The timber industry has played an important role in Whatcom County's history. Lumbering in Bellingham began in the early 1850's with the development of a saw mill on Whatcom Creek. In 1926, San Juan Pulp Company filled in five acres of tidal flats in the estuary of Whatcom Creek and opened the county's first pulp mill. This company soon reorganized as the Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Company and gradually expanded its operations onto the surroundingtidelands. This company merged with G-P in 1963.
In 1965, G-P built a chlorine plant to bleach wood pulp. This plant released wastewater containing mercury into Bellingham Bay until the 1970's when new environmental regulations like the Clean Water Act restricted this activity. GP reduced the discharge of contaminants into Bellingham Bay through process changes and the construction of a 38-acre wastewater treatment lagoon. At its peak, the G-P facility employed over 1000 people. Market forces and a changing economy led G-P to shut down its chlorine operation in 1999, the pulp mill in 2001, and the tissue mill in 2007.
For a look at the timeline of the history of this site, click here.
A Western Washington University student produced a documentary about the history of the mill, which is available in local stores. Click here for a video selection from the film.
