RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • May 17, 2020
The River Valley, a rural paper mill community comprised of nine working-class towns around Rumford, is the focus of one of 10 reports on the condition of American communities and what they need to thrive. The new initiative is called American Roundtable. The valley serves as a microcosm for working-class communities across America. Its natural resources, mountain springs once prized for their healing properties, the Androscoggin River and the mountains that offer recreation and inspiration for hikers, skiers, authors, campers, artists, fishermen and musicians, are overshadowed by the smokestacks of Rumford’s 100-year-old paper mill that has been blamed by residents for environmental and human offenses.