Interior views of U.S. Plywood plant. Full sheets of plywood are being roughly sanded at the Seattle plant of U.S. Plywood in early January, 1956. One man carefully turns the wheels controlling the machine as the second man, standing at one end, removes the smoother sheet. See also D95927-3 for additional view. Photograph ordered by U.S. Plywood Corporation.

Plywood; Lumber industry--Seattle--1950-1960; United States Plywood Corp. (Seattle);

Two employees of the U.S. Plywood Corporation examine sheets of plywood in their Seattle plant on January 6, 1956. They were manufacturers of the "Weldwood" brand of Douglas fir plywood. U.S. Plywood had two locations in Seattle including a lumber division on E. Marginal Way. It also had plants in Mapleton, Oregon, and a 60 million foot capacity mill in Anderson, California. By 1954, with the addition of Associated Plywood Mills' two holdings, U.S. Plywood was capable of 342 million feet annually. (Cour: Plywood Age, p. 158-59)

Plywood; Lumber industry--Seattle--1950-1960; United States Plywood Corp. (Seattle);

Aerial view of the Cheney Lumber Co. at the Port of Tacoma. Lumber is stacked for shipment in the railroad cars at the back of the picture. Log booms float in the water. Ben Cheney started in the lumber business with the production of railroad ties. Soon Cheney was concerned with the waste of the side cut slabs, often 2/3 of the log. His solution was to provide the housing industry with standard 8 ft studding, the same length as railroad ties. Production took off and the new product soon established the standard room height in residential construction in the U.S. by using formerly wasted timber. The 8 ft pieces, formerly known as "shorts" in the lumber trade, were now "Cheney Studs" emblazoned with the logo of a silhouette of a Belgian stud horse Cheney had seen at the Puyallup Fair. ("The Sou'wester" Fall, 2000; Volume xxxv, Number 3) TPL-6329

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." Plywood is being attached to the exterior of the beams to form the curved roof of the chicken house. The entrance area and a ventilation window can be seen. This is the back of the house. This is possibly the Fife farm of the Guy Conine family. The family raised poultry in three chicken houses, one conventional and two of the quonset hut design. They raised Van Tress hybrid crosses, Washington Whites and Lancaster Whites. The laminated beam construction of the two quonset hut variety eliminated the need for posts for support. All feeding and watering was automatic. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)

Plywood; Construction; Poultry houses; Poultry industry;

Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." Plywood is being attached to the exterior of the beams to form the curved roof of the chicken house. The laminated beam construction eliminated the need for posts for support. This is possibly the West Side Dairy Road poultry farm of the Guy Conine family in Fife. They operated one conventional chicken house and two of the quonset hut design. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)

Plywood; Construction; Poultry houses; Poultry industry;

Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." These curved beams will support the plywood roof. The metal "lids" lying on the ground are possibly part of the incubators, or brooders. This mammoth house will hold many chickens, a far cry from a Mom and Pop operation. This is possibly the operation belonging to the Guy Conine family of Fife. Located on West Side Dairy Road south of Fife, the family raised 31,000 chickens in 3 fryer houses. The 3 year old operation was one of the largest in Western Washington. The newest poultry house was 250 x 50 feet and built for $6,000. Its laminated beams eliminated the need for posts and natural sawdust covered the ground floor. It had 16 gas warmed brooders. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg. B-6)

Plywood; Construction; Poultry houses; Poultry industry;

Ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association; plywood being used in the construction of a commercial "chicken house." The huge curved roof structure is followed by another just like it, indicating the size of this poultry company. This is possibly the Fife farm of the Guy Conine family. They had three chicken houses, one of the conventional type and two of the quonset hut variety. The first quonset was 180 x 50 feet. The most recently built one was 250 ft x 50 ft. Mrs. Conine went into the poultry business when her growing family required her to go to work. At her husband's suggestion, rather than working in an office or store, she decided to stay home and raise chickens. The 3 year old operation is now one of the largest in Western Washington. (TNT 10/28/1956, pg B-6)

Plywood; Construction; Poultry houses; Poultry industry;

In April of 1956, workers at the Cheney Lumber Co. prepared packages of two by four "Cheney Studs" for shipment in the railroad cars behind. In the late 1930's, as timber became more difficult to obtain cheaply, Ben Cheney became concerned over the side-cut slab wastage, often 2/3 of the log, in the production of railroad ties. He came up with the idea of supplying the housing market with standard 8 foot studding, the same length as railroad ties were cut. At that time, ceilings were often 8 1/2 - 12 feet. A skilled marketer, Cheney renamed the "shorts," as these 8 foot pieces had been called, "Cheney Studs." The horse logo was based on a Belgian stud horse he had seen at the Puyallup Fair and the 2x4 ends were painted with bright red wax for instant identification. Cheney is credited with standardizing the room height in US residential construction. ("The Sou'wester" Volume xxxv, Number 3, Fall 2000)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Cheney Lumber Co.; packages of two by four "Cheney Studs" being readied for shipment in the railroad cars behind. Ben Cheney got his start in the lumber business in 1936 during the depression. By the late 1930's, he was supplying railroad ties nationally and internationally. Cheney was wholesaling the production of 140 portable mills throughout the northwest, selling their ties on a commission basis. As timber became more difficult to obtain cheaply, he became concerned over the side-cut slab wastage, often 2/3 of the log. He came up with the idea of supplying the housing market with standard 8 foot studding, the same length as railroad ties were cut. He even obtained a lower transportation cost from the Interstate Commerce Commission, making production even more economical. Cheney renamed the "shorts," as these 8 foot pieces had been called, "Cheney Studs." Studs became the standard in the building trade and Cheney is credited with standardizing the roof height in US residential construction. ("The Sou'wester" Volume xxxv, Number 3, Fall 2000)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The busy mail room of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A large mailer is being prepared. Some women fold the materials to be mailed and others stuff the envelopes. One of the jobs of the association was the promotion of the plywood product and the industry itself. One of the association's main sources of self promotion was the U.S. mail and the company maintained a large mail room to meet its demands.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Correspondence;

Cheney Lumber Company's booth at the 1956 Home Show. Each year the Greater Tacoma Home Show filled the College of Puget Sound fieldhouse with company sponsored booths, highlighting topics of interest to home owners. Hung behind this booth is a photo collage of the lumber industry. Below the collage is a model of one of Cheney's lumberyards. (See D99015 image 1 for a closer view of the model.) To the left of the booth is a display of Cheney sponsored sports teams for kids, utilizing photographs and trophies. A young Cheney midget league footballer watches the demonstration. Each year, Ben Cheney sponsored amateur athletic teams; keeping money from being an obstacle between kids and sports. Cheney teams played football, baseball and basketball.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma);

Cheney Lumber Company's booth at the 1956 Greater Tacoma Home Show. A young Cheney Studs football player poses in uniform with one of the trophies. His uniform features the Cheney "stud" horse logo on the chest. "Studs" were what Cheney renamed the 8 foot 2 x 4 lumber "shorts" that revolutionized the building materials industry. On the back wall are photos of the young man's football team mates, as well as other Cheney teams. One sign points out that the amateur Cheney Studs baseball team was the national runnerup in the 1955 American Baseball Congress.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Awards; Football players--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A model of one of Ben Cheney's lumberyards is displayed at the Cheney booth at the 1956 Greater Tacoma Home Show. Miniature stacks of Cheney "studs" dot the landscape. The Tacoma Home Show was held May 11-20, 1956 at the College of Puget Sound Fieldhouse. Over 100 local and national companies set up exhibit booths emphasizing products for the home. Cheney "studs" were 8 foot lengths of 2x4 timber that established the residential ceiling height in America.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Models;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association, 20th annual meeting. The Plywood and Veneer safety award is being presented to Williard Burrell of Weyerhauser by A.P. Stinchfield. Weyerhauser Timber's branch in Springfield Oregon was being presented the 1955 award for its low incidence of accidents. The trophy resembling a roller perched on a block of wood is the Carleton L. Smith Memorial Safety Award.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Springfield, Ore.); Burrell, Williard; Stinchfield, A.P.; Awards;

Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The group of men, in coats and ties, are looking at a model of a new home. One man is removing the roof on the model. The men are surrounded by artists' renderings of new homes and press and customer information regarding "Signature Homes." The covering on the table and walls has the logo for the Fir Plywood Golden Jubilee 1905-1955.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A group of men in coats and ties stand or sit in front of a newly constructed home listening to another man speak. These are possibly lumber dealers discussing new home markets for their wares.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. plywood mill in Olympia, ordered by the Condon Co. A hard hatted worker is mixing glue into the large pots. Separate pots probably held waterproof glue and standard glue. A system of pipes, hoses and valves connect the two vats with the large circumference pipe behind the worker that extends from the floor to out of picture range. The feeder pipe would take this glue and send it on to the glue machine. See D55572-35 for glue operations.

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

Construction process for a life size lawn Santa Claus Christmas decoration, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The Santa pattern has been glued to the plywood and the design cut out so that it has a plywood back. Now the craftsman is applying lacquer so that the image will stand up to all weather conditions. Santa's head and arm are still unattached and will be glued on where the dotted lines indicate. (see also image #6 & 9 and C101278-1 for the finished product)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;

The fifties were the height of the "do it yourself" age. In this photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association, a man demonstrates how to construct your own life size lawn Christmas decorations. Here he glues the Santa Claus cut out to a sheet of plywood. The purpose of the DFPA was to introduce the public to new uses for their product. As such, patterns and demonstrations were always available at the hardware stores for the home handyman. (see also image #9 & 10 and C101278-1 for the finished product)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;

Construction process for a life size lawn Santa Claus Christmas decoration, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. After gluing the pattern to the plywood, the handyman cuts the Santa out with a hand held saw. The dotted lines on the pattern indicated where another piece will be glued on top. (see also image #6 & 10 and C101278-1 for the finished product)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;

New construction at the Rayonier and Rayflo plants, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. This is believed to be the chemical cellulose plant of Rayonier's Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine at Port Alice, British Columbia, near the northwestern end of Vancouver Island. The mill is surrounded by fast growing forests that supply an unending source of raw materials. Nearby Victoria Lake provides a fresh water supply and deep water docking provides an outlet for overseas shipment. The plant was undergoing large scale construction to increase the productivity of the mill. Most of the construction was scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 1957, at a cost of $14,000,000. (1956 Annual Report, Rayonier Inc.)

Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Port Alice B.C.);

Rayonier and Rayflo plants, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Rayonier, Inc. manufactured paper, pulp, cellulose products and wood chips. This series of pictures appears to have been taken at the Port Alice, British Columbia, cellulose mill and woodmill. Port Alice was part of Alaska Pine, the Canadian subsidiary of Rayonier, Inc. The logs in the photograph appear to be undergoing the "barking" process. The bark is removed from the log and and the remaining product will either be processed for cellulose pulp or wood chips.

Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Port Alice B.C.);

Rayonier and Rayflo plants, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Rayonier, Inc. manufactured paper, pulp, cellulose products and wood chips. This series of pictures appears to have been taken at the Port Alice, British Columbia, cellulose mill and woodmill. Port Alice was part of Alaska Pine, the Canadian subsidiary of Rayonier, Inc. The logs in the photograph appear to be undergoing the "barking" process. The bark is removed from the log and and the remaining product will either be processed for cellulose pulp or wood chips.

Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Port Alice B.C.);

New construction at the Rayonier and Rayflo plants, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. This is believed to be the chemical cellulose plant of Rayonier's Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine at Port Alice, British Columbia, near the northwestern end of Vancouver Island. The mill is surrounded by fast growing forests that supply an unending source of raw materials. Nearby Victoria Lake provides a fresh water supply and deep water docking provides an outlet for overseas shipment. The plant was undergoing large scale construction to increase the productivity of the mill. Most of the construction was scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 1957, at a cost of $14,000,000. (1956 Annual Report, Rayonier Inc.)

Lumber industry--British Columbia--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited (Port Alice B.C.);

Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A logging truck heavily loaded with huge tree trunks winds up a hill on a gravel road. Mist shrouds the clear cut area surrounding the road. Mineral is a small logging town on Mineral Lake fourteen miles north of Morton in north central Lewis County. During 1956, this private two lane road was built by St. Regis Paper Co. to replace a 12 mile logging railroad. Roads are now the main artery in the area that supplies the Tacoma mill. (1956 Annual Report, St. Regis Paper Co.) TPL-9428

Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Cutover lands--Mineral; Trucks; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);

Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two loggers, wearing hard hats, stand at the side of the logging road running through an old growth forrest. Their vehicle looks tiny next to the huge old trees. The trees are a typical stand of old growth hemlock and Douglas fir timber from which pulp wood is cut for the Tacoma kraft pulp and paper mill. The forested area is located on St. Regis Paper Co. controlled lands near Mineral, Washington. Mineral is located 14 miles north of Morton in north central Lewis County. The area was home to both the timber and the mining industries. (1956 Annual Report, St. Regis Paper Co.)

Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);

Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A logging truck heavily loaded with huge tree trunks winds up a hill on a gravel road. Mist shrouds the clear cut area surrounding the road. Mineral is a small logging town on Mineral Lake fourteen miles north of Morton in north central Lewis County. During 1956, this private two lane road was built by St. Regis Paper Co. to replace a 12 mile logging railroad. Roads are now the main artery in the area that supplies the Tacoma mill. (1956 Annual Report, St. Regis Paper Co.) TPL-9428

Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Cutover lands--Mineral; Trucks; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);

Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A hard hatted logger stares up at an old growth tree, possibly judging how best to cut it. This forested area is located at St. Regis Paper Company's Camp #2, near Mineral, Washington.

Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);

Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Long logs are being lashed by chains to the logging truck and to one another so that they will not slip during transportation. The logs are almost twice as long as the truck bed. Mineral is a small logging town on Mineral Lake fourteen miles north of Morton in north central Lewis County. The loggers are working at St. Regis's Camp #2 near Mineral. Since private roads such as this are not governed by state highway limitations, vehicles can built and loaded as needed. (1956 Annual Report, St. Regis Paper Co.)

Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Cutover lands--Mineral; Trucks; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);

Logging near Mineral; ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A large crane on a tractor type base is being used to lift a tree trunk log onto a logging truck. The crane is labelled St. Regis, which would indicate that this log is destined for the paper mill. Mineral is a small logging town on Mineral Lake fourteen miles north of Morton in north central Lewis County.The loggers are working at St Regis' Camp #2 near Mineral. In 1956, the company built a new booming ground and reload at Mineral Lake, new private logging roads and put into service new loading equipment, logging trucks, crew buses and other neccessary vehicles. Unrestricted by state highway size limitations, the beds for these Diesel trucks and trailers are 12 feet wide and can carry up to 100 tons in a single load. (1956 Annual Report, St. Regis Paper Co.) TPL-8291

Lumber industry--Mineral; Logs; Cutover lands--Mineral; Trucks; Woodcutters; Loggers--Mineral; Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firs; Forests--Mineral; Woodcutting--Mineral; St. Regis Paper Co. (Mineral);