Industrial Development- Flour Mills
A small feed mill, serving local farm communities, had been operating on Anoka’s banks of the Rum River since the 1850s. Anoka, however, did not become a significant player in the milling scene until Minneapolis miller William Washburn purchased and refurbished an old milling site in 1878. Washburn brought the latest milling technology and unprecedented flour production. The construction of the state-of-the-art Washburn Mill in 1880, and its subsequent success and public acclaim, inspired, in part, additional milling and other industrial development. |
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Article from the "American Miller" touting the wonders of the state-of-the-art Lincoln Mill and the booming potential of the MN wheat market. |
Washburn Mill company advertisement from 1889. (Minneapolis gets the credit for Anoka's Lincoln.) |
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| Development on the west bank Rum River (opposite the Lincoln Mill), 1884 | |
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Dam improvements on the Rum River to accomodate new industry and more powerful technology, 1897 |
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Champlin Flour Mill on Rum River, 1910 |