Mill

26 photos · 2009–2025

26 photographs tagged Mill, 2009–2025.

Pillsbury A-Mill on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, with its rooftop flour sign above the former mill complex. — The Pillsbury A-Mill stands on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, with its rooftop “Pillsbury’s Best Flour” sign visible above the former milling complex. Completed in 1881, the mill was a major part of the flour industry that grew around nearby St. Anthony Falls, where water power drove large-scale grain processing. The brick industrial buildings are seen alongside newer residential towers and the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, showing the mix of historic industry, research facilities, and redevelopment along the riverfront.

Green Bay Packaging's modern paper mill on the Fox River in Wisconsin emits steam plumes into the winter night sky. — Green Bay Packaging's recycled paper mill sits along the Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company completed this containerboard mill in 2021, replacing an older facility and consolidating production into a single advanced plant designed to cut water and energy use. The mill produces recycled containerboard used in corrugated packaging, drawing on the company's long history as a family-owned packaging manufacturer based in Green Bay. Steam from its process operations is a routine byproduct of papermaking, generated by the heat required to pulp and dry recycled fiber into new board.

Colorful graffiti murals cover brick walls inside the abandoned Fruen Mill in Minneapolis. — Inside the long abandoned Fruen Mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Fruen Mill is a historic industrial complex along Bassett Creek in Minneapolis. William H. Fruen established a workshop at the site in 1872, manufacturing screws and waterwheel governors, and began milling grain using water power in 1894. The business grew into a major cereal producer and was among the earliest manufacturers of breakfast cereals in Minneapolis. A fire destroyed the original mill and workshop in 1920, and much of the surviving complex dates from the rebuilding that followed. The mill was eventually sold to ConAgra in 1971 and ceased operations, leaving the complex as one of the remaining landmarks of the industrial history of Bassett Creek. (

Abandoned Fruen Mill grain elevator in Minneapolis shows deteriorated wooden floors and graffitied concrete structures from above. — Fruen Mill sits along Bassett Creek near Van White Memorial Boulevard in Minneapolis, built in the 1870s by William Fruen to grind flour and later feed. The mill operated for roughly a century before closing, and the property has stood vacant for decades since. Fire has since gutted sections of the structure, leaving charred timbers and collapsed decking exposed to the elements. Over the years the abandoned mill has drawn graffiti artists and urban explorers, its concrete surfaces layered with tags and murals. The site remains privately owned and undeveloped, a holdover industrial ruin within the city's Bassett Creek corridor.

Graffitied metal staircase inside the abandoned Fruen Mill grain elevator in Minneapolis. — Fruen Mill sits along Bassett's Creek in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis, one of the city's earlier flour-milling operations before larger mills along the Mississippi took over the industry. The building has stood vacant for decades and has become a well-known spot for graffiti writers and urban explorers, its interior stairwells and landings layered with decades of paint.

Rear loading entrance of the former General Mills Purity Oats plant in Northeast Minneapolis, illuminated at night. — This view shows the rear loading and office entrance of the former General Mills Purity Oats facility in Northeast Minneapolis. Built during the city’s industrial boom, the complex once handled oat processing and packaging for one of the nation’s largest cereal producers.

General Mills Purity Oats facility storefront at 1201 Jackson Street NE in Northeast Minneapolis. — General Mills Purity Oats Facility, Minneapolis, at 1201 Jackson Street NE. The former industrial building in Northeast Minneapolis was part of General Mills’ grain and cereal processing operations.

Tracks at Archer Daniels Midland Elevator — Train tracks outside the long abandoned massive concrete Archer-Daniels-Midland Delmar Elevator No. 7 in Minneapolis. Known locally as the "United Crushers" mill after the large tag visible from miles away.

Archer Daniels Midland Delmar Elevator No 7 — The long abandoned massive concrete Archer-Daniels-Midland Delmar Elevator No. 7 in Minneapolis. Known locally as the "United Crushers" mill after the large tag visible from miles away.

Nicolet Mill, a brick paper manufacturing facility, sits on the Fox River in De Pere, Wisconsin. — The Nicolet Mill traces its roots to 1904, when the Nicolet Paper Company began producing specialty papers along the Fox River in De Pere. The site became part of Ahlstrom-Munksjö after a 2017 merger between Finland's Munksjö and France's Ahlstrom Corporation, and it continues to manufacture specialty papers, including release liners and other technical grades. De Pere sits within the Fox River Valley, a stretch of Wisconsin once known as "Paper Valley" for having one of the highest concentrations of paper mills per mile anywhere in the world, powered by the river's series of locks and dams. The mill remains one of the valley's longest continuously operating paper-production sites.

Abandoned grain elevator complex with weathered concrete silos and machinery in Kansas City, Missouri. — Kansas City's riverfront grain elevators grew up alongside the Missouri River and the rail lines that once made the city one of the country's busiest grain markets, second only to Chicago by the early 20th century. Concrete silo complexes like this one stored wheat and other grain awaiting shipment by barge and rail car, with the tall elevator housing the machinery used to load and unload it. Many of these structures date to the early-to-mid 1900s, when Kansas City's stockyards and grain exchange drove heavy industrial development along the riverbanks. As rail and grain traffic shifted elsewhere in later decades, a number of these elevators fell out of active use, though some in the district remain in service today.

General Mills Grain Elevator and Rail Yard in Northeast Minneapolis, a key industrial facility for grain storage and transportation connecting to national markets. — The General Mills Grain Elevator and Rail Yard in Northeast Minneapolis is a critical component of the region's agricultural and industrial infrastructure. This facility, designed for the storage and transportation of grain, plays a vital role in the food processing industry, particularly for a company with deep roots in Minneapolis's milling history. The extensive rail yard adjacent to the elevators facilitates the efficient movement of commodities, connecting local production to national and international markets. Its presence underscores the historical importance of grain processing and transportation to the economic development of Minneapolis.

Construction site at night on the former Kurth Malting grain elevator grounds in Dinkytown, Minneapolis. — This construction site in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, sits on the former grounds of the Kurth Malting Company grain elevator. The elevator complex was demolished to clear land for a University of Minnesota athletic facility. Concrete silos from the adjacent Archer Daniels Midland elevator remain standing near the cleared parcel.

Railroad tracks lead to a General Mills grain elevator and freight train at night in Minneapolis. — A General Mills grain elevator complex sits along active rail lines in Minneapolis. General Mills, headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, operates grain milling and food production facilities across the Minneapolis area. Rail spurs connect the elevator to the wider freight network, including Canadian National and other North American carriers, for shipping grain and finished products.

ADM Nokomis Flour Mill complex in South Minneapolis at night, featuring illuminated grain silos and brick mill buildings adjacent to railroad tracks. — ADM Nokomis Flour Mill in South Minneapolis was an Archer Daniels Midland grain-processing facility. The complex includes mill buildings, grain silos, and rail access for moving grain and flour. The mill closed in mid-2019.

Concrete grain silos of the Archer Daniels Midland elevator in Southeast Minneapolis at night. — This Archer Daniels Midland grain elevator stands in the Southeast Minneapolis industrial corridor along the Mississippi River. ADM operates the facility as part of its grain storage and processing network, which supplies agricultural commodities for milling and export. The concrete cylindrical silos are a construction type commonly used for grain elevators built in the mid-20th century to maximize storage capacity.

Concrete grain elevator complex with silos and headhouse during demolition in Dinkytown, Minneapolis. — Demolition of grain elevators in Minneapolis taking place in February 2017.

The ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery buildings in Minneapolis's Prospect Park show fire damage and ice accumulation. The ADM silos are marked "CRUSHERS". — The ADM Grain Elevator and Harris Machinery buildings in Prospect Park, Minneapolis, show extensive ice and snow accumulation following a significant fire. The fire gutted the interior of the Harris Machinery structure, leaving its exterior heavily damaged and encased in ice.

Ardent Mills flour mill building beside Vermillion Falls in Hastings, Minnesota, with water cascading over a weir. — Ardent Mills in Hastings, Minnesota, stands beside the Vermillion River at Vermillion Falls. The mill is part of the former Hastings Mill complex, which used the river’s water power for flour production.

Vermillion Falls flows beneath a concrete spillway next to the historic Ardent Mills building in Hastings, Minnesota. — Vermillion Falls and Ardent Mills in Hastings, Minnesota, occupy a site on the Vermillion River long used for milling. The flour mill remains linked to the falls, which provided water power for earlier industrial operations along the river.

Ardent Mills flour mill facility in Hastings, Minnesota, with grain storage silos and brick buildings overlooking a green lawn. — The Ardent Mills facility in Hastings, Minnesota, stands as a significant historical site in the state's milling industry. Established as the first operating mill in Minnesota, this facility is credited with key innovations, including the development of the purifier, the patent barrel, and graham flour, according to the company.

The Independent Elevator, a grain storage facility, stands in Glencoe, Minnesota — The Independent Elevator, located in Glencoe, Minnesota, stands as a testament to the region's agricultural heritage.

The Gold Medal Flour sign is displayed on the historic Washburn Mill in Minneapolis, once the world's largest flour mill, now part of the Mill City Museum. — The Gold Medal Flour sign stands atop the historic Washburn Mill in Minneapolis, a structure that was once the largest flour mill in the world. The mill, part of the Mill City Museum complex, represents a significant chapter in the city's industrial past. Its conversion into a museum preserves the legacy of Minneapolis's flour milling industry, which was central to the city's economic development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The sign itself is a recognizable landmark, evoking the area's heritage as a major center for grain processing and flour production.

Converted Joy Brand Mill Building on Greensboro’s East Side

Golden Ceresota Building mural with portrait on brick facade, downtown Minneapolis. — The Ceresota Building mural in downtown Minneapolis commemorates the Ceresota Milling Company, a major flour miller that operated in the city. The building's prominent brick facade displays a portrait and the company name in large golden letters. Ceresota was one of numerous milling operations that made Minneapolis the nation's leading flour production center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

East Bank Mills historic flour mill complex in Northeast Minneapolis with blue signage on tan brick buildings under clear sky. — East Bank Mills is a historic flour mill complex in Northeast Minneapolis. The industrial buildings visible here are part of the milling operations that made Minneapolis a major flour production center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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