Owens and Hurst Secret Meetings ?

A HUGE part of Eureka and Supporting local men and women for many, many years. Owens and Hurst was started, I believe by a Block Grant such as was the Pellet Mill.

Over the years the owners became very wealthy on the backs of the workers, in the mean time there were land trades and the buying of cheap land from the mill owner who is now a Real Estate Mogul in the Tobacco Valley, as the workers have moved on to other jobs.

Quite a few years back there was a big uprising about Timber Dollars, and Shovels for Solidarity, having been “Raised on Timber Dollars” myself – I get it. However, it was not being portrayed right and there was more blame put on “Environmentalists” than was truly accurate. I went to one rally, where there was a WHOLE lot of people, people that you don’t usually see out because they work so hard, apparently they were given the day off, without pay (so generous) to attend the governors speech on the state of the timber industry. Years went on with This Business Supported by Timber Dollars and making a stand for the hard working folks of Eureka Montana. As these years went on the Mill Owner got rich, the wages went down, timber prices went up, real estate prices went up and eventually those who made the owners rich were out of a job.

It was made to look like an environmentalist issue when really it was about Big Business being built on the backs of the local citizens.

What went on behind the scenes was really Secret Meetings, too Much Blame on the Environmentalists to divert attention from the Mill owners who were really making the money and collecting land.

When Owens and Hurst Closed, my sources at the time, told me that Hurst had 2 years left on a logging sale. So it seems that he exited at the perfect time, which is, of course the sign of a good business man. However, they seemed to make it look like there was no timber and laid everybody off when really they had 2 years left and was selling the timber. The top Workers got to stay on and over see this project.


A few years back, folks told me that there were Secret Meetings among the local Logging Companies, Hurst being one of them, and at these meetings they would take turns “Bidding on Timber Sales” meaning they would all bid but low prices and have a pre-determined bid winner before the Forest Service even had a chance to look at the bids and pick a winner, and if you were not “in the Club” you did not have a chance.

I was told that at the Last “Secret Meeting” before Owens and Hurst Closed It’s Doors, unknowingly the folks at the supposed “Secret Meeting” meeting agreed to let Hurst HAVE ( have the winning bid) on this one last Timber Sale and than he would not bid on any more. So they gave him the bid, according to my sources which was a couple of million dollars less than what the timber sale was really worth, and than after Hurst won the bid, he announced he was closing the doors of the Owens and Hurst Mill. He Had 2 Years left on the Timber Sale when he closed the doors.

And now, he is a Real Estate Developer, that was inevitable. He has SOLD some land off but has a whole lot more to go, and as he lets the Mill Thing settle and slowly gets into the real estate game, he will, most likely get more and more back into the public eye with commercial development, low incoming housing and subdivisions. He Knows the System better than 98% of you and He will Get even richer off of our Owens and Hurst workers backs…

Go to http://www.gis.mt.gov/ CLICK on parcel Search, than Click on Owner and see what they STILL own, from your Timber Dollars

Look under the Name Hurst, O-H LEASING, OWENS & HURST LEASING, OWENS & HURST LUMBER CO INC, and OWENS & HURST LUMBER CO. Some has SOLD and some may be in another name but you get the point. Be Sure and Check Flathead County, Missoula County, Sanders County, Lake County, as well as Lincoln County, they own Plenty there as well.

And most likely in Idaho and Other Montana Counties.

So while the Hard Working Folks of Eureka Montana were focused on “Those Nasty Environmentalists” and Marching in Support of Each others Jobs, the Mill owners were securing their legacy on your backs.


What Have You Heard ? What do you Know about ALL this?