The lumber industry was the first industry in the whole area. There were large stands of red and white pine. The lumber companies had sent surveyors and engineers to report on the land. These companies had received timber rights from the crown and traded forest products with the large centres in Canada and with the United States. Lumbering became a very viable industry especially after the railway was built through the area to bring men and supplies and to take away the timber. There were many large timber companies that owned timber limits in the area and they employed many men. Some lumber camps had more than 200 men working for them. There were saw mills of all types and sizes

The mining boom in Sudbury had a great effect on the railway industry. The only way to get to Sudbury was by rail. There was no link with Toronto until 1908. Therefore, before that time, transportation from Sudbury was in an easterly direction, towards Ottawa and Montreal. The demand for mining timber, firewood and agricultural produce increased with the growth of Sudbury and consequently the movement of people and goods between Sudbury and Markstay grew. Markstay became a bustling railway town. The railway was important as a communication link, transportation agent and a provider of employment.