The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-01-26
now partially dismantlcd. aasare most
OF the others along the river between
the bridge n the lower part of the

now partially dismantlcd. Al are mort
or the others along the river between
the bridge and the lower part OF the
city.
In 1856 Samuel Cox and G. w. Stun
baugh built a mill in Lyons and the
next year 1t was destroyed by fire. It
was rebuilt by Mr.. Stulnbaugh In 1867.
but after running q few years its ma
chtnery was moved out N the build
ing was used for many years for an
ice house.
JohnsoR& Clark had a mill north OF
h Stun Augh plant. hut 1t vas ADAM
doned during the panic of 1857. John
Pickering operated a mill for a year or
two also, but 1t too went under In the
panic.
/ In 1867 Ira Stockwell purchased the
Cox mill nj the following yea the
Stu1nbaugh mill and consolidated them.
He added new and modern machinery,
and the mill had a capacity of 100000
feet daily. In 1874 the yards We're swept
by fire n the company sustained a
loss of $50, 000. Again, In the year 1876.
the mill vas partially burned, and $50
men We're thrown out of employment.
1t was reconstructed, however, by the
until the early '90s, wnen The mill was
abandoned, and subsequently RACED to
the ground.
In 1869 David joyce n s.. I. Smith
erected. a mill In Lyons at a cost of $4,000.
Later Smith sold his interest to Mr.. Joyce.
who operated the mill until the time of his
death, when 1t became the property OF
w. II. Joyce, now a Chicago millionaire.
who maintains a home in this city, and
still owns and operates the Joyce mill, the
last of its kind in Clinton.
l.. B. Wadleigh, q. P. Welles and d. ].
Batchelder pooled issues in 1874 and formed
a lumber company, buying the Haun grist
mill IN r 0,ovrM md ONryy0rt{p~ ~ {rf0 n 81 rp
mill. III 1877 Wadleigh retired, selling his
interests to Stimsom B. Gardiner n his
two sons, George and Silas, the company
taking the firm name of Welles, Gardiner
& Co. The mill was enlarged and had a
capacity Of 5000, 600 feet per annum, en-
ploying $50 men. In the course of yearS
the firm changed to that OF Gardiner,
Batchelder & Welles. built another big mill
and employed over 500 men. The two mills
went the way Of the others, the machinery
was hauled away. the last pile of lumber
disappeared and for years the buildings
stood idly on the river bank. Now, how
ever, the larger Of the mills is the property
of Ingwersen. Borbeck & Co.. who main
tain a lumber yard and planning mill. while
the smaller mill has been converted into
an Implement plant.
hi Clinton Granite Brick company pur-
chased the upper Lamb mill three years
ago. and has installed in the building n
of the 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 Decadence.
Such in brief is a history of the rise
and fall of the lumber industry in Gin
ton. And Clinton is not alone in this his
tory Of decadence. Most Of the upper Mis-
sissippi river cites have experienced SINH
1orl SyinfsSif11doo Great m:11o s1nrIlnU Into
life. busy rafters supplied them with logs
for a decade or two, and throngs of men
found employment in the shadow of their
towering stacks. Then came the news.
"the mill will not run next year."
Troubled men went to look for other work,
and as a general thing they found 1t. One
by one the mills disappeared, or If they
remained on the bank of the river the
machinery which once converted the giant
logs into lumber disappeared. and they
their days Of usefulness and
served merely as landmarks, reminders Of
a departed industry. The small factory
commenced to make its appearance. La
borers saw the a~dvantagetpf being steadily
employed all the year round. instead of
stopping work when the river froze in the
early winter, and the river townsmen be-
gan to think that perhaps the loss of the
lumber industry was not SO disastrous a
thing after all. The factories increased in
numbers and capacity, the men all found
employment. and the lumber mill became
a memory. The rafting steamer followed
in the wake OF the departing industry, and
yearly decreased in numbers. Now but
half q dozen remain of the hundred or
more which were seen In the days of old.
The lumber manufacturer retired, entered
into other pursuits. or removed to the
pine forests of Mississippi to carry on the
lumber manufacturing Industry in new
fields. But the river town did not decay
and fall into the decline which charac-
terlzed the lumber industry. The brick
factory. furniture, wagon, sash and door,
and farming implement factory, and the
steel and iron foundry came to the rescue.
And although a sentimental regret may
BIO 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 tina the mushroom growth Of the
ephemeral lumber mill.