The manufacturing of paper products was to aid the early industrial development in the City of Rock Falls only to be marred by an explosion in 1891 which claimed the lives of four workmen and totally destroyed the mill.
Early records indicate the first paper mill was built by E.G. W. Parks in the year 1869. The first mill occupied a site the Sanger and Nichols store had been located at in the earlier days when the community was known as "Rapids City."
It was in the early 1879's that Parks, the owner of the paper mill, took on a partner and the business operated under the name "Parks and Johnson Paper Mill"
Johnson eventually became the sole owner of the mill. He later sold the lot and building to the Keystone Company and moved the paper mill machinery to Lyndon.
Another paper mill was built in the city in 1892 by E.L. Church, Henry Utley and J.A. Patterson. They had operated a mill in Sterling, sold it to Dwight Brothers and moved to Rock Falls where a new mill was built.
The paper mill was destroyed after an explosion on Jan. 27, 1891. The explosion claimed the lives of four men including John Meyer, Oliver Miller, Samuel Schrader and william Bell. It is believed the explosion resulted from bleach in the mill.
The paper mill was listed as the Illinois Strawboard Paper Corporation in 1908 according to W.W. Davis' history of Whiteside County.
The mill was located along the race at the foot of Fourth Avenue and the warehouses were located along West Second Street.
The bill employed some 75 workers in he early 1900's and the operation included the use of eleven and one-half tons of straw daily in the manufacture of manila, rag and straw wrapping papers. In addition to the straw, some 21 tons of paper stock was used daily and the mill operated both day and night.
The mill ment out of businessin 1928 as a result of an apparent bankruptcy.
