Pulp Friction: The Rise and Fall of Brainerd's Paper Making Industry
The Brainerd paper mill, vital for over a century, closed in 2013 due to economic shifts and technology, ending a legacy that employed hundreds and shaped local culture.
- Before sunrise, the Brainerd paper mill in Minnesota ran its last paper, with workers leaving days earlier, ending a century-long local industry.
- Built on local timber and transport, Brainerd, Minnesota's dense forests, Northern Pacific Railway links and Mississippi River power enabled papermaking, but economic shocks and the internet eroded demand over time.
- The mill produced 292 tons per day and handled paper rolls weighing about 25,000 pounds, while Kari Stoxen, Potlatch employee, described pulp as 'We always tell the kids it's like Paul Bunyan's oatmeal dish' using Hollander beaters.
- Ownership shifts through Missota Paper Co. and Wausau Paper Co. preceded the site's $8.7 million valuation, and the former mill became Brainerd Industrial Center, creating 87 jobs.
- Environmental reports show paper-mill wastes contaminated the Mississippi River and caused persistent odors, while the Zelinske family devoted more than 103 years supporting multiple members through mill wages.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Pine Journal
Pulp friction: The rise and fall of Brainerd's paper making industry
BRAINERD, Minn. — Working at the town's paper mill was more than a job for most Brainerd people. For more than a century, it became a way of life that gave birth to generations. It was an “extended family,” according to an account by David Jackson and published in the Brainerd Daily Dispatch in 2002, just before the paper mill closed. When the mill shut down, it was like mourning a death. The Zelinske family collectively dedicated more than 103 …
Pulp friction: the rise and fall of Brainerd's paper making industry
BRAINERD, Minn. — Working at the town's paper mill was more than a job for most Brainerd people. For more than a century, it became a way of life that gave birth to generations. It was an “extended family,” according to an account by David Jackson and published in the Brainerd Daily Dispatch in 2002, just before the paper mill closed. When the mill shut down, it was like mourning a death. The Zelinske family collectively dedicated more than 103 …
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