The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1945-08-09
HISTORY OF NUMBERING AND
logging AT LIBBY,
BY Marilyn NellS

and mas continued 10 grow
even as Libby has grown from
few small scattered buildings to a
large manufacturing industry.
The first local sawmill was Gre
ated in the winter of l89l-92 just
below the bridge which now cross
es the Kootenai river. The railroad
had not been built to Libby at that
time and the townsite committee
had to bring the sawmlll machln-
ery in wagons over the trail from
the east. The timber to supply the
mill was cut from the streets and
lots of the original Libby townsite.
This mill was very small and re-
sembles the small portable mills
now in use for cutting ties.
In 1899 another small mill was
built on Flower creek near the
east end of fourth street and was
owned and operated by William Crl-
derman. Some of the buildings IN
town today were constructed with
lumber from this mill.
Another mill was constructed IN
1899 by the Pacific Northwest Min
ing corporation. This sawmill plant
was located just west of town on
the Dolan ranch, and was fairly
good sized industry 1t brought
many new settlers into the COM
munity, but due to the lack Of cap
ital and a general slump in busl-
ness, ii only operated for two years.
Logs for this plant were hauled on
rails made from slender poles.
Teams of horses pulled the logs IN
on Hanged wheeled carts as the
cost of steel rails would have been
prohibitive. LAUNDERING was under
taken on large scale III the sur
rounding forests for the first time.
About the same time several
small saWmills were operated IN
and near Libby, which supplied the
local demand for lumber.
For the next few years no lum-
Der was manufactured in Libby,
but many eastern companies began
sending their timber cruisers and
buyers to investigate and procure
titles for the fine forests around
Libby. The supply of timber in the
north central states was rapidly be-
ing exhausted and the lumber bus
ineSSes interested in continuing
their operations began buying tim
Der in the Pacific Northwest The
Anaconda Copper Mining company
acquired the Northern Pacific land
grant lands in this area about 1906,
some of which are still being held
by that company today AT that
time the j. Neils Lumber company,
Cass Lake, Mimi, sent its timber
buyer, George W. Millett. to Kali
ispell to purchase timber lands in
Flathead county which at that time
included both Lake and Lincoln
counties. The Boomers Ferry Lum-
Der company acquired large tracts
of timber land tributary to the
kootenai river at that time also.
Subsequently this timber was cut,
the logs dumped into the Kootenai
river and floated down to Boomers
Ferry, whore they were caught by
means of large booms, and cut into
lumber by the mill there. Fumes
that were used to chute the logs
into the river are still in evidence
along the banks Of the kootenai.
In the spring of 1906 firm
known as the Dawson Lumber COM
pany Of Merrill, Wis, began con-
struction Of a modern saWmill plant
here. The members of the original
firm were Dennis E. Dawson, r. M.
Mcbride, Ramsey Crotteau, Lewis
DeRosia, James Hurley and James
E. Leary These men settled here
with their families, building homes
and Transforming the settlement Of
Libby into permanent town. After
completing their mill, the Dawson
Lumber company built a logging
railway into its timber holdings
south Of town. They used a light
80 pound rail and a Shay locomo-
tive, which is SO constructed as to
give the engine considerable power,
limits its speed to a maximum of
about 20 miles per hour. The engine
used by the Dawson company
burned wood as fuel. Later it was
converted 10 burning coal, most Of
which was shipped in from the
mines at Fernie, B. G. Logs were
skidded to the railroad landing by
horses, and then were loaded onto
railroad cars by means Of a steam
TANNER. Later on, ground lead don.
key engines were used to skid the
logs in tree lengths to the landing
where they were bucked into the
desired lengths. The railroad carr
used were skeleton Russell type
To save weight the cars had onl,
center beam and two hunks, the
conventional deck of a normal fla
car was missing. 1t was essential Il
have the cars as light as possible
to permit the locomotive to negoti
ate the severe adverse grades with
as many empty cars as possible, il
returning to the woods.
The Dawson firm was reorgan
lied and A. H. Burns, Jack Lieber
and others from Kalispell were in
Guided. The enlarged firm operated
successfully until it sold out II
the Libby Lumber company, a sub
sidiary of the j. Neils Lumber com
pany, in 1910. 1t operated the Daw
son Mill through 1914 when it wa
wrecked and the present mill built
The same year, the j. Neils Lum
Der company sold the Libby Lum
Der company to the Shevlin, Car
penter and Clark interests lumbe