Beginnings
The sawmill has been the lifeblood of the town since its creation in the late 1902. In fact, the town was built for the purpose of giving the mill workers a pleasant place to live. It had all of the modern comforts: streets, running water, an ice plant, a commissary, and electric lights (Beesom 8). While most mill towns were rough places to live, Huttig stood out as being a family-oriented town.
The cost of making Huttig such a nice place was high
for the time, with a bill of $976,619.96 for the purchase of 90,000 acres of
land and the construction of the mill and the town buildings (“Light In A Dark
Corner” 4). This paid off, though as
the workers were very happy with their accommodations and usually lived in
Huttig most of their lives.
