Jim’s Logging Camp

Eat at Jim’s while you’re in the Northwoods!

This rare pictorial map appears to show a stylized depiction of Skagway, Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. Several references to the town, Alaska, and nearby Yukon territory are noted, plus large mountain ranges and an overall ‘boomtown’ vibe. The style is attended by a crude humor intended for a ribaldrous audience. Numerous references to prostitution, racial discrimination, and casual violence can be seen throughout, plus harmless puns and situational comedy.

The rustic charm of the frontier town might have appealed to patrons of Jim’s Logging Camp, a restaurant located about four miles north of Tomahawk, Wisconsin. While photos in the lower corners show a log-cabin exterior and a massive logging wheel, the image of Skagway may have been made to capture the overall feel promoted by local tourist interests in the Wisconsin Northwoods region. An amusing artist’s signature in the lower right references John Otis, while the soldier’s uniform and 1944 Skagway Pin Up Girl (lower left) indicate a publication date of c. 1945.

The map is rare and unlisted in WorldCat as of April 2025, with only one available market record that I can locate. Postcard for Jim’s at Digital Commonwealth.