Pope & Talbot, Inc.
| Template:OTC Expert | |
| Industry | Lumber, paper, shipping |
| Founded | 1849 in San Francisco, California, United States |
| Fate | Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2008. |
Area served | North America |
Key people |
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| Products | Timber and paper (pulp) |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | poptal |
Pope & Talbot, Inc. was established in 1849 by businessmen Andrew Jackson Pope and Frederic Talbot in San Francisco, California. Both founders hailed from East Machias, Maine, and the enterprise thrived by leveraging the heightened demand sparked by the 1849 Gold Rush.
History
To facilitate its business activities, Pope & Talbot invested in acquiring vessels and inaugurated a lumberyard in 1852. They founded the Puget Mill Company at Port Gamble, Washington, securing a vast expanse of timberland—totaling 186,000 acres by 1892—to supply their milling operations. The mill was sold to Charles R. McCormick Lumber Company in 1925; however, after McCormick defaulted, the Pope & Talbot families reclaimed ownership in 1938. The company adopted the name Pope & Talbot, Inc. in 1940.
Throughout World War II, Pope & Talbot maintained continuous mill operations to meet the demands of wartime lumber production and shipping. The firm exited the shipping sector in 1963 by divesting its remaining fleet. In 1972, it transitioned into a publicly traded company, signaling a strategic focus on expanding its pulp and paper division. A kraft pulp mill commenced operation in Halsey, Oregon, in 1978.
The company expanded through acquisitions including a sawmill in Castlegar, British Columbia (1992), Harmac Pacific located in Nanaimo, BC (1999), and Norske Skog Canada's Mackenzie Pulp mill (2001). The Port Gamble sawmill ceased operations in 1995 after serving for 142 years. Prior to its bankruptcy filing, Pope & Talbot operated both lumber and pulp/paper sectors with mills situated across South Dakota and British Columbia.
In 2008, the company declared bankruptcy and subsequently sold off its lumber mill assets. Its timberland holdings were spun off as Pope Resources, which was later acquired by Rayonier—a prominent industry player based on the East Coast but also founded on the Olympic Peninsula—in 2020.
The Legend of White Gold (1988)
Directed by Joseph Rassulo, this western television film featured Richard Glover portraying Andrew Pope and Nick Young as Fred Talbot.
World War II
During the Second World War, Pope & Talbot operated merchant navy vessels supporting U.S. military efforts under the auspices of the United States Shipping Board. The company engaged in charter shipping agreements through the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration, managing Liberty and Victory ships crewed by Pope & Talbot personnel while U.S. Navy Armed Guards handled deck armaments and communications.
Ships
- SS Absaroka
- SS China Victory (renamed SS P & T Leader in 1951)
- USS Mendocino (APA-100)
- SS Saginaw Victory
- SS Brainerd Victory
- Cyrus Walker (1864 Tug)
- Goliah (1849 Tug)
- USS Sitka (APA-113)
Liberty ships operated included: George A. Pope, George B. Porter, Laura Bridgman, Joe Fellows, John Roach, Ada Rehan, Allen C. Balch, Charles A. McCue, Charles Robinson, William Allen White, West Portal (torpedoed in 1943), Brander Matthews, Russell R. Jones, James A. Wilder, and Henry Villard.
Victory ships included: SS Seton Hall Victory, SS Twin Falls Victory, SS Provo Victory, and Brainerd Victory.
See also
External links
- The Legend of White Gold available on YouTube