Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., June 15, 1904

In 1889, James Hill, railroad magnate, aimed to create the Northern Pacific Railroad. Many referred to this dream as “Hill’s Folly.” You see, the naysayers were convinced that there was no population built up in the PNW, nor did he have any “tonnage” in which to deliver goods to other parts of the country. Hill had a plan and it was a good one… Once back home in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hill was conversing with his neighbor, a timber industry leader, and asked him this simple question: “Do you like trees?” A handshake over the back fence brought James Hill and Frederick Weyerhaeuser into business.