The building in the first photo is the Turbine House of the Queen Bee Mill. This mill used the power of falling water to grind flour using the first steel milling machines in the Midwest. The existence of this mill lead to the founding of the town of Sioux Falls. A number of local farmers wanted to build a large mill, but they lacked funding for this project. They pitched their business plan to a Minneapolis bank to secure a loan. The bankers were concerned about adequate water flow in the river to power a mill, especially through the dry summer months, so they sent a bank representative to Sioux Falls to observe the river in August. Local farmers knew that flow needed to be increased to impress the banker, so they built a dam up stream and released the water just as the banker went to view the falls. Water poured over the falls. The banker was impressed and the farmers got their loan. Unfortunately the Queen Bee Mill only operated for two years due to two problems. First, there were not enough local wheat growers to supply the mill, and second, the Big Sioux River lacked enough water to keep the mill running during the dry summer months. So the City of Sioux Falls was founded on fraud and deception, but the city prospered as it became a rail road center.
Great picture and history. I really enjoy photographing old buildings and ruins too. It's especially nice learning a little about the history of this place as well. Sioux Falls has done well despite the deception. I hope you have some additional pictures of this site.
ReplyDeleteWhat a funny story. It shows that the shenanigans of our politicians have a long and colorful history. It's also interesting that the turbine house is still standing.
ReplyDeleteA great tale! The story of America right here . . . entrepreneurship, a little fraud, paying the piper and succeeding despite ourselves.
ReplyDeleteSo it also happens over there? I have always thought that we were the champions of things like these!
ReplyDeleteFunny story. An other thing is funny : the big stone building disappeared , and the small wooden one is still there..
ReplyDeleteThe 7 story mill building made of stone burned in a spectacular fire in 1956. All that remains are the stones from the first floor. I suspect the wooden part of the small turbine building is a reconstruction.
DeleteGreat story!
ReplyDeleteYou tell us an interesting story...
ReplyDeleteI like your photo and the comparison with the old one!
Interesting piece of history, and I love the images that go with it.
ReplyDeleteThe man responsible was Richard F. Pettigrew, a land developer, attorney, and the first U.S. Senator from South Dakota. The mill cost over a million dollars to build in 1879-80, and milled flour in 1881-1882 before going bankrupt. The water turbine produced over 800 horsepower to run this state of the art mill capable of producing 1,200 barrels of flour per day. That's why it didn't take long to run out of locally grown hard red spring wheat.
ReplyDelete