Whiteman Lumber Company Our History
Whiteman Lumber was founded in 1928 by Harry Whiteman who had emigrated from England. Mr. Whiteman began supplying the local silver mines with timber and continued doing so for many decades. Eventually he turned the mill over to his three sons, Wes, Laddie and Keith.
In 1988, Brad and Mary Corkill bought the mill from the two surviving brothers, Wes and Keith. The mines were the dominant customers. It wasn’t long, however, before economic and environmental issues forced the curtailment of most of the mining. The mill had to re-invent itself and find new markets.
The mill began cutting for timber framers. Their first customer was Timberhouse of Hamilton, Montana. Timberhouse was building the base lodge for the Silver Mountain Ski Resort, at the time it was the largest timber frame in the United States.
In 2009, the mill burned to the ground, a total loss. The Corkills rebuilt the mill and today it is bigger and better and in a position to last for several more generations.
Brad retired from the mill on January 1, 2024. The mill was sold to his son Nathan and his wife Jennifer. Nathan had just finished a 20-year career as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps and Colorado Air National Guard.
Incidentally, as of 2023, Greg Whiteman, grandson of Harry, is the head sawyer and has worked at the mill for fifty years. Terry Groth, a great grandson of Harry, is the mill foreman and has worked at the mill for thirty-five years.
