Packaging Corporation of America

E.W. Backus was one of the last Minnesota timber barons and was one of the few men daring enough to push into the wilderness around Koochiching Village. Backus saw great potential in the almost untouched woods along Rainy River and most importantly the Koochiching Falls. He had grandiose plans of building an international paper mill, sister mills on either side of the river. Before he could build a mill, he first had to survey the land and determine if it could sustain a mill that was to process 200 tons of paper a day. Working for Backus, teams of men ventured out into the wilderness and reported back on the amount of valuable timber in the surrounding areas. Once Backus was sure he would have a steady supply of quality timber, he set his plans for a paper mill in motion. After word got out about Backus's plans, railroad companies were eager to get lines out to Koochiching, with the first reaching town in 1907. With timber secured and railroad lines in place, Backus started construction on the 35,000 HP dam he needed to power his future mill. Koochiching Village, now International Falls as of 1903, was starting to liven up with all the activity Backus brought with him. The dam was finished in 1909, which meant Backus could finally start building the paper mill of his dreams. Construction of the mill in the Falls started first, to the dismay of the citizens in Fort Frances. On May 30, 1910, the first paper machine was put on line in International Falls; by June 6th is had produced 17.9 tons of paper. Four paper machines were in operation in the Falls mill by October 17 of the same year. At the time, the Falls mill, with a daily capacity of 164 tons of paper, was one of the largest paper mills in the world.

The paper mill brought new life into the Falls. It created jobs and brought wealth into the city. It is still the largest employer in the area. The paper mill in Fort Frances finally was finished in May of 1914 but unfortunately closed almost exactly 100 years later in 2014.