In 1902, Justus S. Stearns of Ludington, Michigan, established the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company. This logging and mining empire controlled more than 200 square miles of land in Kentucky and Tennessee, built the first electric sawmill in the U.S.; as well as, employed 2,200 people during its’ heyday. The construction of Kentucky & Tennessee Railway allowed the Stearns Company to grow and prosper.