Great Northern Paper

This site is about Great Northern Paper, once the largest paper mill of its kind in all the world.

It spawned Millinocket, Maine, nicknamed "The Magic City," due specifically to the mill and its effect on the region.

The history and profile of the Great Northern Paper Company and of Millinocket were originally written by Ken Anderson and appeared in the the July 2006 edition of the now defunct All Maine Matters.

The history of the mill stood still for a few years, after a series of problems with the company. Some people in town will tell you that it was miscalculations and missteps. But most will tell you that it was greed and avarice on the part of a succession of owners which led to the 2003 bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy and related news were covered by the weekly newspaper and by the Bangor newspaper, but the hunger for news in the region sparked the creation of the Magic City Morning Star, an online news outlet which posted news about the mill as it happened. 

While it started out a local news site, it has since become an international source and opinion site, though it still welcomes stories and columns by anyone who is interested.

The news items about the mill from 2002 to mid-2003 are archived at the old version of the Magic City Morning Star. We recommend that anyone with any interest in those days read through those archives.

In late 2011, the mills were bought by Cate Street Capital, who also decided to use the formerly world famous and well-respected Great Northern Paper name.

They have re-opened the East Millinocket mill, and they plan to re-open the Millinocket mill soon.

The pictures herein are from various places. Some were taken by us, others are from postcards, and many are from very old photographs which are widely circulated here in the Katahdin Region.

The design -- such as it is -- was done by Laisha Designs.

You can contact us at info@greatnorthernpaperhistory.com.

© Michelle Anderson 2005-2014