Beans have always been a staple food for work crews, as we've learned from many Westerns, particularly Blazing Saddles. That went double for lumberjacks felling huge old-growth trees to ship across America in the 19th century. Beans are cheap, filling, nutritious, easy to store, and easy to transport, so they were a staple at lumber camps. While the men also had high-calorie meats, sweets, and bread, fruits and vegetables were rarely available. Baked beans made up a large percentage of their daily fuel. But how do you bake beans out in the wilderness?
Cooking the beans was a constant job, so the "bakery" was a dedicated building in a lumber camp. This was the "bean hole," consisting of an underground oven sheltered from the weather. Beans were soaked for hours, then parboiled, then loaded into a large heavy pot, layered with salt pork, onions, molasses, and spices. The pot, with a heavy and secure lid, was lowered into the bean hole, which was lined with burning embers. The hole was filled with more embers and soil, and the pot was left for another 12 hours before being dug up and served. Then the process would start all over again.
Read how lumberjacks ate and how you can recreate their baked bean recipe and technique at Atlas Obscura.