Buffalo Shipping Channel, General Mills

Looking south along the western side of "Kelley Island," on the Buffalo City Ship Canal, 1920's.

The City Ship Canal was artificially created beginning in 1850 with a 6,050' section that was intended to provide for
expansion of commerce by adding slips. The Canal connected to the Buffalo River and one of the slips
made an island of the land in between. Today the name "Kelley Island" is forgotten and the land is again connected to
the mainland. The area shaded in green above is pictured in the photo above and in those that follow.

The Washburn-Crosby Mills in 1906. The nine bins above were built in 1903 of earthen tiles, which were coming into use
simultaneously with steel reinforced concrete for grain storage. Companies were beginning to actively pursue alternative materials
for elevator construction because of prohibitive insurance rates for the flammable wooden elevators.

The same view in the early 1950's , showing the South Michigan Street Lift Bridge raised to allow a freighter to be tugged through.

All of the facilities in the above image belong to what is now General Mills. At the left is the Dakota Elevator (1904); the
bins at right were built in 1903 for the Minneapolis-based Washburn-Crosby flour-milling company. The company
built another mill and elevator by 1906, and further expanded into the Frontier Elevator in 1912.

The same view in 2005.

The Washburn-Crosby company formed General Mills in 1928, retaining the famous "Gold Medal Flour" name, its icon
prominently displayed on its Buffalo facility. The Dakota Elevator closed in 1965 and was later demolished. The Buffalo Skyway
visible at left was completed in 1955. When the South Michigan Lift Bridge mechanism wore out, the city removed the bridge
entirely; its concrete abutment is still visible.

The grain boat, Kinsman Independent at winter mooring along the General Mills complex, 2001. Photo credit: Brian Wroblewski.

The Buffalo General Mills milling facilities process grain into Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Total, and flour products. From 1988
until December 16, 2002, the facility received grain from the Kinsman Independent which made regular runs from Duluth to
Buffalo. The Kinsman Independent is what is known as a straight deck bulk carrier, requiring shoreside equipment for unloading.
(Note how high the ship rests in the water in the image above; it is likely nearly empty of its grain cargo.)

Night view of the Kinsman Independent moored along the General Mills complex, 2001. Photo credit: Brian Wroblewski.

In 2002, General Mills installed an unloading hopper which meant that the facility would be able to accommodate
self-unloading ships, increasing efficiency and saving money. The Kinsman Independent's last last trip to Buffalo brought
600,000 bushels of grain from Wisconsin. The ship was sold to an Ontario firm and is still operating.

Other ships still make trips to Buffalo to provide grain for General Mills. In August, 2004, the self-unloader Courtney Burton
could be seen moored in this location.

Special thanks to Brian Wroblewski for giving permission to display two of his many excellent photos. His web can be seen
here: http://www.boatnerd.com/passage/buffalo.htm

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