6
in other words
july20
2017
The Good Ol ’ Days
By Tobie Finzel
Clark and Wilson Lumber Company
Our columns have often focused
on the Oregon-American Lumber Com-
pany because of its importance to the
town of Vernonia, but of course there
were many other logging and mill opera-
tions throughout Columbia County. One
that was nearby and employed many
Vernonians in the 1920s, and to some
extent during the Depression years of the
1930s, was the Clark and Wilson Lum-
ber Company.
The Clark and Wilson Lumber
Company was organized in 1905 by
Orange M. Clark; his son, Wilson; and
C.G. and J.A. Wilson who were Or-
ange’s brothers-in-law. The Clarks were
lumbermen in Michigan before moving
to Linnton, Oregon, where they acquired
a lumber mill and the accompanying Co-
lumbia River docks in that same year.
According to a March 1, 1907
press release, Clark and Wilson acquired
10,000 acres of prime timberland near
Goble for $800,000 from William Reid
and his father-in-law, D.C. Pelton,
who was president of the Banker’s and
Lumbermen’s Bank of Portland. The
tract contained about 400,000,000 board
feet of standing timber. The purchase
included the Goble, Nehalem and Pacific
Railway, a logging railroad ten miles in
length, and all the logging and camp
equipment on the land. The company
later built or acquired mills in Scappoose
and Prescott.
The logging company that for-
merly worked the Goble tract had been
putting about 100,000 feet of logs into
the river daily. Clark and Wilson an-
nounced that the capacity would be in-
creased to 150,000 and rafted and towed
to their mill at Linnton for processing
into lumber. From this point forward,
Clark and Wilson intended to carry on
their own logging operations which in
Columbia County came as far inland as
the Upper Nehalem River near Big Eddy
Park and the east side of the Nehalem
near Stoney Point Road’s intersection
with what is now Highway 47.
Clark and Wilson established
multiple camps in the county of which
Wilark was the largest and housed the
firm’s local operations after its 1927
merger with Nehalem Timber and Log-
ging Company. Nehalem Timber owned
a large block of forest land from Scap-
poose to the Nehalem River near Pitts-
burg as well as the Portland and South-
western Railroad, now part of the Crown
Zellerbach (CZ) Trail. Clark and Wil-
son sold its timberland and trackage to
Crown Zellerbach in 1947.
Formerly known as Camp 8,
Wilark (a partial anagram of the compa-
ny name) was located on Pittsburg Road
at the crest of the hills that separated the
East Fork of the Nehalem from the Clats-
kanie River drainages. It is estimated
that up to 800 workers and their fami-
lies lived there during the peak logging
years in the 1920s. Camp 10 was locat-
Vernonia’s Voice is published
twice each month on the 1st
and 3rd Thursday. Look for
our next issue August 3.
ed further north, but both camps’ work-
ers came to Vernonia stores and bars on
their days off and were considered part
of the extended Upper Nehalem com-
munity. The Vernonia Eagle newspaper
noted births, illnesses, and other events
in the lives of the Wilark residents and
also carried news of Clark and Wilson
Company.
Although they continued opera-
tions throughout the Great Depression
years 1930 through 1936, the workforce
was reduced due to diminished demand
for lumber. Operations were frequently
shut down by floods, landslides, heavy
winter snows and the extreme fire dan-
ger in the 1930s. There were also dis-
ruptions due to labor disputes. One shut-
down in 1934 was due to a protracted
longshoremen’s strike that kept the logs
from being unloaded at the Columbia
River lumber mills. A shorter 1934
strike by union loggers closed Wilark
operations for two weeks until a com-
promise on wages was reached. Despite
the hard times imposed by the Depres-
sion, Clark and Wilson was the highest
property taxpayer in Columbia County
in 1932.
Wilson Clark brought his chil-
dren to Wilark/Camp 8 to learn respect
for the timberlands and the people who
worked there. The owners of Clark and
Wilson went on to acquire other com-
panies and holdings throughout western
Oregon, eventually becoming Willa-
mette Industries. With the death of Wil-
son Clark, his son, Maurie, took over the
family’s interests and devoted time and
funds to community development and
charity through the Clark Foundation, a
major Oregon funder. His sister, May-
belle Clark Macdonald, founded Loaves
& Fishes Meals on Wheels program, the
Albertina Kerr Nursery Guild and the
Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, one of
Oregon’s largest foundations.
In the 1970s, Maurie, who as
a young man had worked as a whistle
punk, choker setter and loader in family
logging operations, befriended Gordon
Smith, a logger and collector of old log-
ging equipment. They collaborated to
build Camp 18, the popular log-cabin
restaurant and display of logging mem-
orabilia at milepost 18 on the Sunset
Highway. Several pieces of equipment
there still bear the Clark and Wilson
name.
From Virgil Powell’s Diary
Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long-
time resident whose family had a farm in
the Upper Nehalem Valley between Na-
tal and Pittsburg. Each year from 1906
until 1955, he kept a regular diary of his
activities. July 1907 entries show that he
worked with the county timber cruisers
a few days in addition to his regular ac-
tivities. The sections he cruised later be-
came part of Clark and Wilson holdings.
Friday, July 19, 1907: Went
black berrying till about
noon. Did not do much of
anything but go fishing in the
afternoon. Terrible hot all
day.
Saturday, July 20: Carried
the mail to Mist. Got back at
12:30 P.M. Awful hot all day.
Grange day at Natal. Sent
a postal to Alice. Guess I will
begin work with the cruisers
tomorrow.
Sunday, July 21: Commenced
working with the County
Cruisers. Cruised on Section 11
5-4 (Note: Near Big Eddy Park). Got
in about noon. Moved camp
down to G. Peterson’s. Went
down to N.D. Peterson’s in the
evening. Pretty hot all day.
Monday, July 22: Cruised on
Sec. 34-6X4 (Note: South of current
Stoney Pt. Rd ./Hwy 47 intersection)
and done all of the Sec. Went
down to Petersons after supper
and had a dandy time. Got
back to camp about 10 P.M.
Tuesday, July 23: Cruised
on Sec. 35-6X4 (Note: Just east
of Sec. 34) and got back about
1:30. Went down to Petersons
after I got in and stayed all
afternoon. Went back down
after supper with one of the
other boys and had a dandy
time. Got back about 10 and
stayed in a barn overnight.
Wednesday, July 24: Started
from cruisers camp about 7:15
A. M. Alice came up about 2:30
and stayed till after supper
and then I went down with her
and had a dandy ride. Got
back home about 10.
Friday, July 26: Went up
around by Rock Creek and
Mist road to Mist. Started at 9
and got to Mist at 1:15. Stayed
till the mail came then came
up. Saw Alice and had a
dandy talk. Cool most all day.
Received word that my buggy
is in Clatskanie.
Saturday, July 27: Started for
Clatskanie at 2:30 A.M. and
got to Clatskanie at 7:40 A.M.
Got my buggy set up about 10
and started for home at 1 P.M.
Got over to Petersons at 5 and
stopped for supper. After supper
Alice went down with me to the
singing in my new buggy. Got
back home at 12:30. Awful hot
all day.
Sunday, July 28: Started
down the river at 12 to take
Alice for a buggy ride. Started
from the Petersons at 1:30 and
went up as far as Vernonia
and then came back. Saw
the Vernonia team playing
surveyors a game of ball. Alice
says the buggy is O.K. so I guess
it is. Got back to Petersons at
6:15. Had a dandy time all
afternoon.
The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is
located at 511 E. Bridge Street and
is open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays
and Sundays (excluding holidays)
all year. From June through mid-
September, the museum is also open
on Fridays from 1 – 4 pm. There is
no charge for admission but dona-
tions are always welcome. Become
a member of the museum for an an-
nual $5 fee to receive the periodic
newsletter. We now have a page on
the Vernonia Hands on Art website,
www.vernoniahandsonart.org.
If
you are a Facebook user, check out
the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page.
The museum volunteers are always
pleased to enlist additional volun-
teers to help hold the museum open
and assist in other ways. Please stop
by and let one of the volunteers know
of your interest in helping out.
291
A
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