‘Timber Wars’ reach Mill City

I’m 4 th generation born n Stayton. I moved up between Lyons and Mill City in 1973 buying 3 acres on the river. I sawed logs at Stout Creek Lumber, logged all over the canyon, and shopped at Charlie Stewart’s. My folks lived beside A&W in the trailer park. Granddad was the Stayton blacksmith. His old shop is currently being restored on 2nd street. Lots of history here for me.

Born and Raised in Oregon. Lived with logging families and went to school with their kids. Worked as a High Line Choker-setter for two summers in the late 70's and owned a pair of WESCO Jobmaster Corks until they fell off my feet ( I buried them in Yosemite ). The fight between the Environmentalists and the Timber Industry was something I remember first hand, as it was just beginning to brew in the mid and late 70's. An old logger and I ( like someone from "Sometimes A Great Notion" ) were eating lunch one afternoon looking down on the Columbia River as a Japanese Freighter was heading west towards Astoria. He told me that those were Raw Logs heading towards Japan, China or Russia, and he told me that that was going to be the death of the Northwest Logging industry as we he knew it. I asked why? From his perspective the Northwest Timber Industry was slowly but surely changing from the family run organizations, and were being acquired by large organizations that required good quarterly returns, and whose model was moving towards what he called "the plantation" logging. He told me a history of how individual Timber Companies had made deals NOT for finished milled planned lumber ( which would have brought in better incomes and kept jobs ) but instead for raw trees. When times were good they cut everything they could get their hands on and even made deals for US Forest Service and BLM Land trees. He said that Japan was beginning to make deals with Brazil and Malaysia for cheaper trees ( their wages were significantly less than US ), and with the meteoric urban population growth the Pacific Northwest cities ( growing at three times the rate of the non-urban ), created a populations of young college educated high waged professionals who supported the Environmental Movement. He talked about Federal and State Taxes and how they effected the logging industry, and how that was ALL going to change. The Environmentalists saw ALL loggers as the enemy, and the loggers saw them and their "Spotted Owl" as the enemy, in the end the owl was merely a tool used against the Timber Industry in the court system. The real enemy was something larger and more complex.

Wish this local history was taught in Oregon public schools.

That $175 work boot is now $500. But them WESCO boots are the best boot around and made here in the PNW. I’ve bought two pair and had one pair rebuilt over the years.

I had to look to see when this was made. 33 years ago. My business is in Aberdeen WA, another timber town. So much looks the same. trucks, people, clothes, houses, beards and hair. That store reminds me of the store I grew up in in Ellenwood GA. My Dad sold all that same stuff and helped people who needed credit. Nobody went hungry

Thanks a bunch for uploading this, please upload more from your archives. It's a great way to get acquainted with oregon's history and how we got to where we are today. Really feel for both sides after watching this. Compromise is hard, really hard and I hope we can all find it in ourselves to compromise. The separation, vilification and radicalism dehumanizes the debate and doesn't lead to a solution.

Love this documentary, somethin just beautiful about looking in on town folks daily lives to the backdrop of an extremely important and deviding topic

Let's not forget Oregon's history. With so many transplants living here now, many don't have a clue what it was truly like living through those times , watching the impact that the decline of logging had on whole communities and families and the battles that took place over forests, jobs and a way of life.

This was very interesting to watch. I lived in eastern Oregon and worked in the timber industry at the time this was made. The fact is we, meaning the US uses wood and wood products every day. Not everyone can afford to go to college and a college degree doesn’t guarantee a job. All of these people work hard, support families, and do the best they can. Trees grow back. Developing and using best practices has to be carried out.

I grew up in mill city and visit my grandparents grave in gates as often as I can. This is the mill city I remember. Charlie Stewart looks exactly how I remember him. He was our landlord for years. My grandfather was the very first truck driver for Frank lumber company. This documentary took me back.

She said she was dating her moms divorced co-worker when she was 16? That prison time in 2023 💀

Hometown store...much better than Walmart!😊😊😊😊

Very nice . Would love to see a similar video done in 2024

Let's all recognize the awesome Cat Power hat Brent is wearing in the opeing burthday scene. This tornado loves you dude.

It would be very interesting to show the ownership details of the forest. If I remember correctly, most of the forests in WA state are privately owned and controlled.

You know both sides have their feet on the ground here, I hope this town maintained

This way of life has changed so much thanks to corporate greed

Excellent documentary!

Using the lumber in the usa is one thing. Good thing. Problem is, the old growth logs are being sold to overseas buyers

I'd definitely agree that much more information has come to light about forestry practices and conservation since the time this was filmed. We now know much more about rehabilitation of land. That has been degraded by industrial timber practices. Still vast losses of ecology is persistent.