First Shift

Fox River Paper Mill, Appleton, Wisconsin

There are only a few paper mills left. Most of the production has been out-sourced overseas. Those that remain convert pulp to cardboard for consumer packaging, paper towels, and toilet paper.

I took 127 images of this scene while standing in 12 inches of snow at 10F.
I was looking for the best combination of steam in front of the stack and the US flag in the lower left hand corner.

The tree in the foreground is a cottonwood. There is another to the right, out of frame, where a bald eagle has made its nest. The cotton wood is a worthless tree in almost every respect. The large limbs have an inexplicable tendency to break off without warning. Thus the moniker widow maker.

The cottonwood is also know as the buttonwood tree. It is under the buttonwood that the first members of Wall Street convened.