The Chicago Portraits - Sepia Saturday 695

Among my inherited family photos, there are also some portraits that I don't recognise as "family". Taking a closer look at some of those for this month's Sepia theme (portraits), I noticed a bunch  of rather large ones in paper frames from the early 1900s or so that were from studios in Chicago. This suggested that they must have belonged to my great aunt Gerda (older half-sister to my grandmother Sally), who lived in Chicago c. 1903-1910, working as a maid. So likely to be of people she knew back then... 

For SS 636 (2022-08-27), I wrote a post based on the addresses on postcards sent to Gerda while she lived in Chicago. They show that during the first years she changed employers rather frequently, but from around December 1906 and until she returned to Sweden, she remained living on the same address: 3328 Michigan Avenue. Thanks to the American census of 1910, I also know who she worked for there: A Dr Otto L Schmidt with wife Emma (born Seipp), both of German heritage; at the time with three children in their teens: Ernst, 17, Alma, 15 and Clara, 14. At the time of the census, besides Gerda they also had three more white female servants (from Austria and Germany); plus a 'mulatto' chauffeur with wife and two children. Dr Schmidt was a rather prominent citizen of Chicago, and his wife also belonged to a well-known and wealthy family there. 

At the bottom of this post, you will find an image from the census, plus links to a number of earlier posts where I've written about Gerda and her time in Chicago and with the Schmidt family. 

Anyway - my first thought about the Unknown portraits I was looking at now was that they might be of fellow servants that Gerda had been working with. However, at least one of them did not seem to fit that theory: A child portrait.

 

Putting these two photos side by side, not only do they come from the same studio, and have the same background - but to me, it also looks like the woman and the child may well be mother and daughter. So I'm beginning to wonder if this could actually be Emma Schmidt with one of her daughters (a bit earlier than 1910, as the girl looks younger than 14). 

The double portrait below comes from the same studio but with a different (updated) logo. I also think the two young women look like sisters - and that the one on the left could be an older version of the girl in the portrait above. Could they be Alma and Clara Schmidt? 

Next, a portrait of a young man - not from Chicago, but from Palm Beach, Florida. At first, it made me wonder if there had been a "special man" in Gerda's life during her time in Chicago after all, even though I have not really come across anything else pointing to that.

 

Then I put his photo next to that of the two young women, and now I couldn't help but think I see a family resemblance between all three of them. So what if he's actually Ernst Schmidt?

(Another curious fact, by the way: there are two identical copies of the girls' portrait...)

Trying to verify my guesses, I searched online for photos of the Schmidt family. There are quite a few available at the website of Wisconsin Historical Society, in a collection named "Black Point Estate and Seipp Family Papers". (I.e. Emma's side of the family.) These all seem to be subject to copyright, though, so I won't include any copies here. But here are a few links if you're curious: Ernst in 1912. -  Alma in 1906. - Otto and Emma in 1891.

There are no copies of the same portraits that I have though - so hard to be sure. (Btw, searching for photos of this family, it's also rather confusing that they seemed to like naming their offspring after close relatives... Emmas daughters, for example, were named after her own two sisters, also called Alma and Clara.)

For now, I will assume that the portraits above are indeed of Emma Schmidt and her children. Maybe some day I'll get it either confirmed or disproved - that has happened before with theories I've come up with in this blog!  

Then there was this portrait below, which seemed somehow familiar... But where from??

It hit me after a while that she must be the woman 2nd from the left in the photo below, standing next to Gerda (in the middle). And this (I have concluded earlier) must be from the Seipp/Schmidt families' summer residence(s) at Lake Geneva - probably a group photo of staff from at least two households, "joining forces" while there.

 

I think she's also the friend posing together with Gerda in the studio photo below; which makes me assume that she too was a servant in the Schmidt family household in Chicago. Probably one of the two from Austria - but whether Maria or Amalia, I dare not guess. (Both a little older than Gerda, according to the census of 1910.)

And at last, below, two more Unknown photos. They look to me like they could be one and the same woman, though, even if I don't know her name. Unless something turns up to provide more clues, I'll assume her to be another servant colleague of Gerda's. (The portrait to the left is from Rockford, Illinois - so could be someone she worked with for a while in Chicago, but who either came from, or moved on to, Rockford.)

The 1910 census from 3328 Michigan Avenue (the handwriting a challenge!)

Links to previous "related" posts of mine about Gerda, the Schmidt family, and Chicago:

1910 US Population Census (2012-08-31)

Otto L. Schmidt, Gerda’s employer in Chigaco 1910 (2012-09-03)

The 1933 Chicago World's Fair (2012-09-04)

***Lake Geneva (2021-04-24) (where the family had their summer residence)

Changing My Theory About a Photo (2021-05-08)

Chicago Then and Now (2022-08-27)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 695

 "head and shoulder portraits"

G.049.01-03 - Merry Christmas 1910

These Christmas cards tell us that at Christmas 1910, Gustaf was still living in Galeton, and Gerda in Chicago.

Handembossed POSTCARD
H.L. Woehler, Buffalo, N.Y. (Made in Germany)

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, PA
From: Gerda (Chicago, 23 Dec 1910)

God Jul och många klappar önskas dig hjärtligt från syster Gerda

I wish you a Merry Christmas with many parcels,
with love from sister Gerda

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Galeton, Potter Co, Box 342, PA, U.S.A.
From: Carl E (Gustaf's brother at the family farm in Sweden)

Storegd d 1/12 1910
Käre Broder Gustaf,
En glad och fridfull jul och dertill ett Godt Nytt År tillönskas dig Hjertligt af Carl E.

Dear Brother Gustaf, I wish you a merry and peaceful Christmas and also a Happy New Year, with love from Carl E 

A Merry X'mas
Copyright 1908, P Sander N.Y.

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, PA
From: ? (Galeton, Dec 26, 1910)

Et Godt Nyår till Dig 
Happy New Year

G.048.03 - Anticipating Farewells (?)

 

A. Waldemar
Nr. 461 - M.M. VIENNE - M. Munk

To: Gustaf Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, PA
From: Gerda (Lake Geneva, Sep 30, 1910)

Käre bror!
Mycken tack för brevet. Jag kommer att gå (=resa) in till Chicago nästa måndag. Om du vill vara snäll och skriva så jag har brev der då med min gamla adr. / Syster Gerda

(Framsidan:)
Om du vill låta mig veta om du fått brev från bror Oscar ännu.
Jag skulle ha skrivit brev men har ej tid.

Gerdas val av vykortsmotiv tillsammans med att jag vet att både hon och Gustaf skulle komma att återvända till Sverige något halvår senare, får mig att undra om det väntade brevet från Oscar kanske hade något att göra med deras planer angående detta.

--- 

Dear brother,
Many thanks for the letter. I will be going in to Chicago next Monday. Will you please write so that a letter will be waiting for me there then, at my old address. / Sister Gerda

(On the front of the card:)
If you will let me know if you've received a letter from brother Oscar yet.
I should have written a letter but I don't have time.

Gerda's choice of postcard, together with the fact that I know that both she and Gustaf would be going back home to Sweden in 1911, makes me wonder if perhaps the letter they were awaiting from their brother Oscar had something to do with those plans.

G.048.01 - Manufacturing District, Jamestown N.Y. (1910)

 

Manufacturing District, Jamestown, N.Y.

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, Potter Co, Penna [Pennsylvania]
From: Manda Henrickson, Jamestown, N.Y. (1910?)

Tack för kortet som du sände mig då du var vid Niagara Falls. Du hade väl flickan med dig vid fallet. De bästa hälsningar till dig från Manda Henrickson, 27 Broadhead Ave, Jamestown, N.Y.

Thanks for the card you sent me from Niagara Falls. I assume you had the girl with you by the fall. Best wishes to you from Manda Henrickson, 27 Broadhead Ave, Jamestown N.Y.

***

There is no postmark to confirm when this card was sent, but in the postcard album it sits in between others from 1910. The address Manda gives here is the same one that John Beckman gives on a card from October 1909: G.044.01 "French Dressing". I thought from that card that maybe he and Manda had split up; but as we now learn that they both moved to the same new address, that seems not to be the case. (Cf. G.041.03, from Manda in June 1909, where she says that she and Beckman are living together; but then at a different address.) 

G.047.03 - S.S. Lusitania (1910)

 

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, Potter Co, Pa.
From: John Swanson (New York, June 7, 1910)

New York 7/6
Hallo Gust. Jag har haft mycket roligt här och jag skall lemna här i morgon.
Tecknad af John Sanson

Hallo Gust. I have had a very good time here and am leaving tomorrow.
Regards, John Swanson

***

Another friend of Gustaf's going back home to Sweden, perhaps?

The name Lusitania rings a bell, and I look it up in Wikipedia. 

R.M.S. Lusitania made her maiden voyage on 7 Sept 1907, and was at the time the largest ocean liner in service - until the introduction of R.M.S. Mauretania in November the same year. (Cf a previous card, G.036.03, sent by another Swanson[!], going back to Europe on that ship in 1908.) Both ships belonged to the Cunard Steamship Company. Lusitania is probably most remembered as being sunk  by a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland in May 1915, about two years before the US declared war on Germany. 1198 passengers and crew were killed. 

***

Jag får intrycket att John Swanson är ännu en vän på väg att återvända till Sverige?

Namnet Lusitania känns bekant, och jag slår upp det i Wikipedia. Fartyget sjösattes 1907 och var under en kort tid det största i sitt slag - tills RMS Mauretania introducerades senare samma år. (Se vykortet G.036.03, skrivet av en annan Swanson[!], som återvände till Europa med det fartyget 1908.) Båda fartygen ägdes av Cunard-linjen. Lusitania har gått till historien som det fartyg som i maj 1915 torpederades av en tysk ubåt utanför Irland, två år innan USA förklarade Tyskland krig. 1198 personer dog vid förlisningen. 

G.047.01 - Main Street, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (1910)

 

Main St. Looking West 141-23
Lake Geneva, Wis.

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, Pa - Box 342
From: Gerda (W?, Wisconsin, 26 Mar 1910)

Mycken tack för brevet. Jag är nu på landet för några dagar, det är så fint väder här och varmt. Jag skall skriva när jag kommer till stan [Chicago]. Många hälsningar, syster Gerda. / Jag bor ett stycke från stan [Lake Geneva], du må tro det är en stor fin stad.

Many thanks for the letter. I am now in the country for a few days, the weather is nice here and warm. I will write when I get back to the city [Chicago]. Best wishes, sister Gerda.
Front: I live some distance from the city [Lake Geneva], it's a nice big city.

***

Från tidigare vykort från Lake Geneva har framkommit att Gerda periodvis vistades där med familjen hon arbetade för i Chicago (Dr Otto Schmidt med familj; mellan hösten 1906 - vår/sommar 1911.)

From previous cards from Lake Geneva I have concluded that when Gerda spent time there, that was with the family she was working for in Chicago (Dr Otto Schmidt & family; between autumn 1906 - spring/summer 1911.)

G.046.03 - Sisterly Love for Valentine's Day 1910

 

Min Valentin, Tänk på Mig.

Mitt luftskepp är lätt,

mitt hjärta är fritt.

Unge Cupid skall bära

min kärlek till dig.

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, Pa - Box 342
From: Gerda (Chicago, 14 Feb 1910)

Hjärtligaste hälsningar från syster Gerda
Lots of love from your sister Gerda 

G.046.02 - Yerkes' Observatory, Lake Geneva, Wis.

 

To: Mr Gust Ekman, Galeton, Box 342, Pa
From: Gerda (Chicago, Feb 21, 1910)

Käre bror! Hjärtligt tack för brevet och kortet, jag kan mycke väl känna igen dig. Jag skall snart skriva brev. Många hälsningar från syster Gerda. / Kanhända jag har sändt dig denna vy allaredan. Jag kommer ej ihåg.

Dear brother, many thanks for the letter and the photo, I have no difficulty recognizing you. I will write a letter soon. Best wishes from sister Gerda. / Maybe I have sent you this view before. I don't remember.

Jo, visst har Gerda sänt ett liknande vykort till Gustaf förut (G.039.02), i augusti 1908. Det finns med i ett tidigare inlägg: Greetings from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 1908 (April 2021). Det är samma vy, men inte exakt samma vykort.

Yerkes Observatory, sometimes called "the birthplace of modern astrophysics", was founded in 1892 by astronomer George Ellery Hale and financed by businessman Charles T. Yerkes. [Wikipedia]

Gustaf in Galeton, Pennsylvania ~ 1910

Ännu ett gammalt foto, som när jag först hittade det, inte sa mig någonting. Först senare, när jag på andra vägar funnit att farmors äldre halvbror Gustaf bott och arbetat några år i Galeton i Pennsylvania, USA, så lade jag vid en ny titt på det här fotot märke till fotografens märke på pappersramen: Martin, Galeton, PA

Tillsammans med uppgifterna från den amerikanska folkräkningen 1910 (länk till tidigare blogginlägg) drar jag slutsatsen att huset på bilden är det där Gustaf tillsammans med andra sågverksarbetare i Galeton hyrde logi av den lokala skatteindrivaren Thomas Near med familj. 

Tillsammans med tio andra män uppges Gustaf i folkräkningen 1910 som “boarder” (inneboende) hos familjen Thomas Near i Galeton, Ward 2, Pennsylvania. Near var kommunal skatteindrivare (Tax Collector/ Borough), hans hustru och fyra barn är också upptagna i folkräkningen – och tydligen hyrde de ut logi till sågverksarbetare också.

Gustaf känner jag nu igen som mannen längst till vänster. Kortet är odaterat, men måste vara taget mellan 1904-1911. (Från hans vykortssamling kan jag se att han 1903 bodde i Port Allegany, men 1904 flyttat till Galeton. Och 1911 återvände han till Sverige.)

Jag utgår från att personerna längst till höger är medlemmar av familjen Near. Den uppgivna åldern på döttrarna i folkräkningen 1910 är 22 resp 20. Detta kan stämma med de två unga damerna. De två småflickorna finns inte listade i folkräkningen - men kanske räknades inte barn under en viss ålder? (Har inte kollat upp detta.) Den unge mannen i mitten kan vara en av sönerna (antagligen den äldre?). Mannen som står bredvid Gustaf är väl antagligen en annan inneboende.

In English:

Another old photo that at first glance didn't tell me anything. Later, I discovered the photographer's imprint on the frame: Martin, Galeton, PA. By then I had learned that my great-uncle Gustaf lived in Galeton between 1904-1911 and worked at the sawmill there. In the census from 1910 (link to a previous blog post) he is listed as a boarder with Mr Thomas Near (tax collector) and family. So I suppose this must be that house, and the people on the right the Near family. On the photo, I recognize Gustaf as the man furthest to the left. In the census, the daughters of the family are said to be 22 and 20 years old, which might match the age of the two young ladies in the photo. The young man between them could be one of the sons (probably the elder?). I'm not sure where the two little girls fit in - but perhaps children below a certain age weren't listed? (I haven't checked that.) The man standing next to Gustaf I assume to be another boarder.

Otto L. Schmidt, Gerda’s employer in Chigaco 1910

Googling the name of Gerda’s employer back in 1910 in Chicago, physician Otto L. Schmidt, I find that he was prominent enough to be one of 25 citizens to have his names engraved on The Illinois State Archives building in 1938: 

OTTO LEOPOLD SCHMIDT (1863–1935)

Schmidt was born in Chicago and became a prominent physician. He was a promoter of historical studies and served as president of the Chicago Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society. He was also the chairman of the Illinois Centennial Commission.

The Illinois State Archives building was completed in 1938 with the last names of 25 people engraved around the top. The twenty-three men and two women represent individuals who were related to Illinois in some manner and who made contributions to the cultural, social, educational, political and economic development of both the state and nation. They were chosen by the State Board of Art Advisors who in 1936 acted in an advisory capacity to the State Department of Public Works and Buildings. All of the honorees were deceased before the building opened. The names of 31 men and one woman had already been inscribed on the Centennial (Howlett) Building before the Archives was constructed.

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/names.html

 

Another website tells me that a substantial collection (17 boxes) of Otto L. Schmidt papers is kept at the Chicago History Museum, Research Center.

Biographical/Historical note:

Otto Leopold Schmidt, prominent Chicago physician, historian, and leader in the Illinois German American community, was born in Chicago on March 21, 1863. He was the son of Dr. Ernst Schmidt (1830-1900) and Theresa (Weikhardt) Schmidt. Dr. Ernst Schmidt was likewise a respected physician and German American leader, a friend and supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the young Republican Party, who in his later years worked for the pardon of the Haymarket Affair anarchists. Otto Schmidt's three brothers were Frederick R. Schmidt, a druggist; Richard E. Schmidt, an architect; and Louis E. Schmidt, a urologist.

Otto L. Schmidt attended the Chicago public schools (graduated from Haven School in 1877) and entered the Chicago Medical College in 1880 (which later became part of Northwestern University), where he received his M.D. degree in 1883. He then spent two years as an intern at the Cook County Infirmary and then at the Alexian Brothers Hospital. From 1885 to 1887, Schmidt continued his medical studies in Wurzburg, Germany, and Vienna, Austria, after which he joined the staff of the Alexian Brothers Hospital. For many years he also was a consulting physician at Grant Hospital and Michael Reese Hospital and, from 1889 to 1892, served as a medical instructor at Northwestern University.

Dr. Schmidt devoted his practice to internal medicine and gained considerable stature in his field. He was the first physician to use X-rays in Chicago and was sued in the late 1890s by a patient who had suffered burns from the procedure. Dr. Schmidt lost the case.

Dr. Schmidt was deeply interested in preserving the history of Illinois and that of the German American community, and he participated in numerous historical and cultural organizations. From 1914 to 1935, he was president of the Illinois State Historical Society and, from 1923 to 1935, president of the Illinois State Historical Library, having been appointed a trustee by Governor Deneen in 1909. He served as a trustee of the Chicago Historical Society between 1899 and 1932, and was president of its board of trustees from 1923 to 1927. He also served as president of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association from 1926 to 1927 and, from 1916 to 1919, was chairman of the Illinois Centennial Commission, which directed the one-hundredth anniversary celebrations of Illinois statehood.

Dr. Schmidt was also awarded two honorary degrees in his later years, the Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1922 and the J.D. from Loyola University in 1930. He was appointed to the Chicago Board of Education in 1927, but resigned the following year. He also was a member of the Union League Club, the Chicago Athletic Club, the Chicago Literary Club, the Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and numerous medical, literary, bibliographical, civic, and philanthropic organizations.

Schmidt's main recreational activity was yachting, to which he devoted his administrative skills by serving as commodore of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club and as president of the Inland Lakes Yachting Association.

In 1891 Dr. Schmidt married Emma Seipp, the daughter of Conrad Seipp, a Chicago brewer. To them were born three children, Ernest C. Schmidt, Alma Petersen (Mrs. William F. Petersen), and Clara Reese (Mrs. Hans H. Reese). They survived him upon his death, which occurred in Chicago on August 20, 1935, after a long struggle with heart disease and cancer.

 

Sammanfattning på svenska

Otto L. Schmidt, Gerdas arbetsgivare 1910

När jag googlar namnet på läkaren Gerda arbetade för i Chicago vid tiden för den amerikanska folkräkningen 1910, Otto L. Schmidt, finner jag att han var en så framstående medborgare, att hans namn är ett av de 25 ingraverade på staten Illinois arkivbyggnad från 1938. 17 lådor med hans efterlämnade papper finns också bevarade på Chicagos historiska museum.

Otto L. Schmidt (1863-1935) var inte bara en respekterad läkare utan även styrelsemedlem resp. ordförande i flera historiska sällskap. Som läkare var han den förste i Chicago att använda röntgen - och blev på 1890-talet stämd av en patient som fått skador av experimenten. Senare i sin karriär fick han hedersutnämningar från flera universitet.

Han gifte sig 1891 med Emma Seipp, dotter till en bryggeriägare. De fick tre barn, Ernest, Alma och Clara. (Namnen stämmer med folkräkningslistan 1910.) Han dog 1935 efter en lång kamp med hjärtsjukdom och cancer.

 

1910 US Population Census

För ett par veckor sedan beslöt jag att flytta över mina släktträdsdata från geni.com till  ancestry.se som jag tycker verkar överskådligare och lättare att arbeta med. Jag har ännu inte betalat medlemsavgift (själva släktträdsmallen är gratis) – väntar kanske med att bli betalande medlem med tillgång till diverse scannat forskningsmaterial tills jag känner att jag har mer tid. Men just nu några dagar så erbjöd de gratis tillgång till amerikanska folkräkningar; så jag passade på att söka efter farmors halvsyskon Gerda och Gustaf i den amerikanska folkräkningen från 1910. Både Gustaf och Gerda utvandrade ju till USA ca 1902, och var bosatta där 1910, fast de senare återvände till Sverige (Gustaf 1911 om jag minns rätt, och Gerda ett par år senare).

Det var lite knepigt att hitta dem, även om jag visste från vykortssamlingen var de troligen bodde. Men stavningen i folkräkningsregistren, och tolkningen av de handskrivna uppgifterna när dessa lagts över till data, kräver en viss flexibilitet i tanken…

Jag tror dock att jag hittat dem; det verkar stämma.

Gerda:

I Chicago Ward 3, Cook, Illinois, fanns 1910 en Gerda M. Elman, alt. Ekman eller Ehman. (Efter att ha tittat på handskriften är jag ganska säker på att det står Ekman). 28 år, vit, född i Sverige, invandrad 1902, och med plats som “servant” i hushållet hos en Otto L. Schmidt med familj.

Otto, 47, var läkare (“physician”) och “working on own account”. Otto och hans fru Emma var båda av tysk härkomst, men födda i Illinois. De hade en son och två döttrar som 1910 alla var i tonåren. Förutom Gerda ingick i hushållet ytterligare två kvinnliga “servants” (båda från Österrike) och en manlig (från Tyskland), samt en chaufför med hustru och två barn. Chaufförens hustru tycks inte ha räknats som anställd. Om jag tolkar registerutdraget rätt så var både chauffören (med efternamn Mullica) och hans hustru (och därmed också deras barn) mulatter (födda i USA). I rutan för Colour or Race står i deras fall en krumelur som jag tolkar som “mu”. Den skiljer sig från dem som betecknas som “w”= white.

Gustaf:

I Galeton Ward 2, Potter, Pennsylvania hittar jag efter ett antal alternativa sökningar Gust Ekmann.

Tillsammans med tio andra män uppges han som “boarder” (inneboende) hos familjen Thomas Near. Near var kommunal skatteindrivare (Tax Collector/ Borough), hade hustru och fyra barn – och hyrde tydligen ut logi till sågverksarbetare också.

Gustafs yrke anges som “yardman” på sågverket. Två av hans logikamrater arbetade på fabrik – jag läser det som “kindling factory”, dvs tillverkning av tändved, en biprodukt från sågverket – och så är det två med beteckning “fireman/ stationary”. Jag tror det betyder att de var eldare vid de stationära ångmaskinerna vid sågverket. Fem av de totalt elva inneboende hos Nears (inkl Gustaf) var svenska invandrare; de övriga födda i USA.

Det finns ett timmermuseum i Galeton (klicka på bilden för att komma till museets hemsida). Så här ungefär kan det ha sett ut där Gustaf arbetade:

 

In English

At a family tree website I joined recently (ancestry.se), this week they offered free access to old American population censuses. I took the opportunity to search in the census from 1910 for my grandmother’s two half-siblings Gerda and Gustaf, who emigrated to the States in 1902. (They were both still living there in 1910, but moved back to Sweden a few years later.)

I knew Gerda lived in Chicago and worked as a servant; and I found her in the household of physician Otto L Schmidt and family. Otto and his wife had three teenage children in 1910, and besides Gerda two more female servants (from Austria), one male servant (from Germany) and a chauffeur whose “Colour or Race” is given as “mu” (mulatto, I guess). The chauffeur’s wife (also mulatto) and their two children  were also counted as belonging to the Schmidt household although it seems the wife was not employed by them. 

Gustaf I knew lived in Galeton, Pennsylvania. My first searches gave no result, but after a bit of lateral thinking I managed to find him under the name of “Gust Ekmann”. He is registered as “yardman” at the sawmill and as boarder to the township’s tax collector, a Mr Near (and family); together with ten other sawmill workers.

There is a lumber museum at Galeton, and I guess the map of the premises gives an idea what it may have looked like back in the days when Gustaf worked there. (Click on the map to get to the museum website.)