Archives West Finding Aid

The northwest lumber industry had a direct economic impact on the development and decline of the "company town." In order to entice employees to move to the remote areas where the mills were located, homes, stores, and other community services were built to accommodate workers. To varying degrees, these lumber companies owned and controlled the businesses, buildings, and services in these communities. Eventually, a combination of factors contributed to the demise or transformation of many of these company towns. These factors included the depletion of raw materials and the lumber industry's consequent shift from logging to "farming" trees, as well as the advent of modern freeways and automobiles, making these once remote areas more accessible. The Washington towns of Eatonville, Onalaska, Bordeaux, and Malone all experienced dramatic and increased population growth with the establishment of lumber mills and were, at least for a time, company towns.

Eatonville is in southern Pierce County west of Mt. Rainier. The Eatonville Lumber Company has been closed for decades but the community has transformed into a residential community for south Puget Sound and as an entryway to major outdoor recreational areas. The Carlisle Lumber Company owned the town of Onalaska and the mill closed in 1942. Bordeaux, in western Thurston County, was named for Thomas and Joseph Bordeaux, who arrived in 1887. They founded a sawmill, the Mumby Lumber and Shingle Company, which brought workers to the area, and the community of Bordeaux sprouted. The town was abandoned by 1941 when the timber ran out. The Malone lumber mill was established in the early 1900's by the Joe Vance Lumber Company. It was later sold to the Bordeaux Lumber Company. The mill was eventually closed during the depression years and the company owned houses were sold.