DC Oakes Sawmill

DC (Daniel Chessman) Oakes brought one of the first sawmills to Colorado in 1859. It used a large steam boiler mounted on wheels to power the saw. Rather than haul trees to the sawmill, Oakes would move the sawmill around the property as his crews cut down the trees in the area.

There are surveyer's notes from 1862 locating the sawmill on the east side of Plumb Creek at the base of Hunt Mountain. This picture shows the sawmill on the Jellystone property, right where this point of interest is placed on the map.

Oakes' mill was an important source of lumber and some of the first structures built in Denver used wood from this sawmill.