Katherine Bickford

The Hinde and Dauch Paper Mill opened in 1927 as one of two paper mills in Trenton, producing 30 tons of paper from oat and wheat straw. This method lasted until the 1950s, when they switched to the more convenient wood pulp. The factory used the standard kraft process to turn wood into pulp and then into paper. In 1959, the St. Lawrence Corporation, a major player in the North American pulp industry, took over the site. During the 1960s, the mill went through several ownership changes before Domtar Ltd., a tar and chemical company, became the primary owner. Afterward, it was renamed Norompac Domtar.

A long-exposure image at the Norampac mill

The paper mill gained prominence when Cascades, a major player in the paper products industry, took interest. In 1997, Cascades teamed up with the previous owners, Domtar Ltd., and the facility was renamed the Norampac Trenton Mill, jointly operated by both companies. The partnership was short-lived, as Cascades bought out Domtar entirely in 2006 for an impressive $560 million. At the time, the mill was churning out over 400 tonnes of paperboard daily and employed more than 150 people.

The plant closed entirely in January 2024, with Cascades citing aging technology and heightened operational costs as the primary reasons for the closure.

Demolition of the site began in May 2025, and a real estate listing for the land was put on the market, marking the end of Norompac’s 98 year history.