The M. K. Stroud sawmill and grist mill was enumerated in the 1870 Census at Precinct 3, Rusk County. It was a combination mill, producing 100,000 board feet of lumber worth $2,000 and cornmeal valued at $790. Each mill was d to be a capital value of $3,500 and $1,500, respectively. The mill operated eight months of the reporting period and employed four men, who received a combined total wage of $800.