Crown Zellerbach Corporation

The Crown Zellerbach Corporation was formed in 1928 by the merger of the Zellerbach Paper Company and Crown Willamette Paper Company, both of which had been formed by the mergers of several other companies and their predecessors. In addition, various companies and their subsidiaries were purchased or formed after the 1928 merger, culminating with the acquisition of Crown Zellerbach Corporation by the James River Corporation in 1985.

The Lebanon, Oregon, Crown Zellerbach paper mill was built in 1889. It initially made paper from wheat straw and converted to wood pulp in 1903. The mill started as Lebanon Paper Company and went through several mergers including Crown Willamette, finally merging with Zellerbach in the 1920s. The mill manufactured shell paper for wrapping such things as shotgun shells and dynamite, corrugated material and core paper. In the early 1950s, Crown Zellerbach chemists developed a line of chemicals from the by-products of the mill. The Orzan line of chemicals was sold to other manufacturers to use in materials such as linoleum paste, insecticides and other agricultural sprays. The mill was closed August 1, 1980 and at the time was one of the oldest paper mills in the Pacific Northwest.

Corporate Chronology

Dates: see Overview of Collection Series