On July 30, 1946 seven children including Shirley Maras (now Walcott) (far left), Kenny Schumaker (third from left), Sharon Maras (now Gregg) (standing at top) and Marilyn Maras (now Cade)(far right) were photographed with a huge tree section that was cut from an old-growth Douglas fir that had been felled by loggers working for the Davis and Maras Company. The tree section which weighed 18,567 pounds and was over 13 feet in diameter was on its way to the Northwest Door Company in Tacoma owned by Herman E. Tenzler. Once there a gigantic slice was cut from it and put on display outside the Northwest Door entrance. Some years later the display slice of Douglas fir was moved to the Tenzler Library in Lakewood. (TNT 8/21/1946, pg. 1) (names supplied by Anthony "Spike" Maras) TPL-8386

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children playing outdoors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Northwest Door Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tree stumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Schumaker, Kenny; Maras, Shirley; Maras, Marilyn; Maras, Sharon;

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Several railroad cars loaded with logs are standing in the yard at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Large off-highway trucks, too large for state highways, brought logs down from forests to reload centers where logs were shipped to mills by railroad cars or on smaller trucks. This site of St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber was used as a large pulp mill.

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

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Several railroad cars loaded with logs are standing in the yard at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. The railroad tracks run from further inland directly to and through the plant.

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

Clark residence, interior for D.F.P.A. A workman completes sanding the joint between two sheets of plywood on an interior wall. Plywood was used in home construction for its insulative qualities on both ceilings and walls. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association, headquartered in Tacoma, represented the entire fir plywood industry and promoted plywood nationally. (T.Times, 1/9/1946)

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Timber Fabrication Co. was building prefabricated materials for mass productions of commercial and residential structures. Pre-fabrication had advantages, it offered overall savings on materials and rapid production of structures. View of building progress on building by Timber Fabrication Co. with consulting engineers, William D, Smith and Clyde E. Murray.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Prefabricated buildings--Tacoma; Progress photographs; Timber Fabrication Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1946. The unveiling of the giant cross section of a tree trunk at the Northwest Door Company. In the summer of 1946, Northwest Door Co. cut down this tremendous old growth Douglas Fir tree southwest of Mt. Rainier. They shipped a cross section of the stump to their Tacoma plant. The tree was almost 14 feet in diameter. The small signs on either side of the section of tree show what years each ring represents and events that occurred that year. A crowd turned out in the rain to watch the unveiling of the log. The cross section of fir was moved in 1965 to the Lakewood branch of the Pierce County Library system.

Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Northwest Door Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tree stumps--Tacoma--1940-1950;

For I.W. Johnson Engineering Company. An interior view of a sawmill near Packwood, Washington. A large, radial-arm saw, upper center, cuts lumber to length. A narrow conveyor belt seen in the foreground moves lumber through the mill.

Saws; Mills--Packwood--1940-1950; Logs; Lumber industry--Packwood--1940-1950; Woodcutting--Packwood--1940-1950;

For I.W. Johnson Engineering Company. An interior view of a sawmill near Packwood, Washington. Logs just delivered to the mill have already been cut into convenient lengths (usually 32 feet) for the machines that will have the next go at cutting the logs into lumber. (Fortune Magazine, April 1934)

Saws; Mills--Packwood--1940-1950; Logs; Lumber industry--Packwood--1940-1950; Woodcutting--Packwood--1940-1950;

An interior view of a sawmill near Packwood, Washington. Large logs are stacked on the left while two men operate the "head-rig", one to the right and one in the center, background. The log is being broken down. Running the "head-rig" is a two person operation. The "sawyer", in the center right, stands beside the carriage on which the log is clamped and as the carriage swings the log into the teeth of the saw he signals, with hand signals, to the "setter", on the right, operating the carriage, where and how much to cut. For I.W. Johnson Engineering Company. (Fortune Magazine, April 1934)

Saws; Mills--Packwood--1940-1950; Logs; Lumber industry--Packwood--1940-1950; Woodcutting--Packwood--1940-1950;

Cascade Pole Co. manufactured poles and posts using Tacoma lumber. They manufactured their own creosote, and pressure creosoted their products for longer durability. Victor C. Monahan was President and J. R. McFarland was the Vice-President. Exterior view of Cascade Pole Co., a pole is being shaped using this machine.

Logs; Lumber--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Cascade Pole Co. (Tacoma);

Cascade Pole Co. manufactured poles and posts using Tacoma lumber. They manufactured their own creosote, and pressure creosoted their products for longer durability. Victor C. Monahan was President and J. R. McFarland was the Vice-President. Exterior view of Cascade Pole Co., logs are being brought into the plant by the railroad car.

Logs; Lumber--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Cascade Pole Co. (Tacoma);

Cavanaugh Lumber was owned by Cecil Cavanaugh. In 1931 they had a fire that destroyed most of their plant and a significant amount of their stock. They were able to rebuild and expand their business. View of unidentified man from Cavanaugh Lumber unloading plywood using a tool that measures the width of plywood, from company truck, photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cavanaugh Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Several railroad carsloaded with logs are standing in the yard at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. The City of Tacoma can be seen in the background. Since the company had their own rail spur they could deliver the logs to whatever part of the plant they needed or they could even dump them into the waterway which was nearby.

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

Douglas Fir Plywood Association, stages of plywood prefabricated panel manufacturing taken at Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Company. The panels were used to build prefabricated houses. Here workmen are placing one of the panels in a steel pressure press. This press is one of six the company owns. The company took over the location of the earlier Henry Mill in 1944. (T.Times, 11/6/1946, p.7)

Plywood; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma);

Douglas Fir Plywood Association, stages of plywood prefabricated panel manufacturing taken at Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Company. A framework for a one of the prefabricated panels is sent through a roller before being placed on a piece of plywood which will be the covering of one side of the panel. The prefabricated panels were manufactured in standard sized for floors, walls, ceilings, partitions, and roofs. They are freely adaptable to contractors' specification for all grades of houses. (T.Times, 11/6/1946, p.7)

Plywood; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma);

Douglas Fir Plywood Association, stages of plywood prefabricated panel manufacturing taken at Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Company. Men add another plywood cover to the side of the milled lumber frame interior of the prefabricated panel. The company's goal is to complete 1,000 panels per day, enough for 10 complete homes per day. (T.Times, 11/6/1946, p.7)

Plywood; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma);

Aerial view of Puget Sound Plywood, Inc., other plants, and the waterways on the Tacoma tideflats. Philadelphia Quartz has a new plant to make silicate of soda, a liquid mineral adhesive used extensively in manufacturing plywood and composition board. Puget Sound Plywood opened in March 1942. They were the first cooperative plywood plant in the city, organized by a group of Tacomans and others connected with and interested in the lumber industry. The plant occupied 3 1/2 acres at the head of East F Street and East E Street between the City and Middle waterways. With rail facilities direct to the plant, there were switching facilities to all railroads. (T.Times, 2/25/1942; Ledger, 1/25/1942)

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

Henry Mill barge assembly. Henry Mill & Timber Co. products were used throughout Tacoma for many projects. The company was organized by W. Yale Henry, who also serves as president. View of Henry Mill & Timber Co. plant with lumber being used for a barge.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);

Workers at the Puget Sound Plywood company gaze at the new plywood lathe in a photograph taken on September 13, 1950. Puget Sound Plywood was located near Foss Launch & Tug Company at 230 East "F" Street. The new plant was completed in mid-1942.

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lathes; Machinery; Cooperatives--Tacoma;

Two students play ping-pong in the Chapter Room at Kappa Sigma House. The walls have been covered with knotty-pine paneling. This fraternity became the first at the College of Puget Sound to employ a permanent house mother in 1950. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Tom Sias.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Table tennis--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Kappa Sigma (Tacoma);

A man inspects a large stack of Hemlock boards in the yard at the St. Paul Lumber Company. The boards are ready for dry kilns where they would remain 2 to 4 days. Each tier of lumber is stripped to separate the pieces, which allows heat and steam to circulate freely when the load is in the kiln. After drying, the load is ready to be unstacked and sent to the planers. (Tree Life Hemlock, St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co.)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

A large stack of lumber in the yard at the St. Paul Lumber Company. The lumber is separated at even intervals to insure even drying.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company Office Building and Retail Store. Large 2-1/2 story log chalet-type building originally designed for the John Dower Lumber Company by George W. Bullard of Bullard and Mason, Architects, 1921. The lumber industry in Tacoma was established in 1888 by timber magnate Col. Chauncey W. Griggs who began one of Tacoma's first major sawmills on Commencement Bay.Tacoma rapidly became "The Lumber Capital of the World." The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. also supplied the logs for the St. Regis pulp mill and established America's first tree farm in 1940, setting the standard for reforestation. One of Tacoma's pioneer industries, it also had a plant on the Tideflats and an annual payroll in the million dollar bracket.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Retail stores--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Cascade Pole Company manufactured poles and posts using Tacoma lumber. They manufactured their own creosote, and pressure creosoted their products for longer durability. The company officers were: Victor C. Monahan, President; J. R. McFarland, Vice-President; and C. Henry Thue, Secretary-Treasurer. Cascade Pole Company had just completed the building of a new employee lunch room; view of Cascade pole staff.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Men--Employment--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Cascade Pole Co. (Tacoma);

Modular Structures, Incorporated company officers were: Win E. Wilson, President; James E. Dallas, Vice-President; and Mabel Wilson, Secretary-Treasurer. View of two unidentified laborers working on prefabricated plywood panels that will be used for prefabricated grain bins; photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Modular Structures, Inc. (Tacoma);

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. This view shows the newly remodeled entrance to the company's office building. Panes of glass surround a wooden door with beautiful grain showing. Visitor chairs are against both walls and the company's logo is set into the linoleum floor.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office buildings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lobbies--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The Cheney Stud brand carries a stud horse imprinted on the ends and faces of Cheney Studs, it quickly became recognized throughout the industry as a sign of top quality. The demand for eight foot Cheney Studs dramatically increased while the availability of suitable tie lumber for the portable mills and the market for railroad ties decreased. Exterior view of Cheney plant, Cheney Studs are stacked up, hoisting machinery is in center.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Cheney Lumber Co. was a modern stud mill, providing Tacoma and national industries with the building material most needed. Cheney had been at their current site since 1942, they were located on the west side of Port of Tacoma Road, north of East 11th Street. Exterior view of pier with studs, laborers and hoisting pulleys and equipment.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Loading a shipment of lumber from Cheney Lumber Company was made easier by the Cheney's facilities and dock on Sitcum Waterway. Cranes could load directly from railroad cars with tracks on the dock. TPL-5677

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Ben B. Cheney founded Cheney Lumber Co. in 1936. The Cheney Co. was originally established to manufacture railroad ties. Timber was purchased and resold to small portable tie mills manufacturing ties for both domestic and foreign markets. Cheney eventually set out to strategically redevelop the 12 foot stud, prices would drop and less lumber would be wasted, making the 8 foot stud quite popular. Exterior view of Cheney plant, lumberyard and docks.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Piers & wharves--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950;