In 2022, it may seem hard to fathom how wooden boxes were vital to the nation’s commerce. There was an era when the nation’s fruit and vegetables were shipped by the humble wooden box.  The demand for wooden boxes, played an important role in the lumber industry. For instance, any major sawmill also had a box factory on the premises. What they manufactured was box shook—the wooden slats to make the box. The shook was shipped to fruit and vegetable growers packinghouses were the actual box was assembled.

While Red River Lumber Company’s Westwood mill was known for its massive scale, many may not be aware that its box factory manufactured 16 million boxes a year. As the nation grew, so did the need for wooden boxes. Fruit Growers Supply Company provides an interesting glimpse into the demand. In 1907 their growers needed 6 million boxes annually, by 1917 18 million and in 1941 40 million boxes. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was the need for wooden boxes that kept many sawmills in operation. In fact, during that era, nearly half of all the lumber produced went to making wooden boxes.

While cardboard boxes had been around since the early 1900s, they were never deemed practical to the growers. Some of the biggest complaints were bruising and mold of the produce. It was not until after World War II, with improvements to the cardboard that the conversion from wood to the former began. On a side note, grocers liked the cardboard box. They were half the size of a wooden box, and they could used to put a shopper’s bagged goods in to take home.

Tim