Badger Mill History
This drawing is from about 1889
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This image is from the Sanborn Fire Maps. It shows the layout of the Badger
Paper Mill and the "East Warehouse". The Main building was built in 1885 and the
warehouse was built in 1889. The current "Old Badger" Hydroelectric
building is built on the foundations of this mill after it burned. Much of
Kaukauna has detailed Maps of this type.
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Badger Paper Mill to be constructed From the Kaukauna Times Jul 3, 1885 Badger Paper Company, Kaukauna Water Power, Joseph Vilas, Joseph E. Vilas, H. A. Frambach, John Stoveken, Oscar Burns, |
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Paper Machines, Pulp Grinders, Beating Engines, Fourdriner Paper Machine, Print paper (News Print), Book Paper, Colonel Frambach, Edison electric light system |  The Badger Mill was generating electricity in 1885 with three Turbines and had electric lights using 3 generators. |
 This Edison generator is dated from 1890. The first Electric light plant started in New York in 1883 |
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Badger Mill fire Jul 25, 1897 Mentions: Badger Paper Mill, Corliss Engine, Novelty Printing, Colonel H. A. Frambach, Joseph Stillwell Vilas, Joseph Vilas of Manitowoc, Quinnesec Falls
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 Nebraska State Journal Jul 26, 1897 |
 These are a few pages of the first business ledger of the Badger Paper Company in 1885. The original ledger is in the posession of a direct descendant of John Stoveken (Brother of Henry Frambach) who was the manager of the "Badger Paper Mill" in 1885. |
The book is a little worse for the wear but shows the financial transactions and names of the original investors in the mill operation. The book contains 35 pages of the financials of the first year operations of the mill. The entire ledger has been copied and is available upon request by researchers. |  A Corliss Engine was mentioned as running the Mill. This Corliss Stationary steam engine would be similar to what was being used in the late 1890's. It was considered energy efficient for it's time. |
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The paper in the ledger has a watermark with a date of 1885. Many of the individual investors of the Badger Paper Mill are listed below |  |
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Old Landmark Razed - Little Badger mill 7/1/1927 |
| John Anderson, J. Atwater, J. B. Aboud, J. T. Calkins, Peter Cooper, J. D. Comstock, Jas McGovern, Jas Johnson, H. Invisson, S. Syman, Jas Sester, Robert Lincoln, A. A. Sow, Jas W. Susk, H. B. Bryant, | Robert Brown, Rich Bannister, J. C. Bryant, Robert Baker, Jas Cranshank, Mollen and Clafflin, Peter Cooper, W. S. Carpenter, Dan Dinnen, George Davis, Amos Dean, B. F. Carpenter, H. W. Clark, Dunham and Brokaw, E. G. Folson, S. Fairbank, E. B. Felton, S. O. Hayward, | Thomas Healey, Thomas Hunter, Jas Hathaway, B. F. Ha, Jacob Horn, A. Mitchell, Austin Packard, Benjamin Payn, Timothy Paymell, J. B. Penn, E. B. Rice, S, S, Randall, M Rice, Edward O'Brien, David Owen, Jason Sweeney, John Sheild, H. D. Stratton, George | Smith, Jason Simpson, Smith and Sons, W. Shepard, A C Steven and Company, C. A. Seeley, Jas Shelden, Steamer Issac Newton, F. R. Stebbins, Peter Van Wyck, Horace Webster, Henry VanDyck, | ||
 March 7, 1886 Starting up of the mill- including a 150 light Electric Generator. |
 Had an 84 inch Harper Fourdrinier and one 64 inch double cylinder. Capacity is 20,000 pounds of paper per day |
 Badger Mill fire from the Kaukauna Times |
 John Stoveken started the Northern Pulp Company in Niagara, Wisconsin in 1886 to provide ground wood pulp from northern Wisconsin to the Badger Paper Mill in Kaukauna. It was expanded several timesover the years. The investors included his brother, Henry Frambach and his partner Joseph Vilas. This 45 star flag flew over the Pulp and Paper mills in Niagara Prior to 1898 when the Nigara mill (Quinnessec Pulp and paper) was sold to Kimberly Clark Corporation. This flag was donated to the Niagara Historical museum in 2004 by the descendents of John Stoveken. This Paper mill site is still in operation and is now owned and operated by StoraEnso Corporation. |
The Quinnesec Falls Company was a subsidiary of the Badger Paper Mill in Kaukauna. It was purchased From John Stoveken who founded the Northern Pulp Company 1886 when he was living in Kaukauna and working as a Manager for the Badger Paper Mill. It was located on the Michigan Wisconsin border at Quinnesec, MI- Niagara, WI | |
Research and web site by Tom Duescher