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.);

ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, Rayflo plant at Marpole. Two men stand on the scaffolding erected around the tank being constructed for Alaska Pine's new plant in Vancouver, B.C. The plant will produce rayflo, a chemical manufactured from Hemlock byproducts and used in the production of oil well drilling mud. Alaska Pine was the subsidiary of Rayonier Inc. and one of the largest timber concerns on the west coast. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)

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

ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two hard hatted workers from Rayonier Inc. stand in an old growth forest; seeming tiny next to the huge old trees. The enormous stands of forest in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia seemed unlimited. Although the demand for timber was down, it was at an all time high for chemical cellulose products manufactured from wood. Rayonier had its second best money earning year in company history in 1956, it finished slightly behind 1955. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)

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

ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. A man maneuvers a large piece of International machinery used to move logs. The machinery is operating in a clear cut and has a trailer arrangement on the back for moving logs and an attachment on the front for pushing the logs. Photographs taken on the timber lands belonging to Rayonier, Inc. Rayonier had a Grays Harbor tree farm totaling over 111,000 acres that had been harvested over 30 years prior and was producing a new crop of timber for the corporate giant.

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

ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Clear cuts can be seen throughout the forrest dotting the hills where the trees have been harvested. These areas would be replanted for future harvests. Rayonier had a Grays Harbor tree farm that totaled over 111,000 acres.

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

ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, sawmill plant at New Westminster, B.C. Alaska Pine had large modern sawmills at the Marpole (Vancouver) and New Westminster Sawmill Divisions. The combined daily capacity of both mills was a million board feet of lumber. This is the paved yard for intermediate lumber storage at Westminster. Some 10,000,000 board feet of material were held here. 49 % of Alaska Pine production consists of Western hemlock, 31% red cedar, 14% Douglas fir and the remainder Sitka spruce, white pine and yellow cypress. The mills produced a variety of products for wholesale markets sold in the U.S. and Canada. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)

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

ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two hard hatted workers from Rayonier Inc. stand in an old growth forest; seeming tiny next to the huge old trees. The enormous stands of forest in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia seemed unlimited. Although the demand for timber was down, it was at an all time high for chemical cellulose products manufactured from wood. Rayonier had its second best money earning year in company history in 1956, it finished slightly behind 1955. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)

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

ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Two hard hatted workers from Rayonier Inc. stand in an old growth forest. This photograph really shows the size of these enormous trees, the loggers appear tiny next to them. This stand of hemlock is approximately 80 years old. The trees are 110 - 125 feet high and average 24 inches in diameter. This track was recently thinned to promote growth of the best trees. Rayonier and its Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine produced chemical cellulose, pulp, paper and lumber. They were also experimenting in developing new products called "silvichemicals" from the by products of cellulose manufacture. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)

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

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);

Informal office photos of John Philip (Phil) Weyerhaeuser Jr., President of Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, with the oil painting of Frederick Weyerhaeuser, founder of the company. Executive offices of the company were located on the 10th floor of the Tacoma Building, 1017-1021 A St. The company was founded in 1900 with the purchase of 900,000 acres of Washington timberlands from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Weyerhaeuser now owns in excess of 1.6 million acres of timberland in Washington, with 4 million acres located elsewhere in the U.S. In 1971, the company moved its corporate headquarters to Federal Way. Phil Weyerhaeuser guided the company from 1933 until his death in 1956 and oversaw its transition from a dealer in timberlands to a manufacturer of forest products and a manager of renewable tree farms. Central to this change was his vision that the only way for a forest products company to operate was to own its own renewable timberlands. ("Phil Weyerhaeuser Lumberman" by Charles E. Twining)

Weyerhaeuser, John Philip; Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Photos featuring "quality control" of hemlock at St. Paul. A man in a hard hat operates controls for the lumber processing machinery at St. Paul & Tacoma. He watches the gauge to the right as he moves the controls.

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

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The word "Moke' " has been carved into a piece of fir plywood. The final swoop of the "M" has been lifted up to give a 3D effect. Moke panels were popular in the 1950s as backdrops in department store window displays and as decorative art in homes. For the same carving illuminated from the back, see image #7. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A design has been cut into fir plywood with a saw. Dowel rods hold some portions of the design raised from the main board; other portions are bent back from the main design. The end result is a 3D look. A wooden finished knob in the center also lends a dimensional feel.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A design has been cut into fir plywood with a saw. The design is raised in some places and bent the other direction in others. The design has been illuminated from behind, accenting the detail. For the same design without the backlighting, see image #51.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co.; Board of Directors 1955. The board poses at a long table underneath the portrait of founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser. Seated clockwise from the left bottom: O.D. Fisher, C. Davis Weyerhaeuser, Norton Clapp, John Musser, F.K. Weyerhaeuser, Laird Bell, George S. Long, Jr., J.P. Weyerhaeuser, Jr., Edmond Cook, Edmund Hayes, Carleton Blunt, Charles H. Ingram, Henry T. McKnight and F.W. Reimers.

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser, John Philip; Clapp, Norton, 1906-1995;

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);

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;