A FLOUR MILLING REVOLUTION In the 1870s and 1880s, important changes took place inside several small flour mills in southeastern Minnesota. Those changes laid the groundwork for a technological revolution that made Minnesota's milling industry the largest in the world. The changes grew out of a desire by millers to improve the quality of their flour. Most Minnesota farmers raised hard spring wheat, which had a reputation for producing speckled flour. Drawing on European technology. Minnesota millers developed a method of refining their flour by sending it through a purifier that removed the specks, or middlings, and by grinding the flour several times. Called the New Process, this method produced a whiter, purer flour that was soon in demand by consumers. One of the first to experiment with this new technique was Northfield miller Jesse Ames, who used a purifier as early as 1865. Within a few years, purifiers were found at the Archibald mill in Dundas, the Mowbray mill in Stockton, the Gardner mill in Hastings, and the Faribault mill. As the changes swept the milling industry in the 1870s, millers concluded that the traditional milistone, which required frequent redressing, was no longer efficient. They turned instead to rollers, already used in some parts of Europe. One of the earliest American attempts at roller milling occurred in 1872 - 73 at the Mowbray mill, where four-foot marble rollers were installed. ОБРАРТ ORTATION Soon most Minnesota millers had replaced their THY CH TRA old millstones, opting for more efficient por-celain- covered or iron rollers. ERECTED BY THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MINNESOTA STATE SCHOOLS • During its first session in 1858 the Minnesota State Legislature established the first of several schools for the training and care of citizens who suffered mental and physical disabilities and for children who were unable to care for themselves. The first school opened in Faribault in 1863, after five years of delay due to lack of funds. Called an "Asylum," later an "Institute," and now an "Academy," its students were those who were blind and deaf. Separate schools were later established here for the blind, the deaf and the mentally deficient. In 1885, a State School for Dependent and Neglected Children, opened in Owatonna. While it closed in 1970, the Faribault schools continue to function. The schools are similar in both style and plan to buildings found at Minnesota state hospitals and correctional facilities. A typical complex included separate buildings for administration, classrooms, gymnasium, a hospital, dormitories, and service facilities such as a power plant, a laundry, and farm buildings. The farms allowed the schools to be partially self- sufficient. The schools were established by law to provide the students with activities and training. while protecting them from the " slights and rebuffs" of the outside world. The first clinical psychologist to be employed in a mental retardation institute in the United States was at the Faribault State School. A.R.T. Wylie was that pioneer in the field of mental health research. Several of the school buildings in Faribault and Owatonna are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The school complex at Owatonna continues to serve the public. The buildings are used by the city, providing space: for, administrative offices. an art center, a museum inter- preting the state school, and other uses. ERECTED BY THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1997