Palmetto Lumber Company, in 1921, opened a logging front at what became known as Pinedale. Located about seven miles northwest of Huntsville, between what is now Farm Road 247 and I-45, the camp was on the Thomas Stevens League and the Archibald McGee survey. Palmetto Lumber built a tram extension to the pinery from its common charter, the Trinity Valley Southern. The front logged only for Palmetto Lumber until 1923, when Paul Sanderson, the President of Texas Long Leaf Lumber, took over Palmetto Lumber Company (its name changed to Oakhurst Lumber Company) and the old Thompson and Tucker family operations at Trinity and New Willard. Sawtimber to the Trinity mills were routed over the tracks of the International & Great Northern. The Oakhurst mill closed by 1935, and the Trinity Valley Southern route was closed. Sawtimber continued to be shipped over the tracks to Trinity until 1939. By then, the timber had been exhausted, and the camp was closed.
The community housed about 600 people, living in either two-room shotgun houses or four-room, square, clapboard dwellings. Drinking wells were dug throughout the town. The commissary fronted one end of the town while a two-room school house was built at the other end. Drinking wells were dug throughout the town. Students, until 1934, received schooling through the tenth grade, but afterwards the advanced grades were bused to Crabbs Prairie. A monthly charge was made against a worker's pay for medical services, which permitted service and prescriptions without additional charge.
With the closing of the Pinedale front, workers were either transferred to Trinity or to other logging operations.