A lovely piece of history...

This weekend I went to the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis with 3 of my girl friends.  It was the first time that any of us had ever been there.  It was a rainy and gloomy day, so it was perfect for spending the day inside and checking out the museum. 

Throughout the afternoon I learned a lot about the history of the building as well as the history of Minneapolis and the flour milling industry. 

This museum in housed inside the remains of the old Gold Medal Flour building right on the Mississippi River, which is a beautiful setting.  Throughout our time at the museum we saw 2 movies detailing the history of Minneapolis and the flour milling industry located here.  I had no idea that Minneapolis was such an integral part of flour milling history.  At one point in time, Minneapolis had 3 of the 4 largest flour mills in the U.S.! Who knew!?!?  I certainly didn't!

We also sat in on a rhubarb cooking demonstration, felt the weight of 20 pounds of water pressure, and took an elevator ride up to the observation area on the eighth floor.  The view of the Stone Arch Bridge is stunning!  Across the river is the Pillsbury Flour Mill, the rival to Gold Medal. 

Here's a fun fact I learned - flour dust is 50 times more explosive than gunpowder!  How random is that!  From here on out, any time I bake I will make sure to keep all flames away from the flour dust!