Robert M. Frame's new history book Making Mill City has a history in and of itself. The book, which details Minneapolis's milling industry, has been a half century in the making.
"I go back to 1976 when I got a contract job with the Minnesota Historical Society," says Frame. "They were thinking they should have a historical mill... it's a milling state and they never had a mill." From there, Frame took note that there wasn't much written about the history of milling. "Hardly anybody had done any serious study of Minnesota milling despite the fact that it was a major, major industry for maybe fifty years."
With a mighty river and an available workforce, Minneapolis was primed to be a powerhouse in the flour industry. However, it was a couple of improvements to the industry that put the city in a league of its own in flour production. "There were two inventions that happened in the end of the 1860 and through the 1870s here in Minneapolis that really changed everything," says Frame. In the Midwest, farmers were growing a harder wheat that led to the invention of the Middlings Purifier, which in turn led to a better product that couldn't be replicated by eastern states. Improvements upon the modern roller mill also led to increased production.
Minneapolis has taken on a different character since the booming days of mills, but the history detailed by Frame was foundational in the success of Minnesota's largest city. Making Mill City is available at booksellers and can also be found online through the University of Minnesota Press website.
And if you're wondering what Minnesota's flour industry was like beyond Minneapolis, Bob shared a little about mills in Duluth in a post-interview, bonus conversation.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
