From Lane Co Oregon

[edit] 1890s

The company that would make Springfield a major industrial center was the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, which was incorporated in 1896 by Robert and Henry Booth and George and Tom Kelly.

[edit] 1900s

In August 1901, the Booth-Kelly Corporation purchased the Springfield sawmill and several thousand acres of timberland in the region. The sawmill was dismantled in 1902 and a larger, more efficient mill with a capacity for greater production was constructed on the same site (Clarke 1983:46).

The sawmill was not directly powered by the millrace. A steam plant was built adjacent to the millrace to power the mill with the sawdust and refuse lumber. Since this fuel was in excess of the demands for operating the plant, and destroying it would be an expense to the company, a proposition was made to the Eugene Electric Light Company to erect a light plant in Springfield with the fuel furnished by Booth-Kelly (Clarke 1983:46-48).

In 1902 a 99-year franchise was granted to the Booth Kelly Lumber Co. to produce electricity for the city using the company's steam generator.

[edit] 1910s

In 1911, a brick steam plant replaced the original wooden building. In July of that year, the Booth-Kelly sawmill was destroyed by fire. The company replaced the burned remains of the old mill with a modern electric-powered mill with several buildings in 1912 (Clarke 1982:48-55).

The importance of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company to Springfield’s economy is illustrated by the number of residents employed there. City directories of 1907 and 1911 clearly show that a majority of the population worked in some capacity for Booth-Kelly. In 1904, the company sold some of the controlling shares of stock to out-of-state businessmen, which brought new money into the community. Springfield became known as “Mill City,” and as it grew and prospered, many new people arrived looking for work. In 1907, railroad rates sky-rocketed for lumber shipments, and Booth-Kelly faced a serious legal battle concerning land grant purchases. Despite its problems and the fact that no profit was made in 1911 by the Springfield mill, the company kept the operation going. The decision to replace the burned mill in 1912 was the result of improved regulation of railroad rates and a favorable decision by the U.S. Government in the case against Booth-Kelly (Clarke 1983:50-55).