he Newport Lumber Company is one of the heaviest dealers in lumber of the state of California. Its wharves are at Newport, on the coast, from which place it takes its name, and it owns a railroad of its own from Newport to Santa Ana, at which point are the wholesale yards. This concern has branch establishments at several points in Southern California, among them being Fullerton, Riverside, South Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands, and Hemet. Like all lumber houses in California, it deals principally in Oregon pine, which comes from points on Puget Sound, and in California redwood, the principal source of supply of which is now in Humboldt county. In addition to lumber this company deals in lime, cemet, plaster, Alpine, etc. The branch at Redlands carries the largest stock of these commodities in this city. An illustration of the volume of business done here is found in the fact that the Newport Lumber Company recently sold a million feet of lumber in five orders. Four of these orders were for residences now under process of construction. The fifth order was for the lumber for the buildings of the Redlands Preserving Company.

The business of this company was started in Redlands by Andrews Bros. In 1888, and was purchased by the Newport Lumber Company in 1892. George E. Foster was the first manager for the company, and took charge in October of that year. He was succeeded by the Messrs. Crookshank, of Santa Ana, who had charge for seven months, and were followed by F. U. Nofziger, the present manager.

The Newport Lumber Company has some $15,000 invested in its real estate in Redlands, owning a block of ground in addition to the very large stock that it always carries. Another feature of its business is a storage department, where it is at present carrying a large quantity of flour for G. W. McNear, a mill owner of San Francisco. In addition to unfinished lumber it also carries a full stock of sash, doors, blinds, etc., and, with its rapid connections at Newport and the wholesale yards at Santa Ana, has facilities for filling any order that may be given on very short notice.

(Source: Illustrated Redlands, 1893, p. 80.)