Lincoln Creek Lumber celebrates its 100th anniversary in Centralia in June with Stihl demos and discounts on Dewalt and Craftsman tools.
By Emily Fitzgerald
For the C-C Chamber of Commerce
A family-owned lumber yard serving Lewis and Thurston counties for over 100 years, Lincoln Creek Lumber is devoted to providing quality products for many more years to come.
The business currently has four locations collectively owned by the fifth generation of Thompsons, Bob Thompson Jr.
“The reason we’ve been around for 100 years is because we try to give very good service at a really reasonable rate and support the community,” Thompson said.
Lincoln Creek Lumber, Thompson said, is “basically a full-service lumber yard and hardware store, so basically (we sell) anything to build a house.”
Lincoln Creek Lumber is also a member of the Ace Hardware co-op, which allows the hardware store aspect of the business to sell hardware products at a competitive price.
Lincoln Creek Lumber began as a mill in Lincoln Creek Valley in the Galvin area in 1903. The mill went out of business during the Great Depression, but the family kept their business alive by reselling milled materials, Thompson said.
The family was later able to purchase and resell mill stock from other businesses.
“We just started buying and selling material that had already been milled. That’s how we became a reseller,” Thompson said.
The family chose not to reopen the mill after the Depression ended, instead choosing to continue operating as a reseller.
In about 1941, Lincoln Creek Lumber moved from the Galvin area to its current location on what is now Harrison Avenue, where it still stands today.
“We were way outside of town at that point, but now it’s part of town,” Thompson said.
Around the same time, Lincoln Creek Lumber purchased Palmer Lumber in Chehalis. Palmer Lumber kept its name but has been run by Lincoln Creek Lumber since the ‘40s.
Lincoln Creek Lumber built its second location in the Tumwater area in the early 1990s and has since opened a hardware store in downtown Chehalis.
“We pride ourselves on the lumber side of getting a high-quality product,” Thompson said, adding that the business’ lumber clientele are usually custom builders working on large projects, such as apartment buildings and housing complexes.
Whatever projects Lincoln Creek Lumber is supplying materials for, the business’ first priority remains supporting the community that has continued to support them.
“Thank you to everyone for supporting us for all these years, for coming into the store and supporting local businesses, because that’s what makes a community like ours strong,” Thompson said.
For more information on Lincoln Creek Lumber, visit https://www.lincolncreeklumber.com/.
