This view of a boat loading lumber at the Defiance Lumber dock had been a common sight since 1906 when the Doud brothers, desiring a site closer to shipping facilities than Buckley, bought land on the Tacoma waterfront just south of the Tacoma Smelter. By 1907 a mill was built, 1400 feet of shoreline acquired among the 18 acres of land, and 150 men were employed. Ships from all nations visited Tacoma to load lumber and lumber was also transported via rail. WWI caused rail transportation to substantially decrease and ships once again entered the deep harbor to retrieve the fir products and bring them to as far away as Japan and the United Kingdom. The Defiance Lumber Co. would continue in business until December of 1951 when it closed its doors permanently. G36.1-013 (Martin: Leslie Lewis Doud; his family and ancestors, p.1-3; Bonney: History of Pierce County Washington, p. 656-659)
Close-up of floating log rafts in the City (now Thea Foss) Waterway. These logs were probably destined for pulp production. Washington was third in the nation at this time in pulp producing. The abundance of hemlock and accessibility of water transportation plus low utility rates made Tacoma a prime location for the manufacture of pulp and other lumber products. Photograph taken in March of 1937. TPL-3236; G36.1-080 (T.Times 1,5-articles on pulp)
Construction on the new John Dower Lumber Company headquarters building at 733 East 11th Street began in late November, 1921. The company held an open house for the general public on March 11, 1922. The building, designed by Bullard & Mason, was one of the most unique lumber offices in the country. The finish on the exterior was designed to resemble a log house; the interior was finished in selected native woods, stained and varnished to bring out their natural colors. In 1922 the John Dower Lumber Company was one of the largest retail lumber companies in the United States. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company purchased the Dower yard and headquarters building in 1942. BU-11057
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; John Dower Lumber Company (Tacoma); Building construction--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;
Three unidentified men posed at a logging site in Mineral, Washington, on the first of March, 1936. The hillside beyond the men is strewn with fallen timber. The men are sitting and leaning against a much bigger log. G75.1-098
Two photographs were artfully combined in this March, 1936, work by photographer Marvin Boland. Large logs are pictured aboard an open railroad car on tracks while in the background are three unidentified men posed at the base of an enormous old-growth tree. TPL-2117; G75.1-081
This is a view of St. Regis logging operations in May of 1936. The forest location was not given. Here a worker is driving an earthmover of some sort. He is possibly clearing the way for a makeshift road so that trucks could access the area.
Lumber industry--1930-1940; St. Regis Paper Co.; Machinery;
Logging equipment at a Peterman logging site, location at or near Morton, in June of 1936. Equipment is a "donkey" used to move logs. These early diesel yarders were designed to yard logs to a landing using a spar tree. The "donkeys" were mounted on sleds made out of two logs which allowed them to be moved on trucks or railcars. It was possible for them to pull themselves over rough grounds to where they needed to be set up. This diesel yarder is possibly one of the first "Berger" brand yarders with the first V8 Caterpillar engine power plant. TPL-9855; G75.1-046 (Additional information provided by a reader)
It is hard to tell in this rather faded picture taken on a foggy day in October of 1930 but it appears that water is spurting from what may be the hold of a cargo ship. Three unidentified men are observing the scene. Photograph ordered by St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. G36.1-158
Two unidentified men are looking down at stacks of lumber piled on St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. property in October of 1930. A large crane can be seen dimly in the background. G36.1-156
St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;
Nine unidentified men were photographed in front of the large St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. store on April 17, 1930. St. Paul & Tacoma, established in 1888, was one of Tacoma's pioneer industries. Its lumber concerns would provide employment for hundreds of local residents. It would merge with St. Regis Paper Co. in 1957.
St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;
