Sugar Pine Lumber Company

Sugar Pine Lumber Company
Hauling logs over Bass Lake Dam in 1926.
Overview
LocaleSierra National Forest
Dates of operation1923–1933
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
LengthMinarets and Western Railway, 43.45 mi (69.93 km)
Sugar Pine Lumber Company Railroad, 10.82 mi (17.41 km)[1]

The Sugar Pine Lumber Company was an early 20th century logging operation and railroad in the Sierra Nevada. Unable to secure water rights to build a log flume, the company operated the “crookedest railroad ever built."[2] They later developed the Minarets-type locomotive, the largest and most powerful saddle tank locomotive ever made.[3]: 39  The company was also a pioneer in the electrification of logging where newly plentiful hydroelectric power replaced the widespread use of steam engines.

The company founded two towns. They built Central Camp, a permanent logging camp with lavish amenities, and Pinedale, site of the company lumber mill. They operated two railroads: the Sugar Pine Railroad, which connected Central Camp to the switching yard in Bass Lake, and the Minarets and Western Railway, a client carrier that transported whole logs from the Sierra Nevada to the company lumber mill.

The Sugar Pine Lumber Company became one of the most notable boom-and-bust stories of the 1920s logging industry. After an $8 million investment in 1923, it set records for California's annual lumber cut but quickly exhausted its timber holdings.[1][3]: 56  By 1933, the company was bankrupt, overwhelmed by debt and high operating costs. Despite its advanced facilities, the expense of maintaining the camp and railroad made it impossible to turn a profit.[2][4]

  1. ^ a b "Sugar Pine to Start Operations June 10". Madera Mercury. May 13, 1923. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Lumber Company Built a Railroad Instead of a Flume". Madera Tribune. Madera, California. June 11, 1968. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Johnston, Hank (2011). Rails to the Minarets: The Story of the Sugar Pine Lumber Company (Fourth Edition (Revised) ed.). Fish Camp, California: Stauffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9846848-0-9.
  4. ^ "Lecture - Hank Johnston". Sierra Historic Sites Association. April 27, 1980. Retrieved September 29, 2024.