Beckwourth Plumas Boca Truckee Tahoe Nevada Colorado Ghost Town Lumber Mill Real Photo Postcard

The "Star Mill" likely operated as a significant sawmill, a common industrial fixture in heavily forested regions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such mills were crucial for processing raw timber harvested from nearby forests into usable lumber, serving burgeoning construction and industrial demands across the continent. The visible stacks of logs, cut lumber, and industrial buildings with prominent smokestacks indicate a substantial and active operation.

Sawmills like the Star Mill were economic engines, often forming the core of frontier towns and contributing substantially to regional economies, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes states. The adjacent railroad tracks and trestle highlight the vital role of rail transport in moving both logs from logging camps to the mill and finished lumber to distant markets, facilitating widespread development and resource extraction during this period of rapid industrial expansion.