Salmon Sawmill Closes Down, Faces Auction After 50 Years

The Salmon Intermountain sawmill, a mainstay of Salmon’s culture and economy for 50 years, has shut its doors for good and will be on the auction block in October.

Salmon Intermountain President Dallas Olson said the 40 employees idled by the closure have been offered a two-year retraining program. Among them is Glenn Nichols, one of three people who worked at the mill since before six employees bought it from Champion International in 1984.

“We’ve made up our minds that this mill is behind us, that it’s history,” said Nichols, who worked at the mill for more than 15 years.

The closure prompted by the cost and scarcity of timber also will affect log, lumber and chip truck drivers, and the Salmon businesses where they spent money on food, gas and lodging.