History
Page 1
Dodson Lumber, a family owned and operated business, had its beginnings in 1936 when J.A. Dodson of Lane, Oklahoma took in a sawmill on a bad debt from his grocery store. J.A. ran the mill for three years and then sold it to his 21 year old son, R.J. With his wife Dorothy, R.J. ran the sawmill through the war years and produced lumber through government contracts for the war effort. Lack of large timber in Oklahoma was a concern for R.J. He had been impressed with the availability of timber in the mountains of New Mexico which he had seen while hunting with his cousin Frank Smith in Alamogordo. In 1948, R.J. entered into a partnership with Frank and they opened a retail lumber yard called Alamo Lumber and Supply in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Alamogordo was growing rapidly due to Holloman Air Force Base which was located there. In 1950, R.J. decided to move his sawmill from Oklahoma to Ruidoso, a mountain community near Alamogordo. He needed the lumber to help supply his growing retail business and would also sell timbers on the outside to the oilfield market. In 1951, the entire sawmill was transported on the back of a Chevrolet single axle truck. In addition, several employees rode on the truck with their families and possessions.