The forty-seven year-old Dunn and the twenty-one year-old Johnston were enumerated in the 1860 County census as steam sawmillers who lived next to each other in Precinct 1. S. O. Sandell, who boarded with Johnston, was the mill's sawyer. This sawmill operation, according to the 1860 Census Products of Industry Schedule, was d to be a capital investment of $10,200, with $2,600 invested in 5,000 sawlogs. Six men were employed at a total monthly wage of $165. The sawmill manufactured 1,000,000 feet of lumber valued at $10,000.