The Blandin paper mill built by the Mississippi river dominates the town of Grand Rapids. This is where the river is damned; hiding behind the trees behind the mill complex. The mill is almost as large as the town itself. I was told, when I took a tour of the mill, that most likely, any of the magazines I have laying around my house has the paper that was made right here at this mill. The front entrance of the mill is right in the middle of downtown. That’s why I took the tour, it was right next to one of the hotels Grand Rapids offers to it thousand of visitor every week.
I remember driving by the paper mill in my town when I was a child and all I remember is the stench it would give off. This particular mill is well known in Mississippi, Southern Kentucky because they could both smell the stench depending on where the wind was blowing. The smell is due to the chemicals they use to prepare for the wood pulp. But, here at Blandin’s paper mill, they use a different process, which is extremely fortunate for the residence of Grand Rapids. It has no smell whatsoever.
Across the street from the mill is a statue titled ‘Papermakers,’ but I couldn’t make out the artist’s name or even find a name at all. The statue is a source of pride for Grand Rapids, because without this paper mill, Grand Rapid would not exist.
The Mississippi river runs right through the center of Grand Rapids and there’s a River Park just south of the mill on the west bank. I found the park very pleasant and delightful, but most of all I really liked knowing that it was the Mississippi River running next to the park. As I was walking back to my hotel room I past a building that had a huge mural painted on one entire side of it. It was a representation of the ‘Wizard of Oz’. Later, I found out the reason, Judy Garland was born here.
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