Lumbering in the Arcadia Area

When lumbering was the key industry in northern Michigan, every community near Arcadia

The Starke Land & Lumber Company sawmill was located at the north end of Lake Arcadia in

Arcadia, Michigan in the late 1800's. When it burned again in 1906, it was replaced by the

Arcadia Furniture Factory, which also had a small sawmill.

When lumbering was the key industry in northern Michigan, every community near Arcadia

seemed to be centered around a sawmill, the jobs it provided, and the goods and services needed by

sawmill workers and their families.

Two of the earliest sawmills in the Arcadia area were the Averill sawmill near Lower Herring Lake

and the Huntington sawmill just south of what would become Arcadia.

Lumbering has four phases: logging, driving, manufacturing, and transporting.

Many small, temporary sawmills sprang up in the area. These three more permanent, large sawmills

are covered here:

This is a list of Arcadia area lumbering events by date.