Buffelen Lumber and Manufacturing Co. was located at Lincoln at Taylor Way on the Tideflats. Its raw materials and finished products were moved by water and rail. This photograph shows the log pool to the right with the tracks for the railroad along side.
ca. 1943. Built in 1924, the Henry Mill & Timber Company occupied the site on Ruston Way just south of North Starr St. for almost 20 years. Originally a sawmill, they started fabricating structures when they built the caisson panels for the first Narrows Bridge. Their expertise in designing and building prefabricated structures from heavy timber won them contracts during WWII for giant store houses and hangers that could be broken down into small sections, shipped, and re-assembled with a minimum of effort. After the war they were taken over by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. which closed in the early 1950s.
Henry Mill miscellaneous shots. The Henry Mill & Timber Company was one of the first lumber companies to prepare for the demand of pre-fabricated lumber products. They later became a pre-fabrication company rather than a lumber mill company. Interior view of construction using Henry Mill & Timber Co. pre-fabricated products.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);
In 1922 the Henry Mill & Timber Comany bought 26 acres of land where the old Tacoma Mill Company used to stand to build a new company. The Henry Mill & Timber Company began in July 1925. On June 15, 1942 a major fire destroyed most of the plant. Only the planing mill and lumber piles were saved. When this picture was taken in 1944, they were still in the process of re-building. In 1945 the company was bought out by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Company.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trusses--Tacoma; Structural frames--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);
Wheeler Osgood Plywood plant, Mr. McCallum. The Wheeler Osgood Plywood Co. began in 1889 as door manufacturers. In 1910 they became one of the first plywood manufacturers in Tacoma. They are one of the largest douglas fir plywood producers in the Northwest. View of Mr. Winston H. McCallum, Douglas Fir Plywood Association at the Wheeler Osgood plywood plant in front of a large cut log.
Wheeler Osgood Plywood plant, Mr. McCallum. In 1939 Wheeler Osgood celebrated their 50th anniversary by sending the 27th millionth door they built as part of the Washington State exhibit at the New York World's Fair. View of laborers at the Wheeler Oswood plywood plant. Photo ordered by Mr. Winston H. McCallum of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
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);
Henry Mill shots of hardware and quantity. Henry Mill & Timber Co. was a leader in the pre-fabricated lumber field. Pre-fabricated lumber helped speed the war effort in filling their government orders. Henry Mill also had their products throughout Tacoma housing projects. Exterior view of Henry Mill & Timber Co. plant.
Henry Mill test assembly of truss. Henry Mill & Timber Co. specialized in pre-fabricated lumber products. They were a leader in the industry and received many government contracts. Exterior view of group examining assembly of truss. TPL-6661
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;Trusses--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);
Henry Mill showing salt treatment of wood. Henry Mill & Timber Co. was very busy with the construction industry throughout Tacoma. They were leaders in prefabricated materials which were needed for the development of housing and businesses in Pierce County. View of unidentified laborer directing the hoisting of lumber during salt treatment of wood.
Sliced Forest Products, Moore dry kilns and knife. An employee stands by ready to remove a load of lumber from the drying kiln. Lafayette Moore founded the Moore Dry Kiln Co. in 1879 in North Portland, Oregon. The instrument controls the temperature and relative humidity at each end of the kiln independently. This was used in the production of plywood in the Northwest.
Sliced Forest Products, Moore dry kilns and knife. A machine used in making plywood and called a knife is in the foreground. A "peeler log" unwinds against a knife in a continuous strip of veneer which is then sent into the big Moore dry kiln where they are steamed and made ready for further processing. The kiln installed at Puget Sound Plywood in the mid-1940's was the only one of its size in the State of Washington.
Douglas Fir Plywood. A man is using a forklift to stack loads of plywood in a small area. Douglas Fir is excellent for plywood because of its great strength, elongated trunks free from limbs, knots and other defects. It is durable and resists decay. (T.Times, 2/17/1948)
Douglas Fir Plywood. A man is using a forklift to stack loads of plywood in a small area in April of 1945. During the 1940's Tacoma led the nation's plywood industry. The city had five factories which turned out more than 12% of all the Douglas Fir plywood produced in the nation. (T.Times, 1/9/1946)
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);
Kulien & Wollander home in Lakeside project for D.F.P.A. Plywood was used for both interior and exterior residential purposes. It was used for prefabricated housing for war workers. Plywood was known for its strength and flexibility in construction. It was often used for concrete molds. (TNT, 2/1942)
Plywood; Kulien & Wollander Co. (Lakewood); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Houses--1940-1950;
Kulien & Wollander home in Lakeside project for D.F.P.A. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association provided national promotion of plywood as well as product development and quality control work to assure uniform high quality of the panels from all plywood factories. Plywood was used for both interior and exterior residential purposes. (TNT, 2/1942)
Plywood; Kulien & Wollander Co. (Lakewood); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
Kulien & Wollander home in Lakeside project for D.F.P.A. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association provided national promotion of plywood as well as product development and quality control work to assure uniform high quality of the panels from all plywood factories. Plywood was used for both interior and exterior residential purposes. (TNT, 2/1942)
Plywood; Kulien & Wollander Co. (Lakewood); 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.
Full size glued up plywood beams are set up where they will be tested to determine how much pressure they can withstand without collapsing. View of unidentified man testing plywood at Parkland, photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Testing--Tacoma; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
To corroborate laboratory proof of the strength and durability of glue-lines of exterior plywood, samples such as these are subjected to long-time exposure and tested at intervals. View of two unidentified men testing plywood at Parkland, photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Testing--Tacoma; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber has invested extra sums of money on researching preventative measures for protecting forests from fires and wildlife. View of high line duplex skidder and loader. This machine requires a crew of 14 men and has the capacity of 15 cars of logs in an 8 hour period. TPL-6378
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Woodcutting--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. A log train transports the logs from the logging grounds to the sawmill plants located in Tacoma. The logs are then dumped into a log pond where they are stored. View of log train cars, with laborer making some final checks, mountain view in background.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Logs; Woodcutting--Puyallup; Railroad tracks--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Rainier, Mount (Wash.)
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. Earlier this year St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber stated they would be planting 800,000 trees, the same amount as last year. High school boys would be hired to help plant the trees, they would earn $6 per day. View of Ollis-Chalmers machine.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Loggers; Machinery; Woodcutting--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. was founded in 1888 when Washington was still a territory, by Colonel Chauncey W. Griggs. Their timber is primarily douglas fir, red cedar and western hemlock. View of high line yarder, with logs ready to be loaded onto cars.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Woodcutting--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. On a day to day basis St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber produces enough lumber and plywood to build 48 homes per day. View of sky line collapsible steel spar skidder and loader. A crew of nineteen men are needed to operate this machine and in an eight hour period 15 cars of logs are produced. Railroad tracks allow for easy transport.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Logs; Woodcutting--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. On a day to day basis St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber produces enough lumber and plywood to build 48 homes per day. View of sky line collapsible steel spar skidder and loader. A crew of nineteen men are needed to operate this machine and in an eight hour period 15 cars of logs are produced. Railroad tracks allow for easy transport.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Logs; Woodcutting--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
A. H. Cox & Co. at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. logging operation at Puyallup. On a day to day basis St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber produces enough lumber and plywood to build 48 homes per day. View of logs being loaded onto log carriers by using the sky line collapsible steel spar skidder and loader. A crew of nineteen men are needed to operate this machine and in an eight hour period 15 cars of logs are produced. Railroad tracks allow for easy transport.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery; Logs; Woodcutting--Puyallup; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. had three logging camps located near Tacoma. St. Paul and Tacoma lumber company provides enough lumber and plywood to build 48 homes per day. They were one of the largest lumber companies in the Pacific Northwest. View of cleared land near one of the logging camps.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cutover lands; Logs; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
