Chapter 56: Land Ho

Sat, Nov 28, 1970

Grateful Dead & New Riders of the Purple Sage, Day 5 of 6, RCMH, NYC, 8pm.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, CBS-TV, 9:30-10pm, Episode #11, 1040 or Fight.

Promised Land
Words by Chuck Berry
to the Wabash Cannonball Song

Instead of Flying Home, we diverted to Seattle, as our next Partner had agreed to join U-Corp.

People have asked me why these Rich & Powerful Men & Women voluntarily gave up 50% of their Companies to U-Corp?

Because they will be much better off afterwards. Many of these Folks were the last Generation of the Founding Families to Run the Company. By joining up with U-Corp, their succeeding Generations would have steady Dividends to live on. This way, the Founders didn’t have to Protect their Wealth as much, getting their Affairs in Order before they Passed On to The Happy Bankroll in the Sky.

George Weyerhäuser, Sr, 44yo, was the 4th-Generation of Weyerhäuser’s to Run the Company. He would be the last Weyerhäuser, as the CEO, as afterwards, non-Family would Run Weyerhäuser. That was why George had agreed to become the newest U-Corp Partner.

George was famous for being Kidnapped, May 24, 1924, when he was 9yo.

His Family Paid the Ransom of $200,000, but his 4 Kidnappers were caught & Convicted. They were Stupid Thugs, & between the 4, they were given a Total of 135 Years in Prison. Check out their Mug-Shots, as they ain’t Rocket Scientists. George wasn’t Harmed by the Assholes, at least.

Weyerhäuser Timber Company, was Founded in 1900, by Friedrich (Frederick) Weyerhäuser.

Weyerhäuser was born in Germany, in 1834. He came to America in 1852, as a 17yo.

George would go on to Harvest Timber in the Midwest, mostly in Michigan. When he saw that he’d soon run out of Timber to Harvest in the Midwest, he made a huge Deal in 1900, Buying 900,000 Acres of Western Land. He Bought the Land from James Jerome Hill, who Controlled the Great Northern Railway. The Great Northern had all their Land, as Payment by the US Government, for Laying Thousands of Miles of Track. The Land added up fast, but most people didn’t Value it much back then, as there was so much Land available. But the RxR’s made out like Bandits though. They could Sell Off the Land that Bordered their Right-Of-Way for years.

By 2023, Weyerhäuser Owned 12,400,000 Acres of Land in America & over 14,000,000 Acres Leased from Canada!

What I loved about Weyerhäuser, was he was the 1st to Replant after he Clear-Cut the Land. Most others just moved on, leaving a mess behind. The Land often Eroded, washing away any Topsoil.

This was often good for Farmers, who Moved in, thanking the Lumbermen for Clearing the Land for them. That was, if the Farmers moved in before the Topsoil could erode.

Instead of abandoning the Clear-Cut Acres, Weyerhäuser Replanted them with Millions of Seedlings, creating Tree Farms, so Weyerhäuser could use the Replanted Acres over & over.

Weyerhäuser usually Replanted with Pine Trees, as they Grew Faster, & Soft Wood was easier to work with. Unfortunately, this sometimes messed up the diversity of the Forests, allowing Beetles & Diseases to occur. In Canada, Pine Beetles have killed millions of Acres of Trees. The Dead Trees could still be Harvested, but were Stunted.

Weyerhäuser has gotten multiple Generations of Trees, since they’ve Replanted. Weyerhäuser learned Forest Management from European Timbermen, as they had Run Out of Old Growth Forests, a couple hundred years ago, causing them to Replant the Cut Forests. It only makes sense, as before, Land was so Cheap, the Lumbermen just walked away from the Clear-Cut Acres, not caring who took over after them.

Living in Washington, I had enjoyed Driving through Replanted Areas, as Weyerhäuser puts up Signs alongside the Road, saying what Year that section was Replanted. It took up to 10 Years to make a small Tree, but at 15 Years, 20, 25, or 50 Years, you could see big Growth Spurts. You could also tell if there had been Fires, etc.

Clear-Cut areas are ugly though, so I was going to ask for an area along Roads, to leave the Trees, to try to hide the Clear-Cuts behind them. This can’t always be done, as many on on Slopes, so were easy to see from the Road.

Another approach, is to take only a few Trees, leaving most behind. It depends on the Type of Trees, of course. If we do continue to Clear-Cut, do it in Blocks, leaving Un-Cut between Clear-Cuts.

Weyerhäuser was it for the Long-Haul, so they looked at things in the Years, not in Weeks, Months, Quarters, etc. That’s more of a European or Japanese View, which was my philosophy too.

We spent the night in the old Weyerhäuser Mansion, called Haddaway Hall. It was Built in 1923, & has a total of 15,600 Sq Ft inside. It was Sold in 2017, for $5,356,666, but U-Corp would never Sell it. We’d use it as the Weyerhäuser Conference Center.

It’s address is: 4301 N Stevens St, Tacoma, WA. It sits above Commencement Bay, near Point Ruston & Point Defiance, just North of D/T Tacoma.

The Log Train
By Hank Williams, Sr

Sun, Nov 29, 1970

Grateful Dead & New Riders of the Purple Sage, Day 6 of 6, RCMH, NYC, 8pm (Live at Radio City, CBS-TV, 9-11pm)

Log Cabin Home In The Sky
By Mike Heron

George had one of his Helicopters Fly us to some of his favorite spots in his Forests. Near Mt Rainier, he had a cool Cabin atop a Hill, that looked down on 3 Rivers or Streams, surrounding the Cabin. There was an old Old Weyerhäuser RxR Bridge he used to access the Cabin. George’s Great-Grandfather had Built the Cabin, back in 1919.

It was the only way to Climb the Steep Grade of his small Mountain. He had Laid Down Track, up the Mountain, as George had Bought a Decommissioned Cog-RxR Train, from Switzerland.

George used the Cog RxR, to bring in Supplies, as well as Guests.

George had a Electric Powered Cab-Passenger Car, hauling a Flatbed Car, & a Box Car. He could carry 20 Passengers in the Passenger Section. He had Renovated them all, before 1st Operating them.

Old #15, was Red, with a White Roof. The Freight Cars were Off-White, all with Original Paint. George kept them in a RxR Barn, at the Foot of the Mountain.

Since I had some Experience Operating Electric Powered Trains, as Ralf, George showed me the Ropes, but I let George Operate it, as I’d probably fuk it up. I was used to an Electric Train, with Millions of Dollars of Computers keeping me from f/u. Old #15 had been Built, in 1936. It had barely survived WW2, & had been left to Rot, before George Rescued it, in 1963.

Cog-RxR’s use a Middle Chain, or Rail with Gears, that a Gear System on the Train’s Locomotive, with Teeth, or Cogs, that could Grab onto the Links of the Chain between the Tracks. It Worked great, & super impressive, watching a Train slowly Climb a Hill. Otherwise, the Train would lose Traction, sliding back down the Hill.

That happened to me once, Operating a Seattle Sound Transit Light Rail Train. My Sanders had stopped working, so I Lost Traction, while climbing up Southcenter Hill. I started to Slide back Down the Hill, a scary feeling in a Train you our Operating. We came to a Stop before long, but I wasn’t moving until VM assured me the Train was Safe.

In Modern Trains, if anything goes Wrong, the Train is Designed to come to a Safe-Stop, Stopping on its own, w/o slamming on the Brakes, just Coming to a Smooth Stop.

All Trains now use different kinds of Deadman Switches, that requires the Operator to Interact with it every few seconds, or it would bring the Train to a Safe-Stop. That was due to Engineers of the Past, after having a Heart Attack, or anything that kept him from Operating the Train. The Engineers back then, often would put a Tool Box atop the Power Pedal on the Floor, so they could move around, w/o having to constantly press it. Kinda like a low-tech Cruise-Control. If that happened, there would be a Runaway Train, if the Operator was incapacitated. Check out the Ending to the great Film, Silver Streak. RxR’s frown on Runaway Trains. That was the 1st Film Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder did together.

Son of a Bitch! Was uttered every-time Gene Wilder was thrown off the Silver Streak, as it Traveled SW, from Chicago, to end up in LA, crashing through the Train Terminal Wall. The Engineer had been Shot, after the Bad Guy had put a Toolbox on the Power Pedal.

The Silver Streak became a Runaway then.

At Sound Transit, I had used a Spring-Loaded Deadman Switch, that had forced me to Turn a Handle, before I could Operate the Master Controller, moving it Forward, for Propulsion, Bringing it back towards me, for Braking. If I let the Handle go, for any reason, I had 2-Seconds to Re-Engage it again, or the Train would come to a Safe-Stop. That was called a Penalty Stop, causing anyone noticing, to laugh at you, as it meant you had lost Focus. Of course, sometimes I was just Scratching my Balls. I wasn’t as Anal as most of my Co-Workers, who were all Train Nerds. It was Fun, but it
was just a Job.

We were let out of the Helicopter, near the RxR Barn, at the Foot of the Mountain.

George & I Prepped the Train, then we Pulled it out, slowly Climbing the Hill. It was an awesome view all around us, as we wound our way up. Even with the Cogs, George had Laid the Track, in a Switch-Back, to compensate for the Steep Grade.

George was smart, as he Looped the Track around the Cabin at the Top. He had 1 Switch, when the Loop came back around to the Uphill Track. That way, we didn’t have to Reverse-Run, or Backing Down the Hill. Either that, you had to look past the Freight Cars. Now, they were behind us, the same as Uphill.

At the Top, Ali, Barbie & Bambi, got Lunch Together, George & I, Ryder & Pug Red, unloaded the Freight in the Boxcar & the Flatbed Car. George had a nice Propane-Powered Forklift we used.

While having Spaghetti at the Cabin, I asked George if he was aware of some of his Pressed-Wood Panels falling apart, much sooner than advertised. He cringed, as that Issue was rearing its ugly head, more & more. He was afraid it was going to be in the Millions to fix the Issue.

George was a good guy, not trying to duck the issue, but afraid of the repercussions. He was already Reformulating the Glues he used to Bond the Material. I would give him all the Support he’d need, to do the Right Thing.

I told George to be Proactive too, as when he had a better option, he should Recall any f/u Product, offering full Refunds, or to offer to Replace the f/u Product with the new improved Panels, Free to that Customer, no questions asked.

Weyerhäuser would eventually shell out Millions to solve the Issue, so why not do it now, before being forced to by Lawsuits. The Good-Will with our Customers would be more than worth it.

I was also going to bring in the Riverkeepers, to tell Weyerhäuser how to Correct any Environmental Issues, which everyone knows Lumber Companies are often Guilty of. George welcomed my Ideas. As I’ve said, the Weyerhäuser Family has always been good Citizens, trying to do the Right Thing.

Instead of calling back the Chopper, we took George’s Jeep Grand Wagoneer back.

We drove by Weyerhäuser’s new HQ being Built in Federal Way, WA. It would open in 1971. It’s next to I-5, but blends in to the Trees so well, I often can’t see it.

We then dropped in the Longtime current HQ, in D/T Tacoma, at 1015 “A” Street. It was called the Tacoma Building. We then drove North to Haddaway House.

That Night, George, & his wife Wendy, took Ali, Barbie, Bambi & myself to the Seattle Symphony, in Seattle Center’s Civic Auditorium, built in 1962, for the Worlds Fair.

I’ve always liked Classical Music, though I rarely relax enough to enjoy it. But in a Concert Hall, I melt into my seat. Of course, an Indica Doozie helps with that.

Leonard Bernstein, 52yo, was the Guest Conductor. He Conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection.” Nice, very nice. Everyone was super emotional by the last Note.

We spent a 2nd Night at Haddaway House. We looked down on the multiple Lights, that surrounded Commencement Bay. The Mansion was directly above the Shore, with only a set of RxR Tracks between it & the water. Super serene.

Mon, Nov 30, 1970

American Land
By Bruce Springsteen

Today, we Flew in a Twin Otter, on Amphib Floats, Northbound, from Jet Aviation’s FBO at BFI, Seattle, to Kamloops, BC, Canada. It was Weyerhäuser’s 1st Lumber Mill in Canada. Weyerhäuser had 1st Leased Forestland in Canada, in 1960. All Forests in Canada are State-Owned, so all Citizens can share in Canada’s Natural Resources. The USA allows Privately Owned Forestland. As I’ve reported before, Weyerhäuser Owns 12.4 Million Acres!

We Landed in Kamloops Lake, Taxiing Up to its Eastern Point, where we were p/u by the Plant Manager, Pete Cronkey. Weyerhäuser Kamloops was a Pulp Mill, so it kinda smelled. When George & Pete noticed us holding our noses, they laughed. Like Farmers & Shit, to Lumbermen, Pulp Smells meant MONEY.

We Flew back, via our Westin Bayshore Resort, directly on Coal Harbour, Vancouver, BC.

George Weyerhäuser loved the Bayshore Complex, asking if he could use it for Meetings. I said of course, as he was now it’s Co-Owner, thus the Owners Suite we were in. We were in time to Ride Bikes around Stanley Park, which is really nice. Vancouver has left it pretty much alone, as any Old Growth Forests are now treasured.

George Weyerhäuser has done that too, as there are Pockets of Old Growth amongst Weyerhäuser’s Forests.

Rode Stanley Park, & Hung Around the Outdoor Pool, Surrounded on 3 Sides by Boats. Across the small distance across Coal Harbour, was Stanley Park, with its Vancouver Yacht Club HQ & Marina. Very scenic & soothing.

The Waterfront in 1970, from the Westin, until D/T, was then Owned by the Canadian Pacific RxR, which I was hoping to Own soon. I’d keep the Land, when Canadian Decommissioned it. Now, that Land has over 10 Mid-Rise Condo Buildings, mostly Built using the Money Citizens of Hong Kong used, trying to Hide it in Canada, before the Chinese took back over, from the British. That happened between 1981 & 1997. H&L through Harry Helmsley would Build them now, as Pug. I like the Opaque Green Glass they used in Ralf’s time, so I’d do the same thing.

This time though, the Money would come from all China, as there was no Conflict now, so China would soon Blossom with New Wealth.

“On them backroads where them alligators crawl
In the swampland we ain’t worried ‘bout the law
You can find me in the woods with my dogs
Under pine trees in the land of the lost

I’ve been drinkin’ on this whiskey, got my head up in the clouds
And if this world keep fuckin’ with me I ain’t ever comin’ down
So fuck this mask and all this trash that y’all keep tryna spread around
Tip your glass or kiss my ass but I ain’t dealin’ with you clowns

Bless ‘em all
Land of the lost
God bless ‘em all
Land of the lost

I was raised in the country (Country)
And I paid all my dues (All my dues)
I was made in the country (Country)
And I won’t change just for you (Just for you)