Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Eatonville, Washington, Photograph Collection, ca. 1942-1943
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Eatonville, Washington, Photograph Collection
- Dates
- ca. 1942-1943 (inclusive)19371947
- Quantity
- 50 photographic prints ((1 box))
- Collection Number
- PH0456
- Summary
- Photographs of the company towns of Eatonville, Onalaska, Malone, and Bordeaux, Washington, ca. 1942-1943; shown are homes, streets, stores, and lumber mills.
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
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.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection, originally an album, includes pictures of Eatonville, Onalaska, Bordeaux, and Malone, Washington. It appears to have been made for legal or other reasons as the index is marked "Exhibit B." The Eatonville images include town scenes and privately owned residences, as well as Eatonville Lumber Company buildings and homes. Also depicted are the remains of the Carlisle Lumber Co. at Onalaska and the remains of the Mumby Lumber and Shingle Company at Malone and Bordeaux. Information from the index to the album indicates that the buildings in Onalaska were converted for use as a prison camp during the war years. An Onalaska citizen remembered that the prisoners, from the state penitentiary in Walla, Walla, Washington, were housed in Onalaska to cut wood for the prison in Walla Walla. All photographs are attributed to Associated Photographic Service, Commercial Photography, 714 Market Street, Tacoma, Washington
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Eatonville, WashingtonReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
1 | 1 | Eatonville High
School |
between 1942 and 1943 |
1 | 2-3 | Eatonville Grade
School |
between 1942 and 1943 |
1 | 4 | Eatonville High
School athletic field and play field |
between 1942 and 1943 |
1 | 5 | Eatonville
Methodist Community Church |
between 1942 and 1943 |
2 | 6 | Private
house |
between 1942 and 1943 |
2 | 7 | Apartment
house |
between 1942 and 1943 |
2 | 8-9 | Private
houses |
between 1942 and 1943 |
2 | 10 | Parsonage |
between 1942 and 1943 |
3 | 11 | Private
house |
between 1942 and 1943 |
3 | 11a-12 | Mill official's
house |
between 1942 and 1943 |
3 | 13 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
4 | 14-20 | Private
houses |
between 1942 and 1943 |
5 | 21-23 | Company owned
houses |
between 1942 and 1943 |
5 | 24 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
6 | 25 | Main
Street |
between 1942 and 1943 |
6 | 26 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
6 | 27 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
6 | 28 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
6 | 29 | Christensen
Motors |
between 1942 and 1943 |
7 | 30 | Post office and
Roxy Theater |
between 1942 and 1943 |
7 | 31 | Christensen's
Texaco |
between 1942 and 1943 |
7 | 32 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
7 | 33 | Bird's-eye view
from county road |
between 1942 and 1943 |
7 | 34 | Sawmill from log
pond |
between 1942 and 1943 |
8 | 35-36 | between 1942 and 1943 | |
8 | 37 | Sawmill
crane |
between 1942 and 1943 |
8 | 38-39 | between 1942 and 1943 |
Onalaska, WashingtonReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
9 | 40 | "Onalaska as it
looks today [ca. 1942-1943] after the dismantling of the Carlisle Lumber
Company" |
between 1942 and 1943 |
9 | 41 | Remains of
Onalaska "These buildings, we are told, are now [ca. 1943] used as a
prison camp" (caption).
|
between 1942 and 1943 |
9 | 42-43 | Remains of
Carlisle Lumber Company |
between 1942 and 1943 |
Malone and Bordeaux, WashingtonReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
10 | 44-45 | Remains of Mumby
Lumber and Shingle Company at Malone, Washington |
between 1942 and 1943 |
10 | 46 | Remains of the
town of Bordeaux, Washington, as it looks today [ca. 1942-1943] after the
dismantling of the Mumby Lumber and Shingle Company |
between 1942 and 1943 |
10 | 47 | Remains of the
Mumby Lumber and Shingle Company plant at Bordeaux, Washington |
between 1942 and 1943 |
10 | 48 | Remains of the
hotel at Bordeaux, Washington |
between 1942 and 1943 |
10 | 49 | Remains of the
Mumby Lumber and Shingle Company plant at Bordeaux, Washington |
between 1942 and 1943 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Company town architecture--Washington (State)--History--20th century
- Company towns--Washington (State)--Photographs
- Industrial buildings--Washington (State)--Photographs
- Lumber industry--Washington (State)--Bordeaux--Photographs
- Lumber industry--Washington (State)--Onalaska--Photographs
- Sawmills--Washington (State)--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- Carlisle Lumber Company
- Eatonville Lumber Company
- Mumby Lumber and Shingle Company
Geographical Names
- Bordeaux (Wash.)--Photographs
- Eatonville (Wash.)--Photographs
- Malone (Wash.)--Photographs
- Onalaska (Wash.)--Photographs
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Associated Photographic Service (photographer)