Garren Wellington
(1880-1951)

Here's a photo of Norrine and son Liam in front of the Wellington Estate in 1919

The year was 1920, the war was over and the challenges had come to pass for Garren, his timber business was now operating from three seperate mills shipping timber all over the northweast and even overseas. The timber business was now doing nearly 20 times the amount of revenue it had done during Lannans days, Garren was a millionaire at age 40.
Garrens next challenge would come in 1925 in a not so clear issue over price fixing and price restraints between Garren and the government which was putting tighter restrictions on what could be charged for various natural resources.
Garren was not one to back down and took the govnerment to court and the fued turned nasty when the government not only held their position on pricing, but also called to claim the validity of the entire Wellington Estate and Timber company.
This maneuvre goes back to the validity of Lannan acquiring this land technically in 1842. The governments position was the entire land claim was invalid based on the Oregon Treaty of 1846 in which England relinquished all claims on the territory. This was a classic case of the govnerment using its might to get its way however Garren being an astute student of law represented himself along with a "legal team" and fought back stating literally hundreds of cases where settlers had claimed land simply by finding it and settling on it before anyone else did, in the west this happened even back as far as with the Louisiana Purchase, thus if the government could pursue this doctrine at will there in essence would be no individual property rights which most believed would be unconstitutional.
Though this was mostly a tit for tat case, Garren actually lost at first and the case went to federal appelate court where a compromise was reached. The big issue at hand was natural resources i.e mining rights and Garren agreed to turn over 1200 acres of land at 90 percent of market price and waiver all mineral and timber rights thereforward. Garren also agreed to reduce timber operations on the leased lands to govt accordances and comply with federal guidelines with regard to timber operations. In return the government would recognize all of the original deeded land free and clear to Garren as well as 220 acres of additional timberland and lake to the Wellington estate along with paying all of Garrens court fees and half of his legal fees.
Garren considered this a win win situation allowing him to make a large sum of cash on land that wouldnt produce any real timber for another 15 years or more, it put to rest the estate landholdings controversey, and it led to the acquistion of the long narrow lake that runs along the shoreline of the property now known as Wellington Lake.

Garren Wellington was now 48 years old with a powerful business, huge land holdings, more money than he ever imagined. Garren had conquered every challenge he faced in brilliant commanding fashion, yet Garren wasnt a very happy man, and he would soon embark upon challenges that even he could not overcome.
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Garrens marriage had suffered greatly through the years, he and Norrine rarely talked or spent time together and she resented him not being around to see his son grow up. Norrine had finished her degree at the U of Washington which gave her some sense of self, she was also very involved in community events.
Garrens son Liam was now turning 18, Liam was not the prodigy his father had hoped for, but the truth was Garren didnt really know his son all too well.
Crisis at home would also be joined by crisis in business soon thereafter when the stock market crashed in 1929 part of which lead to the great depression. The depression really made Garren stop and look at every aspect of his life, the world around him, he and his family really were not too badly affected, Garren was fortunate to be part of a stable bank, one of the few, and the way his investments were set up, there was no run on the bank to worry Garren, yet he did see how it affected so many others,people he knew, even family.
Wellington Timber was so oversold in production that it still boasted profits in 1929,30 and 31.
The Depression became a time of reflection for Garren, a sense of guilt that he felt for not being a better family man, perhaps guilt for doing well while so many others suffered.

Before all was said and done,despite the trying times of the Depression it was during these times that Garren would achieve perhaps his greatest accomplishments of all in regards to his wife, his family and his community.

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