The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-01-25
The Industry in This State Has
Already Practically Passed
Away.
FORTUNES WERE BUILT UP
And at the Same Time String OF
Lively Cities on the Mississippi
Were Brought Into Elk.
iStenee.

mill OF the Joyce Lumber company on
the north side completed It's season =
cut the other day, IN all probability the
last log from the 'pincrics OF the north
was converted into lumber In Clinton.
once reputcd TO be the greatest lumber
manufacturing city In the world. II
Is true that no definite announcement
has been made that this, the last OF
Clinton's mills, will not be operated In
1906. Inquiries elicit the answer that
the matter is problematical at this
time and that the solution OF the prob
lem as to whether or not the mill VIII
run will be found In Industrial con-
ditions In the spring, the demand for
lumber prevailing, and the abundance
or scarcity OF the log supply. However,
the conviction has Impressed Itself on
Clinton people that the days OF saw
milling are over. SO far as the once SO
called lumber city OF Iowa Is con-
camed. and the once great industry
n n matter OF history alone.
Monuments to the memory OF the
palmy days OF the lumber industry in
Cfnton. forest OF smokelcss smoke
stacks rear their heights on the river
bank from the upper confines OF the
old town of Lyons. now n portion OF
greater Clinton. TO the lower limit OF
the old time village OF Riverside. nj
present the Fifth ward OF Clinton. and
millions OF feet OF white and yellow
Pine were annually manufactured
fringe the bank OF the Mississippi. Tx /.
cept ut the Joyce mill. where piles OF
lumber from last seasons cut remain.
every stick has disappeared from the
once vast lumber yards OF Clinton: the
steam gang and rip saws. the mighty
engines and huge machines. which
once hummed necessarily during the
long summer time. have been hauled
away: the run ways. miles after miles
OF raised platforms. over which the
lumber was wheeled through the yards.
have long since been converted INTO
fircwood; and the great fleet OF rafters
which piled the waters OF the MIssis-
sippi. towing huge pine RATS from the
bpoms OF ths north Clinton mills. have
disappeared from the upper river. New
or was so complete n transformation
wrought In n decade as that which has
occurred on the river bank OF the CITY
on Crtmwclrs bond since the lsmber
mills commenced To fall into abandon
mcnt and decay.
Eleven Mills Once Operated.
Eleven lumber mills were simultane-
ously operated In Clinton and Lyons
during the height OF the lumber man
ufncturing period, giving employment
TO upwards or 1000 men In tho sum-
mer months. Two OF these I'm the up
per part OF Lyons were the property
OF Gardiner, Batcheldcr & wellcs. and
were fancifully named the Daisy and
the Crocodile by the milimen. Below
these was the old mill or the Lyons
Lumber company. Then came the
Joyce mill, the last OF the lumber plants
to be operated. The Clinton Lumber
company maintained n mill where the
handsome River Front park now at
tracts the attention OF river travellers
on Clinton's water front. w. ]. Young
Il Co. operated two mills below the
Northwestern railroad bridge. one OF
which was said To be the largest lum-
Der mill In the world: and four mills
were operated by CLANCY Lamb * Sons,
mills A, Il, G and ID. scattered along the
bank of the river from the bridges TO
Riverside.
Clinton without the lumber industry
would be like n bird without wings"
wrote an early Clinton historian NJ a
time when the city was described as
being the heaviest lumber manufactur-
Ing center In the country. The In
dustry proved TO be a reservoir OF
wealth for the city. Here were the
greatest mills. the finest machinery.
and the best facilities for manufactur-
ing lumber. to be found I'm the entire
valley OF the Mississippi, or indeed.
along any or the great water courses
down which hogs were RATED And
here from humble beginnings sprung
many OF fowa's wculthieSt lumbcrmcn
The great industry brought about the
rapid growth of the city. and now, aft
or IL has passed away. it's influence is
still felt. and will endure after the last
sm9kcstnCk Is gone aud the last crum-
bling mill building ~ removed from
the river bank.
Beginning Of the Industry.
L., H.. - 81
a. Lombard. from the state OF Mnins
built n small sawmill near the North
western railroad bridge. This was the
first Of the Clinton mills. and IL had a
capacity OF 5000 feet OF lumber per day
After he had operated the mill "a year.
Mr.. Lombard sold Il TO Messrs. Cray
and Lunt. who. dHiG.. the die tloa 81
CLANCY Lamb. "A skilled millwrigh, from
! New York state. had II rymodeiied and
enlarged. Subsequently. Mr. Lamb pur-
chased the nill. which was destroyed
by IRE In the fall 81 1859. new mill
was erected by MIR. Lamb. and was OPP
Grated In the year 1860. In 1865 he built
another mill having "A capacity OF 10. .
100000 feet OF lumber per season. and
took his sons into partnership. under
the hrtn name Of =. Lamb a. Sons. In
1876 one OF the mills was again burned.
and the following year great milling
~ N
of $4,000 feet. The Lambs sustained a
third loss by FIRE IN 1879. but the mill
was rebuilt. and I'm the succeeding
decade two more mills were built. and
over 1899 men were employed by the
firm.
Tho clinton Lumber company n,xt
erected n Eill !u Lyons On 1855. and up-
Grated u there one year. In 1879 they
mpyed 10 to clinton and set " up at the
foS' ~ Third avenue. In 1865 the com
pany purchased HorSiori s. Mill"r's
mill property ana added steam and
gang SAWS. amt the following season
increased its capital stock To 100000.
The mill then employed about 500
hands. II was operated for many years.
having been abandoned about a decade
ago The two towering stacks, which
remained standing on me bank OF the
river for years after the machinery ui
the mill was moved away and the
structure itself demolished. were Re.
strOycd hy dynamite four years ago.
W. J. Young frat opened u lumber
yard iu Clinton tu tfc summer ~ iN5S
To handle lumber manufactured by IN,
Ohio Mill company. 81 Lacrosse. Tn,
business Increased rapidly. owing tn tn,
great demand Tor lumber at the time
and the mill was moved from LaCroSs,
To CLINTON shortly afterwards. In th'
year 1866 work was commenced on tn
large mill south of the bridges. .whsr,
5000. JO0 feet OF lumber were manufac
tured annually for many years. and so