Chester’s Transformation—Collins Pine

Collins Pine, Chester

One of the most dramatic transformation for Chester came in 1941 with the announcement by the Collins Pine Company that it intend to construct a mill at Chester. This was going to be a radical departure for Chester from its peaceful existence as a summer getaway, and in the fall hunters briefly replaced the summer visitors.  Once winter approached, many of Chester’s citizens boarded up their homes and moved to warmer climates, then to return in the spring.

Collins Pine changed all that, providing an industry to stabilize a year-round community. It should be noted Collins Pine was not a stranger to the region. As a matter of fact, in 1902 the company had purchased 18,000 acres of timberland in the region. In 1940, the nearby Red River Lumber Company at Westwood offered to rent their mill. Collins was not interested. However, Collins in 1941 purchased the millsite near Chester and thirteen miles of railroad from Chester to Clear Creek Junction from Red River.  It was a slow process for the  construction of Collins mill due to World War II and the scarcity of machinery. Even with those adversities, on March 31, 1943 the first board was sawed at the new mill.

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