The Missouri Lumber and Mining Company (MLM) was a major American timber corporation established by Pennsylvania lumbermen during the late nineteenth century. The company was formed to exploit the untapped timber resources of the Missouri Ozarks, primarily producing lumber for construction to support the rapid westward expansion of the United States. To facilitate its operations, the corporation constructed the company town of Grandin, Missouri, starting around 1888. At the turn of the century, the lumber mill in Grandin grew to become the largest facility of its kind in the nation, and the town's population peaked at approximately 2,500 to 3,000 residents.\n\nAs the region's timber resources became exhausted, the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company was forced to abandon its operations in Grandin around 1910. Despite this relocation, the company continued its timber harvesting activities in other areas of Missouri for another decade. Although some of the buildings in Grandin were moved, many remaining structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This preservation effort recognized the company as a highly significant technological and economic contributor to the history of Missouri.
