The end of an era
By
Ronda Nelson
On Feb. 27, Potlatch Corporation informed Ray Coon they no longer needed log production from his company, R.F. Coon Logging. The move put around 40 people out of work and marked the end of a career that spanned 55 years in the woods.
Ray Coon grew up in Peck on the family farm. His dad had a small sawmill, “that kind of intrigued me,” Ray said. He went to school in Peck and Melrose.
Prior to starting his long career in logging, he worked the farm, before serving in the U.S. Marine Corp from 1944-46. He served in Guam and Iwo Jima. His service included a month long fierce and bloody battle to secure Iwo Jima.
Returning from the war, Coon farmed for about a year before purchasing a war surplus dozer and beginning to contract. A friend, Clint Graham, who worked for Potlatch, but was on strike, joined him in the venture. They worked on Soil Conservation ponds, building roads and clearing land. Coon leased a Soil Conservation cat to go with the one he had purchased and the two each ran one.
While they were contracting, Smith Neilson Lumber Co. bought a patch of timber below Coon’s house. Seeing an opportunity, Coon said he would skid the strip if Graham would saw it. Smith Neilson wasn’t interested in decked timber, but said they’d pay for it delivered.
The mill offered, “what we thought was an awful good price,” Coon said, so he hired a truck driver and the logging company was born. The year was 1952. They rented a stiff boom jammer to load with and hired another truck and things started growing.
When Lorenz Lumber Co. bought out Smith Nielson, Coon continued to log for the new company, and went to work for Potlatch in 1955.
In 1957, Coon bought out Graham’s share of the company. Graham bought a service station in Orofino and later worked for Finke, before coming to work for Coon Logging, where he ran a loader until his retirement.
They logged in Kamiah, having bought out Altmiller Bros., before logging for the new mill at Jaype starting in 1965. Coon moved his family to Pierce in January of 1966.
Logging was “fun really,” in the early years. Camping out, seeing new country and building roads, all made it a good time.
Coon served on the Water Quality Board beginning in 1974 and into the 80’s. He
represented northern
Idaho for the
Associated Loggers. The board was comprised of representatives from the public
at large, major landowners like Boise Cascade and Potlatch, Idaho Fish and Game
and Associated Loggers. The board made recommendations to prevent excessive
erosion on logging jobs. The legislature used the recommendations to craft the
Forest Practices Act.
He also served as president of Associated Loggers for two one-year terms and still serves on the board. He is on the board of the Associated Loggers Exchange, an organization he was instrumental in starting. The ALE provides workers comp benefits to participating companies.
He served on the board for C-PTPA as well.
When Potlatch official Jim Mallory told him they weren’t going to “need any log production from you,” Coon says he wasn’t surprised by the decision. “I figured that,” was his response. Logging has not been lucrative for a couple of decades, and the past three years had been particularly tough. He says the last really good year was 1982.
He stayed with it “primarily to keep the guys working.” He hated to see the men lose their jobs. His wife Isobel said “I’ve always bragged on the crew that we’ve had over the years. I think Ray would agree to that. We’ve had a really good, stable crew.” At its peak, R.F. Coon Logging employed upwards of 60 people. For the final payroll, Coon counted 42.
Ray and Isobel were married in 1949. They have four children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. They moved to Lewiston several years ago and enjoy the more temperate climate and opportunities for gardening, as well as visiting with the expanding group of friends who have moved from the mountain to the valley to enjoy their retirement years.
Looking to the future of logging in Clearwater County, Coon said “It’s gonna be mighty tough, if the Forest Service doesn’t open up and start selling some timber. If they’d open up and sell some timber, why it would make Potlatch scramble a little bit for a market for their timber.” He admitted that he doesn’t expect that to happen.
Pictured right: This wrought iron plaque, created by Bill Maki of Pierce, commemorates Coon Logging’s 50th anniversary. It hangs on the front wall of Coon’s home in Lewiston.