West Coast Logging Company. Three men standing in front of a huge log loaded on a rail car. The log was one of the largest ever marketed up to this point. It was 11 1/2 feet in diameter and was sound to the core. At 36 feet long, it contained 14, 500 feet of marketable lumber. The tree was cut down near Mineral. (T. Times 7/9/1936, pg. 3)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; West Coast Logging Co. (Tacoma); Logs;

ca. 1936. West Coast Plywood Mill. Buildings and log boom at mill.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; West Coast Plywood Mill (Tacoma);

ca. 1936. West Coast Plywood Mill. Artistic view of buildings and structures at mill.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; West Coast Plywood Mill (Tacoma);

Transporting finished lumber on rail cars from the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company mill to its lumber ship the "Lake Frances."

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

Loading milled lumber from the dock onto the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company's lumber ship "Lake Frances".

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Cargo ships--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Loading cut lumber from the docks onto the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company's lumber ship "Lake Frances".

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Cargo ships--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940;

A man stands with his arm extended as high as he can, demonstrating the diameter of a massive log. The log is 10 1/2 feet in diameter. The 700 year old tree was cut on St. Paul & Tacoma holdings and shipped to Olympia to be peeled for veneer. Company officials stated that trees of this size were becoming much less common. This was the largest tree seen at the mill in 15 years. (T. Times 10-19-1935, pg. 1)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

One man sitting atop a large log with six men standing in front of the log, which is being transported on a rail car. In the 1930's, mammoth old growth trees were still being harvested to supply lumber and also to advertise the Northwest timber industry. This 700 year old giant was cut on the St. Paul & Tacoma Camp 5 holdings near the junction of the Puyallup & Mowitz Rivers. It was the largest seen at the mill in 15 years, 10 1/2 feet across and estimated at 45,790 board feet. If converted into lumber, this one tree could supply the wood for 4 good 5 room houses. However, due to advanced age and deterioration, 2/3 of the tree was unusable. The remainder was shipped to Olympia to peel for veneer. (T. Times 10/19/1935, pg. 1)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

This 109-car train bears logged old growth timber from the St. Paul & Tacoma Camp 5, near the junction of the Puyallup and Mowitz Rivers, to the city in October of 1935. Men standing on the logs demonstrate their mammoth size. The largest of the trees was a 700 year old giant, 10 1/2 feet across that was cut into four sections for transportation. (T. Times 10-19-1935, pg. 1)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

Wheeler Osgood, different sides of buildings, Paul Smith. This view shows the exterior of the plant with lots of unused metal tubing and a funnel lying on the ground both inside and outside a fenced area. Four tall stacks reach upwards from the building and a water tower stands over the building. An automobile is parked in the foreground. At this time Wheeler Osgood is considering expanding by purchasing the outstanding capital stock of the Fir Manufacturing Company of Myrtle Creek, Oregon. (T.Times, 9/3/1947, p.2)

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smokestacks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Water towers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Experiment with plywood at Puget Sound Plywood, International Timber Products, Seattle, Washington. Men are loading the layers that make up plywood into a hot press. The use of hot presses and the right kind of glue made waterproof plywood possible. Under heat and pressure the layers were made into a substance that was stronger than wood of the same dimension.

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Presses; Cooperatives--Tacoma;

Demonstration of farm machinery, Machinery Manufacturing and Sales Inc., Bob Airey. A portable sawmill is seen after completion of cutting a log into a large, square column of wood. The photographer's Woody is seen parked on the street along with several other automobiles and pick-up trucks. TPL-3826

Logs; Machinery; Machinery industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery Manufacturing & Sales, Inc. (Tacoma);

Demonstration of farm machinery, Machinery Manufacturing and Sales Inc., Bob Airey. Logs are moved up to a portable sawmill along a chain conveyor belt. Men operate the machinery while others watch the machinery in operation. Harrison Brothers, building materials and excavating contractors, are seen on the adjacent property at 225 Wakefield Drive. Taller buildings are seen in the background. TPL-3826

Logs; Machinery; Machinery industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery Manufacturing & Sales, Inc. (Tacoma);

Cheney Lumber Company. New construction of large residences on a cleared hillside.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Dwellings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Construction--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Aerial view of St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company at Olympia plant. TPL-6588

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Olympia); Lumber industry--Olympia--1940-1950; Aerial photographs;

Aerial view of Cheney Lumber Company, also the Port of Tacoma Dock with Cheney ties.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Port of Tacoma Dock (Tacoma); Aerial photographs; Ships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1940-1950; Marine terminals--Tacoma--1940-1950; Waterfronts; Industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

View of sawdust stockpiling with smoke stacks in the distance. Railroad tracks run between the sawdust stacks and a road. Equipment and buildings were designed to help distribute the sawdust. The lumber industry was experimenting with different uses for the residue from their operations. Bark was used as a glue extender, molding powders, soil builders, specialty fuels and filler for linoleum. Sawdust and wood chips were turned into presto logs and wood alcohol or used in the pulp industry whereas these byproducts had once been burned. (TNT, 2/17/1948)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smokestacks--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Aerials of Buffelen Lumber Co. on the Tideflats. The large mill was located on Lincoln at Taylor Way; 2000 Taylor Way is the approximate address. The company was organized in 1912 by John Buffelen, a partner at that time with August Von Boecklin in Washington Manufacturing Co., makers of fir columns. Buffelen started his new plant in Tacoma and produced primarily doors. Early in 1916, the plant began to manufacture fir plywood. In 1928, Buffelen met Phil Simpson, at that time the secretary and treasurer of the Tacoma Gas and Electric Co. Simpson became vice president of Buffelen in charge of finances. John Buffelen left the firm in 1928 and Simpson formed a holding company for the concern, by then known as the Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. ("The Plywood Age" Robert M. Cour)

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Aerials of the immense Buffelen Lumber Co. on the Tideflats. The large mill was located on Lincoln at Taylor Way; 2000 Taylor Way is the approximate address. The company was started in 1912 by John Buffelen. By 1928, Phil Simpson was acting as vice president and general manager. Simpson was one the forces involved in the formation of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. ("The Plywood Age" Robert M. Cour)

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Cheney Lumber Company. Large logs felled by the Cheney Lumber Company dwarf the man standing on a bulldozer and another standing on top of one of the logs. Lesser trees are still standing in the now bleak landscape.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trees; Logs; Woodcutting;

Cheney Lumber Company. Three loggers in one of the Cheney Lumber camps prepare to bring down another large tree to be cut into lumber. Ben B. Cheney started the Cheney Lumber Company 1936. Prior to this time large amounts of wood were wasted in the production of railroad ties and studding used in construction. Mr. Cheney was troubled by this and had an idea that by making studding in a standard 8 foot length much of the waste could be saved. He went to the tie mills and bought their waste and cut it into studs, thereby making an industry. Cheney Lumber Company's 7 plants produced 1 million studs per day. Ben Cheney was credited with standardizing architecture in America with his methods for mass-producing studing. (TNT, 6/11/1960)

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trees; Woodcutting;

Cheney Lumber Company. Three of the loggers working in one of the Cheney Lumber camps. Their faces are as dirty as their clothes after a day cutting and hauling the big logs. The Cheney Lumber Company had logging and mill operations in Washington, Oregon and California. (TNT, 6/10/1960)

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trees;

Interiors at the Buffelen Lumber plant on the Tideflats. The immense plant was located on Lincoln Ave at Taylor Way. It was one of the earliest producers of fir plywood; beginning plywood production in 1916. In this photograph, two employees, one of them a woman wearing slacks, stack sheets of plywood. Plywood was an important World War II material, used in boats as well as buildings. During and after WWII, it was used for pre-fab housing. ("The Plywood Age" Robert M. Cour)

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Plywood production at Buffelen Lumber Co. An employee uses a giant lathe to strip the bark off of a peeler log. The log will later be peeled into sheets of veneer used to make plywood. Plywood is sheets of veneer glued together to form a stronger material. Buffelen was one of the earliest plywood companies, beginning plywood production in 1916. Plywood boomed as an industry with the government's approval of plywood as a defense material during WWII.

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Industrial facilities;

In June of 1947, an unidentified employee of the Buffelen Lumber Co. used a giant lathe to strip the bark off of a peeler log. The log will later be peeled to make plywood. Started in 1912 by John Buffelen, the Buffelen Lumber Company was located on Lincoln at Taylor Way on the Tacoma tideflats. Buffelen's was one of the earliest plywood companies, beginning plywood production in 1916.

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Industrial facilities;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Two men stand by a display for K-Veneer and its uses. Numerous new plywood products were exhibited such as surfacings for panels and combination products, some manufactured from sawdust and other substances previously considered waste. (T.Times, 6/11/1947, p.1)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meetings--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Four men stand by one of the display boards at the DFPA conference referring to the advertising done by the association on behalf of the plywood industry. All 33 of the Douglas Fir plywood factories in the western parts of Oregon and Washington were then participants in the plywood industry's quality control program. (T.Times, 6/11/1947, p.1)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meetings--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Four men have gathered to look at a display board of process samples at the one-day conference of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association held June 10, 1946, at the Elks Temple auditorium. Some 150 leaders of the plywood industry were assembled at this conference. (T.Times, 6/11/1947, p.1)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meetings--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Four men stand by one of the displays at the one-day convention of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association showing some of the post-war requirements of the plywood industry. Among the displays at the convention were samples made by the Plywood Research Foundation showing new uses and new products from plywood. (T.Times, 6/11/1947, p.1)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meetings--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Testing plywood at the plywood lab. One of the standards demanded that the adhesives, after setting, be stronger than the wood. The research projects were not only intended to answer today's questions but also future applications. Other studies included industrial and agricultural applications. (TNT, 2/17/1948, p.3-B)

Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma); Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laboratories--Tacoma--1940-1950;