Some Final Thoughts on Paris

OK, we’re done with Paris. I did want to give some final thoughts on the French capital, and share some things that St. Louis could learn, and also be honest on some other matters. First of all, it’s sort of unfair to compare the two exactly because with any world capital, particularly a European one,…

Around Buchanan County, Iowa, July 2022

In a clockwise route, we explored various small towns in Buchanan County, starting in the northeast with Lamont, where we first spied this foundation above left behind but incorporated into a horse enclosure. There was also a half-flounder downtown on the main street, though I don’t know how old it was. Another sight was a…

Interior, Wapsipinicon Mill, Independence, Iowa

The interior of the Wapsipinicon Mill is very well preserved, and shows most of the original wood machinery that ground flour and functioned as other types of milling over the life of the building. Of particular interest was a board that had once faced the interior of a grain shoot that had been worn smooth…

Wapsipinicon Mill, Independence, Iowa

Occasionally, I kick myself for coming within one block or less of some amazing building and totally missing it. That is certainly the case of the historic Wapsipinicon Mill in Independence, Iowa, which I drove within about five hundred feet in 2011 and 2018 without even noticing. I corrected those mistakes this visit, and extensively…

Alley Spring Mill, Shannon County

Dating from 1893, Alley Spring Mill, or just Alley Mill, is one of the most picturesque places that I have found in Missouri. Deep in the woods of the southern part of the state in Shannon County, it sits near a spring, so the water is still a vibrant blue color when it flows through…

North Bank, St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis

The north bank of the Mississippi is where Pillsbury, yes that Pillsbury, had its mills and grain elevators. Much of its huge physical plant is now condos, and it is really a beautiful area today, much like we saw yesterday. The old tail race of the turbines is still there, showing the history of the…

Flour Mills, St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis

Yesterday, I looked at the Stone Arch Bridge, the centerpiece of Minneapolis’s revitalized riverfront in the center of the city. The St. Anthony Falls brought industry to the area, using the water to power mills. Many of the mills are still here, even if some have fallen into ruin. Instead of viewing the buildings as…

Hay Grain, Flour & Feed Mills.

Senior citizens interested in taking my OASIS class on Fifteenth Century Italian Renaissance art can sign up for the three week course starting 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 by clicking on this link and searching by my last name or course number 112.

Cedar Hill Mill, Jefferson County

Cedar Hill Mill sits on a location that has held a mill since 1847.  The current mill was constructed by the Radeacker family. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this mill is its precarious setting atop a riverbank, below a large dam that funneled water into the mill. The dam is now broken, probably intentionally…