The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-01-25

| now partially diJmantled, as are most
| OF the others along the river between
the bridge and the lower part OF the
! city.
! In 1855 Samuel Cox and q. w. Stun
baugh built mill I'm Lyons and the
\ next year ~ was destroyed by fire. IL
was rebuilt by Mr.. Stumbaugh In 1867.
but after running "A few years It's ma
\ chinery was moved out and the build
/ ing was used for many years for an
| ice house.
johnson e. Clark had n mill north OF
the Stumhaugh plant. but u was aoan-
| doned during the panic OF 1857. John
/ Pickering operated mill for n year or
/ two also. but IL too went under Ia the
panic.
I'm 1867 Ira stockwcll purchased the
/ Cox mill and the following year the
| Stumbaugh mill and consolidated them.
/ lie added new and modern machinery.
| and the mill had N capacity OF 100000
! feet daily. In 1874 the yards were swept
by fire and the company sustained n
loss OF $50. 900. Again. In the year 1875,
| the mill was partially burned, and l5O
men were thrown out OF employment.
| IL was reconstructed. however. by the
| Lyons Lumber company and operated
until the early '90s, wnen the mill was
abandoned. and subsequently razed To
| the .~ound.
la 1859 David Joycc and 3. /. Smith
erected n mill In Lyons at cost OF $500.
later Smith sold his interest To Mr.. Joyce,
who operated the mill until the time OF his
death. when II became the property OF
W. r. Joyce. now Chicago millionaire.
who maintains n home In this city and
stIll owns and operates the Joyce mill, tho
last OF It's kind In Clinton.
l.. H. wadlcigh. u. l.. wcllcs and u. j.
Batcheldcr pooled issues In 1874 and formed
n lumber company. buying the Iiaun srist
mill ia Lyons and converting II into a saw
mill In is71 wadlcigh retired. selling his
interests 20 StImson II. Gardiner and his
two sons. George and Sllas. the company
taking the nrm name OF wclies. Gardiner
& Co The mill was enlarged and had
capacity OF 100000 feet per annum, en-
ployIng 80 men. In the course OF years
the firm changed 20 that OF Gardiner,
Ratchclder a. wcilcs built another big mill
and employed over sfo men. The two mills
went the way OF tho others. the machinery
was hauled away. the last pile or lumber
disappeared and for years the buildings
stood idly on the river bank. Now. how
ever the larger OF the mills II the property
OF Ingwcrscn. Borbcck a. Co, who main
tain lumber yard and planning mill, while
the smaller mill has been converted into
an implement; plant.
The Clinton Granite Brick company pur-
chased the upper Lamb mill three years
ago. and has Installed In tho building ono
OF tho largest manufactures OF brick In
Iowa With the three exceptions noted,
the mills which remain after the passage
OF years OF abandonment are silent and
deserted and rapidly falling into decay.
Story Of Deeadenee.
Such In brief n a history OF The rise
and fall OF the lumber industry In elm
ton. And Clinton is not alone In this his
tory OF dccadencc. Most OF the upper Mis-
SlssIppi river cites have experienced SINH
lar viclSsitudcs. Great mills sprung into
life. busy rafters supplied them with logs.
for decade or two, and thrcngs OF men
found employment In the shadow or their
towering stacks. Then came the news.
"the mill will not run next year"
Troubled men went 10 look for other work.
and ~ n general thing they found IL. ono
by one the mills disappeared, or " they
remained on the bank OF the river the
machinery which once converted the giant
logs into lumber disappeared. and they
outlivcd their days OF usefulness and
served merely as landmarks. reminders OF
a departed industry. The small factory
commenced TO make its appearance. La
burrrS saw the advantage OF being steadily
employed all the year round instead OF
stopping work when the river froze In tho
early winter and the river townsmen be-
gan TO think that perhaps tho loss OF the
lumber industry was not 80 disastrous n
numbers and capacity. the men all found
employment, and the lumber mill became
n memory. The rafting steamer followed
In the wake OF the departing industry. and
yearly decreased In numbers. Now but
half a dozen remain OF the hundred or
more which were seen I'm the days OF old
The lumber manufacturer retired. entered
into other pursuits. or removed TO the
pine forests OF Mississippi TO carry on tho
lumber manufacturing Industry In new
fields But the RIVER town did not decay
and fall into the decline which chnrac-
terized the lumber Industry. The brick
factory. furniture. wagon. sash and door
and farming Implement factory, and tho
steel aud iron foundry came TO the rescue
And although a sentimental regret may
be felt at the passage OF the once great
lumber Industry. the era OF the factory
and foundry promises a more healthy and
lasting prosperity for the Mississippi river
town than the mushroom growth OF the
cphcmcrai lumber mill.
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