INDUSTRIAL AND SOUVENIR EDITION OF THE ADVANCE Monticello, Ark., Tuesday, December 17, 1907 Page 8, columns 2 & 3 The Gates Lumber Company The Gates Lumber Company was organized in 1890, 17 years ago, and was among the first of the large mills to locate in the great short leaf yellow pine belt of South Arkansas. At the time they came here the industry in this sort of lumber was in its infancy and the value of the timber at least in this section was not realized. The entire western and southern portions of Drew County as well as a large part of many adjoining counties was practically one unbroken forest of the finest yellow pine in the world. A few small mills manufactured the lumber in very limited quantities for local consumption and the mag- nificent timber which now can rarely be bought then was almost value- less. The founder and present head of this company, Col. A. H. Gates, a native of Vermont, who with his brothers has been prominent in developing the lumber industry of the South. In addition to their mill at Wilmar, they are largely interested in the Crossett, Fordyce, Eagle and Grant Mills and the Jackson Lumber Company at Lockhart, Ala. It is safe to say that the Gates Lumber Company owns one of the most complete plants to be found anywhere. The capacity of the mill is about 90,000 feet or six cars of lumber per day. They employ some 400 hands and their payroll is from $12,000 to $14,000 per month. The mill includes dry kilns, planer and all the departments that go to make up the most improved and up-to-date sawmill. They have shed room for almost 5,000,000 feet of lumber. The company has 25 miles of railroad, 4 locomotives, 60 log cars, 1 pile driver and 2 log loaders. They also have their own machine shops, doing all their own repair work brass castings, etc., and have their own fire protection and electric light plant. The company's water works system is supplied by a 4-inch well, 400 feet deep, which furnishes an unlimited quantity of the purest and best water. This water in addition to being used about the mill is furnished to the high school and to many of the residents of the town, and is shown by chemical analysis to be pure and wholesome and well adapted to either household or manufacturing purposes. The company has a Stand- ard Underwriter's pump of 500 gallons capacity and 6-inch cast iron water mains, further augmented by a 20,000 gallon steel-framed tank 80 feet high. Their electric light plant comprises 18 arc lights and 250 incandescents. The Gates Company originally owned about 53,000 acres of timber land in this county. More than half of this has been cut now, however, and at present they have some 25,000 acres or about 200,000,000 feet of pine timber. It is estimated that this is about eight years' supply for the mill. In addition to the above, however, they have a large amount of hardwood and it is probable that when the pine is exhausted the plant will be converted into a hardwood mill. Their lands lie mostly in the western and southern parts of the county. Five years ago they bought the holdings of the Drew Lumber Company by which deal they acquired about 20,000 acres of timber and extended their territory to the extreme southeastern part of the county. The officers of the Gates Lumber Company are A. H. Gates, President; C. C. Gates, Vice-President, and A. W. Judd, Secretary. It is the largeest industrial concern in Drew County, having a capital and surplus of $822,000 and is a source of considerable pride to our citizens. The company has never been troubled by any serious labor disturbances and has had a uniformly prosperous career. Note: John Byron Haisty mentioned in an earlier post was born in 1909. In the picture of a Gates Camp School, (his first school) he appears to be about 6 years old. That would make this school pre-date 1920.......around 1915-1916. If anyone had family attend a camp school around that time, I would like to hear from you. Rebecca's book "Beyone Bartholomew" says that the Drew Co. camps were from 1925-30. Perhaps the camp in the picture was in Ashley Co. I don't know, but it had to be before 1920. Carolyn jhaisty@tcac.com