Kelly, George

From Lane Co Oregon

Kelly, George H.

Co-owner of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, which operated from 1896 to 1959. Born and raised in Springfield, Kelly was the superintendent of the operation. His father was John Kelly and he was the brother of Tom Kelly, one of his business partners.

The company that would make Springfield a major industrial center was the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, which was incorporated in 1896 by Robert and Henry Booth and George and Tom Kelly. In August 1901, the Booth-Kelly Corporation purchased the Springfield sawmill and several thousand acres of timberland in the region. The sawmill was dismantled in 1902 and a larger, more efficient mill with a capacity for greater production was constructed on the same site (Clarke 1983:46).