SWFI is the lineal descendant of the Cady Lumber Co. of Arizona, which grew out of the Cady Lumber Co. of McNary, Louisiana. Both companies were owned by W.H. Cady and James McNary. Cady was a New Orleans banker and promoter and James McNary was an El Paso banker. The two men started the Cady Lumber Co. in McNary, LA and expanded it by building a second mill there and calling it the McNary Lumber co. Together the two mills cut 600,000 board feet per day, making the operation the largest west of the Mississippi River, but as a result, they cut out at McNary, LA after only 14 years. Purchasing the dying Apache Lumber Co at Cooley, AZ, the partners renamed the town McNary and brought the Cady Co west. Realizing that there would be a shortage of skilled labor at McNary, they offered their employees jobs at the new location, and most went west in a couple of special trains in 1925. Cady suffered financial reversed in the depression, and sold his interests to McNary and his partners, and they renamed the company to Southwest Forest Lumber Industries.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2019 02:08PM by Everett Lueck.