A Brief History of Angeles Millwork & Lumber Co.

In 1892, Ishmael Filion and his son Alfred I. were operating a mill in Huron County, Michigan. They found that the logs were too small and too few for their purposes, so they decided to move elsewhere. Felix Filion, brother of Ishmael, was in Port Angeles in the summer of 1892, and he wrote telling of the great number of large logs to be had in the Clallam County area so it was decided to move the mill out here. They packed and shipped the mill machinery and then came to Port Angeles, arriving on February 10, 1893.

At the beginning of the century the Port Angeles Eastern Railroad again stirred up big hopes in Port Angeles that a railroad would be built from Port Angeles to a point at or near Junction City in Jefferson County. Papers for the corporation were filed September 29, 1899. An office was opened in the Opera House block by the company. This boom did not die out until 1905, losing the promoters $100,000.

It was discovered at about half past ten on the evening of August 8th, 1903, that the mill was on fire. The fire gained so much headway that it was impossible to put out. The mill burned to the ground. All that was saved was a small quantity of shingles, the locomotive and the logging cars. Several building projects were delayed because there was no place in town where lumber and shingles could be purchased. The mill was rebuilt on Block 442 at the corner of West 16th and South C Streets, Port Angeles.

About 1912, the mill bought a new Climax engine to haul its log cars. This engine was brought up from the waterfront to the mill by its own power. A short railroad track was built ahead of it on the street, the engine was moved to the end of this track, and so on until the engine reached the mill. A short time before World War I the logging railroad was extended eastward into Tumwater Valley. It ran down to the waterfront so it was now possible to load lumber & shingles on freight cars for shipment out of town.