Caddo River Lumber
The Caddo River Lumber Company was first organized in 1906 by Thomas Whitaker Rosborough, along with his three partners. Mr. Rosborough managed the operations of the company, having previously operated sawmill operations in Arkansas and Loiuisiana. After surveying a number of possible locations, he settled on a site in Pike County, Arkansas which he named after himself, shortening the name to Rosboro. The sawmill was completed in 1907, and Mr. Rosborough continued to purchase timberland in nearby counties.
The company also built several railroad spurs onto the company's land in order to make the transportation of logs easier. The company eventually started the Caddo and Choctaw Railroad Company, which carried not only timber but passengers and freight as well.
Caddo River Lumber grew to be one of the largest companies operating in the Ouachita Mountains during the first half of the twentieth century. Mr. Rosborough was comfortable with African American workers and employed a good number of them, despite the area's reputation for "sundown towns." When threats from nearby community members warned Mr. Rosborough's black workers to leave the area, he responded by providing them with firearms and built a tall board fence around their quarters to protect them.
The company also built several railroad spurs onto the company's land in order to make the transportation of logs easier. The company eventually started the Caddo and Choctaw Railroad Company, which carried not only timber but passengers and freight as well.
Caddo River Lumber grew to be one of the largest companies operating in the Ouachita Mountains during the first half of the twentieth century. Mr. Rosborough was comfortable with African American workers and employed a good number of them, despite the area's reputation for "sundown towns." When threats from nearby community members warned Mr. Rosborough's black workers to leave the area, he responded by providing them with firearms and built a tall board fence around their quarters to protect them.