Cut Out and Get Out!

Cut Out and Get Out!. The Great Nomadic Industry. , Look for Stapp, Oklahoma beside Highway 270 in the valley below. The Buschow Lumber Company operated a mill and railroad here during the early 1900s. At that time the timber industry was primarily nomadic and the average life of a mill was 20 years. , Typically, timber companies rolled in on railroads and created small towns like Stapp. Trees were cut without regard for erosion control, fire protection, or replanting. Once the trees were removed, the timber companies simply packed up and rolled out. Said to be the "ultimate in devastation," the Buschow Lumber Company was typical of many in the industry at the turn of the century. At the same time, some companies were beginning to explore conservation methods and fire prevention programs. , Captions: Stapp, formerly Thomasville, was a logging community with a population of 500 or more. The Buschow lumber mill and railroad operated until 1932. When all the timber was gone, they sold the burned, cut-over land to the Forest Service. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service. , The Buschow lumber mill site later became home for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp until March of 1942. The Peace Corps operated a camp on the site during the 1960s. In 1969 the site became the home of the Ouachita Corrections Center. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service.