The first DuBois to arrive in Clark County were William Blair and Lewis West DuBois. The two brothers arrived in 1883. They were in the lumber business. These mills were located in Salmon Creek. William Blair DuBois died on July 27,1905. His son, George, took over the lumber mill.
George got a wife. He met her while she was visiting Port land and Vancouver. George married Nellie Mae Houston on August 1898. George's company decided to start logging their own lumber. They cut their trees on the North side of the Lewis River. They got the lumber to the market on the railroad. Where the old railroad was is where DuBois Road is today. Vancouver Barracks was building houses for 10,000 troops in 1917, which increased the demand for lumber.
George DuBois helped start Battle Ground Lumber Company in 1925. He helped start a mill in Ranier. In 1923, he bought part of an interest in Bridal Veil Lumber company. He continued to work at the mill until he died May 6, 1949.
George's brother, William Bedford DuBois, was born December 18, 1876. He married Floy Miles Brown on September 20, 1902.
The DuBois family helped get the first bridge built across the Columbia River from Vancouver to Portland. After the bridge was built, Will helped organize the Columbia River Paper Mill. It supplied lumber and paper to the marketplace. The mill was sold in 1962 to Boise Cascade. Will died August 15, 1946.
Lloyd DuBois, George's brother, was born April 29, 1870. Lloyd bought the Independent with a partner in 1894. Lloyd bought real estate. He became postmaster in 1899. He also was mayor. Today, Lloyd's old print shop is now Pioneer Printing. He started the Washington Exchange Bank in 1912. It later became Washington National Bank. He died February 21, 1957.
Source:
"Dubois and Sons" by Donald G. DuBois, in Clark County History,
1983, Fort Vancouver Historical Society.