Reminiscences

Bv \fl. H.

I have been indebted to The California Lumber NlercharrL er number of times in the past for giving space to rny articles on the lumber industry, and am now submitting r.'i'hat may be called my valedictory with the hope that it may meet the eye of any of my old associates with u'hon.r I have lost contact.

I am inspired by a visit made last week to the office of Patten-Blinn Lumber Company in Los Angeles, where I talked with my old friend Everett Parker, the able manager, and learned from him of the few survivors of the period when I rvas active in the industry.

I might be called a "lone wolf," as I knor'v of none no'iv living who were active in the lumber industry prior to 1900. I started to rvork for the Ganahl Lumber Co. in 1886, and subsequently worked for the Western Lumber Co. at 9th and San Pedro Streets, and also put in the yard at Chino, California, for the Perry N{ott Company, now operated by the Barr interests.

In 1890 I joined u'ith the Bridal Veil Lumber Company, Bridal Veil, Ore. During part of this time I l-racl an office in Denver, selling Pacific Coast lumber products to yards in Clolorado and Nebraska, at nhich time I visited the first Iixposition in Chicago.

In 1894 I returr-red to Los Angeles and resolved to start in business on my own, my only assets being my previous experiences in Los Angeles, and my ability to obtain credit from mills in the North as a source of supply.

I ordered a carload of Oregon pine from a mill in Portl:incl, borrorving the money to pay the freight. This lumber I stored in a l.varehouse and peddled it out at cut prices, thus incurring the displeasure of regular dealers. I also started a jobbing business,-first on commission and later buying and selling.on my own account, covering yards in the San Joaquin Valley and in Arizona and Nen' N{exico.

l,ater on I added hardr,vood lumber and flooring to my c()verage. At that time I was the only hardr,vood dealer in the I-os Angeles area, and until the advent of E. J. Stanton who came from Williams, Arizona, to represent the Sagir.rau'Lumber Co.

Nlr. Stanton had some capital and follorved my example by opening a small yard at Seventh and Crocker Streets. He stocked it lvith hardn'ood and Sugar and Yellorv Pine,

Cclilornic Redwood Association Conducts Successful Grcrding School crt Cloverdcrle

A grading school conducted by the California Redrvood Association for the redlvood graders of Sonoma County and southern l\fendocino County has just reached a stlccessful conclusion rvith a final in-the-plant session at the Rounds & Kilpatrick Lumber'Co.

The school was supervised by George Nelson, and was conducted at Cloverdale for 5 previous evenings. Over 100 interested graders attended each meeting ancl engaged in

Montgomery

thus launching the E. J. Stanton & Son enterprise that became one of the dominant factors in the Los Angeles field.

The only other two men now living that I contacted in the period before l90O are Perry Whiting and Jim Shultz.

Perry was a small contractor and one of my first customers, and who later started a wrecking business with Billy Mead, and operated a small yard of second hand materials, which signaled the humble start of the WhitingMead Company, u'hose history is recorded in his book entitled, "Perry."

Mr. Shultz was another self made man who opened the E. K. Wood wholesale yard in Redondo about 1895, and later his own yard in Los Angeles from which he retired, and I understand is now a big oil man up North.

About the year 1900 I .ivas joined by John F. Mullin, who had formerly been lvith the San Pedro Lumber Co., but was then operating his ou'n yard in Jerome, Arizona. We formed the Montgomery & Mullin Lumber Company rvhich continued in operation unt1l 79i7 when rve disposed of ten yards to the Patten-Blinn Lumber Company, keeping only trvo in Arizona, and the Hollywood yard, which I personally took over and ran until the land became toc-r valuable for a lumber business. We then discontinued the Flollyt'ood yard and secured tenants for buildings we erected that include the Good Humor Ice Cream Company, the Averill Mongan Cleaning Company, and Rail.ivay Express, all on long leases that pav a good income.

At the present time I lvould probably not be able to locate half a dozen real "old timers" in Los Angeles. This reminds me that George Lounsberry's father, Frank Lounsberrv. rvas a customer of mine rvho was located in Boulder, Colorado at the time I rvas working out of Denver in 1893.

In San Francisco I knou' only Stanley Dollar who recently u'rote me of the controversy over the orvnership of the Dollar Steamship Company.

On retiring fron.r business f became a 'ivorld traveler, and have crossed the ocean fiftv times visiting Europe and the Orient, and spent tu'entv winters in Harvaii, 'lvhich f very much enjoyed.

r animated discussions of the rules and in practical grading of samples on the floor.

Enthusiasn.r over the training course both by management and the graders has developed the promise of another advanced training course in the spring.

Three Douglas fir timbers, each 70 feet long and 3 feet square were shipped from Everett, \\''ashington, to Boston, lVlassachusetts for use as dreclge spuds.

Keep lf your retoil yord is within the light oreos shown on the mop, o Western Pine Supply Compony truck posses neor your door ot leost once o week . . . os mony os three times o week. Use this regulor service to get the finest pine products...lumber, plywood, mouldings, ond Pinecrest doors. Common corrier deliveries to other oreos . deliveries mode from our own worehouse or direct from monufoclurer.

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