The Museum of North Idaho: Rutledge Mill among region's most productive

Editor's note: Originally published as part of the Kootenai Chronicles, December 1996, the Coeur d’Alene Press.

One of the largest and most productive sawmills in Kootenai County was built by Edward Rutledge, owner of the Rutledge Lumber and Manufacturing Co. in Rutledge, Minn. Frederick Weyerhaeuser also had a major interest in the Rutledge company. In 1901, Rutledge sent his assistant, Frank J. Davies, to Spokane to purchase timberland and set up a new branch of the company in North Idaho. By 1903, Davis had acquired more than 25,000 acres for the company. He also purchased a mill site on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene at the east end of the city of Coeur d'Alene and announced plans to build a large lumber manufacturing plant in 1905. However, the plans were altered several times and the mill did not materialize until 1915.

The new company, first known as the Edward Rutledge Lumber Co., was completed and began operations April 1, 1916. Frank Davies became secretary of the company and Huntington Taylor, an experienced lumberman from Wisconsin, was made plant manager. When Davies died in 1917, Taylor became the general manager. He held that position until 1928. He was succeeded by George F. Jewett, grandson of Frederick Weyerhaeuser. Jewett later became a top executive of Potlatch Forest Inc. In 1915, the Rutledge Timber Co. built a large home at 1501 E. Lakeshore Drive to house the company's managers. Today, that house is known as the Jewett House.

From its beginning in 1916 up to 1930, the Rutledge Timber Co. was not a profitable organization. The Weyerhaeuser Co., which had an interest in four other large timber operations in North Idaho, decided to merge the Rutledge, Potlatch and Clearwater plants into one management unit. The Edward Rutledge Timber Co. in Coeur d’Alene in 1933 became the Rutledge Unit of Potlatch Forest Inc. From that date up to 1965, the Rutledge/Potlatch Co. produced 2.25 billion board feet of lumber, the largest of any company in Kootenai County. However, during the 1970s and '80s, the economic situation changed for the worse. In 1987, the Rutledge Unit was sold to the Hagadone Corporation and in early 1988 the last log was run through the mill. Today, The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course is located on the site of the original Edward Rutledge Lumber Co.