The Niagara Area Historical Society recently sponsored a class trip for Niagara School District eighth-grade students, shown here, to the Atlas Science Center in downtown Appleton, Wis. (Submitted photo)

NIAGARA, Wis. — The city of Niagara unquestionably boasts a rich history of papermaking.

In an effort to keep the story of the paper mill and its workers alive, the Niagara Area Historical Society recently sponsored a Niagara School District class trip to the Atlas Science Center, formerly the Paper Discovery Center, on the Fox River in downtown Appleton, Wis.

The Atlas Paper Mill Co. began operation in 1878 and continued as an active papermaking operation until it was donated by Kimberly-Clark to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in 1999. The old paper mill building was transformed to the Paper Discovery Center, opening to the public in 2005.

The outing was made possible from bequests made in memory of Jill Ann Klenke Smith to the Niagara Area Historical Museum. Klenke Smith was very involved in the local museum over the years and also took great interest in the Atlas Center.

“She took me there several times to get ideas for our museum,” said Karen Klenke, Jill’s mother and president of the historical society. “It’s a reminder how important it (papermaking) is for our history.”

The community of Niagara didn’t exist until Kimberly-Clark took interest in the region. The story told to locals is that in 1889, John Stoveken constructed a small pulp mill on what was then known as Quinnesec Falls on the Wisconsin side of the Menominee River. In 1897, the settlement that formed around the mill was merely a lumber company, blacksmith shop, a store and only two frame houses. The following year, Kimberly-Clark executives made a deal on the property and soon after demolition began and power equipment was installed, along with building a new mill.

This new construction added two new paper machines that produced 50 tons of water-finish wrapping paper per day.

At that time, they also renamed the town “Niagara.”

“Kimberly-Clark was our (Niagara’s) mother,” said Klenke, adding the mill closed permanently in 2008 after more than 100 years. “We want to secure that history with our youth — this is the reason for Niagara.”

Niagara School District eighth-grade students traveled to the Appleton museum earlier this month to learn about papermaking’s science and the paper industry’s history. They even had opportunities for interactive learning.

“I want the students to realize the importance of the papermakers in their town and how hard they worked,” Klenke said. “We have to renew that history in their hearts we hope.”

Part of the museum tour illustrates the history of the papermaking process all the way from the forest to the finish product, a sheet of paper, Klenke said.

“The other really unique thing they offer is each student gets to make their own paper through the blending process,” Klenke added. “This is really something we hope to do that one day in our museum.”

Along with Niagara Middle School teachers Lisa Harry and Jeff Swanson, Historical Society Board Members Klenke, Lois Chartier and Bruce Redmond were along for the ride to share their knowledge with the students.

Teachers and society members consider the trip a success, as the students enjoyed the museum’s activities and displays.

“Students also learned about the engineering design process by creating and testing a marshmallow catapult,” Harry said.

“It was fun and we got to learn how to make paper,” student Abbi Rugg said.

Dylan Venstra agreed and added he would love to go again.

“The exhibits were cool,” Reid Schroeder said.

Klenke credits Niagara Middle School teacher Donna Moreau for her role in arranging the tours. “She is from a family of papermakers herself,” she said. “Everything just fell into place.”

The Historical Society Board hopes to further educate the students by hosting a tour to check out the Niagara mill exhibits and meet with retired papermakers.

“They are going to get fed some really important information about their history,” Klenke said. “It’s our job as the Niagara Historical Museum to keep that spirit alive — put pride into their hearts.”