Historic Hood River
Lumber Prices
4-6-2021
Notes
With my contractor friends complaining about lumber prices today, I thought there might be some interest in this 1894 invoice from the Oregon Lumber Company to the Hood River School District #3, presumably for construction of one of our schools. It looks like 3×12’s were the main structural lumber, and they came in very long lengths. It looks like one of them was 42 feet long!
If I’m reading the invoice correctly it looks like the charge was $0.009/ board foot. It’s about 100 times more today. I don’t see any premium for a 42 foot board over a 12 foot board. Buying a 42 foot board probably saved them the trouble of cutting it to a shorter length.
I wonder how they delivered a 42 foot board from Viento to Hood River City?
Kyle
….whoa.
Bhuk
I see George Romney under Directors. Looks like some of the Co. was run from Utah- wonder if that’s a relative of Mitt’s ?
Arlen L Sheldrake
absolutely beautiful letterhead and writing…..
Jeffrey W Bryant
Yes. George Romney was related to Mitt Romney, but not a direct ancestor. One of George Romney's grandsons, Miles Alonzo Romney, Jr., did clerical work at Dee. He married Laura Eccles in 1915. She was a daughter of David Eccles, President of the Oregon Lumber Co. In 1924, Alonzo Romney was considered Utah's greatest football player.
John Stoddard died in 1894. He was named as branch president of the Baker City, Oregon branch in July 1893. This was the first branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the State of Oregon.
kmb
Interesting history. I had no idea the Mormons were a major player in the early lumber industry in Oregon.
Stever
The 42 foot 3×12 was likely the ridge beam which the rafters attached to- at the peak of the ridge line. Shall we guess the length / size of an early day school house …. ?
JEC
Bhuk: another director shown was T.D.(Thomas Dunscombe) Dee, who the town of Dee was named after.
L.E.
I am visiting Moab, Utah this week. As I drove through Salt Lake City I thought of the early Hood River lumbermen who made the journey between SLC, Baker City and Hood River.
It is a long trip in a modern day car.
Jerry Larsen
David Eccles sent my great-grandfather J. Frank Davenport first to Meacham in 1888 to set up a mill operation, then in 1890 to Hood River to manage the three mills there that Eccles owned. Later, Frank bought them out and with his two brothers formed the Davenport Bros. Lumber Company. Frank and his family of 13 children (11 lived to adulthood, including my grandfather, Emory) were devout Mormons. So we can thank the Mormons for the irrigation water that was brought in in 1896 to the lower valley. I'm writing a book chronicling Frank's life and accomplishments.
ArthurB
I was thinking the same thing Steve– which school did we build in 1894 which was 42' long?