The Lost Ruins: What Minneapolis Left Behind

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring today's video. Go to strms.net/hellofresh_its_history, use my code HISTORYOCT10, and receive 10 free meals + free breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active if you’re in the US. The link and code are valid in all countries and the respective local discount will apply.

[@byronbroden2363]

I love the video, but it wasn't all left to the elements. Actually most of what's below the St. Anthony bridge was dug up by U of M students in the early 80's and continued until the mill city museum was open in 2003. The mill tells the story of a belt breaking and causing the spark. That being said thanks for getting our Minneapolis history to the masses.

[@Helvrtica]

Man, second shift gets blamed for everything.

[@Klutech]

It's always night shift's fault!

[@danielwatcherofthelord1823]

That's true! I wonder why that's how it always goes?!

[@Lumbergo]

@@danielwatcherofthelord18232nd/3rd shift are always smaller crews so it’s simple majority vs minority blaming. I’ve had jobs where I went between both shifts (gotta rack up that overtime somehow!) and it was interesting how 1st shift never got shit on by the night crew but boy oh boy did it go the other way around.

[@danielwatcherofthelord1823]

@@Lumbergo interesting. It would seem to me it should be the other way around because there's more people on 1st shift so more should be expected of them while night shift has a tougher time by virtue of tge hours and the fact that they have less people to do the same amount of work.

[@ZGryphon]

Humans aren't really built to be doing important tasks at night. If we were, we'd have much better low-light vision.

[@HandsWithLegs]

Good to see this getting the coverage it deserves. Few things that should be noted, the pictures at 0:19 and 7:37 are NOT from the aftermath of the first A mill explosion, that is the ruins of the second A mill after the fire in 1991. This fire didn’t almost destroy the building, it very nearly leveled it, burning out the timber frame interior and collapsing some of the walls. Second, the city didn’t lose its dominance as the milling capital until the 1930s. The mills very quickly adopted steam the compensate for periods of low water, and it was the advent of electricity powerful enough the run the mills combined with the dustbowl and Great Depression that drove most away. Also, the fund Washburn set up after the explosion still exists and I believe it primarily serves neurodivergent children.

[@Geturown52]

The Mill City Museum is a really neat stop if yall are ever in the area

[@Lumbergo]

@@Geturown52 I love taking out of town guests there because it always starts out as “really, a flour museum?” And by the end turns into “wow that was so cool/interesting/fascinating!”

[@firevike2420]

Thank you for a great video! I grew up in South Minneapolis and always love learning more about the hidden history. Glad they have preserved the mill area and have revitalized the St. Anthony Falls area.

[@167curly]

Minneapolis is a city that I have visited and enjoyed. Your account of the flour mill explosion is an interesting part of the city's history. Thank you.

[@kevinnlogan1425]

Thank you for giving a little history on this.

[@MunchieTheGnome]

I hate to be "that guy" but this has been driving me crazy for a while now, its "fall into disrepair" not despair. despair is the feeling of hopelessness, disrepair is the poor condition of a building or structure due to neglect.

[@rcook2338]

@@MunchieTheGnome and he said "girst mill" instead of grist mill.

[@rs-df7qy]

The best part of "hating to be that guy" is no one's forcing you to be that guy. Hope this helps 🙏

[@MunchieTheGnome]

@@rs-df7qy Keep people ignorant... Hmm... I like the way you think.

[@rs-df7qy]

@@MunchieTheGnome 🥰🥰

[@TheProfessionalAmateur91]

I think despair works too here lol

[@alexandersmith3334]

I should also ask for an episode on Swede Hollow and Phalen Creek in St Paul Minnesota.

[@dasoslukos]

I just so happen to be going to Minneapolis when you posted your great video and went to the Mill City Nuseum. It was great! 😃

[@bender7565]

Well done, you made Minneapolis interesting. 20yrs ago I was maint mgr at a cabinet factory, maybe similar to sugar or flour mills but the technology to control dust explosions was incredible.

[@benwahl3989]

Fascinating vid. I grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis and wasn't aware of the explosion and now plan to visit the museum soon. I would be delighted to see maybe a multi part series on the history of Minneapolis/St. Paul in particular and Minnesota in general. There's a rich and sometimes dark history, well everywhere, but as a Minnesotan, I would love to learn more about my home state.

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

There's tons of Minnesota historical content on KZbin whatever niche you are into

[@benwahl3989]

@GreenCanvasInteriorscape I`ve seen some stuff and have been looking for more.

[@jetsons101]

Ryan, as usual -- great visuals, narration and loads of information. Thanks

[@Crangaso]

Grain dust is crazy hazardous and explosive AF

[@alexandersmith3334]

You should do an episode on The Eastman tunnel right across the river. It's the reason St Anthony Falls has the concrete skirting.

[@mplsmark222]

There is so much interesting history in DT Minneapolis. Especially the river front. The City and Park Board have created a very popular area with parks and trails, it draws thousand to what was once a dirty industrial area covered in RR tracks. I like many wish more of the amazing old architecture had not been demolished, like the Metropolitan Building. However, the having access to the river is a great thing.

[@alexandersmith3334]

​​@@mplsmark222there's a lot of buried history in the twin cities. My band did some pictures on the last remnant of the metropolitan building. I insisted on it. It's a couple of pillar bases.

[@DSToNe19and83]

The met?

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

Is the Eastman tunnel accessible? Last year my 14 year old son wanted to go fishing and we'd never gone to the Mississippi, I entered fishing on the Mississippi in navigation and it took us to the army corps of engineers station that I never noticed where the gate was open when we pulled in and we parked. Dude in a army t-shirt came up aggressively and practically shouted GTFO this is federal land. I answered that would be my land then, he huffed like power tripping bitches do. We wandered extensively elsewhere nearby but that was a dose of federal in your face, because that's why attitude. City pages in the 90s featured some of the tunnel/archaeological rune explorers which caused more explorers which cause more fences.

[@ZGryphon]

"... the explosive growth in the city of Minneapolis." I, uh, I see what you did there. (Also, people are complaining that the ruins seem poorly maintained? They're _ruins._ What are they _supposed_ to look like?)

[@davidhenning6179]

That's Minnesotans for ya. 😆

[@653j521]

@@davidhenning6179 In what way? They have a thing for well groomed ruins? Or they whine a lot?

[@davidhenning6179]

@@653j521 the whining.

[@michaeloshaughnessy9718]

Great story! Love history.

[@bentighe4811]

11:20 "a significant drop in local soil fertility..." I'm a Minnesotan and a history buff, and I've never heard any such thing. In fact, we take pride in our outstandingly productive ag sector. I'd love to hear more about the drop in soil fertility.

[@653j521]

Try a local museum?

[@bentighe4811]

@@653j521 Would you like to suggest a particular museum?

[@paulsolin-ql5il]

Another great video. The Beer line in Milwaukee would be a great topic for you.

[@everythingspinners8008]

Fort Snelling is miles from the St Anthony Falls, its at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers

[@AaronOfMpls]

But the soldiers _did_ have a grist mill and a sawmill at St Anthony Falls for a while. They just had a 6- or 7-mile trek to get to it.

[@SymptomoftheTimes]

Thanks!

[@ITSHISTORY]

You bet!

[@njunderground82]

The Mill City museum is really cool! I recommended it if you're in the area.

[@benperez6454]

As someone born and raised in Minneapolis and I've been there in so happy to see this video from you

[@edwardloomis887]

General Mills and Pillsbury are still based in the Twin Cities.

[@MrSims-ky2ne]

@@edwardloomis887 they merged over 20 years ago lmfao

[@edwardloomis887]

@@MrSims-ky2ne, about the time the Twin Cities descended into apocalyptic chaos.

[@sethmaki1333]

Woah, I've lived in Minnesota most of my life (33 out of 44 so far) and I've actually never heard of this accident. It's extremely curious because I'm pretty familiar with Minnesota's history, even events rarely discussed because they happened before Europeans ever got here, such as the Lakota invasion of central Minnesota half a millennium ago.

[@TheLpjoe]

I went to high school just upstream from the mill ruins on Nicollet Island and remember the 1991 fire quite well.

[@Klutech]

Informative documentary, nice job! I had no idea this explosion had occurred there. The flour dust was and is still a dangerous aspect in the milling process. A concern that Washburn addressed in the more modern way with his new building. One minor point of confusion was that you mentioned the date of 1887 in the into and then subsequently use the correct date of 1878 (as I later found) for the rest of the video.

[@simjo59]

"The ruins are poorly maintained." Uh-huh. They're ruins.

[@Nobody85746]

There is a thing called arrested decay - which means people attempt to slow the natural decomposing. It's kinda funny most people ignore the fact everything is in a state of decay. Buying new stuff while you can work it's easy to ignore.

[@DaveSlate-q9x]

@@simjo59 do those odd comments catch your ear, too?

[@jo-vf8jx]

@simjo59 there are plenty of ruins all around the world that are well-maintained such as the landscaping and preventative measures to ensure that nothing else crumbles to the ground. Pompeii is a good example same with Stonehenge.

[@danlowe8684]

I worked for a subcontractor on this project around 2003-2004. Several weeks into the project, at a project meeting, the superintendent for the general contractor performing the excavation said to the engineer, "I bid this job to haul away soil by the cubic yard using an excavator, not a paint brush." He was referring to the 'archaeologists' jumping in after every bucket of soil was removed as if it were the Valley of the Kings!! Americans think 100 years is a long time while Europeans think 100 miles is a long distance!!

[@bigv6724]

There's very little known about American history so that's why.

[@danlowe8684]

@@bigv6724 But, we already knew the history of the mill explosions, and the construction history of the area.

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

Oblivious much?

[@danlowe8684]

@@GreenCanvasInteriorscape So, 100 tears of BS, attracts you?? How about acting as if it were real?

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

Was replying to bigv

[@Threepointstar]

Wow, lived here forever. Never knew.

[@pj8928]

More twin cities history!! ❤❤

[@RideOpJ]

Request: I would love to see a video on the locust plague of the upper mid-west in 1874-1875.

[@dam00k]

We used to climb the stone arch bridge back in the ‘70’s, lots of great boulder problems and good team building for belay.

[@dcjmusic]

what about Pillsbury directly across the falls in what was St Anthony, same era also major contributor to Flour Capitol of the World?

[@two3D]

I live in the Pillsbury A Mill. Love it. Cool what they did with the building and great location. ✌🏻

[@jodiecarlson6955]

The museum there is great!

[@JackRussell021]

One of the big TV/radio stations in the area is WCCO, which stands for "Washburn Crosby Company".

[@Daveyjdigital]

Minnesota stand up

[@BasedNova]

Minnesota mentioned!!!

[@SB-qm5wg]

Mills Ruins Park looks cool.

[@NorthStarKnifeReviews]

Mill Ruins Park is lovely

[@GeronimoJenkins]

America doesn't have a long history so it's nice to see anything preserved. The ruins are a cool place to check out when in downtown Minneapolis.

[@EPiche09]

You should look at the history of Basset Creek

[@silmarian]

Few things are more depressing than buried and tunnelized waterways. The story should be told, warts and all.

[@ShaneMihalow]

I heard that there is a movement to restore the falls to being natural. I’d love to see this happen.

[@DocDoMuch]

Damn bro i live like 5 minutes from here and didnt know this existed...thanks

[@AddieDirectsTV]

It’s so different over there now! The falls were the farthest north you could navigate on the Mississippi. And the Washburn Crosby Co. (Gold Medal Flower) is directly related to 2 of the city’s broadcast stations… WCCO Radio and Television.

[@SADFORIAN]

St Paul was the farthest the riverboats could go prior to Lock and Dam 1, thanks to the shallow rapids below the falls (like a foot deep). Goods were off-loaded in St Paul and brought to Minneapolis by way of a very early version of University Avenue.

[@AddieDirectsTV]

@@SADFORIAN ooooh. Didn’t know that!

[@harkennu]

Hey theres still a mill thats all in one piece about 3 hrs from Minneapolis, its called Phelps Mill in otter tail county

[@ivanoffw]

3:50 is that really a picture of the native population of the area, or were those the European settlers?

[@HandsWithLegs]

Where does the map shown at 5:24 come from? I’ve been trying to learn a bit more about the explosion on my own and that map is EXACTLY what I’m looking for, but I can’t find a trace of it! Any pointers to where it came from?

[@perrydowd9285]

"Explosive growth", may not have been the best analogy given the context. 🤔

[@gomerromer7708]

Ft. Snelling was not on the west side of the falls of St. Anthony. It was and is on the bluff above the convluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers about 10 miles DOWNSTREAM and to the south of the Falls of St Anthony.

[@PhillipCraig-q6y]

All These Awesomeness Videos That You post Are Super Amazing And Now Learning More History I didn't even know Super Awesomeness

[@ITSHISTORY]

Glad you like them!

[@69pepe420]

Walz ruined my State.

[@TommygunNG]

I thought this was going to be about the aftermath of their governor, before his field run to be VP, letting the city burn in 2020.

[@paulcateiii]

what happened to all of the older videos - I could swear this channel is more than three years old

[@millcity9711]

Obviously, I found this interesting.

[@raeannaruby8306]

There's similar ruins (not as large) outside of st.paul in Hastings, MN

[@lutomson3496]

lots of half information here...dont believe everything that is on social media

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

Couldn’t happen to a nicer town

[@ericw942]

I hung out with one of James J. Hill's great-great grandkids. Yup, they were rich as hell. Never contributed anything to society. Just smokes a lot of weed and hangs out at his many mansions.

[@SirKenchalot]

"...I want to tell you about something that has made my life in the kitchen so much easier..." Oh man, I thought you'd found yourself a wife for a second but it's just a sponsor message. Oh well, keep looking and one day you won't need Hello Fresh!

[@Pook23535]

The mill city Museum is a really cool 😎 place

[@rs-df7qy]

MINNESOTA MENTIONED RAH!

[@mosmith3026]

Funny how every epic brick building either explodes or catches fire before 1900

[@natecrosman9506]

Look in to the Wabasha cave system.

[@richardsuggs8108]

It is Grits. Which is ground dent corn.

[@Brandon-h2z]

How did that become the mill capital when its multiple states away from wheat

[@davidfinstrom3899]

Power for the mill from the river and centrally located as a point to ship the finished product. The railway network moved the grain to the mill and then shipped the flour to markets all over the place.

[@snakerstran9101]

Not multiple states away. Western MN is the Eastern edge of the grain belt.

[@StarWarsMG]

🗣️ MINNESOTA

[@stephenspilker9334]

it's kind of funny i worked for 32 years a few blocks west of the mill city museum and i've never been there lol.

[@sjTHEfirst]

Why does it matter if the B Mill claimed four more lights?

[@WinkelManBearPig]

There's more history buried under Minneapolis than is left open to see above

[@alexrognholt6758]

"...many claimed the ruins were poorly maintained" uh, yeah, they're ruins.

[@Raman.Noodles.444]

Now I feel like I dumbass. I've driven past those ruins. Countless times wondered why there was a bunch of twisted up metal laying around. Never knew this was the reason. And I fucking live there.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@jamesn.economou9922]

If Washburn was going out on a limb, with his giant mill, why would he construct the whole building out of brick framing and thick limestone block finish? That kind of construction, is 500% more expensive than building it out of wood. So Why the grand palace, to make flour?

[@davidberg8407]

The limestone was 'free'. They just pulled the large chunks of limestone out of the river and cut them to size. The chunks were the result of the slow erosion of the falls. Some of the photos he uses shows how 'rocky' the original falls was.

[@jamesn.economou9922]

@@davidberg8407 that limestone was quarried. Cut in 2 ton blanks, and moved to the mill.

[@davidberg8407]

Where would it have been quarried?

[@skykaptain007]

I've ridden my bike over Stone Arch so many times

[@robr4913]

Flour dust was and always will be highly explosive.Are we supposed to believe that it was made knowledge only after the big explosion??? It doesn't seem to make sence to me at all.

[@utubewatcher806]

The ruins look not well-maintenanced? They're ruins ppl

[@rirkc]

Ryan, do you mean a "grist mill," which is a mill for grinding grain?

[@davidjernigan8161]

If an explosive atmosphere exists it is guaranteed it will find a source of ignition.

[@imho7250]

@1:00 A girlfriend?

[@MariannaKatz17]

Yeah now we don't need flour mill explosions or depressions to wreck our city.

[@truckinguy92]

I downloaded a VPN that allows me to connect out of the country so I don’t have to watch KZbin commercials. Now I have to deal with them in the creators content. WTH!!

[@Raman.Noodles.444]

Bro, just pay for premium. It's only like ten bucks

[@truckinguy92]

@ yeah another subscription for another $120/year, just what I need. Not all of us are independently wealthy. 😂

[@Raman.Noodles.444]

@truckinguy92 How about stop paying for subscriptions that you don't use and don't need?💁‍♂️ And um, I'm actually poor. KZbin premium is the only thing I actually pay for, and it's worth it. Trust me.

[@Raman.Noodles.444]

@truckinguy92 That"not everyone is independently wealthy" part is pretty rich coming from the guy who has a Subaru Impreza as his profile picture. What is that a WRX or STI?

[@truckinguy92]

@ WRX, the 2022 & beyond didn’t have an STi version in the US. Just because I have a WRX doesn’t mean I’m rich.

[@wcxctrack829]

How can ruins be “poorly” maintained? They a RUINS! Lol

[@DSToNe19and83]

Mill city ruins?

[@robertgibbs65]

Hello Fresh is way too expensive for people making minimum wage .

[@KennyNelson545]

Wow, you clearly never visited the Mill city Museum or Minneapolis maybe do both before making a video next time.

[@toi_techno]

Milling capital of America

[@sidiouswargaming3971]

How do you properly maintain ruins? Do people not understand what "ruins" are? XD

[@MR-co2ti]

The Ruins are poorly maintained? Then REBUILD THE RUINS!! We could turn into a future Starbucks with a VR adventure USA ride! Think of the possibilities! Stupid old ruins. \s

[@freetolook3727]

KLUNK, KLUNK, KLUNK, KLUNK.........

[@unconqueredwithjoshuaraide1423]

Very informative ive gone down and explored inside, I've got video on my channel if anyone is interested !

[@billotto602]

Anybody with an IQ higher than a houseplant knows mills produce highly explosive dust.

[@davidberg8407]

But they actually did not know that in 1878!

[@billotto602]

@davidberg8407 i think they did. I grew up in the corn belt & I remember a couple of horrible grain elevator accidents.

[@bryanpetersen1334]

I thought this was going to be about the BLM/ Floyd destruction when I saw the title.

[@yooper6161]

I live in the U.P. I would not recommend anyone going to Minneapolis. The crime is through the roof. The only 2 times I've had to exercise my 2nd amendment in my 40 years was the last time I was there. Democratic politicians and their policies have made it a no-go zone for my family and I. One reason I no longer register as a Democrat.

[@argynews2825]

I go there a lot and I don't need a gun its a relatively safe area if you go to the main areas as long as you do go to the one area that has some gang activity you should be fine and that's just a small area most major US city's have gangs and crime as well its not something caused by politics

[@AddieDirectsTV]

@@yooper6161 I live on the Saint Paul side of the river and commute into Minneapolis. It’s perfectly ok to visit. Just like in every city, there are certain areas that are worse than others.

[@ax.o754]

I live in Minneapolis it's fine. As in most cities the crime is over dramatized. People think it's way worse than it actually is.

[@pj8928]

Lmao it’s fine here dude

[@freebrady5823]

​@@yooper6161 stay up there in bumfuck nowhere the city is absolutely fine and safe

[@uriellopez3099]

Earlyyyy

[@jme36053]

What’s next? Explosions and fires at sugar mills?

[@johnberry8180]

@@jme36053 does happen

[@davidberg8407]

Yes, it happens!

[@Martmns]

Socash, you have permanently lost me with your extremely annoying imbedded infomercial like commercials.👎👎👎 I'm outta' here! UNSUBSCRIBED!

[@mikebaron4525]

I was working at The Liquor Depot the Night The Mill Burnt Down!

[@michaelwhite2823]

Wow. History repeats itself and Minneapolis is in ruins.

[@argynews2825]

You know im looking right now doesn't seem to be very ruined.

[@freebrady5823]

It's actually one of the best cities in the country

[@michaelwhite2823]

Dead downtown

[@argynews2825]

@@michaelwhite2823 What?

[@brentonkerr1440]

Literally, it’s the happiest city in America

[@gracevalentine1666]

Hello Fresh sent old food. Home Chef is the freshest and hf is their discounted price, quality outlet.