the entire pdf of the workbook. 

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Science, River & Forestry Lesson

​Plans

1. One of the best sites for forestry lessons is from Idaho Forest Products Commission. Matt's favorite lesson is the lesson showing how the forests filter water. 
2. Curated by the Society of American Foresters, this webpage provides multiple links to various lesson plans around the web. It's broken down by grade level. Warning! You could spend hours on this site. 
3. Most of us live in urban areas. Various initiatives have been undertaken to engage students in creating urban forests. While this lesson plan is dense, it provides a terrific overview of studying trees in an urban environment.