Sawmill

In the 1700s and 1800s, willow-lined marshes gradually became alfalfa fields and apple orchards irrigated by Old Town's acequia madre. The area's industrial era began in 1903 with the American Lumber Company, where up to fifty rail cars of timber arrived daily from the Zuni Mountains. At its peak, the mills employed 1,000 workers and produced enough lumber to build sixty houses each day, while wood scraps powered a neighboring electric plant.

The mills, power plant, warehouses, and lumber yards remained major employers into the 1970s. But growing concerns about noise, air pollution, and contaminated groundwater led the Sawmill Neighborhood Association to push for change. Blowing sawdust was later found to contain carcinogens.

In 1995, the City purchased the mill property and leased it to the Sawmill Community Land Trust for affordable housing. The site was transformed into a neighborhood with owner-occupied homes, senior apartments, community spaces, and small business incubators.

Today, new investments continue to shape Sawmill. The Sawmill Market has given new life to the former Paxton Lumber Company building, while additional mixed-use development is bringing new homes and businesses to the area. The Rail Trail will strengthen these connections, making it easier to walk and bike between neighborhoods, destinations, and local businesses.