BOOM CITY!

IT ALL BEGAN WITH A “BIG BOOM.”
The history of the lumber boom in our city is quite a defining component of Williamsport, PA. The logging activity here in our area before the turn of the century earned our city the title “Lumber Capital of the World.”

Built in 1851, the Susquehanna Log Boom, consisting of 400 linked stone & timber cribs, spanned seven miles of the slow-moving river here in our valley. This transportation system brought much prosperity to our region by meeting the high demand for lumber. Unfortunately, it was not sustainable due to the deforestation of our surrounding lands. Damaging floods, like those in 1889 & 1894, washed away an incredible amount of lumber, every sawmill in the valley, and the dreams of many American timber barons. In addition to the devastation, it was cheaper by then to move lumber by rail than by river. Hence, by 1908, the city’s boom had washed away as well.
But back in the days of the Lumber Boom, Williamsport enjoyed the notoriety of being the Boom City where more millionaires per capita resided than anywhere else in the world.