Potlatch Corporation. Pres-To-Log Division

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)
19331989
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.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

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.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

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.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

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.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I. Wood Briquettes, Inc. , 1933-1989Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	A. General	1933-1989
Box/Folder
1/1	Action plan 22 items	1984-1985
1/2	Bitco Drive, general information 5 items	1985-1989
1/3	Board of directors minutes 3 items	1963-1965
1/4	Bowling, R.T. The mechanical development of a wood-briquetting machine 5 items	1940
1/5	Canadian trademark 6 items	1964
1/6	Competitive makes 4 items	1970
1/7-8	Corporate documents 95 items	1933-1955
1/9	Corporate documents: California filings 14 items	1945
1/10	Corporate documents: Sample lease agreements 2 items	undated
1/11-12	Correspondence 71 items	1947-1984
1/13	Correspondence: Pres-to-log machines 9 items	1966-1989
1/14	Correspondence: Purchase of Pres-to-log machines 35 items	1984-1985
1/15	Correspondence: Use of name Pres-to-log 11 items	1964-1980
1/16-17	Dissolution 21 items	1983-1985
1/18	Dissolution: Sale of microfilms of drawings 9 items	1985
1/19	Dow, Frank P. Co., Freight forwarders 23 items	1964-1972
1/20	Federal Communications Commission 2 items	1967-1969
1/21	General Electric motor data 1 item	1963
1/22	Instruction manuals 3 items	undated
1/23	Insurance claim 3 items	1968
1/24	Inventory 3 items	1966-1967
1/25	Miscellaneous 35 items	1963-1977
1/26	Pres-to-log information packet 2 items	1986
1/27	Recap - all licenses 19 items	1970-1987
1/28	Report on inspection trip: Coeur d'Alene 1 item	1972
1/29	Report on inspection trip: Sacramento and San Francisco 1 item	1959
1/30	Report on inspection trip: Southern Idaho 1 item	1964
1/31	Royalty payments 5 items	1967-1968
1/32	Sales territory and licenses 43 items	1963
1/33-34	Statements of income 56 items	1966-1984
1/35	Stoker machine parts list 1 item	undated
1/36	Use of non-wood material in manufacture of Pres-to-logs 27 items	1951-1968
1/37	Wood Briquettes, Inc., G. Miller v. 1 item	1972
	B. Correspondence	1933-1987
Box/Folder
1/38	Ashley Colter Ltd., Fredericton, N.B. 23 items	1963-1972
1/39	Atlantic Forest Products, Minto, N.B. 6 items	1970-1971
1/40-41	B.C. Forest Products, Ltd., Victoria, B.C. 51 items	1952-1965
1/42	Biles-Coleman Lumber Co., Omak, WA 7 items	1970-1972
1/43	Bitco, Inc. 7 items	1966-1970
1/44	Capitol Lumber So., Salem, Oregon 2 items	1965
1/45	Co-op Vegetable Oils, Altona, Manitoba 4 items	1964-1965
1/46	Deer Park Pine Industry, Deer Park, WA 5 items	1964-1971
1/47	DeSoto Hardwood Flooring Co., Memphis, TN 11 items	1966-1971
1/48	Eaton Lumber Co., Jay, NY. 50 items	1965-1968
1/49	Glenco forest products, Inc., Sacramento 5 items	ca. 1953-1972
1/50	Haileyburg Lumber Co., Swastika, Ont. 5 items	1963-1964
1/51	Haney Supply, Colville, WA 5 items	1966-1973
2/52	Harris Manufacturing Co., Johnson City, TN 53 items	1961-1973
2/53	Hyster Co., Portland OR 42 items	1963-1968
2/54	Quotations 10 items	1962-1964
2/55	Inland Analytical Laboratories, Spokane, WA 13 items	1964-1968
2/56	Intermountain Lumber Co., Missoula, MT 17 items	1963-1977
2/57	Iowa-Missouri Walnut Co., St. Joseph, MO 5 items	1963-1964
2/58	Irving, J.D., Co., St. John, NB 5 items	1972
2/59	Jellico Resources Associates, Ltd., Rexdale, Ont. 11 items	1970-1972
2/60-61	MacMillan Bloedel, Vancouver BC 135 items	1946-1979
2/62	New Mexico Timber, Inc., Albuquerque 50 items	1952-1973
2/63	Newfoundland and Labrador, Government of 1 item	1986
2/64	Niels, J., Lumber Co., Libby, MT 7 items	1942-1961
2/65-66	Pacific Lumber Co., San Francisco, CA 80 items	1934-1971
2/67	Scotia 30 items	ca. 1964-1979
2/68	Port Huron Truss, Inc., Port Huron MI 3 items	1979-1981
2/69	Reno Millwork, Inc., Reno, Nev. 26 items	1940-1975
2/70	Rocky Mountain Fiber Fuels, Flagstaff, AZ 14 items	1977-1978
2/71	Rubberset Co., Gravenhurst, ONT. 5 items	1972
2/72-74	Setzer Forest Products, Sacramento, CA 249 items	1934-1987
2/75-76	Spokane Pres-to-log Co. 88 items	1946-1986
2/77	St. Regis Paper Co., Libby, MT 37 items	1963-1972
2/78	State Box Co., Sacramento, CA 43 items	1963-1967
2/79-80	Weyerhaeuser Co. 102 items	1933-1972
2/81	Yoder Manufacturing, Montgomery, PA 13 items	1974-1978
	C. Engineering Drawings	1936-1969
Box/Folder
3/82	List of plans and general drawings 3 items (2 drawings and a list) Illustrative top view: 43w x 36t Pressing screw drive assembly: 44w x 30t ????	1954-1968
3/83	Series C 7 items Detail of Grinder Conveyor Fuel Level Control: 34w x 22t Briquette Machine Wiring Diagram A-C: 32w x 32t Wiring Diagram, Pres-to-Logs Machine with Mechanical Index & Elec. Clutch A-C: 32w x 32t	1944-1969
3/84	Series E 7 items No. 35-S Heavy Duty Fan: 36w x 24t Chain Driven Fuel Tank Assembly: 36w x 24t Chain Driven Fuel Tank Details – Sheet 1: 34w x 22t Chain Driven Fuel Tank Details – Sheet 2: 34w x 22t Unloading Conveyor for 30’ Concrete Floor Fuel Bin: 34w x 22t Grinder Conveyor for 30-ft. Concrete Floor Fuel Bin: 34w x 22t Shaft & Scroll Details for 30-ft. Fuel Bin Unloading Conveyors: 34w x 22t	1948-1969
3/85	Series F 8 items Steel Quonset Hut for Pres-to-log Storage: 22w x 17t Detail of Inclined Trough for Stoker Fuel Grinder Conveyor: 34w x 22t Two Pres-To-Log Machine Plant Floor Plan with Separate Grinder Room: 34w x 22t Two Machine Pres-To-Logs Plant Elevator & Machine Room Section: 48w x 22t Foundation Plan for 1 or 2-Machine Pres-to-logs Plant Floor Plan, Sheet 1 of 2: 34w x 22t (appear to be several duplicates) Foundation Plan for 1 or 2-Machine Pres-to-logs Plant Floor Plan, Sheet 2 of 2: 34w x 22t Fuel Vault Building White Pine Lbr. Dist. Corp. Reno. Nev: 64w x 33t Two Machine Stoker Fuel Plant Fuel Bin Sections: 48w x 36t	1940-1969
3/86	Series G 7 items Hog Fuel Dryer – No. 14 & 18 Collector: 17w x 11t No. 35 Fan Foundation: 24w x 11t No. 35X Heavy Duty Fan – Assembly Dwg.: 22w x 17t No. 35 Fan Assembly: 22w x 17t Feeder Assembly: 36w x 18t Sawdust Fired Dryer Furnace: 46w x 28t Flash Dryer for 2-Mach. Plant Sawdust Burner Heat: 36w x 29t	1936-1969
3/87	Series K 1 item “Pres-To-Logs” 1-Ton Skid Box: 22w x 17t	1943-1961

Series II. Potlatch Corporation , 1964-1987Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
3/88	B.C. research: Fuel log process 5 items	1966-1968
3/89	Blake, Givens, Feeney 12 items	1964-1969
3/90	Comparison Pres-to-log operating statements 4 items	1966-1969
3/91	Potlatch Clearwater Unit: Pres-to-log memos 17 items	1968-1971
3/92	Potlatch Clearwater Unit: Trucking rates 9 items	1965-1967
3/93	Correspondence: Sale of Pres-to-log machines 5 items	1987
3/94	Correspondence: Miscellaneous 4 items	1967-1984
3/95	Fireplace Pak, results 14 items	1965-1972
3/96	General information 9 items	1936-1968
3/97	Hall, John, Executive counsel 2 items	1968-1972
3/98	History 5 items	1936-1962
3/99	Mutual Marketing 12 items	1966-1970
3/100	Patent possibilities 6 items	1964-1967
3/101-102	Patents: Greek Wells 38 items	1956-1969
3/103-105	Photographs 45 items	ca. 1940-1965
3/106	Photographs: Kits, paks, Color-glo pallets, Market displays 21 items	ca. 1966-1967
3/107	Plant engineering report, Peoria, Illinois 1 item	1966
3/108	Pres-to-log cost estimate 27 items	1965-1966
3/109	Pres-to-log data 21 items	1943-1985
3/110	Pres-to-log plant costs 1 item	1964
3/111	Wax-dip equipment, agreement form 3 items	1968
3/112	Possibilities for the production of wood briquette stoker fuel in northern Michigan 1 item	1950
3/113	A study of wood briquetting fuels and possibilities in application in Georgia 1 item	1959
3/114	Wood fuel for protecting crops from frost 1 item	1961

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents