Mill City Museum
Minneapolis, Minnesota
By Nicole Thom-Arens
Published in 2024
Tucked between South Second Street and West River Parkway in downtown Minneapolis, inside an unassuming modern brick exterior building, is a gem of a museum. Mill City Museum is a step into the past that chronicles the history of the mass production of fine wheat flour and the Minnesota companies and brands that produced and marketed wheat products across the world.
Before visiting the museum, I had no idea that Minneapolis was the flour-milling capital of the world more than a hundred years ago. I also didn’t connect brands like Wheaties (one of Tim’s favorite cereals) or Bisquick with Minneapolis, but the displays spread across the lower level of the museum tell a broad story of the history of wheat and how Minneapolis—and farmers from the upper Midwest—influenced the industry. At its peak production in 1916, Minneapolis mills produced an average of 49,000 barrels of flour a day, according to the museum’s website.
Before visiting the museum, I had no idea that Minneapolis was the flour-milling capital of the world more than a hundred years ago. I also didn’t connect brands like Wheaties (one of Tim’s favorite cereals) or Bisquick with Minneapolis, but the displays spread across the lower level of the museum tell a broad story of the history of wheat and how Minneapolis—and farmers from the upper Midwest—influenced the industry. At its peak production in 1916, Minneapolis mills produced an average of 49,000 barrels of flour a day, according to the museum’s website.
One of the first things we did upon arriving at the museum was take the Flour Tower elevator ride—a freight elevator that has been renovated to include stadium-style seating. The elevator makes numerous stops where videos, voiceovers, and displays tell the history of the mill. The final stop on the Four Tower tour is the top floor of the mill where visitors can step out onto a balcony and capture beautiful views of the Mississippi River and the St. Anthony Falls, which made the mill operation possible in the 1800s.
After our Flour Tower ride, we spent about an hour exploring the various displays and strolled through the replica test kitchen, in which a small sign poses a thought-provoking question to all of us: “Today, test kitchens continue to play an important part in the business of food. But they are joined by a new generation of food related “experts,” from cable channels to bloggers, building relationships with consumers online and through social media. With so many interests competing for our time, attention, and money, there are important but familiar questions to consider. What influences your decisions about what to eat? Who do you trust?”
The mill closed in the mid-1960s once electricity made it possible to build mills not just along waterfronts but anywhere in the world. On our way out of the museum we stopped by the courtyard to see the ruins of the mill. In 1991, a fire destroyed the building, but instead of demolishing what remained, thankfully, the Minnesota Historical Society constructed the museum for the benefit of visitors and locals alike.