San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Historic Saw

Photographed by Adam Margolis, June 15, 2025

1. Historic Saw Marker

Inscription. This historic saw was brought here from the Seattle-Snohomish Sawmill (Sea-Sno) in Washington. Manufactured in 1974 by Salem Equipment in Oregon, the saw operated steadily until the mill closed in 2015. The top and bottom wheels are eight feet in diameter and the unit weighs about 25,000 pounds. This was one of the last 8-foot saws built in America. As the size of logs grew smaller, saws of this size were no longer needed. This saw's job was to make the first cuts as a log enters a sawmill while a carriage rotated and pulled round logs through the blade, creating a flat edged log that could be further processed by smaller saws. This saw cut beams up to sixty feet long and produced lumber over its 41 years that was sold to local carpenters by yards such as Ganahl.

Established in 1776 with the founding of the Mission, San Juan Capistrano began a period of rapid growth in the late 1960's. It transformed from a small Mission village to an agricultural town, and eventually into the vibrant city we known today. During the say's 41 year lifetime (from 1974 to 2015), the population of San Juan Capistrano increased from roughly

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4,000 to 35,000 people. The prosperous economic history of the city is tired to the construction boom that housed those new residents. This saw produce much of the wood that was used to build the homes and buildings that facilitated the 20% year over year increases in population. If you have stepped foot in a local building or house constructed between 1974 and 2015 it is likely that it was built with lumber cut by this saw.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1974.

Location. 33° 28.533′ N, 117° 40.711′ W. Marker is in San Juan Capistrano, California, in Orange County. It is on Stonehill Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25865 Stonehill Drive, Dana Point CA 92629, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles

and in the Peninsular Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself

Photographed by Adam Margolis, June 15, 2025

2. Historic Saw Marker

in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pablo Pryor Adobe-Hide House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dana Point's Early Years (approx. 0.8 miles away); California's Highway 1 (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Richfield Tower (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Endless Summer (approx. 0.9 miles away); Surfin' Dana Point (approx. 0.9 miles away); Bruce Brown (1937-2017) (approx. 0.9 miles away); Hobie Alter (approx. 0.9 miles away).

Photographed by Adam Margolis, June 15, 2025

3. Historic Saw Marker

Photographed by Adam Margolis, June 15, 2025

4. Historic Saw Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2025, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 107 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 21, 2025, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.