05/29/2026
Minden Lumber Company Burns
By Jessica Gorman
The Bodcaw Lumber Company, headquartered at Stamps, Arkansas, was formed in the late 1880s. While we are more familiar with the spelling Bodcau, the Arkansas spelling is Bodcaw. Under the leadership of William Buchanan, the company began pushing south, building mills at Springhill and Minden.
Land for the Minden mill was purchased from Captain Alfred Goodwill. The mill property extended from Bayou Avenue, along the tracks of the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway, northward for about three-fourths of a mile. What is now the “new section” of the Minden Cemetery was part of the mill property. Here, between fifteen and twenty houses were built for workers. That land was later donated to the cemetery.
The mill, known as Minden Lumber Company, began operation in 1901. It became a major contributor to the local economy and employed about 300 workers. The financial success of the company can be seen in two of Minden’s historic residences. Joseph G. Ferguson was a timber buyer, board member, and was president of the company in its final decade. The home he built in the early 1920s now serves as the Stewart Center of the Webster Parish Library. E. E. Fitzgerald was vice-president and general manager. His home, built in 1905, is located on McDonald Street next to Academy Park.
On 25 May 1918, fire broke out at the mill. Primary sources only record part of the story. The fire was discovered around 9:30pm and originated in the sawmill building. Hundreds of citizens aided firefighting efforts. They primarily focused on moving what lumber they could out of harm’s way. In an attempt to prevent spread of the fire to the planer and lumber yard, they cut the tramway. With the fire to the north, they were aided by winds blowing from the south. Ten men, a wagon, & pumping apparatus were sent by the Shreveport Fire Department. It took about two hours to bring the fire under control, but ultimately, there was no choice but to let the flames burn out. The sawmill building, dry kilns, both boiler and engine houses, commissary, loading docks, the corral for the mules, and a large quantity of lumber were destroyed.
Fortunately, Mrs. Thomas Lorraine Campbell, past Webster Parish Historian, compiled information about the mill from people who could remember both the mill and the fire. This information was published in 1987, in two parts. Part I appears in the Spring-Summer issue of the Journal of the North Louisiana Historical Association, and Part II in the Fall edition. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Campbell and all those who have contributed articles over the years to ensure that the history of this area is preserved. Many articles on the history of Webster Parish are included in the Journal and we are fortunate to have a substantial collection included in our resource library at the museum.
Back to the fire, according to Mrs. Campbell’s article, residents remembered that it could be seen for miles. Wylie Luck was working that night. As he was completing his round as nightwatchman, the cry of “Fire!” was heard. To Luck’s surprise, the upper floor of the sawmill building was in flames, the very part of the mill he had just checked.
Reportedly, in the event of fire, three pistol shots were to be fired to alert the boilerman. It was then his job to blow the steam whistle to bring workers and others to fight the fire. Luck fired the shots. Some thought shots were being fired at an arsonist. Between the seemingly instant ignition of the fire, its location, the presence of a suspicious man who had reportedly come to work as a machinist at the mill, and war contracts held by the mill, sabotage was suspected by some. Newspapers from the time reported nothing of the sort. However, I did find evidence to support the story of a “suspicious character” in Minden at the time. The Tuesday following the fire, a man was arrested for sedition. Interestingly enough, he was witnessed speaking against the government in the lumber company housing. He was arrested and placed in the Caddo Parish jail on federal charges.
Sabotage or not, the fire was devasting. Losses were estimated in excess of $300,000 and had the flames not been stopped, the Webster Signal predicted a loss approaching $1,000,000. The board of directors met just days later and the decision was made not to rebuild the mill. Minden’s economy took a major hit.
A side effect of the fire was the loss of electricity to the town. When the mill was built, the Minden Electric Light and Power Company was formed. Their power plant was located at the mill and provided the first electricity to Minden. It was several months before power was restored.
(Jessica Gorman is Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, President of the Minden Cemetery Association, and an avid genealogist.)
