HomeMy Public PortalAboutBrown Tie and Lumber CompanyHUIMOUTH TRUCK LEAVE `'O ROOM FOR CARS ON MCCALL ROAD
By R032RT FORBES
"Jumbo" Lansing and four other McCall truck drivers daily struggle with a
10 -speed gear -shift on five of the largest vehicles that run on rubber tires.
3arly in the morning they herd their behemoths up to Lick Creek summitt, east
of McCall, and down to a logging operation on the South Fork of the Salmon
river - -45 miles from their base at Brown's Tie and Lumber company. So twisting
steep and narrow is the private road on which they run that it tales fully five
hours of constant pull, on the return trip, to deliver their 70 ton load of logs
at the Payette Lake lumber company dock.
This scenic Forest Service road is ;posted as private for the operation of
these International nest Coast Specials on it ma'_ces touring impossible. Their
12 -foot width will not allow anything larger than a moto- scooter to share the
road gith them in many places. :A small car would run backward to turn -outs
eontinously, or else plunge down rocky walls almost as far as gravity would
permit.
Were it not for numerous hazards, travel in to the South Fort: by this
route would offer one of the most engaging trips in Idaho. It threads up Lake
Fork Creek from 11cCall to the divide, 2000 feet above that mile -high city, and
then plunges down Lick Creek and Secesh river to the Salmon, 3000 feet of ele-
vation and 30 miles below. Autumn is the most suitable time to see the splendor
of these Idaho mountains. Then the:, are ablaze with a riot of color- -from
golden aspen, to brownish - yellow larch, to crimson sumac, to scarlet mountain
maple and nut -brown shrubs. They are all resplendent after the first frost of
the ,rear.
But the gigantic trucks are of as great interest as is the picturesque
A. .V
route which the-7 traverse. The cab of each stands five feet of` the ground
and it is necessary to sumount a three -step "running board" to climb within.
All are driven by the most powerful motors available, developing 300 horsepower
each. The;% carry a load of logs averaging 17 thousand board feet which is
almost twice the load of ordinary trucks hauling timb3 r. They require 18
tires -- at over :200 a crack.
( This road was posted as private for a winter or two when the company
did all the work of keeping the road open and the lame trucks were used then �
but when the road was open the big truck hauled loos out of the x7oods only and
then transferred their loads to averaUe size truck at the landing on South Fork.
TI is is a beautiful trip any time of the year and it really is something to
go over Lick Creel: sumn.itt when you cannot see the snow marker beside the road
because it is buried. The top mark is 16 feet. The roadis really a topless
tunnell then. EBII)
One of Southern Idaho's Most
Progressive Lumber Companies
McCALL, IDAHO
• We can supply all sizes of log timbers up to 32 feet in
length. We offer immediate delivery on special orders for
log timbers.
• Rustic Logs for unique effects a specialty.
• Tie siding for many purposes immediately available and
reasonably priced.
• Our retail yard carries the largest and most complete stock
of lumber and building materials of any yard in the
Payette Lakes area — everything reasonably priced.
A Fine Summer Home Built By Brown
Summer Cabins a Specialty
Pictured here is the new summer home of L. R. Holbrook,
on Payette Lakes. This beautiful cottage was built entirely
by Brown's Tie & Lumber Co., and illustrates the striking
use of rustic and squared logs.
Congratulations, Statesman
On your 75 years of continuous, successful publication. You
1h�-�
T & LUMBER COMPANY
POW
McCALL, IDAHO
• We can supply all sizes of log timbers up to 32 feet in
length. We offer immediate delivery on special orders for
log timbers.
• Rustic Logs for unique effects a specialty.
• Tie siding for many purposes immediately available and
reasonably priced.
• Our retail yard carries the largest and most complete stock
of lumber and building materials of any yard in the
Payette Lakes area — everything reasonably priced.
A Fine Summer Home Built By Brown
Summer Cabins a Specialty
Pictured here is the new summer home of L. R. Holbrook,
on Payette Lakes. This beautiful cottage was built entirely
by Brown's Tie & Lumber Co., and illustrates the striking
use of rustic and squared logs.
Congratulations, Statesman
On your 75 years of continuous, successful publication. You
have been of valuable assistance to the progress and develop-
ment of this territory, and we wish you many more years
of success.
There is also a story of progress connected with. this lumber
company. Our production growth has been from milling
5000 feet a week to the present output of 7000 feet per hour.
107 men are on the Brown payroll, 60% of whom have been
with the company 10 years or more.
Brown's Tie &. Lumber Co.
Carl E. Brown, McCall, Ida,
FI'*ne Sum e r C a �b'i n
Many of Idaho's finest summer cabins
have been built at Payette Lakes by the
Brown Tie & Lumber Co. Working in
cooperation with the plans you make to
individualize your cabin, we add our
years. of experience to complete a job
better than just satisfactory.
The cabin at the left is the beautiful
new summer home of J L. Driscoll of
Boise.
Safe Sayings. for You in a rown -Built Tie Cabin!
Tie consruction such as. that of the, Hoff
home at McCall pictured at the right is
a, process developed by the Brown Tie
Lumber Co. We use reject railroad
ties from our plant and entail a special
notch and match plan. These homes
are warm, comfortable, attractive and
economical. For information juste write,
call, or see us.
Log timber in all sizes, rustic logs, tie siding, and the largest stock of lumber and build-
ing materials in the Payette Lakes Area.
r5P C F A( I�IPrJS - /".) j.3� /3
Lumber Center Is McCall many have made fortunes in timber around Payette Lakes
but one of the oldest and best known companies is that
of Carl Brown. The Brown Tie and Lumber plant is shown above, at the outskirts of the town on the
lakeshore.
New McCall Sawmill Goes to Work Today —
BROWN'S TIE AND LUMBER company sawmill, rebuilt after a nre severni ....,nu— -r,-, _....nb• --
operations Tuesday. Final work on the new mill, shown here, was completed Saturday and the ma-
chinery tested. Honor of blowing the mill's whistle
ar Johnso first time went to Miss Dorothy Brown.
( Y g )
The Tree Roots of Idaho, New Grace Jordan Book
Story o11fhe Rroww ol McCall
oylvan beacn ana ►ooxs a
smoke of McCall's lumber mil
possible some whisper of the r
Never could he catch more tha
But one of Idaho's most talent
ed writers has done it for him
Grace Jordan's newest book.
'The King's Pines of Idaho,'
published by Binfords and Mori
of Portland, Ore., traces, the
story of the Carl Browns, pio-
neer Idaho lumber family whose
footsteps are important ones
throughout Middle - Idaho, and
especially in McCall.
In an important sense this
book, Mrs. Jordan's third, is
about the roots of Idaho, but
Mrs. Jordan has done a beauti-
ful job of making a biography
read like a warmly humorous
and suspense - filled novel.
Mrs. Jordan says, "Aided and
encouraged by the caring of the
Browns, McCall has become a
uniquely satisfactory place to
live, self- dependent, spirited, and
beautiful. My hope has been to
make clear that life in a small
town can be not only amusing
and dear, but to the soul, satis-
fying. Here are people I have
come to love."
This kind of book has long
been overdue.
In her foreword, Mrs. Jordan
wrote, "Idaho is still young and
ILLUSTRATION on book
jacket is from an oil
painting by Mrs. Emma
Day of Boise, shows 1940
view of Brown Tie and
Lumber Mill.
"toss Dig Payette Lale to see the
I drift across the sky, it is just .... .
ioneer past may touch his heart.
i a murmur of it, all by himself.
settlement, at Franklin, is but
a hundred years old. That
means that some of the men and
women credited with its develop-
ment still live. The story of one
such family, it has seemed to
j me, should be put into type."
i How well Mrs. Jordan has
succeeded in her intent is real -
ized by the reader more and
more as lie follows young Carl
Brown through his life from
New England boyhood to the
domains of a western lumber
king.
« « s
The book is built of anecdotes
that tell a story full of vitality.
The author has taken great
care to make the book strictly
factual in its foundations, but
she has shaped her work with
her own laughter and under-
standing and her own love of
the Idaho forest lands and peo-
ple. She does not merely de-
scribe the incidents. She makes
the countless small tales and
tall tales into a richly detailed
pattern of family affairs ... a
red evening cape, the holy mail,
snowshoes for horses, lemon pie
in a lumber camp and the Pay-
ette, Lakes sea serpent.
Each chapter is full of fa-
miliar faces Mid places for the
Idahoan . Boise, Ashton,
Boulder, Sun Valley, Lardo,
Roseberry, Meadows, Nampa ...
the CCC camps, Shore Lodge,
the Payette River .. , all the
Brown clan, including the Har.
woods, the B e y e r l e s the
Davieses ... Britt Nedry, 'fielen
Markley Miller, the Hoffs,
Pearl Boydstun .. , the list is
endless and fascinating.
« « a
this postcard made about 1915.
There was a big celebration
in McCall on Saturday for Mrs.
Jordan, and her husband, for-
mer Governor Len Jordan. The
first' of her three autograph
parties was held there in the
Carl Brown home.
The second autograph party
will be held Friday in the Book
Shop In Boise, preceded by a
WARREN STREET SCENE about 1905. The building
on the right has an ornamental front that appears in
numerous old pictures.
noon luncheon In the Owyhee The oil painting on the book
Hotel, to which the public is in- jacket is by Mrs. Emma Day,
vited and at which the Brown Boise artist. It pictures the
family will be represented. Brown Tie and Lumber Mill as
On Saturday an autograph it looked in 1940. Several photo-
party will be held in the City graphs are included in the book.
Library in Nampa. —(B. P.)
Lumber Co. mill, Apri41942.
1
s�e
This is the twenty -first
in the current series of
articles featuring United
Pacific Insurance Com-
pany policyholders and
the industries in which
they are engaged.
OODMAN SPAR THAT TREE," a by -word
of all logging operators, is but one -half the work-
ing formula of Brown's Tie and Lumber Company
of McCall, Idaho, which equally emphasizes the
better known slogan, "Woodman spare that t ee"
in its daily operations as the largest timber < onl-
pany in the Payette region of Idaho. Officials o! the
United States Forestry Service state unequivocally
that Brown's Tie and Lumber Company is one of
the more cooperative and conservative - minded log-
ging operations in the West. This is undoubtedly
due not only to the far- sighteciness and business
acumen of Carl E. Brown, general manager and
guiding force behind Brown's Tie and Lumber
Company, but results in an equal measure from his
ACCORDING TO THE FOUNDERS OF
MDER COMPA11Y
g,•nuine love of nature and pride in the beauty of
his state of Idaho.
The story f Brown's Tie and Lumber Company
is the life story of Carl Brown himself and the
unbelievable beauty +ind primitiveness of the coun-
try which he conquered. It is the story of a nature
lover and a sportsman commercializing to the bene-
fit of himself and his community the resources of
nature without destroying the beauty of the setting
of his operations.
Located on the shores of Payette Lake at McCall,
Idaho, the western gateway to the primitive region
sometimes described as the "Last Frontier' in the
United States, the company has access to Payette
National Forest. On the north flows the Mighty
Salmon, "the river of no return"; on the west is
the Little Salmon; eastward, the Middle Fork;
while the south boundary joins the Boise National
Forest. The principal tree species are Ponderosa
pine, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, Englemann
spruce, white fir, red fir, Western larch and aspen.
Brown's Tie and L,unther Company cuts all of the
above species except the aspen, and during the
past few years has made an average annual cut
of 22,000,000 board feet of timber. It is estimated
that the region in the immediate vicinity of the
company's operation supports 10,000,000,000 feet
of timber in the tree, or enough to build about
600,000 modern five -room houses. Because of the
rugged topography, however, less than one -fifth of
the total area covered by timber can be logged at
present. Nor does the future hold much hope of
material ch,,nge. The wilderness defies civilization
and lamely fixes its own economic order.
Timber is sold by the Government to the high-
est bidder, and Brown's Tie and Lumber Company,
like other much smaller logging companies in the
area, logs on a sustained yield basis, a method
developed by the Government for the protection
of the nation's forests. The company, however, has
assured its future operations by purchasing outright
22,000 acres of virgin timber near McCall.
The great Idaho primitive area is a nature lover's
paradise in both summer and winter seasons. Pay-
1 �:
ette Lake abounds with trout and silversides, and
the thirty -two mile shoreline supports several re-
sorts for both fishermen and Hater enthusiasts. In
the winter season sportsmen rek to the Payette
Winter Playground located near McCall on prop-
erty given to the Government in 1938 by Brown's
Tie and Lumber Company. On this property, the
gift of which is an example of the civic- mindedness
of the Brown family, the Government has con-
structed a 1,300-foot ski lift and a large lodge for
the convenience of skiers and wins r sportsmen.
The primitive area itself affords natu e lovers many
trails to explore and scenic wonders to enjoy. Such
is the setting of the country which the Brown family
has commercialized without destroying its beauty.
A genuine pioneer spirit prompted Carl Brown
while still a young man to leave the state of New
Hampshire, where his father owned and operated
a sawmill, and travel toward western horizons. He
arrived in Idaho in the early 1900's and first tried
his hand at farming near the town of Nampa. Carl
tired early of this prosaic existence and next be-
came employed in the more adventuresome work
of mining gold in the central portion of the state.
His initiative and ingenuity, however, eventually
fcrced Carl Brown to work for Carl Brown and no
Other, a business in which he has been most suc-
cessful. Opportunities for young men with initiative
were scarce in Idaho in the early 1900's, but Carl
found one in the carrying of passengers and the
United States mail from the post which is now
McCall, Idaho, to the numerous gold mines in the
interior of what is now the Payette National Forest.
It was a rugged business enterprise and Carl rowed
many a passenger and sack of mail in a rowboat
from the southern end to the northern end of Pay-
ette Lake, up the North Fork of the Payette River
to a horse camp which he established, and then
overland by pack horse. But during the long winter
season Mother Nature froze the lake, covered the
forest with fourteen feet of snow, and made it
impossible even to travel to the mitres from McCall,
much less carry freight. This was accomplished,
however, by Carl Brown through the simple ex-
pedient of tying snow shoes on the hoofs of horses
and pulling the mail and passe- ger, across the
frozen lake and through the snow- covered forest
SE )W: , B,'.TH Eli ROUTE
TG MILL
Mal ng t ,r y from Payette Lal.t
int,, the I vi. -- the "bull chain,' the
log: are ray, . to remove any dirt
tha; rem. att.•r their "dunking" .n
thc lake.
El
to the mines on snow sleds. A compliment to Carl's
ingenuity in attaching snow shoes to the horses'
hoofs is th, present method of delivering mail to
the same mining camps during the winter by air-
planes to which skis are attached, the only im-
provement in forty years.
After his successful enterprise of carrying the
United States mail, Carl Bown invested his savings,
amounting to $10'0-0(), in a small sawmill and
flour mill oper rte, by Hans Hoff and his son,
Theodore. He ,ind I- heodore Hoff then operated
the Hoff and Browt; Lumber Company from 1913
to 1929, when Carl Brown purchased Theodore.
Hoff's interest in the enterprise and the company
became Brown's Tie and Lumber Company, a
family partnership composed of Carl Brown, his
son Warren, and hree daughters, now Margaret
Davies, Elizabeth f iarwood, and Dorothy Beyerle.
Although owned by the entire family, the company
is ably operated by Carl Brown as general manager,
and by his son Warren as logging superintendent,
the daughters preferring to acknowledge that log-
ging is a man's game. In addition to building the
present efficient organization, Carl and Warren
have found tinie for outside interests. Both are
sportsmen of note in Central Idaho, and Carl in
addition is serving his state as a senator from Valley
County. He is also a former Democratic National
Committeeman from Idaho. Warren Brown is known
extensively as an expert skier, having been a mem-
ber of the Idaho Skiing team in Sun Valley contests
before the war. Characteristically, neither Carl
Brown nor his son Warren, although they are the
geniuses behind the business, care for the more
confining type of office work which is ably handled
by Pat Hayes, office manager. Both father and son
enjoy far more supervising the logger in the woods
and the mill itself.
Brown's Tie and Lumber Company is now the
largest sitwmill in the Pay •tte region, and in addi-
tion to producing railroad ies for the Union Pacific
Railroad which has a teriuinu., at McCall, Idaho,
has shipped lumber as far as New York and New
Jersey.
In it, twenty years of operation the company
has cut from the virgin forests of Central Idaho
L N I T E. D P A C I F I C
ENML'��
s
RAILROAD IN THE MAKING
Crnasties for a railroad are being cut to exact length on
this cutting and trimming saw at Brown's Tie & Lumber
Company mill.
Photo at the right shows the ties !,eing loaded into a rail-
road car as they fall from thr conveyor outlet at the mill.
2,500,000 crossttes, which wo ,Id build the roadbed
of a modern railroad for a dis ance of 1, 100 miles.
If one is statistically minded, tt is a simple matter
to compute that if all the railroad ties cut by
Brown's Tie and Lumber Company were laid end
to end, they would reach from the city of Seattle,
Washington, to Miami, Florida, with it few hundred
left over to compensate for errors in computation.
I lowever, railroad tie production by the company
represents but fifty percent of the total production
of the organization which, in addition to producing
2,500,000 railroad ties, has produced approxi-
mately 100,000,000 board feet of lumber used in
thousands of homes in New England and southern
Idaho.
A catastrophe overcame Brown's Tie and Lum-
ber Company on July 16, 1940, when fire com-
pletely destroyed the company's mill on the shores
of Payette Lake. Again Carl Brown's ingenuity and
initiative came to the rescue of himself and his
family. Within two weeks, construction was started
on a new and modern mill but it few hundred yards
from the old site. Within it period of nine months
the new mill, also located on the lake shore, was
completed and sawing timber. More amazing, the
company continued production during the con-
struction of the new mill, and within a few wt eks
after the destructive fire, Brown's Tie and l.un her
Company was producing approximately 3,500 I eet
of timber per hour by a portable saw set up on
INSURANCE C0NI1)ANY
TV
M
MMAM
the site of the burned installation. In addition, a
portable planing outfit enabled the company to
conlinue production of lumber its well as ( roxsties
during the construction period. The present mill
operated by the coml)any is one of the most modern
in the nation. It is �- fficiently adapted to the pro-
duction of crossttes as well as lumber, and was
designed by Joe Kasper, master mechanic for
Brown's Tie and Lumber Company and its prede-
cessor for the past twenty -six years. The logs are
cut in the mill by a two -edged bandsaw which
doubles the production. The efficiency of the mill
is astounding. Logs lyin:; quietly in Payette Lake
are neatly loaded in the form of crossttes in rail-
road cars within a period of it few minutes in one
continuous operation.
Another innovation designed by Joe Kasper al-
lows the mechanized sorting „f lumber on a mass
basis directly from the edger and trimmer saws.
This installation neatly stacks the lumber according
to its dimension in racks ready to be loaded for
the dry kiln.
The present plar co,tsists of six buildings: it
sawmill, a planing n, 11, p twer plant, machine shop.
(Continu d on page fourteen)
U, �k;"�,.
, &
INSHORE VIEW OF BROWN MILL
In the upper photo, a loaded car of railroad crossties
is shown in the left foreground, while a sorting shed
is at the right. The expanse of timber in the back -
ground is on the opposite shore of Lake Payette.
MECHANICAL DRIER FOR LUMBER
These trim stacks of lumber go into the dry kiln at
the left, where they are dried mechanically in a short
period of time.
(Continued from page five)
dry kiln, and truck repair shop, the latter with
facilities for repairing large pieces of equipment
including jammers and dual axle trucks used ex-
clusively by the company. The entire plant, exclu-
sive of machinery, is built from timber cut by the
company. The most recent construction in the con-
stantly expanding program of the company is an
office building decorated in knotty pine with such
exclusive features as a fourteen -foot by sixteen -foot
fireproof concrete vault protected by walls four-
teen inches thick. In these modern offices only the
scenic beauty framed in the large "view windows"
and the incongruous "crank tN pe" telephones re-
mind one of the primitive locale of his surroundings.
Brown's Tie and Lumber C )mpany c arrently is
employing 160 people with an annual .)ayroll of
$338,000.00, and is proud of its record as the
Jr 14
B it 0 W
11MBER,
I'OhIP:IN1
oui standing and in fact only industry of McCall,
Idi ho, a town of 6 % 1 people. Although not a "war
to-: n," McCall has the unique record of contribut-
ing 90'( of its industrial production either directly
or indirectly to the war effort. In spite of this, no
reconversion pains are expected.
'olillions of feet of timber are still in the trees in
the Payette region, and conservative cutting will
protect McCall's industrial life, as will the beauty
of the country perpetuate it as one of the nation's
most beautiful playgrounds. For although Carl
Brown's original $1,000.00 investment in 1913 has
grown into a half - trillion- dollar mill grossing $800,-
000.00 per year, the beauty of the country in which
this growth leas occurred remains unchanged. Yes,
"Woodman spare that tree" is truly the slogan of
Brown's Tie and Lumber Company, "one of the
mere -,00perative and conservation- minded loggin,-
operations in the West."
U N I T E D P A C I F I
Idaho City some 110 miles distant. It is said that this man drove
a cow to Idaho City and turned it over to the county assessor so that
his taxes would not become delinquent.
Since the date of these early records of McCall many changes and
improvements have been brought about through the ingenuity and tireless
efforts of the many good citizens of the town. McCall is now on the
threshold of greater and more momentous improvements which can only be
brought about by the cooperation and far-sightedness of all citizens
striving as a combined unit for the same ultimate objective. Let's
all get behind McCall and give it a lift in the proper direction.
One of the best methods of achieving this "lift" is to keep a good
clean mind and PRAISE our many heritages - -don't gripe.
r
n
73
I
V
711
Carl E. Brown, McCall's Senior Citzen, Recalls Past
Payette Lakes Star
Volumn XXXII
August 31, 1950
Number 32
By; Helen Miller
Carl E. Brown, McCall's senior citzen, counts 47 years of
life in the state of Idaho, 47 years crazed full of living as only
a vigrous and adventuresome man can pact the years.
Carl. Broim saw the hard years on the tail -end of the gold
boom in Thunder Mountain in that lusty and brawling young Idaho
when the snows of winter lay deep and broken over all the mountain
roads, or mud in the Spring sucked at the hips of team drivers as
they urged sweating horses thru the streets of McC�.]1. He has
watched the mud tracks changed to paved roads, the rutted freighting
trails replaced by the railroad line and the huge motor truck.
A modest man is Carl Brown, whose lumber industry has grown
until it is the sustaining factor of the village of McCall. Asked
for an interview of his accomplishments, he said, *What for? I've
not accomp?.ished much with my life -Just staggered erpund from job
to job iuitil I. got what I wanted -the lumber industry.. Took me
until I was 37 years old just to find myself."
Interest in lumbering was born in this vital man, but not bred.
His Grandfather Brown owned a lumber company and sawmill on the
Peminga,ssett river in New Hampshire. Carl Brown's father, Warren
G. Brown, and an uncle were both lumberman. The mother, Charlotte
Elliot, a meticulous Scotch housekeeper, wanted none of the lumber
business for her son. She hated the emell of oxen, of sweat, of
new cut wood, and disliked the sturdy class of people who followed
the lumber trade. She put her son, Carl, into a general store as
a clerk, where he tried to kill his desire to be a logger.
Before his first marriag+ep Warren G. Brown at 22 had crossed
the Isthmaa ,:- Panel% in 1852 to join the rush for gold to Calif-
ornia. Instead in San Francisco he purchased a logging and saw
mill to the Hood canal, he made a stake in Washington territory
when its population consisted of 7,000 white people and 21,000
Indians. Returning to New Hampshire he married his sweetheart;
bought a farm, but after his first wife's death he returned to
Washington, made anothe stake, and with it went back to New Hamp-
shire to marry Charlotte Elliot. With his brother as a partner
he bought and operated the Brown Lumber company in virgin timber
near w'hitefield on the edge of the White mountains.
The mining bug, however, had bitten deep into Warren G.
Brown. When he was 70, he urged Carl to come out to Idaho in
1903 to look into some mining interests in th;:> Thunder Mountain
district. The mine didn't pan out, and most of the family money
was washed out with the sands in the gold pan.
The faAr went to Nampa, where a real estate broker talked
him into buying an alfalfa meal plant'. The plant went broke, and
young Carl saved what he could by buying a team of horses, baling
the hay, and hauling it into Nampa to sell. Gradually he worked
into the hay business, buying, baling, and selling.
Chance stepped into the picture again. Mrs. Brown had her
first babys tier trained nurse had a husband who interested sari
rown in a partnership in the sugar beet business. The Browns
ad made enough money from the hay to invest 02,000 in sugar beets.
hey rented 100 acres on Indian creek near Nampa and 80 acres of
ay and grain land for a place to live. A partial crop failure the
first year put the partners into debt for exactly what the Browns had
nested. The note of indebtedness was split by the bank. into
1,000 for each partner.
75
76
Mrs. Brown, a frail little woman of 54 pounds ( "and who's
going to believe that ?" asked Mrs. Brown, listening) lived in one
room in Nampa with her baby while her husband snowshoed 100 miles
over Secesh vammit, through Warren, and over Elk summit to Ramey Ridge,
where he could got a job working in a prospect mine at $75 a month
and board. The monthly checks were sent to Mrs. .Brown, who paid
to the bank the $12 interest due each month on the note.. In the
Spring Mrs. Brown joined her husband and the two worked hard for three
years until they had paid back the indebtedness on both notes.
They lived first in a small cabin on the Crown Mm1mg coffipa►tyr' a
land. In January with the snow 12 feet deep they left -the cabin
and packed out of Warren. Five days later a +anowslide came down
the mountain and took the cabin with it.
"Those were desperate times we had in the mountains," Carl
Brown said, reminiscing as he leaned back in his chair in his plea-
sant living room. "For six months Mrs. Brown didn't see another
woman, and for six years she didn't see a railroad.. We bought a
little shoestring ranch on the South Fork and Mrs. Brown kept stoppers.
Prices were 50 cents a meal and 50 cents a bed. She churned butter
to sell at 50 cents a pound in Warren -a big price for butter in
those days. Eggs we sold for 25 cents a dozen. I got the contract
to haul mail between Rdwardsburg and War:an. Had two big dogs and
a sled to cart the mail, and I- .broke trail for the dogs on snow-
shoes. The snow was deep on the level, and you never knew
when a snowslide would rumble down from the mountains..."
Mari interesting people Were "stoppers" ar the Browns in the
summere days of those years, staying on to eat Ida Browns.
and .to• dish or hunt. Professor Holden of Iowa State College*% Ames-, .
?7
Iowa, was a "stopper " as were Mr. and Mrs, Madill McCormick of
Chicago and Margaret Cobb, now Mrs, Alshie of Boise, publisher of
0 the Idaho Statesman newspapers.
0
When Carl Brown was underbid for the mail route, he came out of
the mountains and bought the mail contract from Lardo to Marren.
In four years he was again undrbid, and this time he purchased an-
interest in a business tha.� he had always wanted to enter - lumbering,
It was in 1915 that he bought out Bert Bills, a partner of 1heodore
Hoff in the lumber business in McCall, using as capital the money saved
from his years on the mail route and cash from the sale of horses and
equipment. The total was $3500.
The Brown's moved into a tiny two -room house. ("About the size of
a chicly n house," Mrs. Brown said) where Mrs. Bennett's home now
stands. Carl Brown was a logger at last.
The lumber company contracted to sell lumber to the Payette.
Lakes Inn, then being built, at $12 a thousand feet, four horses,
axle deep in mud could haul only a thousand board feet per load.
"There goes a good bunch of logs, Psi," Mrs. Brown interpolated
here, looking out the window at a huge Browns Tie and Lumber Co.:
truck as it thundered by with its load of great logs bound for the
mill. Powerful purring machinery rolling by on a smooth highway
seemed a long cry from those days of mud and straining horses.
Business loohad good for Hoff and Brown until the Payette Lakes
Inn decidel it could pay only half of its $3100 bill.
"We got only $6 a thousand feet for that lumber. We get app-
roximately $90 now," Carl Brown said.
78
The lumber company was pretty hard up after this material lasso.
To add to the difficulties, snow blocked the railroad line that
winter, and no lumber could go out * market. Carl Brown went back
to his mail hauling to earn enough money to handle the pay roll at
the mill. He hauled the mail from McCall to Cascade for $50 a trip,.
twice a week through deep snow with six good logging horses pulling
the mail, and he himself on snowshoes. In 1916 -171 he hauled the
mail fro* I ardo to Warren to meet mill expenses.
After the bad years times grew easier. Indebtedness was paid off
at 12% interest, and contracts rolled in In 1929, Mr. Hoff sold his
share in the company to Mr. Brown. Under his management the business
grewR.until its next setback when in 1931 -32 a bad financial slump
caught the company with all its money tied up in a million feet of
logs and an order on hand for only 30,000 ties. Malay sawmills
around the country closed down, but Brown's Tie and Lumber Co.
weathered the depression.
In July of 1940 the mill burned to the ground, but so good
was Carl Brown's name in the state by this time that he was able
to borrow enough money on his personal note to rebuild his mill.
At the present time the company cuts 19 million`feet�Of
lumber each year, ships many cars to Brooklyn, New York, and last
year had a pay roll of $654,000.
Manny men have worked for the lumber company for many years,
have built homes in McCall, often with the aid of the companyo
They pay on a home only during the summer working monthaj� and. the
company never has taken a home from an employee in financial troubles..
Warren Brown, who inherited his fater's love of the lumber business, -
has worked up from the bottom. A-; 10 years of age he started to
•
work on the pond; at 12 ha was in the woods. Now, a capable and
efficient lumberman, he has a half interest in the business and is vice
president and assistant manager of the company.
Carl Brown's creed in business is a simple one, but sound as
the heart of the good yellow pine trees that he cuts.
• "Honesty." he says, "is the foundation of a successful life.
Keep your word at any cost with anyone to whom you give it, whether
it is to your banker or to your humblest employee."
•
79
MINING NEW
1---1,912--12-21
Cascade News - - --
"Martin & Adams have struck a 5j foot quartz ledge•••"
(referring to the mother lode of the Warren area)
Vol. V January 99 1n 70
#42
Great Mining District
referring to quick silver deposits in the Yellow Pine district)
Vol. IV January 249 1919 #44
Yellow Pine Coming into Prominence
reFe- :eri.ng to Cinnabar deposits
Vol. IV May 309 1919 #10
Yellow Pine Activity
Vol. V June 279 1919 #14
Behne Still Boosting
referring to the Yellow Pine area)
Vol. VI June 180 1920 #30
VallpZ Count
referring to the 23rd Annual Report of the Mining Industry
of Idaho)
Vol. VIII March 31, 1921 '#2
Important Developements in Mines at Profile
Vol. VII September 2911921
#24
11'i: TIMM TRUM LSAVR NO ROUL I FOR CARS 014 MCCALL ROAD
j�y kolkk kf FORMS
IlJumbo" Lansing and four other �1cCall truck. drivers daily struggle with a
lOwspeed gear-shift on five of the largest vehicles that run on rubber tircs.
Early in the morning they herd their beheiijoths up to Lick Creek summitt, east
of X'Call, and down to a logging operation on the South 17ork- of the Salmon
river•46 miles from their base at 1)'rownOs Tie and Lumber company. So tiiisting
steep and narrow is the private road on w1hich they run that it takes fully five
hours, o4f constant pull, oa the return trip, to deliver their 70 ton load of logo
at th-a Payette Lake luaber cotapx-ty dock.
This scenic Forest Service road is -)osted as private for t1-4 operation of
these international West Coast Specials on it zaakes touring impossible. Their
12-foot width will not allow anything larger than a -moto_scuote.r to share the
road vo.th there in many places. A small car would run backward to turn-outs
continouslyt or else plunge down roc',y walls alT-,iost as far as gravity would
permit.
here it not for nunp-rous hazards, travel in to the South 'Fork by this
route would offs one of the most anga.-ing trips in Idaho. It threads up Lake
Fork Creek from 1:'1cCall to the divide, 2000 feet above that !:ails high city, and
then plunges down Lick Creek and SeCe3h river to the Sali,,ion, 3000 feet of ele-
vation and 30 n4les below, Autumn is the raost suitable time to see the splendor
of these Idaho mountains. Aen that are ablaxe vAt'14 a riot of color—from
golden as-_�en, to broioniish-yellow larch, to cri;-L-.or sumac, to scarlet mountain
male and nut-brown shrubs. Mey are all resplendent after the first frost of
the year.
But the gigantic trucks are of as great into-not as is the picturesque
routs wtich tbay traverse. The cab of etnr.b qt;mds five feet off the ground
and it -ILs -aetessary to ew-jotmt a three—step "rtvvAn!,,, board" to climb within.
.1
1.11 are drivan by tba cost poworftl Yaotnrs avaTuable, develo;A 300 iiorsapawer
sae.i. Zhay earry a load of 1*5,. averaging 17 thousand ',,mrd Eki,it u-TAch is
al!iost t7fica tl,-, load oTP ordinary tnxII.7, hw�,IiniZ; timly.1r, "111jay require Is
tires -- at over � 4200 a crvk,
( 111its roaC. wa.; posted as privatq for a winter or two x-ALen t1ho company
(!4-d all the �Yoek of kkteptno, tine road optitit and Clue large trucks were used then
fo
but wizen t1w- -oars wai open tha birt truck hauled logs out of the woods only and
then transferrcd their loads to wearage size trucl at the lanling on Sout-. Fork.
71�- is a ba-aut-iful tr-1,1) any tirm of the ;/err and ;-i, really is SwAtIlLng to
go over Lic7- Creel sumaitt when you cannot s,
.1. the snow narker beside the road
because it ir. buried. Tbe top riark- izi 16 feet. "Im roddis really a to-less
tunnall t*;kpau. SM)
I '
PIMISRED BY WMIR: "Warren wL3 fathnred by a gambler, for Jariyas `,Darren
was ?mown as a nandy imn with a poker dock during the early life of Lewiston,
Idaho's first capitol before it was vwc to the present site at '.wise. Lie
OXI!,a"ized a party of prospectors in lawiston ',,,o search --or now gold fields
durin,,- I.Iie spread soutLwa;c"' from t1va dwindling Iftrat ;;old fizad is Idaho at
Pierce in laW, The discovery was Warran.
Lar,ga numL4--ra of Cb.inase folloumd tine V,,itz- uar. to ..ari:aa. 2roiia 13'/3
to 1890, whan Uai=se more t1tua doubled the white population, the placer pro-
duction at Warren was predominately 5y the Orientals who meticulously washed
over the gravel abandoned by the white man and developed small claims of their
own,
Today this has changed. 'I"he whits 'aan has his dredges again in operation,
ra�;or7Z.ing the tailings of t1v4 ChineFa to recover this tines the thorium, and
with more efficiout wthod3, any sparkle of gold raisied during t4o3e first
01 years
0
0
S%sl'". 1 IM, M. 5►, 1n93t2 e�y y rp�yy yy �* 1�� yyyl �7 t�� Dy Unrl ni1u�7T -,k n
Jot. s.`oix. oYiSt.a .La.. "v'is L�I�e,, ALto !:,iE KLI TO ' L�s4 :F' a laz
rubblas of vompre,;sad pair that astir tLa waterOs our "Ace li!va a aeries of
r ,tnantad trout ri sine, Ln a straight line A e koapLpr. tl,4 1.1 's 'die an -' Iuatxar
ccr. :xnyA-ta¢ rAll jxmd at McCall open for work t =-is star. Until the bubble systen.
use irxtallevl, the vd1l had to clone wUmm :Pa,,8tte lake txme,
This wint.ar the ;;sill is mming fell spwd, taking I& 3ap from lm go
stri.-xs of open water strotellIngg out into the ice.-Iodod bake. Om tho
asl4dle of aacb strip of water, the bubbles appear at interval s, wing 30 dcaCzwe
1Marter to the our, ace faster than air tanparaturs tax fteate ite
l MU"3s SOINS P;zODUXI t According to Warren Drawn, mast . r, tbs "etsm is used
on tba fast that water temperature 10 feat below thn aurraaes oi° ttte 1nIs tees
never Falls below 38 dagsroa. Ile pointeCl out that intermittent air bubbles
rizinc in the !false 'reap !soles caexasa in the ice, even when only two bnbbias a
e '! y are Prod+ue" *
tod by tbase two faafto plant hers devised a *"tea of pipalinas
to run compressed air along the 'bottor� of the Iae and ralea Se it at intirvala
unda:: the sill AW, The till ow -iach pip w#itba 2132 ivAb hole drilled
ovac-j 60 Zimet au1a W its 1' h* ?mot wisher Oey s d wvt atri,.e of ices in
Ovi i . e aml. dropped two test mnita, aacl► a tluwAaaod feat lot , through to tlu3
brattis, placing them about 60 fast Ito
Brown said the A r t npa.ration woo mar em wban t f isy turned air into
the test line about 5 o'clock. one ev, ning# "a saxt they found a atip
of opm Crater as t%cuss nd feet long and a hundred teat wL entirely free of
Lee, Temperatures as Uw as So below sero l.Fav *free failed to freese the
moon a -sa as long as etas air is workim -,
I
I
The wmxw row han a mile and a half oC pipalit-a xvlcr t1ma area containiW111
the will "ii lqj. A 200 cubic Coot wipr0000r drf.vun I-Ay m aleettle tv)tor supplLe-S
edr to the pipelLnes, and a *arias of valv-,* rmlmi it pwibla to dirmt the air
Into tali &_1, line or lima may be macled at any tkne,
TIMM. 711"ASN VY,',S: Frost In the logs also offae-ud a orobleu, rown said
uaw-t,2111 otwerators mwer bavu found a ux,,r to sAw 'frwlan logo wuceesgf'u1v!'. Caq-
puny t,3.its ahow%d that tise wat--,r wao mix-m oumkglh to draw frost out of iaxilxaerged
')ortiune *� th�,i IWu, but Ad not touch ttat Lit the piArt, A-ion JCi ,,,q gore
tunad over, tivqv pvowtly flipped backo To solve tLis probleaq the plant
imtallad a s1aim mW 4% floats, ara ! jApad. wfWwt into it IS uL11s
ptar syntimo
Tba rjW Ls 125 reoat lonz; arW 40 &sat 144e, 1 g o dra� , ...
Ar ,&' 1*,) : If ma 416
edgwi ►0, the opm w4ter or t1wmed by %wiiao, a raw wax.Awi of tiv-- air at.psta w.
r*vn iii s;jcc,_,s,4!.on throtCh V14a aloads tmki Vamw or ow 14mm to pwo throtoi
it. When they coin Out t1wy t-me emplately thawd out,
Prom tare on the ;III proceis is Utz a.m ,i« in awmr.
Fire Razes
Big Saw-mill
At McCall
Newspaper Plant
And Houses Are
Also Destroyed
McCALL (Special) — Fire
destroyed the sawmill of the
Brown Tie and Lumber Com-
pany and several other build-
ings here Tuesday evening
with a loss estimated between $50,-
000 and $75,000.
For a time it was feared gusty
wind would sweep the flames
through most of the town. Only
heroic work by volunteer firemen,
residents, Forest Service and CCC
crews saved a number of struct-
ures nearby.
Carl Brown, state senator and
Idaho Democratic national commit-
teeman, owner of the sawmill, is
in Chicago attending the national
Democratic convention.
Flames Spread Quickly
Leslie Ulmer, mill superintend-
ent, said the furnace under the
sawmill boiler backfired and
tossed sparks into dry sawdust.
The flames leaped up quickly and
spread like lightning along oil -
soaked timbers. In a few minutes
the entire sawmill was ablaze.
The flames, fanned by the
breeze, leaped across the road and
burned down the two -story build-
ing which housed the Payette
Lakes Star, weekly newspaper;
Ding's Place, a nearby poolhall,
and a nearby house.
Firemen Handicapped
For blocks around residents
quickly began moving from their
homes as the wind whipped the
flames and the heat became so
strong it scorched buildings a
block or two distant.
In its early stages, the fire de-
stroyed the city's firefighting hose,
handicapping the firemen. Resi-
dents brought out garden hoses,
four pumps were hurried from the
Forest Service and CCC crews sup-
plied aid in the war on the flames.
Huge sheets of plywood were,
carried as shields y Behind them
the men were able to approach
within close enough distance to
turn the hoses on the flames.
Workmen Escape
Many residents verged on the
hysterical, fearing for safety of the
ulen.. For a time it was believed
Fred Boergman had been lost.
Later it was determined all had es-
caped safely. Several suffered from
burns and other injuries received
in fighting the fire, however.
Power and telephone service
was disrupted.
The planer was saved from the
flames, as was the big lumber shed
although it was badly scorched.
Partially Insured
The sawmill was insured for
R third to a half of its value, Ul-
mer said, but loss above that
was declared to be "big." It was
declared impossible to set any ac-
curate estimate of the damage but
consensus was that it would be
"between $50,000 to $75,000."
The mill had been running with
two shifts of men and the fire put
108 employes out of work.
It was believed the mill would
be rebuilt and that some of the
108 men would receive work along
that line.
Boise Firm
Takes Over
BrownMill
Increased Use Seen
For Wood Products
At McCall Facility
McCALL — Warren Brown,
president of Brown's Tie and
Lumber Company, one of the
West's pioneer lumbering firms,
announced that Boise Cascade
Corporation assumed manage-
ment of the company's sawmill
at McCall Wednesday.
Brown's Tie and Lumber will
continue its logging operations
and supply logs for the McCall
sawmill. Boise Cascade will
purchase the timber from Brown
and will operate the sawmill
under a long -term lease.
"Our operation will have even
greater potential by joining
Boise Cascade," Brown said.
"Lumber companies today must
consider manufacturing more
from a tree than lumber alone
to fully utilize the log. Boise
Cascade, with it's diversified
forest products ranging from
lumber and plywood to fine
paper, can provide better use
for our timber."
George V. Hjort, vice presi.
dent of Boise Cascade, said,
"We are presently engaged in
the manufaucture of chips for
pulp, mouldings, a soil condi-
tioner made from tree bark,
laminated beams and plywood.
The Brown operation will com-
pliment our by- product and lum•
ber manufacture and result in
greater economic values from
the McCall area timber."
Mill Resumes Tuesday
The mill, located on the shore
of Payette Lake, shut down the
evening of June 30, and will
commence operation on July 7.
Hjort announced that the mill
manager will be Harry Cowger,
who formerly managed Boise
Cascade's mill at Council.
"We recognize the outstand•
mg performance of the manage-
ment of Brown's Tie and Lum•
her Company and the fine com-
munity relations they have cre-
ated," said Hjort. "We hope to
continue this fine example and
plan for a successful operation
over a long period of time."
Browns Came In 1904
The Brown family first came
to Idaho in 1904, drawn by min-
ing interests. Carl Brown, found-
er of the company, first carried
mail into remote mountain set-
tlements, c r o s s i n g 9,000 -foot
summits by dogsled, packhorse
or snowshoes. Eventually, he
entered the lumber business, a
tradition stemming from his
father and grandfather in New
England. A fire in 1940 leveled
the mill. The ashes were still
warm as the Browns immediate-
ly started work on a new mill
which was in operation a year
later.
In addition to the logging op.
erations, Brown's Tie will also
continue to operate its sawmill
at Riggins, Idaho.
��: R i k
S t o r y R e p r i n t e d F r o m I n t e r n a t i o n a l T r a i l s ,
N o v e m b e r , 1 9 5 5 , I n t e r n a t i o n a l H a r v e s t e r
C o m p a n y W i t h W o r l d W i d e D i s t r i b u t i o n .
I
I n t h e t r u e P a u l B u n y a n t r a d i t i o n
B r o w n T i e & L u m b e r C o m p a n y g o e s
a b o u t i t s l o d g i n g a n d m i l l i n g b u s i
n e s s i n a k i n g - s i z e w a y . F r o m g i a n t
d i e s e l t r a c t o r s t h a t r i v a l P a u l ' s
f a b l e d b l u e o x " B a b e " i n p u l l i n g
p o w e r , t o s p r a w l i n g ' P a y e t t e L a k e ,
w h i c h s e r v e s a s i t s l o g p o n d , t h e
B r o w n o p e r a t i o n i s - . h i g a n d b u s t -
l i n g .
W i t h m i l l f a c i l i t i e s a t M c C a l l ,
I d a h o , o n s c e n i c P a y e t t e L a k e , t h e
f i r m p r e s e n t l y i s r e a c h i n g o u t a s
f a r a s 5 0 m i l e s i n t o v i r g i n f o r e s t s t o
k e e p l u m b e r p r o d u c t i o n a t a n a v e r -
a g e - - N a t e o f 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 . b o a r d f e e t p e r
d a y . P i n e a n d f i r t i m b e r n o w b e i n g
c u t i s a n e s t i m a t e d 1 1 6 0 y e a r s o l d .
o w n e d a n d o p e r a t e d b y t h e f a t h -
e r a n d s o n t e a m o f C a r l E . a n d W a r
r e n H . B r o w n , t h e c o m p a n y r a n k s
a s a m a j o r f a c t o r i n I d a h o l u m b e r
p r o d u c t i o n .
D e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t t h e f o r e s t s
o f I d a h o c o n t a i n a n e s t i m a t e d 6 6
b i l l i o n b o a r d f e e t o f l u m b e r , t h e
B r o w n s a r e c u t t i n g o n a 3 0 - y e a r
c y c l e . T h i s m e a n s t h a t o n t h e f i r s t
c u t i n v i r g i n f o r e s t s , 4 0 p e r c e n t o f
t h e t r e e s a r e h a r v e s t e d . T h e n e x t
c u t t i n g w i l l b e d o n e i n 3 0 y e a r s ,
w h e n 2 0 p e r c e n t o f t h e t r e e s w i l l
b e t a k e n o u t . U n d e r t h i s s y s t e m o f
f o r e s t m a n a g e m e n t , B r o w n T i e &
L u m b e r i s p r o t e c t i n g t h e s e v i t a l
n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s f r o m e x p l o i t a t i o n
a n d d e p l e t i o n .
A c t u a l c u t t i n g a n d s a w i n g o f t i m -
b e r i s d i m i n i s h i n g i n t h e r o l e i t
p l a y s i n l u m b e r i n g b u s i n e s s t h e s e
d a y s . O p e r a t o r s l i k e t h e B r o w n s
a r e a l s o e n g a g e d i n s u c h r e l a t e d
a c t i v i t i e s a s r o a d b u i l d i n g t o h a u l
t i m b e r f r o m f o r e s t t o m i l l . A n d
t h e y w o r k c l o s e l y w i t h t h e U . S .
F o r e s t S e r v i c e i n r e f o r e s t a t i o n p r o
g r a m s a n d i n c o m b a t t i n g d i s e a s e
a n d i n s e c t p r o b l e m s .
T y p i f y i n g t h i s n e w e r a o f l u m b -
e r i n g , t h e B r o w n s m a k e m a x i m u m
u s e o f m o d e r n e q u i p m e n t , b o t h i n
t h e f i e l d a n d a t t h e m i l l . T h e i r
f l e e t o f a l I n t e r n a t i o n a l t r u c k s , f o r
e x a m p l e , r a n g i n g f r o m p i c k u p s t o
g i a n t W e s t C o a s t d i e s e l m o d e l s , i s
g e a r e d t o m e e t t h e s e v e r e s t h a u l i n g
n e e d s .
vo 17
Using double -width logging bunks,
mounted on tandem -axle gear, the
Browns have increased the capacity
of their fleet appreciably. In many
cases, ' ibundles" of timber must be
transferred to single -width 'bunks
to meet road requirements, but
again machanization makes short
work of the transfer operation.
Axiomatically, ' what goes up,
must come down. And herein lies
another problem for the Browns.
Their heavily- loaded rigs must not
only climb steep grades, they have
to negotiate the declines too. Even
with engines in gear, drivers have
to keep .a stream of water playing
on their truck brake drums to keep
them from burning up under sus-
tained use.
Upon arrival at the mill, the logs
are dumped into Payette Lake,
which serves as one of the largest
millponds in the world. At this
Point more Brown ingenuity takes
over. For storage, sa the mill can
operate through the winter months
when cutting is impossible, logs are
rebundled and sunk in the lake. Be
cause pine turns blue when expos-
ed to air after being water - logged
these bundles are completley sub-
merged. Other woods not affected
this way are kept on top as weights.
To keep the lake from freezing
and imprisoning the bundled logs,
Warren Brown has developed a
method of pumping air into the
water. This keeps the surface ice -
free and permits removal of the
bundles at any time of the year.
The Browns also have devised a
"steam room" where logs are thaw-
ed prior to entering the mill. This
consists of a canvas hood placed
over a section of the lake into
which steam from the mill is piped.
Once in the mill, logs are double -
cut on a .band saw with teeth on
both edges, kiln -dried and finished.
Finished lumber is stacked by hand
to prevent damage.
The Brown lumber story dates
back to ,1+914 when Carl 'bought an
interest in the then small mill at
McCall. That year the mill lost
$1,700 when a :builder paid only half
of an agreed upon price for a sup-
ply of lumber. The next year, how-
ever, business flourished, due main-
ly to a contract for railroad ties.
In +1919 Brown Tie & Lumber
forged ahead of its competition
when it delivered an order of ties
at quoted prices while other sup-
pliers increased their rates because
of a sharp rise in lumber prices.
Men of integrity as well as ability,
the Browns weathered the crisis in
1940, when their mill ,burned to the
ground. On a personal note, they
received a bank loan of x` ORW to
Irebuild the mill —truly a tribute to
their .business stature.
The Payette Lakes area of central Idaho is known as a
year 'round vacationland, with abundant game and fish
in and around its 132 lakes and 169 streams. But it's
also the scene of one of the state's largest and most
enterprising lumber operations dedicated to supplying
the nation's ever increasing need for wood products.
Carl E. and Warren H. Brown comprise father -son team
guiding modern lumber operation bearing their name.
As logs enter mill, they are thoroughly cleansed to
prevent foreign matter from dulling theeth of saw.
Log on giant carriage is cut double -edge bandsaw.
Andy Echevarria, Off Bearer
Bunk is loaded on big International West Coast model.
Carl Brown Predicts 'Expansion
Of Pa y ette , 'Lakes Area Lumbering
By Britt Nedry
"Because of the sensible policy of
sustained yield and perpetual grow-
th in our forests, the lumbering in-
dustry in the Payette Lakes area
will increase rather than diminish,
as has happened in so many re-
gions"— so spoke Carl E. Brown,
pioneer lumberman and founder of
Brown's Tie & Lumber company,
with headquarters at McCall, in an
interview at the Star office Satur-
day. Mr. Brown pointed to the vast
stands of timber in the Payette.Na-
tional Forest and based his confi-
dence upon the modern practice of
forest conservation, harvesting the
ripe timber and restoring the cut
areas.
"The sawmill operations, the logg
Ing industry and allied work repre-
sent an annual payroll of at least
one million dollars annually and, in
addition, we have the headquarters
of the Payette National Forest here,
which is probably another one -half
million dollar payroll —the forestry
and lumbering economy is a tremen
dour. year roused asset to this area,"
the venerable lumberman stated.
FYom New England To Idaho
The Brown family had its roots
in Whitefield, N. H., where Carl was
born in I.M. He and Ida Herring-
ton were married in 1902 and came
to Idaho in 1906. The Brown's had
four children —Mrs. Stan Harwood,
McCall; Warren Brown, McCall;
Mrs. Tuck Beyerle, Boise; Mrs. Ho-
mer Davis, Nampa; and 10 grand-
children.
In the early days in Idaho, lbarl
tried mining and then got the mail;
contract from Warrens to Big Creek
—two days in and two days cut. Ile
came to McCall in July, 1910, and
carried the avail to Warrens. Then,
with Theodore Hoff, a sawmill and
flour mill was established and
Brown bought the interest of Bert
Bills.
Times were hard, Brown reflect-
ed, and at times the mail contract
kept the family in food until they
got the tie contract for the railroad.
In 11929, he "bought out" Mr. Hoff
for $40,000, as the business had ex-
panded to include a planing mill,
land and box factory- at Horseshoe
Bend.
In ;1930, Carl had a big tie con-
tract, but by 19012'the general bus-
iness conditions (depression) made
tough going at the mill. 'However,
In I= a government contract- for
the lumber in constructing CCC
camps made things better and since
then the business has steadily in-
creased. A fire,. July :16;:1940, de-
stroyed the. plant, but it`was rebuilt
under the direction of Joe Kasper,
head millwright, with ample facil-
ities for the tie and lumber sawing
operations.
"The people of Valley County
and Idaho have been very kind to
me," Mr. Brown observed, "and I
have been able to obtain credit at
the bank when I needed it. To
build up a large business during
good times and bad requires co -op-
eration and patience from all con-
cerned:'
Served As Democratic Senator
Carl Brown was elected to the
Idaho Senate in 19W, and he serv-
ed five terms in the Legislature as
Senator from Valley County. He
was also Democratic National Com
mitteeman from Idaho in 1940- 1944.
Mr. Brown explained that in the
19" convention at Philadelphia lie
favored Truman, for Vice- President,
as he didn't like Henry Wallace's
"socialistic" ideas. In 19M, he left
the Democratic Party to support
CARL R. BROWN
Lumberman And Civic Worker
Eisenhower and, he declares, he will
oppose any further extension of
Federal power, as announced by
Adlai Stevenson and others who
have recently spoken for his form
er party.
Civic Responsibilities Taken
An outstanding event which re-
flects the integrity of Carl E. Brown
in civic matters was his insistence
that the extensive mill property be
included within the V111zge of .dc-
Call. "Business should pay its share
of municipal taxes and contribute to
civic progress like anyone else," he
declared emphatically-
The 77 year old veteran business-
man and philosephor , now spends
his winters in Arizona and returns
to the beautiful Payette Lakes for
the summer. His son,
Brown, is manager of the mill oiler
ations and his grandson, Frank i
Brown (who was valedictorian of
his class this year) is learning the
lumber business from the woods up,
so as to take his responsibilities in
the business as the years develop.
However, the forward looking patri-
arch asserts with confidence that
the production of the Brown Tie
& Lumber company will be increas-
ed by 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 feet per
year over the 214,000,000 ft. cut now
maintained.
We Could call this narrative'
Brown Story " ---a. typ ical
of good American fortitude and
energy, combined with fair dealing'
and sound business principles. Carl
repeatedly pays tribute to his co-
workers and is wife and
andmily;
he says people
siderate. Yes, that's true, because
people who live by the Golden Rule
receive from ,others the measure of
good will which they give.
Carl Elliott Brown
19�x
Carl E. Brown, 84, prominent McCall lumberman and civic ieaaer
died in the McCall Memorial oHspital Tuesday after an' extended
illness. Funeral arrangements will` be 'handled by the Walker
Chapel in McCall. Details of the services were not available Wed-
nesday afternoon.
Carl Elliott Brown was born in
Whitefield, N, H.,;. September. 10,
1878, the. third child of Warren
Goodhue and Charlotte... Elliott
Brown. Whitefield lies in timber.
ed. country, and for two genera-
tions the Browns had engaged in
lumbering on . a large scale. From
childhood Carl Brown was fam-
iliar with the woods, with lumber-
ing, and with beautiful mountain i
country that.. ..could get very cold
in winter.
He was educated in the local
schools and at New Hampton In
stitute.
On August 28, 1902, he was mar-,
ried to Ida Louise Harrington; and
a few months later they' made a
trip West with his parents. His
father had put some money into.
the Independence mine, • 75 miles,
high in the mountains northeast;
of McCall, Idaho, a spot he had
never seen, and subsequently Carl
returned to see to these interests..
Joined by his. wife, he tried a
business. venture in Nampa,:, 'but
with the financial panic of 1907
.he returned to the mining area.
in 1908 he ..bought `. the. ;Shieffer
ranch on the South Fork of the
Salmon river, and using this as: a
(base carried , the United States
mail under contract from Warren
to Edwardsburg, now Big Creek.
This meant crossing winter sum-
mits up to 8000 feet, with snow
too deep even-for horses on snow-
shoes. It meant dog sleds. His
determination to get the mail
through under any circumstances
and to pay every obligation to the
last penny marked him unforgett-
ably in people's minds.
In 1910 he moved his family to
McCall., again carried 'mail and
freight into the country. In 1915
he bought into the McCall lumber
mill owned by Theodore. Hoff. 'At
last he was in the lumber busi-
ness, where'he had' always longed
r c76 �z.
to be.
This partnership continued un
til 1929, .through wars; through
prosperity, and through the deve-
lopment of McCall from frontier
type town into a thriving little;
resort city. The railroad had;xome, I
schools, churches, businesses had
been founded, and , the Payette'
Lakes Inn had been built.
The Browns were tireless work -
ers for anything that was good for
the community. They gave not
I just - money; +they gave themselves.
Buying out his partner and go
ing on his own at the time of the
stock market crash in 1929 again
required courage and .foresight,
and again Brown's reputation for
complete honesty and industry
made bankers willing to trust him.
Through the depression the mill
continued to keep running, ane . of
the few "small" mills in the
Northwest that did; and its pay-
roll stabilized the town. In 1940,
with World War 11 begun in
Europe, .. the mill burned.. But
again Brown's word was so good
with .his .bankers that he was able
t to borrow and rebuild immediate
ly. Brown's Tie and Lumber mill
and operations emerged bigge"
and more complete.
To Carl and . Ida Brown were
born four children, Elizabeth (Har-
wood) of McCall- Warren H., man-
ages of the company since 1946;
Dorothy (Beyerle) of Boise, and
Margaret (Davis( of Nampa. There
are 12 grand- children and three I
great granchildren.
Carl Brown was a charter' mem-
ber of the Elks - lodge in McCall,
a Mason, a Rotarian. He always
attended and warmly supported
the McCall Community (Congrega-
tional) church. The story of his
life; The King's Pines was pub-
lished in 1901.
by Grace E. Jordan
The opinions expressed below are those of the undersipnod.
Red Mull reflections
A lot of snow has fallen, and melted, since my
wife Corki and I decided the old mill buildings in
McCall were worth saving. Since last August, we
have Stretched our ability and luck to the
maximum.
It all started on the rear deck of the Log Jam.
The back buildings of the mill were being
disassembled. The mill, sawdust storage, shop,
and several small structures were slated to go
after the mill closing. Corki goaded me into
thinking of a way to make it economically feasible
to save the old landmarks.
After estimating the probable purchase price, I
decided condos would be the only use of the land
not needed for the mill utilization. It was a good
location for housing. All services were available.
The site is close to downtown -- walkable in fact.
Condos could add to the purchasing power in
McCall and pay substantial property taxes. They
require minimum services and schools.
Corki and I have visited more shopping centers
in our country than any other couple I know. For
example, two years ago I got a trip to San Diego to
make a few remarks. She scheduled the trip so we
saw five shopping centers. I think we have seen
every shopping center in recycled buildings in the
west and several in the east.
The old sawmill, with some equipment left,
offered an excellent possibility for a shopping
center. It had an interesting exterior. Inside there
were three floors. Each floor had several levels.
The structure was an assemblage of immense
wood beams. The site is adjacent to the McCall
downtown.
Adjacent to the mill building were three sets of
boilers. Their room is two - story. Floors are
metal. What an area for a restaurant!
Beside the boiler room is the smaller room that
housed the Corliss engine. We had never heard of
a Corliss -- now we're experts. Even checked
them out at the Smithsonian in D.C. Can't you
imagine the conversation (and lies) in the Corliss
Bar?
On the north, facing the beach, is an enigma.
The sawdust storage is a two by six -foot
laminated bin wKth flying buttresses. Inside it is
31 by 95 feet, and two and one -half stories high.
First it was planned for the core of a small hotel.
When this was objectionable to the neighbors, we
looked for another use.
With exterior insulation, a floor, and glarnoro1as
hanging lamps, the community would have a
banquet meeting room. Too often there is a slip
between the cup and lip, but efforts should be
made to utilize this strange building as the
"Sawdust Room."
So, with those hopes and some investors who
love McCall, we made an offer to Boise Cascade.
The offer was accepted. Idaho First National
showed its faith in McCall by offering a purchase
mortgage. A condition of both IFNB and BC was
to comply with the zoning requirements of
McCall. I believe the offer was accepted because
it offered the most for McCall, not necessarily for
Boise Cascade.
During the planning and zoning hearing,
objections to growth were voiced by several,
including Jerry Dixon and Ed Elliott. We never
responded to either; we agreed with them.
McCall shouldn't be turned into a tourist Mecca
for eating and drinking. We hoped to avoid garish
commercialism by making Red Mill a family
resort for Idahoans.
Boise Cascade offered to leave items of equip-
ment we would select. With the items and pictures
by The Star -News, a story of the original function
of the mill can be preserved.
Warren Brown contributed the first mechanical
loader (jammer) in Idaho. It will be prominently
displayed.
As the farmer I grew up with at Ustick used to
say, "Talkin' is over - -it's time for doin'."
Condos will start this spring. I'd guess it will
take five or six years to complete the 220 allowed.
We will strive for affordable quality.
The Mill and Sawdust Room can't start until
1979. Sewer must be adequate first. When the old
buildings are tied to the downtown by walking, it
will be time to develop.
To ensure the preservation of the mill building,
Corki and I have applied for federal historical
designation and inclusion of the mill building on
the National Register. This gives a financial
benefit via rapid depreciation. ii 'tine exterior of
the building is changed, the benefits are lost.
Nothing like grabbing a person's wallet to direct
their action! The historic designation is expected
shortly, and will preserve the mill.
And so, as directors of the Red Mill partnership
in McCall, Corki and I invite McCallites to help us
do what is in character and most beneficial for
McCall.
Bill Onweiler
Last load of logs dropped
off at the McCall mill
The McCall sawmill's furnace is still
roaring, with sawdust and lumber chips
feeding the smoke stacks area resi-
dents see each weekday.
And, while the giant logs are
continuing to float in Payette Lake,
some residents still find it hard to
believe Boise - Cascade has written the
mill's obituary -- scheduled to be
printed around Nova 1.
"I guess this is it for here," said Jim
Hartley, who drove the second to the
last log truck from a job located near
Warren Summit. "I don't think it's
worth a darn, myself. I think they are
going to be sorry this mill's gone."
Hartley, a 44- year -old from New
Meadows, arrived at the mill last
Friday evening approximately 10
minutes before the last truck, driven by
Gene McCormick of McCall.
Boise - Cascade has remained silent
on exactly what will replace the much -
photographed and painted mill, but the
rumors include motels, two condomin-
ium complexes and golf course, a
tavern and casino, and city park.
The approximately 40 men now work-
ing at the mill (down from 100 last
September) have been promised jobs
by Boise - Cascade, but unless they are
relocated to the Cascade mill, some
men may choose to seek other jobs in
the area.
Ernie Burgess of McCall is one person
who has planned for the future. The
crane operator who unloaded the last
truckload of logs at the mill, Burgess
purchased the bowling alley in McCall
last year and intends to spend much of
his time away from the mill running it.
THE STAR - NEWS — THURSDAY— AUGUST 4, 1977
Logs on their way up from the lake and into
the debarker. Mill is due to close end of October.
r t" - /,/(" MIS - IV y/ 1-7
9o't Gf ri
r
The last truckful of logs, and driver Gene McCormick.
photos by Tim Nwos"i
Sawmill in McCall may get new lease on Ilte trom developers
Development plan forces
McCall to assess future
By ROD GRAMER
The Idaho Statesman
McCALL — Paintings of McCall's
red sawmill sold in record : numbers
when Boise Cascade closed down the
38 -year -old structure last year and
residents wanted to pay their last re-
spects to it by dedicating the town's
winter carnival to the therpe of Re-
flections of the Mill.
But as the winter carnival moved
into full -swing last February it be-
came clear the epitaphs might have
been premature.
A coalition of unknown developers
headed by former state legislator Bill
Onweiler of Boise proposed to give
the red mill a new lease on life. On-
weiler's group suggested renovating
the mill and converting it into a
50,000 - square -foot shopping mall.
His plan included 250 condo-
miniums on the mill site and the con-
version of a sawdust storage area into
a small hotel. Responding to criticism
from the residents and city officials,
Onweiler scaled down his proposal to
include 220 condominiums and he
eliminated the hotel. <
The proposal, which has drawn
both scorn and praise, is before the
McCall. Planning and Zoning Com-
mission. The commission is expected
to make a recommendation to the
City Council on the development
Tuesday.
Onweiler and h;s associates have
been given an option on the land and
mill by Boise Cascade. That option
expires April L
Onweiler estimates it will cost
about $20 million to purchase the
land and develop the project over a
six -year period.
The Red Mill project has become
the symbol of what many McCall
residents fear most — growth. For
these people, it is not so much On-
weiler's proposal they oppose, al-
though there are certain things they
don't like about it, but the threat
that this former mill town might be
turned into the "Tahoe of the north."
"What we have in this state and in
McCall specifically are things money
can't buy," said Ed Elliott, an oppo-
nent of Onweiler's project and a no-
growth advocate who admits no-
growth is impossible. '
"If you ask most people why they
live here, they will say, `I like the
quiet, the clean air and the scenery.'
Motor boats, snowmobiles and fouX-
wheel -drive vehicles are a contradic-
tion to that," Elliott said.
McCall's full-time population' has
increased from 1,758 in'.1970 to 2,166
in 1976. "It is general"greed those
figures are low," one city official said.
"It's anyone's guess how large it is
growing.'
In addition to oiiweiler's project,
there is a 500 -unit residential devel-
opment proposed just northwest of
McCall called Little Big Horn. An-
other 20 -unit condominium project is
proposed for the west side of the lake,
Q�P 411 G� �Pa f �s
Sawmill-== �- ___________
"That is enough to blow the town
out;" city, planning technician Tom
Zachary said.'"
Just south of McCall and outside
the city's jurisdiction, hundreds of
acres are'bear►g subdivided for recrea-
tional homes.-Signs dot the roadside
along Idaho 55 from south of Cascade
to McCall, advertising similar de-
velopments.
"The thing that makes McCall
grow is how fast you are growing in
Treasure- Valley," said former state
Sen. Warren Brown, who used to own
the sawmill:,, "All those people need a
place to play. This is an easy place to
go "
And developers are ready to ac-
commodate',the exploding number of
recreationists. - "The developers are
moving five times faster than any
planning and zoning commission can
move," Zachary said.
McCall is,,, attempting to get a
handle on - the, growth. It is conduct-
ing a study on the number of subdivi-
sions approved over the last 10 years
in McCall's area of impact. The city
wants to find out how many residen-
tiat lots hav® been improved and how
many belong'to out-of -town owners.
The preliminary results of the
study indicate there is a surplus of
residential dots in the McCall area,
Zachary said..,
One problem is McCall has never
had a full -time planner, said Zachary,
who is just a.planning technician and
not educated as a planner. "Essen-
tially, there xs�;20 years worth of work
to catch up oni" he said.
McCall does have a comprehensive
plan and that is what opponents of
Onweilees development are using to
combat the Red Mill project.
Boise attorney Dick Greener is
representiq,' homeowner who lives
adjacent . -t., the mill. property.
Greener says -the comprehensive plan
calls for eights; units per acre on that
particular -site and . Onweiler's pro -
posal provides for about double that.
The eotnprehensive plan also calls
for the development to be compatible
with the surrounding area, Greener
said. He 'saitr-the adjacent develop -
ment is mostly single - family residen-
tial.
Onweilot also been criticized
for not being_Froperly prepared. He
didn't adequately plan for parking
and snow :iaginoval in his original
plan, argues Maurice Hornocker,
who owns a7some near the mill.
"A devWanent like that needs
thought ;4d: planning," Hornocker
said. "I'm sure if you ask Mr. Onweil-
er, he'll say he is going to do it prop-
erly. But we haven't seen any evi-
dence of that."
Jerry Dixon, who owns a small
cabin across the lake from Onweiler's
proposed development, said "damn
right I'd take no-growth." But he
added that no-growth is not practi-
cal.
Dixon opposes Onweiler's project
largely because he has been waiting
for a sewer system six years and On-
weiler's condominiums could be sew -
ered this summer if they are ap-
proved.
But Dixon is like many other Mc-
Call residents who have decided if
there must be development, Onweiler
is the kind of developer they want.
"A lot of other people take less heed
of what the people want than Bill
Onweiler," he said. Onweiler went to
Dixon's cabin and spent more than
an hour explaining the project.
"That ( Onweiler developing it)
puts a better aspect on it than if out -
of- staters developed it," McCall
Mayor Bill Evans said. "An Idahoan
might have more regard for his fellow
Idahoan than an out -of- stater."
Onweiler says there are 10 people
in the group and all are Idahoans
with residences within 107 miles of
McCall
Part of the reason Onweiler is gain-
ing support or receiving lukewarm
opposition is because of his record on
environmental issues. " Onweiler was
the spearhead for land -use planning.
He was one of the best legislators we
had," Dixon said.
Others, however, still cannot see
why Bill Onweiler would be lining up
with other developers.
"The preservation of the building
is token," Elliott said. "To me this
wasn't the preservation df a building,
but the saturation of the area with
300 condominiums. If that is an envi-
ronmentalist, I don't understand the
word very well," he said.
But Mike Parfit, publisher of Me-
Call's Star -News, believes Onweiler's
proposal is the soundest of the seven
or eight submitted to Boise Cascade.
Onweiler's plan is to save the mill,
while the rest of the plans are not
aimed at that goal, he said.
Parfit said it is inevitable that Mc-
Call will become a resort town. The
only question remaining is what kind
of resort town it becomes, he said. "If
all we are is food and housing for a
horde of tourists that would be too
bad," he said.
THE GRYPHON
March 1946
SAWMILL in a SCENIC SETTING
This offshore view shows the main mill of
Brown's Tie and LUmber Company at Lake
Payette, Idaho. Nestling near the water's
edge, its reflections seem to take root in the
depths of the lake.
Brown's Logging Operations
EARLY METHODS
As recently as eight years
ago, horses were used to skid
logs. In this picture, taken
about 1938, Carl Brown (hat
in hand) can been seen near
the handsome pair of horses
at the left.
MOVING LOGS BY
MODERN METHODS
One of a fleet of trucks used
by Brown's Tie and Lumber
Company. Carl Brown (right)
general manager, and his son
Warren, logging superinten-
dent, converse while the load-
ed truck stands.
FLAMES WHIPPED by a stiff breeze Friday roar through a dry kiln at Brown's Tie a
Lumber company in McCall, causing an estimated $50,000 to $60,000 damage, Firem
battled the blaze for more than an hour and kept it from spreading to the company's near
lumber mill and other buildings. _
$50,000 Blaze Destroys Kiln
At Lumber Firm in McCall
McCAI.L R —Fire destroyed from spreading to the firm's
la dry kiln at Brown's Tie and sawmill, about 100 feet away.
Lumber company here Friday, An undetermined amount of
causing damage estimated by lumber stacked inside of the
office manager P. J. Hayes at kiln and between the mill and
between $50,000 and $60,000. the kiln was destroyed.
Firemen and a wind blowing Hayes said the loss was par-
( off Payette lake kept the flames tially covered by insurance. He
saiu it has not been decided
Whether to rebuild the kiln,
which was built in 1942. The
lcompany has two other dry
kilns built more recently.
I Cause of the fire was not im-
mediately determined. Noting
that there were motor driven
fans in the kiln, Hayes said: "It
could have come from a burned
out bearing or from wiring or
something."
The blaze broke out at 10:30
a. m. Units of the McCall Fire
'department and the Southern
Idaho Timber Protective asso-
ciation assisted the company's
own fire protection crews in get.
ting it under control around
noon. '
The northeast wind died down
about 11 a. m. Hayes said the
wind helped protect the other
buildings by blowing the flames
,away from them.
1:(2,c �4 , cc, L LZ �� S/ a- r,-
/S'- / r S ?
LOCAL WOODLAND OWNERS PRACTICE FOREST
IMPROVEMENT; WARREN BROWN CITED AS LEADER
Increased interest in proper
management of their timberland
has been shown by a number o
Valley Co. woodland owners dur-
ing the past winter and spring, ac-
cording to a report by the county
A.SC office.
One of the first persons to do
any improvement measures was
Warren Brown, president of Brown
Tie and Lumber Company. Several
different winters Mr. Brown has
employed a number of his wood's
crew to prune and thin the young
second growth Ponderosa Pine
stands belonging to his company.
Last winter the Federal govern-
went through it's Agriculture
Conservation Program gave mone-
tary assistance to seven woodland
owners in Valley County. This cost
sharing program recognizes the
need for better conservation of the
farm, range, and timber -lands of
the nation. Since timber is consid-
ered a crop, such conservation -wise
practices as pruning and thinning
in young second growth Ponder-
osa Pine stands is one of the ac-
cepted A. C. P. forestry practices
in Valley County.
Office manager, Jack Kangas of
Donnelly reports that $720 was
paid to seven woodland owners
s There were a total of 2,024 young
f Ponderosa Pine pruned (34,38
linear feet). Heavy thinnings were
done on 7.5 acres, and light thinn-
ings on 9.3 acres.
Tom Jones, who lives five mile
southeast of Cascade did the most
work of any of the woodland own-
ers with 7 acres of heavy thinning
and 398 young Ponderosa Pine pru-
ned (6,648 linear feet) .
The next in line was Gordon
Afar-Gregor, who had some 1,153
Ponderosa Pine pruned (19,984 lin-
ear feet) on his woodlot south of
his Carbarton ranch.
Oscar Erickson, Donnelly, ac-
complished some 4.8 acres of light
thinning and .5 acres of heavy
thinning. Oscar did 2.8 acres of
light thinning in 1957.
Small prunings and thinnings
were done by Cliff Olson, who lives
some five miles south of Cascade;
Harold and Paul Beal of High Val-
ley and Clarence Harwell, Cascade
and Art Hubbard of McCall prun-
ed 102 trees under this ACP prac-
tice.
"True, this $720 is only a small
percent of the money paid for con-
servation practices on the farms
of - Valley county," says Kangas,
"but more and more woodland
4 owners are showing an interest in
the pruning and thinning practices
and I look for a greatly accellerat-
ed participation this winter"
s Technical assistance for the A-
CP forestry practices is by Assist-
ant State Forester Edward W.
Smith, IIIt of Boise, who heads up
the State forestry department's
Farm Forestry program through-
out Idaho.,
Smith explained that in no
sense of the imagination could
pruning and thinning be consider-
ed the sole cure -ail for young sec-
ond growth timberlands. Actually,
in Valley County there are logged
over lands that still have consid-
erable volume of high risk, over -
mature timber that should be log -
ged to make room for new growing
stock. Possible the greatest prob-
lem rof the local woodlot owners
lies with the dense pole size lodge -
pole pine and mixed stands. Many
of these stands need to be thinned,
but the development of markets
for these thinned products is the
key to answering this problem. In
the proper management of our
woodlots the problems are varied
and are many. Only a few have
been mentioned. The State Forest-
ry Department is responsible for
giving technical forestry assistance
to the small woodland owner and
to the small sawmili operator in
Southwestern Idaho.
l �
Construction Started On Brown
Lumber Company Office Buildings
Construction has 'begun at Me-
,Call. on an office . building de-
signed to display modern uses of
wood and wood products. The new
structure, started last week, will
house the offices of Brown Tie
and Lumber Company. It is be-
ing ibuilt on the lake shore just
south of the company's mill.
Three Buildings
Actually the new offices will
The three buildings connected by
enclosed hallways and will - pro-
wide 3,700 square feet of space.
The central building will gener-
i ally be circular in shape, forming
j a twelve pointed star pattern. It
will house the waiting and dis-
play rooms of the company and.
will be a split level building.
The other two buildings will be
one story structures and will con-
: stitute the office area of the com-
pany.
The roof of the center building
will be supported by curved lami-
nated beams. Open beam ceilings
will be used in all of the build -
ings.
j Butterfly Roofs
Each of the buildings will have
"butterfly" roof construction,
draining to the center of We roof
area, and through the !building for
j run off, the object being to avoid
the problems of roof drip and
jfreezing occuring with conven-
tional construction.
Electric Heating
l Heating will be by electric
panels.
Floors and foundation will be
of concrete. The interiors will be
natural,. select, larch 'wood Panel-
ing, and the exterior will be
rough !board and batten siding,
stone and glass.
The structures have been 'de-
signed by Frank Brown, McCall.
FIRE DESTROYS MILL - • Thils building Saturday morning. The i to unfreeze some pipes. Damage
ttillwas left of the Lake Fork fire was started when workmen was estimated at $100,000,
ill after fire swept through the were attempting to use a torch Photo CouVes of Statesman
�
Tire Burns Lakefork Milli
Damage Set At $100YO00
W nrren Brown, awne7r of the
Lake Fork mill which burned
Saturday morning with an esti-
mated loss of $100,000, said Mon-
day that plans for rebuilding the
mill were indefinite.
Brown said the loss of the Lake
Fork structure, which had been
operating for 20 years and which
had a capacity of 50,000 board
feet of lumber in a day, would
not affect the operation of the
mill in McCall. He said the wood
which had been coming from the
mill at Lake Fork was being sold
as green lumber recently. Before
that, it had been going to re -saw
at the McCall plant.
According to Brown, the fire
started when workmen attempted
to use a torch to thaw some frozen
water pipes near the roof of the
building. Sparks flew and the fire
was underway. In an hour, the
mill was destroyed despite the
efforts to halt the blaze,
When the fire broke out, the
16 millworkers who were on the
job tried to put it out, but could
not halt the flames. After their
attempts proved futile, Art Rob -
erts fire warden for the Southern
Idaho Timber Protective Associ-
ation, rushed his tanker to the
scene, but it was to no effect.
Mill Construction
Io Start Sept.1
(Special to The Statesman)
MCCALL Constructlon of the
Brown Tie and Lumber Co. mill
will start about Sept. 1. The new
mill will be larger and more mod-
ern than the mill that burned and
will be built on a new site, the
baseball diamond, just this side of
Newcomb's Camp.
Joe Kasper, millwright, Ieft Fri-
day for Spirit Lake to begin re-
moving machinery from the mill
of the Panhandle Lumber Co. He
'was followed Saturday by Warren
'Brown with a fleet of seven trucks.
The fleet will make several trips
bringing machinery from Spirit'
Lake to McCall.
The temporary planer and saw-
mill being set up on the present
site wiII be in operation next week.
No men will be needed beyond the
regular crew.
Vhen McCall Sawmill Went U In p Flames
—Photo by Claude M. Bruce
This graphic shot of Tuesday's fire at McCall shows a section of the Brown Tie and
Lumber Company sawmill burning. Flames here have enveloped the planer shed at the
left. Buildings adjoining the structure at right also were destroyed. The .fire for a time 1
threatened to wipe out the entire business district. Estimates Wednesday placed the total
damage at approximately $100,000 only a part of which was covered by insurance.
/ f f Tod %/
k ,
Orchids Fine Rut Fuchias, Gloxinias Fine In sawmill's Main File Room
By Betty Mohne
11940. After the new mill was con-
I can't begin to remember all he �
"When I came to McCall in ! strutted came the beginning of the
showed me, but will try to write
1926," stated Ernie Watkins, "the growth of McCall."
down a few highlights ... but be-
one thing that fascinated me the "What did you do when you first
fore we go a step further, I want
most was a huge pine tree that
came to McCall, Mr. Watkins ?"
to share with you his window box
stood right in the middle of the
"I started working for Carl
of flowers. They were a pretty
road, where Stockwells parking
Brown in 1926 and have been work-
startling thing to see admist all
lot is now. People went around it
ing for him ever since. At that
the lumber, noise, sawdust and
whether on foot, horseback or in
time it was a little circular mill,
machinery.
a car. It was really a landmark.
cutting from 5 to 6 million feet,
"How did you ever get a flower
Finally though, it was cut down as
compared against today's 35 mil-
garden growing in this long win -
they were afraid with all the cars
lion. At first though I started out
dew box ?"
coming to McCall, someone might
at a mill at Horse Shoe Bend."
He laughted jovially. "Well, I'll
run in to it. I've often thought of I
"Logging in those days," he con-
tell you, it seemed to me the win -
that big 'ol pine and sure felt badly
tinued, "was done by horses. Mr.
ter months do drag and I began to
when it was cut down."
Brown had some of the most
long to see something green and
"What else was McCall like in
beautiful horses in the state of
flowers in bloom. So, twelve years
the 19201s, Mr. Watkins ?" I asked. l Idaho. The big, draft horses pulled
ago I started experimenting with
"Well, everyone knows it was the logs to the planer and away
flowers in this window box. I've
just a village with board walks. from them. Lumber was piled and
Where Ted Harwood's store is, and !handled by man power ... a far cry
been at it ever since."
As he was talking, he broke off
the TV shop is now, was Walt's
from today."
a lovely, fragrant gardenia and
Hamburger stand. Suppose a lot of
"What are some of the improve-
gave it to me.
'ol timers will remember that dur.
ments in the lumber business ?"
"I've got planted Fuchsias, Poin-
ing the prohibition days. There was
"Speed would head the list.
settas, Gardenias, Hydrangeas, and
a hotel where Stockwell's is, call-
Then, they have come up with
Gloxinias, in all their colors. I have
ed Brundage Hotel. At that time
better drying and grading methods
six orchids that friends have given
it had the fanciest restaurant in
and a better way of packaging and
me, but they aren't growing as well
town."
trimming the lumber. Now a -days,
as I'd hoped ... can't seem to get
"Was McCall a resort town even
even the ends can be waxed as a
the right humidity."
then ?" I questioned.
preventive against cracking. Too,
As I said before it was a start -
"As late as 1928 the summer
years ago lumber markets had to
ling thing to see, in this rough,
homes ended at Ontario Beach and
take what was sent, and then do
boarded room such a window box
there were only three homes in
their own cutting, while now, they
of color.
Wagon Wheel Bay and one summer
are cut to length as the lumber,
"I don't know if you know any
home at Sylvan Beach. From there
yards order them. Lots of mills dip
thing about orchids," he confided,
on, there wasn't another home all
!the lumber for cracks and checks."
"but beautiful as they are, they are
the way around the lake until you
I He asked me if 1 had everbeen
nothing but parasites living off any
came to Lakeview Village, with the
Camp
I through a lumber mill and when I
"no ",
i other growing thing, such as moss,
trees or any -
exception of Newcombs'
shook my head he made an
or in the crotch of
No. 2, which was a camp of tents. exciting statement. "Well, I'll just'
where it is damp. Now over here
I feel that McCall's changes began ' take you on a personal tour,!
is the Shamrock which comes from
when the old mill burned down in through this one!"
Hawaii and that tiny little midget
rose, small as it is, has a patent."
Idaho. i
I then asked him where he got
In 1917 he joined the navy and
his plants. He told me that friends
served with the submarine division
gave him slips from plants that he
for two years. Through the navy
fancied and that he used, R. H.
he was 'sent to the University of
Shumway Seedsman catalog.
Washington for one year of meth -
Most of our conversation after
anical engineering. When released
this was yelled, for as we moved
from the navy he continued the
through the mill we were speaking
course at Angola, Indiana.
mostly above the whine of saws
Mrs. Watkins was born in Spring -
and the noise of a mill in action.
field, Missouri, and her family
it would be impossible to give any,
moved to Barber. She and Mr.
detailed report on things seen, but '
Watkins were married in Septem-
I do know that because of this tour,
ber 1921, in Boise.
I have a deeper appreciation of
They moved back to Idaho after
the lumber business.
Mr. Watkin's schooling took them
From all of it I was the most
first to Zarber and then to McCall.
impressed with the changing of
I asked if he had ever done any-
the 50 foot long band from the
thing besides the mill?
9ft. wheel. It was 14" wide and
"I've been mostly in this busi-
13 guage. Mr. Watkins told me
ness since I was a boy, but in 1937 -
these particular bands cost $880
1938 I was superintendent of
and will cut some 3 million feet of
movies for MGM when "Northwest
lumber. These huge saws go at the
Passage" was made here in McCall.
speed 2 miles per minute and must
I was unit manager for the con.
be changed, checked and re -edged
struction sets and was in charge
every four hours."
of making bridges for the sound
As we came to one of the win-
trucks."
dows he pointed out a boom boat
When asked about other hobbies
he had built in 1941. "At first I
or interests besides his flowers he
was using a wooden boat, but going
gave a spontaneous answer. "Fly -
around the logs constantly chewed
ing I love to fly. If someone calls
up it up, so I made a steel one.
and says `Do you want to go up
Then in 1944 I made another 22
today?' I never ask up where or in
foot boom boat. They are still be-
what, I just go. Then too, we like
ing used."
to travel. WeVe been all up and
Ernie Watkins was born in
down the west coast from British
Lebow, Kansas, in 1898 and moved
Columbia to Mexico."
to Idaho in 1902. At the age of 16
Mr. Watkins proved to be an
he began learning the trade of
interesting man doing an import -
lumbering, mostly in the summer
ant job. He radiated a confidence
months. At that time he was work-
in a surrounding he is familiar
ing for Weherhauser at Barber,
and happy in.
) S &%' f/- /C //V// !; L �
� t 1\44-s Alz-WS
y l
ct X/ /6 Igr/ a
ERNIE WATKINS - FLOWERS IN A LUMBER MILL
-THE STAR - NEWS - THURSDAY, MAF
Mill named historical site
The Brown Tie and
Lumber Company Mill
buildings and burner on the
southeast shore of Payette
Lake have been entered in
the National Register of
Historic Places, according to
Merle Wells, state historic
preservation officer with the
Idaho State Historical
Society in Boise.
The building and mill site
are "highly significant as an
example of turn- of -the-
century lumber technology
in Idaho," Wells said.
Although a succession of
to were
)etween
present
mill is almost a duplicate of
one built in 1913.
The Corliss engine in the
mill also reflects turn- of -the-
century technology, he
noted. It was brought to Mc-
Call from North Idaho in
1940, along with other
machinery sold to Carl
Brown after the Panhandle
Lumber in Spirit Lake failed
financially.
The historic significance
of the buildings has been
recognized for some time by
citizens of McCall, Wells
said. Interest has been ex-
pressed by its new owners,
Onweiler and Associates, in
recycling the mill as a
commercial and community
complex, and using the
wigwam burner as a timber
industry museum.
"These structures are the
last surviving icons of the
timber industry in McCall,"
Wells said. "They maintain
historic associations which
will vanish if they do."
Onweiler, who has been
working to get the mill
buildings entered into the
national register, plans to
use many of the, existing
buildings for commercial
and convention facilities. In
addition, he is selling con-
dominiums around the mill
site.
^%7P
4cCall, Idaho
PRICE - -loc PER COPY
Warren Brown, t
Bone
Cascade
Leases
Brown's Mill
Loca! Firm wil
Continue Logging
Warren Brown, t
presid of
ur of chips for plup, mouldings,
Browns Tie & Lumber Company,
Soil -Aid, a soil conditioner made
one of the West's pioneer lum-
from tree bark; laminated beams
bering firms, announced that
and plywood* The Brown opera -
'Boise Cascade Corporation assum-
tion will complement our by -prod-
ed management of the company's
uct and lumber manufacture and
sawmill at McCall on July 1,
result in greater economic values
Brown's Tie & Lumber Com-
from the McCall area timber."
pany will continue its logging
The mill, which rests on the
operations and supply logs for the
shore of Payette Lake, shut down
sawmill. Boise Cascade will pur-
the evening of June 30, and will
chase the timber from Brown and
commence operation on July 7.
will operate the sawmill under
Hjort announced that the mill
a long -term lease.
manager will be Harry Cowger,
"Our operation will have even
who formerly managed Boise Cas-
greater potential by joining Boise
cade's mill at Council.
Cascade," Brown said. "Lumber
The Boise Cascade officer add -
companies today must consider
ed:
manufacturing more from a tree
"We recognize the outstanding
than lumber alone to more fully
performance of the management
utilize the log. Boise Cascade, with
of Brown's Tie & Lumber Coin
its diversified forest ranging from
pary and the fine community
lumber and plywood to fine paper,
relations they have created. We
can provide better use for our
hope to continue this fine exam.-,
timber."
ple and plan for a successful l
George V. Hjort, vice president
operation over a long period of
of Boise Cascade, said, "We are
time."
presently en7aged in the manufac-
The Brown family first came to
- - - - --
Idaho in 1Q04 d
rawn by mining
interests. Carl Brown, founder of
the company, first carried mail
into remote mountain settlements,
crossing 9,000 -foot summits by
dogsled, packhorse or snowshoes.
Eventually, he entered the lum-
ber business, a tradition stemming
from his father and grandfather
in New England. A fire in 1940
leveled the mill. The ashes were
still warm as the Browns immedi-
ately started work on a new mill
which was in operation a year
later.
According to author Grace Edg-
ington Jordan in "The King?S
Pines of Idaho," a story of the
Browns of McCall, she states, "The
Brown lumber mill stands at Me-
Call on lovely Payette Lake, ded-
icated as much to public service
as to management of its thousands'
Of aloes of timbered lands."
In 'addition to the logging opera -'
tior,d, Brown's Tie will also con -
tinue to operate its sawmill at
�iggins, Idaho.
BoiseFirm
Takes Over
BrownMill
Increased Use Seen
For Wood Products
At McCall Facility
McCALL — Warren Brown,
president of Brown's Tie and
Lumber Company, one of the
West's pioneer lumbering firms,
announced that Boise, Cascade
Corporation assumed manage•
ment of the company's sawmill
at McCall Wednesday.,
Brown's Tie and Lumber will
continue its logging operations
and supply logs for the McCall
sawmill. Boise_ Cascade will
purchase the timber from Brown
and will operate the sawmill
under a long -term lease.
"Our operation will have even
greater potential by joining
Boise Cascade," Brown said.
"Lumber companies today must
consider manufacturing more
from a tree than lumber alone
to fully utilize the log. - Boise
Cascade, with it's diversified
forest products ranging from
lumber and plywood to fine
paper, can provide better use
for our timber."
George .V. Hjort, vice presi-
dent of ; Bbisd. Cascade, said,
"We are presently engaged in
the manufaucture of chips for
pulp, mouldings, a soil condi-
tioner made from tree bark,
`laminated beams and plywood.
The Brown operation will com-
pliment our by- product and lum-
ber manufacture and result in
greater economic values from
the McCall area timber."
Mill Resumes Tuesday
The mill, located on the shore
of Payette Lake, shut down the
evening of June 30, and will
commence operation on July 7.
Hjort announced that the mill
Manager will be Harry Cowger,
who formerly managed Boise
Cascade's mill at Council.
"We recognize the outstand-
ing performance of the manage-
ment of Brown's Tie and Lum-
ber Company and the fine com-
munity relations they have cre-
ated," said Hjort. "We hope to
continue this fine example and
plan for a successful operation
over a long period of time."
Browns Came In 1904
The Brown family first came
to Idaho in 1904, drawn by min-
ing interests. Carl Brown, found-
er of the company, first carried
mail into remote mountain set -
tlements, c r o s s i n g 9,000 -foot
summits by dogsled, packhorse
or snowshoes. Eventually, he
entered the lumber business, a
tradition stemming from his
-.VW— -- a vvi
The Brown family first came
to Idaho in 1904, drawn by min-
ing interests. Carl Brown, found-
er of the company, first carried
mail into remote mountain set-
tlements, c r o s s i n g 9,000 - foot
summits by dogsled, packhorse
or snowshoes. Eventually, he
entered the lumber business, a
tradition stemming from his
father and grandfather in New
England. A fire in 1940 leveled
thei mill.. The ashes were still
warm as the Browns immediate-
ly started work on a new mill
which was in operation a year
latter.
In addition to the logging op-
erations, Brown's Tie will also
continue to operate its sawmill
at Rigging, Idaho.
> a, 5_10 m �w
Sen. Warren Brown
A McCALL lumberman, Sen. Warren
Brown, Republican, is serving his third
term in the Senate from .District 9,
which comprises the counties of Valley,
Adams, Gem, Boise and a portion or
Idaho County. He was born in McCall
June 9, 1912. He is a Mason, a member
of Eastern Star, the Rotary Club and
the McCall Chamber of Commerce. He
has served on the McCall city council,
as chairman of his school board and as
president of the chamber. He has
served as president of the Pacific Log-
ging Congress. He said his interest is in
taxes and education. His committees
are Local Government and Taxation,
of which he is chairman, and Com-
merce and Labor. He and Mrs. (Jayne)
Brown, whom he married in 1934, have
two children.
Car License Code - 44 Idaho Counties - County Seats
1A ADA—
10B BUTTE—
1G GEM—
2M MINIDOKA-
Boise
Arco
Emmett
Ruyert
2A ADAMS—
1C CAMAS—
2G GOODING—
N NEZ PERCE-
Council
Fairfield
Gooding
Lewiston
1B BANNOCK—
2C CANYON—
I IDAHO—
10 ONEIDA-
Pocatello
Caldwell
Grangeville
Malad
2B BEAR LAKE—
3C CARIBOU—
u JEFFERSON—
20 OWYHEE-
Paris
Soda Springs
Rigbyy
Murphy
3B BENEWAH—
4C CASSIA—
2J JEROME—
1P PAYETTE-
St. Maries
Burley
Jerome
Payette
4B BINGHAM—
5C CLARK—
K KOOTENAI—
2P POWER —
Blackfoot
Dubois
Coeur d'Alene
American Falls
5B BLAINE—
6C CLEARWATER—
1L LATAH—
S SHOSHONE-
Hailey
Orofino
Moscow
=Driggs
6B BOISE—
7C CUSTER—
2L LEMHI—
Idaho City
Challis
Salmon
7B BONN ER—
E ELMORE—
3L LEWIS-
Twin Falls
Sandpoint
Mountain Home
Nezperce
80 BONNEVILLE—
1F FRANKLIN—
4L LINCOLN—
V VALLEY —
Idaho Falls
Preston
Shoshone
Cascade
90 BOUNDARY—
2F FREMONT—
1M MADISON—
W WASHINGTON -
Bonners Ferry
St. Anthony
Rexburg
Weiser
Experienced — Qualified
An Active
• Rancher
• Logger
0 Lumberman
9 Businessman
I Sincerely
Appreciate Your
Vote For State Senator
Warren H. Brown
SENATOR WARREN BROWN
Grand Marshall
1970 Winter Carnival Grand Parade
770
The highlight of any celebration is the `Big Parade' with its bands, color-
ful floats and novelty numbers. The clowns, balloons and the awe on the faces
of little children watching the revelry are all things we remember. Winter par-
ades have progressed from the days of horse drawn sleighs and dog sleds to
snowmobiles and motorized vehicles equipped with studs to maneuver in the
ice and snow. Every year the Winter Carnival Parade gives us an opportunity
to salute an outstanding citizen.
Our Grand Marshall this year is the Honorable Warren E. Brown, Senator
from Valley County. A leading citizen and businessman, Warren has long been
an excellent skier and was a champion dog sled racer when only 13.
�i
T 11 - ,5, -ar- /YC -Y ✓S -
He's still working at mill,
butfor how long?
by Mark Jacobson
Oliver "Spec" Wallace is
the sole survivor of a time
when crackling welding
torches and the rhythmic
clinking of sledge hammers
filled the air of the now
defunct McCall lumber mill
shop.
Wallace and the shop
remained when the mill was
sold to Boise Cascade,
because Warren Brown, the
mill's owner, then kept an
International Harvester
truck dealership at the mill
and needed mechanics.
He has been allowed to
continue working in the old
mill shop since the property
was sold to Red Mill Realty
for condominium, shopping
and convention center
development. But as the
construction date for the Red
Mill condominums draws
nearer, Wallace, 65, knows
that his blacksmith shop will
be closed.
"I don't know how much
longer it's gonna last,"
Wallace said. "When (Bill)
Onweiler puts in those
condominiums, we'll be
moving. He said he'd give us
two months notice."
Wallace, who doesn't go by
his first name, thinks he won
his nickname "Spec" one of
two ways.
"I had a lot of freckles as a
kid," Wallace said. "When I
was trying to learn how to
ride a bicycle in the bar-
nyard I kept falling over in
the cow manure and they
called me "spec" because I
was speckled with manure."
Wallace started working
at Donnelly Auto as a body
man after he got out of high
school in 1937. Eventually he
learned engine tune -up,
mechanical work and
welding.
In 1953 he came to McCall
and started working for
Brown Tie and Lumber Co.,
where his older brother Pete
worked as mechanic and
another older brother,
Frank, worked as a parts
man.
"Brown had 12 -14 em-
ployees working in the shop
with his dealership and on
his equipment," Wallace
said. "When he gave up his
dealership and quit logging
he had five. The others
either quit or retired.
"The fact that I'm the only
one here doesn't bother me.
There is something different
to do every day. I'm my own
boss. I turn a lot of work
away."
Wallace presently does
custom welding and repair
work. He also sells iron for
Brown.
"When Brown sold the mill
to Boise Cascade he kept
leasing the shop. They
provided the heat and light.
When Boise Cascade closed
the shop, the heat went off. It
gets kinda cold in here in the
winter."
Wallace doesn't know if he
will continue to work after
the shop is closed. That, he
said, is up to Brown.
"I'll ding around doing
something else besides play
golf," Wallace said.
"There's plenty to do around
the house."
Wallace is an avid golfer.
"I started about four or
five years ago," he said. "I
used to think any one batting
that little ball around was
crazy.
"When golfing season
comes around in the sum-
mer, I don't have time for
anything besides working
and golfing."
�� , �� ,
. . .
. . . .
. , ��; , ; ; <
s : .
0 i qh C&.c.�-Lt,-j y— 6 -e iz rg 7 7
A SAD PRELUDE TO CHRISTMAS
In November, the last log was slabbed and the McCall mill closed.
W
PAGE C-- 28 - -THE STAR - NEWS -- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1983
Brown's
Tie & Lumber Company
McCall, Idaho
�., We've got roots.
From a building
M cCall considers demolishing mill
remains; engine unC ullu cum_ e, �v
By Randall Brooks
The Star -News
While state fire investigators
last week had found no new clues
as to who was responsible for a
blaze that destroyed the former
Boise Cascade sawmill on March
12, the City of McCall has moved
to eliminate the hazard caused by
the charred and twisted wreckage
at the site.
Representatives of the City of
McCall and Red Mill Partners,
owners of the land, met Saturday
to discuss cleanup and salvage at
Fitzwater said the engine was
not severely damaged in the
March 12 fire and could be
salvaged.
The engine had powered the
complete mill, according to War-
ren Brown, who bought the 150
horsepower steam engine to
power the mill he built in 1941.
The engine had been built in
the late 1800s, and Brown bought
it from a junk dealer in Portland
in 1940. It had a leather belt that
was 16 feet long and 30 inches
wide that powered a line shaft
•
... m ll ire
(Continued from Page A -1)
no paperwork or even a verbal
agreement."
Dr. Merle Wells, state
historian, said he remembered
dealing with Onweiler and Boise
Cascade about the engine, but no
agreement was ever reached.
A letter from Jim Smith to
McDevitt concerning the mill site
dated Aug. 22, 1983, had stated
four stipulations to an agreement
for safety at the site.
Those stipulations included
removal of historic equipment
before Dec. 15 and completing a
controlled burn on the building
by Jan. 1, 1984.
the site, City Administrator Jim
Smith said.
Smith said they also discussed
the feasibility and cost of a con-
trolled fire by the city fire depart-
ment on the site to eliminate
future hazards.
Smith indicated that Charles F.
McDevitt of Boise, an attorney
for the group that had planned to
develop the mill site into a shopp-
ing and meeting area, had con-
tacted two bidders about the
salvage and disposal.
"(Fire Chief) Don (Fitzwater)
is working on the cost for a con-
which ran the length of the mill,
Brown said.
"150 horsepower may not
seem like a lot," Brown said,
"but that's steam horsepower. It
ran the head rig and everything
else. It would take about a 500
horsepower electric motor just to
power the head rig.
"That belt was many years old
when we got it and we only had to
replace it once," he said. "It
took the hides from 80 steers to
make that belt."
Negotiations were thought to
have been underway between
No action was taken and the
matter was eventually given over
to city attorney Bob Remaklus in
December to negotiate with
McDevitt. One of the problems
was a timetable for removal of
the Corless engine.
"That's where it got boggled,"
said Smith. "We were allowing
time to get an answer (back."
Fire ravaged th building
where the Corless iatter gine was
located before the was
ever resolved.
Onweiler said last week he had
been told the engine had been
donated previous to the Red Mill
trolled burn," Smith said.
"We're also contemplating ex-
ploding the fuel storage
building."
Smith said the 'two groups
would meet again Monday to
determine what course of action
would indeed be taken to
eliminate the dangerous condi-
tion. Until then, Fitzwater will
continue to barricade the site.
One problem that has stood in
the way of clean -up at the site is
what to do with the Corless steam
engine and other historical items
that are housed in the buildings.
McDevitt and the State Historical
Society involving removal of the
Corless engine,- but it is now
uncertain as to just who actually
owns the engine.
Ken Sanson, director of the
historical society museum, said
that to the best of his knowledge
no one had actually ever given the
engine to the state.
"We did try determinedly for a
number of years to obtain the
engine," Sawnson said. "To the
best of my knowledge, we have
(Continued on Page A -2)
Partners acquiring the site.
No records were available fron
the previous owners, Boiseq
Cascade, on the engine's status.
McDevitt was unavailable for
comment this week concerning<
his knowledge of who might own;
the Corless engine and other,
historical items, or whether any
plans had been set for removal.
Dr. Wells said Friday hg,
thought that the State Historical,
Society might indeed want the
engine if it can be restored as
museum piece.
"It wouldn't necessarily have
to be in working order," he said
the
centr
ms
61
Wheel of Corless engine can be seen under pile of rubble from fire
Serving Val
the and Mead
r e I idaho Wednesday, Ma
cent F,., V' -T 2 -35 18th
1_S33
U
,Starmnevvs
01� 16 McCall MiR bl
?A so
n con vane
mineral earth. Jim Smith to follow up the ac- May 24, 1
to the
The steps would lessen the risk tion. e
of rekindling of the fire and the "We're going to follow our or- F. McDv
danger to individuals entering the dinance and the UBC with the Smith's
area, he said. dangerous abatement code," our desir
Smith said. "I think it's an either m
"This kind of thing can burn emergency situation, but the demolishe
underground for a long time," council wanted to follow pro- Anothe
Fitzwater said. cedures. That's correct, too." Smith to t
In response, the McCall City The city Bit[ d sent a on behalf Aug. 22
Council voted unanimously Mon-
week
day night to follow the pro- of Red Mill Partners, owners of equipmen
cedures outlined in the city's the mill site land, requesting that Dec. 15,
Uniform Building Code to reduce the group take responsibility for building 1
the risk at the mill site. The coun- the clean -up. 1984, by
cil directed City Administrator Following the injury of a youth
By Randall Brooks
The Star -News
A fire that destroyed 80 per-
cent of the main log- cutting
building at the former Boise
Cascade sawmill on Payette Lake
has been ruled a "man- caused
fire" by fire investigators.
Investigators spent last week
combing the charred and twisted
wreckage of the 43- year -old
structure for clues as to the origin
of the fire.
_ No devices or traces of gasoline
or other accelerants were found,
George Harrison of the Idaho
Department of Law Enforcement
said Tuesday. However, in-
vestigators were able to pinpoint
the origin of the blaze, and have
classified the fire an arson by a
process of elimination, Harrison
said.
Investigators have interviewed
1 l people since the fire, but there
were no suspects in the arson as
of Tuesday, Harrison said.
"Right now it's still smolder-
ing," said McCall Fire Chief Don
Fitzwater. "There's sawdust
anywhere from one to 15 feet
IJ.I. Morgan to
rehire 90 men
thick in there. It's 30 -40 feet
away and not endangering the
rest of the building, but it will
smolder for a long time."
The fire department has been
monitoring the fire during the
week and had received two calls
on Sunday concerning the billow-
ing smoke.
"We just can't get it out," he
said.
In a letter to the council, Fitz-
water recommended that the city
tear down anything within 20 feet
of the charred area, haul it away,
and cover the site with two feet of
it, A7
al Idaho
ews�i 1 D 8;533
Serving Valley County
and Meadows Valley
Wednesday, March 21, 1984
2 - 3 5 18th year, No. 20
Cconfirmed 0 McCall m
)rgan to
90 men
thick in there. It's 30 -40 feet
away and not endangering the
rest of the building, but it will
smolder for a long time."
The fire department has been
monitoring the fire during the
week and had received two calls
on Sunday concerning the billow-
ing smoke.
"We just can't get it out," he
said.
In a letter to the council, Fitz-
water recommended that the city
tear down anything within 20 feet
of the charred area, haul it away,
and cover the site with two feet of
mineral earth.
The steps would lessen the risk
of rekindling of the fire and the
danger to individuals entering the
area, he said.
"This kind of thing can burn
underground for a long time,"
Fitzwater said.
In response, the McCall City
Council voted unanimously Mon-
day night to follow the pro-
cedures outlined in the city's
Uniform Building Code to reduce
the risk at the mill site. The coun-
cil directed City Administrator
Jim Smith to follow up the ac-
tion.
"We're going to follow our or-
dinance and the UBC with the
dangerous abatement code,"
Smith said. "1 think it's an
emergency situation, but the
council wanted to follow pro-
cedures. That's correct, too."
The city had sent a letter last
week to Bill Onweiler on behalf
of Red Mill Partners, owners of
the mill site land, requesting that
the group take responsibility for
the clean -up.
Following the injury of a youth
35 cents
20 pages
USPS 614100
May 24, 1983, Smith sent a letter
to the group's attorney, Charles
F. McDevitt of Boise.
Smith's letter said that "it is
our desire that the building be
either made inaccessible or be
demolished."
Another letter was sent by
Smith to the group's attorney on
Aug. 22 outlining four con&
tions, including that the historic
equipment be removed before
Dec. 15, 1983, and that the
building be destroyed by Jan. 1,
1984, by the McCall Fire Depart -
(Continued on Page A -2)
George Harrison of the Idaho
Department of Law Enforcement
said Tuesday. However, in-
per-
vestigators were able to pinpoint
utting
the origin of the blaze, and have
Boise
classified the fire an arson by a
Lake
process of elimination, Harrison
mused
said.
Investigators have interviewed
week
11 people since the fire, but there
wisted
were no suspects in the arson as
ar -old
of Tuesday, Harrison said.
origin
"Right now it's still smolder -
ing," said McCall Fire Chief Don
rsoline
Fitzwater. "There's sawdust
'ound,
anywhere from one to 15 feet
)rgan to
90 men
thick in there. It's 30 -40 feet
away and not endangering the
rest of the building, but it will
smolder for a long time."
The fire department has been
monitoring the fire during the
week and had received two calls
on Sunday concerning the billow-
ing smoke.
"We just can't get it out," he
said.
In a letter to the council, Fitz-
water recommended that the city
tear down anything within 20 feet
of the charred area, haul it away,
and cover the site with two feet of
mineral earth.
The steps would lessen the risk
of rekindling of the fire and the
danger to individuals entering the
area, he said.
"This kind of thing can burn
underground for a long time,"
Fitzwater said.
In response, the McCall City
Council voted unanimously Mon-
day night to follow the pro-
cedures outlined in the city's
Uniform Building Code to reduce
the risk at the mill site. The coun-
cil directed City Administrator
Jim Smith to follow up the ac-
tion.
"We're going to follow our or-
dinance and the UBC with the
dangerous abatement code,"
Smith said. "1 think it's an
emergency situation, but the
council wanted to follow pro-
cedures. That's correct, too."
The city had sent a letter last
week to Bill Onweiler on behalf
of Red Mill Partners, owners of
the mill site land, requesting that
the group take responsibility for
the clean -up.
Following the injury of a youth
35 cents
20 pages
USPS 614100
May 24, 1983, Smith sent a letter
to the group's attorney, Charles
F. McDevitt of Boise.
Smith's letter said that "it is
our desire that the building be
either made inaccessible or be
demolished."
Another letter was sent by
Smith to the group's attorney on
Aug. 22 outlining four con&
tions, including that the historic
equipment be removed before
Dec. 15, 1983, and that the
building be destroyed by Jan. 1,
1984, by the McCall Fire Depart -
(Continued on Page A -2)
PAGE A-- 2 - -THE STAR - NEWS -- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1984
Ooo ire
(Continued from Page A -D
ment for a reasonable fee.
Although the group did comp-
ly with the insurance request and
boarded the building up as re-
quested, the city council directed
attorney Bob Remaklus on
Dec. 8 to gain full compliance
with the conditions set out in the
Aug. 22 letter.
The two attorneys have been
trying to work out a solution to
the problem, Smith said. "That's
where it got boggled. We were
allowing time to get an answer
back."
Onweiler said he toured the
buildings Tuesday, but a decision
on what would be done at the site
had not been made.
"We've got liability insurance
on the land and I imagine we've
got some responsibility for safe-
ty," he said.
Fitzwater said he was unable to
give the state fire marshal an ex-
act damage estimate on the
15,000- square foot historic
building.
The structure housed the Cor-
less steam engine given to the
Idaho State Historical Society as
part of the sale agreement when
Boise Cascade Corp: sold the site
to Red Mill Partners in 1978.
"The Corless engine was right
in the fire itself," Fitzwater said.
"The machine looks like it could
be sandblasted and salvaged as a
museum piece, but it definitely
won't work. The big turbine
wheel itself was not broken in the
fire. "
Fitzwater thought it might take
as much as $500,000 to rebuild
the structure at today's prices.
Firefighters were able to stop
the blaze as it entered the boiler
room building, adjacent to the
log - cutting building that burned.
The fuel storage bulding, where
sawdust had been held for con-
sumption in the boilers that
powered the mill's engines, also
was saved.
In looking for more clues in the
case, George Harrison said on
behalf of the state fire in-
vestigators Tuesday that
although their work at the site is
finished, the next step is to look
for some type of motivation.
"At this point we don't have a
particular suspect," Harrison
said. "We need to check many
areas -- insurance, financial
responsibility, that sort of thing.
Now the footwork starts."
"As far as the physical
evidence goes," said State Fire
Marshal Bill Wallis, "it was all
consumed in the fire.
Onweiler said Monday that his
group saw the building's value as
mainly nostalgic and said Mon-
day that he did not think it would
affect the value of the land,
which he said is for sale.
"I'm the kind of guy who
never looks back," he said.
"The current partners are pret-
ty exhausted on this activity," he
said. "I don't believe there's
anyone who could have
developed it during this cycle of
our economy. I should have
known better. It was an impossi-
ble task. Personally, I'm
relieved."
Aerial view shows a
the
central Idaho
St ■
ar nee
Sc5rving Valley County
and Meadows Valley
Wednesday, March 14, 1984
18th year, No. 19
33 cents
24 pages
USPS 614100
j
Photo by Randall Brooks
Blaze levels old M
By Mike Stewart
The Star -News
McCall's most recognizable
landmark, the red sawmill along
Payette Lake, was destroyed in a
spectacular blaze Monday even-
ing. The blaze was of
"suspicious origin," McCall Fire
Chief Don Fitzwater said Tues-
day.
No one was killed or injured as
the blaze completely engulfed
the 43 -year old mill building
within 10, minutes of its
discovery, according to
eyewitness accounts.
An investigator from the Idaho
Department of Law Enforcement
has been called in by Fitzwater
through the State Fire Marshal's
office.
Fitzwater said Tuesday after-
noon that the cause of the fire is
under investigation, and that
nothing_ has been ruled out, in-
cluding arson.
He said it was difficult to put a
dollar value on the loss of the
structure, which was operated by
Boise Cascade C the time
of its closure in W.I. 197
B `other fire'
By Tom Grote
The Star -News
Jayne Brown poured two
glasses of scotch and water for
herself and her husband, Warren,
and the couple clinked a toast in
the kitchen of their Lake Street
home.
Through the window, in the
distance, a huge billow of smoke
could be seen spewing from the
sawmill that Warren Brown had
built 43 years earlier.
"Here's to the next thing,"
Brown told his wife.
• Warren Brown said he felt sad
about the mill fire, even though
he sold the mill in 1964 to Boise
Cascade Corp., and even though
the mill had not sawed a log since
1977.
"A lot of sweat has gone into
that thing," said Brown, 71. "1
had hoped they would do
something to it.
Although Monday was a sad
day, the fire rekindled vivid
memories of the day 44 years ago
when a similar fire had much
more devastating results.
It was on July 16, 1940, that
the fully operational Brown's Tie
and Lumber Co. sawmill burned
to the ground.
That mill had been built in
1910 on what is now a vacant lot
along Payette Lake next to the
McCall Hotel. Carl Brown, War -
ren's father, bought into the mill
in 1914 and acquired it outright
in 1929.
"That was it; there was no in-
surance," said Brown, who was
28 at the time of the 1940 fire.
"We were broke, worse than
broke. The only thing that saved
us was good friendly bankers."
Brown remembered that it
took only a matter of days after
the fire that Joe Casper, who was
millwright for Brown, began
(Continued on Page A -2)
Boiler smokestacks stand vigil over burning ruins.
Bill Onweiler of Mcl
member of Red Mill Gra
owns the structures, said
was more. of a nostalgic
than an actual dollar loss
Red Mill Group is coma
about 10 investors who
the mill from Boise Cas
1978 with the intentil
developing the land into
and commercial shops.
"There's a building tl
the most painted
photographed in the stl
cluding the Stateh(
Onweiler said.
The buildings had no
surance coverage, althoi
owners held liability ins
he said.
Commenting on the fa(
state investigator has bee
to the scene, Onweiler s
think that's proper in ligt
way everything happen(
the way it exploded.'
A nearby resident,
Sproat, was among the
spot the blaze shortly afte
Her husband, Jim, is
with first calling the fire
ment.
"There was a lot of vei
smoke drifting out," st
"Our home is about 20
w uua ua uaG 1
v "There will be
beens' and didn't
Rhodes, who wo
five years. "You
them saying, `gi
have done.' "
"It would have
a historic buildi
said. "It was alw
People (visiting)
about it."
Benson, 21, re(
won first prize -in i
the 1978 Winter (
contest. The fami
modern logger an
Ph
sold MCall mill
er said Tuesday after -
t the cause of the fire is
vestigation, and that
as been ruled out, in
it was difficult to put a
lue on the loss of the
which was operated by
scade Corp at the time
ure in 1977.
fire
9
what is now a vacant lot
iyette Lake next to the
hotel. Carl Brown, War-
ier, bought into the mill
ind acquired it outright
was it; there was no in-
' said Brown, who was
time of the 1940 fire.
ire broke, worse than
he only thing that saved
god friendly bankers."
remembered that it
y a matter of days after
tat Joe Casper, who was
it for Brown, began
Continued on Page A -2)
burning ruin&
Bill Onweiler of McCall, a
north of the mill. We were just
a controlled burn circulated im-
member of Red Mill Group that
engulfed in smoke."
mediately around McCall. But,
owns the structures, said the loss
After about five minutes, she
the fire was not set as an inten-
was more. of a nostalgic nature
said the building erupted in
tional controlled burn, Fitzwater
than an actual dollar loss.
flames. At about the same time,
said.
Red Mill Group is composed of
the wind changed direction slight-
Onweiler said he was convinc-
about 10 investors who bought
ly, blowing sparks more to the'
ed that someone started the fire.
the mill from Boise Cascade in
northwest, out over the lake,
"The thing has set through five
1978 with the intentions of
Sproat said.
dry summers " without any fires,
developing the land into housing
Fitzwater said 18 volunteer
he said
and commercial shops.
firefighters responded to the 6:07
Fitzwater borrowed a term
"There's a building that was
p.m. alarm, but by the time they
from arson investigators when he
the most painted and ' fought through deep, soft snow,
described what caused the fire to
photographed in the state, in-
it was too late to save the
spread so rapidly.
cluding the Statehouse,"
building.
"The `accelerant' was already.
Onweiler said.
Efforts then turned to saving
in the building," he said, in the
The buildings had no fire in-
nearby homes and the sawdust
form of saw dust and oil that had
surance coverage, although the
storage shed and boiler building,
accumulated in the mill during its
owners held liability insurance,
he said.
which were damaged but not
destroyed, he said.
years of operation.
State Fire Marshal Bill Wallis
Commenting on the fact that a
A flare -up in the sawdust shed
said his investigator, borrowed
state investigator has been called
threatened that structure at about
from the Idaho Department of
to the scene, Onweiler said, "I
5 a.m. Tuesday, but Fitzwater
Law Enforcement because of a
think that's proper in light of the
said his crew handled it without
temporary manpower shortage,
way everything happened, and
any problem.
would come into the investigation
the way it exploded.'
Two firemen were kept on the
with an open mind.
A nearby resident, Jackie
scene during the night to watch
It is sometimes impossible to
Sproat, was among the first to
for just that sort of thing, he
determine the cause of fires in
spot the blaze shortly after 6 p.m.
said.
blazes that completely destroy the
Her husband, Jim, is credited
depart-
The fire chief praised the way
crew dealt difficult
structure, Wallis said. Narrowing
with first calling the fire
his with the
down a cause could take months,
ment.
conditions.
he said.
"There was a lot of very black
"I'm super proud of them," he
Fitzwater said his reasons for
smoke drifting out," she said.
"Our home is about 200 yards
said.
Rumors that the fire had been
suspicion are based on several
(Continued on Page A -2)
-.11 JIIG. AUbUJl lull vl It l\..�ual
"There will be a lot of `could have mill beginning in
.. .._
1955 and was
beens' and didn't dos,' "
said Sandy transferred to the Boise Cascade mill in
Rhodes, who worked at the mill for Cascade until his retirement last year.
five years. "You wait ...
you'll hear _ "They were talking
about burning it
them saying, `guess what
we could down," Hill said Monday evening. "I
have done.' "
guess they won't have to now ... They
"It would have made a good site for never did do anything about it."
a historic building," Scott Benson "I feel kind of bad
about it because
said. "It was always neat
to look at. it's been my neighbor for over 25
People (visiting) would see
it and ask years," said former
city councilman
about it."
Jim Hardy, who owns
the Sports
Benson, 21, recalls when
his family Marina in McCall.
won first prize in the family
division of "I've known practically everyone
the 1978 Winter Carnival ice sculpture who ever worked there. I hate to see it
contest. The family ice sculpture had a go that way. I would
have liked to see
modern logger and an old -time logger something done with
it."
Photos by Star -News staff
"
,
W a r r e n a n d J a y n e B r o w n w a t c h d e s t r u c t i o n o f m i l l W a r r e n b u i l t i n 1 9 4
Photo by Tom Grote
... Browns
(Continued from Page A -1)
drawing up new plans for a new
mill further north along the
lakeshore.
Equipment for the mill had to
be hauled over great distances.
The big Corless steam engine that
powered the mill came from
LaGrande, Ore., and the mill
machinery itself came from Spirit
Lake, Idaho. The mill that burn-
ed on Monday was opened in
1941.
Brown said he felt sadness
when the decision was made to
sell the mill to Boise Cascade
Corp. "But having them close it
made me feel worse then selling
it," he said. "But time marches
on, I guess."
Boise Cascade announced in
1976 that it would close the mill,
which employed 108 men,
because of what the company
called restrictive logging policies
on the part of the Payette and
Boise national forests.
The reduction in the amounts
of logging reportedly was due to
pressures from environmental
groups, from logging economics
and the desire to protect wildlife,
soils and streams.
When the mill finally shut
down in November 1977,
however, Brown said he was still
able to retain his optimism about
McCall.
"1 never thought the closing of
the mill would be the end of the
town," he said. "The country's
too gorgeous and there are too
many opportunities in the town."
Jayne Brown said the day was
best summed up by the couple's
grandson, Stan Brown. "He said,
`there goes history, again.' "
000 fire
(Continued from Page A -1)
factors. First, there was no elec-
trical power to the building, rul-
ing out electrical ignition.
Second, he ruled out lightning
as a possible cause.
And, finally, he said he knew
of nothing stored in the building
that could have burst into flames
on its own under the known con-
ditions.
However, he said the structure
probably would have to cool
another day before he could get
close enough to the suspected
source to do any real investiga-
tion.
Jim. Hardy, owner of Sports
Marina, said he was just leaving
his business a few minutes after 6
p.m. when he saw the building
completely enveloped in flames.
Warren and A
"She went hot, high
Hardy said.
He estimated fla
shooting a couple of h
in the air, above I
tacks. ,
But it was hard to s
of the flames because
smoke, he said.
The mill has been
of recent controversy
injuries in separate in
year to two young boy
playing in the building
Both Onweiler anc
said that while burnin
ture had been discu
had not even been
made to burn it.
Onweiler said t
holding out hope for
either purchase the K
Schoenberg transferred to Wi
By Mike Stewart
The Star -News
Eric Schoenberg, the only
prisoner in the Valley County Jail
with trusty status, was transfer-
red last week to the King County
Work Release Center in Seattle.
Schoenberg who was convicted
last year of four counts of misde-
meanor manslaughter in the
alcohol- related traffic deaths of
four Boise -area girls in 1982, was
taken to Seattle by Valley County
Sheriff Blair Shepherd.
There, following an interview,
Schoenberg was accepted into the
work - release program, which
allows him to work during the
day but requires him to come
back to the center each night.
"I feel fantastic about being
here. I'd rather be here close to
my family," Schoenberg said
when contacted by telephone
Sunday.
... hospital
But he said he did not leave
Cascade without some sadness.
"I was touched because there
were folks who said they were sad
I was leaving," he said.
He also said the comments he
received prior to his transfer sup-
ported his belief that he had
changed some people's minds
about him. Last year,
Schoenberg had said in an inter-
view that many people in the
county considered him some sort
of monster.
"I feel successful with bAsically
proving who I was to everyone I
came in contact with," he said.
It was time to move, though,
he said. "I was just about to the
end of my rope," he said
Fourth District Judge W.E.
Smith had directed that
Schoenberg be considered for a
work release program at some
point down the line, but oppor-
tunities for that at the county jail
were limited.
While his trusty status allowed
him to do cleaning in the jail
area, and help in the jail kitchen,
a lack of insurance, among other
problems, kept him from doing
public service work outside the
jail.
Even though work conditions
were so limited, Schoenberg had
words of appreciation for the jail
staff and chief jailor Lt. Bron
Day.
"Bron did all he could," he
said. And, the jailors and the
deputy staff at the courthouse
treated him with "mutual
respect," he said.
Schoenberg has made the most
of his first week in the program,
having already gotten a job in a
Greek restaurant washing dishes
and helping with some remodel-
ing.
One of the conditions of his
transfer was that
work at a job that r
to drive, he said. The
had lined up fell thro
of that restraint.
Also, part of his pa
to the center to pay fo
keeping him at the c
While he said there
freedom in his ne
there are still a loi
follow.
"They give you j
rope to hang yoursel
Officials at the S
thoroughly check out
employer and decide
to a job and the met
ting to and from wor
King, work center su
In describing what
very structured prog
said the center bas
those who have jobs
continue working.
Those who don't
ire
tinued from Page A -1)
rs. First, there was no elec-
power to the building, rul-
ut electrical ignition.
cond, he ruled out lightning
possible cause.
id, finally, he said he knew
)thing stored in the building
could have burst into flames
own under the known con-
s.
wever, he said the structure
ably would have to cool
her day before he could get
enough to the suspected
e to do any real investiga-
Hardy, owner of Sports
na, said he was just leaving
�Ietely siness a few minutes after 6
when he saw the building
enveloped in flames.
Warren and Jayne Brown watch destruction of mill Warren built in 1941.
"She went hot, high and fast,"
Hardy said.
He estimated flames were
shooting a couple of hundred feet
in the air, above the smoke
,tacks.
But it was hard to see the tops
of the flames because of all the
smoke, he said.
The mill has been the subject
of recent controversy following
injuries in separate incidents last
year to two young boys who were
playing in the building.
Both Onweiler and Fitzwater
said that while burning the struc-
ture had been discussed, there
had not even been a decision
made to burn it.
Onweiler said he'd been
holding out hope for someone to
either purchase the property or
for financing to develop it into
the collection of retail shops,
convention space and con-
dominiums that were part of his
original plans.
Red Mill Group has received
permission from McCall officials
to build a condominium complex
on the site, but no construction
was ever started.
There were no firm plans for
the complex at the time of the
fire, Onweiler said.
"1 can't legitimately say there
was anything in motion," he
said. "There were lots of feelers,
though."
When Red Mill originally
bought the property from Boise
Cascade in 1978, there were three
conditions tied to the sale,
Onweiler said.
The lumber company was to
donate land for a public park to
the city. Then, the city would
develop the park and a greenway
to downtown McCall. Also, the
"teepee" burner was donated to
the city.
The other condition was that
the buildings would remain stan-
ding until the feasibility of keep-
ing them standing as part of the
development plan was determin-
ed.
That is no longer much of a
problem, Onweiler said.
As for future plans for the site
and the buildings that remain,
Onweiler said there is still a
possibility for development. -
"It's for sale, as it has been,"
he said. "It's still the best loca-
tion in the state for something."
ferred to Washington center
ies for that at the county jail
limited.
hile his trusty status allowed
to do cleaning in the jail
and help in the jail kitchen,
k of insurance, among other
lems, kept him from doing
is service work outside the
en though work conditions
so limited, Schoenberg had
s of appreciation for the jail
and chief jailor Lt. Bron
Bron did all he could," he
And, the jailors and the
ty staff at the courthouse
ted him with "mutual
ect," he said.
hoenberg has made the most
is first week in the program,
ng already gotten a job in a
k restaurant washing dishes
helping with some remodel-
of the conditions of his
transfer was that he couldn't
work at a job that required him
to drive, he said. The first job he
had lined up fell through because
of that restraint.
Also, part of his paycheck goes
to the center to pay for the cost of
keeping him at the center.
While he said there's a lot more
freedom in his new situation,
there are still a lot of rules to
follow.
"They give you just enough
rope to hang yourself," he said.
Officials at the Seattle center
thoroughly check out the job and
employer and decide travel time
to a job and the method for get-
ting to and from work, said John
King, work center supervisor.
In describing what he called "a
very structured program," King
said the center basically gives
those who have jobs a chance to
continue working.
Those who don't work have
the chance to get started at
something they can work at
following their release if they
choose.
Valley County Prosecuting At-
torney Tom Lynch said everyone
involved in the case will benefit
by the move.
From. a practical standpoint,
because Schoenberg is being paid
a wage at his new job, he can pay
the $2,000 fine that was imposed
as part of the sentence, Lynch
said.
Plus, the county no longer has
to incur the cost of keeping him_
in the jail.
He said Schoenberg also will
benefit because of the increased
opportunities in King County.
"He was getting burned out
here," Lynch said.
In the order authorizing
Schoenberg's transfer 'to King
County, Judge Smith cited those
work - release opportunities and
the fact that Schoenberg has
familiy ties in the Seattle area.
Schoenberg said his fiancee, a
daughter and his mother live in
Seattle. Other relatives live in the
Tacoma area.
Despite the transfer, the length
of his sentence remains the same.
As of Feb. 27, court records
show he has earned credits ad-
ding up to the equivalent of 515
days served. While he said he still
cannot picture the day when he
will be a free man, he did say that
at the very best, it would not be.
impossible for him to be out of
jail by August or September.
He still receives time off for
good behavior, he said.
When that release day arrives,
would Schoenberg ever consider
returning to Valley County?
"Yes, I'd like to return to visit
... during the fall, maybe hunting
season," he said.
&
mum .. .
Sections of roof £0Uaps as inferno speeds t rough mil
m m V.
1F;#
414
la
nir
k?
�w
Spectators witness historic blaze.
Sections of
Ergo
witness
with sal
By Maureen 1
The Star.
Mickey Fortin was
with her daughter a
on Monday and wa
Boise Cascade sawmi
"I hate to see it bi
"We've lived here al
Fortin was stand
place she stood in 19
ched the Brown's Ti(
mill burn. One di
number of people wi
"Nobody follow
anymore," Fortin s
were not many peop]
day's blaze. "It usec
would help (firefight
Now you get in trou
Another longtime
Neal Boydstun, stoc
quietly witnessed the
"I saw it (Brown',
burn down (in 1940)
here," Boydstun sai
Reactions to the
among spectators, w
ing from nonchalan
"I'm an artist,"
"I painted the mill 1
guess, the final pain
"It was just an ey
spectator said as hf
from a mound of ice
Call.
"I'm privileged t
Lunt said. "This is t
McCall."
Lunt's home of
Road was built wi
from the mill's dep(
husband, Jerry Lui
depot building in th
help from Joey Piei
brook.
"It's beautiful c
said. "A lot more
salvaged,"
Spectators witness historic blaze.
Boiler smokestacks stand vigil over burning ruins.
G 41
By Mau
Thi
Mickey Fortis
with her daugl
on Monday an
Boise Cascade s
"I hate to se(
"We've lived hi
Fortin was
place she stood
ched the Brown
mill burn. On
number of peon
"Nobody R
anymore," For
were not niany I
day's blaze. "It
would help (fire
Now you get in
Another long
Neal Boydstun,
quietly witnesse(
"I saw it (Bro
burn down (in 1
here," Boydstur
Reactions to
among spectator
ing from nonch�
"I'm an artis
"I painted the rr
guess, the final 1
"It was just ai
spectator said a
from a mound of
Call.
"I'm privilege
Lunt said. "This
McCall. "
Lunt's home
Road was built
from the mill's d
husband, Jerry
depot building in
help from Joey 1
brook.
"It's beautifu
said. "A lot me
salvaged,"
Spectators talk
about plans they
vention center,
restaurant at the
"There will be
beens' and didn'I
Rhodes, who wo
five years. "You
them saying, 'gi
have done.' "
"It would have
a historic buildi
said. "It was alw
People (visiting) N
about it."
Benson, 21, rec
won first prize in t
the 1978 Winter C
contest. The famil
modern logger ani
Phi
)ric blaze.
Sections of roof collapse as inferno speeds through mill.
Era's erncl
Witnesses view mill blaze
with sadness, apathy
By Maureen Robertson
The Star -News
Mickey Fortin was quiet as she stood
with her daughter and grandchildren
on Monday and watched the former
Boise Cascade sawmill in McCall burn.
"I hate to see it burn," said Fortin.
"We've lived here all our lives."
Fortin was standing on the same
place she stood in 1940, when she wat-
ched the Brown's Tie and Lumber Co.
mill burn. One difference was the
number of people witnessing the fire.
"Nobody follows a fire truck
anymore," Fortin said, noting there
were not many people witnessing Mon-
day's blaze. "It used to be that people
would help (firefighters) put a fire out.
Now you get in trouble for that."
Another longtime McCall resident,
Neal Boydstun, stood by himself and
quietly witnessed the blaze.
"I saw it (Brown's Tie and Lumber)
burn down (in 1940) when it was right
here," Boydstun said.
Reactions to the blaze were mixed
among spectators, with emotions rang-
ing from nonchalance to sadness.
"I'm an artist," Linda Look said.
"I painted the mill for years. This is, I
guess, the final painting."
"It was just an eyesore," one young
spectator said as he watched the fire
from a mound of ice in downtown Mc-
Call.
"I'm privileged to be here," Edna
Lunt said. "This is the end of an era in
McCall."
Lunt's home off Warren Wagon
Road was built with wood salvaged
from the mill's depot building. Lunt's
husband, Jerry Lunt, tore down the
depot building in the fall of 1978 with
help from Joey Pietri and Rick Sand -
brook.
"It's beautiful old wood," Lunt
said. "A lot more could have been
salvaged,"
Spectators talked among themselves
about plans they had heard for a con-
vention center, little shops and a
restaurant at the old mill site.
"There will be a lot of `could have
beens' and didn't dos,' " said Sandy
Rhodes, who worked at the mill for
F: . "Vnu .unit _ . _ vnu'll hear
standing by a gravestone that
represented the McCall mill, he said.
The theme of the sculpture was the
death of an era, Benson said.
"There's a lotta, lotta thoughts go-
ing down," said Rhodes, who is now a
meat cutter at the McCall Merc.
Two of the 18 firefighters battling
Monday's blaze to the mill building us-
ed to work at the mill. Fire Chief Don
Fitzwater was one.
Fitzwater, who worked at the mill
for about five winters before it shut
down, called the fire "a shame" but
said the building was a hazard.
"The fire created more of a
hazard," Fitzwater said.
Two young people were injured at
the building last year, one in May and
one in July. The city of McCall faces a
$320,000 lawsuit as a result of injuries
sustained by one of the youths, Tag-
gart Cheney.
"It was a problem to begin with,"
Fitzwater said. "Now it's more of a
problem."
Dempsey Eddins, the other
firefighter who used to work at the mill
during the winter months, said "it's
kind of hard to say what my feelings
are."
"I'm still thinking about it," Eddins
said Tuesday. "It's kind of a sad thing
to see something like that go like that."
Eddins said he would have rather
seen the mill salvaged than "destroyed
like that." The old Corless steam
engine in the building "could have
been a show piece," he said.
Ray Watkins, who worked as head
saw filer for both Brown Tie and
Lumber and Boise Cascade, sounded
shocked when he learned that the mill
he had worked at for 25 years was bur-
ning Monday night.
"It wasn't helping anybody the way
it was," Watkins said. "It was just a
shell of a building ... It was just dead
wood. They couldn't do anything to
save it. It would cost too much to make
anything of it."
August Hill of McCall worked at the
mill beginning in 1955 and was
transferred to the Boise Cascade mill in
Cascade until his retirement last year.
"They were talking about burning it
If
burning ruins.
with sadness, apace
By Maureen Robertson
The Star -News
Mickey Fortin was quiet as she stood
with her daughter and grandchildren
on Monday and watched the former
Boise Cascade sawmill in McCall burn.
"I hate to see it burn," said Fortin.
"We've lived here all our lives."
Fortin was standing on the same
place she stood in 1940, when she wat-
ched the Brown's Tie and Lumber Co.
mill burn. One difference was the
number of people witnessing the fire.
"Nobody follows a fire truck
anymore," Fortin said, noting there
were not niany people witnessing Mon-
day's blaze. "It used to be that people
would help (firefighters) put a fire out.
Now you get in trouble for that."
Another longtime McCall resident,
Neal Boydstun, stood by himself and
quietly witnessed the blaze.
"I saw it (Brown's Tie and Lumber)
burn down (in 1940) when it was right
here," Boydstun said.
Reactions to the blaze were mixed
among spectators, with emotions rang-
ing from nonchalance to sadness.
"I'm an artist," Linda Look said.
"I painted the mill for years. This is, I
guess, the final painting."
"It was just an eyesore," one young
spectator said as he watched the fire
from a mound of ice in downtown Mc-
Call
"I'm privileged to be here," Edna
Lunt said. "This is the end of an era in
McCall."
Lunt's home off Warren Wagon
Road was built with wood salvaged
from the mill's depot building. Lunt's
husband, Jerry Lunt, tore down the
depot building in the fall of 1978 with
help from Joey Pietri and Rick Sand -
brook.
"It's beautiful old wood," Lunt
said. "A lot more could have been
salvaged,"
Spectators talked among themselves
about plans they had heard for a con-
vention center, little shops and a
restaurant at the old mill site.
".`There will be a lot of `could have
beens' and didn't dos,' " said Sandy
Rhodes, who worked at the mill for
five years. "You wait ... you'll hear
them saying, `guess what we could
have done.' "
"It would have made a good site for
a historic building," Scott Benson
said. "It was always neat to look at.
People (visiting) would see it and ask
about it."
Benson, 21, recalls when his family
won first prize in the family division of
the 1978 Winter Carnival ice sculpture
contest. The family ice sculpture had a
modern logger and an old -time logger
standing . by a gravestone that
represented the McCall mill, he said.
The theme of the sculpture was the
death of an era, Benson said.
"There's a lotta, lotta thoughts go-
ing down," said Rhodes, who is now a
meat cutter at the McCall Merc.
Two of the 18 firefighters battling
Monday's blaze to the mill building us-
ed to work at the mill. Fire Chief Don
Fitzwater was one.
Fitzwater, who worked at the mill
for about five winters before it shut
down, called the fire "a shame" but
said the building was a hazard.
"The fire created more of a
hazard," Fitzwater said.
Two young people were injured at
the building lost year, one in May and
one in July. The city of McCall faces a
$320,000 lawsuit as a result of injuries
sustained by one of the youths, Tag-
gart Cheney.
"It was a problem to begin with,"
Fitzwater said. "Now it's more of a
problem."
Dempsey Eddins, the other
firefighter who used to work at the mill
during the winter months, said "it's
kind of hard to say what my feelings
are."
"I'm still thinking about it," Eddins
said Tuesday. "It's kind of a sad thing
to see something like that go like that."
Eddins said he would have rather
seen the mill salvaged than "destroyed
like that." The old Corless steam
engine in the building "could have
been a show piece," he said.
Ray Watkins, who worked as head
saw filer for both Brown Tie and
Lumber and Boise Cascade, sounded
shocked when he learned that the mill
he had worked at for 25 years was bur -
ning Monday night.
"it wasn't helping anybody the way
it was," Watkins said. "It was just a
shell of a building ... It was just dead
wood. They couldn't do anything to
save it. It would cost too much to make
anything of it."
August Hill of McCall worked at the
mill beginning in 1955 and was
transferred to the Boise Cascade mill in
Cascade until his retirement last year.
"They were talking about burning it
down," Hill said Monday evening. "I
guess they won't have to now ... They
never did do anything about it."
"I feel kind of bad about it because
it's been my neighbor for over 25
years," said former city councilman
Jim Hardy, who owns the Sports
Marina in McCall.
"I've known practically everyone
who ever worked there. I hate to see it
go that way. I would have liked to see
something done with it."
Photos by Star -News staff
" d e m o l i s h i n g
o n s i d e r s
M c C a l l c
B y R a n d a l l B r o o k s
T h e S t a r - N e w s
W h i l e s t a t e f i r e i n v e s t i g a t o r s
l a s t w e e k h a d f o u n d n o n e c l u e s f o r a
a s t o w h o w a s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r m e r
b l a z e t h a t d e s t r o y e d e
B o i s e o
o f 1 2 , t h e C i t y C a l l h a s m o v e d
t o e l i m i n a t e h a z a r d
t h e c h a r r e d a n d t w i s t e d w r e c k a g e
a t t h e s i t e .
R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e C i t y o f
a r t R e d M i l l P a r t n e r s ,
t h e s i t e , C i t y A d m i n i s t r a t o r J i m
S m i t h s a i d . a l s o d i s c u s s e d
S m i t h s a i d t h e y
t h e f e a s i b i l i t y a n d c o s t o f a c o n -
t r o l l e d f i r e b y t h e c i t y f i r e d e p a r t -
m e n t o n t h e s i t e t o e l i m i n a t e
f u t u r e h a z a r d s .
S m i t h i n d i c a t e d t h a t C h a r l e s F .
M c D e v i t t o f B o i s e ,
a t h a d p l a n n e d t o
f o r t h e g r o u p
d e v e l o p t h e m i l l s i t e i n t o a s h o p p -
i n g a n d m e e t i n g a r e a , h a d c o n -
t a c t e d t w o b i d d e r s a b o u t t h e
s a l v a g e a n d d i s p o s a l .
" t v ; 7 P C h i e f ) D o n ( F i t z w a t e r )
" s ; e n i n e f a
m i l l r e m a i n g
w h i c h r a n t h e l e n g t h o f t h e m
B r o w n s a i d .
" 1 5 0 h o r s e p o w e r
B r o n s
s e e m l i k e a l o t ,
" b u t t h a t ' s s t e a m h o r s e p o w e r
r a n t h e h e a d r i g a n d e v e r y t h
e l s e . I t w o u l d t a k e a b o u t . a
h o r s e p o w e r e l e c t r i c m o t o r j u s
p o w e r t h e h e a d r i g . y e a r
" T h a t b e l t w a s m a n y y
w h e n w e g o t i t a n d h e o n l y a
r e p l a c e i t o n c e ,
t o o k t h e h i d e s f r o m g 0 s t e e r
m a k e t h a t b e l t . "
N e g o t i a t i o n s w e r e t h o u g h
h a v e b e e n u n d e r w a y b e t
t r o l l e d b u r n , " S m i t h s a i d .
< ' W e ' r e . a l s o c o n t e m p l a t i n g e x -
p l o d i n g t h e f u e l s t o r a g e
b u i l d i n g " " r o u p s
S m i t h s a i d t h e t w o g
w o u l d m e e t a g a i n M o n d a y t o
d e t e r m i n e w h a t c o u r s e o f a c t i o n
w o u l d i n d e e d b e t a k e n t o
e l i m i n a t e t h e d a n g e r o u s c o n d i -
t i o n . U n t i l t h e n , F i t z w a t e r w i l l
c o n t i n u e t o b a r r i c a d e t h e s i t e .
O n e p r o b l e m t h a t h a s s t o o d i n
t h e w a y o f c l e a n - u p a t t h e s i t e i s
w h a t t o d o w i t h t h e C o r l e s s s t e a m
e n g i n e a n d o t h e r h i s t o r i c a l i t e m s
a r a h o u s e d i n t h e b u i l d i n g s .
F i t z w a t e r s a i d t h e e n g i n e w a s
n o t s e v e r e l y d a m a g e d i n t h e
M a r c h 1 2 f i r e a n d c o u l d b e
s a l v a g e d .
T h e e n g i n e h a d p o w e r e d t h e
l e t e m i l l , a c c o r d i n g t o W a r -
c o m p l e t e w h o b o u g h t t h e 1 5 0
r e n B r o w n ,
h o r s e p o w e r s t e a m e n g i n e t o
p o w e r t h e m i l l h e b u i l t i n 1 9 4 1 .
T h e e n g i n e h a d b e e n b u i l t i n
t h e l a t e 1 g 0 0 s , a n d B r o w n b o u g h t
i t f r o m a j u n k d e a l e r i n P o r t l a n d
i n 1 9 4 0 . I t h a d a l e a t h e r b e l t t h a t
w a s 1 6 f e e t l o n g a n d 3 0 i n c h e s
w i d e t h a t p o w e r e d a l i n e s h a f t
r(lrifi�iders demolishing mill remains; engine fate
0/%
- stigators
new clues
ble for a
e former
)n March
,as moved
caused by
wreckage
ie City of
Partners,
:Saturday
the site, City Administrator Jim
Smith said.
Smith said they also discussed
the feasibility and cost of a con-
trolled fire by the city fire depart-
ment on the site to eliminate
future hazards.
Smith indicated that Charles F.
McDevitt of Boise, an attorney
for the group that had planned to
develop the mill site into a shopp-
ing and meeting area, had con-
tacted two bidders about the
salvage and disposal.
"(Fire Chief) Don (Fitzwater)
- -Irmo nn the cost for a con-
trolled burn," Smith said.
"We're. also contemplating ex-
ploding the fuel storage
building."
Smi't`h said the two groups
would meet again Monday to
determine what course of action
would indeed be taken to
eliminate the dangerous condi-
tion. Until then, Fitzwater will
continue to barricade the site.
One problem that has stood in
the way of clean -up at the site is
what to do with the Corless steam
engine and other historical items
that are housed in the buildings.
Fitzwater said the engine was
not severely damaged in the
March 12 fire and could be
salvaged.
The engine had powered the
complete mill, according to War-
ren Brown, who bought the 150
horsepower steam engine to
power the mill he built in 1941.
The engine had been built in
the late 1800s, and Brown bought
it from a junk dealer in Portland
in 1940. It had a leather belt that
was 16 feet long and 30 inches
wide that powered a line shaft
which ran the length of the mill,
Brown said.
" 150 horsepower may not
seem like a lot," Brown said,
"but that's steam horsepower. It
ran the head rig and everything
else. It would take about a 500
horsepower electric motor just to
power the head rig.
"That belt was many years old
when we got it and we only had to
replace it once," he said. "It
took the hides from 80 steers to
make that belt."
Negotiations were thought to
have been underway between
uncertain
C /Y-1,GilS— X�Arl
McDevitt and the State Historical
Society involving removal of the
Corless engine, but it is now
uncertain as to just who actually
owns the engine.
Ken Sanson, di: ector of the
historical society museum, said
that to the best of his knowledge
no one had actually ever given the
engine to the state.
"We did try determinedly for a
number of years to obtain the
engine," Sawnson said. "To the
best of my knowledge, we have
(Continued on Page A -2)
Wheel of Corless engine can be seen under pile of rubble
..,mill re
(Continued from Page A -1)
no paperwork or even a verbal
agreement."
Dr. Merle Wells, state
historian, said he remembered
dealing with Onweiler and Boise
Cascade about the engine, but no
agreement was ever reached.
A letter from Jim Smith to
McDevitt concerning the mill site
dated Aug. 22, 1983, had stated
four stipulations to an agreement
for safety at the site.
Those stipulations included
rem -)val of historic equipment
befej -e Dec. 15 and completing a
controlled burn on the building
by Jan. 1, 1984.
No action was taken and the
matter was eventually given over
to city attorney Bob Remaklus in
December to negotiate with
McDevitt. One of the problems
was a timetable for removal of
the Corless engine.
"That's where it got boggled,"
said Smith. "We were allowing
time to get an answer back."
Fire ravaged the building
where the Corless engine was
located before the matter was
ever resolved.
Onweiler said last week he had
been told the engine had been
donated previous to the Red Mill
from fire.'
k
Partners acquiring the site.
No records were available from,
the previous owners, Boise:
Cascade, on the engine's status. ;
McDevitt was unavailable ford
comment this week concerning,,
his knowledge of who might own;
the Corless engine and othej*
historical items, or whether any,
plans had been set for removal..
Dr. Wells said Friday hot
thought that the State Historical
Society might indeed want the
engine if it can be restored as a:
museum piece.
"It wouldn't necessarily hav8
to be in working order," he said;
VIRTUALLY SYNONYMOUS with the history df McCall on Payette lakes is the history of
the Carl Brown family —(from left) Carl Brown, Warren Brown, his, son, Frank Brown,
grandson and Charles Carl Brown, great grandson.
-t//�
Buyers sought
Old mill site
auctioned
By Randall Brooks
The Star -News
First Security Realty and Mort-
gage Service, a subsidiary of First
Security Holding Company of
Utah, was the long bidder Thurs-
day at a trustee's sale of the site
of the former Boise Cascade
Corp. sawmill on Payette Lake.
The previous owners had been
Red Mill Ltd. and Red Mill Inc.,
a group of Boise and McCall
businessmen who had planned to
develop the land into a shopping
mall, convention center and con-
dominium cluster.
Richard Sangberg, who made
the $1,671,264 bid for First
Security, said the company had
taken over the loan given to the
developers from Utah Mortgage
Co., another First Security
Holding Company subsidiary.
"We're the new owners," he
said. "We were essentially the
lenders and we had to foreclose."
Partners in the Red Mill con-
sortium earlier had given up
ownership of the 32 con-
dominium units already con-
structed near the old mill site.
The units were sold in separate
trustee's sales this spring to two
banking operations.
Jane Volk of McCall Vaca-
tions, who has been involved in
selling and renting the units
available, has been hired by the
banks to oversee the land.
She said that Building B of the
Puddin Mountain Con -
dominiums and the Aggipan
Mountain Condominiums had
been bought by First Security at a
similar sale on May 16.
United First Savings and Loan
obtained Building A of Puddin
Mountain on May 17 and units in
the Sugarloaf building on June
26.
Volk said that of the 32 units
constructed on the original
16 -acre parcel, only four had
been sold. The banks now own
the other 28, of which nine are
nrecPntiv heine rented. Volk said.
Inc., Red Mill Ltd., and the Red
Mill Partners.
Records at U.S. Bankruptcy.
Court in Boise show that Red
Mill Inc. had originally filed
under federal bankruptcy laws in
April 1983.
Under the bankruptcy laws, a
company may obtain a federal
court order that frees it from
threat of creditors' lawsuits while
it attempts to reorganize. While
the reorganization proceeds, the
activities of the management
must be approved by the court.
The group was in court Tues-
day to explain why they have not
been actively pursuing the case, a
court clerk said.
The financial condition of
other partnership groups involv-
ed in the project could not be
determined on Tuesday.
Sangberg said last week that
the 13 -acre old mill site and con-
dominium units already con -
stucted are "most definitely for
sale."
"We don't really have any
plans," he said. "Do you know
anyone who would like to buy
them ?"
Volk said that several people
have expressed interest in buying
either individual condominiums
or blocks of the units and that
units at both Puddin Mountain
and Sugarloaf are available for
rental.
A decision will still have to be
made on whether to rent units in
the Aggipan Mountain building
on the shore of Payette Lake,
which substained heavy water
damage this winter.
Volk said the bank is in the
process of repairing water
damage to some of the units
which occured this winter. The
bank has also hired a hydrologist
to determine why parking in a
garage area has not been able to
be paved.
"The banks are in fact being
very responsible," Volk said.
Besides helping to rent or sell
the available units for the bank,
V-11, how �1cn haan hirer] to
The Star -News
First Security Realty and Mort-
gage Service, a subsidiary of First
Security Holding Company of
Utah, was the long bidder Thurs-
day at a trustee's sale of the site
of the former Boise Cascade
Corp. sawmill on Payette Lake.
The previous owners had been
Red Mill Ltd. and Red Mill Inc.,
a group of Boise and McCall
businessmen who had planned to
develop the land into a shopping
mall, convention center and con-
dominium cluster.
Richard Sangberg, who made
the $1,671,264 bid for First
Security, said the company had
taken over the loan given to the
developers from Utah Mortgage
Co., another First Security
Holding Company subsidiary.
"We're the new owners," he
said. "We were essentially the
lenders and we had to foreclose."
Partners in the Red Mill con-
sortium earlier had given up
ownership of the 32 con-
dominium units already con-
structed near the old mill site.
The units were sold in separate
trustee's sales this spring to two
banking operations.
Jane Volk of McCall Vaca-
tions, who has been involved in
selling and renting the units
available, has been hired by the
banks to oversee the land.
She said that Building B of the
Puddin Mountain Con-
dominiums and the Aggipan
Mountain Condominiums had
been bought by First Security at a
similar sale on May 16.
United First Savings and Loan
obtained Building A of Puddin
Mountain on May 17 and units in
the Sugarloaf building on June
26.
Volk said that of the 32 units
constructed on the original
16 -acre parcel, only four had
been sold. The banks now own
the other 28, of which nine are
presently being rented, Volk said.
"It was a great project," Volk
said. "They started it when the
prime rate was seven or eight per-
cent, but by the time construction
got started it was up around 20 or
21 percent.
"It sort of went down hill from
there," she said. "It was pro-
bably a combination of bad deci-
sions and bad timing."
Neither Boise Attorney Charles
McDevitt, who represents various
Red Mill investor groups involv-
ed in the project, nor general
partner William Onweiler of Mc-
Call returned telephone calls
made to them.
Onweiler told The Star -News
in 1978, when the group bought
the mill site from Boise Cascade
for a reported $1.2 million, that a
group of 10 -12 Idaho
businessmen were involved in the
partnership. At various times,
owners of portions of the
development have been Red Mill
Mill Partners.
Records at U.S. Bankruptcy.
Court in Boise show that Red
Mill Inc. had originally filed
under federal bankruptcy laws in
April 1983.
Under the bankruptcy laws, a
company may obtain a federal
court order that frees it from
threat of creditors' lawsuits while
it attempts to reorganize. While
the reorganization proceeds, the
activities of the management
must be approved by the court.
The group was in court Tues-
day to explain why they have not
been actively pursuing the case, a
court clerk said.
The financial condition of
other partnership groups involv-
ed in the project could not be
determined on Tuesday.
Sangberg said last week that
the 13 -acre old mill site and con-
dominium units already con -
stucted are "most definitely for
sale. "
"We don't really have any
plans," he said. "Do you know
anyone who would like to buy
them ?"
Volk said that several people
have expressed interest in buying
either individual condominiums
or blocks of the units and that
units at both Puddin Mountain
and Sugarloaf are available for
rental.
A decision will still have to be
made on whether to rent units in
the Aggipan Mountain building
on the shore of Payette Lake.
which substained heavy water
damage this winter.
Volk said the bank is in the
process of repairing water
damage to some of the units
which occured this winter. The
bank has also hired a hydrologist
to determine why parking in a
garage area has not been able to
be paved.
"The banks are in fact being
very responsible," Volk said.
Besides helping to rent or sell
the available units for the bank,
Volk has also been hired to
manage the project and the
homeowners association.
Tuesday, she said she was hop-
ing to talk with Wayne Seid, a
Midvale salvage contractor who
holds a contract with Red Mill
Ltd. to clean up debris from an
arson - caused fire on March 12
that destroyed the main mill
building and several smaller
structures. Volk said the bank
wanted to determine what was
being done to clean up the
nuisance.
Original plans for the project
had included a 50,000 square foot
convention center in the main
mill building, 208 condominium
units and a 30 -40 unit motel in
the fuel storage building on the
mill site.
According to plans related by
Onweiler in 1978, the plan had
been to develop the project in
three phases over 8 -10 years.
-� / /� / m�7,�
4
Officials say arson is suspected in this fire, which destroyed the old McCall sawmil
Arson suspected in McCall se
By DEBBY ABE
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL — The cause of a fire
that destroyed a 43 -year -old saw-
mill in McCall on Monday night
remained unknown Tuesday, but
a city official said arson was sus-
pected.
"Arson is what we have to look
to," Police Chief John Lyon said.
"There were no power lines out to
the mill. We don't know of any-
thing that could have caused it ex-
cept man."
Don Fitzwater, chief of the
McCall City Fire Department and
McCall Rural Fire Protection As-
sociation, said, "I don't want to
call it arson, but right now it's
very suspicious."
Four in from the
state fire marshall's office
combed through the rubble of the
once two-story, laminated wood
building Tuesday in search of
clues. The fire, reported at 6:07
p.m., consumed about 80 percent
of the building's 15,000 square
feet, Fitzwater said.
Fitzwater said he was having
difficulty estimating the fire's
damage because the 43- year -old
structure and a steam engine in-
side had historic value. He said
the building had liability insur-
ance, but he did not think it was
covered for fire loss.
Two of the building's owners,
Bill Onweiler, McCall, and
Charles McDevitt, Boise, could
not be reached for comment
Tuesday.
The investigators also inter-
viewed witnesses who reported
hearing an explosion before the
start of the fire, Fitzwater said.
Ironically, the City of McCall
was negotiating with the build-
ing's owners, a ggroup of investors
known as The )ted Mill Group, to
tear or burn the structure be-
cause it was a safety hazard, City
Administrator Jim Smith said.
Smith said two boys had been
injured in separate incidents
while playing inside the building
last year. One of them, Taggart J.
Cheney, formerly of McCall,
broke his leg and arm in an acci-
dent and filed a notice of tort
claim asking for $300,000 in dam-
ages. The suit said that the city,
which owns a metal cone burner
at the mill donated from former
owners Boise Cascade, could
have "done something to the
building" to prevent the accident,
Smith said.
Fitzwater said the building had
been boarded up so that
would have had to use a
get inside.
Smith said the fire w�
deal" to residents. Soi
saddened to lose a histo
ture, but others were pie
the "eyesore" had finally
stroyed, he said.
Fitzwater said his 18
ers had to fight 31/2 feet o
well as the blaze Tuesd
Firefighters reached thi
snowmobiles and had ti
hoses 250 feet.
Although the mill buil
vacant, its wood was soa
oil from maintenance of
machinery inside, contri
the structure's quick de!
Fitzwater said.
Fitzwater said it took t
,� / /� / m,�y
s say arson is suspected in this fire, which destroyed the old McCall sawmill Monday night Photo by Jim Staup
ispected in McCall sawm
ice two-story, laminated wood
iilding Tuesday in search of
ues. The fire, reported at 6:07
m., consumed about 80 percent
the building's 15,000 square
et, Fitzwater said.
Fitzwater said he was having
fficulty estimating the fire's
Image because the 43- year -old
ructure and a steam engine in-
le had historic value. He said
e building had liability insur-
ice, but he did not think it was
vered for fire loss.
Two of the building's owners,
Il Onweiler, McCall, and
tarles McDevitt, Boise, could
t be reached for comment
lesday.
The investigators also inter -
.wed witnesses who reported
aring an explosion before the
in of the fire, Fitzwater said.
Ironically, the City of McCall
was negotiating with the build-
ing's owners, a group of investors
known as The Red Mill Group, to
tear or burn the structure be-
cause it was a safety hazard, City
Administrator Jim Smith said.
Smith said two boys had been
injured in separate incidents
while playing inside the building
last year. One of them, Taggart J.
Cheney, formerly of McCall,
broke his leg and arm in an acci-
dent and filed a notice of tort
claim asking for $300,000 in dam-
ages. The suit said that the city,
which owns a metal cone burner
at the mill donated from former
owners Boise Cascade, could
have "done something to the
building" to prevent the accident,
Smith said.
Fitzwater said the building had
been boarded up so that intruders
would have had to use a ladder to
get inside.
Smith said the fire was "a big
deal" to residents. Some were
saddened to lose a historic struc-
ture, but others were pleased that
the "eyesore" had finally been de-
stroyed, he said.
Fitzwater said his 18 firefight-
ers had to fight 3t /Z feet of snow as
well as the blaze Tuesday night.
Firefighters reached the fire by
snowmobiles and had to stretch
hoses 250 feet.
Although the mill building was
vacant, its wood was soaked with
oil from maintenance of the mill
machinery inside, contributing to
the structure's quick destruction,
Fitzwater said.
Fitzwater said it took two hours
ill fire
1'
to secure a fire line around the
burning building. A majority of
the 18 firefighters remained at the
blaze until 12:30 a.m. to protect
nearby structures including a
building the same size as the one
destroyed and about 30 feet away,
Fitzwater said. Two firefighters
checked on the fire every 30 to 45
minutes throughout the night,
Fitzwater said.
The Red Mill Group, consisting
of 10 investors headed by On-
weiler, had planned to build a $20
million shopping mall, convention
center and condominiums. Even-
tually, they wanted to build more
than 200 condominiums, but only
two are on the mill property.
Smith said the group had gone
bankrupt and was trying to sell
the mill property.
Fire razes
historical
McCall ill
m
7 _ By5 RIANNE FLAGG /Z�
and LAURA NICHOLS
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL — The old McCall sawmill, a land-
mark in the central Idaho resort community
since 1941 and site of a proposed residential and
commercial development, was destroyed by fire
Monday night.
No one was injured in the blaze, and the cause
of the fire was unknown Monday night.
According to a witness, flames shot more than
250 feet into the air and smoke billowed hun-
dreds of feet into the sky.
McCall fireman Skip Taylor said 15 firefight-
ers battled the blaze, which began about 6 p.m.
Taylor said the entire two -story wood building
was engulfed in flames when firefighters ar-
rived, and, after containing the blaze, they
worked to "guard against it spreading" to
nearby homes.
Taylor said no homes or businesses in the area
were endangered by the blaze.
Gay West, dispatcher for the McCall volun-
teer fire department and wife of a firefighter,
said the fire crew saved the mill's boiler, burner
and one sawdust shed, but the main building was
destroyed. She said at least one firefighter will
remain at the site throughout the night to ensure
that the fire does not flare up.
McCall resident Jim Sproat, who lives about
200 yards from the mill, looked out his window
Monday, heard an explosion and saw thick black
smoke billowing from the mill. He called
McCall's fire department at 6:07 p.m., and they
arrived at the mill within minutes, Sproat said.
He said he raced out of the house to check his
property and other homes in the area to see if
they were threatened. Sproat said he was con-
cerned that it might spread because a westerly
wind was blowing toward his home.
Fortunately, he said, the wind soon shifted,
blowing toward the lake and away from homes
near the mill.
Sproat said that by the time he called the fire
department, the main mill building was con-
sumed by flames and beams were falling. "It
was really roaring," he said.
Sproat said he lent firefighters his two snow-
mobiles so the crew could reach the mill
through the 3- foot -deep snow.
McCall photographer Jim Staup was in his
house when he heard the fire alarm sound a lit-
tle after 6 p.m. He said the building was con-
sumed by 250 -foot flames, and smoke rose hun-
(See FIRE, Back Page)
'Fire____
(Continued from Page 1A)
dreds of feet in the air.
His wife, Debra, said she was
leaving The Club, a fitness com-
plex about a quarter -mile from
the mill, at 6:30 p.m. when she
saw a blanket of smoke hanging
over the mill.
"I saw the flames as I was
walking home from The Club,"
she said. "The smoke made it
seem like it was really cloudy. It
was really burning hot."
Taylor said half of the mill was
torn down several years ago to
make way for development. The
remaining half of the mill was de-
stroyed in the fire Monday night.
Warren Brown, a McCall
native, built the lumber mill in
1941, and sold it to Boise Cascade
Corp. in 1964, because, he said,
"Things weren't too good." His
family had owned the property
since the 1930s.
"It was a beautiful red building,
and anyone who ever painted any-
thing in McCall painted (pictures
of) it," Brown said.
Boise Cascade closed the mill in
December 1977, blaming land -use
plans for locking up the timber
supply in the Payette National
Forest.
The mill closure cost about 100
employees their jobs, but many of
them found construction work.
The town evolved smoothly from
• mill town to a resort city.
In May 1978, Boise Cascade sold
• 15.3 -acre portion of the mill
property to The Red Mill Group,
consisting of 10 investors headed
by former state legislator Bill On-
weiler. The sale price was not dis-
closed.
The group planned to build a $20
million shopping mall, convention
center and condominiums. On-
weiler envisioned a greenway
spanning the six -block distance to
the heart of downtown, past a ma-
rina on the lake shore.
The first phase was to build 60
condominiums on land that faced
the McCall Golf Course, a stone's
throw from the mill site. Eventu-
ally, Onweiler wanted to build
more than 200 condominiums, but
only two are on the mill property.
Some mill necessities were to
be preserved as decoration or as
part of a museum -like setting for
sightseers.
Fire , bankruptcy dogis h;
By Randall Brooks
The Star -News
qt ic McCall mill
It wasn't the best of years for `n +'
one of McCall's favorite 1 ,--id-
marks, the 43- year -old red -
painted sawmill located on the
shore of Payette Lake.
Residents will long remember
the evening of March 12, when
they rushed from their shops and
houses to see flames engulf the
main mill building, idle since
Boise Cascade Corp. had shut
down its McCall operation in
1977.
McCall volunteer firemen
Fought well into the night and
finally controlled the blaze at the
south wall of the old boiler room
and fuel storage shed.
Except for the "teepee"
sawdust burner that had been Photo by Earl Brockman
donated to McCall's Mill Park
site, the buildings are now all that
remain of the historic sawmill
that had originally been built to'
replace a Brown Tie and Lumber-May 16, 17, and June 26. against Red Mill Lta., William
Co. mill that had also burned to On July 13, - First Security Onweiler, and the city of McCall.
the ground in 1940. Holding Corp., hose subsidiar
Investigators from the state g p'' y The complaint, still under
fire marshals office were later to had lent the original money on litigation at year's end, charged
the land, made the only bid of
rule the fire as arson, but at $1,671,264 to gain possession of that the owners had left the mill
year's end no suspects had been the mill site and what remained to a derelict condition and that
found or arrests made. of the buildings. the city of McCall had not taken
For the many McCall residents The bank immediately put the proper steps to rectify the situa-
who had once made their property up for sale, but at year's tion.
livelihoods for the town's largest end no deals had been made. After the fire, the city moved
employer sawing timbers in the Even before the fire, the mill to require the owners to clean up
mill, it was indeed a sad occasion. site had raised controversy over the debris. A Midvale farmer,
Powered by a unique Corless safety. On July 4, lawyers Wayne Seid, signed a contract
steam engine fed by sawdust and representing Tagart J. Cheney, a with the owners and began
woodchips, the mill had been a former McCall boy who had demolition work. The - Aug. 1
marvel of ingenuity. fallen 30 feet from a catwalk in deadline for completion of
But the fire was not the end of the fuel building, filed suit demolition passed, and while
the old McCall mill's problems in some progress has been made,
1984.
The other problems had their
roots back in 1978, when a group
of Idaho businessmen, the Red
Mill Ltd., had purchased the mill
site from Boise Cascade. The
group made grand plans to con-
vert the site into a shopping mall,
convention center, con-
dominiums and townhouses.
Plans had been approved by
the McCall City Council and
several condominium buildings
were begun, but no work was
ever initiated on the mill site
itself. By 1984, a sagging
economy had taken its toll on the
owners of the 17 -acre mill site
and a petition for bankruptcy
was sought.
In addition, the various Red
Mill consortiums had given up
ownership of 32 condominium
units already built. They were
sold in separate trustees sales on
much of the original nuisance still
exists.
Recently, city building inspec-
tor Ray Alford said the current
owners will be required to fence
the hole where the mill building
once stood and block off en-
trance to all upper levels of the
remaining mill buildings.
The remains of the Corless
engine, which the McCall Rotary
Club wants to preserve for the ci-
ty, are still at the site. A decision
on whether the boiler room and
the fuel storage building will be
burned and demolished had not
been made by year's end by city
officials and the property
owners.
PhOfo by Rends" Br0oka Arson was blamed for March 12 blaze that leveled mill.
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
One man's eyesore can be
another man's historical struc-
ture. That statement was never
so true as when it comes to the
old sawmill burner along
Payette Lake.
The rusting burner has been
sitting neglected near Mill Park
since Boise Cascade Corp.
donated the 80 -foot tower to the
city along with the park land
after the McCall sawmill was
closed in 1977.
The rest of the sawmill has
been torn down, leaving the
burner as the only standing
reminder of McCall's roots as a
mill town. But it is also a liabili-
ty for the city of McCall.
City crews last month worked
on the old burner to correct
safety problems cited in July by
the city's insurance carrier.
An inspector found the
burner was easily accessible,
despite a fence surrounding it,
and that people stood a chance
of falling off its ladder or other-
wise hurting themselves.
The city crews removed the
ladder, welded openings shut,
repaired the fence and filled
holes that had been dug under
the fence.
That solved the short -term
problems, but the future of the
burner remains uncertain.
"It's a tremendous liability,
McCall City Administrator Bud
Schmidt said. Suggestions have
been made to renovate the
burner into a museum or similar
building, but Schmidt doubted
the burner was structurally
sound.
"It's been heated and cooled
so much, that the metal is under
a lot of stress," he said.
McCall City Council member
Gary Van Komen said he ap-
preciates the burner's historical
value, but that some action
needs to betaken.
"I'd like to see it preserved,
but it's not doing anybody any
good the way it is," Van Komen
said.
The burner is even older than
the sawmill by which it stood,
said Warren Brown, the man
who built and operated the
sawmill and sold it to Boise
Cascade in 1964.
Brown said the burner was
part of the original Brown Tie
and Lumber Co. sawmill that
was located near where the Cut -
ty Sark restaurant now stands.
That mill burned in 1940, and
the burner was moved to the
new site when the replacement
mill was built. The burner in-
cinerated bark and wood wastes
that were not used to fuel the
mill's boilers.
Brown himself saw little value
in saving the burner. "I don't
know what good it is," he said.
McCall sawmill burner to come down
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News Jt,;? 4' S,4
The last vestige of the old Mc-
Call sawmill on Payette Lake soon
will be gone following approval by
the McCall City Council on Mon-
day to have the old sawdust burner
torn down.
Council members accepted an
offer from San Diego developer
Douglas Manchester to demolish
the old burner at no charge to the
city.
Manchester now has a crew do-
ing site work at the former sawmill
property next to the old burner, and
it would not take much more effort
to have the crew take down the
burner at the same time, said Bob
McKenna, who manages Manches-
ter's properties in McCall.
McKenna said he did not know
when the burner would be demol-
ished.
The wigwam- shaped burner had
been scheduled for demolition by
the city sometime in the next year
"I see it as nothing but a future burden
on the city."
- Bob McCarty
as part of a $1.1 million park and
recreation project approved by vot-
ers in June. Plans call for the
burner to be replaced with a picnic
shelter to expand the uses at adja-
cent Mill Park.
The burner is considered a safety
hazard and in no condition to be
renovated by city officials, who
view it as a liability. "I see it as
nothing but a future burden on the
city," city council president Bob
McCarty said at Monday's meeting.
The burner has been part of the
McCall scenery on the lakefront for
decades, even before the now -
demolished sawmill was built.
The structure had served the pre-
vious sawmill that was located on
now - vacant land east of McCall
Mall downtown, said Warren Brown
of McCall. Brown's family -owned
Brown Tie and Lumber Co. oper-
ated the downtown mill until a fire
destroyed it in 1940.
Until the fire, the burner stood
about where the city's Lake Street
water pumping station is located,
Brown said.
Brown said he had plans to relo-
cate the sawmill away from down-
town even before the 1940 fire be-
cause of lack of railroad access.
Plans to relocate the burner were
already in mind, he said.
The burner was braced, placed on
a bed of long logs lashed together
and skidded across the lakefront to
its current site, he said. "It was
quite a sight," he said.
Brown said he would not feel sad
when the burner is taken down. "I
don't care what the hell they do," he
said. "I got over that years ago."
The former downtown sawmill
site was just purchased from Brown
by the city and will be developed
into a lakefront park as part of the
$1.1 million city project.
The sawmill that was built in
1940 was operated by the Brown
family until it was sold to Boise
Cascade in 1964. Boise Cascade
operated it until 1977, when the
company shut the mill, citing a
shortage of timber from national
forest lands.
Boise Cascade donated to the city
the burner and land on which Mill
Park was developed. The abandoned
sawmill building burned in a spec-
tacular fire in March 1984 that was
set by an arsonist. No suspect was
ever arrested.
The remains of the building later
were demolished and clean -up of the
(See "Burner," Back Page)
5?4� ���
Photo by Earl Brockman
Old sawmill burner's days are numbered.
Burner
(Continued from Page A -1)
site has progressed steadily ever
since. The city salvaged the large
flywheel that was part of the mill's
boiler room and put it in storage for
possible future renovation.
Manchester purchased the 14.3
acre site in 1986 from First Secu-
rity Bank, which had taken over the
property from a consortium of in-
vestors who tried, but failed, to de-
velop the parcel into a multi -use
complex.
Manchester has said the site
could be developed with a lodge and
meeting facilities, but no formal
plans have been released. He also
has informally offered to trade the
land on which the burner sits with
land he owns on which the Century
21 - Chisholm Realty building now
sits. That building is being eyed by
the city to be part of the lakefront
park project.
City council members said
Monday they wanted it made clear
that accepting Manchester's offer to
tear down the boiler does not com-
mit them to any other land deal
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Petroleum suspected at old
BY SHARI HAMBLETON
The Star -News
Soil samples taken from the old
McCall sawmill site on Payette Lake
have yielded what officials believe to
be petroleum contamination, accord-
ing the Idaho Department of Health
and Welfare's Division of Environ-
mental Quality.
A spokesman for Douglas
Manchester, owner of the sawmill
site, said Manchester would cooper-
ate with the DEQ to clean up what-
ever contamination was found on the
site.
The DEQ was alerted to the site by
a tip called in to the agency's Boise
office, said Mark Cantrell, DEQ wa-
ter quality compliance officer. Cantrell
said the report came from a construc-
tion worker who observed what was
believed to be petroleum in a trench.
After obtaining permission from
Brad Rulston, vice president of
Manchester's M Resorts, Cantrell said
several soil and water samples were
taken at the site. Those samples were
sent to both a private and state lab for
testing.
While results from the state lab
won't be completed for a few weeks,
private lab results of soil samples
from one test area detected what ap-
peared to be petroleum contamina-
tion, Cantrell said.
That positive test sample came
from an area located about 40 yards
from the shore of Payette Lake. The
area was the site of a Boise Cascade
Corp. sawmill that was McCall's ma-
jor private employer until it closed in
1977.
If state lab results confirm con-
tamination, Cantrell said, M Resorts
officials will be asked to develop a
plan to determine the extent of the
contamination, and methods to clean
it up. DEQ will then monitor the re-
sults.
"The assessment of environmen-
tal contamination is done through the
owners," Cantrell said. "We'll (DEQ)
review and comment on the clean up.
Their plan has to work. We don't
actually sit out on the site and oversee
the clean up."
sawmill
Rulston said company officials are
well aware of the "environmental sen-
sitivity" of the old sawmill site. The
site has been subdivided into 20 ex-
clusive home sites called The Mill at
Payette Lake.
Last winter, M Resorts hired
EnviroSearch International of Boise
to carry out extensive tests identical
to the DEQ testing. That testing was
required before the site could receive
approval for further development,
Rulston said.
In its report submitted to M Re-
sorts in March, EnviroSearch said its
first samples found some evidence of
groundwater pollution, but contami-
nation could not be confirmed in sub-
sequent tests.
The conclusion by EnviroSearch
was the soil and shallow groundwater
on the sawmill site was free from
contamination.
"We spent a lot of money on that
testing," Rulston said. "And we came
up with a clean bill of health on that
site."
"We've already done what the
DEQ is doing and have actually taken
it further than where they're at right
now," Rulston said. "Obviously the
first concern is pollution going into
the lake. That's why we tested the
water flowing into the lake. We've
already been through the scare that
maybe it's contaminated."
Results of the testing have also
been disclosed to prospective home
buyers, Rulston said. Of the 20 resi-
dential home sites planned for the
area, 16 are in escrow.
Development of the home sites
can continue even if petroleum con-
tamination is confirmed, Cantrell said.
"I think we're going to have to
mitigate whatever problems are out
there," Rulston said.
"What worries me is this will be
blown out of proportion. I think the
perception could be that the whole
site is contaminated and that's just not
the case," he said.
Manchester also owns Shore Lodge
in McCall and MeadowCreek Golf
and Field Club north of New Mead-
ows.
Photo
by Shari Hambleton
Photo shows pit where contaminated soil was excavated near Mill Park restrooms, background.
Clean -up goes on at mill site
BY SHARI HAMBLETON
The Star-News
An environmental consulting firm
working under the direction of the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency is working to clean up low -
level PCB contamination discovered
at the old McCall sawmill site.
Four electrical capacitors — de-
vices used to control the flow of power
from large electrical lines — were
uncovered as workers excavated a
trench on the site in August, said
Derrick Crowther, project geologist
for EnviroSearch of Boise.
EnviroSearch was the environmental
consulting firm contracted by M Re-
sorts, the sawmill site owner.
Idaho Power Co. officials con-
tacted M Resorts after tests confirmed
the capacitors contained high con-
centration of PCBs (polychlorinated
biphenyls).
PCBs were used to insulate intense
heat - producing electrical wires and
are now classified as a toxic sub-
stance. EPA officials were contacted
within 24 hours after officials of M
Resorts heard of the contamination,
he said.
Cleanup efforts have included the
excavation of about 300 cubic yards
of soil which has been heaped onto
plastic, covered and isolated by chain
link fence with signs identifying the
danger.
The soil, most of which contains
low levels of contamination with pock-
ets of high concentrations of PCBs,
will eventually be transported to a
hazardous waste site.
- Field samples of the excavated site
indicated all affected soil had been
removed, Crowther said. Soil samples
were also sent to an accredited lab for
confirmation.
"We're in communication with the
-EPA and are discussing options and
remedial actions. We want them to be
aware of what we're doing," he said.
The former sawmill site has been
subdivided into 20 exclusive home
sites called The Mill On Payette Lake.
The discovery of the contamination
has not affected the sale of the lots.
The PCB contamination follows
closely the discovery of petroleum
contamination on the same site.
A state Division of Environmental
Quality inspector last week visited
excavation pits where petroleum was
also detected in August.
Tom Neace, DEQ environmental
hydrogeologist, said he was visiting
the site to see how clean up efforts
were progressing.
Neace, was also looking for any
signs of remaining petroleum con-
tamination of groundwater visible in
the bottom of one of the two pits.
"It doesn't appear the contamina-
tion has gone any further," Neace
said. And, although one of the pits is
only a few yards from the shore of
Payette Lake, he said it wasn't con-
sidered "a big threat to the lake."
"It doesn't appear the petroleum
went that far. We're not seeing things
like fish kills or signs of petroleum on
the water surface," he said.
DEQ was alerted to the site last
summer by a tip called in to the
agency's Boise office.
After inspection of the site, DEQ
officials sent soil and water samples
to agency and private labs. Those
samples confirmed detection of pe-
troleum.
The contamination, detected in two
locations about 50 feet from each
other, likely resulted from under-
ground fuel storage tanks serving a
nearby dock during operation of the
old McCall sawmill, or from demoli-
tion activities, Neace said, "But that's
just speculation on our part."
"The good thing about this kind of
organic soil is that it absorbs those
(petroleum) materials," preventing the
contaminants from quickly leaching
into ground water, he said.
7-hp ��ny )/a Ile' J17114�
Brown's Industries
donates land to New
Meadows for recycling
NEW MEADOWS — The City
of New Meadows and Brown's
Industries, Inc., announced last
week the donation of property to
the city to be used for the opera-
tion of Heartland Recycling Center.
The land consists of 6 city lots.
"The timing of this was per-
fect since Heartland was in need
of a good location that would be
convenient for area residents,"
New Meadows Mayor Nancy
Welbaum said.
Judd DeBoer, president of
Brown's Industries, said the com-
pany had owned the property since
the days when lumber from its
Riggins sawmill was shipped by
rail from the adjacent sidings.
"We were happy the commu-
nity could put this property to good
use," he said.
Brown's Industries also oper-
ates Brundage Mountain Ski Resort,
which is visible from New
Meadows, and also has ranch prop-
erties in Meadows Valley.
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Frank Brown injured
in plane crash
MCCALL — Frank Brown, a lifelong res-
ident of McCall and developer, was critically
injured early Sunday in a single- engine air-
plane crash at the Yellow Pine Bar landing strip
along the Main Salmon River north of McCall.
According to Idaho County Undersheriff
Jon Stroop, Brown was taking off in his Piper
Super Cub from the airstrip when the aircraft
clipped a tree and crash into some other trees.
With Brown was Burt Armstrong, a Boise
and McCall resident. Armstrong received minor
cuts and bruises in the crash.
Brown was taken from the crash site by Life
Flight helicopter to St. Alphonsus Regional
Medical Center in Boise where he underwent
surgery Monday afternoon for back and neck
injuries. His condition Tuesday morning was
listed as critical but stable, according to a nurs-
ing supervisor at the hospital.
Armstrong was also taken to Boise on the
Life Flight helicopter, where he was treated
the crash, but very
easily could have.
That view was
supported by Pat
Dorris, of McCall
Air Taxi, who
when he heard of
the accident flew
a company Cessna
206 into the
airstrip with two
M c C a l l
Emergency Frank Brown
M e d i c a l
Technicians aboard.
He said McCall Air Taxi pilot Rod Nielsen
was also there and he credited Nielsen and
Armstrong with getting Brown out of the
destroyed airplane.
"When they pulled him out of the airplane,
the gas was still running," Dorris said. As it
after happened, the airplane did not burn, he said, but it sure could have.
Nielsen was flying Tuesday and couldn't be reached for his ver-
sion of the events prior to press -time Tuesday.
But Dorris said they had Brown out of the wreckage and on the
ground and stabilized when they arrived, and were only waiting for
Life Flight to arrive. That took a bit longer than expected, however,
as some mis- communications had the Boise -based helicopter crew fly-
ing to Yellow Pine instead of Yellow Pine Bar.
Dorris said he then took off in his airplane and went to find Life
Flight and directed them into the crash site.
He said Tuesday he doesn't know what might have caused the crash.
Stroop said Tuesday that the National Transportation Safety Board
will conduct the investigation into the crash.
MIN
McCall 11
legend
dies at
age 88
Brown helped
found sld area
Staff and wire reports
MCCALL — Warren Har-
rington Brown, a former state
senator and co- founder of
Brundage Mountain Ski Area,
died Tuesday in a Boise hospital
after a stroke. He was 88.
The McCall native and life-
long resident owned the former
Brown's Tie and Lumber Co.,
which for many years operated
a mill on Payette Lake, as well as
mills in Riggins and Lakefork.
Brown also ran an Internation-
al Truck dealership in McCall for
30 years and operated successful
cattle ranches in McCall, New
Meadows and White Bird.
He was a former president of
the Intermountain Logging Con-
ference and the Pacific Logging
Congress, and
at the time of
his death re-
tained an in-
terest in the
Boise -based i
business hold-
ing company��
Brown's In-
dustries. Warren Brown
"He was
well respected
in the industries he worked in,"
son -in -law Judd DeBoer said.
Brown was instrumental in
developing the Little Ski Hill
west of McCall in 1937.
Brown joined with Corey En-
gen, and with the financial back-
ing of Boise billionaire J.R. Sim-
plot, founded Brundage Moun-
tain Ski Aren in 10,91
t d ?e !i itir d k
Brown raced dog sleds and
was an avid skier throughout his
life. He ski jumped at the Little
Ski Hill into his forties and at age
71 won the National Masters
Combined Ski Race, which was
at Brundage in 1983.
DeBoer described Brown as
"a humble, but very self -confi-
dent" man who dealt with all
people with equal ease. "He was
comfortable around everybody,
whether it was the governor or
someone out in the woods," he
said.
Brown remained active in Mc-
Call in recent years, sponsoring
a sled dog race for the annual
McCall Winter Carnival. Brown
and his wife, Jayne, also served
as grand marshals of the Winter
Carnival last winter and were
honored for helping start Mc-
Call's marquee winter event.
A Republican, Brown was ap-
pointed to a vacancy in the Idaho
Senate in 1964 by Gov. Robert
Smylie. He was elected to the
seat representing Valley,
Adams, Washington and Gem
counties in 1968 and re- elected
in 1970 and 1972.
"It's a loss to the community.
He was such a part of Valley
County and the state of Idaho,"
Republican state Sen. Judi
Danielson of Council said
Thursday. "He was a quiet play-
er, such an important compo-
nent in Idaho's history. And he
was a wonderful man."
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F irst of 60 condos set to go in McCall
By EARL D= an
The Idaho States
MCCALL — With the Idaho real estate market
experiencing increasing difficulties from rapidly ris-
ing mortgage interest rates coupl( id with the state's
10 percent usury ceiling, one niight think twice
about pursuing any new resider )tial building ven-
tures at this time', {
But not Aifi Onweiler. }
First, Onweiler is not trying to sell your run -of-
the -mill three - bedroom, two -bath ranch -style
house in West Boise. The Re- Mill Group, 10
Idaho investors, are bankrolling Onweiler who will
soon begin building 60 condominiums at McCall, a
resort community more than 100 miles north of
Boise.
But the best part, says Onweiler, is that most of
the people who can afford a "second" home in the
state "are able to pay cash for these condos." So
the financing problems are minimized, he says.
Onweiler, a former state legislator who is a prop-
erty appraiser, was instrumental in getting Boise
Cascade Corp., earlier this year to sell its McCall
sawmill and surrounding property to the Red Mill
Group.
While the group eventually wants to develop
more than 200 condominium units along with a re-
sort- flavored shopping mall and restaurant -motel
complex, getting the first 60 condominiums built
and sold is Onweiler's first task.
To do this, he formed his own real estate com-
pany called, appropriately enough, Red Mill Real-
ty. Then he formed the Onweiler Development Co.,
which is structured solely to build the condom-
iniums.
Onweiler has contracted with Boise Cascade
Corp.'s manufactured housing division outlet in
Meridian to supply the two and three - bedroom
condominium units.
"It wasn't a contingency made a part of the
transaction when we bought the sawmill from
them," confided Onweiler, "but you can be sure
that it didn't hurt us, either."
The first phase of what Onweiler sees as a three -
phase operation is to build — and sell — the 60 con-
dominiums on a large parcel of land that faces the
McCall Golf Course and is only a stone's throw
I-om the sawmill site.
Onweiler's real estate company 10 days ago
mailed out 120 brochures containing the two basic
floor plans of the condos to people who have ex-
pressed interest. "We sent the brochures to those
who left their name and address with us here in
McCall. Several of them told us they definitely
were interested in buying. All they wanted to know
was when we would be ready to start selling," he
said. _
Since there are 10 units to a group, Onweiler said
"everytime we get 10 sales orders, we will order 10
units from Boise Cascade." He said 45 percent of
the construction will be done on site. This will con-
sist mainly of putting on the roofs, the siding and
making the units airtight, he said.
Insulation will be done on site, Onweiler said,
with materials being put into the walls, the ceiling
and the flooring. Insulation is being put into the
flooring, he said, "because the garages will be be-
neath the condos."
Onweiler hopes to pre -sell and deliver 30 con-
dominium units before winter sets in. And by next
June 1, he hopes to,have sold out the first phase of
60 units.
"Most of our buyers will come from within 150
miles of McCall," said Onweiler. "We think our
customers are from Lewiston to Payette to Boise."
During the winter months, Onweiler and his Red
Mill Group will sit down and begin the actual
planning of the sawmill itself. By late spring, he
hopes to be well into making the leasing arrange-
ments. -
There are only two floor plans in the condom-
iniums being offered for sale, said Onweiler. The
two bedroom plan contains 1,176 square feet of
floor space; the three bedroom plan has 1,400
square feet. Prices for the units are $55,900 for the
two bedroom plan and $65,900 for the three bed-
room plan.
Roadway entrances from main roads to the gara-
ges beneath the condos will all be heat -taped to
prevent ice buildup during the winter months, said
Onweiler. "We think this will make it possible to
refrain from having any snow removal equipment
being brought into the area," he said.
Onweiler said he thinks many of the buyers will
consist of more than one couple. "A lot will share
the condos, we believe," he said.
Floor plan of 3- bedroom unit
4