By 1940, Lakeview had seven sawmills operating in town. All of the mills had new dry kilns for year-around operations. This increased winter employment opportunities in Lakeview, increasing economic stability in the community. The number of sawmills decreased during World War II, leaving only three by 1946. That year, 39,000,000 board feet of timber was cut on the Fremont National Forest. However, that national forest's timber harvest increased to 81,200,000 board feet per year by 1952. To accommodate this increase, Lakeview's sawmills were expanded and modernized. In the 1950s, the payrolls and income from Lakeview's sawmills accounted for more than half of the town's economy.