Alex Colvin talking with Steve and Suzie Knoch about the Berry Family and Scott Lumber Company

Visiting with Steve and Suzie Knoch, we got talking about my grandfather, Raymond Berry. As we talked, Linda turned on the camera to video the conversation. The early part where I talked about George Scott wasn’t recorded, so below the video there’s a little background information. Conversational reminiscences are not always accurate. This is just how the story came down the family tree to me.

In 1937, George Scott founded the Scott Lumber Company. Subsequently, he entered into an agreement with Raymond Berry, the legal representative of the Starr family who owned timber land in the area, to form a corporation. The Scott Lumber Company was incorporated in 1938. Jobs provided by the mill helped spur Burney’s population growth during World War II and through the 1950’s and 60’s.

Raymond Berry served as the general manager of the mill until 1967, when the mill was sold to Publishers Forest Products. Later, the mill was bought by Sierra Pacific Industries, which has continued to upgrade and operate the mill to the present.

Raymond Berry passed away in 1971. His wife Justine continued to live on the ranch for another year and then bought a home in Burney next to Burney Creek where she lived until 1998. She served on the board of Shasta County Bank until it was merged into Tri-Counties Bank.

After the Pit 1 swimming pool closed, Justine Berry was one of the parties, together with PG&E, who provided seed money for a community pool in Burney. The pool was named the Raymond Berry Community Pool in memory of my grandfather.  Justine Berry passed away in Burney in 1999.