On March 23, 1924, West Fork Logging Co. employees posed near the company's steam donkey on a sled. The donkeys were a replacement for the horse and oxen power formerly used to pull logs from the woods. This photograph was probably taken in logging areas near Seabeck where the company was then based. Logging operation would move to Lewis County three years later. G75.1-033 (for an earlier view of a steam donkey, see B2726) (Additional information provided by a reader)

West Fork Logging Co.; Lumber industry--1920-1930; Steam donkeys; Donkey engines;

Four unidentified men gaze at a long line of railroad flat cars stacked with mahogany logs on May 1, 1925. The log train was bound for the Buffelen Lumber & Mfg. Co. The logs had arrived at the Port of Tacoma on the "Wheatland Montana" and were a product of the Philippines. The arrival of the logs marked a transition to direct transactions between the overseas grower and a Tacoma manufacturer. Prior to this, mahogany used in fine furniture, cabinets and other uses was brought here in board form. G36.1-030 (TNT 5-4-25, p. 6)

Logs; Railroad cars--Tacoma--1920-1930; Shipping--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Henry Mill in Old Town. A new and very modern mill opened in Old Town on July 20, 1925, located on the waterfront at 3001 North Starr St. Henry Mill & Timber Co. would remain in business there until 1945 when it was taken over by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. During WWII, Henry Mill became active in prefabricated structures for the military. They specialized in bridges and hangars. TPL-2048; G36.1-143B

Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma); Mills--Tacoma--1920-1930; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Three men operating machinery at an Olympia sawmill in June of 1924. Photograph taken on behalf of Pacific Mutual Door Co. G75.1-025

Sawmills--Olympia; Machinery; Lumber industry--Olympia--1920-1930;

Small sheets of plywood are being loaded from an Olympia sawmill directly onto a Northern Pacific car by three men on June 12, 1924. These will be used by the Pacific Mutual Door Co. G75.1-023

Lumber industry--Olympia--1920-1930; Plywood; Sawmills--Olympia; Railroad freight cars--Olympia;

Linco Log & Lumber Co.; Yard engine. The versatility of the steam powered railroad was responsible for early advances in logging. By replacing animals as beasts of burden, they made it possible to harvest timber in the most inaccessible areas. During the 1920's, large scale locomotive operations flourished in the northwest. The system consisted of a main line with spurs, trackage that could be shifted constantly to follow the timber. With the aid of geared engines, such as the Shay locomotive, built from 1884-1945 by the Lima Locomotive Co., they could go into most mountainous areas despite the grade. The logs could then be "yarded," brought from the field into areas for shipment. (Labbe & Goe, Railroads in the Woods) G75.1-074; TPL-818

Linco Log & Lumber Co. (Lindberg); Lumber industry--1920-1930; Lumber camps--1920-1930; Railroad locomotives--1920-1930;

Side view of parked St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. No. 1 truck filled with stacks of what may be plywood. This April, 1920, photograph may have been taken at the company's downtown Tacoma yard. As noted through the doorless truck, there was no driver at the wheel. G36.1-160

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--1920-1930;

St. Paul & Tacoma lumber yard. This November, 1920, progress photograph shows a fuel conveyor belt being constructed 24 feet above the ground at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. Two 2 ton locomotive cranes are pictured lifting a 106 foot truss into place. The 641 foot long aerial belt will run from the mill to a point on the waterway directly across from the Consumers Central Heating Co. The conveyor belt will be used to transport the mill's waste wood, formed into logs. The fuel will be dumped on barges and carried across to the heating plant where it will be burned to supply heat to the city. The conveyor belt was all wood with the exception of the belt itself and the roller bearings. Parallel chord lattice was used for the entire length with the exception of street crossings where 106 foot span Belfast type lattice trusses were used. (TDL 1/9/1921, pg. 6) TPL-2047; G36.1-163

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Belts & belting (Equipment); Fuel trade--Tacoma--1920-1930;

This elevated view of the Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Company, looking toward Tacoma across the Tideflats, was captured in November of 1921. The narrow bridge built on pilings is the old Hylebos Creek bridge. Located in the industrial Tideflats at Lincoln Ave. & Taylor Way, the sprawling Buffelen plant had been undergoing rapid expansion with the construction of a new warehouse in 1916 and a new power plant five years later. Other important improvements in 1921 included dry kilns and warehouses. Buffelen was organized in 1912 by John Buffelen primarily as a door manufacturer. In 1916 the company started to manufacture fir plywood. A small ad placed in the Tacoma Daily Ledger on 7-11-21 listed "fir doors, 3-ply panels, alder panels, sash, etc." as products manufactured by the firm which had offices in Minneapolis and Tacoma. (TDL- Ad 7-11-21, p. 7; Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 1-1-22, B-5-article)

Buffelen Lumber & Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hylebos Bridge (Tacoma);

Elevated view of Tacoma's industrial tideflats as pictured on March 25, 1922. Visible are the sprawling St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. and the Washington Parlor Furniture Co. at far left and the Pacific Lumber & Millwork Co. in center. They were at the foot or end of the 11th St. Bridge (now Murray Morgan Bridge). TPL-5731; G91.-017

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Washington Parlor Furniture Co. (Tacoma); Pacific Lumber & Millwork Co. (Tacoma);

These massive logs are being transported on Northern Pacific flatcars to the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. yard on May 13, 1922. Railroad tracks intersect at this particular location. G44.1-103

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Logs; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad cars--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Sawmill operations. View of St. Paul & Tacoma's modern sawmill, recently placed in operation, as pictured on May 21, 1922. Machinery and tracks in foreground. The new mill was the latest of improvements enacted by the lumber firm. G36.1-034 (TDL 5-23-22, p. 7-article)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Sawmills--Tacoma--1920-1930; Machinery;

Close-up of burnt timber at the Mineral Lake Logging Co.'s Camp 17. Photographer Boland ventured out to the remote logging camp located in north central Lewis County on September 3, 1926, to document the damage that fire had caused to timberlands. Burned sections of cut timber are piled haphazardly on the ground, obscuring many tree stumps.

Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17; Fires; Tree stumps; Logs; Lumber industry--Washington--1920-1930;

This burned railroad bridge was located near Mineral Lake Logging Co.'s Camp 17 in 1926. The area had suffered fire damage which included part of this railroad bridge constructed out of logs. The bridge curved around a gulch.

Mineral Lake Logging Co. Camp 17; Logging industry--Washington--1920-1930; Fires; Logs; Railroad bridges--Washington--1920-1930;

Pacific States Lumber Co. plant, Selleck, Washington. This elevated view of the large, sprawling facility was taken on October 4, 1926. Selleck was a mill town in southeast King County formed by the owners of the Pacific States Lumber Co. about 1908 and named after Frank Selleck. It grew into a bustling community of 900 people housed in company buildings and included a hospital, hotel, school, gathering hall and mill buildings. Pacific States Lumber Co. built the world's highest railroad trestle, 204 feet over the Cedar River. The plant, running with modernized equipment, built a good reputation and landed a contract with Tokyo to supply lumber to rebuild the city after the massive earthquake there of 1923. Many Japanese workers and their families were sent to Selleck as laborers and formed a cohesive community of their own. Pacific States Lumber declared bankruptcy in 1939 and the company town's population shrank until its present number of about 90. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. (Seattle Times, 7-31-07) G75.1-077

Pacific States Lumber Co. (Selleck); Lumber industry--1920-1930;

Truss section manufactured by the Ernest Dolge, Inc., lumber company, shown at unidentified construction site in March of 1928. Ernest Dolge, Inc., had a national reputation for producing special "structual" grades of wood. This truss section was strongly bolted together. The Dolge firm was located on the Belt Line at approximately 1800 Taylor Way in the Tideflats, occupying 16 acres on the Hylebos Waterway. Their sawmill produced timbers for boats, beams, and even fire extension ladders that used Douglas fir. The Dolge mill cut 80,000 feet of timber daily and employed 55 men with a yearly payroll of nearly $100,000. G36.1-125 (TDL 4-10-28, Section 3, Industrial section, p. 1, 8-articles)

Ernest Dolge, Inc. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Trusses--Tacoma;

Interior of new St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. mill as viewed on June 15, 1928. This is believed to be the new sawmill used to cut hemlock logs built in the Tideflats north of E. 11th St., part of a joint venture between the Union Bag & Paper Corporation (N.Y.) and St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber. The mill, opening on June 18, 1928, was built on the site of the old Foundation shipyards. It contained modern new machinery including a new Yates planer, 72 x 14-inch edger, 48 x 16-inch Diamond gangsaw, 9-foot Diamond band saw, 7-foot resaw and two mechanical saw trimmers. In addition, the mill had a new hammerhead crane which was capable of lifting 7 1/2 tons. G36.1-150 (TNT 6-15-28, p. 10-article)

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Sawmills--Tacoma--1920-1930;

St. Regis logging operations, location unknown, in May of 1936. A heavy duty truck with five coils of wire/chain/rope hanging on one side is mired off the dirt road. Many logs have already been downed and a "donkey" is billowing steam. G75.1-043

Lumber industry--1930-1940; St. Regis Paper Co.; Trucks--1930-1940; Logs; Donkey engines;

Henry Mill & Timber Company crane at 3001 N Starr ST, Tacoma

Industries; Henry Mill & Timber Company; Cranes; Ruston Way;

Stacking lumber with the help of a stacker made by Star Iron & Steel.

Industries; Lumber; Star Iron & Steel; Machinery;

Aerial view of the Gange Lumber Company mill at 3939 Ruston Way, WA.

Industries; Gange Lumber Company; Aerial photographs; Lumber; Ruston Way

Gange Lumbar Company's crane at 3939 Ruston Way, Tacoma.

Industries; Gange Lumber Company; Lumber; Cranes; Ruston Way;

Tacoma Harbor Lumber Company's crane at 2363 E 11th St, Tacoma

Industries; Tacoma Harbor Lumber Company; Cranes; Tideflats

Defiance Lumber Company's crane at 4601 Ruston Way, Tacoma

Industries; Defiance Lumber Company; Cranes; Ruston Way

Potlatch Forests plant operations. One Potlatch Forests employee handles the controls while another checks the progress of the rolls of kraft pulp in mid-October, 1969. This plant in Lewiston, Idaho, produced high quality softwood bleached kraft market pulp and bleached paperboard. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant, New York.

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

Scenes from Lewiston, Idaho, Potlatch operations. A young worker stands before mounted rolls of kraft pulp at the big Lewiston plant in mid-October of 1969. The rolls extend far into the distance. He appears to be putting in a metal rod through the hole of the roll. 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;

Pulp & paper operations - Potlatch Forests, Inc. Potlatch Forests used a full range of species found in the northern Idaho timberlands to produce a variety of lumber products. Its Lewiston, Idaho, sawmill manufactured products used in construction framing to board sidings and paneling. Inland red cedar, pine, and fir mixtures were commonly utilized. An employee of Potlatch Forests is shown above on March 20, 1969, examining a piece of lumber. All of Potlatch Forests' products conformed to specific grading rules. 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; Industrial facilities--Idaho;

St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company's lumber ship "Lake Francis" anchored off St. Paul [Lumber Co. ] dock; tall stacks of lumber await loading.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Cargo ships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Log dump and stacks of lumber at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Logs being hoisted by cable; waterway and warehouse buildings in background.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs;

Log dump and stacks of lumber at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Stacks of lumber products, warehouse buildings in background.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber--Tacoma;