15 months affer the fire

FIRES ARE \O novelty anywhere and I thev are not unknown in ]umber yards- nor are they exactly considered a blessing. However, in the case o{ the San Joaquin Lumber Co. of Stockton, Calif., the fire that ltvclcd its plant August 11, 1967 brought aboutin less than a yeara complete rr-'construction and revitalization.

Cloyd H. Garner, president and gt'nt'ral manager? places the official loss at appro\imately $:J50,000. But there arc irreplat'eable losses in lumbcr fircs. Lumber bousht st'vt'ral yt.ars prior to the fire at tlre tht'n murkct values, held, seasoned and ready to rnarket cannot hc replaced. In this instanc('" a large supply of choice redwood. purcltascd four or fivc years be{orc the firc, held, scasoned and ready to market. went up in the conflagration. This lvas an irreplarr.ablc loss.

Rt.gardless of thc calamity. San Joaquin Lumbt'r Co. is healthicr and stronger than ('v('r.

It dahs back to 1907, according to Garner. when it was founded b1. the Coos Ba1Lumber Co. Later it was operated by thc Dollar family interests. Then in 1910 it

Sfory dI d Glonce

Rebuilding after a f ire is painful and expensive at best, but it can be a period of modernization and revitalization. Some fire losses prove irreplaceable.

was incorporatt'd. Formcrly with the Ha1-rvard Lumbt'r & Investment Co. in Los Angclcs, Garnor joint-d the firm in 19i19.

The company operates on six acres in the industrial area of Stockton. Business is mainly industrial, commercial, contractor. some LCL. farm trade and some re' tail. The yard has a resaw setup, probably one of the last mills of its kind in the val' ley area. Complete records are not available. but it is also believed to be the oldcst yard in the San Joaquin valley.

Other officers in the company are Drtke Euphrat. vice president, and additional directors, R. E. "Bud" Hills. Mel Hoffman and Cruce Finkbohner.

At the Stockton offir:c are John Cellmann, salt.s manager, llill Schneider, secretary, f)ick Leclair, counter salcsman and Carol Selk'st'th. office secretary.

Branches are onerated in Mantcca and Tracy. Long timc employee, Ted Creswell established thc Manteca yard in 1948 and "Curly" Rowley established the Tracy yard in 1950.

The branchcs do an excellcrrt volume of business in hardware, paints" alurninum products, sash. doors. rr.indows, roofing (including cedar. nretal and composition)as rvell as lumbt'r. With its mill in Stockton the company can and does do a goodll' volume of custom work.

Cloyd Garner, tr rt'sidt'r.rt of Stockton, has a daughter, Vcrna Mae. teaching sdrool in Los Angeles and a son. Cloyd H. Carncr Jr. in the finarrt,ial business in Rcdlands.