463 



The results of individual inquiry concerning the specific activities 

 of these early sawmills were very meagre, but through the efforts of 

 Mr. Ed Newton of Monticello, Ind., I am able to cite a few definite 

 historical accounts. 



Historical Sketch op the Sawmills of White County. 



In 1830 Joseph Rothrock built a brush dam across the Tippecanoe 

 River at Tioga, south of Monticello, and installed a sawmill, which was 

 probably the first mill built in White County. It never amounted to 

 much and its location is now only a memory. 



A Norwegian, Hans Erasmus Hiorth, bought a thousand-acre tract 

 of land in 1832 and laid out the town of Norway, north of Monticello. 

 He built a timber dam across the Tippecanoe, set up two sawmills and 

 operated them by power obtained from the dam. They were run very 

 successfully for many years, but have now been dismantled for over a 

 third of a century. 



In 1848 a dam was built across the Tippecanoe at Monticello and 

 in the following year Zebulin Sheetz built the first sawmill in Monti- 

 cello, operating it with power obtained from the dam. A second mill 

 was built later by Hoagland & Conklin. Both of these mills have been 

 dismantled for some forty years and their very location is forgotten. 



In 1882 W. E. Meyers built a steam sawmill at Idaville, capable of 

 cutting from 6,000 to 8,000 feet of lumber per day. This mill was run 

 for several years very successfully, but has gone the way of all the 

 preceding. 



Definite history for a mill operated by the Wrights along the Tippe- 

 canoe between Monticello and Buffalo was not available. 



At present there are a number of portable sawmills distributed over 

 the county. These are operated by thrashing-machine engines and their 

 owners will locate wherever there is 10,000 feet or more of timber to cut. 



The only active stationary mills coming to my knowledge are those 

 of Pierce & Son at Burnettsville and that of John H. Knickerbocker at 

 Monticello. The Pierce mill has been running for several years, but 

 the latter, which uses electric power, w^as staited only last summer. 

 But very little of the material cut at either mill is shipped, most of the 

 lumber being used in the immediate vicinity. 



