The Floriston Paper Mill
One business you can still see today in the Truckee area is the Floriston Paper Mill. It was built in 1899 and has been a big part of the history of that area. Continue reading below to see some of the histories of the papermill or click here to read the full article.
Before the Paper Mill
Floriston was initially settled at the bottom of Bronco Creek as a railroad construction camp in 1867. The town was originally named Bronco and Wickes since the Wickes brothers operated a wood-cutting business up Bronco Creek in the 1870s and 1880s. Soon after the Central Pacific Railroad came through the settlement was renamed Floriston. In 1891 no one is sure if the name change from Bronco to Floriston came from either Mrs. Delis Fleischacker, or a “flower-loving brakeman.” (Source)
The Floriston Paper Mill
The Floriston Pulp and Paper Company was formed by the stockholders of the Crown Paper Company with several people connected with the California citrus industry and the National Ice Company. (Source)
Construction began in 1899 to build a mill that had seven main buildings, company housing for the employees and superintendent, and a crib dam. The first pulp was produced on May 22, 1900, with 150 men employed by the mill. (Source)
The products were driven by the need for tissue wraps for oranges and other central valley specialty fruits and brown paper for raisin trays. Truckee and the surrounding areas had ice and sawdust and could transport vegetation. (Source)
In the early days, the paper mill was run by water power from the Truckee River. The river would run high regularly and be considered a renewable energy source for perpetuity. The paper mill went from waterpower to electric power in 1922 due to low flow levels on the Truckee River. (Source).
Source: DePuy , Judy. “History: Floriston Paper Mill.” SierraSun.com, SierraSun.com, 19 Sept. 2022, https://www.sierrasun.com/news/history-floriston-paper-mill/.
One business you can still see today in the Truckee area is the Floriston Paper Mill. It was built in 1899 and has been a big part of the history of that area. Continue reading below to see some of the histories of the papermill or click here to read the full article.
Before the Paper Mill
Floriston was initially settled at the bottom of Bronco Creek as a railroad construction camp in 1867. The town was originally named Bronco and Wickes since the Wickes brothers operated a wood-cutting business up Bronco Creek in the 1870s and 1880s. Soon after the Central Pacific Railroad came through the settlement was renamed Floriston. In 1891 no one is sure if the name change from Bronco to Floriston came from either Mrs. Delis Fleischacker, or a “flower-loving brakeman.” (Source)
The Floriston Paper Mill
The Floriston Pulp and Paper Company was formed by the stockholders of the Crown Paper Company with several people connected with the California citrus industry and the National Ice Company. (Source)
Construction began in 1899 to build a mill that had seven main buildings, company housing for the employees and superintendent, and a crib dam. The first pulp was produced on May 22, 1900, with 150 men employed by the mill. (Source)
The products were driven by the need for tissue wraps for oranges and other central valley specialty fruits and brown paper for raisin trays. Truckee and the surrounding areas had ice and sawdust and could transport vegetation. (Source)
In the early days, the paper mill was run by water power from the Truckee River. The river would run high regularly and be considered a renewable energy source for perpetuity. The paper mill went from waterpower to electric power in 1922 due to low flow levels on the Truckee River. (Source).
Source: DePuy , Judy. “History: Floriston Paper Mill.” SierraSun.com, SierraSun.com, 19 Sept. 2022, https://www.sierrasun.com/news/history-floriston-paper-mill/.