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Photo courtesy Klamath County Museum
stacked in tall rows at Lamm Lumber co. in this circa 1930s photo.
- Klamath Life 2003
By 1940, demand for lumber
began to grow again with the
aniicipation of a second world
war.
But following America's
entry into World War II, the
federal government ceased the
large timber sales that smaller,
independent sawmills relied
upon. Consequently, manY of
those operations closed down.
The result would have been
disastrous for the local econo-
my - had it not been for the
war.
Lumber production reached
an all-time high in 1942 with
the military's demand for raw
materials increasing. This
meant local sawmills were
pushed to their production lim-
its to provide mostly low-grade
common boards. Box factories
made large quantities of shook
to make ammunition and
rations boxes, as well as crates
big enough to ship aircraft.
Labor shortages also helPed
to cushion the blow caused bY
mill closures, as many men
either volunteered for or were
drafted into military service.
Lamm Lumber Co. reported
losing more than 50 of its
workers to the service Lr,1942.
At the Euwana Box Co., about
155 employees had left for the
military by June 1944.
Unemployment in the indus-
try went largely unnoticed at
the time, because surviving
mills snatched up workers laid
offfrom those that had closed
down.
To compensate for a signifi-
cant loss of labor, mill workers
were often asked to change
shifts and operate more than
one piece of machinery at a
time.
But eventually, the war
would drain manpower to a
bare minimum. So Basin lum-
ber companies did what manY
other businesses around the
country did: employ women.
They began working in the box
factories before putting in time
at the lumber mills.
Women made up half of the
workers at Lamm's box factory
during the war.
See MILLS, Page 119