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Potlatch Corporation Aerial photographs, 1956-2005

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Potlatch Corporation
Title
Potlatch Corporation Aerial photographs
Dates
1956-2005 (inclusive)
Quantity
12 cubic feet, (11 banker boxes, 2 oversize objects.)
Collection Number
PG 160
Summary
The Potlatch Aerial Photograph Collection contains aerial photographs created and used by the Potlatch Corporation to document its timberlands and forestry operations. Dating from 1956 to 2005, with most years represented, the photographs primarily depict forested landscapes and timberlands in northern Idaho and the surrounding Inland Northwest. Images document timber stands, harvesting, roads, waterways, and other landscape features associated with forest management. Originally produced for corporate forestry and resource-management purposes, the photographs provide a historical record of forest conditions, land use, and landscape change over nearly five decades.
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
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Processing of this collection was made possible through the Gary E. and Carolyn J. Strong Special Collections Fellowship.
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Content Description

The Potlatch Aerial Photograph Collection consists of thousands of aerial photographs created and maintained by Potlatch Corporation. The photographs date from 1956 to 2005, with most years represented; the collection does not include photographs from 1958–1968, 1970, or 1973–1976. The photographs primarily document forested landscapes and timberlands associated with Potlatch Corporation in northern Idaho and the surrounding Inland Northwest. Subjects include timber stands, forest harvesting, roads, waterways, clearcuts, and other natural and developed landscape features.

The photographs were originally created for forestry, land management, and resource assessment purposes and document changes to forest conditions and land use over time. Viewed as a series, the photographs provide opportunities to study timber harvesting, forest growth, road development, changing patterns of land use, and the evolution of forest management practices. The collection may be useful to researchers studying forestry, environmental history, geography, natural resource management, the timber industry, and landscape change in the Inland Northwest.

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Historical Note

The Potlatch Lumber Company was established in 1903 by a group of investors that included Frederick Weyerhaeuser following the acquisition of extensive white pine timberlands in northern Idaho. The company developed a large-scale timber and lumber operation centered in the town of Potlatch, Idaho, and operated one of the largest white pine sawmills in the world. In 1931, the Potlatch Lumber Company, Clearwater Timber Company, and Rutledge Lumber Company consolidated to form Potlatch Forests, Inc. The company expanded its timberland holdings and operations throughout the Inland Northwest and later became known as Potlatch Corporation.

During the twentieth century, aerial photography became an important tool for forest management, allowing the company to document timberlands, assess forest conditions, plan harvesting and transportation activities, and monitor changes across large areas. Potlatch Corporation continued to operate and acquire timberlands throughout the region before merging with Deltic Timber Corporation in 2018 to form PotlatchDeltic Corporation. The aerial photographs in this collection were created during the later history of Potlatch Corporation and document the company's use of aerial photography as a tool for forestry and resource management.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

FOR PHOTOS Photographer, "Title," date. Collection name, object ID. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.

FOR DOCUMENTS Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically by year. Within each year, photographs are arranged by flight number in alphanumeric order. Flight numbers are arranged sequentially when numeric (e.g., 1, 2, 3) or alphabetically when designated by letters (e.g., A, B, C). Flight dates within a given year may not be chronological.

Acquisition Information

Materials were dropped off by Kristy Tucker of Potlatch in 2015.

Processing Note

Each folder holds between 6-30 photos, depending on paper thickness, and number of photos in each flight. Inconsistent data available, any flight missing the first photo of the set does not include information such as date, time, elevation, scale, lens info, etc. (The August 30, 1956, series includes this information on the last photos of each series). Some of the flight photos have incomplete sets, it is impossible for me to know if these are actually missing, or if they were just photographing certain areas. (for example, some sets might include AB-1-1, AB-1-2, AB-1-3, AB-1-5, AB-1-7, AB-1-9, AB-1-10, 11-15 and so on). Some skip numbers, (odd/even) and some skip large sections, jumping from photo 5-photo 30 or something similar. During processing, the aerial photographs were arranged sequentially by flight number withing each year, flight sequence is prioritized over date taken. If a date is given, the assumption was that the following sequence was all taken on the same date, unless otherwise marked.

Related Materials

Related materials can be found in: Potlatch Lumber Company records (MG 135),

Potlatch Corporation Historical Archives (MG 457),

Potlatch Lumber Company records (MG 193).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and Subjects

Subject Terms

  • Aerial photographs
  • Forest management--United States
  • Lumber
  • Potlatch Corporation.

Finding aid prepared by Shelley Walker-Harmon.
2026

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

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