What is the Redwood connectioN to Bogalusa? Living in what used to be an ocean of virgin pine, it’s interesting to note the many references to redwood in Bogalusa, when most people would associate the redwoods with California. In 1928, the forward thinking Mr. William H. Sullivan announced the creation of the Southern Redwood Company after taking over a company that owned two million board feet of redwood lumber, which would keep the mill running. The Great Southern Lumber Company started processing the redwood from that acquisition and the names started popping up after that including the Redwood Bowl, the Redwood Hotel and the Redwood Theatre. massive operation was finally a working reality. While attending the opening of the mill, dignitaries, officials, reporters had stayed at the Pine Tree Inn, which had been completed a few weeks before the opening of the mill. The guests were treated to sumptuous meals and 5-star service. Although the Pine Tree operated at a loss, the directors of the GSL figured it was good advertisement for the Bogalusa brand (a registered trademark) of lumber. When purchasing agents needed to buy large quantities of lumber for railroads, industrial companies or lumber companies, they stayed at the Pine Tree Inn. There is Bogalusa brand lumber made of virgin pine that can still be found in buildings all over the world. Although stamped with the Bogalusa brand, that timber may have come from around Bogalusa or Franklinton or even from Mississippi. If the timber was cut and planed in the mill though, the Bogalusa brand went on. The plant continued for nearly thirty years just like Mr. Sullivan said it would. Mr. Sullivan’s commitment to the community has paid dividends to this day. Not only did every major institution in Bogalusa, from churches to schools to government, benefit from the Great Southern Lumber Company, there was an attempt as the lumber started to run out of lumber to seek out other opportunities for work. Vegetables, tung trees, bringing in lumber from other areas of the country (such as the redwood lumber from California) and even from other countries, attempts were made to keep the community alive and make sure that it didn’t end up as a ghost town, like hundreds of lumber/mining communities all over the country ended up after the resource was mined out or cut down. A cigar factory, wood product manufacturers, a canning plant, food processors, and textile manufacturers--all sorts of businesses were encouraged to come to the community. What really had a lasting impact was the start of paper production by the Bogalusa Paper Company on January 4, 1918. From
Bogalusa Paper to Gaylord to Crown Zellerbach to Temple-Inland to International Paper Company, the paper mill has continued producing. When the lumber companies started to harvest the virgin timber, taxes had to be paid on the standing timber that the lumber companies owned so cutting it down as fast as you could was the object of every lumber company to avoid taxes. They used trains and steam-driven skidders to totally take everything down in any area they worked. If you replanted, the taxes started again, so the cutover land was left barren. However, Great Southern Lumber, by lobbying the legislature, worked out a deal so that the taxes were deferred until harvest with a minimal fee as the trees were growing. Armed with the new law of the land, a massive replanting operation was begun in 1920. This would allow future generations to reap economic benefits from practicing sustainable forestry. The trees that were used in making pulp and then paper could be much smaller than the ones needed for commercial timber. The reforestation began and has continued to this day. The production of pulp and paper has also continued as a result of having continued access to the lumber. The legacy of the lumber industry is certainly evident today as “the mill,” as the International Paper mill is known, is still the major private employer in the parish. International Paper recently bought out Temple-Inland but has continued to make improvements to keep the mill producing kraft paper for use around the world. The strong people who initially settled the parish as well as the people who came later are the heroes who carved this great parish out of an ocean of gigantic pine trees. The people of the parish are still closely tied to the land through hunting, fishing, gardening, farming and yes, lumbering. These pioneers have created a good place to live, work and raise a family. Here’s Washington Parish! 23