Where did Diamond Match find the wood for their matches in Northern California?

 Ever heard of Sterling California? 

It's a small mountainous community located above the upper Paradise Ridge with a population of around 400 esidents.  Founded in 1901 or 1903 by Columbus Barber, who owned Diamond Match of Barberton, Ohio was on a mission to find a better selection of wood for his matches. 

Go West thought Mr. Barber who traveled on looking for wood for his matches.  The sawmill begin in 1904 with full operations about one year later in 1905.  

                                                              The Manor Hotel that burned down in 1931.

Fred Clough named the city after a steam boiler used at the sawmill.  Several business were owned and operated by Fred Clough including the Sterling City Mercantile Company and The Sterling City Bank.  In 1911, the bank was robbed of $9000 dollars and escaped using a railroad handcar.   Mount Saint Agnes Hospital was ran by the Catholic Sisters of Charity.

Sterling City streets are named after minerals & trees.

The seven mineral streets are Diamond, Quartz, Granite, Lava, Slate, Mica, and Gypsum. The 'tree' streets are Manzanita, Oak, Pine, and Spruce.   By the mid 1950s when the delapitated sawmill could no longer meet Diamond Matches needs the operation ceased January 31 of 1958 and the town lost most of it's population.  

The ole sawmill was purchased by Pollak Steel, who bought it for scrap but didn't recover much as the mill was destroyed by fire in April.

Postcards from the early 1900 taken in and around Sterling City tells the Diamond Match Sawmill story.