Last of the Sierra Nevada mountain sawmills?

[broncoman]

I think there is still an active sawmill in the Burney area. The last time I passed (about a year ago) it was still fully functional. I thought it had rail access by either McCloud or UP.

[ericsp]

No. The was one in Auberry until recently (no rail service). There is still an active Sierra Pacific mill up by Sonora. The Sierra Railroad serves it. Also, there is one in Terra Bella (in the San Joaquin Valley) that is served by San Joaquin Valley Railroad. Finally, there was one southeast of Reedly (SJV) until a few years ago. The Auberry mill site is being developed as a new business park, if I remember correctly. I went by the Reedley mill in August 2002 and it was still intact then.

[markpierce]

Was the Pine Logging Camp sawmill at Dinkey Creek (midway between Shaver Lake (an earlier sawnill location) and Courtwright Reservoir that last of the Sierra Nevada mountain sawmills? The Dinkey Creek operation existed from 1937 to 1979. The complex included a company town, consisting of 41 family houses, 14 single men's cabins, shower houses, offices, a cookhouse, store, and a one-room school house. The mill site was next door to the forest service campground, the sawmill had a bench for visitors to watch the sawing operations. Saw it operating in the 1970s, and my last visit in early 1980s showed the sawmill was completely gone. The teepee burner remains, and restoration of remaining structures started in 2001. The sawmill had one main saw, so I expect it could have produced about a 100,000 board feet a day. Logs came in by truck. Logs were stored in stacks.