W.C. Ruegnitz collection of McCloud River Lumber Company and Port Gamble Photographs

W.C. Ruegnitz collection of McCloud River Lumber Company and Port Gamble Photographs, approximately 1900-1940

Overview of the Collection

Collector: Ruegnitz, W. C.
Title: W.C. Ruegnitz collection of McCloud River Lumber Company and Port Gamble Photographs
Dates: approximately 1900-1940 (inclusive)
19001940
Quantity: 22 photographic prints (2 folders) ; sizes vary
Collection Number: PH1029
Summary: Photographs of the of the McCloud River Lumber Company logging activities, mills, and company town in northern California near Mt. Shasta
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: Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

William C. Ruegnitz was born February 6, 1883 in Wisconsin and in 1903 he received a civil engineering degree from the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago. He held various forestry and labor organization positions such as the Western representative for Bates and Rogers Construction Company from 1903-1915, secretary and manager of the Loyal Legion of Loggers & Lumberman from 1921-1926, president of the Loyal Legion of Loggers & Lumberman from 1926-1936 and secretary manager of the Columbia Basin sawmills and Columbia Basin Loggers from 1937 onwards. Throughout his career Ruegnitz wrote and received letters concerning the labor relations in the lumber industry including letters from the McCloud River Lumber Company from 1932-1934 and the Schevlin-Hixon Lumber Company from 1931- 1940.

Historical BackgroundReturn to Top

The McCloud River Lumber Company which was in operation off and on for over a century near Mount Shasta, California was operated under several names and had a number of owners. It began as a single saw mill, owned by Friday George, in 1892. His endeavors to make his mill in Squaw Valley successful failed, but George Scott and William van Arsdale saw great potential in the land and mill site. In 1896, they bought out Friday George, and the McCloud River Lumber Company was established in 1897.

Scott and Van Arsdale, with the backing of investors back east, established a company town to support the growing work force and their families. According to sources, the town took such wonderful care of their employees, even ensuring that each child received at least one toy at Christmas each year, that the company was fondly referred to as "Mother McCloud." As company towns go, this one was one of the best loved. In 1903, Scott and Van Arsdale sold the McCloud River Lumber Company to their investors from Minnesota, headed by Judson Carpenter. McCloud came under the control of the Schevlin-Hixon Lumber Company (two Ontario-based companies).

At its height, the McCloud River Lumber Company owned and controlled over 600,000 acres of timberland. They remained in business-as a company town-until U.S. Plywood Corp. and the John W. Galbreath Company of Columbus, Ohio bought the company and the town respectively in 1963. Galbreath ended the company town by giving the residents the opportunity to purchase the homes in which they lived. Under U.S. Plywood, the McCloud Mill was operated until 1979. It was closed for a year, but part of it was re-opened to manufacture #2 pencils. In 2003, the company closed upon the realization that wooden pencils were no longer in high demand. It was then that the mill was closed for the last time.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection consists of photographs of the McCloud River Lumber Company's logging endeavors including McCloud River Lumber Company buildings, workers cutting and towing logs and lumber, logs in various stages of processing and stacks of lumber. Also includes photographs of Port Gamble residences and land.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Donor W.C. Ruegnitz, 1947.

Processing Note

Processed by Erin Mettling; processing completed in 2011. Revised by Stefanie Terasaki, 2013.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

McCloud Lumber CompanyReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Folder	item
1	1	Men chopping a tree Caption on photograph: NO 6 Chopping the undercut The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	2	Men using a two-man crosscut saw Caption on photograph: NO 7 Fallers at work The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	3	Tree mid-fall with men standing by Caption on photograph: NO 8 "Timber!" The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	4	Man towing log with heavy machinery Caption on photograph: NO 14 En route to the landing The McCloud River Lumber Company.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	5	Men using a crane to move the logs Caption on photograph: NO 16 "The Jammer" landing The McCloud River Lumber Company.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	6	Men loading logs onto a flat bed with a crane Caption on photograph: NO 17 Loading logs The McCloud River Lumber Company.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	7	Log pond and Mt. Shasta Caption on photograph: NO 21 The log pond The McCloud River Lumber Company.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	8	Lumber mills along the water Caption on photograph: NO 22 The two mills The McCloud River Lumber Company.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	9	Log going through the wash Caption on photograph: NO 23 The log washer The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
box:oversize
XH7	10	Panorama view of McCloud sawmill from log pond Caption on photograph: NO 24 The McCloud Sawmill The McCloud River Lumber Co. 2-part panorama.	between 1900 and 1940?
Folder
1	11	Logs going through the mills' machines Caption on photograph: NO 27 Manufacturing McCloud Shevlin Pine The McCloud River Lumber Company.	between 1900 and 1940?
box:oversize
XH7	12	Panorama view of the dry kilns, cooling sheds, and stackers Caption on photograph: NO 30 Dry kilns-cooling sheds- stackers The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
Folder
1	13	Man checking on the dry kilns Caption on photograph: NO 32 52 dry kilns The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	14	Crane shed Caption on photograph : NO 38 The crane shed-capacity 12 million feet The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	15	Stacked lumber inside crane shed Caption on photograph: NO 39 Interior of the crane shed The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	16	Stacks of lumber along railroad track Caption on photograph: NO 40 Air dried lumber The McCloud River Lumber Co.	between 1900 and 1940?
box:oversize
XH7	17	Panorama of Hoo Hoo Park and houses in company town for McCloud Lumber Company Caption on photograph: NO 43 Hoo Hoo Park and family dwellings The McCloud River Lumber Co. The Hoo Hoos were a fraternal organization of lumbermen.	between 1900 and 1940?

Port Gamble, WAReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Folder	item
1	18	St. Paul's church door and stairs, Port Gamble Written on verso: Through the door of this church, Port Gamble has gone to worship for more than a generation.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	19	House and a grassy yard Written on verso: A Port Gamble legend says that Indians once took refuge under this house to escape the cannon fire of a wooden naval vessel.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	20	House covered in vines Written on verso: An old residence in Port Gamble, almost crushed by vines that have accumulated for years.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	21	Tree lined dirt road Written on verso: The trees lining this Port Gamble street were planted by the grandfather of present day residents of the village.	between 1900 and 1940?
1	22	Cemetery and tombstones surrounded by tall grass Written on verso: In Port Gamble's grass grown cemetery are the monuments of men who had reached maturity long before Lincoln's assassination.	between 1900 and 1940?

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