Captain William Renton founded the first Port Blakely mill in 1864 on Bainbridge Island's Blakely Harbor. The mill burned down and was rebuilt in 1888. The rebuilt mill was the largest sawmill on the Pacific Coast and was a major employer on Bainbridge Island. The mills boiler house contained three 300-horsepower boilers that converted sawdust and scrap wood into steam.

This second mill too burned down and was rebuilt in 1907. The mill finally closed and was

Caption information sources: Price, Andrew Jr. Port Blakely: The Community Captain Renton Built. Seattle: Port " Blakely Books, 1989 Yockey, Ross and L. Beth Yocky, Responsible to the Earth: The Remarkable History of the " Port Blakely Companies. Seattle: Abecedary Press, 2007

• Subjects (LCTGM): Employees--Washington (State)--Port Blakely (Wash.""; Boilers;"; Mills--Washington (State)--Port Blakely;"; Industrial Facilities--Washington (State)--Port Blakely;