Wallace E. (W.E.) Difford, managing director, addresses the Douglas Fir Plywood Association's (DFPA) annual meeting. The Golden Jubilee Convention was held in Portland, Oregon, June 19-21, 1955; celebrating 50 years of the plywood industry from its inception in 1905 to 1955. Difford advised the group of the need for research and product improvement to fuel industry growth. He also warned that the future of industry management depended on talented young people being advanced on the career path, not shuttled into dead end jobs. Difford was selected at the meeting as one of the top 3 plywood salesmen in the industry's history. The highlights of the Jubilee were a Broadway type musical pageant, the presentation of Arlene Francis's televised "Home Show" and the unveiling of a giant exposition containing 50 golden ideas designed by 5 nationally leading architects.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland; Plywood; Difford, Wallace E.;

Two blonde models and a casually attired unidentified man pose on the barrier around the Douglas Fir Plywood Association's Plywood Memorial at the Forestry Building in Portland, Oregon. On display is the first plywood panel ever made from Douglas Fir. Early in 1905, Portland was getting ready for a World's Fair as part of the centennial observance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Portland Manufacturing Co. was asked to prepare an exhibit featuring something new and unusual. N.J. Bailey and Gustav Carlson and a crew of about six men constructed by trial and error the first plywood panels. This was the birth of the plywood industry that became one of the backbones of the economy of the Pacific Northwest. ("The Plywood Age" by Robert M. Cour)

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland--1950-1960;

Circus trucks used to transport the travelling exhibit "Fir Plywood Golden Jubilee Show." Photo series ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. 1955 marked the 50th anniversary of the plywood industry. As part of the year long celebration, the travelling display toured the West Coast regions where plywood was manufactured. The free show included something for everyone. It featured a plywood menagerie, a color movie showing how plywood is manufactured and some new ideas for modern living, "Fifty Golden Ideas" by prominent designers. (TNT 7/19/1955, pg. C-17)

Plywood; Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Cheney Lumber Co. Midget Baseball League. Summer was baseball time and the Metropolitan Parks offered many leagues based on the age of the players. Each team had a commercial sponsor and many of the different age teams bore the name of Tacoma philanthropist and sports enthusiast Ben Cheney. Ben Cheney made it possible for athletes of many different ages to experience the joys of competitive sports.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Baseball--Tacoma--1950-1960; Baseball players--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Home portrait of the Weyerhaeusers. The couple pictured in this sepia photograph is John Philip ("Phil") and Helen Weyerhaeuser. They were enjoying a family gathering at their Thorne Lane residence on July 6, 1954. Phil Weyerhaeuser led the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company from 1933 to 1956, a span of time which included the changes brought about by the Great Depression and World War ll. He believed that the best way a forest products company could operate would be to own its own timberlands. Phil Weyerhaeuser passed away on December 8, 1956. The 1956 Weyerhaeuser Timber Company annual report was dedicated to him; he was lauded as "a man of exceptional vision, kindliness and executive talents. It was he who activated the philosophy of managing forest lands for perpetual growth and harvest. His influence in the industry and the American community will be felt for generations to come." (Twining, Charles E., Phil Weyerhaeuser, Lumberman)

Weyerhaeuser, John Philip; Weyerhaeuser, Helen;

A little girl touches a stuffed animal whose head emerges from a toy storage unit in a September 20, 1954, photograph. A variety of toys are scattered on the floor including a football helmet, glove, drum, dolls and books. These are probably going to be picked up and stored in the two wooden toy boxes. The boxes have wheels and are marked "delivery truck" and "moving van". It would make cleaning up faster and more fun as the toy chests are mobile; the child would be in charge of "driving" to pick up or deliver her toys. The "vehicles" could then be parked under the wooden desk for convenient storage. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Children playing with toys--Tacoma--1950-1960; Toys;

Plywood was a versatile product. It seemed like you could make anything out of plywood, including these charming store window Christmas cutouts. Two little wooden children, mouths wide open, are singing Christmas carols. This particular store was offering free Christmas plans using fir plywood for gifts, decorations and toys. A do-it-yourselfer could use the plans to create similar cutouts and then paint them in whichever colors he desired. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The winter cold does not seem to bother "Miss Pacific" as she smiles widely during her parade route. She is perched on the cab's roof just in front of a giant peeler log. Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. had sponsored several entries in the November 27, 1954, Bellingham parade with a fleet of trucks hauling an impressive display of giant Douglas fir logs. "Miss Pacific", along with "Miss Georgia" and "Miss Peeler Log", participated wearing hobnailed boots, hard hats, short-shorts and sleeveless blouses. Photograph ordered by Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. TPL-9509

Logs; Parades & processions--Bellingham--1950-1960;

An M.A. Couch truck is slowly making a turn past the Bellingham Bedding Co. and is careful not to dislodge neither the young model perched on the truck's cab or the giant peeler log on its bed. Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co. supplied several of the large Douglas fir logs for a parade down the main streets of Bellingham on November 27, 1954. Signs on the massive logs indicated that each peeler log would be sufficient to supply enough plywood to build 40 average homes. These logs were obtained locally from timber forests in Washington State. Photograph ordered by Georgia-Pacific Plywood Co.

Logs; Parades & processions--Bellingham--1950-1960; Trucks--Bellingham--1950-1960; Signs (Notices);

Exterior of Puget Sound Plywood. A vertical sign juts out from the Puget Sound Plywood, Inc.'s company offices indicating it was "Soundbilt" in a November 23, 1954, photograph. The company plant is apparently next door across the parking lot. Puget Sound Plywood was situated on 3 1/2 acres in the Tideflats between the City and Middle Waterways. Railroad tracks shown here indicate that there was direct rail access for easy shipment of the company's plywood products. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Cooperatives--Tacoma;

An executive of Puget Sound Plywood, Inc., studies documents on November 23, 1954. The walls of his office are made of plywood; the wall closest to the door may be of knotted pine. His oversized desk is also made of wood; a copy of American Lumberman is visible on the top shelf of his inbox. Puget Sound Plywood was Tacoma's first cooperative plywood plant; it was founded in 1942 and had its facilities at 230 East F Street in the Tideflats. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Plywood; Desks; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Cooperatives--Tacoma;

Executives of Puget Sound Plywood, Inc., manufacturers of plywood, confer in the board room on November 23, 1954. The five executives all have documents in front of them and may be discussing an ad campaign as there is a copy of a cartoon introducing new usage for plywood. Harold Wenman (at right, in light coat) is apparently addressing his fellow workers. Mr. Wenman was an original shareholder of Puget Sound Plywood. The firm, the first cooperative plywood plant in Tacoma, opened on June 1, 1942. It had 298 members who each contributed $1000 and received the same hourly pay and percentage of the company's profits. Mr. Wenman had purchased his share before WWII and worked as the Office Manager for many years before becoming the General Manager from 1964-1970. A graduate of Knapps School of Business, he worked as an accountant for St. Regis, and then served as a staff sgt.in England during the war. Puget Sound Plywood continued to operate through the early 1980s but finally closed due to economic conditions. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Assn. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Wenman, Harold; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Plywood; Cooperatives--Tacoma; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Desks; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Workers at the Buffelen company appear to be in the process of stacking doors in a December 7, 1954, photograph. There are already two tall towers of doors against the wall. Two men are lifting a door while the third waits to toss it on top of the pile. Photograph ordered by the Condon Co., an advertising agency.

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Doors & doorways--Tacoma--1950-1960; Condon Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Timber! A logger watches as a tall tree makes its slow descent to the ground in a September, 1958, photograph. Limbs may already have been pruned before the tree was toppled. Stumps and tree debris indicate that logging has already occurred in this area. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. TPL-9430

Lumber industry; Logs; Loggers;

Improved machinery helped workers in more efficient harvesting of designated logs. Cable lines attached to the rear of a bulldozer haul away two smaller logs. Another log waits its turn to be removed. The bulldozer would also serve as an earth remover to clear paths in the forest. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. TPL-9429

Bulldozers; Lumber industry; Loggers; Logs;

A truck loaded with logs breaks a path through the Idaho snow in early March of 1969. The logs are believed to be headed for a Potlatch Forests, Inc., mill probably in Lewiston. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

Logs; Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Trucks--Idaho; Snow--Idaho;

A variety of photographs were taken of the interior and exterior of the Potlatch Forests, Inc., plant located in Lewiston, Idaho, in mid-October of 1969. The wood products stacked above inside an open container have been identified by a reader as presto-logs (Pres-to-Logs) designed by Potlatch in 1930 as a way to use sawdust from the lumber mill. Pres-to-Logs were a slow-burning, almost smokeless fuel which were ideal for fireplaces both in the home or on railcars. They were made using a process which involved extreme heat, high pressure and moisture. By the looks of the cobwebby substance draped over the particular logs in the photograph, they may have been stored there awhile and may have been the home to many spiders. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York. (Additional information provided by a reader and company history by www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Potlatch-Corporation-Company-History)

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970;

Scenes from Potlatch Forests, Inc. This worker in Potlatch Forests, Inc.'s Lewiston, Idaho plant, is manning the wheel controlling a large roll of kraft pulp. This photograph was typical of the many taken of day-to-day operations at the Idaho facility in mid-October of 1969. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Idaho;

October, 1969, scenes from Idaho plant. Two employees of Potlatch Forests, Inc., examine under bright light large sheets of their company's kraft pulp. Faint ripples can be seen on the sheets. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Idaho;

Scenes from Potlatch Forests' Idaho plant. A worker at the big Lewiston, Idaho plant of Potlatch Forests, Inc., examines a sample of paper towels manufactured and sold and packaged to order for grocery stores and drug store chains. The tissue products were privately labeled and included bathroom tissue, facial tissues, towels and napkins. These consumer products were sold within the United States. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York. (www.potlatchcorp.com)

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970;

October, 1969, scenes from Potlatch Forests' Idaho plant. A Towmotor forklift driver carefully maneuvers his unit to grasp a large roll of bleached kraft market pulp from similar stacked towers. The forest of kraft pulp rolls stand many feet higher than the seated driver. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Paper industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Idaho;

ca. 1960. Man stares at log probably retrieved from log pond below in this ca. 1960 photograph. The outer bark appears to have been shredded in spots. Another man is maneuvering a log in the pond with a long pole.

Logs; Lumber industry--1960-1970;

Rayonier logging operations at Sappho in July, 1961. Logs are being lowered by cable (wire rope) under the supervision of Rayonier employees. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel, Seattle.

Logs; Lumber industry--Sappho;

ca. 1959. Logging on the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie for Rayonier Inc. A faller completes the undercut on a large cedar tree in the Crane Creek logging area. In Washington during the late 50's, Rayonier would cut and haul more than 240 million board feet of logs a year. TPL-9431

Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);

Logging on the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie for Rayonier. In Washington during the late fifties, Rayonier Inc and its logging contractors would cut and haul more than 240,000,000 board feet of logs a year. Here logs are being moved from a logging truck to a railway car where they will be shipped to the company's mill over their own logging railway. A large wood frame holds a series of steel cord and grapplers that lift the logs, they then are moved by pulleys to the area over the railroad car and loaded. (Rayonier Annual Report for 1959)

Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; Railroad cars--Grays Harbor; Logs; Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor);

Members of Douglas Fir Plywood Association chuckle over results of the golf tournament held as part of their 22nd annual meeting in June, 1958. It may be that one player has lost a wager; he is shown with a dollar bill in his hand. The D.F.P.A. met in Gearhart, Oregon, that year. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Golf--Oregon--Gearhart;

Plywood is being laid on this large roof in a May 16, 1958, photograph. One worker is observed with his back to the camera; he is standing on a portion of the roof which has a plywood sheet partially covering it. Long planks of wood are placed horizontally over the roofline. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Building construction; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Caught in the act of falling is a slender tree on Rayonier property in Grays Harbor. At the time of this July 1966 photograph, the company had been established in Washington state for forty years. It now has a global presence and supplies its timber to paper, pulp, and other wood products markets. (no print on file, scan from original negative)

Rayonier, Inc. (Grays Harbor); Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1960-1970; Saws;

Scenes from Idaho logging operations. Two men sitting beside an enormous tree appear to be studying a map of the forest area in this mid-July, 1966, photograph. They are Potlatch Forests, Inc., employees as evidenced by the pfi logo on their hard hats. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970;

1966 Scenes from Idaho plywood mill. Potlatch Forests, Inc., workers are pictured shifting plywood sheets from an assembly line onto large wheeled carts in mid-July, 1966. Once stacked, they are moved off the carts in rows and numbered. The men pictured were just a few of the many hired by Potlatch Forests, one of the area's largest employers. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

Potlatch Forests, Inc. (Lewiston, ID); Lumber industry--Idaho--1960-1970;