Good morning, South Metro.
What's inside:
Ecolab's $500M Eagan investment: 82,000 sq ft R&D, 1,000 jobs, largest MN bet ever
Eagan's $620M property value boom: 1,400 new homes in five years
Rosemount street bills: 214 homeowners paying way less than expected
Mar 24-25: Black Label Society at Mystic, paint nights & e-bike workshop
What year did Buck Hill add snowmaking (which allowed them to operate more consistently)?
If a cosmetic procedure has been on your mind, Dr. Schneider is worth a call.
He's a board-certified cosmetic surgeon just south of St. Paul, facelifts, liposuction, eyelid lifts, mommy makeovers, and more. His patients say he's the first doctor who actually listened. Consultations are free.
Ecolab Is Dropping $500 Million on Its Eagan Campus
82,000 square feet of new R&D space, 1,000 jobs on the line, and a $10 million state grant application in the works. The CEO called it the largest investment Ecolab has ever made in Minnesota.
Eagan Added $620 Million in Property Value Last Year
1,400 new homes in five years, a former Northwest Airlines data site turning into 1,000 apartments, and two new housing projects built specifically for veterans. The building boom is very much still on.
Farmington Is Chasing $2.95 Million to Fix Rambling River Park
Wider trails, a new restroom, a proper trailhead connecting to the North Creek Greenway and Dakota County is already chipping in.
214 Rosemount Homeowners Are Getting a Street Bill And It's Way Lower Than Expected
The original estimate had residents bracing for $3,000–$4,000. The final number came in well below that, and it's spread over 10 years.
THE MILL THAT CAME BEFORE THE TOWN
THERE'S A BUILDING IN HASTINGS that's older than Hastings itself.
Three years before the city had a name, there was a flour mill on the Vermillion River falls. That mill is still running. It produces 2.7 million pounds of flour every day—enough for 4 million pizzas. If you've eaten Domino's, Popeye's, or Kraft Mac and Cheese, you've probably eaten flour from Hastings.
It's the oldest continuously operating mill in Minnesota.
THE FALLS CAME FIRST
In 1853, Harrison Graham looked at the Vermillion River and saw free power.
The river drops 35 feet over limestone—enough falling water to turn massive grinding stones all day without paying for fuel. Graham built a mill. There was no city. No railroad. Just a waterfall and a bet.
A land dispute brought in a lawyer named William G. LeDuc. His fee? Half the mill. Three years later, LeDuc bought the other half for $7,000. He built his Gothic Revival mansion up the street. The house is still there. So is the mill.
THE INVENTIONS
In 1863, Stephen Gardner took over and reinvented flour.
Old mills ground everything together—white endosperm, brown bran, oily germ. Dark flour. Short shelf life.
Gardner built a reel sifter with a fan. Air blew away the bran. Silk cloth caught the pure white middlings. This was patent flour—the fine white flour bakers still use today. Invented in Hastings.
His son-in-law added magnets to pull metal fragments from wheat. Every modern mill uses this now. Also Hastings.
Minneapolis became the "Flour-Milling Capital of the World." But a lot of that technology started at a waterfall 30 miles downstream.
TODAY
The original 1853 building still stands—it's the corporate office now. The operation behind it:
2.7 million pounds of flour daily
40 semi-trucks leaving every day
130 employees around the clock
Wheat from Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Saskatchewan
Flour to Domino's, Popeye's, Kraft, Walmart
A 1925 payroll lists surnames Hastings residents still recognize: Hubley, Munger, Grosskopf, McCoy, Kieffer, Langenfeld. Families worked here for generations.
WHERE TO SEE IT
Vermillion Falls Park (18th Street East) has an observation deck overlooking both the 35-foot falls and the mill complex. Same waterfall that started everything in 1853.
LeDuc Historic Estate (1629 Vermillion Street)—home of the mill's second owner. Tours May through October.
The city grew up around the mill. The mill is still here.
➡️ 6 bed, 4.5 bath, 2.53 acres
➡️ 5-car garage, walkout basement & 3 fireplaces
➡️ Heated pool, game room, wet bar & hardwood floors throughout
➡️ 6,890 sq ft perched on a private hilltop with panoramic views
Price: $1,150,000
MLS #7035837
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Tuesday 24th
Paint Spring in Bloom at Omni Brewery & Taproom (Rosemount)
All supplies included for $35 at OMNI at 6:30pm, paint a gorgeous spring bloom on canvas while sipping local brews. Get creative.
Wednesday 25th
Electric Bike Safety and Etiquette Workshop (Lakeville)
Free workshop at 6pm covering e-bike safety, trail etiquette, and riding tips, perfect whether you just got one or you've been riding for years. Ride smart.
Black Label Society (Prior Lake)
Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society bring the heavy riffs to Mystic Lake at 6:30pm, this one's going to be loud and legendary. Shred it.
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Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for our next newsletter going out every Monday & Thursday morning.
— Brady Greenbush
Publisher & Editor