ca. 1956. Portrait of a timber worker in a hard hat bearing the green cross safety logo. Photograph was taken on Rayonier Grays Harbor timber lands and ordered by Malcolm McGhie. Timber and forests fueled the economy of the Olympic Peninsula.

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

ca. 1956. Port McNeil, logging. This is possibly a company home provided for management. It is larger and more ornate than those provided for the workers. The window boxes bloom with flowers and the yard is surrounded by a white board fence. The poles sticking up from the beach area are possible oyster beds.

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

ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, Rayflo plant at Marpole. Experimentation was an important part of research at Rayonier and its Canadian subsidiary Alaska Pine. Cellulose and timber production produced a large amount of wasted byproducts which the company felt could be developed into the products of the future. Rayflo was one of these products; developed only a few years prior, it was in high demand in the oil industry and being studied for use in the manufacture of ceramics. (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. Alaska Pine; Rayflo plant at Marpole. Alaska Pine, a Canadian subsidiary of Rayonier Inc., had a research center in its Vancouver B.C. offices. It was used to quality control test the cellulose and the products manufactured from it. They also experimented with the residue from the process, searching for new products. The new lab facilities in Vancouver were completed in 1954. More money was being invested in research, in hopes of creating new products and more company growth.

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

ca. 1956. Alaska Pine, Rayflo plant at Marpole. Alaska Pine also established a research center near its Vancouver, B.C. Marpole Sawmill division lumber operations. A laboratory chemist conducts a product control test on Rayflo-treated oil well drilling mud and records the results. The lab did quality control testing on cellulose products and research on new products. They also concentrated on wood products as distinct from cellulose. The purpose was to discover undeveloped product possibilities from mill residuals. (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. Alaska Pine, Rayflo plant at Marpole. Alaska Pine also established a research center near its Vancouver, B.C. Marpole Sawmill division lumber operations. The cellulose solutions laboratory had a wide variety of equipment for preparing and testing cellulose derivatives. Its aim was to explore the characteristics and flow properties of various cellulose solutions. (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.);

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. plywood mill in Olympia, ordered by the Condon Co. A hard hatted worker is mixing glue into the large pots. Separate pots probably held waterproof glue and standard glue. A system of pipes, hoses and valves connect the two vats with the large circumference pipe behind the worker that extends from the floor to out of picture range. The feeder pipe would take this glue and send it on to the glue machine. See D55572-35 for glue operations.

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

ca. 1956. Port Alice, British Columbia; aerial of timber. Alaska Pine & Cellulose Limited operated a chemical cellulose mill at Port Alice, surrounded by fast growing forests logged under a management license from the province. Port Alice lies on Quatsino Sound, an arm of the sea on the western side of Vancouver Island, B.C. The forests are mostly hemlock and offer an abundant supply of raw materials. Nearby Victoria Lake supplies water, the area has its own lime rock quarry and a deep water port for overseas shipping. For all these reasons, Alaska Pine chose to expand and develop this mill further in 1956, upping its capacity to 125, 000 tons of chemical cellulose a year; an investment of $14,000,000. (Rayonier's annual report for 1956)

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

ca. 1956. Port McNeil, logging. This appears to be company owned row housing or bunk houses built for the loggers working at the Port McNeil location. The small houses are all identical and two raised wooden sidewalks lie between the two rows of houses. Several men are sitting or lounging on the sidewalks. Housing arrangements like this were provided for the over 2,000 Canadian loggers.

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

ca. 1956. Port McNeil, aerial, logging. The logging camp sits on the shore surrounded by old growth forests. A dock extends out into the water and rafts of logs lie in the water. Established in 1953, Alaska Pine's logging camp at Mahatta River, on Vancouver Island, is one of three modern logging communities that provide wood for the Port Alice, B.C., chemical cellulose mill. Logs are rafted to the mill, entirely within the protected waters of Quatsino Sound. Non pulp species are barged to the Vancouver area sawmills. (1957 Annual Report, Rayonier Inc.)

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

ca. 1956. Timber industry scenes from Grays Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, ordered by Malcolm McGhie. The sign identifies this as an experimental forest established in 1948 by the U.S. Forest Service cooperating with the St. Regis Paper Co. Trees were now being viewed as a renewable resource. They were being raised to support the pulp, paper and wood chemical industry. In the meantime, old growth forests were clear cut to supply timber for commercial purposes.

Lumber industry--Grays Harbor--1950-1960; Trees; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Construction process for a life size lawn Santa Claus Christmas decoration, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The Santa pattern has been glued to the plywood and the design cut out so that it has a plywood back. Now the craftsman is applying lacquer so that the image will stand up to all weather conditions. Santa's head and arm are still unattached and will be glued on where the dotted lines indicate. (see also image #6 & 9 and C101278-1 for the finished product)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;

The fifties were the height of the "do it yourself" age. In this photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association, a man demonstrates how to construct your own life size lawn Christmas decorations. Here he glues the Santa Claus cut out to a sheet of plywood. The purpose of the DFPA was to introduce the public to new uses for their product. As such, patterns and demonstrations were always available at the hardware stores for the home handyman. (see also image #9 & 10 and C101278-1 for the finished product)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;

Construction process for a life size lawn Santa Claus Christmas decoration, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. After gluing the pattern to the plywood, the handyman cuts the Santa out with a hand held saw. The dotted lines on the pattern indicated where another piece will be glued on top. (see also image #6 & 10 and C101278-1 for the finished product)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Woodworking--Tacoma; Christmas decorations; Handicraft--Tacoma;

Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The group of men, in coats and ties, are looking at a model of a new home. One man is removing the roof on the model. The men are surrounded by artists' renderings of new homes and press and customer information regarding "Signature Homes." The covering on the table and walls has the logo for the Fir Plywood Golden Jubilee 1905-1955.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Retail lumber dealers meeting; photographs ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A group of men in coats and ties stand or sit in front of a newly constructed home listening to another man speak. These are possibly lumber dealers discussing new home markets for their wares.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Cheney Lumber Company's booth at the 1956 Home Show. Each year the Greater Tacoma Home Show filled the College of Puget Sound fieldhouse with company sponsored booths, highlighting topics of interest to home owners. Hung behind this booth is a photo collage of the lumber industry. Below the collage is a model of one of Cheney's lumberyards. (See D99015 image 1 for a closer view of the model.) To the left of the booth is a display of Cheney sponsored sports teams for kids, utilizing photographs and trophies. A young Cheney midget league footballer watches the demonstration. Each year, Ben Cheney sponsored amateur athletic teams; keeping money from being an obstacle between kids and sports. Cheney teams played football, baseball and basketball.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma);

Cheney Lumber Company's booth at the 1956 Greater Tacoma Home Show. A young Cheney Studs football player poses in uniform with one of the trophies. His uniform features the Cheney "stud" horse logo on the chest. "Studs" were what Cheney renamed the 8 foot 2 x 4 lumber "shorts" that revolutionized the building materials industry. On the back wall are photos of the young man's football team mates, as well as other Cheney teams. One sign points out that the amateur Cheney Studs baseball team was the national runnerup in the 1955 American Baseball Congress.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Awards; Football players--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A model of one of Ben Cheney's lumberyards is displayed at the Cheney booth at the 1956 Greater Tacoma Home Show. Miniature stacks of Cheney "studs" dot the landscape. The Tacoma Home Show was held May 11-20, 1956 at the College of Puget Sound Fieldhouse. Over 100 local and national companies set up exhibit booths emphasizing products for the home. Cheney "studs" were 8 foot lengths of 2x4 timber that established the residential ceiling height in America.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Models;

Douglas Fir Plywood Association, 20th annual meeting. The Plywood and Veneer safety award is being presented to Williard Burrell of Weyerhauser by A.P. Stinchfield. Weyerhauser Timber's branch in Springfield Oregon was being presented the 1955 award for its low incidence of accidents. The trophy resembling a roller perched on a block of wood is the Carleton L. Smith Memorial Safety Award.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Springfield, Ore.); Burrell, Williard; Stinchfield, A.P.; Awards;

In April of 1956, workers at the Cheney Lumber Co. prepared packages of two by four "Cheney Studs" for shipment in the railroad cars behind. In the late 1930's, as timber became more difficult to obtain cheaply, Ben Cheney became concerned over the side-cut slab wastage, often 2/3 of the log, in the production of railroad ties. He came up with the idea of supplying the housing market with standard 8 foot studding, the same length as railroad ties were cut. At that time, ceilings were often 8 1/2 - 12 feet. A skilled marketer, Cheney renamed the "shorts," as these 8 foot pieces had been called, "Cheney Studs." The horse logo was based on a Belgian stud horse he had seen at the Puyallup Fair and the 2x4 ends were painted with bright red wax for instant identification. Cheney is credited with standardizing the room height in US residential construction. ("The Sou'wester" Volume xxxv, Number 3, Fall 2000)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The busy mail room of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A large mailer is being prepared. Some women fold the materials to be mailed and others stuff the envelopes. One of the jobs of the association was the promotion of the plywood product and the industry itself. One of the association's main sources of self promotion was the U.S. mail and the company maintained a large mail room to meet its demands.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Correspondence;

Cheney Lumber Co.; packages of two by four "Cheney Studs" being readied for shipment in the railroad cars behind. Ben Cheney got his start in the lumber business in 1936 during the depression. By the late 1930's, he was supplying railroad ties nationally and internationally. Cheney was wholesaling the production of 140 portable mills throughout the northwest, selling their ties on a commission basis. As timber became more difficult to obtain cheaply, he became concerned over the side-cut slab wastage, often 2/3 of the log. He came up with the idea of supplying the housing market with standard 8 foot studding, the same length as railroad ties were cut. He even obtained a lower transportation cost from the Interstate Commerce Commission, making production even more economical. Cheney renamed the "shorts," as these 8 foot pieces had been called, "Cheney Studs." Studs became the standard in the building trade and Cheney is credited with standardizing the roof height in US residential construction. ("The Sou'wester" Volume xxxv, Number 3, Fall 2000)

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lumberyards--Tacoma; Lumber--Tacoma; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The hands of a craftsman, possibly Panther Woodworking owner George Panther, carefully screw on a small piece of wood to a long rod in a May 3, 1957, photograph. The rod is being held steady between the fingers of one hand while the other hand is simultaneously using the screwdriver. Other screws and rubber rings are close by on the table. Photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Panther Woodworking (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Screws;

A peeler block appears to be emerging from this machine; it has apparently been barked. A technician, on an slightly elevated platform, monitors the proceedings in front of his control panel. He has his hand on a lever. Photograph ordered by Merchandising Factors, Seattle.

Logs; Merchandising Factors, Inc. (Seattle);

An employee of Puget Sound Plywood is measuring an exceptionally large log on a log deck at the company's East "F" St. plant on February 20, 1958. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cooperatives--Tacoma;

It appears that a giant log is carefully being barked by hand in a February 20, 1958, photograph. The Puget Sound Plywood employee is apparently using a long tool to lift the exposed layer. It is possible that this peeler will be used in the production of plywood. In that case, after barking, the peeler will be rotated in a lathe, removing strips of veneer. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Puget Sound Plywood, Inc. (Tacoma); Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cooperatives--Tacoma;

View of new hangar at South Tacoma Airport on January 10, 1958, shows how plywood was heavily utilized. The narrow, slightly bent pieces of plywood above the plywood forms are box beams. They were probably put together at Weber Lumber Co. a few days before. These are believed to be some of the ten new "T" hangars built by C.E. Munson, contractor. Planes would be hangared five to a side. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT 2-2-58, A-14)

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

Box beams are being erected in the new hangar at South Tacoma Airport on January 10, 1958. These plywood products were probably constructed at Weber Lumber Co. A small lifting machine has hoisted a box beam while three workers maneuver it into place. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Hoisting machinery; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

A series of photographs were taken on January 8, 1958, of workers at the Weber Lumber Co., 1744 N. 30th St. They appear to be nailing together box beams. Stacks of plywood are in the background. Weber Lumber is absent in the 1958 City Directory; at its site remained the Timber Fabrication Co. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Weber Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);