A Company Ahead of Its Time: The History of the Theo. A. Burrows Lumber Company
by Maryel Andison
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Our Second Century
The Burrows Lumber Company was founded in 1879 at time when forests seemed inexhaustible and opportunity for new settlers abounded. The Company’s accomplishments through its 130 year history are due primarily to the groundwork laid down by the company founder, Theodore Arthur Burrows.
Born in 1857, Theo. A. Burrows inherited his sense of adventure from his paternal grandfather, John Burrows who left his home in Plymouth England in 1813. Settling in Bytown, he was granted the first land patent issued in Canada. John Burrows, an engineer by training, became the Overseer of Works for the construction of the Rideau Canal which links Lake Ontario with the capital city, Ottawa. Today, the Houses of Parliament, seat of the Canadian federal government sit upon the original Burrows homestead.
In 1877, the thirst for change and the spirit of adventure lured Theo. A. Burrows on a journey west. Immigration to the new province of Manitoba was slow, but steady and new settlers made the arduous trip in search of land that was rich and fertile, cheap and abundant. Burrows first worked on a survey crew charting the Lake District. This early experience exposed him to the raw riches of the region and ultimately set him upon his course for a career in the lumber industry.
Burrows purchased his first timber berths on Lake Winnipeg. The need for lumber for new settlers seemed insatiable. Burrows proved to be an astute businessman and in 1879, he established The Theo. A. Burrows Lumber Company. The company prospered and grew. Acquiring vast timber berths, the company logged great stands of majestic pine, tamarack and spruce, loading the timbers onto horse-drawn sleighs, crossing the frozen land to river’s edge where it waited for the Spring log run to his sawmills downstream. The lumber was cut, planed and air-dried then shipped to markets across Canada and exported to the United States. In addition, the company operated 38 retail stores across the Prairie Provinces, furnishing building supplies and offering construction plans and building advice to customers.
In 1890, Theo. A. Burrows co-founded the Western Retail Lumbermen’s Association whose mission of self-regulation developed accepted standards and recognized business practices for the lumber industry. Burrows was a major proponent of selective cutting and forest management and spoke at forest industry meetings on the value of sustainable development.
If the West was going to prosper, Burrows realized the need for reliable transportation was critical to its future. He ran for public office where he lobbied extensively and successfully for increased rail service to encourage future immigration and provide transportation of prairie product to markets. He served as Land Commissioner to the Canadian Northern Railway, the forerunner of the current Canadian National Railway. His service to the public was recognized when he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Manitoba in 1925, a post he served until his death in 1929.
His nephew, Theo. A. Sparks assumed ownership of the company and steered it through the difficult years of the Depression and World War II. In the early 1950s, the company passed out of family hands to the LePage family. In 1976, James W. Clarke bought the company and expanded it from a staff of three with annual sales of $250,000 to a company of 20 associates and staff with annual sales of over $70,000,000 by 2007.