The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-30
WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT
OF A GRAIN MARKET
HOW MINNEAPOLIS
REACHED FIRST PLACE

Although the receipts OF the year III
which the Chamber of Commerce was or
ganized were over 16,00O,0 900 bushels, Min
neapolis was not recognized as one Of the
wheat markets of the world. The press
news associations refused to transmit
Minneapolis quotations, and the New
Fork Produce Exchange refused to rec
ognize Minneapolis by giving it's stock of
wheat place in the '3Visible Supply In
fact. it was not until 1885, after persist
ent efforts on the part Of the Minneapolis
Chamber Of Commerce, that the New York
Produce Exchange was induced to send
a committee to Minneapolis to investigate
the citys claims to being a market. The
New Workers went back entirely satisfied
with what they saw and Minneapolis has
ever since had a prominent place in the
wheat statistics of the world.
Looking back, it seems almost lncred-
ible that this condition of affairs should
have existed right up to the very time
that Minneapolis became the greatest pri-
mary wheat market of the world. 1t was
a case Of unparalleled western growth
which could not be credited by eastern
people. The receipts Of wheat In Mime
apolis in 1885 surpassed Chicago, Duluth
Superior, New York, Milwaukee, Kansas
since that year, has any other primary
market come anywhere near the Mime
apolis volume Of trade. Chicago is not
strictly primary wheat market, but Min
neapolis receipts exceed Chicago's by
many million bushels annually, and in
1902 were more than double those of Chi
cago; for in that year Minneapolis received
8S,762,12o bushels, against 37,e40,953 at
one of the most Interesting phases Of
the grain trade has been the development
Of the system Of handling and storing
grain When wheat first came to Mime
apolis it travelled in ordinary bags, after
Of Olden time, But in
creasing volume of business made it nee
essary to handle the grain In bulk and to
provide bulk storage at the Minneapolis
railroad terminals. This demand was
first felt directly after the war, when the
railroads began to bring in wheat in GUAM
tity; and to meet 1t the first elevator IN
Minneapolis was erected In 1857 at Wash
tngton and Ninth avenues S. This eleva
tor had a capacity of 100000 bushels and
was built by the Union Elevator company,
! of which w. w. Eastman was the head.
| In the following year the Pacific elevator
was built at Washington and Fourth ave-
nues N, by w. F. Davidson. 1t was q
small house of only s5, 900 bushels capa-
city, but 1t did great business. In one
OF those early years it handled million
bushels Of wheat-nearly twelve times its
capacity.
When, in 1879, elevator a." belonging
! to the Minneapolis Elevator company, was
OullC at CneStIuL avenue OH the 1redL
Northern railway, it was regarded as an
event OF the utmost Importance. The ca
pacity Of this house was 100000 bushels,
and 1t was the largest elevator west Of
Chicago. To-day it seems but a pigmy
beside some Of the modern elevators. Dur
! ing the following year; the Pillsbury ele-
vator was built on the East Side, and in
1881 the old Central elevator at Western
avenue and Holden street was put up.
! These were among the leading elevators
up to the time Of the organization Of the
Minneapolis Chamber Of Commerce. To
follow the building since 1881 would re-
quire very long chapter. With the rapid
development Of business in the early eigh-
ties which has been sketched elsewhere
| elevator building went on with startling
rapidity. At the close Of 1886 the city
boasted an elevator capacity of 9,515, ,O0(
bushels. In 1890 the capacity was 1876,
600 bushels; and it is now over $4,000, ,oo(
bushels.
| The complete list Of elevators in the city
at the present time is as follows:
ELEVATORS UNDER CHAMBER OF COM
| MERGE RULES,