Natural resources were key to Rattan’s early growth. Many of its settlers were farmers. Timber, logged in the Kiamichi Mountains north of the community, also fueled growth. A number of logging trams, or railroad lines, were built into the mountains and large camps of loggers and their dependents lived along the tracks for months on end. These mobile, rolling communities were sizeable enough to feature small schools, physicians offices, and general stores. Most of their residents lived in railroad cars which traveled along with the work crews as they logged deeper into the mountains.