Lloyd Collins Wheeler was born on January 7, 1927, in Petaluma, California. He grew up on the family dairy farm and then served two years in the U S Navy. He returned to Greenville and married Juanita Van Ronk on November 2, 1947, in Minden, Nevada.
Lloyd and his brother-in-law, Jack Hopkins began a logging operation in California.
“I had a timber falling contract for Lilburn Hue”Si” (pronounced as “Cy,” not as “see”) Brand in the Genesee Valley to the east of Taylorsville and Indian Valley,” said Lloyd Wheeler. “I was paid by the thousand board feet for timber fallen, making $120.00 per day and paid the buckers $30.00 per day. I made lots of money, six times more than a person working for wages.”I convinced Jack and Evelyn to relocate to Greenville from Orick after Jack had made a fortunate escape from the ravages of polio,” said Lloyd. The two men began a working partnership again falling timber with a heavy two-man Woodsman Gypo air-cooled drag saw. Lloyd and Jack eventually formed the Wheeler – Hopkins Logging Company.
“We fell Ponderosa and sugar pines in the Genesee Valley that were 8- to 10-feet in diameter at the stump using the drag saw,” explained Lloyd. This was just before the advent of the McCulloch lightweight power chain saw.
Lloyd died on June 26, 2009, in Anchor Point, Alaska, at the age of 82.He is buried in the Seldovia City Cemetery, Plot #606.