Qualla: Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune https://qualla.com/minneapolis en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:06 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-wk/hero-small.webp Qualla: Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune https://qualla.com/minneapolis Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune: Introduction https://qualla.com/minneapolis/ Photo credit BpA9543, CC BY-SA 4.0. Minneapolis exists because of St. Anthony Falls - the only waterfall on the Mississippi River, whose power attracted sawmills in the 1850s and flour mills in the 1870s. The milling companies that clustered at the falls - Pillsbury, General Mills, Washburn-Crosby (which became Gold Medal Flour) - made Minneapolis the flour capital of the world by 1890. The workers who ran the mills were often Scandinavian immigrants, seeking farmland or opportunity in a climate that reminded them of home. The city they built is notoriously progressive, dotted with lakes, connected by skyways that make winter walkable, and prosperous in ways that Midwest cities often aren't. Minneapolis is what happens when waterfalls meet ambition.

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Image: BpA9543 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-city-wk/9zvx-minneapolis-the-city-that-turned-flour-into-fortun-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune: The Mills https://qualla.com/minneapolis/ Photo credit SusanLesch, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Washburn A Mill exploded in 1878, killing 18 workers when flour dust ignited - the worst industrial accident in Minnesota history. But the milling continued, the technology improved, and Minneapolis became dominant. The Mills District on the riverfront preserves the industria...

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Image: SusanLesch | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-city-wk/9zvx-minneapolis-the-city-that-turned-flour-into-fortun-the-mills.mp3 0:06 2 full Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune: The Lakes https://qualla.com/minneapolis/ Photo credit William Wesen, Public domain. Minneapolis contains 22 lakes within city limits - a legacy of glaciers that retreated 10,000 years ago, leaving depressions that filled with water. The Chain of Lakes - Cedar, Harriet, Calhoun (now Bde Maka Ska), and Lake of the Isles - provide parkland, beaches, and recreation ...

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Image: William Wesen | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-city-wk/9zvx-minneapolis-the-city-that-turned-flour-into-fortun-the-lakes.mp3 0:06 3 full Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune: The Skyways https://qualla.com/minneapolis/ Photo credit Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant, CC BY-SA 2.5. Minneapolis has the world's largest skyway system - 11 miles of enclosed, climate-controlled walkways connecting 80 blocks of downtown. The system began in 1962, when retailers realized that Minnesota winters kept shoppers home; enclosed bridges between buildings solved the probl...

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Image: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant | CC BY-SA 2.5

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-city-wk/9zvx-minneapolis-the-city-that-turned-flour-into-fortun-the-skyways.mp3 0:06 4 full Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune: George Floyd https://qualla.com/minneapolis/ Photo credit Hungryogrephotos, CC0. On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, killing him while bystanders filmed. The video sparked protests worldwide, a reckoning with police violence that resonated far beyond the intersection at 38th and Chicago...

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Image: Hungryogrephotos | CC0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-city-wk/9zvx-minneapolis-the-city-that-turned-flour-into-fortun-george-floyd.mp3 0:06 5 full Minneapolis: The City That Turned Flour Into Fortune: Visiting Minneapolis https://qualla.com/minneapolis/ Photo credit Appraiser at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Minneapolis is served by Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, shared with its twin city across the river. The Mill City Museum and Stone Arch Bridge anchor the riverfront. The Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden offer contemporary art. The lakes are accessib...

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Image: Appraiser at en.wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/z/v/x/minneapolis-city-wk/9zvx-minneapolis-the-city-that-turned-flour-into-fortun-visiting-minneapolis.mp3 0:06 6 full