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.
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.
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.
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.
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Donor W.C. Ruegnitz, 1947.
Processed by Erin Mettling; processing completed in 2011. Revised by Stefanie Terasaki, 2013.
Caption on photograph: NO 6 Chopping the undercut The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 7 Fallers at work The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 8 "Timber!" The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 14 En route to the landing The McCloud River Lumber Company.
Caption on photograph: NO 16 "The Jammer" landing The McCloud River Lumber Company.
Caption on photograph: NO 17 Loading logs The McCloud River Lumber Company.
Caption on photograph: NO 21 The log pond The McCloud River Lumber Company.
Caption on photograph: NO 22 The two mills The McCloud River Lumber Company.
Caption on photograph: NO 23 The log washer The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 24 The McCloud Sawmill The McCloud River Lumber Co.
2-part panorama.
Caption on photograph: NO 27 Manufacturing McCloud Shevlin Pine The McCloud River Lumber Company.
Caption on photograph: NO 30 Dry kilns-cooling sheds- stackers The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 32 52 dry kilns The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph : NO 38 The crane shed-capacity 12 million feet The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 39 Interior of the crane shed The McCloud River Lumber Co.
Caption on photograph: NO 40 Air dried lumber The McCloud River Lumber Co.
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.
Written on verso: Through the door of this church, Port Gamble has gone to worship for more than a generation.
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.
Written on verso: An old residence in Port Gamble, almost crushed by vines that have accumulated for years.
Written on verso: The trees lining this Port Gamble street were planted by the grandfather of present day residents of the village.
Written on verso: In Port Gamble's grass grown cemetery are the monuments of men who had reached maturity long before Lincoln's assassination.