The Legacy of a Boulder Lumber Company
The famed Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company closed its doors in 2010 leaving behind an abundant history and thousands of disappointed customers.
The memory of the Sutherland family and their Boulder Lumber Company is being resurrected with the construction of a village style living community being built on the business’s original property.
Established in 1917 the Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company was one of America’s first “cash and carry” supply stores.
The idea for a lumberyard by the Sutherland family first spawned out of a fifty-fifty partnership by Robert Sutherlands son and wife. The pair opened a small lumber company in Oklahoma as a result of Robert Sutherland passing away and leaving them with a hefty life insurance policy. The successful venture was the foundation for the future Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company.
The initial lumber company thrived in Oklahoma during the oil boom. The Sutherlands followed the route of the boom and closed and opened lumberyards where the oil fields were in use.
Operating and running these lumberyards were prime learning years for the owners and the foundation for the success of the Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company.
After many successful years the oil boom came to a halt and the Great Depression set in. The family moved to Des Moines where they opened another prosperous company just like the Sutherland Boulder Company today. The property was smack dab in the center of the farm roads that feed livestock to area farms. They supplied fencing and lumber material to the local farmers and ranchers for years to come.
So how did the Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company come to be?
At 19 years old the son of Robert Sutherland who eventually came to own Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company was pulled out of college to work for the family. His father felt that the needs of the family overshadowed his sons need to get a degree.
As the Sutherland family and the children spread West and all opened lumberyards they eventually made their way to Colorado. This is when the Sutherland Boulder Company was established and has been up and running ever since.
The Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company grew to what it is today by meeting the needs of their surrounding customers and stocking the items they used to have to travel to purchase.
Selling everything from hardware, lumber, cabinets, pole barn materials, plywood, fencing, mulch, tools and furniture the Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company was the go to for everyone.
The new community has been under construction for the last couple of years. As the finish date gets closer residents of the community are getting excited but remember how much the Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company did for the community.
The $100 million-dollar project has big shoes to fill but residents feel that it is a sound replacement for the once Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company. The village community has been named S’Park is honor of the Sutherland Boulder Lumber Company. Inhabitants will enjoy multi family living, market space, office space, and a 2-acre park.
Long live the Sutherlands and their famous Boulder Lumber Company!
