Record books created by land inspectors who appraised timber stands. This was done by walking or “cruising” through a forest and estimating the volume of saw timber the stand would produce and noting other details.
The volumes divide each town into 36 sections. Each section is then further divided into quarters and sub units of quarters. The volumes give a general description of each section and a more detailed description for each lot. Each section includes a map showing the boundaries of the lots and topographical features. The descriptions may list topographical features, man-made features, condition, and amount and types of trees. Most volumes also include an inspector's affidavit listing name, date, and town and range inspected. The volumes are listed by county, then by town-range. The list below also indicates the year and the land inspector.
These volumes were completed between 1885-1889 by individuals appointed as land inspectors by the County Board of Supervisors. The records cover towns located in present day Oneida and Vilas counties. However, when these records were created the towns were still in Oneida County. Vilas County separated from Oneida County in 1893.
Timber cruising books may have been used to make land management decisions. The staff at the Oneida County Forestry Department was surprised at the significant quantity of cutover and burned land already in evidence when these records were created. They had believed that there was much more virgin timber still in existence at that time.
