 Several sawmills and other timber industries began in the years following the railroad's completion, as mining fortunes in the surrounding area dwindled.Most of the original prospectors had left the Darrington area during the Klondike gold rush of the late 1890s, while those who remained established a single smelter in the mountains.A Bornite mine was developed at Long Mountain and was hoped to revive the mining industry of the area, but was abandoned in 1910 after its mineral deposits were found to be smaller than expected.