Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-10-31
PASSING OF THE FOREST.
John Arpn Lumber Co. Will Finish Its Cut
This Winter.


Marshfeld Times. =
With the present winters work the
John Arpin Lumber company finishes
cutting all of its standing timber in
the vicinity of Arpin, and it will
require but one camp to complete the
telling. skidding and hauling Of the
Scanty remainder of as fine a belt of
pine and hardwood as ever grew in
northern Wisconsin. the seasons cut
not exceeding 5000, 600 feet. The cut
over land has met with a ready sale
and the company now holds about
3. 800 acres worth some $4,000, with a
good prospect of selling out entirely
within year. Many fine farms are
now to be found where ten years ago
the virgin timber stood.
The mill was established at Arpin
eleven years ago and its average yearly
output has been 100000 feet, prov
ing yeritable gold mine to the
owners The tract Of timber origin
ally purchased included many thou
sand acres and was secured by the
Arpins from J. D. Witter of Grand
Rapids for a very low price, the
estimated cut being 60,000,000 feet.
AS the Arpins were then located at
Germantown and did not care to move
their mills to Arpin, they offered the
entire tract to Maj. W. H. Upham Of
this city, for $3.50, GOO, but as the deal
involved a heavy outlay of money and
Mai Upham had other very extensive
timber holdings which demanded his
attention, he was compelled to aban-
don the hope Of acquiring the tract
though fully realizing its great value.
The Arpin brothers accordingly set to
work to convert the timber into lum-
Der themselves and this winter will
witness the completion of their
mighty task.
The estimate of 60,000,000 feet upon
which the purchase price was based
proved an error as the tract will have
produced about 100, 100000 feet more
than double the original schedule.
This lucky error in connection with
the fact that the cut over land has
brought higher price than was paid
for it. by the ArpinS, has been the
source of immense wealth to thcm
and they made fortune by not find
ing purchaser.
The mill through which this great
quantity of lumber passed is modern
and serviceable in all its appointments
and stands upon the banks of an
artificial pond of water of perhaps
fifteen acres in extent, an ideal loca-
tion for Il plant of this kind. The
company is now debating the feasibi-
lity of tearing down the mill and
removing it further north where
timber is available, but the plan
which finds most favor with the enter
prising gentlemen is to railroad the
logs from the company's lands in the
northern part of the state and keep
the plant at Arpin. This last
proposition would be most acceptable
not alone to residents of Arpin but to
the people of Wood county Hho rec w
nize and appreciate the worth of such
men as the Arpin brothers, and the
value of their great enterprise in
developing the country.
AS an evidenceOf the enterprise and
public spirit of the leaders of the
Arpin company we cite the fact that
during the past year they have built
at their own private expense nearly
eight miles of good highway and made
many other substantial public improve
mentS. In this respect as in all others
they have always taken foremost
stand and it is to be hoped that the
whistle of their mill may continue to
sound the trumpet Of prosperity for
many years to come, even if fed on
foreign logs.