Old Missoula

Home-Producing Industry Economy Boost

Mission Homes Inc. Plant Here Employs 100; Houses Are Sent Mainly to Six-State Area

A big boost to Missoula’s economy has been given by an industry dealing in construction of homes from the processing of the rough lumber right through to completion of the finished product.

Mission Homes Inc., started in 1955 by the founders of Rothers Inc., has had a tremendous growth in the half decade it has been in business.

This new western Montana industry employs more than 100 workers when running two full shifts. The planer, sawmill and other operations of Rothers Inc. employ 85 men regularly, more during rush periods.

Looking to the next century of progress, this industry promises to continue to play an important part in the growth of western Montana.

Incorporated in 1949

Rothers Inc. came into being in 1949 with the purchase of a sawmill north of Seeley Lake. It was a little more than a year later that a planning mill was constructed on the west side of U.S. Highway 10-93 about a mile west of the city limits.

The plant’s expansion was rapid with construction of a dry kiln following soon after the planer. A moulder, resaw unit and other equipment has been added as the company’s business grew through the years. The plant now processes about 26 million board feet of lumber annually.

In 1953 the firm constructed a sawmill about quarter-mile south of the planer, using the land between the two units for log and lumber storage. When the sawmill near Seeley Lake was sold in 1955, the local plant was enlarged and improved. A laminating plant, producing full laminated beams and posts, was added at the planning mill site.

Starts in Warehouse

Mission Homes Inc. got its start in 1955 in a warehouse near the Northern Pacific Railway tracks in the north end of the Missoula business district. Construction of the present plant west of the Missoula Cemetery and north of the NP main line was begun in 1956. Additions have been made to it each year since it was started.

Growth Is Impressive

The first year of operation Mission Homes built about 60 units. During 1959 about 300 homes were constructed and shipped mainly to a six-state area – Montana, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, Wyoming and Utah. Some units have been sent to other states.

With completion of a new wing this year, the plant will be able to put out up to 500 houses a year.

Mission Homes are engineered for the particular climatic extremes of the area in which they are placed. The industry’s aim has been to produce the best homes available at a minimum price.

The house produced by Mission Homes is under the firm’s control from tree to home. To save materials, time and labor, an assembly line technique is used in a plant equipped with the latest in precision equipment.

Exact Fit Emphasized

Starting the process, two-by-fours fitting within the smallest fraction of an inch are double nailed to form the start of the walls, ceilings and floors.

Plywood is added to the outer wall, then door and window frames are inserted, all prepared by machines set to the closest tolerances. Rolls of tar paper are placed over the plywood and beneath the siding to provide a vapor barrier, siding of the owner’s choice is applied, then insulation is installed.

Next, with the section held by overhead trolleys, sheet rock is applied, outlets are made for electrical connections, and windows and doors are installed.

Machines Do Heavy Work

To release the craftsmen for their exacting work, hydraulic lifts, electric motors and overhead cranes move the sections smoothly along the assembly line.

The company has available a complete design department. If the customer doesn’t have a plan of his own, the firm’s staff of designers is available to custom design a home to suit the customer’s needs.