The original name of the lumber mill that was and still is on two acres at the southwest corner of Pentz and Wagstaff Roads was the Foothill Planing Mill. It was operational in the 1940’s. During the early years, various owners added to the operation including adding a sawmill and a name change to Foothill Mill & Lumber. In 1970 the operation was sold to Liz and Jim Ely. Jim ran the mill until his son, Marshall, got out of school and joined him in the family business.

A year or so after they bought the sawmill, the Elys rebuilt much of the mechanical equipment. The sawmill could cut 2,000 board feet per day and operated until 2002 when it was retired. Starting in 1980 the company started buying finished lumber from large mills to resell to customers. Previous to the Camp Fire in 2018, there was a planing mill that provided custom lumber that was virtually the only local source for repairing an old building which needed lumber that matched the original wood sizes.

Marshall took over ownership in 1996 after his father Jim retired. Marshall turned the Company into a more traditional lumber yard. They even added a hardware store.  Like many others in Paradise, Foothill Mill & Lumber Company was completely destroyed during the Camp Fire. Marshall lost his personal house as well.

As a long time Paradise resident, Marshall is rebuilding the lumber yard. He strives to provide the best service to his customers.  He seeks to help his community in supplying the necessary materials to help rebuild the homes lost in the Camp Fire, one house at a time. Eventually Marshall is looking into replacing the mill. Until then, Foothill Mill and Lumber carries finished lumber from large corporations such as Weyerhaeuser and Louisiana Pacific. No need to drive up and down the hill to go to Chico, get it here locally.