The Archibald Mill was a water-powered gristmill complex, now reduced to ruins, on the Cannon River in Dundas , Minnesota , United States . The mill was founded in 1857 and expanded with a second mill across the river in 1870. It was the first U.S. mill to produce and market patent flour, and its "Dundas Straight" was once considered the best flour in the country. The Archibald Mill is associated with the introduction of hard spring wheat to Minnesota, and was one of the nation's first outfits to convert fully into a roller mill . The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its national significance in commerce, industry, and flour milling.
7-591: Today only the foundation of the 1857 mill remains, while the ruins of the 1870 mill stand on the river's edge near a trailhead for the Mill Towns Trail . The first mill in Dundas was built by cousins John Sidney (J.S.) Archibald and George Archibald on the east bank of the Cannon River in late 1857. At the time, the Cannon River had only one channel in Dundas and an 1860 flood caused a split, routing water further east of
14-573: The fire was $ 30,000, partially covered by insurance. After the 1914 fire, the Archibald Mill was rebuilt for the final time and later partially destroyed in the early 1930s. Mill Towns Trail The Mill Towns State Trail is a multi-use trail in development along the Cannon River in Minnesota , United States. Currently a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) rail trail linking Northfield and Dundas ,
21-461: The line for a few years after the CGW merger, but abandoned it in the early 1970s. The Union Pacific Railroad then took over the line from Faribault to Northfield, while the local Progressive Railroad took over the line from Northfield to Cannon Falls. The trail was built as a joint effort of the cities of Northfield and Dundas in 1998. In 2000, it became a state trail . The trail is expected to close
28-472: The mill and creating an island, which still exists today. Across the river was a sawmill, built in 1856 and purchased by the Archibalds for use in constructing their mill. Wooden dams on both channels controlled water flow. The mill used the most current technology available and produced flour of a fine quality. Called EXTRA, the flour was sold for $ 1 or $ 2 more per barrel than other local flours. A second mill
35-665: The trail is planned to extend southward to Faribault and eastward to Cannon Falls . The rail line was surveyed in the late 1870s between Red Wing and Waterville though construction did not begin until 1882 by the Central Railway Company of Minnesota under the management of A. B. Stickney . Stickney was head of the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad which would later become the Chicago Great Western Railway in 1891. The route from Red Wing to Waterville
42-424: Was built in 1870 on the west bank of the west channel. In 1879 the original mill was completely remodeled. A Hungarian roller system was added and it produced better quality flour at an increased rate. On December 31, 1892, both mills caught fire and burned. The Archibalds sold the site to the owners of the local grain elevator, who rebuilt the mills. A rebuilt mill burned on November 19, 1914. The monetary loss of
49-648: Was completed in 1882, and the route from Waterville to Mankato, Minnesota, was completed in 1887. By 1889, the line had been renamed Wisconsin, Minnesota & Pacific and was under the trusteeship of the Rock Island railroad. The Rock Island sold the WM&;P to the Chicago Great Western in the mid-1890s which operated the line until 1968 when the CGW was merged in to the Chicago & Northwestern . The C&NW operated
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