Ford Motor Company Iron Mountain Plant Sawmill and Power House, circa 1920

In 1919, Henry Ford began buying vast amounts of forestland in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. These prime hardwood forests supplied the lumber used to create vehicle bodies and parts. Other products such as railroad ties, shipping containers and chemical byproducts were also made -- all to support Ford's automobile operations and his goal of manufacturing self-sufficiency.

Ford Motor Company sawmills created heaps of wood wastes. Some was used to produce steam for factory operations. The rest was carbonized and compressed into charcoal. Workers mixed charred hardwood chips with starch, forming nearly 100 tons of charcoal briquettes each day. Dealers sold branded barbecue accessories and packages of the popular briquettes in Ford dealerships across the country.

In pursuit of self-sufficient automobile manufacture, Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company purchased over 313,000 acres of timberland for logging in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A massive sawmill complex and powerful hydroelectric plant were constructed at Iron Mountain. Here, sawmill workers produced huge quantities of lumber for wooden automobile framework, floorboards, and wheels.