Hines Supply history

In 1896, Hines was able to buy the operations of S. K. Martin, his former employer.

In 1898, Hines added another 150 million feet of timber by acquiring Wisconsin's McCord & Company.

Another 60 million feet of Minnesota standing timber was purchased in 1900 from Chatfield & Company, which a year later sold Hines an additional 300 million feet of Wisconsin timber.

1905: White River Lumber Company is acquired.

Around 1906, Hines purchased a massive tract of southern pine spread across northern Minnesota and into Canada, containing some three billion feet of timber.

One of his larger undertakings involved the Virginia and Rainy Lake Company, a joint venture among Hines and Weyerhauser affiliates that employed 2,800 men and 900 horses to cut and process timber in Canada and northern Minnesota through the late 1920s.

The Edward Hines Lumber Company became the major force in the lumber industry and economy of Harney County in June 1928, buying the 67,400-acre Bear Valley Timber Sale on the Malheur National Forest.

The new Hines mill was completed on January 27, 1930, with an investment of $7 million dollars, just before the Great Depression.

In 1945, the Hines mill experienced its first strike, but 10 years later, expanded to Baker, Bates and Dee, Oregon, adding to the Hines and Seneca operations.

In 1965, a new plywood plant and stud mill were built for increasing volume of Douglas fir, white fir and larch.

Timber cutting from the Bear Valley Unit continued through 1968.

On May 8, 1983, the Ponderosa Pine Division and the Oregon & Northwest Railroad were sold to Snow Mountain Pine Company.

Although the company had a float of just 1.8 million shares, traded on an over-the-counter basis, Hines began to attract the attention of major investors by 1984, due in large part to the value of its underlying assets.

Consequently, in 1985 the company formulated a plan of liquidation under which Edward Hines purchased the wholesale lumber yards and the do-it-yourself centers and the rest of the assets were sold off.

In 1992, the 26-unit business celebrated its 100 anniversary, taking the opportunity to launch a year-long promotional campaign.

In 1996, Hines added another area yard when it acquired Moser Lumber Inc., a well-established business that had been operating in Naperville, Illinois, for 50 years.

1997: The company is restructured to focus on lumber.

15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hines Supply, a leading distributor of building materials in the Chicago area, has released a new book celebrating the company's 125 years in business.