Cheney Lumber Company. Men move large, cut timbers from a flat-bed truck onto railroad freight cars using long-handled hooks. The first Cheney stud mill was at National, Washington, near Eatonville. Mills were later established at Willapa Harbor, Vancouver, Chehalis and Tacoma. Later mills were established in Oregon and California as well. The eight foot 2" x 4" pieces he began creating from scrap lumber were first known as "shorts." Viewing this as a derogatory term, Ben Cheney conceived a new logo to be stamped on each stud, using the silhouette of a well endowed Belgian stud horse. He also painted the two-by-four ends with bright red wax for instant identification. His product was no longer a "short." It had become a "Cheney Stud." (Med Nicholson, "The Sou'wester", Fall, 2000) TPL-5674
Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping;