On the evening of May 2nd in 1878, three deafening booms rang out over the city of Minneapolis. The noise originated from the largest mill in the world, which in a matter of seconds, was completely demolished.
In what would become known as the “Great Mill Disaster,” the mill’s fourteen man night crew and four additional workers in adjoining mills were killed when two millstones created a spark and ignited flour dust which burned rapidly causing multiple explosions.
Wikimedia/Library of Congress
The fire department spent the entire night fighting the flames, with slow results. The tragedy sparked much needed milling reform, and and by 1880, Cadwallader Washburn had a new mill that was more advanced and safer.
Flickr/Eric Kilby
Minneapolis’ “Mill City” increased its milling operations over the next few decades, but the industry declined after World War I, and in 1965 the mill was finally closed.
Facebook/Mill City Museum
The mill is incorporated into Mill City Museum, which offers education about the city’s milling history and the Mississippi River’s role in industry.
Facebook/Mill City Museum
Visiting the museum is a great way to learn about the mill’s destructive past, but you can also visit the monument to the eighteen men who were killed at the Lakewood Cemetery.
Flickr/John J Schroeder
Have you visited the Mill City Museum yet? For more information on the museum’s history and visiting, look here.
Wikimedia/Library of Congress
Flickr/Eric Kilby
Facebook/Mill City Museum
Flickr/John J Schroeder
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