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ESCANABA -- Though it is tucked away in the Antique Village at the U.P. State Fairgrounds, a steam-powered sawmill has been drawing crowds during the U.P. Steam and Gas Engine Association's Annual Show for decades.
"It's very popular during the show, as well as the U.P. State Fair," U.P. Steam and Gas Engine Association Secretary Jon Paul LaFave said.
The sawmill facility was patented by the Standard Saw Mill Machinery Company of Erie, Penn. in 1869. It was initially used in Rapid River.
About a century after it was patented, the mill was donated to the U.P. Steam and Gas Engine Association by Garden resident Steve Pscodna. It was the first piece of equipment the association acquired.
While it was not up and running in time for the first Annual Show, association members and brothers David and Tom Houseman were able to get the mill operational in time for the association's second show. It has been a staple of the show ever since.
LaFave said the wood processed at the mill is provided by several sources.
"All the logs are donated by Weyerhaeuser, Triest Forest Products and St. John Forest Products," he said.
The lumber produced there is used to enhance the Antique Village.
"The club uses the lumber to build buildings or remodel," LaFave said.
Leftover slabs of wood are cut up and used as steam engine fuel.
During the Annual Show, LaFave said the mill typically operates from 10 a.m. to noon before workers take a lunch break, from 1 to 3 p.m. until workers take another short break, and from the end of the second break until 5 p.m.