THE MISSO UBI OZARKS: Once a Timber Empire By JERRY J. PRESLEY Class of 1958 VERY FEW PEOPLE IN MISSOURI are aware of the fact that at one time one of the largest lumber industries in the United Stat~es was located in the Ozark region of our state. Consequently, when hunters, campers, and vacationers come across old tramways, camp sites, and mill ponds they wonder about their origin. Even with more investigation it is hard to find accurate, detailed accounts of lumber companies that were in operation at the turn of this century. The few people who can recall actual experiences with these old companies grow fewer by the day. Such records as are available are often so aged that accurate interpretation is impossible. Often the interested person gives up his search for more information on these old companies and turns to conditions in the area today, with the idea that present poor conditions of timberlands in the area stemmed from past practices of these old companies. Let us forget the present scene for a moment and take a look at a little of the history of early forest industry in the State. Most of these companies started their cutting operations in Missouri in the years 1887-1888. Moving in from east, south, and north, they tried to center their mills in the shortleaf pine region of the State. Probably one of the largest companies in the Ozarks and at one time one of the largest in the entire United States was located at Grandin, Missouri. Two other companies were located at Winona and Birchtree, Missouri. The company at Grandin, known as the Missouri Mining and Lumber Company, was founded by E. B. Grandin,.T. L. Grandin,.Tahu Hunter, L. L. Hunter, H. H. Cummings, and J. B. White. Company holdings were in Carter, Ripley, Shannon, Reynolds, and Butler counties. Their first mill, located at Mill Springs, Missouri, began cutting operations in 1887. This mill was later moved to Grandin; and a second mill, also located at Grandin, was constructed in 1888. Both of these mills used as their common log pond a very deep lake, three and one-half acres in size and fed by live springs. This lake would hold 500,000 bd. ft. of logs. The company became famous for its high-quality pine lumber, known by the trade name of "Beaver Dam Soft Pine" because the beavers in the area seemed to like it so well. At Winona, Missouri a company was organized in 1888 and a mill was started. The founders were C. W. Goodlander, Alfred Blaker, Joseph Fisher, and.t. Coatsworth. They named their company the Ozark Land and Lumber Company with holdings in Shannon, Carter, and Oregon counties. The company at Birchtree, Missouri, was formed by O. W. Fisher,- O. P. Fisher, and H. Cordz in 1888, and was known by the name of The Cordz, Fisher Lumber and Mining Company. 20
-From American Lumberman, May 9, 1903. High-quality Ozarks. shortleaf pine was abundant in the virgin forests of the Missouri 21
-From Am"rican Lumb"rman, May 9, 1903. Shortleaf pine logs of sizes and quality rarely seen today were moved by rail to the mill at Winona, Missouri. Employee living quarters are seen in the background. 22
The populations of the towns in which the mills were located are but a fraction today of what they were in the years 1888-1903. For example, the population for Winona was 1200 in 1900 and today it is 480. These old companies employed many people. The following table gives some information on employment in 1903. Occupation Woods-workers Sawmill help Yards and kilns Planing mills Stores Construction Offices TOTAL NUMBER OF WORKERS EMPLOYED AND KIND OF WORK Grandin Winona Birchtree 438 175 180 78 150 55 200 60 47 125 46 25 27 12 11 8 2 11 5 3 986 389 293 Total 768 308 307 196 50 20 19 1668 In 1903, each of the three companies owned the following acreages, exclusive of other lands which had already been cut over and di~posed of. Company Acreage Owned Acreage Cut Over " Grandin ',..i Winona, 324,017 145,000 213,017 2,000 Birchtree 70,000 60,000 Totals:.539,017 375,017 Records show that from 1888 to 1903, the three companies had cut the following number of board feet (mill tally): Grandin Winona Birchtree' 648,203,356 bd. ft. 391,209,300 bd. ft. 300,000,000 bd. ft. Total:.1,339,412,656 bd. ft. from 375,017 acres This gives an average volume per acre of 3,571.6 bd. ft. The actual volume per acre would tend to run higher due to fact that many logs were sawed into cross-ties of which no records are available. This is contrary to more recent practice in which sawn cross-ties are inventoried as lumber. Another factor was the practice of cutting to the first large limb and cutting no trees under 14 inches in diameter at breast height. Some of the highest volumes per acre recorded came off an area known as the "Irish Wilderness" where average volumes ran up to around 4,(XX) bd. ft. per acre. A figure of 25,000 bd. ft. per acre was reported for one stand of exceptional quality. Many of the trees left were cut off by private individuals during the early 1930's when pine markets were good, and often any pine that would saw out a 2 x 4 was cut (introduction of post and pole mills have created similar conditions on poorly managed private land today). (Continued Page 72) 2.~
THE MISSOURI OZARKS-(from 23) Figures on the Ozark Land and Lumber Company show the following annual production for a seven-year period: Year 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 Board Feet 1,022,522 745,757 2,400,530 5,485,405 2,619,580 824,549 316,283 The average volume per log, Doyle Rule, of the Winona Company in 1892 was 116.24 bd. ft. and for 1893, 90.71 bd. ft. (This figure was derived by dividing the number of 16-foot logs cut each year into the total amount of lumber sawed for the same year.) The daily mill capacity for each company was as follows: Grandin 285,000 bd. ft. per day (two mills) Winona 140,000 bd. ft. per day (two mills) Birchtree 85,000 bd. ft. per day (one mill) All three companies had large planing mills, dry kilns. and lumber storage sheds and yards. The lumber yard at Grandin alone was around forty acres in size. The companies had their own railroads and equipment to run them. They ran tramways into the woods and hauled the logs out to mill. The following is a list of railroad equipment for the three companies in 1903. Item Miles of track Logging cars - Passenger cars Locomotives -- Other cars Grandin 8._-~ 156 -, 4 ;,-, 0 2 _..~ 6 5 7~ 3 3 4 9-7 0 3 1 0 Total 248 300 6 5
The facilities of the companies consisted not only of a means to remove the timber from the area; they provided accommodations for employees as well. These included portable homes, a doctor, and hospital. A medical insurance of a sort was compulsory at the price of $1.25 per month. There were company stores that often did an annual business of over $0,000. Telephones and electricity were furnished to some employees. Schools were started, and in some cases the company actually hired the school teachers. The companies also strongly supported church and social functions. They drew up plans for the conversion of cutover land into large fruit farms and cattle and sheep grazing areas. Some companies set up experimental farms, since they sincerely believed that the land could and would be used once the timber was cut off. As the companies gradually cut off their land, they changed their main business operations from lumber to real estate and mining. The last of the companies ceased its operations in 1933. These old companies have passed on, but there are still things to remind us that they did exist. They were doing a job that they well understood, i.e., to supply a growing nation with much-needed lumber products. It is unfortunate that there were no foresters to guide them; but around 1887, the time of their first operations, forestry in the United States had hardly had a beginning. The cutting practices of these old companies and customs of the settlers and farmers did not work well together. Some of the large fires that occurred after an accumulation of pine slash were set, not by the companies, but by the farmers and settlers of the area with whom annual burning had been the custom for many years. The custom of annual burning still prevails in the area today, many years after company operations have ended. Thus, instead of criticizing and condemning these old companies for something which may actually be the fault of great, great-grandpappy, let's be aware of the fact that a large segment of the nation's lumber industry once thrived in the Missouri Ozarks. In terms of potential industry for that part of the State, such knowledge brings conviction that a more prosperous future for the area rests with good forest practice. Hindsight is good only insofar as it improves foresight. Given good management, Ozark timberlands can be rehabilitated and brought to a higher level of sustained production that Nature alone would provide. Compliments RODGERS THEATRES, Inc. Operating the Rodgers, Criterion, and Poplar Bluff Drive-in Theatres and Rodgers Drug Store of 73