It was announced recently that Roseburg Forest Products would be closing their plant in Weed California and shifting operations elsewhere.
Roseburg Forest products is a major player in West Coast lumber operations and the largest private land owner in the state of California.
As an aside
It is kind of ironic that back in the late 1940’s they owned a single mill and a few trucks that worked out of Arcata, CA. My Mother as a High School student worked in their office at Samoa and my future step dad was a gyppo trucker that hauled logs for them.
How is this railroad related? Funny you should ask, here is the scoop. Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad has lost a major shipping industry and will be closing down that end of the line. CORP’s transfer yard is less than a mile from my house here in Southern Oregon.
The sawmilling industry and the town of Weed, CA was established by Abner Weed in 1900 and soon became a major player in the Pine Lumber industry of Northern California. He later sold out right of way to Southern Pacific Railroad Co, so they could establish their North South line over the Siskiyou mountains.
A video of some early steam operations of the mill and forest area. The mill and railroad changed hands and names a few times over the years but always kept operating.
Sawmilling and rail road logging/lumbering have been continuous in the little community of Weed, California from 1900 to December 2025 but no more.
I have collected a lot of information and artifacts from the Weed Lumber Co over the years.
A couple of examples.
