Wendling is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States, located northeast of Marcola.[1] Wendling's post office operated from 1899 to 1952.[2] The town was named for George X. Wendling, a San Francisco investor, who was the largest investor in Booth-Kelly's expansion into the Mohawk.[3] Wendling was created as a company town for the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company.
Initially, Booth-Kelly had no intention of building Wendling, The original plan was use the Mohawk River to float logs to a new mill near Coburg. Lane County granted them a 90 year franchise for movement on the river.[4][5] This met with harsh resistance from the other valley mills, loggers and farmers.[6]
Booth-Kelly then decided to build a mill and supporting elements near the timber. To do this they needed to acquire the right-of-way for the Southern Pacific railroad from Springfield to their proposed site on the former homestead of William McCullough.[7] It was secured and Wendling mill and supporting structures were built in the fall of 1899 while railroad construction was underway. [8][9] The railroad was finished and the first train came into Wendling on September 3, 1900.[10]
Fires
On the night of August 24-25, 1910 embers falling from a nearby forest fire destroyed all but three homes in the company-owned residential section of Wendling, the church, school, cookhouse and bunkhouse. The mill, store, and company offices were saved.[11] Booth-Kelly rebuilt within two months and kept the mill and camps running during that time.[12]
In the morning hours of September 26, 1917, the planer mill and dry sheds were burned to the ground. The sawmill and other structures were saved.[13]
During the forenoon of July 6, 1922, the saw mill and nearby kilns were destroyed by fire.[14]
Months after the mill was closed at Wendling and nearly all equipment was stripped from its interior, the mill superstructures and the powerhouse burned in a fire on September 29, 1946. No other buildings were lost.[15]
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