An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 373-374
	
	THE MICHIGAN LUMBER COMPANY. -- This company, whose plant is probably the
most extensive in southwestern Washington, was organized and incorporated in
1889, with the following officers: President, Louis Sohus; Vice President and
Manager; P.O. McFarlane; Secretary, Charles E. McFarlane; Treasurer, W.B. Wells.
The official corps at the present time is as follows: President and Manager,
P.O. McFarlane; Vice-President, Mrs. Charlotte M. Gray; Secretary and Treasurer,
Charles E. McFarlane. They have conducted very extensive lumbering operations in
Washington and Oregon, and have a well stocked yard in Albina, the latter State.
Their plant has a capacity of 70,000 feet daily, and they employ forty men about
the yard, and keep seven teams constantly employed delivering lumber and
replenishing the Albina yard. The mechanical equipment of the plant is of the
latest and most improved design. The engine is of 200-horse power. Logs are
floated to the mill from the Columbia river and tributary streams, and
additional supplies in the line also transported from the interior of Clarke
county. by the Vancouver, Klickitat and Yakima Railroad, which is owned and
controlled by the stockholders of the Michigan Lumber Company. The road at this
time extends twelve miles into the interior of the county, and probably at no
distant day will be pushed forward to Yakima. At the present time the travel is
light, the road being chiefly used for logging and timber purposes. The officers
of the road are: Louis Sohus, President; Charles Brown, Vice-President; David
Schule, Secretary; L.M. Hidder, Manager; the First National Bank, of Vancouver,
Treasurer; and Sohus Hidden, Brown and McFarlane, Directors. The Mill Company
also own near the present terminus of the railroad a large tract of choice
timber land which supplies a small per centage of material to the mill, besides
giving piling and other extreme-length material to various sections of the
State.
	P.C. McFarlane, who is probably the most largely interested in the company's
operations, was born in Canada, August 20, 1849, a son of Andrew and Mary J.
(Bryden) McFarlane, both of Scotch birth, and now deceased. They removed from
Canada to America in 1853, locating in Michigan. Our subject, the youngest in a
family of ten children, was reared and educated in that State, and from early
boyhood has been connected with the lumber trade. He came to Vancouver in 1888,
and since that time has been closely identified with the growth, prosperity and
best interest of the city and Clarke county. Mr. McFarlane recently effected the
purchase of the old Lake river mill property, and for the operation of the plant
the P.C. McFarlane Lumber Company was incorporated in January. 1883. The
officers are: P.C. McFarlane, President; Charles McFarlane, Secretary, and W.W.
McCredie, Treasurer; and the directors are the same as above mentioned, with the
addition of Charlotte M. Gray. The mill has a capacity of 35,000 feet daily, is
operated by an engine of 100-horse power, and has a large amount of lumber
tributary to the mill. The company employ ten men in getting cord-wood for the
Portland market, supplying from 500 to 1,000 cords monthly. The facilities for
getting wood are of the best, there being a flume of one and a quarter miles,
which carries wood to the tide water.
	Mr. McFarlane is a man of family. He has always taken an active interest in
political matters until recently, and is a stanch advocate of the Republican
party. He was elected a member of the city council of Vancouver in 1891, serving
one year, and in the same year was also appointed County Commissioner, but owing
to his business interests was compelled to decline the honor. Socially, he
affiliates with the Masonic order, and has passed all the official chairs in the
I.O.O.F.
	
Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in September 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer
	
	
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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
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