About the year 1895 or so, a second one was constructed – that of Robert Wilson – on land given him by his good friend Alex Stewart, on the bank of the Bar River near the Government Road. This remained in operation until a disastrous fire destroyed most of it, from which time Mr. Wilson made berry boxes, finally closing the mill down and moving to Orillia in the middle forties.
Nane Rivers had a small sawmill on his property as well, which served the area below the present highway.
In the lower end of the township, John Rydall also operated a sawmill. Apparently, the mill had been moved to the location on Section 29 from a previous site at the end of the town line. This mill was destroyed by lightning, but a second mill was built by Duncan Rydall on his property later. This was steam powered and it was one of the duties of Delbert McKinnon to keep it fired with snowballs in the winter.
Curious to know more? Delve Further Into Laird Sawmills Here:
Laird Chronicles Chapter 7 – Business And Industry