"Company town." The words evoke images of rough-and-tumble loggers and gritty miners, of dreary shacks in isolated villages, of wages paid in scrip good only at price-gouging company stores, of paternalistic employers. But these stereotypes are outdated, especially for those company towns that flourished well into the 20th century. In "Company Towns of the Pacific Northwest", Linda Carlson provides a more balanced and realistic look at these "intentional communities." Drawing from residents' reminiscences, contemporary newspaper accounts, company newsletters and histories, census and school records, and site plans, Carlson looks at towns in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. She examines how companies went about controlling housing, religion, taxes, liquor, prostitution, and union organizers. This vibrant history gives the details of daily life in communities that were often remote and subject to severe weather. It looks at the tragedies and celebrations: sawmill accidents, mine cave-ins, and avalanches as well as Independence Day picnics, school graduations, and Christmas parties. Finally, it tells what happened when people left - when they lost their jobs, when the family breadwinner died or was disabled, when the mill closed.
Linda Carlson has written or contributed to several books on business, including Services Marketing, The Publicity and Promotion Handbook: A Complete Guide for Small Business, and nine job-search guides. A graduate of the Harvard Business School, she has a special interest in company towns and social histories.
Acknowledgments When the Boss Built the Town Bunkhouses, Tent Houses, and Silk Stocking Row Who Lived in Company Towns? When the Dinner Bell Clanged Education in the Company Town Religion in the Company Town Baseball, Bowling, Bands, and Bridge Tournaments The Importance of the Company Store Forty Miles from Nowhere Getting the News in Company Towns When the "Dead Whistle" Blew Depression and World Wars Fame -- Even If Fleeting The Paternalistic Company Town Boss When the Town Shut Down The Bottom Line Gazetteer Notes Bibliography Index
Recreates daily life in the 19th and early 20th century company towns of the Pacific Northwest
"This remarkable survey of life in the company towns of the Pacific Northwest and their significance to the economy of the region makes an important contribution to the social history of the West. Here Carlson identifies over a hundred full-blown company-owned towns, where, in most cases, the company provided all the housing, stores, schools, recreational facilities, law enforcement, and even ministers. Her well-written story reveals paternalism at both its best and its worst."--James B. Allen, author of The Company Town in the American West
