Potlatch

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Potlatch, Idaho stood out as the new frontier for the Weyerhaeuser’s latest logging and lumber mill ventures, and by the early 1900s, a lumber mill and company town were built. Within a few years, the sawmill would be hailed as the largest white pine mill in the world.  Although white pine was coveted because of its strength and ability to float, mill interests had seriously miscalculated the area’s river flows.  Consequently, the abundant white pine could not be floated to the mill, but was instead hauled to the Potlatch Lumber Company mill by the company’s own short line railroad, the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway.

Potlatch, Idaho April 17, 1906, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 12-01-02.

The Company Town era earned Potlatch national recognition, and the company store, the Potlatch Mercantile, rivaled any major department store in Seattle.  Baseball, too, was a big item, and in 1914, the American and National Leagues All-Star teams stopped for an exhibition game at the bustling mill town.  The community was praised for its fine schools, cultural aspects, work ethic and spirited citizens.  Surrounding towns such as Princeton, Harvard and Onaway also contributed to the robust business climate and neighborly lifestyle.  Farming, logging and milling provided mainstay jobs in the area.

Aerial photo of the Potlatch mill in Potlatch on September 19, 1955, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 12-01-20.

But in 1981, the mill whistle sounded its last blast, and by 1983, the renowned sawmill at Potlatch was completely dismantled.  Despite predictions of the town folding, the little community has survived, and agricultural crops such as barley and timothy hay contribute to the current economy, along with the state-of-the-art Bennett Lumber Products mill at Princeton. 

References:

Petersen, Keith C., Company Town: Potlatch, Idaho, and the Potlatch Lumber Company. (Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press, 1987).

Potlatch Historical Society.