T he Alaska Pulp and Paper Mill was located at Speel River in Port Snettisham in the 1920s. This company had a tramway around their plant, probably to move supplies and product between buildings. The plant operated from about 1920 to 1924, promoters hoped to expand but found shipping costs prohibitive. A related plan to bring electrochemical industry to the area, known as the “Speel River Project“, also included a short tramway nearby. Some of the equipment may have been used at both locations. The pulp company attempted several comebacks but finally liquidated around 1950.
Manager of the company was W.P. Lass, Secretary was C.J. Keenan, and Engineer was G.H. Kirsch. Eugene Patrick Kennedy was involved with this project as well as the Speel River Project, his wife was Teresa Keenan.
Southeast History: Alaska's first wood pulp mill. By Pat Roppel, Capital City Weekly. Wednesday, May 30, 2012.
Southeast History: Alaska's first pulp mill ends after 1924. By Pat Roppel, Capital City Weekly. Wednesday, June 06, 2012.
Collected Alaska Pulp and Paper Co. Photographs.
Images collected from private collections, libraries and historical societies.
Eugene Patrick Kennedy. Photographs, ca. 1912-1923. ASL-PCA-444.
Alaska State Library, Historical Collections.