BIG LAKES LUMBER CO. - 1920's
Lake Ewauna
Continued from: Savidge Brothers Lumber Company
January 12, 1917: “Some days ago the Oregon-California Box Company was incorporated by well known Klamath and San Francisco parties with a capital stock of $40,000. The incorporators are A. J. Voye, M. S. West, B. W. Mason and the Dwight Lumber Co., of San Francisco. The new company has purchased the property of the Savidge Lumber Co. situated on the Southern Pacific tracks on Sixth Street. The plant will be overhauled and rearranged and some new machinery added and will be made into a modern up to date box manufacturing plant.
The new company expects to commence operations in the spring.” (The Weekly Klamath Record)
The new company expects to commence operations in the spring.” (The Weekly Klamath Record)
April 6, 1917: “The Oregon-California Box Company that recently purchased the Savidge Bros.' property and are preparing to manufacture box shook have changed the name of the company to the Big Lakes Box Company. The officers of the company state the change was made to avoid conflicts.
A force of men commenced this week overhauling the plant and resetting the machinery. The new machinery will be installed as fast as it arrives and manufacturing will commence as soon as dry lumber can be secured.” (The Weekly Klamath Record)
A force of men commenced this week overhauling the plant and resetting the machinery. The new machinery will be installed as fast as it arrives and manufacturing will commence as soon as dry lumber can be secured.” (The Weekly Klamath Record)
April 8, 1917: "The Oregon California Box company which was recently organized and purchased the plant of the Savidge Brothers Lumber company, is now taking steps to have the name of the concern changed to the Big Lakes Lumber company. The old Savidge Brothers plant is being rearranged for box manufacture and it is announced that operations will commence about June first with a force of fifty men and a cut of ten million feet for the year." (Sacramento Union)
June 15, 1917: “The Big Lakes Box Company has been reconstructing the old Savidge Brothers Plant has its machinery installed and several million feet of lumber contracted for and is intending to commence operations the first of next week. The plant is in fine shape, and will run all winter if enough lumber can be secured to keep the plant going.” (The Weekly Klamath Record)
July 4, 1917: "One more substantial payroll was added to Klamath Falls industries this week, when the Big Lakes box company started operations in the plant formerly occupied by the Savidge Brothers lumber company. This new enterprise, which will be under the management of A.J. Voye and Burge W. Mason, experienced men in the 'box' game, started yesterday.
M.S. West of the Big Basin lumber company here is interested in the new venture, as is also W.D. Dwight of San Francisco. About thirty five men are to be employed at the outset, and about 35,000 feet of lumber per day will be cut. The managers report that the help situation is well lined up, that the market is good and that everything points to a profitable season." (Sacramento Union)
M.S. West of the Big Basin lumber company here is interested in the new venture, as is also W.D. Dwight of San Francisco. About thirty five men are to be employed at the outset, and about 35,000 feet of lumber per day will be cut. The managers report that the help situation is well lined up, that the market is good and that everything points to a profitable season." (Sacramento Union)
April 1920: "A new single band sawmill is to be built immediately on the banks of Lake Ewauna in this city, by Big Lakes Box Co. The city council has granted a petition to close certain streets on the lake shore to make the site a compact unit and the new enterprise will be rushed to completion. It is to be built by the Saw Mill Engineering Construction Co. and will stand adjacent to the new Ewauna Box Co. mill. This site is at the junction of the Southern Pacific and new Strahorn railroads, The logs for the season's run come from the Klamath Indian reservation. The company which is launching the new enterprise commenced its operation here in 1917, reopening the old Savidge Brothers sawmill as a box factory and has experienced a large and growing business. The company consists of M.S. West, Burge Mason, A.J. Voye and Ward A. Dwight." (The Timberman, Vol. 21)
May 3, 1920: Announcement was made by the Big Lakes Lumber company that its mill will resume with one shift early in May. The output of this mill will be about 50,000 board feet daily, it is reported." (The Oregon Daily Journal)
August 1920: "Big Lakes Lumber Co., Klamath Fall, A.J. Voye, manager, has purchased the machinery for a single band mill. The company operates a box factory." (The Timberman, Vol. 21 )
October 9, 1920: "In addition to the large holding tributary to the Strahorn, the Big Lakes company is expected to open next year a tract on Trout Creek, adjacent to the Squaw Flat unit, comprising approximately 100,000,000 feet of timber." (The Klamath News)
October 17, 1920: "With 4,000,000 feet of logs on hand to insure a supply for a steady winter run, the new mill of the Big Lakes Box Company has started sawing. Today the plant is running well, reports F. Hill Hunter of the Sawmill Engineering and Construction Company, who engineered it from the blueprint stage to completion, although it will take two or three weeks to 'tune it up' in shape for steady operation.
The mill is steam driven, with a single outfit, and has a capacity of 45,000 feet of lumber in an eight-hour shift. The crew at present consists of 18 men.
The mill was started last May and would have been finished sooner but delay in freight shipments of material were encountered from the start and delayed construction greatly." (Sacramento Union)
The mill is steam driven, with a single outfit, and has a capacity of 45,000 feet of lumber in an eight-hour shift. The crew at present consists of 18 men.
The mill was started last May and would have been finished sooner but delay in freight shipments of material were encountered from the start and delayed construction greatly." (Sacramento Union)
May 3, 1921: "Announcement was made by the Big Lakes Lumber company that its mill will resume with one shift early in May. The output of this mill will be about 50,000 board feet daily, it is reported." (The Oregon Daily Journal)
April 4, 1925: "The Big Lakes Lumber company received its first shipment of logs this week, having run so far this season on surplus held in the pond from last year. Fifteen cars are scheduled as the daily shipment." (The Sacramento Bee)
April 6, 1925: "Big Lakes Box company is installing a sprinkler system in its sawmill. The big tank has arrived, and was unloaded Thursday. Other material for the system is expected in shortly. G.C. Lorenz has the contract for the installation of the sprinkler system. It will probably be completed in about sixty days." (The Evening Herald)
August 11, 1925: "Should the street committee of the city council see fit to endorse its move, the Saw Mill Engineering and Construction company will construct a $24,000 spur track on this side of the Ewauna lake shore, near Payne alley. A formal application was submitted to the council last night, and this is to be acted on after the street committee has made an investigation.
The industrial spur would be constructed for the Big Lakes Lumber company to facilitate the unloading of lofs from the main line of the Strahorn road. At present the logs are unloaded at a small canal-like neck of the lake, and the new unloading site is merely to facilitate matters, according to officials of the company, who, when asked whether it had anything to do with the alleged wholesale 'blocking' moves on the part of certain roads to keep other certain roads out of the city, etc., declared emphatically that the move was entirely to facilitate the unloading of logs.
Building permits of last night's council session, should the spur track be authorized, would total $40,000." (The Klamath News)
The industrial spur would be constructed for the Big Lakes Lumber company to facilitate the unloading of lofs from the main line of the Strahorn road. At present the logs are unloaded at a small canal-like neck of the lake, and the new unloading site is merely to facilitate matters, according to officials of the company, who, when asked whether it had anything to do with the alleged wholesale 'blocking' moves on the part of certain roads to keep other certain roads out of the city, etc., declared emphatically that the move was entirely to facilitate the unloading of logs.
Building permits of last night's council session, should the spur track be authorized, would total $40,000." (The Klamath News)
August 1925: "Big Lakes Box Co., Klamath Falls, has operated the sawmill two shifts since March and will cut twenty million feet this season. A. J. Voye, vice-president and general manager, made a trip to San Francisco in July. M. S. West assists Manager Voye in the operation of this plant." (The Timberman)
April 27, 1926: "Suffering from what doctors believe a ruptured blood vessel of the brain Orin Dadmun, yard superintendent of the Big Lakes Lumber company, was yesterday taken to Portland, where he will be placed under the care of specialists.
The injury manifested itself while Dadmun was working around his new home at 615 Lincoln street. He suddenly felt a severe pain in his head and afterward was intermittently speechless.
Lynn Sabin and Tom Dalzell took the sick man to Medford, where he was put on the train. Mrs. Dadmun accompanied him." (The Klamath News
The injury manifested itself while Dadmun was working around his new home at 615 Lincoln street. He suddenly felt a severe pain in his head and afterward was intermittently speechless.
Lynn Sabin and Tom Dalzell took the sick man to Medford, where he was put on the train. Mrs. Dadmun accompanied him." (The Klamath News
May 3, 1927: "With the first load of Big Lakes Lumber company logs in over the week-end, log movements over the Strahorn railroad have been greatly increased. Junior Wagner, agent for the company, stated Monday.
With this increase in log shipments, trains will run daily over the shortline between Klamath Falls and Sprague River, it was stated. During the past few weeks freight trains have been running three time weekly.
It is believed that Big Lakes will receive an average of six cars of logs daily." (The Klamath News)
With this increase in log shipments, trains will run daily over the shortline between Klamath Falls and Sprague River, it was stated. During the past few weeks freight trains have been running three time weekly.
It is believed that Big Lakes will receive an average of six cars of logs daily." (The Klamath News)
July 23, 1927: "Charles Foster, a logger employed by the Big Lakes Lumber company near Sprague River, collapsed while at work yesterday and died before medical attention could reach him. He is believed to have been a victim of the heat, although a post-mortem examination has not yet been made." (The News-Review)
October 1, 1927: "The Southern Pacific company announced yesterday purchase of approximately seven and one half acres in Klamath Falls, Oregon, by the Southern Pacific and the Great Northern railway for terminal purposes. The railroads later will divide the property so that each will have 220 foot frontage on the south side of Sixth street. The property was acquired from the Big Lakes Lumber company, The W. D. Miller company, the Lorenz company and the Ewauna Box company." (The News-Review)
February 7, 1928: "The Big Lakes Lumber company, which has been logging virtually all winter, supplying logs for other mills, is scheduled to start bringing in logs Wednesday of this week, for the Big Lakes sawmill, preparatory to launching the 1928 cut." (The Klamath News)
November 28, 1928: "In accordance with the movement to have all lumber dried before being shipped in order to create a better market by reducing freight rates and giving a product that will not shrink after being used in construction, Klamath county sawmills are installing better drying facilities. Seven large kilns have been completed for the Big Lakes Box company by the Louis K. Porter Construction company." (The Klamath News)
September 29, 1929: "Some of the best pine timber to be found in southern Oregon is being logged off by the Shaw-Bertram and the Big Lakes Lumber companies operating in this district.
The O.C.E. railroad extending from Klamath Falls to Bly branches into a logging road at Squaw Valley Junction and the steel penetrates the forests covering Ya Whee plateau.
Each logging outfit is sending into the mills no less than 30 cars per day and this output may vary later. But there is enough timber in sight to keep the camps going here for several years.
Less than three miles from the Shaw-Bertram camp the Big Lakes outfits have their headquarters with that experienced logger, George McGowan in charge as woods superintendent. There are few other foremen in the camp, L. C. Clark, functioning as grade foreman.
Joe Bond, a graduate of the University of Oregon, is timekeeper at the Big Lakes." (The Klamath News)
The O.C.E. railroad extending from Klamath Falls to Bly branches into a logging road at Squaw Valley Junction and the steel penetrates the forests covering Ya Whee plateau.
Each logging outfit is sending into the mills no less than 30 cars per day and this output may vary later. But there is enough timber in sight to keep the camps going here for several years.
Less than three miles from the Shaw-Bertram camp the Big Lakes outfits have their headquarters with that experienced logger, George McGowan in charge as woods superintendent. There are few other foremen in the camp, L. C. Clark, functioning as grade foreman.
Joe Bond, a graduate of the University of Oregon, is timekeeper at the Big Lakes." (The Klamath News)