Pelican Rapids in Otter Tail County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Mill Stones

October 24, 2024

1. Mill Stones Marker

Inscription. Used by flour and grist mills for grinding all kinds of grains. Taken from the old Spring Creek grist mill built by P. S. Peabody about 1872 and later operated by Frank LaCross. Use of mill stones was discontinued about 1881. The mill was in Sec. 2, Scambler Twp.

Erected 1946.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.

Location. 46° 34.82′ N, 96° 5.008′ W. Marker is in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, in Otter Tail County. It is on County Highway 9 north of U.S. 59, on the right when traveling north. Located at the Pelican Rapids Village Historical Marker Wayside area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pelican Rapids MN 56572, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Land We're On (here, next to this marker); Pelican Rapids Village (within shouting distance of this marker); Mill Pond Suspension Bridge (approx. 0.7 miles away); Arrival of the Railroad at Pelican Rapids (approx. 0.7 miles away); The World's Largest Pelican (approx. ¾ mile away); Pelican Rapids (approx. ¾ mile away); Minnesota Woman (approx. 2½ miles away); Churches & Cemeteries (approx. 3.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pelican Rapids.

Also see . . . Pelican Rapids Village Historical Marker - MNDOT Historic Roadside Structures Inventory (PDF). Excerpt:

"Two millstones were used to grind grain. The lower one was stationary and was called the bedder. The upper stone, called the runner, was driven by the large water wheel. Grain was poured into a bin, then flowed onto a moving belt with cups or buckets, was carried to the top of a chute, and then slid down a pipe into a hole in the center of the top millstone. The millstones had patterns of grooves (called furrows) cut into them, and when the top millstone turned, the furrows
October 24, 2024

2. Mill Stones & Marker
crushed the grain between the stones. The ground grain then flowed through the lower millstone, down a chute, and into a bin."

(Submitted on November 18, 2024.)

October 24, 2024

3. Mill Stones Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2024. This page has been viewed 167 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 18, 2024.