Madera Sugar Pine Company

Not to be confused with Yosemite Valley Railroad.

The Madera Sugar Pine Company
Hauling logs near Sugar Pine in 1915
Overview
LocaleSierra National Forest
Dates of operation1874–1931
SuccessorYosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (1961)
Technical
Track gauge3 ft (914 mm)
Length32 mi (51 km)

The Madera Sugar Pine Company was a United States lumber company that operated in the Sierra Nevada region of California during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company distinguished itself through the use of innovative technologies, including the southern Sierra's first log flume and logging railroad, along with the early adoption of the Steam Donkey engine.[1]: 10 [2] Its significant regional impact led to the establishment of towns such as Madera, Fish Camp, and Sugar Pine, as well as the growth of Fresno Flats and the formation of Madera County.

At its peak, the Madera Sugar Pine Company employed over 600 men in its logging operations, another 1,000 in its lumber mill, and produced an annual output of 50 million board feet of lumber.[3] Most of its production was exported beyond California, notably supplying two carloads of "the finest Sugar Pine in the world" for the reconstruction of the White House under Theodore Roosevelt.[4]: 35–37 [5] Overall, the company logged more than 6,200 acres (25 km2) acres and generated over 1.3 billion board feet of lumber before its closure in 1933, a downturn driven by the declining supply and demand during The Great Depression. Despite these economic challenges, the Madera Sugar Pine Company maintained profitability in each year of its operation.[6]: 146 

A key moment for the company was its involvement in a landmark 1923 U.S. Supreme Court case where the court confirmed death benefits for non-resident alien dependents, marking a major step in workers' rights and setting a precedent against discrimination in cases of industrial accidents.

In 1967, service resumed as the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, a heritage railway.[7] The railroad is built on a two-mile (3 km) section of the original railroad grade used between 1908 and 1924.[8][9]

  1. ^ Johnston, Hank (1968). Thunder in the Mountains: The Life and Times of Madera Sugar Pine (Second Edition (Revised) ed.). Costa Mesa, Calif.: Stauffer Publishing. ISBN 0-87046-017-X. OCLC 239958.
  2. ^ Fresno Flats Historical Village and Park (Museum display). Oakhurst, CA: Madera County Historical Society. 2022.
  3. ^ "Madera County Timber Resources". Madera Tribune. Madera, California. July 30, 1928. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Barnes, Dwight H. (2001). Miners, Lumberjacks, and Cowboys: A History of Eastern Madera County. Oakhurst, Calif.: Sierra Historic Sites Association. ISBN 0-9707605-0-7. OCLC 50478275.
  5. ^ "Lumber for the White House". Madera Mercury. Madera, California. October 18, 1902. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Stenzel, Jane, ed. (2006). As We Were Told: An Oral and Written History (Third Edition (Revised) ed.). Coarsegold, California: Coarsegold Historical Society. ISBN 0-9626377-7-7.
  7. ^ "Real Train Surprises Fish Camp Visitors". Madera Tribune. Vol. 76, no. 94. September 26, 1967. Retrieved January 27, 2024.}
  8. ^ Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Marker (Historic Marker). Fish Camp, CA: Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49 E Clampus Vitus. 1987.
  9. ^ "Sugar Pine Railroad on Full Schedule". Madera Tribune. September 24, 1968. Retrieved August 9, 2022.