civilized ku # 38 ~ a walk in the forest #6

Traces and evidence of a different world •click to embiggenThe little red things, which were scattered in clusters in some areas throughout the mill, at first encounter seemed to be organic - like small leaves/buds. Upon further reflection it became apparent that, whatever their composition, they were used to make the dyes which were then used to manufacture colored paper. In civilized ku # 37 there is a cluster of black ones at the bottom of the picture.

Before the mill (which was situated up-river from the village) closed, the good citizens of Au Sable Forks knew exactly what color paper was being made on any given day because the Au Sable River was that same color.

I am certain that these little things are not organic in as much as they are still around nearly 40 years after the mill closed. One of the many reasons that the mill closed was because of its inability to meet environmental regulations. No doubt, one of the regs had to do with whatever pollutants the discharge of the by-products of these little things created.