Niles Michigan

The French Paper mill has run on 100% “green” hydropower since 1922. We also use natural gas dryers - although there was a day, long ago, when this mammoth stack stretching into the sky released poison smoke from the coal-burning heaters. Now we just keep it up so people always know where they are.

 

This street sign at the corner of 2nd and Broadway shows how to get to Chicago, South Bend, Benton Harbor, or Detroit. The sign is still here, proving that Niles really is the center of the universe.

 

Young Jerry French was a very cute kid. In fact he became kind of a mascot around the mill so his grandfather J.E. French had this likeness commissioned of him in the 60's. You'll note from the previous photo that Jerry still likes his checkered outfits!

 

This place was Yummy's, the Niles teenage hangout where you could buy 9 burgers for a buck in the early 1960's. Several families used the truck in the foreground to relocate to Niles for a better, more wholesome way of life.

This is a shoe rack for employees who choose to work barefoot. While most mills recommend steel-toed safety shoes, some of French's workers prefer to inspect the paper with their sensitive feet.

 

This is the infrared paper dryer that reaches 3,000 degrees at the source. Commonly used to cook TV dinners or mini hot dogs (such as the ones being retrieved by a mill worker here) during short breaks.

 

 

 

Lynn's Yogurt Plus, where on Tuesdays you can get lemon ice cream-yum! This is also the hangout for those lactose-tolerant third-shift mill workers before they go to work at 11:00pm.

 

 

 

The Niles Amtrak Station, featured in several famous movies, is also the future home of the high-speed rail link between Chicago, Niles, and Detroit. Of course, we're not sure why anyone would want to get off in either Detroit or Chicago, when Niles is the third choice.

 

1935 National Champs-the FPC team. Suited is Frank French, early visionary with a mean curveball. The left batboy is Ed French, 4th-generation papermaker. Notice how even then, young Ed is dreaming of the next great paper.