Guide to the North Western Lumber Company Records,​ 1870-​1955

Summary Information

Title: North Western Lumber Company Records

Inclusive Dates: 1870-1955

Creator: North Western Lumber Company

Call Number: Eau Claire Mss A

Quantity: 24.3 c.f. (53 archives boxes and 2 drawers of maps)

Repository: This collection is managed jointly by the Eau Claire Area Research Center and the Wisconsin Historical Society, Library-Archives Division. 

Archival Locations: UW-Eau Claire McIntyre Library / Eau Claire Area Research Ctr. 

Abstract: Records of North Western Lumber Company, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin company, organized in 1873, which engaged in lumbering in northwestern Wisconsin until the depletion of timber supplies halted operations in about 1920. Correspondence relates primarily to the management and gradual liquidation of the company's assets after 1920. Most of the letters were written by George W. Hipke of Stanley, an officer of the company. Among these are many which pertain to his campaigns for the state legislature in 1934 and 1936 and to legislative bills and issues. Journals, ledgers, cashbooks, and tax records cover the company's operations after 1894. Annotated plat books and land inventories show property holdings, and two volumes of appraisals give a detailed description of the plant and equipment at Stanley in 1909. The collection also contains scattered records of related or subsidiary firms: the North Western Mercantile Company, 1919-1932; the Stanley, Merrill, and Phillips Railway, 1902-1926, both in Wisconsin; and the Del Norte Company, a lumber company operating in northern California. Oversized maps are of Stanley, Eau Claire, Altoona, Jump River, and other areas of Wisconsin. Also present are office building blueprints.

Language: English

Search Terms/Subject Terms

• Laird, Norton Co. 
• Del Norte Company (Calif.)
• Montreal River Lumber Company
• North Western Mercantile Company
• Stanley, Merrill, and Phillips Railway Company
• Elections—Wisconsin
• Lumbering—Wisconsin
• Lumber trade—California
• Lumber trade—Wisconsin
• Railroad companies—Wisconsin
• Real estate business—Wisconsin
• Wisconsin—Politics and government
• Eau Claire (Wis.)—Commerce
• Hayward (Wis.)
• Hipke, George W.

Biography/History

The North Western Lumber Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin was organized in 1873. An amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, June 22, 1881, stated:

The business and purpose of the corporation shall be to buy, sell, lease and generally to deal in all kinds of property, real, personal and mixed, to mortgage, bind and encumber any or all of its property, real and personal.

The company engaged in lumbering operations from its inception until 1918, when the depletion of timber supplies became critical. From 1918 until the dissolution of the company in 1972, its main business was the management of its land assets and their liquidation. The company sold its main saw mill in Stanley on January 26, 1921. A carpenter shop, planing mill, and various barns and buildings previously used in lumber operations, were sold shortly thereafter. Land sales of cut-over areas increased as timber sales decreased. From 1910 to 1920 the company sold 51,300 acres of land worth 1,165,104 dollars. Almost half of this acreage, 25,600 acres, was sold in 1919 and 1920 alone. The value of land sales for the year 1930 was 92,409 dollars. Land records show that in that year the company still had 78,349 acres of land yet to be sold. The year 1940 brought 18,586 dollars in sales. In 1955 land sales by North Western Lumber were about 14,000 dollars. The land sales occurred primarily in Price, Taylor, Sawyer, Chippewa, and Clark Counties.

The Stanley, Merrill, and Phillips Railway Company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the North Western Lumber Company. It was organized August 12, 1893, and continued operations until 1924, when it leased part of its line to the Sault Ste. Marie Railroad. A minute book in the collection shows that the railroad was reorganized in 1902.

Arrangement of the Materials

This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 3 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.

• Part 1 (Eau Claire Mss A): Original Collection, 1888-1955
• Part 2 (M2003-062): Additions, 1870-1905 (Located in Madison)
• Part 3 (PH 1443): Additions, circa 1890, 1906-1909 (Located in Madison)  

Administrative/Restriction Information

Acquisition Information 

Presented by Mrs. Norma L. Knar, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, October 4, 1956; the Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, December 15, 1975; Peter Beck, August 12, 1977; the Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota; and Mrs. R.C. Chandler, Menasha, Wisconsin. Accession Number: M2003-062

Processing Information 

Original Collection processed by John Pfeil and John Fleckner, August 30, 1977.

Contents List

Eau Claire Mss APart 1 (Eau Claire Mss A): Original Collection, 1888-1955 Physical Description: 24.3 c.f. (53 archives boxes and 2 drawers of maps) Scope and Content Note The papers of North Western Lumber Company are divided into seven series: Correspondence; Land Sale Records; Legal Records; Financial Records; Records of the Stanley, Merrill, and Phillips Railway; Maps; and Miscellaneous Records. The CORRESPONDENCE series dates from November 1896 to April 1955, although only a few letters written prior to the cessation of lumbering operations in 1920 have survived. Most of the correspondence is for the period 1930-1940. The letters are arranged chronologically. Most of the letters after 1920 were written by George H. Hipke, an officer of the company. They are routine business letters or are related to his political campaigns. Hipke, a resident of Stanley, Wisconsin, was elected to the legislature in 1934 and 1936. In processing this collection several hundred of Hipke's campaign letters were discarded as repetitious, and about ten percent saved as examples. Those discarded were letters to friends and constituents, announcing his candidacy or thanking them for signing his nomination papers. A letter from Hipke to the stockholders of Northwestern Lumber Company, January 11, 1937, recommended the liquidation of the company's assets. By 1944 the assets had been so reduced that Hipke suggested in a letter of June 8, that all stock should be sold to the company president, C.D. Moon, for $2.60 a share. One letter book in the series, October 22, 1919-August 30, 1928, contains company correspondence primarily by Theodore Hoidahl, a cashier for the company. Many of these letters related to land sales. The LAND SALES RECORDS, 1888-1955, form the largest series in the collection and include land sale volumes; deed books; deferred land sales; land sales paid and canceled; land inventory records; plat books; and land options. Similar information found in many of these headings includes land sale number, name and address of purchaser, legal description of the property (section, township and range), purchase price and credit arrangements, stipulations or reservations in the contract, date of final payment, and correspondence relevant to the land sales. Two volumes of plat books furnish a graphic inventory of the company's land and timber holdings, with many annotations and distinctive markings to show ownership, date of transfer, manner of acquisition, and quantity of various types of timber. The land sales paid and cancelled are case files of papers relating to a single land transaction. Land Sales Records are arranged numerically, by land sale number, except for the land options, which are arranged chronologically, and the land inventory records, which are arranged by county, town, and range. LEGAL RECORDS, 1896-1953, consist of contracts; mortgages; and satisfactions of mortgages. Contracts in the collection include timber sales, building sales, and sand and gravel sales. There also are leases, easements, and miscellaneous contracts. The mortgages and satisfaction of mortgages concern property held by the North Western Lumber Company. FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1896-1955, document the firm's changing business activities during these years. The Special Ledgers record the stock and capital invested in other corporations and companies by North Western Lumber Company. The other journals and ledgers record cash receipts, vouchers payable, profit and loss, expenditures, accounts with individuals and companies, and other routine business entries. Cashbooks record receipts and disbursements of the company. Closing papers include state and federal income tax returns and a great variety of financial papers associated with the annual financial accounting. Some correspondence between the Treasury Department and North Western Lumber is among these records. A 1909 appraisal of the North Western Lumber Company's installations at Stanley gives a detailed survey of the company's plant and equipment. Land expense distribution records show the distribution of expenses in connection with company's land holding and office expenses. The volume which include rent rolls, contains names of tenants of company property, identification of the property, rent rates and tenant privileges. Notes held by the company are recorded in the collection register. The tax record lists parcels of land owned by the North Western Lumber and the taxes paid, while the tax certificate register lists land obtained by the company through redeeming tax certificates for unpaid taxes. The RECORDS OF THE STANLEY, MERRILL, AND PHILLIPS RAILWAY COMPANY span the years 1893-1939. These records are arranged into corporate records; general records; and maps. The corporate records include organization papers, 1893-1902; a minute book, 1902- 1937, recording board of directors meetings and annual stockholders' meetings; and the certificate of dissolution of the corporation dated February 15, 1937. Many of the regular minutes deal with leasing land, dissolution of the corporation, and routine business matters. The railroad patent is found in the organization papers. General Records encompass a wide variety of information including annual reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1917-1926,; annual reports to the Railroad Commission, 1915, 1916, August 1924, and December 1924; annual report to the Wisconsin State Tax Commission, 1924; balance sheets and closing papers; deeds; inventories; land sales; leases; miscellaneous contracts; and miscellaneous records. Both corporate and general records are arranged by type and chronologically thereunder. There are 23 maps in the papers of the railway company. These depict sections of railroad right of way, often sections between small towns in the area. The MAPS series of the lumber company papers includes forty-two maps divided into six headings: maps of Stanley; maps of Eau Claire; maps of Altoona, Jump River and Seymour; road maps; blueprints of company buildings; and miscellaneous maps. The individual maps are numbered and an attached sheet describes each of them. MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS span the years 1895-1937. This series contains some records pertaining to Del Norte Company and Northwestern Mercantile Company. North Western Lumber Company owned stocks in both companies. U.S. Treasury questionnaires are also included. Articles of Incorporation of the Northwestern Mercantile Company, August 22, 1919, and of its dissolution, April 27, 1932, are included in the collection. The Mercantile Company was partially owned by North Western Lumber and was located in Stanley. It carried on a general mercantile business.

Series: Correspondence

Box   1
Folder   13

1896 November-1933 December                                        

Box   2
Folder   13

1894-1936                                                                      

Box   3
Folder   12

1937 January-1942 July 3                                                 

Box   3
Folder   3

1942 December-1955 April                                                

Box   3
Folder   4

Correspondence Relating to Taxes, 1906 April-1928 May      

Box   3a Folder   1

Letterbook, 1919 October-1928 August                              

Series: Land Sales

Land Sale Volumes                                                           

Box   4
Folder   1

Index                                                                              

Box   4
Folder   23

1896 October-1915 February                                             

Box   5
Folder   12

1915 February-1955 August                                              

Box   6
Folder   12

Deed Books                                                                     

Box   6
Folder   12

1888 July-1919 October                                                    

Box   7
Folder   1

1919 October-1955 October                                              

Box   7
Folder   2

Deferred Land Sales, 1917-1932                                        

Land Sales Paid and Cancelled 

Box   8

Land Sale Nos. 701-840 

Box   9

Land Sale Nos. 841-960 

Box   10

Land Sale Nos. 961-1060 

Box   11

Land Sale Nos. 1061-1170                                                

Box   12

Land Sale Nos. 1171-1260                                                

Box   13

Land Sale Nos. 1261-1370 

Box   14

Land Sale Nos. 1371-1480 

Box   15

Land Sale Nos. 1481-1590 

Box   16

Land Sale Nos. 1591-1710 

Box   17

Land Sale Nos. 1711-1830 

Box   18

Land Sale Nos. 1831-1940 

Box   19

Land Sale Nos. 1941-2080 

Box   20

Land Sale Nos. 2081-2220 

Box   21

Land Sale Nos. 2221-2320 

Box   22

Land Sale Nos. 2321-2450                                                

Box   23

Land Sale Nos. 2451-2610                                                

Box   24

Land Sale Nos. 2611-2740 

Box   25

Land Sale Nos. 2741-2802                                                

Box   26
Folder   12

Land Inventory Records, Plat Books                                    

Box   27 Folder   1

Land Inventory Records, 1919-1923                                   

Box   27
Folder   23

Land Options, 1913 June-1917 May                                    

Series: Legal Records

Contracts 

Box   28
Folder   16 

Timber Sales, 1896 February-1927 December                     

Box   29 Folder   1

Building Sales, 1912 September-1940 July                          

Box   29 Box   2

Sand and Gravel Sales, 1913 November-1940 April              

Box   29
Folder   36 

Leases, 1897 April-1949 August                                         

Box   30
Folder   12 

Easements, 1901 December-1917 January                          

Box   30 Folder   3

Miscellaneous Contracts, 1897 November-1953 March          

Box   31
Folder   12

Mortgages, New and Cancelled, 1898 February-1923 November                                                                       

Box   32
Folder   1

Satisfaction of Mortgages, 1896 June-1927 September         

Series: Financial Records

Special Ledgers 

Box   33 Folder   1

1896 December-1909 December                                        

Box   33 Folder   2

1910 January-1937 January                                              

Special Journals 

Box   34 Folder   1

1896 December-1909 December                                        

Box   34 Folder   2

1910 January-1936 December                                           

General Ledgers 

Box   35 Folder   1

Index                                                                              

Box   35 Folder   2

1919 January-1928 August                                               

Box   36 Folder   1

1919 September-1926 January                                          

Box   36 Folder   2

1928 August-1942 December                                            

Journals 

Box   37 Folder   1

1920 June-1928 July                                                        

Box   37 Folder   2

1928 August-1942 December                                            

Box   37 Folder   3

1943 January-1945 September                                          

Cashbooks 

Box   38 Folder   1

1910 January-August                                                        

Box   39 Folder   1

1925 August-1942 December                                            

Box   39 Folder   2

1943 January-1952 December                                           

Box   39 Folder   3

1952 December-1955 September                                       

Closing Papers 

Box   40
Folder   15

1910-1920                                                                      

Box   41
Folder   15

1921-1928                                                                      

Box   42
Folder   17

1929-1936                                                                      

Box   43
Folder   18

1937-1955                                                                      

Appraisal of North Western Lumber Company, 1909 

Box   44 Folder   1

Book No. 1                                                                      

Box   44 Folder   2

Book No. 2                                                                      

Box   44 Folder   3

Summary of Inventory                                                      

Box   45 Folder   1

Land Expense Distribution Records, 1910-1928                   

Box   45 Folder   2

Tax Record, 1921-1935                                                     

Box   46 Folder   1

Electric Light, Rent, and Insurance Records, 1900-1941       

Box   47 Folder   1

Collection Register, 1896 October-1940 April                       

Box   47 Folder   2

Tax Certificate Register, 1894-1928                                   

Series: Stanley, Merrill, and Phillips Railway Company Records

Corporate Records 

Box   48 Folder   1

Minute Book, 1902 August-1937 February                           

Box   48 Folder   2

Organization Papers, 1893 June-1902 October                    

General Records 

Box   48
Folder   35

Annual Reports to the I.C.C., 1917-1926                            

Box   49 Folder   1

Annual Reports to the Wisconsin Railroad Commission, 1915-1916, 1924 

Box   49 Folder   2

Annual Reports to the Wisconsin State Tax Commission, 1924 December 

Box   50 Folder   1

Balance Sheets and Closing Papers, 1904 June-1915 June  

Deeds                                                                             

Box   50 Folder   1

Quit Claim Deeds, 1903 June-1924 September                    

Box   50 Folder   3

Right of Way Deeds, 1903 April-1934 October                     

Box   50 Folder   4

Trust Deeds, 1903 May-1924 October                                 

Box   50 Folder   5

Warranty Deeds, 1903 June-1925 May                               

Box   50 Folder   6

Inventories, 1904 June-1916 July                                      

Box   51 Folder   1

Land Sales, 1904 November-1906 October                          

Box   51 Folder   2

Leases, 1906 June-1924 May                                             

Miscellaneous Contracts 

Box   51 Folder   3

1902 August-1909 December                                            

Box   51 Folder   4

1910 March-1939 October                                                 

Miscellaneous Records 

Box   51 Folder   5

1902 August-1921 December                                            

Box   51 Folder   6

1922 April-1932 January                                                   

Oversize
Folder   78

Miscellaneous Rail Line Maps                                             

Series: Maps, North Western Lumber Company

Stanley, Wisconsin 

Oversize
Folder   1
Map
No.   1

Map of Stanley, Wisconsin, 1896                                        

Oversize
Folder   1
Map
No.   2

Map of Stanley Subdivision                                                

Oversize Folder   1
Map
No. 3

Plat of Subdivision of Stanley, 1909 January 20                   

Oversize
Folder   1
Map
No.   4

Plat of addition to City of Stanley, Wisconsin, 1895              

Oversize
Folder   1
Map
No.   5

Plat of addition to City of Stanley, 1901 June                       

Oversize
Folder   1
Map
No.   6

Second addition to City of Stanley                                      

Oversize
Folder   1
Map
No.   7

Map of Land Intended to be incorporated into City of Stanley, 1895 April                                                           

Eau Claire, Wisconsin                                                       

Oversize
Folder   2
Map
No.   8

Map of City of Eau Claire From Putnam Street to Otter Creek                                                                              

Oversize
Folder   2
Map
No.   9

Mt. Tom and Surroundings, Eau Claire                                

Oversize
Folder   2
Map
No.   10

Map of Bellevue Avenue Lots and surroundings, Eau Claire, 1925 March                                                           

Oversize
Folder   2
Map
No.   11

Mt. Tom Park, Eau Claire                                                   

Oversize
Folder   2
Map
No.   12

Putnam Park Preliminary Sketch, Eau Claire, 1912               

Altoona, Jump River, and Seymour, Wisconsin 

Oversize Folder   3
Map
No. 13

Map of Land Along Eau Claire River, 1939 May                    

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   14

Map of proposed Beach road near Moonlight Bay Subdivision, 1959 June                                                     

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   15

Map of Moonlight Bay Subdivision, 1955                             

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   16

Small Plat of Altoona and Surroundings                              

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   17

Map of Village of Jump River                                              

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   18

Plat of Village of Jump River                                              

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   19

Map of Village of Jump River                                              

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   20

Map of Indian Hills Subdivision, Seymour, Wisconsin, 1938                                                                               

Oversize
Folder   3
Map
No.   21

Map of Indian Hills Subdivision, Seymour, Wisconsin, 1938 July                                                                        

Road Maps 

Oversize
Folder   4
Map
No.   22

Road Map of Chippewa County, 1941                                  

Oversize
Folder   4
Map
No. 23

Road Map of Clark County, 1941                                        

Oversize
Folder   4
Map
No.   24

Road Map of Eau Claire County, 1941                                 

Oversize
Folder   4
Map
No.   25

Road Map of Jackson County, 1941                                    

Oversize
Folder   4
Map
No.   26

Road Map of Western Wisconsin, 1939                                

Oversize
Folder   4
Map
No.   27

Road Map of Northwestern Wisconsin, 1939                        

Blueprints 

Oversize
Folder   5
Map
No.   28

Basement Plan of Office Building, 1916                               

Oversize
Folder   5
Map
No.   29

First Floor Plan of Office Building, 1916                               

Oversize
Folder   5
Map
No.   30

Second Floor Plan of Office Building, 1916                           

Oversize
Folder   5
Map
No.   31

Blueprint of front and rear elevations of office building, 1916                                                                               

Oversize
Folder   5
Map
No.   32

Blueprint of North Elevation, 1916                                      

Oversize
Folder   5
Map
No.   33

Blueprint of Chippewa Falls, A&P Building Physical Description: 8 sheets                                        

Miscellaneous Maps 

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   34

Map of City of Chippewa Falls                                            

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   35

Map of Gillette Rubber Company, Eau Claire                        

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   36

Map of Flowage Plan for Five Mile Dam on Eau Claire River, 1897 October                                                         

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   37

Map of Land along Eau Claire River                                    

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   38

Map depicting Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railway Near Otter Creek                                                  

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   39

Map of Lots North of Eau Claire River River                         

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   40

Map depicting Land Near Otter Creek                                 

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   41

Map of Otter Creek Mill Property                                        

Oversize
Folder   6
Map
No.   42

Map Showing Flowage Land Along Eau Claire and Otter Creek, 1898                                                                     

Series: Miscellaneous Records

Box   52 Folder   1

Del Norte Company, Northwestern Mercantile Company, 1907 September-1939 November 

Box   52
Folder 2

Land and Timber Records, 1905-1924 

Box   52 Folder   3

U.S. Treasury Questionnaires, 1917-1920                           

Box   52 Folder   3

Final Tax Report, 1937                                                      

Box   52 Folder   4

Merlin Hull Legal Papers, 1895-1902                                  

Box   52 Folder   5

Working Papers for U.S. Treasury Questionnaire, 1919         

Box   52 Folder   6

U.S. Treasury Questionnaire, 1913-1918