Humboldt County Lumber Mill: Scotia 1915

Humboldt County, California Lumber Mill is a silent black-and-white film shot in 1915 at Scotia, a historic company town and hub of the Pacific Lumber Company. The footage showcases the lumber milling process: logs arrive on flatcars and are automatically dumped into a mill pond, where workers maneuver them while a conveyor ramp lifts logs from the pond to the saw. Scenes include a log entering the saw and close-ups of machinery in action, highlighting early 20th-century logging technology. This rare glimpse into Humboldt County’s redwood industry captures the labor and innovation of the era, preserved as a testament to California’s lumber heritage.