[Lumber Industry]. [Louisiana]. [Arkansas]. Collins, R.D.

Catalogue of Photographs of the Frost-Trigg Lumber Company for Special Album Presented to Mrs. Ben Collins by R.D. Collins [caption title]

[Louisiana and Arkansas: 1907]. [8]pp. catalogue tipped in at front, followed by [53] leaves, illustrated with fifty-three silver gelatin photographs, all approximately 6 x 8 inches, each mounted one per leaf on rectos only. Oblong folio. Contemporary limp leather, brad-bound, with gilt presentation stamping on front cover reading: "To Mrs. Ben Collins from R.D. Collins." Spine and front joint portion of leather perished, but holding well. Some chipping to edges and scuffing to boards. Occasional mild silvering to images, short closed tear to first image, but overall quite nicely preserved. About very good. Item #4424

An engaging collection of photographs documenting the southern lumber interests of the Frost-Trigg Lumber Company, presented by R.D. Collins, the company's assistant general manager, to his aunt, Mrs. Ben Collins. Both R.D. Collins and his aunt hailed from Texarkana, Texas, but R.D. managed the Frost-Trigg office in Shreveport. The present album is comprised of over fifty substantial photographs capturing various aspects of the Frost-Trigg subsidiaries in Louisiana and Arkansas. The catalogue of the photographs tipped in at front provide invaluable information on the images, noting the subjects and location of each photograph, and keyed to the photographs by number. The photographs are organized by each subsidiary, including a selection of images featuring the De Soto Land and Lumber Company in Mansfield, Louisiana; the Noble Lumber Company in Noble, Louisiana; the Red River Lumber Company in Frostville, Arkansas; Black Lake Lumber Company in Campti, Louisiana; Union Saw Mill Company in Huttig, Arkansas; and four images of the Frost-Trigg home office in Shreveport. Images from the subsidiary companies picture a wide variety of subjects and settings, such as trains loaded with logs, company buildings and residences, mills, laborers at work, interior views, and more.

A small sampling of the photographs, as described in the catalogue, include "Perspective view of the De Soto Land & Lbr. Co. log train coming into the mill - 17 cars," "General birdeye view through the center of the Noble Lbr. Co. yards at Noble, La.," "Group of all the men employed in the woods of the Red River Lbr. Co.," "Saw mill of Black Lake Lbr. Co. from the southeast," "Photographic tower 128 feet high erected for the use of the American Lumberman in making a birdseye view of the complete plant of the Union Saw Mill Co. at Huttig...," and "General office of the Frost-Trigg Lumber Co. on fourth floor of the First National Bank building, Shreveport, La." Several of the photographs, including the handful of group shots of the laborers, feature numerous African American workers among the employees; interestingly, in the group shots, the Black laborers are relegated to the background of the shots.

"Many great milling interests of the south are knitted together by a selling agency end, located in some northern of semi-northern city, serving as not only the selling end of the business but in a sense as a holding company, a sort of clarifying institution, where the syrup of endeavor finally crystallizes into the sugar of profit. Not so with the Frost-Trigg Lumber Company, of St. Louis, Mo., and Shreveport, La., for it is run with the idea of handling as much of the product of the five mills which are in active operation as it possibly can, with the least amount of profit to itself, in order that the milling propositions may make the greatest amount of money. The Frost-Trigg Lumber Company directs nothing but its own affairs, and the five active sawmilling propositions sell to it, or not, as their advantage may seem to indicate. This places the Frost-Trigg Lumber Company in a unique position.... The Shreveport office of the Frost-Trigg Lumber Company - which is situated in the First National Bank building in that city, in commodious rooms on the fourth floor - was opened for the better taking care of the growing trade of the southwestern states, that of Texas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and southwestern Missouri, New Mexico and southern Kansas.... E. A. Frost is the active manager of the Shreveport end of the business, assisted by R. D. Collins..." - "A Graphic Story of the Frost-Trigg Interests in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas" in American Lumberman, March 30, 1907. A wonderful selection of photographs documenting a successful and truly southern lumber company.

Price: $2,500.00