Mill City Museum is one of the historical landmarks in the city of Minneapolis. Built in 2003, in the ruins of Washburn “A” Mill, this museum is not only intended for displaying art and ancient items, but is also the exact venue for milling flour, which is being exported to most countries all over the world.Washburn “A” Mill, the old milling center, which was built back in 1874 and was privately owned by Cadwallader C. Washburn, was once known to be the largest flour mill in the world. But in 1878, when the structure was just four years old, it had a colossal explosion, killing 18 night crewmen and four other people from neighboring locations. The explosion looked like a huge fire ball, throwing debris all of over the place, damaging several other structures nearby. For several minutes, the thunder-like explosion was said to be heard 10 miles away. In those times, the mill had the largest number of workers in the city, having 200 staff who are running the international mill. Within seconds of continuous explosions, other neighboring mills also caught on fire. The fire had gotten way out of hand so that firefighters had great difficulty stopping it. It was just the next day that the people in Minneapolis saw the catastrophic result of the horror that it happened. And in just a snap of the finger, the boisterous and largest mill in the world was put down to the ground. The following days were even more scandalous for the townspeople as several hundred rumors began spreading all over the news, which had gone internationally. Different claims were investigated until two professors experimented on how the explosion could have happened in a flour mill. They concluded that there must have been two millstones that were running dry and continually rubbing each other that then ignited a spark, spread the fire immediately all over the mill, causing the massive explosion. The once largest mill in the world had faltered to just a third of its original size after the fire. In 1880, Washburn rebuilt the mill and the structure resumed business. In the 19th and 20th century, Washburn “A” Mill was flourishing in the industry, giving a huge percentage of income to Minneapolis. In 1965, the mill was closed due to decline of demand. Another fire destroyed the abandoned structure in 1991. It was rebuilt in 2003, and this time as Mill City Museum, which you are looking at right now. Here, you will see the artifacts of the old mill that were salvaged from the fire. And yes, this structure is still milling flour that is why you can hear all sorts of noise from the workers who are dedicated to giving the world premium flour.Photo Mill City Musuem by John J Schroeder is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0