It all began with a wedding gift—more than a century ago. In 1905, Cecil Woodward’s new father-in-law sent him a gift of 10 chickens. The couple found they had a knack for raising chickens, and the flock grew and grew and grew—to what has become the largest egg laying operation in the Intermountain West.
Along the way, Cecil’s youngest son Paul joined the business, and then his other son Marlow did, bringing with him his own 50,000 birds. They eventually formed the Ritewood corporation with their neighbor Ramon Wright (who would raise the baby chicks) and ultimately created Oakdell Egg Farms.
Today we have operations in Lewiston, Utah; Franklin, Idaho; and Pasco, Washington and are actively involved in the national egg industry. You can find our eggs in eleven states including Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, California, Alaska, and Hawaii. They’re sold under the Oakdell Egg Farms brand as well as many of your favorite store brands.
While we’re now very large to some, we’re still family-owned and operated, and just as committed to our original mission of producing the highest-quality, farm-fresh eggs.
Oakdell Egg Farms through the years.
1905: Cecil Woodward receives 10 chickens as wedding gift. He and his wife Bertha settle in Franklin, Idaho.
1954: Cecil’s youngest son, Paul, joins the operation.
1960: Their flock of 50,000 birds doubles when they join with Cecil’s other son Marlow and his 50,000-bird farm.
1966: Cecil passes away, leaving the farm in the capable hands of his sons.
1969: The brothers form a corporation with neighbor Ramon Wright, who handles the brooding and growing side of the business (raising the baby chicks). It was called Ritewood, with Rite stemming from Wright and Wood from Woodward.
Oakdell Egg Farms is officially launched, with the Oakdell name drawn from the street on which one of the founding partners lived, and in addition to operations in Franklin, Idaho, they built a new farm in Riverton, Utah, with 280,000 birds.
1977: Urban growth explodes in the Salt Lake valley and they close the farm off Redwood Road and began building another farm in Lewiston, Utah, where it continues to thrive and grow today. Paul’s oldest son moves to Pasco, Washington and builds another Oakdell production facility.
1984: Oakdell Egg Farms becomes wholly owned by the Woodward family and they begin marketing their eggs to large grocery chains.
Today: Cecil, Paul and Marlow have now passed away, but our commitment to supplying fresh, high-quality eggs lives on. Several generations of both the Wright and Woodward families continue to be actively involved in the business.
