a critical timeline of the construction of the Potlatch Lumber Mill
Company Founders
The initial success of the Potlatch Lumber Co. and the town of Potlatch, Idaho, was largely due to the influence, innovation, and ambition of the men pictured below. Deary's efforts, especially, contributed to the shaping of a company town that would last indefinitely beyond the closure of the company itself.
William Deary | Founder, General Manager
Originally from Minnesota, Deary cooperated with The Weyerhaeuser Conglomerate in 1899 to form the Northland Pine Company. Too much sautration in the Midwest lumber market forced the Weyerhaeusers to send Deary west to the white pine forests of northern Idaho, where they became the Potlatch Lumber Company. Deary was fairly given free rein of the company's interests and, allegedly, chose the site of the company's mill on a whim by punching a random hole in a map of Latah County where the current town of Potlatch sits. His tenacity and savvy business ambition were integral to ensuring the success of the initial enterprise and the lasting legacy of the town. Until his death in 1913, he closely involved himself in all mill operations (below).
Charles Weyerhaeuser | President
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The Weyerhaeuser family, also known as "The Weyerhaeuser Conglomerate," was active in several industries and commanded wealth that rivaled the Rockefeller family at the turn of the century. Charles took over the business from his father, and its founder, Frederick Weyerhaeuser in February 1903 and worked closely with William Deary in securing the holdings of the Potlatch Lumber Company. Visits from the Weyerhaeuser family were cause for occasion in the town of Potlatch and the lumber camps (below). Currently, the Weyerhaeuser Foundation still owns 7 million acres of timberland in the U.S., although the family is no longer directly involved.
W.A. Wilkinson | Architect
Wilkinson was a renowned architect from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who specialized in single-engine steam-powered sawmills. The mill design for Potlatch was ambitious and approaching obsolescence from the start, being not only the largest single-engine white pine mill in the world but also the last of its kind. Wilkinson's services cost the Potlatch Lumber Company $10,000, and the mill cost approximately $300,000 to construct. His son, H.W. Wilkinson, photographed the mill, townsite, and logging camps before, during, and after construction (below).
