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Cliff's Oak Lantern
Cliff's Oak Lantern
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Cliff's Oak Lantern
Cut by hand from a 212-year-old Wisconsin bur oak, after the ice brought it down
Cliff Swenson, seventy-six, Hayward, Wisconsin. Forty-four years at the head saw and fifty-three years married to the woman who kept a light in his window. His hands are finished, and 212 bases are all that is left.
“A broker from New York offered to take every board by the board foot, cash, one appointment. It would have ended up as nine-hundred-dollar lamps in hotel lobbies, and nobody would ever have been told where it came from. Doris kept a light in our kitchen window for fifty-three years. That oak isn’t leaving here by the board foot.”
— Cliff Swenson, retired sawyer, Hayward, Wisconsin
“Three things tell you what you’ve got: the ring count, the weight and the smell. A molded base can fake the look of one of them. Nobody fakes all three. And a bur oak that size and that age, standing alone on a ridge in Sawyer County — most foresters go a whole career without seeing one come down. What is on that man’s shelves is the last of it. There is no second tree to go and get.”
— Walt Brekke, retired forester, northern Wisconsin hardwoods
- Real Wisconsin bur oak, not a print. A hand-sanded, oiled base cut from one 212-year-old tree — with a kitchen-table test anyone can run in about ten seconds.
- Yours exists once. The rings, the grain and the ray fleck never repeat, so no two bases are the same.
- A documented year. A hand-numbered base and a card naming the year your ring grew — not a generic authenticity slip.
- No cord, no outlet. Battery-operated, so it sits in a window, on a nightstand or on a bookshelf — wherever somebody should see a light.
- Small on purpose. About 3.7 inches tall, made for a windowsill or a nightstand, not a table lamp. Heartwood from a single trunk only goes so far, and Cliff wanted it to reach 212 homes.
- 212 exist and there is no restock. The oak came down in February 2024. There is no second tree.
If it doesn’t make you switch off the big light the first night, send it back within 30 days and get your money back. In forty-four years at the mill, nobody ever sent a board of Cliff’s back.
Every base is cut from a different part of the same trunk. Ring width, color and ray fleck vary from lantern to lantern — the photographs show examples, not the exact base you will receive. That variation is the wood, not a defect.
The lantern is small: about 3.7 in (9.5 cm) tall and 2.75 in (7 cm) wide. It is a window and nightstand light, not a room lamp. We would rather say so here than have anyone surprised when the box arrives.
| Base | Wisconsin bur oak heartwood, all from a single tree, Sawyer County, Wisconsin |
| Base finish | Hand-sanded and oil-rubbed. No stain, no lacquer |
| Shade | Glass, with a branching-tree design inside |
| Light | Warm white |
| Power | Battery-operated, no cord |
| Size | Approx. 2.75 × 2.75 × 3.7 in (7 × 7 × 9.5 cm) |
| Weight | Approx. 4.6 oz (130 g) |
| Numbering | Hand-numbered 1–212 on the underside of the base |
| In the box | Lantern, ring card, gift box |
| Oak recovered by | Cliff Swenson, Hayward, Wisconsin — tree sprouted around 1812, brought down by an ice storm in February 2024 |
| Quantity available | 212 pieces. No restock. |
| Shipping | Free US shipping, ships within 1–2 days |
The Final Series
The Final Series
Message from the studio:
After forty-six years painting the Blue Ridge mountains from her window, a small stroke this past winter took the steady hand Eleanor Voss needs for the fine detail. She finished her three 2027 series — the American landscapes, the French villages, and the twelve famous-painting cats — in the last weeks the line still held. Every month is printed from an original oil painting. When these are gone, there is no reprint and no 2028.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Each calendar is carefully packed and ships from the US
- Printed from original oil paintings on thick, writable paper
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email support@backroad-goods.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at support@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET) — whether it’s about your order, a gift, or just to say hello.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it in your kitchen, and if it simply isn’t right for you, email support@backroad-goods.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Every month is an original oil painting by Eleanor Voss near Boone, North Carolina, printed on thick coated paper with a twin-wire spiral binding and large writable date blocks. Three editions: American Landscape, French Town Scenery, and the whimsical Famous Painting Cat. This is her final complete series — no reprint.