Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company was a lumber products company with large sawmills and significant land holdings in Minnesota, Florida, British Columbia, and Central Oregon. The company was formed in 1901 with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Beginning in 1915, its main lumber production facility was in Bend, Oregon. For many years, its Bend sawmill was one of the largest lumber producers in the world. In 1969, the company created Brooks Resources to broaden its business base beyond timber production. Brooks-Scanlon's Bend sawmill was closed in 1994. Today, Brooks Resources is the only vestige of the company that is still in business.
Founding
The Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company was formed in 1901 with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The founding partners were Michael J. Scanlon, Anson S. Brooks, Dwight F. Brooks, Lester R. Brooks, and Henry E. Gipson. The firm was originally capitalized with $500,000. The partners later increased their capital investment to $1,750,000."Michael J. Scanlon", American Lumbermen: The Personal History and Public and Business Achievements (Volume 2), American Lumbermen, Chicago, 1906, Illinois, pp. 83, 86–87.Drobney, Jeffrey A., Lumbermen and Log Sawyers: Life, Labor, and Culture in the North Florida Timber Industry, 1830–1930, Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia, 1997, p. 55."Build New Lumber Mill", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 30 January 1901, p. 7."Increase Capital", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 23 November 1903, p. 8.
Brooks-Scanlon’s first lumber production facility was located in Scanlon, Minnesota, a new company town located on the St. Louis River south of Cloquet, Minnesota. A month after the company was formed, construction of a large sawmill began. The Scanlon mill opened late in 1901, ready for winter production. The mill processed approximately per day."Work on New Mill Commenced", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 20 February 1901, p. 12."All Winter Sawing", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 23 November 1901, p. 3.
The company quickly expanded its acquisition of standing timber to feed its mill operation."Minnesota", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 10 January 1902, p. 3."Dunn Sells Timber", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 12 November 1902, p. 6."A $1,000,000 Deal", Minneapolis Journal], Minneapolis, Minnesota, 4 November 1905, p. 7. By 1903, the Cloquet sawmill was cutting of lumber per year. At the same time, the company was expanding its railroad logging operations."Great Year for Logging", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 14 February 1903, p. 15.
Eventually, local timber resources became scarce and the company began looking for new timber resources outside Minnesota. The Brooks-Scanlon sawmill in Scanlon closed in 1909, after cutting of timber. That completely exhausted the supply of standing timber in the area around the mill. The company announced that the mill would be disassembled and shipped west."Scanlon Mill Closes", Virginia Enterprise, Virginia, Minnesota, 13 April 1909, p.87.
British Columbia and Florida
By 1906, adequate standing timber was hard to find in Minnesota, so Brooks-Scanlon began buying timberland in Florida, initially near Orlando. The company announced it planned to build a new sawmill in Florida, but did not give a target date for opening the mill. Two years later, the company began buying timber land in British Columbia as well."Buys Florida Timber", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 29 May 1906, p. 7."Still Another Big Timber Deal", The Province, Vancouver, British Columbia, 24 July 1908, p. 1."American Capital in B.C.", Victoria Daily Times, Victoria, British Columbia, 27 July 1908, p. 10.
In 1909, the company announced it would build several sawmills along the Fraser River in British Columbia."Seeking Site for Mill on Fraser", Victoria Daily Times, Victoria, British Columbia, 23 April 1909, p. 4. The company eventually selected a site near New Westminster, British Columbia, for its main milling operation."Brooks-Scanlon Firm to Build Sawmill", The Province, Victoria, British Columbia, 5 May 1909, p. 2.
Over the next decade, the company continued to buy Florida timberland. Eventually, the company acquired of virgin forest land in Florida."Buys Florida Timber", Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 29 May 1906, p. 7.Wilder, Paul, "Biggest Sawmill to Close; Pulp Mill May Replace It", Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida, 25 February 1948, p. 1, 8. By 1920, the company was the largest landowner in the state."Paper Making in Florida", Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida, 27 July 1920, p. 4.
In 1917, Brooks-Scanlon bought a sawmill in Eastport, near Jacksonville, Florida, to begin producing lumber for the New England construction market."Paper Making in Florida", Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida, 7 November 1917, p. 6. The company produced lumber at the Eastport sawmill for over a decade. However, the Eastport mill was closed in 1929 when the company’s milling operations were moved to Foley. The company built a large new sawmill in Foley along with an adjacent company town."To Move Town of 3000 People", Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Florida, 20 February 1929, p. 1."Paper Making in Florida", Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Florida, 12 December 1929, p. 4.
By 1930, the Foley sawmill was the largest lumber production facility in Florida."Well Known in Florida", Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida, 4 October 1930, p. 4. The company’s Florida operation continued to grow throughout the early 1930s."Sideglances at Florida", Fort Lauderdale News, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 30 September 1933, p. 4. In 1948, the company announced it would close its lumber production mill in Foley due to a lack of sufficient heavy timber to keep the mill running efficiently.
In 1951, Brooks-Scanlon sold of previously harvested Florida forest land to Buckeye Cellulose Corporation, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble."Lumber Work to Continue in Foley", Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Florida, 21 September 1951, p. 14."Taylor Group Backs Plans for Big Plant", Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Florida, 21 September 1951, p. 1. A month later, Foley Lumber Industries bought Brooks-Scanlon's Foley plant and some additional timber land with the intention of working with Buckeye Cellulose to build a pulp mill to utilize the second-growth timber available on the land previously owned by Brooks-Scanlon."Lumber Work to Continue in Foley", Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Florida, 28 October 1951, p. 8.
Oregon operations
In 1911, Brooks-Scanlon began looking at timber resources in central Oregon."Settlers File on 300,000 Acres at Bend in Half Year", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, 21 May 1911, p. 5. In 1915, the company purchased large tracts of timber land in central Oregon, near Bend. The following year, Brooks-Scanlon opened a sawmill on the east bank of the Deschutes River on the outskirts of Bend. Directly across the river from the Brooks-Scanlon mill was the Shevlin-Hixon sawmill, a major competitor that opened a month before the Brooks-Scanlon mill began operating. When it began sawmill operations, Brooks-Scanlon owned of timberland south and east of Bend, while Shevlin-Hixon owned including parcels along on both sides of the Deschutes River. Within a year of opening, the Brooks-Scanlon and Shevlin-Hixon sawmills were the two largest producers of pine lumber in the world.Nokes, R. Gregory, "Mill Town to Boom Town", Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, 1 September 2002, p. A19."500-Man Mill is Promised Bend", Eugene Guard, Eugene, Oregon, 18 August 1915, p. 5."Brooks Resources Corporation and the Story of Bend, Oregon," Building Community Since 1969, Brooks Resources Corporation, Bend, Oregon, 2019, pp. 6–7.
In 1922, Brooks-Scanlon built a second lumber production facility upstream from the company's original sawmill. The new sawmill complex was known as Mill B. The new production complex was much larger than the original Mill A facility. When the new sawmill was fully operational, Brooks-Scanlon was cutting lumber around the clock with more than 2,000 workers on the company's payroll."History of Bend’s Old Mill District – Our Story", Old Mill District, www.oldmilldistrict.com, Bend, Oregon, accessed 25 June 2019.
By 1930, the Brooks-Scanlon sawmill was running three shifts a day, which kept the sawmill operating around the clock. At their peak, the Brooks-Scanlon and Shevlin-Hixon sawmills were producing over of lumber per year."Brooks-Scanlon Mill is Running Three Shifts", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 22 January 1930, p. 5.Binus, Joshua, "Shevlin-Hixon and Brooks-Scanlon Mills, Bend", Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, 2005. Over the next several decades, Brooks-Scanlon bought large tracts of central Oregon timber land from Shevlin-Hixon and other forest land owners."Timber Sale Pending Here", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 28 September 1917, p. 1."Brooks-Scanlon Buys Mrs Well's Timber", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, 3 July 1939, p. 7.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, Brooks-Scanlon began buying standing timber from the United States Forest Service to supplement the harvest taken from the company’s timber land."Brooks-Scanlon Buys Indian Butte Timber", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 12 June 1939, p. 1."Minto Pass Burn Timber is Sold", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 11 January 1946, p. 1."Stumpage Sells for $25 per 1000 Ft", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, 5 September 1947, p. 1. The company also significantly expanded its railroad logging north and west of Bend. Previously, its railroad logging operations were used primarily for harvesting timber lands south of Bend. "1940 Big Year for Midstate", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 24 September 1940, p. 44."Railroad Steel Spans Highway", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 16 April 1946, p. 5.
In 1950, Brooks-Scanlon bought the neighboring Shevlin-Hixon sawmill. The acquisition included the Shevlin-Hixon sawmill and adjacent property, all of its railroad and logging equipment, and large tracts of central Oregon timber lands along with the associated water rights."Shevlin-Hixon Sells to Brooks Scanlon", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 21 November 1950, p. 1."Shevlin-Hixon Sale Recorded in 2 Counties", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 19 December 1950, p. 1. The Shevlin-Hixon sawmill was closed at the end of 1950."Cutting Last Shevlin-Hixon Log Done in Dramatic Setting", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 26 December 1950, p. 1. In the 1950s, Brooks-Scanlon kept its Bend sawmill producing lumber with timber purchased from the United States Forest Service in auctions administered by the Deschutes National Forest."Record Price for Deschutes National Forest Pine Paid by Brooks-Scanlon at Sale", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 11 August 1950, p. 1."Brooks-Scanlon Makes High Bid", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 8 May 1952, p. 1."Brooks-Scanlon Purchase Big Tract", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, 29 October 1954, p. 5.