The Story of Phelps Mill

The Story of Phelps Mill. . The history of milling in rural Minnesota is embodied in the story of Phelps Mill. By the late 1800's flour was in such demand that nearly 1,000 mills were operating throughout the state. Farmers and millers were suppliers for a world market., This site was purchased in 1886 by William E. Thomas. Thomas, who owned and operated a flour and feed business in Fergus Falls, considered the property a choice location for a power dam. Construction of the dam began in 1887, but not until December 1889 did the Maine Roller Mills begin operations., The mill was designed for a capacity of 60-75 barrels a day and was arranged to make patent, straight, baker's and low grade flour. The mill had considerable success. In 1895 Thomas built an addition for the grinding of buckwheat and rye. More space and machinery was necessary as the amount of wheat ground jumped from 23,000 bushels in 1892 to 44,000 bushels in 1894., After the turn of the century, steam, gasoline and electricity, powered mills more cheaply and reliably than water. Railroads provided shipping over great distances making rural mills obsolete. Phelps Mill decline steadily after World War I and finally closed in 1939., The surviving mill became a symbol of the old rural life. Geneva Tweten, a seamstress and local activist, led a campaign to save the neglected mill. In 1965 the county purchased the mill and surrounding land as a recreational site. Today it stands as one of the county's landmarks, a reminder of an important time in our local history., Phelps Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.