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Potlatch Corporation. Pres-To-Log Division, 1933-1989

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Potlatch Corporation. Pres-To-Log Division
Title
Potlatch Corporation. Pres-To-Log Division
Dates
1933-1989 (inclusive)
Quantity
3.0 cubic feet
Collection Number
MG388 (collection)
Summary
Correspondence, leases, photographs, and engineering drawings pertaining to the manufacture and marketing of Pres-to-logs by Potlatch Corporation and Wood Briquettes, Inc.
Repository
University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

Wood Briquettes, Inc. which manufactured and leased the Pres-to-log machinery and marketed the logs, was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Potlatch Corporation. It was incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1933 by M.S. Cook, A.L. Raughley, and J.M. Townsend, all of Dover, Delaware. Officers were C.L. Billings, Otto Leuschel, H.L. Torsen, of Lewiston, ID, and G.F. Jewett of Coeur d'Alene. Other directors were J.P. Weyerhaeuser, Jr., and Laird Bell. Pres-to-logs were made from compressed wood shavings, sawdust and chips, and required one-quarter the space of the original wood. The first machine started production in April 1936. The patent for the Pres-to-log machine expired in 1960 and none were built after that time. The company eventually lost control over the machines and producers and in 1984 the directors consented to dissolve the company. All assets were transferred to the parent company, Potlatch Corporation by the end of 1985,and that company sold the remaining machinery.

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Content Description

The Pres-to-log records of the Potlatch Corporation span the years 1933 to 1989, with the bulk of the material covering the decades of 1940, 1950 and 1960.

Included in the records are Wood Briquettes, Inc., correspondence with companies leasing Pres-to-log machines, general information on the product, photographs, and engineering drawings.

Additional information on Pres-to-logs may be found in other Potlatch Corporation records including MG135, MG139, and MG192.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The records were in no apparent order when received. Some material was in labeled folders while other material was not foldered at all. Material within folders was not always consistent with the label. Records were therefore separated by company. Original folder heading were kept if appropriate.

The material in this record group is arranged in two series, Wood Briquettes, Inc. and Potlatch Corporation.

The papers generated by Wood Briquettes, Inc., which manufactured and leased Pres-to-log machinery, are in series one. These papers are subdivided into three sections. The first contains corporate records, general information on the product, general correspondence, and financial records. The second section consists of correspondence with companies leasing machinery. The third section contains an incomplete set of engineering drawings for Pres-to-log machinery.

The second series contains papers generated by Potlatch Corporation, the parent company of Wood Briquettes. Included are research reports, correspondence pertaining to the sale of the equipment after the dissolution of Wood Briquettes, material relating to patents, and costs of operating the plants.

Acquisition Information

The records of the Potlatch Corporation Pres-to-log Division were donated to the University of Idaho Library by James C. McAdoo of the Potlatch Corporation in January 1995.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fuelwood -- Idaho
  • Wood products -- Idaho

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Potlatch Corporation. Pres-to-log Division
    • Wood Briquettes

Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen
1997, updated in 2013

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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