INDIAN ISLAND 



were originally covered with a heavy timber, 

 hard wood. On the dry land was found many 

 varieties of oak and hickory, while on the bot- 

 tom or swamps which were covered with water 

 is the white and black ash, red and white beech 

 sycamore, elm, soft maple, white cottonwood, 

 white and yellow birch, and three or four vari- 

 ties of swamp or water oak, whilst on the ridges 

 is found the white and black walnut, three spe- 

 cies of dry land oak, sassafras, paw-paws, waw- 

 hoe, prickley ash, red haws, rron wood and dog 

 wood. Most of this timber was valuable saw 

 timber and on this island was a good site for a 

 saw mill. So in 1866 a company was organ- 

 ized and known as the Indian Island Sawmill 

 Company. It was made up of prairie farmers 

 who owned swamp lands. They bought the 

 island from the Broadies. paying them five 

 thousand dollars in cash for it and in the win- 

 ter of '66 when the marsh was frozen up they 

 put the sawmill on the island and soon had it in 

 operation, first they sawed the lumber to 



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