Meyer Sawmill
Swan Valley Museum Sawmill
The first settlers in the Swan Valley built their cabins from logs they felled with crosscut saws and axes. Benjamin B. Holland built one of the first cabins in the 1890s not far from Holland Lake. He was the first to file for a homestead in the Swan Valley.
Many people filed to homestead between 1911 and 1934. The early homesteaders were perhaps the first people to harvest timber in any organized fashion. The government required these hardy souls to clear an average of 20 acres of timber per homestead claim. They were expected to prepare the land for agriculture.
The timber harvested was put to good use. The Finlanders who settled in the valley were well-known for their handcrafted, quality log cabins, barns and outbuildings. A few homesteaders set up sawmills to produce lumber for themselves and their neighbors.
Lumber was needed for flooring, doors, furniture and other purposes. In 1921 a small sawmill on Cooney Creek was run by the creek’s water power. Other small sawmills in the 1920’s and ’30s were run by steam or gas. A steam powered mill was used to build the Mountain View Hotel, the original Holland Lake Lodge in 1925.
At the end of World War II, demand for lumber nationwide skyrocketed. Small local mills had more reasons to cut lumber, and now they had a ready market. Road improvements made it possible to sell logs outside the valley. The Wineglass Mill near Holland Lake operated for a about a decade, 1946-1956, employing many Swan Valley residents.
Several portable mills supported families in the valley during the 1960s. A logger with a portable stud mill could rough-cut studs (2x4s) in the woods and haul them to market in Kalispell or Missoula. The stud mills were on wheels and could be moved to a new site in one day.
The mill at the Swan Valley Museum is a longboard mill and is fully operable. A flat belt turns the wheel. The carriage carries the boards, which come off on the rollers. Boards can be cut in several dimensions. This mill was originally powered by steam engine, yet it can be run by gasoline, diesel or water power.
This 1921 No. 1 American Saw Mill was moved a few times when in use, despite its large size. But it had to be disassembled for transport. Therefore, it’s not considered a true portable mill.
