The pioneering DuBois family is remembered mostly for its lumber mill business, but members also branched into journalism, banking and other activities.
William B. DuBois and his brother, Lewis, started the original mill on Salmon Creek about 1885 after arriving from Iowa. Shortly afterward, the brothers moved the business to Vancouver.
By 1903-04 the company was known as DuBois and Son, named for William DuBois and his oldest son, George Lockwood DuBois, who was about 35 at the time. After his father’s death in 1905, George took over as president.
George DuBois also was active in several other lumbering and mill enterprises before his death in 1949.
Joseph J. Donovan was secretary-treasurer of the mill at Vancouver, and was associated in other DuBois ventures.
Robert Lewis DuBois, better known as Lloyd DuBois (he was another son of William DuBois) learned the printing business at the Vancouver weekly Independent and eventually bought the newspaper. He also served as postmaster during the administration of President William McKinley and was president of the Washington Exchange Bank.
His son, Lloyd DuBois Jr., was a graduate of Harvard University school of business and vice president of Washington National Bank. He died unexpectedly in 1950 at the age of 46.
Another son, Will DuBois, worked on the Independent, was a partner in the family mill, helped organize the Columbia River Paper Mill (now the Boise Cascade Corp. plant at Vancouver), and was a partner with his son, Richard, in a car dealership here.
The family has numerous descendants, some still carrying on the family name DuBois in Clark County.