An excerpt from “Some Other Day: Remembering Empire” by the Empire Area Heritage Group
When flat cars came in loaded with logs, they were rolled down the timbers into the water. Here the lake was dredged out deep enough to let any log float, and slabs were built up about two feet above the water. This made good footing when the logs were pulled by a pike-pole to a slide. An endless chain in the slide with two hooks then pulled them up into the mill by steam power, and they were sawed into lumber, slabs and edgings.
Another group of workers started grading the railroad bed where it was staked out east of the bridge. Teams of horses and slip scrapers were used to grade down the knolls and fill in the low places with sand. This continued east for two miles, then turned southeast for two miles, gradually climbing a large hill on the way.
