The Beginning

The history of PALCO is the history of the people who built this nation. Their strength, independence, and unfailing optimism shaped our country and our company, and continue to do so to this day.

In 1863, the Civil War was raging, the Pony Express was just being replaced by the transcontinental railroad, and Arizona had just become a U.S. Territory. That same year, A. W. McPherson and Henry Wetherbee bought 6,000 acres of land along the Eel River in Humboldt County, California for $1.25 per acre. It was the beginning of what would one day become PALCO.

Growth and Prosperity

Over the next 20 years, McPherson and Wetherbee took on new partners, bought more land, and built sawmills and shipping facilities. In 1882, they began logging operations in Humboldt County and started building the town of Forestville, which would serve as the company headquarters and provide housing for their employees. A few years later, they changed the town's name to Scotia.

By 1888, McPherson's and Wetherbee's original vision had become a reality. PALCO had 300 employees and was shipping 20 million board feet a year, making the Company the largest producer of lumber in Humboldt County. The town of Scotia began to grow and prosper, boasting a post office, a Western Union station, its own school district, and a church.