When Bruce was incorporated on June 29, 1927 it was literally a whistle stop with a depot, four stores and less than a dozen residences.
The section around Bruce once contained thousands of acres of land rich with pine and hardwood untouched by axe or saw. The reason this fine stand of timber was untouched was that it was almost inaccessbile. There were no railroads or rivers to transport the cut timber; there were not even good roads that it could be hauled over.
E.L. Bruce
However, E.L. Bruce Company saw an opportunity in this rich and virgin timber land and in the fall of 1924 purchased 21,000 acres of land around the present town of Bruce.
The very first thing to be done was develop a means of transporting the lumber to the markets; so work was started right away on a railroad. This standard gauge railroad, now known as the Mississippi Skuna Valley Railroad stretches out for 22 miles to connect with the Illinois Central. Our products are hauled over the railroad from the plant at Bruce to the connecting line, where they are carried to all parts of the United States.
The construction of the railroad was not all that had to be done. The sawmill operation would require many workers, and these workers must have some place to live. So E.L. Bruce Company built a whole town, which was named appropriately enough, Bruce.
Mr. E.L. Bruce Sr. was always proud of the town called Bruce and frequently visited the site while the town was being built. He liked to walk up and down the streets and talk to the people. He had faith that the town would grow into a busy center.
The town has grown and the Bruce plant has always had an important part in that history. Mr. R.A. Tyson, of Holly Springs was the first mayor of Bruce. He was also the first manager of the Bruce operation.
Twenty-three years after its founding, Bruce has made a lot of progress. Today there is a population of 3,000 and 73 business establishments. There are three churches, a Rotary club, a Masonic Temple and a Chamber of Commerce. Bruce has the largest school in the county with an enrollment of 1,000 students.
Bruce is neither the oldest nor the largest of the Bruce plants, but from the historical standpoint it is certainly the most interesting.
Editor’s Note: This story was taken from the February 1950 Bruce Bulletin, a monthly newsletter published by E.L. Bruce Company. The story was credited to Bruce Plant Manager John Sage. The newsletter was recently donated to the Bruce Museum.