The log was trucked over a mountainous highway and busy highways, over 100 miles, one it reached Tacoma it was delivered to the Oregon-Washington Plywood Company, the log skidded off the truck and into the company's receiving pond, located just below Dock Street. View of nine foot in diameter and thirty four foot long "Peeler" log recently cut, Oregon-Washington Plywood Company will convert this log into plywood panels, plywood lumberman is measuring the log (T. Times, 5/11/48, p. 1).

Logs; Laborers--Tacoma; Woodcutting--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Plywood; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Tacoma);

View of nine foot in diameter and thirty four foot long "Peeler" log recently cut, Oregon-Washington Plywood Company will convert this log into plywood panels, plywood lumbermen are getting the log ready to unload. This log will provide 24,000 square feet of plywood, it will be converted into plywood panels used for housing. This log will provide enough plywood to build four all plywood five room houses (T. Times, 5/11/48, p. 1). TPL-10298

Logs; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma; Trees--Tacoma; Woodcutting--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Plywood; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Tacoma);

A huge Douglas Fir was trucked into Tacoma, recently cut near Kosmos, in eastern Lewis County. This tree was cut by Lloyd Sword, an independent logger. View of nine foot in diameter and thirty four foot long "Peeler" log recently cut, Oregon-Washington Plywood Company will convert this log into plywood panels, plywood laborers are measuring the log, crane in background (T. Times, 5/11/48, p. 1).

Logs; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma; Trees--Tacoma; Woodcutting--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Plywood; Oregon-Washington Plywood Co. (Tacoma);

In 1947 1,600,000,000 square feet of plywood was produced in the Pacific Northwest. Plywood firms in Tacoma are: Buffelen, Wheeler-Osgood, Northwest Door, Oregon-Washington Plywood, Puget Sound Plywood, and Donald W. Lyle Plywood Company; the first three mentioned plants also manufacture doors. View of plywood presentation, DFPA representative is showing the strength and durability in the plywood panels.

Plywood; Molded plywood; Signs (Notices); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Douglas Fir Plywood Association was presenting reasons for choosing plywood over other building materials. An advantage to converting Douglas fir logs into plywood is the efficient use of the timber. View of DFPA representative using charts and graphs during his presentation, including "Value and Market Value", "Building Material Prices", "Interest Rates", "National Real Estate and Business Cycles" and "Commodity Prices...".

Plywood; Molded plywood; Signs (Notices); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Charts; Presentation drawings (Proposals); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Douglas Fir Plywood Association helped establish the Plywood Research Foundation in Tacoma. The lab is consistently testing the plywood for strength and durability, testing sites are located throughout Washington State. Douglas Fir plywood is advertised as the "Wood of 1000 Uses", although several thousand uses have been determined. View of man giving a plywood product durability demonstration.

Plywood; Molded plywood; Signs (Notices); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Douglas Fir Plywood Association was having a plywood product and "uses" presentation at the Winthrop Hotel. Plywood was originally just uses for doors and furniture drawers, but in the 1920's builders began experimenting with plywood and using it for interior wall panels, cabinets, and eventually prefabricated houses, exterior and interior wall panels. View of three plywood businessmen standing below a "Douglas Fir Plywood The Wood of 1000 Uses" sign.

Plywood; Molded plywood; Signs (Notices); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Tacoma's Douglas Fir plywood industry is divided between seven plywood factories, they employ over 1,700 employees, making this one of the largest industries in Tacoma and Western Washington. There are 43 plywood plants between Washington, Oregon and California, these plants are owned by 37 different companies, with no single firm owning more than three plants. Douglas Fir Plywood Association has really helped the plywood industry expand throughout the building and construction industries. View of DFPA representative standing behind a podium, during his "Plywood Sales Demonstration".

Plywood; Molded plywood; Signs (Notices); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Plywood can be used to make furniture, houses, garages, advertising, movie theaters, boats, and thousands of other items. Douglas Fir Plywood Association ensures consumers that they are getting the finest quality plywood panels, they are continuously testing and coming up with new ideas for the use of plywood products. View of DFPA representatives using Douglas Fir plywood during his presentation.

Plywood; Molded plywood; Signs (Notices); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Exterior view of Wheeler Osgood plant, on spec.Some of Wheeler Osgood's "multiplicity of smokestacks" are shown here along with their water tower. The company started in Tacoma in 1889 and was a mainstay on the Tacoma tideflats. They became the world's largest producer of wooden doors.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smokestacks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Water towers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

This birds eye view of the old Weyerhaeuser mansion, "Haddaway Hall", at 4301 North Stevens St. and the surrounding area was taken in 1948. By then the estate, which had changed hands several times, was in the possesion of the Dominican Sisters of Marymount, who operated it as a school, Tacoma Catholic College, and as a convent. Completed in 1922, the Elizabethan English Tudor home was built for lumber baron John Philip Weyerhaeuser and his wife Anna. The name comes from Weyerhaeuser's comment that Anna always "had her way," so the home became "Haddaway Hall." The estate consisted of the main house, carriage house, greenhouses and the servant quarters house (now 4224 No. Stevens.) It was surrounded by 8 acres of grounds. The formal gardens were designed by the Olmstead brothers, Frederick Law and Charles, and were brought to life by T.B. Morrow. It was built on the site of the former Allen C. Mason mansion and Whitworth College. It is now the home of the Northwest Baptist Seminary, and is on both the City and National Registry of historic buildings.

Weyerhaeuser, John Philip--Homes & haunts; Haddaway Hall (Tacoma); Estates--Tacoma; Tacoma Catholic College (Tacoma); Universities & colleges--Tacoma;

Aerial view of barge towing logs into the Port of Tacoma. Ordered by Columbia Breweries, possibly to display in their future newly remodeled facilities.

Logs; Barges--Tacoma; Portages--Tacoma; Aerial photographs;

Visitors going through plant, Wheeler-Osgood, Miss Lingren. Puran Sawhney and his family, from New Delhi, India, were in Tacoma for two days. They were touring the United States and Mr. Sawhney wanted to learn about American industry. He is standing (second from right) with three men from Wheeler-Osgood by the railroad tracks that serve the door manufacturing facility. Stacks of lumber on wheels are lined up beside them.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Guests--Tacoma--1940-1950; Sawhney, Puran; East Indians; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad tracks--Tacoma;

Cheney Lumber Company. A catcher seems proud to point at a sign announcing "Soft Ball Prohibited". He is wearing his mitt on his belt and his uniform has a horse insignia over his heart. The red horse was an emblem for the Cheney Studs, the 8 foot 2 x 4 introduced by Ben Cheney into the construction industry that credited him with standardizing architecture in America.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Baseball--Tacoma--1940-1950; Baseball players--Tacoma--1940-1950; Softball--Tacoma;

Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Young men work alongside older men in creating the structural beams for which Tacoma Lumber Fabricating was well known. The company created prefabricated portions of buildings for an entire prefabricated house as well as curved beams used to roof large buildings. The top floor of their modern office building was the plant loft for giant layout work. They had a complete sawmill and planing mill plant. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)

Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Workmen are dipping completed trusses into a liquid mixture using a pulley system. Stacks of lumber are seen further back in the plant's yard. The company manufactured materials from heavy timbers such as power line cross arms, bridge timbers and roof trusses to little pieces four feet long for refrigerator car rack slabs. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)

Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Cheney Lumber Company. An unidentified young woman leans against the Cheney Studs airplane.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Airplanes; Women;

Cheney Lumber Company. An unidentified young woman and Ben Cheney stand together by the Cheney Studs airplane. The airplane could be the "Bonnie B", an airplane Ben Cheney and his company owned in 1949.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Airplanes; Women; Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971;

Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Stacks of completed trusses have been loaded on a freight car and two workmen are using straps to secure the load during shipping. Active management of the company was under Frank Grabbs. G.E. Karlen was president and Lee C. Monahan was vice-president. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)

Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Cheney Lumber Company. The Cheney Lumber Company owned seven plants that produced 1 million of the 8' x 2" x 4" Cheney studs per day in Washington, Oregon and California. This plant is located next to railroad tracks for transportation of the studs to distribution points.

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mills; Aerial photographs; Land; Railroad tracks;

Cheney Lumber Company. A view of a baseball catcher wearing shin and knee protectors, a padded vest and his mitt. He holds his face guard. Two other players can be seen in the background on the baseball field. Ben Cheney had been a sponsor of youth baseball, basketball and bowling teams as well as being instrumental in landing a Pacific Coast League baseball franchise for Tacoma in 1960. He was also a stockholder in the San Francisco Giants baseball team, sponsors of the Tacoma Giants. TPL-7909

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Baseball--Tacoma--1940-1950; Baseball players--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A view of a construction site using plywood forms for the reinforced concrete exterior walls for the new gymnasium nearing completion at the College of Puget Sound. It is being built by the Roy T. Early Company, contractors. Mock & Morrison were the architects. Several workmen are seen both on the ground and above the top of the wall securing the plywood forms. (T.Times, 1/2/1949, p.34)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Reinforced concrete construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Progress photographs; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Gymnasiums--Tacoma;

Cheney Lumber Company. Men move large, cut timbers from a flat-bed truck onto railroad freight cars using long-handled hooks. The first Cheney stud mill was at National, Washington, near Eatonville. Mills were later established at Willapa Harbor, Vancouver, Chehalis and Tacoma. Later mills were established in Oregon and California as well. The eight foot 2" x 4" pieces he began creating from scrap lumber were first known as "shorts." Viewing this as a derogatory term, Ben Cheney conceived a new logo to be stamped on each stud, using the silhouette of a well endowed Belgian stud horse. He also painted the two-by-four ends with bright red wax for instant identification. His product was no longer a "short." It had become a "Cheney Stud." (Med Nicholson, "The Sou'wester", Fall, 2000) TPL-5674

Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping;

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. This view shows the newly remodeled entrance to the company's office building. Panes of glass surround a wooden door with beautiful grain showing. Visitor chairs are against both walls and the company's logo is set into the linoleum floor.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office buildings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lobbies--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. A view of the entrance to the Wheeler Osgood Company from the exterior. The newly remodeled entrance is recessed from the front of the building and has recessed lighting and windows. There are two steps up to the concrete entrance. Wheeler-Osgood was established in 1889 by William C. Wheeler, George R. Osgood and D.D. Clarke. William C. Wheeler had leased property from the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company. At first they made only red cedar doors, which were sold locally. (TNT, 7/20/1953)

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office buildings--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. Mr. Paul M. Smith was Secretary of the company at this time. This view shows the hallway leading from Mr. Smith's office with linoleum tile on the floor. Windows from the other offices into the hallway are made of light-diffusing glass. Paneling on the walls and the door are made of highly grained wood.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Passageways--Tacoma--1940-1950; Floor coverings; Paneling--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. Mr. Robert H. O'Neil was the assistant secretary at Wheeler Osgood at this time. The office walls are covered with plywood paneling and a highly-grained wooden door is open to the hallway. A file cabinet sits against the wall.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. A view of a smaller office at the plant's offices. The walls are covered with highly grained plywood paneling and the door is also. The desk is covered with a bloter and has a phone on the corner. One side chair sits against the wall and the floor is covered with linoleum.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Desks; Chairs;

Wheeler Osgood office interiors. A view of one of the offices at Wheeler Osgood with a large desk, two large windows with draperies and venetian blinds. There are guest chairs around the room and a shadow of a round table shows against the carpeting. The walls are covered in wood paneling. Florescent light fixtures are set at an angle to the corners of the room.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Desks; Chairs; Windows--Tacoma;

Tour of Retail Lumbermen's Association Training Class, Wheeler-Osgood, Miss Lindgren. Several young men look on while a woman works with a machine to remove knots from the veneer covering a piece of plywood and replacing them with clear pieces of veneer.

Wheeler, Osgood Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Vocational education--Tacoma; Occupations;