& Russell, Inc., observes golden qnniversqry From Solesmqn Drumming Up Lumber Orders On Bicycle to $IOO,OOO,OOO in Yeorly Scrles

part interest in seven other Northern California plants, as well as blocks of timber scattered in both states.

Dant & Russell has a majority interest in the Fir-Tex Company, operating at St. Helens, and handles its sales. But mostly the company lvith its world-wide sales offices buys products of outside mills, mostly in the Northwest, to fill its vast flow of orders.

D&R operates two steamship companies, the States and Qtiaker lines, and has purchased a third, Pacific Transport Lines, Inc., subject to Maritime Commission approval. The three lincs comprise 14 oceanic vessels with others under charter. At their peak before World War II disrupted foreign commerce, States and Quaker flew their flags at masts of some 32 cargo ships. The parent company is carrying on a gradual rebuilding of its world transport. Oriental trade was the leader in sales prior to 1941, but war forced greater attention to domestic markets. The firm now maintains a dozen major distributing centers coast-to-coast and in Hawaii.

tsut in 1904 there was little to forecast these farflung bounds when Charles E. Dant started out from Portland with order book and bicycle to rustle lumber orders and line up small mills to fill them, and C. S. Russell took charge of a tiny office in a third-class building. Iloth had gained lumber experience in Michigan, young Dant in sales and the older Russell in sawmilling from which he had retired for his health.

Russell was skilled in finance and management. So singleminded in lumber was Dant that he had emphatically declined to invest his $1000 savings in a substantial share of an auto factory being set up by his neighbor, R. E. Olds.

FOR 50 YEARS

From one salesman drumming up lumber orders on a bicycle in the Willamette Valley to a world-wide marketing and shipping concern handling more than $100,000,000 in sales each year-such is, the record of Dant & Russell. Inc., of Portland, Oregon, now observing its golden anniversary. The anniversary was officially marked by an open house September 24 in the company's new consolidated offices in the Oregonian building, where it occupies nearly 30,000 square feet on the fourth floor.

Today Dant & Russell buys and sells, close to 800,000,000 board feet of lumber and millions of dollars worth of such rvood products as Fir-Tex, plywood, insulation, doors, moldings and battery separators every year. Ranking among the top sales companies in the wood products field, D&R owns substantial timber and milling interests, though its leaders disavow any dotnltrunt role on the manufacturing side.

Until sale of Inman-Poulsen Lumber Company here this strmmer to Georgia-Pacific Plywood, Dant & Russell owned an approxlmate half.interest in that Portland mill and its big timber hoidings in Lincoln county. ft now owns a sizable interest in the Coos Bay Lumber Company, a major operation in southwest Oregon with an estimated 3,000,000,000 board feet of tirnber. It owns a holding mill at Redding, Cal., and

Dant took his bicycle south and found sales, even better in the Sacrarnento and San Joaquin valleys. One of his early customers, Elmore King of Bakersfield, attended the open house September 24.

As Dan'- & Russell became commission representatives for more mills it found bigger sources neces,sary. In 1909 it started buying from Inman-Poulsen, and continued to do so without ever a written sales agreement until the present liquidation.

The young concern tried its wings in world commerce in L9I2, and this phase was dominant by 1920 when difficulty in getting cargo space led to investment in steamship firms, first the Colunrbia-Pacific Shipping Company. By 1938 D&R became sole owners of this line, which ten years earlier had been changed in name to States. The Quaker line was set up as a subsidiary in 1928 for the intercoastal trade.

Co-founder Russell died in 1929 at the age of 70, and Dant succeeded him as president. The Russell interests were bought out in 1937. The long leadership of Charles Dant ended with his death in 1945, but three sons have stepped into major positions, Thomas W. as president, Robert E. as vice-president, and Jack R. as president of Pacific-Atlantic Steamship and manager of both shipping lines.

Others liolding key posts are Vice-President Roy J. Darling, with the firm 43 years, and Secretary J. S. Heigel. Continuing actively interested in D&R's affairs is the widow of Cofounder Charles Dant.