In the 1860s, timber surveyors reported on the dense pine forests that covered much of the area that would later become Park Rapids. In the 1870s, speculators eagerly pressed for the area to be surveyed, hoping to stake claims on the potentially lucrative lumber resources.

The earliest logging camp near Park Rapids was opened in 1881. Early settlers joined in the work at nearby lumber camps, augmenting their income during the winter. The Rice brothers constructed a dam and a sawmill by 1882. Park Rapids grew thanks to this early mill, which produced "rough" lumber for constructing the town's first buildings.

Between 1900 and 1920, the Park Rapids area lumber industry was at its height. Forests of pine trees were cut, hauled onto skids by horses and lumberjacks, and often sledded by horse or steam power to meet the train in Park Rapids. Logs were also floated into Park Rapids on lakes and rivers. Though the logging industry was at its peak, Park Rapids' lumber mills were in decline. The planer mill was destroyed by fire in 1910 and the upstream sawmill closed in 1912.

The timber industry continued to contribute to the local economy as pine stands regrew naturally after forest fires or were replanted. In the same way modern equipment changed the ways farming is done, mechanization allowed loggers to harvest as much wood in a month as lumber jacks cut in an entire winter. Now forests are managed to sustain the wood supply and support the industry.

303 Mill Street
Park Rapids, MN 56470

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46.924632757014, -95.0541285423286