Location: Waters, MI - Henry Stephens Lumber Co.

The Henry Stephens Lumber Co. established a large lumber operation on Bradford Lake at Waters, moving north from his mill in St. Helens. The company had two sawmills (gang mill and band saw mill), a planing mill, electric light plant, kilns, boarding houses, a narrow gauge roundhouse and other facilities between the Michigan Central railroad and Bradford Lake.

The Stephens railroad was three foot gauge, and provided transport between the mills and the large lumber drying yards. According to [SBM] in 1907, the narrow gauge line was built adjacent to the standard gauge MCRR Mackinaw Branch.

Image info: Top, a view of the Stephens Lumber Company railroad operations in southern Otsego County, near Waters. [ITP4]. 2nd-4th, three views of standard gauge locomotives and timber trains at Waters, 5th, a posed photo of a track crew on the Stephens logging railroad. 6th, a narrow gauge locomotive in the Stephens operations, 7th-8th photos of the two saw mills on Bradford Lake at Waters, 9th, the Stephens Barn near Waters, purported to be the largest barn in the country at the time, 10th, a fire in the offices of Stephens Lumber in Waters in 1914. [UML]

Notes

The yards were served by the Michigan Central which had dozens of yard tracks here. For further information, CLICK HERE and to to pages 8 and 9 of the linked Sanborn Insurance maps.

Time Line

1886. September. Since the Stephens Lumber Co. came into possession of the saw mill plant at Waters (formerly Wright's Lake) they have planned extensive improvements which are now being carried out. A contrivance has been added for hoisting lumber at the mill as it comes from the saws to the tramway above. New tramways are being built. A large addition, with a fine cellar, has been built to the boarding house, and all buildings - store and domiciles - are being moved across the Michigan Central track, away from the mill yard. About 40 acres more of land is being cleared for new building sites and as a protection against fire. The planing mill is in course of construction having a frontage of 182 feet facing the MC road; depth of the main building is 114 feet, with a wing on one side of 64 feet and on the other of 30 feet. 

The engine house, which is detached, is 32 feet by 58 feet, and filing room of 16 by 24 feet. The mills are a quarter of a mile apart. The planing mill will be supplied by lumber carried from the mill yard by engine and cars on a track of three feet gauge running to the west side of the planning mill on the edge of a bluff.

The cars of standard gauge receiving loads for shipment stand on the track inside the mill building five feet below the floor to facilitate loading. The mill will be furnished with all the latest and best appliances and machinery for planing mill work. [SWC-1886-0902]

1888. July. At St. Helens, Stephens & Company new circular mill is about completed. It will have a capacity of 50,000 feet daily. A duplicate mill is being erected by the same firm at Waters which will be completed early in the fall. This will give them four good mills for next season's operations. The firm originally composed of Henry Stephens Sr., Henry Stephens Jr., and Albert Stephens, father and two sons, and operated at Fish Lake in Lapeer County. They removed to St. Helens only seven years ago. They own ¾ of all standing pine along the Mackinaw branch of the MC, and cut over 50 million feet of lumber annually at their mills, besides lath, etc. They operate logging railroads at St. Helens and Waters, and lumber the year round. Henry Stephens Sr. died in California three years ago, and the immense business now devolves on Albert and Henry Jr. The firm employs nearly 1,000 men. They have six years supply of timber yet on hand, and when that is gone have over 400 million feet in Upper Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota to fall back upon. [SWC-1888-0705]

1893. The Stephens Lumber Co. advertises in Saginaw newspapers for fifty men to work in the woods and on their railroad near Waters. [SAG-1o893-0603]

1902. Henry Stephens of the Stephens Lumber company presented every married man in the village of Waters with a nice, plump Christmas turkey. Nearly half a ton of dressed birds was required to go around. [SJHP-1902-1227]

1903. January 12. Fire yesterday morning destroyed the Stephens Lumber company's round house and one large logging engine is in ruins. The car repair shop was also burned. Loss to the Stephens company is $5,000. [SAG-1903-0112]

1908. Burton Ward, 14 years old, and Peter Verlandis, 11, were struck by a freight train. Ward was instantly killed and Verlandis lived only one hour after the accident. The boys were employed by the Henry Stephens Lumber company. They had been riding on a logging train and were killed as they jumped from that train in front of the freight, which they failed to notice approaching. [LSJ-1908-0623]

1911. July 12. The village of Waters was saved from destruction by the rigorous work of the people there, aided by firemen from Bay City and Grayling. The fire started in the lumber piles of the Henry Stephens Lumber company and these were destroyed, but no buildings were burned, although Wednesday night the situation was reported there as hopeless. [SAG-1911-0713]

1916. Town of Waters to be a thing of the past. Everything in place of 200 is sold and will be dismantled. A Bay City firm, Helfer Brothers, has purchased from Henry Stephens & company everything in the place, including two saw mills, one planing mill, ten miles of narrow gauge railway, four locomotives, seventy-five flat cars, two miles of tramways, electric light plant, waterworks system and 60 houses. The Stephens company exhausted its standing timber supply three months ago and had no further use for its equipment. The property will be dismantled and brought to Bay City. Waters has a population of 200 and depended entirely upon the company for its prosperity. [SAG-1916-0717