Craigie Flour Mill

Craigie Flour Mill. Historical Marker. , Marking the Past , This wayside honors the Craigie Flour Mill, the first flour and grist mill in Otter Tail County, built by James Craigie, a Scottish immigrant. Craigie built the mill near this spot in 1870 along Balmoral Creek, which still flows nearby. At the time of the mill's operation, the creek had been dammed into a mill pond to provide power, but has since reverted to a narrower course., The mill formed the nucleus of the small settlement of Balmoral, which at various times included the Craigie farmstead and mill, a hotel, a store, resort cottages, and a dance hall. The mill was razed in the 1930s., The Rise of Auto Tourism , By the 1920s cars had become affordable to the middle class. Otter Tail County had become a popular recreational destination during this time due to its lakes, woods, and rolling hills. As auto tourism became increasingly popular, the Minnesota Department of Highways (now MnDOT) built wayside rests like this one at places of historic importance or scenic beauty., Summer tourist traffic led this section of State Highway 78 to be paved in 1937 and a historical marker was first erected on this site in the spring of 1939. This original marker included a 3' by 5' white steel sight with black lettering and stood just off the shoulder of the highway (see left). Standing next to the sign were an original millstone and an iron water wheel, both from the Craigie Mill. The marker was dedicated on June 25, 1939 during a meeting of the Otter Tail County Historical Society attended by more than 2,000 people. The water wheel is incorporated into the historic stone marker that stands here today, while the millstones are reconstructions., By December of 1939 the Minnesota Highway Department (MHD) had approved plans for the much more elaborate marker and wayside you see here today, built the following year in 1940. This wayside offered travelers a safe place to rest, picnic, and learn about a point of local historical interest., Did You Know? , The Craigie Flour Mill Historical Marker was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003!, Captions: , Above: Existing bronze plaque mounted on stone marker. , Right: Arthur Nichols, landscape architect., Original 1939 steel marker with water wheel and millstone. , Site of original marker with store and dance hall in background. , Craigie Flour Mill Historical Marker, circa 1940s. , Site of Craigie Flour Mill Historical Marker with State Highway 78 visible in the foreground, circa 1940s., Depression -Era Roadside Development , The wayside and stone marker that exist here today were constructed in 1940 by young men employed by the National Youth Administration (NYA). New Deal era work programs like the NYA helped lift Americans out of poverty and relieve unemployment during the Great Depression, while also teaching workers valuable skills that could lead to a future vocation., The site and marker were designed by Arthur R. Nichols. Nichols (1880-1970) was a prominent and prolific Minnesota landscape architect and a leading figure in the roadside development movement both within Minnesota and nationwide., For more information about this and other Historic Roadside Properties throughout Minnesota, please visit: mndot.gov/roadside/historic