THE SAGINAW AND MANISTEE LUMBER COMPANY MILL, WILLIAMS, ARIZONA 1893-1941, PART II: COMPANY MILL MAPS; A STUDY IN TIME

 THE SAGINAW AND MANISTEE LUMBER COMPANY MILL, WILLIAMS, ARIZONA 

1893-1941, PART II; COMPANY MILL MAPS; A STUDY IN TIME  

COPYRIGHT: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (5/10/22)

    (All Maps in this section, unless otherwise noted; Williams, Arizona Sanford Insurance Maps; Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division)

MILL SITE

1901

    Mills and Factories operating within the property, circa 1901:

     At the Main Building (bottom center on map) was the Sawmill and a Lath Mill.

    At the Planing and Box Factory building (located at the top center on map): Planing mill, sash and door factory, box factory. Storage for dressed lumber, and warehouse for box shooks were on the westside of the structure.

    All of the various mills produced enough hog fuel, sawdust and shavings to power all of the company's boilers, the Williams Electric Company, and the public school. In addition, the employee housing must have been amply provided for, and yet the great iron burner was kept smoldering.

    The Box Factory and Planing Mill were located to the North on the mill property (see following section.) On the left can be seen the extensive lumber yards. This area was largely uncovered, with the exception of sheds that were provided to store "dressed" lumber. In the early years, an overhead tram system carried the lumber to the yard. Caption at the overhead tramway, on the 1931 map, states: "August 1917- Elevated tramways removed and planked drives on ground substituted." The tram system was replaced by the Ross Lumber Carriers and Fordson tractors to move the stacked lumber. However, there appears to have been a tram system to carry lumber from the main building to a sorting area in the yard, remaining until end of operations.

    On the top right of the map is an inset, which indicates where the Williams Brewery and Bottling Company was located.

    Of importance to the followers of all things pertaining to logging railroads, a two stall "roundhouse"(more of a narrow shed-like structure) is located to the northeast of the main mill. Just to the south was the Blacksmith and Wagon shop, which probably morphed into other purposes as the company switched to mechanized logging. Further south of that were the main offices of the mill company. It is possible that the commissary building in 1933 was also located in this area.

    Notation next to main mill building states (paraphrasing): Large buildings, painted and whitewashed inside. Three 2-inch fire hydrants; Worthington pump steamed up at all times. Mill, at this time, included a band saw (in 1898 it was a double circular saw), edger, trimmer, four cut-off saws, 1 band pre-saw, side trimmer with 3 cut-off saws. On close inspection, the power plant at the main building had five boilers. Mill ponds are not indicated on this map.

1943; Overlaid on 1910 Map

The mill site, after the company had left for Flagstaff.  

To the right of the mill property, and to the north of Sheridan Avenue, is the city hospital complex.

Notation on map states: "Oct. 1943- All drives, tramways, lumber piles, 3-D.H.S. (?) & Bldgs. (except walls only of Eng. Rm.) have been removed. No water in mains or hydrants." The big burner has been removed. There are two ponds indicated on the map: the log pond and a cooling pond. Soon after the mill property having been cleared and sold, the city would expand westward, leaving little evidence of the once important and proud mill complex of the Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company. 

Google maps

The approximate location of the mill (outlined in blue) to the city of Williams. While the mill was in operation, the streets west of 6th did not exist. Sheridan and Sherman Avenues dead-ended at the property line, just east of the mill buildings. A housing development and the high school covers where the mill once stood. To the south of the mill site is Saginaw Canyon where the dams once existed. To the southeast the logging line ran, passing on the west bank of the Santa Fe Reservoir.   

THE BOX FACTORY AND PLANING MILL

1898

    The Box Factory and Planing mill complex, located on the northern part of the property boundary. Both were housed in the same structure. At the Planing and Box Factory building: Planing mill, sash and door factory, box factory, storage for dressed lumber moldings, and a warehouse for box shooks were on the westside of the structure. On the right can be seen the power-steam-plant. This provided basic electricity to the mill complex and was probably the one that provided power during the nighttime to the city in 1917. This plant was only a few blocks away from where the city's power plant once existed. In addition to providing steam and power to this mill building, the plant also provided steam to the drying kiln, located to the southeast. 

    The 1898 notations, similar to 1901, stated that there were 3 nightwatchmen on duty: 1 in the yard, 1 in the sawmill, and 1 in the box factory. One of them tended to the kiln, probably the drying kiln located to the south of the Box Factory. This had a small stove, and also was fed steam from the plant powerhouse. At the Box Factory powerhouse 2 Worthington duplex pumps (similar if not identical to those used on steam engines) supplied water in case of fire. Chemical fire extinguishers were available.

 Water was supplied by a timber dam located 800 feet south of the main mill. 

    Although a lonely and isolated duty, the nightwatchmen provided an important service in keeping eyes on the mill property, avoiding the threat of fire or other unseemly deeds. The dayshift would be appreciative if the boilers were up to pressure and the mills were ready to start as soon as they arrived.

 

1943 Map

The 1943 map, overlayed on the 1910 map, indicates the Planing Mill and Box Factory had an enlarged power plant, and a second Planing Mill. This power plant was the one mentioned in 1930, becoming the Saginaw Electric Company. To the north of the factories is the interchange of Route 66 with Railroad and Bill Williams Avenues. This intersection covers the old bottling and brewery site. The notation and arrow to the right of the buildings indicates the property line and the city limits. 

The small building located above the power plant, on the right side of the large planing mill, is the Fire Department. This indicates that the mill maintained a firefighting apparatus until the end of operations.

The end of operations for the lumber company in Williams was almost anticlimactic. Only this mill was in operation, when, in 1942, one day the shift did not arrive, and the machines lay silent for the last time. The remaining workers made the journey eastward to Flagstaff or were drafted into the war effort.      

(Williams Station Plat, AT&SF Co., Coastlines; June 30, 1915.)

Another map of the Roundhouse structure, near the main mill. The structure next to it is identified as the carpenter's shop.  The main mill complex would be located towards the bottom of the map.  As indicated on the previous 1901 map, a spur to the structure goes into one stall, while this map indicates a spur into the other stall. Since it has two stalls, it would be reasonable to assume there were two leads into the building. The use of the term "roundhouse" was a common description used to describe a multiple stall engine house. This term was used to describe this building, however photographs from the time period reveal that for the most part this could be better described as a shed, with large double doors allowing access. Not a glamorous structure; however, it served its purpose for the stabling of the mill's iron horses and allowed adequate shelter to service the steeds. Some of the later woods operations also had a basic engine shed located at the headquarters camps. 

(Williams Station Plat, AT&SF Co., Coastlines; June 30, 1915.)

The Fire Department structure was located next the planing and box factories.