By 1905 , Simon Murphy , Sr. , originally of Detroit , Michigan and later of Whittier , California , completed the process of gaining control of the company . Through the rebuilding of San Francisco after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , World War I , and numerous floods on the Eel River , the company came into the modern age . By 1920 the company had 1,500 employees and of timberland . Beginning in the same decade , company management began participating in the preservation movement , primarily as a result of pressure from the Save the Redwoods League in San Francisco . Portions of prior PL holdings including the Rockefeller Forest , the world 's largest remaining contiguous old growth Redwood Forest to survive , now comprises the core of Humboldt Redwoods State Park . Further developments included recycling of sawdust into the world 's first Presto logs
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Pacific Lumber Company