According to A.B. Curtis in his book, White Pines and Fires: Cooperative Forestry in Idaho, Edwin 'Ed' Rettig was born May 2, 1897 in Holgate, Ohio, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Lee Rettig. His father was a sawmill owner who died in a mill accident. When Ed was about 12 his mother moved the family to Orofino where his uncle resided.

Ed attended elementary and secondary public schools in Orofino. He worked his way through high school and later college at the University of Idaho. He graduated from the School of Forestry in 1919 and was involved in forestry activities for the rest of his life.

He spent a short time working for the U.S. Forest Service, the Clearwater Timber Protective Association of which he became president and acted in the capacity for many years. He also acted in dual capacity as land agent for Potlatch Forests, Inc.

Ed married Ester Pearson, a former school mate in 1925. That same year, they moved to Headquarters and lived in a log cabin that had been built for them. The following year they moved to Lewiston.

He died of a heart attack or stroke during retirement on Jan. 18, 1972. He was 74 at the time of his death.

Ed and A.B Curtis were close friends and Curtis's book, White Pines and Fires: Cooperative Forestry in Idaho is dedicated to him.

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