Thomas Barlow Walker, One of the World's Greatest Lumbermen Is Dead

Thomas Barlow \Aralker of Minneapolis, Minnesota, died in that city on July 28, at the age of 88 years.

A mighty pine has fallen in his passing. To attempt to even highlight the real story of T. B. Walker within the confines of a magazine obituary, is a futile effort. Every page within these covers might be filled, with much of interest left to tell.

For the story of T. B. Walker is not only the story of a riran who amassed a wonderful fortune in the lumber business, but the story of a very long life so filled with well directed activity and admirable devotion to every call of citizenship, that a history could well be written of each phase of his varied life work.

The newspapers of his beloved home city, Minneapolis, to which he had been a marvelous godfather through two generations of well-doing, stated in writing of his works, that he died one of the fifteen richest men on earth. There can be no doubt as to the truth of that statement. With the possible exception of the original Frederick Weyerhaeuser, who built up a timbered estate in the neighborhood of a billion dollars, no other American lumberman has ever approached Mr. Walker in the quantity of his wealth. And it should be said here that few if any have equalled him in the good work that he has done with his great fortune. It is said that in California akone the Walker interests possess upwards of twenty billions of feet of California Sugar and White Pine. The market value of such a property in terms of today's values, stagger the imagination; in terms of their worth ten years from today, , the value should double.

But in reciting the life work of T. B. Walker, his intimate historians have used many great terms ahead of the title of multi-millionaire. "Courageous pioneer", "man of incomparable vision". "kindly philanthropist", "practical scientist", "one of world's greatest art collectors", "connoiseur of art and precious stones", "citizen extraordinary", are among the terms used to describe his characteristics.

That he was modest, simple, kindly, g'enerous, of the highest moral character and possessing outstanding integrity, are facts that his life story seem to thoroughly reflect. That he was the most charitable of men, all his historians declare. He helped everyone.

In addition to his great industrial and commercial activities he has for more than thirty-five years been one of the world's greatest collectors of pictures. He employ,ed no art collector, being recognized as one of the world's great experts. His early art galleries were in his own home, to which he built additions to house his pictures. He bought at home at first, and later went abroad for his greater collection. His first foreign purchase was Rosa Bonheur's "Lion". Then for many years he added steadily to his marvelous collection. One of his choice possessions is Rembrandt's "The Erting Woman Before Christ". Then, just a few years ago, he housed his great collection in a palatial art gallery which has since been open to the public, and is one of the show places of the eniire continent.

In reciting the business history of T. B. Walker, three cardinal principles and characteristics are outstanding, vision, indomitable courage and unshaken perseverance. His mighty fortune was built on these three. He saw, long before other men, the great future value of Pine timber.-And he had the courage and the sticktoitiveness to fight for a great lot of it, and kept it until it made him an industrial monarch.

He was born at Zenia, Ohio, February 1, 184O, the son of Platt B. Walker and Anstis K. Walker. His parents joined the great rush toward California in 1849, and when they reached Westport Landing, now Kansas City, the father took sick and died, Ieaving the mother and four sons to take care of themselves. The mother succeeded in educating her children. So well did she educate them that the son Thomas was offered the chair of mathematics in the lJniversity of Wisconsin in his early twenties. He refused, because he had gotten the timber bug that was to make him famous.

He went into Minnesota and 'Wisconsin surveying the timber lands of the region, and his determination to polsess his share become his obsession. He began buying timber for investors, taking a share for his pay. Later, as he acquired means, he invested in Pine timber that was so far ofi the beaten track that he was ridiculed for his investments. It later became the most valuable of timber. He was in the lumber business in various wavs for vears. It was in the late TO|S 11t"1 he, with his son Gilbeit organized The Red River L.umber Company. They cut the timber from their lands, and later on the worthless cut-over lands developed ore, and were sold for millions of dollars for mining land. Thd early firm operated mills at Crookston, Minn., and Grand Forks. North Dakota.

In 1889 Mr. Waker began looking around for more timber, and after looking the country over, he chose California and began buying California Pine in great quantities. His 'five sons joined him as each finished his education, Gilbert M., Archie D., Willis J., Fletcher L. and Clinton L., all being actively in charge of the affairs of the firm today. The great mills at 'Westrvood, California, were instituted, and will probably run perpetually, such are their timber holdings. They also operate today at Fernley, Nevada, in the same stand of timber.

Mr. Walker married Miss Harriet C. Hulet of Ohio in 1863, and besides his five sons, he is survived by a daughter, Julia Walker Smith.

Mr. Walker had retained wonderful mental and physical health almost up to the time of his death, that condition making it possible for him to enjoy and indulge himself in the finer things of life in which he was so much interested after he had relinquished the reins of business management to his capable group of sons.

He was one of the most interesting, colorful and useful men in lumber history.

Mill Man Uses Association Office To Help Building

J. M. Montgomery of the Silver Falls Timber Company, Silverton, Oregon, has listed the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association as one of his strong sales allies. .With each of his retailer customers in central California he has placed the telephone number of the San Francisco office of the Association rvith instructions that they are to be called by his customers at any time for aid on their lumber, construction and other similar problems. The Western Division office has O.K.'d this arrangement.