The Liberty Hardwood Lumber Company originally began as the Ranger Hardwood Export Company about 1903. Julian Ranger and J.Henry Steele organized the company to manufacture hardwood lumber from timber situated in Liberty and San Jacinto counties, on the Romayor land grant. By 1906, the Ranger firm was in the hands of a trustee, Sam T. Swinford, a Kirby Lumber Company associate. Swinford sold the firm back to Julian Ranger in May 1906, and the name of the new lumber firm became Liberty Hardwood Lumber Company. Kilburn Moore bought Liberty Hardwood in June 1918 for $262,000 and assumed all liabilities. Kilburn was the son of Charles Moore, Chairman of Miller-Vidor Lumber Company; Charles also an officer and stockholder in Liberty Hardwood. Kilburn was a director of Miller-Vidor.
The output of the Ranger - Liberty Hardwood mill was shipped over the rails of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe. According to a 1904 Santa Fe shipping circular, the mill was located at Rayburn, but the lumber company's post office address was at River, a few miles east of Rayburn. The mill's capacity was rated at 50,000 board feet per day. Keeling noted that the Big Creek and Trinity Valley Railway 8-mile logging tram road of the Liberty Hardwood Company was headquartered at Big Creek.