Log Cabin Day

Log Cabin Day sends modern people back to the days when a log cabin was considered a wonderful home, because there was simply no alternative. People lived in cabins made of logs throughout the United States, in northern Europe, and in distant Russia. These wooden houses looked completely different. In the Norwegian city of Trondheim, there is an amazing Museum of Wooden Architecture, which, of course, is not under a roof. It contains a lot of absolutely dissimilar wooden buildings – the dwellings of fishermen and farmers, warehouses, and even churches.

For America, Log Cabin Day is an important holiday because a wooden hut has its own significance for the history of this country: colonists lived in such houses, and 7 US presidents were born in them.

History

The holiday was created by the Log Cabin Society (Michigan) and the Bad Ax Historical Society. It has been since 1986.

Interesting Facts

During the election campaign of William Henry Harrison, the future 9th President of the United States, his associates made the log cabin a campaign symbol to show Harrison came from the common people.

How to Take Part

Log Cabin Day should be closer to a hut.

1. If you have a log cabin in the area, rent it for this holiday. It will be a memorable party!
2. Visit a museum. Many museums display exact copies of the huts, sometimes to actual size. Tell your children about life in such conditions.
3. Try building your own log cabin using any wood you can find! Your ancestors often did the same. Children will enthusiastically take part in this undertaking.
4. The hut – or a small copy of it – can be used as a teaching aid in conversations with children. Tell them about the colonists, cowboys, and Native Americans.
5. If you spend a holiday in nature, be sure to cook food on a fire! Just like the log cabin dwellers.

When is Log Cabin Day in 2024?

Log Cabin Day is observed on the last Sunday of June.

Observations