In 1916, the Babcock Lumber & Land Company acquired 350 acres along Pistol Creek, where it built saw and planing mills to process lumber from timber the company was cutting in Monroe County. At the time, Babcock was the nation's leading producer of hardwood lumber. The company also built approximately 200 homes for its workers along the "tree streets" named for Babcock's products, including Oak, Maple, Poplar, and Birch. The community was named Vose after the maiden name of the Babcocks' mother. C. L. Babcock, head of the local operations, served as the City of Alcoa's first mayor from 1919 to 1925.