Inniinry lo. l!i|U 



KOSS & WKNTWOItTII MILL. 



htatcs, which means that his interests operate in pine anil Pacific coast 

 woods as well as northern hemlock and hardwoods. However, the 

 purpose of this story is to describe the haniwood end of the business, 

 which is really centered in Alpena where F. L. Richardson as presi- 

 dent of the company and R. S. Richardson, secretary-treasurer, both 

 Tcside. H. N. Macdonald has full charge of the Bay City operation of 

 tlie Richardson Lumber Company, which involves a finely equipped 

 inil remarkably efficient sawmill for hemlock and the usual run of 

 Michigan hardwoods. The company draw'^ it« timljer from its hold- 

 ings in Cheboygan, Otsego and 

 Presqiie Isle counties where it has 

 a run in prospect for all of its 

 mills for the next ten or fifteen 

 years. 



The Bay City mill was started 

 in 1907 and was constructed for 

 permanence and efficiency of op- 

 eration. One of the remarkable 

 features of the plant is that no 

 material is handled by convey- 

 ors, the results of the operation 

 other than lumber being handled 

 by blowers. The Bay City mill 

 is in continuous operation the 

 year round. The Alpena plant 

 runs about nine months of the 

 year while the third mill, located 

 et Rogers City, has been closed 

 flown during the past year of de- 

 pression. 



The officers of the Richardson 



umber Company are F. L. Rich- 

 ..rdson, president, Thomas McDade, vice-president, and R. S. Richard- 

 son, secretary-treasurer. Mr. Richardson, Jr., is a son of F. L. 

 iichardson. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan but his 

 ^mber education is just as thorough as the university training. Mr. 

 liichardson shows a close resemblance to his father both in appearance 

 ^d manner. Up to a short time ago he gave most of his attention 

 « Bay City but has been working more and more into the general 

 administration with the notable end that in a reasonable length of 

 iime he will be in general charge of the whole organization. Mr. 

 Richardson, Jr., has already earned the respect of all his business 

 ftssociates and is unquestionably due to become a power in the lumber 

 Jeld. 



The Kneeland-Bigelow Company 



The Kneeland-Lunden & Bigelov? Company 



As are the other Bay City operations the Kneeland-Bigelow Com- 

 pany and the Kneeland-Lunden & Bigelow Company are supplied by 

 timber from northeastern Michigan, mainly from Montgomery, Otsego, 



—24— 



kiiii.m; a big hemlock log — ross & wentworth pond 



^"iixii i CO. 



I'resque Isle and Crawford counties. The Kiieidand Bigelow interestH 

 acquired large holdings in this section at a time when it wag con- 

 sidered a very poor investment from an operating standpoint on ac- 

 count of the rugged character of the country. However, the rapid 

 advancement in lumbering soon gave the timljer sufficient value to 

 make it an operating possibility and now the Bay City operations arc 

 being su])plie(l with a very high-grade lot of logs from which the best 

 of lumber is being manufactured. The Kneeland-Bigelow Comi)any 

 owns approximately 27,500 acres of land outright with very consider- 

 able holdings running well up 

 into the thousands of acres of 

 timber rights. This timber will 

 run approximately thirty per cent 

 to genuine Michigan maple with 

 the usual proportion of other 

 hardwoods and hemlock. Theso 

 interests are combined in the 

 Kneeland-Bigelow Company and 

 till' Kneeland-Lunden & Bigelow 

 <'i)in]i;iny, both firms being con- 

 trolled from the main office, Mr. 

 Bigelow being active head of 

 each institution. The Kneeland- 

 Lunden & Bigelow Company was 

 formerly the Kneeland-Buell & 

 Bigelow Company, Mr. Buell in 

 tiino being succeeded by Herman 

 J^unden. These interests also in- 

 (dudo the Bigelow-Cooper Com- 

 pany, which firm has recently put 

 into operation a fine new plant 

 for the manufacture of maple 

 flooring. C. A. Bigelow of the Kneeland-Bigelow Company joined 

 with James Cooper of the Briggs & Cooper Company, Ltd., of Sag- 

 inaw, in the organization of this new operation. 



The firm was organized in 1901 and first operated a mill located on 

 Water street on the Saginaw river. This mill, as is shown in the illus- 

 tration, is built on modern lines and while the equipment is not re- 

 vealed in the photograph it is thoroughly modern. The yards take in 

 about thirty acres of property along the river and usually hold from 

 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 feet of stock. In 1905 the other mill, known as 

 the Sherman street mill, was erected on the Saginaw river at the 

 foot of Sherman street. The mill is a double baml corresponding to 

 the usual type of efficient northern operations, but carries a rather 

 larger stock than the Water street mill. Both of these operations run 

 continuously. 



The cut of both mills is practically the same, running about thirty 

 per cent maple, ten per cent beech, ten per cent birch, basswood and 

 elm and fifty per cent hemlock. In addition to the usual run of 

 lumber in assorted sizes the Water street mill cuts considerable quan- 



