BRIGHTON MILLS
Tillamook County - Brighton
October 21, 1913: "Negotiations have been entered into between the Brighton Development Co. and a large mill company of Portland, with a view of putting up a big mill on the tide lands in front of Brighton. Prospects are very favorable for the consummation of this deal at an early date." (Tillamook Herald)
July 1, 1915: "The management of the Brighton Mills Co. have announced that their mill will resume operation soon after the first of this month. The mill has orders ahead which assure its running until their present log supply runs out.
The company is now engaged in installing several improvements to their mill. They have torn out the old style log slip and are putting in a modern log lift. They are also installing a new edger and cut-off saws, thus increasing the speed with which they will be able to handle the lumber. The improvements will not greatly increase the efficiency of the mill but will result in better manufactured lumber." (Wheeler Reporter)
The company is now engaged in installing several improvements to their mill. They have torn out the old style log slip and are putting in a modern log lift. They are also installing a new edger and cut-off saws, thus increasing the speed with which they will be able to handle the lumber. The improvements will not greatly increase the efficiency of the mill but will result in better manufactured lumber." (Wheeler Reporter)
July 15, 1915: "The lumber mill of the Brighton Mills Company resumed operation last week after laying idle for the past six months. No large orders are coming in at the present time, but the lumber is being cut and stacked to dry for shipment in the fall. It is not definitely known how long the mill will rum but it is expected that the job of filling the yards will take at least two or three months.
As soon as the jetty at the mouth of the bay is completed enough to allow vessels of deep draught to enter the harbor, which will be early this fall, the mill will then run to its full capacity. Such good water facilities will enable the Brighton Mills Company to better meet the competition of other Pacific Coast mills. At present, the prices do not warrant the shipping of lumber by rail." (Wheeler Reporter)
As soon as the jetty at the mouth of the bay is completed enough to allow vessels of deep draught to enter the harbor, which will be early this fall, the mill will then run to its full capacity. Such good water facilities will enable the Brighton Mills Company to better meet the competition of other Pacific Coast mills. At present, the prices do not warrant the shipping of lumber by rail." (Wheeler Reporter)
August 5, 1915: "The Brighton Mills Co. is cutting about 60,000 feet of spruce per day. They have been shipping about three cars per week besides what is carried in stock in the yards, also having recently furnished the County with planking for the Rockaway road. The contract for this planking was let to the Tillamook Sawmill, they being a few cents lower than the Brighton people, but when it came time to deliver the goods, they fell down, and so the order was turned over to the Brighton Mills Co. as the next lowest bidders. Not having spruce in stock, they supplied the County with fir plank at their bid price for spruce." (Wheeler Reporter)
August 5, 1915: "The big mill at Brighton is running full time and with a complete crew of men. Logging operations along the Nehalem river have been active in several of the smaller camps in preparation for the resumption of work here and several hundred thousand feet of logs have been cut. Manager Thomas Watt has been to San Francisco to interest shipowners to take cargoes of lumber from Brighton and feels that his hope of water transportation for the product of the mill soon will be realized." (Wheeler Reporter)
October 7, 1915: "After having been idle for a couple of months, the lumber mill at Brighton, owned by the Brighton Mills Co., has again resumed operations, work having started last Monday. A full crew of men is employed and the owners expect to operate the mill until at least the first of the year and probably until much later, depending on the market, which is now stronger than during the past year.
Although the lumber will have to be shipped by rail, the company expects sufficient water facilities by Spring to enable boats to handle their product." (Wheeler Reporter)
Although the lumber will have to be shipped by rail, the company expects sufficient water facilities by Spring to enable boats to handle their product." (Wheeler Reporter)
October 14, 1915: "Three cars of aeroplane lumber was shipped from the Brighton mill to Eastern aeroplane factories last week." (Wheeler Reporter)
October 21, 1915: "The Brighton mill had to shut down on Saturday owing to trouble with the band saw which kept continually trying to work forward of the band wheels, or saw pulleys. The mill company had an expert filer sent in from Portland with the necessary equipment and Saturday and Sunday were spent in grinding the big band wheels true. The saws were then put on and worked satisfactorily." (Wheeler Reporter)
October 28, 1915: "The Brighton Mills Co. has purchased a new donkey engine to be used in driving piling for new dock. The company built a driver and started operations yesterday. Their large number of orders has been for clear, high-grade stock and none but the best logs could be used. The box lumber has piled up so fasts that the company has been compelled to build the new dockage stated. The accident to the tug Meta M delayed the mill for a day, as that tug supplied the mill with logs." (Wheeler Reporter)
October 28, 1915: "Bob Stanley has secured a position with the Brighton Mills Co. supervising the building of the new dockage for that mill." (Wheeler Reporter)
December 14, 1915: "The Brighton mill is now running on full time." (Tillamook Herald)
March 10, 1921: "It is reported that the Brighton Mills Company intends starting the plant a Brighton about April 1st and the logging camps about the fifteenth of this month." (Tillamook Headlight)
April 6, 1922: "The Brighton Mills company has ordered a radiophone outfit which will be installed in the Brighton hall. When installed Brighton people may listen to music, lecturers, news bulletins, etc. from various points on the coast." (Tillamook Herald)
October 5, 1922: "Brighton Mills Co. has bought 125,000,000 feet of timber and started logging." (The Banner-Courier)
February 14, 1928: "Garibaldi---Brighton Mills Co, holdings here sell for $63,012." (The Ashland Register)
April 25, 1929: "Thos. B. Watt and a crew of men are loading out the last of the logging machinery and equipment at Rector. Included in the shipments are three donkey engines, a locomotive, rails and odds and ends. The sidetrack is to be torn up. The owner of the property, Alaska Junk company, which purchased the camp and the Brighton mill from the receiver, will leave one residence, mess house, office and store buildings, machine shop and three or four small structures. A deal is pending whereby a Willamette goat raiser obtain possession of the buildings and several acres of logged off land. Oscar Magnuson, Mr. and Mrs. Parks, Bert Baker and J. J. Dumas are among those aiding Mr. Watt.
At one time Rector was a busy place, over 200 men being employed in the camp. A disastrous fire at Brighton and in the woods, rough, ground, bad timber and unfavorable lumber market caused the Brighton mills company to fail. Mill and camp were operated by the receiver J. C. Edwards for a year. In 1928 it was sold to the junk company which has disposed of practically all of the machinery and many of the buildings." (Wheeler Reporter)
At one time Rector was a busy place, over 200 men being employed in the camp. A disastrous fire at Brighton and in the woods, rough, ground, bad timber and unfavorable lumber market caused the Brighton mills company to fail. Mill and camp were operated by the receiver J. C. Edwards for a year. In 1928 it was sold to the junk company which has disposed of practically all of the machinery and many of the buildings." (Wheeler Reporter)
May 2, 1929: "An unverified rumor has it that the Brighton Mills property consisting of the messhouse, apartment house, 12 cottages and a number of lots has been sold. It was first reported that Markham & Callow were the purchasers, in absence of John Markham in Washington, the office of the firm was unaware of the deal. It has been impossible to get in touch with Thos. B. Watt as he is in Portland. The property was acquired by the Alaska Junk Company two years ago. Last week the individuals in the company transferred the property to Schnitzer-Wolfe investment company." (Wheeler Reporter)