Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation - 1970's dated Stock Certificate - Famous Paper Co.

Great Northern Paper Company, a prominent Maine-based pulp and paper manufacturer, flourished in the 1970s and 1980s. At its zenith, the company operated mills across the United States, including in Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, and Wisconsin. Notably, it produced a substantial 16.4% of the nation’s newsprint. In 1990, the company was acquired by the Georgia-Pacific Corporation.

In 2011, the company’s legacy was revived when private equity firm Cate Street Capital acquired Great Northern’s original Maine mills.

The company’s roots can be traced back to the Maine legislature’s authorization of Charles W. Mullen to establish a water power company on the West Branch Penobscot River. In 1891, during a survey of a route for the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, Mullen was captivated by the impressive 110-foot drop of the West Branch Penobscot River at Grand Falls. This observation led him to collaborate with Garret Schenck, a part-owner of the Rumford Falls Paper Company. Together, they embarked on a project to construct a paper mill in Millinocket, Penobscot County, Maine, situated along the river. Schenck founded the Northern Development Company in 1897.

On November 9, 1900, the Millinocket plant proudly produced its inaugural roll of newsprint. In 1906, the company expanded its operations with the opening of a second mill in Madison. The third mill, located in East Millinocket, was completed in 1907. This mill not only produced newsprint but also boasted its own dam and hydroelectric facility. The company’s financial backing was provided by esteemed financiers such as Oliver Payne and William Collins Whitney.