Edward Hines Lumber Company
Encyclopedia
The Edward Hines Lumber Company, based in Buffalo Grove
, in the U.S. state of Illinois
, is a business firm specializing in lumber, plywood, decking, doors, windows, trim, and other wood products. It also sells related services such as consultations and cost estimates for building projects. It has outlets in Alsip
, Hampshire
, and Kirkland
, as well as Buffalo Grove.
Edward Hines, born in Buffalo, New York
, in 1863, moved with his family to the Chicago
area when he was two years old. Starting work at age 14 as an office boy for the S.K. Martin & Co., a Chicago lumber wholesaler, he became that firm's secretary-treasurer by age 21. In 1892, he started his own company, Edward Hines Lumber Co., and acquired the Martin company three years later. Frederick Weyerhauser, who founded the Weyerhaeuser
timber company, became friends with Hines and served as a director of the Hines firm.
Hines, who specialized in large-scale operations, acquired big tracts of standing timber, built rail lines for hauling logs, acquired sawmills in Wisconsin
and elsewhere, and leased timber-cutting permits in Canada
. One of his larger undertakings involved the Virginia and Rainy Lake Company, a joint venture among Hines and Weyerhauser affiliates that employed 2,800 men and 900 horses to cut and process timber in Canada and northern Minnesota
through the late 1920s. Other ventures involved purchase of the Continental Coal Company of West Virginia
, timber stands in Mississippi
, and a 67400 acres (27,275.8 ha) tract in the Malheur National Forest
near Burns, Oregon
, that held "possibly the largest volume of timber ever sold in the Pacific Northwest".
Known as the Bear Valley Unit, the large Oregon tract, near Seneca
, was laid out in 1922 by the United States Forest Service
. It was first sold to Fred Herrick in 1923, but Herrick defaulted on his contract with the Forest Service, and Hines acquired rights to the unit's 890 million board feet
of timber in 1928. One of the goals of the Forest Service was to improve rail connections between national lumber markets and the Blue Mountain
forests of eastern Oregon. After winning the timber contract, the Hines Company built the 52 miles (83.7 km) Oregon and Northwestern Railroad
between Burns and Seneca. Timber cutting from the Bear Valley Unit continued through 1968.
Adjacent to Burns, Hines built a company town
, incorporated as the City of Hines
in 1930. Edward Hines and his wife, Loretta, designed the city around an oval park surrounded by houses with individual features meant to prevent mill-town housing monotony. In the 1990s, long after Hines' death in 1931, the company sold its interest in the mill.
Since March 29, 2010, the company has operated as a subsidiary of US LBM Holdings, LLC,, a new company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin
. US LBN Holdings was founded by a private equity firm
, BlackEagle Partners, LLC, based in Detroit, Michigan
. BlackEagle bought the Hines company's bank debt after the lumber company encountered financial difficulty. Edward Hines Lumber Company is "one of the largest building materials suppliers" in the Chicago area.
Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Buffalo Grove is an affluent village located in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and in Cook and Lake counties in Illinois, United States. The town was named for Buffalo Creek, which was itself named for bison bones found in the area....
, in the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, is a business firm specializing in lumber, plywood, decking, doors, windows, trim, and other wood products. It also sells related services such as consultations and cost estimates for building projects. It has outlets in Alsip
Alsip, Illinois
Alsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,725 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Chicago.Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Alsip, the owner of a brickyard that opened there in 1885...
, Hampshire
Hampshire, Illinois
Hampshire is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States.-Geography:Hampshire is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, and Kirkland
Kirkland, Illinois
Kirkland is a village in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,744 at the 2010 census, up from 1,166 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kirkland is located at ....
, as well as Buffalo Grove.
Edward Hines, born in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, in 1863, moved with his family to the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area when he was two years old. Starting work at age 14 as an office boy for the S.K. Martin & Co., a Chicago lumber wholesaler, he became that firm's secretary-treasurer by age 21. In 1892, he started his own company, Edward Hines Lumber Co., and acquired the Martin company three years later. Frederick Weyerhauser, who founded the Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
timber company, became friends with Hines and served as a director of the Hines firm.
Hines, who specialized in large-scale operations, acquired big tracts of standing timber, built rail lines for hauling logs, acquired sawmills in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and elsewhere, and leased timber-cutting permits in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. One of his larger undertakings involved the Virginia and Rainy Lake Company, a joint venture among Hines and Weyerhauser affiliates that employed 2,800 men and 900 horses to cut and process timber in Canada and northern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
through the late 1920s. Other ventures involved purchase of the Continental Coal Company of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, timber stands in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and a 67400 acres (27,275.8 ha) tract in the Malheur National Forest
Malheur National Forest
The Malheur National Forest is a National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains 1.7 million acres in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest include high desert grasslands, sage, juniper, pine, fir, and other tree species. Elevations vary from about 4000 feet to the 9038...
near Burns, Oregon
Burns, Oregon
Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,806.-History:Burns was established in the early 1880s and incorporated upon Harney county's creation in 1889...
, that held "possibly the largest volume of timber ever sold in the Pacific Northwest".
Seneca, Oregon
Seneca is a city in Grant County, Oregon, United States. It is located in the Blue Mountains about 23 miles south of Canyon City, on U.S. Route 395, on the edge of the Malheur National Forest...
, was laid out in 1922 by the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. It was first sold to Fred Herrick in 1923, but Herrick defaulted on his contract with the Forest Service, and Hines acquired rights to the unit's 890 million board feet
Board foot
The board-foot is a specialized unit of measure for the volume of lumber in the United States and Canada. It is the volume of a one-foot length of a board one foot wide and one inch thick....
of timber in 1928. One of the goals of the Forest Service was to improve rail connections between national lumber markets and the Blue Mountain
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
forests of eastern Oregon. After winning the timber contract, the Hines Company built the 52 miles (83.7 km) Oregon and Northwestern Railroad
Oregon and Northwestern Railroad
The Oregon and Northwestern Railroad evolved from the defunct Malheur Railroad in 1928 and eventually ran between Hines, Oregon, and Seneca, along the present-day route of the U.S. 395 in Oregon...
between Burns and Seneca. Timber cutting from the Bear Valley Unit continued through 1968.
Adjacent to Burns, Hines built a company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
, incorporated as the City of Hines
Hines, Oregon
Hines is a city in Harney County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,563 at the 2010 census.-History:A community named Herrick was formed just southwest of Burns when railroad promoter and sawmill operator Fred Herrick founded a lumber company there...
in 1930. Edward Hines and his wife, Loretta, designed the city around an oval park surrounded by houses with individual features meant to prevent mill-town housing monotony. In the 1990s, long after Hines' death in 1931, the company sold its interest in the mill.
Since March 29, 2010, the company has operated as a subsidiary of US LBM Holdings, LLC,, a new company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
. US LBN Holdings was founded by a private equity firm
Private equity firm
A private equity firm is an investment manager that makes investments in the private equity of operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leveraged buyout, venture capital, and growth capital...
, BlackEagle Partners, LLC, based in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. BlackEagle bought the Hines company's bank debt after the lumber company encountered financial difficulty. Edward Hines Lumber Company is "one of the largest building materials suppliers" in the Chicago area.