John Martin Thompson - Reconstruction

Reconstruction

Following the American Civil War, J.M. Thompson became one of the largest lumbermen in Texas. During the reconstruction era and into the early twentieth centuries Thompson along with his sons built their vast holdings in timber through a series of sound business decisions. In 1881 they left the Rusk County area, moving operations into Trinity County in order to market their product via the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway. They facilitated their marketing campaigns by developing connections to retail lumberyards. Further, they organized a series of companies to expedite and manage their ever growing timber empire. Thus were formed the Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company followed by the J. M. Thompson Lumber Company, the Thompson Brothers Lumber Company, and finally the Thompson and Ford Lumber Company. By 1907 the various companies owned over 149,000 acres (600 km2) of land while operating mills in communities such as Willard, Doucette, and Grayburg. In 1906, the company relocated all corporate interests to Houston.