Census records reveal that the firm of Wickham & Byer ran a lumber mill in Precinct 4, Cass County, during the census year ending May 31, 1880. They had a d $1,800 invested in the steam-powered operation. Employing from six to eight men, the firm paid from $1.25 to $2.00 for a ten-hour shift; the firm paid a total wage of $800. From $2,000 in sawlogs and supplies, the sawmill cut 400,000 board feet valued at $3,600.
Wickham or Wickbain is probably the individual referred to by John D. Hanes in his unpublished work. He noted that a Mr. Wickham opened a mill near Atlanta but places the date in 1885.