City Council explores McAfee Mill's role in Bloomington history
The Bloomington City Council heard a presentation Wednesday about the McAfee Mill and dam that shaped Nine Mile Creek Valley for over a century. The historical overview traced human influence on the creek from the 1870s through today, highlighting how the city now manages the area as parkland.
The presentation focused on Nine Mile Creek Valley, the area where the creek flows into the Minnesota River. Council members learned that the McAfee Mill, located near the intersection of 104th Street and Humboldt Avenue, was constructed in the 1870s and operated for decades before closing due to competition from the Minneapolis Mill District.
The valley's story reflects broader changes in Bloomington. After the mill's closure, the area saw residential settlement in the 1950s. A turning point came in 1987 when flooding prompted the city to acquire the Nine Mile Creek Valley, transforming it from private land into public space.
Today, city staff manage the valley's ecosystems and park infrastructure, balancing the area's industrial past with current environmental stewardship. The presentation underscored how human activity—from milling operations to flood management—has left lasting marks on the landscape that the city continues to address.
No votes were taken during the meeting, which served as an informational session for council members to understand the historical and ecological context of one of Bloomington's significant natural areas.
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Source document
[0:04] THE NINE-MILE CREEK VALLEY GIVES
THE IMPRESSION OF AN UNTOUCHED,
[0:08] NATURAL REMNANT. BUT THE TRUTH IS HUMAN INFLUENCE
IS A PART OF ITS LONG HISTORY. ONE MORE RECENT
[0:15] STORY OF PEOPLE LIVING AND WORKING ALONGSIDE
THIS INDELIBLE STREAM BEGINS IN THE 1870S.
[0:21] RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT IN THE LOWER NINE MILE CREEK VALLEY,
[0:24] JUST WEST OF 104TH STREET AND HUMBOLDT,
[0:27] WILLIAM MCAFEE BUILT A MILL AND IN ORDER TO POWER IT
[0:30] HE BUILT A LARGE EARTHEN DAM ACROSS
NINE MILE CREEK, JUST UPSTREAM.
[0:35] THE MILL WAS THREE STORIES TALL AND IT GROUND WHEAT,
RYE, GRAHAM, AND BUCKWHEAT FOR FLOUR AND FODDER.
[0:41] THE EARTHEN DAM STRETCHED FROM VALLEY WALL TO
VALLEY WALL. A BYPASS PIPE WAS USED TO PUSH WATER
[0:48] THROUGH THE MILL AND POWER ITS MACHINERY.
THE MILL POND CREATED BY THIS DAM WAS BIG.
[0:55] IT STRETCHED AT LEAST A HALF OF A MILE
UPSTREAM AND IT LEFT A SCAR ON THE
[1:00] LANDSCAPE THAT LASTED FOR DECADES AFTER
THE DAM AND MILL WERE BOTH LONG GONE.
[1:04] THE MILL PROVIDED GRIST AND FLOUR UP UNTIL
1905. THAT YEAR, THE DAM WASHED OUT. NOT THE
[1:10] FIRST TIME THAT HAD HAPPENED, BUT WITH INCREASED
COMPETITION FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS MILL DISTRICT,
[1:15] IT WAS NEVER REBUILT AND THE MILL, AFTER
41 YEARS OF OPERATION, CLOSED FOR GOOD.
[1:22] BY THE 1930S THE MILL AND ITS
EQUIPMENT HAD ALL BEEN CLEARED AWAY.
[1:26] THE STORY DOES NOT END THERE. A FAMILY HOME WAS
BUILT IN THIS SPOT IN THE 1950S. PEOPLE LIVED
[1:33] IN THE VALLEY ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL 1987.
THAT WAS THE YEAR OF A GREAT FLOOD WHICH
[1:39] WASHED OUT THE PROPERTY AND THE
ACCESS BRIDGE. AT THAT POINT,
[1:43] THE CITY BOUGHT OUT THE PROPERTY AND THE
BUILDINGS WERE FULLY DEMOLISHED IN 1989
[1:47] USING A TEST FIRE FOR FIREFIGHTER TRAINING.
NOW-A-DAYS, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY,
[1:52] YOU CAN STILL SEE THE REMNANTS OF THE OLD
EARTHEN DAMS THAT WERE BUILT TO POWER THE MILL,
[1:58] AND YOU CAN STILL SEE THE OLD ROAD THAT CAME DOWN
FROM HUBOLDT TO GET ACCESS TO SITE.
[2:03] PEOPLE ARE STILL A PART OF THIS LAND. FROM PARK VISITORS
[2:07] TO CITY STAFF WORKING AS CARETAKERS TO
THE LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS AND PARK INFRASTRUCTURE.
[2:12] THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS, NINE MILE CREEK KEEPS
CARVING ITS WAY TO ITS CONFLUENCE WITH THE MINNESOTA RIVER,
[2:18] READY TO BEAR WITNESS TO
FUTURE STORIES THAT ARE YET TO BE TOLD.
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