Merger marks end of an era

The merger of Plum Creek Timber Co. and Weyerhaeuser marks the end of an era in Columbia Falls as the Plum Creek name goes away.

The company was founded by D.C. Dunhman of Minnesota in 1944. In 1946 Dunham opened a mill in Columbia Falls and named it Plum Creek, after a small stream in Minnesota.

Dunham’s mill initially had just 10 employees, but it grew quickly and by 1947 it had more than 50 employees.

Following Dunham’s death in December 1966, his family sold the business to Northern Pacific Railway, which merged with the Great Northern and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads to become Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970.

In 1988, Burlington Northern spun off its resources business, Plum Creek, to Burlington Resources. Plum Creek Timber Company went public in June 1989.

Over the years it has been a strong community supporter.

In 2013, for example, the Plum Creek Foundation provided more than $356,000 in financial support to community organizations in Montana, in addition to $70,500 in scholarships granted to Montana students. In 2014, it provided $2.1 million in funding across the states its serves.

At local plants, generations of workers have been employed at its mills.