Robert Alexander Long (1850–1934) was a lumber baron, developer, investor, newspaper owner, millionaire, and philanthropist. He lived most of his life in Kansas City, Missouri and founded the city of Longview, Washington and the town of Longville, Louisiana.
R. A. Long was born December 17, 1850, in Shelbyville Kentucky. He was one of nine children born to Samuel M. Long and Margaret Kinkead White in Shelby County. His parents were Samuel M. and Margaret K. (White) Long. His mother was a cousin of Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn (October 1, 1838 – September 12, 1918), and his older brother Governor Luke P. Blackburn (June 16, 1816 – September 14, 1887), both of Kentucky. Three of his older brothers, Thomas, E. S. and Belvard, served in the American Civil War but Robert was too young.
By 1906, Long owned 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) of pine in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana and converted it into 61 lumberyards. As the timber land was deforested in Louisiana, he moved to Washington State and bought 270,000 acres (1,100 km2) of Douglas fir. There he became a pioneer in reforestation realizing the need for conservation.
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He moved to Columbus, Kansas in 1873 where his uncle, C. J. White, was a banker. He then started a hay bale company along his cousin Robert White and a friend, Victor B. Bell. Victor Bell's father, Dr. J. B. Bell, was president of the Kansas City Savings Bank. Robert Long was 24 years old but his two partners had not yet reached the age of majority. The hay venture failed but the three were able to sell the lumber from the hay sheds. Seeing that lumber was in demand they order more lumber and a load was delivered to the R. A. Long & Company on April 30, 1875. Business was good and the partners opened more yards. In 1877 the youngest partner, Robert White, died and the remaining partners bought out his share. Robert and Victor formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus, Kansas.
Also while in Columbus he bought 1520 acres and developed a profitable coal mine with two shafts at Stone City. The location exist only on historical maps, as the town no longer exists today, but was just east of NW 40th street south of the junction of NW Meir road, which is northwest of Columbus.[1]
In 1874, Long met nineteen year old Martha Ellen Wilson. She was a Quaker and became a school teacher. After a year of courtship the two were married December 16, 1876. A son lived only a few weeks but the couple had two daughters. In 1879, Sally America Long (Ellis) was born, and in 1881 their youngest daughter, Loula Long (Combs) (d. 1971) was born.
In 1887, Robert A. Long and Victor Bell formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus, Kansas. The headquarters was moved to Kansas City where it remained until sold.
In 1889, Samuel H. Wilson, Robert's brother-in-law, that began with the company in 1887, took over the retail department, a position he held until his death on October 20, 1903. In 1891, the capital stock was increased to $500,000 and Robert Long's future as a lumber baron was sealed. The Long-Bell Lumber Company was vertically integrated from the forest to the lumber yard and became the world's largest lumber company in the early 20th century. Long-bell Lumber Company was a Strong Force bringing His planned City Longview,WA to Life. Before He sold to International Paper in 1956.
When the railroad entered Louisiana Robert Long was among the earliest to set up shop. He purchased land in many parts of the state to begin lumber harvesting to supply the needs of his giant lumber company.
In 1900, the Long-Bell Lumber Company organized the King-Ryder Lumber Company at Bon Ami, Louisiana. By 1904 the mill was producing 300,000 board feet of lumber daily which made it the largest in the area at the time.
In 1903, Long-Bell organized the Hudson River Lumber Company in DeRidder and built a sprawling mill across the tracks from Washington street. Kansas City Southern Railroad and the Sante Fe Railway ran through Deridder.
Long-Bell bought out the two mills of the Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Company in Lake Charles on March 16, 1906. This included 105,000 acres and 36 miles of the Lake Charles and Leesville rails that was renamed the Lake Charles and Northern Railroad. This purchase included seven locomotives and 120 log cars and a total of 58.599 miles of tracks.
With the new rail, renamed the Lake Charles and Northern Railroad -L.C.& N., which formed part of the Atlantic System of the Southern Pacific Company.[2] Long-Bell looked for and found a site along the line for a new mill. In October, 1906, a new location[3] was set to be cleared for the Longville Long Leaf Lumber Company and town. A town arose to support the mill that included a three-story, 60-room hotel, 163 cottages for white and black workers, a large commissary with $30,000 worth of supplies, a school, complete machine shop, roundhouse, car repair shop, and blacksmith shop.[4]
In about 1913, Long-Bell acquired the Ludington Lumber Company and transferred 3000 acres (for $157,000) to shore up the stumpage (uncut lumber) reserve. When the mill burned in 1920, there were an estimated 2500 residents in the town meaning it rivaled Fullerton. With the stumpage reserve dwindled the mill was not rebuilt so the town began to disappear. The planer was converted to a hardwood flooring mill, which was moved to DeRidder in 1927, when all operation at Longville ceased.
He founded the city of Longview, Washington, a "planned city" built in 1923 near two of Long-Bell's lumber mills. He personally donated funds for the city's public library, first high school, train station, YMCA hall and its Monticello Hotel. The mills were advertised as the largest in the world.
A newspaper was planned along with the city and on January 27, 1923 the first issue of Longview News came off the press. Mr. Long was the principle stock holder until his death on March 15, 1934, and in a family trust until 1947.[5][6] In 1981 The paper won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Mount St. Helen's eruption.
Long had a real estate company as well as owning many acres of land and buildings across the United States from Washington D.C. to Washington state
Long's home in Kansas City, named Corinthian Hall, was completed in 1911. The 72-room French Renaissance mansion, located on Gladstone Boulevard, was Kansas City's first million-dollar home, is now the Kansas City Museum. On November 14, 1980 the building was entered into the NRHP as the R.A. Long House.[7]
In 1907 the R.A. Long Building,[8] a Beaux-Arts skyscraper in downtown Kansas City was built at 928 Grand Avenue. On January 8, 2003 the building was listed on the NRHP.[7]
Longview Farm was built in 1913-1914, in eastern Jackson County, on the outskirts of Kansas City. The 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) farm had 42 buildings and 250 acres of clipped lawns, extensive flower beds, and four greenhouses, in later years fresh carnations and gardenias were shipped daily.[9] Portions of the farm are now sites of Longview College and of Longview Lake. The farm was listed on the NRHP on October 24, 1985.[7]
Long was a driving force behind the creation of Kansas City's Liberty Memorial, a World War I museum and monument. He was the president of the Liberty Memorial Association, very successful at soliciting donations, as well as a major contributor. In less than a year the organization collected 2.5 million dollars. The monument was dedicated on November 11, 1926.
The R.A. Long High School was a gift to the city of Longview, Washington in 1923 from Robert Long. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic places. The school was one of several buildings that Long built from personal funds.
Long was involved in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), as well as his family, until his death. Loula remained faithful to the Longview Chapel Christian church (Disciples of Christ) until she died and was celebrated as one of the longest attending members.[10]
He was an early investor in the Kansas City Southern Railroad as a source of transportation for his raw material and products.
Longview Development Company was formed for handling real estate in Longview, Washington.
Mr. Long was very active and along with many business ventures was a member of several associations.
Mr. long was the president of the Southern Pine Association founded in 1915.[11] The name was changed in 1970 to the Southern Forest Products Association[12] with a division being the Southern Pine Council[13] and is still active today.
Being in the forest industry it was only natural Mr. Long belonged to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association. The name was changed to the National Forest Products Association in 1965. In 1993 the name was changed to American Forest and Paper Association.
When Robert Long died in 1934 he left a legacy that included a city he built and named, churches of which he helped build the buildings, 13 lumber mills, 110 retail lumber yards, a sash and door factory, many warehouses, and towns that owe their existence, at least in some part, to his businesses.
A bronze bust of the city of Longview, Washington's founder, by Seattle sculptor Victor Alonzo Lewis, was placed in the renamed R. A. Long Park on August 24, 1946.
In 1956, International Paper Company (IP) purchased all remaining holdings of the Long-Bell Lumber Company and renamed it IP-Long-Bell. With the lumber depleted and the mill being antiquated IP-Bell ceased operations in 1960 and the mills were dismantled and sold. Some of the giant old-growth beams were used to build Microsoft-founder Bill Gates’ mansion in Medina on Lake Washington.[14]
The R. A. Long Historical Society was formed in 2006.[15]
