Long-Bell

Celebrates 75th Birthday

l.ortgvierv, Wash.-The lttnrlrcr c()tr1l)ill'l-\' tlt:tt grcs' ottt of a failirrg hay lrttsiness back in ltt75 stcps irrto its 7'5th vc:tr of continuotts operatiort in NIay. 'lhe Long-llcll l,utrrlrer ('o., otte of the n:rtiott's lelr<ling trrittrttfactttrcrs and <listr.ilrutors of lumllcr a'<l lunrlrcr pro<lucts, u'its fotttr<lc<l at (-olunrlrus, Kansas, 75 ycars ago this trlotrth.

C)pening for bttsiness as R. A. Long & Cio., rvith llrtlrcrt A. l,ong, Victor lJell and ltobcrt Whitc as partners, thc conll)anv prosperccl as ir retail lumller organization an<l by 1t384 lvas operating 14 rctail lttmllcr vitrtls in southern Iiansas and the Oklahonr:t an<l I rrtli:tn tcrritorics. As railroacls penctrated the ncrv country, lumber yar<ls rverc c:stalrlishc<l to fill the needs ttf early settlcrs. Successful selling of lumber purchased to shelter stacks of huy prompted the partners to abandorr the hav venture ancl start a lumber business.

The compatly was incorllorated in 1.984 as The L<lngIlell I.umber Co. White died trvo years after the company was founded and the tu'o other partners pttrchasecl his intcrest. Headquarters for the company \\ras moved to Kansas City, Mo., in 1891, Long-Bell's first manufacturing plant rvas established at Van lluren, Ark., in 1889, and by the end of World War I. 14 mills were operating in l-ouisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and California. Total production at the time u'as 500,000,000 board feet annually.

Toclay Long-Bell operates 14 manufacturing plants located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Cali- fornia, Orcgon arrrl Washin!{ton. 'fhc 'retail lunrber yards havc grorvn irrto lluil<ling rnaterial st()res and 112 are n()w tloing lrusincss in l0 states. The company also opcrates llvc lrtriltling matcrial jollbing lto111ig1;, Iivc rea<ly trrix concrctc lllitnts ittr<l onc prcfalrricittion oltcration. l.'ronr the southern rrrills, built and operated dtrring the c:trly part of the century, sl)rang several subsidiary railroacls to tr:tnsport logs to the mills and products fronl the nrills to mainline railroads; a naval stores company to t:lkc thc Southern I'ine sap for the manufacture of turltentine arr<1 resin, and a farm lands organization.

Thc farrn lancls clepartment madc outstanding strides irr the research of the soils of I-ouisiana and Arkansas for agriculttrral purposes. Twelve years of experimentation u'as carried on before land rvas sold. Citrus fruits, berries, nuts an<l forage crops were f<luncl most ad:rptable to the soil.

Exporting of lumber to the foreign markets rvas entered into as early as 1903 by Long-Bell. Due to the accessibility of rail facilities to the southcrn mills, exporting rvas first done from Port Arthur, Tex., rvith an export department l;eing established at Beaumont, Tex., in 1912. The department rvas moved to Longview, Wash., in 1924 and later rnade a part of the general sales department. LongRell was the first company to advertise and market trademarked lumber.

Entrance into the Pacific Northwest u'as first made in (Continued on Page l2)