MY MEMORIES

Charles Glenn Petersen

1962 - Wisconsin Years I

American Can Company (continued)

Green Bay was less than 50 miles away, so that was a day trip. We also had a paper-making plant in Rothchild in north central Wisconsin near the more famous Wausau. It was more than 150 miles away so it was an overnight trip. The Rothchild Plant made both board and fine paper.

I soon learned that there was much more to making paper than just the paper machine itself. The process goes something like this: trees are cut down and the logs are brought to the plant where they are debarked and cut into chips about 2 inches square and 1/4 inch thick; the chips are then cooked in a mixture of acid and steam which in essence liquefies everything except the cellulose fibers; a washing process then separates the liquid from the fibers; which are then pumped to the Bleach Plant before being sent to the paper machine.