Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-07-30
zers. I. Z. Foster, Of Two Rivers, and
II. Fifeld, have this year erected steam


zers. /. Z. Foster, Of Two Rivers, and
Il. Fiaeld, have this year erected steam
saw mill in the town Of Buckman, on
section %, town.39, range 20. j. D..
Logan erected steam saw mill on the
Platte river, near the south line Of the.
county, and is doing a good business.
In about 1860 Frederick Aver erected =
steam saw mill on the bank of the Mss
:sissippi river, at his farm jim Belle Prai-.
RE. he did not run it longer than about
two years. In about 1870 George Bor-
man built a water mill at his place on the
south Two Rivers. Ho afterwards sold
out to Messrs. White & Holiness. and it
has recently been purchased by Charles
Tuttle, and is doing a good. business:
CALVIN A. Tuttle has of late built water
mill near the mouth of the north Two
Rivers. I understand it to be good
mill. About SIX years ago a man by the
name of 81. H: Peterson put upaa water
mill on Spunk brook, just above the main
river road. AfterSit had been run about
three years it burned down. Fl. B. Nor
rison built a nice steam mill ON the
Grow Wing river at Motley, in 1878,
which, while dang . good business, took
fire on the night of: July 16, 1880, and
burned down. o. L. and II. s. Clyde,
of the town of Swan River, have porta-
BILE steam saw mill that they move easily
from place to place and saw lumber to
suit the convenience Of parties.
Hon. Moses Lafond has recently set up
circular saw for saving all kinds of lumber,
driving the same by the engine that runs the
planning mill belonging to Messrs. White &
Bullard, in Little Falls. He has but recently
commenced to turn out lumber, and so far ap-
pears to do good work. A party by the name
of Smith contemplates putting up a saw mill
just below the forks of Little Elk river. I
AM not able to ascertain how he is succeed
ing with the enterprise. 1t is an improve
ment much needed in that partof the county,
which is rapidly settling up. With the saw
mills that we now have running in the county
person would naturally suppose that the
demands for lumber would be amply supplied,
but such does not appear to be the case, as
considerable lumber is imported into the
county, and think none is exported except
from Motley.
As early as 1857 T. Elwell erected, a saw
mill far up on the Skunk river, in section II,
town Al, range 29.,. It lasted only about three
years, when he abandoned it, removing what
was worth taking away. i
While the county is tolsrably we'll supplied
with saw mills it is suffering greatly on ac-
count Of the lack of first class grist mills.
Those now running are but three in number,
the one T have mentioned on the Platte river
owned by Gravel & Goulet-one on the south
Two Rivers, near the mouth, owned by Capt.
R. B. Young, which is dping good business
and one owned by Joseph Casper and run
in connection with his saw mill on Skunk
brook, before mentioned. Another grist mill
is being constructed on the Swan river, near
its mouth, by X. S. Getchell. 1t is already
we'll under way, and will likely be running
this season. Still there is room for more grist
mills. When we contemplate the fact that the
wheat grown in this county is nearly all
bought up and shipped away because there
are no mills to grind it, and the bulk of the
-four used by the people of the county has to
be shipped in from outside points, which adds
to the cost of first class flour at least two dol
lars per barrel in excess Of what people have
to pay who live in localities that have ample
| facilities for manufacturing -four, the fact
that we are in need of more Touring mills is
clearly apparent. For illustration, during
the past year the same quality of flour that
was selling for five dollars per barrel in Min
neapolis, where large quantities of -four for
shipping is manufactured, cost at least seven
dollars per barrel here. well remember
| when living in Michigan, nearly thirty years
ago, the millers were glad to exchange -four
for wheat at the rate of FIVE bushels Of wheat
for one barrel of flour as good as the quality
of wheat exchanged for would make. In
this county or section Of country it requires at
least seven bushels of wheat to purchase a
barrel Of flour, unless you have the wheat to
get ground as grist. Other places on the
frontier labor under the same disadvantages
to greater Or less extent, nearly always
having to pay exorbitant prices for what they
have to purchase until capital and compet-
ton increase sufficiently to bring things down
to a legitimate basis. Notwithstanding those
disadvantages and hardships, suffered by pio-
neer settlers, it is on the whole better for q
man of moderate means to leave the old and
populous countries and 60 to the frontier,
where he can get land cheap and grow up
with the country. This county has now be-
come so far developed and we'll settled as to
induce capitalists to come in and supply the
wants and necessities of the people at reason
able rates.. SO the people may consider their
darkest days passed. ..,.. 81. +
To be continued