The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26
Line Storage Capacity Over 100000 Bushels.

the st. Anthony Falls Mater Power
company; Farnlaam & Lovejoy, Todd,
Connors, Gaines & Co.. Merrinlan,
BarroWs & Co, and Levi Butler. The
annual output was about l. 100000
feet, all Of which was RATED down the
river, some Of it as far as St. Louis.
''Some of the mills said Mr.. De-
Laittre, had their sluiees as far down
the river. as the, front of the state
university campus. we had only Two
lines of railway here in 1878, as !
now ren1e1n Der, the Milwaukee,, which
had built a branch up from MENDOZA,
and the st. Paul & Pacific. which ran
to st. Cloud. We never thought that
at the most we should ever have more
than about three lines Of railway. ana
quite naturally we looked to the river
as means Of transportation.
'1t is queer how wrong the, ideas
of some people are. We did not sup
pose that there was any. danger that
the lumber supply would ever be ex-
hausted. We thought the quantities
were practically without limit, and that
Minneapolis would be lumber city,
chiefly, for Very many years: Fhat It
was to become the greatest flour mill
those other things which In later
years have made it famous did not
occur to US III 1873.
| Mr.. DeLaittre came to Minneapolis
in S65, after the close Of. the war. = He
had previously lived for fifteen years
in California, but true to his New Eng
land ancestry. he returned to that sec
ton for a wife. After the wedding
his wife's relatives, several Of whom
were in Minneapolis, prevailed upon
him to come here, and SO he. came,
largely as an experiment, for the ceun-
try was new to him.: and he had his
doubts about it's future. Before he
/ had been here aweek several }1mpor-
tant facts impressed him., and com
trolled his future action. He looked
at the great water power, he. learned
about the great forests of white pine,
the great fields, even: then; being soWn
to wheat, and made up his mind that
an important city would grow up
Earonnd the. falls, and that he would
do well to cast his lot with those who
were then struggling to give the city
a start, AS with al the other young
and energetic men OF that day, he
never has had occasion to regret the
choice which he then made.
There were a, great many fires In
the early days in the sawnaiMS district
and gradually as old mills on the falls
were burned, new ones were built far
ther I'D the river. The first attempt
to secure fire protection came thru
these mill fires, some OF which were in
1873 and the years Immediately be-
Tore and after. w. w. EaSIpan put
in a private pump, Holley rotary, at
the old Cataract -four mill. It was
Impossible to secure iron pipes for
mains, and SO wooden mains, sup
ported by iron bands, We're laid thru
| the mill district. One of these wood
EN- mains came up town, a consider
liable distance into First street. They
Wlthstood forty to fifty pounds pres
sure, and were better than no mains
at all. This was the beginning Of the
Minneapolis water system In 1873 it
had not gone very far beyond the
times of the old wooden mains and
the Iiolley pump owned by private in
dfviduals.
I At about the time T he Journal
was founded continued Mr.. De-
Laittre, there was a lumber yard at
Third street and Nicollet avenue, in
some low nnarsay ground. After ev-
cry rain the low places would fill with
water, aud remember that the SMALL
boys of that time made RATS from