Manistee flour mill the first new industry as lumber declines

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A view of the Manistee Flouring Mill Co. is shown with the Arcadia and Betsie River Railroad in the forefront. The flouring mill was located on the corner of Cedar and Water Street near the Manistee River channel.

From the Museum's Archives is a weekly section of local history columns written by the Manistee County Historical Museum.

Mark Fedder

By the turn of the 20th century, the writing was on the wall regarding the future of Manistee's logging industry in that while there would be a good amount of lumber — and profits — for the foreseeable future, there would come a point where the supply of good timber would run out.

Thus in the early 1900s, city officials were beginning to look at other products that the city could manufacture in order to diversify its industry. This first "other" industry to settle into Manistee during this time period was, of all things, a flour-making company.

In the early part of 1901, talks began taking place between city officials, local investors and a man named R.T.F. Dodd whose family operated and owned a flour mill located in Washingtonville, Ohio. The purpose of the meeting was to see if it was feasible for a flour mill to operate in Manistee.

By May of that same year, it was announced that a deal was made so that local stockholders Ernest N. Salling, Patrick Noud, E. Golden Filer, William Brownrigg, Henry W. Marsh and George A. Hart would invest in the establishment the flour mill with Dodd as the manager.

With this announcement, the Manistee Daily News also reported on May 17, 1901 that:

"The building will be erected on the riverbank just north of Johnson's foundry, the land having been donated by the Manistee and Grand Rapids R.R. Co. This morning Mr. Dodd and Mr. Brownrigg were engaged in measuring off the land.

"The mill will be built of wood with a stone foundation. It will be so constructed that additions may be made readily from time to time to such an extent that it may be capable of turning out 150 to 200 barrels per day."

As the spring of 1901 became summer and summer became fall, it was finally announced that the mill would be open for production. In speaking with a reporter from the Manistee Daily News, R.T.F. Dodd provided a tour of the mill and explained the various processes involved in making flour.

Portions of the original article, published on Nov. 15, 1901, follow:

"The Manistee Flouring Mill Company is about to make its bow to the public and the starting up of the flour mill will mark the turning of a new leaf in the industrial history of Manistee.

"This morning Mr. R.T.F. Dodds kindly showed a Daily News reporter over the mill and explained the various processes.

"When the crude grain arrives at the mill either in cars or in farmers wagons it is taken by an elevator first to a machine called a receiving separator where dirt and foreign matter is roughly removed and then to the large scales where it is weighed before being elevated to the stock bins.

"The elevators so used are capable of carrying 500 bushels an hour. The separating is done by means of screens and air currents and the wheat is cleansed in this manner eight times before it goes to the polisher. The polisher is a steel wire roller around which a current of air passes.

"Coming from the polisher, the grain is absolutely clean and is conveyed by a chute to a rolling mill where the first grinding is done. After the first reduction it passes through a swing sifter, the process of grinding and sifting being repeated three times.

"The bran is then removed. After this there are two separators to which the flour is subjected and finally it goes to a bolting machine where it passes through a silk fabric having 152 meshes to the square inch.

"Ample power is supplied by a large horizontal engine capable of developing 100 horsepower. The appointments and construction are excellent in every particular and the new industry must inevitably be a credit to the Salt City as well as a business maker."

Three weeks later, it was made known that the mill was operating at its full capacity and that three different brands of flour were being manufactured.

On Sept. 27 1905, the Manistee Daily News reported that the mill was going to be doubling its capacity in order to keep up with demand, thus a 70 foot addition was added to the building to install more machinery.

"The flour mill was the first ‘new industry’ to be located in Manistee when the lumber business had begun its decline and the fact that success has been achieved in no small degree is a matter for congratulation. It shows at least that we can profitably conduct other enterprises than the manufacture of lumber.

"Some idea of the volume of business done by the mill and the benefit accruing to the town may be gathered from the fact that over and above the railroad shipments the mill is now receiving daily anywhere from 10 to 25 loads of wheat and rye from local farmers. Grain is brought to Manistee from points as remote as Scottville, Sherman and Copemish. This is paid for in cash and a considerable portion of this money finds its way to the cash drawer of Manistee's retail dealers."

The Manistee Flouring Mill Company continued to operate at its same location until the late 1910s when the factory would eventually cease operation.

In 1919, a new company named the Manistee Milling Company leased the property from the previous company where it resumed operations.

By the early 1930s, the Manistee Milling Company had permanently closed and in the summer of 1937 it was announced that the wood building would be sold on back taxes and razed.

An article published in the Manistee News Advocate on June 24, 1937 provides details:

"Bids on the old flour mill on Water Street, which will be razed upon order of the state fire marshal, who has condemned it, must be in the office of city treasurer George Kruse by 4 o’clock tomorrow.

"The high bid of $687 submitted by the Glenn A. Pratt Wrecking Company on the old Manistee Flour Mill, Water Street, was accepted yesterday by the state fire marshal's department which condemned the structure and ordered it razed the old Chippewa Hotel Annex, the Ruggles office building and the Overpack building and will start work immediately on the flour mill."

Although the lumber industry would steadily decline throughout the 1910s, the Manistee Flouring Mill Company is a reminder that while lumber essentially "built" and "grew" Manistee, there were several other industries that played a role in the area's history.

Mark Fedder is the executive director of the Manistee County Historical Museum. He can be reached by email at [email protected], or by phone at 231-723-5531.