Just like any other typical day, lumberjack and other team members were cutting the trees. It was a long day, and they already had cut enough trees and seemed close to meeting their daily quota. The lumberjack had worked very hard and let his chainsaw roar all day to achieve the builder’s requirements.
Lumberjack and his teammates were close to achieving that day’s commitment when they realized that they have to stop their chainsaws. They saw something strange that compelled them to stop their work. The thing they saw was not usual in that area, and such an incident has never happened to anyone before.
1. Unusual incident:
All the loggers were doing their usual work at Georgia Kraft co., and everything was going well until the lumberjack let its chainsaw grinding on a particular tree. All the team members witnessed something that they will never forget in their entire lives.
Even if you talk to the loggers today about that incident, they will narrate it with great pleasure. Many events happened in the world, which at first seems illogical. Even if science sheds some light on the circumstances and tries to explain its logic, it is still difficult to digest. The thing that loggers found on that cloudy morning was one such illogical event for them until they got their answers later.
2. Lumberjack is not a strange thing there:
Many people in the world are against deforestation as it has adverse effects on the earth. Some people are against cutting trees because it eliminates the world’s beauty. On the flip side, there are some people or even entire families that are in favor of woodcutting because their industries are based on wood.
Jasper is a beautiful city in Pickens County, Georgia, and it is situated next to the trailing mountains like Bent Tree, Big Canoe, and Sharp Mountain Preserve. The people here are amicable and welcoming, and every family here has a direct or indirect connection to the lumber industry. So the people here do not mind cutting the woods.
3. Chestnut trees are different from Oaks:
The mountains near the jasper town are populated with chestnut trees; this area has most of America’s chestnut trees. These trees are a significant source of income for the residents of the jasper town due to their high commercial value. Chestnut trees are different from oaks because they take less time to come out of the ground and begin to rise.
When the 20th century began, a fungal infection sprouted, and it destroyed many of the American species, but some survived. The chestnut trees are now spread across the eastern parts of North America like New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.
4. Something unusual with one tree:
The loggers of Georgia Kraft co. were on site early in the morning to complete that day’s quota on time. They worked for few hours when they started feeling tired and exhausted and need to have their lunch break.
In 1980, about 7 to 8 workers of Georgia Kraft co., left their homes to work at about 10 a.m. they all sat in an empty truck and started heading towards the site for the day. When they reached the site, the lumberjacks started their usual tasks, and everything was normal until noon. When the workers resumed their work after a lunch break, they noticed something strange about one particular tree.
5. A strange thing in a shallow tree:
When the workers get back o work after their lunch break, they noticed a strange thing in a tree that they were about to cut, and it was something unusual for the workers. Nothing like this had happened to them since they have started working in the profession of a lumberjack.
The workers were on the schedule, and they had cut most of the trees that they were supposed to cut on that day. Just a few more trees were left to be cut, including a shallow tree. The workers thought that the shallow tree would require less effort than the rest of the tees, but they did not know that this tree holds a dreadful secret.
6. There was something strange with the tree:
Apparently, the tree did not look any strange from the rest of the trees. The workers did not know that this chestnut tree had some hidden problem until they had cut it down. They realized it when the tree was felled to the ground.
When the tree fell to the side, the workers started their routine cutting down the trunk in small pieces. The purpose of cutting the tree in smaller sizes was easy transportation. The workers already assumed that the tree is shallow, and if they were right, then the sunlight should have penetrated the trunk from end to end. But it didn’t; that means either the tree was not shallow, or there is something inside it.
7. Blackhole on a tree:
The loggers also discovered a black hole in the trunk of the chestnut tree. The black hole looked like a window or door of a house, and it also looked like a small truck coming out of the big one. The curious workers started investigating the black hole, and they found something else which was more intriguing.
The people who would look at the tree from afar would think that the black hole is actually a tiny trunk in a tree or whatever they believe; one thing is for sure, that they will be fascinated by the sight of it. So the men started to find out what is strange with the tree.
8. Who will bell the cat:
After a thorough observation of the log, the men concluded that the light is going from one end into the shaft, but it is not coming out from the other side. It means there is something in the log that is blocking the way of sunlight. All of them were curious to find out about the obstacle, but no one dared to check it.
Everyone was guessing about the potential obstacle that could block the light from passing through, and after a long discussion, they decided to verify it, but then another arose. Who will do it? Who will bell the cat? No one was ready to volunteer.
9. A courageous volunteer:
As the discussion was about verifying the obstacle, one courageous man stood up and volunteered himself for the task. He tried to check what’s inside the trunk; suddenly, he jumped out in agony. All other men gathered around him to know what had happened.
When the logger thought that they had to let go of the mystery unsolved, one of them volunteered to go inside the hollow chest. The brave man leaned down and tucked his head in the open trunk, but suddenly he jumped back with a scream. Everyone was looking at him with a lot of questions in their eyes.
10. There is a beast:
That worker’s face was pale, and he was gasping furiously. Initially, he could not comprehend what he had seen, but as his nerves started cooling down, he realized what had just happened. Everyone was waiting for him to cool down to tell them what he had seen in the hollow shaft.
He stood there for some time and tried to digest what he had just seen, and then h looked at the faces of his teammates/ he could easily see the curiosity on their faces. Then he finally spoke, and all that came out of his mouth was, “there is a beast in the trunk.”
11. What is that creature:
Upon asking for further explanation, the brave worker could not explain it adequately, but he was sure that there is one sort of creature inside the trunk. Suspense and curiosity accumulated in the group, and everyone has eager to find out about the strange creature.
Out of curiosity, any other loggers also had a look, and all of them were confused upon their discovery. All of them had one question. How the hell did something like that happen there? The young men were unaware that they had made a discovery, just like the scientists and archeologists do. Just like all of us, the men also had a lot of questions.
12. They called their manager:
It was the first time that anything like this had happened to the workers, so they did not know what to do or respond to such a situation. So they called their leader and asked for the instructions to apply in this particular case.
The loggers were sure that they cannot use the tree now and whatever is stuck between the trunks is essential and precious. So they called their manager and asked him for further instruction. The manager told the workers to let go of that log and concentrate on their work. The men disagreed with the manager, and they started a discussion about their next step.
13. Monster trying to jump:
The man who first looked into the hole explained that he saw a monster with fangs and paws. He also added that the thing was as still as a statue, and he can clearly say that this thing was here for more than decades.
When the other workers looked like the creature stuck between the chestnut tree trunks, some described it as a monster trying to jump out, and some described it as a wild dog that growled his teeth. Besides the difference in the description, all the workers on one page that it was a living being that once lived but not anymore.
14. Completely static:
It is confirmed to all the workers now that this creature has been stuck here for decades, and the posture has also indicated that the monster struggled to escape the hollow shaft. The position of the beast in the chest looks like it tried hard to move forward and get back outside.
Everyone wondered how this creature ended up in the chest and could have happened? There were wild guesses, and all of them were wrong except one. While having a closer look at the creature, the workers found a clue on the creature’s teeth. They look at it more keenly, and now everything was clear.
15. The creature is a dog:
The team of lumberjacks examines the creature more closely, and everyone describes it to each other. Most of the logger’s description’s most common features were a long muzzle, long claws on the legs, and sharp fangs. According to this description, it looks like that the creature was a puppy.
The creature’s muzzle paws and fangs were visible because these parts were closer to the tip of the trunk. But what was the dog doing here? Half of the mystery unfolded for the loggers when they realized that the creature is a dog, and it made them sad too because, at one point, this was a living dog.
16. Mummified dog:
All the loggers had a sigh of relief once they realized that the creature was just a dog, but it had changed its appearance as the dog was stuck here for ages. It was hard to recognize the creature like a dog. You can say that the dog had transformed into a mummy.
People started to call it a mummified dog, but what that mummified dog was doing there? The loggers were not in Ancient Egypt, and the dog was not buried in a coffin. To be honest, the dog was not at all mummified. So what actually has happened to that dog? What do you think about all this?
17. What to do with the tree trunk?
The workers were curious to know about the circumstances that brought this dog ended up in a tree chest. There were many speculations, but the loggers didn’t know which one is true. There were many questions on their mind, and they wanted an answer for all of them.
The logger also wondered about what to do with the tree, but first, they had to complete their day’s task. Once they are free, they will figure out what to do with the tree. They already know that there is no use in talking to the authorities, as they already have spoken to the manager, who showed zero interest in their discovery.
18. Their priority:
The workers were confused about what to do with the mysterious tree. Just like their routine work, the loggers cut down the tree, and then they started to cut it into smaller pieces, but then a point came where they had to choose between loss of wealth and preservation of life.
The loggers knew that leaving the log uncut will affect their profit margins of the day, but still, they choose not to shred it into pieces. The loggers did not want to cut the trunk into pieces because they knew that it would reveal more about human lives. This decision proved that the logger’s priority was human life.
19. Solve the riddle:
All the workers were intrigued to find out what had compelled the dog to get into the tree trunk. Was the dog running for his life, or was he scared of something and tried to hide in the chest. Whatever the story, the workers wanted to know all about the mysterious dog.
When the workers completed their day task, they dragged the log to the place, which was a perfect place for it. According to the loggers, this place will help them find all the answers about the dog and his tree. None of them knew what had happened to this poor dog, but they all wanted to get to the bottom of it.
20. They had to wait for a long time:
The workers knew that they could not find the answers by themselves, as for that they need to learn many scientific explanations, which none of them knew. So the right person who can help them find the answers is a qualified scientist.
So the right place to take the log was a scientist, and the loggers believed that they could finally get their answers. The loggers waited for a long time; it took a year for the scientist to find out about the mystery of the dog and his tree. In 1981, the workers finally solved the riddle, and they were sad about the dog’s true story.
21. Southern Forest World:
A southern forest is a place in America that has the richest collection of wood. This place is a museum named Southern Forest World and is located in Waycross, Georgia. This museum is part of the southeastern forest industry of the United States.
The Southern Forest World features a collection of timber production from colonial America to modernized agricultural techniques. The dog found its last resort in this museum. The dog is still held in the trunk of the tree, and it is placed in the museum as an object of art. The workers decided to give the log to the museum so many people can see it. What do you think wasn’t a good idea?
22. The back story of the dog:
The Sothern Forest museum considered the log holding a dog as an object of art, and they exhibited it in the gallery on the day of the public exhibition. It is one of the famous collections of the Southern Forest World.
When the loggers brought the log to the Southern Forest World, the museum was not inaugurated yet. All other arrangements and landing of the tree log that held a dog indicated that the inauguration would succeed. But the museum authorities wanted more details about the dog and the tree. All they knew was a group of loggers had discovered this trunk. So the duty of finding out the dog’s backstory was assigned to Kristina Killgrove, a biological anthropologist.
23. The expert opinion:
The biological anthropology expert Kristina Killgrove explained the presence of the dog in the tree. She used her expertise and thoroughly examined the dog inside the tree and provided her opinion and other possible information.
The expert Killgrove observes the dog’s posture, expressions, and position, and initially, she confirmed that the dog might have been mummified. But after further examination, she dismissed her own opinion and said that mummifying a dog like this is next to impossible. Then the Kristina Killgrove, the biological anthropologist, gave some logical, explainable answers. What do you think could be the answers? Keep reading to find out
24. Some scientific explanations:
The anthropologist gave some explanations to the workers to help them understand what has happened to the dog. The expert’s answer was more scientific, and she knew that it would be hard for the workers to understand all the scientific terminologies, so she tried to do it in a simplified way.
Kristina first explained the process of putrefaction and told them how the breakdown of the tissues starts this process. She further explained, “When microbes began to eat the tissue shortly after her death. They grow, they reproduce, and they start to take hold of the body. It happens very quickly ….”
25. Preventing nature take its course:
The expert then explained to the workers why the dog’s body is not decomposed till now. They explained it with the help of presenting the internal structure of the chestnut tree. She explained that the chestnut tree contains two substances, tannin and desiccant, and both of these substances have moisture-absorbent properties.
She said that the chestnut tree absorbed all the fluid from the dog’s body and hence slowed down the process of decomposition. Lack of humidity prevented the germs from eating the dog’s body, and that why it lasted much longer. But then another question arises that why the scavengers had not eaten the body of the dog.
26. No smell:
As the dog’s body is not decomposing at the rate, it is supposed to be; all is because of the absence of microbes. The lack of microbes also saved the body from the wild birds. Bertha Sue Dixon, the director of Southern Forest World, said there were no active microbes in the body, so there was no smell to attract the predatory.
Berta said, “Anyone that eats dead meat would never know it was in the tree.” She further explained that even if there were a smell, the hollow trunk would have blown it away, and the potential scavengers would have never known the existence of the dog’s body. All the explanations mentioned above were logical and acceptable too.
27. A hunting dog:
The research solved all the questions on the loggers’ minds, and now they linger in our minds. One of the biggest mysteries of this entire incident was how the dog gets into the trunk. According to the experts, the mummified dog was once a hunter; most probably, it was a hunting season when the dog got stuck in the trunk while pursuing his prey.
According to the experts, the dog died in 1960, and at that time, it was four years old. The dog might be chasing its prey, probably a squirrel or raccoon, by going deep into the hole and stuck there. The poor dog did not know it will become his last chase.
28. A chimney effect:
Like other chestnut trees, this tree also had a great height, but even the tree’s height not discouraged the dog from going through the hole. The dog was stuck in the hollow tree at 28 feet above the ground and remained there for too long. It looks like the chimney effect has occurred, creating an upward flow of air.
The chimney phenomenon took away the smell of a dead dog, which is why the insects and scavengers were not attracted to its body. On the other hand, the tannic acid in the chestnut tree hardened the dog’s skin and transformed it into a mummy.
29. Does the dog have any name:
The dog is very famous in the museum and surrounding area, and it would be better if people would know his name. What do you think could be the name of this dog? What if the Southern Forest World Museum had given it a name?
This mysterious dog is the center of the Southern Forest World; even it features many other important species like oak, cypress, pine, etc. Now the dog is playing the role of the museum’s ambassador. The museum is using the image of a dog on most of its postcards and promotional materials. What do you think? Wasn’t it an incredible discovery?
30. Stuckie:
For many years, the dog was famous by the name of mummified dog but keeping in mind that the dog was never mummified, the museum circle finally gave a name to the dog. The dog was named Stuckie.
The Southern Forest World museum holds a naming contest in which the three names Stuckie, Dogwood, and Chipper received the most votes, and finally, by the consent of all the participants, the dog was named Stuckie. Someone pointed out that the log in which the dog is held looks like the “pecan log,” which is sold in Stuckie stores. So to avoid copyright issues, the museum slightly changed the spellings.
31. The sad part of the story:
The sad part of this story is that although the dog body stays preserved for years and the predators and microbes do not decompose it, the dog looks breathless. We all can imagine the agony that the poor dog has gone through. The poor animal has frozen in the time and become like a mummy.
Brandt Stevenson, the director of Southern Forest World, said that the visitors always show concern about the dog’s body, and they ask me, “How did he get into this? And I always say, Well, he was a hunting dog. Maybe he was after a raccoon. And then they say, poor old man. I’m so sorry for him.”
32. Free Stuckie:
Many visitors each year visit the museum that housed the Stuckie and all with divergent opinions. Some sensible visitors say that the museum pays a dignified tribute to the Stuckie, while others oppose this point of view.
People have a different view on the body of Stuckie; some think that it is ok if the body stays in museums and lets the world know about the various scientific processes. Some people believe that body should be removed from the museum and it should receive a decent burial. What are your views about the body of Stuckie? Is it ok to display the body, or should it rest in peace?
33. It must be hard for the dog:
We can imagine how hard it must be for the Stuckie to stay in the hellhole for many years. The dog must have suffered a lot as it was stuck in a tree trunk where it did not have much room to move.
But it is also a fact that the tree chest kept its body reasonably intact. The day Stuckie has arrived in the museum, it has remained the greatest attraction of the museum o let go of the body of the dog is out of the question. The museum authorities want to keep the dog’s body for educational purposes and want to display it to create awareness.
34. Stuckie story is fascinating:
A dog stuck in a tree trunk is an intriguing story, and it still fascinates many people. It is also true that the story is sad and unhappy, but we can assume that if this tragic story had not happened, the dog could be a faithful and good friend.
Some people are against the display of the body of Stuckie, but no matter people like it or not, the body will stay where it has been for the past many decades. We suggest you go on a fun trip with your family and friends and visit Southern Forest World. We promise you that you will be surprised to see Stuckie.
