Lockley, Fred. "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the Sea." Vol. 2. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928. p. 617. NORTHWEST BLOWER KILN COMPANY One of the important industries of Portland is the Northwest Blower Kiln Company, which is engaged in the manufacture of improved equipment for the proper drying of lumber, and which, in the comparatively short period of nine years has gained a well merited reputation among lumbermen throughout the Pacific Northwest region. This company was first organized in 1919 as a Washington corporation, and in the following year was also incorporated in Oregon. Prior to its incorporation the business had been started as a partnership by Howard B. Oakleaf and M. L. Mueller, who soon found that the possibilities of their business justified an increase in working capital and manufacturing capacity. Mr. Mueller, who lives in Seattle, Washington, is president of the corporation and Mr. Oakleaf is secretary, treasurer and manager. The business had its inception in the fact that Mr. Oakleaf, while engaged in government service during the World war, found it necessary to devise a method for drying lumber quickly and properly in order to meet the urgent demands of the air service, with which he and Mr. Mueller were connected. The new system proved so eminently satisfactory that they determined after the war to give the lumber industry the advantage of the same process, the result being the organization of the present company for the design and erection of the kilns. Though the original kilns were devised for preparing lumber for airplane propellers, their application is practicable to all kinds of lumber and the kilns are now recognized as the most valuable improvement in lumber mill equipment that has been devised in many years. The superior features of the Northwest blower kilns are briefly as follows; faster drying for like quality; better quality at the same speed; more circulation per horsepower; the same circulation for less power; one way and positive circulation without end drift; uniform circulation along the boards; uniform circulation over all layers of lumber; minimum fans, bearing and shaftings, all of which are external and accessible while kiln is in operation; permanent materials for duct construction and air distribution; maximum radiation efficiency and range of heat; positive, uniform and nonreversing air movement; maximum kiln earnings for minimum outlay. Thus the economic phases which commend the Northwest blower kilns as the best investment are that they produce the highest possible quality of dried stock, their capacity is greater per kiln and per dollar invested than any other design, perfect results are obtained immediately and continuously without lost time or experimental drying, and any and all lumber items can be dried perfectly, regardless of size, grade or ultimate use. A partial list of the larger installations of these kilns includes the following: Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Company, Chemainus, British Columbia, fifteen kilns; Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills, Bellingham, Washington, fourteen kilns; Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Company, Snoqualmie Falls, Washington, twenty-eight kilns; Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, Everett, Washington, thirty-eight kilns; Long-Bell Lumber Company, Longview, Washington, sixty-eight kilns; Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, Longview, Washington, eighty kilns; Potlatch Lumber Company, Elk River and Potlatch, Idaho, fifty-two kilns; deal-water Timber Company, Lewiston, Idaho, sixty-three kilns; Pacific Spruce Corporation, Toledo, Oregon, fourteen kilns; Ewauna Box Company, Klamath Falls, Oregon, twenty-four kilns; McCloud River Lumber Company, McCloud, California, forty-seven kilns; Yosemite Lumber Company, Merced Falls, California, eighteen kilns; Pickering Lumber Corporation, Standard, California, twenty kilns. The Northwest Blower Kiln Company maintains the largest expert kiln organization in the country. Each of its engineers and chief operators has had at least fifteen years' technical and practical experience in the drying of lumber, covering every character and class of lumber which has ever been successfully kiln dried. The company furnishes periodic inspections of its operations, and in addition maintains constant service which includes answers to questions raised by kiln operators who experience peculiarities with their stock. This correlates the kiln operations on different classes of lumber in various localities to enable each of its customers to obtain the benefit of the company's experience at other plants. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in July 2010 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.