Omaha Exploration

One of Omaha’s oldest company’s is the Chicago Lumber Company of Omaha. Perhaps you’ve seen its headquarters at 14th and Pierce Streets when driving to or from the Old Market or Little Bohemia. The historic brick building with a green tile roof stands out among the warehouse-like buildings that surround it.

The company dates back to 1876 when its founder M.T. Green established the company in Omaha. Before that, the Chicago native opened the company in his hometown before establishing several lumber yards in Missouri and Nebraska.

Omaha was growing quickly and with only one lumber yard in town at the time, there was desperate need for a second. To satisfy that need, M.T. established a lumber yard at 702 Douglas Street and proceeded to turn its operations over to his brother-in-law Frank Colpetzer and Charles Guiou.

The business had grown so rapidly that it had taken on another partner, Henry F. Cady, in 1877. By 1881 the company had established yards throughout the state and had up to 20 million feet of lumber in Omaha alone. Many of its early customers read as a who’s who of early Omaha history and include names like Creighton, Paxton, Reed and Millard – just to name a few. They also included Krug and Metz, the famous Omaha brewers.

As the city continued to grow around it, the company relocated further south and west to 14th between Marcy and Leavenworth Streets around 1885. The thriving company often financed large projects and had a hard time storing its lumber. At times, it was scatted across the street making it difficult to travel. I suspect that was part of the reason it moved from this location which still stands at 814 S 14th Street. For its third move, it went a bit further south on the other side of the tracks.

By the time that company moved to its current location in 1922 all three partners had passed away. This location just south and east of the railroad tracks at 14th and Pierce Street offered it a little more flexibility and room to grow in that it was somewhat disconnected from downtown.

It constructed the building at 1324 Pierce Street as its headquarters that same year. That building continues to operate as its headquarters today – more than 100 years later! Today Chicago Lumber owns 10 lumber yards throughout Nebraska and Wyoming and remains one of the largest lumber companies in the state and one of the oldest in the country.

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