MIDWAY LUMBER MILLS - Key Persons

Hubert Morgan, J.B.'s son, started work in 1938, growing up around the business. In 1951, he moved to Thessalon into an old office at the mill site where he lived upstairs for about three years. Hubert became the General Manager of the Midway Mill, working mainly from the office. J.B. Morgan passed away in 1969, when his son took over until his retirement. During the mid-1970's Hubert's sons, Bruce and Doug, took over the management of the two businesses. Bruce assuming the role of President and General Manager at Midway and Doug at Birchland Veneer. In the mid 1980's they added Birchland Plywood to the two companies. This company was managed for several years by Don Peterson, a cousin of Bruce and Doug, until his retirement.

John B. Morgan was raised on a farm in Southern Ontario. When he was younger he began experimenting with bush lots, which he began to cut. He made a bit of money doing this and it seemed to be enough incentive to get involved in logging more aggressively. Eventually he owned his own mill in Hastings County and his company was incorporated in 1924. By 1932 (during the Great Depression), he was able to survive with the resources he had built up. In 1936 he started a small mill in Dorset and in 1938, another one in Vankoughnet, about 20 miles east of Bracebridge. In 1940, he incorporated Midway Lumber Mills Limited and when he began to run out of timber he bought the rights for two northern townships - McMahon and Morin. In 1948 he moved to the Algoma District, where he built his mill on Sherwood Road in Thessalon Township. As things progressed, J.B. decided to build a veneer mill instead of selling the veneer logs. This became one of the first developments of value-added production in what was becoming the growing family of Midway enterprises. The veneer plant was built in the Town of Thessalon in 1948 at the site of an old factory, which had operated years earlier in the community. In 1958, Birchland Veneer Limited was incorporated.