Bigelow and Porter Sawmill

From Lane Co Oregon

Dominance in the lumber industry shifted southward from the state of Washington to western Oregon between 1900 and 1920 (Mbogho 1965:30-32). Coupled with the shift was an increased demand for timber generated by the Alaska gold rush of 1900-1903, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the advent of the First World War. As a result, there was an abrupt growth in the size and number of Oregon sawmills. Many small portable or “gypo” mills appeared in the rural areas of Lane County. One such operation is listed for Springfield in 1910 – the Bigelow and Porter Sawmill. The 1912 Sanborn map shows a lumber company called Fisher-Bally located in the Kelly Butte area.