Our Story Tacoma’s oldest lumber company was founded in 1903 by Claude F. Gray. Known originally as the Independent Lumber and Fuel Company, "Independent" denoted that it was not party to the price-fixing of the lumber cooperatives. The first store location at South 39th and M Streets is still open today, serving as the company’s shipping department. Tacoma Railway and Power tracks brought in the lumber where trucks do now. Horses were the primary mode of transport around the town until the late 1920’s.

Due to this limitation, the firm grew to five yards in Tacoma by 1910. The arrival of cheap motor transport in the 1930’s ended this expansion. The company trimmed its holdings during the Depression to the present two yards, the original one at M Street and the other on Sixth Avenue. The fuel company and two lumber mills were also liquidated at this time. Despite the challenges of the Depression, business continued apace. Many homes in Tacoma were both furnished and constructed by Gray Lumber Company before and during the Depression. WWII and after was a time of consolidation for Gray Lumber Company as the firm concentrated on lumber and hardware sales in Tacoma. Neil Gray began to assume ownership from his father Claude after returning from service in the Navy during the war. Ownership passed to the present third generation, Neil "Mac" Gray and Stephen Gray, in the 1980’s.