Farmers used these mills to make rough lumber for barns, stock pens, and fences. They were usually owned cooperatively by several farmers and moved from farm to farm as needed. Early settlers began an industry that prospered for 80 to 90 years. When the industry was at its height, nearly every community usually did all the labor. Many mills provided housing for their workers, and at the turn of the century common laborers earned about one dollar a day. By the 1970's, most of the large mills in the county had closed.