The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-29

When Sam" the falsetto voiced brake
man on one of the Minneapolis & st. Louis
lake trains rushes into the coaches and
yells "Minnetonka Mills strangers
naturally gaze out of the windows expect
ing to catch a glimpse of the buildings
which have given the name to the sta
ton. They see only a Struggling village,
but there is no sound OF rushing stream,
no whir of machinery. and no mill. Be
tween the track and a handsome country
house standing on elevated ground at the
left, close to the station. narrow brook
winds its way, in summer time, dividing
the beautiful lawn which marks the spot
where the millpond once reflected sur
rounding objects and the mler's sons
took their first lessons in the art of swim
ming. The stream disappears under q
WOODEN bridge at the extreme right. find
Ing its way out through the open sluice of
the dam. that in the old time used to bar
its progress and thereby diminish the flow
of water over Minnehaha Falls. d..
o., The dam and a small brick building
close by. are the only vestiges of the
famous Minnetonka Mills. and even these
are lacking in historical interest because
they are comparatively modern structures
which replaced primitive ones. It is
hardly conceivable at this time that for
many months the little mill there was all
aggressive competitor Of the st. Anthony
saw mills and turned out as much lumber
as was sawed on the Minnea polls side of
the river. In the old government mill. In
1854 work was begun on the first suspen-
sion bridge that spanned the river where
the steel arch now bridges the stream to
Nicollet island. The tiubers that went
INTO the towers were all sawed at Mime
tonka Mills.
Strange Choice of Site
An odd thing it is that a man who had
lived a year close to the great Falls of
st. Anthony should have been the builder
on the mill. However. there " as a chance
out on Minnehaha creek for the invest
ment OF a small amount Of capital and
IN the other case he would have had to
compete with the water power companies
that even then were in possession Of most
OF the power at ST. Anthony Falls. So
Simon Stevens and his partner. Calvin A.
futile built their little mill twelve miles
away from the larger power in 1851 and
the former settled down there as A landed
proprietor.
Simon Stevens, who is a brother of the
late Colonel John II. Stevens and is still
enjoying good health in his humble home
at Clearwater. Mimi. followed mis- brother
hlsher from Canada. arriving Nov. |. 1850
about a year after the colonel had built
what is now known as the first house In
Minneapolis. At that time Captain John
Tapper. who is still hale hearty and
youthful old gentleman. was running a.
Steele-between the Minneapolis that was
10 be and Nico1let island, and it was with
him that Simon Stevens found employ
1nent. Stevens and Calvin A. Tuttle an
experienced millbuilder. shared the dis
tinction Of being the first white persons
to make the exact location of Lake Mime
tonka known to the world and were prob
ably the first ones who travelled very far
over Its surface. Ever since Fort Smell
ing was built In 1919. the presence Of a
large body of water. away to the west of
the post, had been known to the officers,
but 1t Is not known that they visited it.,
e!s 1t was generally supposed to be fifty
miles away. Simon Stevens heard from
the Indians of the great lake which even
at that time bore it's present title Mime
tonka Big Water and although he was
laughed at for being so credulous. believed
the story and determined to visit it. FIo in
formed futile Of It's proximity. futile was
older than Stevens and more experienced
explorer and they decided to find the lake
If 1t was not more than fifty or sixty miles
distant.
Tour Of Discovery.
They started from Colonel Stevens
house one morning in the late fall Of
1851 fully equipped and in a few hours after
leaving the colonel's f1reside reached the
shore of Minnetonka and gazed out upor
It's frozen surface which stretched away
from where they stood, at the present en-
trance of Gray's lake, to Big Island
They crossed the lake ON the ice to tn:
island. camped there that night and TIL,