Western Railroad Discussion > Possible New Mill Coming to Yreka, CA

Fruit Growers Supply has announced plans to possibly build a $30 million dollar small log mill on the site of the old Hi-Ridge Lumber site in Yreka, CA. This is adjacent to the Yreka Western. Nothing has been said if they will ship by rail or not, but if they do it'll be new business for the YW, and if it does happen, hopefully it won't be too little too late. http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131002/NEWS/131009928/1001/NEWS

Also to add, on Yreka's Chamber of Commerce Facebook page, they announced that FGS was hiring for a head electrician and a Head Millwright for their proposed mill, so it must be happening if they're trying to hire employees already.

Whether they ship by rail or not, it'll be good for Yreka and Siskiyou County.

Tim Stricker
Gillette, WY

Great for the community, hopefully they ship by rail too!

what does FGS have to do with wood production

Here's the property in question.

Robert Morris Photography
http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

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Lots it seems. The internet, and Google, is your friend. Found this within 30 seconds:

http://www.fruitgrowers.com/pgs/TimberSales.php?cat=13

From those company-owned forests, their subsidiary United Wholesale Lumber Co. makes pallets that FGS sells:

http://www.fruitgrowers.com/pgs/UWLC.php


Out_Of_Service Wrote:
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> what does FGS have to do with wood production

That is interesting, I guess the section across the Siskiyou mountains into Oregon may not have to be opened to have some traffic and jobs. Last I heard Siskiyou County had an unemployment rate of %15.

Amazing how good-paying, blue collar jobs help small rural communities! :-)

This is great news, and I hope it all works out!

Out_Of_Service Wrote:
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> what does FGS have to do with wood production

To add to BN Fan's response...Fruit Growers Supply Company was originally established as more or less a subsidiary to the Sunkist growers cooperative specifically to provide the Sunkist growers with their own supply of wooden shipping boxes...we are talking the days long before cardboard, when fruit- and nearly everything else- moved in wooden boxes. In those days, nearly every sawmill in the pine country in Oregon and California either had a box factory on the premises, or sold a good part of their output to box factories. Sunkist had problems getting a steady enough box supply to meet their needs, causing them to establish FGS. FGS built two sawmills of their own, one in Hilt and the other in Susanville, and then towards the end of World War 2 they purchased The Red River Lumber Company, including the town of Westwood and a lot of timberlands. After cardboard replaced the wooden box, FGS closed both the Susanville and Westwood mills, but kept Hilt running into the 1970s before closing it down- however, thanks to its heritage the company is still one of the largest private timberland owners in northern California, and up until now they have sold all logs to other companies. Sounds like they are interested in getting back into the manufacturing side of the business...interesting. I wonder what's prompting this change in direction?

I hope it means good things for the YW.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

JDLX Wrote:
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> Out_Of_Service Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------
> ------
> > what does FGS have to do with wood production
>
> To add to BN Fan's response...Fruit Growers Supply
> Company was originally established as more or less
> a subsidiary to the Sunkist growers cooperative
> specifically to provide the Sunkist growers with
> their own supply of wooden shipping boxes...we are
> talking the days long before cardboard, when
> fruit- and nearly everything else- moved in wooden
> boxes. In those days, nearly every sawmill in the
> pine country in Oregon and California either had a
> box factory on the premises, or sold a good part
> of their output to box factories. Sunkist had
> problems getting a steady enough box supply to
> meet their needs, causing them to establish FGS.
> FGS built two sawmills of their own, one in Hilt
> and the other in Susanville, and then towards the
> end of World War 2 they purchased The Red River
> Lumber Company, including the town of Westwood and
> a lot of timberlands. After cardboard replaced
> the wooden box, FGS closed both the Susanville and
> Westwood mills, but kept Hilt running into the
> 1970s before closing it down- however, thanks to
> its heritage the company is still one of the
> largest private timberland owners in northern
> California, and up until now they have sold all
> logs to other companies. Sounds like they are
> interested in getting back into the manufacturing
> side of the business...interesting. I wonder
> what's prompting this change in direction?
>
> I hope it means good things for the YW.
>
> Jeff Moore
> Elko, NV

Thanks so much for that explanation as I couldn't figger out how Fruit Growers got into the equation-----of course, we all remember "orange crates"-------my grandfather built my first dollhouse (which I still have) out of an orange crate as "base" back in the early '40's/. I had an orange crate to stow my "stuff" in at Camp Fire camp in Big Basin in the late '40-s-----I had orange crates in my bedroom to store my copies of "Calling All Girlsa" magazines etc. Interesting!! :-)
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

The proposed plant in Yreka would generate lumber to be used at the UWLC plant in Visalia
which are just over 410 road miles(mapquest) a part.

http://goo.gl/maps/MLZI9

The Visalia plant has good rail access. If what I'm thinking is correct the pallet operation is to the left side of the link
and the building to right side of the link is the actual United Wholesale Lumber site.

It appears to be possible to ship via rail from Yreka to Visalia.

But is it economical to do so?

From the article it sounds like they are trying to turn a waste product
that is currently being burned due to thinning / maintenance activity into something useful.

FGS goes way back. They still own a lot of timber lands, all over. As said above, the operation at Hilt was something. A huge mill, logging engines & railroads up into the woods, etc. Back then, they would put the ready crates in a refer (going back mty anyway) or box car and it would be shipped to a packing house. They would be loaded and shipped all over the country. They also made a lot of crates for other outfits, O P Murphy, etc.


Nudge