By: David Wilma

David Wilma’s new book, "Whistles: The Story of Longview Fibre Company," chronicles the 81-year history of the firm. The Cowlitz County Historical Museum commissioned Wilma to write the book, with financial backing from the Wollenberg Foundation. The museum also hired a researcher in Wisconsin to copy personal records and old telegraphs from one of the company’s early investors.

 

"Whistles" is a local story of national importance.  The story moves from the origins of the company rooted in the early establishment of the city, to the company’s ultimate sell-off to Brookfield Asset Management in 2007.

 

Wilma’s work captures how the early founders mixed an entrepreneurial mindset with a desire to take care of its employees and its community. That philosophy underscored the company’s history through periods of economic strife and labor struggle.