OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — The Blue Heron Paper Co. plans to close its mill in Oregon City, laying off 175 workers.
The Oregonian reported the company, owned entirely by its employees, tried to reorganize after filing for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 31, 2009.
The mill sits on Oregon’s oldest industrial site, at the base of Willamette Falls.
In 1830, Dr. John McLoughlin, known as the father of Oregon, blasted a mill race through the basalt at the falls to power a sawmill. Paper has been produced at the site for more than 100 years.
