The family dynamics of the Red River Lumber Company is fascinating. While founder, T.B. Walker, in his western expansion was meant that his five sons would be in charge. While that was noble, it did not turn out the way he envisioned.  Three of brothers, Clinton, Fletcher and Willis would relocate to California, while Gilbert and Archie remained in Minnesota.

Clinton was the first t arrive in California as he assisted his father with the acquisition of the California timberland. It was Clinton’s first hand knowledge of the California timber, that he would be at odds with his brothers. Clinton was early day supporter of control timber burns. In the 1930s, Red River faced a myriad of problems. In a letter, dated August 10, 1935,  Clinton wrote his brother, Archie, about his thoughts of the condition of Red River’s California forest. For posterity is the following excerpt:

“It is regrettable that the house of Walker has no forest man. Kenneth covers the nearest but he seems to be absorbed in the performance of log contracts; our annual fire and insect losses are staggering.  A systematic annual light burning at the right season of the year would reduce and ultimately eliminate these sources of loss and the cost would be insignificant as compared to the loss and yearly increasing fire hazard conditions in the forests. Burning by means of power burners on or dragged behind tractors could be done very cheaply and the prospective danger of injuring hollow hulled trees could be eliminated by following the burning with a few shovelers. For the entire period of the Walker family timber operation we have centered our attention largely or almost exclusively to lumber operation. Kilne followed the woods and logging and now Willis is attending to the contract writing in log sales matters but little if any thought is be given to Forest matters. I think the Forest bill Introduced in Washington should be followed up and that a competent forest engineer should be working on our forest matters. We are doing nothing but slash down that wonderful forest and letting the fire and beetles burn and eat us down year by year without raising a hand or a voice to afford protection from these annual staggering losses. ”

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P.S. I have it on good authority that final load of the archives arrives today. However, it is going to take time organize all those documents.