From the Atlantic coast the milling centre moved westward, following the wheat-growers. Rochester, N. Y., in the Genesee valley, was the next centre, and while it retained its im portance for many years, it was surpassed eventually by newer districts farther west. At one time Cincinnati gained considerable im portance as a milling point, but Saint Louis was destined to supplant Rochester as the great milling centre. While Rochester has lost its relative importance, Saint Louis has retained its mills, although Milwaukee has developed a slightly greater milling capacity than Saint Louis; but all have more recently been out classed by Minneapolis. For many years, how ever, Rochester was recognized as the first milling city of the country, having as early as 1835 no less than 21 mills, with 95 run of stones. The flour from these mills was sold throughout the Atlantic Coast States. In 1865, the flour output of Rochester was 800,000 barrels.
With the development of the great central wheat States, mills were built wherever there was increased population. In 1840, Ohio, Ken tucky, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan had a total of 1200 mills, producing about 30 per cent of all the flour made in the country, yet very few of them belonged to the commercial class, such as those of the centres. The scattered country mills supplied the farming communities and the small towns, while the few larger mills and those of the centres supplied the large mar kets and the districts where wheat was not raised.
Saint Louis began as a milling point in 1840, with two small mills. The city, due to its loca tion, was then the principal city in the West. By 1860, the Saint Louis mills were making 800,000 barrels of flour a year. In 1870 the output was over 1,000,000 barrels, and in over 2,000,000. Saint Louis led all other centres until 1881, when Minneapolis began its rapid development. Among the other important mill ing centres are Toledo, Buffalo, Detroit, Indian apolis, Chicago, Kansas City and Milwaukee, already mentioned.
A small, crude mill was built at the Falls of Saint Anthony, now Minneapolis, by a detach ment of soldiers in 1823, hut the first merchant mill was erected in 1854. Flour was first shipped to the east from Minneapolis in 1859. In 1865, the city had six mills, with a total daily capacity of 800 barrels. It was not until 1878 that the total annual output reached 1,000. 000 barrels, and the direct export shipments were about 100,000 barrels.
In tracing the movement of the milling centre, it may be of interest to investigate the causes that brought a large number of milling interests together. The importance of the first milling district, the Brandywine, in Delaware, was due principally to convenient wheat sup plies. The Patapsco district owed its import ance to fine water power, local wheat supplies, and water transportation, while Richmond would probably never have gained any prominence but for its water power, though its transportation facilities, down the James, enabled it to build up an export trade. The fine water power of
the Genesee River, at Rochester, was a natural inducement for the miller to build there, while the rich agricultural valley gave an abundant supply of raw material. Then, too, the opening of the Erie Canal gave Rochester unexcelled transportation facilities to other markets. Until other conditions entered into the situation to affect it, Rochester was particularly favored. Saint Louis had no water power, but it had ver transportation both for wheat and flour, sd it was for years the principal distributing pint for a vast territory. Milwaukee was a tarket for early wheat and was the lake outlet 3 r the Northwest before Chicago became a tipping point of importance. It was thus that tills began to be built at Milwaukee, and its tilling importance may be ascribed to its avored position on the lake.
The greatness of Minneapolis as a milling entre is due partly to the water power from e Mississippi River and partly to the position f the city, which is the gateway between the 'heat fields and the markets, but it is also irgely due to the quality of the wheat of and the Dakotas, the greatest spring heat territory in the world. Lastly, the pre ninence of Minneapolis as a milling centre is t large part due to the men of genius, who in se early days grasped the situation and made to name *Minneapolis') known the world over. iven all the other advantages,— geographical osition, water power, and even the annual pro uction near by of some 200,000,000 bushels of aperb hard spring wheat,— yet without the usiness genius and enterprise that inspired the arly Minneapolis millers, the city might never awe been known as the greatest flour-milling entre in the world.
The number of mills in Minneapolis has not tcreased materially since 1884, although the apacity has more than trebled. This increase, rithout even the enlargement of any of the mill uildings, was due to improved and condensed sachines. There are seven milling companies Minneapolis, having 22 mills with a maxi sum daily capacity of 75,000 barrels of flour. 'he capacity of the individual mills is from 00 barrels daily to 15,000 barrels. The Pills ury °A) mill, having the latter capacity, is he largest mill in the world. Four of the even companies are small ones, having but ?ne mill each. The mills of the three large ompanies have a maximum daily capacity of pproximately 31,000, 27,500 and 18,000 barrels espectively. The greatest actual flour produc ion for a single week was 443,800 barrels.