In the first decade of the 20th century, it was clear
that paper production would be the new industry
to replace lumber in many Wisconsin communities.
In 1911, a paper company was established here in
Mosinee, where the waterpower was ideal for paper
production.
The new mill was designed by the Norwegian
engineer, Olai Bache-Wiig, to make paper with the
sulphate process. Also known as the Kraft method, it
produced a better-quality pulp, and was used to
create everything from sturdy butcher/wrapping
paper to high-quality, acid-free stationery and
printing papers. The method had been developed
in Europe more than a century earlier but had only
recently been successfully adapted for widespread
commercial use. In fact, it was Bache-Wiig who had
designed the first mill in North America to use the
sulphate process. That happened in 1907 in East
Angus, Quebec.
The Wausau Sulphate Fibre Company (as it was then
known) originally focused solely on the production
of Kraft wrapping papers. This would change in the
1920s, as the demand for specialty papers grew and
the mill was outfitted to handle custom production
runs. But the company was still largely known for
their Mosinee-brand Kraft paper, so much so that in
1928, the company changed its name to Mosinee
Paper to capitalize on the branding and better
reflect its location.
With the success of the Mosinee Paper Company,
the community grew quickly. The village’s population
went from 482 people in 1910 (before the paper
company) to 1,161 in 1920.
Over the last century, Mosinee Paper has expanded
into other kinds of specialty paper beyond the Kraft
paper that gave the mill its start. Mosinee’s ability to
produce quality paper for underserved niche
markets throughout the last century, made the
company an attractive investment for other
companies looking to get into those markets. It was
acquired by Wausau Paper in 1997, who would
operate the mill until 2013, when it was sold to KPS
Capital Partners. KPS operated the mill as part of its
specialty papers division for a short time before
selling it to Ahlstrom-Munksjo, the Finnish company
that operates the mill today.
