Western Lumber celebrates 50 years

When Western Lumber held an open house May 1 to mark its 50th anniversary, guests didn’t just bring congratulations. They brought stories. 

The three-hour gathering was low key by design, which suited the business just fine. “We got to have some great conversations with people who stopped by to tell stories of the early years,” said Roxie Rule, who now runs the business alongside her three sons. 

For five decades Western Lumber has been quietly doing what its name suggests, helping build Gunnison County, one project at a time. 

It has been an amazing journey, she said simply, to have a family business. 

The story goes back further than most people realize, and it doesn’t start with lumber. 

Although Western Lumber as we know it was incorporated in 1976, its roots stretch back to 1959, when Dale and Donna Garrett purchased Building Logs, Inc. and began building Lok Log homes throughout the region and eventually across the country. As the operation grew, Dale noticed something practical: if you’re building that many homes, you should own your own lumber supply. Western Lumber Supply launched as a subsidiary in 1969, and by 1976 had grown enough to stand on its own. 

Those who know Gunnison well may not realize how much of that early footprint still exists in the landscape. The business once stretched across a block and a half on Rio Grande Avenue. The Dog Cabin Resort now occupies the old log milling building. Buff’s Auto Repair operates out of what was once lumber storage. 

Dale and Donna brought their three children, Roxie Rule, Karen Garrett and Bobby Garrett, into the business in the 1980s. When Building Logs, Inc. sold in 2000 and the founders retired the following year, the next generation stepped forward. Roxie has now been with the company 52 years, a tenure that speaks for itself. Her sons Preston, Christopher and Steven have been there 24, 16 and 15 years respectively.

“Fifty years is an amazing milestone when we look back on all the trials,” Roxie said, citing four lumber yards operating in the 1970s, contraction during the 1980s recession, and the upheaval of the Covid years. Through all of it, the same philosophy held.

“We have good reliable help, and we provide good products,” she said. “We also try to treat everyone like family so they feel comfortable here.”

Yard manager Jim Kunze has been with Western Lumber 18 years, part of a crew whose combined tenure tops 25 years. That kind of continuity matters in a town where Gunnison’s demanding climate leaves little room for error on a building project, and where contractors and homeowners alike need to know their materials will be ready when they are. 

Community investment runs deeper than the counter. Western Lumber regularly provides materials for 4-H projects, school woodshop classes and kids exploring hands-on trades. “I grew up here and my kids grew up here,” Roxie said. “It’s important to keep kids involved in things they can build with their hands.”

A fourth generation is already finding her footing. Roxie’s 8-year-old granddaughter has grown up at the lumberyard, watching and learning the rhythms of the place. “We have some time before she takes over,” Roxie said. 

Not long before he passed away last year, Dale Garrett reflected on what the business had meant. “I don’t understand how we did it,” he said. “A lot of that has had to do with the support we’ve had from the community. We’ve had a really good livelihood and life because of it. We are very blessed.”

Fifty years. Four generations in the making. And if the rhythm of this family is any indication, plenty of story still ahead.