News

Gone.. Roller Mills A Piece of Glen Ullin's History

By Nancy

01/04/2012

A main business established long ago in Glen Ullin has been removed after demolition began over 2½ years ago, with weather a factor in taking the old girl down it stood for another 2 years.

Because of the condition of the buildings they have come down, but it took a mighty hand to do it. As long as it stood it did not want to give up its residency on the corner of South Avenue and C Street. The tall red building had seen its day and was now a victim of time and mother nature.

The history of the Roller Mills goes back to the early days.

It was the home to the first flour mill in Glen Ullin in 1887. What people in Glen Ullin did obtaining flour and bread before 1887 is speculation. Some of them may have had a small hand cranked grist mill to make edible grain to eat and also to make meal or flour.

There may have been some of the first settlers that came in 1883 who had enough money to buy supplies of food from Bismarck. Sacks of bread made in Bismarck were dumped off the train but only those who got there first were able to get the bread. Most of the settlers arriving in 1884, ‘85, and ‘86 were poor, having spent their last nickel or more to get here. Often they were at the mercy of those already here, who did not necessarily have it very good either. Sod had to be broken, houses built, grain planted and harvested by hand without any machines. So their diet probably consisted mostly of wild meat and (sour) milk.

1887-1891, the Geck brothers, Casper, Phillip Sr., Joe and Peter, - established the first flour mill near the site of the present railroad dam in 1887. They could not make a success of flour milling so they moved it out to the Phillip Geck homestead on Wilson Creek, nine miles northeast of Glen Ullin.

The stone used for grinding wheat into flour was four feet or more in diameter with a square hole in the middle. It was turned by horsepower - a horse walked in a circle all day long turning the stone.

1896 - 1905 - Louis Tavis bought the stone grinding flour mill from the Geck brothers in 1895. In 1896 he constructed the Glen Ullin Roller Mills with all new steel rollers and other equipment for grinding with steam power.

In reply to the inquiry about the material used in building the Roller Mill, Edmund Muggli received this account from A.R. Tavis, as he heard it from his father, Louis Tavis, and is uncle Herman Tavis: "The Marquis De Mores, while in the packing house business in Medora, also developed a stage line which was run from Medora to Deadwood, SD. He built a warehouse in Medora for use by this stage line. The line failed in just a few months after beginning operations. It was this freight warehouse which my Dad purchased, and uncle Herman Tavis went to Medora and supervised the dismantling of the building which was loaded on freight cars and shipped to Glen Ullin." This lumber and timbers were part of the Glen Ullin Roller Mills. (The Kinnischtzke’s returned a trailer load of lumber and timber back to Medora in 2009).

1906-1983 - Lucas Muggli came to Glen Ullin in June of 1905 to work as a flour miller in the Glen Ullin Roller Mills. Later in September his brother, Anton, came and became manager. In 1906 Lucas and Anton Muggli bought controlling stock in the roller mills from Louis, John and Lawrence Tavis.

In the Glen Ullin News edition of Dec. 5, 1913, is this news item: "One of the busiest places in this neck of the woods is the Glen Ullin Roller Mills. They are running night and day and are turning out a nice grade of flour. They recently sold 17 carloads of flour to one firm in the East." At that time they milled three brands of flour- Bakers, Standard and Sunflower. Some of this was shipped to England’s in 140 pound jute bags.

Farmers came from as far as Lemmon, SD, to have flour ground from their wheat. They did not exchange money for the flour, but wheat was given in payment. Some would stay a few nights at the mill before going back with their horses and loads of flour.

A grain elevator was built in connection with the roller mill in 1917. Several of the supporting posts of the elevator have drawings of people, done in red and blue. These were done by the

artistic Levon West as a high school student, possibly while working at the elevator. The post are dusty and the pictures are faded after about 65 years, but they are still visible.

A steam whistle was commonly heard at 6 am, 12 and 6 PM o’clock with a special whistle call given for the drayline deliveries. Local residents set their clocks by the whistle because a conscientious effort was made to have the exact time according to railroad time.

In the early 1930’s money was scare and farmers traded their produce for things they needed. Many farmers brought in loads of coal in exchange for flour. Huge amounts of coal were used to fire the steam boiler for the power plant. Farmers from hazen and Beulah brought in diamond willow posts and cottonwood lumber in exchange for flour and feed. Earlier, before 1915, Badlands Cedar posts were shipped in and sold. Some of the fences today still have these posts

The flour mill business felt the effects of time and in 1945 the Muggli’s quit operating the mill. The Glen Ullin Roller Mills then expanded in the direction of Case machinery, hardware, farm supplies, lumber and a repair shop with a new building in connection with the elevator in 1948. They also continued doing feed grinding and grain marketing with the elevator.

The Glen Ullin Roller Mills have been in the hands of the Muggli family beginning in 1906 until approximately 1991 when then sole owner Alfonse Muggli sold it. The managers over the years include: Anton Muggli, Edmund Muggli, Alex Muggli, Leander Muggli.

This story was contributed by the Glen Ullin Yesteryears Book 1883-1983 Volume 1, by the Glen Ullin Historical Society - Archives Committee.

The Roller Mills now was owned by Allan, Lynn and Lyle Kinnischtzke. They had purchased it from Mike Gerving a few years prior to that.