From Louisiana to Arizona: A Sawmill Town Moves
By James Barnett and Everett Lueck, Louisiana Forests Magazine
In the early 20th century, when lumbering was at its prime in the South, lumbermen bought old-growth longleaf pine forests for as little as $1.25 per acre and built sawmills in isolated areas near their forest land. To support the operation of these mills, towns would be built for workers and their families to live. When their forests were cut, the owners essentially had two options: buy more timberland or close the mill.