Company History

Bennett Lumber Products at Princeton, Idaho, was originally known as Boones' Mill in the early 1950's.  Upon consolidating the Moscow and Troy, Idaho mill holdings, Bennett Lumber bought the Boone's mill and upgraded the antiquated operation with modern technology. 

Others in the lumber industry described this renovation as "visionary."  The new sawmill was designed to mill smaller dimension logs, with much of the milling process being automated.  

Bennett Lumber later brought on board innovations such as the  indexing bi sorter.  This sorter has since become standard in modern lumber mills.

The company president had seen a similar sorter while on a tour of mills in Finland and Sweden but he knew much needed to be done to adapt it for use in the States.

He collaborated with fabricators in Portland on development of the three-bin sorter, initially devising an experimental model.  Fine-tuned, the revolutionary unit made its debut at the Princeton mill in 1972.

The updated sawmill was recognized as being "ahead of its time."  Similarly, the company office building was recognized for its foresight and the attractive structure received the 1978 Western Wood Products plant appearance award.

Designed to give a feeling of walking through an old-growth forest, the office's massive timbers cool indoor vegetation and subtle skylights lend to the outdoor feel.

In 2003, the Guy Bennett Lumber Company mill in Clarkston, WA merged with Bennett Lumber Products to form one company. The ultramodern Clarkston facility began running in the early 1990’s, and has a key location on the banks of the Snake River with good rail and water transportation available.

Today, total lumber production reaches 150 million board feet annually.

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