Fletcher Walker, who was the resident manager at Westwood for the Red River Lumber Company, was an interesting individual just like the other Walker siblings.  It should be duly noted, that Westwood was Fletcher’s creation and during the early years operation did not handle criticism very well—especially when it came from family members.

First of all, there would be major learning curve as to what worked in Akeley, Minnesota, and what would not work in Westwood, California. Fletcher initially wanted year-round logging in California, while other companies shut down their operations by November.  It was Fletcher’s contention they would be ahead of their competitors operating winter logging operations—it would take some time for him to yield because his proposition was not only expensive, and not justifiable. However, from the late teens during the early 1920s, he demanded an early start of spring logging beginning by February and that the steam donkey’s necessary for the operations be mobilized. By the end of that decade it was no longer necessary, as motorized tractors replaced the “donkeys” and Fletcher finally succumbed the hard way that his competitors were right.

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While some are aware that on September 10, 1912, marked the cutting down of the first ceremonial tree by Clinton Walker and W.B. Carlin on what would be site of Westwood. On the surface, it seemed like a jubilant occasion. However, unbeknowst to the outside world was the Walker family feud, and the location of Westwood, was one of many issues at hand. Patriarch T.B. Walker was caught in a dilemma. After all, it was his dream that the California operations were to be run entirely on their own, hoping they would achieve the same success he did when he founded the Red River Lumber Company in Minnesota. While tempers flared an ambitious building program was implemented. On July1, 1913 some 450 buildings had constructed in this new town in the wilderness.

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Red River was not only the nation’s largest electrical sawmill, it also built one of the largest millponds, in which several people met an untimely end in it. During the afternoon of July 29, 1914,  19-year-old, Willard Pierce was fishing where Robbers Creek entered the millpond. Others the vicinity were swimming and later left.  Later in the day, John Jeffreys discovered Pierce’s body face down in about three inches of water. Jeffreys and Charles Phelan pulled him out of the water, and attempted to resuscitate to no avail. During the Coroner’s Inquest it was revealed that last year Pierce was swimming in the millpond with friends. After swimming, Pierce had a fainting spell and collapsed for no apparent reason. It was presumed that he must have had a spell causing him to fall into the water resulting in an accidental drowning.

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From time to time, the Red River Lumber Company struggled to keep up with the demand for housing. There was a lot of debate, especially the cost. Initially, the life-span of Westwood was to be twenty years. Fletcher Walker, the resident manager had different ideas.

On September 12, 1922, Fletcher wrote his brother, Gilbert, who resided in Minneapolis, to convince him for his support. Fletcher wrote: “Additional houses would very well materially build up the morals of the crew as it is a conceded fact men with families to support will take more interest in their work and in making good than single men who have gotten into the habit of wandering from job to job and no particular responsibility or care to work steadily.  A campaign along the line to build 200 houses and as soon as they are completed build 200 more, if the demand still held out as we could fill 200 houses at this time, if we had them with men of family. Two  hundred houses would add more than $200,000 to the annual sales of the mercantile departments as it is impraticable for an average family to get along on less than $1,000 a year. The $1,000 being less than a year’s salary and minimum pay and usually there is more than one employed out of each family.”

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Yesterday, I briefly mentioned how Red River Lumber Company sold a mill site at Chester to the Collins Pine Company.  What I did not include, was the Red River offered its plant at Westwood to Collins, which the latter declined. Red River was so desparate to unload its Westwood plant, but no one wanted it for various reasons. The plant itself, as one can see from the above illustration, just how large a facility it was. It did not help either that many of its facilities were showing their age. Then, of course, there was one other huge factor was the lack of timber tributary to Westwood.

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