F. M. Giddens operated several sawmills during the last half of the 1800s in Red River County. His sawmill in Precinct 6, enumerated in the Census of 1880, was a circular saw, steam-powered operation that milled a million feet from $5,500 worth of supplies and sawlogs. The gross value of the product was $9,750. Giddens employed thirteen workers at peak production and eight normally during eight months of operations. He paid them from $1.00 to $2.50 daily for nine-hour shifts in the winter and ten-hour shifts during the summer. He paid out $2,000 total in wages in ten months of operation.
This sawmill was listed at Clarksville in an 1884 railroad directory. Giddens also had a sawmill listed at Walker Station, Red River County.