MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. Red & White Iron, Past and Present....

[Jim1960]

<<..with all the natural resource's we HAD here and allowed foreign companies in to squander away to shareholders half a world away!>>

Happened here in the states too. And it wasn't all foreign companies either. John Hancock Insurance bought out Scott Paper Company's holdings back in the mid/late eighties and raped it. Logged timber that should have been left to grow another twenty or twenty-five years. Logged it right down to the blacktop. All for a quick return.

That Englishman, I forget his name did the same thing on the peninsula with Crown Z's holdings.

 

[Vigilant]

<<..with all the natural resource's we HAD here and allowed foreign companies in to squander away to shareholders half a world away!>>

Happened here in the states too. And it wasn't all foreign companies either. John Hancock Insurance bought out Scott Paper Company's holdings back in the mid/late eighties and raped it. Logged timber that should have been left to grow another twenty or twenty-five years. Logged it right down to the blacktop. All for a quick return.

That Englishman, I forget his name did the same thing on the peninsula with Crown Z's holdings.

Is Hancock Insurance also the parent company of Hancock Industries, who bought some of Weyco's holdings? If so, it sounds like the Weyco employees who were affected were dumped out of the frying pan, and in to the fire.

 

[Jim1960]

Is Hancock Insurance also the parent company of Hancock Industries, who bought some of Weyco's holdings? If so, it sounds like the Weyco employees who were affected were dumped out of the frying pan, and in to the fire.

I'm not sure, but I believe so. I never had much to do with Weyco. I worked at Scott Paper out of Granite Falls, WA in the early/mid-80's, up to the time they shut down their Granite Falls and Hamilton operations. I never felt like I was dumped from the frying pan into the fire though. Scott was a good place to work right up until the time I was laid off. I have no ill will at all,

 

[Jumbo]

I'm not sure, but I believe so. I never had much to do with Weyco. I worked at Scott Paper out of Granite Falls, WA in the early/mid-80's, up to the time they shut down their Granite Falls and Hamilton operations. I never felt like I was dumped from the frying pan into the fire though. Scott was a good place to work right up until the time I was laid off. I have no ill will at all,

Yes, Hancock is the insurance group, they are actually a timber management group vs. a true land ownership company, I do not know how the mechanics work, but that is their definition. What killed Weyerhaeuser at Snoqualmie and White River was lack of big timber and mechanization. When I left in 1978 we had built roads into the last of the holdings, and road construction was winding down to road maintenance in a couple of years. Logging with a tower and a 10-man crew was also winding down. Now, one or two men in the brush, three operators on the landing and lots of air-conditioned machinery. I was lucky enough to get out a decade before everyone else.

Jim 1960, did you ever cross paths with Norm Schaff? When Scott closed down, he was I believe Contract Logging Supervisor out of Hamilton. He is now with M&R.

 

[Vigilant]

Yes, Hancock is the insurance group, they are actually a timber management group vs. a true land ownership company, I do not know how the mechanics work, but that is their definition. What killed Weyerhaeuser at Snoqualmie and White River was lack of big timber and mechanization. When I left in 1978 we had built roads into the last of the holdings, and road construction was winding down to road maintenance in a couple of years. Logging with a tower and a 10-man crew was also winding down. Now, one or two men in the brush, three operators on the landing and lots of air-conditioned machinery. I was lucky enough to get out a decade before everyone else.

Jim 1960, did you ever cross paths with Norm Schaff? When Scott closed down, he was I believe Contract Logging Supervisor out of Hamilton. He is now with M&R.

Hey Jumbo, did you know Ford Bentley from White River? He took a promotion to Cutting Crew Supervisor in about 1969, and went to work for my dad at Vail. Good people, that gent. he sold me my first saw, a Homelite 5-30N.

 

[Jim1960]

Yes, Hancock is the insurance group, they are actually a timber management group vs. a true land ownership company, I do not know how the mechanics work, but that is their definition. What killed Weyerhaeuser at Snoqualmie and White River was lack of big timber and mechanization. When I left in 1978 we had built roads into the last of the holdings, and road construction was winding down to road maintenance in a couple of years. Logging with a tower and a 10-man crew was also winding down. Now, one or two men in the brush, three operators on the landing and lots of air-conditioned machinery. I was lucky enough to get out a decade before everyone else.

Jim 1960, did you ever cross paths with Norm Schaff? When Scott closed down, he was I believe Contract Logging Supervisor out of Hamilton. He is now with M&R.

I never met him. I've heard the name though.

 

[SPMiller]

Back to pictures.

 

[Vigilant]

SP: The truck in Post #307 looks like a remnant from the Mount St. Helens eruption, and bears a striking resemblance to one the I have seen before, on display a short distance from the mountain.

 

[075]

I am stumped what kind of truck is that?

 

[Hayesno1]

I am stumped what kind of truck is that?

075; I think it's a KW, not a MB truck but Weyco when looking at door

 

[Vigilant]

It's a KW, and an ex-Weyco fire truck, that's for sure. I know there was a lot of equipment damaged in the blast, but I doubt there were too many fire trucks with an upside-down stump shoved through the windshield. Was this photo taken in Canada, or perhaps in the St. Helens area?

 

[SPMiller]

This wasn't the thread I thought I posted this in.

 

[TorkelH]

Sproat Lake shop - dispatchers wall

I have decomposed one of two pic's of pic's from dispatcers wall at Sproat Lake shop, hope it should be possible to recognize both someone and some trucks out of them... sorry about the quality, sombody there in PA probably have all this pictures if they not still there on the wall?

 

[TorkelH]

Sproat Lake shop - dispatchers wall (2)

Second picture of pic's, even more bad quality...

 

[TorkelH]

Sproat Lake shop - dispatchers wall (3)

...two more...

 

[JeremyM70]

Has anyone ever tracked down MMB equipment by number/type/serial # and done a where are they now spreadsheet? We have been working won a SW Washington Weyco one,

 

[jackd]

Some I Recognize....

I remember wandering into the old dispatchers shack back in the day - the man who ran the place was Stan Bugden - a very nice fellow. Any chance these photos stayed on the wall after all was said and done? I think that I recognize Ed Spencer - brother of Alec in one of the shots. Many of the Pacific truck shots come from after the time I left the operation. The only Pacifics that we had when I was there were the H323, H324, H325 & H326 which were brand new preloads bought in 1976. I've seen pics of H323 after it moved on to another up-Island operation but whatever happened to the rest - does anyone know? I remember the L134 Loader pictured above. It was run by Rick Chatwin for years and I spent many a day with that thing in the landing loading out our wood. I hope someone else chimes in on this fine display of shots from the past. Thank you TorkelH for posting these.

 

[TorkelH]

MMB numbers and the dispatcher

Jeremy! I have taken the information from BTC and trakloader in this thread and started working on a spreadsheet ala the Weyco list. I guess HDX and Hayesno1 have some more information...

Jackd, I hoped you would recognize someone - again sorry for the quality. Here's a picture of the dispatcher when I took the pictures. A very nice man as I remember. This dispatchers office was up above the shop in the corner facing Coulson.

 

[jackd]

Alvin was still driving truck when I was there - great guy and according to HDX still enjoying life in retirement. I see some of the old numbers on a few of the trucks that I remember - H-154 (driven by 'Blacky Haracka'?) and the H-188 (possibly driven by George Glazier - there are shots of this one being scrapped up in Campbell River in later years). These trucks were pretty new when I was there. I'll pore over these shots tonight when I get a chance. It might be an idea for someone to head over to the old shop and see if all these shots might still be up on the wall and rescue them.

 

[Hayesno1]

Alvin was still driving truck when I was there - great guy and according to HDX still enjoying life in retirement. I see some of the old numbers on a few of the trucks that I remember - H-154 (driven by 'Blacky Haracka'?) and the H-188 (possibly driven by George Glazier - there are shots of this one being scrapped up in Campbell River in later years). These trucks were pretty new when I was there. I'll pore over these shots tonight when I get a chance. It might be an idea for someone to head over to the old shop and see if all these shots might still be up on the wall and rescue them.

Re. #H188; Well I took those pics at Tom Turners place in CR Y2000. I think cab has been saved but I am not sure.