The Wier Longleaf Lumber Company was a lumber and milling operation established by Robert Withrow Wier (1873-1945) in East Texas that ran from 1918 until 1942. During that period, the company clearcut more than 86,000 acres (350 km²) of virgin pine forest in Newton, Jasper and Sabine counties. Because the city fathers of nearby Burkeville did not appreciate the rough workers Wier's company brought in, Wier established two new towns, Wiergate and Bon Wier, four miles away to house the company's employees. In its heyday, the mill could process approximately 200,000 feet of longleaf yellow pine every 10 hours. Wier also established a railroad to connect the mill and town to Newton. Towards the end of the Second World War, Wier sold his operation and closed down the mill, leading to the declin