Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill is one of the largest paper mills in Wisconsin. It was the first mill to use electricity to power its works, starting in 1904, and it pioneered the rapid inexpensive production of glossy paper, and was the sole provider of the paper used to print Life magazine, starting in the 1930s. The mill closed in August 2020, putting 900 people out of work, not including the people working to supply the plant, which consumed 25% of the timber coming off Wisconsin’s land. Wisconsin is often ranked as the largest paper producer in the USA. In 2019 paper was a $18 billion industry in the state with around 34 mills, and 30,000 employees, three times that if you include all the paper-related companies in the state.