Rich with History

Minneapolis—Also Known as “Flour City”
It began in the 1860s. Minneapolis became known one of the most significant areas for milling flour, and by the mid 1930s Minneapolis had the largest wheat, barley, rye and flax markets in the United States (Minnesota Historic Property Record). Warehousing grain for local and distant consumers became essential (Minnesota Historic Property Record). The city soon became the center of grain storage innovations—such as the reinforced-concrete Bunge Midway grain elevator.

Bunge History
In 1936, workers constructed the Bunge Midway grain elevator, little knowing the historical significance it would impart (Stark). The location took advantage of the Great Northern Railway (Minnesota Historic Property Record). The Amsterdam-based Bunge Elevator Company took over the elevator. The elevator raised Minneapolis to the lead in grain storage in North America for three decades.

Facts
The Bunge Midway Grain Elevator:

• had an estimated cost of $220,000 on its building permit to build the concrete storage tanks and workhouse
• was constructed on the site of another grain elevator
• had the 125-foot high storage annex constructed with a continuous pour of concrete operating 24 hours a day for nearly nine days
• operated the most cutting-edge equipment of the time
• had a processing capacity of 15,000 bushels per hour
• is on the National Register of Historic Places in the Commerce sector
• closed operations in 2002

For more history, including a grain elevators “how it works” section, download “Vanishing Giants: The Grain Elevators of Minneapolis and Their Legacy” (PDF) by William Stark.

NOTE: all the historical information provided on this site is courtesy of…
Minnesota Historic Property Record, “Bunge Midway Grain Elevator,” HE-MPC-7802.

Stark, William, “Vanishing Giants: The Grain Elevators of Minneapolis and Their Legacy,” (The 106 Group, 2007).