This is a photograph of a steam engine powered sawmill, sawing lumber at a location believed to be in Livingston County, Michigan. The exact location and date are unknown.
Moses Thompson and his family came to what was to become Howell in 1835. Thompson Lake was created by him when he dammed the stream and then built a sawmill. The dammed stream made three small lakes/ponds. The ponds were separated by swamps/tamaracks. While the first mill was owned by Moses Thompson, it was later owned by others.
The first picture is believed to be the home of Andrew O. Hutchings who later owned the mill. The next two pictures show a later Thompson Lake Dam and pipe with water coming in to work the mill. In the last picture, one can see the north end of Howell Lake (Thompson Lake), an area that is now surrounded by homes. In the foreground is the old wooden intake pipe to the mill. The water area in the foreground was the old village "swimming hole".
The exact dates of these photographs are unknown.
"The Howell Bicentennial Hisotry and Photographic Supplement", Windmill Publications, 1992.
These photographs were taken in the aftermath of the fire at the sawmill at Thureson Lumber Company, 1301 East Grand River Avenue, Howell, Michigan, October 14, 1943.
