54 and 73, S city limits of Wisconsin Rapids, Wood County

Here the vast Wisconsin River paper industry began in 1887 when the Centralia Pulp and Water Power Company converted a saw mill into a pulp and paper mill. The pulp mill spanned the river to the island at the site of the present hydroelectric plant. The paper mill and boiler house were located on the island. Paper finishing and shipping facilities were located just south of this marker. Two paper machines were installed and five water-driven pulpwood grinders reduced logs to pulp. The paper mill operated until 1912 when it was destroyed by fire. The pulp mill was removed in 1920 to make room for an addition to the hydroelectric plant. From this beginning, the Wisconsin River area now has become the largest producer of printing papers in the United States.

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[Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).]