Zebulon Martell was an early settler of Twin Peaks and the founder of the Martell Mill.
Biography[]
Martell was born in 1868 and had an interest in painting and poetry until a bout with turpentine poisoning made him decide to pursue a life in business. He inherited a modest fortune from his parents after his father died in a trolley accident and his mother from scabies.
Martell and his wife, Pixie, left Zebulon's native St. Louis after a fire destroyed their home. With the intention of settling in San Francisco, they traveled west until their mules died and they decided to settle in Twin Peaks.
In Twin Peaks, Martell bought a decent plot of land where he began to construct the Martell Mill.[1] The Packard Sawmill opened three years later, thus beginning a rivalry between the two mills.[2] On his deathbed from gangrene[1] in the spring of 1933, he sold the Martell family's acreage and timber rights to Thomas Packard, the Packard Sawmill's owner.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Martell was first mentioned in Twin Peaks: Access Guide to the Town as Rudolph Martell, who died in 1931. However, he was renamed Zebulon and his life was extended to 1933 in The Secret History of Twin Peaks.