Long-Bell Story

Little did Robert A. Long, Victor Bell and Robert White envision what the Long Bell Lumber Company would become, when they formed their lumber business in 1875. The rapid growth of settlement throughout Kansas and Oklahoma and the opening of the Oklahoma Territory gave emphasis to Long Bells expansion. As railroads pushed tracks throughout the area, communities sprang up needing building supplies. Retail yards quickly followed with Long Bell in the forefront. Discovery of oil and gas deposits spurred growth even further throughout the Southwestern portion of the United States. As Long Bell grew, it soon controlled enough production to warrant establishment of a wholesale selling function to move the excess production not needed by the retail chain. By the late 1890's and early 1900's Long Bell was on solid ground, ready to expand from Arkansas and Oklahoma Territory into Louisiana and Texas. Building Mills at Bon Ami, Longville and De Ridder, mills were purchased at Yellow Pine, Woodworth, Ludington and Lake Charles in Louisiana, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Lufkin and Doucette, Texas. In 1917 a mill was acquired at Quitman, Mississippi ending the expansion in the south. Long Bell was one of the dominant lumber companies in the south. With each new mill came growth in the wholesale selling activities of Long Bell. From starts with The Sabine Valley Lumber Company, Texarkana, Arkansas in 1885, the selling function grew to forty salesmen by the late teens. A purchasing office was established in Tacoma, Washington in 1896 and purchased shingles and western lumber products until 1912 averaging 1600 carloads a year. Treated products were added by 1916, specializing in fence posts, poles and piling. Railroad ties and other products soon introduced. Sash and doors, Hardwoods and export sales functions soon added to their success. In 1903 Long Bell began investing in The Weed Lumber Company, Weed, California a producer of Ponderosa and Sugar Pine Lumber, Sash and doors, giving them long term source of production. Through continued investment over several years, controlling interest in the company was obtained by 1916. By 1920, Long Bell would become the largest lumber company, in the United States, surpassed only by the Weyerhaeuser group of companies who sold through a mutual sales company. Long Bell viewed many opportunities to expand and ventures were established in owning coal properties in from 1900 to 1912, selling cutover land for small farms in mid teens, leasing cutover land for gas and oil exploration, building wooden ships during World War and production of Navel Stores from company timberland. Some were profitable, others were not. In 1918, Long Bell was faced with depleted timber holdings and faced dissolution without a major move west. Timber sources were non- existent in the south. The decision was made to move west and a large block of timber purchased in Southwest Washington, and the largest mill system in the world was erected at Longview, Washington. Two mills were built with one opening in 1924 and the second in 1926. With the building of the mills, a new community was also built to house the employees. This would lead to an eventual re-organization of the company due to its enormous cost. The 1930's depression hit Long Bell hard. Overproduction by the industry accelerated the downward slide of price levels for lumber. Long Bell financed itself by selling industrial bonds, and declining sales revenue drove Long Bell to receivership by 1934. The company vowed that every cent would be paid and it took from 1935 until March, 1944 to recover and Long Bell was able to accumulate capital allowing it to purchase timber and other producing units, extending the life of the company until merger with International Paper in 1956.
About the Author: James T. (Jim) Tweedie is a native of Longview, Washington and a 45 year veteran of the wood products industry. His grandparents came to Longview in 1924 as a result of Long Bell's advertising campaign touting the new city and lumber operations. His parent soon followed, with father and grandfather employed at Long Bell. An eighth grade teacher, Paul Anson arranged for class tours of Long Bells West Mil complex and Weyerhaeuser's pulp mill. The tours touched a nerve as Jim worked for both companies starting as a high school junior at the pulp mill working weekends and holidays. After a tour of army duty in occupied Japan, the sawmill experience began in the spring of 1948, working weekends at Long Bell's East Mill drop sorter. Seven years were spent at Long Bell with experience gained at the east sawmill, planer and shipping departments. Lumber grading and shipping ocupied the majority of the time. The last year (1954 to 1955) was spent at Gardiner, Oregon supervising the dry shipping department. The next 30 years was with Weyerhaeuser Company in a wide variety of assignments in lumber production and sales and marketing of lumber and plywood. A special time in his career was in Brussels, Belgium as manager of International Sales for softwood and hardwood plywood. After retirement from Weyerhaeuser in 1984, he spent nine years as a export plywood broker, selling product into the European market, purchasing product from Southern Pine, West Coast and British Columbian sources, retiring for good in 1993. Jim, a widower lives in University Place, Washington and is active in Plywood Pioneers and volunteer related activities. He is also active with the Cowlitz County Historical Society, contributing to their quarterly publications and involved with wood products historical research.