The finishing room at Rayonier's Grays Harbor mill, for Malcolm McGhie. The pulp rolls have been sheeted on the cutter and counted out on the layboy. They are moving by automatic conveyer to the large hydraulic bailing presses where they will be compressed and wrapped for shipment. (1955 Annual Report, Rayonier, Inc.)

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

Rayonier's Grays Harbor mill, for Malcolm McGhie. The Grays Harbor mill was capable of producing 110,000 tons of chemical cellulose per year. In addition, it produced paper making pulps which it converted to about 30,000 tons of fine papers per year. In this photograph, the new pulp cutter at the Grays Harbor division, with backstand holding jumbo rolls, cuts them into sheets to be packaged for shipment. Each roll can weigh up to 7 tons. The cutter was new equipment in the finishing room, increasing operating efficiency and providing better packaging for shipment. (1956 Annual Report, Rayonier Inc.)

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

Exterior Cheney Lumber. Neatly stacked piles of logs are separated from sections of plywood by railroad tracks at the Cheney Lumber Co. lumberyard at the Port of Tacoma. The Cheney Lumber Co. was owned and operated by Ben Cheney. Founded in 1936, the company was established originally to manufacture railroad ties. Cheney developed the 8' Cheney Studs which were heavily in demand in the building industry. His logo of a horse was stamped on each stud produced. Photograph ordered by Cheney Lumber Co.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Logs; Plywood; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Interior views of Anacortes hardboard plant. An Anacortes Veneer, Inc., worker appears almost dwarfed by the enormous machinery before him as he inspects gauges in the plywood plant on December 29, 1955. Anacortes Veneer was only the second worker-owned venture in the industry, following the example of Olympia Veneer. More workers would become owners in the near future. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Machinery; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Interiors hardboard plant in Anacortes. Sheets of veneer are stacked upright at the Anacortes Veneer plant on December 29, 1955. The plywood on carts would then be easily transported via tracks. Anacortes Veneer was the second worker-owned in the lumber industry, after Olympia Veneer in 1927, and after much trial and tribulation, peeled its first log on November 27, 1939. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (Cour: The Plywood Age, p. 123-127)

Plywood; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

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);

An employee of the Anacortes Veneer, Inc., plant seems to have the responsibility of monitoring the gauges on the large piece of machinery. He may have to report his findings on the piece of paper in front of him. It is possible that this giant machine might be a hot press; the heat and pressure would seal in adhesive, making the plywood panels tougher and perhaps waterproof. The plywood then could be used for the exteriors of boats and other outdoor usage. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Machinery; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Interior of veneer plant. One man is all that is apparently needed to monitor operations at this stage of manufacturing at the Anacortes Veneer, Inc., plywood plant in December, 1955. Anacortes Veneer was one of the first co-ops in the industry as it first commenced operations in 1939. Charles Carlson was elected president on April 8, 1939. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Machinery; Plywood; Lumber industry--Anacortes; Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

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;

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;

Presentation of award to the president of U.S. Plywood, Tony Antoville (on right.) Photograph ordered by the DFPA. United States Plywood Corp. was one of the first companies to build after the industry was decontrolled. It opened a 36 million foot capacity plant at Mapleton, Oregon in 1948. By 1955, the firm controlled four plants with a total capacity of 342 million feet annually.

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

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;

Informal office photos of John Philip (Phil) Weyerhaeuser Jr., President of Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, with a model of the Everett facility. Phil Weyerhaeuser arrived in Tacoma in 1933 to take over the reins of the family timber business, after spending almost 13 years learning the profession in the Inland Empire. He ran the company until his death from leukemia December 8, 1956. He was a private, unpretentious and shy man, but he guided his company through the Great Depression, World War II and the New Deal. He imprinted the company with his vision that it must change in order to survive. No longer just a dealer in timberlands, the company diversified its interests and invested heavily in forestry as a renewable resource. In a 1955 passport application, he listed his profession as "lumberman," a modest assessment of his contributions to the industry. ("Phil Weyerhaeuser Lumberman" by Charles E. Twining)

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

Informal office photos of John Philip (Phil) Weyerhaeuser Jr., President of Weyerhaeuser Timber Company. Executive offices were located on the 10th floor of the Tacoma Building, 1017-1021 A St. The company came into being in 1900 when Frederick Weyerhaeuser and several of his colleagues agreed to purchase 900,000 acres of western Washington timberlands from the Northern Pacific Railway Company. George S. Long, the company's first manager, originated the idea of timber as a renewable resource. In 1936, Phil Weyerhaeuser proudly pronounced the origination of the company's program of growing trees for harvesting, his personal vision. In 1941, Clemons Tree Farm was dedicated as the first of its kind. (" A History of Pierce County, Washington" Vol. 1)

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

Informal office photograph of Charles H. Ingram, Vice-president and General Manager of Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. When Phil Weyerhaeuser arrived in Tacoma in 1933 as the company's chief executive officer after the death of George S. Long, who had operated as manager since its 1900 beginning, he inherited a very capable office staff. Ingram was assistant manager, he was promoted to manager in 1936 and became Weyerhaeuser's right hand man. They were the perfect complement, Ingram's attention to detail giving Weyerhaeuser the freedom to look to the future. ("Phil Weyerhaeuser Lumberman" by Charles E. Twining)

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Ingram, Charles H.;

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. A cabinet is viewed from above topped with an assortment of power tools, hand tools and plywood trim pieces. These are the materials and tools used in a woolworking display captured in this photographic series (D89928.) This cabinet would be perfect for the home handyman to store his tools and small materials or for the hardware store to shelve small items. The DFPA, located in the Fuller building in Tacoma, was constantly promoting its product and its myriad uses. The plywood industry exploded in the Northwest thanks to this dedicated self promotion.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Drills (Equipment); Hammers; Woodworking--Tacoma;

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A man does detailed and intricate cutting with a skill saw. A completed decorative woodwork piece can be seen in the background.

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

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A man poses with decorative woodwork pieces cut from fir plywood. The wood has been cut in intricate patterns with a skill saw. Dowel rods have then been inserted to hold some of the pieces out from the main piece, giving the design a 3D look.

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

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. In this photograph, a piece of 3D woodworking has been backlighted. The result looks almost like neon.

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;