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{{Short description|American forest products company}}
] ]


The '''Simpson Investment Company''' is a ] based company that specializes in production and manufacture of ]. Originally founded as a logging company in 1890 by Sol Simpson, the company currently functions as a ] for its three subsidiaries who deal with different sectors in the ] industry.<ref name="Bizjournal"/> They are ''Simpson Lumber Company'', the ''Simpson Door Company'' and the ''Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company''. The Simpson Lumber Company conducts logging operations in ] and in ] while the Simpson Door Company manufactures wood doors. The Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company produces pulpwood and linerbaord products.<ref name="Bizjournal"> The '''Simpson Investment Company''' is a privately held holding company based in ] in the US ] that specializes in manufacture of ]. Founded as a logging company in 1890 by Sol Simpson, the company is now owned by the ].
{{cite web
| title = Simpson splits units but keeps focus
| publisher = Puget Sound Business Journal
| author = Chris Genna
| url = http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2006/06/26/focus9.html
| accessdate = 2009-08-31 }}</ref>
Simpson announced in 2008 that they will be entering the "green power" industry by building a new power plant at its Tacoma tideflats mill that will generate power via the burning of sawmill and other forest waste. In August 2009, construction of the power plant was complete and it currently generates 55 megawatts of power which is sold to ] and used by the ].<ref> {{cite web
| title = Simpson Investment Co. will build power plant at Tacoma Tideflats mill
| publisher = Tacoma News Tribune
| author = John Gillie
| url = http://www.thenewstribune.com/1032/story/343258.html
| date = 2008-04-28
| accessdate = 2009-08-31 }}</ref><ref> {{cite web
| title = New Tacoma biomass plant starts churning power
| publisher = Puget Sound Business Journal
| url = http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/08/10/daily21.html
| date = 2009-08-11
| accessdate = 2009-09-06 }}</ref>


==Company Divisions== ==Former divisions==
] ] with a Simpson train.]]
] in 2011.]]
The company was split in to two separate units in 2006. The Green Diamond Resource Company is a ] that was created to manage Simpson's forest lands. Both companies are owned by the same shareholders and as with the current subsidiaries, function as separate departments within a large company rather than as completely independent companies.<ref name="Bizjournal"/>
The Simpson Lumber Company conducted logging operations and was based in ]. Four mills were sold to ] and the Shelton property was sold to ].<ref></ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.building-products.com/April-2015/Simpson-Selling-Remaining-Lumber-Assets-to-SPI/ |title=Simpson Selling Remaining Lumber Assets to SPI |access-date=2016-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106123620/http://www.building-products.com/April-2015/Simpson-Selling-Remaining-Lumber-Assets-to-SPI/ |archive-date=2016-11-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The "Simpson ] Kraft Company" produced pulpwood and ] products. Previously owned by ] {{nowrap|Corporation,<ref name=tpmaext>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NpFYAAAAIBAJ&pg=7364%2C3873598 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=3 pulp mills ask compliance extension |date=November 29, 1972 |page=23}}</ref>}} the mill on the shore of ] was acquired by Simpson in 1985 and sold to ] in&nbsp;2014.<ref name=risit>{{cite news|url=https://technology.risiinfo.com/packaging-technology/north-america/rocktenn-buy-simpson-tacoma-343-million-establish-west-coast-mill-base-expand-white-top |publisher=RISI Technology Channels |title=RockTenn to buy Simpson Tacoma for $343 million to establish West Coast mill base, expand in white top |date=March 7, 2014 |accessdate=December 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name=psbjrt>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2014/03/03/simpson-tacoma-kraft-mill-rocktenn.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |location=(Seattle, Washington)|last=Knauf |first=Ana Sofia|title=Georgia company agrees to buy Simpson Tacoma Kraft paper mill |date=March 3, 2014 |accessdate=December 12, 2018}}</ref> In ], Simpson operated a vintage paper mill from 1990 to 1996;<ref name=upiarch90>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/08/17/Two-Oregon-plants-being-sold-by-James-River/6654650865600/|publisher=] |title=Two Oregon plants being sold by James River |date=August 17, 1990 |access-date=July 6, 2024}}</ref><ref name=ergjr2m>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NkNWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=meoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4277%2C4332365 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |last=Robertson |first=Lance |title=James River to sell 2 mills |date=August 18, 1990 |page=14C}}</ref><ref name=seatmem>{{cite news |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19960724&slug=2340845 |work=Seattle Times |title=Simpson Paper plans to close Evergreen Mill, idling 388 |date=July 24, 1996 |accessdate=July 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=lmtjl96>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l7VeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KzAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4036%2C2180163 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Oregon's oldest paper mill set to close in September |date=July 24, 1996 |page=1C}}</ref> located just below ], it is now ].

Simpson announced in 2008 that it would be entering the "green power" industry by building a new power plant at its Tacoma Tideflats mill that would generate power via the burning of sawmill and other forest waste. In August 2009, construction of the power plant was completed. It generated 55 megawatts of power which is sold to ] and used by the ].<ref>{{cite web |author=John Gillie |date=2008-04-28 |title=Simpson Investment Co. will build power plant at Tacoma Tideflats mill |url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/1032/story/343258.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704090734/http://www.thenewstribune.com/1032/story/343258.html |archive-date=2008-07-04 |access-date=2009-08-31 |publisher=Tacoma News Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2009-08-11 |title=New Tacoma biomass plant starts churning power |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/08/10/daily21.html |accessdate=2009-09-06 |publisher=Puget Sound Business Journal}}</ref>

===California===
Simpson was a prominent forest products company in Northern California for much of the 20th century, after first acquiring California timberland in 1945, eventually managing more than 450,000 acres of forest in California, in what was then known as the Redwood Division and is now mostly part of spinoff Green Diamond Resource Company. Simpson was most prominent in ] County, with Simpson Timber operating lumber mills in ], ], ], and ], and Simpson Paper operating pulp and paper mills in ] and ]. Significant portions of the original 1968 ] and its 1977 expansion were former Simpson Timber Company land. Simpson Timber also ran the ] for over 30 years.


===Railroad=== ===Railroad===
The Simpson Company is also notable for the construction and operations of its own logging ] known as the ''Simpson Railroad''. It is one of the last logging railroad operations in the continental United States<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BCcWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lxUEAAAAIBAJ&dq=simpson%20railroad&pg=2151%2C2789792|title=Heavy Lifting|accessdate=2009-09-01|date=2007-03-22|publisher=Shelton-Mason County Journal}}</ref> and dates back some 120 years. The railroad was once extensive and branched out into several hundred miles of forestland in the ] but is now limited to less than fifteen miles of operational track. The rail lines was used not only to transport lumber but also as a transportation network to remote logging camps and towns. Construction of the railroad line was an engineering feat as demonstrated by the large and complex bridges built to span gorges as well as the mountainous terrain the railroad traveled through. Perhaps the most notable landmarks of the now mostly abandoned line are the Vance Creek Bridge and the ]. Both bridges were built in 1929 and in use until the 1950s when the line was abandoned. The bridges still stand with the High Steel Bridge still in use as a ]. The High Steel Bridge also has the distinction of being one of the tallest rail bridges in the United States and has been listed in the ].<ref name="nris">{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> The Simpson Company built and operated a logging railroad known as the ''Simpson Railroad''. When it closed in July 2015 it was the last logging railroad operations in the continental United {{nowrap|States,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BCcWAAAAIBAJ&dq=simpson%20railroad&pg=2151%2C2789792|title=Heavy Lifting|accessdate=2009-09-01|date=2007-03-22|publisher=Shelton-Mason County Journal}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>}} and dates back 120 years. The railroad was once extensive and branched out into several hundred miles of forestland in the ] but at the end was limited to just ten miles of operational track. The rail line was to transport lumber and as a transportation network to remote logging camps and towns. Construction of the railroad line was an engineering feat as demonstrated by the large and complex bridges built to span gorges and the mountainous terrain the railroad traveled through. The ] and the ] were built in 1929 and used until 1985 when the line was abandoned. The Vance Creek Bridge still stands, and the High Steel Bridge is still in use as a ]. The High Steel Bridge is one of the tallest rail bridges in the United States and has been listed in the ].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>

In January 2019, Green Diamond Resources leased the railroad's remaining 10 miles, plus sidings, to the Peninsular Railway and Lumbermen's Museum, a locally based 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The all-volunteer group is advancing plans to operate several Simpson locomotives and other rolling stock for tourist trains designed to highlight the significant role lumbering and the railroad played in developing the economies of the local area, the Olympic Peninsula, and the entire Pacific Northwest. The name “Simpson Railroad” and associated graphics and logos have been licensed by Simpson for the museum's use. <ref>https://www.simpsonrailroad.org Simpson Railroad Website</ref>

During the summer months portions of the track are also used for pedal car tours by the ].


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External Links== ==External links==
{{Commons category}}
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Latest revision as of 20:13, 24 September 2024

American forest products company

The Simpson Investment Company is a privately held holding company based in Seattle, Washington in the US Pacific Northwest that specializes in manufacture of forest products. Founded as a logging company in 1890 by Sol Simpson, the company is now owned by the Reed family.

Former divisions

A picture taken in the 1940s of the Vance Creek Bridge with a Simpson train.
A Simpson EMD SW1200 in 2011.

The Simpson Lumber Company conducted logging operations and was based in Shelton, Washington. Four mills were sold to Interfor and the Shelton property was sold to Sierra Pacific Industries.

The "Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company" produced pulpwood and linerboard products. Previously owned by St. Regis Corporation, the mill on the shore of Commencement Bay was acquired by Simpson in 1985 and sold to RockTenn in 2014. In West Linn, Oregon, Simpson operated a vintage paper mill from 1990 to 1996; located just below Willamette Falls, it is now Willamette Falls Paper Company.

Simpson announced in 2008 that it would be entering the "green power" industry by building a new power plant at its Tacoma Tideflats mill that would generate power via the burning of sawmill and other forest waste. In August 2009, construction of the power plant was completed. It generated 55 megawatts of power which is sold to Iberdrola Renovables and used by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

California

Simpson was a prominent forest products company in Northern California for much of the 20th century, after first acquiring California timberland in 1945, eventually managing more than 450,000 acres of forest in California, in what was then known as the Redwood Division and is now mostly part of spinoff Green Diamond Resource Company. Simpson was most prominent in Humboldt County, with Simpson Timber operating lumber mills in Korbel, Brainard, Orick, and Klamath, and Simpson Paper operating pulp and paper mills in Samoa and Eureka. Significant portions of the original 1968 Redwood National and State Parks and its 1977 expansion were former Simpson Timber Company land. Simpson Timber also ran the Arcata and Mad River Railroad for over 30 years.

Railroad

The Simpson Company built and operated a logging railroad known as the Simpson Railroad. When it closed in July 2015 it was the last logging railroad operations in the continental United States, and dates back 120 years. The railroad was once extensive and branched out into several hundred miles of forestland in the Olympic Peninsula but at the end was limited to just ten miles of operational track. The rail line was to transport lumber and as a transportation network to remote logging camps and towns. Construction of the railroad line was an engineering feat as demonstrated by the large and complex bridges built to span gorges and the mountainous terrain the railroad traveled through. The Vance Creek Bridge and the High Steel Bridge were built in 1929 and used until 1985 when the line was abandoned. The Vance Creek Bridge still stands, and the High Steel Bridge is still in use as a forest road. The High Steel Bridge is one of the tallest rail bridges in the United States and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In January 2019, Green Diamond Resources leased the railroad's remaining 10 miles, plus sidings, to the Peninsular Railway and Lumbermen's Museum, a locally based 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The all-volunteer group is advancing plans to operate several Simpson locomotives and other rolling stock for tourist trains designed to highlight the significant role lumbering and the railroad played in developing the economies of the local area, the Olympic Peninsula, and the entire Pacific Northwest. The name “Simpson Railroad” and associated graphics and logos have been licensed by Simpson for the museum's use.

During the summer months portions of the track are also used for pedal car tours by the Vance Creek Railriders.

References

  1. Interfor purchases four U.S. sawmills
  2. "Simpson Selling Remaining Lumber Assets to SPI". Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  3. "3 pulp mills ask compliance extension". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 29, 1972. p. 23.
  4. "RockTenn to buy Simpson Tacoma for $343 million to establish West Coast mill base, expand in white top". RISI Technology Channels. March 7, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  5. Knauf, Ana Sofia (March 3, 2014). "Georgia company agrees to buy Simpson Tacoma Kraft paper mill". Puget Sound Business Journal. (Seattle, Washington). Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  6. "Two Oregon plants being sold by James River". United Press International. August 17, 1990. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  7. Robertson, Lance (August 18, 1990). "James River to sell 2 mills". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 14C.
  8. "Simpson Paper plans to close Evergreen Mill, idling 388". Seattle Times. July 24, 1996. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  9. "Oregon's oldest paper mill set to close in September". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. July 24, 1996. p. 1C.
  10. John Gillie (2008-04-28). "Simpson Investment Co. will build power plant at Tacoma Tideflats mill". Tacoma News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  11. "New Tacoma biomass plant starts churning power". Puget Sound Business Journal. 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  12. "Heavy Lifting". Shelton-Mason County Journal. 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  13. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  14. https://www.simpsonrailroad.org Simpson Railroad Website

External links

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