Sweet Grass Woolen Mill

Sweet Grass Woolen Mill. . , During the 1890's the community of Big Timber experienced a marked population growth resulting from the lucrative wool trade in this area. By the turn of the century, Big Timber was an important wool shipping center in Montana, then the number one wool-growing state. The manufacture of woolen goods was a natural development in this area owing to the abundance of raw material and good water supply. The Sweet Grass Woolen Mill was constructed along the Boulder River just one block south of this monument. The mill was in operation by August 1901 through the efforts of a local group of investors backed by an eastern industrial entrepreneur. Early plans for expansion were thwarted by a lack of capital and eastern monopolistic competition which led to the mill’s demise in late 1906. , The native sandstone structure, measuring 40’ x 84’, saw many uses including a hatchery and an apiary after the unsuccessful textile enterprise. The building deteriorated badly over the years and in 1980 the ruins were removed to make way for the interstate highway system. Blocks from the original mill were used in the construction of this monument.