Flour was king of Minneapolis. From the 1880's until World War II, St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River, provided water to power half a dozen flour mills. Glaciers were kind to Minnesota, the Dakotas and parts of Canada. They left behind fertile soil. The soil grew wheat and Minneapolis milled it.
After World War II, new mills began in Duluth, at the far western end of Lake Superior. These mills catered to the desires of the 1950's. 50 pound bags of flour were replaced by smaller, pre-packaged mixes. The old mills at St. Anthony's falls could not keep up.
In 1965, General Mills closed the mill in Minneapolis. It became home for the homeless. In 1991 a devastating fire gutted the plant. Out of the rubble grew a museum dedicated to the mill; the people who worked there and the people it fed.
In 1965, General Mills closed the mill in Minneapolis. It became home for the homeless. In 1991 a devastating fire gutted the plant. Out of the rubble grew a museum dedicated to the mill; the people who worked there and the people it fed.
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