CASTLE ROCK — About six years after the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company completed its first plant in Longview, the company’s 9-year-old heir was kidnapped and held for ransom in 1935 Tacoma.
The kidnapping rocked Western Washington, and the nation, and inspired Emmy-award winning television producer Bryan Johnston’s latest novel, published in September.
“Deep in the Woods: The 1935 Kidnapping of Nine-Year-Old George Weyerhaeuser, Heir to America’s Mightiest Timber Dynasty” tells the story of the broad-daylight abduction that spun a media-circus, statewide manhunt, psychic sightings and an edge-of-your seat trial.
Locals can learn more about the legendary tale at a book signing with Johnston at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at Vaults Books & Brews in Castle Rock, where Johnston said he will read excerpts from the 336-page book, and answer questions about the caper he studied for four years. Johnston said he combed through roughly 2,500 FBI documents and more than 200 newspaper articles, then interviewed a now 94-year-old George Weyerhaeuser to learn about the case that spanned The New York Times front page.
