Following the deaths of Joseph F. Ranger and James A. in 1932 and 1933, respectively, management of the lumber company was entrusted to Herman Sherman Clark.
Born in Pittsfield on January 2, 1865, the Clark family moved to Cummington and then to Holyoke. At the age of 13, he went to work at the Hadley Thread Company and, soon after, became a cutter at the Crocker Paper Company. In 1880, at the age of 15, he obtained employment at the Holyoke Machine Company, where he remained for 7 years. For 2 years, he left New England and worked in the western part of the country.
Mr. Clark had been associated with the company since 1889, initially as a clerk, then in 1911 as a manager and director. Once the estate matters were resolved in 1936, he, having amassed 47 years of experience at the Casper Ranger Lumber Company, became the company's owner and President.
In 1937, he was joined by his son, H. Sherman Clark Jr. The younger Clark received his education in local schools, Phillips Andover Academy and Yale University. He worked in San Francisco, California and Rochester, New York for several years.
The company continued to move forward with new ideas, products and services. With Mr. Clark Jr.'s financial background, the lumber company began offering financing for building projects, including new home construction, remodeling, and repairs. A 1937 advertisement showed the company would finance up to $50,000 at 6% interest. Although that does not seem like a great sum today, an inflation calculator indicates that today's (2026) equivalent would be over $1.1 million.
The company also carried paint supplies. The company was prominently featured in the Transcript's Home of the Week, highlighting a new home built with Casper Ranger Lumber Company stock.
Herbert S. Clark Sr. died in February 1943 at the age of 78, and the business was carried on by his son. He was residing at 1329 Northampton Street at the time.
The millwork needed to furnish the new WHYN studios in South Hadley was provided by the lumber company in 1941, and for the Valley Arena rebuild in 1944.
Manufacturing and installation of cabinets, house frames and replacement windows and doors were some of the services provided. The company would sell and install or replace roofs and reglaze windows. Seemingly, anything related to maintenance of a home's structure, keeping it in good repair, was in the domain of the company's inventory and services.
The work extended to commercial and institutional projects. In 1950, Daniel O'Connell's Sons was contracted to build the new hydroelectric power plant at the Holyoke dam. Casper Ranger Lumber delivered a dozen 12" by 12", 40-foot long and a dozen 12" x12" 32-foot long pieces of lumber for the project. The total weight of the materials was 35,000 pounds.
The following year, the First Presbyterian Church at Cabot and Chestnut Streets undertook a $30,000 project designed by architect Oswald C. Vachon. Casper Ranger Lumber Company was awarded the contract to perform the general carpentry work in rebuilding the chancel.
In 1953, the company supplied the millwork for the construction of the Memorial Wing of the Holyoke Hospital.
In January 1954, an announcement was made that the Casper Ranger Lumber Company was about to be sold. This would mark the end of a 75-year era for this prominent Holyoke lumber company. The Casper Ranger concern would still operate the industrial and mill division on Bond Street under the direction of H. Sherman Clark. The real estate remained in the hands of the Ranger family, who executed a lease with the Grossman's firm.
Grossman's Lumber of Quincy, Massachusetts, which owned 20 branches in New England, was the purchaser of the business. This would become the first Grossman's in Western Massachusetts, a topic that will be further explored in the next installment.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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