Michelson & Hanson Saw Mill

Michelson and Hanson Saw Mill. . , The Saw Mill was built in April, 1892, when there were only two framed houses in Lewiston. It burned to the ground in the first week of operation but was quickly rebuilt and was back in operation by August of that year. The mill ran two 10 hour shifts, 6 days a week. At the height of operations, it employed over 150 men and paid an average of one dollar per day which was a very good wage at the time. , , The main mill had a capacity of over 100,000 rough board feet per day, in addition, there was a planning mill adjacent with a daily finishing capacity of 70,000 board feet per day. This is roughly the equivalent amount of lumber needed to build 5 large houses per day. The logs came in from all over the area forests on narrow gauge rail roads and were floated and stored in East Twin Lake for loading onto the bull chain conveyor to the mill. , , Men in spiked shoes, carrying pike poles, worked on the floating logs to guide them into the conveyor chute. Not all the logs floated however, and today some can still be found at the bottom of the lake with the MH stamp on them. Tall stacks of finished lumber awaiting shipment were piled between the mill at the lake shore all the way north to downtown. The first electricity in Lewiston came from the huge boilers at the mill that were equipped with steam generators to power the equipment and light the work areas. , , Operations at the mill ceased in 1910 when most of the pine was harvested in the surrounding area. Portions of the mill were dismantled and the remains were scavenged or burned shortly thereafter. When a fire ignited in the enormous saw dust piles, it could smolder undetected for months before flames erupted on the outside. As a result, fire was a constant danger to the new community and is the reason why Kneeland Street is so wide. It served as a fire break between the east and west of the downtown buildings. Looking back, it was a relatively short-lived operation but it had tremendous economic and social impact at the time and spawned a thriving community in Northern Michigan. , , The Lewiston Heritage Trail is a DDA project funded by private donors with period photos and historical text provided by the Lewiston Area Historical Society. , , Donated by the Twin Lakes Property Owners Association , 5/28/22