Eureka
Sun sets over Eureka, Mont. In June of 2005, the town, which sits in the middle of one of the largest national forests in the country, saw the closure of the last family-owned timber mill in the area. Despite dire predictions, the town is surviving. The timber industry in Montana however is slowly dying.
Patrons at the Last Chance Bar in Eureka scream at the end of the "Star Spangled Banner" before the start of the 16th annual Battle of the Arms competition. Although the mill has closed and the town is changing, many of the residents who have competed in the competition for years say that they will never leave Eureka.
U.S. Forest Service workers Marcus Chin and Debbie Allen survey a section of the Kootenai National Forest that will be sold for timber. The sale was tied up in a lawsuit for several years, and now that the litigation is over the land is being survey a second time. Many mills rely on federal lands for their timber and lawsuits by environmental groups have stopped or delayed many of the sales, severely affecting the mills.
Employees of the Owens and Hurst Lumber Co. watch as the last log is loaded into the Owens and Hurst Timber Mill in Eureka. "I fought as hard as I could, but we just can't stay open any longer," mill owner Jim Hurst said. Many employees said the mill closure represents the end of the commercial timber industry in Lincoln County.
Randy Schermerhorn and his brother Dexter look over the last log left in the empty yard at the Owens and Hurst Lumber Co. in Eureka. More than 100 people in the 1,000 person town were laid off when the mill closed. Many of them have worked hard to find new jobs and careers, some remain without work.
Tony Pacella rubs his eyes after a long day at the RMB Lumber Co. in Columbia Falls, Mont. Pacella and his family left Eureka, where they had lived their whole lives so that he could stay in mill work. In the background is Pacella's mother, who worked at the mill for 20 years and is now sleeping on Tony's floor while she starts her new job as a nurses' aid in the same town where Tony lives.
Former mill worker Jeff Totten and his wife Cathy pay the bills at their new flower shop an hour south of Eureka in Whitefish, Mont. while their son Connor plays in the back of the store. The family opened the flower shop after the mill closed. For now the family is commuting to the shop. Eventually though, they plan to leave Eureka, where Jeff and Cathy have lived their whole lives, and move for the new business. "The timber industry is so unstable, so I had to look for something else," Jeff said.
Former Owens and Hurst worker Llyod Hagadone and his wife Cathy eat lunch while a backhoe demolishes the mill in the background. Hagadone moved his trailer next to the mill after its closure to act as the site's caretaker. "It's actually a pretty good deal," Cathy said. "We get free rent and the demolition makes for nice lunch entertainment."
Golf course designers and real estate developers survey a potential tee box site at one of the two new golf resorts in Eureka. Although the timber industry is dying, real estate and tourism in the area are thriving. Several former mill workers have taken jobs in the construction and service industries. Unfortunately these jobs typically pay less than the mill work.
JoAlene Park works the twin bandsaw at Stoltz Lumber Co. an hour south of Eureka. The mill is the last family-owned mill in northwest Montana, and many believe it will be the next to close. The mill takes 25 percent of its timber from its private land, and is not as dependant upon goverment sales as the Eureka mill. "We've structured our business so that we are not hit as hard by lawsuits. Times are still tough for us though," mill owner Ronald Buntmeir said.
Posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 7:30 pm. Filed under: Photography RSS 2.0 feed.
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Sun sets over Eureka, Mont. In June of 2005, the town, which sits in the middle of one of the largest national forests in the country, saw the closure of the last family-owned timber mill in the area. Despite dire predictions, the town is surviving. The timber industry in Montana however is slowly dying.
Patrons at the Last Chance Bar in Eureka scream at the end of the "Star Spangled Banner" before the start of the 16th annual Battle of the Arms competition. Although the mill has closed and the town is changing, many of the residents who have competed in the competition for years say that they will never leave Eureka.
U.S. Forest Service workers Marcus Chin and Debbie Allen survey a section of the Kootenai National Forest that will be sold for timber. The sale was tied up in a lawsuit for several years, and now that the litigation is over the land is being survey a second time. Many mills rely on federal lands for their timber and lawsuits by environmental groups have stopped or delayed many of the sales, severely affecting the mills.
Employees of the Owens and Hurst Lumber Co. watch as the last log is loaded into the Owens and Hurst Timber Mill in Eureka. "I fought as hard as I could, but we just can't stay open any longer," mill owner Jim Hurst said. Many employees said the mill closure represents the end of the commercial timber industry in Lincoln County.
Randy Schermerhorn and his brother Dexter look over the last log left in the empty yard at the Owens and Hurst Lumber Co. in Eureka. More than 100 people in the 1,000 person town were laid off when the mill closed. Many of them have worked hard to find new jobs and careers, some remain without work.
Tony Pacella rubs his eyes after a long day at the RMB Lumber Co. in Columbia Falls, Mont. Pacella and his family left Eureka, where they had lived their whole lives so that he could stay in mill work. In the background is Pacella's mother, who worked at the mill for 20 years and is now sleeping on Tony's floor while she starts her new job as a nurses' aid in the same town where Tony lives.
Former mill worker Jeff Totten and his wife Cathy pay the bills at their new flower shop an hour south of Eureka in Whitefish, Mont. while their son Connor plays in the back of the store. The family opened the flower shop after the mill closed. For now the family is commuting to the shop. Eventually though, they plan to leave Eureka, where Jeff and Cathy have lived their whole lives, and move for the new business. "The timber industry is so unstable, so I had to look for something else," Jeff said.
Former Owens and Hurst worker Llyod Hagadone and his wife Cathy eat lunch while a backhoe demolishes the mill in the background. Hagadone moved his trailer next to the mill after its closure to act as the site's caretaker. "It's actually a pretty good deal," Cathy said. "We get free rent and the demolition makes for nice lunch entertainment."
Golf course designers and real estate developers survey a potential tee box site at one of the two new golf resorts in Eureka. Although the timber industry is dying, real estate and tourism in the area are thriving. Several former mill workers have taken jobs in the construction and service industries. Unfortunately these jobs typically pay less than the mill work.
JoAlene Park works the twin bandsaw at Stoltz Lumber Co. an hour south of Eureka. The mill is the last family-owned mill in northwest Montana, and many believe it will be the next to close. The mill takes 25 percent of its timber from its private land, and is not as dependant upon goverment sales as the Eureka mill. "We've structured our business so that we are not hit as hard by lawsuits. Times are still tough for us though," mill owner Ronald Buntmeir said.