On May 2, 1878, a spark ignited airborne flour dust within the mill, creating an explosion that demolished the seven story Washburn A Mill. The explosion destroyed two other nearby mills and an ensuing fire decimated the surrounding business district. Fourteen Washburn workers perished, as well as four workers in neighboring buildings. Known as the Great Mill Disaster, the explosion made national news and served as a focal point that led to reforms in the milling industry. In order to prevent the buildup of combustible flour dust, ventilation systems and other precautionary devices were installed in mills throughout the country.

By 1880, Washburn had rebuilt the “A” mill as the largest flour mill in the world until the Pillsbury “A” Mill was built across the river the following year. Washburn later teamed up with John Crosby to form the Washburn-Crosby Company, which later became General Mills.

After World War I, flour production in Minneapolis began to decline as flour milling technology no longer depended on water power. Other cities, such as Buffalo, New York became more prominent in the milling industry. Later on in the mill’s lifetime, General Mills started putting more emphasis on producing cereals and baking mixes and shifted away from flour milling. Also, since the Washburn “A” Mill was only equipped to produce white flour, it was unable to cope with the increase in demand of whole-wheat flour and other products. The mill was shut down in 1965, along with eight other of the oldest mills operated by General Mills, and left in disuse. In 1991, a fire nearly destroyed the old mill, but during the late 1990s, the city of Minneapolis, through the Minneapolis Community Development Agency, worked to stabilize the mill ruins.

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