Robert A. Johnson (1874-1919) opened the Klamath Manufacturing Company (later renamed the Klamath Lumber and Box Company) in Klamath Falls, Oregon, in 1913. During World War I, Johnson served as a commander in the Third Battalion of the 20th Engineers Regiment Forestry Unit. Johnson died in 1919, shortly after he returned to Klamath Falls following the war. Horace Getz (1887-1955), was a fellow Klamath Falls resident who served with Johnson’s unit. He began working at the Klamath Manufacturing Company shortly after Johnson’s death. Getz worked at the company from June 1920 until his death in 1955, at which time he was serving as vice president.

Sources: “Lumberman Dies,” Sacramento Bee, June 27, 1919, page 9; “Horace E. Getz, KF lumber executive, death learned,” Herald and News, April 9, 1955, page 1.

The 10th and 20th Engineers Regiment Forestry Units of the United States Army formed in 1917 during World War I. Colloquially referred to as the “lumberjack regiment,” the units’ mission was to fulfill the French and British allies’ need for timber. Under the direction of Colonel James A. Woodruff and Colonel W. A. Mitchell, the forestry units established sawmills and logging operations in the forests throughout France to produce wood for the construction of barracks, roads, trenches, ships, railroads, hospitals, and other buildings. By 1918, there were 107 mills operating in 14 districts. Although the forestry units were not active in battle, they were praised for the necessity of their work, which was often conducted close to the front lines. The forestry units continued operations until May 1919.

Sources: "Twentieth engineers, France, 1917-1918-1919," edited by Alfred H. Davies and Perez Simmons (Portland, Oregon: Twentieth Engineers Pub. Assn., [1920?]), https://archive.org/details/twentiethenginee00davirich; “World War I: 10th and 20th Forestry Engineers,” Forest History Society, https://foresthistory.org/digital-collections/world-war-10th-20th-forestry-engineers; “World’s biggest regiment needs 6,000 more men,” by John L. Cobb, Jr., Wallowa County Reporter, February 27, 1918, page 4; American Forestry, Volume 25, Number 306, June 1919.