History Built From Timber
The City of Hoquiam is synonymous with the word wood and no one can contest that truth. It is one of the most well studied and well documented logging towns that ever existed and even until today the heritage and history of this town and its proud people is etched in wood, hard wood.
If history and faith cannot establish the love and hate affair of the town then nothing else can, cause at the very beginning even the Native Indians had recognized if not foreseen the future of the area where present day Hoquiam stands. The term or name of the city "hungry for wood" is shared with the river were it stands near and is in the Native American Language a name quite appropriate for what the area will soon become with the arrival of the white settlers.
People began slowly to rush in after the 1850's and then after a great rush of timber men and family run operations were establishing themselves all around the Grays Harbor watersheds and inner timber forest. Others were more prepared than some while a few were well financed and led by men who knew how to make a profit. Some of these men, like the owners of the Lumber and Shingle Company Robert and Joseph Lytle quickly and meticulously made their wealth. In just a few years their foresight and strong personalities and deep pockets made them into so called lumber barons, their cedar shingle manufacturing business was the largest in the world and their introduction and ownership of an electric sawmill, the first of its kind in the entire area gave them a definite advantage. Other players went into the fray with the Grays Harbor Lumber Company securing their interest and fueled by unwavering hunger for lumber and wood products for the powerful Northern Pacific Railroad.
The richest of these lumber families was the Polson's. The family owned two sawmills, a shingle mill, two of the grandest mansions in the area one of which still stands as the Polson museum a National Registries Historical Place. The Polson's family also operated 20 logging and construction camps, 100 miles of railroad and a vast array and value of logging equipment, producing 300 million feet of logs yearly. Alex Polson, the family patriarch made the town his home during 1882. Their business concerns extended from logging to real estate.
The Polson's solidified their control of the Grays Harbor Logging industry when in just 10 years time, the Lytle's out of necessity or the smell of more profits and greatness merged with Alex Polson's interest and in the same manner another big company the Merill and Ring Corporation was also taken into the fold, resulting in the powerful industrial giant that it was at that time and era the Polson Logging Company.
The lumber barons had it all, but the richness of the lands of Grays Harbor was so vast that there was room for everybody to try and make a profit. More than 300 other small logging and milling operations dotted the Grays harbor landscape and even hundreds more of different trade and service type concerns were establish to support the thousands of men who needed anything and everything under the sun.
There is so much literature and existing documents that record and preserve the truth about the logging and lumber past. Anyone can enjoy the wealth of information not only about the interesting lives of the lumber barons with all their wealth and power, but also, fortunately for us, we can also take a peek into the lives of the countless lumberjacks and mill men who truly had lumber in their blood. A proud heritage it is for the town of Hoquiam.
About the Author:
Get your no-obligation reputation management online repair analysis by calling: (800) 825-9500. Stop by Top-Dog.org where you can find out all about our powerful slander and libel reputation repair services.
---------------------------------------------------
You are receiving this because you signed up for it on 2010-11-06 from IP 86.41.100.215
To fine-tune your selection of which articles to receive, just login here
using your username: eamonmoriarty
To unsubscribe please use the following link: unsubscribe
---------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment