Campbell Lumber Co.
Redmond’s first major industry was logging and milling; the arrival of the Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad in 1889 helped make these operations successful. One of the larger logging and milling operations in early Redmond was the Campbell Lumber Company. It was located in the vicinity of East Lake Sammamish Parkway and the City limits in a township known as Adelaide. James Campbell and L.B. Stedman opened the mill in 1905 and it became one of the Redmond-area’s largest employers with approximately 60 employees, some of whom are shown in the first photo circa 1912. Unfortunately, all operations ceased in 1924 when a small fire grew to a major blaze because the long unused fire hoses had holes in them.
All photos courtesy of the Redmond Historical Society
In its heyday, the Campbell Lumber Company included a mill (shown in this photo the same year it burned down), company store, blacksmith shop, tool house, foreman family home, bunkhouses for workers and a network of railroads to bring lumber to the site. Little is left of this site or other logging operations in the area, such as the Redmond Lumber Company, Redmond Logging Company, Ohio Mill Company, Lake Sammamish Lumber and Shingle Mill and Peterson Mill. The most visible reminders of the Campbell Mill are the pilings on the north end of Lake Sammamish, which were used to corral logs delivered to the site until they were ready to be milled. The photo below shows some of the Campbell Lumber Company’s log walkers, employees who organized the floating logs into temporary rafts before being processed.
In addition to the pilings, five of the original bunkhouses still exist along East Lake Sammamish Parkway. These craftsman-style cottages date to 1910 and were reportedly prefabricated off-site and brought to the area by rail. Most of these homes have been remodeled or added on to and some are badly deteriorated. The boarding house also still remains on East Lake Sammamish Parkway and has since been converted to a single-family residence.
All photos courtesy of the Redmond Historical Society
Earlier this decade, the foreman’s home, built in 1913 along East Lake Sammamish Parkway, was demolished. Before its demolition, the house and grounds of this property also served as a wedding reception facility for a time, known as “Chateau in the Woods.”
For more information on Redmond’s logging industry, watch the video below produced by the Redmond Historical Society.
Redmond
Historical Society
History is happening in the Redmond area and we welcome you to our meeting!
Saturday, November 14
10:30am to noon
Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center Auditorium
16600 NE 80th Street
Heidi Bohan, local author and artist, will give an interactive presentation of her book, “The People of Cascadia: Pacific Northwest Native American History.” Displays will include artifacts and original line-art drawings used in the book. Don’t miss this meeting.
To receive the monthly newsletter contact the Society office at 425-885-2919, or email your request to info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org.
Books, note cards, free historic walking tour brochures, and the book, “Redmond Reflections”, are available in our office, which is open on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:30am to 4:30pm and by appointment.
Visit our website: www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org.
RHS Office Hours:
Mon, Wed & Thu
9:30am - 4:30pm
Or by appointment
www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org.
RHS Receives 4Culture Grant
This year the Redmond Historical Society received a grant from the King County Heritage 4Culture program to buy new software to manage its growing collection of artifacts and documents. RHS is using the software, PastPerfect, to catalog its many holdings, and will soon be able to quickly locate any picture or record. Thanks to 4Culture, the Redmond Historical Society can now serve its users faster and better