St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-26


ciated by the citizens of the state al
large, many Of whom, like their Eastern
cousins. think that the North Star state
is almost purely agricultural like Iowa
Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas
This impression, so far from the truth
is confined to the western and south
western counties of the state, where
farming and stOck-raisIng are the prin-
cipal occupations. In the Eastern states
however, there is very general idea thai
Minnesota is q prairie state with neither
manufactures nor mining. The recent
rapid development of the mining inter
eStS i'll the northeastern counties has
served to remove this impression III all
mountaineering centerS, but this
industry is yet in its infancy, While there
are many others that have grown with
the state, and are now giving employ
ment to thousands of men, and yet are
hardly known to the people. Minnesota
is really, at the present time, one of the
greatest manufacturing states in the
West. and is destined TO become one OF
the principal centerS of manufacturing
in the whole Union in the future. In
no other state are there to be found
raw materials of so many kinds, capa-
bic of being turned into manufactured
goods, demanded by the country imme-
diately tributary, at a low cost. Her
timber is OF the finest quality. of all va
Tieties and almost iueXhauStlble. Stone
quaTreS that can never be worked out
will afford the finest kind of building
stone for the StOnecutter. GRANTEES OF
all cOlOrS, SandStOneS Of all kinds and
several varieties of limestoneS are
found scattered through the state.
This industry, although it has been
worked for many years, is yet in Its
infancy. Flax raised in great quanti-
ties affords an unlimited amount of fax
fiber, up to the present time altogether
wasted. The manufacture of flour. al
ready wonderfully developed, is capable
Of indefinite extension, and the time is
not far distant when nearly the entire
wheat crop of the Northwest Will be
mllled in Minnesota. These are but
Few OFthe Industries
already developed in the state, and are
but small proportion Of those that Of
fer unlimited opportunities for eXpan-
sion in the future.
Manufacturing in Minnesota began
when the first settlers came to the state.
They found awaiting them vast forests,
noble rivers and the greatest waterfalls
III the country, thus atfOrding cheap
and easily developed power with which
to turn the wheels of mills of all kinds
Attention was, OF course, at first turned
TO the manufacture of those things
needed by the settlers in a new country,
and lumber and -four mills Sprang into
existence: and when the state. or rather
territory. was without railroad cOnnec-
tionS with the outside world she was
saving lumber and grinding flour for
export. Next came WOODEN mills,
which in early days were
operated with great success, and are
again being started all over the state
The falls of st. Anthony being close to
the head Of navigation on the MiSsiSSip-
pi, were first improved and the power
utilized by factories in all lines named
above, lumber, flour and WOODEN man
ufactuTng. The building of railroads
and the settlement of the country, how
ever, has caused the Improvement and
utilization Of the magnificent water falls
at Little Falls, Fergus Falls, Cloquet.
st. Cloud, Red Lake Falls, Sank Rap
ids, Redwood Falls, Grand Rapids. Poke
CANA Falls, Thief River Falls, and at a
number of other towns where the power,
though not so great, is yet sufficient to
run one or two mills the year around
There is one quality possessed by the
water powers of Minnesota that is OF
great moment and to be found
in no other state. 1t is the
quality Of steadiness and uni
form supply. No disastrous floods
ever come to sweep away property and
no doubt ever causes them to yield al
insufficient supply of water. This is
due to the fact that the rivers are fed by
lakes that act as
Great Reservoirs,
giving out a uniform and steady amount
of water. The fact that all of these
water powers have been deyelopeC
shows their value and importance.
The purpose OF this article is to cal
attention to the great opportunities
afforded for all kinds of manufacturing
in Minnesota. To do this it is only
necessary to show the great natural adj
YantageS of the state and the progress
that has been made in manufacturing
up to the present time. This can be
done most easily by showing:
First-What has been done in the way
of manufacturing; and
SecOnd-What can be done in the
same line i'll the future.
In the first place, too great stress can
not be laid upon the fact that Mime
sofa is naturally the distributing state
for the great empire to the north anC
west of her. Her location at the heaC
of the Great Lakes. the Zenith
City being the farthest inland poin
that can be reached by ocean commerce
and at the head of navigation
on the Mississippi, give the Stat,
an advantage from CONNER
cial standpoint that cannot bl
Overestimated. The advantage ha,
been improved by the wholesale inter
estS OF Minnesota, until at the presen
time the Twin Cities are the supply
points of the entire country tributary
to them. And there is no reason WHY
these same great advantages cannot b.
turned TO the same advantage by manu-
featuring industries located in the state
But what is being done in the way O
manufacturing in Minnesota?
Taking the manufacture of lumbe
first, as it is the oldest great industr,
of the state, the most circumscribed re
view will surprise every one unac
Quainted with it.
The Lumber Output.
In 1890 Minneapolis alone manufact
ured no less than 44,574, 362 feet O
lumber. and this years output Of thu
Mill City will exceed 360,0OO,O00. A
WinOna probably 1C0,OOO,0OO feet hav
been cut this year; Cloquet has sawer
at least 75,000,O00 feet; Duluth an
points near by over 100, 200, 600 feet; Lit
tie Falls, G0.OOO,OOO feet; Brainerd
50,000,0O0 feet; Saltwater, at leas
100,000.000 feet, and CrOokstol
probably 100000 feet. In ad
ditiOn to these great centers of lumbe
manufacturing there are mills at Re
Lake Falls. Elk River, st. Cloud, Sau
Center. AuOka. Red Wing and man
other places. The timber demanded t
keep these mills in operation is all Gu
in the state, and requires an army O
men in the woods alone to cut the logs
This being done principally in winte
when the mills cannot run. affords EN-
ployment 10 the mill operatives for The
season the mills are closed.
The second great industry of the stat
is the grinding of the wheat produce
by the surrounding country into -four
Nearly every town and village in tn
state has one or more large FIGURING
mills. and that business has alread
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