History

Rather abruptly, Roy tells his second son, Roy Jr., to go home and put on a suit and return to the mill. Thus, Roy Jr. learns he is now president of the Martin family business.

In an article from the Bogalusa Daily News, The Roy O. Martin Lumber Company was described as “a progressive company with mills that ship 60 million board feet of lumber and extensive forest holdings that are managed for continuous production that will assure a permanent timber supply for the company and jobs for several hundred

Roy O. Martin, Sr. inspected a 20-acre parcel of company land that had a renewal cut and was ready for planting. The tract was located in Rapides Parish, near Ruby-Wise School, so Mr. Martin agreed to donate the future timber proceeds to the school. This was a way to link generations of students and families

Through its supply of Southern Yellow Pine wood to a company in New Orleans, Roy O. Martin Lumber Company aided in the construction of the most famous landing craft of all time, the Higgins Boat. These unique boats, built mainly of wood, could operate in shallow water and run across logs and vegetation without damaging

World War II brought unexpected but welcome prosperity for the company. Coming on the heels of the Depression, the war had found the Martins with a requisite stockpile of lumber, which was available for immediate use for military efforts. During the war, the Martins continued to produce as much lumber as they could under heavy

Tragedy strikes as the Castor mill burns to the ground. Out of the ashes, the opportunity for Ellis arises, as Roy makes one of his most significant decisions: placing Ellis in charge of rebuilding and operations. Ellis begins his new role on the eve of World War II, embarking upon a career that will span

The sawmill in Castor, Louisiana, opens. Operating on thriftiness, Roy buys all equipment secondhand. Roy’s eldest son, Ellis, takes a year off from high school to help build the mill, sleeping in a ramshackle back office with only an Aladdin lamp and lumber-supply catalogs for entertainment.

Roy aggressively begins purchasing land, with the mantra, “Buy land and hold land because they don’t make any more land.” His first major land purchase is the Black Lake timber block, comprised of 6,500 acres. Due to this vision, the family’s sustainable forestry practices exist today on its nearly 550,000 acres of timberland.

Roy Otis Martin of Edwardsburg, Michigan, purchases Creston Lumber Mill in Alexandria, Louisiana, for $32,000. He names it Roy O. Martin Lumber Company, Inc.