Hardiness

Originally Aired: May 20, 1936 Cavalcade of America #33, "Hardiness," presents a dramatic tale of survival and determination in the lumber camps of 1840s Minnesota. When Steve Hanks and his fellow rivermen begin their spring log drive down the San Croix River, disaster strikes when the boom at Stillwater breaks, sending their entire winter's harvest of logs racing past the sawmill and down the Mississippi. What represents a full season's work and the financial future of the entire logging community appears lost. Among the desperate lumbermen, including mill owner Mr. Steele and workers like Pierre Bernard, a daring plan emerges: salvage what logs they can and form massive rafts to float them all the way to St. Louis to sell directly at market. Steve Hanks takes command of this unprecedented journey, guiding three enormous log rafts down the treacherous Mississippi. The crew faces constant danger, from swift currents and log jams to the dreaded Lake Pepin, known for its difficult waters and sudden storms. As the men struggle with tow lines and anchors, fighting exhaustion and the elements, their fate and the future of Stillwater's lumber industry hang in the balance.