, 1881-10-15
A Monument TO the Enterprise OF
Messrs. 4. A. PillSbury A
Co.. the PrOprietOrS.
And a Just Source of Pride 10
the Citizens OF Mime.
apOlis.
A Business that has Hardly an
Equal i'm the Country. Mounting
up TO Millions uPOn Mill
lions Yearly.
Work for the RailroadS...2.OO Car
Loads Of Freight a Day fur.
niShed them by the Firm.
Other Facts Of Importance which
CalMet Fail to Interest the
statesman" Readers


Statesman" Readers
Hon. GEORGE \. PILLSECRY.
Among the Willard party Is 4 man whose
name in what was once the far northwest
is as ''proyerbial in their mouths as house.
hold words, as the following resame OF the
career of his family will plainly show:
The city OF Minneapolis has obtained
worldwide fame within the past two years
as great manufacturing center. The pro-
duct of It's mills and factories, which may
now be found all through this country and
Europe have given it i reputation as pro-
gressive and growing city which is second to
none on the continent Its prosperity rests
on its great water power which is universally
acknowledged to be the greatest in the world
which has been put to practical use.
Among its many industri's the manutac-
ture OF -four stands pre-eminent. Around
the Falls of St. Anthony have sprung into
life within the past few years gigantic bus
mess unequalled in its extent on the globe.
II has led 10 the erection Of nam moth mills,
70 the expenditure of vast sums OF money
and to the concentration of SO much wealth
in given line, that the millers Of Mime
apolis, 10 large extent, control the iour in-
terests of the country. As Illustrative of
this development the Pioneer Press has
taken single firm whose history as given
below viii read more ike a chapter from the
Arabian Nights entertainment than actual
truth as it really is. We refer to the well
known establishment of
CHARLES 4. PILLSBURY K CO,
Ia the year 1862 Mr. {. A. Pillsbury
reached Minneapolis, and shortly after pur-
chased an interest in what Sas known as the
Minneapolis mill, the other members OF
the firm being Messrs Gardner < Croker.
There were at this time few small mills al
the Falls, the largest manufacturing 600 bar
re!s day, which was considered marvel OF
size and capacity. Nom of the mills pre-
tended to make anything but the old fash
ioned -four. The wheat was rushed through
the milisioles as fast as possible, hastily
bolted and turned On to the market without
regards to its looks or quality. Minneapolis
-four AT this time ste cd the
LOWEST N THE STAFF,
And Minnesota flour in general had poor
reputation abroad. Northfeld, Duudas.
Hastings and other points had a better rep
utation for their prOduct than this city, and
the outlook was certainly not very encour-
aging The Minneapolis" mill, IN which
Mr.. Pillsbury was interested, was enc of the
same class as the rest. 1t did not have a
single modern Improvement III it. Old-fash-
ioned mills:ones, old.fashioned bolts and
oId-fashioned machinery were used, and
nearly half the wheat went into the refuse
instead of into the -four barrel From 20O
to 800 barrels day were made here, which
sold from 81 To S3 less per barrel than the
At this time white winter wheat was worth
10 cents more per bush.l, and red winter p
cents more than our own spriug wheat,
which to-day stands the highest of any in
| the n,arket-thanks to the invention of the
midilings purifier Shortly after this Mr.
! PilIsbury, in connection with his father, Mr..
Geo. A. Pillsbury, and his uncle, John s.,
the present governor OF the state, purchased
what was known as the
TAYLOR MILL,
Atwhich time the present firm Of Chas a.
Pillsbury & Co., was formed, while later, iii
1877. Fred c., brother OF Chas. A, was
admitted TO the firm This mill, Ike the
others. was old-fashioned. 1t had capac
ity. however, of 800 barrels, and it vas con-
silered at the time pr5tty respectable mill,
both IN size aud capacity. Shortly after
this cIme the invention "f
THE MIDDLINGS PURIFIER,
Which reyolutiouized the business Of max
ing -four, an,lrgave to Minneapolis her first
prestige in line which has since made her
famous the whole world over. This was in
a process of purifying the " "middl'ngs" Of
wheat as they are called, or Of separating
the starch and bran from the kernel, and
leaving the gluten in the form OF coarse grain
ike meal. to be reground by themselves into
what Is now called patent flour. The new
firm were among the first TO introduce 1t into
their two mills, and although the new ma
chimes were crude and imperfect, yet the i'm
movement in ;he -four was very marked. 1t
was the beginning OF the improvements
which at length placed Minneapolis at the
heal of the market in -four. These improve
ments were most OF them perfected In the
piIlsbury and WashbGrl mills, the latter
thn operated BY Geo. H. Christian & Co.,
and it was not long before every mil in the
northwest which gr4und spring wheat had
its order in for mere or less of the machines.
Minnesota flour at once came into demand,
and among those who shared in the benefits
II the advance we're tie Messrs. Pillsbury.
Their four a. once took a prominent place
in the market, and orders poured In faster
thsu their capacity to fl. although they
were manufacturing at this time from 5Ol
TO GOO barrels per day, and ere many month;
Z rolled by they had the satisfaction OF seeing
hand nnnr..fi in New York above the
/ choicest makes OF Michigan and ST. Louis.
r Right here, in just, ,,e TO the Messrs. Pills
bury., Wsshburn, Christian and others II
/ Minneapolis, we wish to
J MAKE DIGRESSIoS-
If it had not teen for the Improvement
made BY them In the manufacture OF sPr'nl