Smith Wood Products The Smith Wood Products, Inc. mill was the brain child of George Andrew Ulett, who moved with his family to Coquille in December of 1928 to build a battery separator plant. Mr. Ulett had recently agreed to merge his Ulett Manufacturing Co. of Needham, MA with Ralph Smith's interest in a lumber mill in Coquille and a battery separator plant in Kansas City. The resultant company was called Smith Wood Products, Inc.

The new plant began operating in mid-1929 with Furb Emory hired as manager. In 1935, Mr. Ulett took advantage of a Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) loan to build a new lumber mill and the first plywood plant south of the Columbia River. The plant started producing in early 1936. In 1946 the business was sold to the Coos Bay Lumber Company (CBLC), with Harvey Chaney negotiating for the CBLC. In 1956, CBLC sold the company to Georgia-Pacific, who closed the mill in 1990. At that time, the mill ran three shifts and employed between 320 and 350 people.

In 1951, the Coos Bay Lumber Company opened the Johnson Mill and log pond, located 3 miles south of Coquille. In 1980, Georgia Pacific stopped using the log pond , and in 1992 sold the property to Coos County. Presently, the land is owned by the Port of Bandon and features a boat ramp and rustic picnic area for public use.

Smith Wood Products abt 1930

Some of the people known to have worked for Smith Wood Products:

  • George Andrew Ulett - Originally from East Boston, MA, George was the mastermind behind the success of the Smith Wood Products company. After selling the business in 1946 for a profit, he later organized another sawmill in Sutherlin and the Coquille Plywood Company. Here he served as president until Textron bought it in 1950.
  • John "Jorgy" Jorgensen - a Norwegian responsible for the foundations, pilings, and concrete slabs of the boiler house, chimney and other structures. A Jens Jorgenson also worked for Georgia-Pacific in the Coquille mill in 1962 and played a part in adding southern pine to the plywood market.
  • Unknown Employee  - reported to have living near a clay pit and an old beehive oven where brick had been made [Most likely the old brick yard in Arago].
  • Henry Less Pingleton - Henry was hired in 1935 as a carpenter to build the Smith Mill. His last position was as head sander for Georgia-Pacific in 1964.
  • Dewey Long - Plant superintendent from Portland in late 1936 or early 1937. Later a general manager at another plant.
  • Elmer Hall - Assistant to Dewey Long in late 1936 or early 1937. Later a general manager at another plant.
  • Hank McCue - Office Manager in 1940. He was originally hired to work in the office. Became plant supervisor in 1945. Later he became plant manager for Georgia-Pacific in Springfield, OR.
  • Larry Lundquist - Plant manager from 1940 until 1945.
  • Ernie Christofferson - one of George Ulett's top aides in the plywood plant.
  • Clay Brown - Sales manager. Also had his own lumber and plywood sales office in Portland. Later he owned Humboldt Plywood near Arcata, CA.
  • George Royer - Assistant to Clay Brown. Had his own office at the mill. Is known to have been working there until at least 1945.
  • J.E. Cool - handled most of the company's lumber sales.

  • 70 of the original plywood mill workers in 1935 were reported to have come from the mills in the Puget Sound area. For more information on Smith Wood Products, the Plywood Pioneer Association publication No.17 is devoted to the Smith Mill. It can be found online here (PDF).

    Photos courtesy of the Plywood Pioneer Association

     

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