Modernity, Metaphor, and Maples: the Landscape Created by the Wood Chemical Plant in Donald

Modernity, Metaphor, and Maples: the Landscape Created by the Wood Chemical Plant in Donald

Hamilton, Andrew

Wadland, John; Whillans, Tom
Departments: Canadian Studies and Environmental Studies

TPB-519

1992

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Donald

History and effects of the Donald Chemical Plant

The closure of the Donald Chemical Plant in 1946 signified the end of an industry which, in its heyday, employed directly and indirectly between three and four hundred people. This paper traces the history of the "Chemical" as it is often referred to by long-time residents, and its effects on the local landscape, both human and natural.

Beginning with a detailed account of Canadian industrialization from the time of Confederation through the mid 1900s the report moves to a history of the plant at Donald. The plant began producing charcoal and moved into the manufacture of by-products such as acetate and wood alcohol as it responded to demand from southern markets and closed when new petrochemical related processes made its work redundant. Its development is outlined in the context of the inter-relatedness of the factory, its products, the process, the community, and the natural environment.

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