Latest / History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier, Part 1 / 038 - A Long Period of Peace and Prosperity Introduction of the New Process of Milling Wheat The Discovery

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038 - A Long Period of Peace and Prosperity Introduction of the New Process of Milling Wheat The Discovery · History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier, Part 1

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty eight of the History of Minnesota and Tales
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  Speaker 1: of the Frontier, Part one. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
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  Speaker 1: History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier, Part one
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  Speaker 1: by Charles E. Flandrau, Section thirty eight. A long period
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  Speaker 1: of peace and prosperity, introduction of the new process of
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  Speaker 1: milling wheat, the discovery of iron, A long period of
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  Speaker 1: peace and prosperity. After the stirring events of the Civil
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  Speaker 1: and Indian Wars, Minnesota resumed its peaceful ways and continued
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  Speaker 1: to grow and prosper for a long series of years,
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  Speaker 1: excepting the period from eighteen seventy three to eighteen seventy six,
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  Speaker 1: when it was afflicted with the plague of grasshoppers. Possessed
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  Speaker 1: of the many advantages that nature had bestowed upon it,
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  Speaker 1: there was nothing else for it to do. The state,
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  Speaker 1: as far as it was then developed, was exclusively agricultural,
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  Speaker 1: and wheat was its staple production. Although almost every character
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  Speaker 1: of grain and vegetable can be produced in exceptional abundance.
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  Speaker 1: Potatoes of the first quality were among its earliest exports,
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  Speaker 1: but that crop is not sufficiently valuable or portable to
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  Speaker 1: enter extensively into the catalog of its productions beyond the
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  Speaker 1: needs of domestic use introduction of the new process of
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  Speaker 1: milling wheat. The wheat raised in Minnesota was and always
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  Speaker 1: has been, of the spring variety, and up to about
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  Speaker 1: the year eighteen seventy four was regarded in the markets
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  Speaker 1: of the world as an inferior article of grain when
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  Speaker 1: compared with the winter wheat of states further south, and
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  Speaker 1: the flour made from it was also looked upon as
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  Speaker 1: much less valuable than its competitor made from winter wheat.
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  Speaker 1: The state labored under this disability, realizing upon its chief
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  Speaker 1: product for many years, both in the wheat and the
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  Speaker 1: flour made from it. Many mills were erected at the
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  Speaker 1: Falls of Saint Anthony, with a very great output of flour, which,
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  Speaker 1: with the lumber manufactured at that point, composed the cheap
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  Speaker 1: export of the state. The process of grinding wheat was
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  Speaker 1: the old style of an upper and nether millstone, which
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  Speaker 1: left the flour of darker color, less nutritious, and less
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  Speaker 1: desirable than that from the winter wheat made in the
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  Speaker 1: same way. About the year eighteen seventy one, it was
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  Speaker 1: discovered that a new process of manufacturing flour was in
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  Speaker 1: operation on the Danube and at Budapest. Mister George H. Christian,
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  Speaker 1: a partner of Governor C. C. Washburn in the milling
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  Speaker 1: business at Minneapolis, studied the invention, which consisted of crushing
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  Speaker 1: wheat by means of rollers made of steel and porcelain,
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  Speaker 1: instead of grinding it as of old, to which the
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  Speaker 1: French had added a new process of eliminating the brain
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  Speaker 1: inspects from the crushed product by means of a flat
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  Speaker 1: oscillating screen or bolt with an upward blast of air
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  Speaker 1: through it, upon which the crushed product was placed and
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  Speaker 1: cleansed of all brand impurities. In eighteen seventy one, General C. C.
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  Speaker 1: Washburn and mister Christian introduced this French invention to their
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  Speaker 1: mills in Minneapolis and derived from it great advantage in
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  Speaker 1: the appearance and value of their flour. This was called
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  Speaker 1: a Middlings purifier. In eighteen seventy four they introduced the
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  Speaker 1: roller crushing process, and the result was that the hard
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  Speaker 1: spring wheat returned a flower superior to the product of
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  Speaker 1: the winter wheat and placed Minnesota upon more than an
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  Speaker 1: equality with the best flour producing states in the Union.
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  Speaker 1: This process has been universally adopted throughout the United States
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  Speaker 1: in all milling localities, with great advantage to that industry.
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  Speaker 1: It is a rather curious fact that, as all our
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  Speaker 1: milling knowledge was originally inherited from England, which country is
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  Speaker 1: very sluggish in the adoption of new methods, it was
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  Speaker 1: not until our improved flour reached that country that the
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  Speaker 1: English millers accepted the new method and have since acted
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  Speaker 1: upon it. It is a case of the pupil instructing
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  Speaker 1: his preceptor. I regard the introduction of these improvements in
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  Speaker 1: the manufacture of flour into this state as of prime
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  Speaker 1: importance to its growth and increase of wealth and strength.
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  Speaker 1: It is estimated by the best judges that the value
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  Speaker 1: of our spring wheat was increased at least twenty percent
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  Speaker 1: by their adoption. And when we consider that the state
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  Speaker 1: produced in eighteen ninety eight seventy eight million, four hundred
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  Speaker 1: eighteen thousand bushels of wheat, its magnitude can be better appreciated.
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  Speaker 1: It formerly required five bushels of wheat to make a
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  Speaker 1: barrel of flour. Under the new process, It only takes
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  Speaker 1: four bushels and seven pounds to make a barrel of
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  Speaker 1: the same weight one hundred ninety six pounds. The only
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  Speaker 1: record that is kept of flour in Minnesota is for
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  Speaker 1: the two points of Minneapolis and the Head of the Lakes,
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  Speaker 1: the latter including Duluth and Superior in Wisconsin. The output
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  Speaker 1: of Minneapolis for the crop year of eighteen ninety eight
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  Speaker 1: ninety nine was fifteen million, one hundred sixty four thousand,
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  Speaker 1: eight hundred eighty one barrels, and for the Duluth Superior
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  Speaker 1: for the same period two million, six hundred thirty seven thousand,
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  Speaker 1: thirty five barrels. The estimate for the whole state is
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  Speaker 1: twenty five million barrels. These figures are taken from the
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  Speaker 1: Northwestern Miller, a reliable publication in Minneapolis. The credit of
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  Speaker 1: having introduced the Hungarian and French processes into Minnesota is
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  Speaker 1: due primarily to the late Governor C. C. Washburn of Lacrosse, Wisconsin,
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  Speaker 1: who was greatly aided by his partner at the time,
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  Speaker 1: mister George H. Christian of Minneapolis. While I am convinced
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  Speaker 1: that the credit of first having introduced these valuable inventions
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  Speaker 1: into minas Minnesota belongs to Governor C. C. Washburn and
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  Speaker 1: his partner mister George H. Christian. I am in justice
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  Speaker 1: bound to add that Governor John S. Pillsbury and the
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  Speaker 1: late mister Charles A. Pillsbury, who were large and enterprising
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  Speaker 1: millers at Minneapolis, owning the Excelsior mills immediately after its introduction,
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  Speaker 1: adopted the process and put it into their mills, and
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  Speaker 1: by employing American skilled artisans and millers to set up
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  Speaker 1: and operate their machinery, succeeded in securing the first absolutely
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  Speaker 1: perfect automatic mill of the new kind in the country.
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  Speaker 1: General Washburn, having imported Hungarian millers to start and operate
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  Speaker 1: his experimental mills, found himself somewhat handicapped by their inefficiency
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  Speaker 1: and sluggishness in adopting American ways and customs the discovery
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  Speaker 1: of iron. From the earliest days of the territory, the
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  Speaker 1: people had predicted the growth of cities at several points,
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  Speaker 1: at Saint Paul because it was the head of navigation
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  Speaker 1: of the Mississippi River, at Saint Anthony on account of
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  Speaker 1: its great water power, at Superior as being the head
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  Speaker 1: of navigation of the Great Lakes system, and at Mancato
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  Speaker 1: from its location at the great bend of the Minnesota River.
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  Speaker 1: It must be remembered that when these prophecies were made,
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  Speaker 1: Minneapolis and Duluth had no existence, and Superior was the
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  Speaker 1: natural outlet of the Saint Louis River into Lake Superior,
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  Speaker 1: and had its land titles not been so complicated, when
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  Speaker 1: the railroad from Saint Paul to the head of the
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  Speaker 1: lakes was projected, there is no doubt Superior would have
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  Speaker 1: been the terminus of the road. But it was found
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  Speaker 1: to be almost impossible to procure title to any land
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  Speaker 1: and Superior on account of its having been sold by
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  Speaker 1: the proprietors in undivided interests to parties all over the country,
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  Speaker 1: and it was situated in Wisconsin. So the railroad people
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  Speaker 1: procured the charter of the company to make its northern
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  Speaker 1: terminus on the Minnesota side of the Harbor where Duluth
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  Speaker 1: now stands, and founded that town as the terminus of
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  Speaker 1: the road. Some years after, Minnesota Point was cut by
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  Speaker 1: a canal at its base or shore end, and the
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  Speaker 1: entrance to the harbor changed from its natural inlet around
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  Speaker 1: the end of the point to this canal. This improvement
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  Speaker 1: has proved to be of vast importance to the city
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  Speaker 1: of Duluth and to the shipping interests of the state,
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  Speaker 1: as the natural entrance was difficult and dangerous. Duluth increased
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  Speaker 1: in importance from year to year by reason of the
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  Speaker 1: natural advantages of its situation as the outlet of much
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  Speaker 1: of the exports of the state and the inlet of
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  Speaker 1: a large portion of its imports. As railroads progressed, it
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  Speaker 1: became connected with the wheat producing areas of the state,
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  Speaker 1: which resulted in the erection of elevators for the shipment
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  Speaker 1: of wheat and mills to grind it. As nearly all
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  Speaker 1: the coal consumed in the state came in by the
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  Speaker 1: gateway of Duluth, immense coal docks were constructed with all
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  Speaker 1: the modern inventions for unloading it from ships and loading
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  Speaker 1: it on cars for distribute. Duluth soon attained metropolitan proportions.
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  Speaker 1: About the year eighteen seventy, mister George C. Stone became
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  Speaker 1: a resident of the city and engaged in business. In
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  Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three, J Cook, who had been an important
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  Speaker 1: factor in the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, failed,
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  Speaker 1: which was a serious blow to Duluth. Mister Stone had
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  Speaker 1: given his attention largely to the investigation of the mineral
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  Speaker 1: resources of the Lake Superior region in Minnesota, and had
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  Speaker 1: become convinced of the presence of large beds of iron
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  Speaker 1: ore in its northeastern portion, now known as the Vermilion Range.
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  Speaker 1: When he first made known his discovery, the location of
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  Speaker 1: the ore was so remote from civilization that he found
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  Speaker 1: it difficult to interest anyone in his enterprise. Few shared
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  Speaker 1: his faith, but undismayed by lack of support, he undertook
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  Speaker 1: with steady persistence the task of securing the capital necessary
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  Speaker 1: to developed what he was convinced was a great now
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  Speaker 1: natural wealth producing field. Comparatively alone and with little encouragement
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  Speaker 1: at home, he visited the money centers of the country
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  Speaker 1: and assiduously labored to induce men of capital to embark
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  Speaker 1: in the enterprise, but found it to be uphill work.
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  Speaker 1: The first men whose support he secured were Charlemagne Tower
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  Speaker 1: of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and Samuel A. Munson of Utica, New York,
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  Speaker 1: both men of education and great wealth. They became sufficiently
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  Speaker 1: interested to secure a proper test of the matter. Professor
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  Speaker 1: Chester of Hamilton College was sent out on two occasions
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  Speaker 1: mister Munson died, and after the lapse of a few years,
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  Speaker 1: Charlemagne Tower, then a resident of Philadelphia, undertook to furnish
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  Speaker 1: the necessary funds to make the development, which involved the
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  Speaker 1: expense of four million dollars in building a railroad eighty
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  Speaker 1: miles in length with docks and other operating facilities. The
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  Speaker 1: railroad was opened in July eighteen eighty four, and there
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  Speaker 1: was shipped that season sixty two thousand, one hundred twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty four tons of ore, and in eighteen eighty five
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  Speaker 1: the shipment reached two hundred twenty five thousand tons. In
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  Speaker 1: eighteen eighty six, three hundred four thousand tons were shipped,
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  Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty seven three hundred ninety four thousand tons,
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  Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty eight five hundred twelve thousand. The output
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  Speaker 1: of the iron mines at and about the head of
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  Speaker 1: the Lakes had by eighteen ninety eight grown to the
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  Speaker 1: enormous quantity of five million, eight hundred seventy one thousand,
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  Speaker 1: eight hundred one tons. The grade of the ore is
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  Speaker 1: the highest in the market. This product is one of
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  Speaker 1: the most important in the state and seems destined to
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  Speaker 1: expand indefinitely. No better idea of the growth and importance
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  Speaker 1: of Duluth, and in the same connection, the advance of
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  Speaker 1: the state since the war, can be presented than by
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  Speaker 1: a statement of a few aggregates of different industries centered
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  Speaker 1: at the head of the lakes. The most recent record
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  Speaker 1: obtainable is for the year eighteen ninety eight. For example,
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  Speaker 1: number cut five hundred forty four million, three hundred eighteen
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  Speaker 1: thousand feet, coal received two million, five hundred thousand tons,
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  Speaker 1: number of vessels arrived and cleared twelve thousand, one hundred
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  Speaker 1: fifty wheat received and flour as wheat eighty two million,
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  Speaker 1: one hundred eighteen thousand, one hundred twenty nine bushels other
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  Speaker 1: grain nineteen million, four hundred twenty eight thousand, six hundred
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  Speaker 1: twenty two bushels. Flour manufactured two million, four hundred sixty thousand,
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  Speaker 1: twenty five barrels. Capacity of elevators twenty four million, six
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  Speaker 1: hundred fifty thousand bushels. Capacity of flour mills per day
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  Speaker 1: twenty two thousand barrels. Many other statistics could be given,
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  Speaker 1: but the above are sufficient to show the unexampled growth
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  Speaker 1: of the state in that vicinity. End of Section thirty
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  Speaker 1: eight Recording by Jessica Louise Saint Paul, Minnesota,